Page 147 of The Price of Ice

Senator Adrietz, was a beta, and she didn’t reveal why she was so interested in changing the regulations besides having a working moral compass. “So you are the one with a natural affinity for lure, correct?”

Kallen offered a shaky nod.

“Does it work the same on everyone?”

He swallowed, more to postpone his answer than for any other reason. “I don’t know,” he told her simply, meeting her eyes. “From what we have tried, it seems that developing your own ability to use lure or will creates a sort of protection from being influenced.”

“So we betas are the most vulnerable to it?”

Kallen remembered his and Analisa’s theories. “We don’t know that. When we practised with volunteers, it didn’t seem to be any easier with betas than with omegas. Alphas had a bit of an advantage, which we think it’s because alphas get taught how to use their own willpower. And betas must have willpower, or there wouldn’t be so many great people who were betas.”

Her mouth went up a little. “Flattery will get you some places,” she told him, not quite a chide.

“He means the presidents,” Analisa said then. “That’s Kallen’s theory, that betas use their willpower internally and that’s what makes them successful at occupations that require a certain level of... perseverance.”

“How do you explain that leaders are most often alphas?”

“That’s leaders who work one-on-one with other people, though,” Kallen said. He didn’t know where he was getting any of this from. He’d always been average at history in school, but somehow it was obvious. Or maybe hehaddrunk too much. “Then having external will and being able to make other people do what you want would be a great asset. But that’s only useful if you see those people all the time to reinforce your will. If you are a president, you are mostly passing on your orders through lotsof other people, or even writing and the phone, so it’d be much more important to not get side-tracked.”

“As you can see, we are full of new ideas,” Taylor told the senator then. “And we can’t wait to test them. One of the students in Kallen’s class is very keen to gather data so we have some surveys, but obviously we’d need to expand the class to other cities to get enough to even suggest any patterns.”

Senator Adrietz gave a soft nod, eyes shining like she was amused at Taylor’s lack of subtlety.

At least she didn’t ask for a demonstration.

LEVY HAD RESCUED HIMfrom any more hand-gladding with a soft smile and vague apologies about having promised Kallen’s parents they’d be home by eleven. Somehow, he’d just spend over three hours with a large group of people and he didn’t really want to leave.

“Do you see Analisa?” Levy asked, leading him away from the group.

“She’s not coming,” Kallen told him.

Levy’s face illuminated. “Really? So...” His smile was mischievous.

“Yeah, really,” Kallen told him, smiling helplessly back. He was happy for her. Or he was happy, full stop and he was glad she was too, a further gift piled up on top of the ones he’d already got, almost too much to accept from the universe.

Except he was giving too, because he was full and easy in his body and his mind. He was loved and he was valued, and if he could make Max feel confident enough to be brave, and Levy smile like he couldn’t quite believe how lucky they’d got too...

He didn’t expect it, but he wasn’t all that surprised by Levy’s hand on his cheek leading him into a kiss, soft and almost chaste except for the electricity caressing his skin, the fire in his eyesas he pulled back, an invitation Kallen had to bite his own lip to resist.

“Later,” Levy told him, a promise Kallen had no doubt he’d keep.

“WAS THAT ALRIGHT?”he checked once he was slumped in the passenger seat.

“Mmm?” Levy asked distractedly as he took a turn. He had a good sense of direction, but he’d still only been though this route once. “What? The party?”

Kallen nodded, making a noise when he realised his boyfriend couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, I had fun. Amoia stayed with me for a bit, then introduced me to an another alpha. It felt a bit like I was the parcel they were passing around, but they were all nice and I guess... Well, they were there, so it was fine that I was?”

“It was,” Kallen confirmed. “But thanks for coming with me. I know it wasn’t easy.”

Levy shrugged, then flashed him a smile. “Who wants easy?”

THEY WEREN’T PRECISELYlate to Kallen’s parents’ party, but it was nearing half past eleven by the time he unlocked the door.

He’d barely taken a step inside before Mikey was there drawing him into a hug, squeezing way too tight as he’d done since they were children and laughing when Kallen resisted being suffocated.

The moment he let go, his brother’s eyes went right over his shoulder. “And you must be Levy.”

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