The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf by Scarlet Hyacinth

weekend.”
    “When Soren comes back, right?” Anson offered. “Damn, the last
    thing he needs is something like that.”
    “Still no warlock, huh?” Paris inquired.
    “No warlock,” Anson confirmed.
    “Personally, I have a theory,” Reed said. Only Anson knew about
    this, as Reed had drawn his own conclusions from things Isaac had
    told him in confidence. He took a sip of his orange juice, considering
    his choices. He trusted Paris already, but decided to be just a touch
    vague out of respect for Isaac, who was very keen on his privacy. “I
    have reason to believe that the last confrontation incapacitated him
    somehow.”
    It was something Isaac had mentioned during their past
    conversations. Apparently, there had been a battle of sorts in Isaac’s
    mind, and while at the time, Isaac hadn’t thought anything of it, they
    now suspected the warlock’s defeat might have hurt him. “It’s a
    possible explanation as to why he went under.”

    78
    Scarlet Hyacinth
    “Or maybe he’s just reorganizing his forces.” Paris seemed to
    muse over this. “I don’t know about this. I feel like a stranger facing
    all this stuff that I’ve only heard of. And with Fa…I mean, Alpha
    Marrow after us, I can’t even try to learn more of it.”
    Reed didn’t miss the slight hesitation and knew what it meant. He
    let it slide, understanding how hard it must be for Paris to get over his
    past experiences.
    “We’ll get there,” he said encouragingly. “If it makes you feel any
    better, these guys are so protective that you probably wouldn’t get
    actively involved in it anyway.”
    “I just wish your mother had waited with the famous party.”
    Anson sounded quite pissed. “Some of our friends will be there, but
    others are still in Japan. I wanted to introduce you to everyone.”
    The clear pride in Anson’s voice defused the tension in the room.
    “Thanks,” Paris said, beaming. “I appreciate that. I’m honestly quite
    nervous about it. In my former pack, I didn’t get out much, so there’s
    a lot I don’t know.”
    Reed meant to come up with another encouraging reply, but he
    didn’t get the chance, as he felt a familiar presence closing in. He
    finished his orange juice and gave his mate a dismayed look. “I’ll see
    what she wants,” he told Anson.
    Anson released a groan. “It must have been Aria’s meddling
    causing this.”
    Reed didn’t doubt that was the case. Even if Reed’s parents were
    now reassured that Anson truly loved Reed, the doubts fueled by Aria
    were a time bomb. In a sense, Reed was surprised nothing had
    happened until now.
    “Stay here,” Anson told Paris. “I don’t want you to get caught in
    the crossfire.”
    “Is everything okay?” Paris asked, sounding concerned. “What’s
    going on?”
    “We just have a somewhat-unpleasant visitor,” Reed replied.
    “Hopefully, she’ll be gone before you know it.”

    The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf
    79
    Together with Anson, Reed left the kitchen, relying on the general
    feel of the house to mask Paris’s presence. They reached the door and
    opened it just in time. At the other side, they found Reed’s
    grandmother, Norma.
    “Hello, Grandmother,” Reed greeted her. “Fancy seeing you
    here.”
    “Hello, Reed. Won’t you invite me inside?”
    Reed wordlessly gestured for her to come in, even if it was the last
    thing he wanted. She slipped inside with the grace typical of swans.
    Even after all these years, she looked as elegant as Reed remembered
    her from his childhood years.
    “This place smells.” She grimaced delicately. “How can you even
    live here?”
    “Anson was just making breakfast,” Reed offered with a tired
    sigh. “Did you want something, or did you just come to insult us?”
    His grandmother ignored the question. “Breakfast? And what
    exactly did he cook?”
    “Pancakes,” Anson replied from the doorway with almost-sadistic
    glee. “Want some?”
    Predictably, Anson’s grandmother looked