“Because people change. We don’t stay the same. We learn and grow and, from new experiences, are shaped into something more. Sometimes, people aren’t… well. They aren’t who they’re supposed to be or how we think of them. They change in ways we don’t expect, and while we want them to remember the good times, they can only focus on the bad. And it colors their world in shadows.”
There was a look on his fa
ce I’d never seen before, and it made me uneasy. But it was gone before I could ask after it. “Is a tether a secret?”
He nodded. “It can be. Having a tether is… it’s a treasure. One that is unlike anything else in the world. Some even say it’s more important than having a mate.”
I grimaced. “I don’t care about that. Girls are weird. I don’t want a mate. That’s stupid.”
He chuckled. “I’ll remind you of that when the day comes. And I can’t wait to see the look on your face.”
“What’s yours? You can tell me. I won’t say anything to anyone.”
He tilted his head back against the tree. “You promise?”
I nodded eagerly. “Yeah.”
When my father smiled for real, you could see it in his eyes. It was like a light shining from within. “It’s all of you. My pack.”
“Oh.”
“You sound disappointed.”
I shrugged. “I’m not. It’s just… you always talk about pack and pack and pack.” I scrunched up my face. “I guess it makes sense.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Is it the same for Mom?”
“Yes. Or at least it was. Tethers can change over time. Like people, they evolve. Where it once might have been the idea of pack, it’s become more pointed. More focused. For her, it’s her sons. You and Kelly and Joe. It started with you and grew because of Kelly and Joe. She would do anything for you.”
Fire burned in my chest, safe and warm. “Mine won’t ever change.”
My father looked at me curiously. “Why?”
“Because I won’t let it.”
“You sound as if you already know what it is.”
“’Cause I do.”
He leaned forward, taking my hands in his. “Will you tell me?”
I looked up at him, too young to understand the depths of my love for him. All I knew was that my father was here and asking me something that felt important, something just between us. A secret. “You can’t tell anyone.”
His lips twitched. “Not even Mom?”
I frowned. “Well, she’s okay, I guess. But not anyone else!”
“I swear,” he said, and since he was an Alpha, I knew he meant it.
I said, “Kelly. It’s Kelly.”
He closed his eyes. His throat clicked as he swallowed. “Why?”
“Because he needs me.”
“That’s not—”