Melvina was speechless. The absurdity of the question could not be overstated. A human mate? For her son? 

No—this had to be a joke. Not when the pack was preparing for war in less than a month.

Seeing his mother’s stunned expression, Derek grew uneasy. He’d expected some sort of reaction, but her silence was worse than any outburst.

She had been staring at him for almost five minutes now, as though he had sprouted horns. He fidgeted beneath her gaze, anxiety prickling beneath his skin. 

If this was her reaction, what would his father do when he found out? The thought sent chills down his spine.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black denim jeans—the fabric clinging to his legs like a second skin—and stared down at the grass. When he could no longer bear the silence, he looked up. She was still staring. 

He stared back, silently willing her to speak.

“Derek…” she said at last, running slender fingers across her forehead as if to smooth the worry lines that had formed there.

“Yes, Mom,” he replied, leaning back against the massive tree that loomed over them, its wide branches shielding them from prying eyes.

“What did you just say?” she asked, still struggling to process the words. Her gifted son—mated to a human? What good could a human Luna possibly do for the pack in such dangerous times? 

Unless… unless this was just idle curiosity. She prayed that was the case. If not, Peter would lose his mind—and the pack would never accept it.

“Mom, I know you heard me the first time,” Derek said tiredly, sliding down to sit at the base of the tree. Hunger gnawed at him; he hadn’t eaten all day. He would have eaten at Emma’s, but the little witch had thrown them out after mistaking their laughter for mockery. 

The memory made him sigh. He’d lost his appetite then, angry at himself for upsetting her.

“Yeah, I heard you,” Melvina admitted at last. “But tell me, are you asking out of curiosity… or did it actually happen?”

“Nothing really, Mom. Just curious,” he replied finally, his voice low. Her reaction was giving him the creeps.

“I told you this was a bad idea,” he communicated to Maru.

“Perhaps.”

“Derek, talk to me,” Melvina pressed, cutting into his mental conversation with his wolf. “I know something happened at the house you cleaned today.”

Her hunch was rarely wrong. Something had happened—she could feel it deep in her gut. His question hadn’t come out of nowhere.

Derek sighed. There was no escaping her intuition. It was better to tell her the truth.

“The house we cleaned today was owned by a teenage human girl,” he began, meeting his mother’s eyes. His expression was a storm of emotions. “Maru thinks she’s my mate. Her name’s Emma.”

Melvina’s eyes fluttered shut at the name. Of course.

“Okay,” she said softly, sitting down beside him and staring ahead.

He knew that look. She always stared into the distance like that when she was thinking deeply—as though she could see beyond the veil of the present moment.

“So… what do you think?” 

“I don’t know,” Derek confessed. “But I feel really protective of her. And I got angry when I saw her laughing with Clem.” He paused, glancing at his mother for any reaction. 

When she remained silent, he continued. “Still, I think I’ll wait until I turn eighteen… maybe it’s just an attraction.”

Melvina shook her head slowly. “You don’t have to wait. It’s clear, Derek. She’s your mate.”

“Then I have to reject her.” His voice trembled with sadness. “The pack needs a strong Luna right now, not a weak one. A human is worse.”

“You don’t have to reject her if you don’t want to,” Melvina said gently, running her fingers through his hair. Now she understood his grim expression during the pack meeting—he was torn between his duty and his heart. Between the pack and his soulmate. 

Her heart ached for him. She could not imagine losing Peter or being forced to stay away from him.

“But, Mom—”

“Don’t worry about the pack,” she interrupted softly. “We’ll figure something out.”

“What about Dad?” Derek asked, worry flickering in his eyes. His father was the real problem; had always wanted Claire for him. 

‘Unless your chosen mate is better and stronger,’ he’d said countless times. 

Now this— a human mate— would only fuel his determination to see Derek with Claire.

Melvina sighed, though she tried to keep her tone steady. “Don’t worry about that either. I’ll talk to him.”

She knew it wouldn’t be easy—Peter was as stubborn as they came—but she had to try. For Derek’s sake. She brushed his hair again, her heart swelling as she realized how much her little boy had grown.

“Thanks, Mom,” Derek murmured, resting his head on her shoulder. He prayed her plan would work. If it didn’t, he’d have no choice but to reject Emma.

“But Mom…” he continued hesitantly, “what do you think of her?”

“Emma?”

“Yes, Emma,” he said, his voice softening. He inhaled her familiar floral scent—comforting and nostalgic. 

Her scent had always been his lullaby as a child. Whenever he couldn’t sleep, he’d creep into his parents’ room, knocking until she tucked him in. His father never found it amusing, always teasing that Derek was trying to steal his mate.

Melvina chuckled softly. “I love her. She’s a breath of fresh air.”

Thinking of the fiery redhead brought a genuine warmth to her chest. She remembered how easily she’d taken to the girl earlier that day. 

Was my wish that strong… or was it fate? she wondered. Whichever it was, she had a feeling she’d be seeing that redhead again very soon.

“But…” Melvina’s voice softened, a note of uncertainty creeping in. “She reminds me of someone.”

“Who?” Derek lifted his head to look at her. The hint of sorrow in her tone tugged at his curiosity.

“She reminds me of—”

A loud rumble cut her off.

Melvina blinked, then burst into laughter. “Seems someone’s hungry.”

Derek flushed, rubbing his stomach sheepishly.

“Emma didn’t give you the food?” Melvina teased, remembering that she had packed extra side dishes for the girl to take home to the boys.

“She did… but—”

“There you are.” A deep, familiar voice echoed across the garden, slicing through the moment.