Page 53 of Midnight Moon
He crossed his arms. “Why?”
Was he serious?
“Because mating outside of my pack means I am no longer a member of my pack,” I stated the obvious. “Hard to be their alpha in that scenario.”
“Why would your mating mean you are no longer a Summit shifter?”
I honestly couldn’t tell if Chase was messing with me. His expression seemed genuinely befuddled. I opted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Look, I know your pack has been out of the loop for a few decades, but pack associations are determined by the male line. If a female mates outside her pack, she’s signing up to join that pack.” It’s the only way to make sure there wasn’t any confusion when it came to pack affiliation for children.
Chase shook his head. “Why wouldn’t the bloodline follow the mother? That would make the most sense.”
I agreed, but that wasn’t how shifters operated.
“Because packs are behind the times with women’s rights, obviously.” Curiosity piqued, I asked, “Does the Wilds Pack think differently?”
“We haven’t had a mating between shifters of different packs in a very long time.”
I gave him a look. “That’s not really an answer.”
Chase shrugged. “I guess I don’t know.”
“So, you’re saying your alpha didn’t consider the fact I would be giving up my affiliation with the Summit Pack if we mated?”
“I can assure you, he did not.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the whole point of suggesting the mating would be to form an alliance between our packs.” Chase surveyed the forest, half-listening for any hint of our opponents as we talked. “I believe our alpha assumed you would still become your pack’s alpha.”
I blinked, stunned.
“That makes absolutely no sense. I couldn’t be alpha to my pack if I lived in Alaska.”
Chase gave me a loaded look. “The mating wouldn’t require that.”
My mouth fell open.
Was I crazy, or did Chase just tell me that mating with the Wilds Pack alpha would be the equivalent of a façade—a political arrangement?
A myriad of emotions swam in my head: anger at being used as a political chess piece, relief knowing that if Chase and Asher won the games, my life might not be completely uprooted like I’d believed, and, finally, disappointment that my future mating might not be the type of relationship I’d sometimes envisioned for myself.
I didn’t want to mate the Wilds Pack alpha, but a small part of me, deep in the recesses of my mind when I thought of the worst-case-scenario, hoped my fate might not be as horrible as I imagined. Maybe the Wilds alpha wouldn’t be an old, decrepit male. Maybe he’d be young and handsome, and I would come to like him.
But knowing the Wilds Pack alpha only viewed me as a pathway to rejoining pack society, and didn’t want a traditional relationship, cured me of my disillusion.
A loud crash reverberated through the woods. The sound echoed off the nearby cliffside.
I crouched on instinct, throwing my arms over my head to protect myself from any incoming debris.
I held my breath and waited for impact.
Nothing fell from the sky.
Sighing in relief, I lifted my head. Chase’s expression sent me leaping to my feet.
“What? What is it?”
