"Let me take you out on a real date," Ares said, his lips curling into a smile. We were still sitting together on his bed, completely naked. He brushed his finger against my lip and lightly grasped my chin. "You haven't really seen this pack yet. And... I want to take you out."

"And?" I asked, poking his cheek.

"And..." His cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I want to show everyone my mark."

A big smile broke out onto my face, and I pulled him into a tight hug. I never thought that when Ares took me he'd be so... loving. I thought I was going to have to endure a life of war and pain and violence. But Ares was just a boy trapped in this big, brodying body. All he needed was some love.

"Go get ready," he said to me. "I have some people to call before we go."

So, I rummaged through the closet and got dressed in Ruffles's room. She sat on the bed, watching me get ready, her tail wagging back and forth. There was a bag of chips open on the bed and suds on her nose. "Did you get into the bath?" I asked her.

Her tail moved back and forth faster, and she started purring. She squinted her eyes at me, approving my outfit for tonight. I placed a kiss on her head and pet her, then walked out of the room to meet Ares who was dressed in a fitted green sweater.

He brought me to The Flaming Chariot. It was bustling with people when we entered. Some people gazed over at us and, for once, actually smiled at me. For a restaurant run by werewolves, the place was surprisingly chic with a wrap-around bar that had white accent lights toward the center of the room.

We ordered a bottle of white wine and our food for the night. In the middle of dinner, I stared across at him, eyes softening. "I have to ask you something." He gazed over at me, brown eyes wide. "Did you happen to see my father before you left the pack?" I had been thinking the absolute worst the entire time I had been home. While I had saved all those pups, I still wanted to know if the Hounds had killed my dad. I couldn't recognize him amongst the people who were torn up in the raid.

"Your father is in my prison," Ares said, frowning. "I would've let him out, but he'd end up going back to your pack and getting killed."

My eyes widened. "He's here? You brought him back with you?" Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Goddess, Ares just kept surprising me with the things he did. And it was in a good way.

His lips curled into a smile. The candle flickered off his brown eyes. "Yes. He has been treated. All the warriors from your pack that survived have been. Some are in the prison as captives, others have been released and are adjusting to life as members in our pack."

Our pack. The words made me smile even wider.

Though I hadn't seen him for so long--besides our little chat in the woods--I missed Dad. I just hoped that he would forgive me for bringing Ares to Mom's pack and for Mom's death. All I had ever wanted was for my mate and my family to get along, but now that Mom was dead because of Ares, I didn't know if that'd ever be able to happen.

After dinner, I would go see him and try to talk to him. But he wasn't the only person that I needed to talk to either. "Elijah?" I asked, remembering seeing him briefly earlier when I was bringing Ares home. My mind was in too of a fog to remember to tell him about the Hounds in the woods earlier.

"Why do you need him?"

I pulled out my phone, texting Elijah to meet me at Ares's prison in an hour. When I was finished, I smiled, butterflies fluttering in my stomach, and turned back to him. "Nevermind that for now. What about the pups that I brought home?" I asked. "All their parents are dead. We need to find them homes here. Would families in your pack... consider taking them in?" I parted my lips, feeling weird about asking, but I didn't know the first thing about raising a bunch of pups. "I mean, we could do it. I just don't think that we're the best suited people at the moment. We have so much going on and--"

"I love you." Ares's lips curled into a smile. He grabbed my hands from across the table. "You're going to make a great luna." He nodded his head. "There are plenty of people who'd take them in. And, if there's nobody, my dad would probably take them all. He loves pups."

"Can we send a group of warriors back to my mom's pack?" I furrowed my brows. "Just to make sure that there isn't anyone else that I missed."

"Already done," he said. "I sent a team when you were getting ready."

I interlocked my fingers with his and squeezed them tight. It felt like nothing could ruin that moment and that nothing could ruin us. We were good. We worked good as a team. We were going to rule.

My eyes drifted from Ares to the bar where I noticed Marcel sitting alone. Well, he had been sitting at the bar, watching Liam and Charolette talk at the other side of the restaurant, the whole night. He downed shot after shot after shot. Woman had been coming up to him all night, trying to flirt, but he didn't even give them the time of day. He said a few nasty words to them, and they left his ass.

But the Marcel I knew loved women. He loved fucking them. He loved thinking about them. He loved using them. He wouldn't turn down a good time.

I glanced from Ares to him and frowned. "I'll be right back," I said, squeezing Ares's forearm. I placed my napkin on the table and walked over to the bar, sliding onto a stool next to Marcel.

He barely glanced my way and sipped his drink. "What?"

I asked the bartender to get us two tequila shots. "I want to say thank you for what you did earlier today."

"What'd I do?" Marcel asked, silver hair falling into his face. He clenched his jaw and kept his gaze on the wooden counter.

"You didn't attack my dad. You stood up for me in front of all the other warriors. You called me Luna," I said. He had actually had some respect today, and it was a different side to him than I had ever seen.

He sipped the last of his drink and pushed his glass to the edge. The bartender took his cup and replaced it with two shots. Before he could grab one, I grabbed them both. He rolled his eyes and stared at me. "What do you want me to say? You're welcome? I would've done that shit anyway. Don't think I did it just for you."

"I don't think that."

"Then why the fuck are you sitting up here with me?"

I glanced at him, then nodded to Charolette and Liam. "You like Charolette, don't you?" I asked. Marcel growled under his breath and reached for one of the shots, but I pulled my hand away. "You should go ask her out on a date, on a real date."

"And how the fuck am I supposed to do that, Aurora? She's dating the fuckin' beta."

"But she likes you too, doesn't she?"

He clenched his jaw and slammed his fist down on the bar. Some people looked over, including Charolette. Her eyes lingered on Marcel, and she frowned. He shook his head. "She doesn't fuckin' like me. I don't know where you're getting this."

I paused for a moment and lowered my voice. "I saw you guys together the other night in her bedroom. It was the first time I really saw you smile." My heart warmed at the memory. They both looked so happy together, and now... what changed?

For a split moment, I could see the look of sorrow in his eyes. But then he shook his head and snatched the shot glass from me. "Nothing happened between us and nothing will ever happen between us. She has Liam. He's good for her." He downed the shot and stood up. "I'm not." And, then, he walked right out of the bar.