Rhiannon smiled, sighing at Aidan's attempt to surprise her, but she had sensed his scent for a while now, especially since he wasn't coming alone. She got out of the small creek and lay in the sun. It was a simple thing, but she enjoyed it immensely.

“Did everything go well?” she asked without opening her eyes, and could picture Aidan pouting because she had ruined his surprise.

The Alpha reached her and lay down next to her, kissing her gently.

“Everything went very well. The state of the packs is not very good at the moment, but maybe that’s good for us. I know it sounds callous, but from a political point of view, it is.” Aidan sighed. “Theo got them used to depend on everything, and Maddox just affectionately called them “unweaned puppies”.”

“Didn't they get offended?” asked the queen in surprise.

“Incredible as it may seem, they did not. Apparently, they didn't like the situation either, but they could do little without doing what Maddox did, that is, openly defying the Alpha.

“