Maybe it was time to think about settling down. Not just for him, but for Cass. She needed more stability in her life.
If Prowler officially took an ol’ lady, he was positive he could get rid of Allie with enough of a payday. Allie harbored the notion of their getting back together one day. If he severed that hope for good, maybe she’d let him buy her off.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He didn’t know why he’d fought it for so long. Actually, he did know. It wasn’t just once bitten, twice shy, although that was part of it.
No, the biggest obstacle was him, or rather a very furry part that lived deep inside of him.
Kansas was fairly sure that the instincts and drives of his wolf weren’t as integrated as in naturals.
That was the information they were going with even though Kansas’s information was limited. It was not as limited as his. Not to mention, in the quantum wolves, none of them had experienced the drives that Kansas did, at least not with the same intensity.
Prowler was still mulling all this over in his head as he strode into the chapel.
Something about the room always calmed him. Maybe it was the warm wood walls and furniture, accented by dark rich colors that were reminiscent of old gentlemen’s clubs. Perhaps it was the gavel that had slammed down the well-deserved sentence of an infamous serial killer, and now rested innocently against the mahogany table that dominated the space.
Prowler was sure those things contributed to the feelings that washed over him, but the overwhelming sense of brotherhood and belonging told him it was the purpose of the space more than anything else.
It was where his shifter status took a backseat to his club.
His family.
Church didn’t start for another fifteen minutes, so he sat in contemplative silence until Bulldog strode in with two steaming mugs of coffee, handing one to Prowler.
“Thank fuck.” He took a sip and let the caffeine speak to his soul. “Did I ever tell you that you’re my best VP ever?”
“I’m your only VP, dickbag.”
“That doesn’t invalidate the previous statement.” He saluted him with his mug before taking another fortifying sip.
Their runs always wore them out. They only took fur once a week or less, depending on who needed it the most. So, packing a week’s worth of running and hunting into one night was exhausting.
Without thinking, Prowler blurted out what had been on his mind. A question he’d meant to pose only to himself, but he kinda just asked Bulldog.
“Do you think it’s possible for men like us to settle down?”
“If you mean Kings who don’t exactly follow the letter of the law, yeah, with the right woman. If you mean shifters, then, well, also yeah, with the right woman. But if you mean you and me specifically? Me, of course, I’m just a cuddly ol’ teddy bear and emotionally available if I need to be. If you mean you, well, she’d have to be one hell of a woman who’d probably still get tired of your shit after a while. You are possibly the most emotionally unavailable fucker I know, and I spent my formative years with my father, so that’s saying something.”
“Wow, next time don’t sugarcoat it.”
“Fuck that. You want sugar, go grab a fucking Snickers. You want honesty, well …” He gestured to himself with his mug before taking another sip.
He knew Bulldog was no-nonsense. That was probably why his brain told his mouth to speak aloud.
“You think I’m emotionally unavailable?”
His veep spewed coffee over the table.
“Emotionally unavailable is the understatement of the century. Here’s regular fuckers over here.” Bulldog gestured with his mug all the way to the left. “And emotionally unavailable is over here.” He gestured with his right hand. “You are over there by that fucking wall somewhere.” He pointed.
“Point made.” With that kind of glowing assessment, there wasn’t much to be gained by continuing the conversation, but Bulldog had other ideas.
“Here’s the thing though, Prez, I believe you’re only in a state of forced unavailability. I bet before the ex and the wolf, you weretooavailable. The all-in type of guy who expected the house with a picket fence and a golden retriever or some shit. Am I right?”
Prowler didn’t answer, he didn’t need to.
“So, this.” He reached for Prowler’s empty mug. “Is all a suit of armor, not your true nature.”
Bulldog disappeared, then returned with full mugs.
