Page 63 of Starting a New Life
“My grandfather added the bookshelves,” Gray continued, nodding at the items in question. “And my father the shelves on the wall. I’m afraid he’s not much of a craftsman, but he wanted to contribute to this office.” He smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling ever so slightly. “To be honest, I think if I keep up the tradition of adding furniture to the Alpha’s office, the next one won’t have a place to sit.”
I let out a surprised laugh.
“Maybe you can decorate the war room?”
“The war… You mean our conference room?” Gray laughed. “We don’t have a dedicated war room, Nix. This pack has never been at war.”
“Never?”
Gray laughed. “Who would we fight?”
“Other packs? For land and resources?” I suggested, furrowing my brow. Pack wars were common where I was from.
Gray shrugged, but his face wasn’t mocking; his tone was gentle. “I realize your experiences vastly differ from ours. There are not many packs up here. The closest one is a two-hour drive away. I don’t need to fight anyone for land. If I wanted to, we could expand; there’s plenty of unclaimed land available. But we don’t need to. We have plenty of space to run. I know it’s different for packs down south.”
“And what about fights for dominance? Challenges to overthrow the Alpha?”
Granted, you didn’t need a war room for that. Challenges were fought one-on-one. The winner got the pack and the loser… Well, most of them didn’t live to be exiled.
Gray smiled, nodding at the chair in front of his desk. “I can tell you more about this pack’s history if you want. It might help you understand who we are. Do you want to sit here, or do you want to go next door? I have my own living space here in the packhouse.”
I eyed the chair in front of the desk, and thought about the distance it’d put between us.
“Next door?” I asked.
Gray grinned, brushing a strand of his long hair out of his face. “Sure.”
He opened a door next to one of his grandfather’s bookshelves. I followed him into his living quarters and curiously looked around the small but comfortable space.
It was not what Alpha’s living spaces usually looked like. Or rather, not the ones I knew. Then again, I was used to the Alpha having his own house. A big one, often bordering on pompous, with his own personal kitchen staff.
Not a small studio apartment within the packhouse. Hell, it wasn’t bigger than the small shithole of an apartment I’d used to call mine. Way nicer, yes, but not bigger.
“It’s not much,” Gray said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I don’t need much here. I have my own place too, but it’s convenient to have a place to crash after a long day of work.”
I nodded, looking at the pictures pinned to a board above a dresser. Tons of photos showing him, mostly together with Rhett. Recent photos as well as older ones.
“You’re good friends, huh?” I said, nodding at one photo that showed Gray and Rhett arm in arm. They couldn’t have been older than seven or eight, their grins wide, showing off matching tooth gaps.
“Like brothers,” Gray said gruffly. “Always have been.”
It must’ve been nice for him to always have someone at his side. To always have someone he could trust.
I’d never had that. I’d always been the outcast, the mistake, the kid the others weren’t supposed to play with. The sole mage in a coven of witches and wizards. The unwanted son of the High Wizard.
I shuddered, looking at the photo of Gray as a kid. He’d always worn his hair long, the sleek black gleaming in sunlight, the joy radiating off him.
“What about your family?” he asked, his aura shifting, brushing up against me as he stepped up next to me.
“I don’t have any,” I said blandly.
“I’m sorry,” Gray said, his sympathy so raw and tangible it was hard to swallow.
“Don’t be.” A shudder ran down my spine as I remembered my father’s disappointed stare. The way he looked at me with barely veiled disgust. “I’m glad he’s dead. I’m only sorry he died so quickly.”
Out of arrogance. A spell gone wrong, burning him to a crisp within the blink of an eye.
“In that case, I’m sorry you had such a shitty upbringing.”
