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Sloane: And the rest?

I rubbed my thumb over the side of the phone.

Sloane was Loany. The woman who had spent years traveling alone, avoiding pack life, existing outside all the obligations I’d accepted. In my mind, she belonged to temporary places, and she had a freedom I couldn’t imagine claiming for myself.

I expected her to tell me to stop complaining. Or to say I had chosen the responsibility. Both would have been fair.

Hudson: Sometimes I get tired of being the first number everyone calls.

The message sat there. I almost deleted it, though she had already seen it.

Sloane: That makes sense.

I waited. When nothing more came, I typed:

Hudson: That’s it?

Sloane: Were you expecting a lecture?

Hudson: Maybe.

Sloane: About what?

Hudson: Duty. Responsibility. Appreciating that people trust me.

Sloane: You can appreciate being trusted and still feel exhausted by what everyone does with that trust.

I read the sentence twice.

Hudson: People need help.

Sloane: Yes.

Hudson: If I can provide it, I should.

Sloane: Maybe.

Hudson: You’re very supportive.

Sloane: I’m trying not to insult your entire belief system.

I laughed under my breath.

Sloane: My point is… helping people doesn’t make you immune to being overwhelmed.

Hudson: I’m not overwhelmed.

The lie looked weak even on the screen. She didn’t call me out, though, which I appreciated.

Sloane: Okay, I invoice people for typography. But you’re out here playing emergency dispatch. What is your actual day job, Hudson? Or are you just a full-time vigilante savior?

Hudson: Property management and community logistics, mostly. Plus, as the future alpha, I’m expected to know every square inch of our land and keep the peace before my mom officially hands over the reins. So, I handle the maintenance, contractor scheduling, zoning issues, and whatever structural crises pop up.

Sloane: Future alpha? Wow, look at you giving corporate-monarchy titles to neighborhood board duties. So, you’re a landlord with a savior complex and an aristocratic title.

Hudson: I prefer the term proactive custodian.

She’d been away from the pack for so long, she didn’t know the version of me who’d been raised to inherit leadership. She didn’t understand the weight attached to my surname or the expectations people had had for me since childhood.