Falling or fallen?My wolf snarks.
Don’t you have a tail to chase or genitals to lick? Whose side are you on?I ask him.
“No, he’s not—Do you think?”
My heart thumps wildly at her hopeful tone. Could it be that she’s fallen for me, too?
You said fallen,my wolf teases.
There’s no point in denying it.
I love her. This vegetarian eats with her hands, hasn’theardof a napkin, refuses to hunt, stabbed me once, tried to kill meat leasttwice and killed my father.... And with her show-stopping smile that could halt an army, her scars that she wears like armor, the way she cares for animals, her moral compass and integrity, the way she can jump from very questionable smut and deep philosophical literature... whether she has forty-six freckles when she’s lacking sun exposure or fifty-eight when she’s not... I never had a prayer.
I ammadlyin love with her.
“Oh, for sure. So, what’s the plan?” he asks.
“Plan? What do you mean?”
“To get them? Attack? Take their stuff? Theplan, Jay,” Jeff says like she should know what he’s talking about.
“There is no plan.”
“Come on. Don’t be coy. Clearly, you’re trying to get the future alpha to fall for you, so we can take over.”
No. That’s not her.
But Jeff’s damage is done—the thought is planted in my mind, and it infects me. The very idea would crush me. If this is true, consider her successful.
“I’m not planning anything. Wait, you’re not considering another attack, are you?”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on it, but . . .”
“Jeff, don’t. Whatever you’re thinking, justdon’t. They’ve suffered enough.”
He scoffs. “They’vesuffered?”
“What do you want from them that we haven’t taken already? They don’t have anything we want.”
“Are you joking? They haveeverythingwe could want.”
“I am telling you right now: Don’t do it.”
“Hey, whose side are you on? Have you forgotten who you are? What? You think you’re some pack wolf now? You don’t fit in with them, Jay. Youneverwill.”
Jeff’s words are harsh. Worried about how she might be taking it, I check on her from a distance. If it’s bothering her, she does a great job hiding it. She can handle herself well, like a leader should—composed.
Some truth underlies Jeff’s words. Jay was never meant to be just a pack wolf but destined for more, not to fit in, but to stand out as my pack’s luna. If any remnants of his words hide beneath her tough exterior, I’ll rectify them later in private.
“Jeff, do not attack Bloodhound.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
I don’t like him challenging my mate like that.Who does this guy think he is?
She growls. “Do you want me to show you why you do?”
My wolf and I swell with pride.
