“So she’s single?” Lonnie asks.
“She’s single,” I confirm. I’m trying not to feel too bad about telling him this because honestly, it doesn’t really matter. If anything, it’s going to help Alicia for Lonnie to know that she’s not involved with anyone. If she’s not a threat to his power, he’ll stop thinking about her and turn his attention to something else.
At least, that’s what I’m hoping is going to happen.
He frowns. “Yeah, but she could still hook up with someone. She could hook up with someone here on the pack territory. That’s probably worse now that I think of it. At least if she had a human boyfriend, I would know he wasn’t after my position in the pack. But if someone here gets interested in her, they might make a move.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. She’s back to look after your father, not to find a mate. Plus, who would ever want to be a stepfather to a part human child?” I try to convince him.
“Oh, you don’t know her like I do,” Lonnie says. “She’s always trying to turn every situation to her advantage. She might have come back for Dad, but if she sees any kind of opportunity in being here, she’ll grab it.”
That sounds more like Lonnie himself. He’s the opportunist, not Alicia. He’s totally projecting his own megalomania onto her. One of these days, he’s going to have to face that truth about himself, but it’s not my responsibility to wake him up to it.
Instead, I say, “I don’t think you need to worry about it, Lonnie. I did talk to her last night, and she didn’t seem interested in relationships.”