Harvey’s POV
The pack was still happily celebrating the news of our Luna being pregnant.
But I noticed one thing I wanted to pretend not to notice, and that was how Edith looked.
My mate appeared bothered and unhappy. As much as she smiled and laughed, I knew it was all a front she was putting on.
I didn’t want to ask or force her to tell me what was bothering her. I wanted her to open up to me on her own. I wanted her to completely rely on me as her partner and mate.
“What can be a perfect gift to give Lillian?” she asked in our bedroom.
She was looking at a few pieces of jewelry on the bed that she had bought yesterday.
“Is jewelry lame? Should I give her an expensive car or mansion?” she asked softly.
I moved closer, standing behind her. Before she could turn to look at me, I wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Lillian isn’t one who is drawn to jewelry and expensive things. Just you wishing her well and giving her a simple gift would be enough,” I answered honestly.
She sighed heavily and then slowly turned to face me when I loosened my grip around her waist.
“You are right,” she whispered.
I leaned in and kissed her lips gently, then pulled back.
“You know, at times I can’t guess what’s going on in that pretty head of yours. But what I want you to know is that no matter what, I’ll always be here to listen to you,” I said seriously, then smiled.
“If it’s Talic you want to spend time with, I’ll gladly step aside and let him, because we want the same thing: to always see you happy and smiling,” I said as her expression turned sad.
“Harvey,” she called in a whisper, then took a step back.
“What can you do if you find out that one of the respected men your friends and family know is very evil? Can you tell your friends and family, even if it means breaking ties far greater than just friendship?” she asked as I kept quiet for a few minutes.
“Tell her we could if it would grant us the needed peace of mind. If keeping quiet would put our family members and friends in danger, then we would easily open up,” Talic said silently.
“Well, if this evil man has nothing to do with our family and friends, we would ignore him and whoever he is involved with. But if whatever he does may affect our friends and family or the people we care about, then that’s another thing. We couldn’t keep quiet and risk the peace of the people we adore,” I answered.
“Talic said that if it would give us the needed peace of mind, then we would open up,” I said seriously as she sighed heavily.
“What do you think about Beta Marshall?” she asked in a low tone.
Beta Marshall? Who the hell was he again?
“Riff’s dad, remember? He is also the former Beta of Sky’s pack,” she said as I frowned deeply.
Of course, I knew him a little bit, but not on a personal level. Most Alphas and Betas knew other Alphas and Betas from different territories as well; that way, we got to know which pack to tolerate or not if we were to clash or cross paths.
What I knew was that the Beta was okay, and he had his Alpha’s back even when Jace’s aunt came to human territory.
Wait, was he the evil man she was using as an example?
“Um… I don’t know much about that man, but by instinct, I don’t even like the sound of his name,” I joked as she laughed softly.
“I’m glad your instincts are always on point,” she answered in a low tone.
I moved my hand to her cheek and caressed her.
“Did he do something?” I asked seriously.
“Please don’t be upset when I tell you what he did,” she said softly.
“I won’t, I promise,” I answered.
She took a deep breath, then sighed heavily.
“So when we were celebrating the Luna’s pregnancy, I had to step out, remember?” she asked as I nodded.
I noticed her missing, but I didn’t mind because I knew where she was. She was more than capable of taking good care of herself.
“I do remember,” I answered calmly.
“So, um… I was called by Riff’s father to meet him, and I easily tracked him down. He was happy to have me there, but then he asked me for a favor,” she said.
“What kind of favor?” I asked.
“Remember how we found out that Sky’s father has always hated Glen for being weak? It turned out that the one behind that was Beta Marshall. He is so obsessed with Luna Berta that he even made a deal with a witch who practiced dark magic,” she said as I frowned.
“The deal was to make Alpha Clyde hate his own mate. But the spell didn’t go as he wanted because the Alpha couldn’t hate his own mate and ended up hating Glen instead,” she said as I stood there in shock.
“But everything has its own time, and most spells have a time limit, while some have a weakening point. The spell is slowly losing its effect, and Alpha Clyde is looking at Glen as he would a son. That’s my guess; that’s why Beta Marshall called me to ask for a favor. He wants me to strengthen the spell and make Alpha Clyde hate his own mate. Of course, he asked me to name any price for the spell,” she said as I moved forward, grabbing her hands in mine.
“Edith, you know I love you, and I want to protect you from anything that might hurt or anger you. But I also respect and adore Jace as my Alpha and brother. Keeping such a secret wouldn’t be good,” I said honestly.
“Jace loves his aunt, and he now adores Dominic as he would a brother. Knowing such information and not doing anything would be like an act of betrayal on our side. Jace has to know about this, and so should Dominic,” I said as her expression turned sad.
“Imagine if we keep quiet. Beta Marshall will stop at nothing to get Luna Berta, and if the spell strengthens, then what will happen to the others? Because Clyde will hurt the very person he wants to protect; he might even go against Glen, and Sky wouldn’t stay still,” I pointed out.
“The whole pack may be broken by that, and we would be the culprits who helped it happen,” I said seriously.
“I understand,” she said in a low tone.
“I am not asking you to tell them, but I am asking you to let me tell Jace about this so he can get to Sky and Glen, please,” I whispered as she nodded.
“Thank you,” I whispered and then embraced her.
“I was hesitant because I felt like I would cause a bigger fight by telling anyone; that’s why I kept quiet. I didn’t think my silence would also cause problems,” she whispered.
“I know; that’s why I want you to always know that I will always be by your side. So whenever you feel burdened by a secret or anything, know I will always be here to listen to you.”I said seriously.