Page 17 of Unknowingly Adopting the Alpha
“Wheneveryou want,” he repeated. “Whereveryou want, too.” He shot me a wink. It seemed this being friends thing was a true test to him. Either way, I felt like I’d won.
“I need to tell you something, though, and I hope it won’t change things,” he began. I already knew he was single, so I couldn’t really imagine what worried him. It was clear it was either something important, or something he feared I wouldn’t like.
“Okay?” I urged.
“I’m the pack Alpha,” he said, his eyes intense as he waited for my response.
“Good for you!” I exclaimed, figuring it had to be some kind of big deal. There could only be one Alpha, right?
He shook his head, smiling. “Not the reaction I expected.”
Oh, did that mean it was something bad? Think, Cass, think! Alphas were the leaders of wolves, right? Was it like with lions that only the male impregnated the women?
“Oh, my God! Are you trying to tell me you have to impregnate all the women in your pack?! Or that you have a thousand kids and need help babysitting?!”
His eyes widened with horror. “No!”
I slumped back in my seat. “Then why the fuck do you act like you being Alpha is a bad thing?!”
“Because,” he sighed. “It means I have the whole pack as my responsibility. It means you have to share my attention, and it’s not always easy being friends with the Alpha.”
“But you said I could tag along?”
“You can!” he agreed hurriedly.
“Then that’s good enough for me,” I decided. He smiled brightly at that, so I tacked on, “Speaking freely, just thinking of being apart from you is hurting my insides. I don’t know why and I hope you aren’t freaked out over that. But it’s the truth, so you being Alpha isn’t something I’m worried about.”
“Really? I have to say you’re taking this extremely well.”
I shrugged. “I might have a breakdown during my next shower, only time will tell. But I’ve spent my adult years doing my father’s bidding. I want to live now. I promised myself I would follow my heart and do what I want for once.”
He just sat there, blinking owlishly at me.
I stood and grabbed both our plates. “Let’s get to work!” I declared cheerfully. “We’re starting with the bathroom. We need to add the base coat first. I need to buy a new shower curtain, too.”
Chapter Eleven
Jeremy
I hadn’t expected the day to be this productive, but it was really nice. Cass had demanded we start painting, letting me know how eager he was to get rid of the chubby babies on his tiles. I had to agree, but the base coat didn’t cover them completely, just added a milky overlay to them, so we had to wait a few hours before we could add the second coat. The paint would have to wait until tomorrow.
With all the paint supplies packed up and cleaned away, I leaned against the hallway wall and wondered if I could ask my packmates to help with the house. It was for the Alpha’s mate, after all, but maybe it was pushing my Alpha status too much. I had basically only “worked” as Alpha for one day.
“Here,” Cass said, handing me a bottle of water. “I was thinking of driving into town today, if you want to go?”
I took the offered bottle and grinned. “Sure, what are we getting?”
Selfishly, I looked forward to showing him off in town. I wanted everyone to know he was mine, even if I still tried totake things slow for Cass. The fact he was taking things so well alarmed me somehow. Either the fated mate bond between us helped ease him into it, or a breakdown was coming. I truly hoped it was our bond. Maybe it was simply the way Cass was. He seemed to take things in stride and had a positive outlook. Even when he saw how bad his house was, he still tried to remain positive. I admired that about him. He already seemed like the perfect mate for an Alpha, only time would tell if the pack agreed on that. If they had any issues, they could either leave the pack, or I would simply give Milo the position.
“Shower curtains,” Cass said, reminding me I’d asked him a question.
“Just a shower curtain?” I was hoping we could stay for longer in town. “Maybe we could eat lunch in town, too?”
“Oh,” he said, looking to be thinking it over. “That actually sounds lovely. Maybe we could do some linen shopping, too? I feel kinda icky using my granddad’s old ones, even if they’re clean.”
I laughed. “I get that. We can definitely shop for everything you need. You ordered the washer and dryer?”
He nodded. “And hired someone to remove all the carpets tomorrow.”
