Chapter 0624 "Seriously?" she hissed as she inspected the golden-colored liquid inside. "I'd have to hide who I am just so I can mingle with shoity-toity racists?" "Look," I said with a sigh of regret, "Nina and I want you there, but it's just the way it is. You can thank the last Luna for that one." "It's just one night, Lori," Jessica said gently. "You could try it, couldn't you?" Lori paused, seemingly considering. Then, nodding, she handed the vial back. "I'm only doing this because you almost died, Jessica, and I'm not letting you out of my sight," she said. "But never again. 'Kay?" With that settled, we set our plans in place. I would be returning to the werewolf realm with Lori, Jessica, Matt, Luke, and the rest of the team, aside from a few who volunteered to stay to keep an eye on the town while we were gone. As we all parted ways, I watched them go, pocketing the vial of perfagain. It would take a bit of preparation before any of us could go, but I looked forward to it.
Matt, however, approached me, pullingaside. He raised an eyebrow and looked atwith curiosity. "Enzo," he started, his voice low, "if the people in the werewolf realm are so anti-human that one of our own would have to hide her true nature, why did you even want us to cto begin with?" I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. I thought about saying that it was just for fun, but Matt was smarter than that. He could always tell when I was lying. "I want us to go as a pack," I admitted. "I want to show the other werewolf packs that we're a united front, a force to be reckoned with. I want us to be... taken seriously. Because we're not, at the moment." Matt's expression shifted, and he looked thoughtful. "Enzo," he said slowly, "just because our pack isn't taken seriously in the werewolf realm doesn't mean that it's not real. We have a strong bond, and we've faced challenges together. We don't need external validation to prove our worth." His words struck a chord with me, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. "You're right, Matt," I admitted. "I may have been too focused on how we're perceived by others. I didn't mean to imply that our pack isn't real or strong. It's just..." Matt nodded, his expression softening as he interrupted. "It's okay, Enzo," he said. "I understand where you're coming from, but I think we should go to the festival for fun, not to prove anything. We should enjoy the experience and celebrate our pack's unity." I chewed the inside of my cheek, nodding as I ran a hand through my hair. "I know," I said quietly. "You're right. We should." For a moment, Matt just looked at me, before he nodded himself. "Don't worry, Enzo. We'll prove them wrong anyway. But you don't need to invite us to fancy parties for that, okay?" I couldn't help but laugh. "I guess not," I said. "But it's not just that, I promise. Nina and I want you guys there. Because if we're going to be spending more tthere, we want you guys to be a part of it, too." Matt's eyes brightened slightly, and he grinned, pullingin for a tight hug.
"That's the spirit, Enzo," he said, clappingon the back as he pulled away. "It'll be nice to go back to the werewolf realm without scrazy lady trying to kill us all." I laughed again. "Yeah. It sure will."
Matt and I parted ways, but I couldn't help but wonder as he walked away if it would really be that simple after all.
And, more than anything, I couldn't help but wonder if someday, somehow, it wouldn't be sow it ‚m crazy lady destroying our pack-but rather me, with my inexperience as a true Alpha.