Chapter Thirty-Nine

“You can do both.” I shook my head. “I know my dad doesn’t have many female warriors, but that is going to change. You won’t be the only one that wants to be a warrior now. But warriors can still live a full life, including kids.”

“I know. But I don’t want to choose.” Cass looked down at her plate.

“A mate, a good mate, won’t make you choose.” I patted her hand and finished my steak. “The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. Mates are supposed to be your other half. I think your mate will understand your want to be a warrior and will support you.”

“You think so?” She looked at me with hopeful eyes.

“I do.” I got up and grabbed more steak. I was starving.

It’s your body getting ready to shift. You will eat like this from now on. Alphas burn a lot of calories because they need to shift more. Nix’s voice filtered through, and I nodded.

“You’re eating a lot.” Cass looked at me as I settled.

“Nix said I’m getting ready to shift. Alphas burn a lot of calories because we have bigger wolves and need to shift more often.” I ate through my second plate and then turned to Cass, who finished her first. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” We stood and turned to leave, but Cass bumped into Greyson, the second gamma.

“Greyson, I’m sorry.” Cass’ face flushed red, and he chuckled.

“No harm, little wolf. It’s always a pleasure to see you.” I watched as he trailed his hands down her arms and stepped back. Cass shivered from his touch but just gave a quick jerk of her head before she nearly sprinted out of the dining hall.

“What was that?” I asked as I caught up with her. “Little wolf?”

“Nothing!” she nearly yelled. “It’s nothing. He just calls me that sometimes to make fun of me.”

“Right…”

“…but why did you run away, then?” I questioned her further, and she just shook her head, and I knew exactly what this meant. “Oh my god, Cass, you like him.”

“Shut your mouth right this second.”

“Why? It’s okay, you like him. What’s wrong with that?” I grabbed her arm and tugged her along.

“He’s the second gamma,” she tossed out.

“Okay, and?” I looked down at her face, and I saw how sad she was.

“You don’t understand. Nothing can ever happen between us.”

“Why not?” I pulled her to a stop and forced her to face me.

“Because I’m not ranked.”

I waved my free hand around her face. “I’m going to need more of an explanation here, Cass.”

“Ranked wolves never mate with unranked wolves.” She stomped her foot, and I sighed.

“That’s not entirely true, Cass. It happens all the time, but the ranked wolves reject the unranked wolf, and it’s usually the ranked women that reject their unranked men.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Plus, you don’t know if he’s your mate or if he would reject you. You are putting the cart before the horse here. Why not just see where the friendship goes instead of ignoring him? Goddess forbid he is your mate, and instead of showing him how amazing you are, you just continuously run away from him.” I poked her forehead.

“Amy, it’s just not in the cards for me.”

“You don’t know that. I want you to try. Even if it’s just a friendship. Greyson is a good wolf to know. He is the head of my dad’s warriors, and if you want to be one, he will help.”

Cass ran her fingers through her hair and gripped it. “Okay, I will.”

“Good.” I pulled her to walk again and flipped around to watch her face as I walked backwards. “You know, he is super cute.”

“Shut up.” Cass hit my shoulder, and I laughed.

“What? I’m just saying. He is quite adorable.”

“Yeah, he is.”

I grinned as I spotted someone heading our way. “Greyson would make a good mate to any she-wolf.”

“He really would. Goddess, Amy, am I stupid to have this crush on him? I mean, be brutally honest. Do you think the goddess would make me his mate? Or if she did, would he keep me? I’m no one.”

“Cass…”

“No, before you answer, I want you to think about it. He is a ranked wolf, and I’m not. And I know you said that it’s usually a ranked she-wolf that rejects unranked mates, but there is still a chance for him to reject me, right?”

My eyes flicked over her shoulder. “There is a chance, but I think the first thing you need to do is talk to the man. Who is to say he would reject you if you turned out to be his mate?”

“I’m terrified. He deserves better than me.”

“Who says?” A deep voice sounded behind us, and Cass froze.