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“The betas help the alpha run the pack?” I checked, pretty sure that was what the other ladies had told me.
“Yes. Our role is minimal now that immis is barely a factor.”
I nodded. “How did you keep people from losing their mind to immis?”
“We would drag them out of their dens and force them to do something with the rest of us, mainly. Keeping everyone sane was more about keeping everyone busy than anything else. When it got really bad, tradition was to get a new tattoo to distract yourself from the struggle.”
Shit.
My heart hurt for them, if that was truly why they had so many tattoos.
“Why did you cut your hair?” he asked me, curiosity creeping into his voice.
My face warmed. “It felt like the final step toward freedom.”
His forehead wrinkled just slightly, but he didn’t push me for more information.
“I wanted to chop it for years. Allen said I would look hideous without my long hair, so I left it. Now, I’m here and away from him. Cutting it seemed like the best way to show myself that I’m finally physically free too.”
“It takes a truly shallow male to consider a woman unattractive for her hair’s length,” Amarok said. “The more I learn about this bastard, the more certain I am that he would’ve been killed centuries ago if he were a shifter.”
A soft laugh escaped me. “If shifters kill men who mistreat their women, yeah, he wouldn’t have made it long. It feels good to be able to talk about it freely, though. I haven’t had someone to talk to about him controlling me in a long, long time.”
“You can always talk to me.” The back of Amarok’s hand brushed mine, and I got the impression he wanted to hold it. I wasn’t quite ready for that, but I didn’t move away from him.
“Thank you.”
We walked in silence for another minute before I noticed a pair of large boulders nestled together. We’d passed a few others on our way, and I hadn’t paid them any mind. However, we walked right on up to these ones.
“The boulders shield the den,” Amarok explained. “The ladder is against the wall. Would you feel more comfortable going in before or after me?
I didn’t particularly care, but I thought it was sweet that he asked, so I answered as honestly as possible. “After, I think.”
He ducked into the space between the boulders, and dropped into the hole.
The sudden drop scared the hell out of me, and I scrambled to the edge, peering down to see if he was okay. “Amarok? What happened? Did you fall?”
“Male shifters don’t need the ladders,” he called back. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you.”
Geez, the bastard nearly gave me a heart attack.
“No worries.” I eased my legs over the edge and started climbing down. He could probably see up my shirt, but the bodysuit covered enough of me that I wasn’t too concerned by the possibility.
His hands landed lightly on my hips as I neared the bottom rung, and a soft squeak escaped me as he lifted me off the ladder and set me on my feet. It took me a moment to regain my balance, but when I turned, my eyes met his and lingered.
“You are stunningly beautiful,” he murmured.
“Thank you.” I brushed hair out of my eyes, and forced myself to look at him.
To really, really look at him.
At the chiseled jawline his face boasted, and the stubble growing on his chin.
At the neutral expression he wore, but the intensity in his gaze.
At the defined muscles on his arms, bare chest, and abdomen.
My body warmed, and slowly, a soft glow swelled around me.
