Page 19 of Ruthless Alpha Beast

“You’re right,” he says.

“What?”

I lean against the closest tree to steady myself. I know I’m right, but why is he looking at me like that?

“And you’ve treated me so terribly this whole time, why would you even think that I’d want to help you?”

He shrugs. “I don’t.”

I let out a heavy sigh. Whatever new tactic he’s got going on is messing with my head.

Folding my arms across my chest, I avoid looking at his stupid winter ocean-eyes.

“I know that you don’t want to help me, Tara, and I don’t blame you.” his voice is low and careful—uncomfortably earnest. “The only reason for you getting into this fake relationship would be that it benefits you. Don’t you want to stay here? Don’t you want to be fully a part of this community?”

I nod my head. “Yes, I do, but not if it’s with you.”

He steps a little closer. “But that’s not the point. We’d only have to be out together in public from time to time, be convincing enough that we like one another, and it doesn’t have to be over the top. I’ll be off handling pack stuff most of the time anyway. I always have people wanting to speak to me about one thing or the other, and while I’m away, you can enjoy your life.”

I stay quiet.

I don’t know.

“Think about it,” he says. “Your life here will be completely reformed; you’ll truly be a part of something. Part of a community. You’ll be at the center of pack events and have a hand in the administration of things. Shifters will listen to you. You could really change things for yourself!”

As he says all this, one thing he mentions sticks.

Shifters will listen to you.

I don’t care so much about administering events. Yes, I’d like to feel accepted by this community, but that’s not worth dealing with someone like him.

Shifters listening to me, however?

I think about all the things Monroe and Danielle have told me about the shifters’ prejudice toward witches.

I’ve heard things myself, not just from Jasper’s pack, but from other shifters I’ve come across in town.

Witches have been called all sorts of names, blamed for the curse on the land. When will it stop?

I think about the prejudice I’ve experienced, and then imagine what it must be like for a whole coven of misunderstood witches who just happen to live nearby.

“The shifters will listen to me?” I repeat.

“Yes,” he says. “It’ll take some time, of course, but an Alpha’s approval is a very, very big deal.”

I frown, avoiding his gaze.

What if I can improve the standing of not only witches among the packs but of humans in general, too?

Not like I foresee a bunch more humans moving here, or even being allowed to do so. But what if, for some reason, they do discover the supernaturals? What if there’s some future war?

If I do this and improve the image of my kind in the eyes of the supernaturals, maybe all that could be avoided.

There’s an anxious churning in my stomach as I realize the significance of the opportunity I’m presented with.

I could improve the standing of witches and of humans,andsecure a new home, which will mean I’d never have to go back to my old town ever again.

“So?” Jasper asks. “What do you think?”