My Second Chance? (SAMPLE)

Chapter 6

Maddox

"Come on dude, we haven't made moves to secure treaties or trade deals in years. We need to do this; you need to do this. I can't be the only one going out and trying to make these connections. Enough people around here think that I'm taking over for you, we don't need to make that rumor mill worse."

I loved Kealum, I really did. My younger brother had done so much to help me, I really couldn't be mad at him. I could get annoyed at him pretty easily though.

"You know damn well that cultivating that rumor isn't a bad idea. In all likelihood, you'll take over for me eventually anyway. We might as well get the pack used to it." I knew this was going to set him off, but oh well. Sometimes being the annoying older brother is fun.

"That's fucking bullshit and you know it! Shana is already freaked out about the prospect of that happening, making it seem like more of a sure thing is going to make her seriously panic. She doesn't want our pup to have anything to do with Alpha bullshit. I just barely convinced her to actually have pups with me thanks to you! Just because your mating with Beth ended badly doesn't mean you can't find someone else either! Stop thinking that I'm going to do this job because I won't do it."

Kealum went on for a while longer about how there was no way in hell that he would take over for me. Blah, blah, blah, and a bit more blah. He even went so far as to point out how he was perfect for the Beta position and that was it. I just let him yell.

In my defense, after Beth, I didn't want to look for another mate. We'd marked and mated each other immediately after she turned eighteen and started working together as an Alpha and Luna pair. My parents were happy as hell to teach us everything they could, and fast. My mother had Kealum, Genevieve, and I later in life because she and dad hadn't found each other until they were both a bit older for wolves. She was just over twenty-five when she met dad and there were years separating us all. They were ready to retire.

I only had a year with Beth before everything went to hell. Really, it went to shit and then turned to hell. It took over a year for me to be able to even function at a decent level. Another year of females trying to catch my attention, and failing, led me to my resolve not to date within my pack. I'd been around all the females since I or they were born and none of them did it for me. Besides that, the few single females I did spend some time with tended to either create drama or be subject to it. I don't know why anyone would think being my mate would be glamorous, the Alpha and Luna jobs suck most of the time.

Nine years. It had been nine years and for most of that I had made it blatantly obvious that I didn't want a mate. Kealum had Alpha blood just the same as I. He was my Beta and my best friend. He's also known for years that in all likelihood, the title would be passed down to him and his pups. Even if he wouldn't freely admit that.

"Just do this for me Maddox. I don't even care if you look at females, although I am going to still encourage it. Just push yourself to do more to set up treaties and all that. If I have to take over this shit someday, it'd be easier to sell to Shana if we were taking over a gold mine."

"If I do this, put more effort into connecting with other packs, will you agree to at least accept that you are my heir?" I may not love talking with others, but I was damn good at making deals. If everything hadn't gone south, who knows what kind of position I'd be in now.

"Only if you agree not to just give up. I won't even say a word about females so long as you stop hiding in the pack and work on inter-pack relations."

Sucker.

"Done."

What Kealum didn't know was that I had already been working on being better and doing exactly what he wanted. For years, I had at least a half-decent connection with the prior Alpha and Luna of Dawnshadow. That relationship turned into a serious friendship with Xander and his mate, although the start of our bond was over pain. Xander had been pushing me to be at least a little more sociable. His mate had tried to get me to visit more times than I could count.