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“Damn right,” I say, crossing my arms. “Seems like he rules around here with an iron fist.”
“Not really,” Peaches shrugs. “I think he’s still figuring out how to control it—his powers as Prime, I mean.”
“And what’s a Prime…?”
“Ohhh,” Peaches says. “You really don’t know anything. Okay—so you know how, in lycan squads still with the Heavenly Host, an Angel always leads the way?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Magisters, right?”
“Right,” Peaches says. “Well—when we’re free of the Heavenly Host, the power to command the pack falls to the strongest alpha of the bunch of us, usually the biggest and toughest. And it just so happened that Reyes was it.”
“So if the rebellion happened two years ago…he’s only been doing this for that long?”
Peaches nods. “I think he’s bossy sometimes when he doesn’t mean to be, and our instincts make it real easy to boss us around. So basically every little request he makes becomes…I don’t know. Like he’s telling us what to do?”
“Okay,” I say. “So his word is law—literally. So why does it work on me?”
“Because a lycan’s bite infuses the recipient with just a bit of lycanthropy,” Peaches says. “Suyin says it’s an alien thing, if you believe lycans and angels and demons are aliens. If you don’t believe that, I guess it’s just some kinda magic?”
“That’s…not super comforting,” I say.
Peaches gives me a helpless smile. “Sorry,” she says. “But I promise, life around here is much nicer than it is with other packs, and Reyes is real friendly for a Prime. The one in the Gulf Pack isn’t a nice man.”
“So I should just forgive him because he’s nice?”
Peaches shakes her head vigorously. “No, not at all! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Stop apologizing,Ishould be the one who’s sorry,” I cut in. “I keep being rude, but it’s really just because I’m bad at keeping my mouth shut. Back in Homestead, everyone calls me ‘Testy Tilda’…”
Peaches snorts. “Is that where you’re from? Homestead?”
I kick myself for letting it slip, but she’s making me feel more comfortable than I probably should be. She seems to sense my reticence, raising her brows. “Tilda, I’m not here to interrogate you or inform on you,” she says. “You really don’t have to worry about it.”
“But I do,” I say. “I’m not—I’ll share more once I get to know you more. Promise.”
Peaches shrugs. “It’s okay. I get it.”
“Back to this wolf stuff…” I say. “I have about a million more questions.”
“Ask away,” she smiles. “I guess it’s kinda like cultural exchange?”
It’s my turn to laugh now. “Do you even know what that is?”
“I read about it in a book,” she says. “I’m notcompletelynaive.”
“Right, I just figured…” I trail off. “Haven’t heard that term since before the convergence.”
“We’re getting off track,” she says. “What’s your question?”
“Okay,” I say. “So you all keep talking about bite marks and alphas and omegas, and I’m just wondering what in all hell that means.”
“This one’s a little hard to explain,” Peaches says. “And it’s gonna sound real weird to an outsider.”
“I think I’ve hit my weird threshold for the day,” I say. “After this, nothing will shock me.”
Peaches laughs. “Alright, so…you know Reyes is the Alpha Prime.”
“Right,” I nod.
