I released a soft breath of air, then nuzzled under her chin.
“I’m the big sister,” I said, “and you’ll let me protect you however I want.”
Val shook her head at me and smiled. “Yes, Mom. ” She met Fallen’s gaze and pointed in my direction. “You see what I’ve had to live with my entire life?”
“Doesn’t sound so bad to me,” Fallen said with a wolfish grin. “At least she didn’t pull your tail.”
Val and I both winced at that.
“You have any siblings, Fallen?” Val asked before I had the chance to do the same.
“No, though there were times I wished I had. It isn’t any fun when you don’t have someone else to tattle on.”
“You? A snitch?” I couldn’t believe it. “You don’t seem the type.”
“That’s because I’m not, but as a pup?” She shook her head. “I was quite the handful.”
“You and her both,” Val cut in, laughing when I lightly growled in her direction.
“So you and Ash aren’t related?” I asked, happy for the change in conversation.
“We certainly look alike, but no. I’ve known her for most of my life, though. I was raised right beside her and was there when she took her place as Alpha.”
“She didn’t have to fight for it?”
“Thankfully, no. The position was handed down to her when her mother lived out her rank. A wolf who cannot lead, hunt, or run with the pack is usually asked to step down, which was the case with her mother.”
“You said something like that before,” I said, looking away as it honestly wasn’t my place.
“I can tell this is getting a little too serious for me,” Val said as she slowly got to her feet, “but I’ll be back at the manor once you’re done if you want to… you know, talk some
more.” She didn’t smile then, and as she turned to go, there was no mistaking the pain I saw in her eyes. She wanted to know the truth, but a part of her feared it almost as much as I did.
As Fallen and I watched her go, an uncomfortable silence fell between us. It made my wolf anxious and caused my skin to itch. Without my sister to back me up, the words slipped out of my mouth before I could take them back.
“The first time Ash brought me inside the manor to use the phone, I overheard you talking to her outside,” I said, deciding it was best to keep my feelings to myself until we had more than a few minutes together.
“I thought as much,” Fallen said with a nod.
“You said she was only as good as the pack she leads.”
“This is true.” She sat back on her haunches and released a sigh. “The thing the rest of the
pack can’t understand is how hard our losses are on her. Not just Dani but every wolf we’ve lost ever since she took her place as Alpha. Every wolf needs time to mourn, and Ash takes longer than most.”
“And the pack faults her for that?” That didn’t sound right to me.
“They’re impatient,” Fallen corrected me. “They’re allowed to shift whenever they please, but it’s their wolves that need that connection, one of which Ash hasn’t been willing to give in a very long time.”
“But she shifted when you came to find me in the city.”
Fallen nodded at that, then padded up to me before sitting down again. “That was an exception. Ash and Dani both used to sit with the pack. They used to bask in the sun with us and lay beside us much like I’m doing with you now. Tell me, does my closeness to you make your wolf feel any different? Not just because of the other day, but before as well.”
I didn’t think so, but the warmth filling my chest said otherwise. “Yes.”
“That’s because we require a connection. We need the same closeness humans do. Wolves are incredibly loyal and communicate through sound and touch. The touch of our Alpha is the most important of all. She keeps us balanced and calms us when our minds go astray.”
“And so the struggles the pack has faced are because Ash keeps secluding herself?”