Blacktail Deer Plateau On the borders

"No, I'm not offended at all," Peregrine reassured his companion, then fell silent to let him finish before adding, "It takes a lot of intelligence and humility to acknowledge your place in life. I feel like many of us place a lot of emphasis on power and leadership. But a leader is nothing if he doesn't have loyal followers. We can't all be Alphas, nor should we be. There's nothing wrong with being a Beta or a mid-ranking wolf or even an Omega. Each has his place in the pack."

Dante wasn't the only one taking a moment here and there to marvel at the camaraderie developing between them. Peregrine rarely gave strangers the time of day, much less befriended them. He supposed that Dante's lack of pack affiliation helped his case, yet still... it was almost like there was a spark between them, a certain chemistry. Peregrine naturally didn't apply any romantic connotations to it. He just simply thought he'd found a cool dude with whom to shoot the shit... or whatever.

And as much as he was enjoying his new acquaintance's company, and as thankful as he was for the distraction from the grotty thoughts plaguing his mind, Peregrine knew it was time to return home to his kids. "Dante, my man, it's been a great talk. But I have my dadly duties to return to." His lips twitched into a faint smile. "Maybe I will see you around," he said with a glint in his dusky eyes. He nodded to the lone wolf, then turned and slowly began padding up the plateau.