Page 8 of Violet Moon
“Hugh.”
“Watching two wolves dance around their love and lust for one another for decades and wishing they could see what is so obvious to the rest is absolutely exhausting.You must understand the pain I’m going through here.”
“And how are things going with Eugene?”Sera deflected, enjoying the way Hugh’s smirk slipped from his face.It was easier to point out his own romantic entanglements than consider her own.
“He’s insufferable as always.The loudest, most obnoxious new vampire we’ve turned in years.Years!And he’s glued to my side.”
“Because he’s —”
“An idiot.”
“Because he’s infatuated with you.”
“If he is, that’s a personal problem.”
“Especially personal when you’re growing quite fond of him yourself.”
“As if that could ever be true.”He focused his attention back on Sera.“And don’t think that distracted me.You two were made for each other.You and Parisa work as a perfect pair.”
“Exactly.Work.We run the pack together.It’s not a relationship, not in that sense.There’s a deeper level than most working partnerships, but it’s biological, instinctual.You know this, Hugh, and yet you insist —”
“But she gets your heart beating faster, doesn’t she?Gets those little wolf hairs standing up at the back of your neck?”
“And this conversation is done.”Sera shot him a look, mustering malice but coming up short because she could never be angry with Hugh.“What are you ordering?”
At least Hugh was gracious enough to drop it.“The usual, my love.”
Sera walked off to order, rolling her eyes at Hugh’s comments.
Sera was no stranger to romance.She’d dabbled in dating.It’s just that over the years nothing had stuck.Man, woman, or somewhere in between, she hadn’t found anyone she wanted to spend that much time with and she’d eventually given up on the whole thing, choosing instead to focus on her role as Beta at her Alpha’s side.
Her connection to Parisa was the bond between an Alpha and a Beta.They were close friends at most.Parisa was objectively attractive — Sera had eyes — but there was no quickened heartbeat, a sudden realization, or any of those other cliches.That wasn’t the nature of their bond.
There was more to it all than just the title of Alpha and Beta.An Alpha underwent changes when they fought the wolf within and emerged victorious.The same happened to a Beta when they followed tradition and sparred with their Alpha to accept the new position in the pack.The change didn’t give a Beta the strength and speed of an Alpha, but it transformed something in them at a deep level and the bond between Alpha and Beta grew stronger, too.It was bone-deep and instinctual.
Hugh could never understand.It was a wolf thing.
Sera flopped down on the couch in the busy living room and wrapped her hands around her warm mug of coffee, a store-bought bag of cookies beside her.
“Any new additions to the ‘Edgar library’ lately?”Sera asked her packmate.
Edgar glanced up from his book, still dressed every bit like a stereotypical college professor with his tweed blazer.“Why?You need another?”
“Not yet.Just curious if you’d found anything new.”
“You know the bookstore always holds the best new romance for me, so I’ve got plenty when you need a new book.Of course, I get first read.I need to know if it’s good enough to share.”He smiled, warm like his copper skin.
“Your choices are always good enough to share.”
More of her packmates were sitting around the family room.Diah and Harry were on the floor playing a card game.Diah, usually sweet, was cutthroat during games.She tossed back her long, straight black hair and threw down a card and ordered Harry to “draw four!”
Carina looked paler than usual on the other side of the room after another day with her own pack of fourth graders.The magazine in her hands slipped to the side as she fell asleep.
“Beta!”Jo bounced into the room.
Startled, Sera’s coffee sloshed in her mug, some of it running over the side.
“Did you have a good day?”Jo beamed.“I hope it was a good day.Mine was good.Okay.Decent.”They stood in front of Sera, looking expectant.
