Page 8 of Wolf Duty

She changed the topic and took advantage of the alpha actually acknowledging her presence for once. “And that brings up a good point.” Dale quirked an eyebrow. Something sinister flashed in his eyes, and Sonya swallowed to force down a bubble of panic. “I need to know more about the shifter world so that I can help Karim with the challenges he’ll have growing up.”

“You’re not part of our world. You’re not pack.” Dale’s nostrils flared. He turned his head, sniffing the air.

Anger churned low in her belly at his dismissal. “Karim is pack. And I am his sister, his guardian. Why wouldn’t the pack want to help me raise him properly?”

Dale slowly turned to face her again. “So you want to be part of the pack?”

“No, I—” Her gut reaction was a strong no, but…maybe this was the answer she’d been looking for. If she became a pack member, would she have access to everything she needed to help Karim? “I thought only wolves could join the pack.”

The alpha leaned back in the chair, one arm dangling off the side. “Our pack has only wolves. But there are mixed packs out there.”

Sonya frowned. His fake, relaxed posture confused her. “Maybe I could talk to someone in those packs about how to best help Karim?”

Dale shook his head. “Shifter traditions and customs are not public information. You’d have to be part of a pack somewhere, or wolves won’t answer your questions.”

Freaking stupid wolf politics. Fine, she’d ask what he obviously wanted her to. “How do I become part of the pack?”

A sinister smile slowly grew on Dale’s face. “You mate with a wolf.”

Shit.Sonya mentally ran through the single wolves in the pack. She came up with only two who weren’t too old, and Ruth had given birth to one of them before she became a shifter. Mother and son had been turned together. She loved her brother to pieces, but having their neighbor as a mother-in-law was too much to ask.

Wait, was she seriously considering hooking up with a wolf? She shook her head. This was ridiculous. The giggle she’d tried to contain earlier grew, and she doubled over as bursts of laughter escaped from her throat.

“I’m glad the idea of becoming a pack member makes you joyful.” Dale’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Sonya gasped for air. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone here has worked hard to make me feel unwelcome. The thought of one of them wanting to marry me is ludicrous.” She giggled again.

Dale’s eyes glittered. “It would solve your key problem, though.”

The dark undertone of his statement quickly killed her laughter. “What problem is that?”

He flicked an invisible speck off his pant leg. “You’re not Karim’s legal guardian.”

A chill trickled down Sonya’s spine, and she shivered. “Of course I am. I’m his sister.”

The alpha tilted his head. “Are you, though? Did Albert legally adopt you?”

Shit.“You know he didn’t.” Shifters lived a long time, and an official adoption required birth certificates. No way could Albert have shown up at the courthouse with a legal document that had his actual birthdate on it. And fake ones good enough to withstand scrutiny were expensive. “Albert met my mom when I was only three. We even lived here, with the pack, for a while when I was younger.” That had to count for something.Didn’t it?Her heart beat so loud, she was sure Dale could hear it. “You know he was my dad, even if he couldn’t make it official.”

“I’m afraid pack laws are quite clear on this. If there are no survivingactualfamily members, the pack claims guardianship of any minors.” He smiled at her again.Asshole.

She wanted to scratch his eyes out. Sonya tucked her hands under her legs to keep from lashing out. She’d lose quickly in a physical fight. The only way to win this was to outsmart him. Her mind desperately searched for a solution. She couldn’t lose her brother. She had to stall until she could find an answer. “And which of the wolves do you think I should marry?”

Dale leaned forward. “Me.”

Shock made her catch her breath. Dale’s eyes narrowed. “But you’re already mated to Mandy,” Sonya blurted out.

He waved his hand dismissively. “She’s just my girlfriend. We’re not married.”

Sonya would bet Mandy didn’t make that distinction. The two of them had interacted little, but as far as Sonya knew, Mandy considered herself the female alpha. She listened to pack members’ concerns, and when an injury had rendered Ruth immobile for a few days, Mandy had organized deliveries of cooked dinners.

Sonya bit her lip. How the hell would she get out of this? And why would Dale want to marry her, anyway? Mating with a non-shifter would piss off a lot of pack members. Why would he risk discord within the pack? Albert had explained that a wolf rose to power by challenging the sitting alpha and defeating them in battle. Dale wasn’t old, but there were younger wolves who could beat him in a physical fight. He must have a hidden agenda she couldn’t see yet. “I’m going to have to think about this,” she said.

Dale’s mouth turned down. “Don’t think too long. The offer is good for a few days. After that, the pack takes over Karim’s guardianship, whether or not you’ve joined.”A few days.She needed longer than that to figure things out. The alpha stood and stepped around the table, looming over her. “And if you run, you know you risk the boy going feral.” His tone held no concern for Karim’s welfare. “We will hunt you down if you kidnap him. And no other pack will provide sanctuary to someone who broke shifter laws.”

Her heart was beating so rapidly she thought it would burst out of her chest, but she swallowed the fear. “Shifter law doesn’t apply to me.”

A feral smile stretched across Dale’s lips. “It does if you kidnap a shifter cub. Every pack in North America will hunt you down and kill you. Let’s hope Karim doesn’t get hurt in the skirmish.”

---