“You are very open about shifting with the young,” I said. She nodded.
“I have deduced it wasn’t the case in your old pack?” she asked.
“No, it was held as a secret. I have never questioned it, but now I don’t understand why. It would have been nice to know what to expect,” I told her. She hummed.
“Some packs like to make things more complicated than they are. We’re not like that. A pack takes after their Alpha and Finlay is straightforward and doesn’t like secrets if they don’t serve a purpose. It’s why I followed him here. I always thought the gods mixed him and his brother up when it came to birth order. In my humble opinion, it was always clear that Finlay was the natural Alpha. When his brother took over our old pack and Finlay chose not to fight, it was an easy decision. It was the same for most of us. I don’t know what my sister was thinking, staying behind. I can understand loving your sons equally, but it shouldn’t blind you to see the truth,” Matilda said.
“I’m impressed by all of you. It takes courage to do what you did,” I said. Matilda shrugged.
“Almost as much as it takes to leave your pack behind and create a new life for yourself,” she retorted. I smiled at her.
“I only had myself to think of. You have pups and families and vulnerable people among you,” I pointed out.
“We had, that is what makes up a pack. It takes all of us to create a balanced pack. Ryder, Finlay’s brother, didn’t see it like that. He wanted a pack with strong warriors,” Matilda told me.
“Let’s see how he likes it when all the strong warriors need to figure out who is going to clean the toilets or cook dinner,” I said. Matilda laughed.
“You get it.” She sounded pleased.
“My dad always said the most important tasks in the pack were the ones that no one thinks about until no one does them. Cleaning, cooking, ordering supplies and so on,” I told her. It had been a long time since I talked about my father, and it stung my heart.
“He sounds like a good man.”
“He was the best Beta. At least he seemed like it to me.”
“Finlay has told us not to pressure you, and I won’t. But I will say that this pack needs wolves like you. Seeing your wolf, knowing you have grown up in a Beta family, I can now, with absolute confidence, tell you that you are a strong wolf. You belong in the top tier of the pack, and you have the experience. We need that. That is all I’m going to say,” she told me. I smiled at her.
“Thank you for saying it.” We fell into silence. It was comfortable sitting and looking into the flames, hearing the sounds from the forest, from the pack that celebrated the full moon. I knew my shifting would change things. It had been lonely living without a pack before. But it had been doable. But now. I could already feel my wolf’s restlessness in being alone. She took solace in being surrounded by a pack that I could feel she trusted. But she still was restless about not being part of it. I had been almost convinced I should stay in the pack before. But now? Now I didn’t see any other option. I wasn’t the least sorry about it. Sure, I would need to say goodbye to my friends, but I had already started making new ones in the pack. And here I could shift and run in the woods without having to look over my shoulder. Then there was Finlay. I had to admit I might have a little crush on him. But could someone fault me for that? Who wouldn’t crush on a tall, yummy Alpha who was as sweet as he was strong? I knew nothing would happen between us. He hadn’t found his true mate, and I had. But he was still a good Alpha, I knew I wouldn’t have any issues joining his pack.
Chapter 9
Amie
The breakfast was served later the day after the full moon. Everyone needed a sleep-in, and I didn’t object. The conversation around the table when we did sit down to eat was focused on me and my shift. Everyone wanted to know how it felt and tell me I had looked fierce. It was a little embarrassing, but I did my best to listen to them. When we were done, Finlay asked me if I was ready for our talk. I didn’t see the point of postponing it; I had decided the night before.
“Let’s head for my office in my house. It will give us some privacy,” he said, casting a meaningful look at the rest of the people around the table. They all looked like they had no idea what he was talking about. Finlay’s house was next to the pack house. It was a good size two-story house with dark shingles and stone corners. It had a small porch looking out over the driveway of the pack house. He showed me inside and I tried not to be too obvious about trying to look at everything. The inside was cosy, but it didn’t have any of the mementos I was expecting. I was reminded of my mother making jokes about how my father’s apartment had been practically barren before hemet her. I followed Finlay into an office. It looked much more personal than the living room had. I guessed he spent more time in his office than the rest of the house. It had bookshelves on two of the walls, a desk in front of windows showing his garden and the stream beyond it. There was a whiteboard on the wall. In the corner, two armchairs stood. Finlay gestured to them and I took a seat in one of them. It was amazingly comfortable, and I sank into it.
“So?” he said as he sat down in the other.
“You want my decision?” I asked, teasing him. He smiled.
“I do.” I nodded and turned serious.
“I will happily accept your offer,” I told him. His smile turned up and grew brighter.
“I knew you would. I’m happy to welcome you.”
“But I need to be of use to the pack. I’m used to working and I don’t do well at not having things to do,” I added. He nodded.
“Everyone contributes to the pack,” he told me. “If it’s by having a job outside the pack or helping with joint chores, it’s all appreciated.” I nodded. “I think I have another task in mind for you, if you think you are up to it.”
“That piques my curiosity,” I said. He chuckled.
“I would like you to join the pack’s leadership and work with us to improve the pack.” I was stunned.
“But there are no openings,” I pointed out. “You have your Beta and Gamma.”
“I do, and I’m not about to replace them. But I have a feeling you have had a lot more training in taking on such roles than the rest of us. To tell you the truth, in our old pack, those that weren’t groomed to take on a role in the top rank, weren’t allowed to take part in any of those activities. We have been winging it so far with the help of what feels right and my aunt’s advice. I’m going to offer you the role of pack advisor. What do you think?” It was true I had spent a lot of time with my fatherand my uncles while they did their work. And I had listened to my brother and James when they had talked about their training. My Uncle Jonas and my father had given me tasks, as I enjoyed figuring out schedules and putting plans together.
