He paused as someone walked past their table, then continued. “But say it was the first of, I don’t know, Miami, who approached her. Her name is Taneesha. I’ve met her, she’s pretty strong. But she’s not experienced as an alpha, isn’t mated, so maybe if Myra thought she would be good as the Mesa alpha, she would approve it, but be more actively involved in the pack’s development.”
“Okay, I guess that makes sense,” Hillary said.
“How much interest do you think there is in starting another pack?” Adam asked.
“I’d say it’s unlikely it will go more than six months without one. Or to officially parcel out the territory to neighboring packs. But Myra is probably figuring it makes more sense to let Marco make the initial decision, since he’ll need to do the follow-up. So she’s not actively searching for anyone. I haven’t talked to Marco to see if he thinks it’s better to let the momentum build on its own for a bit, or try to direct it from the beginning.”
Adam thought about what he’d learned, and what Alex had said, as the food arrived and the others discussed a new business that was moving into town. The surprise on Alex’s face when he’d said he wasn’t an alpha. And then asking if he’d been a teacher. He’d enjoyed being a teacher, very much. Had worked with high school students and mostly managed to earn their respect as well as that of his fellow teachers.
Still, he’d pulled so far back from that life, after the attack, he hadn’t even considered ever being in that kind of situation again. The kind where people looked up to him, relied on him, respected him.
He pushed the thoughts away, shook his head at Hillary when she gave him a questioning look, and returned his attention to the group.
When Cindy opened her door to Myra, she did so with a martini in hand. Myra loved her best friend and had to laugh. Cindy always seemed able to read her mood and know if Myra needed iced tea, beer, wine, or something fruity. She’d never made martini’s before, but Myra knew instantly it was exactly right.
They managed a good hug without spilling the drink, which Myra accepted and moved into the living room. She kicked off her shoes, curled up on the couch and took a healthy sip. Yeah, just right. She sighed and looked to Cindy who mimicked her on the other end of the couch.
“I don’t know where I’m at. I feel like I’m at some sort of crossroads and I don’t know why or what to do.”
“You do know why.”
Damn it. “Adam.”
“Definitely Adam,” Cindy agreed. “I’m surprised you’re having such a strong reaction to someone who’s not your mate, but I think you need to acknowledge it for what it is. Just because you’re not mates doesn’t mean you can’t have a fantastic relationship.”
“But what if he then finds his mate?”
“Okay, that would suck, big time. But it doesn’t seem likely that both of you would be having such strong feelings for each other if he had a mate out there. And besides, are you going to turn away from this on a what-if?”
“Honestly, Cyn, I don’t know if I would survive. At least with Eric, I was young, and I knew he’d had no choice, that if he could have stayed with me he would have.”
“You didn’t have to feel rejected, on top of the loss,” Cindy guessed.
“Exactly.”
“I get what you’re saying, and I certainly understand why it scares you, I just don’t think it’s very likely. You’ve known people who’ve been in relationships when they met their mates. Those original relationships are never really serious. Ever. It’s just not how it works.”
Myra thought about it. “No, I guess not.”
“It’s just not the way it works. There’s magic involved, you can’t forget that. Don’t discount it.”
“It’s not the only concern, though. I don’t think he’s ready for anything like this. I want him to be. Not just ready for a relationship with me, but ready to join a pack and experience all the amazingness of that, of who and what we are.”
“Why don’t you think he’s ready?”
“Uh, because he basically lives as a hermit? He’s stayed away from all wolves, and packs, to the point that Bitterroot didn’t even know he was living nearby?”
“That was before. Didn’t you say he went to the pack to discuss the problem in the woods?”
“Yeah, but then he ended up solving it himself and not even letting us help. And practically pushing me out the door.”
“Mm, hmm,” Cindy said significantly, watching Myra over her drink as she took a sip.
“What? Oh. You think that was about running away fromme, not the pack. Well that’s not exactly flattering.”
“I beg to differ. He wasn’t scared of the pack. He was scared of what was happening between the two of you.”
Myra leaned back at that. “Huh.”
