Battle of Fate - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
You are reading Battle of Fate, Chapter 7: Chapter 7. Read more chapters of Battle of Fate.
Game of Destiny
I walked down the street of the small town. The plan had been to stop at the diner for lunch on the way back from a meeting to discuss a new alliance. That was almost four days ago, and I was still here. The reason was waiting for me as I headed towards the lake. She stood waiting where she had said we would meet. There was a paper bag on the table that smelled delicious.
“You’re here,” I said as I stopped in front of her, just a little too close – just to see how she reacted.
“Said I would be,” she replied, looking up at me. Whoever this woman was, she had been well-raised. She had mastered the art of looking up at me without meeting my eyes. Locking eyes with an Alpha was seen as a challenge unless you were his mate or a close friend.
“So you did. I thought I might need to eat a couple more meals at the diner to persuade you. You seem to have a stubborn streak,” I said, pointing out that she hadn’t moved back despite me invading her space. Most wolves would have backed away the second an Alpha stepped too close. Unless they themselves were one. And if there was one thing I knew about this intriguing little wolf, she was no Alpha.
I had scented her as a wolf the moment I stepped into the diner. That had been a surprise. I kept a close eye on any rogues and lone wolves near my pack, yet this woman had never pinged on our radar.
“Getting tired of Rich’s cooking?” she asked.
I chuckled. She was funny.
“Not at all. I’m considering staying until I’ve tried everything on the menu. That would take me a week or two, I think,” I said.
She huffed. “Well, no need as I’m here. So, why am I here?” she asked.
“I want to get to know you,” I said, deciding to go with the truth.
She looked surprised, then her expression shuttered, and I couldn’t read her anymore. It was part of what made her frustrating – and fascinating.
“Well, I could refuse. But you’d just use your Alpha sniffer to find me and keep dropping by my work. So let’s do this,” she said.
For the first time since I’d approached her, she averted her gaze and looked at the paper bag. She took it and climbed up onto the table, resting her feet on the seat.
“Coffee, black,” she told me, pulling a travel cup out of the bag.
I sat down next to her, offering her the space to move away if she wanted to.
“You remembered,” I said, smiling.
“It’s hardly the most complicated way to have your coffee.”
She pulled out another cup and placed it next to her. Next came pecan buns, and I had to swallow to keep from drooling. It’s important to keep a small amount of dignity when you’re an Alpha.
“Here. My landlady made them this morning. I need breakfast to get me through this conversation,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said and took one of the mouthwatering pastries from her.
“What do you want to know?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
“You’re not a rogue?” I asked, and as soon as the words left my mouth, I could have kicked myself.
She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
“No, I’m not. I’m a lone wolf,” she said, taking a bite of her breakfast.
I hummed, feeling foolish for the question.
“Were you born one?” I asked.
“No. I left my pack… about four years ago,” she said.
That surprised me. She looked so young.
“You left when you were around fifteen?” I asked.
She laughed. “Eighteen,” she corrected me.
I was surprised again. I hadn’t expected her to be twenty-two. Only two years younger than me. She had been raised in a pack and lived in one for most of her life. I wanted to know why she chose a life isolated, surrounded by humans instead of her own kind.
“Why did you leave?” I asked.
She glanced up at me.
“You’re asking a lot of personal questions, Alpha, but offering no information in return,” she pointed out.
Fair enough. She had been more than gracious with answering my questions.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I was on my way home from a meeting with two Alphas from other packs. I just stopped to get some lunch,” I said.
“And your pack is close by?”
“Yes, about half a day’s drive from here,” I said.
“There shouldn’t be any packs out here,” she said, eyes narrowing slightly.
“If you had told me that two years ago, I would have said you were right. We’re a new pack. We established ourselves here because the other packs are far enough apart that we don’t feel crowded, and they don’t feel threatened,” I said.
She nodded, then took a deep breath and looked at me, as if searching for answers.
“I’m latent,” she said, taking a deep drink of her coffee.
“Latent? As in you don’t have a wolf?” I asked.
“Yes. That may be the case. But I’m twenty-two, and I haven’t shifted.”
I wanted to tell her there was still time. But shifting this late would be highly unlikely, and I didn’t want to give her false hope when she clearly had accepted her fate.
“Is that why you left your pack?” I asked.
“It was the root of all the reasons I left,” she said, her voice calm but tinged with something I couldn’t quite pinpoint – bitterness, maybe.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said softly.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re doing this?”
“I told you, I want to get to know you,” I said.
“Yes, you did. You just didn’t tell me why.”
I hadn’t, and I wondered if now was the right time to tell her. She was skittish, and I had a feeling she would bolt if I moved too quickly. But she had asked a direct question. She deserved an answer.
“I want to invite you to join my pack,” I said.
She looked at me like I was insane.
“You did hear the part about me being latent, right?”
“I did. There is no issue with my hearing,” I said.
“Maybe not with your hearing, but you obviously have some other issues,” she said, then her eyes widened when she realized she had said it out loud.
I threw my head back and laughed. “You’re not the first to tell me that,” I admitted.
“Listen, I don’t know why you want me in your pack. But I’m doing fine on my own. I’ve made a life that I like.”
“Don’t you miss pack life? Being around your own kind? Not having to hide who and what you are? Don’t you miss the full moon celebrations?” I asked.
I saw the longing in her eyes before she looked away. She stared out over the lake.
“Maybe. But that life is not for me,” she said. There was something deeply sad in the way she said it.
“Before you turn me down, why don’t you come for a visit? Take a couple of days off work and come to the pack. It’s small, but it’s a good one. If you give it a chance, I promise I will never set foot in this town again if you turn my offer down. I will even make it out of bounds for the rest of the pack,” I offered.
“I don’t know,” she said, hesitating.
“The moon will be full in three days. Come and celebrate it with us.”
She looked at me with those deep green eyes, and I knew she stood on the very edge of accepting my offer.
I walked down the street of the small town. The plan had been to stop at the diner for lunch on the way back from a meeting to discuss a new alliance. That was almost four days ago, and I was still here. The reason was waiting for me as I headed towards the lake. She stood waiting where she had said we would meet. There was a paper bag on the table that smelled delicious.
“You’re here,” I said as I stopped in front of her, just a little too close – just to see how she reacted.
“Said I would be,” she replied, looking up at me. Whoever this woman was, she had been well-raised. She had mastered the art of looking up at me without meeting my eyes. Locking eyes with an Alpha was seen as a challenge unless you were his mate or a close friend.
“So you did. I thought I might need to eat a couple more meals at the diner to persuade you. You seem to have a stubborn streak,” I said, pointing out that she hadn’t moved back despite me invading her space. Most wolves would have backed away the second an Alpha stepped too close. Unless they themselves were one. And if there was one thing I knew about this intriguing little wolf, she was no Alpha.
I had scented her as a wolf the moment I stepped into the diner. That had been a surprise. I kept a close eye on any rogues and lone wolves near my pack, yet this woman had never pinged on our radar.
“Getting tired of Rich’s cooking?” she asked.
I chuckled. She was funny.
“Not at all. I’m considering staying until I’ve tried everything on the menu. That would take me a week or two, I think,” I said.
She huffed. “Well, no need as I’m here. So, why am I here?” she asked.
“I want to get to know you,” I said, deciding to go with the truth.
She looked surprised, then her expression shuttered, and I couldn’t read her anymore. It was part of what made her frustrating – and fascinating.
“Well, I could refuse. But you’d just use your Alpha sniffer to find me and keep dropping by my work. So let’s do this,” she said.
For the first time since I’d approached her, she averted her gaze and looked at the paper bag. She took it and climbed up onto the table, resting her feet on the seat.
“Coffee, black,” she told me, pulling a travel cup out of the bag.
I sat down next to her, offering her the space to move away if she wanted to.
“You remembered,” I said, smiling.
“It’s hardly the most complicated way to have your coffee.”
She pulled out another cup and placed it next to her. Next came pecan buns, and I had to swallow to keep from drooling. It’s important to keep a small amount of dignity when you’re an Alpha.
“Here. My landlady made them this morning. I need breakfast to get me through this conversation,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said and took one of the mouthwatering pastries from her.
“What do you want to know?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
“You’re not a rogue?” I asked, and as soon as the words left my mouth, I could have kicked myself.
She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
“No, I’m not. I’m a lone wolf,” she said, taking a bite of her breakfast.
I hummed, feeling foolish for the question.
“Were you born one?” I asked.
“No. I left my pack… about four years ago,” she said.
That surprised me. She looked so young.
“You left when you were around fifteen?” I asked.
She laughed. “Eighteen,” she corrected me.
I was surprised again. I hadn’t expected her to be twenty-two. Only two years younger than me. She had been raised in a pack and lived in one for most of her life. I wanted to know why she chose a life isolated, surrounded by humans instead of her own kind.
“Why did you leave?” I asked.
She glanced up at me.
“You’re asking a lot of personal questions, Alpha, but offering no information in return,” she pointed out.
Fair enough. She had been more than gracious with answering my questions.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I was on my way home from a meeting with two Alphas from other packs. I just stopped to get some lunch,” I said.
“And your pack is close by?”
“Yes, about half a day’s drive from here,” I said.
“There shouldn’t be any packs out here,” she said, eyes narrowing slightly.
“If you had told me that two years ago, I would have said you were right. We’re a new pack. We established ourselves here because the other packs are far enough apart that we don’t feel crowded, and they don’t feel threatened,” I said.
She nodded, then took a deep breath and looked at me, as if searching for answers.
“I’m latent,” she said, taking a deep drink of her coffee.
“Latent? As in you don’t have a wolf?” I asked.
“Yes. That may be the case. But I’m twenty-two, and I haven’t shifted.”
I wanted to tell her there was still time. But shifting this late would be highly unlikely, and I didn’t want to give her false hope when she clearly had accepted her fate.
“Is that why you left your pack?” I asked.
“It was the root of all the reasons I left,” she said, her voice calm but tinged with something I couldn’t quite pinpoint – bitterness, maybe.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said softly.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re doing this?”
“I told you, I want to get to know you,” I said.
“Yes, you did. You just didn’t tell me why.”
I hadn’t, and I wondered if now was the right time to tell her. She was skittish, and I had a feeling she would bolt if I moved too quickly. But she had asked a direct question. She deserved an answer.
“I want to invite you to join my pack,” I said.
She looked at me like I was insane.
“You did hear the part about me being latent, right?”
“I did. There is no issue with my hearing,” I said.
“Maybe not with your hearing, but you obviously have some other issues,” she said, then her eyes widened when she realized she had said it out loud.
I threw my head back and laughed. “You’re not the first to tell me that,” I admitted.
“Listen, I don’t know why you want me in your pack. But I’m doing fine on my own. I’ve made a life that I like.”
“Don’t you miss pack life? Being around your own kind? Not having to hide who and what you are? Don’t you miss the full moon celebrations?” I asked.
I saw the longing in her eyes before she looked away. She stared out over the lake.
“Maybe. But that life is not for me,” she said. There was something deeply sad in the way she said it.
“Before you turn me down, why don’t you come for a visit? Take a couple of days off work and come to the pack. It’s small, but it’s a good one. If you give it a chance, I promise I will never set foot in this town again if you turn my offer down. I will even make it out of bounds for the rest of the pack,” I offered.
“I don’t know,” she said, hesitating.
“The moon will be full in three days. Come and celebrate it with us.”
She looked at me with those deep green eyes, and I knew she stood on the very edge of accepting my offer.
End of Battle of Fate Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to Battle of Fate book page.