Shane smirked at Derek’s shocked face when he saw his mother.

  He had been equally stunned when the Luna had requested him to follow her somewhere—a somewhere that turned out to be the human girl’s house.

  Shane wondered whether she had known beforehand that Derek would be there, or if she had come to see the human, perhaps to ask her to vacate the territory because of the impending pack war. He concluded it was the latter.

  “Hullo, Derek,” he said, still smirking, standing behind his Luna. “Did you get Clem’s message?”

  “I did. I was about to come,” Derek whispered, aware that his little witch was just a few feet behind him.

  “Why are you whispering?” Melvina was amused.

  “She’s inside.”

  “Derek, who’s there?” Emma asked, tired of the silence that had followed the opening of the door. She had heard some mutterings she couldn’t make out, but that was all.

  “It’s Mrs. Melvina and Shane,” Derek replied, pleading with his eyes at his mom, who looked momentarily aghast at being addressed by her son by name, before deciding to play along.

  “Melvina!” Emma shrieked, pushing Derek slightly aside as she stared happily at the woman who had been so kind to her, even though she was a stranger.

  “Emma, how are you doing?” Melvina asked, smiling warmly at the human, happy to see her too.

  “I’m great. Come in,” Emma said, making space for the older woman to step inside. “Shane, you too,” she added, smiling at him.

  “Alright,” Shane said before stepping into the sitting room. He suppressed a laugh as he watched Derek’s confusion. His soon-to-be alpha could be quite a clown at times.

  “Melvina, how are you doing?” Emma asked, placing a bottle of water she had fetched from the refrigerator on the table. The two women now sat on the couch.

  “I’m sorry, that’s all I have for now,” she said, gesturing to the bottle.

  “That’s okay, my dear… I’m great too,” Melvina replied, twisting the cap of the bottle, lifting it to her lips and taking a sip.

  “I hope you’ve eaten?” she asked, worried that the human girl had only water to drink.

  “Yes, I have. My friend Derek prepared spaghetti a few hours ago,” Emma said, smiling at Derek, who was still standing by the door with Shane.

  Derek seemed nervous; Emma couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of Melvina.

  “Oh, that’s nice. I see you’re making new friends already,” Melvina remarked, smiling.

  “Yeah,” Emma chirped.

  “Derek,” Melvina called.

  “Yes?”

  “Go with Shane. He has a message for you.”

  Derek nodded and jabbed Shane, who was still smirking. “Let’s go,” he said as they opened the door and left.

  “Do you know them very well?” Emma asked Melvina, having watched her issue commands to Derek.

  “Yes. They are my workers,” Melvina replied, annoyed at having to lie to her daughter-in-law. She was against lies—they had a way of coming back to haunt you.

  “Oh, okay. You have a company then,” Emma said, now understanding why the older woman commanded so much respect. She was clearly wealthy.

  “Are you holding a governmental position too?”

  “Yes, I assist in the governance of this county,” Melvina replied, biting her cheek as she considered what would happen when the human finally discovered the truth.

  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She experienced it herself whenever Peter lied to her; Emma wouldn’t be any different.

  “Oh, that’s awesome,” Emma stared in awe at the dignified older woman beside her.

  Perhaps I should take a picture for my Instagram page, she thought, pulling out her phone.

  “Would you like to take a picture?”

  “Yes. But you have to promise me something,” Melvina said cautiously.

  “Okay. What is it?” Emma was willing to do anything for a picture with a government official. Her father would be pleased, even if he wouldn’t show it.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “You have to promise me you won’t post it on socials,” Melvina’s voice was serious.

  “Oh, okay,” Emma said, a little disappointed. She decided she could show it to her family when she went home for the holidays.

  “Alright, take a snap then,” Melvina said, smiling.

  Emma nodded, leaned in, struck a pose, and took the photo.

  Looking at it, she noticed the picture was slightly dark due to the indoor lighting, but it still came out beautiful. She thought Melvina’s smile looked angelic.

  “Do you have anything to eat tonight, or perhaps some food ingredients?” Melvina asked, observing the human girl fawn over the picture she had just taken. She already knew Emma couldn’t cook.

  “There’s some…” Emma muttered, hoping Melvina wouldn’t insist she cook.

  “Okay, let’s cook then,” Melvina stood up.

  “But I can’t cook,” Emma admitted, playing with her fingers.

  “I know.”

  Emma sighed in relief.

  “But you wouldn’t want your boyfriend to cook for you always, would you?”

  “No, I want to learn,” Emma said, blushing at the thought of preparing something delicious for Derek.

  “But he isn’t…” she began, realizing the full implication of Melvina’s statement, but was cut off immediately.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know that too. Let’s go, dear.”

  —

  Derek and Shane strode away from Emma’s front porch, keeping their conversation nought.

  Even though it was highly unlikely Emma could overhear them—their Luna already had the human girl completely hooked—they didn’t want to take the risk.

  “What was the message?” Derek asked finally, once they were near Mr. Kletch’s house.

  “Didn’t know you were interested.” Shane took sharp, brisk steps as if he were in a hurry, earlier humor fading away.

  “Shane, quit joking around and come clean,” Derek said, impatient.

  “Joking around? You’re the one who seems not to take certain things seriously. What if we were under attack, Derek? Clem mind-linked you to come immediately.”

  Shane halted in his tracks, then tried to rein in the sudden anger bubbling inside him. He didn’t understand why his soon-to-be alpha was fooling around with a human girl—someone who wasn’t his mate—when far more pressing matters demanded attention.

  Derek stopped walking as well, noticing Shane’s fuming expression.

  “Aren’t you going to say something?” Shane asked, crossing his arms.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Derek said, his voice calm but firm. “It won’t happen again.” He resumed walking at an even pace.

  Shane blinked in surprise. It wasn’t every day he saw his soon-to-be alpha apologize. Shaking off his astonishment, he quickened his steps until he matched Derek’s stride.

  “But you should quit goofing around with Emma,” Shane finally said, noting the flash of anger that crossed Derek’s face at his remark.

  Does he really like the human that much?

  “We are not goofing around,” Derek replied. He understood Shane’s concern; the gamma didn’t yet know that the human he was teasing could very well be their Luna.

  Derek had already started planning for that future—he couldn’t afford to lose his little witch.

  “So what are you doing with the human? Courting?” Shane asked, smirking again, his earlier anger dissipated.

  Derek stopped walking and turned to look at him, sighing as he saw the teasing expression on Shane’s face. He knew his friend had entered teasing mode, something he wasn’t exactly in the mood for.

  “Maybe,” Derek said truthfully, curious to see Shane’s reaction.

  The burst of laughter that followed confirmed what he expected. Of course his gamma wouldn’t believe him—he wouldn’t have, either, if he were in the same position.

  “Whatever you’re doing with her, let it not interfere with the pack’s issues,” Shane said after laughing his fill. He found the idea of a human mate for an alpha ridiculous. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t play such a joke, especially at such a perilous time for the pack.

  “Alright, alright,” Derek muttered, relieved that the topic was closing.

  For a moment, he had debated telling Shane the truth. Trust wasn’t the issue—he trusted his gamma with his life—but he wasn’t sure how Shane would react.

  I guess it’ll have to wait. He resumed his pace.

  “So what’s the message?”

  “It’s your uncle,” Shane said, his voice laced with a strange mix of worry and contempt.

  “What about him?” Derek was growing tired and annoyed at hearing his uncle’s name for the umpteenth time that day.

  “He’s done it this time,” Shane struggled to break the news.

  “What has he done?” Derek asked, impatience sharpening his tone.

  He could tell Shane was trying to find a less harsh way to break the news, which only fueled his curiosity and anxiety. He wondered what his uncle could have done this time. His mother hadn’t looked perturbed earlier at his little witch’s place.

  My mother rarely looks perturbed, he thought. The ground could be opening, and she’d still keep her calm.

  Thinking it through, he realized she must have held back earlier at Emma’s place to avoid alarming his mate. That explanation only made him more restless.

  “He brought his pack warriors,” Shane said, holding his breath in anticipation of Derek’s reaction.

  He knew the history between Arnold—the elder brother to their pack’s alpha—and their pack. Arnold had betrayed them in the last pack war, causing massive casualties and splitting the pack.

  His hostility too, toward Derek was well-known; he had even nearly killed him during a pack training exercise. Only Derek’s father had believed it was a mistake.

  “Brought? He told Father and me earlier today that it would be sometime later,” Derek was confused. Had he misheard?

  “You should know your uncle by now. He can talk your father into anything,” Maru’s voice reminded him.

  “But how could he?” Derek wondered aloud, anger rising at the thought. “He said he would bring them after Father and I held a meeting with our own pack warriors. So what are you saying now?”

  “Talk to me, this instant!” he shouted, noticing Shane still hesitated.

  “I don’t know how he did it, or how he convinced your father, but his pack warriors are currently at our pack house,” Shane said in a rush, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his alpha’s wrath.

  Derek’s anger could be disastrous, as the cleaning job had once proven.