Chapter 15
“We should get back out there before they leave,” Willow sighed, stretching as she started to stand up. She wanted to run away, but she knew better. She was never good at running away from her problems.
“What?” he looked surprised.
“I want to talk to a few of the pack members and get to know the people I'll be Alpha over, I guess,” she shrugged, uncomfortable over the idea. The only time she'd ever heard the term ‘Alpha’ was when sleazy men would talk about themselves as the 'alpha dogs' in social situations. It felt different being used on her.
“That sounds great,” Carter sounded surprised, and Willow reached out to squeeze his fingers. He squeezed back, and she sighed. Whatever weirdness he was going through, she was sure he'd get over it. She just wanted him to be the way he was just a day ago: flirty, sweet, open, treating her like everything in life was easy.
She wanted to kiss the uncomfortable frown off his face, but this wasn't the time.
Opening the back door, she let them out into the afternoon sunlight. At least thirty people were still there, talking among themselves. She recognized so many of them that it was almost scary. Willow couldn't help but wonder if she'd passed many shifters in her life before. Who else was one that she didn't know of? Her boss? Her neighbor? Did her parents know before they adopted her?
All of these thoughts got side swept as someone quickly approached her.
This face she knew very, very, well.
It was the woman who'd scared the hell out of her on the street just a day before. Now here she was, smiling, approaching Willow like an old friend.
“I'm so sorry about the scare yesterday,” she said, ducking her head as she came closer. “I didn't realize who you were. I didn't know,” she explained gently. “I thought my pack was being threatened. I would have never stepped to you like that if I knew you were one of us,” she continued on. She looked like she was expecting to be slapped.
“This is Faye,” Carter introduced.
“We're fine. I completely understand,” Willow said, wanting the awkward interaction to end. It felt so fake, so two-faced, and she didn't want to have to watch this woman act like that anymore. She preferred her looking pissed and scary.
“Thank you so much,” Faye replied. She looked like any other soccer mom, just another middle-aged woman. It was strange to think that under this makeup and jogging suit was a wolf.
In all of these people is a wolf, Willow remembered again.
Every time the realization hit her, it was like a bag of bricks or a heavy weight dragging her down further and further from the bright light that was the reality she used to know. It was a harrowing and empty feeling.
She was introduced to a couple other people, one by one, Carter trailing her.
Willow could sense a kind of desperation from him as well.
She turned to look at him while he was talking to his cop friend…what did he say his name was? Jim? John? She couldn't look at Carter without realizing how much hope he had in her. If he could save her life, if he could keep her safe, then his position in the pack would be restored.
He caught her staring, and she glanced away, glad he couldn't hear what she was thinking.
Glad he didn't know.
Guilt filled her stomach, but she kept greeting and trying to be as kind as possible. There was no need to make anyone else there uncomfortable or unhappy. They needed an Alpha, and they saw that in her. She could put up with this for long enough to have another Alpha come and take it over.
She was a crap journalist! Not someone you'd want in charge of your entire life and livelihood.
Willow couldn't understand how everyone could have such blind and absolute faith in her just because of a bloodline. She didn't even know anyone from her birth family, and yet she was still being forced into this position of power.
Carter, would be a perfect leader, though.
He was clever, kind, assertive, fair, not to mention he could hold her attention just by breathing.
All of these were things she saw as needed for leading.
Willow knew she had to convince him into taking over.
“I'm going to have to head back,” she murmured in between introductions. “I still have a job to do,” she lied. Her job was the furthest thing from her mind at that point. She really just needed time alone to think.
“All right,” Carter answered, squeezing her arm slightly. “Let me go grab my uniform for tomorrow. I'll stay at the resort tonight so you can call me if you need anything,” he offered.
“Thank you,” she said gently. She wanted to hug him, pull him tight and not let go, but something told her it wasn't the best idea at the time. She watched Carter leave back toward the house, and her heart felt like it was floating along with him.
“So, where are you from?” Carter's cop friend approached her. She knew his last name was Keech, but his first name still escaped her.
“Oh, I grew up a military brat, so basically everywhere,” she said, smiling at him. “Have you lived in West Valley your whole life?” she was trying to be polite, but honestly, she just wanted to leave.
“I have. Only left the town a handful of times in my life,” he admitted.
“I keep hearing that more and more,” Willow said, relaxing into the conversation like a warm bath. She knew that everyone from small towns thought their town was the center of the universe. They always had a handful of sayings that were the same regardless of where they were.
'Ugh these out-of-town drivers don't know how to frigging drive!'
'I grew up here. The hospital I was born in is just a couple miles away. I don't see why anyone would want to leave.'
'The best pie you'll ever taste is just a couple blocks from here. You should try it while you're in town!'
'Don't like the weather? Wait fifteen minutes!'
This last one they'd always say while looking like they felt entirely too clever, as though they'd invented the phrase themselves. In a way, she'd been to West Valley dozens of times, even if this was her first visit, because of all of the other small towns she'd been to.
This was the first one where shifters basically ran the town, though.
That one was new.
“The Wells family left behind a home. You're the closest thing to a relative I know of. We didn't find anyone out of state who would admit relation to them. If you're wanting to make a move here, it could be yours,” he offered, looking off and into the woods.
“How does that work?” she asked, unsure how she'd prove her distant relation to them other than her wolf-form.
“The pack would pitch in to ensure you could have it, of course,” Keech explained. “Do you want to come see the property? I have a few hours before my next shift starts,” he nodded to the front of the house in the direction of his car. She was amazed at the thought that these strangers would be willing to just give her a home.
She felt horribly guilty at the idea.
“I have plans with Carter,” she lied. She didn't want to go and see this house and think about what happened to the family that used to live in it. The closest to blood relatives she'd had, regardless of how many times the family tree had branched out.
“That's all right. Some other time then,” he shrugged.
“Sounds good,” she lied again.