18.I'll start the preparations.

**Luna**

The Alpha sighed deeply, dreading that his mate spoke the truth. Deep down, he hoped that she was playing tricks on him, probably, just getting her way, as she planned to.

"In that case, we have to get rid of her," the male announced, leaving the room after the words had left his lips. Both women were left in privacy while needing to come up with a plan, which would never raise suspicion or leave any trace. If they acted on instinct, sooner or later, Eros would find out who's behind it and most likely kill them all. Claudia kept staring at Luna, biting her lower lip, trying to stay quiet. Curiosity was killing her, yet the young woman understood that asking questions might be messy, especially while dealing with such aggressive beings as werewolves.

"Alright, go ahead, ask," Luna rolled her eyes. She could sense how uncomfortable and curious the human was. The sooner they dealt with this mess, the faster she will get Claudia off her back.

"What was that all about?" Claudia asked quietly, nibbling on her fingers.

"Oh, that? It's nothing, a little something; I should have told my mate years ago. Let's say it was my little, dirty secret," the woman didn't show any remorse in keeping the seemingly big thing a secret. Her eyes travelled around the room, to avoid further questioning.

"With all due respect, shouldn't I know that too? I'm kind of risking my life here, by providing information, after all," Claudia wasn't about to give up, no matter what, she had to know how serious the situation could become. If it got out of hand, she needed a plan to disappear; before putting herself into real danger.

"If you wish so, I will tell you the truth. On one condition, though," Luna stood up, circling the little sofa the human sat on.

"And what would that be?"

"Nothing much. I just need you to swear on your life that my secret will stay safe. To put it in more simple words- if anyone finds out; you're the first one to hold the blame, meaning I'll have all rights to kill you," the woman dropped her body on the couch, throwing daggers at the human, meaning she meant business, no bullshit. Claudia nodded her head eagerly. The idea of someone else finding out didn't bother her; she would have a plan of escape if something did happen. Excitement grew in her, curiosity levels high. Whatever Luna's secret was, it must be big.

"It's about my son, Eros. I'm sure you've met him, the man who claimed your best friend as a mate." She took a deep breath and kept talking without waiting for anything Claudia could say.

"It happens that his father was human. The packs Alpha, Xavier, is my second chance mate. He chose me from all those women, who were ready to die just to be noticed by them. I already had Eros; my boy was almost one when Alpha chose me. His father died after Eros turned three months; it was a devastating day; the main reason I despise humans was no offense. Your whole kind is weak; if he had been a shifter, he wouldn't have died.”

“Eros didn't shift for a long, long time, making us think that he was more human than shifter. Time went by, and he kept improving, growing, slowly becoming more powerful than other shifters his age. As his mother, I felt the need to do some research. You see, I come from an ancient Lycanthrope bloodline, the very first shifters alive- the original werewolves. Knowing that, I couldn't believe that the human gene had overtaken the centuries-old bloodline." She paused, making sure that the human could keep up with her words. Claudia nodded eagerly, her eyes wide, encouraging Luna to keep talking. She grew impatient, the woman's son might be her golden ticket to power and fortune.

"So, werewolves usually shift shortly after reaching sixteen, that didn't happen to my boy. Instead, he kept growing bigger, more muscular, faster; his senses became sharper than anyone else’s at that time. That was the first red flag. I kept waiting for his twenty-first birthday, and that boy turned out to be the one thing I dreaded seeing in my lifetime. He had no human blood in him, whatsoever, despite his father being one. That man is full-on Lycanthrope, from head to toe- probably the last one existing. After witnessing his first shift, I begged him to keep it a secret, which he did, thankfully. You have no idea how powerful and dangerous he is to this pack, and now, when he found his mate, by some odd reason, she is his destined soulmate..." the Luna was interrupted by Claudia, unable to finish what was on her mind.

"What's the difference, though? I mean, between any other regular mate and this destined one?" She moved closer to the woman, grabbing onto every piece of information, silently planning how to use it.

"If you wouldn't interrupt me, I would have already told you that. Now, keep quiet while I'm speaking," Luna snarled. Claudia leaned back into the sofa, nibbling on her nails, at this point, biting her tongue to keep quiet.

"As I was saying- a destined soulmate. As time went by, those became so rare that nowadays it was nothing but a legend. To keep our whole kind alive, the Elder committee came up with an idea of claiming mates. It's pretty simple- a male shifter chooses a female, which seems to be a good match, and claims her. With destined mates, everything's a bit more complicated. The Moon Goddess pairs two souls, both made for each other, hoping that their paths will cross one day. The scent of a true soulmate is so addictive that neither can get enough of it; the power of the mate bond is so strong that it cannot be denied. That's what your friend is to my son. The worst part is, the more time they spend together, the stronger he will become. Once they complete the mating completely, he will be unstoppable; his only weakness is her. If we don't act, before it's too late, even killing her won't be a way out, simply because nobody will ever be able to get close. Can you understand how serious this situation is?" Luna observed the human, who seemed to be deep in thought. After a few minutes, she finally faced Luna and smiled.

"In that case, we have to get rid of her. Just one thing. Why should I help? What will I gain from helping to separate them?" Now Luna was the one to smile. She knew that Claudia was greedy, probably power-hungry, and she had already come up with an idea of how to get her help. For now, she was the only one close enough to Eve.

"I'll make sure you become his new mate. Not a destined one, so he won't be as powerful, yet strong enough to turn you into one of us. Imagine the power, rank, and money we have. You'll be the one to rule over all miserable humans. Which most likely had hurt you in some way, in your past. Just imagine being dressed in the best designer clothes, living in a lavish mansion- for the rest of your life, not seeing a day of struggle," Luna spoke as if their lives were a dream come true. What Claudia didn't know was that Eros didn't have anything that Luna mentioned. He lived a rather dull life, owning a small bar, an apartment, and a little house hidden in the forest. He didn't have much money or expensive things. Eros was a man of honour; he had to earn whatever he had, never taking advantage of money he didn't make.

"Okay, I'm in. Just tell me what to do and keep your promise, I'll start the preparations. This is not a threat, yet I'll know way too much; for someone to dare and break our deal," Claudia had a way with words, she imagined how her life would change if their plan succeeded. She didn't care about her friend dying or disappearing for good. Even though she had lived a better life than Eve, she always felt jealous of her. Now, it was her time to shine.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise," Luna stood up, walking to the massive table, behind which her mate usually sat. She leaned against it, her eyes becoming cloudy once again. After a while, an unknown man joined them, bowing down to his Luna.

"Escort this lady to her home, warrior. Do not leave her side until you've seen her entering the building and made sure that she's safe," she ordered, becoming irritated by Claudia's presence. The warrior nodded; no questions needed. He extended his hand to Claudia, his eyes traveling over her body. He cleared his throat.

"Miss? Shall we?" he asked, slowly opening the office door. Claudia stood up, nodded at Luna, and left; the warrior followed her close behind. Finally, Luna let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding for so long.

"Watch out, human, you're going down. I'll kill you myself if it means getting rid of the main problem," she snarled, her voice becoming deeper, the animal side of her dominating over her body. Thankful for the silence and sudden peace, she gathered a small pile of documents and headed to her bedroom, hoping to have a little job done before going to bed. Just as she opened the office door, someone bumped into her, making her lose her balance and fall back.

"Luna, I've been looking for you, something terrible happened."