Page 57 of Alpha Power

Luther slowly chewed his food, keeping his eyes on her as he leaned back. He had a knife in one hand and a fork in the other, eating with the grace of - well, a king. Of course, the dude had impeccable table manners, what else did she really expect from him? "Alright. What were your parents like then?"

Zamorra shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Like all parents, I guess. My mother had a big heart. She was sweet and kind and to be honest, far too good for the world she was born into. She loved me with her entire heart and soul, but growing up I didn't always appreciate that. There was this one time when I was a kid, it was our school's sports day-"

He frowned. "Sports day?"

"It's where classes are blown off for the entire day, and instead we have sporting events. Shot put, javelin, long jump, track, you name it. She came to watch me compete, to support me, which back then wasn't easy for her to do. I went to a human school that was on the other side of town, and my father had our only car. We didn't have a lot of money, we lived paycheck to paycheck. So, she walked. Over 50ks she walked to come and cheer me on, and you want to know what I did?" She scoffed, disgusted with herself and shook her head. "I told her to go. I was embarrassed to have my 'mummy' there. It didn't matter to me how much effort she took to get there, all I cared about was myself and not wanting to look like a little 'mama's girl’ in front of all my friends and the boy I liked. Barnabas found us the next night. I didn't even get a chance to apologize before-" Zamorra looked up from her plate, Luther's face soft and kind again and she mentally slapped herself. Why was it so easy for her to talk about her life with him? She'd never had this problem with anyone else before.

"My dad was a hard ass. From the minute I could walk, he put me into training. He was an enforcer for The Shadow Pack before he left, so one of his skills was fighting, both in and out of a shift. It's because of him I have such a close connection to my werewolf and I'm able to do partial shifts. He worked over 80-hour weeks and yet, without fail, he would take the time every day to teach me something he thought I needed to know about survival. And it worked. The only reason I'm still alive is because of what he taught me. He wasn't the overly paternal type, but he loved me in his own way. It took me a while to see that, to fully understand. But looking back now, I can see it clear as day. He pushed me so hard, worked my werewolf and I to the breaking point so that I came out stronger than ever."

"He sounds like an amazing man," Luther commented, staring at her intently.

"He was," she agreed.

"You said he used to be Barnabas' Beta?"

"One of them, yep. Barnabas had several that he kept close to his side, kinda like bodyguards I guess. It was him, some guy called Thane, and another dude... I think his name was Lorvis? I dunno, I'm not sure."

"Barnabas must have trusted him a lot to have him at his side," Luther said.

"He did - at least, I think he did? To be honest, everything I know about Barnabas came from my mother and uncle. My father hated talking about him. Anytime I tried, he would get pissy and just storm off."

Luther nodded. His eyes connected with hers, a tense silence hanging between them. "Was your father's name Orion?"

Zamorra stilled. She eyed him suspiciously. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"I met him once. At a Regent meeting. Would have been about 30 years ago now, I think. But I remember him. Tall guy, brown eyes, dark hair, grumpy attitude?"

A small chuckle escaped Zamorra's lips. "Yeah, that's him. Not at all surprised to hear he was always a grumpy ass. Did you talk to him?"

Luther shook his head as he reached forward and picked up his glass of blood and wine. "No. The animosity between vampires and shifters was even worse back then, so we steered clear of each other, only conversing when absolutely necessary."

"You never met mother though, did you?"

"No. You're the first female werewolf shifter I've ever met."

"Well," she fanned herself dramatically. "Don't I feel special."

"You should," he said as he took a sip of his drink, his eyes never once straying from hers.

She did.

She clapped her hands together, sitting up straighter in her chair. "Alright, I'm dying to know what the go is with you and Thaddeus."

Luther raised his brows while placing his glass back on the table. "Oh?"

"Yes, oh. I'm super curious as to how a grumpy anti-social vampire and an eccentric, over the top mage became friends."

"I told you already, we're not friends."

"And I told you already, you're full of shit."

He frowned. "When did you tell me that?"

"I dunno, but I'm sure I have," she said, waving a hand. "Come on. Spill the beans."

Releasing a sigh, he picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, keeping his eyes firmly on her as the fabric brushed past his lips.

Her gaze hooked straight to those luscious lips of his. Was it weird how much she liked his lips? Probably. Did she care? Nope. She was a weirdo and she liked it.

---