CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“She was so hot!” our Gamma Eric says.

“If she’s so hot, then why’d you break up with her?” Fighter asks. I can’t remember his name, despite spending hours every day with him. He and the other fighter look so much alike that, despite not being related, everyone just refers to them as “Fighter,” and they’re either too dumb to care, or they’re just happy to have any attention at all.

Because every time Eric walks into the room, he sucks up all the energy. His presence is loud and brash and immediately kills whatever calm I’ve managed to cultivate. I can’t stand him, but I’m stuck with him, not just for now, but for the rest of my life. He’s an indelible part of the pack.

“Dude, there are so many girls in this town, I can’t waste all my time on just one,” Eric says with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, like that waitress, What’s-Her-Name, the grumpy one at the diner. I’d love to kiss that frown right off her face.”

My fists instinctually clench, but I relax them by reminding myself that