Chapter 5 #2
Shit. Sonya mentally ran through the single wolves in the pack.
She came up with only two who weren’t too old, and Ruth had given birth to one of them before she became a shifter.
Mother and son had been turned together.
She loved her brother to pieces, but having their neighbor as a mother-in-law was too much to ask.
Wait, was she seriously considering hooking up with a wolf? She shook her head. This was ridiculous. The giggle she’d tried to contain earlier grew, and she doubled over as bursts of laughter escaped from her throat.
“I’m glad the idea of becoming a pack member makes you joyful.” Dale’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Sonya gasped for air. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone here has worked hard to make me feel unwelcome. The thought of one of them wanting to marry me is ludicrous.” She giggled again.
Dale’s eyes glittered. “It would solve your key problem, though.”
The dark undertone of his statement quickly killed her laughter. “What problem is that?”
He flicked an invisible speck off his pant leg. “You’re not Karim’s legal guardian.”
A chill trickled down Sonya’s spine, and she shivered. “Of course I am. I’m his sister.”
The alpha tilted his head. “Are you, though? Did Albert legally adopt you?”
Shit. “You know he didn’t.” Shifters lived a long time, and an official adoption required birth certificates.
No way could Albert have shown up at the courthouse with a legal document that had his actual birthdate on it.
And fake ones good enough to withstand scrutiny were expensive.
“Albert met my mom when I was only three. We even lived here, with the pack, for a while when I was younger.” That had to count for something.
Didn’t it? Her heart beat so loud, she was sure Dale could hear it.
“You know he was my dad, even if he couldn’t make it official. ”
“I’m afraid pack laws are quite clear on this. If there are no surviving actual family members, the pack claims guardianship of any minors.” He smiled at her again. Asshole.
She wanted to scratch his eyes out. Sonya tucked her hands under her legs to keep from lashing out.
She’d lose quickly in a physical fight. The only way to win this was to outsmart him.
Her mind desperately searched for a solution.
She couldn’t lose her brother. She had to stall until she could find an answer.
“And which of the wolves do you think I should marry?”
Dale leaned forward. “Me.”
Shock made her catch her breath. Dale’s eyes narrowed. “But you’re already mated to Mandy,” Sonya blurted out.
He waved his hand dismissively. “She’s just my girlfriend. We’re not married.”
Sonya would bet Mandy didn’t make that distinction.
The two of them had interacted little, but as far as Sonya knew, Mandy considered herself the female alpha.
She listened to pack members’ concerns, and when an injury had rendered Ruth immobile for a few days, Mandy had organized deliveries of cooked dinners.
Sonya bit her lip. How the hell would she get out of this?
And why would Dale want to marry her, anyway?
Mating with a non-shifter would piss off a lot of pack members.
Why would he risk discord within the pack?
Albert had explained that a wolf rose to power by challenging the sitting alpha and defeating them in battle.
Dale wasn’t old, but there were younger wolves who could beat him in a physical fight.
He must have a hidden agenda she couldn’t see yet.
“I’m going to have to think about this,” she said.
Dale’s mouth turned down. “Don’t think too long.
The offer is good for a few days. After that, the pack takes over Karim’s guardianship, whether or not you’ve joined.
” A few days. She needed longer than that to figure things out.
The alpha stood and stepped around the table, looming over her.
“And if you run, you know you risk the boy going feral.” His tone held no concern for Karim’s welfare.
“We will hunt you down if you kidnap him. And no other pack will provide sanctuary to someone who broke shifter laws.”
Her heart was beating so rapidly she thought it would burst out of her chest, but she swallowed the fear. “Shifter law doesn’t apply to me.”
A feral smile stretched across Dale’s lips. “It does if you kidnap a shifter cub. Every pack in North America will hunt you down and kill you. Let’s hope Karim doesn’t get hurt in the skirmish.”
Standing, she forced herself to meet his eyes. “I won’t run. I—”
Dale let out a vicious growl. As he jerked his head toward the front walkway, he pushed her back into the chair, his palm pinning her down.
The stranger from the cafe stepped up onto the porch, his eyes lingering where Dale’s hand was splayed on Sonya’s chest. A low, dark rumble emanated from the out-of-town shifter, and the sound’s echo somehow reverberated inside her.
A wicked smile formed on the stranger’s lips. “Take your hands off her.” The power of his demand rippled through the still night air.
Dale snatched his hand back, bared his teeth, and took a step toward the stranger.