Emma pov

　　"We came to say that lunch is ready," Faylen announces with a sweet, smiling voice.

　　"Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?" Amelia asks Charlotte with an enthusiastic smile, and the little wolf nods in agreement.

　　"Kylian made it, so I can't guarantee it'll be good. But it's definitely not raw," Amelia jokes, extending her hand to Charlotte.

　　The girl looks at me with anticipation, and I encourage her with a look. Charlotte climbs down from the bed and walks towards Amelia, taking the teenager's hand.

　　Faylen and I follow a few steps behind, watching Amelia engage Charlotte in conversation. Faylen has changed clothes, and I notice an improvised sling on her shoulder, supporting her arm.

　　"Did everything go well?" I ask, pointing with my chin at the shoulder that was shot.

　　"Yes, Amelia insisted on this thing," Faylen raises her arm easily, showing that the sling is almost useless, "I've had much worse injuries. It'll be fully healed by tomorrow morning."

　　I smile confidently at Faylen and nod.

　　"Who is she, anyway, Emma?" Faylen asks in a low voice. I put my arms behind my back, pondering my response.

　　"She's the sister of Alpha Matthew Anderson, from the Night Howlers Pack. Before coming here, I spent about seven months with them. I got quite close to both of them," I explain nostalgically.

　　I can't reveal that Charlotte is a prophetess, not even to my own wolf pack. I promised Alpha Matthew I'd never reveal that secret.

　　"And she found her way here alone? Knowing that me and the boys were from your pack?" Faylen inquires with curiosity, raising an eyebrow. I shrug.

　　"Kids are amazing," I replied finally. "Come on, let's eat. I feel like devouring a boar after everything that happened today."

　　"So, you weren't going to wake me up for lunch?" Brunno asks behind us in a softer voice, startling Faylen and me.

　　We both turn to find Brunno sitting on the edge of the bed. His face, which once had a brilliant glow on his dark skin, now looks pale. Faylen and I go over to help him stand up.

　　"How are you feeling?" I ask worriedly as we lead him to the kitchen.

　　"Good, Alpha Emma. How did we do?" he asks curiously.

　　I glance at Faylen, who loves recounting events, and with an excited smile, she starts to narrate everything to Brunno.

　　"But your brother must be worried sick about you, little one," Brunno comments to Charlotte, who holds a small bowl of ice cream.

　　After lunch, all of us, except Jordan, gathered outside the house for dessert. After a few bites of Kylian's spaghetti and meatballs, Charlotte was already chatting away with the members of my wolf pack.

　　"Yes, but he'll be here soon," Charlotte responds calmly before putting a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

　　Brunno and Faylen raise their eyebrows at the girl's response, and I give them a sheepish smile.

　　It'll be hard to keep Charlotte's powers a secret if she keeps acting like this, I think to myself as I stir my melting ice cream.

　　"Speaking of getting here. How did you get here, missy?" Faylen asks curiously, and my heart skips a beat at that.

　　Charlotte plays with the spoon in her mouth and looks at me with her bright green eyes.

　　"This isn't an interrogation, Fay," I say firmly and authoritatively. "The important thing is that Charlotte is safe."

　　Faylen sighs and nods, understanding my hint to drop the subject.

　　Before the conversation can change, the sound of cars approaching the house reaches us. Brunno and Faylen immediately stood up from

　　the wooden bench we were all sitting on.

　　"My brother's here," Charlotte says quietly. I place her ice cream bowl aside on the table. "He'll be happy to see you, Emma!"

　　I give her a friendly smile. I doubt Matthew will be happy to see me after a month and a half apart, especially when I didn't even have the courage to say goodbye in person.

　　"Well, let's take you to your brother then," I announce cheerfully and help Charlotte down from the high bench.

　　My wolf pack stands at the entrance of our house. Everyone is in a defensive stance, the only one missing who could make a truly intimidating impression is Jordan.

　　I notice three black armored cars parked a few meters away from the house, right at the start of the road to my territory. My heart pounds in my chest, and Accalia and Eldra are alert within me.

　　The first to get out of the cars are warriors of the Night Howlers Pack, followed by the elders.

　　"By the Goddess, how many people can fit in those cars?" Amelia asks, impressed, making me laugh.

　　"One day we'll reach that level, for sure," Kylian responds proudly, making the girl roll her eyes.

　　I stand beside Faylen, holding Charlotte's hand. The atmosphere is hostile and tense; I don't know how things will turn out from here. I wonder if the elders will think I kidnapped Charlotte, that I did it as revenge against the declaration of war between the Night Howlers Pack and the Moonshadow Pack.

　　However, all my questions vanish when I see Matthew getting out of the car. My whole body feels euphoric at seeing him again. It feels like more than a month and a half since I last saw him; it feels like an eternity. I realize now how much I tried to hide the growing desire I had every day for him, even without seeing him.

　　"How is this possible?" I mentally question, observing Matthew. Accalia stirs within me, but Eldra's reaction is different.

　　Alpha Matthew looks both different and the same. His hair is a few centimeters longer, the front strands tucked behind his ear, and his sideburns now perfectly blend into a fuller beard. The clothes he wears accentuate his muscular build even more. Matthew's stride towards my wolf pack is both slow and fast.

　　When our eyes finally meet again, a growl emerges strong and overwhelming from within me, through Eldra.

　　"My mate!" Eldra declares firmly, making my knees weak and my heart race.