"You know, I just cannot thank you enough." Immanuel grinned, his eyes sparkling with joy. He stared at Anaya as if she had done something unworldly for him. But truth to be told, she couldn't be accountable for his and Ellie's patch up. Agreed that she had gone to meet Ellie and had instantly bonded with her but that was because Ellie was a beam of sunshine. She had welcomed Anaya with a warm smile. There were no made-up conversations; words flowed naturally and they chatted for hours.

Ellie had asked her several questions about werewolves and she had tried her best to provide truthful explanations with her limited knowledge which had satisfied Ellie enough to soothe her fears.

Immanuel had felt like a third wheel right then, a grumpy expression on his face for being blatantly ignored by the girls. But when it had been the time to leave, Ellie had allowed him to embrace her with a kiss on her forehead. And later she had sent him a text to join her for dinner, which led him to toss a string of praises at Anaya.

"Yeah, I know I'm fabulous. Now let me watch this episode." She scowled at him before turning towards the TV screen. His phone pinged and she threw her head back against the couch in irritation, knowing he was going to thank her again because that was what he'd been doing every time he received a text from his mate. Anaya had lost count of it.

"Anaya-"

"Jeez, can you please let me—" Rest of the words died in her throat when her eyes followed the direction he was staring at with his mouth agape. A woman crossed the threshold of the drawing-room and the first thing Anaya noticed was her waist-length orange hair. The color was extremely vibrant which had Anaya wonder if it was a hair dye until she saw her faintly visible crescent-of-moon orange eyebrows, under which were orange pointy eyes that were soaking up the interior of the house. They landed on Anaya, glinting in a way that looked eerily familiar, causing an itch in her memory. Her rosy lips twitched into a smirk, making Anaya lean back in surprise.

"Move," a voice came from behind the woman who stepped to the side, revealing Mason, the third in command. He tipped his head in their direction, then motioned for the woman to follow him up the stairs to Icarus' office.

"Let's go."

"Huh?"

"I want to know who she is."

That snapped Anaya out of her thoughts and she glowered at him, whacking him on the head with her palm. "You have a beautiful mate."

He grimaced in pain, shaking his head. "I got bad vibes from her. I want to make sure she isn't a threat to us."

"Oh!" She gave an apologetic smile to him. Anaya had her apprehension too. The woman screamed trouble which was quite evident to anyone who wasn't dazzled by her alluring beauty. She had rubbed Anaya in a wrong way and an uneasiness settled within her when she mulled over the look the woman had given to her. "But I don't think Icarus will be happy if we barge in uninvited."

He stood up and stretched his arms. "Doesn't matter who thinks what, you're the werewolf Queen. You have the right to be part of every important meeting and decision-making process."

Anaya let out a resigned sigh as curiosity won the best of her. With a nod, she made her way to Icarus' office, Immanuel hot on her tails. She could hear voices as they approached the door and Anaya hesitated before nudging it open. Pin drop silence fell as heads turned in their direction. She froze, her eyes instantly finding Icarus for what she didn't know, but her shoulders relaxed when their gazes collided. He motioned for them to come in with the gesture of his hand. Immanuel closed the door behind them before pushing Anaya towards the empty couch at the back of the room.

"So Casey, you left your old pack to be a part of the Imperial pack?"

"My mate died the previous month, since then it has been difficult to stay in Weston pack. It holds too many memories, and I-I...it's hard to move on."

Icarus leaned back against his chair, seizing the woman with narrowed eyes. "That's plausible but why did you choose the Imperial pack among all the other packs?"

"This pack is the closest to my old pack. I want to move on but I have my family and friends there. I want to visit them occasionally without the hassle of traveling too far and at one point, I want to go back to them when everything is better."

Icarus seemed to be alright with her answers because he pulled out a form from a file, handing it to Nicholas who passed it to Mason.

"I'll call your Alpha and confirm everything while Mason explains the rest to you." Icarus turned away from them to dial Weston's number. As the bell rang, he heard Mason speak to the woman in the background.

"Fill in the details. We need to register you under the Imperial Royale pack. When it is done, you'll be welcomed into the packhouse, and mind-link will be enabled for communication with pack members."

"Can I stay—"

He tuned them out and focused on the gruff voice of Mr. Weston who was of his father's age. His pack was small and friendly, always buzzing with celebrations and festivals. His son hadn't taken over yet, given that he'd been out searching for his mate.

Icarus cleared his throat. "Good afternoon, Mr. Weston. I have called to confirm a situation."

"Afternoon, Alpha. I'm guessing this is about Casey Rosewood, my pack's cook. Her mate died the previous month in a rogue attack. He was one of my best warriors. It has been a difficult time for Casey, so I advised her to leave for a while to start fresh."

"Ah, that'll be all. Thank you."

Once Icarus cut off the call, murmurs erupted again.

"What's the problem?"

"She wants to stay here, not in the packhouse," Mason informed in a hard tone, frowning. He did not like the idea.

"Yeah, I'd rather work for you. I'm a very good cook." Casey insisted, glancing between Mason and Icarus.

"We don't need additional staff."

"But I feel peaceful here. After everything that happened, I would like a quiet place."

"We can get you a new house all for yourself."

"I don't want to stay alone," she whispered, her voice laced with sadness. "It'll be only for a few months. I don't want to trouble anyone on my behalf."

"All right, you can stay here. You'll be allotted a room on the ground floor. If you need any help, ask Lisa. She is the housekeeper and will assign your duties."

"Thank you, Alpha."

Anaya seethed, her fierce glare shuffling between Icarus and Casey. Did he just say yes to her? Was he not thinking of the danger she could bring? Of course, he must have been captivated by her sheer gorgeousness. As if sensing the direction in which her thoughts were moving, Icarus met her gaze from across the room and swallowed. "We are done for today."

That was her cue to leave his office. She did not want to be alone with him. She scrambled to her feet but it was like others were keen on stepping out first, leaving her behind. She saw how Casey lingered further than necessary and that made her blood boil in rage. Finally, she handed the form to Icarus, flashed him a sweet smile, and bowed her head before scurrying off.

"Not you, Anaya." She stiffened, her eyes enlarging in alarm when the door closed. Traitors, she murmured to herself. They had deceived her, including Immanuel. She tugged on the handle but in a flicker he was there behind her, wrapping his fingers around her wrist to pause her. "Please."

"What?" she groaned in exasperation.

"I—" He breathed out, gently whirling her around to face him. "Let me hold you once?"

Anaya looked up at him in incredulity and shook her head. "Casey passed your level of trust without having to prove herself, why don't you go to her?"

"Anaya..."

"Look Icarus, when I said stay away from me, I meant it. I'm your mate, aren't I? Yet you doubted my intentions and accused me of wrongdoings. I can never forgive you."

"It wasn't me, I swear. I don't know how to explain but I wouldn't do such—"

"Save the lies, I don't want to hear anything." Anaya rolled her eyes, chuckling humorlessly. Did he think she would believe him? Goodness, there was a limit to everything and Icarus was hell-bent on crossing it with his fruitless excuses, which only irked her. "If there's nothing important, I'd like to leave."

"I miss you." He took a step forward, gliding his arms around her waist. "I miss you so much." His face nuzzled in the crook of her neck and Anaya stood motionless, her arms hanging at her sides, fingers balled into tight fists. He repeatedly apologized, his voice as erratic as his breath and she realized he was trembling.

Her stomach knotted and tears gathered in her eyes, slowly rolling down her cheeks. Icarus caressed her hair and everything about him made her feel secure. She couldn't comprehend why, not after his behavior towards her. She was supposed to hate him, then why did she miss him too?

It was too much to handle. She would not lose herself in him again.

She screamed incoherently, angry wails escaping her throat that sounded too raw and painful to her own ears, and maybe the entire house heard her.

He let go at once. Stunned.

She ran.