Page 11 of Violet Moon
She kept talking but Sera found it hard to listen.The backs of her hands still felt warm.
“You were gone for a while today,” Sera said, placing the pot of tea she’d brought for her Alpha on the small table between their chairs in the living room.The fire had dwindled down to embers, but the room still felt warm and welcoming.
The tension that crackled in the air since the Alpha situation at Crooked Creek started had lessened.Sera still hadn’t heard any news, but Parisa seemed to be more like herself — no more surprise emotional bread baking — if a bit tired.
“Another hike with Jo to give them some space to talk about how the transition is going,” replied Parisa, pouring herself some tea before settling back into her chair, shoulders curling in on herself.She smelled like sunshine and forests, but looked deflated.
“Wear yourself out?”
“Something like that.”
“You’re getting old,” Sera teased.
“I’m already old.”Parisa laughed, but the sound was weak.“And you are, too.”
“Excuse me.You’re only as old as you feel.And I feel about twenty.”
Parisa raised a drowsy eyebrow.“Really?”
“Yes, really.”Sera snickered.She searched Parisa’s face for reasons she might be less animated.Typically, an evening out with a pack member put her in good spirits.“Is everything okay with Jo?”
“Yes, yes, of course.Nothing out of the ordinary there.It is difficult, though.”
“Their transformation?”
“That, but also, on a very selfish note, I’ve been considering the difficulty of finding that balance between the role of a modern Alpha and that of a traditional one.”
“What do you mean?”
“I spend my day managing the pack, both like a business and a family, but I no longer provide for my pack, not in a ‘let me lead us on a hunt’ kind of way.It’s been ages since I’ve kept up a decent sparring schedule.”She glanced at Sera, who’d been her partner for that in the past.“I can’t help but feel I’ve lost something.Maybe by striving to be who I thought my pack needed, I’ve forgotten to be who they actually need.”
Sera felt like she was being handed pieces of a puzzle without knowing what she was supposed to make with them.“No one here — absolutely no one here — finds you lacking in anything.”
“No one in this pack, no.But that’s always how it’s been, hasn’t it?If you’re going to be one of the only female Alphas in the region, you have to be prepared for how everyone wants you to fail.”
“Did someone say something to you?”Sera sat upright.Her voice was a low growl as she gripped her coffee cup.
“Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”
Sera’s heart beat faster.Her skin felt prickly as the wolf’s defensive instincts grew.“If someone questioned your reputation, or the reputation of this pack, then it is my concern.”
“It’s nothing like that,” Parisa replied, silencing any further comment.
Sera seethed, running through Parisa’s schedule in her mind and wondering who had caused this.
“I can handle myself, my dear Beta.”
“And if I do my job right, you shouldn’t have to handle anything like that.Seriously, if someone said something to you, I’ll —” Sera placed a hand on Parisa’s knee.
“Everything’s fine,” Parisa said, closing her eyes and letting out a slow, heavy breath.“I’m processing a lot.I do have something to discuss regarding all this, and I promise I’ll let you know.Tomorrow.I need to sleep on it.”She paused.“I’m sorry to dump all my thoughts.I have no one else to complain to but you.”
Sera patted Parisa’s leg, then placed her hands in her lap.“I’ll always be here for you.”
“I know.”Parisa smiled, grabbed her tea, and took a sip.“Now, can we talk about anything else?How about the book Edgar lent you?I saw you tearing through it the other night.You were probably in here until sunrise.”
Sera couldn’t let go of her worry, but she froze, knowing the reason she had been up so long reading was because the book had reached the sweet, sweet tension relieving point where the characters finally got together.“You know how it is with a good book.”
“I hadn’t read that one yet.Would you recommend it?”
