Chapter 7 The First Encounter of Two People

Patrick asked several passersby, many of whom knew Emma. They told him they had seen her walking into the forest. As he entered, he was surprised to see the girl lying on a rock. "Hello, is anyone here?" he asked.

The girl looked pretty, but there was a wildness about her that overshadowed her softness, Patrick thought to himself. He rarely judged others' appearances, but the blonde girl in front of him had a pair of beautiful blue eyes, the color of the sea and the sky. He liked those eyes.

He thought to himself that this forest was rarely visited, and perhaps he already knew who this girl was.

Then, he sat beside the girl and started a conversation.

"Do you often come to this forest?" he asked.

"Yes, not many people come to this forest. It's very quiet, but occasionally it can be dangerous," Emma replied.

"Do werewolves also fear danger?" Patrick asked.

Emma pursed her lips and smiled, "We don't have our own wolves here, except for the alpha. With the increase of mixed blood, the wolves of everyone else are slowly disappearing. Maybe it's another kind of evolution. Our physical abilities are better than those of ordinary humans, but we don't have our own wolves."

"I see. So, do you have your own wolf?" Patrick asked her.

The girl pursed her lips, smiled, and shook her head, "I'm not an adult yet, but my mother used to have a wolf. However, after her partner abandoned her, her wolf disappeared."

Patrick felt sorry for her, "I didn't mean to."

Emma found this boy really adorable. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was apologizing for her father's behavior. "It's not your fault. Don't you need to find your sister?"

Patrick said, "Of course."

Emma widened her eyes, "Where is she now?"

Patrick smiled. He was inexplicably drawn to this quiet girl. He liked her silence and her restraint. "I think you know her."

Emma nodded, "Does she live in the Blue Halo Pack? If she lives there, I think I should know her."

"Her name is Emma," Patrick said.

Emma's eyes widened instantly, "What's her name?"

Patrick repeated, "Her name is Emma Bess, sixteen years old, Amy's daughter. When I saw you, I thought, maybe you are her."

"You're looking for me?" Emma was shocked. "You're Nelson's new partner's son?"

Patrick nodded, "Yes, that's me. You can call me Patrick."

Emma hesitated, "But you're an alpha."

She was unsure if she could directly address an alpha by name.

Patrick surprisingly indulged her, "In the future, we will be family. So, you don't have to be so formal."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps Nelson's new family member wouldn't be as detestable as he was. At least for now, she liked everything about this boy; his appearance, his way of speaking, and his gentle demeanor. He was a handsome gentleman. In her life, apart from Edward, she had never encountered a second gentleman. There wasn't an environment here that could raise gentlemen.

"Okay," she murmured softly. "Patrick, it's a really nice name."

Patrick thought that Emma didn't seem to want to leave. Since he had found the person, he decided to spend more time chatting with her.

"It seems like you really dislike Nelson," he observed.

Emma countered, "As the new partner of your mother, do you like him?"

Patrick fell silent. He didn't particularly like Nelson either. It's just that his reasons for disliking Nelson were probably different from Emma's. "Two years after my father's death, he became my mother's partner. I hadn't completely gotten over the grief of losing my father at that time, and we missed the best time to get along. Maybe that's the main reason why I don't like him."

He didn't mention the traits in Nelson that he disliked, especially after learning that Nelson had abandoned his destined partner and child. His fondness for Nelson had completely vanished. However, that didn't mean he would discuss Nelson's shortcomings in front of anyone, especially not in front of his daughter.

Emma hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, "My dislike for him isn't too far from that reason. When I needed a father, he was never there. Do you understand how miserable a child without a father is? People won't ridicule a child without a mother; perhaps they'll mock the child, but they won't dare to bully them. However, a child without a father will be targeted by every child, because they know that even if they bully him, there won't be any substantial consequences. There isn't a strong man in his family who will stand up for him. I grew up in such anenvironment."

Those times were bitter, and Emma didn't want to reminisce. Even as a story, it would drag her back into nightmares.

"I used to really want a father, but when a wish goes unfulfilled for too long, no matter how good it is, you'll want to give it up. Eventually, I did give up. I decided to protect myself. Obviously, I succeeded."

Patrick wanted to reach out for a hug, but he felt it might not be appropriate, so he settled for patting her back gently. "You've done well. If I were your mother, I'd be proud of you."

Emma smiled, "But you might not have realized that before my mother fell ill, our relationship wasn't good. It was after she fell ill and couldn't work that I started taking on the responsibilities at home."

Patrick was surprised, "How could that be?"

Yes, how could it be? But that's how it happened. Her mother had despised and resented her since she was very young, never told her who her father was, or where he was. She often verbally abused her, and sometimes even physically hit her. Her childhood was spent in tears and exclusion, until that boy appeared and taught her to be brave, followed by Florence's appearance, teaching her to love herself.

It wasn't until the tail end of sixteen that she finally received her mother's love, but it only lasted for three months.

"Do you know she was abandoned by her partner?" Emma asked.

Patrick nodded silently.

"For a long time, my mother was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. She didn't have the soothing presence of a partner's pheromones and had to deal with various mundane matters in life. She didn't choose a second partner, probably for my sake. Now that I think about it, her dissatisfaction with me is understandable. For a child abandoned by their partner, she gave up many suitable opportunities over the years just to raise me." She thought about everything her mother had been through. She had always believed that her mother didn't love her, but now she understood her mother's situation. Her mother didn't not love her, she just didn't know how to love her. "So, I will always love her, even if I only received her love for three months."

Patrick had started to like this sister. If before, it was just sympathy, now it was more interest. "You are strong and wise. If you were to become the partner of an alpha in the future, you would make a great Luna."

"To be praised like this by an alpha is quite surprising," Emma stood up. "Would you like to take a walk in this forest? I really like this forest. Whenever I have something troubling me, a walk here helps me forget many unpleasant things. Walking also helps to clear the mind."

Patrick also stood up, "I can tell you love every single part of this place."

"Everyone should love their homeland," she replied.