“Do you think I’m being a bad alpha?” he asked.
“Fuck, no. I was shocked to hear the library fired her and her parents kicked her out, all within hours of being tossed aside by your son. I mean, that has got to mess with a woman’s head, hasn’t it?” William shook his head, picking up his own cup of coffee.
“I know the chronicles. I know you have every right to do what you’re doing, and not asking questions, and shit like that, but I’ve got to ask, are you doing this because of the crush or because you want to help this girl?”
“I’m doing this because I want her. You think I didn’t see what was happening to my son?” Gage asked. He laughed. “I realized it. It took me a couple of weeks to see it, but then I started to put two and two together. The way he would end up near her, you know? She was always there, and so was he. I even saw him watching her, and he always had this frown on his face, like he was disgusted with what he saw. It pissed me off. You know it did.”
William sighed. “And now?”
“Now, having her in my home, there is no anger inside me. I care about her. You know that.”
“I fear what this will mean,” William said. “If Tanner decides he can’t stand this … separation, he can demand a period of time with his mate, where he gets the chance to take her from you.”
“Not if I’ve staked my claim.”
William paused. “I’ve never known you to act like this.”
“You’ve never seen me want something so badly I can taste it, but it’s there. It always has been.”
“Gage, you’re a good alpha. An amazing friend. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Then do me a favor and don’t go putting ideas in my son’s head.”
Willian sighed. “You know under pack law if he asks me a question, I must answer it. He is your son and he has a right to know.”
“Then you answer it. You make sure he knows the truth. I cannot stop you, and I have no intention of doing so.”
“This isn’t going to end well.”
Gage finished the coffee but left half of his bagel. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
“No. The supply contractor I have has already made the shipment. I’m sorry to have kept you.”
Gage nodded and moved toward the door. “I’m not going to do anything for my own agenda, William. I care about her. He can’t even stand her.”
“He’s a boy.”
“He’s three years older than you were when you met your mate, and I didn’t see you turning her down, even though she wasn’t who you wanted in the first place.”
“Point taken.” William shrugged. “I’m on your side.”
Gage didn’t say anything, but left the office. He nodded at workers as his cell phone went off. He was needed at the police station.
It was only a short walk. This was what he had to do. He spent most of his day dealing with pack duties.
Everyone wanted to talk to him, to tell him what they felt could be wrong with the pack, and how to fix it.
There was a time he was insulted when he watched his grandfather do this, but that had all changed when the man had told him it was important to listen to those around you. A good alpha listened. A bad alpha ordered without care.
He always wanted to be a good alpha. The kind of man people looked up, supported, listened to.
Running his fingers through his hair, he couldn’t help but glance back at William.
William’s mate had been the geeky girl in school. The one with braces and glasses, who spent most of her time in front of a computer. A complete no one. Gage even recalled how William was so disappointed in his mate, but he hadn’t turned her down. Little by little, William had fallen in love with the little nerd.
Within ten minutes, Gage got to the police station to find there was a disturbance. Darcy was midway through a transition. With her pregnancy, her hormones had been completely acting out. She couldn’t seem to help her reactions.
“She didn’t mean to do it,” Carl, her husband, said. His shirt was torn and blood covered the fabric, but the signs of his healing were already happening. “We were…”
“Please, make it stop. They don’t need to know we were fucking outside of the library for one last chance to be together before this baby arrives.” She whimpered. “I’d been doing so well.”
“I warned you about getting her emotions out of control.”
He’d been called to Carl and Darcy’s home late one evening. They had been about to have sex when her wolf had wanted to come out and play. With her pregnant, the females couldn’t turn. It did make it difficult for them. Nine months without a single change, but he was always available to help.