By the time Favian arrived at the side house, his headache from the lack of rest was severe enough to make his brain burst from his ears. Yet, nobody would be able to tell from his usual poker face. The only thing that would betray him was the colour beneath his eyes. Some of the pups might smell it, but Favian was good at concealing his weakness with a well-aimed glare.
The secretary didn’t have much luggage when he travelled. Favian often preferred buying all his necessities for travel in other countries. Carrying things like toiletries and underwear could be a fuss, and sometimes, he would forgo the trouble of bringing clothes unless necessary. The perks of being rich meant being able to afford disposable items for light carrying. Richard would have lent Favian his private jet if it weren’t for his existing identity as a secretary.
The side house
There were several reasons why Emily insisted on taking the boys with her when shopping for groceries. Initially, she thought they would be taking public transport and looked forward to teaching them how to buy tickets, but that plan was quickly dashed when Richard left his car there for Favian to chauffeur them to the nearest supermarket.There went the second plan. Shopping didn’t always mean stopping by the hypermart. It was usually more fun to go to the farmer’s market and smaller shops to get different items. Emily intended to show these sheltered rich kids sundry shops, bakeries, butcher stores, and the fishmongers. Favian’s insistence on efficiency meant that they were now heading for the hypermart that almost every capitalist shopped at.Emily sulked. It didn’t show on her face outwardly as she got into the car and strapped on th
The air conditioning in the hypermart was powerful. Despite the many shoppers and employees, there was plenty of space for trolleys to go everywhere.Darren and Ludwig adhered to the rules and escorted the trolley Emily pushed. Like dutiful sentry guards, they scanned the area for potential danger and led the cart away when they veered too close to the aisles. Favian strolled behind Emily from a distance, checking his email and making calls while keeping an eye on them.After reaching an open area with less crowd, Emily showed the boys her shopping list. Although Darren couldn’t read as well as Ludwig, he managed to figure out half of that list.“This is a shopping list. We want to find everything on the list and add it to the cart. The hypermart is huge, so please do not get lost and run too far.
When it came to making wise financial decisions, Ludwig was a natural. Favian didn’t need to do much apart from keeping an eye on the boys and reaching for certain items higher up on the shelves. The blond pup had a frugal sense in-built. He was able to quickly tell which bundle pack was more value-for-money.“What’s next on the list?” Darren asked, his arms full of items.Ludwig took one glance at his older brother and decided to return to the cart before searching for the other items. Emily gave them a list of ten things, and they had already found six. Darren quickly agreed as they sought Emily out with their noses.The three shifters split the load of the items they found and followed Emily’s scent. It was a little confusing to find her in the crowd, but Favian systematically guided
After helping Emily and Favian unload the purchases, the boys got into the car. Oliver was very happy about the new things he learned, but his older brothers were unusually quiet and exchanged eye contact. Favian noticed the unusual silence from the older boys. Despite his migraine, the beta wolf paid more attention to them. When Darren and Ludwig called it a truce and worked together, it usually meant something serious happened. The last time they did not fight with each other, Oliver brought William back. Something definitely happened back at the hypermart after Emily gave them some money. Their depressed looks were slightly concerning, and even Richard felt it from work through the pack’s bond. “What’s up?” the secretary asked, startling Emily, who was busy making meal plans with her purchases in her head. The
As soon as they arrived at the side house, the boys quickly helped Emily carry their purchases indoors. Favian parked the car and discreetly left to find the shifter wolf-dog guard.Darren and Ludwig learned quickly where they should put things away. Dry goods went into cabinets, and spices went on the rack. Rice went in Emily's rice bin, and bread went on the counter. Emily took care of the vegetables and other items that needed refrigeration.Oliver helped to fold the plastic bags, imitating Emily. Although they were not very neat triangles, it was still a rather good first attempt. With the help of three boys, Emily finished putting everything away just in time for Favian to return.“Welcome back, Mr Beowulf!” she greeted and tied the apron. “I was just about to start preparing lunch for the boy
The boys finished their homework quickly, with Ludwig teaching his brothers. Emily busied away in the kitchen but kept an ear out for any shouts and tell-tale signs of arguments. Normally, the boys would get rowdy at least once. However, they were exceptionally well-behaved today. Was it due to Favian’s presence?“Lunch is ready!” she called out. “Darren, set the table! Ludwig, tidy up! Oliver, wake Mr Beowulf!”There was no need to repeat herself. The boys got into action quickly.“On it!”“Coming!”“Ok!”As the boys hurried in different directions, Emily started ladling the pasta and soup into different bowls. The
Richard sulked, and Favian sighed. The CEO thought he would catch a glimpse of his newest caretaker, but he only saw his secretary and pups when the car arrived. Feeling exhausted as he climbed into the passenger seat, Richard became deadly silent even though he would normally ask about the pups’ day.“Is something wrong?” Darren whispered to Ludwig. “Alpha isn’t talking today.”The blond boy shrugged. It wasn’t uncommon for Richard to have those days. The full moon was also approaching, so that could be it. Richard’s inner wolf could be depressed at getting cooped in a building the whole time without anywhere to run freely. If they did not visit the hypermart today, they might have climbed the walls or jumped out of windows to keep those instincts suppressed.Seeing h
“Welcome back, young howlers!” A boyish voice boomed as soon as Richard got out of the car. “Did you manage to fully win over the future Luna?”The CEO was still helping Oliver out of his baby chair, but Darren and Ludwig were already telling the Fenrir about their valiant trip to the hypermart and ability to do chores. Favian simply ignored the teenage version of their guardian god and dragged his suitcase for unpacking. He left the casserole from earlier in Richard’s hands.“I see,” Ambrose grinned. “Even Favian approves of her!”Seeing Richard approaching them, the teenager demanded to know when he would bring her to the Blue Moon Mansion to officially introduce her to the pack.Unamused, Richard merely dropped the
In a blink of an eye, two years passed quickly. Richard and Favian deliberately took some off time from work to attend the important occasion that afternoon with the boys who took special leave from the boarding school.Oliver, William, Ludwig and Darren sat proudly on their chairs as the presenter announced the names of the graduates. One by one, they watched the cohort’s graduates walk up to the stage and shake hands with an old man before posing for pictures and walking down the stage with their certificates.“Where’s Emma?” William asked, and Oliver pulled his brother to sit on the chair properly. The youngest of their pack was still rather ill-mannered.“Patience,” Ludwig smiled. “They will call her name soon. You’ll see.”
The purple sunset on the horizon made a beautiful backdrop for their candlelit dinner date. Richard outdid himself and arranged for a romantic beachside set up on the sand and under the sky so Emily could enjoy the sea breeze and sound of waves during the low tide. The venue looked like something out of a magazine, giving off a magical atmosphere.“Enjoy your meal,” the waiter smiled and left after serving the couple some fancy seafood pasta.Richard grinned at how Emily marvelled at everything. It took him a few days to organise this with some string-pulling after Ambrose insisted he put more effort into wooing his mate. Things were gradually changing in their lifestyles for the better with each day Emily was around in the Blue Moon Mansion. The Fenrir changed so much around Emily. The werewolves could hardly believe their lazy and bigoted founding
Two months passed quickly after the family meeting. Emily was slowly getting used to the shifter lifestyle, although there was a lot of compromise and arguments between her and Ambrose over the children’s education.Today, it was no different.“They need to learn how to defend themselves!” Ambrose growled, and Emily raised a brow.“There will be no robbers with guns in the boarding school that they need to disarm or kill,” she reasoned. “Rich- Mr Taleman doesn’t choose schools with poor security. If it happens, they will have to go out of business. If anything, they need to learn how to eat with proper dining etiquette more than disarming a robber. You might not care about it, but bad dining manners signify inferior upbringing among humans.”
“She’s here!” Ambrose announced tipsily as Favian sighed in frustration at the chaos.In the short span he left to find the home tutor, Richard managed to engage in a drinking competition with the other alphas. They might be going easy on him by choosing a less destructive method of competing as alphas but dealing with a drunk Richard Taleman was almost as troublesome as having ten Ludwigs high on sugar.“Emily!” Richard beamed and waved uncoordinated to the copper-haired human.Almost at once, everyone turned their attention to the little protection squad around her. Emily nearly froze on the spot. If it wasn’t for Favian acting as a shifter barricade, she might have suffered a heart attack from how predatory everyone looked.Ev
“Stinky one-eyed bastard!”“Old furless mutt!”“Bring it on, you fangless faggot!”Of all the things Emily mentally prepared for, the slew of vulgarities and flying furniture was not one of them.The front yard that was brilliantly decorated was reduced to a mountain of trash with shifters growling at each other. The expensive handmade tapestry was torn, the special ordered outdoor carpet was ruined with mud, the steel chairs were bent at different angles, and Ambrose was organising a gambling den for the makeshift fight ring full of rowdy shifters.Emily wasn’t even fazed by the sight of wolf ears, swishy tails or exposed fangs during the day. They reminded her of the boys when she f
Escorting Emily from the beauty parlour was a whole new experience. Although she looked wonderful whenever he saw her, the beauty parlour lived up to its reputation and turned Emily into a goddess. Richard almost dropped to his knees there and then to worship her but remembered that they were still among humans.He stood before her and said nothing, taking in her scent and appreciating the difference good clothes and makeup did to her. Wolves were particular about strong human scents, so Richard was happy how the beauticians did not use products that hid Emily’s earthy scent. He liked how the colours complimented her natural beauty without changing who she was. It was perfect!“You look stunning,” Richard finally breathed after his mind caught up. The wolf inside was howling in delight at the fine mate they had.
Richard was nervous. He had reasons to be. Favian shared his pack brother’s feelings as well. Ms Gwayne was more than a roommate. According to the more detailed private investigation, the older lady took Emily in when she was homeless for months and treated her like a daughter. Ms Gwayne was Emily’s foster mother in some ways, and making a good impression on the future mother-in-law was a higher hurdle than winning the approval from all the packs at the family meeting this weekend.“Are the preparations ready?” Richard whispered, fiddling with his seatbelt.Favian sighed. The excitement from the pups through the bond did not help Richard ease up. If anything, the CEO checked his hair for the fourteenth time since they left the company. He texted Emily to let her know they would be back soon, and she replied that her foster mother was get
Family meeting…Emily had no idea what she should do at the meeting. As someone who was considered an outsider to their secret society, Emily did not want to make enemies. Richard was the prophesied child who was constantly under Ambrose’s protection. There would be countless shifters who might be envious or simply unhappy with Richard, right? Would it truly be alright for her to attend such an event when she wasn’t fully ready to give Richard her reply? What if she could not give him a reply to his confession before this weekend?The more Emily thought about it, the more confused she became. Even if she liked her boss in a romantic sense, Emily did not know what to do with those feelings. Richard had children even if they were not biologically his. Ignoring the supernatural secret, they were too different. What kind of funny fate tied
As whimsically as he decided to come, Ambrose finished his promised egg tarts and disappeared into thin air. He kissed her copper strands and promised that they would be seeing each other again rather soon over the weekends at the family meeting.“Don’t forget to bring some treats. I’m sure the other packs would appreciate your gifts!”As Ambrose dematerialised, Emily stood dumbly in the kitchen. The fridge door was still wide open, so she closed it, feeling as if she had aged ten years from the brief encounter with the mysterious Fenrir. Exhausted, even if it wasn't even time for dinner, Emily dragged herself to the living room to check on the boys’ homework.From upstairs, four pairs of curious eyes studied Emily. Their tutor had been staring at the same page for the last five minutes