Page 10 of The Careless Alpha

"About us. About what we mean to each other." She lifted her head to look at me, blue eyes serious. "I'm not getting any younger, Marshall. At some point, I'm going to want stability. A real relationship."

I stiffened slightly. "Scarlett..."

"I know what you're going to say. You have a mate." Her tone turned bitter. "That little girl who follows you around like a lost puppy."

"She doesn't follow me around."

"Because you run away every time she gets within ten feet of you." Scarlett sat up, her naked body silhouetted against theoffice windows. "Face it, Marshall. You don't want her. You want me."

There was truth in what she said, uncomfortable as it was. I did want Scarlett. I wanted the easy passion, the adult conversation, the lack of complicated feelings. What I didn't want was the responsibility that came with Annalise. The expectation that I'd somehow transform from a twenty-one-year-old man into a devoted mate for someone who still needed permission to leave pack territory.

"It's complicated," I said finally. I meant it. Right now, it was complicated, but in a few more years, it would be different. Annalise would get her wolf in a few months. In our pack, that made you an adult even though the Moon Goddess didn’t let us scent our mates until we were eighteen. Once Annalise was eighteen and could scent me, things would change. Everything would be perfect.

"It doesn't have to be." Scarlett moved closer, her hand sliding up my chest. "You could reject her. Choose me instead. The pack would understand. A mature Luna, experienced in pack politics, ready to lead alongside you..."

For a brief moment, I let myself imagine it. A life without the guilt of disappointing a girl who deserved better than my indifference. But even as the fantasy played out, I knew it was impossible. Mate bonds weren't suggestions from the Moon Goddess. They were destinies, carved in stone and written in the stars. Rejecting Annalise would hurt her in ways I couldn't even comprehend. It would hurt the pack. It would hurt me. I wouldn’t do it.

"I can't," I said, the words tasting like ash.

Scarlett's expression hardened. "Can't, or won't?"

"Does it matter?"

"It matters to me." She stood up abruptly, reaching for her scattered clothes. "How long am I supposed to wait, Marshall?How long am I supposed to be your convenient distraction while you figure out your feelings about a child?"

"She won't be a child forever."

"I'm twenty-four years old." Scarlett pulled her dress over her head, smoothing the fabric with sharp, angry movements. "I want a mate, a family, a future. I want all that with you."

Before I could respond, she was gone, leaving me alone in my office with the scent of her perfume and the uncomfortable weight of truth. How many more months did I have to maintain this holding pattern before my mate’s long-awaited eighteenth birthday?

A soft knock on my door interrupted my brooding. "Come in."

Annalise stepped into my office, and I was struck by how much she'd changed. Gone was the thirteen-year-old who'd accepted my claiming with starry-eyed wonder. At fifteen, she was taller, more graceful, with the promise of real beauty starting to emerge from her childish features. She wore a simple green dress that brought out her eyes, and her auburn hair fell in soft waves past her shoulders.

She was growing up, whether I was ready for it or not.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she said quietly. "Luna Etta said you wanted to see the latest reports from my Luna training."

I had completely forgotten asking for those reports. "Right. The reports."

She approached my desk carefully, like she was afraid of startling a wild animal. The folder she placed in front of me was thick with notes and exercises, proof of the hours she'd been spending in preparation for a role I'd barely acknowledged. I wanted to tell her it wasn’t because of her, but because of the situation.

"I've been studying the alliance structures with our neighboring packs," she said, her voice growing more confident."I think there might be opportunities to strengthen our trade relationships, especially with the mountain packs that have access to different resources."

Despite myself, I was impressed. The observations in her report were thoughtful, showing a grasp of pack politics that went beyond simple memorization. She had my mother's instincts, combined with a perspective that was uniquely her own.

"This is good work," I admitted.

Her face lit up with pleasure at the simple praise, and I felt an unexpected pang of guilt. When was the last time I'd given her any encouragement? When was the last time I'd even looked at her as more than an obligation to be dealt with later?

"Thank you. I've been working really hard on it."

"I can tell." I flipped through more pages, noting the careful handwriting and detailed analysis. "Mom's taught you well."

"She has. But..." Annalise hesitated, then seemed to gather her courage. "I was hoping maybe you could teach me some things, too. About being Alpha, about leadership. I want to understand how to support you when the time comes."

The earnest hope in her voice made something twist in my chest. Here was a fifteen-year-old girl asking for guidance from the man who'd been avoiding her as much as possible for two years. She deserved better than my neglect.