Author's note: this is from Aldus's point of view

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As we sat at the dining table and the maids were bringing in the food, my mind drifted toward our upcoming trip to London.

It's inevitable that Serina will want to visit places from her past and that will carry a risk of bumping into people who know her.

I didn't think about this previously, because her trip to London was something that will happen in the future. But now that the future is only one week away, there are many possibilities we need to plan for in order to avoid this turning into a disaster.

Serina is probably aware that it's not a good idea for her parents, Adele, Willow, and Ruby to be aware Serina (aka Sanya) is back (and alive). Not yet. We still don't have a plan for dealing with them and considering Serina's mysterious background, there could be others who want to harm her.

Going there openly will alarm them and disperse any advantage that Serina has.

Maybe a big hat and large sunglasses would suffice to prevent someone from recognizing Serina. However, if we are dealing with creatures that rely on other senses, someone might recognize her no matter how her outer appearance is.

There is also a point where I suspect that her parents are not her biological parents, and I was unable to confirm it because my men failed to obtain DNA samples without alerting them.

I want to ask Serina about her agenda for this trip. Does she want to visit places, meet people? She will probably want to find Duke.

We will leave for London in one week, and I have so much to discuss with Serina that I'm not sure where to start, and Lazarus's presence is not helping. I wish that he leaves so that I can come up with a good strategy for Serina. After all, I don't want to restrict her movements, but I want her to be aware of risks so that she acts with caution.

If people who set her up become aware that Serina is alive, they might attack again, or retreat and destroy the evidence.

I decided to leave these thoughts for after dinner. Lazarus will go to sleep and I will call Serina to the study so that we can discuss our schedule, her current situation and come up with some options.

During the meal, Seraphina chatted with Lazarus and I used this opportunity to observe them.

Lazarus was smiling warmly, and his eyes sparkled with hope, but Serina's behavior was within the lines of being polite to our guest.

Serina didn't appear like a girl who is looking forward to a date with a guy. Did she forget? Or maybe she didn't care about it. That brought me back to the possibility of Lazarus deceiving either Serina or me.

Just as I was thinking about this, Lazarus's phone rang, and he excused himself. "I need to take this one…"

When Lazarus was out of the dining room, I turned to Serina.

"So, when are you going on a date with Lazarus?"

Seraphina looked at me with confusion obvious on her face. "A date?"

I stifled a laugh. Her expression was comical.

"Lazarus told me that he will take you out for dinner. Tomorrow."

Seraphina frowned for a moment and then her eyes flashed as she remembered. Lazarus was not lying. Did he trick her to accept?

"Can you come?", she asked desperately.

I didn't understand. "Where?"

"On that… date.", Seraphina's voice was barely audible, but I heard her loud and clear.

It was my turn to be shocked. I might be new at this father role, but I was quite confident that accompanying a grown daughter on a date is not part of the job description. Or did she want me to go instead of her?

"You want me to go on a date with Lazarus?"

"With him and me.", she clarified. Her eyes lit up. "Can you go without me?"

I shook my head in disbelief and I decided to clarify a few things.

"Serina, did you agree to go on a date with Lazarus?"

She responded with a faint nod.

"Did he force you?"

She shook her head, indicating that he didn't.

"Did he trick you?"

She shook her head again.

I knew that she will not like what I was about to say next, but I had to. "Don't make promises you have no intention to keep. Your words will build your reputation. Do you want to be known as a liar?"

I saw her shrinking in her chair, as the weight of my words hit her.

"I understand.", she said in a small voice.

I wanted to comfort her, to say that it's only dinner, to offer her a variety of excuses she can use to dodge it, but this was a lesson she needed to learn.

She fidgeted before speaking, "It's not that I had no intention to keep it, but…"

"But?", I urged her to continue.

"If it's just a meal between friends, I would have no problem with it. However, I am aware that Lazarus has some ideas about me, and I don't want to encourage him."

I nodded in understanding. "You were supposed to tell him that before you accepted his invitation."

"I did."

"And?"

Serina was dejected. "Lazarus said that he accepts I am not interested in him NOW, but in time that might change and… he will wait."

Well, he is persistent, I had to give him that. Some things didn't add up.

"You told Lazarus that you are not interested, and he still invited you for dinner and you accepted…", I thought aloud. "If my eyes are not deceiving me, you are not fond of Lazarus. Why did you accept?"

"I wanted to see Alex and Lazarus said that he will shift if I agree to go for dinner with him.", Serina explained.

I exhaled forcibly. He tricked her. I knew it.

But that doesn't change the fact that he proposed a deal, and she accepted it.

"You told Lazarus what needed to be said and your conscience should be clean. Don't feel guilty about it because you are not leading him on. Unless you have a valid reason to break the deal you made, there is nothing wrong with sharing a meal."

Serina's smile didn't reach her eyes. I saw that she was conflicted, but that was her battle, and other than providing her with advice, I couldn't do much.

I had to clarify one point. "I'm not encouraging you to get closer to Lazarus. I only want you to stick to your words. I hope that from this experience you keep in mind that you need to think if you will keep a promise before you commit to it. It is important that you build your credibility because only weaklings resort to lies and petty schemes. You are not weak. You are Mezzanotte."

"I will remember this.", Serina confirmed with a solemn expression.

I also wanted to say how she should not be cuddly with Lazarus when he is in his wolf form, because that is still Lazarus, but the werewolf in question entered the dining room, so I decided to tell her that later.

Lazarus's frown reflected his sour mood.

"I need your assistance.", he told me.

It took me a second to understand. "There was another incident?"

Lazarus confirmed with a stiff nod. "We should leave right away, while the trail is still fresh."

Serina's hand landed on my wrist. "I want to go."

"No.", I rejected her.

She pressed her lips into a line and looked at me stubbornly. "Father, can we talk in the study?"

I understood that she wants to talk without Lazarus eavesdropping, and I was wondering what she is up to.

…

"No.", I said sternly for the tenth time. There is no way I'm letting her come.

"Father…", she called with irritation oozing from her voice. "You said that I need to learn. How am I going to learn anything if I stay cooped up in the library and in the lab? No amount of reading about werewolves prepared me for what I experienced this afternoon in the woods with Alex."

I agreed with her point. Practice is always better than theory, but… "This is not a field trip, Serina. Rogues are dangerous."

"I am aware of that. For as long as I can remember, I was aware that people are not kind, and that world is dangerous. As a way to deal with it, I secluded myself by staying low and how did that end? The first time I gathered the courage to do something on my own, I ended up drugged and murdered. I can't keep on hiding forever. I can read thousands of books and still be helpless when I step out in the world. Since I woke up in your lab in Venice, you are telling me that I am not a fragile human. I know that I will probably not be of much help, but you will be there and Lazarus as well. Are you telling me that I will be in more danger than going to the Misty Forest by myself?"

I had to admit that she made sense. Maybe. Ah, am I wavering?

This was the first time Serina asked for something. Her logic was solid, and she looked confident. I was aware that by making this demand, she was pushing herself out of her comfort zone and was willing to take a risk. If this goes well, she will grow in more than one way.

What can go wrong? I will be there to protect her.

"OK.", I agreed.

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"

"Do you want me to change my mind?"

"No, no!", she exclaimed while bouncing from excitement. "What should I pack?"

"Pack lightly. One change of clothes, something practical for the walk in the rough terrain. You have hiking shoes in the mudroom. Ask Maria to fetch them…"

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