Micah

It was weird sitting around a dinner table with people other than my parents. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I even had dinner with them. I should probably make more of an effort to spend time with them. Maybe Hannah would like to go too...

My mind wanders like this for a bit before I remember something I wanted to talk to Hannah about.

"Hey, Hannah?" I ask sweetly and she glares at me.

Aww. I feel the love.

"What?" She snaps at me and my wolf sighs in content at hearing our mate's voice.

Bro is pathetic.

"What do you think about Dustin as my Beta?" I ask and she snorts on the water she was drinking.

"What?" She chokes out between her coughs.

"I had planned to make Dustin my Beta. I'm curious what you think of that choice." I say simply and her brow shoots up in disbelief.

"Why?" She asks and both of her parents sit quietly, watching us.

"Because you'll be my Luna and because you have a proclivity for pack dynamics. I'm curious what you think." I explain and she blushes a little which is incredibly cute and I smile at her a little.

"Well, I think it's a terrible choice." She states firmly.

All cuteness, gone.

"And why is that?" I ask, trying not to get defensive. She sighs and rolls her eyes, which is way less adorable the hundredth time.

"Look, I know he's your bestie-" I cut her off here.

"Alpha's don't have besties." I proclaim and she huffs.

"Yes they do. They're called Betas. Now don't interrupt me again or I'll stab you with my fork." I open my mouth to say something but her little growl cuts me off.

She's always had such an adorable growl. Like a kitten or something. I don't think she'd appreciate the comparison though.

"As I was saying, I know he's your bestie, but he does everything you say. That doesn't make a good Beta. You want someone who will challenge you, question you and be honest with you. Dustin would rather eat his own foot than tell you you're wrong. That's no way for a pack to function." She finishes with a shrug and goes back to her food as I sit in contemplation.

She's right of course. Dustin would never tell me I'm wrong. He never challenges me. Doesn't even push himself when he's training against me. That's why I stopped sparing with him. He always went easy and it was fucking annoying.

"Who do you think would be a good Beta then?" I ask her curiously and she narrows her eyes at me.

"Do you actually care what I think or are you only asking to get brownie points?" She questions and this time I roll my eyes.

"I genuinely want to know what you think. I have someone in mind and I want to know if you're thinking the same thing." I say and she thinks for a second before she nods.

"Griffin." She says and I nod in agreement.

"That's what I was thinking." I say.

"Why were you thinking him?" She asks and I take a deep breath.

I feel like this is a test.

"He always pushes me during training, shows me how to improve. Tells me his opinion, he's smart, like how you're smart. He sees holes in things like patrol schedules and honestly, the dude is jacked. He's fucking scary." I conclude and Hannah gives me a little nod with a smile.

"And that right there is how you think like an Alpha." She says and I can sense a hint of pride in her voice that makes my chest swell.

"I'll offer him the position tomorrow." I say and Hannah's mouth gapes in astonishment.

"Really?" She asks incredulously and I nod.

"I told you I'd start listening to you. And that I would make an effort. This is me doing that. I respect your opinion." I say earnestly and even her parents look a little shell shocked.

"Thank you." She murmurs quietly. I smile at her and wink.

"Did I earn myself a spot in your bed tonight instead of on the floor?" I ask and she groans in annoyance before tilting her head back and looking at the ceiling.

"Just when I thought we were making progress." She murmurs and I can't help but chuckle.

"Well, you could always join me on the floor, too. I'm not picky." I shrug downing the rest of my water and going to wash the dishes.

"You don't have to do that, Micah." Her mom says, but I shake my head.

"At our house, if mom cooked dad did the dishes. It was ingrained in me, Mrs. Quaid. I won't be able to sleep tonight if you don't let me wash up." I say with a smile and she laughs quietly.

"I don't think you'll get much sleep on the floor anyway. I'll see if I can find something to give it a little extra padding." She says, patting my shoulder affectionately.

"Oh no please don't!" I whisper conspiratorially. "If the floor is comfortable, Hannah won't take pity on me and let me in her bed." I say quietly and she laughs heartily this time.

"Good luck, sweetie. You're gonna need it." She says.

"Any tips?" I ask and she thinks for a moment.

"The girl would do just about anything for oreos. And she hates flowers. At least bouquets. She says if you love something, you let it grow. Not cut it down to watch it die." I tuck this information away for later.

"That's very... profound." I muse and she hums in agreement.

"We always joked that our Hannah is an old soul. Wise beyond her years."

"Well then she's perfect for an idiot like me." I mutter and she smiles again.

"And you'd do well to remember that." She says with a pointed stare. I swallow hard and nod.

"Yes, ma'am." I respond nervously and she leaves me to my chore. After I'm done I wander up to Hannah's room. The door is open so I peek inside and see her reading a book in bed.

She looks so fucking smart when she does shit like that.

I've honestly never read a book just for the fun of it.

"Do you have any books you think I might like?" I ask partly for brownie points and partly because I don't want to be pathetic and ask her to pet my head again.

"Um... maybe." She gets out of bed and is wearing a tank top with little pajama shorts and I can't help but groan at the sight. She smirks at me like she knows exactly what she's doing before she hands me a book from her shelf.

"It's a book about famous generals. Their strategies, old letters they wrote, things like that." She says with a shrug and climbs back on her bed.

"That actually does sound cool." I admit before kicking off my shoes and sitting on the floor next to her bed where my pillow and blanket from last night still lay.

I keep adjusting my position, making a show of trying to get comfortable. I turn to lean my back against her bed, making the bed shake and I hear Hannah huff in annoyance.

"I know what you're doing. It won't work." She says and I turn to look at her, making my eyes wide and poking out my bottom lip.

"The floor is just uncomfortable, sweetness. Can I just sit next to you until it's time to sleep?" I'm practically whining but it is what it is. She sighs heavily before she makes some room on the bed.

"Fine. But keep your hands to yourself." She warns and I nod enthusiastically as I try to slip under her blanket with her. She scoffs and grabs it from me.

"Use your own blanket." She says and my heart takes another hit.

Every time she pushes me away, it hurts a little more. And then she sprinkles affection in there, like the hug she gave me, and then her coldness hurts even more. My wolf is in a constant state of panic, scared his mate doesn't want him. I never imagined this is what it would be like with my mate, but at the end of the day I know I messed up. I can't just expect her to forgive me. And I'm proud that she's strong and stubborn. She'll make an excellent Luna. If she'll accept me.

I grab my blanket and snuggle down next to her and start to read. I'm engrossed in the book for I'm not sure how long before I look over at Hannah. She's fallen asleep with her book on her chest. The sight makes me smile. I take the book and mark her page before pulling up her blankets and tucking her in. I peck her forehead before slipping off the bed onto my spot on the floor.

I drift into sleep while trying to come up with new ideas to win my girl over.