Free Scent of Salvation (Chronicles of Eorthe #1) by Annie Nicholas Page A

made a twisting motion with her fists. “Struggle. We live close to nature, and our animal instincts are very strong.” She blew out a breath. “This isn’t easy to explain. It’s like describing how to breathe to a fish.”
    “I don’t have the right tools to sense what you’re explaining. Yeah, I got that impression when your mother WWE’d me into the floor when I tried to shake her hand. Pack life seems violent. Start explaining with the omegas.” Especially if she was to live among them.
    “There’s a hierarchy in packs. Alphas are the top. The strongest, fastest, sometimes the smartest. They lead. My parents are the alphas of this pack.”
    Susan nodded. How could she forget?
    “Then there are hunters, like Ahote and my other guards today. They protect and feed the pack. This makes them very valuable to us, so in return we give them deference. First choice of mates and living space, the best clothes—”
    “You said I wasn’t being given to Ahote.” Dread seeped into Susan’s soul and she clenched her fists.
    “Not against your will. But most females would fight to have his attention. He’s a top hunter and can provide a good life.”
    “Then why doesn’t he have a mate?”
    “He hasn’t chosen one yet. He’s…biding his time.”
    Translation: He’s fucking his way around the pack before picking . Susan rolled her eyes. “I’m not interested in males like him. I’d have a hard time deferring to him.”
    “That might make him want you more.” Kele laughed. “But in his defense, I will admit to telling him to mark you. It will keep most of the males at bay until you understand our ways.”
    “Your mother didn’t give me the impression she wanted me to stay. What should I do about that?” She’d been reduced to depending on a pack of shifters who didn’t want her. Even to her human sense, that didn’t seem to bode well for her. How long could she ward off unwanted male interest before she caved in to her need for security? “What if I went with Benic? Would living with vampires be worse?”
    Kele blinked. “I don’t know. I’ve never been to the castle.”
    Susan eyebrow rose at the statement. Castle trumped cave in her books. “He seems to like you.”
    “He’s been the lord of this forest for as long as anyone can remember. From what we’ve heard of other packs, Benic is very tolerant of our ways in comparison to other vampire lords.”
    Susan remembered the familiar way Kele spoke with him. “You don’t treat him like a lord.”
    The pretty shifter shook her head. “No, he always treated me special as I grew up. Most of the others wouldn’t play with me since I couldn’t shift, and they were warned from hurting me. Benic used to waste hours playing games and telling me stories when he visited. He’d make a wonderful father.”
    Susan’s stomach tightened into a smaller ball, and she was happy they’d missed dinner. From what she’d witnessed, Benic wasn’t looking at Kele with a father’s gaze. Not anymore. “Anyway, you were telling me about omegas?”
    “Yes, under the hunters are crafters, builders and traders. They make our lives comfortable. These shifters are less dominant. Their interests lay outside the desire for power and more for quality of life. Then there are the omegas, the most submissive of the pack. They rank low and some, like my mother, consider them useless. But these are our artists, our caretakers, teachers and easy lovers. They’re very essential to pack life. Nothing is more soothing than to be taken care of by an omega.”
    Heartburn crept up Susan’s chest. “So they’re the lowest position of the pack?” She so wouldn’t fit there.
    “No, the strays are.” Kele wouldn’t meet her gaze. Her mother had called Susan a stray when they’d been in the pack gathering room.
    “Shit.” Susan plopped back on the pallet and stared at the dark ceiling. Light from the candles flickered, trying to keep the night from swallowing her whole.