Lenny
"What do you mean?"
I gestured at the chaos surrounding me, even though she couldnāt see it. I know weāve just talked about it a while ago, but I still needed to talk more.
"I mean, he just packed his bags and left. Didnāt even pretend to feel guilty about dumping all of this on me. āHandle things while Iām gone, Lenny. You know how everything works.ā As if running a pack is some casual favour between friends."
"Aw, poor Lenny," Circe cooed mockingly. "Are you feeling unappreciated?"
"Iām feeling like I need a vacation too," I muttered, signing off on a medical supply requisition. "When was the last time I got to just disappear for weeks at a time? Never, thatās when."
"Maybe you should find yourself a nice mate," Circe suggested with false innocence. "Someone to share the burden with."
I snorted. "Right. Because that worked out so well for Ramsey, now he canāt make a single decision without considering how it affects his precious Luna."
"Lenny Stone, are you jealous of their happiness?"
The question hit closer to home than I cared to admit. "Iām not jealous. Iām practical. Ramsey used to be focused and decisive. Now heās off playing house while the rest of us deal with reality."
"Reality like what? The pack seems to be running fine without him."
I looked around the office again, and she wasnāt wrongāthings were running smoothly. Maybe too smoothly. The pack members seemed perfectly content to bring their concerns to me instead of waiting for their Alphaās return.
"Thatās not the point," I said, though I wasnāt entirely sure what the point was anymore.
"Lenny," Circeās voice grew gentler. "Whenās the last time you took a break? Really took one, not just a night out with whatever flavour of the week youāre seeing."
I bristled at her tone. "I donāt needā"
"How is Maya and the baby? And Jessicaās twins? And didnāt Carmen have her little pup last month?"
"Theyāre all fine," I said curtly. My four children were thriving, their mothers were happy with our arrangements, and everyone understood the terms. No complications, no messy emotions, no unrealistic expectations.
"And Sarah? Howās the newest addition to the Lenny Stone fan club?"
"Sarahās not pregnant," I said automatically, then caught myself. "And sheās not part of any fan club. We have an understanding."
"An understanding," Circe repeated slowly. "Right. And what understanding is that exactly?"
I knew where this was going. Circe had been pushing the mate bond narrative for years, convinced that somewhere out there was a woman destined to ācompleteā me. The same romantic nonsense that had turned my best friend into a lovesick fool.
"The understanding that we both enjoy each otherās company without needing to complicate things with fairy tale promises," I said firmly. "Not everyone needs to find their āone true love,ā Circe. Some of us are perfectly happy with variety."
"Perfectly happy," she mused. "Is that what you call it?"
"Donāt worry, theyāll be fine. Now, Iāve got to go."
I ended the call and leaned back in the chair, looking around Ramseyās office with fresh eyes. The space reflected the man perfectlyāorganised but warm, authoritative but approachable. Photos of the pack adorned the walls, alongside certificates and awards that testified to years of dedicated leadership.
My own office, located down the hall, was purely functional. No personal touches, no sentimental decorations. Just the tools I needed to do my job efficiently.
Maybe that said something about the kind of man I was. Practical. Focused. Uncommitted to anything that couldnāt be filed away in a folder.
I was reaching for the following stack of documents when the office door burst open without so much as a knock. Seth stumbled in, panting, his eyes wide.
"Seth?" I half-rose from the chair, immediately alert. In all the years Iād known him, Iād never seen him so rattled. "Whatās wrong?"
"Beta Lenny," he gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "You need to come see this. Right now."
The urgency in his voice sent ice through my veins. "See what? What happened?"
"I canātā" He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "I canāt explain it. You have to see it for yourself."
I was already moving around the desk, abandoning the paperwork that had seemed so important moments before. "Is the pack under attack? Are there casualties?"
"No, nothing like that. Itās..." Seth looked directly at me, and I saw something Iād never seen in his eyes before: fear. "Itās something impossible."
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