“The ceremony. I don’t want to go through with it.”
Her father’s face tightened with impatience.
“Kid, we’re not going to have this conversation again. You and Chad are going to be together, and that’s all there is to it.”
“But why?” she asked. “Chad...” All sorts of words came to mind to describe Chad. But she held them all back. “Chad’s not right for me.”
“What do you mean?” asked her mother. “He’s tall and handsome and—”
“He’s an alpha,” her father finished. “And most importantly, he’s Rick’s alpha. You get together with him, and our place in this clan is set. You’ll have cubs, and those cubs will be the rulers of the Thundertooth pack. There’s nothing else that needs to be said.”
“But does it need to happen so soon?” she asked. “Can’t I wait a few years?”
Sharpe let out a frustrated sigh. “Is this more bullshit about going off to college? We’ve been over this again and again—it’s not going to happen. Your place isn’t in Seattle—your place is here with your clan and your family.”
“But...but what if I want more out of life than just popping out kids and being a good little omega wife?”
“There isn’t more to life than that,” said Sharpe. “What do you think, you’ll go off to Seattle and get a degree, and after you’ve wasted four years of your life, then all of a sudden, you’ll be ready to settle down? Who’s to say you won’t want to stay out there?”
“So what if I did?” asked Lexi. “What if that’s where my destiny is?”
Her father’s expression turned even harder, and she knew right away that she’d misspoken.
“Not going to happen,” he said. “I’ve worked too damn hard at making this clan what it is for you to throw it all away because of some stupid idea about what, getting a degree in English? What the hell would that even accomplish?”
“It’d give me a chance to see the world out there. To have some experiences before I settle down.”
“I’ve seen the world out there,” he said. “And you don’t need to. It’s dangerous and violent and full of humans.” He said the word “humans” as if it were the most disgusting thing he could imagine. “And as long as I’m breathing air, you’re not going to have a chance.”
“This is so freaking unfair!” she shouted, getting up to her feet and making her voice as loud as she could.
“You don’t need to yell like that,” said her mother.
Her father stayed calm. “When you’re older, you’ll see that it doesn’t matter what you think is fair. And when you’re together with Chad and have a family of your own, you’ll thank me for what I’ve done.”
“Like hell, I will!” said Lexi. “And I hate Chad! I never want to see him again!”
With that, she stormed off. Lexi scolded herself right away as she left the room, realizing how childish she sounded, how much like a bratty little kid. But she didn’t care. She knew what she wanted, and it wasn’t an eternal imprinting with Chad that would put her life, her dreams, on hold forever before she even had a chance to pursue them.
She slammed the door to her room, put on her headphones, and grabbed a nearby book—a copy of Jane Austin’s Emma. Lexi did her best to lose herself in the book but found her attention drifting over and over again, thinking about her night last night with Chad, how cruel he’d been, how she had no idea what would’ve happened if Rick hadn’t shown up when he did.
Lexi put it out of her head as best she could. But she’d only managed a couple more pages before her phone lit up with a text from Shana.
“Hey! I hope you don’t have any big plans tonight.”
Lexi was curious. “Why? What’s up?”
“Party out in the woods tonight. Everyone’s going to be there. And it’s not just a Thundertooth thing—tons of other clans are coming.”
Lexi didn’t need to hear any more. “When?”
“Starts at around ten tonight. Want to meet Sam and me out by the barn at around then?”
“Perfect.”
A rush of excitement ran through Lexi at the idea. Going out and having some fun with people who weren’t in her clan—especially the older members—was exactly what she needed.
But as soon as she put her phone down, someone popped into her head.
Jason.
She took a slow, deep breath at the thought of him, the image of him that morning so clear in her mind. Lexi couldn’t