The afternoon crowd at the café had finally started thinning when the bell above the entrance chimed softly again. Anya looked up from the counter automatically, expecting another customer from the nearby offices.
Instead, she froze slightly in surprise.
Serena had just entered the café.
Even dressed casually in dark jeans and a fitted coat, Serena still carried the same composed and intimidating aura that naturally made people glance at her twice. Her sharp eyes briefly scanned the café before settling on Anya.
Anya blinked in surprise before quickly smiling. "Serena?"
Serena walked toward the counter calmly. "I hope I'm not interrupting your work."
"Not at all," Anya replied immediately.
Caris, who was standing beside the espresso machine, leaned closer curiously and whispered under her breath, "Your friend is ridiculously pretty."
Anya laughed softly before stepping around the counter. "Take a seat first. I'll make something for you."
Serena actually looked mildly surprised by the enthusiasm in Anya's voice, but she nodded and moved toward one of the quieter corners of the café.
Anya personally prepared the drink herself. She carefully made a warm caramel latte with less sugar after vaguely remembering Serena preferred stronger flavors. When she finally brought the drink over, Serena glanced at the cup before looking back at her.
"You made this yourself?"
Anya nodded. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just guessed."
Serena took a sip quietly before giving a small nod. "You guessed correctly."
The approval strangely made Anya feel proud.
Later, when Anya's break time started, she joined Serena at the table with her own iced tea. The atmosphere between them felt much more comfortable compared to their earlier meetings at the villa.
Anya leaned back slightly into her chair before smiling faintly. "I still can't believe you came all the way here."
Serena rested one arm lightly against the table. "Alaric asked me to keep an eye on you while he's in Dunwell."
Anya smiled immediately at hearing that.
"I figured," she admitted softly. "He told me he was going with his parents to relocate the Fang Pack members."
Serena nodded. "Things are unstable right now. Marcus doesn't want unnecessary risks."
Anya stirred her drink slowly before speaking again. "You know… I've noticed something for a while."
Serena looked at her calmly. "What is it?"
"You and Leo are always beside Alaric," Anya said thoughtfully. "Not just as friends. It feels… different somehow."
A faint understanding crossed Serena's face.
"That's because Leo and I are tied to him differently from ordinary pack members," Serena explained calmly.
Anya leaned forward slightly, immediately interested.
"Leo is Alaric's future Beta," Serena continued. "And I'm his future Gamma."
Anya blinked. "What exactly does that mean?"
Serena rested back slightly before explaining more patiently than usual.
"The Alpha leads the pack," she said. "The Beta acts as the Alpha's second-in-command. He handles enforcement, protection, discipline, and supports the Alpha during conflict or instability."
Anya nodded slowly while listening carefully.
"And the Gamma?" she asked.
"The Gamma protects the internal stability of the pack," Serena explained. "We manage emotional conflicts, monitor threats within the pack structure, and support the Alpha mentally when necessary."
Anya looked genuinely fascinated now.
"So both of you are directly connected to Alaric?"
Serena nodded once. "The bond between Alpha, Beta, and Gamma is instinctive. Not as strong as soulmate bonds, but still significant."
She paused briefly before adding, "We can communicate through the bond to some extent."
Anya's eyes widened immediately. "Seriously?"
Serena almost smiled slightly at her reaction. "Yes."
"You can talk to each other mentally?"
"Not full conversations constantly," Serena corrected calmly. "But emotions, warnings, locations, urgent thoughts. Especially during dangerous situations."
Anya stared at her in amazement. "That's honestly so cool."
Serena let out a faint breath that almost sounded amused.
"You'll eventually experience something similar yourself."
Anya blinked. "Me?"
"Once Alaric marks and claims you," Serena replied directly.
The words immediately made Anya blush slightly. Even after learning so much about werewolves recently, hearing those terms still made her heart race.
Anya lowered her voice slightly. "How does… that actually happen?"
Serena answered surprisingly calmly, as though discussing something completely ordinary.
"The werewolf bites their mate," she explained. "Usually at the neck."
Anya instinctively touched the side of her neck immediately.
"The mark symbolizes the completed bond between soulmates," Serena continued. "It deepens emotional connection, strengthens instinctive awareness, and allows the pair to sense each other more clearly."
Anya listened carefully despite the growing warmth in her face.
"And the mark stays forever?" she asked quietly.
"At first, yes," Serena replied. "But after the soulmate bond is fully completed physically, the mark fades."
Anya blinked in confusion.
"Because soulmates naturally strengthen and heal one another," Serena explained. "The connection becomes internal rather than symbolic."
The amount of information made Anya's head spin slightly. Everything about the werewolf world felt both overwhelming and strangely intimate at the same time.
Serena noticed her expression immediately.
"It's a lot to process," she admitted calmly.
Anya laughed nervously. "That's an understatement."
For the first time, Serena's expression softened more openly.
"You don't need to understand everything immediately," she reassured her. "Alaric knows that."
Anya lowered her gaze briefly, thinking about him.
"He'll prepare you properly," Serena continued. "And unlike many wolves, he'll wait until you're genuinely ready before pulling you fully into this world."
There was quiet sincerity in her voice.
"He's trying very hard not to pressure you."
Anya's chest warmed softly hearing that.
Serena studied her for a moment before adding quietly, "Most powerful wolves wouldn't have this much restraint with their mate."
Anya looked up slowly. "Does it really take that much control?"
Serena gave her a long look before answering honestly.
"You have no idea."
The seriousness in her tone made Anya's face heat instantly again. Serena took another sip of her drink afterward before speaking more softly.
"But the fact that he's still patient with you despite the bond tells you something important."
Anya blinked slightly.
"He loves you far beyond instinct," Serena said quietly. "That's rare."
Anya's face turned visibly red after Serena's final words. Serena noticed the reaction instantly. A faint smirk finally appeared on her usually composed face.
"So you do get shy," she commented lightly.
Anya nearly choked on her drink. "Serena."
Serena leaned back against the chair with quiet amusement. "I was starting to think you only blush around Alaric."
"That's not true," Anya muttered weakly, though the heat spreading across her cheeks completely betrayed her.
Serena observed her for another moment before speaking again. "You should see your expression every time his name comes up."
Anya covered part of her face with one hand immediately. "Please stop."
Now Serena genuinely looked entertained.
"This is actually interesting," she said calmly. "I've never seen him behave this way with anyone either."
Anya peeked at her curiously despite her embarrassment. "What do you mean?"
"Alaric is naturally patient and controlled," Serena explained. "But with you…" She paused briefly, choosing her words carefully. "He becomes softer."
The warmth in Anya's chest deepened immediately.
Serena continued almost casually, "Even the way he looks at you is obvious."
Anya groaned softly in embarrassment. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because it's true."
Serena rested her chin lightly against her hand before adding, "The future Alpha of the Stone Pack practically follows you around like his entire world depends on you."
Anya's face turned even redder.
"That sounds exaggerated."
"It isn't."
Serena's voice remained calm, but her eyes carried quiet certainty.
"You didn't see him before you came to Central City," she continued. "He was disciplined, focused and efficient." A faint pause followed. "But also distant."
Anya listened quietly.
"The first time he brought you to the villa," Serena said, "everyone noticed the difference immediately."
"What difference?"
"He looked alive."
The words caught Anya completely off guard.
Serena lowered her gaze briefly toward her drink before continuing more softly. "Most wolves become calmer after finding their mate. But Alaric…" She gave a faint shake of her head. "You stabilize him."
Anya stared quietly at the table afterward, trying to process the weight of that. The thought that she mattered so deeply to him still overwhelmed her sometimes.
Serena studied her expression for a moment before the corner of her lips lifted slightly again.
"And honestly," she added dryly, "watching you panic every time someone mentions marking is becoming entertaining."
Anya immediately looked up in disbelief. "Serena!"
Serena finally laughed quietly under her breath.
"You're too easy to read."
Anya covered her face again. "I can't help it."
"You can," Serena replied calmly. "You just don't know how to hide things from wolves yet."
That only made Anya more embarrassed.
Serena tilted her head slightly afterward, her tone becoming more teasing than Anya had ever heard before.
"So," she said casually, "have you at least imagined it?"
Anya froze. "Imagined what?"
"The marking."
Anya almost dropped her drink.
"Serena!"
This time Serena openly smiled at her reaction, clearly enjoying herself far too much.
"You really are innocent."
Anya's entire face burned. "Can we please talk about something else?"
Serena leaned back comfortably. "Fine."
But the amusement remained in her eyes.
After a few moments, Anya finally regained enough composure to speak again. "You're completely different from how I thought you were."
Serena lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Different how?"
"I thought you didn't like me at first."
Serena was quiet briefly before answering honestly. "I didn't dislike you."
Anya looked unconvinced.
"I was cautious," Serena clarified calmly. "Anyone close to Alaric eventually becomes involved in pack matters whether they want to or not."
Her gaze softened slightly afterward.
"And I needed to know whether you were strong enough to handle it."
Anya blinked slightly. "And now?"
Serena looked at her steadily for several seconds before answering.
"Now I think you might be exactly what he needs."
The sincerity behind those words completely erased the remaining distance between them. Anya smiled softly afterward, feeling unexpectedly relieved hearing that from Serena.
Then Serena glanced toward the café entrance briefly before looking back at her.
"Still," she added dryly, "you should probably stop looking at him like he hung the moon."
Anya immediately protested again while Serena quietly enjoyed every second of embarrassing her.