Nicola looked at him suspiciously, “So, Emma is actually Patrick’s sister. She looks so cute, like a little doll in the window display. I wish I had a lovely sister like her.”
Harry teased her, “You could call her your sister too. She’s only sixteen, younger than the three of us. I don’t think she’d mind.”
“Why did she come to the Silver Moon Pack? Did she come with Nelson?”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s said that she hasn’t been here for long. Nelson has been in the Silver Moon Pack for several years. She was brought here because her mother was terminally ill.”
“Oh my goodness!” Nicola exclaimed. “She’s only sixteen. She should have received so much love. This shouldn’t be her fate.”
Harry liked how Nicola always thought of others. She was free-spirited and poetic, yet she wasn’t a girl lost in fantasies. She understood the suffering of the poor and the ambitions of the underprivileged. She wasn’t always submissive; she could bare her fangs, but only for self-preservation.
It’s such a shame that Patrick doesn’t like her, he thought. Nicola is such a good girl.
But perhaps Emma is also a very good girl.
“Don’t worry, Patrick will take care of her now. I heard they get along well. When do you plan to return to human society? You must really like the place where you’re settled now.”
“Yes, I like Los Angeles. I’m comfortable there. But I don’t think I can go back so soon this time. My parents want me to find a suitable partner.” She pouted, her face showing genuine distress. “I hate being put on display like a commodity for people to choose.”
In human society, she encountered many, especially women, who were oppressed and enslaved. She hadn’t lived in such an environment, but she knew. The government often broadcasted the atrocities of extremist organizations on television, yet they also wanted to deprive women of their abortion rights. A woman’s womb did not belong to herself, but to all of humankind. Because they were vessels for reproduction, their thoughts didn’t matter, their personalities were insignificant, but an embryo that hadn’t even formed yet could have human rights. Women were indoctrinated to be subservient, they were supposed to realize that their only task was to propagate the race. And beneath this conclusion, there were some other small premises, finding an excellent partner to pass on his excellent genes, whether you like it or not, whether you get along or not, these were not important. Genes were the ultimate goal.
“I hate this. Whether choosing a werewolf or a human, it should be my own decision. But their reactions make me feel that only being with Patrick is my highest honor. My ideals, dignity, and personality are secondary. My soul’s worth can only be linked to who I ultimately bond with, and it disgusts me. The exploitation of the second gender in human society has already made me sick enough, and I never thought that in my own society, we would experience even more backward things.”
Harry, who didn’t fall into the category of being exploited, didn’t know how to respond.
“Are you against having a partner?” he asked.
“I don’t hate having a partner,” Nicola said lightly, “I just hate people’s hypocrisy. You clearly don’t have free will, but they insist on telling you that you have it. They write human dignity into the law, saying that everyone has equal personality and dignity. But do you believe it? I don’t, anyway. Otherwise, how could it be that after the third industrial revolution, women could fully own their independent property, rather than being taken by their husbands? Just like in the werewolf society, women’s status always remains lower than men’s.”
Harry hurriedly explained for himself, “I completely respect any rights of women, whether werewolf or human.”
Nicola’s smile was faint, “But people like you are always in the minority. The majority are some stubborn old fogies, like the current Aunt Jennifer, my parents, and those urging Patrick to find his Luna as soon as possible. They are the majority in this world.”
The majority holds most of the world’s resources and property, they have overwhelming control over public opinion, they can erase everything about a person, dignity, freedom, and even life, but because they are the majority, the minority can only keep quiet, so as not to become the next witch burned alive.
“Just like me, I consider myself a minority, but I am weak and incapable. When I knew the purpose for which they called me back, I could have said I didn’t want to be a puppet, I didn’t want to be a tool for controlling another person, I want to be myself, I want to break free from you. But what did I finally say? I said okay, I’ll come back soon.”
“Itwasn’t your choice. They raised you, they have a parental bond with you. There is always a balance between emotion and reason; it’s hard to always do the right thing.” Harry tried to comfort her. “Patrick and I are also always making mistakes, but we are trying to make amends. You know you’re doing something wrong, and that’s better than many people.”
His comfort didn’t have much effect, but Nicola liked to hear him speak; he didn’t try to tell others what to do. He was genuinely comforting.
“What about you? You have your own wolf. You must want a destined partner, right?”
After all, compared to an ordinary partner, a destined partner is like a gift from the gods, naturally meant to be together. They are most compatible in many ways. But Nicola herself couldn’t understand such a thing; she had only heard legendary stories like that from others.
Harry shook his head. “I have someone I like. But she doesn’t have a wolf.”
Nicola was stunned. “Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true.” Harry’s expression was serious and solemn. “I want to prove to her that, with or without a wolf, no matter whether she will continue to stay in the werewolf society, I like her. More than a destined partner, I want to be with someone I genuinely like and can relate to.”
At this moment, Nicola’s mind was a bit blank. She vaguely felt that the person Harry was referring to was very familiar, but amidst a thousand thoughts, she couldn’t grasp a focal point, letting those answers fly away from her consciousness like shooting stars.
It wasn’t until she saw her own reflection in the glass display case that she finally realized, “Are you talking about me?”