Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,98

dialed my dad. "Not just will you, or are you resigned to it, Elena. Do you actually want to be one of us?"

She licked at her lips. "I think so. Maybe?"

Seth leaned closer to press his hand to her knee. "That's not an answer, beautiful."

She let go of me to wrap her fingers around his hand. "I know, but it's the best I have. I keep thinking about it, and if I could be like Gabby, then it would be amazing, but what if I'm like David?"

"He's that way because he was never allowed to run as a wolf," Seth said. "It's not easy the first time. Well, technically the second, since the night you turn is all instincts. But the first time you mean to do it, you'll feel frustrated. The next time is easier, and we'll all help. They taught me. I will teach you."

"And you were just a kid when it happened," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "So? You're not exactly old and frail. Ok, so you've reached the glorified age where you can call the rest of us kids. Besides that? Dunno how to break it to ya, but forty isn't old. You can learn, and I will make sure you do."

"So will I," Lane told her.

"We're in," Pax added. "If you want this, then we will help. Doesn't matter if that's looking after Gabby so you can go run, or helping clean the house because you worked all day and wolfed out too long. We will help, Elena. That's what being our mate means."

"I can't until..." She looked over at me, realizing I was putting my phone down.

"Dad's on his way," I promised. Then I looked at Trent. "Coffee for us, there should be wine in there for her. Pretty sure Gabby hasn't had dinner yet, either."

"Something light," Elena said, not trying to stop us. "She doesn't eat when she's anxious, and I think she is. She's trying hard to be strong, but she's worried about Roman. I didn't want to let her do something you've forbidden, so I made her wait to talk to him."

"Gabby!" I yelled up the stairs. "Call him. If you can't reach him, call Kim."

"Yes, Alpha," she yelled back, her voice muffled through a bunch of doors.

Elena just looked at me. "No more yelling through the house, Ian."

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I just know that boy deserves to hear from her, and those kids are a lot more serious than I expected."

"Olivia says they're her betas."

Trent shook his head. "Roman acts more like a mate than a beta. Trust me, the alpha-beta relationship is rarely a romantic thing."

"And converts can't be alphas," Elena countered. "If Gabby's breaking one rule, why not more? I'm not thrilled with the idea of her first boyfriend being her last, but if they're that happy, then that's really all that matters."

"Or he's just the first," Seth mumbled.

I kicked him. "Not helping."

"Oh please." He gestured at all of us. "Elena knows how wolves are. She may not have thought about it like that yet, but who says Roman isn't just the first of many?"

I just shook my head. "Alphas have one mate. The mate gets the benefits. That's how it's always worked."

"And Gabby's not playing by the old traditions, Ian," Seth said. "She never learned them. She's running on willpower and instinct. Don't crush that because of how things were always done before. You want to modernize us? Well, that girl's the answer. She's stronger than Roman, and she'll grow up to be another Ashley. She's smart and considerate, even for her age. She also wasn't raised to roll over just because the pack alpha says so. She was taught - by you - to challenge him because she's worth it."

Elena's head snapped over to me just as someone knocked at the door. I decided it would be a good idea to answer that. I did not want to tell Elena how much I was pushing her daughter, or why. She could guess, and I wouldn't hide it from her, but I also didn't want her to stop me. Wolf's Run needed another alpha to take over if anything happened to me. It was no different than her concerns about making sure Gabby's guardian was settled before she considered turning.

I merely wanted to make sure that my pack had someone to step up and lead it if anything happened to me, and Gabby was it. She was also perfect for it. A convert? A woman who understood human