Page 22 of Alpha Theo

“Sit, let’s eat!” Dad urges, and the six of us take our places around the table, sinking down onto our chairs and passing around the platters of food to load up our plates. I’m excited for the food- the stuff they serve at the complex isn’t always great. Dad’s steaks are legendary.

“Ellie, you were in the same class as Quinn and Brooke, weren’t you?” Dad asks, making polite conversation.

Ellie nods, swallowing the bite of steak in her mouth before responding. “Yep!” she chirps, turning to Brooke and Quinn. “It’s so great to see you girls again!”

Her tone is disingenuous, and I chuckle to myself when I see Brooke and Quinn exchange glances. Clearly they weren’t all girlfriends in high school.

“How are things with the squad, Theo?” Cory asks, sawing at his steak with his knife.

“Good,” I mumble, swallowing down another bite of meat before continuing. “Training camp just ended, we took on fourteen new members.” I point my fork in Brooke’s direction. “Brooke’s sister made the cut; we’ve got both twins up there.”

“Is it true that she’s Alpha Gray’s mate?” Ellie blurts, staring over at Brooke.

She nods, setting down her steak knife. “Yeah, last full moon confirmed it. She’s Luna of the Goldenleaf pack now.” Brooke sounds so proud talking about her sister, like Fallon’s accomplishments are her own.

“Wow,” Ellie sighs, eyes wide. “Didnotsee that one coming.”

Brooke shrugs, unruffled. “I did. They were in love before they even found out they were mates. And Fallon’s a natural luna, she’s doinggreat.”

I smirk, popping another bite of steak into my mouth. I see what Brooke’s doing here- little miss nice girl is rubbing Ellie’s face in her sister’s success.

Maybe she’s not so nice after all.

“Good for her,” Cory pipes up. “I’ve always liked Fallon. I’ll bet she’s a kickass luna.”

Ellie shoots Cory a sideways glance, but he either doesn’t notice it or doesn’t acknowledge it.

“What about you, Brooke?” Dad asks, grinning over at her. “Got a special guy in your life?”

“No,” I scoff, chuckling.

Brooke shoots me a glare, softening her expression before she turns back to my dad. “Actually, Ihavebeen seeing someone. It’s not serious yet, though.”

Well that’s news to me. I stare at her, raising a brow skeptically. “Who?”

Brooke reaches for her water glass, taking a sip. She swallows, pink tongue darting out to lick her lips. “Connor.”

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “Connor? The one with the mop top?”

She narrows her eyes. “Yes. And I think his hair’s cute.”

I roll my eyes, still chuckling. This girl has been rebuffing my advances because she’s seeingConnor? It’s laughable.

Brooke glares at me again and a silence falls over the dinner table, save for the clinking of silverware against plates.

“Is Fallon coming back here to visit anytime soon?” Ellie asks, breaking the silence and peering over at Brooke.

“Not sure,” she shrugs.

Ellie smiles, and it’s so fake that I stifle another laugh. “I’d love to see her again. I’m sure we’d have a lot to talk about, her mated to an alpha, me to a beta…”

Wait, what?

My smile melts away. I drop my fork and it clatters against my plate as my eyes fly to meet Dad’s.

He wipes his mouth, the corners turning up into a grin. “That’s actually why I asked you to come home,” Dad says, his voice even, calm, while my heart races. “To share the big news before we make an official announcement to the pack.”

I just stare at him, unable to form words as my heart thumps inside my chest, stirring my wolf to attention.

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