“But he’s not welcome on pack land?” I asked, arching an eyebrow and Anna gave me a sheepish nod.
“The pack doesn’t know Dom called him,” she told me and I reared back in surprise. Anna nodded, looping her arm through mine. “He met him while he was at college. Thought Trent might want to join our pack, but he didn’t.” Anna paused and glanced at me, “Not that the Alpha would have allowed it.” I glanced at her curiously. “Caleb is more open minded than his dad. I mean, don’t get me wrong, his dad is more modern than most, but lone wolves have a stigma.”
“But Dominic doesn’t agree?” It seemed like Dominic didn’t agree with a lot of what the alpha said.
“No, he does, but with Dom it’s more of a case by case basis. Caleb’s the same way,” Anna added hurriedly. My mind got sidetracked from my original question as what she said reminded me of another question.
“What’s the deal with Caleb and Dominic?”
“What do you mean,” Anna asked evasively and I just looked at her. She huffed, but finally relented. “Fine, Dominic is tasked with protecting Caleb since he’s the alpha’s son.” That sounded right, but why hide it? “And next in line to be alpha,” Anna added, glancing at me quickly.
“Caleb is next in line?” I confirmed and she nodded. “So, wait, alpha is inherited?”
“Not exactly,” Anna hedged, glancing around like she wanted someone to come rescue her.
“Then why is Caleb next in line? Wouldn’t it be a vote by the elders?” I was seriously confused by this. I’d read up on wolf behavior in the wild, but could admit it didn’t necessarily apply to shifters.
“Generally, wolves fight for dominance and the dominate male is alpha.” I nodded since this fit in with what I’d read. “Clearly, neither Caleb or his father or the strongest wolves in the pack.”
My mind flashed to Hank Navarre and his sheer size, the same size he’d passed onto his son.
“Dominic and his dad are,” I replied slowly, wondering why Hank Navarre wasn’t alpha.
“He didn’t want it,” Anna answered, reading my expression correctly. “So, Hank became beta, second in command, and protected the alpha’s flank from other wolves who might try to come in and take the pack. The others agreed to the arrangement.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“There isn’t one, not really,” Anna answered hesitantly. “It’s just the alpha wants the arrangement to continue with Caleb.”
“Dominic seems okay with it,” I replied.
“He is, but some of the others aren’t,” Anna admitted.
“What do you mean?”
“Some agree with Dominic’s views and they think the strongest wolf should lead the pack.”
“But Caleb and Dominic have similar views,” I replied in confusion.
“They do! Caleb isn’t like his father, not really. And Dom doesn’t want to be alpha. He’s content to keep Caleb and the pack safe.”
“So, again, what’s the problem?”
“Nothing, for now,” Anna answered quietly. “It’s only when the alpha dies we’ll see issues. There will be several who want Dom to take the position and it could cause the pack to divide.”
I nodded slowly, as I analyzed the new information. I hadn’t realized there were politics in play in the pack, and wondered what Dominic’s thoughts were on it.
“What’s does it mean when a claiming is unfinished?” I asked abruptly, remembering Trent’s words.
Anna flushed tomato red and I sighed.
“Let me guess, it has something to do with sex,” I muttered and Anna nodded, glancing at the ground. “Can you explain what mating and claiming involves?”
“Um, yeah,” Anna responded slowly. “One, you have to be able to mate.” I shot her a curious glance. “Not everyone has the genes,” she explained. “Only those capable of having shifter children are considered ‘mates’ in our world.” We reached a bench Dad had just installed and sat down. “Caleb’s older brother wouldn’t be able to mate with anyone, but Caleb would.” Red inched up her cheeks again, but I didn’t mention it. “Two, they have to agree they want to mate. At least in our pack,” she corrected, her mind going to the Hanleys like mine. “Then, they, um, well, they have sex,” she mumbled in a rush and my eyes squinched.
“That’s it?”
“Well, no,” she answered. I shook my head and looked at her in expectation. “They also bite each other.”
“Bite each other,” I echoed in disbelief.
“It’s not as weird as it sounds,” Anna said hastily. “It’s actually an important part of the mating. And its not like a bite that hurts. It’s kind of a claiming.” She scrambled for the right word, “A marking, you could say.” My hand drifted to my neck where a particular spot burned like a brand.
“Would a kiss work?” I questioned and Anna shook her head in the negative, relieving my mind. If there also happened to be a spurt of disappointment in there, I ignored it.