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Burke and Raven’s body language and demeanor left a lot to be desired from both of them.

Alice was not interested at first, but with the Alpha and Luna interested in whatever conversation the two had going on, her interest piqued as well.

"Raven, what is going on?" Alice asked, since Raven was her best friend. They had bonded together so much for living in the same pack, and Alice slept in Raven’s house a few times, as did Raven in the pack house.

Raven forced a smile. It was not in her nature to lie, but she had to do so this time to protect the surprise they had for Alice. Clearing her throat, the perfect lie sprang out.

"There is a new antidote my brother and I are working on, but we will need a lot of warriors to help us with a lot of seasoned herbs.

Well, it was meant to be a surprise for the Alpha and Luna, as it could help with your burns, but since you asked, I had to tell you," she said. Burke sighed with relief.

Raven’s explanation was not a lie. She was indeed working on herbs for Alice but had still not found a perfect one yet.

The ones she tried before did not work out, making her frustrated sometimes.

However, that action of Burke releasing a relief sigh pricked Alpha Denzel’s sensitivity, and he called Burke aside to interrogate him further.

"Raven is not telling the whole truth. I can feel it, so what are you two hiding? Don’t forget that Alice is your mate." Alpha Denzel did not mince words, and his expression was stern.

Burke forced a smile. Indeed, Alpha Denzel was very sensitive to all those he cared about, so Burke spoke honestly.

"Yes, Alpha. I told Raven to help me with a surprise for Alice."

Alpha Denzel smirked but was glad it wasn’t what he thought it was. "Oh, is it really pertaining to the burns?" He inquired; Burke glanced at Alice before responding.

"Well, Raven has already been working on that without any positive news yet. This is like a party within a party. I want her to enjoy her day before finding out we are mates."

Alpha Denzel was relieved it wasn’t what he was thinking and discharged him. "Alright, away from here. I thought it was something important."

Burke laughed and signaled Raven that everything was fine. Alice was the only one lost, but seeing her Alpha and Luna leave without questioning further or glancing at her, she gave up.

"What do they have going on?" Valerie asked when Denzel walked a distance after carrying her in his arms. He seemed to enjoy doing it a lot and always did so flawlessly.

Valerie did not worry for him because he had the strength. She also loved his ways of showing that he loved and cared for her.

"It wasn’t what we both were thinking. This is Burke’s surprise for her on how he wants to make an appearance on her birthday, but I have another way of making it easier for him," he smirked. Valerie was interested.

"Which way is that?" She asked as Denzel continued walking towards the cottage and not the pack house.

For as long as Valerie loved it there, he did not mind leaving there with her.

"Well, I intend to make him miss out on the surprise birthday party we have for Alice. I want to see if she will be interested in seeing him on her birthday," he replied thoughtfully. Valerie’s arms around Denzel’s neck tightened after she recalled everything that happened during the war.

Everyone tried their best to protect the pack, but Alice was the only one who got injured in the process.

"I only have one wish for Alice on her birthday."

Alpha Denzel smiled sadly. "I do too, but somehow, I prefer not to mention it to not be disappointed if it doesn’t happen."

Valerie could relate and responded, the sad smile still lingering on her face. "That is exactly how I’m feeling too. Expectations hurt."

"So, let’s put them all aside and not have any," Denzel said, feeling that their expectations might be the same.

He walked to the cottage after in silence, only their breathing and the cold breeze could be felt but was okay for them.

Valerie kept her gaze on his handsome face, blushing with it. Alpha Denzel was known to be very attractive but also a monster.

Who knew that she would be the one to bring out the human side of him? He was everything she ever dreamed of in a mate and even more.

The point was, he gave her the happiness she did not expect.

At the cottage, he carried Valerie into the shower and lifted the faucet before he began to undress her.

"What’s that for?" Valerie asked, not expecting it. Her hand pressed against his, halting his movements. He could have allowed her to remove her clothes first, right?

These kinds of things only meant that Denzel was up to something, which was obvious in his smirk as he spoke teasingly. "I just remembered that you love the rain. Doesn’t this remind you of that day?"

Valerie was lost for words. She remembered the day she and Ashley played in the rain like they used to do as kids, surprised that Denzel was capitalizing on it but allowing the warm water to drench the emergency clothes she wore before removing it.

"You sure have weird ways of making me smile," she chuckled. Denzel smirked.

"Well, I wanted to thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice, but I was honestly scared of losing either of you." His gaze darkened at the latter part of his words, but Valerie reminded him.

"Did you not say that we create our own destinies?"

A chuckle escaped Denzel as he watched the shower washing Valerie’s silky white skin. "You have no idea what you do to me when you talk like that."

The darkening desire in his eyes caused a shiver to run through her, even with the warm water cascading on her.