My mother used to say only those being able to find their greatest joy in the smallest of things would ever know what true happiness felt like. Thanks to her, I learned early on to find serenity wasn’t something that could be bought or given but rather a state of mind. That’s why smiling was something that had come as natural to me as breathing. There was always a reason to smile, you just had to open your eyes and make an effort to see it.

The fresh smell of grass and flowers and trees. The sweet chirping of a bird sitting in a nearby tree. The soft feeling of a flower petal under my fingertips. The warm rays of the sun caressing my skin while a breeze played with my long hair… I still remember them vividly, all the things that had made me smile in those blissful last minutes before my life had become a living hell, before tragedy had struck fast and mercilessly.

I was on my way to our neighbors to bring them a jar of marmalade I had just made together with a bouquet from our garden when the tormented voice of John suddenly invaded my mind and pain exploded all over my body. The flowers and the jar fell to the floor, accompanied by a loud crash. The jar shattered, red jam splashing all over the place. Whatever had happened to him was bad, really bad.

I love you, Maya.

My mate shared his memory of being hit by a car. He was gravely wounded and could barely open his eyes, every breath causing him excruciating pain.

Don’t move! I am sure help is on the way and …

I am sorry. I am so sorry, Maya.

He grew weaker each passing second, I could feel it. The bond connecting our souls … it was already fading.

No! No, don’t say that! You are a werewolf, you will heal! You will heal! You will heal! …

Like a chant, I said it over and over again, unable to accept the truth. John couldn’t be that badly wounded, he just couldn’t!

P-promise me … Promise you’ll stay with our son. Promise me you’ll live.

I just shook my head, tears streaming down my face and blurring my vision.

Maya, please … I could never leave in peace know … knowing I dragged you with me into the darkness. Your …

He coughed, blood flooding his mouth.

No, you have to fight! Fight, John! Do you hear me? Fight!

Your time … hasn’t come yet, he continued, his words nothing more than a faint whisper by now. There is still … much for you ... and our pup … needs ...

Even though he was in so much agony, the only thing he cared about was my wellbeing.

Please, Maya … P-promise …

I fell to my knees, not caring about the glass splitters on the ground. Not able to feel him suffer anymore, I finally set him free.

I promise.

..ank …u … e … ppy ...

Then everything went quiet. My mate was gone, and I knew he had taken my smile with him.

Eight months later

What are the odds of a plane crash? Would it be a quick death? Would it be painful? Would my parents get a body to bury, or would the ocean become my grave?

Asking yourself these morbid questions while flying was probably something a lot of people did – especially when it was their first time on a plane. But while others most likely prayed for their dark thoughts to stay in the realm of fantasy I, on the other hand, found solace in the prospect of such a gruesome scenario.

Promise me you’ll live.

And I had made that promise. Now I was stuck, unable to end this empty existence of mine that I despised more than anything else. Breathing. Eating. Talking. Everything had become a duty now, a burden that was harder to carry each passing day. I was so tired, so sick of it all.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will prepare for landing soon. It is twenty-one degrees right now in Paris and …”, the announcement of a stewardess echoed through the cabin.

Every year the Alphas of the ten biggest packs would gather to talk politics. This year it was Alpha Jacque’s turn to host the meeting. His pack lived in the Forest of Orléans, not far from the country’s capital Paris. I was neither a warrior nor a Luna, just a lowly mate of a farmer. So how come I was sitting on this plane in the first place, you might wonder. This whole madness started a week ago.

“Aren’t you tired of this ridiculous farce by now?”, I asked.

Caleb innocently took a sip of his tea.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Oh, please. Do you think I am stupid?”

My friend sighed.

“So, you knew all along?”

A snort escaped me.

“Every day someone would pass by the farm with a snack and some time on their hands, reminding me we haven’t had a nice chat in a while. Every. Freaking. Day. And it would happen only once each day, always at a different time. Can it get any more obvious than that?”

He cleared his throat.

“You are concerned, I get that”, I added. “Making such an effort for me and organizing a baby-sitting-schedule even though as Alpha you already have more than enough on your plate … I am thankful, I truly am. But this can’t go on forever.”

Caleb locked eyes with me, his features turning from soft to stern.

“Exactly. This can’t go on forever”, he repeated. “Do you think that’s what John would have wanted? For you to seclude yourself like this? To not take part in any festivities, not meet any friends, … Even with the people working on the farm you only talk the bare minimum. That’s existing, not living.”

I clenched my hands to fists.

“John wanted me to raise our pup, he wanted a part of him to stay with me even if he himself couldn’t. If not for our son, John would have never … He would have never been so coldhearted to force this promise upon me.”

Out of habit, I lay a hand on my painfully flat tummy. At least our pup didn’t suffer like his father. Instead, he had entered this world in a deep sleep he never woke up from, bathed in my blood. Goddess, there had been so much blood …

“You are wrong”, Caleb brought me back to the present, no doubt in his tone. He let his gaze wander over the flower beds and fields in front of the farmhouse.

“When I visited you, John could never get his eyes away from you. When I teased him about it, he said: Even imagining a world without Maya, without her gentle smile and her love for flowers and animals that make this farm such a warm place … My heart breaks just thinking about it. He loved you more than anything in the world, more than his own life. I think he would have convinced you to stay, one way or the other.”

“Now we will never find out, will we?”, I shrugged. “I am stuck here, and I will be until the goddess will take pity on me and put me out of my misery.”

I flinched back at the sudden boom that sounded when Caleb forcefully slapped his hand on the table, sending my cutlery flying to the ground.

“Enough!”, he growled, the air around us sizzling with violent energy. Gone was my old childhood friend. I was facing my Alpha now. I quickly avoided my gaze and bowed my head, a show of respect. “I tolerated this pathetic, stubborn behavior of yours far too long, Maya.”

I knew Caleb made no empty threats, so I wondered what he would do. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined what he ordered then.

“You will accompany me to the meeting of the Alphas. We will depart next Friday, so I expect you to have your bags packed by then.”

My head snapped up in shock. He couldn’t be serious! Regrettably, his expression told me he was very much so.

“You are not stuck, Maya. The only chains binding you are the ones you put on yourself. If you refuse to remove them yourself, you leave me no choice but to do it for you.”

No wolf could defy the order of one’s Alpha, so here I am. Caleb planned to stay two days in Paris for sightseeing and then move on to our original destination, the pack of Alpha Jacques. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel which was located in the city center. While Martin and Grayson, the two warriors that Caleb had chosen to accompany him on this trip, cautiously looked out of the window as if an invisible enemy could pop out of thin air any minute, I did the same without really seeing anything. All the images blurred together into a grey indistinguishable mass.

“Are you okay?”, Caleb asked.

I rolled my eyes. Since it was my friend talking to me, there was no need for formalities, and I was free to speak my mind.

“I am”, I replied icily. “Just as I was fifteen minutes ago when you asked the same question. And the three times you asked me at the airport. And the dozens of times you asked me on the plane.”

“That’s … that’s good.” He ran his hand through his dark, tousled hair, a gesture of despair. “It’s just … For someone who has never traveled farther than Amber Grove you are holding up much better than I expected.”

Holding up. What a funny way to phrase it. That made it sound like I actively did something when in truth the opposite was the case. No, I wasn’t holding up anything – I was being indifferent.

After we had checked in our suite and put our luggage in our rooms the guys dragged me out to explore the city. We visited all the hot tourist spots and by the end of the afternoon, my feet hurt and I only wanted this dreadful day to end. Little did I know I still had a long evening ahead of me. We were taking a stroll along the river Seine back to the hotel when my misfortune took its course. From one moment to the other the boys stopped in their tracks.

Vampire.

I had never met one before, but the young men approaching us smelled unlike anything I had ever smelled before. Not wolf. Not Mermaid. Not Shaman. Most certainly not human. He smelled … like a flower bouquet combined with a hint of exotic spices. The scent was so overwhelming it brought tears to my eyes. I automatically took a few steps back and covered my nose. Humans however with their poor senses would probably find this combination enticing, would find themselves drawn to it.

The vampire was dressed in fashionable human clothing. I had seen some teenagers in Amber Grove wear something similar once and had to stifle a laugh back then. Skintight black jeans that looked like a cat had played with them before, leather boots of the same color that went up to the knees, and an elegant black vest casually thrown over a wide grey shirt. We wolves, on the other hand, took no interest in fashion the way some other species did. The men wore simple trousers and shirts, the woman blouses and long skirts or dresses. No prints. No fancy designs. The same applied to our shoes. I didn’t understand why someone would make a fuss over something so insignificant. What mattered was the heart underneath all that fabric, wasn’t it?

Meeting a vampire in a city like Paris wasn’t surprising, it was rather something to be expected. That he was walking in the afternoon sun without a care wasn’t unusual either. Contrary to those silly human superstitions a vampire couldn’t be killed merely by being exposed to sunlight. Yes, they were weaker during the day, but even then, they were still a force to be reckoned with. There was nothing to fear from this strange pale creature for us though. Vampires worshipped the same entity as us and they also honored the great peace treaty that had been signed centuries ago, ensuring a peaceful coexistence between all species – except humans, and we obviously weren’t human. What was unusual though was that the vampire intentionally walked towards us. Usually, all species kept to themselves and only communicated with others when there was a problem.

“Alpha Caleb”, he greeted, slightly inclining his head. “The Council ordered me to deliver this to you.”

The Council was the equivalent to our Alpha king, the ruler of all vampires if you will. What could someone like this want from our Alpha?

The vampire held out an elegant looking envelope. Not waiting for Caleb to open it, he disappeared into the crowd again.

“Well, that was … weird”, Grayson commented.

“What does it say?”, Martin wondered.

“Alpha Caleb, I would be honored if you and your three companions would join me for dinner tonight. I believe it will be a most inspiring conversation for both sides. Sincerely, Henry Albert William Edmund Beauchamp”, Caleb read the message out loud to us.

“That’s all?”, Martin said.

Caleb nodded.

“He added an address. Seems to be privately owned, not a hotel.”

“What do you think, Alpha?”, Grayson asked, eyebrows grimly drawn together.

Stuffing the card leisurely into one of his jeans pockets, he replied: “That we are about to have a fancy dinner with the head of the bloodsuckers tonight.”

...****************...

Two hours later, we found ourselves in the entrance hall of a lavish apartment. It must have cost a fortune to furnish this place. Never before in my life had I seen so much gold, we walked on a marble floor and the curtains framing the windows were of the finest fabric. It was an impressive sight to behold, which I assumed was the goal. Yet to me what stood out the most was the utter lack of warmth, of personality that this place radiated. The sooner we could leave the better. An old servant – a human, I surprisingly noted – with sparse white hair dressed in an elegant suit welcomed us, his posture and face rigid and formal.

“Alpha Caleb.” He took a deep bow. “The Master has ordered me to send you to the dining room. He is still caught up in work, but he will follow shortly.”

As soon as we were seated, we were brought something to drink. We were offered a variety of undoubtedly painfully expensive wines but collectively settled on water instead.

“The first course will be served shortly”, the old man announced.

After we were left alone in the room, I felt three worried gazes on me. Granted, if I had found myself in the same position a year ago, I would have been an emotional wreck by now. Even Caleb, one of the mightiest Alphas out there, was on edge being in the same apartment as the infamous Council of the vampires who was said to be a ruthless, bloodthirsty, arrogant bastard and feared even by his own people. But I doubted I would be lucky enough to end up on the Councils death list tonight since I was part of an envoy of a renowned Alpha. In conclusion, if I felt anything, it was disappointment.

I am sorry you got dragged into this because of me.

I flinched when I heard Caleb’s voice in my head. Alphas could communicate mind to mind with each of their pack members just as mates could with one another. Just as John had in the final moments of his life.

“If you have something to say then please say it to my face”, I got out between gritted teeth, trying to hold back the tears. “It feels uncomfortable when you speak to me like this.”

My emotions were about to get the best of me so I took a deep breath to calm myself. Caleb was my Alpha, he deserved respect, and he had done nothing wrong.

“Rejecting the invitation of the Council would have been a grave insult, so you had no other choice. I underst...”

I quickly interrupted myself when I heard footsteps approaching the dining room. Seconds later the door swung open to reveal a tall slender man dressed in a tight navy suit. He must have been in his mid-thirties when he had been turned. The vampire was blindingly beautiful like a fairy prince: pale unblemished skin, a chiseled jawline, short brown hair that was a little longer on the top and neatly styled, eyes the color of onyx and a shy charming smile. At first glance, one might mistake him for a fragile flower, but I could feel sheer power emanating from his body and surrounding him like a second skin. The scariest part was he wasn’t even deliberately showing off, on the contrary. He was restraining himself.

As the Council walked to his designated seat at the end of the table, we got up to exchange greetings.

“Alpha Caleb, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you”, the vampire said, shaking hands with our Alpha.

“I am honored the Council sparse a mere Alpha like me some of his precious time. Thank you for the invitation.”

Caleb sounded pleasant and polite, but the underlying meaning of his words was obvious: Why in the name of the goddess did you summon us here?

Luckily the Council didn’t seem offended by Caleb’s sugarcoated bluntness. His smile widened and he sat down, gesturing us to follow suit.

“No need to be so modest. You did become Alpha at an astonishingly young age, which is quite remarkable. Yet the reason for this invitation is of a private nature, I have to confess.”

My heart sank as his black soulless gaze landed on me. I felt like a fly being caught in a spiderweb without really being able to tell why.

“An Alpha playing tourist in Paris with a female wolf that’s neither a relative nor his mate … I simply couldn’t help my curiosity.”

Did he really just say he invited us out of pure curiosity? His charming smile never faltered, never betrayed his thoughts and it was impossible to guess what was going on in the head of this strange mighty being. Because there was no doubt this invitation was a pretense, that this calculating bastard must have some kind of hidden agenda. The incredulous expressions of Caleb, Martin, and Grayson showed they were thinking the same, yet as long as there was no concrete evidence proving the Council wrong, they had to play along with whatever game the head of the vampires was playing with us.

Despite our worries however the dinner proceeded uneventfully until the end. The Council and Caleb hopped from one boring small talk topic to another, starting with the reason I joined my Alpha on this trip. Other topics were the weather, the sights of Paris, and human politics. Didn’t he write something about a most inspiring conversation?

By the time the fourth course of our dinner was served it was getting hard not to yawn. But when the last course was being served – something that looked like a chocolate-caramel-cake with some berries at the side – the raw power that was bottled up in the Council suddenly burst to the surface without warning. The air crackled with a dark energy that let a cold shudder run down my spine. While the Council simply closed his eyes, stopped smiling, and stayed still, the four of us had jumped – or more precisely in my case got dragged – to our feet.

“Stay back”, Caleb roared, shoving me behind his muscular body.

Just as fast as it had exploded the energy subsided again only a minute later. The Council put his hands in the air to appease us, flashing us his charming smile once more.

“I apologize. This … gift of mine makes an appearance whenever it feels like it.”

Could it be … Did he just have a vision? Like our kind vampires had abilities humans could only dream of, like outstanding hearing, telepathy, and inhumane speed – to name just a few. Adding to all that the Council had the exceptional ability to catch glimpses of the future and thus mold it to his liking. It was an ability only he alone had, or at least I never heard of anyone else being able to do the same.

“Sebastian.”

The old human servant from before appeared at the site of his master and took a slight bow.

“Sir.”

“There is something I need to discuss with the Alpha in private”, the vampire declared. “In the meantime, please give our other guests a tour of the apartment.”

His black eyes locked with Caleb’s, daring him to oppose.

“Alpha?”, Grayson asked.

“Go with the human”, Caleb ordered through gritted teeth. As Alpha, usually, he was the one giving the commands. He wasn’t the biggest predator in this room right now though. The two warriors didn’t look very happy about the decision of our Alpha, but they weren’t left with much of a choice.

Martin, Grayson, and I followed Sebastian to the grand foyer, wondering what he would show us.

“The house was built in …”, the old man proudly started, and that was all I needed to hear to know there was no need to pay attention any further. After twenty minutes of “The ceiling fresco is astonishingly well preserved, as you may have noticed. It’s a work of the famous artist XY …” and “This remarkably detailed china vase is a present of the human King XY at dates back to …” Martin couldn’t take it anymore.

“Alright, look Mister Sebastian”, he interrupted the servant’s enthusiastic talk about an ugly painting of a fruit bowl. “You obviously did your homework and all this historical stuff might impress a human or a vampire, but to us wolves it’s boring nonsense. Can you just show us to a room where we can wait until our Alpha has finished his business with your master?”

The human blinked once, obviously taken aback by Martin’s directness, then gracefully put a hand to his mouth and cleared his throat.

“Well … If this is what the esteemed guests wish for, I shall happily oblige.”

That’s how we ended up on a rooftop balcony seated on a cozy sofa with a nice view of the famous Eiffel Tower and three bottles of cool beer. Even I had to admit this was kind of nice. Just relaxing and hearing the two warriors talking about this and that. This was the best part of this dreadful day so far.

Unfortunately, the carefree atmosphere crumbled as soon as Caleb joined us on the balcony shortly after. Whatever he had been talking about with the Council couldn’t have been something pleasant according to his cold, murderous expression.

“That motherfucker of a king wants to set us up”, he growled, his eyes almost black. Caleb wasn’t the type to get angry easily, so the situation must be serious – damn serious.

“You … you mean the Alpha King?”, Grayson asked shocked.

Caleb grimly nodded.

“The Council saw it?”

Another nod.

“Shit!”, the warrior cursed. “I mean it’s not a secret that the king isn’t the biggest fan of our pack, but that he would go this far …”

“Let me guess: That damn bloodsucker told you how we can get our asses out of this mess, but that came with a prize”, Martin speculated.

“It did”, he icily replied before he unexpectedly turned towards me. “He wants Maya to keep him company while we attend the meeting of the Alphas.”

“If some…”, Caleb started, but I immediately interrupted him.

“If something happens, I won’t hesitate to call you”, I promised for what felt like the hundredth time, demonstratively patting my backpack where I had stored the smartphone that he had handed me this morning.

“Stop worrying already! What would the Council gain from hurting an insignificant she-wolf like me?”, I argued.

When Caleb had asked the vampire about the reason for this peculiar demand of his, he’d gotten the same answer as before: curiosity. Since vampires were known for their eccentricity, he had probably spoken the truth. For all we knew, the guy was just a bored, old bloodsucker. Alpha that he was, Caleb was used to powerplays and simply too paranoid to accept such an anticlimactic solution.

“And besides, you have way bigger things on your plate right now!”, I added.

We had no cause to doubt the Council’s warning, which meant the Alpha king was out to get us. Even though I had complete confidence in the abilities of my Alpha, standing his ground against the king wouldn’t be a walk in the park.

“So … can I get in now?”

I turned towards the black car that was parked behind me. The Council had arranged for his servant to pick me up at our hotel after breakfast, but Caleb being the overprotective Alpha male that he was struggled to let me go. He ruffled his fingers through his black hair and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Go”, Caleb growled. “But don’t you dare let that shady bloodsucker harm even a single hair on your body, is that understood?”

“Loud and clear, Alpha!”

Each of the guys hugged me goodbye, and I finally got into the car.

When we arrived at the pompous residence of the Council, I was shown the room I would be staying in for the next couple of days.

“Please don’t hesitate to ask should you need anything, my Lady”, the old human servant declared, his gloved hands gracefully folded in front of his body and his posture flawless. “Unfortunately, the Master has some urgent business to attend to and will not be home before dinner. He asked me to convey his deepest regret. Until his return, the young Lady may roam the apartment as she pleases.”

After gracing me with a deep bow, he left.

The room I was assigned was huge, the furniture as lush as everything in the vampire’s home. I turned to my wolf to take a good sniff at the place – and immediately regretted it: Citric cleaning agent, the stifling smell of old wood, tapestry, and curtains, remnants of the overpowering flowery scent of vampires, and the faint stench of exhaust fumes from the city surrounding us. The unpleasant mixture brought tears to my eyes.

After I stored away my suitcase and my backpack, I decided to take the human up on his offer and explore. I was no more interested in this fancy vampire lair than I was the day before, but I was bored and wanted to stretch my legs. I was not used to idly sit around and stare holes in the wall. At the farm, there was always something to do: Tending to the fields or our garden, taking care of the cows, horses, chickens, and pigs – not to forget the everyday household chores. Yet, I would not want it any other way. It was a peaceful, humble life that provided me with everything I needed. But then John ...

Just thinking about my mate felt like a dozen knives slowly pierced my heart until all that was left were a view barely functional shreds. I bit my lips, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to get the better of me once again. As if I could prevent my heart from falling apart, I pressed my hand against my chest, even though I knew all too well how futile it was. I only managed to hold on for a few seconds before I slumped to the ground with a cry of despair and allowed the tears to fall freely.

Promise me.

Why? Why did he force such a cruel promise on me? John was my whole world, had been since the day we discovered we were mates. On that fateful day ten years ago, I had just turned thirteen, John fifteen. It was Beltane, and the whole pack had gathered to celebrate. Our eyes had met over the bonfire, and suddenly we had known. It was a moment I would never forget. Ever since then, we were inseparable. We were one of the lucky ones, finding our mate at such a young age, within the same pack even. All our friends envied us.

John was all I could have asked for. He had a kind, gentle soul, and despite being a male wolf he never made me feel weak or inferior to him. The other young males often made fun of him, called him a love-drunken fool for showering me with romantic gestures and fulfilling my every wish, but John didn't care. He just smiled and then kissed the hell out of me for all of them to see. Every morning I woke up by his side, I started the day knowing I was cherished and loved. Even in my worst nightmare, I couldn’t have imagined that our happiness would find such a cruel, abrupt ending.

It was not until an hour later that the last tears had dried. Somehow, I could muster up the strength to pull myself together and finally start exploring. I halfheartedly dragged my feet from one room to the other, dully noting all the grandeur surrounding me. I couldn’t live in a place like this, stuffed with so much splendor but so little heart. How could anybody possibly feel at ease in such a cold place? There was no trace of the owner’s personality to be found, nothing personal that hinted at the Council’s interests or the things he held dear. The apartment resembled a museum rather than a home. It definitely had the size of one. There were three floors in total and more rooms than I cared to count. What was even more shocking, though, was that the human servant and I were currently the only persons here. I could neither hear nor smell someone else – be it vampire, wolf, or human. What a colossal waste of space ...

I had long given up on finding a room I felt comfortable in when I stumbled over a terrace adjoined to the library (yes, this apartment had a library that had the same size as our entire house!). A big part of the terrace was used as a garden with an oak tree in the center and an assortment of bushes and round flower patches framing this small green paradise. Three sets of stairs, one on each side of the square-shaped garden, led to a balcony that offered a boring view of the neighboring houses. One could see the plants were being looked after, but the last visit of the gardener had obviously been some time ago. The bushes needed pruning, and weed had started to grow everywhere.

My hands itched to get to work, but I didn’t have any tools. Without thinking much, I decided to call the human servant for help, and twenty minutes later, I had all I needed to knock this garden into shape.

“Do you wish me to assist you, my Lady?”, the human offered.

“No, I’ll manage. Thank you."

I put on gloves and a sun hat and got down to work. When I had almost finished clearing the second flower patch of weeds, I unexpectedly got company. A grim-looking white cat with fluffy fur threw me a questioning look as she descended the stairs closest to me. The name Queen was written on a golden nametag she wore around her neck, hanging from a pink leather necklace. I didn’t take the Council for an animal person, but I was happy to be proven wrong. The cat kept looking at me with her big beautiful grey eyes as if she was evaluating me. Not wanting to fail the test, I took off my hat and curtseyed before her.

“Sorry for invading your garden, my Queen", I said, sending her a reconciling smile.

The cat came closer, pleased with my behavior, apparently. I got on my knees and offered her my hand. She took a careful sniff, then circled me once in the slow, graceful manner that was so typical for cats. Afterwards, Queen rubbed her head and body against my legs while letting out a satisfied purr. I patted her back, honored that the animal allowed me such closeness. I loved animals. Whenever John and I had visited a breeder, we ended up with at least one more family member than we originally intended to.

“Stop looking at me like that!” John tried to act stern. “We are not getting a second horse because you ,don’t want to separate true friends'”, he quoted my very solid reason for adopting. "We have plenty of horses at home. The stallion will have new friends in no time."

“But not this friend”, I insisted. “Only a coldhearted monster would have the heart to split those two up – I mean look at them! Can't you see how happy they are with each other?”

Hands stemmed into his hips, John let out a tired sigh.

“You know a horse costs money, time, and space, right? And we already have seven of them living with us!”, he tried to reason with me. “We decided to get another one because Merlin will retire soon – and under your care, I have no doubt he will enjoy his pension for many years to come.”

“I will train both of them to become work animals, so we could rent them to Stephan, Carl, and their men on a regular basis”, I suggested. The lumberjacks often asked for some of our horses, and they paid well for this service. They also treated the animals well, so it was a win-win for everyone.

“We are not leaving this place until I agree, aren’t we?”, John eventually caved in.

Victory! I slung my arms around my mates’ neck and gave him a thank-you kiss.

“You are the best!”, I declared with a wide grin.

John hugged me closer to him.

“Tell me something I don’t know”, he replied with a smile that turned my knees into jelly. Goddess, how could a male be so perfect?

“How about we take a stroll in the woods tonight?”, I proposed, the words rough with lust. “My wolf hungers for its mate ...”

The animal inside me was delighted with the idea, and judging by the way John’s eyes turned a few shades darker, it wasn't the only one.

“Now that's a wish I’ll happily grant.”

A few loud Meows brought me back to the present. Queen gently nudged my hand and looked up at me with worry in her gaze. I quickly wiped away my tears and continued patting her.

“I miss him so much”, I quietly confessed, my voice thin and shaky. Animals might not understand the precise meaning of what we told them, but they could sense our emotions behind it, could offer us comfort if they wanted to.

Queen let out another loud Meow and rubbed her head against me as if to say: "Don't be sad. I am here for you."

"Thank you."

With a last Meow, the cat broke away from my hand and strutted to the big oak tree where she quickly found a nice shadowy spot to rest.

“You may resume your work, gardener. I’ll keep an eye on you”, she would have probably said if she could.

“I won’t disappoint you, my Queen!”, I vowed, earning me a big yawn from her. Of course, she was expecting nothing less from me.

Around twelve, the human servant appeared, asking me what I would like for lunch.

“You don't need to trouble yourself! If it's okay, I'll use the kitchen and quickly prepare some sandwiches to eat out here. The weather is so nice today, it practically begs for a picnic!”

“It is no trouble at all, my Lady. It is my honorable duty in which I take the utmost pride in", the human insisted. “I'll order the kitchen to put together a selection of sandwiches and something to quench the thirst. Anything else?”

Sensing there was no use arguing with that stubborn human, I gave up and added: “Maybe something to eat and drink for the cat, if it's not too much to ask.”

Half an hour later, the old man came back with a blanket and a huge basket full of sandwiches, fruits, and drinks that could easily feed a whole family.

“Thank you, it looks delicious! Would you like to join me?”, I offered, not wanting so much food to go to waste.

“My Lady is too kind, but that would be highly inappropriate”, he politely declined. “If there is nothing else, I shall continue with my duties. I hope you enjoy your meal, my Lady.”

Queen and I peacefully ate our lunch side by side in the shadow of the oak tree. The sandwiches were as delicious as they looked, at least the ones I managed to try. There were just too many of them. I finished off my meal with a few slices of watermelon, let the food sink for a couple of minutes, and then continued to trim the bushes.

It took me until the late afternoon to finish everything up to my utmost satisfaction. Tired from my work, I joined Queen in the shadow. She climbed on my lap, expecting a good pat, and I was all too happy to oblige her.

I must have dozed off at one point because the next thing I remembered was hearing Queen angrily hiss at someone before getting up and going on the run. My eyes popped open in shock, and my wolf senses switched to full alert. The flowery scent of a vampire made my nose itch, and I knew who had upset Queen without looking up.

“I am glad to see you found something to occupy yourself with while I was gone”, the Council said. Dressed in formal human clothing he towered over me, offering me his hand to help me up. I reluctantly took it, not comfortable with having to touch a vampire, a male at that. His skin felt awfully cold compared to my naturally warm one.

“I apologize for being such an inattentive host. I vow to do better from now on.”

“I am sure you had your reasons, Council.”

“Henry”, he corrected. “Please call me Henry. After all, we’ll be spending the next few days together.”

I blinked, wondering if I had heard him correctly. Why in the world would the Council offer someone like me to address him informally? Then again, I had no idea why he had forced Caleb to let me, a low she-wolf, keep him company in the first place. Just what was going on in that vampire’s head?

“Henry then”, I complied, not having much of a choice.

“Since you have been cooped up in my apartment the whole day, I thought it would be nice to dine out. I guess you will want to freshen up first, so take your time and we will leave when you are ready.”

A female servant I had not seen before entered the garden. She was human as well.

“This is Adele. She will tend to you for the duration of your stay.”

“It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Madame", the young woman who was only a couple of years older than me judging by her look declared, taking a deep bow.

“I appreciate the gesture, but I can take care of myself – no offense”, I hurried to add, not wanting to hurt anyone. It was awkward enough having Sebastian around, eager to treat me like some spoiled princess.

“I am sure you can”, the Council agreed, his tone so pleasant it was creepy. I would have preferred it cold and emotionless like yesterday, which seemed to be his usual manner of speaking. “But this isn't Amber Grove. We all need help when finding ourselves at an unfamiliar place, and I wouldn’t want Alpha Caleb accusing me of treating one of his wolves with anything less than perfect hospitality."

Only that I didn’t want his “perfect hospitality”. I just wanted to be left alone!

“Show my guest to her room, Adele.”

“Of course, Master.”

Apparently, what I wanted didn’t count at all.

To this vampire, you are nothing more than a political pawn, I reminded myself. None of this is about you, it’s about power games you will never be able to understand. Just bear with it and take it as doing your pack a good deed.

My goodwill was put to the test sooner than I had feared. When I stepped out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, Adele already awaited me with two mobile clothes hangers at her side stacked with dozens of elegant dresses in human fashion.

“W-what is the meaning of this?”

“I am not familiar with Madame’s preferred style of clothes yet, so I prepared a variety of different dresses to choose from”, she said, as if that would explain anything.

“What’s wrong with the clothes I brought?”

“Oh … The Master said Madame didn’t bring any evening attire with her. Was I misinformed?”, Adele asked.

In other words, my clothes weren’t good enough for Mr. pomp and glamour. Maybe I should have seen something like this coming, considering vampires took their appearance ridiculously serious and I was about to go on an outing with the head of them. We werewolves didn’t care much for what we wore, unlike the human and vampire society which used clothes to showcase their ranks. The only requirement we wolves had for our clothes was that they had to be practical to not disturb us while we were working, and easy to strip down in case we changed into our animal form.

“In that case just chose something you think will suit me.”

To me, each dress looked as good as the other one.

“Are you sure, Madame?”, Adele asked with a flabbergasted expression, as if she could not comprehend how someone could possibly let another person chose their clothes.

“I am.”

“Does the Madame have any preferences?”, she asked.

Maybe setting some ground rules was not a bad idea.

“It shouldn’t be too flashy and revealing. And I should be able to wear it with flat shoes.”

Adele thought about my requirements for a moment until her features suddenly lit up.

“I think I know just the dress!”