I gaze at her once more. Can this be a coincidence? When I am at my lowest, I suddenly stumble over a mysterious luna, half-dead in the river. How likely were the chances of the two of us to cross paths?
ten
Forest Young and Rosea Bryce
ROSEA
Iwrap the blanket around my frame, tighter. Forest Young. I don’t know much about him. The Young family was considered problematic by my parents, but during my later research, I hadn’t heard many bad things about Forest. Jordan, however, belittled him; I know that much. But Jordan’s opinion isn’t worth a dime.
A man he disliked is probably much better than anyone he approves of.
Still, I can’t be too certain.
What do you think, Alora?
He is an alpha,she says.
Yeah, that’s the risk.
But he saved us, and he is very…she pauses.Respectful towards us. I don’t know, it’s a risk to trust him.
It’s always a risk,I mutter. People I trusted, like Clemmens, have betrayed me, so can I ever trust a complete stranger? But then, can it be worse than what my formerfriendsandalliesdid?
“I am a little cold,” I say. “Do you have anything for me to dress in?”
“Right! Yes, I have.” He scrambles to his feet and reaches for a stash of clothes. He hands them to me, looking in the other direction. “I didn’t dare to dress you. Felt too invasive, you know. Sorry… I…”
His face flushes in a way I haven’t seen in a long while on someone. It’s not just his face turning red, also his neck and shoulders. For an alpha, he has some intriguing traits. He seems to be empathic and considerate. I wish more of them were like that. Maybe the world would be a little bit better then.
But is this enough to trust him?
I swiftly change into the clothes he brought me. They are probably from his grandpa, and definitely too large for me, but beggars can’t be choosers, and for now, I’m glad I am dressed. Everything else I will handle later. Somehow, I need to get to the funds I put aside.
However, while I have put some money aside, I am still just one single person against a sociopath like Jordan. A man who has groomed his ranked members and warriors so well that they barely see his wrongdoings until it is too late. An alpha, who made allies with the most disgusting pigs out there. Jordan’s biggest advantage is that he is charismatic, and boy, did he use that well.
I could do with an ally, and I am well aware that I am out of choices. Glancing at Forest, it dawns on me that it feels like fate threw this man at me.
I take the bottle of gin in my hands again and have another sip. Forest reaches out his hand, and I pass the bottle to him. He takes a huge sip from it as well. Pulling his legs up a little, he rests his elbow against his knee, leaning his forehead against his hand. “Do you want to hear something truly pathetic?” he suddenly asks.
“Anything that will distract me,” I admit.
“I am such a loser,” he mutters. “I am a complete failure as an alpha.”
“Somehow I have difficulties believing that,” I point out. He is of incredibly strong build; he looks stronger than Jordan, and a lot of other alphas I have met. There is no way this man is not strong enough to be a leader.
“You would be surprised,” he mutters.
“I am probably the wrong person to say that,” I say. “But if you want to talk, I’ll listen. It’s not like I can blab it to anyone, anyway.”
He takes a huge sip of the gin and hands it back to me. He is still not looking at me, though, and instead looks at his hands. “I am not good at communicating,” he says. “I lack social skills. I hate huge gatherings; I have difficulties making friends.”
“You are introverted,” I conclude. “Besides, diplomacy is usually more of a beta's strength anyway.”
“No one in my pack respects me.”
That surprises me a little. An alpha of his build for sure should be respected for his strength alone, not to mention his upbringing. Forest Young is an alpha’s heir!
“My parents and my supposed best friend have schemed against me for years,” he finally says. “I found out last night that they even killed my mate. A woman, I didn’t even get the chance to know properly. An innocent girl.”
