[Arthur's POV]
"Dad. is that really a good idea? Once he had other intentions for Steph, Steph may be in danger." Patrick was still wary of me.
Eric shook his head and said to his son, "I'm sure Arthur wouldn't attack us. Besides, even if he's lying, the two of us, and maybe plus Triton, won't be able to beat this terrifyingly powerful monster!"
"I'm still standing here!" I kindly reminded the father and his son.
"What if we unite the Demon Forest Pack, all of our pack members together?" Patrick made an interesting suggestion, but I knew he had already listened to his father and decided to trust me.
"Then I choose to take Steph away before you two packs unite and attack me." I pretended to think hard and gave them a solution that made sense to me.
"Hahaha, Bro, I kind of like you now. I mean as your possible brother-in-law." Patrick laughed out loud a few times, patting me on the shoulder in the process.
"If you didn't use the word 'possible,' I think I'd like you, too."
"You know my sister has a boyfriend now, right? We've been friends with Carl since we were kids. I'm afraid it's a bit difficult if you intend to get Steph, who deeply loves her boyfriend, to accept you as her future mate."
"Deeply loves ...." I murmured, picking the corners of my lips, "I will respect her choice, providing she finds out the true nature of her Womanizing Control Freak."
"Womanizing Control Freak? Dude, you're a genius." Patrick covered his stomach and burst out laughing, "I can't wait to see you steal Steph away."
It seemed Patrick knew exactly what kind of guy Carl was, and Eric probably did too. They both valued and were very protective of Steph. Maybe that's why they hadn't told Steph what Carl was like.
"Stop it." Eric scolded Patrick and turned to me, "Arthur, I trust you not to harm my pack members and my daughter. And, I'm glad you told me she would be your mate. But, that child... I hope you will take her feelings into account when she finds out about this at 18."
"I promise. "I could feel the concern of a father for his daughter, even though I knew now Steph would never have any feelings for her boyfriend, no, ex, who had killed her.
Eric nodded to me and invited me to join him in the dining room for dinner. After I told them why Steph didn't want to have dinner, Eric shot another glance at Patrick. "Starting from today, leave your motorcycle in my storage, and I'll give it back to you in a year."
"No, Dad. How are Steph and I getting to school without Lucy? Please, I can't sleep a day without touching it!" Patrick yelled.
Eric completely ignored Patrick's pleading. At that moment, his beta, Mr. Grete, came in and said there was a message from Demon Forest saying that Triton was not feeling well. Carl had to take care of his father, so the two of them couldn't come here for dinner tonight.
"Is Triton feeling sick, or is he afraid that you and I have some plans to kill him? Eric, what do you think?" I couldn't help but laugh when I heard the excuse given by the other side. After more than twenty years of not seeing each other, Triton was still so suspicious. However, raising such a devious and vicious son, I didn't expect much kindness from him for my arrival.
Eric sighed and waved his hand, "Forget it if he doesn't come. Ever since he and I both became Alpha, he hardly ever left Demon Forest except for the Harvest Festival and rogues coming in, though our packs are very close together."
"Demon Forest. "I whispered the name of that forest and the name of Triton's Pack." I think it must be a perfect place for him and his son to live."
After a nice, delicious dinner, Eric asked Patrick to take me to the guest room for the sake of the ten-hour drive I had made to get here, even though I wasn't feeling sleepy. On the way to the guest room, Patrick excitedly spoke to me, "Arthur, when I turn 18 and shift, you must fight with me."
"Of course I will. By the way, our pack will design training programs specifically for pre-shifting pack members. If you are interested, I can ask my beta Chris to contact you and help you design a program suited to your ability." I looked at his fairly strong arms and felt that this kid would be an outstanding wolf in soon. If trained properly, he would be a great alpha, not inferior to Eric in the future.
"Wow, that's so cool! Can I take this offer of yours as a bribe to put in a good word for you in front of Steph?" Patrick looked at me with a smirk on his face.
"If you'd like to do that, I have no problem with it." I nodded back to him.
"Deal." Patrick then left after he dropped me off in the guest room. I guess he probably went to say goodbye to his beloved motorcycle.
I looked out the window at the full moon and was incredibly relaxed. I smiled. After 0:00, my future luna would be 17 years old. I remembered my mother telling me that the night I was born was also a full moon. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I believed more than anything that it was a fated match between Steph and me.
"When I think of the fact that I have to wait a year to see my mate, I want to rush out and find another phoenix and have Witch Lassie send us a year later." Paul, who had remained silent all night, suddenly exclaimed.
"Buddy, we probably don't have that much life left to pay for a second time travel. Lassie probably used up all her magic for this time travel as well."
"I know. I'm just kidding. You know we've been waiting for our mate to show up for 50, oh, 49 years, whatever."
"We've waited so long, now it's just one more year. Let's get some rest, and if you're still feeling restless after waking up, then we can go out for a run before dawn. Eric said there is White Star Lake 500 meters north of the packhouse."
It was close to ten o'clock when I got out of the shower and lay down in the comfortable bed. At dinner, Eric told me that on the night of the full moon in summer, a special plant at the edge of White Star Lake, the Light Ball grass, would spit out small glowing lights floating in the air. I didn't find this plant in my pack, so I thought I'd bring a few backs to my mother if Eric allowed tomorrow. Of course, I must let Steph take me to find this grass.
I glanced at my phone, which I had muted for more than ten hours, and it automatically shut off because of a dead battery. It was perfect. The feeling of exhaustion and the comfort of the soft bed made my brain make the most appropriate judgment--rest immediately.
"Wake up... Arthur... Wake up!" It didn't feel good to be woken up suddenly in the middle of a deep sleep, especially when the noise came from my silent and uncommunicative wolf, Paul.
"Don't tell me you want to go running out for a break right now, or I'll choose to turn off the mind link with you," I muttered.
"It's lemon, no, this time it's the smell of lemon soda. It's our mate! She shifts!"
I immediately opened my eyes and grabbed the electronic clock next to my bed, which read Wolf Calendar-2021.7.25. 0:03'35''
"How is this possible?" I was quite surprised. How could Steph shift today? I went from her second choice to the first?
The smell of lemon soda was getting stronger in the wind, and she was approaching my room.