8

SHADOW

What if this is a test from the Alpha?

I wished I could read minds. I wanted to know what Zack was after.

“I think you just want to live a normal life in the human world without thinking of threats from another pack. And I know why you’re here. I heard about your father—”

“Adopted father,” I corrected him.

“Yeah. Kent Marks. Because he could be a target of those assholes again, you want Alpha Cal’s protection, which is a smart decision, by the way. And honestly, you still have to join a pack one way or another. You can’t be out there for the rest of your life. That’s our nature. That’s who we are. We’re stronger together.”

“I thought for a moment, you’re advertising a roof sealant.”

He laughed. And I laughed for the first time since I stayed here a week ago. My voice was even foreign to me.

“It sells, right?”

“Yeah. Best-seller roof sealant in the country.”

After an hour, we were done moping the floor.

“See?” He gestured his hands, showing me the clean and shiny kitc