Page 36 of Violet Moon
Alphas, as a whole, weren’t seen as romantic beings.Clyde had never openly had a relationship that she knew about.But then again, she didn’t really know the inner workings of their pack.Packs were private for a reason.
Another fear gripped her chest.“And I’m her Beta.This is not something that happens.Or can happen.”Sera had never heard of an Alpha and Beta being together.There might not be a rule, but years of tradition made it seem impossible.“It would weaken the pack.It weakens the Alpha.”
“How can love ever weaken anybody?”
“That surprisingly sappy coming from you.”
“Just because I don’t believe in the human notion of monogamy doesn’t mean I can’t fall deeply in love.”
“You and Clemente are the oddest and cutest pair, I swear.”Sera’s eyes widened.“Or do you mean someone new?Hugh, is it someone new?”
Hugh ignored her question with a grin.“Many, many times over too many centuries, I’ve collected love, lovers, and hurt, but I’ve never felt weakened by any of it.Not in any way that I couldn’t learn from and gain something from.”He placed his large hands on Sera’s shoulders.“Everyone I’ve loved made me stronger, even when I lost them.”
She placed her own hand on top of one of his and smiled up at him, eyes watery.A silent conversation passed between them, shared memories as friends combining with everything they’d not yet spoken to one another.
Hugh smiled back, a lopsided sort of thing, and let out a long sigh.“Enough of me.”
Sera realized it was her turn to be open now as she fell back in step alongside Hugh.“I can’t lose her.We’re tied together as a pack, as Alpha and Beta.That bond can’t be taken lightly and it’s something beyond romance for a reason.If something happened — if an Alpha and Beta weren’t perfectly in sync or when things went wrong, the health of the pack would be in jeopardy.The health, safety —“
“And reputation of the pack comes before all else.I know.And I won’t deny that adds another element that makes this more difficult, but you’d be a fool to think she feels nothing for you.”
“I know she cares for me, trusts me, but —"
“She has stars in her eyes when she talks about you, too.”
“She does not.”
“Again, I can’t convince you.I can’t make you see what you’re determined not to see, but when she sees me, she mentions you in the first five words.”
“When do you two talk?”
“I’m not a shut-in and neither is she.”
“What does she say about me?”
“Same as you.A quick story about something funny you two talked about.Or she’ll tell me about something you did that made her proud.She brags about you, you know.”
“Because I’m her Beta.”
“Stars in her eyes.”
“Hugh.”
“Stars.In.Her.Eyes.”
“Even if you were right and not making it up or reading into something that isn’t there, it still couldn’t happen.”
“And that’s something for you two to figure out, but you’ve managed to make it through much worse over the years.”
“I can’t jeopardize the pack.”
“Would anything honestly change?”
“How can you even ask that?Nothing would be the same!”
“Internally, sure.But on the outside?What would change about how the pack functioned?”
Sera ran through her day, letting her imagination run wild with what could be.She’d still bring her flowers.They’d still meet to run over the day before it began in earnest.They’d still make time to sit by the fire, hopefully more often, like they used to.Maybe it’d be easier to find time to talk because Sera’s room could be Parisa’s room and they could talk when they woke up and before bed.She felt her skin warming.“I just want to talk to her.”
