Realisation is the matter of becoming conscious of that which is already realised.

Wei Wu Wei

"Frigid bitch. "

That were probably the worst two words that Harrison Michaels could utter at that moment.

Especially if he didn't want Stephen's son to kill him. Not that Stephen could fault Luke for that.

But he hadn't expected how terrifying it would be to see the actual aftermath of these words.

For a moment it was quiet on that back porch.

Luke pushed Daphne behind himself in one smooth motion, as he growled, eyes flashing amber, a partial shift rippling through him.

Stephen couldn't help but rear back in surprise at that. Partial Shifting was something that came with age.

Luke was 17 years old. That was incredibly young for him to...

"Luke, you need to let her go," he said carefully. He really didn't think that his son had in any way or shape the needed grip on his wolf and having Daphne caught in the crossfire...

"No," his son growled, the black hair starting to spread down his face.

"Lucas, let her go. Now!" He snapped, letting enough of his alpha bleed into his voice that his son was properly chastised, not that it helped much again the partial shift that seemed to grow less partial with every passing second.

He stepped to the side though, letting Daphne out of the corner who was glaring daggers at Harrison.

Not what he had expected.

What he had expected even less was the way her purple eyes seemed to flash amber as well, a shiver running through her that told Stephen that her wolf was far higher under the surface than any of them expected.

Luke hadn't been the one Stephen had needed to worry about. Not when Daphne was lunging at Harrison with every intention, fury on her face that he had never seen on the gentled and easygoing girl before.

He caught her around the waist, pulling her back, even when she was still kicking and growling, quick enough that his son shifted in the blink of an eye, 300 pounds of wolf attacking Harrison who at least had the mental presence of shifting himself.

Not that it helped much. Luke had him chased off the porch and into the forest in seconds and he could see that his son had him pinned to the ground even quicker.

Daphne growled sharply.

He caught her scent in that moment, more strongly than ever before, helped by the fact that she was shuddering with barely contained rage.

It felt like somebody hit him with a sledgehammer.

Oh, God.

Because with that...suddenly the pieces started to come together in Stephen Schuyler's mind. He started at his son's mate, taking in the bright blonde hair that was high up on her head right now.

That platinum blonde hair that made nobody take a second look at her.

He should have recognised it when he first met her. He should have recognised her scent. Of course, there was the tropical scent that she had inherited from her mother's side of her family, the pineapples that Luke was able to smell on her. But there was that other scent as well.

Warm and sweet, more like vanilla or sugar cookies. Unlike Caroline's more sour scent that always reminded him of iced Tea.

And there was only one person that Stephen had ever met that smelled like sickly sweet Sugar Cookies.

A scent that stood in crass contrast to the alpha it belonged to.

And Daphne's scent had turned into burned sugar by now.

Stephen desperately wanted to know what Michelle Emerson had thought when she had hidden her daughter away right where everybody could see and nobody had expected her to be.

It had worked. Far too good.

"Daphne," he snapped, and it was thankfully enough to pull her out of her trance, her eyes still wildly searching for Luke, her body shaking with the barely suppressed wolf.

But then Daphne's eyes locked to his and he could see the fear in them. These startling violet eyes looked at him, a perfect copy of her father's.

"I...I am sorry," she apologised, the wolf receding and leaving her shivering and shaking in its wake, probably still

"It's not your fault," he told her gently, "Some people should learn to hold their mouths.

He knew that by now pretty much everybody would have noticed what was happening outside, and so he wasn't surprised to find Caroline step outside, Daphne rushing into her arms and bursting into tears.

Not that he could fault her.

"We'll deal with it," he promised her.

And now he really should keep his son from killing Harrison Michaels.

***

He didn't need to search for a very long time to find Luke. The problem was just that Luke was much more animal but human at that moment.

A pitch-black wolf was there, still growling, the hair at the scruff of his neck standing up. Eyes glowing amber, big paws right on top of a wolf that looked far smaller than Luke was. His son looked huge, every inch the alpha that he would one day grow to be.

And Harrison, a member of the Michaels Pack from North Hampshire, was still slurring, even telepathically.

They had problems with the Michaels Pack before, it being a bit too traditional for Stephen's liking, but he hadn't started a fight about that. Now he was regretting that.

*What do you even want from her? She isn't even that pretty.* Harrison slurred at Luke. *I just wanted to have some fun.*

As far as excuses go, that was a terrible one.

*Fun with the mate of the future alpha?* Stephen said calmly, appearing from between the trees and he could see the moment when animal and man were still fighting, his son finally winning the upper hand and removing his paws from Harrison's chest and growling as a threat so that Harrison stayed in place.

*Tell me, Harrison, what exactly should my son have done more than to have his scent all over her and a bracelet on her wrist that everybody would have recognised as belonging to my mother if you had looked at her even more than in passing? * Stephen asked calmly, sitting back on his haunches.

He liked to think that he was a reasonable man. Right now he was having trouble finding that serenity.

There were too many people fucking with his family. And with his realisations...if he was right then the real storm would only be hitting Fairbury in the future.

He had no idea what he should even do about his newly acquired knowledge. Nor did he know if he was actually right .

The scent was pretty much a dead giveaway though.

*I think my son made his intentions very clear. And I also know that Daphne Emerson did exactly nothing to make it seem like she wanted your... attentions, * Stephen continued easily.

*Oh you can have her. She's a pretty little thing. Even if she's littered with all the scars....I hope she isn't as batshit insane as her mother.*

Stephen could probably be happy that Luke didn't rip out Harrison's throat for that. Even if at the moment he had half a mind of helping him.

He was the adult though, so he should probably be responsible.

*Luke,* he snapped in warning.

*Give me one reason not to kill him,* his son answered, Luke's eyes having taken on a dangerous glint in them. *One Reason, Dad.*

There was only one reason that Luke would accept.

* Daphne . She wouldn't want you to,* he said gently. *You know her, Luke. She cried over the stupid rabbits .*

And wasn't that a thing. She had been ready to throw herself in the fray to protect her mate though, her wolf absolutely on board with taking care of that when the need arose.

*He's an asshole but he didn't hurt her. He touched her without permission. And while that gives you permission to beat him up, you shouldn't kill him,* he continued.

*You need your daddy's permission?* Harrison slurred, the dark amusement bleeding into his voice. *Be a real wolf and let's fight .* The light brown wolf tried to make himself look broader and taller but as he stumbled over his own paws, that effect didn't really work.

And Luke didn't need to hear that call twice though.

Stephen was unable not to sigh as his son threw himself at Harrison with righteous fury, that fight so far not easily matched that it was laughable.

*No. I just like to have it,* his son hissed as he had Harrison on the ground a few seconds later, but not before landing a nasty swipe of his paws and claws into Harrison's side, even if that meant that Luke himself was thrown into a tree. That was just like his son. Stephen knew that the bruises would be healed by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, but that still didn't mean that he liked it.

*See this as a warning. You lay one finger on her again...you speak one more word with her...you are in the same room with her, and I'll end you,* Luke growled .*And believe me when I say...I don't need my father's permission for that.*

*And remember: You are living at her mercy.*

A cold shower went down Stephen's spine at that. He looked at his son, at the boy he had once been and the man he would one day grow to be.

There was no question that Luke would do everything in his power so that Daphne would be protected.

Just like it should be.