Jennifer was dissatisfied with Patrick’s high opinion of Emma.
“You shouldn’t be so lenient with her. You seem to like her a lot, and I don’t understand why. In my eyes, she’s just a rude and uncultured troublemaker. Her mother used to be an alcoholic, which I believe led to her illness. How do you know her mother’s issues didn’t get passed down to her?” Jennifer expressed her discontent.
Patrick felt truly helpless. He believed Jennifer harbored significant resentment towards Nelson for his past partnership, which led her to be biased against both Amy and Emma.
“Mom, Emma isn’t like that. She’s very polite and loyal. What kind of troublemaker would willingly give up a normal life to work tirelessly just to afford medicine for her sick mother?” Patrick defended.
Jennifer stubbornly held onto her prejudices. “I don’t think she’s like that. Maybe she just doesn’t want to study and prefers to hang out. The restaurant she works at looks low-class, and the staff there can’t be decent people. Birds of a feather flock together. You should stay away from her and not be deceived by her appearance.”
Patrick couldn’t hold back. “Mom-” he drew out, clearly upset. “It’s not good to judge others casually. That’s what my father taught me when I was six.”
Jennifer felt a bit embarrassed but persisted, “I’m not judging her casually. She’s just like that. Trust me, if you spend enough time with her, you’ll understand.”
Not only was Emma a girl without a pack, but she was also a stranger. Even if she had any ill intentions, such a tightly managed place like the Silver Moon Pack wouldn’t allow her to act on them. Despite this, Patrick was displeased with his mother’s deliberate attitude towards Emma and decided to have a serious talk with her about it.
With a serious and solemn expression, Patrick said, “Mom, I must thoroughly discuss Emma with you.”
Whenever her son wore such an expression, Jennifer knew it was a sign of his anger. Reluctantly, as an alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, she couldn’t refuse a mandatory discussion, even though she was his mother.
“Go ahead,” she said.
“I’ve emphasized to you several times that Emma is Nelson’s daughter, and Nelson was your partner. You chose him, so you’re responsible for your partner,” Patrick pointed out.
At the mention of Nelson, Jennifer fell silent. Choosing Nelson had not only met opposition from others, but everyone disapproved of him. He had no wolf, and even though the wolf gene was evident, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t have one. A man without a wolf was not even as good as a beta, so how could he become the Luna’s partner at that time? Despite all this, Jennifer insisted on choosing him and expressed willingness to bear all consequences.
She had said that, and the voices of opposition gradually faded. The key was that at the time, Patrick, who was preparing to inherit the alpha position, had not expressed any objection. In fact, he hadn’t said anything at all. He hadn’t expressed opposition, but he hadn’t expressed agreement either.
At that time, he was not satisfied with Nelson, or rather, he was not satisfied with anything. He was dissatisfied with his mother finding a new partner soon after his father’s death, dissatisfied with her finding someone like Nelson, dissatisfied with his father’s death, dissatisfied with his own inadequacies.
But he understood his mother’s emotional state. She needed the comfort of a partner, so he ultimately accepted Nelson into the Silver Moon Pack through his silence.
“Back then, you said you were willing to bear all consequences. Did you forget?” Patrick questioned.
Jennifer paused for a moment before speaking softly, “But that didn’t include his daughter from a previous partnership.”
Patrick couldn’t tell if his mother was concerned about Nelson’s past partnership or if she was genuinely biased against Emma. “Listen, Mom. Although Nelson was an outsider and not my real father, he did well on the surface. Even if he never saw me as his son, it doesn’t matter.”
Jennifer looked at him, her gaze quiet, devoid of any emotion.
“He respected me as the alpha and your son, and I gave him the basic respect as your partner. Now it’s your turn to do something for him. I’m not asking you to take on the responsibility of raising Emma, and Nelson wouldn’t ask that of you either. She entered the Silver Moon Pack and enjoys the basic rights and protection of the pack. You don’t need to worry about that. You just need to do what Nelson did at the beginning, show basic respect towards Emma,” Patrick explained.
Jennifer felt she should agree with her son, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She was concerned about Nelson’s past because it was a secret he never mentioned. He never revealed what he experienced in the Blue HaloPack, nor did he ever tell her about his previous destined partner and their relationship. These things had become a thorn lodged in her heart. Every time Emma appeared, it was as if that thorn had pierced her mind again, reminding her that Nelson was not as pure as she once thought.
“I’m not disrespecting her,” she denied the accusations Patrick had laid at her feet. “I’m just teaching her how a proper noble should behave.”
“That’s not teaching,” Patrick pointed out bluntly. “You’re using your former status as the Silver Moon Pack Luna to intimidate her, telling her that you’re the leader here and if she wants to live here, she should behave submissively in front of you. But, Mom, I’m the alpha here. You can’t continue to intimidate our new pack members with your status. It would greatly damage the reputation of our Silver Moon Pack if word got out.”
Jennifer frowned. “Patrick, are you accusing your mother right now?”
“Yes, Mom, you need to understand that your actions and words affect the honor of the entire Silver Moon Pack. Today, your behavior towards her has been observed by March, and everyone knows that your anger is misplaced. You must stop this behavior,” Patrick replied seriously.
Staring defiantly at him, Jennifer felt a pang of pain being educated in such a manner by her son. Patrick was supposed to stand by her side and resist the arrival of that little wench, but now he was sternly telling her not to target Emma, which made her extremely uncomfortable. Now both the men in the house were siding with that girl, which made her uneasy.
Sensing her mother’s displeasure, Patrick softened his tone and took his mother’s hand. “Mom, you understand that regardless of Emma’s presence, Nelson’s love and care for you won’t change. So, for Nelson’s sake, stop targeting Emma. Provoking conflicts will only deepen Nelson’s guilt towards Emma, and that won’t benefit your relationship with him.”
He was right. Nelson’s feelings of guilt towards Emma were much greater than his love for her. He only wanted to fulfill the responsibilities of a father that he hadn’t fulfilled in the past. However, this didn’t mean he loved his daughter, nor did it mean he still held feelings for his deceased destined partner. Jennifer’s mood finally lightened a bit. “Is that so?”
Patrick held her hand tightly. “Yes, so don’t worry.”
Jennifer, still uneasy, asked, “Do you think she’ll leave the Silver Moon Pack as she said when she comes of age?”