It sounded good when she said it. He turned and leaned against the counter. “I don’t know for certain, but the way he made it sound, it was an Alpha who did this. Maybe more than one. Have I been so focused on Lydon that I’ve ignored everywhere else? How could I not know this was happening?”
She patted his arm. “You’re a good man, Alpha. One of the best I know. You can’t be all things to all people. It’s not possible.”
“But we have so much here. Mother Moon blessed us, so don’t we have a responsibility to take anyone who needs us?”
Dani picked up the spoon, sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper into the soup, then went back to stirring. “I would never presume to tell you what to do.”
He snorted. “Nice one. Try again.”
A grin quirked the corner of her mouth. “Let me answer your question with one of my own. If I had left Lydon after Micah died, would you want us to be homeless, or would you want another pack to take us in?”
“Of course I would—oh.”
“Yes, oh. By picking and choosing the best people, how many others suffer from the indifference? Your ancestors always helped anyone who needed it, and you do your best to carry on in their traditions, but you’ve strayed from the core belief that we should extend a hand to anyone who needs it, Lydon wolves or not.”
He blew out a breath. “I am so glad you aren’t going to tell me what to do.”
“I’m not. I’m offering you insight. That’s all. Whatever you decide, that’s what we’ll do.”
He had cut himself off. In the back of his mind, Gareth knew it, but he’d tried to say it wasn’t happening. His father’s pack had numbered near a thousand—Gareth’s, only a few hundred. He’d truly believed being a small, prosperous group was preferable to a sprawling city of their kind. The thought of Dani and Caleb being homeless, though. That didn’t sit well with him at all. How many others had he turned a blind eye to?
Gareth scrubbed a hand over his head. “When did I lose my way?”
“Oh, Alpha.” She reached up and squeezed his shoulder. “You’ve never lost your way. Your idea is good, but the needs of our people are great. We are the wealthiest pack I know, and that means we have a responsibility to help those less fortunate than ourselves. A good shepherd can guide a large flock.”
Gareth chuckled. “Wolf and sheep metaphors. I’m not sure how well that will mix.” He blew out a breath. “So if I do this, will you continue to give me your wisdom?”
Her eyes went wide. “You would need wiser people than me.”
“You’re selling yourself short, Dani. You are one of the smartest people I know, and I would be honored if you would be my advisor.”
Her lip trembled, and she dropped to her knees. Gareth reached down and clutched her arm.
“No, we don’t do that anymore, remember? I am not a king—I’m an Alpha. A wolf, like you. No one kneels to me, especially those I count among my friends.”
When she peered up, there were tears in her eyes, silvery gems highlighted by the soft beams of light from the fixtures overhead. Gareth’s heart swelled.
“Please, stand up.”
He helped her to her feet and was surprised when she threw her arms around him. He’d never been an aloof Alpha, but he’d never been overly affectionate either. Still, he pulled her in and held her close.
And it was good.
Chapter Five
SEAN OPENED his eyes and squinted against the bright shaft of light that snuck past the closed curtain. He was warm and comfortable, and the bed didn’t smell like dirt. As much as he hated to think it, if he was in prison, this might not be so terrible. He lifted the ruby-red blanket off him and padded through the open door into a large bathroom. He stepped up to the toilet and relieved himself, then gazed longingly at the shower. It had been weeks since he’d been truly clean. Maybe Gareth wouldn’t mind…. Really, as sensitive as a wolf’s nose was, he’d probably appreciate it.
A knock at the door drew his attention away from that train of thought. He returned to the main room.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice. Sean cracked the door open. “Yes?”
She gave him a bright smile. “Good morning, Mr. Sean. I’m Dani, the housekeeper. I brought you fresh linens.”
He blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
The answering laugh was soft, and it made Sean feel… good. “I thought you might want me to change the bed. You were out of it the other day when I came in and took off the comforter and gave you the blanket.”
Sean swallowed. “I’m sorry? The other day?”
“You’ve been asleep for almost three days. Being out in the cold must have given you a chill, because when the Alpha brought you back, you got very sick. He stayed by your side the whole time, applying cool compresses to your head. Your fever finally broke yesterday, and your temperature came back down. You had us all worried.”
Three days? He couldn’t recall any of it. “I’m sorry to have put you out.”
She tutted. “If you let me in, I’ll do my work and get out of your way so you can relax a while. I’ll send some soup and a sandwich up with Caleb. I made you chicken noodle. I hope you like it.”
She made him soup? Who were these people that were so kind and generous? “Can I clean the room myself?”
There was a gentle smile on her lips. “You could, but why not let me do what Gareth pays me for?”
Wait, what? “I’m in Gareth’s house?”
“You’re in the compound, yes.”
“How did I get here?”
She blew out a breath. “May I please come in? I don’t like talking to a door.”
Hesitantly, Sean pulled it open. Dani was a beautiful woman, with high, striking cheekbones and amazing eyebrows. But her eyes were what drew Sean. They were deep, soulful, kindly, and as far as Sean could tell, held no reproach at all.
“Thank you. Let me do the bed, and then I’ll go downstairs and get your food. You must be starving.”
He was. He remembered the offer of spaghetti, but couldn’t recall if he’d eaten. Though he was starved, he didn’t want to put Dani out.
“No, don’t bother. I’ll be okay. I’ll go hunting, if that’s allowed.”
Her nose wrinkled. “You’re going to turn down my homemade chicken noodle soup for a gamey rabbit or chipmunk?”
Well, when she put it like that. “Can I help?”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Of course you can. As soon as I finish the bed, you can crawl back under the covers and get some more sleep. You’re still far too pale.”
“I was going to take a shower. I know I must stink, and I’m sorry about that.”
She chuckled. “I live with a seventeen-year-old boy who assures me that his sneakers don’t smell. He also picks clothes up from the floor and sniffs them to see if they’re suitable to wear, despite the fact that he has an entire dresser full of clean ones that I lovingly washed and folded for him.” She pulled the blanket off, folded it, and placed it on the floor. When she stood back up, Sean detected a slight smile. “Speaking of clothes, Gareth asked me to order you some. I guessed on your size, but you’ll find shirts in the top drawer, socks and underwear in the second, and pants in the bottom. If the style isn’t to your liking, you tell me what you prefer, and I’ll make sure you get it.”
Sean stepped back. “Why are you doing this?” It made no logical sense. “You don’t even know me.”
“No, but we want to.”
The voice, deep and husky, filled the room, even though the words were spoken softly. Sean turned toward the door as Gareth entered. Now that Sean’s mind had cleared, he got his first real look at the Alpha. From what Sean could see, Gareth was broad everywhere, with dark hair buzzed close to the scalp. Those eyes, though. Those Sean remembered. They held your attention, even if you tried to look away.
“Sean?”
He pulled his thoughts back from Gareth’s pecs and lifted his gaze to the Alpha’s. The smirk told Sean he’d
been caught ogling, and his chest tightened.
“I’m… I’m sorry, I—”
Gareth cocked his head. “Why would you be sorry?”
“I didn’t mean to stare.”
“Do you think I mind if someone looks at me? I look—why can’t others?”
“Because I’m… I’m a guy.”
“Yes, I did notice that when you were naked in Dr. Franklin’s office, and the evidence is still pretty plain to see.”
Sean gasped and grabbed something off the bed to cover himself. He turned to Dani, his eyes wide. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She looked at Gareth and snorted. “I see this one naked all the time. What kind of pack were you in that nudity is a bad thing?”
Being naked wasn’t the problem. Having Ryker ogling, touching….
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Gareth was talking so breezily. “You don’t mind that I’m….” God. “Gay?” He whispered the words, hoping no one heard them.
“Caleb is gay,” Dani said, not looking up from sliding the fitted sheet onto the bed. “Do you think that means I love him any less? What kind of parent would that make me? If you can so easily stop loving someone for who they love, then you never truly cared for them at all.”
Gareth hitched a thumb in Dani’s direction. “What she said.” He took a step closer. “Many of Lydon’s wolves are… disenfranchised, for lack of a better word. We don’t discriminate here. LGBTQI, unwed mothers, single fathers. We welcome everyone.” He blew out a breath. “And now that I’ve gotten my head out of my ass, we’re going to be more welcoming.”
“What do you mean?”
“How about you take a shower, because—and I mean no offense—you’re pretty rank. Once that’s done, you’ll let Dani feed you, and then you and I will take a tour around Lydon. You’ll let me tell you about the town, and then you can decide if you think you’d like to be part of our pack.”
Dani, still not looking up, cleared her throat.
“Of our family,” Gareth corrected.
Pack? Family. God, Sean wanted that so desperately. Wolves didn’t do well on their own, and Sean had been by himself for far too long.
“I… I’d like that…. Alpha.”
It was a shock when bile didn’t rise in Sean’s throat at the word.
“Good. Shower, eat, and then we’ll go. You’ll find toothpaste and deodorant in the cabinet to the right of the sink. Towels—assuming Dani did her job—will be in the chest right outside the door.”
This time Dani looked up. “No soup for you.”
Gareth’s lower lip jutted out. “I’m sorry. Really.”
She waved him off and put fresh forest-green cases on the four pillows that stretched across the king-size bed. Gareth laughed, and Sean found it to be a nice sound. Full, rich, vibrant. Not evil or skanky or anything like Ryker’s.
The thought of Ryker had Sean shivering.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Fine. Just a little cold. The shower will warm me up, though.”
“All right. I have some calls to make, but I should be done before you’re ready to go. Dani, would you please make sure he eats all his food? He missed too many meals already.”
“Yes, Alpha.” She looked up and gave him a smile. “And I’ll have some food for you as well.” The grin turned positively evil. “I’m thinking tofu.”
He narrowed his gaze and stuck out his tongue. “Fine. I quite like tofu.”
The two of them played with each other? Hell, Gareth spoke to his housekeeper, not just barked orders at her? He recalled Ryker and someone who worked at his place. Every time she’d walk by, Ryker would leer. At times he’d make some comment, laden with innuendo that Sean hadn’t understood yet, and she would hurry from the room. One night when he was twelve, as Sean was heading home from a friend’s house, he heard Lottie scream. He ran for the Alpha’s house and found Ryker holding her against the wall. He licked her face, and she whimpered. Sean, seeing the woman who had been so kind to him in danger, rushed forward and threw himself at Ryker, but it was like hitting a brick wall, and Sean fell to the floor.
Ryker had glared down at Sean. “You wanna take her place, pup?”
“No, leave him alone.”
Ryker drew a hand back and slapped her across the face. “Don’t tell me what to do.” His dark gaze returned to Sean. “I asked you a question. Do you want to take her place?”
“Please. I’ll do what you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
The sneer that spread over Ryker’s ugly face caused Sean to tremble. “You’ll do what I want regardless.” He nodded toward the door. “Get lost, kid. I’ll settle up with you another time.”
“Go, Sean. Please.”
There were tears in her eyes, and Sean’s heart clenched. She was one of the only friends he had, and she was in trouble. He ran home and told his father, who said that was how Alphas were and there wasn’t anything to be done about it. Despite Sean’s protests, he was told to go to bed and not speak of it anymore.
He never saw Lottie again.
God, how had he forgotten? She used to bake him cookie bars, giving them to him with a glass of milk, and then made him sit and tell her all about school. She was like a big sister to Sean, and somehow, in the intervening years when he was running for his life, he’d forgotten her.
His stomach heaved, and Sean darted for the bathroom just in time to drop to his knees and dry heave in the toilet.
“Get Frank here, now!”
“Right away, Alpha.”
Sean waved, hoping to forestall Dani, but she was gone before he could say anything.
“Tell her to come back. I’m—”
“Shut up.” Gareth came up from behind, knelt down, and put a hand on Sean’s back. “Are you done?”
He had nothing in his stomach, so yeah, he was pretty much done. “I think so.”
Sean yelped when Gareth snatched him from the floor, stood, and carried him to the bed. “This is the only place you’re going today. I’ll have Dani make you something light, maybe just broth. We’ll revisit the idea of a tour tomorrow.”
“No, I’m okay. It’s just—”
“Tomorrow, Sean. Today you’ll rest. Do you understand me?”
Words. Gareth only spoke words. He made no attempt to use his Alpha compulsion to force Sean to obey. He cared about Dani and, seemingly, about Sean. Gareth was the first person Sean had met who might be worthy of the title he held.
He drew in a breath. “Yeah, okay.”
Gareth grinned. “We’ll talk later. I promise.” He reached out and stroked strong fingers over Sean’s hair. “Get some rest, okay? Let Dani take care of you.”
“Okay.”
Surprisingly, Sean was asleep moments later.
THE SHOWER had been freaking heaven. It had been another two days of poking and prodding by Dr. Franklin before Gareth let Sean try to get out of bed again. This time, with the memories under control, he had no problems. He stood in the shower, the jets blasting near-scalding water, reaching crevices that had gone unwashed for far too long.
“How’s your soup?”
His gaze snapped to Dani, who stood there chopping vegetables. Then he looked down at the nearly empty bowl, already sad that there was no more.
“It seems that you need a refill.”
She took the bowl to the stove and ladled another helping before returning the soup to Sean.
He inhaled deeply, allowing the savory scents to tickle his nose. God, it had been far too long since Sean had anything remotely homemade. He happily slurped a spoonful, then winked at Dani. “This is amazing.”
Dani beamed a smile. “It was my great-grandmother’s recipe, which was passed down through the family until I got it. I made this a lot when Caleb was a boy.”
“Oh?”
“After his father died, he needed comfort food, and this was the best I could offer him.”
“I’m sorry for your
loss.” Sean had no idea what else to say. Death was part of a wolf’s world. He should know—he’d seen enough of it.
“We’re okay now. It took a long time, and our Alpha, to get us into a good spot again.”
“Oh? What did he do?”
“Gave me this job, for one. And he’s paying for Caleb’s schooling when he’s ready to attend college. Well, to be fair, he pays for all our cubs to attend school. He built a campus nearby, and our children go there. After their first shift at eighteen, when they’re ready to go out into the world, the pack pays for their tuition on the condition they do something they’re passionate about.”
The more Sean learned about Gareth, the more humbled he was. Gareth had treated him with kindness, which was a foreign concept to Sean in recent years. He was funny, easy to smile, and had taken Sean in, no questions asked.
“He’s also cared for Caleb as if he was his own son. He doesn’t even mind it that Caleb worships the ground his Alpha walks on.”
What was it about Gareth? How did he manage to engender trust from his people when every other Alpha Sean had met ruled through fear?
“What are you thinking about? You’ve got this look on your face that tells me you’re not really here.”
Sean sighed. “Gareth isn’t like other Alphas. Every one I’ve ever met has tried to… hurt me.”
She nodded sagely. “My grandma used to tell me stories passed down from her grandmother’s mother and even before, about the old days, well before Grandma was born, when Alphas cared for their pack. She would tell me how the Alpha wouldn’t let his pack go hungry, how they would sacrifice their own lives to save their people. Humans were spreading across the continent and land was becoming scarce. There were great, bloody conflicts, and yes, Alphas died in brutal battles trying to secure resources, but it wasn’t out of greed or selfishness. Rather it came from the love of their people.”
The Night Wolf Page 5
