will probably take over for me one day. I say probably because I'm not about to hand over the safety of these people to just anyone. But Marcus is a fine son in many ways as well. Just as strong and capable. He's the other best option for clan head when I must step down."
Why is he telling me these things about his sons?
"Remember when it's time for you to choose, I have many sons. Any son could replace me as alpha." He winked.
What? "Choose?"
"A few single women thrown into a pool of a dozen unmated adult Shifters." He blinked at me as if the motion would imbue me with an omniscience I was obviously lacking. "Do the math, Elise."
Okay. Mating is inevitable? What just happened? To mate or not, I didn't want just any mate. And even if the one I wanted decided to bite me, I can't go through with the agreement without telling him about my alien DNA. Mating is out of the question.
"Look at me."
This is insane. I stared back into his observant blue eyes. "Who are you protecting?"
My soul froze.
Why that question? We were just talking about mating. And now a blatant question about my loyalties?
"Elise, everything Lucius does is to protect his family. So I promise to only ask this question one time. Okay?" He nodded.
For affect. What now? The absolute worst question? "Okay."
"Are the aliens going to come here for you and your sisters?"
God. I don't think so. "What?" I actually squawked.
He just watched me.
Waiting. Here goes the only shot I have to satisfy his curiosity. Or squash his fears. "They're after my father. That's why he sent us out here and stayed behind." I understood Langston's reasoning now. Would it matter if I explained more? I studied Augustus's encouraging expression. "I didn't really know why he did it when he did. But it just hit me full force on the trip. I know because I can't stand not being with Violet. We're fourteen years apart. She's almost like my own child. I know it's crazy. But now I understand what drove Father to send us off with strangers." I scraped back the cuticle on my fingernail before realizing what I was doing and snapped my gaze back to his. "I don't know if I can ever be as strong as Father was. I don't think I could send Violet away."
"It makes me ill just hearing you say that. I have eleven sons of my own. Throw in a few nephews and you can only imagine how much stress I experience every day when they set out to hunt or on errand. But that's a parent's place. The way of the world. We must do what we must do." He managed a forced smile and nodded. "I see you're as responsible as people come. Like Lucius. But something's eating at you. Maybe it's just about you and has nothing to do with anyone else. Or it's about your sire. Or you and your sisters. I don't care what it is. As long as it's not going to hurt anyone here at my outpost, you have nothing to fear. And I have no doubts you've been honest with me. So, you settle in. Find a place for you and your sisters here. And when you trust me enough to tell me what's gnawing a hole inside you, come and find me. I'll help you slay your demons."
That's what Lucius said.
"Agreed?" he insisted with the same patient voice.
"Yes." Maybe I can believe him.
"Come now. I'll walk you to your cabin. I've got to fetch Drea home anyway."
When he left me shutting my cabin door, I could have dived into the fireplace's welcoming flames. But fell against the door's hard consoling wood that did anything but let me faint from relief.
That man, the alpha, had laid the grounds for his challenge. I'd just have to find a way to lie to skirt the truth. To live here with Violet. We can stay. Yes. In this not-so-awful place. Now, I'd have to take care. Every time we turned a corner around this log building, we walked past a single door in the wall. Just how many rooms did this one butt up against? With four sides, this building had four rooms because my cabin
Why is he telling me these things about his sons?
"Remember when it's time for you to choose, I have many sons. Any son could replace me as alpha." He winked.
What? "Choose?"
"A few single women thrown into a pool of a dozen unmated adult Shifters." He blinked at me as if the motion would imbue me with an omniscience I was obviously lacking. "Do the math, Elise."
Okay. Mating is inevitable? What just happened? To mate or not, I didn't want just any mate. And even if the one I wanted decided to bite me, I can't go through with the agreement without telling him about my alien DNA. Mating is out of the question.
"Look at me."
This is insane. I stared back into his observant blue eyes. "Who are you protecting?"
My soul froze.
Why that question? We were just talking about mating. And now a blatant question about my loyalties?
"Elise, everything Lucius does is to protect his family. So I promise to only ask this question one time. Okay?" He nodded.
For affect. What now? The absolute worst question? "Okay."
"Are the aliens going to come here for you and your sisters?"
God. I don't think so. "What?" I actually squawked.
He just watched me.
Waiting. Here goes the only shot I have to satisfy his curiosity. Or squash his fears. "They're after my father. That's why he sent us out here and stayed behind." I understood Langston's reasoning now. Would it matter if I explained more? I studied Augustus's encouraging expression. "I didn't really know why he did it when he did. But it just hit me full force on the trip. I know because I can't stand not being with Violet. We're fourteen years apart. She's almost like my own child. I know it's crazy. But now I understand what drove Father to send us off with strangers." I scraped back the cuticle on my fingernail before realizing what I was doing and snapped my gaze back to his. "I don't know if I can ever be as strong as Father was. I don't think I could send Violet away."
"It makes me ill just hearing you say that. I have eleven sons of my own. Throw in a few nephews and you can only imagine how much stress I experience every day when they set out to hunt or on errand. But that's a parent's place. The way of the world. We must do what we must do." He managed a forced smile and nodded. "I see you're as responsible as people come. Like Lucius. But something's eating at you. Maybe it's just about you and has nothing to do with anyone else. Or it's about your sire. Or you and your sisters. I don't care what it is. As long as it's not going to hurt anyone here at my outpost, you have nothing to fear. And I have no doubts you've been honest with me. So, you settle in. Find a place for you and your sisters here. And when you trust me enough to tell me what's gnawing a hole inside you, come and find me. I'll help you slay your demons."
That's what Lucius said.
"Agreed?" he insisted with the same patient voice.
"Yes." Maybe I can believe him.
"Come now. I'll walk you to your cabin. I've got to fetch Drea home anyway."
When he left me shutting my cabin door, I could have dived into the fireplace's welcoming flames. But fell against the door's hard consoling wood that did anything but let me faint from relief.
That man, the alpha, had laid the grounds for his challenge. I'd just have to find a way to lie to skirt the truth. To live here with Violet. We can stay. Yes. In this not-so-awful place. Now, I'd have to take care. Every time we turned a corner around this log building, we walked past a single door in the wall. Just how many rooms did this one butt up against? With four sides, this building had four rooms because my cabin
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