Treyton was in his study while Aidoneus was in his room. They were already in the Zoom meeting, but Treyton kept his camera off while Aidoneus greeted other pack members who had signed in early. Garret and Trinidad were also present, and they waved at Aidoneus, who waved back.

Aidoneus secretly texted Persefone about ensuring their meetup. He looked at Trinidad, who spoke with other pack members as more entered. "She's right; I need to be upfront with Persefone."

Everyone from the pack was in attendance; Treyton turned on his camera, and everyone bowed and said, "Alpha."

Treyton gave a short bow as he looked at his pack. "My pack, thank you so much for coming to this meeting on such short notice. I will try not to take up much of your time, but what I must tell you is very important." Everyone but Trinidad and Garret looked curious since they knew the news. "As you all know, Calista and I are divorced, which has caused havoc." Murmurs echoed within the meeting, and many huffed in disgust when Calista was mentioned. The divorce caused a scandal within the pack. Werewolves mated for life, but one could leave their mate if they were abusive or committed adultery. "The divorce did hurt me, but I moved past it, so I decided to invite Calista and her mate to the pack's annual Christmas Party."

"WHAT!?" everyone beside Trinidad and Garret yelled in unison.

"Surely this is joke!"

"Calista betrayed our Alpha and pack and now she is invited!?"

"SILENCE." Treyton raised his voice, making everyone silent. "I understand that all of you have your thoughts regarding Calista, but she was once your Luna. She is also the mother of my son, the future Alpha. You don't have to be happy, but I ask you to give her respect during the party. Am I understood?"

Most of the pack members looked unhappy but agreed with Treyton's order. One of them raised their hands and said, "Alpha, with all due respect, how can we respect someone who knew the laws of our kind and still broke them? She may have been our Luna, but she is no longer. She-"

"My father and I understand all of your concerns and outrage. We also understand that our kind has its laws, but my mother found her true mate. Like others of our kind, my mother can't deny their true nature." Aidoneus smiled. "Having one's mate is our everything; they are why we breathe and live. My father understood my mother's reasoning."

Treyton smiled and felt proud of Aidoneus. "My son is right. I finally understand my ex's feelings because I, too, found my mate."

Everyone became silent as they tried to comprehend what they were told. Trinidad applauded. "Congratulations, Alpha! Who would have thought you would have found your mate before Christmas!"

The pack members got out of their shock and applauded. Treyton raised his right hand, and everyone eventually became silent. "I know you all have questions about my mate, and I will do my best to give you details. My mate is not a werewolf but a human and that she is eighteen years my junior." Many members of his pack looked okay with this, while others looked questionable.

One of the members, a young woman, raised her hand. "Alpha, does your mate know about our kind?"

"Not yet, but I plan on telling her before the end of this week."

The female member looked nervous but asked, "Wh-What happens if she is not so accepting?"

Everyone closed their lips and looked nervous; Trinidad and Garret looked concerned.

"I understand that my mate may be shocked when I reveal the truth to her. There is the possibility that she may not be accepted, but this will not be the case. She and I have been seeing one another, and she has a good heart. I have faith that she will accept me. When she does, I will introduce her to you all."

To Treyton's surprise, everyone began to cheer for him and wish him the best of luck. The meeting was over, but he wanted only Garret to stay behind. Every member signed out one by one except for the two Treyton ordered. Once Aidoneus and Trinidad left, Treyton and Garrett were alone. "Garrett, I hope you are doing well."

"Yes, Alpha. At first, I was disappointed in myself, but I realized that your order was to give me and my wife a lesson. I won't lie; I miss my position and am bored of doing nothing. However, I will not ask you to return my position until you will it."

Treyton wanted to give him back the position. However, he had to stand firm, but that didn't mean that Garret couldn't contribute to the pack. "As I have mentioned, you will have your position back, but I have decided to give you some work to relieve your boredom."

Garret smiled and looked relieved. "Thank you, Alpha."

"Of course, I want you to ensure the purchases of the materials and resources for the party."

"I will do so. I will pick up the necessary paperwork to-"

"No need. They will be emailed and faxed to you. I am counting on you."

"I won't disappoint you, Alpha."

                                                                                          ❄

Persefone had just finished eating dinner and showering. She was alone in the house. Her parents were in Mexico for the entire month for the holidays. In her room, she was watching scary Christmas stories.

Her phone vibrated.

"Please don't let it be him again." Her nervous demeanor changed to relief when looking at the caller ID. "Oh, it's Aidoneus!"

Aidoneus: "Hey, Persefone, sorry for texting you late. I was texting you to see if you wanted to hang out again. How about this Saturday?"

Persefone: "Evening, Aidoneus. Thanks for your message. I would love to go out on Saturday. Is there a place you had in mind?"

Persefone thought Aidoneus would respond by tomorrow since it was already late; her phone vibrated again.

Aidoneus: "Evening to you too, Persefone. I had just finished a last-minute meeting, but it was pretty good. Anyway, I found an event in Santa Ana at the Heritage Center. Christmas markets, food trucks, and tours will be inside the Victorian-era house. I read that the voice actors of Jack Skeleton and Boogie Oogie will be there."

"N-No way! Chris Sarandon and Ken Page are going to be there!?" The young woman squealed in excitement. The Nightmare Before Christmas was one of her favorite movies; her room contained posters and action figures. The thought of meeting the voice actors

Persefone: "I'm so down!!! OMG I can't believe that Chris Sandon and Ken Page are going to be at such an event!"

Aidoneus: "I would presume that you're a die-hard fan. I'm fond of the movie, but not to the extreme. The event will be held for two days, but since we both work the following Monday, I thought it would be best to go on a Saturday. The event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Would you be okay going early?"

Persefone: "That sounds perfect! I have nothing else to do throughout that time. Do we need to get tickets?"

Aidoneus: "Don't worry, I will get them for both of us, and they're not expensive. Would you like me to pick you up at the same spot, let's say at 10:15 a.m.? Parking can be a bit hectic."

Persefone: "Sounds good. See you on Saturday, and have a good night."

Aidoneus: "Good night."

Persefone got her pillow and excitedly screamed onto it. She couldn't believe the possibility of meeting two of her favorite actors. Her excitement was cut short when there was a knock on the door.

Visitors weren't expected so late at night, so Persefone immediately became vigilant. She went to her closet with a baseball bat for protection. The young woman slowly walked toward the living room, where the door and two windows could be seen from afar. The curtains covered the windows, and the outside lights were turned on, which indicated that the house was occupied.

A figure's shadow was shown outside one of the windows, and Persrfone's anxiety and fear intensified and was about to question who it was, but the figure spoke out, "Perse, it's me! Please open up!"

It was a voice she knew very well. "Go away, Edgar! You and I are done!"

"You can't just break up with me just like that! My mom is expectin' you to come by for Christmas!" The man named Edgar knocked on the door several times, and when he didn't receive a response, he knocked on the closest window. "I ain't leavin' until you talk to me!"

Persefone didn't want to open the window or door; she knew how Edgar was when he got angry. That was one of the many reasons she broke up with him. The two had known each other since middle school and became an official couple in their sophomore year until they graduated high school. Their families and friends believed that the two would get married in the future; Persefone believed it, too.

Persefone went to the mall with her mother a month ago to begin Christmas shopping. There, Edgar was caught with his arm around another woman and kissing her. When she broke up with him, it became a colossal fiasco.

Edgar flooded her with many angry texts, calling her many vicious names and giving her threats of coming to get her. He threatened her with suicide and promised that he would change.

"I can't believe that I ignored the red flags," she thought but took a deep breath and said, "What is there to talk about, Edgar? You and I are done! Go back to that bimbo you're probably still seeing."

"I'm not seeing her! I promise! I-I acted at a moment of weakness! It was a mistake!"

"No, it wasn't! What you made was a choice. You were selfish and thought of yourself, knowing full well that you were with me. Tell your mother what you did and that we're over."

Edgar banged on the door roughly. "Nah, man! You're coming with me and-!"

"If you don't leave, I'm calling the cops! I won't warn you again! I will also tell them that I have a weapon and will use it for self-defense!" Persefone got her phone and readied herself to dial 911, but it was silent momentarily.

"This ain't over until I say it's over."

Persefone saw that his shadow disappeared. She approached the window and noticed her ex getting into his mother's car and driving away. Relief set in, but I didn't know how long the peace would last.