Author''s note: This is from Seraphina''s point of view

    - - -

    There is nothing better than waking up in Duke''s arms.

    Duke''s solid body, his warmth, and my favorite scent of pine trees mixed with the ocean are perfectly described as a place where I belong. Home.

    I love to study every curve of Duke''s sleeping face. And Duke is much more than just a pretty face. His chiseled body is made for the pleasure of all senses, and when we are snuggled this close, I get to feel every bump and groove that reminds me of the naughty things we did.

    I can''t believe that I have the privilege of being his.

    It feels like a dream to the point that I would look at him in the morning and wonder if I''m still dreaming. It''s that good.

    "Good morning, gorgeous…", he murmured while tightening his hold on me.

    Somehow, he can feel when I''m awake even if I don''t move.

    "Good morning, handsome…", I returned the greeting and watched as his lips lifted into a smile.

    A million ''I love yous'' won''t be enough to convey all the love I have for him.

    "Is it time to get up?", Duke asked in his husky voice that told me he just woke up.

    I didn''t want to wake up, but today is Zoe''s eighteenth birthday and... "We have a lot to do."

    I had a lot to do because guests will be coming in time for breakfast and Mona and Zoe scheduled activities for the whole day.

    Duke was planning to catch up with Fynn, but that was yesterday before Duke told me how talking with Fynn won''t bring any value, so I was not sure about his plans.

    "How about we hurry with getting ready for the day?", Duke suggested.

    "Sure."

    I agreed immediately and then I noticed a mischief twirling in his eyes, and there it was. "We should shower together, to save time. And water."

    I stifled a laugh. His erection pressed on my hip, and I knew that he was thinking about naughty things. Saving water, my foot! "I didn''t know you are such an environmentalist."

    Duke wiggled his eyebrows and before I could react, he scooped me in his arms and carried me into the bathroom like I weigh nothing.

    Ah, we will take a while in the bathroom.

    The bench we set up in the shower was already used more than once and we will use it again.

    I let him carry me and do whatever he wanted, knowing that it will be good because Duke always makes sure I come first. He is amazing like that.

    …

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    ...

    When we got ready for the day, Duke said that he will be in the study, dealing with work-related matters, and to call him if I need anything.

    I headed downstairs and I found Zoe talking to Maria. They were doing last-minute checks that everything is ready for the guests who are due to come soon.

    "Where is Mona?", I asked when they noticed me.

    "Mona is with Fynn, in the garden. They are making sure things are ready for the games.", Zoe responded.

    I was wondering if Mona and Fynn will hit it off, but seeing that they are busy from early morning, probably nothing happened. But if Fynn is so eager to help, that means that he still didn''t lose hope. Well, we are all staying overnight, so anything is possible.

    I looked at Zoe eagerly. "Anything?"

    She let out a long breath and shook her head, indicating that her wolf still didn''t talk to her. I could see the dejection in her beautiful face.

    Luca, Ash, and all her other friends could talk to their wolves and shift into their wolf form from a long time ago. The late bloomers did it at the age of sixteen, and Zoe is eighteen today and still nothing. I knew that it must be hard on her.

    I gave her a hug. "Don''t worry, dear. I''m sure your wolf has her reasons for waiting. Maybe tonight, with the ceremony, she decides to reach out to you."

    My phone rang and I frowned when I saw that it''s a call from the villa in Genoa. Why did they call my personal number instead of the villa?

    "Yes?"

    "Miss, this is Clara.", I recognized the name. She is a maid at my home in Genoa. "There is someone who wants to see you."

    "I won''t see anyone without an appointment.", I responded, ready to end the call.

    "I know, Miss, but we have a situation here."

    That got my attention. Is it a troublemaker? Why didn''t they call the police?

    "What situation?"

    "People from Hunters Association are here.", she said in a whisper, like someone can overhear her.

    "What do they want? Where are you?"

    "We are at the checkpoint at the property line. The person who wants to see you said that she is your friend. She didn''t have your phone number or anything other than your name, so we suspected that she is a fraud. We told her that she needs an appointment, but she insisted on waiting to see you, and then the people from the Hunters Association came and they wanted to take her away. Considering that Master is wary of them, I decided to contact you regarding what to do."

    It sounded messy but I was missing a crucial piece of information. "You said that the person who wants to see me claims she is my friend. Can you tell me something else about her? Her name? How does she look like? You can take a photo and send it to me?"

    "Oh, yes. Sorry about that, miss. She is a female in her early twenties with a white complexion and white hair. She said her name is Treva. Do you need a photo?"

    My brain froze for a moment. Treva? Like, the harpy, Treva?

    There is only one Treva I know and the name is unique enough for me to know I''ve got the right person.

    "Uhm... no photo is necessary, Clara."

    Damn! Hunters want to take Treva away!

    Aldus told me that creatures who acted on a big scale against humans (like harpies) are bound to stay in their realm and if they want to leave, there are numerous procedures for them to pass, otherwise, they will be considered hostile.

    Of course, Treva is not hostile, but a wretched group of people like hunters won''t care about that.

    "Don''t let them take her away. Stall them. Use the name Mezzanotte. I will be there as soon as I can.", I responded and ended the call only to see Maria and Zoe looking at me questionably.

    "Someone came to see me and hunters are after her. I need to go and deal with the situation.", I explained.

    "Let me go with you!", Zoe and Maria said in unison.

    "No. The two of you stay here. The guests are coming. I will take care of it. Don''t worry."

    The truth is that I had no idea how to deal with hunters, but I knew that Zoe and Maria won''t be able to help me.

    Who can help me? I quickly went over the list of names of people present nearby, and no one seemed to be useful. Actually, they would either be useless (like Mona) or cause trouble with the Hunters Association (like Duke or Fynn).

    I dashed upstairs, to tell Duke I will be leaving. Of course, he wanted to come with me.

    "I can''t risk them recognizing you, Duke. Not now when we are so close to awakening your wolf."

    Duke didn''t approve. "Do you have a plan?"

    No. "Of course!"

    Seeing that Duke was looking at me suspiciously, I blurted out, "I will try diplomacy, and if that doesn''t work, I will kill them all and throw their bodies somewhere in the forest in Germany and make it look like bears ate them."

    Duke gaped at me. "Are you serious?"

    "I don''t have time to explain, Duke. My friend is in trouble and only God knows what would hunters do with a harpy if they get their hands on her."

    "A harpy?"

    I gave him a quick kiss. "I will tell you everything when I come back. Until then, please take care of things here. OK?"

    Duke let out a long breath. "Why do I feel like a housewife who is escorting her husband on a dangerous mission?"

    "Househusband.", I corrected him and Duke''s grim expression told me that he was not amused, but he didn''t stop me from leaving.

    "Keep your phone on and keep me posted.", he grumbled.

    Well, that was easy.

    I instructed Mitch to head with a helicopter to Genoa right away, and I used the portal to reach there in an instant.

    I was not sure if I will bring Treva with me or not, but in case I do, I wanted to have a helicopter to drop us back because the only person who knew about the existence of portals (other than me) was Duke and I hoped it will stay that way.

    Portals are there for my convenience of moving swiftly between properties and for us to flee in case of emergencies.

    ---

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