Emma's Pov

　　The alpha's eyebrow raises in my direction, and his green eyes gaze at me with tangible amusement. "Debatable for what reason, Emma?" I gulp at his question.

　　Because your beauty is irritating, because it makes me lose composure. Your muscles, your voice, and your eyes make me imagine such sinful scenarios that are forbidden to be spoken aloud.

　　"Because no beauty compensates for the lack of manners you have, Mattew. What you have in beauty, you have in being a jerk," I replied finally, maintaining a sarcastic and humorous tone.

　　A mischievous smile appears on the alpha's firm lips, "So is my beauty little or great, Emma?" Mattew retorts, his voice filled with amusement that I'm impressed with the trap I created for myself.

　　"Jerk," I replied finally, not giving the answer that Mattew so eagerly wanted to receive.

　　When it's time to tell a bedtime story to Charlotte, the little she-wolf chose the story of The Princess and the Frog for me to tell her. Halfway through the story, Charlotte had already fallen asleep. Mattew sat near Charlotte's bedroom door, listening to me tell the story to Charlotte. When I approach to leave the room, he whispers to me, "Thank you for taking care of her, with homework and everything else."

　　Our eyes met for a long minute before I could say anything. I want to tell him about Charlotte, about what I heard about her having superpowers, about how special she is. "It was nothing, I enjoy spending time with her," I confess before closing the door behind the two of us. Mattew laughs at hearing me, it's not a mocking laugh, but even so, I'm intrigued, "What's so funny this time?"

　　"Few people like spending time with an eight-year-old girl," Mattew explains. He scratches the back of his neck before continuing, "I only know one other person who likes spending time with her."

　　My eyes sparkle with curiosity, "Who?" I whisper, already imagining the answer.

　　"Me."

　　Upon hearing the answer, I feel the weight of the secret rise a little more in my heart. The weight is so great that I can't fall asleep and force myself to train in the middle of the night. This time the training room is empty, and Gaya doesn't show up.

　　The training hall with two mirrored walls is silent when I finish my stretching, but the silence is broken when I hear footsteps approaching.

　　I remain alert with a stick in hand as I prepare to face whoever wishes to approach me at this hour in the hall. But I am surprised by the semi-naked presence of Mattew. The alpha is wearing only gym pants and sports shoes, his chest muscles completely exposed.

　　Mattew, on the other hand, doesn't seem surprised by my presence in the training hall; he walks through the space with unwavering confidence until he reaches me.

　　"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. His body is now at a short distance from mine, and I can see every definition of his muscles, especially his abdomen.

　　I stammer my response, "I've been training at night, it's emptier."

　　"You need to learn to train with at least one other person. Combat doesn't happen alone, you know?" Mattew declares, picking up another combat stick. I follow him with my gaze; his back is also defined, by the Goddess how is it possible for this man to be attractive in every part of his body?

　　Before I could argue against his statement, Mattew advanced toward me with an attack. "What are you doing?!" I question in alarm, defending against his attack. But Mattew doesn't respond, he just continues to advance with his attacks, and I defend them.

　　It took a few minutes to understand that this was the way he chose to train with me, by attacking me. "You could have warned me," I complain when I advance on him with the stick.

　　"Your enemies will never warn you, Emma. Why should I?" Mattew retorts along with a blow that I didn't anticipate, making me fall on the mat. He extends his hand to me, and I accept it. The touch causes a spark of electricity to run through my body. Mattew pulls my body up quickly, causing me to collide with his body, our faces very close.

　　Our noses brush, and my eyes are focused on the slightly parted lips of Alpha Mattew. When he encircles my waist with his firm and defined arms, I feel my worries disappear. I adjust my body better to his, my arms go around Mattew's neck, and I lose track for a few minutes. I just surrender to the warmth of the alpha's body, which is feverish, to the impulse he awakens within me.

　　At the moment I feel Mattew's lips close to mine, I realize what this means. Inside me, Liam's conversation with the other members of the Night Howlers Pack resonates like an alarm. I close my eyes, already knowing that the words I will speak will change everything from now on.

　　"I know that Charlotte is a prophet," I declare softly, moving a few inches away my lips from Mattew's.