Chapter 578: Mia

It brought me at least a little satisfaction to ignore Mom's direct order. Rather than leave immediately, I pushed my boundaries and went looking for Mia.

She had my demon cat, after all. And I was more than a little attached to his fuzzy butt.

Charlotte padded softly behind me, footfalls louder than usual. As though she wanted me to know she was there.

I stopped to face her, meeting her blue eyes, flickering with the wolf inside her. She hovered closer than usual, body loose and liquid.

While I went tense when I prepped for battle, Charlotte was the opposite. As though knowing she headed for trouble triggered extra fluidity.

Charlotte was ready for a fight. As long as it wasn't with me, we were fine. When her wolf surged to the surface and took over for a moment, I knew it wasn't me she wanted to thrash. But she threw in a little nod anyway.

Just so I'd know it.