Kayla and I have dinner with Dad that night. Kayla cooks, which isn’t the norm—at least, it’s not the way things were when I was young. Dad’s always been an amazing cook, and it’s a little hard to see him just sitting and watching while Kay does it. He looks kind of sad about it, too, like he’s aware that this ought to be his job, but I know Kayla’s trying to get him into the habit of accepting someone else in the kitchen. We can’t have him doing things like forgetting to turn off the oven.
She brings a big bowl of spaghetti to the table for us and we all help ourselves. Once everyone is served, Dad clears his throat.
“I’d like to talk to you girls about something,” he says.
Kay and I exchange glances. “What’s up?” she asks.
“I’ve been thinking it’s time for me to step down,” he says quietly. “As alpha.”
Even though I don’t disagree, the words shake me to my core. I’m so used to my father being the leader of the Greystone Pack. He’s always taken pride in his position, and he’s always been a great leader. I never thought I’d see the day he stepped aside.
Kayla sets her fork down slowly. “Are you sure about this, Dad?” she asks. “Because, you know, once you abdicate, you can’t take it back.”
“I know,” Dad says. “We all knew this time was going to come. I don’t want to be one of those sad old alphas who hangs on so long that eventually the pack has to depose him. That’s not fair to the rest of you. I wouldn’t want you girls to have to go through that, and I certainly wouldn’t want Lonnie to have to go through that.”