“Expert trackers will tell you there’s more to it than that, but yeah, pretty much.” I dig my fork into my sweet potato curry, sighing in contentment at the gentle warmth of the spices.
“Damn, that’s a good burger,” Jared says after enjoying a bite of his own meal.
“You can’t go wrong with anything on the Hunter’s Moon menu. The Alpha knew what he was doing when he took over the place a few years ago.”
“The Alpha?”
“Right, sorry. There are a few different kinds of shifters—supes with a human and animal form—and they usually live in packs led by an Alpha. When the previous Alpha died, his son came back to Crystal Lake and took over leadership of the pack and its businesses.”
“It’s a hereditary position?”
I wave my hand in a so-so motion. “Not always. Alpha genes are genetic, so it’s not unusual for the title of Alpha to pass down through a bloodline, but it also comes down to who’s the strongest shifter and most suited to the role—being pack Alpha requires more than just physical strength. The candidate for succession can be obvious, and it’s often a direct descendant of the previous Alpha, but sometimes a strong, suitable shifter will join a pack or be born into it through a different bloodline.”
“What happens if there’s more than one suitable candidate?” Jared asks before taking another bite.
“Then there’s a whole process in place with interviews and trials to assess who’s best suited to the position. I’m not a shifter, so I don’t know all the ins and outs of it—they’re fairly private about the exact details—but that’s the gist of it. Oh, and a shifter’s designation can be alpha without them beingtheAlpha.”
“What about demons and witches? Do they have their own version of an Alpha? Does every type of supernatural? Is that even the right term? Should I say species? Type?”
“Hey, relax, Mr Twenty Questions.”
“Sorry.” His sheepish smile is unfairly cute. “I don’t want to use the wrong terminology and offend someone, that’s all. Before I ran into you, I was actually thinking of heading over to the library to see if I could find something there to help me avoid putting my foot in my mouth.”
I point at him with my fork. “That’s not a bad idea. Giles, the librarian, is great if a little particular. Just be careful with the books, and I’m sure he’ll be happy to give you some recommendations.”
Jared shifts in his seat, his knee knocking against mine, and I savour the momentary contact. “And you think it’s OK for meto tell him about my situation? That I, you know, thought I was human?”
“Yeah, Giles is cool. He’ll probably have a few questions for you, but he won’t pressure you to answer if you’re not comfortable. As for the other thing—species, type, and kind, are all fine. Just please, whatever you do, never call a wolf shifter a werewolf—that’s a surefire way to end up on the wrong end of a set of claws.”
“Wolf shifters, not werewolves—got it.” He nods seriously, then pops a sweet potato fry into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
“Witches have a similar leadership structure to shifters in that there’s always a local Coven Leader. With demons, it’s a little different, and there’s more emphasis put on whoever is the head of the family. The family heads then make up a local council with a representative for each type of demon. If there’s more than one demon family with the same abilities, then the strongest head will take the council seat.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“It can be. Again, I know the basics, but being a witch, I don’t have all the details—Huxley can help you out with that though.”
“What about other types of supernaturals? At this stage, I still don’t know what’s real and what’s strictly fiction.”
“Obviously you know about demons, witches, and shifters,” I begin, then take another sip of water.
“Don’t forget gargoyles,” he adds with a self-deprecating chuckle.
“Of course.” I return his smile, glad he’s not holding the shock of the reveal against me or Michael “There’s also fae—their powers are elemental so earth, wind, water, and fire—vampires, mer, and then other mythical shifters like dragons.”
“Dragons. Dragons are real?”
He sounds like an excited kid, and a giggle escapes me at his wide eyes. “Yes, dragon shifters are real, though they’re not as common as, say, wolf shifters, and tend to keep to themselves. It’s almost unheard of for a dragon shifter to join a typical shifter pack since even your average dragon is stronger and more dominant than most Alphas.”
“What about mer? Are they like mermaids?”
I finish another mouthful of curry then reply, “Pretty much, but don’t call them that. They can take on their shifted form at will, unlike in some human films where a spot of rain has them suddenly sprouting a tail. On top of shifting, some mer have additional gifts, which is where the stories about sirens come from. The ability to hypnotise using one’s voice is one of the most powerful mer gifts, but not everyone is welcoming to those with that particular ability.”
“So even supernaturals can be prejudiced?”
“Unfortunately it’s not an exclusively human trait. Mer aren’t the only ones. Witches can be just as bad. Luckily with Crystal Lake being a sanctuary town, you won’t come across much of that. The supes here are committed to making the town a safe place for everyone, no matter what their abilities are.”
“Then I guess if I had to be thrust into the deep end of all things supernatural, I’m lucky it happened here.”
