Liam smiles at me. “Is that so? Yeah, that makes sense.”
“I have complete faith in Felix,” Aurelia says. “It was my idea anyway, and I stand by it.”
Once again, they all look at me, making me grin. “I already told you; I‘m up for it. Gives me the chance to investigate that pack, and also to look out for Maddox, in case your worries are justified.”
“His father won’t try anything with a royal lycan around,” Dad agrees. “Let’s do it. It’s not the worst idea.”
My heart makes a leap of joy. This is the first job my family has given me, and it’s such an important one, not only for the pack but also for my mate. They are putting their trust and faith in me.
“We’ll discuss the details with Maddox tomorrow,” Dad says.
“Where is he staying the night?” Liam asks. “I guess he can’t stay here.”
“Too risky,” Aurelia agrees. “Obviously, he could stay if he wanted to, but it’s safer for him to sleep somewhere else. He said he has an uncle in the area and is currently pretending he is here for a college project. It means he needs to return at night so that his uncle won’t get suspicious.”
“Oh, that suits our plan well,” I point out.
Liam nods his agreement. Before we can continue our discussion, the door opens, and Dante and Charlie come in. “Maddox already left?” Aurelia asks.
Charlie nods. “Yes, he said his uncle already called him twice, and he doesn’t want him to get suspicious.” She is silent before turning towards Dante. “If you want to play the overprotective-dad card, this is the time for it.”
I can hear the anxiety in her voice.
“The pack isn’t a good one, is it? It’s terrible!” she adds.
“Don’t worry,” Dante says, putting his hand on her shoulder. “There is no way I will let anyone force you to leave for that pack. If Maddox wants to get past me, he will need to prove that they have changed.”
“Dante is right,” Liam assures her. “I won’t allow it to happen, either. Only if the pack is safe and you are willing to live there, will I let you leave.”
Charlie looks relieved for a brief moment before her gaze turns worried again. “He is my mate,” Charlie mutters. “It’s not like I have much choice.”
“But you do,” Silas says into the silence. When everyone looks at him, he shrugs. “I would be a bad uncle to Charlie not to point it out, and I am saying this as someone who is a werewolf’s mate and very happy with it. But it’s also a fact that you are half vampire. You could always decide to take a beloved insteadof a mate. Suffice to say you can’t have both, but you do have a choice.”
Charlie looks at him in surprise. “That’s true. I completely forgot about that.” Before she can say any more, her phone lights up with an incoming message, a smile curling on her lips. “Maddox!. He arrived at his uncle’s safely and told him they had an annoying group project to tackle.” She types something on her phone, waiting, before smiling again.
“Wolves always talk big,” Silas sighs. “But when it’s about the mate bond, there is no helping it.”
“All the more reason to make sure we deal with the issue of his pack,” Dante says. “I need to be sure that Charlie is safe there!”
*GWENDOLYN*
“I am just baffled at how much can happen in only a few days,” I mutter.
Maddox has been here for three days now, spending his time plotting and planning with Felix and his family. Today marks the day of his return to the pack… together with my own mate.
Felix nods, steering his car over the forest road that will take us to Liam’s pack. “For real. I can barely wrap my mind around everything.” He glances at Grumpy and Tiger, who have obviously decided to join me. Tiger is sitting on my shoulder while Grumpy is nestled in my lap. Even in his sleep, the Palla’s cat looks annoyed. “Are you sure it’s okay that they come, too? I am scared they will run away and get lost.”
He is worried for them? Somehow, this makes my heart do one of its familiar leaps when Felix says or does something cute or hot or both.
“It’s okay,” I reassure him. “It’s hard to explain, but I know they will not stray from me. It’s like I can understand them even though they don’t talk to me.”
“It’s such a cool-ass gift,” he says.
“You are going to be careful, aren’t you?” I ask.
“I promise,” he reassures me. “Officially, I am just with Maddox for a college project. They already know I am a lycan prince. Even your former alpha knows better than to fuck with my family.”
I nod. “Makes sense. I bet there are similar reasons for why he never outed Marina’s mate.” I pause, surprised at my own words. “Wait a moment… that has to be it! Her mate had to be someone of rank!”
