Chapter 2

ETHAN

Her comment made me wonder if she also got feelings like I did. I had yet to meet someone who had the same type of intuition. Trust me, I looked, but came up empty handed each and every time.

The intuition could be a blessing or a curse depending on the situation. It took me a while to learn just to follow them once I got them. Sometimes it led to some unpleasant circumstances, but many times it also kept us safe.

I was six when I got my first one. It led me to a swimming hole near our packhouse. There was a girl swimming in the water, but she suddenly went under the water and did not come back up. I dove in and was able to save her just in time. Diana became a close friend of ours growing up, and one of the few people that was allowed to put us in our places without having a limb of our choosing detached.

My feelings were not nearly as strong then as they were now. Xander and I posited that it could have been that they were intensified by the war. Gifts from the Goddess were few and far between with most of the research being lore hypotheses. However, I was not sure what else it could be if it was not one of those gifts.

I took a moment to look at Emma out of the corner of my eye. She really was not affected by my aura. The dip and tension in her shoulders showed me that she carried a lot of shit on them. Her take on things made a lot of sense in that context. It was one I shared as well.

‘Tell it like it is’ had always been my mentality too. Pretty words were often uttered to twists one’s thoughts away from the snake uttering them. Flattery was fake because it served an agenda. There was no use for flattery if the words were truth. The good thing was that flattery was easily detectable by intelligent people.

“We’re collaborating with your pack’s doctor.” I sighed, remembering how stupid that man was.

“Fineman? Good luck there. He got the job because he came with Ezekiel when he took over my pack. We originally had a legitimate pack doctor, but Fineman got the job because of his unyielding loyalty to him. He’s an idiot. I doubt that he would even know the first thing about wolfsbane rejection versus wolfsbane antitoxin,” she said, shaking her head in disappointment.

Well, now she had my absolutely undivided attention. That type of passionate speech had many layers that I wanted to peel back piece by piece.

“Oh? What would that difference be?” Okay, so my tone was eager, but I did not care. This was the type of conversation that I lived for.

The use of Ezekiel instead of saying Alpha Ezekiel was a bit odd. Pack members used the titles of their leaders. The only ones who did not were the leadership themselves. However, when addressing pack members and outsiders, titles were always used.

She did not care too much for her Alpha. He really was a piece of work, so I would not fault her on that. Anyone with half a brain would see him for what he was.

Emma looked at me carefully, as if to gauge my actual interest. I nodded encouragingly, truly wanting to know her thoughts on it. First the coven controversy. Now this? Hell yes, gimme all those thoughts swirling inside that mind.

“When shifters come in contact with wolfsbane, the body reacts to it as a poison. There are two ways to get rid of it. In rare cases, the body can reject the wolfsbane. The other way is by using an antitoxin prepared with a diluted mixture of live serum as well as a mixture of Chamomile, Tilyian healing herbs, and Diasties roots.”

Damn. She was absolutely right once again.

Fineman was an idiot when we were discussing the wolfsbane found on the rogues. There were different strains of wolfsbane which were crossbred with poisons that were found. Werewolves had very few things that acted as kryptonite. There was silver, of course. Wolfsbane was also harmful. It and silver were two of the few things that would leave a scar, even with shifter healing. It burned the skin, but it could kill a shifter if a potent enough dose entered into the body.

Perhaps this tiny she-wolf should take over his practice. We would gladly offer aid at that point. I could actually stomach dealing with this pack if it was because of her.

“Again, I’m impressed. That’s absolutely right. And, I agree, he wouldn’t have known that. He could barely form a coherent sentence regarding the wolfsbane on some rogues.”

She looked taken aback by the praise and blushed. It was amusing to see the red tint seep onto her skin. How I bet she hated that with a passion. It made me wonder how easy it was to make her blush.

“Why do you think the body sometimes rejects the wolfsbane?” I pressed.

Emma tilted her head in thought and looked up at me. “I have a theory, but it’s just a theory. There’s no proof,” she added the last part quickly.

Oh, now I had to know what it was. Some of the best theories created the most interesting truths.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hold the burden of proof on you like you did your teacher,” I teased. I bumped her shoulder and smiled. “Share with the class?”

She looked at me startled a little with the physical contact, but after a long moment she laughed and relaxed.

Hmm. So far, I witnessed that Emma was shy under praises but had no qualms about telling me off. She got startled with physical interaction, but she was fine a few moments later. She was my mystery to crack, and I would crack it wide open. I thoroughly enjoyed puzzles, and she was the most interesting one so far.

“Nobody truly knows, but I believe there is something encoded in those shifter’s DNA that acts as a repellant. It depends on your school of thought regarding the original wolves of our kind, but it’s commonly believed that certain wolves were blessed with healing abilities. If that were the case, then as they reproduced, the DNA encoding could had been passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes it would be recessive and sometimes dominant. That could account for the fact that the rejection does not occur with each shifter.”

I stopped in my tracks. It took her a moment to realize that I had stopped, but she turned back around and looked at me.

“Did I say something wrong?” she asked, her brows furrowed. She was confused about my sudden halt.

I thought about her theory. I turned it over and over in my mind, weighing my knowledge and her proposal. Damn, it made a lot of sense. I could not believe that I never thought of it working that way. I absolutely believed in goddess-given gifts. They were often inherited, so her theory made a lot of sense.

Holy fuck.

“Wrong? No, absolutely not. That’s a brilliant theory, Emma. What made you think of it?” I asked, continuing to walk beside her.

She was quiet for a moment, briefly lost in her own thoughts. This she-wolf had a brilliant mind. I could not say I knew too many people who could hold this type of conversation with me. Many pack members were typically too nervous, too simpleminded, or were focused on other topics altogether to hold one. The squad really did not fit into that category and were all incredibly brilliant in their own areas of expertise. It helped keep our pack running smoothly.

Emma, however, surprised me. I did not know what I expected when I bumped into her. This was certainly not it, but I welcomed the pleasant surprise and change of pace.

“My papa was big into tales about the origins of our kind. I’ve had run-ins with wolfsbane, so I began learning everything I could about it. The search became a bit of an obsession for a while. So, I developed my theory for the two reactions.” She shrugged and dropped the topic.

I was insanely curious about what her run-ins were because it was not something that regular pack members typically encountered. However, it seemed like a touchy subject. I decided to drop it as well. I did not want to make her uncomfortable. Everyone had a past.

Wolfsbane hurt like a bitch. Every member of the squad has had their own encounters with it over the years. Enemies always loved to use it because of how painful it could be. It was not something we ever used though because we felt it was cruel to use it against another wolf. We killed our enemies, but we were not needlessly cruel. We refused to become the monsters who always sought to obtain what our pack had.

“When is your assignment due?” I asked instead. Perhaps my extensive knowledge on the topic could come in handy here.

“Next Friday,” she said with a small smile, thankful for the topic change.

I looked at her and smiled widely. “Coincidentally, I have to come back to consult with Dr. Dipshit over the next couple of weeks. Perhaps we could get a coffee while getting you an A on the paper,” I offered.

‘Yes, yes, please say yes,’ I chanted internally.

Emma was quiet for a few moments. Her lip wedged firmly between her teeth. Again, I would give damn near anything to see her inner monologue.

“Why would you help me?” she asked me instead.

Her face was completely composed, not betraying any emotion. I doubted that I could tell her that I found her the perfect combination of hot and intriguing without sounding like a total creep. She would probably turn and run in the other direction. That was something that I was actually trying to avoid. I wanted the chance to talk to her more, so this was a safe reason.

“Because I want to. You have two choices here, Emma. You can either pass on my offer, or you can take it and hand in a paper that will act as a big fuck you to your teacher.”

With my help, she would be able to turn in a top-tier paper that nobody could refute as genius. Which would be a better source – dingy books that left out important information or someone who literally fought through it at the ripe old age of sixteen?

My words seemed to get through to her, and she laughed before she nodded her head.

“When you put it like that, how can I resist?”

She shook off the apprehension quickly, which showed me that Emma was good with controlling her emotions. It was something we all had to learn because we had to keep our emotions in check while dealing with other packs. They could royally piss us off, but we could not, hypothetically, kill them. Well, I supposed we could. It would just be frowned upon.

Oddly, her acceptance made me giddy. I would never tell another soul that because they would lord that shit over my head for the rest of my days. Xander, especially, would be the worst. He was Mr. Cold-as-shit when it came to emotions. He definitely hardened himself up under all the pressures of running the pack. Perk of inheriting the pack during the most brutal war at the age of sixteen.

“There we go,” I said. I glanced down at my hand, realizing the spot that she touched still felt warm. “So, tell me about yourself.” I said, my curiosity steadily growing.  

Who was this little she-wolf? Was she a ranked member of the pack? I could not necessarily feel an aura coming from her, but the hand thing was still odd. There was something unique about her, that was for certain.

For a moment she shifted uncomfortably but turned her head to look at me. Immediately, a mask of neutrality shifted into place. Again, it showed that this she-wolf was good about covering her emotions. It made me wonder why she was so good at it. It was something that we all had reasons to learn. Therefore, she had to have a reason. However, that was not for me to press.

“What would you like to know?”

I made a show of thinking. “Favorite food?” I started off with something simple trying to ease her nerves. I did not want to startle her away. I enjoyed talking to her.

“Fantastic question. Chicken Alfredo. Yours?” she asked, looking up at me.

She was a lot shorter than me, but she had already proven that she had the bark and the bite though. I could tell that she was not someone you wanted to piss off. She probably was one of those quiet and deadly types.

I hummed, trying to pinpoint one thing. That, in and of itself, was nearly an impossible task. Neither Xander nor I cooked, so we relied on takeout food and whatever was brought into the packhouse for us. There were a couple of different people who cooked some meals here and there.

“Trick question. Food is food. I’m an equal opportunist,” I explained.

She nodded like she could understand that. I was glad to see that she was not one of those girls who only ate salads or quarter the size of the meals that they should. We were werewolves for fucks sake. We could eat a good amount of food without gaining weight since our metabolisms worked overtime.

We turned onto a side street and kept walking. We had already been walking for a good ten minutes, so I wondered how far out she lived. The houses were getting further and further apart, but I was not complaining because it gave us time to talk.

“Fair enough. What do you like to do for fun?” she asked curiously.

“Hmm…” I thought.

It was a good question. There was little time for fun while trying to run a pack our size. Holy shit. Had I become a bore like Xander who spent all of his time working? I swore he needed to learn the meaning of fun.

“What do you think I like to do for fun?” I teased, winking at her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the squint her eyes took on which was proceeded by an eye roll. She was not shy about calling out my shit. I liked that.

She considered her answer carefully. She studied me for a moment.

“I bet you’re a gym buff,” she said.

“That was a safe guess, but I do spend a lot of time between sparring, the gym, and training the pack.” She shamelessly gave me a once over and smirked. “Do you not believe me, Emma?”

Surely, she could see how ripped my body was. Even with a shifter metabolism it took effort to look this good. It was not conceited. It was simply a fact. The gym in the packhouse was the best in the entire territory. We spared no expense on the reinforced equipment that was modified to shifter strength. The squad made up the best fighters in the entire pack.

“I believe you. I’ve heard that your pack is relentless with training.” Her eyes sparkled at the thought.

She was right. Our training was intense. There was mandatory training every week. Our territory was made of sectors. Sector one, which Xander and I oversaw, had mandatory training Monday through Friday for those residing in our territory as well as some of the more advanced fighters that we had.

If Emma’s fighting style was anything like her personality, she would be one hell of a fighter. I could already imagine it now.

“I bet you also enjoy it. A bit on the small side but you’re probably fairly fast,” I said.

She stopped walking and glared at me. Damn, she was intimidating herself.

“Size doesn’t determine ability. I may not train with this pack, but I’m certain I could knock you on your ass again.”

Now, I wanted to see her spar. She obviously did not realize I was a Beta, so I would keep that tidbit to myself for now. Next to Xander, I was the strongest fighter in the pack.

“Challenge accepted.” She looked at me incredulously. “You’re not backing out, are you?” I asked with a smirk. It was fun to see her riled up.

“I don’t back out,” she said, defiantly with her lips pressed into a thin line and her shoulders squared.

She looked up at me with a promise of her determination. Yes, she was definitely not a submissive she-wolf.

With one final moment of glaring, she snorted and kept walking beside me. I chuckled along with her. Talking to her was surprisingly easy, and I was definitely enjoying myself. It was not forced or full of pretenses.

“Good to know. So, what do you like to do for fun?” I asked her.

She contemplated the question for a moment. “In no particular order, I love running, reading, and cooking.”

Cooking piqued my interest. I had a healthy love of food. Or perhaps it was unhealthy depending on how you looked at it. I was an equal opportunist with food after all.

“Cooking, huh? Maybe I can convince you to cook for me one day,” I said, smiling widely.

Instead of balking at the forwardness, she simply issued me a clear warning. “You can’t hold me accountable if you don’t like it. Pick something, and I can bring it when we meet up next,” she said before she caught herself. “I mean, if you would like.”

It was odd that she was forward one moment and shy the next, but I could not fault her for it. No matter how easy it was to talk to her, I was still a stranger any way you looked at it. I had never turned down an offer for food though.

“Hmm...” I thought for a moment, trying to narrow down the many possibilities that I knew I would enjoy. Desserts and sweets were my guilty pleasures.

“Cinnamon rolls, deal?”

While I would certainly enjoy the food, I was happier with the fact that she agreed to meet up with me again. I never had to work so hard to get someone to agree to hang out with me. However, the work had been well worth it so far.

Her laugh was soft as she nodded her head. “Deal. Well, this is me,” she said, juggling the books to pull the key from her purse and unlock the door.

It was a modest two-story brick house with a little porch attached to it. It was not our packhouse or anything but seemed cozy enough. She pushed the door open wide to allow me to pass before closing it behind her.

“Where do you want me to sit these?” I asked, raising up the stack of books in my arms.

“Right this way,” she said and led me to the mahogany table in the kitchen.

I looked around the rooms that we walked through and was surprised when there were no pictures or personalization anywhere. It lacked the feeling of a home, and that did not sit right with me for some reason. Your home was supposed to tell the story that was you. This story seemed repressed and muted.

Even though Xander and I lived alone, we still kept the place feeling homey. The walls in the packhouse were lined with photos of the family members and pack members that we lost. We also had photos of the previous Alphas and leaders that came before us, spanning from the formation of the pack to today.

Xander’s family always produced the Alpha heir while my family always produced the Beta heir since the beginning of the Blood Moon Pack. It was just how our pack chose leadership. It helped ensure that our families acted like one giant family. It was one reason why Xander and I were so close from diapers. We were brothers in all but blood.

Every pack worked differently. It was up to leadership how it was set up. That was just how our families decided to do it. Plus, when there were generations of Alphas and Betas, the heirs typically became stronger than someone who was just given the title.

I watched her sit her books and purse down. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye until she realized I caught her. I was curious about what was going through her mind, but I remained a good boy. For now.

“Since we are going to meet up, how about I give you, my number. That way you can just shoot me a message if plans need to change,” I suggested.

I could not remember the last time I actually gave my number to a chick. Typically, they always gave me theirs. Or they just hit me up through the mindlink. I had a rule against them contacting me that way, but some still did it. Following the rules kept the fun happening. Once the rules were broken, the casual shit ended.

She grabbed her phone from her back pocket and unlocked it before handing it to me. The background on her phone was a gorgeous fractal art piece of a phoenix. It was pretty damn cool looking.

“Good idea. Just add your number,” she said. I quickly did so before sending myself a message so that I would have hers as well.

She took the phone back and raised her eyebrow. A single blonde eyebrow raised up in question.  “Ethan the Magnificent?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “My name is Ethan, and you will come to realize I’m absolutely magnificent. Well, I’ll see you on Wednesday, Emma. I look forward to those cinnamon rolls,” I said before turning to leave.

We had walked for a good twenty minutes while we talked, so I decided to jog up the street to get back to my car. There was still shit that I needed to get done tonight. The sun was already going down, and I really did not want to be out all night.

Her eyes followed me as I jogged back up the street. I turned the corner and looked back, giving her an overexaggerated bow. Her tinkling laughter clearly rang out down the street. She just waved before shaking her head and heading back inside the house.

Emma was certainly an interesting individual. She was not part of the repetitive sequence of people we dealt with from day to day.

‘Yes, Beta’

‘Right away, Beta’

‘Anything for you, Beta’.

She was real and down-to-earth, not afraid to call me out, and she was also fucking brilliant.