Page 19 of Unknowingly Adopting the Alpha
“So, Loren and Loretta,” Cass stated, smiling softly. “Are they shifters, too?”
“They are. But they rarely shift anymore. It becomes less of a need as we age, which is why the Alpha is often very young, like myself.”
“That actually surprises me a bit, with your dad still being alive and in the pack. Did you fight him for the title and win?”
“God, no,” I shook my head quickly. “The Alpha decides when to retire and then hands the title over to the child they think would be best suited. My dad picked me over my little brother.”
“Oh, so it wasn’t something you chose for yourself?”
I’d never thought about it like that before. “Well, no, but I wasn’t against being Alpha. I guess growing up knowing it was either me or Milo made it easier to adapt to.”
“Milo?”
“My little brother.”
A brother I should’ve called, or texted, or anything really. He deserved to hear from me about Cass, but I already knew that ship had sailed. I was actually hurt that he hadn’t told me about him and Darius. Then there was the fact he likely knew I had a thing for Darius, and had kissed him anyway. If he knew he and Darius were fated, he could’ve at least told me before he made his move.
“Cool! I can’t wait to meet him.” He sounded so genuine, it was so admirable how he just took things as they came at him.
“What about you?” I asked. “Any brothers or sisters?”
He shook his head, his mood souring. “I’m an only child. I had an older sister, but she died in a car accident with my mother. I was only two so I can’t remember them.”
My poor mate, but it was strangely a thing we had in common.
“I lost my mother in a car accident, too,” I said, feeling the same emotions I always did as I relived it. “I was seven, so I remember her, but it seems with each passing year it becomes harder and harder to do so.”
“I wish I remembered mine,” he sighed. “But my father rarely speaks of her. I was told numerous times growing up that when she died, he did, too. I don’t know who my father was before she died, but the man I left in the city was cold and heartless.”
“I take it you two aren’t close then?” I dared ask.
He laughed, but it sounded like it hurt him. “He paid nannies and other family members to raise me, claiming he was too busy to take care of me himself. When I was a teenager, he started taking an interest in me, and at first, I was delighted! My father actually wanted to spend time with me? I was ecstatic! But then I learned, far too quickly, that he was simply grooming me to take over his business one day. He didn’t care about me, just his legacy.”
“Damn,” I muttered. “God, I’m so sorry you went through that, Cass. I know we’ve only just met, but I hope you’ll soon feel like you have a family in me, and mine.”
He would, no doubt about it, but I wasn’t about to stoke the flames and mention we were fated to be together. He was cool now, but I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He smiled timidly and I could tell from his eyes that he desperately needed a change in topic.
“So,” I said, smiling. “Let’s see who can eat the most.”
Chapter Twelve
Cassian
It wasn’t only in his shifted form Jeremy seemed to swallow his food whole. I sat there staring as he continued to eat his third plate of delicious food, while I was still only halfway through my first.
“What about hobbies?” I asked, hoping that would slow him down enough that I could catch up a bit.
“Hobbies?” His head tilted to the side, and I saw Red in him.
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Do you have any hobbies you like to do?”
“Oh!” he seemed to think it over. “I like to sniff out birds and see if I get the correct species just from the scent of them alone. Does that count as a hobby?”
“Um, I guess so?”
There were so many differences between us. Even though we werejustfriends, I still had to think of this as maybesomedaybecoming more, becauseIwanted that. So, learning of our differences and similarities was an important thing. It wasn’t just one man who could shift into a wolf and a boring human. We were both so much more, and I had to accept all thedifferences. I could be his friend, sure, but I wouldn’t know what it felt like to shift. That would always be something we couldn’t share.
