ETHAN
I crossed my heart, with an expression of sincerity painted on my face. Okay, well I was also checking her out because anyone would be a fool not to, but I had a hunch that was not going to win me brownie points with this one.
The challenge in her eyes was incredible. Never had I witnessed a she-wolf, or many other shifters, challenge me like that. There was not a hint of hesitancy at all.
Your move, Emma.
She let her eyes trail every inch of me from my head to my feet. She did it in such a slow fashion and even bit her lip. What a tease this she-wolf was. Getting annoyed with me checking her out, yet she chose to check me out in turn.
Well played. Well played.
"My eyes are up here, Emma," I tsked her with amusement lacing every single word. "May I help you with those books? Think of it as an apology for my rudeness. I promise that I was raised better."
She considered it for a moment. I watched as uncertainty flashed through her eyes before it disappeared as quickly as it appeared before shaking her head.
"No, thanks. I got it. It was nice meeting you Ethan," she said, stepping around me and continuing on down the sidewalk.
Color me interested in her attitude, or the way she looked, but I was never good with accepting the word 'no' unless it was during sex. Unfortunately, I was not entangled with that very alluring body even though I was certain that the rest of her had to look just as good as the packaging did.
Before she got too far ahead of me, I swiftly grabbed half of the stack of books from her hands, much to her annoyance. Her eyes narrowed even further if that were even possible.
"I insist," I said, smiling at her flustered expression. I never had to try this hard to get a she-wolf to let me help them. "Lead the way," I motioned her forward.
She hesitated for a moment but sighed and nodded her head to the side before crossing the street. She obviously realized that I could be extremely stubborn when I wanted something. This time, I wanted to know what this pull was to her.
There was not much traffic, which was one thing I hated about how big our pack was. There were always too many cars on the road when trying to get from Point A to Point B. Frankly, it was a waste of time. Sadly, we often had to drive around the territory for one issue or another, and that could take forever. There were times that I would opt to run instead just to avoid traffic.
Emma and I walked side by side in silence for a couple of minutes. I snuck a few glances at her when she was not fully paying attention. She seemed completely unaffected by me. That definitely hit my ego a bit. On the other hand, it was the first time something like that happened.
After another moment, I asked if she robbed a bookstore. Her laughter was light, seeming to relax a bit.
"No, I have a fifteen-page paper for History class on the Red River War. My teacher is a dick, so he gave me a topic he was sure would fail me."
I whistled low and grimaced. Yeah, that was one topic that would truly suck to write on. Our pack lived it, but it would even suck for me to write about it. There was not as much knowledge that would be found outside of our pack. No wonder he picked if he wanted her to fail.
"Yeah, that's a very heavy topic. What did you do to piss him off?"
Her plump pink lips curved up into a satisfied smirk when she looked at me. Amusement twinkled in her blue eyes. It was a far cry from the narrowed irritation of before.
"In the beginning of the year, the asshole was spewing some incorrect facts, so I corrected him."
"What did you correct him on?" I asked, curious to see what warranted such an assignment.
"He was teaching us about The Third Battle of Kentwire. He proceeded to tell the class about how the battle was won because The Brookwood Coven became involved. I challenged his facts because it was simply a rumor. The coven never actually participated."
Well, that caught my attention. The Third Battle of Kentwire was not what one would consider to be light learning. The fact that she knew it was a rumor intrigued me because it was not something everyone knew or suspected.
"If that coven wasn't involved, where did the rumor start?" I asked, wanting to know if she actually knew the answer.
The problem with a lot of people was that they were sheep who followed whatever information their shepherd said without seeking its accuracy. They did not think with the brains inside their head. An intelligent person always sought validity and accuracy. They challenged what they were taught in order to find the truth of whatever matter was at hand.
It appeared that Emma was indeed an intelligent person. I liked intelligent people. I disliked simpleminded sheep.
"The rumors were started by the Mirror Lake Coven. They used it as an opportunity to decimate the Brookwood coven in retaliation," she matter-of-factly explained.
She offered me a sideways glance as if she was expecting me to disagree. I could not disagree with correct facts. I had a love of history, especially history that was not as well known. Xander called it an obsession, but I called it a passion. Mine at least sounded more poetic.
"That's impressive. Not many people know that. Why did the Mirror Lake Coven start the rumors?"
Her face scrunched up for a moment as if she did not like what she was about to say. That was an adorable expression that changed her entire appearance but in a good way. It looked much better than the narrowed eyes and irritation. Although, it did not look better than her amusement.
People's expressions told you a lot about them. The majority of people wore expressions as a façade to hide their horrendous personality. The rest, however, wore expressions as an extension of their personality. The more you studied the small differences about someone's expressions, the easier it was to see them for what they truly were. Emma, unlike a startling amount of people, was genuine.
"The Brookwood Coven had a corner market on the ancestral slave rings. The Mirror Lake Coven would be able to take the corner market without resistance if the coven was out of the way."
I understood her repulsion to the topic. Ancestral slaves used to be a hot commodity for witches hundreds of years ago. The slaves were humans, witches, or shifters who had distant witch ancestors from specific bloodlines which carried certain properties within their blood. That blood was used to power and perform very dangerous dark magic.
It was what kept the Brookwood Coven as the dominant coven since they had the greatest access to the ancestral slaves. They were the primary slave traders and were able to pick and choose which covens got access to slaves. It was very difficult for other covens to get their hands on the ancestral slaves if not provided through the Brookwood Coven. Thus, the Mirror Lake Coven decided to eliminate the competition. They were power-hungry bastards.
"He said I had no proof, so I told him where to find the proof. I, then, challenged him by asking where he found the proof for his claim," she chuckled.
A responding chuckle burst from my lips as well because it was a great tactic for her to use. The burden of proof could be a bitch when used properly, and she certainly knew how to wield it like a weapon. I was impressed yet again.
Emma was hot and intelligent. It was the perfect combination.
"His ego was challenged and never got over it. He's been riding me all year, trying to make sure I failed. What can I say? I refuse to accept failure. It's worth fifty percent of my final grade, so I need to ace it to keep my 4.0," she explained with a shrug.
"So, you're a nerd," I teased, looking at her with a smirk firmly in place.
"Perfectionist, not nerd," she corrected with a stern voice and well pointed glare.
My smirk deepened with her response. Goddess, I could not remember the last time a she-wolf, or anyone not in our very small select group of people corrected me. She certainly was different.
"Perfectionist and resident smartass, it seems. Not everyone is willing to speak their mind. It's refreshing," I pointed out.
It actually was indeed refreshing. Only those on Squad One, the group of eight who helped lead our pack, were willing to tell it like it was. Everyone else shied away given our title and status.
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, a clear sign that someone was watching me. I was used to people watching me, but it did not mean that I cared for it. I pulled my eyes away from Emma and saw a trio of she-wolves standing on the corner of the street. They were staring directly at us. Well, staring at me, and glaring at Emma. They were also whispering, but it was too soft for me to hear what they were saying, but I did not like that they were glaring at her.
Emma followed my line of sight and sighed softly. She looked away from them quickly and kept walking.
I, however, glared at them and pushed out my aura to them. It was a warning to them to back off. They scurried away with their figurative tails tucked between their legs. Emma's lips twitched, fighting a smile. She found amusement in their departure.
"I don't see the need to sugarcoat things anymore. I deal with enough pretentious idiots that it's just not worth my time or energy." She tilted her head in the general direction that the girls scurried off to.
I felt like there was more hidden in that statement than just those girls. Her reaction to the glares made it seem like it was a normal occurrence. I did not care if it was because of petty jealousy because…look at Emma… or whatever the fuck their problem was. As long as I was around, I would metaphorical beat the shit out of them with my aura to make them scamper away.
"That's what makes you very interesting, Emma," I murmured approvingly. "Well, I do believe you've struck gold today. A. I'm a history buff and B. I'm from the Blood Moon pack, so I have firsthand knowledge of the war."
The Red River War was the attack on our pack five years ago. We lost our leadership and nearly twenty-five percent of pack members. The war changed everything for us all. It caused Xander and I to take up our positions as Alpha and Beta of the Blood Moon pack. We had been able to make it stronger and rebuild, but it still pained us significantly. There were certain events in life that people could not get past. That was one of those events for many of our people, Xander and me included.
Emma looked me over from head to toe, assessing be with a very calculated gaze.
"Blood Moon pack? That's pretty damn cool." Her eyes shone with unfiltered interest. Her lips curved upwards, pouring sincerity into her words.
To say I was surprised with her response would be an understatement. Never had I ever heard those words strung together from outsiders when my pack was mentioned. I looked at her sideways and did not even attempt to school that surprise from my face.
"That's definitely not the reaction I normally get."
"What reaction are you used to?" she asked, looking up at me with doe eyes.
I stopped walking for a moment before pushing out every ounce of aura I had. Our pack was intimidating in our own right. It was enough to make most of our enemies flee, yet she just stared back at me, unblinking. She looked really damned amused.
"Usually apprehension, hesitation, and obviously fear. Sometimes it combines all three at once. This is the first time I've gotten amusement," I admitted with a legitimate pout.
This she-wolf definitely was different. She did not seem at all intimidated or afraid of me. Outside of our pack, people were always wary of us. Rumors of the ruthlessness of our pack kept other Alphas in line. The Alpha and Beta of the Blood Moon pack were said to kill opposition for the fun of it and decimate entire packs.
Were we ruthless with our enemies? Absolutely. Did we kill for the fun of it? Definitely not. The rumors, half-truths, and full-truths kept the idiots leashed and on the ground with their bellies pointed upwards.
She snorted and rolled her eyes at me as if that was the funniest thing she ever heard.
"People are pussies. Why would someone be apprehensive of one of the most protected packs if they weren't stupid enough to cross you and try to play in your sandbox? Unless you want me to fear you, that is," she said with a smirk, challenge twinkling in her eyes.
Well, fuck. I threw my head back and laughed like I had not in quite some time.
People passing by us steered out of our way, which just increased her amusement. Okay, so perhaps I had not lost my touch. I wondered if she would find amusement with the rest of the pack as well. Every part of me was very eager to know.
"Nah, you have no need to fear me, Emma. You are quite a curious thing though. I don't think I've ever met someone entirely new that was so comfortable in my presence. It's nice," I replied honestly.
There was something different about her, but I could not quite point to what it was. Either way, I found her intriguing.
Her head tilted to the side when she looked back at me. I could tell she was trying to figure something out, but I was not sure what it could be. What I would not give to see inside that mind of hers.
"I got a good feeling about you, Ethan, and my feelings are never wrong," she explained, as if it was a normal affair. "So, what are you doing here at Blacktree?"