Emma's Pov

　　"No! You can't come with me!" I declare hastily. Matthew furrows his brow even more in my direction, and I get up from the chair. "Matthew, there was an attack on your wolf pack because of me yesterday. I know you don't want me to feel guilty about it, but we can't ignore the fact that it happened. You can't leave your wolf pack to go on a journey that we're not even sure will yield any results. You're the alpha, you can't do this."

　　Matthew steps towards me, and I can smell his strong, woody scent filling my nostrils. "I am indeed the Alpha, Emma, so I don't take orders like that. You can't stop me from accompanying you," he informs firmly, the aura of his rank, his alpha voice, overriding my opinion. "Now go to your room, you need to rest. We'll leave early in the morning," Matthew orders, and I'm incredulous at his command.

　　"I'm not part of your wolf pack, Matthew," I respond irritably.

　　"But you're MY guest, within MY wolf pack!" Alpha Matthew's voice reverberates with authority, a growl accompanying each time he says the word "mine". I shudder at the declaration, submitting to his command. I roll my eyes and leave his presence, stomping my feet firmly on the ground.

　　How rude! Using his alpha position to send me to bed. How dare he? Does he think just because we slept together, I belong to him now? What a presumptuous jerk!

　　I sleep angry and wake up still irritated by Matthew's words. I decide once again not to have breakfast with him and Charlotte; instead, I head to the packhouse, to the dining hall, for breakfast.

　　"We found an address for Milena Golden," I declare to Gaya and Thalia, who are sitting with me. Gaya has light brown hair tied in a loose braid, while Thalia's hairstyle is more neat, her hair pulled into a tightly woven ponytail. "I plan to go there today... I wanted to go alone, but Alpha Matthew decided to come with me," I explain, annoyed, and both of them chuckle.

　　"It's an honor to have our Alpha Matthew with you, isn't it?" Thalia suggests jokingly, and I roll my eyes.

　　"When he's not being a complete jerk, of course!" I grumble before stuffing a piece of bread into my mouth.

　　"But now, seriously, Emma... it's good that our Alpha Matthew is going with you. Milena Golden might be an omega, but if she's involved in your best friend's death, it's best to be cautious. The Lone Mountain wolf pack is, well... just be glad Alpha Matthew is going with you," Gaya says with a voice laden with concern and fear, leaving me a bit apprehensive.

　　Matthew knocked on the door of my room a few minutes after I finished breakfast and returned to my room to get ready. "Charlotte asked about you at breakfast today," Matthew declares, leaning against the doorframe and watching me as I put on my sneakers.

　　"I'll talk to her today about it, thanks for letting me know," I reply curtly to him. "Can we go? I'm ready."

　　The journey to the Lone Mountain wolf pack was silent, laden with anticipation in the car. Matthew informed me of where Milena Golden lived while driving. The mysterious woman lived near the borders between the Lone Mountain Pack and the Direwolf Pack. The mention of the Direwolf Pack reminded me of Daniel; a smile formed on my lips as I remembered the afternoon I spent with the lupine Greek god.

　　"We've arrived, finally!" Matthew announces as he parks the car in front of a two-story house.

　　I step out of the car and observe the area. The street is bustling with cars, people walking their pets, and children playing in a nearby park across the street. The address revealed a two-story house made of light-colored stones. There's a beautiful garden in the front with roses planted and well-trimmed grass.

　　I'm hesitant to advance along the stone path to the entrance of the house. But suddenly, Matthew grabs my hand affectionately. "It'll be okay," Matthew says gently, and I take a deep breath.

　　When I ring the doorbell, a voice shouts from inside the house, "Coming!" It takes almost a whole minute for the person to reveal themselves from the other side, and when they do, I feel my world shake.

　　"Ava?!" I say surprised.

　　The girl in front of me looks just like Ava, except her hair is shorter, now reaching her shoulders, whereas months ago, it passed her waist. But the resemblance, the smile, the eyes, they're the same. My heart freezes within me.

　　"No, sorry. I think you got the wrong house. My name is Emily, and you are...?" the young woman asks with a smile, but there's uncertainty in her eyes.

　　"I'm sorry. I'm Matthew Anderson, alpha of the Night Howlers wolf pack, and this is Emma, she's from the Moonshadow wolf pack. We came here because we..."

　　"We wanted to find the owner of this necklace," I interrupt Matthew, taking the pendant necklace with Ava's initials from my pocket and showing it to the young woman.

　　"Oh, you found my necklace. I don't know where I lost it; I've been looking for it all day," Emily declares excitedly and reaches out to take the necklace from my hand, but I don't hand it over right away, and she notices my reaction.

　　"This necklace belonged to Ava, my best friend. But there's this photo in its place," I say, revealing the photo of Milena Golden. "Do you know her?"

　　"Yes, she's my mother. What's going on?" Emily asks, concerned.

　　"Your mother?" Matthew questions confused. The girl we saw who was Milena Golden's daughter looked nothing like the one in front of us.

　　"Yes! Is there a problem?"

　　"The day before yesterday, I saw you in the forest. That's where I found this necklace. But it belongs to my best friend; it has her initials on it," I explain nervously.

　　"In the forest?" Emily asks, confused. "Oh no, not again!" she complains and opens the door wider, "Please come in, don't just stand there."

　　Matthew and I exchange looks before entering. The house has a beautiful living room, with light and cozy tones, but I notice that there are no photographs of Emily with her mother hanging anywhere. Emily directs us to the couch and takes a seat in an armchair near us.