bChapter /bb83 /b

Aurora’s P.O.V

“Here,” Maya held ba /bspoonful of saffron rice to my lips. “Taste this. I made it especially for you todayb,/bb” /b

Giving her a smile, I graciously epted the bite and it felt like an explosion of vours as soon as the rice hit bmy /btaste buds. It bwas /bbbuttery/bb, /bsweet and savoury at the same time. “This is so good!” I told her, covering my mouth so I don’t seem udylike.

“I’m d you like it!” My beamed at me before turning to her husband/mate with a frown. “See? She appreciated my cooking. bThe /btwo bof /bbyou /bungrateful brats just sit and stuff your faces without saying a word!”

“Hey!” Caleb protested. “That’s not fair! I tell you all the time that you’re an amazing cook!”

“Do you, now? When? In your dreams?” Maya turned to re at her son, who simply huffed and went back to eating his lunch.

Camden only shook his head with a smile on his face, but didn’t protest.

There was all kinds of dishes at the table that I could’ve never dreamt of having beforeb, /bespecially because they were super expensive cuts of meat. There was stake and roasted pork ribs with a side of saffron brice/bb, /bgravy and caramel custard for desert. I was trying my best to be on bmy /bgood bbehaviour /bband /bbnot /b

act like a greedy fool, but internally, I was drooling over everything I ate.

Did Riley get to eat the same thing? He had never had a good cut of beef before…I really hope he got to benjoy /btoday’s meal.

“So, Aurora.” Camden’s deep voice caught my attention. “I wanted byou /bto know something important. I went to bvisit /bbyour /bboss, Mr. Jeremyb, /bthe night of Caleb’s birthday party. And I wanted you to know that I had donated the food to charity, to feed underprivileged kids at an orphanage and I had cleared out all dues he had.”

To say that I was surprised was an understatement. Caleb’s dad had really done all that? So Jeremy wasn’t worried about food wastage anymore? The bfood /breally had gone to those who needed it the most and Jeremy won’t have to bfeel /bguilty!

b“/bbAs /bfor Shane,” this time, I turned to face Caleb who was sitting on the opposite side of the table from me. “He won’t be bothering you for at least two years. He’s been sent to a disciplinary camp in New York, to reflect on his actionsb./bb” /b

“What?” I looked around at everyone, rmed. “But…bhe’s /bone of you!”

“Aurora, he may be one of us, but so are you.” Maya ced a hand on my shoulders gently. “You are Caleb’s mate, and he treated you horribly. And not just you. We have had reports about his bullying from others at bthe /bschool as bwell/b. It bwas /btime he bwas /btaught a lesson.”

I wasn’t sure about how I felt. Relieved? Guilty? bA /blittle satisfied? Probably a mixture of all three at the same time.

“Has Caroline told you about the pack hierarchy?” Camden asked next. “About how a wolf pack works?”

“Not really…” I told them with a shrug, feeling more than a bit ignorant. “She mentioned something about an alpha…I’m guessing they bare /bthe one who run the pack?”

“Yes.” Caleb spoke next, nodding his head. “My father is bthe /bcurrent Alpha, the leader of our pack, which bis /bbcalled /bbDarkWater/b. There are about btwo /bhundred and fifty two wolves in our pack, but not all of them are here bat /bthe moment. They are scattered all over the US band /bbthe /bworldb, /bbbringing /bin financial help, In

bThe /bbcurrent /bBetab. /bcase my father is absent, the pack is temporarily taken care of by the Beta, the second inmand. Caroline’s fathe

Wait…did he bsay/bb…/bbover /btwo hundred wolves?

“The hierarchy of the pack is decided not by democracyb, /bbut by power.b” /bCamden continued where Caleb left offb, /bdistracting me bfor /bthe bmoment/b. bThe /bstrongest wolf bes the Alpha and makes sure everyone follows them. The beta is only slightly weaker than bthe /bbAlpha/b. bCaleb /bwill bbe /bbthe /bbnext /bAlpha after bI /bbstep /bdown and Jade will assist him as his Beta. And if you’re wondering about Maya; she is my mate, bthe /bbwoman /bthe Moon Goddess bhad /bbchosen /bto stand by my side, and hence, the Luna, or the bheart /bof the pack. While an Alpha protects, a Luna nurtures the bpack /bbas /bbshe /bbdoes /bher bown /bbchildren/b. bIt /bis bthe /bduty that the Goddess has assigned for bus/b.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to digest all bthe /binformation as I would any fantasy novel. I think I understood bmore /bbabout /bbthe /bpack bstructure /bbnow/bb. /bbWhat /bbI /bbwas /bhaving troubleprehending was the fact that bCaleb’s /bbpack /bbalone /bbhad /bover btwo /bhundred wolvesb! /bbTWO /bHUNDRED? bThat /bwas a bhuge /bbnumber/b.

“So…do other packs bhave /bsimr number of wolvesb?/bb” /bI asked Camden, since he was the person in authority here.

“bNo./bb” /bHe shook his head with a smile. “The number of wolves depend on how big an area is. Bigger cities and towns have more, but then again, wobe prefer the forests, so we stick to forested areas. Cities mainly have various other creatures.”

“Other creatures?b” /bMy eyes widened in surprise. “Like vampires?”

“Unfortunately, vampires prefer the cold.” Maya shrugged from next to me. “So you’ll only see them where there’s no sunlight and snowfall all year round. But we do have witches and fae.b” /b

b“/bWitches?” I think my beyes /bwere about to bulge out of my head. “Fae? They’re all real?”

“Absolutely and they are nothing to fear about.” Maya ced a hand on my shoulders to calm me downi. /iSurprisingly, bit /bworked.

“All species coexist with one another but we rarely stand in each other’s way.” Camden exined. “Everyone likes to mind their own business as long as we do the same. So there is no need to be afraid. And besides. You are under our protection now. No one will dare to harm you. Ever.”

I nodded, believing Camden, because he didn’t seem like a man who made false promises. He looked more like a man of his word. An honourable bman /bwith strict morals…a man who waspletely opposite of my father.

“Caleb, why don’t you and Aurora go explore the pack house?” Maya suggested after a bfew /bmoments of bsilence/bb. /b“I bthink /bAurora bhas /bhad ifar /imore than her share of Supernatural 101 for the day.”

I looked up at Maya in gratitude. She was right, I think I was about to have a headache from ball /bthe new information bI /bwas given. But bat /bthe same timeb, /bbit /bwas fascinating to learn about werewolves and all kinds of other creatures that inhabited our worldb…/bbcreatures /bthan us humans, had o clue were walking right beside them on a busy street, or ordering food at a table next to us in a restaurant.

As much as I would like to know more, Maya was right. I needed a break. I think I had learned more than enough for today.

Caleb stood up from his chair and came around the table to help me up. I gave him a thankful smile before turning to his parents.

“Thank you,” I told them both gratefully. “For epting me and for inviting me to lunch. I really appreciate it.”

“Any time.” Camden said with a smile. “Now go on, have fun. And remember; don’t even think about leaving our house because you think you’re overstaying your wee. You are family now, Aurora. This ce is just as much yours as it is Caleb’s.b” /b

I had no idea how to react to such generosity, so I only bowed my head before following Caleb out of the broom/b.

All of this…it felt far too unreal, like I had somehow stepped into a wonderful dream. And one day, this dream would break, and I would once again wake up to a horrid reality where I had never been able to escape my dreadful father.

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