be. I only knew he thought they were a danger to his daughter.
Things I maybe should have asked about before letting him move in. Too late now.
“Must be some scary supernatural,” I commented lightly.
“Truly. Shook up a lot of my old pack when it rolled through Dallas and showed them who the dominant predator was.”
I wanted to laugh, but I bit it back. We had to be careful about talking openly about too many supernatural things. What surprised me was his comment about her being the dominant predator. In a one-on-one fight, we both understood I could wipe the floor with him. His son, too, but no self-respecting werewolf Alpha, retired or not, admitted to something so vulnerable. It exposed a weakness when weaknesses got wolves killed.
“You’re a fool,” I whispered, looking down to pour him another beer.
“For admitting it?” he inquired, obviously knowing where I was going with my comment.
“Yeah. Aren’t you supposed to maintain that you’re the strongest? It’s how you get other wolves to fall in line. One of the ways.” I gave a half shrug, silently trying to dismiss my knowledge. I knew a lot about other supernatural species, something Hasan made sure was a frequent part of my education shortly after I was Changed.
“That mattered when I ran a pack, but…that supernatural showing up and doing what it did reminded every wolf in North America that we don’t run the world. Everyone is quietly eating that dose of reality right now.”
My stomach sank a little more, remembering Jabari’s texts and what the implications of two dead werecats could mean. “You all already knew about…” I didn’t know how to finish that without giving away anything more. I glanced around the bar, glad to see every human in the room was instinctively avoiding the two dangerous predators at the bar. It always happened. Once Heath walked in, they gradually drifted to the other side of the room, hiding by the booths and pool tables. They would claim it was a sign of respect for Heath, but Heath and I knew the truth.
“We did know but seeing is believing. Seeing the truth is different from hearing it. Harder to ignore, harder to deny. Don’t worry, none of them are really angry or upset. They’re cautious. Actually, I know a couple of Alphas who have reached out to introduce themselves to some…cousins, hoping to start better relations.” Heath sipped on his beer. I put the new one in front of him, causing him to chuckle. “Wolves are social things. Insular in our own ways but more social than the rest of our world. We adapt to a new player on the stage, even if it’s really one of the oldest players, and this time, many wolves are making sure we’re allies.”
“That’s good,” I mumbled. “I’m not really involved with politics, so thanks for that news.”
“It’s been going on for months, and no one told you?” He narrowed his eyes playfully, but there was no missing the cunning, curious light in his eyes.
“Nope. I don’t want to be involved. I don’t care to be involved.”
“Strange because…” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a barely audible whisper. No human ears would pick up what he said. “You’re right in the middle of it, letting wolves live near you, in your space.”
“Don’t make me throw you out,” I snapped, suddenly fighting a bolt of hostility. His comment sounded like trouble, and like always, I wanted no part in it. I didn’t want attention. “Out of the bar, my territory, and out of the state. You drag me into anything else, and we’re going to have real problems.”
“I just figured we were on the topic, so I would give you the recent news. I’m not looking to draw attention to myself, promise. Or you. Word is, many supernaturals have been curious and confused by the new living arrangement here, but they don’t have any reason to talk about it. They’re just curious.”
“Once an Alpha, always an Alpha. Natural politicians, the lot of you.” I made it sound like an insult—it was and wasn’t. Supernaturals like Heath stayed alive because they were so good at making the right allies and playing the field without pissing off too many people. Had he made mistakes? Yeah, that was pretty clear from what happened last year, but even I could tell he was a survivor.
Politicians still sucked, though.
“Always, even without a pack. It’s not something I can turn off.”