Our meeting did not take place immediately. It turned out that both Liliana and I had more than a busy schedule, and it was harder than we thought to reconcile our schedules. While I had patrol and work, she took care of little Lilly and, in her words, "of her husband and brother, so they wouldn't end up in trouble." It was not difficult to guess that the trouble was related to the supernatural. I knew Tobias was a hunter, and it was more reasonable to predict that his brother-in-law was too. So, I had absolutely no idea why I suggested meeting Liliana.

Okay, I knew why. It was stupid, but I wanted to know more about my mate, even if not directly from him. I knew I had to stay away from him, but a pregnant huntress didn't sound like a potential danger. Plus, if I didn't meet anyone who was the definition of a wolf hunter, I had no reason to report it to the alpha. Weak argument, I know, but I had to tell myself something, so I wouldn't call it off at the last minute.

Thanks to this compulsion, I spent more hours at home than usual. Fortunately, I could chalk it up to wanting to spend more time with Cobe. Not that I needed an excuse to visit my family. Either way, I was with them quite often. Definitely more often than humans my age.

Being with my family distracted my thoughts and before I knew it, it was meeting day.

Liliana and I agreed on a cafe that wasn't frequented by many people, but we both knew where it was. It was near the supermarket where I used to go shopping, so I could leave the car in front of it. And while my nervousness didn't cause me to cancel our meeting, it did cause me to end up at the cafe's door less than 15 minutes before I was supposed to.

I considered for a while what to do, after all, we agreed to go for coffee together, but in the end, I decided to wait for my companion inside. I chose a table in the corner near the window so I could spot the hunters in case our meeting turned into a trap. I didn't want to accuse Liliana of deception, but my vigilance prepared me for all possibilities. I couldn't afford to endanger my pack.

I sat down and looked around the interior. The entire space was in neutral colours. All those shades of brown were probably meant to resemble different types of coffee. I had to admit that it felt really pleasant, and the strong aroma of coffee only complemented this impression. Moreover, the cafe was almost empty except for an elderly couple and a trio of female friends who were laughing together, so there was no unnecessary noise except for the sound of the coffee machine.

"Hello. Welcome to the Sphinx Cafe. What can I get you?" A cheerful young man came to the table to check my order. His smile seemed genuine, so I returned it.

"Hi. Can I have a glass of water for now? I'm waiting for my friend." Calling Liliana a friend was a bold move since I didn't know how our meeting today would turn out, but despite my shock, I thought I made a pretty good first impression. I knew she was grateful that I spoke to her daughter, but I was sure she would have found her without me. I didn't really do much, but she obviously had something else in mind or she wouldn't have given me her number.

“Of course. It’ll be right away.” He smiled at me once more before quickly disappearing back to the counter to take care of my order.

A small bell jingled on the door, alerting the presence of a new guest. I looked up at the door and waved at my companion. Like me, she came a little earlier.

It was quite ironic. In one of the children's stories, I heard when I was little, it was said that bells were placed above doors by humans to alert them to the presence of supernatural beings, particularly wolves and vampires. Thanks to their better hearing, the sound bothered them and their reaction to it revealed their origin. And now this sound alerted me, the aforementioned wolf, to the presence of the huntress. Irony indeed.

I stood up to greet her and help her out of her coat. It wasn't that cold outside, but we wolves were more resistant to the cold than humans, so I probably looked strange to her in my t-shirt and plaid shirt.

"Hormones are playing tricks on me today. I swear I was extremely hot just an hour ago," she admitted, gratefully handing me her coat to hang on the rack behind me. If we were better friends, I would have commented that she was hot either way. I enjoyed playing with words, but I don't know if she would appreciate it too. Especially when she had a husband and a child.

"Thanks. I swear the less movement I do, the easier my day goes." She sat down on the couch across from me, and I followed suit. 

"You're welcome. I'm happy to help," I finally spoke up too. The waiter returned to our table and brought water not only for me but also for Liliana. Just from this brief interaction, I had to admit that he was really good at his job, or at least good at pretending to enjoy it. Perhaps it was also the clientele of this cafe, as I had no doubt that its cosiness was appreciated especially by nicer and more polite people who wanted to enjoy a quiet coffee. Meeting rude customers was probably not a frequent occurrence.

"Ah, thanks. You're reading my mind." Liliana immediately reached for the glass and drank it down almost in one go. I also offered her my untouched glass, but she kindly declined and ordered tea.

"Do you mind if I get some coffee?" I asked her just to be sure. Since she was pregnant, she couldn't drink it and I wouldn't like to provoke her with something she couldn't have herself.

"Of course not. Trust me, during those few months I learned to live off the smell of coffee. You wouldn't believe how many times my husband had to sit next to me with coffee for me to smell it. It always managed to cool down in the end, but he knew better than to complain." She laughed at her story, and I joined her. I did not doubt the truth of her statement for a moment, Liliana struck me as a woman who was not afraid to assert herself. All the more reason why it was likely that she too had been a hunter for some part of her life.

With her permission, I ordered a coffee with milk and the waiter moved away from the table again.

“Your husband sounds nice.” I decided to pick up on what she said and continue the conversation. It was a poor attempt, but at least it took the attention away from me. I didn't want to lie to her, and there wasn't much I could tell her about my private life.

"He is. In fact, we are quite opposites, but it works for us even more. No one understands how, but it just does." She shrugged and beamed at me. Her smile was contagious, and I found myself smiling back again.

"I'm getting jealous of you," I said in a light tone, so she knew I was joking. Again, quite ironic, since my other half was also my exact opposite, only in a different way.

"If you're wondering, I'm also a great matchmaker." She winked at me and rested her head on her hand on the table. I laughed and shook my head at her suggestion. I knew exactly who she could arrange for me, but I preferred not to bring up the subject.

"I'm fine, but thanks. I'll let you know if anything changes," I assured her, also placing my hands on the table. All the tension from my shoulders gradually evaporated, adjusting to the relaxed atmosphere we had created with all that laughter.

"So you're single?" she asked, interested in my answer.

"Yeah, for a while now," I answered truthfully, not revealing more than was necessary. The last time I had anything close to a relationship was in college and that was years ago. After returning to my pack, I decided to wait for my mate to appear. I had no idea then that it would be this complicated.

"You sound like Tobias. He always says that love will find him at the right time, idiot. I think he just doesn't want me to arrange someone for him, and who knows him better than me? As I say, idiot." She sighed as if her brother's lack of interest was causing her worry.

"Honestly? I wouldn't put my fate in my sister's hands either. I bet she'd rather be looking for a friend for herself than someone to match me." I didn't even want to imagine who Cora would find for me. I'd rather trust Cobe on this and he was just as unsociable as I was.

"Okay, I think you have to introduce me to your sister after this. If only because I need another woman in my life. If I didn't have Lily, I'd probably go crazy," she admitted. I honestly thought that if our situation was different, Cora and Liliana would really get along despite their age difference. Both enjoyed teasing, but at the same time cared about their family.

Before I could answer her, cups of hot liquid landed in front of us. We thanked the waiter, who was smiling again as usual, and grabbed spoons and sugar. As I found out, Liliana loved sweets.

"How's Lily anyway?" I struck up a conversation after there had been too much silence between us. Well, too much for when it came to talking to Liliana, who always seemed to have something to say.

"She's fine. She quickly forgot about the whole incident. Especially when my brother and husband kept trying to distract her," she admitted, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe her own words.

"She's sweet, no wonder they spoil her a bit," I said, hoping not to offend her.

“They really do,” she agreed with me and sipped her tea. “But I'll do the same with Tobias' kids, so we're even,” she added, and I was glad I hadn't been drinking, or I would have nearly suffocated on the spot. 

"Until then, you'll have your next one to pamper," I said quickly so she wouldn't notice my hesitation. She laughed and agreed with me with a nod.

“True. Although I would be really happy if Toby finally found someone." That was the first time I heard her call him that. Moreover, her tone has also changed. It was no longer cheerful and teasing, but rather sad. It was obvious that she cared deeply for her brother. I didn't know whether to point it out or pretend that nothing happened.

"Of course, he will. I don't know him, but he seemed likeable," I acknowledged. In fact, I found him more than likable, but she didn't need to know that. And not even the fact that it wasn't our first meeting in the store.

"He is. And as I mentioned, he's single if you're interested." She was her cheerful self again and winked happily at me. If she continued to do this, I wasn't sure it would be safe to drink at all.

"Oh, I..." I was at a loss for words for a moment. I tried to think of an answer that wouldn't give away my mood, but also didn't sound disrespectful.

"If you're not gay, or just not interested, that's fine, you know. Since I've been pregnant, I've been getting away with a lot of things, but this doesn't have to be one of them." She noticed my hesitation and decided to calm me down. And she did.

"I'm actually queer. I'm just not looking for anyone right now," I admitted. At least I could tell her that and not give her any hope that she could set me up with her brother. Although he was the one, I wanted the most.

"Too bad. You'd be perfect for each other." I had no doubt about that. The Moon Goddess always knew what she was doing, but this time... I was beginning to wonder if she was sitting right in front of me.

"Maybe in another life." In one where we would not be from completely different worlds.