“I’m glad to hear that.” Wesley rested his hands on his thighs, using the pressure as a reminder not to tap his feet impatiently. “It’s definitely time.” Past time, actually, but that no longer mattered.
“It’s past time,” his uncle echoed his own thoughts. “I never planned to still be Alpha at my age. I thought I’d be retired years ago.”
He could have been, should have been. The only person stopping him was himself. But there was no reason to start an argument now that the issue was resolved, so Wesley silently nodded.
“To tell you the truth, Wesley”—Paul leaned forward and lowered his voice, like he was making a confession—“these last couple of years, when entire families started leaving Purple Sky, I’ve been glad because at least they found strong packs to join.”
Rearing back, Wesley said, “What? Purple Sky is a strong pack.” Not as strong as it had been, but that was neither here nor there. “Losing members isn’t a good thing.” He had thought his uncle’s mind remained strong despite his aging body, but maybe he had been wrong.
“This was a strong pack, but I’m too old to be Alpha and there hasn’t been anybody to take over.”
“I’ve been ready to—”
“Until now.” Paul sighed and leaned back in his chair, clearly relieved. “Finally, we have an Alpha who can lead Purple Sky.”
Wesley blinked rapidly, opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. “Purple Sky has always had an Alpha who can lead.” He arched his eyebrows and stared at his uncle. “Me.”
“You?” Paul sounded genuinely surprised. “That’s not possible. When you stopped asking me about taking over, I thought you understood.”
“Understood what?” He had never been more confused.
“Wesley—” Paul drew in a deep breath and shook his head. “You can’t be Alpha of Purple Sky. You’re a strong wolf and I have the utmost faith in you, but that isn’t enough. Our pack doesn’t feel comfortable with your”—he pressed his lips together—“differences. I realize you grew up wanting to lead Purple Sky, but shifters won’t follow an Alpha if they don’t feel safe with him. I thought you understood and that’s why you finally accepted your role as my Beta.”
Reeling from the harsh sentiments, Wesley tried to mentally catch up. He was a born Alpha who had trained under and assisted his pack’s current Alpha. He was not a Beta.
“But that’s what makes this solution so wonderful. It’s perfect for everyone,” Paul said.
“What solution?”
“I got ahead of myself, didn’t I?” Paul smiled again. “I’m just so relieved, I can’t even tell you.”
His uncle had lost his mind. It was the only explanation for the nonsensical conversation. Wesley’s mother had passed away two years earlier, so he no longer had to worry about breaking her heart by hurting her brother, but even without that concern, he couldn’t in good conscience challenge a man more than twice his age with an unstable mental condition. He’d have to talk to the pack elders, let them know what was going on. Then together, they could help his uncle step down gracefully.
“Paul, I need to go now, but—”
“Yesterday I got a call from a shifter in the Red River pack.” Paul paused and looked at him. “You’ve heard of them, right?”
Deciding there would be no harm in humoring his uncle for a few minutes before leaving to get him help, Wesley stretched his legs out in front of him, crossed them at the ankles, and nodded. “Yes, I have. They’re a few days drive to the east. Keep to themselves mostly.” He furrowed his brow and thought about the question more. “You know, now that we’re talking about it, I can’t remember ever meeting someone from there or hearing about anyone joining their pack.” Which was odd because shifters often found their fated mates in other packs and then one of them moved, so all packs had shifters who were raised elsewhere and shifters who left to join their mate’s pack.
“They’re the oldest pack in North America, and as long as I’ve been alive, there’s been talk about their prosperity and strength. You haven’t met anyone from there because, as you mentioned, they keep to themselves. People don’t leave Red River and they don’t seek out shifters to expand their pack.” Paul looked at Wesley meaningfully. “Until now.”
Despite his better judgement, Wesley engaged in the conversation. “What’s happening now?”
“Alphas don’t usually mate, as you know.”
Wesley nodded. It was rare for Mother Nature to consider an Alpha strong enough to care for a pack and a mate so, unlike other shifters who had fated mates, Alphas remained unmated and focused on leading their packs. Wesley had never considered a lack of mate to be a bad thing. He was happy having the flexibility to sleep with various people and not be weighed down with the emotional entanglements that came from a relationship. Not that he’d actually had all that many sexual partners, but the option was there and that was what mattered.