Just as expected, Lucretia didn’t have any real reason to go to Norwich. She was hoping to make trouble there, maybe. Or she wanted to see with her own eyes the pack that was making her brother turn bald.

Whatever the reason, she didn’t know how to explain it to Amanda. She didn’t want to.

«I thought you were here because of my brother,» Amanda said. «Isn’t that right? I guessed it from the start.»

«Because of your brother?» she mumbled, confused. Only later she realised… That blond woman she met at the Tech Fair was from Norwich! Moreover, she could swear she caught traces of her at the fashion show she had attended, barely a few days before.

She had assumed Renato had met her, but she wouldn’t have guessed it was someone from their rival pack. So, Renato was spying on Norwich for them. But why was it so difficult to beat them if that was the case?

«Don’t tell me…» she whispered. «Are you sure your brother is loyal?»

«He’s loyal to his Alpha, Lucretia. I won’t let you talk about him like this just because you’re jealous!»

«Then, why are we losing?»

«Losing?»

«Yeah… It’s not the first time he’s distracted. That mission is bringing more harm than profit to us. He should stop seeing that woman since she’s useless.»

«Useless? Ah, you have the guts.»

«But who in Norwich has enough information to be of any use to us?» she wondered.

There weren’t many single female wolves with a good position there, mainly because of their single and handsome Alpha. All those who could count something were the HR Manager, who had a husband, and Nathaniel Woods’ female cousin, who wasn’t that easy to approach.

«Ah, I see,» Lucretia said, sipping her soda. «It’s because she actually isn’t that relevant.»

«How do you know?»

«Unless Renato seduced the Ice Manager, he can’t get much information from her.»

«My brother would be capable of that,» Amanda pointed out, annoyed. «He has enough charms for any woman in the world!»

«Yeah… Sorry to say, but Samantha Murphy is a cold bitch. She wouldn’t glance twice at him if not to pick a fight.»

«Oh, well,» Amanda said, calming down a little. «If you say so…»

She couldn’t reveal the truth just yet. It would have been funny to see Lucretia’s face, but she couldn’t betray her brother.

His love affair was a secret to most. Even though Lucretia had met Samantha and recognised her scent, she didn’t seem to know about her name.

«How do you think the Ice Manager is?» Amanda asked.

She was curious about how the other imagined that infamous woman. Even just the talk about her different eyes wasn’t as spread as one would think. With that magnetic gaze and stunning beauty, she would think the first thing to hear would regard her appearance. Yet, everyone talked about her strong character, quick decisions, and chilly expressions.

She hadn’t had any relationship which lasted longer than a week, and it all ended up without any rumour. Lately, people were also thinking she wasn’t going to mate ever. They didn’t know about Renato, of course.

It was funny how the two were so similar, at least regarding the rumours surrounding them. They both didn’t look like someone ready for a mate, yet…

«Why are you looking like that?» Lucretia asked. «Are you daydreaming about Samantha Murphy? I don’t want to talk about her, she’s boring. And an enemy.»

«Don’t you want to be like her, not even a tiny bit?»

«Why? Who wants to work in a department full of stinky males? Who wants to deal with humans on a daily basis? I don’t want to work, to begin with. Something hard like managing people? No way.»

«But she’s cool,» Amanda chuckled. «She does all of that alone, and she’s good at it.»

«I heard my brother say she’s a troublemaker. She has the signs of an Omega.»

«Omega?»

«Yes. Apparently, she finds it hard to deal with rules and stuff.»

«I didn’t know that,» Amanda said. Renato didn’t tell her. It meant he hadn’t noticed… Who told Alpha Luciano then?

«Why would you? You don’t even care about our own pack…»

«It’s not true! I don’t do gossip, but I’d like to know about a real Omega… All those I’ve met were Beta, under all the trouble they covered themselves with. I’ve never met a real Omega before.»

«It’s just a wolf with issues following orders. Nothing worth the enthusiasm you’re having right now. Moreover, Omegas are better out of the pack than within. They risk dis-balancing the pack structures. They usually challenge the Alpha’s orders without any reason, and stuff like that…»

«I know… That’s why I’m surprised. Samantha Murphy is so loyal to her Alpha, isn’t she?»

«I don’t know,» Lucretia spat out. «I am no fan of her. I should ask you, apparently: why do you like her so much?»

«No reason in particular.»

«You’re a weirdo. Why don’t you drool after my brother like every female in the pack? Or even after Nathaniel Woods. I would understand it, after all. He is handsome and powerful. Why that woman?»

«I’m not drooling, Lucretia. It’s called respect. I like how she acts and what she does; that’s all. Powerful female wolves have it tough, but she managed to climb the ladder on her own.»

«Her cousin is the Alpha. It wasn’t on her own.»

«Still, she earned the others’ respect.»

«Sure… But she should have focused more on finding a mate instead of spending her life alone and constantly looking for trouble.»

«Where does this come from?»

«My brother says she might be the one destroying Norwich one day.»

«She won’t,» Amanda said. «At least, not on purpose!»

«Of course. Omegas don’t do it on purpose. It’s just her nature. She’s a little pitiful, isn’t she? How will she find a mate with her character? No one is going to take a stubborn female; am I wrong?»

Amanda just nodded, hiding her wily smirk from the other girl.