Page 61 of Wulf's Pack
Her voice trails off, but I know what she’s getting at. She’s worried I’ll think she’s easy. I fight back a smile. She’s so adorable. I’m not used to women with so much modesty. I certainly don’t have any. If anyone’s the easy one in this relationship, it’s me.
Isabella watches us for a moment. “I can’t begin to understand what this all must feel like for you,” she says to Skylar. “Ben chased my tail for years before I agreed to be his mate.”
Ben chuckles. “She definitely made me work for it, but I wore her down eventually.” He kisses his mate’s temple, and I smile. I’ve never felt the instinct to settle down, but I’ve always enjoyed watching the easy nature between mates.
Isabella’s cheeks turn pink, and she says, “I’m sure it’s a little awkward, but maybe now’s not the time to be shy with each other? Both your wolves will settle down once you complete that bond.”
“She’s right,” Leia says. She grimaces at Skylar. “You shouldn’t wait. Having a stronger connection and feeling your contentment will take a lot of pressure off his wolf. No doubt his wolf is feeling your wolf’s restlessness, and it’s got to be exacerbating everything that much more.”
Skylar’s face is fire engine red. She can’t meet my eyes. I lean over and brush my lips against her ear. “I would never pressure you,” I murmur, “but I’m ready whenever you are.”
I press a kiss to the sensitive skin behind her ear, and her breath hitches. When she shudders, I sit back, giving her some breathing room, but gently turn her face to mine. She looks embarrassed and even a little scared. I’m not sure if it’s me or just that we have an audience, but I need her to understand this. “If you or your wolf are restless, if there’s something you’re ready for or need from me, I want you to tell me.” I give her the smallest crooked smile. “I’ll never turn you down.”
My phone buzzes with a text alert. A quick glance tells me our time is up. I’m not sure I’ve gotten the solution I was hoping for, but it sounds like there isn’t an easy fix for my problem. I do have some answers, though, and a place to start. I slip my phone back into my pocket and look at Benjamin and Isabella. “Nora came through for us. We’ve got new IDs for you waiting to be picked up at the local FUA office. It’s down in Albuquerque, so we’ve got a bit of a drive. We should get on the road.”
This signals the end of breakfast. After helping clear the dishes away, I take a quick shower and get cleaned up while Ben, Isabella, and Skylar pack up their stuff. They stayed in the guest rooms here in the pack house last night. My duffle made it to Skylar’s room, but of course, I never used it. Within half an hour, we’re heading out to the car. Alpha and Luna Grant and Quinn and Leia walk us out.
Quinn and Skylar exchange a brief hug. Skylar casts me a worried glance, but I just smile at her. I’m glad she was able to make a friend in Quinn. She should have someone she can relate to in her life. I don’t want her to be lonely, as Leia mentioned Quinn sometimes feels.
“We should exchange numbers,” Quinn says to her. “Keep in touch.”
Skylar blushes. “Oh, um…” She looks to me again for guidance.
I step up to them and put an arm around Skylar. I give Quinn a friendly smile. “In all the craziness, we haven’t even had time to get Skylar a phone.” I pull mine from my pocket. “But exchange numbers with me, and she can text you as soon as she’s got one of her own.”
Skylar shoots me another worried glance. “That would be okay?” she asks. “You won’t mind?”
My smile at her softens. She’s not used to having any freedom or independence. “Of course it’s okay. I don’t own you, Skylar. You’re allowed to make friends and keep in touch with whoever you’d like.”
She searches my eyes for sincerity. I can see she doesn’t quite believe me. “Even another male? That won’t make you jealous? Or upset your wolf?”
I consult my wolf for his feelings on this, but he seems to think the same as me—that Skylar could use an omega friend.“Nah. He’s fine. I’ve never been very jealous or possessive,” I admit. “That’s the nature of a lone wolf.”
I squeeze her. “That’s not to say I don’t want you and won’t protect you or rip apart anyone who tries to hurt you or take you from me. But I trust you, and I want you to be happy. I’m glad you have a friend you can talk to about your omega status.”
Skylar blinks and stares at me for a long moment. “That’s…” She shakes her head. “Victor was insanely jealous and possessive. If any other males got anywhere near me, he went crazy. If I so much as looked at one, he’d beat me. It’s why I have a hard time looking people in the eyes now. I got used to keeping my gaze glued to the floor. Safer that way.”
These little tidbits I get from her are never good for my sanity, but I’m still glad she shares them with me. This time I’m not the only one grinding my teeth and clenching my fists. Luna Grant gasps, and the rest all release soft growls. It makes me feel a bit better about my own temper.
I wait until Skylar meets my gaze. “Not anymore,” I say softly. “You keep your chin up from now on, and make friends with whoever you want. Unless they’re interested in more than just friendship with you, I promise it won’t bother me.”
“That’s not just a lone wolf thing,” Leia says. “It’s an omega thing too. Our wolves know omegas need lots of connections, both physical and emotional. Quinn can’t be around a person for two minutes without touching them in some way, and he is genuinely friends with just about everyone in the pack. Iama jealous, possessive wolf, but for some reason, I’ve always understood what Quinn needs.”
A small smile breaks out on Skylar’s face, as if she’s pleased by this news. I’m just glad that my wolf isn’t feeling like a possessive brute. His protective instincts are bad enough. If I had to deal with out-of-control jealousy on top of that, there’d be no saving me.
My wolf has been pretty calm this morning, but he comes to life when I go to thank Alpha Grant for letting us visit and for all of his advice. Alpha Grant moves to shake my hand, but he must see my wolf shining through my eyes, because he stiffens. He matches my aggression, letting his wolf rise. “Wulf?” he asks with a warning in his tone.
I’m prepared for another challenge attempt, and I think everyone else is too. Skylar grabs my hand, releasing her power, and Leia pulls her tranq gun from its holster. My wolf doesn’t care. He surprises me, though. It’s not a challenge he’s interested in. “Strong pack,” he says. “Good alpha.”
There’s no aggression in my voice, and Alpha Grant relaxes a little.
“Join?” my wolf asks.
I’m shocked. My wolf is asking to join this pack? He’s never wanted to be a member of a pack with an alpha above him. I always thought he was too dominant to let someone else rule him. I thought that was a lot of my problem growing up in my pack—one of the reasons I was desperate to leave. Rook was more dominant than me, but only slightly, and I was sure one day my wolf would lose patience and challenge him. He doesn’t necessarily want the responsibility of being an alpha, but he’s not willing to let someone else have control of him, either. At least, not until now. He’s genuinely willing to join and serve under Alpha Grant. “I good beta,” he says.
I agree. I could be a good beta if my wolf weren’t demanding to claim the alpha position. I’ve never considered joining a strong pack. Even since this insanity started and I formed my own pack, it didn’t occur to me that I could join one of the large local packs. Would I want that? Could I do it for my mate? Is that what she needs?
I look up at the pack house again and remember the tour Alpha Grant gave us yesterday. He runs a very efficient, veryhealthy, very happy pack. The land is beautiful. There’s lots of space for shifters to run. There’s strong security. There are hundreds of people for Skylar to form pack bonds with that would keep her healthy, happy, and safe.
