Emily’s POV
I was so scared when Ethan dropped the news about Zoey being a witch, but I was even more terrified when I witnessed her raising a ball in the air. What?!!
Zoey is only six. Usually, werewolves don’t develop any form of ability until they get their wolves, which happens when they turn sixteen. So, it’s shocking to see a six-year-old practicing magic. Her parents must have been incredibly powerful witches.
“Where are Isla and the other kids?” I asked Ethan when I realized I hadn’t seen Midrar or Leo. Isla took the three kids to the airport to welcome Ethan home, but he came back with only Zoey.
“I thought they’d come up here with us, but I guess they wanted to stay in the car. Leo and Midrar have been going back and forth about something, though I’m not sure what,” he said.
“Zoey’s case aside, for now, we have other matters to attend to,” Ethan said, his expression turning serious. I guessed this had something to do with his trip to Italy.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Let me start by congratulating you,” he said with a smile. I gave him a suspicious look.
“Our pack has been recognized as the strongest in Paris. We were acknowledged for our prosperity across the board at the party, all thanks to you.” He smiled genuinely, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed by the compliment.
Ethan hadn’t been around much, and I’d been the one running the pack for the last five years since he’d been busy with the company. I gave him weekly reports, took his opinions when needed, and followed his orders when required because of his experience. But the pack’s success over the past five years was my hard work-I wanted the pack to be a home for my pups.
“A struggling Alpha wants us to form an alliance,” Ethan said with a suspicious look.
“His pack has been struggling for the past seven years. His warriors are weak, and Alphas from neighboring territories have tried to take over. The only reason they haven’t succeeded is that his wolf is feral, and when he’s in his wolf form, he kills ferociously.”
“What do we stand to gain by helping this struggling pack?” I asked. Not that I didn’t sympathize with the Alpha, but this wasn’t new in our world. Once a powerful pack falls from its pedestal, other packs seize the opportunity. They’re oppressed, and other Alphas attempt to kill them to take over.
“He’s offering ten percent of his territory,” Ethan replied.
“Ten percent? Does he know we’re self-sufficient and don’t need his help? What do we need ten percent for?” I asked, already getting irritated.
“He’s already struggling, and like you said, we don’t need the ten percent. But we didn’t want to make it too easy for him. He has nothing to offer until they can stand on their own,” Ethan explained, trying to make me see the bigger picture.
“Which pack are we even talking about here?” I asked, willing to meet this struggling Alpha.
“It’s a pack from Rome,” Ethan mentioned, and I tried to think of a pack that could be in such a predicament, but none came to mind.
“They don’t have a name?” I asked, already tired of thinking.
Ethan looked at me again before finally saying, “It’s Alpha Aiden Casaer of the Crescent Pack.”
What?! My eyes widened in shock. I hadn’t heard that name in years-the name that tormented me as a worker chased me away as a wife, forgave someone who tried to kill his son, rejected his son, and gave me years of nightmares.
Now, he’s at my mercy. His struggling pack needs the help of my thriving one.
“No, we’re not forming an alliance with him,” I said firmly.
“Em, sentiments aside. Is there a specific reason you’re refusing?” Ethan asked.
“No.”
“Then think about it again. He’s the father of your pup, and in case you didn’t know, Leo has started asking about his father,” Ethan said, and my eyes widened in shock. Leo had never mentioned anything about his father to me, not once, so I thought I’d done well filling that void.
“I’m enough for him,” I said defensively, though I knew Ethan wasn’t one to lie about these things.
“I know you no longer need Aiden in your life, and I’ll make sure he stays far away from you if that’s what you want. But Leo is the future Alpha of the Crescent Pack. If the pack is colonized by other powerful Alphas, it will be more difficult to reclaim it than if we form an alliance now and fight alongside them,” Ethan reasoned.
I understood his point, and he was right. It would be harder to wage war against a new ruler and leader than to ally with them now and fight together.
“This will be strictly business,” I told Ethan, and he nodded in return.
“Let’s schedule a meeting with him then,” I said, and Ethan released the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.
If I’d insisted on not allying with Aiden, Ethan would have respected that. He never treated me as a less-experienced Alpha or made me feel inadequate. He had always been my supporter.
Aiden, on the other hand, is someone I never thought I’d meet again so soon. But destiny has brought us back together. I need to let him know that I’m no longer that little Omega girl he took advantage of. I’m now an Alpha and a mother, and I won’t let anyone toss me around like a rag again.