Danae’s POV
I groaned into a cushion.
“I was angry.
He accused me of treating him like a rung on some imaginary ladder.”
Eirwen didn’t laugh.
When I lowered the cushion, her face was serious.
“You need to understand how it works here.
An Alpha’s word is law, Dana.
Insulting his family on Ashmoon territory can get someone banished.
Or worse.”
I frowned.
“What does worse mean?”
“Execution, in extreme cases.
It’s unusual now, but it hasn’t disappeared.
Humans who know too much about werewolves are especially vulnerable.”
Horror chilled me.
“That’s murder.”
“Under human law.
Under theirs, it’s a lawful sentence.”
She leaned toward me.
“That’s why I’m worried.
He may want you, but he’s still part of a system of laws and traditions older than this country.
Attraction doesn’t free him from them.”
I looked down at the tea, watching steam unwind above the cup.
“The moment I get a job, I’m leaving.”
She squeezed my hand.
“I think that’s wise.
Give the trouble with Galen time to settle.
And whatever’s happening with Jorah.”
“Nothing is happening. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
A drunken night isn’t a relationship.”
She looked unconvinced.
“All right.
But I saw him looking at you in the clinic.
That wasn’t nothing.”
My stomach fluttered.
I refused to give the feeling more attention.
“Tell me about that Alpha mating tradition instead.
How does choosing someone work?”
She tucked her feet beneath her and settled back.
“If an Alpha finds his fated mate, he has to mate with her.
The pairing is sacred.
If he reaches thirty without finding her, he can choose another suitable partner.”
“Jorah’s in his late twenties, isn’t he?”
“Twenty-nine.
Nearly thirty, still unmated, and every eligible she-wolf in the territory knows it.
His mother’s been presenting candidates for years.”
I remembered his cold assumptions at the hotel, the immediate certainty that I must want something from him.
Seen from that angle, his suspicion made more sense.
It didn’t make it acceptable.
“That explains the first night,” I said.
“It doesn’t excuse what he said today.”
Eirwen shrugged.
“Alphas aren’t accustomed to people challenging them.
Especially humans.
You probably shocked him.”
“Good.
Someone should.”
My phone buzzed before she could answer.
I pulled it from my pocket and almost dropped it when I saw the email’s sender and subject.
“Oh my God.”
I read quickly, then read again to make certain I hadn’t invented the words.
“What’s happened?”
“Horizon Media Group.
In Portland.
They want an interview tomorrow.”
Excitement was rising so fast I could hardly finish the sentence.
“They know I’m out of state.
They’re happy to do it over video.”
I sprang off the couch, nearly upsetting my tea, and pulled Eirwen to her feet.
I hugged her so hard that we were almost bouncing together.
“Tomorrow, Eirwen.
I have an interview.
This could be the beginning of getting out.”
She laughed and hugged me back.
“That’s wonderful, Dana.”
When I released her, my mind was already racing through preparations.
What to say.
How to make them see I was worth hiring.
A future I could build without asking a werewolf’s permission.
“If they offer me the job, I’m done with this.
Galen, Jorah, all of it.
I can start somewhere no one knows me.
Somewhere without supernatural politics to trip over.”
Her smile turned determined.
“Then let’s get you ready.
Operation Escape From Werewolf Drama starts now.”