It was the next day; the morning slowly turned to the afternoon. Maverick had just finished doing paperwork regarding the pack and other businesses. He felt terrible that Matthias had to do much of the paperwork alone while Maverick was depressed. However, Matthias informed him that Rickon helped him during that time. The Alpha was concerned if Maverick was ready to continue his duties as Beta, but Maverick convinced him that he was ready. The Beta sighed as he stood up from his seat with the paperwork and went to Matthias's house, which wasn't too far to walk towards. Upon arrival, Laura opened the door. "Oh, Maverick! You're here with paperwork. You finished them quickly as always."
"Hey, Uncle Maverick!" chirped Waylen as he ran from the kitchen to Maverick. The Beta used his free arm to catch the young child.
"Waylen, don't jump on him like that, or you'll make him drop his paperwork!"
The young boy looked slightly guilty as he held onto Maverick. The Beta looked at the young child and chuckled. "It's alright, Luna. Waylen and I don't get to see and hang out with one another as we used to. He just got excited. I see that you have your raincoat on. Are you two going out?"
Laura walked out of the house, closing the door halfway. "Yeah, Rickon is here, and it seems he has issues regarding Andrea. I didn't want Waylen to hear their arguing, so I wanted to take him for a walk and maybe get a small ice cream on the way."
The young boy pouted. "No, Mom. I said I wanted to take a run so I could be fast! So when it's time for me to change to a werewolf, I can be faster than Dad!"
"Well, I'm sure you will be since you're motivated to be a strong leader. One day, I can take you to hunt with your Dad. Would that work with you, buddy?"
"Oh boy, would it ever!"
Maverick put Waylen down. "So, how's it going with Iris? You've been going out with her a lot lately."
"It's going well. She is still healing from being betrayed by the ones who supported her the most. I asked her if I could take her out more so we could know each other; she agreed."
Laura smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad! Once she's comfortable, she should join us for dinner."
The Beta nodded and thought it would be good to bring Iris to meet Matthias and his family. Laura was always kind-hearted but vicious regarding her family and pack's well-being. He knew she would make Iris and Jessica feel welcome. "I would like that. I have to turn these in, and I see Waylen getting impatient."
Maverick and Laura noticed Waylen pacing back and forth and playing with some leaves. "Of course. Come on, Waylen, let's get a move on." Mother and son went on their way while Maverick went inside the house. Once inside, Maverick saw Matthias and Rickon in the living room, and it seemed their conversation was not going too well. The Beta put the paperwork on the kitchen table and then walked to the living room; he looked at Rickon. "I assume you told Matthias about your predicament?"
"He sure did. We told him he shouldn't have been with that woman; she's not mentally stable." Matthias massaged his forehead while looking at his brother. "We can do nothing as long as Andrea doesn't harm this pack or a human. You must be honest with Jessica because Andrea might beat you and create a misunderstanding if you don't. Do you want to lose your mate forever because of your cowardice?"
Rickon was silent, but then Maverick's phone vibrated, and he answered; it was Iris. During the call, Iris said she and Jessica signed the paperwork and wanted to give it to him. Maverick was happy that the women went through with it. He told them that he and Rickon would take them to a lovely coffee shop to celebrate and to explain the next steps; it was agreed, and both hung up. "Iris and Jessica signed the paperwork." Maverick looked at Rickon and motioned him to stand. "We both will go. Matthias, we're going to take our leave."
"Sure thing, and thanks for the paperwork, Maverick. Well done, and have fun."
The two men nodded, walked out of the house, entered Maverick's car, and drove off to their destination. The car ride was silent between them, and it suited Maverick fine. The Beta was disappointed in his friend and his stupid decisions. He hoped Rickon would do the right thing so the situation wouldn't worsen.
Moments later, they arrived at the apartment complex, where Iris and Jessica were waiting for them with the papers. The men greeted the young women. The duos hugged one another, got into Maverick's car, and drove off. "So, which coffee shop are we going to?" Jessica asked.
"We were hoping you would like to try Japanese-style coffee and tea; they also have good desserts," responded Maverick.
"Oh, that sounds delicious! I heard Japanese desserts are delicious!" Jessica noticed Rickon's thoughtful look. "Hey Rickon, are you okay? You look out of it."
This snapped Rickon back to reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry. My mind was occupied with something. Don't worry about it." Maverick gave his friend a quick look but kept on driving until they got to their destination. The women were in awe of the cafe's traditional Japanese style and beauty. Everyone got out of the car and stood by one another.
"Hope you ladies like it, but we're sure you will like what's inside," said Maverick. He gathered his courage and put his arm around Iris's shoulder, which made her blush. She didn't move his arm away; it made her comfortable and safe.
"Y-Yeah, Jessica and I look forward to it."
As everyone was about to enter, someone called out to one of them. "Iris."
Iris and everyone else stilled and looked to the left side of the street. Iris clung onto Maverick and stood behind him. Maverick's eyes were filled with anger as he stood before Iris. Jessica stood by her friend while Rickon stood beside Maverick. Maverick tried hard not to have his eyes change, but he knew who stood before them. "You must be Derek."
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