Leandre called me later this afternoon, I didn’t want to pick up at first because I knew he would speak about Ella, but I did anyways.

“…hey” I answered

“Hey, you busy?”

“Nah, chilling in my room”

There was a brief silence before he asked “Want to talk?”

I munch the carrot cake my dad had made “‘bout what?”

“You parents or anything”

I didn't answer.

“I just feel like you’re distancing yourself from us…from me, we don’t speak as much as we used to anymore and...I just feel like you aren’t feeling great…”

“Lee, it’s the usual you know, my parents, everyone wanting me to marry Justice when I don’t want to get married yet nor to him. If they like him that much they can marry him for all I care” I respond

“But you know that you won’t be able to avoid it forever,” Leandre tells me

“And why not?” I ask him

“Because it’s like that, it’s the course of things” he responds

“You know, I think it’s why I don’t want to speak to you that much anymore, it’s just you’re all trying to get me to mate without even real arguments, it like 'it’s like it is', 'you must' but let me tell you I am not like you!"

“What do you me-“

“We both know what I mean, I sure as hell know who you like and it doesn’t match with who you’re supposed to like if you listen to everyone's bullshit”

Leandre seems a little taken aback that I knew because he didn’t answer immediately, I took that silence to add more calmly: “And you’re not telling me much of your life those days either”

“It’s just because we don’t hang out enough…and about who I liked” he emphasizes his use of past tense “it was just a little crush and it’s over now”

“Really?” I ask doubtfully

“Really” he answers

I still wasn’t convinced but I let him off the hook because I wanted to ask him something else I was curious about “And what do you think you would have done if…” I stop a bit to think of the best way to phrase it “…if it wasn’t just a crush, if you really liked that person but that your father got you engaged to someone else?”

“It was just a crush so I don-“ He starts but I cut him off to say “Hypothetically Leandre, hypothetically”

He seemed to think a little before telling me “I think I would do it because it would be less troublesome to deal with, no problems with either the pack or my dad and all that, plus with my dad being the alpha and me being his only child it would be even more troublesome for everyone”

Leandre was expected to bring an heir to the alpha title, so I got what he was saying but it was so unfair, I don’t know if he will eventually love someone that fits the mould of the pack, but if it’s never the case so what? He will be forced and it was so unfair.

Leandre’s dad, Marcus, the alpha was like an uncle to me, he was friend with my parents since years back so I knew him (and Leandre) well. He was kind and everything, when kids were mocking me back then he would tell them off and always succeed in comforting me.

Those days, we aren’t as close as we were, first because he is busy and has less time to make to be with his nephew but also because, with him embodying the pack he wants me to find a mate.

But you know that you won’t be able to avoid it forever

Who was he trying to convince, himself or I?