A sense of accomplishment enveloped Derek as he stared around the big, white-painted bedroom with quiet contentment. The place now looked heavenly—the interior spotless, rearranged, and newly furnished a sharp contrast to its former muddled state.

The little witch is lucky, he thought, running his hands over the dark blue, silky bed sheets that accentuated the sleek beauty of the king-sized bed—one of the many things Mr. Jason had made available for them to furnish the house.

Turning from the view in front of him to face the window, Derek’s thoughts drifted again. Who exactly was this little witch? And who was Mr. Jason, really? 

It was clear both were human, and rich too. But how had they managed to secure a place in Moonway Street? That was odd enough—even stranger was how a father could send his daughter to this part of the continent alone. 

No matter how he turned the thought over, he couldn’t wrap his head around it. And worse—his wolf, Maru, thought the little witch was his mate.

Derek scoffed bitterly. Sure, he couldn’t deny the jitter that had shot through him when she’d leapt into his arms earlier. But he was skeptical—and, if he was honest, afraid for her. If she truly turned out to be his mate, she’d be in danger. He knew his father too well.

There was no way his father would allow a human to hold any authority in the pack, much less as Luna. The old man would rather see him mark another’s mate than accept that. 

“Hey, Derek! We’re done with the cleaning.”

Derek turned to see Shane strolling into the room, two bags swinging from his hands.

“What about the bags, the food, and all that? Are they packed into the right places?”

Shane chuckled at the question. His friend was really whipped.

“Why are you laughing?” Derek asked, unamused.

“Nothing, really. It’s just... I’ve never seen you so invested in a client’s home before. Usually, we just clean up and dump their stuff in the sitting room. But this?” Shane gestured around. “Arranging their belongings, putting food into the fridge? What’s next, you want us to cook too?”

He laughed outright, ignoring Derek’s glower. “What?!” 

“Nothing,” Derek muttered, running slender fingers through his long, jet-black hair. A few wisps came loose from the band that held it, falling across his face and brushing against his thick brows.

“Nothing?” Shane echoed, brows raised.

“Yeah. Nothing.” Derek sank onto the dressing chair. He knew Shane was right. Never before had he been this interested in a client’s home. 

Usually, he left the tasks to the others.

And yet…

“Alright then, let’s go,” Shane said, interrupting his thoughts, dropping the bags at the foot of the bed. “The pack meeting’s in an hour.”

“Alright,” Derek replied, standing and heading for the door. Shane followed.

In the sitting room, only Leo and Clem remained, lounging on the sofa and watching the new television they’d just installed.

“Where are the others?” Derek asked Leo as he dropped into a dark brown sofa.

“They already left… probably getting ready for the meeting,” Leo said.

“Oh. Alright, let’s get going then. We’re done here.”

He tried to ignore the uneasy twist in his gut. Emma still wasn’t back. Where is she? 

“But where’s Emma?” Clem asked suddenly, echoing his thought coincidentally.

Immediately, Derek cursed inwardly. What’s wrong with his beta? 

The annoyance that Clem might be falling for Emma prickled beneath his skin. Can’t he wait for his own mate?

“She went for a stroll,” Leo replied casually, eyes still glued to the TV. “She’ll be back soon.”

“But she just got here,” Clem said, voice taut with worry. “Where could she even know around here? It’s six-thirty already.”

Derek’s stomach clenched. The full meaning of Clem’s words hit him hard. His little witch might be lost—or worse, attacked by one of their kind. Sweat broke across his forehead at the thought.

“Don’t worry, Clem. She’ll be fine,” Leo said, noticing the tension in Clem’s voice.

“Why are you so sure?” Clem pressed.

“Well... a girl who can topple our Alpha can probably take care of herself.” Leo grinned.

Derek scoffed and swatted the back of Leo’s head, though the corner of his mouth twitched at the memory of being thrown by Emma earlier.

“Where did she even learn that?” Shane asked, amused.

“She told me her father sent her to a martial arts school,” Pride flickered in Clem’s voice—as if knowing this small detail gave him an edge. His satisfaction only deepened when he caught the sour look on Derek’s face.

Seeing it, Derek scoffed again. “Did she also tell you why she’s in our territory?” he asked sarcastically, the jealousy barely veiled.

Shane nudged Derek subtly, sensing the tension rising.

Clem huffed. His soon-to-be Alpha was unbelievable. “No, she didn’t.”

“Oh, I see,” Derek muttered, oddly pleased by that.

“Let’s go,” Leo cut in, switching off the television. “She’s fine. I’m starving, and the pack meeting starts soon.”

“No. I’m waiting. I told her to bring food if she comes back,” Derek searched for an excuse to stay.

“You weren’t joking about that?” Shane teased, laughing. “Fine, let’s all wait then,” he added, winking at Derek, who shot him a glare.

“I’m going to check something,” Clem muttered, rising abruptly. He’d seen enough of their exchange—enough to know Derek wanted Emma to himself. 

Anger twisted his face as he stalked toward the bedroom, not considering the chaos his action might cause.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Shane asked seconds later, folding his arms and arching a brow at Derek, somewhat pissed at the shade of aloofness on his Alpha’s face. 

Although he was secretly glad Derek had been thoroughly affected by a girl for the first time, he didn’t want it to become a source of dispute between Clem and him. The pack didn’t need an Alpha at loggerheads with his Beta—they had to sort out their issues, whatever they were, now.

“Yeah, what is it?” Derek glanced briefly at Shane,  unable to fathom why his Gamma was getting all worked up. Moreso, his only priority at the moment was finding his little witch. 

Turning toward the whitewashed front door, he tapped his forehead intermittently, as if digging up ways to teleport her to him. He glared at the door too, willing it to produce Emma. 

His mind was just far from Shane’s increasingly frustrated expression.

Still looking at his Alpha—now in disbelief, mouth slightly agape—Shane could tell exactly what Derek was thinking about: the human girl. His Alpha’s mind was completely elsewhere. 

He turned to Leo, who wore the same look; neither of them could understand Derek’s fascination with the girl.

“Could she be his mate?” he whispered to Leo, certain Derek was too deep in thought to hear.

“No. No way. She can’t be,” Leo whisper-yelled back. “Our pack doesn’t need a human Luna—not now. You heard the messenger from the White-Sted Pack two weeks ago. They want our territory, disguising it as an expansion. They expect us to move, and we can’t. That’s war—irrevocably war!” 

His blond brows furrowed with anger at the thought of their pack members becoming homeless or rogues at worst.

“...And you know his father won’t allow it,” he added grimly. “Claire is far better suited as Luna than that human girl. She’s stronger and faster. The human might be good with stunts, but this is a pack war, not a child’s karate tournament. She doesn’t even know what we are—she might flee the moment she finds out.” He concluded with a dismissive wipe of his hands, throwing a bland glance toward Derek.

“That’s true,” Shane affirmed quietly. He agreed completely. Emma couldn’t—shouldn’t—be Derek’s mate. Running slender fingers along the week-old stubble on his jaw, he tapped Derek lightly on the shoulder.

“Yes?” Derek snapped, irritated that his thoughts had been interrupted.

Shane scoffed at his tone but sighed in apology when Derek cut him a harsh glare.

“What’s going on between you and Clem?” he asked after a brief inner debate about whether the topic was worth Derek’s anger. The concern won.

“Nothing,” Derek replied dully. He was bored already. Why should he care about that betrayer? Clem wanted his mate, and he wasn’t going to allow that.

“He’s your Beta. The war will start soon, and I don’t think your father will be pleased seeing you two at odds, especially over a girl. A human one at that.”

A pause.

“It’s obvious you and Clem like her. But I think you should let Clem have her. After all, you’ll both know your mates in a month, and it can’t be her—it’s not possible. We know you guys are just looking for playthings, so let Clem have her. Let him win, at least this once.”

The thought of Emma with Clem pissed Derek off so much that a low growl escaped his throat before he realized it.

Leo gasped. Maybe he really would have to scare the human away. The pack needed Derek focused now more than ever—especially with his father’s failing health and impending transition of leadership.

“Why should I let him have her?” Derek growled, his blue eyes darkening at the thought of letting Emma go. His fingers dug into the sofa, tearing through a few seams.

“Well, for one she is not your mate. Secondly, the pack doesn’t need a human Luna. Come on, Derek, what can she do in an upcoming pack war? Thirdly, your dad—” Shane began, placing a hand on Derek’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze in an attempt to calm him.

And Derek calmed. His Gamma was right. He had to let go of Emma. It wouldn’t end well for her if he marked her. He’d have to make do with Claire.

“Go talk to Clem,” Shane said gently. “Tell him he can have Emma. We need you both at your best for the upcoming war.” He gave Derek’s shoulder another reassuring squeeze.

“Derek sighed, stood, and stalked off toward the direction Clem had gone earlier.

“Hey guys, I’m back!”

Derek whirled around with lightning speed at the sound of Emma’s voice, a smile unconsciously breaking across his lips. His eyes trailed over her—her deep red hair, her luscious lips—and for a moment, he forgot every decision he’d just made about her.

“Hey, nutheads! Here’s the food,” Emma continued, raising both hands to show the packages dangling from them, her eyes locking on Derek, who looked utterly spaced out.

Shane cleared his throat, shaking his head at the pair. Taking the food from Emma, he set it on the center table and called out to Clem, signaling Leo with a glance to join in.

“Clem! Come on out—Emma brought food!” he called.

“But Emma, where did you get this food?” Leo asked, gulping down a sweet-smelling pie, amazed at how quickly the human had found her way around their pack.

“Well, Melvina helped,” she replied casually.

Shane spat out the orange juice he’d just sipped, coughing violently. This human was really something, he thought.

“What did you just say?” Leo asked, eyes bulging in shock.