“He has settled, and I am happy for him. A mate and family are a wolf’s dream, but because of that, he doesn’t recognize what his daughter needs.”
“And what is that?”
“A way for her wolf to hone instincts and control her bloodlust. We are animals, Carlo. Wolves who wear skin as a costume. We were never meant to live in a society without that being part of us. Isadora is that sort. Carlo, she’s female.”
Arturo may have been old-fashioned, and he’d held Giuliana tighter than anything when she was part of his pack, but Carlo had never seen him truly disparage a wolf because of their sex.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Because she’s an Alpha. We are meant to be the strongest because we have to be able to maintain and correct others. Every Alpha must be the most dominant, most aggressive, most intelligent, and strongest of all their wolves. Letting another take that spot means a direct challenge. She’s female, Carlo, in a world ruled by men. They will want to tame her, own her, destroy her just because of that fact. I want her to be better than us all so no one would dream of touching her.”
Ah. Now it made sense. “You’re encouraging her.”
Arturo nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Yes. I’ll indulge her child as much as I can. I learned from Giuliana and won’t make the same mistake again. But if I’m going to do that, she has to grow to be a wolf that is sure of her own power. No one has seen an Alpha-born female before. She will face challenges all her life.”
Carlo had to give it to his Alpha; he could understand where he was coming from and why. It was true that this life was heavily dominated by males and grounded in the mafia culture. The shifters as a whole worked in groups, but the wolves in particular were the largest populace.
“Is Encantado even big enough to have another pack?”
“Why would we need another one?”
“Because if she keeps going, she will want her own much sooner than you or Dominic would be ready to step away from the position.”
Leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk, Arturo stared at Carlo. “I am tired, primo. I have put so much aside. The death of my wife and unborn child. Finding a mate. Living.”
“You’re training your replacement.” Carlo hadn’t thought about that.
“Si.”
Isadora wouldn’t be ready for some time. “But she’s growing so fast.”
“Zahara is working on that, but until we have something definite, I will say nothing.”
Carlo shouldn’t have doubted his Alpha would be working on the back end to find a way to save his granddaughter from a premature death.
The life of an Alpha was not one that Carlo ever wanted.
But then, he hadn’t been born to be one either.
“I had an idea; it’s why I came in here. Hearing you speak like this makes it easier.”
“Tell me.”
“Let’s take her to Greenwald, let her wolf run wild.”
“She can’t shift yet.”
“But it will still be good training. There isn’t a wolf faster than me. We can teach her to hunt, to run. It may even take away some of her boundless energy.”
Arturo laughed. “This is a good plan.”
“I’ll want you and Dominic there. She needs to get used to answering to stronger wolves until she’s able to command on her own. Maybe away from Zoey, Dominic will see what he must do.”
“I’ll call him now.”
Carlo waited patiently as Arturo contacted the Alpha of the Lombardi Pack. He had to admit it felt good having his mind back. The way he could speak a fucking sentence without getting confused and lost.
When he’d come through his First Moon after Arturo’s bite, the world changed. Gone was clarity, understanding of simple things, and control over his anger. Trapped in his head, Carlo hadn’t been able to speak any of his thoughts or even deal with his wolf.
