"Alpha, do you know her?" Zordan asked again, shaking Calvin's shoulder.

"No," Calvin replied. "Neither do I want to know anything about her. Besides, there's no way she can be my daughter's mommy."

"Why not?" Zordan asked in confusion. He tried to see the similarities between Roselet and the woman in the wheelchair, but he couldn't confidently say the same.

"Because this woman would rather burn in the fires of hell than sleep with me," Calvin responded, closing the video.

"Ouchh!!" Zordan hissed in mock pain. It seemed that somewhere in the past, their conversation hadn't gone well. "But if by any chance she turned out to be Rose's Mommy, then?"

"Then it's obvious that she abandoned my princess either to teach me a lesson or because her mate didn't want to raise Rose, as she already had a mate then," Calvin tried to connect the dots, but he couldn't fathom the idea that a wolf could betray her mate like that.

Could this she-wolf stoop so low as to sleep with him?

What puzzled him the most was how on earth she ended up in the same place he was.

"Are you even listening to your own words?" Zordan asked in confusion, sharing the same thoughts that Calvin was grappling with.

"Can you please sleep? I want to stay alone." Calvin said, and Zordan respected his request, lying down on the bed like a lifeless body. Calvin, however, couldn't stop his mind from racing as he dwelled on the image of that she-wolf. Amidst these thoughts, he recalled their first encounter.

*

FLASHBACK

*

Laughter and smiles filled the air, creating a festive atmosphere as the groom eagerly awaited the arrival of his bride.

Amidst the excitement, Ethlyn was playfully teasing her best friend Ashley, who was about to marry the love of her life in a matter of minutes.

" Stop teasing me, Ethlyn," Ashley protested, trying to hide her blush. "You're my bridesmaid, aren't you supposed to walk down the aisle before me, hmm?"

"Oh, you're just eager to get rid of me," Ethlyn teased back before her gaze shifted to Ashley's father, who had just entered the room. "I guess I should be on my way now; your father's here."

With a playful wink, she made her way to join the other bridesmaids.

During the festivities, Ethlyn was genuinely happy for her friend and couldn't help imagining her own wedding with her mate, Nathan.

"Ms. Ashley Garcia, do you take Christopher Nolan as your husband?" the priest's voice echoed.

"I do," Ashley replied.

The priest turned to the groom, inquiring, "And do you, Christopher Nolan, take Ashley Garcia as your wife?"

"I..."

“Christopher!!” Someone yelled the name of the groom as loudly as he could. Everyone looked at the guest who was this late. And that person was no other than the reader’s beloved Calvin Logan Haysbert, who had set a record for arriving or attending any place at the last moment.

In fact, his parents would tell him a meeting started 2-3 hours earlier than it actually did, just to ensure he'd arrive on time. The color drained from Ashley's face, while Christopher's smile broadened. Finally, the best man had made it.

Calvin strolled down the aisle looking every bit the male model, which he used to be in his younger days. He reached Christopher and embraced him.

"Congratulations, buddy!" he congratulated, his eyes mischievously flickering toward Ashley. Ethlyn didn't miss any detail, her senses sharp as she picked up on the change in Ashley's posture upon Calvin's arrival. She also didn't overlook the fact that the best man was a werewolf, just like them. "I've got something for you as an early wedding gift."

"Thanks, mate. But let the wedding..." Christopher began, attempting to halt Calvin so that he could proceed with marrying Ashley. His words fell short as Calvin produced a pair of sexy net panties from his suit. "What on earth, Calvin?"

"Oops! My apologies. This is actually for Ashley," Calvin said innocently, first looking at Christopher, then casting a knowing smirk toward Ashley.

"Unbelievable!" Christopher exclaimed, exasperated with his friend's antics.

"What sort of behavior is this?" Ashley's father thundered.

"What kind of friends do you have, Christ?" Ashley's brother chimed in.

"Don't expect any answers from Christopher," Calvin said, sporting a devilish smile. "Believe me, my friend is just as baffled and annoyed as the rest of you. But for everyone's benefit, I am not gifting used panties to Ashley; rather, these panties belong to Ashley and were left in my suit after she spent a passionate night with me last night."

"How dare you?" Ashley's father looked ready to pounce, defending his daughter's honor.

"Easy, Mr. Garcia. Instead of yelling at me, why not address your daughter? Ask her where she was during her bachelorette party. Was she truly with her girlfriends last night?" Calvin challenged, his gaze fixing on Ashley. Then, he turned to the other girls, "So, ladies, answer Mr. Garcia. Was Ashley with you all, hmm?"

Ethlyn could smell that whatever the werewolf was saying was true, and the worst part was it was Ashley’s panties because it had her scent on them.

She knew Ashley had disappeared from the party, claiming that she wanted to spend quality time with HIM. At that moment, Ethlyn had assumed the "HIM" in question was Christopher, not some unknown third party.

"Is he telling the truth?" Ashley’s father asked, his face reddening with embarrassment.

"Yes… yes, Uncle."

“No, Uncle.” Everyone told him the truth except Ethlyn. “Ash was with me last night.” She lied again. Calvin raised his brow at this voice and turned his head to look at the face of a new liar, and he must admit that the she-wolf telling Ashley’s father was a beautiful liar.

Whistling, Calvin's eyes traveled up and down her figure before he remarked, "Really? Ash was with you last night, sweetheart?" he inquired.

"Yes, she was with me."