He leaned in , licking his bottom lip as he swallowed . " You owed me a meal . For the emotional distress of being called a parasite . " My fists clenched at my sides . " You'll get a punch in the face , that's what you'll get ." " Promises , promises " Silence hung between us . Not empty , electric . For a moment , neither of us moved . The wind whispered between the trees . The distant voices of Alphas laughing around the banquet faded like background noise . Then he said . " Funny thing about you , Seth . You walk like a ghost , fight like a wolf , but talk with a confidence about everything like someone who's been hiding something . " That landed like a punch to the gut . Because it was too close to the truth . I swallowed the burn in my throat and shifted my weight . " And you talk like a man who needs to be heard , but has nothing new to say He gave a short laugh , inched so close that our faces came dangerously close . He stared down at me , unreadable , the fire between us flaring brighter with every heartbeat " Careful , " he murmured , his voice a dangerous purr . " Keep talking like that and I might start enjoying our little chats . " I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and gave him a tight smile . " And that would be your first mistake . " Then I turned on my heel , grabbed my plate - minus the steak - and walked away without another word . But even as I crossed the clearing . I could feel his gaze like heat on my back . Still watching . Still dangerous . And worse … still intriguing That's when something else caught my eye . My spine stiffened . A little ways off , on the large dining table , I spotted Reed and Cassius sitting around Finn with their friends . Laughter echoed from their little circle of followers , but it wasn't the light , easy kind . No , it was sharper . A little too loud . A little too pointed . I think I heard my name too . And in the middle of it , hunched and trying to smile was Finn . His shoulders were curled in , eyes darting as Cassius clapped a heavy arm around him . Reed leaned in , grinning as he whispered something in Finn's car that made Finn's smile disappear . Not teasing . Not harmless . Bullying , masked in brotherhood . Since the Alpha instructors were gone , no one was watching us . Reed's evil smile and dus dirty teasing brought the memory of them intending to violet me in the forest . My blood heated up at that memory just as I was a little distracted by my emotions , I ended up colliding chest - hrst into another body Hard I looked up and nearly cursed myself . It was Alpha Asher