He did feela little too intrusive to go to her home, so he resisted doing that for the first few days. But then the allure became too strong. He followed her to the elementary school, and he watched her pick up her daughter.
The little girl looked a whole lot like her. She had the same bounce in her walk, and she had the same confidence with her head up and her shoulders back. He found himself smiling. He was also glad he couldn't see any of the little cub’s father in her. That would've hurt.
After he caught a glimpse of them he moved away, not wanting to alarm her while she was with her child. He forced himself to go back to the woods and transform and go for a run as a wolf. But that had been a mistake too, because he had chosen woods close to where Everleigh and her daughter must do their shifting. He could smell her bear, along with a younger female bear. Obviously her daughter.
He would love to go on a run with them or a hunt. He found himself imagining splashing through the stream with them, catching fish and chasing rabbits. It was a stupid daydream. She would never allow it and there was no point. He had broken up with her because his pack was an all-wolf wolf pack. Those were the rules, and he was the Alpha.
He couldn't even sneak around with her like a human could because the pack would know immediately.
There was no future for them; he needed to give up on it. He had seen that she was safe and that she was well, and that there was no man in her life.
He could report back to Sutton, and Sutton could rest easy that his sister was doing just fine. Just like Roman, Sutton was going to have to accept that his sister's life was her own and that she had chosen to leave the pack. He wouldn't like it, but there was nothing he could do short of forcing her to stay.
That's it. You've seen enough, you have to go home.
No, his wolf howled. She belongs with me.
His wolf did not understand. Which also made him question his decisions. Their pack was formed around their primitive instincts.
But if his wolf thought it was okay to mate with the bear shifter, then why did his human side forbid it?
It was something to consider. What if he did want to be with her? Would his pack adjust to having a bear as the Alpha’s mate, just as he had adjusted to move for them? Or would they rebel and force him out of his own pack?
Would he be willing to give up his status as Alpha to be with Everleigh?
His pack was his family. It was his job, it was his purpose. He couldn't imagine not having his brothers in his life. But he also couldn't imagine leaving Everleigh again.
* * *
He crept slowlyto her house as the sun set. He stayed in his wolf form, hoping that he would look like a dog if anyone saw him. Alaskans were used to wolves and to large dog breeds. They would not freak out.
There she was, with her daughter. They had been riding bikes up and down the street. Her daughter did a few tricks and then he heard Everleigh remind her not to go too far. It was a common admonishment among shifter families.
Even growing up in an isolated pack they had all learned at an early age how to behave when they had to go into town. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to go to school all day with young humans. Her daughter must have great self-discipline to make it all day.
He waited all night outside her house. A male never showed up nor did a human man.
He felt comfort from Everleigh outside her door. It was a balm to be close to her again.
He went to Everleigh’s porch and curled up under her bushes. For the first night in a while he slept soundly. He woke up as the sun rose, which gave him the opportunity to see her and her daughter leave for school. The little girl had on navy blue overalls with a yellow shirt. As usual, Everleigh was dressed professionally with dressy pants and a suit jacket. He could watch her all day. He would never grow tired of it.
She opened the back door for her daughter, who hopped in and buckled her own seatbelt. There was a small scuffle as something fell out of the car and then they both seemed to realize the daughter had forgotten her lunch box. They both got out of the car and came back out with a backpack and lunch box.
There were so many things about her life he didn't know about. So many things that were unfamiliar to him. But she navigated the human world flawlessly.
She finally got in her Jeep grand Cherokee and they drove off. He stayed in his wolf form and made it back to the hotel. He ducked behind a dumpster and pulled his clothes on.
The next day he had to go home. He could not delay any longer. He had done what he came to do, and it wasn't good for the Alpha to be away from his pack for more than a week.