Chapter Five
“Hoist!” Radley shouted, and he, along with five other wolves, lifted the wall panels high, placing it in the proper position before a few other men went to work with their nail guns. They were building yet another cabin, yet another home, and they had at least twenty more to do. There was a birthing boom in the Chesapeake Clan, not uncommon in times of peace, but it still meant there needed to be more homes to house them. It was a prosperous time and yet a hard time, because the Clan didn’t have a ton of extra money. Luckily, they’d been saving up for this very thing for years. The cabins would be simple, but they would still be good homes.
As alpha, Radley firmly believed in helping everyone. No one went without work in the Chesapeake Clan. No one suffered if he could control it. There was no homelessness here, no starvation, but sometimes, they went without luxury. At least, right now, they were relatively well off, but after building all the new homes, there would be need for more money. Radley wasn’t quite sure where that would come from.
The way the Chesapeake Clan worked was different from other clans. He was a different sort of alpha, preferring to live modestly so he could give more to his people. He’d always felt it was a better way to run a clan, a healthier way. Why would he allow his people to starve while he lived in the lap of luxury? He didn’t rule with fear, only respect. He’d earned his title by that alone. Not once in the thirty years he’d been alpha had he been challenged, and it was a matter of respect more than anything else.
Stepping back to study their handy work, Radley pulled his gloves free and tucked them into his back pocket. “That’s it for the day, lads. We’ll continue tomorrow. Go on home to your families.”
The men all wiped the sweat from their brow and moved to gather their things. Meanwhile, Radley turned to the woman watching him from beneath an umbrella. There were tiny wrinkles around her eyes, belying her age, but she was still beautiful.
“Don’t you ever get tired of sitting out here?” Radley asked, smiling gently at her.
“Give an old wolf a break,” his mother replied with a smile. “Besides, it’s always nice to watch the young pups strip off their shirts.” Radley’s nose wrinkled. “Oh, don’t worry, son. I’m just enjoying the view, nothing more. Besides, you know I don’t have any desire for such things.”
Radley’s parents had been true mates, a rarity in wolf clans as of late. When his father had died, his mother had nearly followed him, as was typical for wolf mates, but his mother had held on. . . for him. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible, did everything he could, but no matter how enriched his mother’s life was, there was always a sadness just behind her eyes.
“Speaking of which,” his mother continued. “When are you going to settle down with a nice female?” She didn’t stand to help him gather his tools and he didn’t expect her to. As an elder, his mother had earned her right to relax, but her incessant requests for grand pups never ended.
“When I’m not too busy for one,” Radley grunted as usual. Any female he mated with now would suffer for his lack of time and attention. An alpha’s job never ended, but there were times where he was not busy building cabins for his people. Only when he could properly love someone would he look. A true mate was likely out of the question but someone he could share his life with sounded nice enough.
“An alpha is never not busy,” she pointed out, echoing his thoughts.
“Are you going to lecture me about continuing the bloodline, Mother?” he asked, raising his brow at her.
“No,” she shook her head. “Bloodlines aren’t the most important thing in the world. There are plenty of pups being born into our clan. I’m not worried for that, but it’s a pleasure to have pups of your own.” She looked at him pointedly. “What I’m saying is, I’d like to see you happy.”
“I am happy,” he argued, tossing tools in the box so they wouldn’t rust. Rusty tools had to be replaced and it wasn’t in the budget for the build.
“You’re comfortable, son. Not happy. There’s a difference.”
Radley huffed. “I like my comfort.”
But before his mother could further argue her points, a howl echoed through the air and he straightened. If he’d been in wolf form, his hackles would have gone up, but in this form, all he did was tense. The howl had been a warning that someone was coming up the drive.
“Who could that be?” his mother asked, turning in her seat.
“Maybe you should go inside.”
But his mother shook her head. “I’m older but not helpless. I’m still a wolf when needed, son.”
They both watched as a pearlescent white Bentley came around the bend and rolled to a stop, wheels crunching over the gravel. It was a mighty fancy car to be rolling across a gravel road, but Radley didn’t focus on that. He instead focused on where the driver door popped open and a very blonde head appeared before she stood, brilliant as her wings unfurled behind her once the glamour was released, as pink as the dawn could be.
It did little to put him at ease. Instead, he tensed even more.
The last time he’d dealt with a fae, he’d been forced to trade a favor.
“Well, she’s pretty,” his mother commented, watching her closely.
But all Radley could think of was what this could mean. The fae did nothing without reason, and despite this one’s beauty, they always had ulterior motives. The fae were trouble, and this one would be no different.
Even if her wings glittered just right in the lowering sunlight.