Even though I sincerely doubted that, I didn't respond.
“Come along, Wes," Alexei called as he clumsily took off, flying between narrow trunks.
My disappointment was rapidly turning into irritation. Not only had he not gotten my name incorrect the first time, but now he had the gall to address me by a nickname that I hated? If I was in a worse mood, I would've cut the date short and taken off in the opposite direction, but something compelled me to stay. Almost like a bad game ofwhat's the worst that could happen?
Alexei's flight through the woods was a hot mess. He was far too bulky, his wings too wide and long to properly fit through the thicket, but he kept forcing his way through like a tantrum-throwing child trying to shove the wrong puzzle piece in a toy. The thought almost made me laugh but I stifled it for his sake. The guy was already a terrible hunter. I didn't want to make him feel worse by laughing at him.
By some miracle, we managed to reach the clearing in the forest. I landed on a branch and noticed Alexei landed a moment later on a different branch a few feet higher up on the tree. Typical alpha. What the hell was he hunting for? Giraffes?
“Woods are cleared out," Alexei announced. He grinned. "Probably scared off by what a great hunter I am."
I closed my eyes to prevent blurting out something rude. This guy was a joke. I was wasting my time. If I were smarter, I would've turned tail and left. But a doubt in the back of my mind kept me from abandoning this attempt at a date. I had already played this game so many times, and always ended up losing. Was I ever going to win? There were only so many alphas out there in the world. It felt like my time was running out.
But I didn't want to lower my standards. I couldn't. I refused to.
The realistic part of me had already given up on my dreams. My lifelong goal of finding the perfect partner and starting a family with him felt like a distant tale. It was statistically impossible for every single shifter to find their fated mate. At this point, I'd resigned myself to being just another number. Especially when my choices werethisbad.
I glanced over at Alexei, who was picking bark debris out of his talons. How charming.
“I have a better idea," Alexei announced like he was the master of all ideas. "How about we race? Compare flight speeds?"
This cannot be happening, I thought. If I were in human form I might've smacked my forehead. There was no way one person could be this dumb.
But hey, what else did I have to do? I had already wasted my time with him. What was a little more? Besides, a race might help take the edge off my annoyance.
"You're on," I said.
He clambered up to the canopy and I joined him. He nodded towards a small mountain nearby. "From here to there?"
The distance was laughable. For one thing, it was an uphill flight. The forest was lower on the earth's slope and the wind was pushing against us. Alexei's heavier body would be at a major disadvantage compared to my agility. But I guess he either didn't know that or didn't care. He seemed to be the type who thought he was the winner in every situation.
"Let's do it," I said.
He counted down, then at the very instant he said go, he thrust off the branch and unfurled his wings. I used the same trick I did earlier, using his inadvertent rudeness of launching me off the branch as forward momentum. I kept my wings tight and close, cutting through the wind like an arrow. I'd noticed a thermal in the area earlier and stretched my feathers to catch it now. It lifted me up and gave me time to flap my wings and gain speed.
Behind me, I heard a high-pitched cry of frustration as a gust of wind battered into Alexei. I swiveled my head just in time to catch sight of him toppling over midair. I laughed silently and flew on.
The thrill of flight took over me, washing away my disappointments. Alexei didn't matter anymore. No alphas did. All I needed was myself. It wasn't ideal, but I was used to it now. I’d already proved to myself that I could live alone. Wasn't that enough for me?
No, it wasn't. Deep down, I would always be unfulfilled. My wish to bear a child wouldn't come to pass because I had no partner. The option of having a one-night stand didn't appeal to me, because my choices were so poor in the first place. I didn't want to curse a child with, say, Alexei's genes. It was unconscionable.
That meant my greatest dream would never be realized. But there was nothing I could do about it.
Well, there was one thing. If I was going to be alone anyway, then I needed to stop wasting my time with douchebag alphas. All they did was solidify my belief that there was no one out there for me.
"Wait, Westhan!" Alexei cried desperately. He was far behind me now, struggling against the wind.
I chuckled out loud this time, shaking my head. I didn't wait for him. I veered off, vowing to leave Alexei and every other alpha far behind.
