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

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Aldus's question brought up a point I didn't have time to ponder about yet.

Am I worried if I am (or not) Duke's mate? Of course, I am.

Duke was sticking close to me from the day we met, and he was always protective of me. If he was a human, that sounded like love at first sight, and if he was a werewolf, I would think that's a mate. But for a werewolf without his wolf… I was not sure how to define it.

I would love to believe that the attraction Duke feels is a sign I'm his mate, but the only existence that can confirm (or deny) it would be his wolf that is not showing signs of waking up for the last two decades (maybe more).

If Duke awakens his wolf, he will be the most powerful werewolf on the continent. Or is it in the world?

Mateo Testa, my Duke. The king of werewolves, the Supreme Alpha.

I love him and I should be happy about that possibility, but the worm of doubt was gnawing on my heart as newly sprouted insecurities made it difficult to breathe.

What if he finds me not worthy of being his partner?

What if his wolf says I'm not his mate?

Could I be happy for Duke to stand on the top, if that excludes me from his life?

What if he finds his mate and that's not me?

What if…?

"I will try to think about it after we have data to confirm if awakening his wolf is possible.", I said as I forced myself to focus on the present. "Assuming that is possible, Duke should agree with whatever the procedure is. And then… in the case of success where Duke becomes a full-fledged werewolf, and we find out that I'm not his mate... that will not change how I feel about him."

And that was the truth. No matter what the future brings, he will always be my Duke. The only man who won my heart. Forever.

I saw relief wash over Aldus's features. He was worried about me, and I wondered if I deserve such a caring father.

"I hope you are up to the task of telling the boy about his heritage."

I didn't expect this. "Me?"

"Who else? He trusts you. If I start talking about werewolves and vampires, he will think that I'm an old man who lost his mind."

I was more than ready to let someone else handle this big reveal. Maybe a bunch of werewolves shifting in front of Duke would make a point. But with Duke's identity, I knew that he would be vulnerable if people knew about him. That's exactly why Sergio is hiding Duke's existence for the last decade. Yes, Sergio! "Why not Sergio?"

Aldus rolled his eyes. "Because he is stupid."

Well, I wouldn't call him stupid. Stubborn, yes.

"Sergio has a duty to protect Duke.", I said to Sergio's defense. "He believes that if Duke doesn't know about creatures, he will be safe."

Aldus confirmed. "Correct. Also, Damiano told Sergio to keep it from the boy because he can't shift into his wolf form. We have rules of keeping our existence a secret from humans, but that boy is not human. He is probably aware that he is different, but he doesn't know the truth. The fact that his father was the Supreme Alpha puts the boy in danger. Right now, three of us know that your Duke is Mateo."

Aldus lifted his hand, and extended a finger for each name, "Sergio, you, and I. Lazarus suspects that boy is unusual and all teens who were at that party definitely sensed the Alpha pressure from him. It's only a matter of time before more people realize who he is because young men without their wolf having the aura of an Alpha are not something you can meet often."

I agreed. Duke should know. But I had no idea how to start this conversation.

"I will find a way to tell him.", I assured Aldus. "Once he knows what his father was, we can invite him here for tests. There will be no need to knock him out."

"I will leave that up to you.", Aldus said with a smile before adding, "Don't drag it. If he knows about the creatures, we can go and set up those defensive arrays without sneaking around. The boy probably needs those defenses more than you do."

Defensive arrays. Safety. Right.

That incident that included three hooded creatures, was hanging above my head, reminding me that I'm in danger, and now there was also Duke. Without Duke knowing that he is the son of the Supreme Alpha, and without his wolf, Duke will also be in danger. I felt the urgency to resolve that issue as soon as possible.

"Father…", I called to get his attention. "Did you find any clues about those three creatures who approached me during the event at the Council?"

Aldus shook his head in response, indicating that he didn't.

I was exasperated. How come there are no solid clues?

We know that someone is lurking in the shadows (not you, Krob), and waiting for the chance to strike, yet we can't do anything other than wait.

Yes, yes, this is sensitive, and it involves some high-profile creatures, so we can't just go around pointing fingers without any evidence, but how can we find evidence?

I've got an idea.

"How about we set up a trap?"

I got Aldus's attention. "A trap?"

"They came after me, thinking that I'm an easy target. And they were correct. If Laz and Graike didn't show up, they would take me away."

Aldus frowned. "Your point?"

"Let's give them another chance and make sure no one interferes."

"You want to be the bait?", Aldus asked grumpily. "That's out of the question. There are so many things that could go wrong."

I raised my hands in order to get him to calm down and listen.

"I'm not the same person, father.", I assured him with as much confidence I could muster. "We will know they are coming. Put a tracking mechanism on me that I can activate when I reach wherever they want to take me, and you can come to my rescue and bust their operation."

Aldus's expression didn't change. It was still a firm NO.

I continued talking.

"When is the next event organized by the Council? RSVP that we are coming, and we will be prepared. We both know that those guys will not give up and no matter how careful we are, one day we will slip, and they will attack. I will rather they take me when I'm expecting than when I'm vulnerable."

Aldus let out a slow breath while shaking his head in disapproval. He understood my plan was reasonable, but he didn't like the idea of me being the bait.

"What if they drug you? What if they remove the tracking device? What if they put you within the ability-restricting array?"

"I'm not their target. You are.", I reminded him. "Even if they drug me, they will not harm me. They only want to use me to get to you. Besides, Aldus Mezzanotte is the most brilliant person I know. We will use a tracking device that can't be removed. And I will take pills to make me resistant to jamming my abilities. I'm sure you can come up with countermeasures to whatever they thought of. I'm not suggesting this because I'm reckless. I'm suggesting this because I'm confident you will come to my rescue with cavalry and take them down."

I could see Aldus's lips lifting into a smile. Ah, he is easy to fall for sweet-talking.

"Let me think about it.", he said.

I had him. Almost. I decided to hit the iron while it's hot.

"You know this makes sense, right? We are forced to wait because big players are involved. But if this works, you will find the evidence or at least confirm who the people behind the curtain are."

"And what if it doesn't work?"

"Then, we will waste planning efforts. They might not show up, or they do and fail, or they take me and you save me without gaining anything useful. But if we prepare well, I don't see the negative outcome where they can really harm me."

"Would you suggest this if I didn't tell you who your Duke is?"

I wanted to say 'no', but that would be a lie. However, I knew that saying 'yes', would work against me.

Aldus shook his head helplessly. "Love made you foolish. I hope the boy is worth it. If after everything you are risking for him, he mistreats you, I will cut off his balls and make him eat them."

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