Page 19 of Teeth To Rip & Tear

Kaleb bit back a smile. “How much do you know about wolf hierarchy?”

“Not much,” I admitted. “My grandmother didn’t like speaking of the Wolfkin.”

He nodded with understanding. “We are Wild Fae at our core. We are one with our animal form. Most Wolfkin possess little magic. Not what the Sídhe would classify as especially powerful.”

“But wolves do have magic?” I pressed.

“Some.” Kaleb’s orange eyes darkened. “That scant magic makes our roles in the pack very clear. Alphas. Betas. Deltas. Gammas, Sigmas and Omegas.” Kaleb waved his hand to the Greek-themed decor. “A rather fitting place to have this discussion.”

I bit back a laugh. The server came and took our order. Demure went out the window when I ordered more food than I could possibly eat. Kaleb beat me by a mile, though. I didn’t doubt that he would finish every bite.

“What are you?” I asked once the server had left us alone once again.

“Sigma.” Kaleb brushed a lock of silver hair away from his face. “We are rare. Many outcasts. We are immune to an Alpha’s command.”

“And Alphas don’t like that.” I guessed with a flat tone.

His lip ticked with a smile. “They don’t.” He agreed. “Sigmas make excellent advisors. Objective and uninfluenced by pack magic.”

“Ah.” I nodded in understanding. “And I can see why you’d have to move packs.”

Kaleb winced. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Why the hamsters?” He cocked his head to the side. “It's a large shelf, and they are rather disconcerting.”

“You find six-inch animatronic hamsters disconcerting?” I couldn’t stop my giggle.

“The one dressed in a soccer uniform started singing‘We are the champions.’” Kaleb continued, pitching his voice higher to sound like one of the toys in my collection. “Olé, Olé, Olé.”

My suppressed giggle became an all-out belly laugh. “That’s Soccer Sam.”

“And they have names!” He gestured wildly. “Where did you even find something like that?”

I bit back a grin. “I was only allowed to watch television for one hour a week. Usually, when my grandmother had her knitting circle over to keep me busy and out of her hair. One of the shows was called ‘Cheerful Critters.’I started collecting them when I was a kid. When I got married, all my things were stuffed in the attic. Joel hated the hamsters. So the first thing I did when he left was use his trophy shelves for my hamsters. It's petty, but it makes me happy.”

Kaleb nodded in understanding. “You grew up in that house?”

“It belonged to my grandmother,” I told him. “She passed about ten years ago.”

“You were a teenager?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t even remember my parents.” Kaleb frowned, reaching for his cup. “Wolf packs in the Aos Sí operate differently. Child rearing is more of a village approach.”

“You were born into the Beast-Kings pack. What was it like?” I asked.

“He was ancient when I was born and older still when I joined his inner circle.” Kaleb shrugged. “It was so long ago I barely remember. When the war ended, and he was dead, the Huntsman came and took the strongest of us. The fighters. The Alphas and betas. He left the packs without leadership. Thewomen stepped up but couldn’t have more children without their mates. Those that had not found their mate often died if they became pregnant. The price of war with a Mallacht Sídhe.”

I recognized the word. “Mallacht Sídhe?”

“The Huntsman.” Kaleb clarified. “Bargains, oaths, deals and vows. Those are his specialty. Never broker a deal with a Mallacht Sídhe. You’ll never walk away without losing something important.”

“Is that why he’s your boss?” I smiled at the server as they brought our food.

“Something like that,” Kaleb murmured.

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