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Connor was there beside me. His fingers laced into mine, the warmth of his hand allowing my wolf to rest and be calm.

“Hey, I know I just gave you a quite pointed question there, but I don’t need answers right now, Jack. I’m not here to pressure you or to put any stress on you. We can talk later. It’s been a weird day, and you don’t owe me any explanation. I’m not going anywhere.” The warmth in his eyes and the comfort in his touch had me leaning against him.

This man. This perfect, perfect man.

“Well, you’re wrong,” I said.

He raised a brow and his lips twitched, stretching upward on one side. “Oh, I’m wrong, am I?”

“Not about everything.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Jack, if we’re going to make this work, I’m going to tell you a secret. I’m not wrong, ever.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I said. I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it, then gestured for the two of us to go outside.

The back deck of the pack house was not quite as fancy as mine, but it did have a nice seating area where the two of us could sit. We opted for the steps instead so I could put my feet in the grass. Connor did the same. There was something domestic and beautiful about the two of us sitting on the back deck after having solved an issue for our pack members. We provided them with counsel and showed the future of the pack that we were two people who could be trusted to listen to their concerns and help them solve their problems. Now we were enjoying our time outside, our bare feet in the grass together.

“I do owe you an explanation,” I said. “A lot of them, and I need to explain it in a timely manner because we don’t have a ton of time.”

“We could take the time, Jack. I’m not going anywhere. I mean, I know we haven’t talked about where we are in our relationship or whatever this is, but I really like you. I’m not going to be scared away, and I’m—I’m here for you as your friend, your boyfriend, your partner, whatever you need, especially boyfriend or partner, because I don’t know if I want to do this platonically.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. He was brave. Braver than me. The man who came to my home to check on me without every meeting me in person, all because I sounded off on the phone. The man who stood by my side while I transformed into a wolf in front of him. The man who met my daughter and then went with us to a pack event, all because he wanted to be by my side and support me. I didn’t deserve him.

Connor leaned over to me, his arm wrapping around my knee, his head resting on my shoulder.

“Unless I’m not allowed to hang around because I’m just a human? Is that it?” he asked, his voice sounding strained.

“No, that’s not it at all. You can stick around for as long as you want. It’s slightly more complicated than that, though,” I said.

“More complicated than you changing into a wolf every night? Or having pack members show up at your door looking for advice? I’m assuming that will happen at all hours of the day and night.”

“It will. It most certainly will. And honestly, it might get worse before it gets better. This pack has been without leadership for a while. Mason has done a great job, but there are a lot of things that have started to unravel.” The pack was hurting for leadership. The younger ones especially seemed to be craving it. I had a lot of work to do to establish some stability and trust. Having Connor at my side would go a long way. He was an anchor, and he had a natural way with people that set them at ease. He had a way of connecting that would make him popular within the pack in no time.

“Not to circle back to my original question, but what’s an alpha consort? Are you the alpha of the pack? How does that work? You just found out you were a part of the pack.”

I pulled a deep breath, readying myself for the conversation we needed to have. “Well, werewolf packs are not like wolf packs out in the wild. Packs in the wild don’t have actual alphas. That concept doesn’t exist. But in werewolf packs it does, and I am one.”

“Clearly.”

“It’s a title that isn’t elected into. You are one or you aren’t, and I am probably going to be named as the pack’s alpha soon.” That was putting it lightly. Half the pack already addressed me as Alpha. Even Mason had started doing it.

“But?”

“But every alpha needs their mate to make things run smoothly and be their anchor. Without a mate, there is no alpha. Without a mate, there is no me.”

“What does that mean?”

“Once an alpha wolf shifts for the first time, they need to find and mark their mate before the next full moon, or else they will be lost to their wolf form forever.”

I held his gaze as the words sank in. A slew of emotions crossed over his face. Surprise, concern, a touch of anger.

“So, if you don’t meet your mate, then you won’t be human after tomorrow night?” His grip on my knee tightened.

“I’ve met my mate, Connor. You are my mate.”

Chapter 21

Connor