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

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It was obvious that three teenage werewolves spoke about their current situation and they came up with something.

Zoe, Ash, and Luca had serious expressions while facing Serina, and no one expected that Zoe will announce they want to follow Serina.

"Follow me?", Serina asked with confusion obvious on her face.

All three teens nodded, and Zoe explained, "We will be your bodyguards, assistants, servants, whatever you need. We are fast and strong and we don't mind doing hard work."

Serina's brows furrowed while processing Zoe's words and I wondered how she will take this.

I must give it to the kids. They are smart. The three of them realized that Serina is the only one who wants to keep them, and by pledging to be her servants (or assistants or bodyguards), they are increasing their odds of being useful and reducing the chance of Serina rejecting them.

"How will you protect me or be whatever I need, if you can't control your shifting? How I see it, you are a liability that can put me in danger."

Serina's harsh response stunned me. Where did that come from?

Zoe lowered her head and Luca and Ash followed suit. They were out of arguments. It seems that they were confident their tactic will work, and didn't prepare contingencies in case of rejection. Amateurs.

"I can see your sincerity…", Serina continued, and three sets of eyes snapped toward her expectantly. "But if you want to stay with me, words are not enough. You will need to work for it."

"We will do anything…" Zoe stopped talking when Serina lifted her hand.

"I don't know how you grew up so far, but just reading and writing is not enough to survive. The world changed and there are no big packs that are self-sufficient. You will be forced to interact with other creatures. For that, you need to learn about them and about yourself. If you are willing to put in the hard work, I will help you. Once you prove that you mastered the necessary skills, we can revisit the topic of you working for me directly."

Zoe, Luca, and Ash were nodding like chickens pecking grains, confirming their agreement.

Even though I didn't understand how Serina plans to test their skills or what those skills are, I was impressed by Serina's speech. I wondered if that is the outcome of Serina's early morning talk with Lazarus. Based on Lazarus's smug smile, he definitely had a say in this.

Serina turned toward me. "They will need someone of their kind to guide them, at least in the beginning. You have a number of werewolves working for you. Do you think they can help?"

I understood where Serina was going with this. I have werewolves as security at Notte Pharmaceuticals. They are living on the land where the main facilities are, with separate living quarters and a big patch of forest in the back. Adding three more won't be a big deal, and I can leave to Fynn and his crew to take care of these teens.

Serina won't feel guilty for abandoning these three teenagers, and we are not adopting them. It's a perfect solution.

Our little chat session ended with me informing them that we can head to the ground of Notte Pharmaceuticals right away.

I was nearly done packing when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in…"

Serina entered gingerly. "You don't mind if we take them to those werewolves?"

"It's a perfect solution.", I assured her that it's fine.

"Will they agree to teach them about living as werewolves among other creatures?"

"Even if they don't teach them, Zoe, Luca, and Ash will get an opportunity to watch and learn. Fynn is a born leader. He will take them under his wing if for no other reason, then to straighten them up. They are not a pack, but they follow a strict set of rules and respect the chain of command. Other than Fynn, there is a number of other role models they can look up to. Male and female. It will all work out."

Serina smiled. "Thank you, father."

I waved like it's not a big deal. "There is no need for formalities between us. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. I will go and check on the kids."

I finished packing and was on my way out of the room when there was another knock. Did Serina forget something? I opened the door and looked at Lazarus.

"Can I have a minute?"

I looked at him questionably as he got inside my room.

"How long will it take for you to settle things with kids?"

I shrugged. "It will depend on Serina and the kids."

"Can I come?"

I was surprised by this question.

"You don't like Fynn.", I reminded Lazarus.

Fynn and Lazarus are both blockhead werewolves with Alpha potential, and whenever they are in the same room, the sparks are flying (not in a good way).

Instead of forming a pack and becoming an Alpha, Lazarus is a loner.

Fynn was the best warrior of the Bluemoon pack; a general reporting directly to Damiano (the supreme Alpha). After that pack fell apart, Fynn naturally became a leader of the group of werewolves which refused to join any of the packs that got created. They are living in a pack-like setup, but Fynn never accepted to be an Alpha.

"This is about Fynn.", Lazarus admitted. "I don't like the idea of him coming close to Serina. She will need protection."

"I will be there.", I said matter-of-factly. I didn't need to guess why Lazarus didn't like Fynn around Serina. I already saw that Lazarus was possessive of my daughter. But I had another question… "Why do you care how long it will take?"

Lazarus smiled a bit. "Serina said that we will talk about our date when she settles the kids."

I noticed that Lazarus was not calling them 'mutts' anymore. I guess their pre-breakfast chat impacted both of them.

"Are you so eager to take my daughter on a date? What are a few more days?"

Lazarus realized that I'm having a blast with this. He cleared his throat.

"It's not a problem. I was only wondering so that I can make necessary arrangements."

I rolled my eyes at his lame excuse.

"You want a heads up?", I asked and Lazarus confirmed. "Here is one. After we settle the kids, Serina and I are going to London. You can plan for your date after that. It will be in about…", I paused and enjoyed seeing Lazarus's smile disappearing in slow motion. "…two weeks from now."

"Two weeks?"

"Mhm…", I confirmed with a hum. "It might take less, but you should plan for two weeks, just to ensure your reservation doesn't fall through."

His frozen expression was comical.

"We need to leave. Will you give us a ride, or will it be one of your staff members?"

I would stay and tease Lazarus more. It was entertaining. However, we had a lot to do.

I called Fynn and provided some information about our arrival. I hope that he can get his wolves to be civil and not intimidate kids because if they are in distress, there is a chance that Serina will change her mind about leaving them there.

After we settle Zoe, Ash, and Luca, I will need to sit and have a serious talk with Serina. And that talk needs to happen before we go to London.

She never mentioned it, but I was fairly confident that she will go searching for Duke.

I didn't want to stop her, but she needs to be careful how she goes about it.

Those three girls set Serina up, and if they see her, who knows what will happen. In addition to those three girls, there is a big unknown related to Serina's background.

I wonder how Serina will react when I tell her my theory that her parents are not her real parents. She is not attached to them, but it still might come as a blow to find out that they lied to her for two decades.

I wondered, is Serina ready to face all those challenges? Am I ready?

Suddenly, taking Serina to London didn't sound like a good idea.

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