“It’s been busy. I—” He lifted his hands and then let them fall. “I’ve no excuse.”

I reached out to him and grabbed onto his wrist. I was going to ask a hard question, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to take it. “It’s just you and Mr. Dawson who are Alphas and members of the Seven, right? Muraco was never the Alpha of the Peruvian pack?”

“That’s right. Muraco was the second for a while, but since his mate died, he’s let that go.”

“And the St. Ailbe’s pack is just a satellite pack. It’s a secondary pack for everyone there, and it’s only for the school year. And he only just joined the Seven. So, really, you’re the only one who has two full-time jobs? And you’ve been doing that for a very long time.”

“Yes. That’d be accurate.”

Now for the hard part. “Have you ever thought there’s a reason why the other members aren’t pack Alphas, too?”

“I cannot give up my pack. This is my home. I’ve built it myself. I’ll not leave it.”

I understood loyalty, but Donovan had left his pack alone for years at a time. That was too long to keep it in any kind of healthy shape. “The pack could find another place to live.”

His eyes widened. “Throw them out? It’s my home, but it’s theirs, too.”

“What about leaving the Seven?”

“I can’t. The bonds and oaths I made… I’m not sure if they can be undone.”

I had no idea what joining the Council of Seven involved, but it had to be big. “What does your gut say?”

“Leaving the Council could be a possibility. Might take some doing though. I’m not sure what would be required.”

I gave his wrist a squeeze before letting go. “I’ll support you in whatever you decide to do, but this isn’t working.”

He moved away from me and sat on his desk. “I know. I was worried about being able to balance the pack and being on the Council. I almost didn’t join the Seven. John convinced me I could do both. For a while, the pack was fine. At least I thought it was fine. But without John…”

I didn’t know what to tell him. Maybe he was right and everything had been working for a while, but it wasn’t anymore. Something had to give. “That’s enough heavy talk. We’ll figure out who killed John and get the pack bonds fixed but, eventually, you might have to choose. I just want you to be aware.”

“I know. I don’t want to have to choose. I honestly don’t know what I’d do.”

I didn’t have any answers for him. He was in an impossible situation with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. More than any other Council member. “We’ll figure out what’s best for us. There’s no rush for you to do anything yet.” I waited for him to say something, but he was quiet. “I’ll go through your files, but first—food? Sleep? Shower? Maybe not in that order.”