Eva was extremely happy to have a cousin sister—someone to play with, someone to talk things over with, someone who felt like hers.

  Her mother was sometimes busy helping her father with pack duties. And Derek was also busy with his friends. It was worse now that he had started college. She only saw him in the evenings, and she wasn’t satisfied with that at all.

  She wondered how long her cousin would be staying; she hoped it would be for a very, very long time.

  “How long are you staying?” she queried her beautiful cousin, who still held her hand tightly—a small thing she liked very much.

  “I don’t know yet. But I’m not leaving anytime soon,” Maya replied, smiling down at her.

  “Oh, great. We have a lot of time to talk about a whole lot of stuff then. But what is your name?” Eva asked, batting her eyelashes dramatically as she stared at her cousin with wide baby-blue eyes.

  “My name is Maya.”

  As Maya stared into her little cousin’s blue eyes—eyes that looked at her with such pure affection—she decided, right then and there, never to repeat the same thing she had done seven years ago.

  She made up her mind to protect this family against anything, even her own pack. Her pack had never stood up for her the way this family had; this family that had welcomed her even after she had betrayed them.

  She almost teared up when the little babe stretched both hands upward, silently signaling that she wanted to be carried.

  Maya nodded, fighting hard to hold her tears back, as she lifted her cousin into her arms. She was damn lucky.

  “My name is Eva,” the little girl said, staring deep into her eyes and smiling brightly.“Can we go to my room? I will show you all my toys,” she continued, pointing toward the kitchen entrance with excitement.

  Maya turned to look at Derek and Melvina, her eyes brimming with a silent question—whether she should heed the little girl’s request or turn her down because of the earlier meeting they were supposed to have.

  “It’s alright,” she heard her aunt say, much to her relief. She preferred spending time with her baby cousin over discussing issues that would only dampen her mood.

  She smiled her appreciation at her aunt as she sauntered out of the kitchen with the little beauty in her arms. Eva was already chattering away, telling her animatedly about her day at school.

  “You think it’s a good idea?” Derek asked his mother as he watched his cousin walk out with his sister.

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  Although he had seen the happiness on Maya’s face when they gave their consent, he was still skeptical. He didn’t want his sister to experience what he had experienced at his cousin’s hands seven years ago.

  “Yes,” Melvina replied, turning down the electric cooker. She was done cooking. “Get me those plates on the left side of the cupboard,” she added, stirring the pasta as she prepared to dish out the food.

  “Would she stay with us here, or in the quarters reserved for their pack warriors?” Derek asked, bringing out the flower-coated ceramic plates.

  “She’s family,” Melvina said, stretching out her right hand to receive a plate from him.

  Derek sighed as he heard his mother’s answer. He guessed he would have to give his cousin the benefit of the doubt—while still keeping a careful eye on her.

  “You should learn to let go. Ease the burden in your heart so you can enjoy life better. It’s not healthy—physically or mentally—to hold grudges. It kills your heart and dampens your beauty,” Melvina turned slightly to smile at her son.

  She laughed softly when she heard him scoff.

  “Aye aye, Mom…” Derek muttered, picking up a fork to taste the spaghetti.

  He tried dipping it into the pot, but his mother swatted his hand away.

  “Mom…” he whined.

  “What…?”

  “Let me just have a taste,” Derek pleaded, still gripping the fork.

  “You will soon, after I dish yours,” Melvina stated firmly.

  “Mom…” he tried again, attempting another dip, only for his hand to be swatted away once more.

  “Quit whining and take this food to your father,” she said, pointing at the spaghetti-filled plate on the tray.

  “But you’re his mate. You should be the one taking it to him.”

  Melvina scoffed. She knew exactly what he was up to.

  “Take this to your father immediately—unless you don’t want to have a plate of spaghetti tonight,” she threatened, raising the large serving spoon at him.

  “Oh, sure,” Derek muttered hastily, grabbing the tray and walking out of the kitchen, paying deaf ears to his mother’s loud laughter behind him.

  Staying hungry was not an option. If delivering food secured his own meal, so be it.

  When he got to the conference room, he knocked twice. He opened the door with his right hand while steadying the tray with his left when he heard his father call out a curt, “Come in.”

  Trotting into the room, he sighed when he saw his father seated, staring fixedly at the torn painting on the floor.

  He wondered how long the older man had been sitting there, lost in thought over the stupid, shredded symbol.

  “Your meal…” Derek said, standing straighter to get his father’s attention.

  “Oh. Okay. Keep it on the table,” his father replied, still staring at the painting.

  “Why are you so worked up about the painting?” Derek finally voiced his thoughts as he set the tray down.

  “Well, it’s a bad omen for a symbol of truce to be destroyed,” the older man said, finally turning away from the unpleasant sight to look at his son.

  “Okay then. Derek stopped himself at the last second from scoffing.

  He turned to leave when he heard his father call his name.

  “Derek.”

  He turned back. “Yes, Father.”

  “Your birthday is in three weeks. You know what that means, right?”

  “Yes,” Derek replied, even though all he truly understood was that he would be a year older, able to let out Maru—his wolf—and perhaps take on more pack duties.

  “Good. If you don’t find a mate that day, you will take Claire, the beta’s daughter. She is—”

  “I know, Father. I know,” Derek cut in, not finding it necessary to mention that he already had a mate. His father would throw a fit.

  “Okay then. You can go,” the older man said, dismissing him with a wave.

  Derek nodded and walked out. Once in the passage, he scoffed loudly. There was no way he was leaving his mate for Claire.

  Pulling out his phone, he tapped his little witch’s number and sent a text:

  I miss you, baby. Goodnight. Think of me.