Finding your soulmate in a werewolf community is the greatest thing that could happen to you. But not to Chase.
Chase, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Blue Moon pack, finds his mate. His preference? Someone with a high rank. Yet he's stuck with Ava, an...
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We're all broken.
That's how the
light gets in.
~Ernest Hemingway
Chapter 19.
No matter how much I prepped myself to keep my composure and not allow my nerves to take over, I do precisely that.
During the Alpha's conversation with his pack member who brought us here, my leg bounces from where I'm sitting. My attempts at keeping it still are failing miserably.
"If you don't feel ready, I can take over," Julian proposes.
I shake my head. "I'm staying," I state, my voice firm.
"Then you should stop bouncing your leg. It shows you're nervous."
"That wasn't nice. That's my nerves. I can't help it. I expected you to be more understanding, but I guess not." I turn my face the other way, avoiding him.
His big, veiny hands engulf my smaller ones, but I don't waver and still look away from him.
"I'm sorry for being an asshole. It's not that I don't like it, because trust me, I do. I find nervous Sophia adorable, but others identify it as a weakness. I was merely trying to protect you from the Alpha, the one we're meeting. He feeds on people's uneasiness to manipulate their thoughts and actions."
I face him and look into his eyes for any sign of deception, but I come up empty-handed.
"It's alright. I'll forgive you, but voice your thoughts better so that I can understand and there won't be a misunderstanding. Also-" I make a fist with my right hand and bring it closer to Julian's face. "Next time you say something like that, I'll punch you. I'm not joking."
He laughs, "My cute little boxer."
The screeching sound of a chair interrupts our little banter, and there he is, the Alpha, sitting opposite us.
"I had some unfinished business to tend to. I apologize it took me longer," He says, interlocking his fingers and placing them on the wooden desk. "You're here for Shelia and Ashton Rodgers, correct?"
Wait, what? "No," I say, "We're here for Lauren and Luke Smith."
"We don't have anyone by those names," he replies.
What in the world is going on? We showed him a picture before coming here and assumed they knew them when we came. Has there been a mix-up?
"Show him a picture. You packed one with you, remember?"
Astra reminds me of something I had forgotten.
When I left my pack, I took a couple of my parents' pictures with me. I thought it was the only thing I had left of them. But after the truth came out, I couldn't bring myself to burn or throw them away. It just felt like I would be disrespecting them. My parents had always treated me well and made me feel included, despite everything that had happened. Plus, I had believed that they were dead. So, I kept the pictures hidden in a cabinet. When we planned the trip, I had a feeling that I should take them with me, and I'm glad I did.
