Page 15 of Lost Fate

“Not really. Where exactly in Florida is your mom from?”

“She’s from Georgia, originally.”

“Ah.” I smile at him. “That explains the fact that I didn’t hear a single vowel enunciated the entire time.”

Leander laughs, breaking the tension. “Yeah. Well. My dad’s from Florida, Fort Meyers, so I didn’t pick up an accent.”

“How did they meet?”

He turns, gesturing up the road. “How about I tell you on the way?”

“The way?”

Leander’s eyes darken. “Ember. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. The only reason I haven’t kissed you yet is I’m pretty sure your beta is watching. So I’d like to get back to the cabin and show you exactly how much I’ve been thinking of you,” he growls.

I blink. Well. Shit.

“Um. Okay,” I say, momentarily at a loss for words. Meekly, I step up next to him.

“My parents were in the Army,” he says as we start to walk back to the house. “Got assigned to one of the shifter-only sections after they enlisted.”

I nod. The armed forces are partially staffed by the Supernatural Bureau, which runs divisions entirely separate from the human army. “I see. That’s pretty cool.”

“Sure is. It’s where I learned to fight, too.”

“You were in the military as well?”

He nods. “Army also. Got out pretty recently.”

“Congratulations?”

He laughs. “Yes and no. I like the freedom of being in the pack again, but kind of miss the structure sometimes.”

I sigh. “Yeah. I could see that.”

“What about you?”

“There’s really nothing more that I want to say about myself.” I kick at a stray rock. “You know all of it now.”

“No way. There’s definitely more.”

I snort. “Nope. Not really.”

“How about telling me why the beta backed down to you just now.”

I walk for a long while before I respond.

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. Then, I add the piece that I’ve never said out loud. “But I know I wanted him to.”

Leander freezes. I do, too.

It’s unheard of for someone who ranks lower than a beta to stare them down. To even think of going against their will, or an alpha’s will. It’s just not done.

The only wolves who can challenge a beta, or an alpha, are ones that outrank them. A stronger beta. Or a stronger alpha. The strength part matters. Betas are decided by the alpha, of course, but in order to be alpha, you have to be physically strong. You have to be able to win against anyone who challenges you, and you have to be the first in line to protect the pack.

If you know you’re not strong enough, you back down.

I never back down. Just like an alpha wouldn’t.

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