Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
And also…she was human. As was he. Commenting was sometimes the decent thing to do. And in this instance, she didn’t have to struggle for the words to say.
She kept her voice neutral. She’d always hated when people got emotional, or worse, expressed pity. “Where will you put your things?”
He continued to stare at the screen. “I don’t know. Right now, they are in a couple boxes on the floor of my room.” His voice was also neutral.
A shock of pain pierced her at the sadness of that statement. She didn’t let it show. Hopefully.
“Bring them tonight.” Her voice was strong now, a little commanding. “Bring them to Ivy House. We’ll steal a few minutes away from the others and you can ask Ivy House where to put them for safekeeping. She’ll help you, I know she will. And if not, I’ll get Jessie to force Ivy House’s help. Only Ivy House, you, and Jessie will know the whereabouts of your family, and you know Jessie would never tell. She’ll keep your heart safe for you, like she does my uncle. Like she does for all of us.”
His body tensed. His fingers tightened. A man ready to break.
And so, she took a page out of Tristan’s book when he dealt with Nessa. His and Nessa’s situation was wildly different to the working camaraderie of her and Sue, but a distraction was a distraction.
“What’s the second reason you’re here?” she prompted him.
He let out a deep, slow breath, one he’d clearly been holding, keeping emotion at bay. He straightened slowly, dropping his hands between his legs. It took him a moment to get his bearings.
“Alpha—” He shifted, humor coloring his posturing. “I’m supposed to call him Austin now. Did you hear?”
“No. Why the change?”
“He wants his betas to have equal standing with the visiting alphas. We’ll have the same power or more. He’s ensuring there can be no doubt as to what we really are. He’s sacrificing the prestige of his own title to elevate us.”
She smirked, pride welling within her.
“He’s not sacrificing anything,” she said. “He’s more than a mere alpha. He’s the head of the convocation, an organizational umbrella over shifter packs, and gargoyle cairns, and basajaunak…whatever. He’s the leader of alphas. He’s different. He’s always been different. At least in our pack. He’s always been a misfit, just like most of the Ivy House crew.” She paused. “Please don’t tell him I said that. He’d kill me if I compared him to Mr. Tom.”
Sue huffed out a laugh. “Your secret is safe with me, mostly because I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.”
She squeezed the shampoo onto her hand, thinking.
“Jessie and he are both different.” She dunked her head again before applying the shampoo. “Uncle Auzzie is probably doing it out of respect for you guys, and because he honestly doesn’t care about titles, but I think it is genius. And you know Jessie doesn’t care at all about being an alpha or the status of leadership. She cares about her people and their futures. Uncle Auzzie and Jessie are becoming something of an urban legend, and this will help, mark my words. Not caring if they have a title, not batting an eye at status, while calmly parading all this power around?” She laughed. “It’s the best kind of madness. It is history in the making.”
Sue watched her quietly as she washed and conditioned her hair, probably thinking about that. Maybe meditating—who was to say? He wasn’t bodily saying a word.
“It feels like Golden Fang was the missing piece, doesn’t it?” He finally looked away, out the window. “It feels like Austin relaxed a little when Aljoe signed on.”
“I don’t think it was because of Aljoe. I think it was when he decided to stop chasing the shifters.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was when he decided to do the conclave. He decided to make them come to him. He’s confident in his mate and the power they’ve amassed. As opposed to his past, he knows he’s good enough now, and he’s ready to prove it on his terms. Everything else…is falling in line.” She went for a final dunk. “I mean, I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong—”
“No.” He was watching her again, a little crease between his brows. Studying. “You’re right.”
“We both are, in a way, though, right? Because Aljoe is going to give this thing a legitimacy we weren’t anticipating, and doing a conclave is the perfect way to unveil his return to the shifter community. Otherwise, it would’ve been another unbelievable rumor. This time, they’ll see it in the flesh.”
He nodded slowly. His lips curled at the corners. “You’re going to make an incredible alpha, Aurora, especially with people like Aljoe and Austin and Jessie teaching you. You have the best of all worlds, and the intelligence, strength, and determination to take it to the next level. You’ll be your own legend.”