I have given this a lot of thought before coming to the meeting.
Because they’re not on the list, I can’t flat-out ask the Connollies if they have a connection to my father.
And if they live on our land separately, they might not be forthcoming on their own.
I figured the best way to earn their trust was to get close to them, co-exist and build relationships, where these types of questions would not be suspicious.
Besides, even if they weren’t somehow connected to the project, they’re still a small and isolated pack, and they’re living on my land, which means they’re under my protection.
I can’t very well kick them out, and I can offer them better safety from within the compound walls.
It’s what my father would have done.
He was the kind of alpha that would have helped anyone who needed it, because it was within his ability -and therefore his responsibility- to do so.
Though initially shocked into silence, Steven quickly finds a diplomatic answer.
“That’s very generous of you,” he says, his voice taking on an edge that implies a rebuttal.
“However, and I sincerely hope I don’t offend you, we’ve been living this way for almost two decades, and we’re quite comfortable the way we are.” Like his family did with Steven, my people look at me for a verdict.
I try to keep a neutral mask on while I mull this over.
I honestly didn’t expect them to refuse.
Not to sound narcissistic, but our pack’s reputation is one of the strongest in the country and precedes us everywhere we go.
Other werewolves regularly ask to join us.
But when I hand in an open invitation with no strings attached, I’m naturally shocked at being refused.
Why wouldn’t they want to join us?
I wonder.
Maybe they do know something and they’re just hiding it.
That’s the only explanation I can come up with on the spot, but I can’t be sure, and I sure as hell can’t ask them about it.
I’m going to have to come up with a different way to earn their trust.
Fortunately, I don’t think that’s going to be very hard.
We don’t need to be in the same pack to be friends, for one thing.
And then there’s always activities like Friday’s party and Saturday’s bonfire camp that we could invite them to.
“I can respect your decision,” I finally say.
“And in that case, I will agree to renew the agreement you made with our previous alpha.
You may continue to live on our land, and you are always welcome into our pack house.
As long as you all respect our rules and not cross one of our own.
In return, we will treat you like family and none of us will try to cross you either.” Thankfully, Steven nods and says, “Thank you.” “That being said,” I add in a much lighter tone, “we’re throwing a welcome home party this Friday, and we’d like to invite you all.” “Oh, that’s very sweet of you,” Brooke fondly replies.
“My husband and I unfortunately don’t enjoy parties, but I’m sure the boys would love to go.” “Yeah, sure,” the one called Daniel says casually.
The five of them agree to attend the party, thus ending the official part of our meeting.
We don’t immediately part ways though, since those of us who already ordered are still eating, and the Connolly boys are hungry.
Then, in the spirit of unity, we start trying to strike up conversations with each other.
Steven and Brooke show interest in our pack’s training, and I in turn ask about theirs.
They explain to me that aside from the boys going to the gym twice a week, Steven trains them in wolf form every Tuesday night, in a clearing in the nearby forest.
However, Steven suspended training until the summer begins because their school years are close to being over, and they will need the extra time to study.
Connor is the only one who hasn’t interrupted his own training because he graduated from college.
After a while, another conversation catches my attention, and I briefly listen in on Sadie telling Michael how she and Cade got together.
Sadie must have just finished telling him about how her parents met.
Those two stories usually go together.
In spite of myself, I can’t help listening in, as do the rest of us.
“I grew up with Logan and Cade since I was three,” Sadie is saying.
“We’ve always been close.
Originally, Logan’s parents were hoping that he and I would get together, because they knew he would be alpha one day, and it was vital that his mate would be someone reliable who would never betray them.
Who could be better than someone he has grown up with?” “Okay,” Michael encourages her, immersed in her story.
Sadie smiles and looks over at Cade, who is of course staring at her with an enraptured look on his face.
“But I’ve always felt like I had a special bond with Cade,” she goes on.
“I’ve had a crush on him since I could remember.
I came clean and told him straight away when I was sixteen, and lucky for me, he felt the same way.” She looks at Michael again, still smiling.
“Last year, he asked me to be his mate.
Of course I said yes.” They reach for each other under the table, which only I seem to notice, and clasp hands.
“Wow,” Michael says, displaying the usual fascination people got from hearing Cade and Sadie’s story.
That is, unless you’ve already heard it ten thousand times and have practically memorized it.
“This is amazing.
I mean, you make finding one’s mate sound so easy and effortless.” “Oh believe me, there was plenty of effort,” she assures him frantically.
“And we each had our personal struggles to go through.
But it was all worth it in the end.” A dreamy look crosses her face and she can’t help taking a glance at her mate.
Cade’s expression instantly mirrors hers.
Unlike the uncomfortable feeling I’m getting, Michael grins.
“Yeah, I’ll bet it was.” “What about you Michael?” Reena suddenly pipes up.
“Any potential mate on the horizon?” I stare at him expectantly, kind of curious to hear the answer myself.
“No,” he simply says, which for some reason makes me even more curious.
He just said it in a way that made it final, that not only does he not have a mate or even a potential one, he doesn’t believe he ever will.
“Don’t worry, Dylan,” Sadie reassures him.
“Everybody’s got a mate.” “Oh, I don’t think that applies to me,” he says evasively, confirming my suspicion.
“That’s ridiculous!” she objects.
“I’m positive you’re going to find her someday.” Michael averts his gaze, looking embarrassed.
And that’s when he makes eye contact with me again.
I try to crack the puzzle that is in his eyes, only to come up empty handed.
Uncomfortable with my prying, he looks down at his plate, in turn making me feel bad about staring.
“Maybe,” he allows.
“Someday.” It sounds like he’s saying it only for Sadie’s benefit, and not like he actually believes it.
For some reason, I am very interested in figuring out what makes him so sure that he’s never going to find a mate.
I’ve never met a werewolf who seemed so put off by the very thought.
I’ve met plenty who were nonchalant about it, but none that refused the idea altogether.
I’m very curious to find out what makes Michael Connolly tick.
Michael When we get home, I practically run up the stairs into the guest room while the rest of my family settles in the living room or the kitchen.
I’m surprised Mason doesn’t go straight up there with me, but it makes sense when I see him raiding the fridge.
Marianna’s suitcase is thrown open on the bed, and I’m relieved to find that there’s nothing inside it yet.
She’s not in the room, but I hear her in the bathroom.
The door is open and I take that as I sign that I can go in.
She’s collecting her beauty products and toiletries from the cabinets.
She hears me coming and smiles at me, looking sideways.
“How was it?” she asks, and the ever present hint of her French accent shows.
“Tense,” I tell her.
“As expected.” “What’s the new alpha like?” I take a moment to think about how to answer that.
The guys in the pack were different from what I imagined; they’re all younger than I expected, maybe even younger than Connor.
The first one I recognized was Sadie’s boyfriend Cade, because he was standing closest to her.
He’s pretty cute in an injured-puppy kind of way, but his features are almost baby-ish.
I personally don’t find that attractive, even though he is pretty well-built.
Two others were identical, which led me to guess they’re the younger brothers Sadie mentioned.
Plus, Jared and Sam had features in common with their older brother, although they were not as muscular.
When introductions were made, I knew I was right about who they are.