There was something so earnest and soothing about the way he said it, my wolf was unoffended and was happy enough to listen. I took a step or two toward the bank of the river and gazed down at my reflection in the water. I was pitch back. Black as the night. My wolf’s dark pelt was broken only by a white crest on my chest. My fur was matted with blood. It was the first time I’d seen myself as a wolf. It was such a surprise to see myself like that, it took me a second to hone in on my eyes. When I did, I leapt back in shock, shifting and falling on my ass as I did it.

“Jesus, fuck!” I grabbed my head in both hands, covering and then uncovering my eyes. “Is it gone?”

Jules tilted my face toward his and he shook his head. I blinked hard. His face was the picture of disbelief. I felt the same. I knew exactly what he was seeing. I’d seen it too: narrow gold striations, glowing, lit from within. Gold bleeding into ice blue. I knew what it meant. Jules knew, too. There were no exceptions. Only an alpha wolf’s eyes lit up from inside. Everyone knew that.

Everyone.

I was quiet for a long time. My head had started to pound. My first thought was of my dad and the mug I’d made for him when I was nine. I thought about how happy he’d looked when he unwrapped it and saw the words I’d painted on it—being a beta is the best thing to be. I thought about how he’d look when he realized I wasn’t a beta. I knew he’d be disappointed. I knew that for the first time in my life, I’d be a disappointment to him. My second thought was of Dalton. It wasn’t a thought so much as it was a feeling. A feeling of fury. His views and his doctrine were madness. It was madness; that was what it was. It was absolute madness to think you could ever help people by hiding the information they needed. Information that pertained directly to them. I should have known this was a possibility. I should have known what to expect. I should have been prepared.

Jules put his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into his chest and whispered, “Do you think this is why I’ve been such a douche?”

He let out a short laugh. “You’re not a douche, Sully.”

“I must be. All alphas are.”

“Not you. You’ll be different. You’ll see.”

My shoulders slumped. I liked what he was saying, but I wasn’t sure I could believe it.

“Can you do the eye thing again?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know how I did it the first time.”