ALPHA CARAMEL'S POV.

The woman before me had aged considerably, her dark luscious hair was beginning to sprout some greyness and laugh lines in the form of wrinkles decorating her face. Except for nature taking its course, she barely changed. A look at her face made me picture the last time we met.

Mrs Flint fidgeted in her seat. She clasped her fingers over her thighs, but I could still see the light tremors of it. She pursed her lips and made to speak again.

"Alpha, you see..." I raised a brow, urging her to go on and speak, but the words appeared to be clogged in her throat. She swallowed harshly, refusing to meet my gaze.

"I still think Lavender is just a little girl." Mrs Flint was finally able to speak.

I tilted my head to the side, catching the large family portrait that hung on the wall proudly. A little girl with a goofy smile was enveloped by the warm and loving hug of Mrs Flint. She had a missing tooth and insisted on the adorable act of clinging to Mrs Flint and her doll at the same time. Her eyes shone a grey colour that reminded me of Earth in its entirety.

Beside it was another portrait of only the girl, this time fully grown and just about 18. No one needed to inform me that was Lavender. If anything, her grey eyes gave her out. She was a beauty to behold, all fully grown objecting to Mrs Flint's statement.

"I don't see 18-year-olds as a child." I countered calmly, eyeing the woman's restlessness.

The nature of man never ceased to amaze me. They were quick to jump on opportunities that favoured them, but hesitated should the consequences be knocking.

The expression on Mrs Flint's face right now differed greatly from the one she had on eighteen years ago. Her fingers weren't clasped, she had them wide open pleading for my help and the words she had out were a glaring objection to what she was saying. Her eyes weren't downcast then. She had boldly stared directly into my eyes with the hopes of stirring mercy in me and I had succumbed.

"I'm willing to let you have my daughter once she's eighteen." Her words echoed in my mind, making it more difficult to believe she was blatantly trying to break the promise.

Of course, humans aged faster than werewolves, which I was aware of while Lavender was birthed, grown to be the beautiful girl of 18, I remained quite unchanged.

"Alpha, I understand it's a promise I have to keep. If anything, in appreciation for saving my daughter's life." Mrs Flint paused again. She adjusted in her position so she was directly in my line of vision.

I noticed the crease on her forehead; they weren't caused by ageing but by the worries and dilemma, she felt she was in right now. Though I could barely see it as a problem, at the same time, I couldn't blame her. She was a mother to a daughter who would soon be taken away by me.

"And I know this day is the fixed day should I be requesting for more-"

"You shouldn't." I interrupted her. She looked up at me once and sighed. I loved being calm and collected. I loved hearing the opinions of others and giving them room to object, which is why I said "shouldn't" and not "can't". No one needed to tell her it would be quite unwise to insist.

"I know." Mrs Flint nodded solemnly. She nodded again as if to solidify the situation in her head.

"It would be very ungrateful of me to break our promise. You've saved and protected my daughter over the years. I live with the satisfaction of knowing she's safe."

I wasn't going to interrupt her, so I only pulled my leg over the other and listened to her talk. Her eyes were glossed from unshed tears and her grip on her thighs tightened. I feared she would dig a hole in her skin.

"But you see, Lavender is... I mean, I haven't informed her of the arrangements." She swallowed once. "It will come as a shock to have her suddenly taken away without any prior idea."

"I expected you to groom her with that thought, of a day where suddenly, I'll appear and take her," I said but Mrs Flint only frowned, she wanted so badly to break from her calm facade and yell a thousand and one reasons why I was wrong but instead she opted for the singular sentence she seemed to take a liken to.

"She's only a child!"

I smiled, almost chuckled, and nodded. I had no desire to argue with her, knowing fully well it was going to go my way in the end. She wouldn't dare break the promise. She would only go around the corners hoping to secure a way to change my mind.

"I can't possibly infuse such thoughts in her, thereby preventing her from leading a normal life. I would have you know she's a medical student and her lines of dreams she wants to achieve are unending." Mrs Flint spoke so fast this time, I noticed how her eyes shone as she spoke of her daughter's goals.

"And.. letting you have her might come between them." Her shoulders sagged, and I let her experience her emotional rollercoaster. I wasn't going to assure her that it wouldn't.

Mrs Flint wasn't waiting for me to. She sniffed and resumed talking. "I don't want this to be shocking to her-"

"It can't be helped," I murmured, but she ignored me.

"So I plead alpha..." She spread her palms once again and gazed into my eyes, assuming the demeanor she had 18 years ago while being heavily pregnant with Lavender. "... that you give me some time to break this news to her. I promise to find a way around it. Perhaps a month will do..."

My chuckle interrupted her, she remained frozen with that same humble expression as I let amusement rake me.

"A month, you say? Better off we wait for her to return and I tell her myself."

"No, no, no." Mrs Flint frantically objected as she waved her arms about gesticulating wildly on how that would traumatize Lavender, she would be shocked and go through a series of emotions, it would be done her way. I zoned out briefly, only regaining my attention when she resumed pleading.

"A week then."

"Two days." I stood to my feet, an indication that I gave no room for argument. "I'll be back to make her mine in two days."

I cast another look at the portrait of her before walking off with the expectation of having her soon.