Chapter 20

Lila’s POV “You don’t want a mate...” I continued, keeping my eyes on the back of my head; his entire demeanor had changed at that moment. “So, why haven’t you rejected me?”

“Do you wish for me to do so now?” He asked, turning to glance at me.

His face was hard to read; I wasn’t sure how to answer that.

“If you don’t wish to be with me then...”

“You are my student; it’s more complicated than that,” he said quickly, silencing my words. “If word gets out that I rejected my mate, it will make me look bad as an Alpha.”

“So, you are trying to protect your image?” I asked, raising my brows. I was trying to keep the hurt out of my tone, but I knew he could see the disappointment in my eyes. “Is that the only reason?”

I thought maybe he would say something else, but his features hardened as he stared around my face.

“Something like that,” he muttered, before turning away and leaving the room. Leaving me with only my thoughts and the soft cries of my wolf.

...

I couldn’t sleep all night.

In the morning, Dee had made us breakfast before we got dressed and left for Elysium.

“Dee was nice,” I tell him as we drove away from the Calypso Pack. I was trying not to think about our conversation from last night.

“She seemed to like you too,” he said, his tone emotionless. Not that it was surprising.

“She said she was like a mother figure for you,” I found myself saying.

“You talked about me?”

He didn’t sound mad; maybe a little curious.

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My face warmed just the same.

“She was the one who brought you up,” I clarified. “You are important to her.”

He remained quiet; his gaze fixated on the open road before us. His hands clutched the steering wheel tightly.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

“What happened to your actual mother?” I dared to ask.

His jaw clenched and I thought I saw one of his eyebrows twitching.

“I don’t talk about it.”

I took that as my cue to stop talking.

The rest of the drive was quiet; I was relieved to see the Nova Packhouse in the distance. That meant I got to see my family and could distance myself from Enzo. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take.

Enzo parked the car out front, and I quickly got out to be greeted by my mother who was running toward me with her arms open wide.

I laughed as she wrapped me in her embrace.

“I’ve missed you, Lila bean,” she breathed.

“You saw me last week,” I chuckled, hugging her back.

“Yes, but that feels like an eternity ago....” She paused as she held me at arm’s length. “You have your wolf! I’m so incredibly happy for you, my love.”

I was excited to eat my mother’s homemade cooking tonight, but I was even more excited to shift into my wolf for the first time.

“Tonight, you and I will go for a run in our wolf forms,” she said, reading my thoughts.

My dad was the next to greet me; he kissed the top of my head before turning to Enzo.

“Thanks for getting her here,” my dad said to him, shaking his hand.

Enzo only nodded his head.

“I’ve set up a guest room for you. You can make yourself comfortable. As I said, you are welcome to join us for dinner if you change your mind,” my father said to him.

I frowned and glanced at Enzo; I was assuming he was coming to dinner regardless. Did he not want to?

He seemed to have tensed at my father’s words.

“Yes, Enzo. I do hope you join us,” My mother said, peering over at him with a fond smile. “I’m making a huge feast with plenty of food.”

“Thank you,” Enzo said, bowing his head to her. “I’ll think about it. I’m going to set myself up in a room and get some work done. I just caught some thieves in my pack yesterday and I need to file some paperwork for the police station.”

My father frowned.

“Thieves?” He asked, raising his brows.

“Yes, there have been invasions from some street rats,” Enzo explained.

My father motioned for Enzo to follow him inside.

“Walk and talk with me; tell me everything.”

Enzo went with him without hesitation.

My mother stared after them with a worried look in her eyes.

“Was anyone seriously hurt?” She asked me as we went inside.

“There was a woman yesterday that was being harassed,” I tell her. “I found her about to be...” I paused, not able to get the words out. “She was naked...” I continued.

My mother’s eyes widened as she stared around my face.

“What happened with her?”

Once I finished telling my mom the entire story, she just looked at me for a long while, taking me in.

She had a look in her eyes as she tried to figure out what she should say at that moment. Then, she gave me a small smile and put an arm around my shoulders.

“I’m proud of you for helping someone in need,” she said to me. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

After we talked for a little longer, I went upstairs to my bedroom so I can put my stuff away. I could already smell the delicious foods my mother was cooking in the kitchen. I had a lightly fitted dress picked out for dinner. It would also be a good fit for when I shift for the first time. It’s easy to get in and out of.

It was best to take clothes off before shifting because clothing tends to get destroyed in the process.

Once I finished dressing, I started doing my hair. I figured I would just leave it down and maybe curl it a little.

While I was doing that, my bedroom door swung open. I smiled as I peered through the mirror and saw Brianna.

“What’s her name?!” She asked, plopping down on my bed.

I knew she was asking about my wolf.

“Valentina,” I answer. “I call her Val.”

“That’s so pretty! What does she look like?”

“Just like my mother’s wolf,” I chuckle. “She’s beautiful.”

“I can’t wait to see her. Are you nervous about your first shift?”

“I’m more excited than anything.”

I knew a first shift was incredibly painful; bones practically break in the process, but I was excited to finally be able to be a whole wolf. I heard there was nothing quite like it and I couldn’t wait to experience it.

“We’ll have to go running together. I’m so excited for you,” she said with a grin. “I think dinner will be ready shortly. Are you coming downstairs?”

“I will in a minute. There’s someone I need to speak to first,” I told her; she nods and disappears out of my room.

...

Enzo’s POV “Your pack isn’t the only one that’s been invaded recently,” Bastien said, leaning over my shoulder to look at the report I was creating. “I’m worried this might have something to do with your father’s men.

I’ll let the Alphas know to be on the lookout for any strange activities.”

“I was hoping I was just my pack and that my father didn’t have anything to do with this,” I admitted.

“But it’s a possibility. Street rats loved him. Is there anything you need me to do?”

Bastien placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Not yet, son. But I’ll let you know. Just got a mindlink from Luna that dinner is ready. Are you coming?”

“I think I’m just going to finish this and get some sleep. I’m tired after today.”

“Okay, suit yourself,” Bastien said without another word.

As I finished writing out my reports, only a few minutes had passed before I heard a knock on the door.

“Yes?” I asked, waiting for the door to open.

It opened slightly and standing in the doorway was Lila.