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

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The inside of Lazarus's villa was a mix of rustic charm and functionality, elegant and super-clean.

The three story-high entry was cut in half by a massive beam that had a chandelier hanging off from it.

Big windows that framed the entry door hinted that there is a view to enjoy.

I followed after the maid who was assigned to take me to my room while Aldus went upstairs without an escort. It was obvious that he knew where he was going.

My room on the second floor was nice. It smelled of chamomile and lavender, great for relaxing and I hoped that it will work. My carry-on was already inside, and I waited for the maid to leave before making my way to the bathroom.

I enjoyed a long and hot shower before heading down for dinner.

Zoe, Luca, and Ash joined us in the dining room. They were wearing sweatpants and t-shirts. It was not much, but it was new and clean, better than what they had.

I noticed that three teens are standing awkwardly halfway between the door and the table.

Seeing that Aldus and Lazarus took their seats at the table and were chatting while ignoring the teens, I took the initiative to invite them.

"Join us…", I called while gesturing toward the table.

They were visibly surprised.

"At the same table?", Ash blurted out.

"Yes."

I wondered, what kind of life werewolves have in packs?

The kids were timid, and I guessed that they were suppressed, and possibly traumatized.

As I approached the chair next to Aldus, he stood up and pulled the chair for me to sit without interrupting his chat with Lazarus.

No matter what Aldus does, he always pays attention to me. True gentleman. My father is the best.

Any reservation the kids had was gone when the food was served. They dove into the dishes like they didn't eat in days.

I was concerned if I will need to maintain the conversation going during dinner in order not to make it awkward, but seeing that they were so busy with food, I could focus on other things.

I listened to the conversation between Aldus and Lazarus. Of course, they discussed tonight's incident.

"The Dark Walkers pack is not in this area, but they knew that was my territory.", Lazarus said.

"With their four experienced warriors gone, they should take a break for some time.", Aldus shared his thoughts.

"This is only temporary because a new warrior will take over, and this will only increase their urgency to create more warriors.", Lazarus said with a grim expression. "I thought that rogues are my biggest problem, but now it's this. I assumed that after eight years things would be stabilized, but now that smaller packs are facing difficulties, things are only worse."

Aldus agreed. "The best solution would be if they join forces, merging into bigger packs. But none of the current Alpha's is willing to step down."

Lazarus snorted. "They are not Alphas. Being the strongest one in a group of ten doesn't make an Alpha."

I could hear the dejection in his voice, and I remember Aldus telling me how Lazarus had to repel many so-called Alphas who wanted to take Lazarus's territory or to make him submit.

"Is there a way to persuade smaller packs to join into one big pack?", I asked.

Aldus shook his head. "Pack will follow their Alpha to the end. Either due to fear or due to loyalty. Once you are a member of a pack, the Alpha can make other members submit and can force open the mind link. If he catches you with treacherous thoughts…", Aldus made a face that told me it's not good.

Aldus glanced at Lazarus and continued explaining, "In the same way how Lazarus protects his independence, the Alpha will not give his position willingly. Not so long ago, Alphas fought each other, and there were many casualties. The werewolves are territorial, and they always crave for more. Given enough time, the packs will reduce in members and numbers, and only when one Alpha defeats another, the two packs will combine. Keep in mind that prisoners are not treated as equals, so no pack will surrender easily. Only a Supreme Alpha can sort this out and even with his power there will be some blood spilled."

Lazarus looked at me and grinned. "Maybe Serina is the Supreme Alpha."

I rolled my eyes and spoke while imitating Lazarus mockingly, "Only guys can be Alphas."

"Can we focus on the food? It's late and we have a lot to do…", Aldus interjected before we explode into bickering.

Tonight, Lazarus was irritating. Since we left for this expedition, he was overbearing, and his words were full of sarcasm.

What happened to the charming man who wanted to get me on a date? If I don't know better, I would think that he is a woman on a period.

Wait! This is good. Maybe I can provoke him further and use his outburst as an excuse to avoid that date. I'm brilliant!

Unfortunately, my plan failed. Lazarus refused to talk to me for the rest of the meal, and I couldn't be too obvious in provoking him.

After dinner, the kids went to their rooms and I followed after them. I saw that they were anxious, who wouldn't be? I felt the need to talk to them and maybe ease them up a bit.

We all went to Zoe's room.

The three of them sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me stiffly.

"How are you guys holding on?", I asked.

They bobbed their heads ambiguously.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

The trio exchanged quick glances, and then Zoe asked, "What's going to happen to us?"

"I don't know.", I said honestly. "As I already mentioned, Aldus is my father, and I will talk to him about options. What I can guarantee is that I will not abandon you. However, where we go from here will depend on you as well. I want you to think about what you hope to get out of this, and tomorrow we will put our heads together and come up with something. OK?"

Zoe, Ash, and Luca nodded. All three of them had thoughtful expressions.

"What grade are you in?", I asked while thinking about their education. Thirteen and fourteen years old, that puts them in high school (or close).

"We don't go to school.", Zoe responded. "Pack members taught us to read and write and that's it."

I had no idea how to respond to this. Is this normal for werewolves? "Do you want to go to school?"

"With humans?", Ash asked with a frown.

I realized that going to school with humans is probably not a common occurrence.

Teenagers are hormonal, and they can easily lose control of their strength or shift in rage, so being with humans is probably not a good idea. But there must be some way to educate them beyond just reading and writing. Ah, I will need to talk to Aldus about this also.

"Let's not think about humans now. I'm asking if you are interested in getting an education."

I saw that they were reluctant to respond, so I explained, "Unless you plan to steal clothes and eat only what you hunt, you will need money and you get it by having a job. Without education, you can do hard labor that doesn't require any skills, but the pay is less. The better degree you have, the more you can earn by doing less…"

After my little speech about the benefits of education, I left Zoe, Ash, and Luca in the room to talk it out.

There were many other topics to cover, but I didn't want to talk about anything with teenagers before I discuss it with Aldus.

I was relieved to see him in the living room.

"What should I do?", I asked immediately from the door.

Aldus chuckled. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to help them.", I said honestly. "Leaving them like this won't be good. They are not little kids. With a bit of guidance and an opportunity, I believe that they will be able to stand on their feet soon."

"You missed one point, princess…", Lazarus's voice came from the side. I didn't notice that he was in the room.

"What point?"

"The kids want you to lead them.", Lazarus responded.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "The kids said that only because they are not aware of other options."

Lazarus tilted his head, obviously amused by my answer. "And you will give them options?"

My irritation swelled. "It's obvious that you will NOT!"

"Why do you care about them so much?", Lazarus asked mockingly. "Is it to make yourself feel better?"

My irritation morphed into rage. What kind of a question was that? "How can you not care about them? Does it make you feel superior? You don't need to feed and clothe them, but it would be nice to treat them with decency and not like they are trash."

Lazarus's eyes flashed in outrage.

"Enough!", Aldus shouted, obviously annoyed with our bickering. He shot me and Lazarus what's-wrong-with-you looks before asking Lazarus. "Can I go with Serina to your study so that we can talk in private?"

Lazarus responded with a stiff nod.

"Thank you. We will be out of here tomorrow after breakfast.", Aldus said and gestured to me to head out.

I glanced at Lazarus and saw that his expression fell. Was he sad that we are leaving in the morning? Or guilty about being a prig?

On the other side, I was responding rashly without trying to understand him. He is not a human and I shouldn't treat him like one. If my goal was to be his friend, I am doing a horrible job.

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