Page 38 of Beginning Fate

“She's not the only amazing woman. You are truly remarkable and so selfless.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say stuff like that.”

She would lavishly praise her sister but was uncomfortable taking even a small bit of praise for herself. Well, that was definitely something she was going to have to get used to because I planned to remind her of it every day for the rest of her life.

There was this crazy need inside me to protect her the way no one else had.

She cleared her throat and deflected us away from this line of conversation.

“So, what Pack are you from?”

“New Orleans. Have you ever been there?”

“No. I've never really been anywhere outside New York until now.”

“It's funny. You don't talk like a typical New Yorker.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked, exactly as I'd expect someone from her city to talk.

“Wow. There is it.”

She laughed. “Most of the women I'm closest to in the Pack weren't originally from New York. They mated into it, so I just wasn't really raised with the accent. I mean, I can do it.”

“Obviously.”

“It's just never been quite so natural for me.”

“Interesting.”

“You don't really sound like you're from New Orleans either,” she noted.

I shrugged. “It's there. It comes and goes. If I'm tired, you'll hear it.”

“Are you ready to graduate and get back home?”

“Hell no. Why do you think I chose to stick around another year? All my closest friends have moved on, but I guess my plan was just to never leave, or at least not until I absolutely have to. Or never. Never works for me.”

“You're just going to be a lifelong student here?”

“As tempting as that sounds, I have recently been considering switching my major to education and maybe becoming a professor here someday.”

“Is there a reason you don't want to leave?”

I chuckled. “Now that is a loaded question.”

“Sorry. If it's too personal, you don't have to answer it.”

“Lauren, you're my mate. Nothing in my life is too personal for you. But let's just say my Alpha isn't the nicest of people. I miss my family at times, but I do not miss being home. To me, this is home. It's like a safe haven, I guess.”

“I don't know much about other Alphas. You seemed to get along with the Alaskan one.”

I relaxed and smiled. “Damon's great. Even set me up with his old job before he moved away from here. And I knowthat if I ever wanted to give my allegiance to someone else that he would take me in without question. You too, of course.”

“Me?”

“Well, yeah. You are my mate.”

She started to stammer like she was trying to say something but didn't know how to get it out.

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