Chapter 12

September came with orange and red. The colours of the maple trees seemed like they were painted picturesquely. 

Emory stayed away, working with the republic. Harry was in London handling pack affairs. Sharriff Jones kept Humphrey abreast of John's murder. Lilly was brooding in her room most days and Tak had gone to northern Canada to be away from the pack. 

For the first time in my life I had no obligations. I read through several of Harry's books and wrote a few papers hoping to submit them for scholarly articles. 

My degree was in sociology. If anyone knew how people worked, it was the one watching them from afar and never interacting. 

Harry would text and call often but I refused him. There was no need to keep up the charade. He was in England, Lilly was to be mated, and I needed to find my place. 

Twenty one was the prime number in a wolf's life and it was quickly approaching me as September was coming to a close. 

On day 30 of my isolation a knock came at the door. Standing in my pajamas I opened it to see Rob standing in my doorway. 

"Hello mate," he mocked my entrance to the jail the night I sprung him. 

"I thought you had been banished to the outback," I smirked leaning on the door. 

"Sydney," he rolled his blue eyes. "My cousin may be alpha of this pack but I asked the supreme and he said I could do whatever I wanted."

"So you went over his head," I realized as I assessed him. 

He wore a light grey button up and a skinny black tie. It seemed a good contrast from his jockish looks, that he was well dressed. 

"Going somewhere?"

He shook his head. "No, coming back from a meeting." 

"Meeting where?" 

He grimaced. "At the hospital."

I knew he was purposefully keeping something from me. I stared at him until he relented. 

"I'm a doctor," he admitted. "I'm filling in for the head of plastic surgery while she's out on maternity leave."

"You're a surgeon?" I was impressed. 

He nodded. "Yea… gotta make money some how."

"Don't tell Diana."

"Don't tell Diana what?" I heard from behind me. 

I dropped my head pensively. She pulled me out of the doorway to see Rob. 

"Don't tell Diana what?" She reiterated. 

"Hello Mrs. Blackbear," he flashed his perfectly straight white smile. 

"Beta," she smiled and nodded to him. "Are you here for my husband?" She seemed confused. 

"No, ma'am," he kept his smile. "I'm here for your daughter."

She looked at me and raised a thin eyebrow. "The one who keeps secrets and refers to me as Diana?"

"Mom…"

"What is it she does not want me to know?" She turned back to Rob. 

He looked between me and the short fireball. 

"I guess my profession?" He could tell I wanted to keep my mother out of my business, but he seemed adversed to lying. 

"And what is it you do, beta?" She asked sweetly but I could hear the undertones. 

She did not like a lowly beta calling on her daughter but once she heard what he did for a living I knew she would be his fan. 

"I'm a surgeon," he responded kindly. 

She turned to me with sparkling eyes. "What type of surgeon?" She turned back to him. 

"Plastics," he smiled sheepishly. "And may I say, though you definitely don't need any cosmetics, I can hook you up with new state of the art fillers and fresh on the market anti aging skin care."

In that moment I worried she would throw herself on the 'lowly beta'. 

She turned to me grinning. "Why are you in pajamas?" 

I shrugged. "I was unaware I had anything to do today."

"Go change," she demanded as she took Rob's hand and pulled him inside. "Doctor tell me more about yourself."

He flashed a winning smile. I shook my head as I turned on my heels and headed upstairs. 

Once I was gone she began to interrogate him. 

"Have you ever been married?" She inquired. 

He laughed. "No ma'am. I've always been too busy with my career and pack matters to settle down."

"But you find yourself more free these days?" She continued. 

He nodded. "I've sewed my wild oats."

"Does that mean you have illegitimate children?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm sans children."

She nodded as she watched him closely. "She's my baby you know?"

He nodded as he sat on the couch, aware that he was under scrutiny.

"I'm quite aware of how precious she is to you. You and your husband as well."

"What are your intentions with her?" She crossed her arms. 

He smirked. "Mate her and sire as many babies as she wants," he shrugged casually. 

"I'm serious," Diana clipped. 

"So am I," he responded. "She's not a woman a man carries on with. I understand that. She's also very innocent. I would not have risked my position by going over Harris' head to be here if I wasn't serious." 

Diana nodded quietly, liking what she heard. 

"If you break her heart, I'll break your face," she whispered as she heard me approach. 

She turned to look at me as I walked into the living room. 

"What's going on?" I asked when I saw her hovering over Rob. 

"Just explaining to your mother that she does not have to make an appointment," Rob said as he stood from the couch. "I will always have a time slot available." 

I shook my head not believing anything he said. "Shall we go?"

He nodded as he approached me. "You look lovely."

I looked down at myself in my long-sleeve dress and boots. "You're a terrible liar," I grinned. "But thanks."

"Have fun," Diana embraced me. When she pulled away she eyed Rob. "Not too late."

He crossed his chest with his finger. "I swear."

She walked us out the door and watched as we left. I had no knowledge of what she was thinking, but in that moment all she heard was wedding bells and seeing my future before her eyes.