Fates Entwined

32

"No, I skipped it." She pushed her glasses back on her nose. "I just became a Leo and got my store open. I don't want to find a mate right now and have to give all that up when I'm forced to join his pack."

I sighed. "I know exactly what you mean. It's something I wish the alphas would change."

"You could work to change it..." A slow smile spread across her face. "If you became our alpha female."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I glanced at the book she’d turned face down on the counter and did a double take. “Oh, you’re reading Of Swords and Snow."

Moumi perked up. “Do you know it?”

“I just started it a few days ago. I’m really liking it so far.”

“The love interest is so hot, isn’t he?”

I hummed in agreement and tried to not blush again as I remembered that I kept seeing him as Jordan in my mind.

“I heard the sequel is supposed to be even spicier than this one," she continued. "I could put in an order for you if you’d like. It’s coming out in a couple of weeks, and I could have it here on release date.”

I wanted to say yes, but I didn’t know when I’d be going back to the Ophiuchus pack. “I’d better wait,” I said, shaking my head. “But thank you.”

“I understand completely, but you should know that most of the pack members are hoping that you’ll stay. Including me."

I blinked a few times. “Really? Why?”

Moumi shrugged. “Everyone knows you’re Jordan’s mate and that you rejected him, but the fact that you’re here now gives us hope. Personally, I think you'd be good for Jordan and the rest of the Leos."

“Does everyone think that?”

“Most do, but some don’t. You know no one can ever agree on anything in a pack.”

“I know all about that,” I said with a snort, thinking about all the times Kaden had come back to the house grumbling about how the Ophiuchus pack fought like toddlers. I’d had to help him settle some disputes in the past and knew how stubborn some people could be about even the smallest things.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to make a decision about that yet,” I finally said. “I’m still trying to figure out my path. I had my whole life back at the Ophiuchus pack, but coming here has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Not that you need to hear about that. Sorry.”

Moumi put her hand over mine. "It's okay. I know the Leos haven't always been kind to you or your people, but there are many of us who want to change the future of our pack." She pulled her hand back and adjusted her glasses again. "Whatever you decide, I’d love to grab some coffee and chat about books sometime. You can never have too many book friends."

“I’d like that too," I said with a genuine smile.

After saying my goodbyes to Moumi and exchanging numbers so we could set up a coffee date, I headed back to the house, feeling better than I had in days. Was Moumi right? If I stayed here, would I be accepted? And could I really make a difference in the future of the Zodiac Wolves as an alpha female?

Jordan was in the kitchen when I got there, cooking again. He looked up and smiled as I kicked off my shoes and padded over to the kitchen.

“What are you making?” I asked.

“Something for dinner,” he said. “It’s a surprise.”

“Oh, a surprise?” I asked. “I don’t really like those.”

“I promise you’ll like this one,” he said. “Did you like the bookstore?”

“I loved it,” I said and held up my new book. “Moumi was so nice. I didn’t know you had a bookstore with such a good selection out here either.”

“Moumi’s the one to thank for that,” Jordan said. “She knows a lot more about books than I do. I gave her some pointers on the graphic novels section, but everything else she picked out. People donate their books as well."

“It’s perfect,” I said, smiling. “Do you need help with anything?”

“No, you just relax,” Jordan said. "Go read your book by the pool, if you'd like."

I hesitated for a moment. I didn’t want to leave him in the kitchen alone like this. I hopped up onto the counter next to where he had some vegetables set out to put into the frying pan and watched him move around the kitchen for a few minutes.

“Thank you for sticking around,” Jordan said after a few minutes. He dipped his finger into a sauce and lifted it to his mouth, then put some more salt in.

“In the kitchen?” I asked.

“Well, yes,” Jordan said. “But I meant in general. I know it’s difficult for you.”

“It's not as hard as I thought it would be, honestly,” I said. "I had a lot of bad feelings about the Leos, and while I can't say some of them weren't justified, I've also seen the other side of your pack over the past week."

"I know my pack has done some bad things in the past, and so have I while I was under the control of the Sun Witches, but I’m not my father,” Jordan said, glancing at me.

“I know that now."

“I want my pack to be better,” Jordan said. “I want to epitomize the best traits of the Leos going forward. We’ve gotten a bad rap as being arrogant, aggressive, and domineering, but we’re so much more than that. I want to show the rest of the Zodiac Wolves that we can be trusted.”

“I think you’re doing a great job so far,” I said.