“Hi, Mom.”
“Jonas, is it really necessary to grumble at me like that when I call?”
“Only when you call at seven-thirty, and I didn’t go to bed until three.”
“It’s ridiculous that you have a job that keeps you out until three in the morning. But it’s hardly my fault.”
He wasn’t going to go there. While his parents weren’t actively against his move to a slower-paced life three years ago, neither were they impressed with his decision to take a job they considered beneath him. They seemed to have missed that the whole point in selling his business as a high-end recruiter in New York City was to try life at a more relaxed pace.
Joining the Mountain View pack, in Idaho, had been the right choice. And the job at the pack’s bar—one they worked to keep wolf only, no humans—was perfect. He had little to no stress and enjoyed interacting with his fellow pack members. It had been a great way to get to know them better. Though they were a friendly enough bunch, they didn’t get a lot of new members who weren’t mates, so his wandering in and becoming part of the group had been greatly helped by accepting the job as bartender.
Since he had chosen not to respond, his mother apparently decided to move on.
“Your father and I are thinking of moving.”
“What?” They’d been in their house since before he’d been born. “Is there a problem or something? You know if you need help…”
Her voice softened at his offer. “No problem, it’s just like you said, time to consider a new pace in life. We’ve been in the city forever but it’s not such a great place to retire, we’re thinking.”
“Wait. You’re not just moving houses, but out of the city? Where are you thinking?”
“Arizona.”
“What?” This time it was more of a shout than a question. He dropped his arm from his face and sat up so fast, his head swam a bit. His parents had always lived in New York. Their parents had always lived in New York. They’d acted like he was crazy when he’d said he was leaving.
“We think the dry air would be good for your father’s arthritis. Besides, it’s exciting, this new pack. Myra Talmidge was out your way, did you meet her? What did you think?”
He blinked at the unexpected change of direction that he should have seen coming. “No, I didn’t meet her. I did meet her mate, Adam. Played a game of pool with him but he was starting a bit of a mating frenzy, from being separated from Myra, so I don’t suppose it’s a good experience to judge him on. Still, I’d say he’s probably a good guy. No experience being alpha, but it’s in him, no question. He’s strong.”
“That’s good to know. We emailed Myra and we’ll see what happens. I’m sure she’ll want some experienced elders in her pack.” Her voice was a bit uncertain.
“I think you’re probably right, Mom, I just want to make sure it’s the right decision for you. You’ve never talked about leaving New York.”
“We are getting older, you know. And while I still think it’s a bit ridiculous that you retired at your age, at our age it’s acceptable.”
He let the dig go, not interested in rehashing a decision that had already been made, and had turned out to be an excellent one, in his opinion.
“We want to try it out, while we’re young enough to enjoy the change. Plus, if we decide we hate living somewhere without snow, we can always come back.”
“True. Listen, Myra’s become good friends with Zach and Larry. Why don’t you let me get in touch with her, have a chat, see what they’re thinking with all this.”
“Honey, I don’t think you should call your alpha that name.”
He just laughed. “You’ll have to meet her sometime, Mom. In the meantime, let me have a chat with Myra or Adam, or both of them, and feel things out a bit.”
“That would be nice, Jonas. Thank you.”
“You bet. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
He disconnected and let the idea simmer a bit. It actually wasn’t a bad one. In their early seventies, it was true his parents should start thinking about where they wanted to live out their retirement, and somewhere without the bother of snow would be good. Although there were always younger pack members ready to make a buck shoveling out the elders’ driveways, his parents liked their independence, and he could see how they might appreciate not having to rely on others for tasks they’d handled their whole lives.
Rolling off the bed, he scratched and stretched and reached for the sweatpants hanging off the end of the mattress, pulling them on. There was no way he was getting back to sleep, so he might as well roll with it. Besides, he had the day off.
He quickly poached a couple of eggs and decided to head out to the pack house, see who was around for a run. If he was lucky, since it was the weekend, one of his alphas would be there and he could ask their opinion on the matter. If not, he’d track them down later and take the time to let the idea work in his brain.
The pack house was alive with the wolves who lived there as well as several other pack members like himself, who were interested in a group run. Zach, in wolf form, was playing with a group of adolescents on the grass, and Jonas had to smile at their antics. He went into the house and found a spot for his clothes, then made the shift. He ran into Stephen, their second, on his way off the porch, and they raced into the woods together. The other man beat him in the long run, but it was a good chase.
He enjoyed this adopted pack, had made several friends, but he did need to start considering a permanent situation. He liked his job, but he’d taken it on as a favor to fill a vacant slot. Was it what he wanted to do for the foreseeable future? Maybe, maybe not. He was renting a small apartment that he’d found when he’d first hit town three years ago, and had intended to stay in only shortly, while he got a feel for the place. Inertia had kept him there, but maybe he should consider finding a more permanent home.
