Melvina stared keenly at the duo in front of her, as they cast furtive glances to each other and scoffed inwardly; they were hiding something. She was very sure that something did happen at the human's place. I guess I have to ask my son then, she thought, determined to get the truth.
Looking away from them to the insides of the hall, she found out that the pack meeting was over. The pack members were trooping out of the hall to their respective homes. Then she heard her husband through their mind link; the mind link that was created when he had marked her during their mating ceremony. They could also feel each other's pains and thoughts.
"Have you seen your son?" Melvina heard Peter ask through the link. The sentence got her sighing wearingly. She knew that tone, she knew the sentence. He uses it whenever he was annoyed with Derek. At that moment, Derek becomes only her son.
"Yeah, I'm with him." She replied through the mind link
"How come he wasn't around for the pack meeting? Is this how he's going to lead the pack?" Peter queried, getting agitated. He couldn't understand his son's lackadaisical approach to important matters; like beating up humans, instead of finding strategies to help them win the upcoming pack war. There's of course no how his pack was moving out of this place that has served as their abode for more than 30 years now. So it's war. The white-sted pack wants war. They will have it then, he thought.
" He came back late from the cleaning job, there was a hitch in movement of some stuff that was needed in the new house." Melvina said, hoping that he wouldn't ask for where the house was, or who was moving in. To her relief, he didn't; rather he grunted.
"Okay then, I want you." Peter said, and tuned off.
Melvina smiled at his statement. Looking to the other far end of the hall, towards the elevated podium, she could see him trudging towards their quarters with Eva, their 5years old daughter. She would always be grateful to the moon goddess for blessing her womb, when she thought she wouldn't give birth. Dr Sam, the doctor of the pack had told her then that she wouldn't be able to give birth because of the damage done to her womb after she fell off a high cliff during the last pack war. It was a miracle she had survived then. But two years later, she had Derek; her handsome special son.
She looked at the quad in front of her, or trio rather. Her son, Derek was standing aloof, resting on a pillar at her 3 o'clock. She would ask him later what the problem was, but now, she needed to attend to her husband. Even through all these years, their bond had only gotten stronger and stronger, their lovemaking sweeter than the honey comb as the years passed by.
Now looking at her son, she hoped that he found the same. Emma came to her thought. She brushed it away, there's no way. She is a human. But then images of Emma's fiery nature and sharp mouth brought a smile to Melvina's lips. If only she was a wolf.. She thought.
"Luna…" Shane's voice cut into her thoughts. He was her favorite among her son's friends.
"Yes Shane." She answered smiling.
"We have to be going now." He said.
"Okay, sure.." She said. "Send my greeting to your parents. I will walk with Derek." She said loudly, so that Derek would hear her, knowing that he might try to go with his friends to escape his father's wrath.
Derek cussed when he heard what his mother said. He had planned to go off with Shane, and stay for sometime at their place before going home. His mother was really something. He knew that she also wanted to talk to him, perhaps about why his mood was grim. He would have to tell her something else then, he can't mention Emma.
"Maybe it's not a bad idea to mention Emma" Maru said.
Derek scoffed, his wolf could be so obtuse sometimes.
"If I tell her, then father will invariably know." He stated.
" Nah, She can keep it to herself. Haven't you known your mother all these while? And she already met our mate already. They flowed along properly." Maru opined.
"She was just trying to be polite to a new face." Derek said.
"Polite? Even to get food for her and for you guys? How did she know that you guys were there? It's obvious that Emma didn't tell her." Maru countered.
Derek had to agree that his wolf was right. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to let her know. She had always supported him, always had his back, even when he made the most miserable mistakes, unlike his father who was so hard on him. And it wasn't his fault after all; he didn't choose Emma to be his mate. The moon goddess did.
"Derek see you later, perhaps at the pack training tomorrow." Shane said, cutting into his thoughts; before he walked out of the hall with Leo and Clem.
He nodded, then looked up to see his mother staring at him with open curiosity. She walked up to him then took him by the arm. They strolled out from the hall to the lush garden which she had kept by herself all these years. His mother had always been a lover of vegetation, and Eva was fast taking that up. The little girl at her age, could already differentiate the multitude of flowers by their names.
"What happened?" He heard his mother ask, as they stopped in front of a very tree which overlooked the garden.
"A lot mum. A lot." He replied.
"Like what?" She asked, looking at him now.
"Can I ask you a question mom?" Derek inquired, deciding that this was it. It was now or never.
"Yeah, go on." Melvina implored, her curiousity increasing by the minute.
"What would you do mom, if a human was my mate?", He asked, holding his breath.