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“And watered,” Flora muses absent-mindedly.

My father snorts.

“Right,” Brian nods with the brightest smile I have ever seen on someone. “Whatever floats your boat, Luna Flora.”

Steve and Finn groan in unison. “Goddess, have mercy,” Finn mutters.

It’s then that Harmony finally steps forward. “I apologize for the drama, Alpha Elden. We normally know how to behave ourselves.”

“You are definitely not at fault for the drama,” he answers. “It’s more on us. Beta Harmony, is it?”

She nods, shaking his hand. “I’m honored to finally meet you,” she says.

“We need to discuss a few things later,” my father replies.

My mother glares at him, poking the air in front of him with her index finger. “No work-related discussion before dinner.”

He grabs her finger with a grin. “Fine, Luna,” he teases. “We will discuss it later.”

Rosalee and Brian finally greet their daughter. While Rosalee just hugs her softly, Brian doesn’t seem to be able to let go. “I can’t believe I’m losing my baby.” I swear I can almost hear him sob. I suppress a chuckle. They are such a heart-warming and loving family.

My mother takes Brian’s big hands into hers, looking at him earnestly. “I promise we will take good care of her. Just like she was our own daughter.”

“Listen, Dad,” Annalise takes her father’s hand and smiles warmly at him. “I’m so thankful for your guidance and having my back all the time. I feel confident as an Omega because of you, Mom, Steve, and Harmony. But don’t worry, Liam will have my back too. And you can come and visit us anytime.” She turns to smile at my mother. “It makes me beyond happy that Liam’s family accepts me and welcomes me so warmly.”

And just like that, the drama dies down.

I don’t know how she does it, but she always knows what to say. If this isn’t a gift, I don’t know what it is.

Chapter forty-one

Chapter 41 Elden’s training

*ANNALISE*

EllaandIwalkto the meeting room together. I know Ella doesn’t really feel at home at Silverlake yet, which is only natural. Part of her still belongs to Red Claw, and another part of her – a pretty big part, unfortunately – has never belonged to a pack at all.

On top of that, to add to her overall confusion, she found her mate in Dante. “And how are things between the both of you?” I inquire.

She looks to the floor, seemingly a bit flustered. “We are taking things slow,” she says quietly. “I know this is stupid, Annie. I should be head over heels. I should be thankful that I found my mate and that he accepted me. I thought he would see me and instantly reject me – I was prepared for it to happen. All my life, I have prepared for it. But… Dante didn’t, he didn’t reject me. Every day I expect him to do it. But he is… he is still here.”

“You are scared he will walk away,” I conclude softly.

“I haven’t been this terrified in ages,” she mutters. “I can see what the mate bond did to you, and how happy you are, how much it brought forward your strength and potential. You have changed so much. My mind knows all that.”

I put a hand on her arm. “Dante is a patient man. He will wait. And he will definitely not walk away from you.”

“I think he needs a bit more time too.” She flushes a bit, looking at me full of hope all of a sudden. “He is so nice. No guy has ever treated me with this much respect. I’m scared it’s just going to be a dream.”

My heart clenches for her. I’m not even sure what to tell her to make her fears disappear, but years of isolation won’t just be erased in a few days. I know that, and I’m sure Dante knows it too. I squeeze her hand comfortingly, secretly keeping my fingers crossed for both of them to find their chance with each other. I want to see Ella happy. Finally, really happy.

We slip into the meeting room just in time. The only ones missing are Flora, Gamma Aurel, and her Beta Edward. He was promoted recently to become her Beta. Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t even know that a Luna could have her own Beta…Lycans really do rule differently. Something new to learn every day. Edward is young and has just taken over the job, but he seems to be doing well. Protecting the Luna is a job to be proud of, after all.

“Mom is often late,” Finn says after a while. “But is it normal for her to come to an appointment this late?”

Liam furrows his brows, looking slightly worried.

“I will send someone to look for her,” Elden says after a while. “She has blocked the mind link for some reason, and I can’t reach her on her phone either, though that’s nothing unusual. Calvin?”