Ever Lasting

X

Chapter X

Our time at the cafe made the both of us forget about what had taken place outside. Growing up, I always thought of alphas as serious wolves with no personality. Atlas was completely changing that narrative for me. He was so lighthearted and funny; I didn't even notice that we sat here for two hours talking about nothing but everything at the same time. I found out a few details about Atlas. One, he had a sister named Artemis. Two, his favorite color was green. And three, he loved reading.

"Declan still has a scar." He says, finishing the story about how he and Declan used to fence with broken liquor bottles when they were teenagers.

I giggled and took a sip of my second frappuccino of the day. "I bet he does. You two sound like a lot of fun when you are drunk."

"We are, but we drink once in a blue moon now. We have too many responsibilities to be running around like maniacs anymore." He said, leaning back into his chair.

"Bummer," I smile, crossing my arms after placing my cup back on the table. "I would have loved to see that."

"Maybe one day you will." He shrugs, "What about you? Any drunken shenanigans?"

I felt embarrassed due to my lack of partying, but dismissed it. "I have no stories, unfortunately. I have never drank before."

He nearly spat out his coffee on the table, but held it in before gulping it down. "You mean to tell me, a twenty-one-year-old beta's daughter has never drank? I do not buy it."

"Well, buy it because it is the truth." I laugh at him. "If they ever caught me near a bottle of liquor, I would be dead. At Aurora Dawn, they make the females keep a clean image. Especially high-ranking ones. Sit, smile, and do not do anything to tarnish your family's name. The men take care of everything. You just be his shiny housewife." I scoff and roll my eyes at my pack's logic. "Females do not even work there. We train until we turn eighteen, then we just sit around waiting for our mates unless you are lucky enough to be a high-ranking she-wolf. You will continue training just so you will appeal to your potential alpha or beta mate more."

"So, what is wrong with being a housewife?" He asked. He was very interested in this conversation, which made me kind of anxious.

What if they are like this at Phoenix Moon? Fuck.

"Nothing." I responded. "If that is what the she-wolf wants to do, then she should be able to, but if she does not, then it should not be frowned upon."

"And what do you want to do, Everly?" I could not read his face when he asked this.

So, I answered him being bluntly honest. "I am not the housewife type. My perspective on a female leader is that I should carry the workload with you. Paperwork, training, meetings, etcetera. I am not fit to be a sweet little luna that has dinner ready by five. I am fit, however, to be an alpha female." I clear my throat, trying to remain as passive as I can be. I felt myself slipping into anxiety at the very thought that his pack was like my own. "And if you ever try to make me do anything I do not want to do, I will make your life a living hell." I ended my small rant with a sweet smile.

He looked at me for a bit before leaning towards the table. "I guess it is a good thing I agree with you then, Alpha Female Everly." He began to grin with his pearly whites showing, "the title has a magnificent ring to it, doesn't it?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out if he was mocking me or not. "Really?" I questioned him with a bit of Celeste there to back me.

"I will never say no to someone who wants to willingly do my paperwork." A chuckle rang in the air as he reached over the table and grabbed my hand. The sparks pranced along my skin and I tried to ignore it so I could focus on what he was about to say. "I think you are on the right track. Females are more often than not forced to be trophy wives. I do not allow it in my pack. They do whatever they wish. I think changing the title name would send a message to all packs around the world that this is not the beginning of time, but it is time for a change."

I stared at him in complete awe. If we had not just met yesterday, I would kiss him. "You are unlike any alpha I have ever met in my entire life." I said, still astonished by this male before me.

"And you are going to set this world on fire. It is time for equality to reign, not just alpha males with their mates at home with the pups. They will never see you coming." He held so much admiration in his eyes that it nearly made me a puddle.

For the next hour, I was trying my damndest to get him to wear a "feminist rock" shirt to his next meeting, but he kept declining because there was a dress code he could not break.

"What about if I got one and wore it underneath my suit?" He laughed, opening the cafe door for me to exit. We stayed at The Burrow until we absolutely had to leave to catch our flight. To say it bummed me would be the understatement of the year.

"Boringgg." I drugged out the "g" and walked beside him to the SUV.

He rolled his eyes at me and escorted me to the passenger side, opening the door. "Okay, we will figure it out when the time comes."

"I guess you are right." I said and hopped into the vehicle with a small grin. He was everything I could have ever imagined and more. He was kind, open-minded and loved buying me coffee. I was in heaven.

It took him longer to get around back to the driver's side than it should have. I frowned when he got in. His eyes were harder than I had ever seen them, and he did not hold the same grin as before. Instead, his face was holding a neutral look that did not seem good.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a soft voice, looking at him.

He stared out the front windshield and did not move to start the car. "I am not able to go with you to Aurora Dawn. My Delta mindlinked me, saying they were having a hunter problem. They can not seem to catch whoever it is. We would have to go to your house, pack your stuff and immediately head for my pack. I am not going to cut short your time with your family right before you move across the United States."

My eyebrows furrowed, and I slumped back into my seat. Well, this sucked. Then an idea popped into my head. I leaned down and threw off my heels before holding out my hand to him.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, looking at my hand with confusion.

"We have a long drive. I need some sort of blanket to sleep. Hand over the jacket." I said in a duh tone and shook my hand with mischievous eyes.

"Uh, no." He shook his head disapprovingly. "You are going home to see your parents and then you can come with all your things."

"Uh, no." I copied him. "My parents can come visit with all of my things after we sort this out. Now hand it over before I start earlier than I planned on making your life a living hell."

His jaw was tight, but he slowly shrugged off the jacket he was wearing and handed it to me. "Call your parents and tell them."

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