Page 72 of Claiming the Wolf Daddy

As more people gathered, the atmosphere in the condo became livelier with laughter and chatter. Over the next half hour or so, Sylvia, Farrah, and Travis’s medical team arrived—a doctor and two nurses to prepare and administer the first injections for Travis. The last two to arrive were my sister and Paulette...walking hand in hand.

“Well, hello,” I said to them when I opened the door.

“Hey!” Paulette said, taking her hand away from Ginger’s and wiping it on her jeans a little awkwardly.

Ginger reached out and took her hand again, smirking at Pauline with that look. The one I was sure I made at Marley all the time. Paulette smiled and flushed, pressing her lips together and looking flustered.

“You gonna move out of the way?” my sister asked, looking back at me. “Or are we supposed to use a special password?”

“Cute,” I said, stepping aside to let them walk in. “I mean, you are a bit fashionably late.”

“We were busy,” Ginger said, waggling her brows.

“Okay, that’s enough of that for a lifetime,” I said, shaking my head.

They passed me as they walked in, and Lana and I exchanged a knowing look. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Ginger and Paulette together. They made such a wonderful couple, and I loved that they looked so happy, even if my sister was entirely too liberal with her innuendo.

As everyone settled in, Lana and Marley brought out the food. We all gathered around the dining table.

Naturally, it was Paulette who addressed the elephant in the room as loudly as possible. “Oh. My. God. Marley?! Cole claimed you?!”

Marley cringed and looked around the room. The other shifters all looked away awkwardly. I knew they all smelled it, but they’d had the social grace not to say anything or scream it at the top of their lungs.

“Yes,” I said, speaking for Marley as I felt her shame and embarrassment rise at lightning speed. “I claimed Marley while we were away in Georgia. I know it’s old-fashioned, but we were enmeshed in a far different culture. The women in my grandfather’s pack were not being respectful of our relationship because I hadn’t claimed her. We’d like to leave it at that. The rest of the details are no one’s business but Marley’s and my own.”

Sylvia shrugged. “It’s old-fashioned, but it’s not like you bit her.”

“Yes, and, for obvious reasons, it’s a really fucking personal decision and an intimate experience,” I said. “Let’s show some respect for my mate and not bring it up again. It’s not something we did without discussing it extensively, and if we’re going to be running this thing as a pack, then I expect you guys to treat us with the same respect as you would any other alpha and his mate.”

“Cole’s playing big daddy now,” Houston said with a grin.

“Damn straight,” I said. “Now, can we sit down and enjoy some dinner?”

The command seemed to take root because no one else fussed or poked fun as we sat down. I took Marley’s hand under the table and squeezed it. She squeezed back and gave me a grateful smile before we finally started digging in.

It was a nice meal. We caught up on recent business, including Ginger and Paulette, who were apparently in a “situationship,” a word I’d never heard in my life. It sounded like something made up, which made me feel even older than I already did. From what I could gather, they were taking things slow, but I could tell Ginger liked Paulette. If only because Ginger never seemed to like anyone.

Houston was doing the same thing, and one of Sylvia’s sons had visited her from out of town. Rosie had finally opened the gym and was seeing pretty substantial success with it. Farrah was doing well with her security firm, as always.

Finally, as the conversation petered out, it was Rosie who started us on the real reason we’d gathered.

“So, Cole, tell us more about your plans for the pack,” she said, sounding adorably eager in her unique Rosie way. “I’m sure you learned a lot while you were away, and I’m really excited to hear how this pack will be organized.”

The chatter around the table shifted from casual to a more serious discussion about the structure of the pack. I took a deep breath, knowing that this information was crucial for our pack’s growth and harmony.

“All right, everyone,” I began. “I want to talk about the structure of our pack and how we can incorporate humans into leadership roles.”

Houston raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Non-shifters in leadership? That’s a new concept, as far as I know. Granted, I haven’t done a ton of research on it or anything, but it would be the first time I’ve heard of it.”

I nodded. “Yes, it’s a modern hybrid pack structure that allows us to have a more diverse and inclusive leadership team. Now, it’s not as if we’re going to put any random non-shifter off the street into leadership positions, the same way that no one in this room is a stranger. Anyone who takes a leadership role will need to show that they have the wellness and success of the pack in mind. No egos allowed. After seeing the leadership structure in Georgia, one thing became extremely clear to me: no one in a leadership role was doing it because they had a complex or wanted power.

“First, we have the alpha,” I continued, gesturing to myself. “As the alpha, I am the dominant leader of the pack. My role is to protect and lead the pack. I’m told that over time, I’ll even start feeling a biological link to pack members and be able to sense when people are in danger, intuit where they are, things like that.”

“Really?” Marley interjected. “Like how you and I can do sometimes?”

“Exactly,” I replied with a smile. “Though, it will probably be a little less intense. More like a chessboard, or maybe a vital sign monitor. For you and me, things feel more like a walkie-talkie. More personal.” I looked over to Travis and nodded at him. “Travis will be the beta of our pack.”

“So, is the beta a human?” Ginger asked.

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