The pack meeting had already gone more than halfway when Derek and his companions stepped into the large hall — the biggest in their pack — where all general gatherings were held. Confidential meetings between the Alpha and his close subordinates usually took place in a smaller hall at the western wing.

The pack itself was a sprawling estate, complete with the Alpha’s residence, several meeting chambers, and even a hospital. Derek’s father had built it after their escape from the wicked terror inflicted by the Fallen Vampires — creatures whose name still carried dread. Those monsters had plagued not only their pack but several others for centuries.

No one had heard a word about them since the Black Moon Pack relocated to this part of the savannah. Maybe they were gone for good. No one knew for sure. For now, however, the Black Moon Pack had a more immediate concern — the White Sted Pack, which seemed bent on provoking a war.

“Why are you late?”

Derek turned at the sound of his mother’s voice. How had she even seen him? he wondered. Why was she here? Shouldn't she be with her husband?

He and the guys had chosen to stay at the back to avoid shuffling forward and disrupting the meeting — or worse, drawing the elders’ attention. They could still hear perfectly from where they stood; their heightened wolf senses made sure of that.

Looking at his mother now, Derek remembered Emma’s story and couldn’t help but smile. He was proud of his mother — always had been. He knew it was her optimism, her vibrant spirit, that had kept his father from sinking into depression. It was because of her strength that his father remained stable enough to lead the pack — at least until Derek’s own coronation next month.

“Derek,” Melvina’s impatient tone snapped him out of his thoughts. “Answer my question and quit zoning out.”

She couldn’t understand why her son was so indifferent to pack meetings. For heaven’s sake, he’d be crowned Alpha in a month, right after his birthday.

“Mum, I finished up my cleaning work late,” Derek replied, glancing sideways at his friends for backup. His mother could be relentless. Still, sometimes he wished she’d stop treating him like a child. He was nearly an Alpha, not her “little boy” anymore.

“Puh-lease,” his wolf, Maru, scoffed in his mind. “You can make decisions on your own? You couldn’t even make one about our mate.”

Derek inwardly groaned. Maru was still mad about his decision to reject Emma. The wolf hadn’t stopped calling him a coward since they’d left her house after she’d shut them out.

How am I a coward? Derek thought defensively. I’m trying to protect her.

“...there was a hitch in our movement,” Clem was saying smoothly, grabbing Derek’s attention. “Our car broke down, so we had to carry all the equipment to the house one by one…”

But over Clem’s voice, Derek could also hear his father addressing the pack.

“...as you all know, my son Derek will be crowned Alpha in a month’s time,” Alpha Peter announced proudly. “Let the preparations begin — and stay vigilant. The White Sted Pack could attack at any moment.”

Derek tuned out again. The words “Alpha” and “next month” echoed in his head. It was becoming real, and with that reality came fear. He wasn’t ready — not in his heart, even if the pack believed he was the most gifted of them all.

“Alpha Lorenzo was fourteen when he became a pack leader,” Maru reminded. “You can do it. You’ve got me, your friends, your parents... and Agrip too.”

Derek exhaled slowly. Maru was right. Agrip — his mentor and teacher — was like another father to him. The man always seemed to have the answers to everything. But unlike his father, Derek didn’t have his mate by his side.

“Don’t worry,” Maru teased. “You’ll find your mate on coronation day. Maybe Claire — since you’ve decided to reject Emma. Clem can have her then... at least until he finds his own mate.”

A low growl slipped from Derek’s throat before he realized it, the thought of Emma with Clem igniting something primal in him. Heads turned.

Shane swore softly. He didn’t need mind-linking to know what Derek was thinking about. The human girl again. Was she his mate?

Melvina’s sharp eyes studied her son’s face. She’d heard the growl and felt the shift in his energy. What on earth could have unsettled him so deeply that he’d lose control in public?

“...the house at 13 Moonway Street…” Clem’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Melvina’s head snapped up. 13 Moonway Street. That was Emma’s house.

Her instincts buzzed. Her hunch had been right — Derek and his friends had done the cleanup at the human’s place. Had something happened there? She looked at her son again. He looked disturbed, distracted.

“Did something happen?” she asked suddenly, cutting Clem off mid-sentence.

“Something?” Clem blinked, confused by her abrupt tone.

“At the house,” she pressed. “Did something happen?”

Her intuition screamed that the “hitch” Clem mentioned earlier had to do with the human girl. Emma was the only human living within wolf territory; a confrontation would have been inevitable. 

Please, she thought, let Derek not have done anything reckless. She knew how strong his dislike for humans ran.

Clem’s face froze meanwhile. Luna Melvina’s intuition had always been sharp — but this? It was uncanny. He glanced helplessly at Derek, who avoided his eyes.

“Not really, ma’am,” Leo cut in quickly, sensing Clem’s struggle. “Nothing happened.”

He cast a subtle glance at Clem, silently pleading with him to hold his tongue.

Melvina’s gaze lingered on them for a moment longer — sharp, questioning — before she finally looked away.

But the unease in her gut remained. Something had happened at that house. She could feel it.

And whatever it was, her son was hiding it.