Page 102 of Beasts of Mine

“What?” Malek asked after straightening with the third bag already across his chest, his expression suggesting I was somehow the unreasonable one.

“You already have two.” I pointed out to Malek while gesturing toward the gear hanging from his shoulders.

“They aren’t heavy.” Malek dismissed as he glanced down at them.

“They are literally the three heaviest bags I brought.” I reminded Malek, waiting for that information to produce even the slightest concern.

“Yes.” Malek agreed with a small nod.

That was apparently the entire conversation. I stared at him another second.

Nothing.

“Are all Head Alphas this irritating?” I asked Luca while tightening the strap of my camera bag across my body.

“That depends on the Head Alpha.” Luca answered carefully as he tucked the last folded tarp beneath one arm, his expression much too neutral to be trusted.

“That was diplomatic.” I complimented Luca as I stepped down from the platform and felt damp soil give slightly beneath my boots.

“I live with him.” Luca followed me onto the ground, amusement warming his voice. “Diplomacy is useful.”

“I can hear both of you.” Malek called from several steps ahead as he started down the trail without turning around.

“We know.” Luca assured Malek warmly as he fell into step beside me.

The exchange reminded me of something from yesterday.

Actually, several things.

I waited until the field camp disappeared behind us and the trees closed around the trail before bringing any of them up. Morning moisture still clung to broad leaves on either side of the path, brushing cold against my forearms whenever the trail narrowed. The ground was soft beneath my boots after the night’s damp, and rich wet-earth scent rose whenever someone stepped through a patch of dark soil.

Tavian wandered several yards ahead, occasionally moving off the trail to check something interesting before circling back. Malek took his familiar position behind us, carrying my bags as easily as if they contained nothing heavier than clothing, while Luca remained beside me. The same formation they’d used as leopards. Only now I understood why it felt so deliberate.

“You said yesterday that you’ve been a pack for years.” I began as I stepped over a thick root and shifted my camera bag farther behind my hip. “How does that work when all three of you are Alphas?”

“Very carefully.” Tavian answered from several yards ahead, twisting around to walk backward with a grin spread across his face.

“Face forward.” Malek warned Tavian from behind me, his tone carrying more tired familiarity than actual concern.

“See? Very carefully.” Tavian called over one shoulder as he turned back around before he could walk into a tree. I laughed despite myself, while Luca shook his head beside me as though the exchange had happened several hundred times before.

“We chose each other.” Luca explained more seriously as he brushed a broad leaf away from his shoulder and moved around a muddy section of trail. “Packs don’t always start with mates. Sometimes it’s family or friends. Sometimes people just realize they want to build one together.”

“And that was you three.” I glanced ahead toward Tavian before looking back at Luca.

“Years ago.” Luca confirmed with a nod as he stepped carefully over a patch of exposed roots. “We were already living together before Malek became Head Alpha.”

I looked over my shoulder.

“So what makes him Head Alpha?” I asked Malek while slowing enough for him to come a little closer.

“Mostly responsibility.” Malek explained as he adjusted one of the straps crossing his chest. “The territory. Safety. Problems that affect the whole pack. If something happens and someone needs to make the final call quickly, that falls to me.”

“That still sounds suspiciously like being in charge.” I observed to Malek, watching him cross the root I had nearly tripped over without looking down.

“Sometimes I am.” Malek admitted as his golden-brown eyes met mine briefly. “Not about everything.”

“He doesn’t get to decide what I eat.” Tavian announced from ahead of us, raising one hand as though he had discovered the most important cultural distinction.