Edie had hardly been afraid to speak of her own ambition to anyone, even though the consequences in the past had been less than delightful. Her parents' response to her request was to try and arrange a marriage for her, though Edie had been wholly unimpressed by that. She was too smart, too clever, to bend to the will of a husband. She'd bend to an Alpha â€" for now â€" but only as a Beta. She needed the semblance of power. She needed the respect. It was an idea that he seemed willing to entertain within her. If he cast away her desire for power, then Edie would see it no loss. If he wasn't willing, she would find someone who was. Luckily for her, he seemed amused by the young girl, even encouraging her to show exactly what she was capable. And oh, was she capable. At least, her power was. She was brilliant. She knew that. She was also exceptionally clever, which was what led her to keep exactly what she was a secret until the moment it was perfect to be revealed. After all, she hardly wanted to scare him off by revealing that in her animal form, she was less than a foot tall. Her fox form was hardly intimidating. It was what had led her parents to be amused by her ambition. Who would ever consider her a threat?

The man in front of her seemed, at the very least, amused by the way that the girl seemed rather angry towards him for allowing his power to affect her so. Edie was hardly the type to let physical attraction bother her, though his touch had admittedly made her weak in the knees. But it wasn't an attraction to him in the slightest. It was merely his power. It was that in mind that had caused her remark, attempting to shake off her thoughts and clear her head. He seemed pleased by the way she'd handled it, and had her anger not faded at the mention of a challenge, she would have been annoyed by his smug features. He perhaps would view her as a toy to play with, but Edie refused to be that simple to influence.

It was satisfying to watch him as she dug her nails down his skin. Even he wasn't immune to the grunt of pain that left his lips, and admittedly Edie liked that she had caused that pain, if only it was to show exactly what she was capable of. She allowed him to pull away. It was better that way. He could see the true power of what she could do in that moment. She didn't need to touch him, only to be near him. It was the frown on his features that caused her to grin, watching as he examines his arm with absolute scrutiny. "I'm nothing if not interesting," Edie said simply in response to his phrase. He was mildly annoyed by her, she could tell in the frown that tainted his handsome features. She would have loved to push him a little further, to see what he was capable of. But for now, the point she was focused on making regarded what she could do.

Still, she allowed her power to reach out, healing him as though it was as easy as breathing. She'd gotten good at it over the years. It used to wear her out â€" and still would, depending on the wound â€" but too often she could do it without batting an eye. It was much a small wound, only a tiny display of what she was capable of. It was far faster than his own healing would allow, and based on the surprise on his features, he knew that too. Edie folded her own arms over her chest as he examined her work, content to be the smug one for a change.

"I think you'll find there's not a damn thing wrong with my work," Edie said smugly. The wound was healed. It would leave no scar, no mark to show it was even there. It was flawless, really. She raised an eyebrow as he spoke of having seen the power before. "You've seen it, but you don't have it under your thumb, do you? It's not so readily available to you."

"A deal then. I'm listening," Edie said simply, listening to the words that he spoke to her. She kept her gaze cool, as though the words were particularly boring to her. In all actuality, it was anything but. As it was, she stood purse-lipped, watching him. The offer was interesting and was certainly what she was looking for. Still, Edie had to play her cards right. She refused to act too eager. Acting too eager would only cause any advantage she had in this situation to slip from her fingers. It was her power he desired to have under his thumb, and Edie was absolutely offering it.

"Loyalty only to you?" Edie raised an eyebrow as though that was a term that would be difficult to do. Truly, she had expected only that. "Loyalty only to you in exchange for your protection and status as your Beta." She gave him a small smile, no longer pretending to think about it. Instead, she thrust her hand out and took his offered hand, giving it a firm shake.

"I think that I can agree to those terms. Seal our deal with a kiss?" She gave him a playful smirk before she leaned in, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she stepped back. It certainly wasn't a bad deal to make. Being what she was â€" a fact she was cleverly concealing from him, lest he change his mind upon seeing her size â€" it could only help to make powerful alliances.

The offer, as it was, was pleasant enough, but it was her now Alpha's next words that caused her gaze to lift to his in surprise. She'd expected his protection. She'd expected to be a member of his pack. However, she hadn't really expected an invitation to come home with him. The look of surprise was entirely uncharacteristic for the young girl. She praised herself on being one step ahead, but it seemed like Frost was rather good at challenging that. Somehow, he'd known exactly what her living situation was like, and she didn't feel quite up to asking exactly what he'd done to know that information. Still, Edie was hardly willing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd gotten to her in any way. As quickly as it had come, Edie wiped the surprise off her face and replaced it with the smug look that she'd used only moments before.

"Fine," She said as if she were doing him the favor. She gave him a playful grin as she stepped in towards him again. "So, do I get my own room, or the pleasure of sleeping with you?"