“My point is,” Eli continued, “the Moon has always been a sort of messiah figure for the WIP. They’ll do whatever it takes to steal you from pack wolves and align with them instead.”

“I’m not aligned with pack wolves,” Cooper said.

Eli flinched oddly. “You’re claiming territory. You’re alpha to two pack wolves.”

“And we’re opening a sanctuary for rebel wolves,” Cooper countered. “And I’m going to get Park some goddamn closure with his WIP mom if it kills me. And he and I work for the Trust, which is supposed to be outside of it all.”

“But it’s not.”

“But it can be,” Cooper said. “It will be. It has to.”

Eli studied him. “Does Ollie know you have these radical inclinations?”

Cooper snorted. “Please. I’m too self-involved to be anything of the sort. I just don’t want to pick a team.”

Eli ran his tongue over his teeth like he was going to disagree, then shrugged and looked out at the yard and tree line beyond. “You know, before they organized themselves as the Wolf Independence Party, WIP wolves were merely known as independents.”

“All right,” Cooper said slowly, watching Eli watch the rain.

“And before they modernized themselves, the independents were known as lone wolves.” He glanced briefly at Cooper. “You can see why Alice might think you belong with them.”

Cooper thought about that. God save him from the stubbornly blank-faced, cryptic wolves in his life. “When I said I wasn’t aligned to anyone, I meant the three factions. I’m very much aligned with Oliver. And now with you, too. I promise.”

“But by your own conjecture, we’re entering uncertain times,” Eli said. “So let’s not make promises we can’t keep, hmm? You’re a human who signed up for a lover and got a werewolf pack instead. If you find this arrangement a bit too much and it becomes necessary to part ways, I only ask for a little warning. I’d become a bit too complacent in the Park pack. When I found myself suddenly facing life without them...” His jaw worked for a moment. “I don’t ever want to be that helpless, again.”

Cooper took a breath. There was a lot he wanted to say. But Eli was right. Promises were for children. “Fair enough, if you let me know the same. You signed up for an alpha, not this Moon nonsense. If it gets too much, and you want to go back to the Parks or the rebels or wherever, I’ll help you talk to Oliver about it.”

Eli’s expression softened to something almost grateful. “Thank you, whippet.”

“Of course—” Cooper paused. He’d only ever been introduced to him as Eli Park. “Er, do you still want to keep that last name?”

Eli shook his head. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I have no claim to it.”