“Oh, aye. Once I had him good and shitfaced so he couldn’t figure out what I was doin’, I planted a little idea in his mind that everything’s gonna be okay, but he has to be patient and listen to us.” He paused. “Everything is gonna be okay with him, right?”
“Absolutely. Keep me posted. And thank you.”
“Ye thank me now, but I’m gonna be swearin’ at ye for all the extra travel yer costin’ me.” He grunted. “The Pack’s gonna be paying for a new car for me, all this drivin’ I’ll be doin’.”
Two weeks later, Duncan stood face-to-face with one of his best friends.
“Why do I feel like I’m being punished?” Charlie asked. His face looked drawn, haggard, like he hadn’t been sleeping.
And according to Badger, the man hadn’t been sleeping.
“You’re not being punished,” Duncan assured him.
“First, I scent who I know has to be my mate, and Badger can’t tell me a damned thing about her. Then you send me to Florida and say I can’t return to Idaho?”
Duncan walked over and laid his hands on his friend’s shoulders, pouring the full force of his Prime into him. Badger was already holding on to Charlie’s left arm and aiding him.
“I know who she is,” Duncan gently said. “But you have to wait to meet her.”
Even under the force of their combined Prime powers, Duncan felt Charlie’s will trying to stir, wanting to protest. “For how long? Who is she?”
“I will let you meet her in fifteen years,” Duncan assured him. “And that’s all I’ll say about who she is. When you meet her, if she doesn’t feel a mate bond with you, you must walk away. If she feels a mate bond with you, you have to swear to me at that time to exhibit self-control with her until she’s fully of age.”
Charlie’s jaw dropped. “Fifteen years? That’s—” His jaw snapped shut as his gaze widened. “Oh, bloody hell,” he muttered, his old accent returning. “She’s a feckin’ child?”
Duncan shielded his thoughts. “She is. And, yes, her parents are aware. And that’s all I’ll reveal.”
“And that’s why ye said I cannae return to the compound wi’out yer permission.”
Duncan nodded. “Because if you are, I have to make sure she isn’t. For all our sakes. As the Pack Alpha, I am sworn to protect all of our pack, even from fellow packmates. If you don’t follow my orders and you lose control, I’ll be forced to kill you. Friend or not. And Badger is under orders to follow my orders if that happens.”
Charlie’s knees sagged. Duncan and Badger quickly eased him into a chair that Badger had the forethought to position for just this purpose.
“She’s a child,” Charlie whispered, the weight of the revelation still sinking in. “Bloody hell.”
Duncan knelt in front of him, looking him in the eyes. “I know how difficult this is for you. I know it’s a shock. But on my very life, I make you a promise here and now.”
Charlie forced himself to focus on Duncan. “What promise?”
“If you do what I say, meaning you follow my orders and exhibit self-control, then I swear to you that when I’m ready to retire I will hand this pack over to you and step aside. Willingly. I will publicly take a knee to you, bare my throat, and swear my allegiance to you as Pack Alpha. I have no desire to remain Pack Alpha until the day I die—I want to enjoy my family. And from this moment until that one, I will make sure everyone knows that you are my first and only choice to take over this pack. All I ask is that you don’t talk about the reason why.”
Charlie blinked. “Wh-what?”
“Any man with the honor, integrity, and self-control to put his own needs aside for the greater good of this pack and all of its members is worthy of being our next Pack Alpha. And I will fully back you. But the three of us swore to leave most of the old ways behind when we crossed the Atlantic. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m arranging marriages or betrothing children to adults. We will frame this situation as you focusing on what’s best for the entire pack on the business end of things. That your efforts are to ensure the financial survival of our pack.”
Charlie’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Fifteen years, though? I dunno if I can bear it!”
“Ye can an’ will, lad,” Badger said, his hands now firmly gripping Charlie’s shoulders. “Don’t think about it like that. Instead, think about it as preparing properly to care for yer mate and any future pups ye have. Buildin’ yer own fortune along with the pack’s.”
“But…but that’s so far away!”
“Aye,” Badger gravely said, his one-eyed gaze making contact with Duncan’s. “But looking at it from the other side of things, I can tell ye it’s livable. If it’s any consolation, think of it as a firm countdown until yer dreams hopefully come true. Not many can say that. I damned sure wish I could, instead of addin’ up each day of my misery.”
“Da, why can’t you come with us?” Chelsea asked as Duncan loaded the last suitcase into the trunk of the car.
He smiled down at his youngest, who’d just turned thirteen last week. Louisa was taking all four of their daughters on a week-long trip to Seattle to visit family and have fun. Hiking, exploring the forests and beaches, enjoying museums and other attractions that weren’t available to them here in Idaho, or even in nearby Spokane.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I have a lot of work to do. I told you that. We’ll spend time off together soon.”
