* * *

Hera was standing idly by as her father was still conversing with Alpha Shawn, leaving her to smile and nod when it was necessary, but otherwise, she was looking forward to getting back to their cabin.

"I have to say...I wasn't prepared for someone to speak up about the Rogues."
"Then I'm curious, what were you prepared for?" Hera returned a rather sassy grin in direction to the male who aided her stance, but Hayes eyed the young pup in suspicion.

Especially when he offered a hand to Hera.

"Maverick, second son for Arctic Crest."
"Hera, second sister of Mystic Grimm." He grinned, and she found it adorable to see the male in full dimples in his smile.

"I was going to take a run, interested?"
"Ye—" Hayes couldn't hold himself back, did he really have such a naive daughter to assume that a 'run' was innocent as it was?

"I'm sorry sir, could I take your daughter out for a run? I'll have her back at her cabin by eight." The former Alpha excused the fact that Arctic Crest had different customs than the other packs, but he realized right then and there that Hera was legal now.

She didn't need his permission any longer, and her dulled eyes surely concluded how angry she was at her father's lack of trust. "Seven fifty-nine." Maverick smile wasn't at all phased and nicked his head off towards Hera and she sighed in relief at the male.

"Thanks for the rescue, I swear...If I heard one more conversation on how lazy pups are getting these days I would've lost my last shred of sanity."
"Dad's the same, Xavier made me come. My brother." She nodded, knowing full well who his brother was—His brother's mate as well.

She had prepared for this meeting, it was a fair addiction that she needed to know the ins and outs of things before attending or joining in. A bad habit, but it did leave her with a steady memory.

"Dad said it'd be good for me to leave pack grounds, it's the first time I've been on a plane actually."
"You've never been on a plane?"
"No, I've never left Mystic Grimm until now." Maverick gawked down at the tiny she-wolf and turned back towards the rest of the elders.

"Goddess, I'm sorry this is your first experience out in the real world...Come on." He said, nicking his head and she cautiously followed after him.

"Er, isn't the council's woods in the front?"
"Yep, but the kitchen's this way." He pointed down the long hallway and instantly enough he had Hera agree. The meeting had left her beyond hungry and the dinner wasn't enough.

"So what's it like living in Mystic Grimm?"
"We're not far away from you, you know. But it's been good, though I think dad might've given up his title a little too early."
"You don't think your brother deserves it?"
"What? Oh, no. No, I do. He's earned it, but dad seems to be having trouble letting go. Guess that's an Alpha thing." Hera shrugged her shoulders, and sure enough, the two pups had found the leftovers from dinner.

The run was completely forgotten and honestly, it was the first time in forever that Hera had felt like an equal to someone else. Maverick understood what it was like being the siblings to an Alpha, how the expectations were the same but didn't explain where they should be focused on.

"Maybe you can visit Arctic Crest, I think you'd like it."
"I'm sure that'll pass over great with my dad." She said with a roll of her eyes, and in perfect timing, the cabin's door opened and the irritated male held his arms crossed over one another.

"You didn't go on a run?" He questioned, and Maverick shook his head. "No sir, we ended up getting some leftovers from the kitchen." While Hayes was being a pain in the ass, he was secretly grateful that the two hadn't taken a run.

"Goodnight, Arctic." Hera huffed at her father but then smiled off towards Maverick to say her own parting words. Yet the second the door closed, Hayes could hardly get a word in as he was met with his daughter's back.

"Hera."
"Please don't start dad, all we did was talk." She said, the happiness deflating close to instantly as this was the first time a male wasn't afraid of being in her presence.

Whether they were afraid of Hayes or Harlow, males were cautious and avoided her like the plague.

Maverick, while easy on the eyes, gave her wolf a sort of calmness that she never really felt before. Was this—Was this what a crush felt like?

Hera grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, but her father intercepted her easily. And in one failed swoop he pushed her hair away from her neck so he could get a look, only then did he let go of his held breath.

"Do you think that little of me to let a male mark me? After two hours of meeting them?" "Bubbles, males are—"
"Egotist maniacs that can't take a smart word from a female, I got that picture loud and clear. But all I see is that you don't trust me. Like you have to hold my hand for every single thing I do." Hayes frowned, was that how Hera felt?

"Sweetheart—"
"No. I was handling it with the Alphas. Instead, I had to have my dad to the rescue and defend what I was saying." There were only a few people in Hayes' life that would be able to have the effect on him.

And for sure the highest up on the list was Willow and his precious daughters, his wolf begged for him to make it right.
The anger that he felt on Hera's end was making him shake.

His hand cupped her cheek as he nodded. "I'm sorry bubbles, I keep forgetting you're growing up me. I've missed most of your childhood and now..."
"It's not your fault there was a war. You were around as much as you could've been. But I'm eighteen, I'm open to finding a mate, I could be assigned a real job now." He growled in agreement, and although he didn't want to admit it. He was thankful that she understood, and so he wrapped her in a hug—Earning himself a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you daddio, I love you and mom. But I think I need to experience life on my own."
"What?" He breathed out, blindsided by what she was saying.

"I think I should take some time away from Mystic Grimm." 

______

Date: 01/06/2022

Time: 1:08 AM (Whoops)

Words: 1144