The Alpha and The Fool novel Chapter 16

“I feel like I’m a broken record, but I’ll ask again. What is the plan, Dean?” Dad asked, leaning back in his chair, watching me with an intense glare.

“What makes you think I have a plan?”

“Dean,” Dad said, looking exasperated at me.

“Seriously, why should I have a plan for every little thing,” I argued.

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose and didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Dean, listen to me, you need to be ready for the fallout.”

“What fallout?”

He shook his head as he looked up at me. “You need to be prepared when Nicole’s crusade to lead her pack fails.”

I inwardly sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. Hoping whatever divinity was up there would lend me a hand. “Didn’t you just agree to help her?”

“Our laws are pretty black and white when it comes to the ways a challenge can be made. Maybe, just maybe, if her father hadn’t given the pack to her brother we could’ve found some room to breathe, but he did. So thus you need to be ready for the fall out Dean. I take it she didn’t take the news of her brother’s take over very well, and I expect she will receive the reality of this situation even harder.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said, getting angrier. “Why did you agree to help if there is no way she can take the pack back?”

“You saw, I tried to warn her. Nicole didn’t want to listen when I tried to warn her. If I refused once again, I’d be the evil alpha and right now, I don’t see where playing the part again would help either of you. Which brings me back to my question, what is your plan, Dean?”

I shrugged with a sound that was both a mix of a growl and a sigh.

“Dean, this isn’t something you can bullshit through, here. You realize as her mate, if you accept her as such, you will be at some point asked or expected to challenge Nicole’s brother for her or perhaps he’ll demand one from you. Have you thought what your answer would be? Are you prepared to fight him?”

Unease crept into me. Nic hadn’t asked me to fight for her. Honestly, I couldn’t see her asking me to do so, but the others...they would or will...I shifted in my seat and shrugged, feeling like I was back in school with the teacher waiting for me to answer a question I neither listened to and probably wouldn’t have an answer too.

“That’s what I suspected,” Dad said, shaking his head. “You need to be prepared. Either with an alternative to fighting or for the fight itself. I know this isn’t easy, but just like Ryder…”

I made a scoff of exasperation. “Right. Ryder. Well, guess what, Dad. I’m not the perfect son and future alpha, like Ryder. I never will be. Stop trying to make me just like him because it’s not going to happen.”

“Dean that’s—” Dad started, but I stood up and left before he finished.

I ran my hands through my hair as a stalked down the hall and outside where I sat down in one of the patio chairs. God, this sucked. I didn’t want to fight Nic’s brother. I hate dominance fights and challenges. I hated fighting in any situation if it wasn’t defending myself or someone else. Yet, it looked like everyone was going to expect me to do it. I couldn’t suggest something else. The pack was everything to her, and she’d hate me if I suggested anything close to giving up.

“There he is,” Kara said.

I looked up from my lap as the others sat around me. “Hey guys,” I said flatly.

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good. What’s up?” Ryder asked.