《Their Spirit Healer》 Chapter 1 Clare I huddled in the corner of the room, hugging my knees tightly and burying my face against them as I rocked back and forth in a spot, trying hard to forget what I¡¯d just seen and what I¡¯d just done. But I couldn¡¯t escape it. The image of Deputy Manager Zayn¡¯s spirit shattering into fragments, like a human-shaped mirror struck by a powerful blow, haunted my thoughts, a constant reminder of my lack of control. Even though he was lying motionless on the floor across from me, his physical body looking serene as if he was just asleep, I knew there was no way he was alive. There was no way anyone could be alive after their spirit body got wrecked like I wrecked his. However, something kept urging me to go check his body, but I didn¡¯t have the courage to. My rocking movements increased crazily as when I opened my eyes, I met Zayn¡¯s dead, empty gaze as he walked toward me in stumbling, staggered movements with his hands stretched out in front of him like a zombie. As he got closer and closer to me, my heart started racing faster and faster, as if it was going to leave my chest. Realizing I couldn¡¯t just sit here and wait for him to punish me for ending his life, I stood up and ran toward the only door out of the clinic¡¯s medical supplies¡¯ room, but stumbled into a man. When I looked up, the face I saw was Zayn causing me to release a high-pitch scream, fall, and scramble back away on my hands and knees. But on the floor right before me was Zayn. Looking quiet with his chest still rising up and down with breath like someone who was alive. My heart was now almost rent with palpitations when my salvation came. A familiar hand pulled me up and into a warm and comforting embrace. While rubbing circles into my shivering back, Kai reassured me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± And that was how I woke up, still shivering, but my racing heart was slowing down. It made me feel despicable, because whether it was in self-defense or not, I had still murdered a man, albeit in an unconventional manner. Before I could bury myself in self-pity, Josie¡¯s voice interrupted my thoughts. ¡°Hey Clare, wake up. You¡¯re going to be late for your first day if you keep sleeping.¡± ¡°I¡¯m up now! Thank you!¡± I called back, sitting up and getting out of bed in the small but cozy room Josie had given to me after Kai brought me to stay with her. Within thirty minutes, I had taken a shower and was dressed for my first day at Hawkins high. I headed to the living room, which was seamlessly connected to an open kitchen. Josie was already standing behind the counter that demarcated the kitchen from the living room area, fully dressed, probably so she could go to work at the diner she worked at. ¡°Here, I remembered what you said yesterday about not liking to eat breakfast, so I made you a light one.¡± She pushed a plate with two toasts while placing the jars of peanut butter and jelly on the tiny counter that doubled as the cooking counter and the dining table in her cozy and quaint mobile home. However, as someone with humble beginnings who grew up in a tiny shack with my herbalist Fae-Witch mother, I knew better than to despise her trailer park home. If I hadn¡¯t just abruptly moved in with her with Kai¡¯s help, I knew the 2 bedroom trailer would be more convenient for her to live alone. I didn¡¯t really want to eat breakfast because I had a fatty burger for dinner yesterday, but I hadn¡¯t known Josie for long and I didn¡¯t want to offend her by not eating the breakfast she carefully prepared. I would just walk off the extra food on my way to and from school. ¡°Thanks.¡± I said quietly, wanting to tell her I preferred not to eat breakfast at all, but I didn¡¯t know how to say it, so I just shut my mouth after thanking her. ¡°Do you want some coffee? I didn¡¯t want to make you some because I make terrible coffee. No matter how elaborate the recipe and steps, I always mess them up, so I advise everyone against drinking my coffee.¡± After saying this, she took a sip of her coffee and then her face fell at the taste of it. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ve been spoiled by Della¡¯s coffee. That¡¯s the name of the owner of the diner I work at. You¡¯ll meet her later on in the future.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. My fingers twitched. I was one of those people my mom called a fixer. I liked to fix everything. Josie didn¡¯t like the taste of her coffee. I wanted to fix it. My mom didn¡¯t like the way a herb in her garden was growing, I wanted to fix it. Our neighbor¡¯s yard was full of weeds. I wanted to fix it. Although I didn¡¯t want to offend her, observing Josie¡¯s mannerisms as she spoke about her coffee made me realize that she would probably not get offended if I tried to fix her coffee. ¡°Um, can I taste your coffee? Maybe I can fix it?¡± I lowered my gaze to avoid her gaze as I spoke but couldn''t help meeting her gaze to try to gage her response to my offer. She seemed surprised, but there was still a smile in her eyes as she pushed her coffee toward me. ¡°Here, knock yourself out.¡± As if she saw my dilemma on how to sip the coffee, she handed me a paper straw. I took a tiny polite sip and barely managed to keep my face straight at the taste, though. How did she manage not to wash this nasty coffee down the drain? "Can I add some other stuff to it? I might be able to make it taste better." I asked. ¡°Sure,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Work your magic.¡± I nodded and went back to my room, opening one of my bags and pulling out a few things from it. My hands were trembling from the compulsive desire to impress her and make her like me so that she wouldn¡¯t mind me staying at her place and cramping her style as much. I tried to steady my hand as I added a vial of vanilla extract and a pinch of ground cardamom, which I had retrieved from my bag. Then, after assessing her small but actually carefully filled cupboards, I stirred in a touch of honey and a splash of almond milk, then topped it off with a dash of nutmeg. "Try it now," I suggested, handing the cup back to her with a hopeful smile, watching as her face lit up after the first sip. ¡°Wow, it tastes so good.¡± She exclaimed, taking another sip. ¡°If you like it, I can make you a cup of coffee every morning.¡± I assured her, putting on my best smile. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t want to be a bother. Just make me some whenever you want some or you¡¯re in the mood. I would feel so bad if you went out of your way.¡± I shook my head seriously. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± She shook her head and refuted me. ¡°Kai is paying rent for you and extra food expenses. I can¡¯t take advantage of you. As your landlady, how could I make my tenant make me coffee?¡± Her words surprised me. ¡°He¡¯s paying rent?¡± ¡°Of course. Have you met Kai? He never does things halfway. He was probably afraid that I would feel inconvenienced, so he insisted on paying rent despite my refusal. So I want you to be comfortable and feel right at home. For several years, while I was trying to get on my feet, I couch-hopped a lot. If you make me coffee every day, I¡¯d feel like you were treating me like I treated the people I lived with back then, cooking their every meal and all. So just don¡¯t.¡± I realized that she, who looked like a casual, uncaring woman, had noticed my little thoughts and scramble to please her. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t realize that by saying those words, she made me like her more and when I liked people, I still always went out of my way to be nice to them. Her words made me smile as I finally admitted. ¡°Actually, I do like making drinks. I used to make them all the time at¡­at home. I¡¯m better at making teas, though, because I¡¯m more familiar with plants and herbs.¡± ¡°Really? Well, I don¡¯t mind tea or coffee as long as it¡¯s still sweet. Just make me the sweet version of whatever you want to make for yourself. That¡¯s, of course, if you want to. Don¡¯t force yourself if you¡¯re not feeling it, okay?¡± I smiled my first genuine smile. ¡°Okay.¡± Twiddling my thumbs, I remembered the words she just said a few minutes ago. ¡°So¡­how much rent is Kai paying?¡± Afraid of her misunderstanding me, I shook my hand quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not just asking out of curiosity¡ªI genuinely want to know so I can try to pay him back. I owe him a lot of money already and I don¡¯t know how to pay that back so if possible, I would love to try my best to pay the rent so you don¡¯t have to collect rent from him.¡± I pinched the extra flesh on my arm. ¡°I plan to get a job and¡­¡± Josie held my hand that was pinching red circles into my arm. ¡°Listen, you can get a job and keep the money for other things, but I don¡¯t think you should try to replace Kai¡¯s rent. Kai is¡­strange. He seems so big and bad with those tattoos and the pierced ears, but he¡­loves to help people. Just¡­take it as accepting his help is giving him hope for redemption. What did he tell you when you promised to repay him?¡± ¡°He said that I shouldn¡¯t bother and I should¡­pay it forward.¡± I said, remembering his gruff tone as he said that while driving me to Hawkins Town to meet Josie. ¡°Well, just do as he said. Focus on finishing your high school studies in flying colors so you can qualify for a scholarship at a good college. I¡¯m not saying you shouldn¡¯t get a job. Just¡­don¡¯t let your academics suffer because you¡¯re thinking about money and trying to repay Kai. Got it?¡± Even though I felt uncomfortable with owing Kai money and felt like I was taking advantage of him by allowing him to pay rent on my behalf along with all the money I owed him, I could see that Josie was on Kai¡¯s side on this topic so I nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Okay, so when you¡¯re done with school, don¡¯t forget to meet our pack Luna. I need to leave for work now, so I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She slipped a crossbody bag over her head, letting it rest on her shoulder and across her chest, then finished the rest of her coffee. ¡°Thank you for the coffee. I loved it!¡± And then she was out of the trailer. Chapter 2 Clare ¡°Oof.¡± I said as I walked into the person in front of me at the door leading into Hawkins Private High School''s administration office while pulling out the necessary documents I needed to submit from my backpack. Holding my backpack closed, I pressed my palm to my nose, feeling annoyed at the idiot that had just stopped in front of me while apologizing. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I looked up and met a pair of piercing icy blue eyes over the rim of the sunglasses that he''d worn despite the cloudy day. As our eyes locked, an electric charge surged between us, an unspoken and unknown recognition that made the world around us fade away, if only for a fleeting moment. But then his sharp gaze, intensified by his well-defined, arched eyebrows, dispelled the momentary connection. It led my eyes to his narrow, straight nose, which added an air of refinement to his face. His slightly pursed cupid''s bow lips drew my attention next, contributing to his polished appearance. His deep, earth-toned complexion, wavy black hair, high cheekbones, well-defined jawline, and strong, slightly pointed chin gave him a chiseled and angular look, preventing him from appearing too pretty. This blend of delicate and strong features made him undeniably striking. My good impression of him, based on his looks, faded away when he glared at me and dared to say, ¡°Watch yourself.¡± Before turning to walk into the admin office as if he wasn¡¯t the idiot who stopped halfway while walking. Excuse me? I was so mad that I wanted to go pull him back by the shirt and make him apologize. But of course, I didn¡¯t dare. I wasn¡¯t even sure I had the right to. I wasn¡¯t an official member of the Hawkins pack and I was just a foster member, pushed into the pack due to Kai¡¯s connections. I was currently permitted to stay until I finished high school and possibly more time if I showed good conduct.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. So rubbing my nose, I walked into the admin office, submitted all my papers to the nice secretary and responded with a smile as she made small talk with me while processing my stuff. When she went to get my school uniform, I couldn¡¯t help glancing through the glass partitions in the office at the boy from before who was seated on a waiting chair in front of a door labeled with the words, ¡®Principal¡¯. When she saw me glancing at him, the secretary, who had just returned with a small knapsack holding my uniform, shook her head and remarked, ¡°Troublemaker.¡± Then she started saying what had to be an official spiel that she probably had to tell every new student. ¡°Here¡¯s your uniform, and this is your schedule. As you know, we require all students to wear uniforms, which help us maintain a sense of unity and focus on academics. On days when uniforms are not required, you have to adhere to our consistent dress code: this means wearing collared shirts, khaki or navy pants or skirts, and closed-toe shoes. No jeans, graphic t-shirts, or sneakers are allowed. Additionally, make sure your clothing is neat and modest.¡± She gave my attire an assessing look before continuing, ¡°You can wear what you¡¯re wearing for today, but by tomorrow, I hope you¡¯ll switch to our school uniform. One of your classmates and a member of the welcome committee will come over soon to show you around the school premises so you don¡¯t get lost. Oh, here she is.¡± Just then, the door to the admin office opened again and both our attentions turned to the person who walked in¡ªa girl with long black hair who was dressed neatly in the school¡¯s uniform. Unlike the boy I met before who was casually dressed in navy blue pants and just his white shirt, she was dressed to the nines of the school uniform with the navy blue skirt, a white shirt and the navy blue blazer rather than the sweater we were also provided with. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Thompson. I¡¯m here to get the new girl.¡± She said, smiling at me as I was obviously the only new student anywhere in sight. ¡°There she is. Her name is Clare Parker. Okay, you two run along quickly and get the touring done as soon as possible before the buzzer for first period goes off.¡± Mrs. Thompson, the secretary, advised. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± We both chorused, glancing at each other with smiles at our unexpected synchronization. ¡°My name is Lissa. Come on, I¡¯ll show you around. Let me help you with the knapsack.¡± She said kindly. ¡°Oh, no need, thanks.¡± I said politely as I followed behind her. As we left the office, I couldn¡¯t help glancing back one more time in search of the arrogant boy from before, but there was no longer anyone seated in front of the principal¡¯s office. I quickly forgot about him as Lissa took me around school and offered to have lunch with me, an offer I happily accepted. Chapter 3 Clare ¡°Hey, you¡¯re so cool. No one ever gets my humor here, which is why I eat lunch alone all the time and never get invited to the cool parties.¡± Lissa said with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I mean, when I was younger and having trouble in school, my stepfather used to tell me I was ¡®probably just born slow.¡¯ He said it was better if I stuck to ¡®simple things¡¯ instead of trying too hard.¡± I paused, letting out a short laugh. ¡°Then when my grades finally got better, he said I was getting ¡®too big for my britches.¡¯ Started calling me ¡®his little know-it-all.¡¯ Like, what was I supposed to do with that?¡± Her face froze mid-bite. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± I smiled tightly, immediately regretting the stepfather detour. My brain screamed at me for bringing him up, but my mouth kept moving. ¡°And the kicker? When I hit my teens and started spending time on homework instead of chores, he¡¯d say I was turning into a lazy little pig. Then, when I started helping out more, he¡¯d ask why I couldn¡¯t ¡®just be normal¡¯ for once.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± she said, her fork halfway to her plate. Realizing I¡¯d probably over shared, I scrambled to cover it up with humor. ¡°But hey, it¡¯s fine. He left after my mom passed, so now he doesn¡¯t have to deal with my ¡®slow, lazy, know-it-all¡¯ self anymore.¡± I forced a laugh that felt hollow even to me. She didn¡¯t laugh. She just stared, probably more stunned by the fact that I¡¯d casually dropped that my mom was dead. I cringed internally. Way to make things weird. Desperate to steer the conversation somewhere¡ªanywhere¡ªelse, I changed the subject, ¡°Hey, so I saw that guy sitting at the head of the table on that raised platform in the admin office. The weird one with sunglasses seated on the table that feels like it¡¯s reserved for the school¡¯s royalty or something. Who is he?¡± She looked like she still wanted to ask me questions about my stepfather or my mom at first but when her eyes fell on the boy, I met at the office and the table he was sitting at, I could feel her attention shift, making me release a very tiny sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Sawyer Hawkins.¡± She answered casually with her eyes twinkling with gossip. But I bet my eyes were also twinkling with the interest to gossip as well now as I leaned closer to her. ¡°Wait, Hawkins, like, related to the Alpha of the pack?¡± She nodded rapidly, rattling her head like she was trying to shake something out of her brain, and then leaned her head close to me while lowering her voice. ¡°Yes, Hawkins, as in he¡¯s the only son of the Alpha of our pack. See how he¡¯s barely speaking and just watching people at his table speak? That¡¯s how he always is. You would think the pierced ears and the weird sunglasses would mean he¡¯s this bad guy jock or emo, but he¡¯s none of the above. Okay, maybe not. He had a time where he was wearing only blacks at the start of high school. But usually, he¡¯s just usually quiet in school. I don¡¯t see him often because I¡¯m not part of the cool crowd at school, but even when I see him among his friends, he¡¯s usually very quiet. He¡¯s only had like four girlfriends and only two were members of our pack. One of them was like six years older than him, one was a visiting pack member and the other was the daughter of the Alpha of a nearby pack.¡± She turned her head to stare at the people sitting on the platform table and lowered her voice another notch. ¡°Because all the girls he dated are usually pack councilmen daughters or Alpha¡¯s daughters. People say he isn¡¯t interested in regular pack members, but there are always rumors of him hooking up with girls in the pack...¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Interesting.¡± I said out loud. However, in my thoughts, I decided to stay far away from the elitist future Alpha of the Hawkins pack. Everything about him rubbed me off in all the wrong ways, anyway, with the arrogant manner about him that was embellished by the stupid sunglasses he was always wearing everywhere. ¡°Mm-hmm, it¡¯s such a pity though, because I would totally date him. I really love his looks and I¡¯ve never heard any rumors of him cheating on anyone he ever dated.¡± She said. ¡°I would totally date him too¡­just for his looks.¡± I lied. ¡°I know, right?¡± Before she could say more, the buzzer signaling the end of lunch went off. ¡°Hey, how about we hang out later today after school? I¡¯ll show you around town and take you to a really cool place where everyone, including the cool crowd, hangs out when they¡¯re not throwing private parties that everyone else is not invited to. What do you say?¡± ¡°Sure. It¡¯s just I need to see the pack Luna. How about I get your number and call you right after my meeting with her ends?¡± I answered. ¡°Sure, sure. Give me your tray. Here¡¯s my phone, just type in your number and call yourself so we both have each other numbers. I¡¯ll take our trays over there so we won¡¯t be late to our next class.¡± ¡°Ok, thanks.¡± I answered, giving her a wide smile as I got to work doing as she asked, happy that I had made a new friend at my new school on the very first day. *** My dislike of Sawyer Hawkins was cemented by our second meeting at the Hawkins Pack Alpha¡¯s mansion. ¡°Hey Sawyer! Come back here this very minute!¡± The elegantly dressed woman, who was no doubt the Hawkins pack luna, yelled. Sawyer didn¡¯t even spare her a glance as he angled past me, who was standing close to the narrow door, surprised, with the maid who was taking me to see the pack Luna. Because our shoulders collided due to his hapless blind rushing, he didn¡¯t forget to lower his sunglasses to glare at me and tell me to watch myself again before walking away. I was still reeling from the annoyance in his eyes and the reciprocative annoyance rising in me for getting warned to watch myself twice in one day by the same person, even though he was the one at fault both times. Thankfully before I could run after Sawyer Hawkins to give him a piece of my mind, his mother, the pack Luna, cleared her throat, saving him from my heartless tirade and saving me for the embarrassment and desire to bury myself in a tiny hole after my outburst. ¡°Hello, you¡¯re the new temporary member of the pack, right? Come in, come in. Take a seat. Your name¡¯s Clare, right? You can call me Luna Ava. How are you liking the pack so far?¡± Trying to get rid of the awkward feeling our conversation was giving me and make the best impression on Luna Ava, I answered her quickly with a smile. ¡°I love it very much so far. Everyone is so nice and¡­welcoming. The classes are also interesting so far.¡± ¡°Very good. Very good. Well, I heard that before you came to the pack, you used to live alone with your mother, who¡¯s a witch?¡± I didn¡¯t really like talking about my mother for several reasons but I wanted to seem like an open book to Luna Ava, so I tried to talk about things I had no issues sharing. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, she was a Fae-Witch. In our old town, she worked as a herbalist and we ran a small shop selling concoctions to help ill people.¡± ¡°I heard she passed away recently. My condolences.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I answered, looking down and trying to stop my hands from clenching into fists. ¡°So your file says you have werewolf blood? Do you need or want to run with the pack during our bimonthly pack runs?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. I would love to. I read on the Pack Handbook that I could go on individual runs in the woods behind the pack?¡± She nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. But because you¡¯re a new pack member and you¡¯ve not been officially introduced to all pack members, I think it would be best if you schedule a time with me before going on your runs. This is to avoid other pack members from misunderstanding you as a trespasser.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ve not yet decided what your pack duties will be, but since you¡¯re a temporary pack member, they will definitely be very minimal. I have your number and I''ll let you know by text once I decide. I won¡¯t waste your time, so let¡¯s end our meeting here.¡± She stood up and stretched her hand out to me for a handshake. I stood up as well and took her hand, wondering what she wanted to do. ¡°Welcome to the Hawkins pack, Miss Clare. Please try to abide by the rules and regulations available in the pack handbook and conduct yourself appropriately in the pack.¡± Not sure what to say, I responded, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± After the weird formal handshake, Luna Ava became visibly warmer to me. She allowed me to leave with a polite smile and nice words, ¡°If you need anything or have any problems, don¡¯t hesitate to call or text me. Take Care.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I replied before leaving with the maid who had brought me in. Chapter 4 Clare ¡°It¡¯s called the Lounge. What do you think?¡± The Lounge, as Lissa called it, could be referred to as the Hawkins pack¡¯s recreation center for young adults. The coolest part? It had all the vibes of a nightclub¡ªminus the raunchiness and chaos typically found in one. In fact, Lissa said it mirrored the adult club on the other side of town but didn¡¯t work like a club as adults above twenty-five were not allowed in and there were paid chaperons present all the time, as well as tons of cameras. It was the most exciting recreation center I had ever seen in my life. It had an energetic yet sophisticated vibe with a rich, dark burgundy theme that permeated the space, creating an inviting and vibrant atmosphere. The dance floor, the heart of the club, was a kaleidoscope of flashing lights, pulsating to the rhythm of the music. Around the dance floor, cozy seating areas were thoughtfully arranged, providing perfect vantage points for those who wished to watch the dancers or dancers who wanted to take a break. Plush couches and stylish chairs, all in shades of deep red and black, offered comfort and a touch of elegance. Off to one side, a collection of arcade games added an element of fun and nostalgia. The cheerful sounds of electronic beeps and laughter mixed harmoniously with the music, creating a lively backdrop. ¡°What do you think?¡± Lissa asked again, since I didn¡¯t answer the first time. ¡°This is awesome! Wow, how could anyone have come up with this place?¡± I asked, staring at the mocktail bar which was illuminated by soft, ambient lighting showcasing an array of colorful fruits and mixers. Her eyes glimmered with pride as she smiled so hard that her eyes were almost crinkling closed. ¡°Our Alpha designed it so it¡¯s pack property, owned and managed by the pack. It offers a job opportunity for us too. The people working with the music, managing the arcade games, bar tending and cleaning up are all our age or around it. They only offer adults jobs like chaperon shifts and the other jobs if there are no young adults to do them.¡± ¡°Wow, your Alpha must be so cool then!¡± I said, truly impressed. The Alphas of the two packs my mother and I had lived in the same town with before she married my stepfather and after she married him had been old and formal, and from what I¡¯d heard from my schoolmates that were pack members, they had strict curfew rules, strict dressing rules and all sorts of rules about how they could use electronics and their screen time. ¡°Yeah, he really is the best. One time, the cool kids wanted to make this their space and they would tell us not to come into the Lounge at certain times. When our Alpha found out about it, he instantly banned them all from the Lounge for an entire year. That¡¯s why there¡¯s always an adult managing the entryway now. Come on, let¡¯s get a drink.¡± Lissa said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the bar. I followed her, staring around the club as she led me to the bar. However, just as we got closer to the bar, I saw a boy. His eyes, narrow and slightly almond-shaped, held a soft, introspective gaze, hinting at a depth of thoughtfulness. Thin, round glasses perched on his nose, lending him a scholarly air. Dark and slightly tousled, his hair had a natural wave that framed his face, complementing his high cheekbones and slightly pointed chin. His lips were thin and light pink, adding a delicate touch to his features. Rather than a sharp or angular jawline, the subtle contours of his face were perfectly balanced, giving him a gentle and approachable appearance. This refinement made him seem both delicate and inviting, a portrait of quiet elegance. His looks and everything about him made me stumble to a stop. I had never realized until I looked at him that I would ever be attracted to anyone at first glance, but when I saw him, I was awestruck. He felt like the dream boy I never knew I wanted. ¡°Why did you stop? Clare?¡± Lissa said, as she moved back to where I was standing, probably with my lips parted and drool dripping down the sides of it. ¡°Lissa, who is that?¡± I asked, subtly pointing at the boy behind the bartenders'' counter, dressed in their uniform and shaking a drink with a calm, focused expression¡ªone I couldn¡¯t help but wish was directed at me. ¡°Who? Oh, no, not you too. That¡¯s Elijah Shepherd.¡± She said. ¡°Why¡¯d you say not me too? He has a girlfriend?¡± I asked, still unable to stop staring at Elijah¡¯s every charming move. ¡°He doesn¡¯t. He¡¯s the Beta¡¯s son. Because of his looks and his status in the pack, a lot of people like him, but he¡¯s never dated anyone. I heard he only hooks up. He tells every girl who approaches him that he¡¯s not interested in anything but a hookup, too. I know he¡¯s warning them off because he doesn¡¯t want to hurt their feelings, but I just¡­don¡¯t like that.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Huh.¡± I sighed, feeling bummed out that I would probably never get the chance to date him. However, looking at him again made me feel super warm. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s fine if he isn¡¯t dating anyone. It¡¯s better that he isn¡¯t dating anyone. This way, I can maybe become his friend and then give it a try.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be deceived. Many girls have said the same thing, but they only ended up falling deeper in love with him without changing his mind at all.¡± Lissa warned. ¡°Oh, I got it.¡± I answered. ¡°Well, I guess we could just be friends, too. I don¡¯t mind being able to just look at him anytime I want to. Does he work here every day?¡± ¡°You do know that¡¯s stalker behavior, right?¡± Lissa asked as we started making our way to the bar again. ¡°It is not. I¡¯m not following him home or anything. I¡¯m just coming to the Lounge to enjoy the atmosphere provided by the Lounge and its employees.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Moon goddess, you¡¯re such a weirdo.¡± Lissa said, shaking her head disapprovingly. ¡°Hello,¡± Another bar tender with dark hair greeted us. ¡°Hi Fiennes, can I get a virgin mojito? Clare, what do you want?¡± Seeing the bar tender, an idea slid into my head. I needed a job. The Lounge employed young adults, and my new favorite boy also worked in the Lounge. How about getting a job in the lounge? ¡°Clare? Daydreaming again?¡± Lissa asked. ¡°Sorry. What did you say?¡± I asked. Lissa shook her head again. ¡°I was asking what you wanted to order.¡± ¡°Oh, do you have a menu? Can I get a menu?¡± I asked, thinking about first determining the skill level of the people that worked here, starting with Fiennes, to see if I could get hired here like I was hired at my first bartending job. The dark-haired Fiennes chuckled at my question as he gave me the menu he was already holding. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend, Lissa?¡± ¡°This is Clare. She¡¯s a new and temporary member of the pack.¡± Lissa introduced. ¡°Temporary, huh? If you want to be a permanent member, how about dating me? If you marry me, you can become a permanent member.¡± Fiennes said. I didn¡¯t even need to look up from the menu I was assessing as Lissa responded on my behalf. ¡°That was such a lame joke.¡± Fiennes chuckled again. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I was just joking. I¡¯m Fiennes, I¡¯m currently dating Lissa. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Clare.¡± I smiled and handed him the menu back. ¡°Clare. Nice to meet you too. I¡¯ll get the Virgin Smoke and Mirrors. Thank you.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that? I didn¡¯t even know there was anything like that on the menu.¡± Lissa asked curiously. "It''s a mocktail made with brewed and chilled lapsang souchong tea, lemon juice, honey syrup, apple cider vinegar, sparkling water and some garnishes like say a slice of dehydrated apple." I answered. ¡°Wow, you know a lot¡­Worked at a bar before?¡± Fiennes asked, seeming intrigued. ¡°Yep,¡± I answered with a proud grin. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to make this at all, so you¡¯re probably going to have to wait for the expert to do it. Hey, Shepherd, come make a Virgin Smoke and Mirrors for this lady when you¡¯re done.¡± I followed Fiennes¡¯ gaze to Elijah and watched with a sigh as Elijah gave him a thumb up to indicate he had heard without removing his gaze from the drink he was working on. Fiennes apparently heard my sigh as he turned to Lissa, ¡°She¡¯s into Shepherd?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Lissa answered. ¡±Hurry up and make my drink. I¡¯m a paying customer here, not your girlfriend. I¡¯ll give you a bad rating.¡± ¡°Oh, please dear customer, don¡¯t do that to me,¡± Fiennes said playfully as he forgot all about me and my crush on Elijah and started chatting with Lissa as he made her drink. I gave her a grateful look and focused my gaze on watching Elijah as he finally delivered the drink he was making. As if he could feel my gaze, he looked up and our gazes locked. That moment felt like the world around me and time had stopped all around us. I felt like I could hear romantic music in the background as we both stood face to face on a long sandy beach. However, Elijah didn¡¯t seem to have felt what I felt as he broke our locked gaze and then walked away, leaving the bar through a back door behind It, with a cold pale face as if he wasn¡¯t feeling well. Was it my gaze that made him feel that way? Did Elijah see something in my gaze that made him uncomfortable or worse, sick? Did me liking him creep him out so much? I was lost in thought when Fiennes asked, ¡°Hey, where did Shepherd go?¡± ¡°He went out through that back door. He looked super pale, too. Is he going to be okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. He probably just needed a break. What to do now? Shepherd is the only one who can make that drink. How about you order something else? Something simpler?¡± ¡°Well, I can make that drink. Is your Lounge hiring bartenders?¡± I asked. ¡°If you can really make Virgin Smoke and Mirrors, you can bet that we¡¯re definitely hiring you. Let me get the manager.¡± Within fifteen minutes, Fiennes came back with the manager, gave me an apron and pointed me to where I could wash my hands. Then I started making the drink as I promised. While I was not as good as some bartenders at the club I worked at before in terms of the showmanship, I made up for all that with the drinks I made. So I was very sure of myself as I poured Fiennes, the manager and Elijah, who had returned looking much better, a cup of the drink I made. I stared at the manager, trying very hard not to stare directly at Elijah, who was tasting the Virgin Smoke and Mirrors with a stoic demeanor. ¡°Oh, my! This is actually good!¡± Fiennes was the first to answer. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. What do you think, Elijah?¡± The manager asked. His question gave me license to stare at Elijah, but I tried my best to do that with as simple a gaze as I could summon, just in case he had really gone pale the previous time because of something he saw in my gaze. Elijah¡¯s face was a mask of indifference and I was nervous that he would say something like he hated it. However, all he said was, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The way he said it deflated all hope that I could be his friend someday. His mask of indifference and the way he walked away after our gazes met were all undeniable evidence that he didn¡¯t like me. After all, before our gazes met, he had smiled at the customer he was making a drink for and when he gave Fiennes a thumbs up, he¡¯d also smiled at him. ¡°Well, Miss Clare, you¡¯re hired. My name is David, I¡¯m currently the manager here. Come with me. We need to process your hiring details.¡± The manager said. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± I responded with one of my mask-like smiles as I waved goodbye to Fiennes and Lissa and followed after the manager while feeling horrible about Elijah¡¯s evident dislike of me. Chapter 5 Clare Yawning and rubbing my eyes, I walked out of my room to the living room where my books had been arranged on the dining table beside Josie¡¯s open kitchen in preparation for my early morning study hour. However, when I flipped the switch and turned on the light, what I saw on the couch made me stop in my tracks as all the grogginess and sleepiness I was feeling abruptly slipped away. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± The words tumbled out of my lips as the image of Josie wearing nothing but her underwear and straddling another woman on the sitting room couch while they made out with fervor danced around my mind. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I apologized, turning away as Josie scrambled off the woman she was making out with who was at least wearing shorts and a bra. Five minutes later, Josie was dressed and her friend was wearing a long shirt as we sat on the couch. I stared at my palms, trying to avoid staring at Josie¡¯s flushed face and swollen lips while wishing that I could go back in time and avoid coming to the living room to study. Thankfully, Josie¡¯s partner seemed unbothered that I¡¯d caught them making out as she introduced herself with a wave. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Della and you must be Clare. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Josie. Nice to meet you.¡± I forced a smile as I waved back at her without looking up. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s nice to meet you too. I¡¯m¡­ah really sorry to interrupt you. I just wanted to study a little. Next time, I¡¯ll just study in my room.¡± ¡°No, no. Just study in the living room. We¡­got carried away. Next time, we¡¯ll either do this in my room or at her house.¡± Josie rushed to reassure me. I looked up to find her staring at me earnestly. The sight of her concerned face filled me with warmth because it made me realize how kind Josie actually was. If it was someone else, they would have gotten mad at me, an unwanted tenant, for interrupting their time together.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Even when I¡¯d caught my own mother making out with my stepfather by accident, she¡¯d gotten mad at me because my stepfather had suggested that they continued while I watched. As punishment, she had also given me the silent treatment for an entire week, no matter how many times I apologized to her. ¡°Got it, thank you. Well, I won¡¯t interrupt you anymore. I¡¯ll take my history book and go study in my room today.¡± I said. ¡°Wait. You were looking for a job, right? I talked to Della about the coffee you made me this morning. She¡¯s the owner and manager of the diner I work at. She is willing to give you an interview opportunity.¡± Josie said. ¡°You can come over for an interview tomorrow afternoon after school and make me and the staff a cup of coffee based on our preferences and if they¡¯re good, then you¡¯re hired.¡± Della said with a smile. For a second I didn¡¯t know what to say because I¡¯d not only gotten a job earlier this evening, and I started work tomorrow. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I would have loved to work at the diner, but I just got a job as a bartender at the Lounge, and I have signed all the paperwork to make it official.¡± ¡°Oh, wow! Congratulations, Clare!¡± Josie said, looking very happy for me. ¡°Congratulations! You must be really good because the Lounge is very picky on their bartender hires.¡± Della complimented me with a smile as well. I couldn¡¯t help blushing at their praise. I had always loved being praised, especially by my mother. It was why I¡¯d worked so hard to learn how to do everything she could do as a herbalist. I thrived on the praise I got from her when I helped her to germinate a difficult herb or helped her to make a difficult potion or concoction. Unfortunately, after my stepfather walked into our lives, I hardly ever got any praise from her until she died. ¡°Thank you.¡± Since I was pleased with their praises, I was willing to go out of my way to help them. ¡°Um, if you really need someone to make drinks in the diner, I could come over in the morning to make large batches of different commonly ordered coffees and teas. When do you open?¡± Della seemed surprised at my words but Josie smiled and answered me, ¡°We open at 6:00am but I don¡¯t think you should take this job. You won¡¯t be getting back from the Lounge until late in the evening and then you¡¯ll have to wake up earlier in the morning to help us make drinks, which will cost you sleeping time and possibly affect your studies.¡± When she put it that way, I realized that she was right, so I nodded. ¡°Oh, then, maybe next time. I guess.¡± Josie nodded, smiling at me as she stood up. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to get ready for work with Della. I brought home tomatoes, spinach and ham so you can make yourself some sandwiches for breakfast.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± I answered with a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, Clare.¡± Della said as she followed Josie back to her room. ¡°Nice to meet you, too.¡± I answered. Chapter 6 Clare When the buzzer rang, ending my last class before lunch, I could help but pat my insolent belly because I could feel and hear its unpleasant rumbles of hunger. Unfortunately, I was determined not to satisfy it today. Since I arrived in Hawkins Town, I had been eating more than I usually did with Josie, who was a chef at Della¡¯s diner. She was always cooking all sorts of delicious food or bringing me leftovers from the diner. They were all tasty food and most times, I¡¯d either found it difficult to reject Josie¡¯s kindness or allowed the pang of hunger to make me eat those meals. That was until I looked into the full-length mirror I finally purchased yesterday. There was no doubt that I had added weight, and quite a lot at that. If I continued this way, I wasn¡¯t very far from going back to being the ¡®Fatty Clary¡¯ of the past, and I was never going to let that happen. So I¡¯d brought out the appetite suppressing tea I usually took when my appetite started to wind out of control, rejected Josie¡¯s breakfast offer and walked to school. Unfortunately, the tea took quite a while to take effect, which was why skipping breakfast had me feeling so hungry by lunch. ¡°Hey Clare, I saw your text. You¡¯re not going to lunch?¡± Lissa¡¯s voice interrupted my train of thought. At her words, my stomach growled in hunger. I ignored it as I nodded to Lissa, pushing my tome-like biology textbook into my locker. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going on a fast today. It¡¯s a spiritual exercise to increase my connection to the earth.¡± I lied because there was no way I was telling her that I was fasting to avoid gaining weight. My last ¡®friend¡¯ in my previous town had spread the word to the popular kids, which had them teasing me nonstop all day long for an entire nightmarish week. ¡°Oh, wow. That sounds fun.¡± Lissa seemed intrigued by the bullshit excuse I¡¯d made up and it took all the strength in me not to laugh. ¡°Unfortunately, that means I also have to eat lunch alone.¡± Lissa complained with a sigh. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come sit with me during lunch?¡± And die of pangs of hunger caused by the auditory, visual, and olfactory assault of food from all around me at the cafeteria? No thanks.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°I-I can¡¯t. I want to use the time to skim through an old book of herbs I found online last night.¡± This time, I was actually not lying. I really needed to skim through that book I bought yesterday. I hadn¡¯t been able to bring along the large tome of the old book of herbs so finding a pdf version of its scanned pages was such a delight and I wanted to read through them so I didn¡¯t thoroughly forget all the herbs I¡¯d worked so hard in my adolescent and teenage years to understand. ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Lissa agreed grudgingly, and then we parted ways. *** I didn¡¯t want to go to the library for the reading that I needed to do, so I opted to go to an empty classroom. However, when I tried to push the doors open, I found that all the empty classroom doors seemed to be locked. I was just about to give up when I successfully pushed a door open. Unfortunately, when I walked in, I stumbled upon a boy seated at the teacher¡¯s deck with his legs raised onto the table like some kind of rascal while reading a book written in another language which I couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°Who¡­¡± The boy looked up from his book and focused his familiar light blue eyes on me. I recognized him instantly. Sawyer Hawkins. I had seen him earlier today, driving out of school just before first period like the school vagrant he was, so it was a double surprise to see him here in this classroom, reading. ¡°Um, I¡¯ll just go.¡± I said politely, turning back to open the classroom door. ¡°Wait!¡± I turned back to stare at him curiously, wondering what he wanted. ¡°You wanted to do something in the empty classroom, right?¡± He asked. I nodded tentatively, not quite sure why he was asking. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to make a lot of noise?¡± He asked again. I nodded in response, wishing he¡¯d go straight to the point. ¡°Well, then you can stay. I¡¯m also not going to make any noise.¡± He said before turning back to his book. I turned to face the door, contemplating just walking away because I truly wanted nothing to do with Sawyer. But considering the fact that he could take offense to that and could thus develop a grudge against me, speak against me to his father or mother and then get me somehow expelled from his pack, I decided to stay and just do my reading here. So that was how I sat alone in an empty classroom to study herbs with the future Alpha of Hawkins pack. Of course, the novelty wore off fast as I got lost in the book I was reading. When the warning buzzer signaling that the time for lunch period to end was close, I packed up my notes and got ready to leave. However, before I could walk out of the classroom and forget that I ever sat alone in the same classroom with the future Alpha of the Hawkins pack, he stopped me. ¡°Wait!¡± I stopped in my tracks and turned to stare at him as he pulled his legs off the teacher¡¯s desk and strode toward me. He was wearing his sunglasses again while looking like a fool for wearing them indoors, albeit a very cool and handsome fool. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I asked, craning my neck to stare up at him after he¡¯d stood in front of me, staring at me with an inscrutable look for several seconds. ¡°Will you go out with me?¡± Chapter 7 Sawyer ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± There was no doubt that Clare Parker, who was staring at me with wide eyes and parted lips, was shocked at my request, but it still irritated me how shocked she was. After all, considering what was between us, it was reasonable that I would ask her out, wasn¡¯t it? It wasn¡¯t like I could go worship the moon goddess to get a new true mate, was it? In fact, when I saw her at the start of the school year, locked gazes with her and discovered that she was my Moon Goddess given true mate as well as the other half of me, I had rejected her from the bottom of my heart because I truly had never considered having a mate. I¡¯d expected her to come after me, trying to use the true mate bond to get close to me but it¡¯d been two weeks already and other than her whispered discussion with Lissa Evans about being interested in dating me in the school cafeteria, she had mentioned nothing about being my true mate. Every time I saw her on the school premises, I steeled myself, getting ready for her to approach me and mention the bond between us while trying to ignore the feeling of anticipation threading through my body as well. However, she hadn¡¯t. So I¡¯d had to draw two conclusions. Conclusion one, she knew I was her true mate but wasn¡¯t interested in mating with me, which was impossible because I was a super handsome, rich guy and the future Alpha of my pack. So I had chosen to go with the second conclusion. For whatever reason, Clare Parker had no idea that I was her true mate. I didn¡¯t like repeating myself, but for her, I found no issues doing so. ¡°Will you go out with me?¡± Her expression shifted in a way I hadn''t anticipated. Her eyes widened for a moment, a flicker of panic crossing her face. She forced a smile, but it didn''t reach her eyes. Instead, they darted around the room, as if searching for an escape route. Her hands fidgeted nervously at her sides, and she bit her lower lip, hesitating. "Uh, that''s really nice of you," she started, her voice shaky. "But, um, I have a lot going on right now with school and...pack duties. I don''t think I can fit in dating right now." She glanced at me, clearly anxious about my reaction. "I hope you understand. It''s not about you, it''s just...bad timing."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. As I watched her, the confidence I had felt moments ago ebbed away as I realized she was trying to let me down gently. She looked relieved as she finished speaking, but still tense, as if bracing for my response. The room became heavy around me as I realized that there was a strong possibility that the reason why Clare hadn¡¯t come to declare that I was her mate was because she wasn¡¯t interested in mating with me. ¡°But¡­¡± My voice sounded croaky, so I cleared my throat and said, ¡°But I thought you said that you were interested in dating me?¡± Doubt flitted past her gaze as if she didn¡¯t remember saying that. ¡°When you were speaking to Evans¡­I mean, Lissa Evans.¡± I tried to remind her. Her brows furrowed as she asked, ¡°You eavesdropped on our conversation?¡± I rushed to defend myself. ¡°I didn¡¯t eavesdrop. You were talking in a public space and I have very sensitive ears. When I heard my name, I tuned into your conversations and heard what you said.¡± Her face first formed a scowl before it became expressionless, making me realize that she was very unhappy about me overhearing what she said. Before I could say anything, though, she responded to my question with a nonchalant look. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, but that was just small talk. I¡¯m not really interested in dating anyone right now.¡± She said that, but something told me that she was just not interested in dating me. For whatever reason, she wanted nothing to do with me, and I really wanted to know why. ¡°I don¡¯t really believe you.¡± I said. Realizing that I sounded confrontational, like some guy who couldn¡¯t take rejection, I softened my tone. ¡°Can you tell me why you really don¡¯t want to date me?¡± She sighed and then looked up, meeting my gaze with those compelling light blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, but I just¡­am not ready to date right now. I¡¯m in a new pack and I¡¯m just trying to¡­get used to the new environment and all. The last thing on my mind is dating anyone.¡± Seeing how earnest she sounded, I decided to believe her. ¡°Okay¡­well, can you consider me when you decide that you¡¯re ready to date again?¡± Her eyes widened a smidgen at my words before she nodded, ¡°Alright, no problem. You will be at the top of my list.¡± I nodded and stepped away from her, allowing her to leave while believing her words. However, when I went to the Lounge to get some drinks with my friends so I could forget about her rejection, I finally saw her words for what they were¡ªnothing but lies. Because the same girl who earnestly told me she was not ready to date, not only flirted all through her bartending shift with my future pack Beta, Elijah Shepherd, she also danced with him for more than thirty minutes after her shift ended. Chapter 8 Clare ¡°You lied to me!¡± The low growl that followed this statement startled me out of my daydreams about Elijah. I looked up to meet Sawyer Hawkins¡¯ icy blue eyes. If I was standing, I would have taken a few steps away from him because he looked like an angry bull in front of a piece of red clothing with heavy breathing and furious eyes that stared at me as if I was the piece of red clothing used to enrage the bull. I knew that I¡¯d lied to Sawyer, but I never expected him to ever find out about it, so I looked around the cafeteria hoping a cafeteria staff or teacher would come to help me calm him down. Unfortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be any staff member around. Unfortunately for me, Lissa, who could have probably helped me get a teacher, had gone to the admin office to help the school secretary organize some paperwork. Everywhere I looked, the only gazes I met were the gazes of fellow students who were staring curiously at my table. It was the first time I was getting so much attention from so many people and as someone who liked to fly under the radar, I didn¡¯t like this kind of attention at all. So I steeled myself and met Sawyer¡¯s gaze. ¡°What are you talking about? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± My words, unfortunately, seemed to enrage Sawyer more as his nostrils started flaring and his breathing quickened. For a moment, it seemed like smoke was coming out of his ears and nose like it usually did in cartoons. I couldn¡¯t help meeting his gaze at this moment and he held my gaze as he slowly calmed himself until the emotions of anger had leached out of his eyes and face. To my surprise and utmost dismay, he didn¡¯t speak again. Instead, he stood up and walked around the table to stand above me, staring down at me fixedly. This calmness he was holding onto was somehow more scary than his blazing eyes and flaring nostrils and when he reached for me, I couldn¡¯t help but instinctively try to protect myself as I pushed myself lower in my chair and covered my head with my arms so that any blows would not permanently injure me. However, after several seconds that felt like hours without a single hit touching me, I couldn¡¯t help looking up again, all the way from Sawyer¡¯s hands clenched into fists by his sides to his stiff, rigid posture, up to his eyes that were filled with hurt. That shocked me. Because I should have been the one afraid of him, so why was he staring at me as if I had betrayed him? He looked away from me, fixing his gaze on the second cafeteria entrance that led to the empty expanse of land behind the cafeteria, which led to the woods. Through pursed lips, he said, ¡°Come with me.¡± He paused for a second, looking back at me with a frosty gaze. ¡°I just want to tell you something and then you don¡¯t have to talk to me again.¡± Without getting my response, he walked away and left the cafeteria through the back door he¡¯d been staring at before.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I hesitated for a while about whether I really wanted to be alone with Sawyer but curiosity and the blazing force of several people staring at me in the cafeteria made me stand up, re-wrap my sandwich, pack up my backpack, and then follow Sawyer. When I got out of the cafeteria¡¯s back door, I found Sawyer standing a few meters away from the cafeteria, close to the entry path into the woods. I took a deep breath and released it, then did that at least twice to reassure myself before walking toward Sawyer. I didn¡¯t know what to say when I stood behind Sawyer, but he did. He looked beyond me and when I looked back, I found several of our schoolmates peeping out of the windows. They all dispersed when Sawyer said in what could only be the most compelling yet controlling voice I¡¯d ever heard from an Alpha. ¡°Go back inside and don¡¯t eavesdrop.¡± Without a single word of protest, everyone at the window disappeared, and I suddenly realized that there was more to Sawyer Hawkins than the bad boy first impression he¡¯d given me. At the very least, he was not like the two future Alphas I¡¯d met before. The Alpha command he just gave, without any growling or lit up eyes, indicated that he had complete control over his connection with his wolf-half, something I¡¯d only ever seen from the elderly pack Alpha of my first pack. I knew from what I¡¯d read online that it required a lot of concentrated mastery of skill by Alphas and control not only over their wolf-halves, but over themselves as well. ¡°You don¡¯t like me,¡± Was the first world Sawyer said to me as he locked gazes with me. I didn¡¯t know what to say at that moment, so I just stared at him. ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re not ready to date, it¡¯s just that you don¡¯t like me. The person you like is Elijah Shepherd. Do you want to break the bond between us?¡± His words made me frown. ¡°What bond?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± He asked. ¡°Know what?¡± His words were making no sense whatsoever. He stared at me with an assessing gaze for several seconds before whispering to himself with a chuckle. ¡°You truly don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± I snapped, because his words had incurred my burning curiosity and his obscure statements showed that he knew something I didn¡¯t know, even though it was obviously related to me. Instead of answering me, he changed the subject. ¡°You like Elijah?¡± I frowned and answered him with the irritation of not getting an answer to my own question. ¡°None of your business.¡± To my surprise, he didn¡¯t get mad at my response. He just squinted at me. ¡°Better be careful with Elijah. He seems easygoing and open, but his heart is hard as stone. If you fall in love with him, you do so at your own peril because, no matter how wonderful you are, he can¡¯t see you at all.¡± His words made me greatly irritated. How dare he talk about Elijah like that? I¡¯d worked with Elijah for a few weeks. I¡¯d even wormed my way into being on friendly terms with him. I was sure that my first impression of him was just right. In fact, I was a great judge of character and I could see just what Sawyer was trying to do here. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯re just saying all this obscure stuff because you want me to date you, but I will definitely never date someone like you. I¡¯ve heard about how you like to date girls who don¡¯t belong to your pack. Care to share why? Or is it just because temporary pack members never stay long in the pack and you can continue dangling the promise of helping them become permanent pack members so they will do whatever you want? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve met your kind before and I¡¯ll never fall for your tricks.¡± Sawyer didn¡¯t say a word to refute me. He just sighed and then met my gaze with a frosty gaze I¡¯d never received from him. ¡°You really do have a bad impression of me. It¡¯s fine. I already warned you and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Then, with an unreadable expression, he walked away from me without a single glance back at me. Something about the way he left made my stomach turn uncomfortably. ¡°Sawyer!¡± I called out, unable to control the part of me that really, really wanted to apologize to him and clear up the frost and distance I¡¯d just seen in his gaze. However, he didn¡¯t respond to my call or even look back to meet my gaze once. Leaving me with a yawning sense of loss, he walked around the cafeteria without a single glance back at me. Chapter 9 Clare For the first two days after my confrontation with Sawyer, I avoided the school cafeteria like a plague, but I couldn¡¯t stop feeling bad about everything I¡¯d said to Sawyer. The overwhelming desire to see him and apologize to him filled my every waking moment, so I started going back to the cafeteria again, but Sawyer seemed to have disappeared from every public space where I could see him. Fortunately, almost two weeks later, I was taking a walk in the woods behind the cafeteria to digest my sandwich lunch and get some steps in when I saw Sawyer. He was squatting on the floor behind the cafeteria watching a gray cat eat from a bowl. Holding my breath, I stepped closer, hoping he wouldn¡¯t just stand and walk away when he saw me. However, until I walked up to him, Sawyer didn¡¯t move. Even when I came to stand beside him, he made no movement to indicate that he knew someone was standing beside him as he focused his gaze on the gray British Shorthair cat. ¡°Hi,¡± I greeted without looking at him. I was so ashamed of everything I¡¯d said during my outburst that I didn¡¯t dare to. As if he was reluctant to talk to me, it took Sawyer several seconds to respond. And his response was a simple gruff, ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I apologized, knowing that this would be my only chance to apologize. I wasn¡¯t sure he would accept my apology, but I hoped that by apologizing I would at least get some respite from my thoughts and guilty conscience that reprimanded me for being rude to a boy that seemed to have never really had malicious intent toward me. After two weeks of expecting to be thrown out of the Hawkins pack for speaking so rudely to Sawyer, seeing Sawyer today and the way he ignored me, I realized I might have misunderstood him. If he was not going to try to punish me for rejecting him, then maybe his warning about Elijah was a genuine one rather than a warning to steer me clear of liking someone other than him? ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. I should be the one to apologize to you for bothering you with my filthy attentions. I assure you it will never happen again.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say or how to respond. I could only watch the cat eat, trying to find the right words to say, but turning up empty-handed. He petted the cat¡¯s head and when it turned over to give him its belly, he concentrated on rubbing its fluffy-looking white belly carefully before he stood up. ¡°Contrary to what you think, I don¡¯t actually need to dangle the promise of helping someone become a member of my pack to get them to date me. If it so happens that I have only dated women who don¡¯t actually belong to my pack, I can assure you that it¡¯s not for that reason, but rather because I am picky with who I date.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Because the cat kept laying on its back waiting attentively for the standing Sawyer to rub its belly, I reached forward to rub its belly. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡° Before Sawyer could finish speaking, the cat, which had been lying on the floor expectantly, recoiled the moment my hand made contact with its belly. Its eyes widened, and with a quick, fluid motion, it hissed loudly, ears flattening against its head. Before I could pull away, the cat''s paw lashed out, claws extended, and left a sharp scratch on my hand. I yelped and jerked back, cradling my injured hand, while the cat darted off, clearly displeased by the unwanted attention. Sawyer caught me, holding my arms and glaring down at me. ¡°Have you lost your mind? Who touches a stray without asking for permission?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like a stray cat.¡± I complained, looking down at said stray cat, who looked back to hiss at me twice before darting into the woods. ¡°How come it allowed you to touch it but won¡¯t let me?¡± Sawyer looked at me with twitching lips as if I was missing a few marbles. ¡°Do you know how long it took me to earn its trust?¡± Under his disdainful gaze, I had to recognize my wrongdoing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong.¡± He shook his head and then led me around the cafeteria, past the parking lot, to the school clinic. The nurse in charge of the clinic was nowhere to be found, but instead of searching for her, Sawyer started looking around at cupboards, gathering first aid tools for treating my cut. Then he settled on the seat beside me and started treating my wounds. Hiss. ¡°Stay still. Although she has had all her shots, she lives in the woods after all. We have to make sure to disinfect the wound.¡± He didn¡¯t look up at me once as he helped me disinfect my wound. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I had no right to say any of what I said that day to you. There was no reason to, anyway. You¡¯ve never actually dated a temporary member of your pack who doesn¡¯t have their own pack. I was just hurt that you said it was impossible for Elijah to like me. I¡ª¡± A hiss interrupted my speech as Sawyer gently dabbed the disinfectant spirit over my wound. In response to my words, Sawyer just sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that at all, though. I only tried to alert you to the fact that it would probably take a divine intervention for Elijah to love anyone as he is right now. I was trying to protect you from heartbreak.¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with him? How do you know so much about Elijah, anyway? I¡¯ve never seen you two together. Are you friends¡­secretly?¡± ¡°Definitely not. We¡¯re incompatible.¡± He paused and then met my gaze with a pained look. ¡°Don¡¯t take what I¡¯m saying at face value. I¡¯m not saying Elijah is a bad person at all. He isn¡¯t. He¡¯s just¡­not in the right place to love anyone right now. In the general sense, that is. Who knows? Maybe some girl will come around and change his mind. Maybe that girl will be you. If so, I give you my blessings.¡± ¡°So¡­you don¡¯t¡­like me anymore.¡± I asked. He looked up from my wound to meet my gaze. ¡°Are you asking to stroke your ego?¡± I shook my head and decided to be fully honest with him. ¡°I just felt¡­weird¡­lost when you looked at me that way the last time we spoke.¡± His eyes widened in surprise, but then he pursed his lips and focused on pasting a band-aid over my wound. ¡°But you still like Elijah.¡± I hesitated before nodding. ¡°I still like Elijah.¡± But why did it feel like I was now filled with curiosity about Sawyer Hawkins, though? Why was I dreaming about him and thinking about him every minute? Why did I reject Elijah¡¯s offer to dance at the Lounge yesterday because of a flitting image of Sawyer flashing through my head? Argh! What were all these messy feelings? As if he could tell what I was thinking, Sawyer met my gaze. ¡°But something has changed with how you look at me, so I can tell that you like me, too. But Clare? I don¡¯t share. I¡¯ve never shared and I¡¯ll never share. So you have to think hard and well about who you really want. If you choose me, come meet me. If you want him, just stay away from me.¡± The clinic went silent as he walked away, leaving me in the quiet clinic until the buzzer indicating the end of lunch woke me out of my sludge of thoughts. Chapter 10 Clare Because it was core dancing hour and few people were ordering drinks, I decided to step outside to take a breather in the breezy back alley behind the Lounge. As I pushed open the door and stepped into the cool night air, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. But then I heard it¡ªa muffled sound, something that didn¡¯t belong. Curiosity and a sense of unease gripped me as I walked further into the shadows. That¡¯s when I saw them. Elijah, the boy I had been infatuated with since the moment I laid eyes on him, was leaning against the wall, his head thrown back in ecstasy. Kneeling in front of him was another boy, and his head, which was pressed to Elijah¡¯s crotch, was bobbing rhythmically. My heart stopped. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Elijah, who looked like the epitome of gentleness, refinement, and thoughtfulness, was the last person I would have ever thought of discovering in a public intimate act with another boy. I had never realized he was bisexual, and as such, the shock of the scene hit me like a tidal wave. I must have made a sound because Elijah¡¯s eyes snapped open and locked onto mine. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. His gaze was intense, unwavering, and I felt a strange mix of emotions¡ªbetrayal, confusion, and an unwilling arousal at the raw display of passion. He held my gaze, his eyes boring into mine, as he reached the peak of his pleasure. His body shuddered, his eyes narrowed, and he let out a deep, guttural moan that seemed to echo off the alley walls. The man at his feet gagged and coughed, trying to pull away, but Elijah didn¡¯t let him. He pressed his head down while holding my gaze. Another moan escaped his lips and the intensity of his climax made him close his eyes for a second.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. During the seconds during which he closed his eyes, I came back to my senses and was going to turn back to leave when Elijah opened his eyes again, catching my gaze easily and holding me rooted in the alley, unable to move. There was something in his gaze, something like disdain, iciness and disregard that seemed to be directed toward me. For a second, I couldn¡¯t help thinking that Sawyer had been right, as I felt like the emotions in Elijah¡¯s eyes at this second seemed to be his true emotions toward me that he was finally showing. But then Elijah broke our gaze and looked down. My gaze followed his as if I could no longer control it to stare at the boy with dark roots and blond hair that was breathing hard at his feet while pressing one hand to Elijah¡¯s knees for support. However, Elijah seemed to regard that boy who was looking up at him with fascinated eyes with the same disdain and disregard as he had looked at me. To my surprise, with a dismissive shove, he pushed the boy, who stumbled and nearly fell, away. Fortunately, the boy seemed to have expected Elijah to shove him away as he caught himself on the wall and simply sat on the floor, leaning on the wall and pushing his hand into his open pants. Realizing what he was about to do, I looked away, catching Elijah adjusting his trouser. Like the sight of the suit pants he usually wore to work could bite me, I looked away and caught his gaze that seemed to have never left me. This side of him and the intensity and rawness of his gaze made me feel rooted to the spot, unable to look away, my mind racing to comprehend what had just happened. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice low and husky. ¡°I guess now you know,¡± he said, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. The casual cruelty in his words made my blood run cold as I realized that Sawyer had been right. The boy I thought I knew, the boy I had admired from afar, was nothing like I had imagined. As he turned and walked back into the bar, I stood there, shattered and bewildered, the reality of who Elijah truly was warring with the perfect image of him that I had crafted in my mind. Chapter 11 Clare I was in the middle of my Biology class absentmindedly watching our biology teacher rave on and on about genes and DNA, when a knock interrupted the class. To my surprise, when I turned to the door trying to identify who the intruder was and what they wanted, I was shocked to discover that Elijah was the one at the door. For a second, our gazes met and then he looked away, turning to my Biology teacher. He looked nothing like the boy I saw yesterday at the Lounge¡¯s back alley. His hair still looked dark and slightly tousled, but the side parting was very neat, showing that the tousled waves framing his face and the strands falling over his forehead were intentionally cultivated to do so. His uniform was neat and pristine, well ironed from top to bottom, and his shiny expensive black leather shoes looked like he walked on air and not the dusty floors of Hawkins Private High. To add to his gentle and refined scholarly look, he was wearing his thin, round glasses that he sometimes wore and sometimes didn¡¯t wear. ¡°Mr. Batesman, can I please take Miss Parker out of your class for a few minutes? I need to talk to her about something important.¡± Elijah¡¯s voice and his mannerism were filled with thoughtfulness and refinement that almost made me doubt that the man I¡¯d seen last night was a dream. Mr. Batesman seemed to think the same as me as he gave one of his rare smiles to the perfect student, Elijah. ¡°Of course, of course. Clare, please step out with the Student Council President. Um¡­take your bags too. The class will end soon.¡± What else could I do but obey? With a nod, I left my Biology class under the watchful eyes of my classmates and my Biology teacher. As soon as I closed the door behind me, Elijah lost the gentle look on his face as he stared at me with an unreadable expression. His look made me take a step away from him, and that seemed to make him even more unhappy as his lips pursed. Placing his hand in the air behind my lower back, he directed me wordlessly away from my Biology classroom and past the hallway of classrooms. Once we were out of the hallway of classrooms, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a janitor¡¯s closet. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± I said as I looked around the dark closet, which was lit by the light coming from the space between the door and the ground. Elijah didn¡¯t respond as he groped around behind me and then, with the sound of a switch being flipped, a small bulb on the closet¡¯s ceiling came on. I was staring up at Elijah when the light came on, so I saw that his hazel eyes were several shades lighter than usual and rather than their usual brown shade, they looked more green. I took a step back because the way his eyes looked and the feeling of something more peering down at me was evidence that Elijah¡¯s wolf-half was present in this tiny room with us. That was weird and scary. Elijah wasn¡¯t an Alpha, but he was still a Beta, several ranks above a nobody Fae-Witch mixed werewolf like me whose shifts were still painful several shifts after my first shift because of how diluted the werewolf blood I¡¯d gotten from my unknown father was. ¡°W-what do y-you want?¡± I couldn¡¯t help stammering, stepping away from Elijah. Unfortunately, with every step I took away from him, he followed me until my back was pressed to the wall and an inch of space could barely be found between our bodies. In the silence of the room, he lowered his head to the crook of my neck and inhaled several deep breaths of my scent. ¡°W-what d-do you want to do?¡± I was shivering as I spoke. I was scared of him and the secret of him that I¡¯d stumbled upon, which was the only reason I could think of for being locked in this janitor¡¯s closet alone with him. I knew better than to try to run and escape him. I was more of a Fae-Witch than I¡¯d ever been a werewolf, so I didn¡¯t even have a quarter of the speed and strength of the werewolf strength of full-blood werewolves.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± He finally said with a sigh after several minutes of silence. His words reminded me about why I hadn¡¯t been so scared to leave my Biology classroom with him. He¡¯d asked for me in front of the whole classroom so I couldn¡¯t go missing now or he¡¯d be the one to blame. Courage regained. I pushed him away from me, only managing to push him a step back because I¡¯d caught him unaware. ¡°Stop¡­threatening me. I promise that I¡¯m not going to tell anyone what I saw yesterday. Let¡¯s just pretend I never saw anything, okay?¡± He looked down at me, holding my gaze for several seconds before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Tell me what you want in exchange for keeping your mouth shut.¡± ¡°Your secret is safe with me. I¡¯ll never tell anyone. No one cares if you¡¯re gay or not, so there¡¯s no need to hide it, anyway. I heard the Alpha of the Hawkins pack is also really liberal, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about, so why¡ª¡° Before I could say anything more, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine. A gasp left my mouth at this sudden move and he took advantage of my parted lips to pull me into a kiss. It was light and airy at first, and then it became intense before it became punishing and controlling. When he broke the kiss, I was left wanting more, but when I stood on a tiptoe for more, he turned away, giving me his cheek. He smirked at my disappointed look. ¡°I¡¯m bisexual, not gay. Now, tell me your price for shutting up. What do you want? My body?¡± I stared at him disbelievingly because of the disdain and disregard in his eyes. He chuckled, ¡°Too bad. I only sleep with people I¡¯m attracted to and you¡¯re just not my type. Too flat in all the right places and chunky in all the wrong places.¡± His words made tears well up in my eyes unbidden as he stepped on my insecurities and me along with it. ¡°I don¡¯t want your body. I never wanted your body. I just wanted you, but you¡¯re not who I thought you were, so I don¡¯t want you anymore.¡± I said through gritted teeth, looking up to meet his gaze. My words seemed to have no effect on him, but they seemed to at the same time as the playfulness in his gaze disappeared, replaced by an icy stare. ¡°Then money?¡± The playfulness on his face seemed feigned as he asked this question, since it didn¡¯t match the frost in his gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you. J-just let me go. I¡¯ll never tell anyone.¡± I cried. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what you guys always say. Then you get spiteful and decide to ¡®anonymously¡¯ talk about it. Name your price or I¡¯m not letting you out of this closet.¡± As if on cue, the buzzer indicating the end of the period went off. I didn¡¯t want to miss my next class, so I said, ¡°Then 200 bucks?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your Venmo?¡± He asked, pulling out his phone and pressing a few buttons without looking at me. ¡°Clareparker550?¡± I said, unable to stop myself from staring at his face and the subtle bridge of his nose. Afraid of him catching me staring, I turned to stare at an old and dusty wireless vacuum cleaner. After what felt like minutes, he finally spoke. ¡°Check your Venmo.¡± Numbly, I pulled my phone out of my backpack and checked my Venmo. ¡°You sent 3000 dollars?!¡± ¡°Yes, that should be enough to keep your mouth shut, right?¡± He asked. I shook my head rapidly. ¡°No, no, no. This is too much. I can keep my mouth shut for nothing. I¡¯ll send the money back to you.¡± He grabbed my hand and forced me to hold his gaze. ¡°Keep it or I won¡¯t be rest assured that you¡¯ll keep your mouth shut and then this¡­us being locked in a janitor¡¯s closet will keep happening whenever I start to feel insecure. You don¡¯t want that, do you?¡± I truly didn¡¯t want that, but before I could respond, he smirked. ¡°Besides, I sent that much because I can hold on to the records for other purposes. If you dare to go back on your word, I will present this money as proof that you blackmailed me to my pack Alpha. You¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s pretty liberal, but have you heard that he doesn¡¯t like greedy people? There¡¯s no doubt that if he sees this payment, he¡¯ll definitely kick you out of the pack.¡± His smirk looked so evil and full of ill intent that I was speechless as he smiled at me, shook his phone in the air meaningfully, and walked out of the janitor¡¯s closet. Suddenly, I remembered what Sawyer had said to me about Elijah. ¡°Be careful with Elijah. He seems easygoing and open, but his heart is hard as stone. If you fall in love with him, you do so at your own peril because, no matter how wonderful you are, he can¡¯t see you at all.¡± ¡°I only tried to alert you to the fact that it would probably take a divine intervention for Elijah to love anyone as he is right now. I was trying to protect you from heartbreak.¡± Sawyer had been right. The Elijah I just saw. The real Elijah was definitely incapable of loving me as he was. He was too cynical about love and the emotions that came with it. The worst part was that I was realizing now that the boy I had thought him to be was nothing like who he actually was. All of that was definitely a carefully crafted mask and demeanor he used to deceive everyone around him, and I¡¯d fallen for it. I¡¯d fallen so deeply that even now that his mask had been pulled away, something in my heart and soul still throbbed for him. But I knew better than to keep and fester feelings like this for someone whose abilities to mask himself reminded me so much of my slimy stepfather. So I was going to get rid of these feelings and I knew someone who could help me with that. Chapter 12 Clare ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± I asked as I joined Sawyer behind the cafeteria where he was, as usual, feeding the American shorthair cat. He looked up at me and shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought of a name yet. I don¡¯t really want to adopt her because I¡¯m not a cat person but she can be really feral, even to the cafeteria staff that provide her meals, so I¡¯m afraid the shelter will put her down.¡± I stared at the supposed feral cat that was purring and leaning into his stroking hands while eating its wet cat food. Squatting beside him, I asked, ¡°Can you introduce us?¡± ¡°You want to adopt her?¡± he asked. ¡°I can¡¯t. I live with someone and I¡¯m already an inconvenience. Why don¡¯t you just adopt her? You care about her, and she seems to care about you.¡± He didn¡¯t answer my question. ¡°Cat, meet Clare. Clare meet cat.¡± I waved at the fluffy-looking cat, resisting the urge to pet her. However, the regal cat seemed to be displeased by our introduction as she swiped at me, stopping only when Sawyer caught her paws. Then her attitude did a 180 spin as she turned around offering Sawyer her belly while staring at me with disdainful golden eyes as if to warn me away while Sawyer rubbed her belly. ¡°You should call her Queen. She looks like a queen.¡± I said. Sawyer paused and looked at me, before looking back at the cat who seemed dissatisfied by Sawyer removing his attention from her for a second and had gotten back to her feet, returning to finishing her food. ¡°Seems like the right name for her. Queen it is then.¡± Sawyer agreed with me. ¡°Is your offer for a date still open?¡± I asked, staring intently at Queen even though I could feel his gaze on the side of my face. ¡°What about Elijah?¡± he asked. ¡°I still like him, but I don¡¯t want to like him anymore.¡± ¡°You saw through the act?¡± he asked. I nodded. He seemed surprised by that. ¡°How? He hides it so well. You¡¯ve only been in town for less than two months.¡± ¡°I think my feelings for him disgust him, so he showed me so he could push me away.¡± I shared the conclusion I¡¯d come to after thinking about Elijah and I¡¯s first meeting. Why had he chosen to get a blow job on the night shift when it was just the two of us tending the bar? Why had his demeanor changed so badly when we first met? After connecting the dots, I realized that there was something about me he hated. I took a deep breath and released it. ¡°I think I remind him of someone he hates because he behaved so strangely the first time we locked gazes. I was just so infatuated, I swept it under the rug.¡± ¡°Are you trying to use me as a rebound to get rid of your feelings for Elijah?¡± he asked. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°No¡­¡± I said instantly, then after a few seconds, I realized that seemed to be what I was actually doing. ¡°Maybe¡­I do like you, though. You¡­fascinate me. Just like Elijah, you¡¯re so different from my first impression of you, but¡­in a good way. I¡­want to figure you out. I promise that I¡¯ve never felt this way about anyone other than you, Elijah and¡­someone else, but I promise that Elijah and the other guy don¡¯t see me that way.¡± I took a step away from him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right. I just realized that because I¡¯m somewhat attracted to you, I want to use you to experience how it feels to be liked.¡± He sighed and took a step closer to me, grabbing my hand and cupping it in his as he held my gaze. ¡°But you like me?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go on a date. One of my friends is throwing a birthday party during the weekend. Do you want to come with me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I replied, smiling at him. Remembering something, I asked, ¡°Wait¡­is this the birthday party for that Koda guy? The pack council member¡¯s son?¡± His eyes narrowed as he nodded. ¡°Then can I¡­invite a friend? She¡¯s not going to interfere with our date. She just hasn¡¯t stopped talking about that party and I think she¡¯ll be really hurt if I go without inviting her.¡± He paused and then smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± *** I was seated on a bench at the back alley of the Lounge, pressing down on my stomach, which was growling from hunger even though I¡¯d already eaten twice today. Annoyed at my constant hunger, I patted my rebellious belly and reluctantly gave in. I would eat one slice of the pizzas our manager had bought for the night and wash it down with a lot of water. Although it would be 300-350 calories over the number of calories I¡¯d planned to eat today, I could work it out by reaching 10,000 steps on the walk back home after work and by walking tomorrow morning to school. I was deep in thought when a very familiar scent interrupted my thoughts¡ªapple whiskey and tequila¡ªElijah¡¯s toxic but intoxicating scent. Just like the person himself, his scent was a unique but slightly disorienting fragrance where the distinct earthy aroma of tequila with hints of citrus and pepper combined with the very rich and fruity scent of apple whiskey. I had no idea why I¡¯d ever thought anyone with that kind of scent with a slight sourness to it was a simple, kind, elegant and scholarly boy. My thoughts faltered when Elijah sat beside me on the Lounge¡¯s resting bench. My body stiffened, and the air felt a little thin as I felt myself holding my breath. After all, combined with his scent, something about Elijah always disoriented me. When I remembered how much I¡¯d mindlessly wanted to get close to him when I first met him, thinking he was going to be the love of my life that came once in a lifetime, I felt slightly embarrassed. Because I¡¯d allowed infatuation with someone¡¯s appearance to control me until I finally saw him for who he was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Were the first words he said as he sat beside me, looking calm and gentle like the boy I¡¯d thought he was. ¡°What?¡± I was so surprised, the words left my lips before I could control myself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking you to that closet and threatening you¡­kissing you without your permission¡­everything I did last week. I just¡­had to.¡± His apology was ruined by his last two words. I tried to force my lips to raise into a forced smile, but they weren¡¯t following my commands, so I just tried my best to remain expressionless. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I think I needed to see you that way to get out of my delusions about you. You did me a favor, I guess.¡± Because his face was turned to me when I spoke, I saw the hurt sliver past his face and eyes before he turned away to avoid my gaze and ended our conversation with a simple. ¡°That¡¯s good, I guess.¡± I felt bad for my words instantly, but then recalling that infuriating encounter in the janitor¡¯s closet made me feel a bit better in a mean way like I was feeling great about hurting him back the way he hurt me. I didn¡¯t like how I was feeling about hurting him, so I stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­going to go back in.¡± He didn¡¯t look at me as he muttered, ¡°Go ahead,¡± while staring at the wall opposite him. And as I walked into the back door of the Lounge, I couldn¡¯t help looking back at him. His shoulders were hunched and his head bowed, as if the weight of his sorrows had crushed any remaining spark of vitality. The vibrant energy he always exuded at the bar was now replaced by a palpable aura of loneliness and despair. The way he looked seated there, an isolated figure against the backdrop of the alley''s shadows, his back drooping and defeated, a silent emblem of profound melancholy made something in me ache. I shook myself and forced myself to close the back door behind me and tried to convince myself that he was just the spoiled son of the pack¡¯s Beta, the student council president, a senior staff at the Lounge and a playboy hiding under the skin of an elegant and scholarly boy. However, the ache in my chest still took all night to fade. Chapter 13 Clare ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Sawyer said as he parked in the mall¡¯s parking lot. ¡°The party is taking place in the mall?¡± Lissa asked from the car¡¯s back seat. ¡°Mm-hmm. I think he rented out the recreational center of the mall for the night, so we have to go in from the side rather than the main entrance.¡± Sawyer responded as he patted my hand that was reaching for the door handle. I looked at him inquiringly as I watched him step down from the car and turn around to open the door for me like the perfect gentleman. I couldn¡¯t help laughing as I stepped out of the car with his help and watched him open the door for Lissa before turning around to entwine my arms with his. ¡°And they say chivalry is dead.¡± He shook his head and chuckled as he started leading me through the parking lot to the large mall¡¯s side. ¡°Wait, when you say he rented out the recreational center, you mean no one else but his birthday guests can come to this part of the mall?¡± I asked when we got to the entrance of the recreational center and there were black happy birthday balloons hanging at the door. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Was Sawyer¡¯s response, as if that was normal in any way. I looked to my side to meet Lissa¡¯s eyes with mine filled with incredulity but other than the sparkle that had been in her eyes since I told her I had managed to get her invited to the party she had been wishing she could come to forever, there was no incredulity in her eyes. However, when I met Sawyer¡¯s gaze again, he seemed to realize that seeing this much display of wealth was abnormal for me. ¡°His grandfather on his mother¡¯s side is very wealthy. He¡¯s a pack council member of the pack three towns away and when his parents separated, he went to live there for a while until he had to come back to Hawkins Private High for his high school studies. He probably chose this place because he has a lot of friends from my pack and his mother¡¯s pack, so this is the best place for the party.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I feigned understanding, trying to pretend that what he was saying really did justify renting out an entire section of a mall for the night in my head. As if he could see through me with his light blue eyes warmed with a gentle glow, he just smiled at me and changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some drinks first. What do you want?¡± ¡°Do they have mocktails?¡± I asked. ¡°Definitely. There are too many people below 18 attending this party. Getting anything with alcohol will definitely require an ID.¡± He said, as he led me around a bend leading to a large dancing space which was obviously a food court that had been transformed into a dance hall. We waded through the crowd of dancers and ordered our drinks while Lissa, holding my hand, looked around the dancing crowd excitedly while swaying to the rhythm. ¡°You ordered a mocktail too. I never asked. How old are you?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Same age as you. Seventeen.¡± The way he didn¡¯t mince words made me realize something. ¡°You went looking through my file.¡± He tried to stop himself, but the curling corners of his lips displayed how pleased he was at having done that. ¡°Mm-hmm. I couldn¡¯t help myself, so I snuck into the school¡¯s servers and searched for your info.¡± His words took me aback. ¡°Wait! You hacked into the school¡¯s server?!¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He placed a hand on his lips. ¡°Shhh, there are ears everywhere here. My father can¡¯t know that I hacked into the school servers again. He doesn¡¯t believe me, no matter how many times I say I will never be tempted to do anything mischievous.¡± I stared at him for a few seconds before looking away and shaking my head. ¡°What?¡± He asked, pulling my hand and holding our palms pressed together. I shook my head again. ¡°You¡¯re just so different from what I ever thought. When I saw you the first time, I guess¡­I just judged you based on your looks. If anyone had told me you were a chivalrous, techy hacker, I would have never believed it.¡± He parted his lips as if to say something, but we were interrupted. "Here you go, 1 Virgin Mojito, 1 Shirley Temple, and 1 Virgin Mary. Enjoy!" ¡°Thanks.¡± He said with a smile to the bartender as I patted Lissa to remind her that our drinks were ready. Before we could go back to our discussion, however, a boy followed by an entourage of other boys strode into the dance hall, headed directly toward us, exuding an air of effortless confidence. His suit caught my eye immediately¡ªa striking shade of blue, like the deep, endless sky just after sunset. The fabric looked impossibly smooth, gleaming subtly under the lights, hinting at its undoubtedly exorbitant cost. ¡°Sawyer, I¡¯m so glad you could make it! Haven¡¯t seen you around at school for a while, man? You okay? Hey, who¡¯s the pretty girl? She¡¯s a bit familiar but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had the privilege of being introduced to her.¡± The guy said. Sawyer entwined our arms together again as he introduced me to his friend, who was undoubtedly the main character of this party, the birthday boy. ¡°Clare, Lissa, this is Koda Philips, the birthday boy. Koda, this is Clare and Lissa.¡± Koda gave me a charming smile that made him look like a little fox for a second and reached for my hand while bowing his head, but Sawyer slapped his hand away before it could touch mine. ¡°No need to try your slimy tricks on her. They¡¯re my guests, so just keep your hands away from both of them.¡± Sawyer warned in a stoic yet helpless tone that was neither confrontational nor possessive. He seemed to be just making a statement, but I saw Koda pause at his statement before taking a step back away from me while putting away the fox-like smile that I now realized was supposed to be flirtatious. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you two, Clare and Lissa. I hope you have a great time today.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lissa responded with a reserved smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, too.¡± I said politely. Koda smiled at us and then returned to smiling that cunny smile with Sawyer. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re dating again, Sawyer. You guys should definitely participate in the games later in the day. We¡¯re going to be doing a truth or dare game with spin the bottle and¡­¡± Sawyer¡¯s face furrowed as Koda paused and then continued, ¡°No alcohol, I promise. You¡¯re so easy to rile up. I¡¯ll see you later?¡± Sawyer shook his head at Koda with what looked like helpless fondness that showed just how close he and Koda actually were. ¡°Sure.¡± Koda stretched his hand out to Sawyer for a handshake, which Sawyer immediately clasped, and then their handshake turned into a hug as they whispered something into each other¡¯s ears. I didn¡¯t see hear what Sawyer whispered into Koda¡¯s ears, but I saw Koda¡¯s coffee brown eyes light up with warmth as he whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± into Sawyer¡¯s ears. Then they separated and the warm Koda, who just hugged Sawyer, disappeared, replaced by a frivolous looking playboy as he walked away from us, greeting people here and there as he went. I smiled at Sawyer and asked with an inquiring gaze, because if I had not seen that little intimate moment between them just now, I would have never realized they were such close friends. ¡°He¡¯s your close friend?¡± Sawyer smiled and answered, ¡°Best friend. Come on, let¡¯s go take advantage of Koda¡¯s money and play some games.¡± Beside me, Lissa released my hand. ¡°You guys go. I¡¯ll be fine watching people dance over here. I¡¯m wearing my watch, so you can just call me if you¡¯re ready to leave.¡± I stared at her, worried about leaving her all alone here while remembering that I¡¯d promised Sawyer that this would be our date. Sawyer nodded and then pulled up his smart watch, pressing several buttons on it at breakneck speed. Several seconds later, he paused and stretched his hand out toward Lissa. ¡°Swipe your watch over mine. This way, we can find you quickly if anything happens and you can find us quickly, too.¡± As she swiped her watch over his, he instructed, ¡°There are a few college students here from the community college and not everyone here has good intentions, so don¡¯t follow anyone anywhere alone. Even if you want to explore, stay within the sights of those guys in dark suits standing at the corner of every room. If you encounter any trouble, just wave your hand in the air or shout and they¡¯ll come to your rescue. Don¡¯t take any drinks from anyone, too.¡± Lissa was chuckling by the time he was done giving instructions. ¡°Yes, dad.¡± When he gave her a stoic look, she stopped chuckling and nodded seriously while trying to hold down the trembling corners of her mouth. ¡°I promise to be careful.¡± ¡°Good, we¡¯re leaving now. Have fun,¡± Sawyer said in a kind tone. ¡°Have fun and stay safe.¡± I admonished as I waved at her before leaving with Sawyer. Chapter 14 Clare ¡°So, what do we try first?¡± Sawyer asked, gazing down at me as we stood in the corridor lined with doors leading to various recreational activities. ¡°There are so many. It¡¯s hard to decide.¡± I said. ¡°How about we try to do as many as we can and record points for who wins each time?¡± he proposed. ¡°What do we need points for?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Whoever wins gets to choose the location of our next date.¡± I froze at his words, caught off guard by the flutter of excitement they sparked. Trying to mask my feelings, I shrugged casually. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to go on another date with me?¡± he asked. I shook my head quickly. ¡°No. I-I¡¯m just surprised. We¡¯ve hardly even been alone together since the start of this date and you¡¯re already sure you want another date?¡± He smiled and instead of clasping our arms together, held my hand, raised it to his lips and pressed his lips to the back of it. ¡°Well, I actually regretted inviting you to this party as our first date so I would really love an intimate picnic for our next date where it would be just us, getting to know each other, without the loud music blasting from the food court and this jostling crowd.¡± I knew my face was flushed because I was greatly flattered by his smile and the kiss he pressed on the back of my hand that was still tingling even as he interlocked our fingers. To distract him from my very much not cute, red as a tomato blushing face, I proposed a game and then instantly regretted it. ¡°How about we try karaoke first?¡± He smirked at me and then pulled me in that direction. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s start.¡± After singing some karaoke songs while getting rated by the sophisticated karaoke machine that rated how well we sang the songs to hit the right notes with Sawyer winning four out of five times, we moved on to the arcade area where Sawyer won three out of five times. By the time we walked out of the Virtual Reality gaming area with Sawyer winning most of the games, I had given up on winning. I was also slightly exhausted from the games, so we decided to take things easy by going to take photos together at the photo booth. We were enjoying a cup of ice cream together when Koda came over to personally invite us for the truth or dare games he¡¯d reminded Sawyer to attend earlier. However, to my surprise, when I got to the lounge used for the truth and dare which only a few of the partygoers had been invited to, I found Elijah seated there. He was holding onto a cup of fruit punch and when our eyes met, he gave me a sarcastic grin as Sawyer guided me to a seat in the corner with his palms pressed respectfully to my lower back. Probably because she came with us, Lissa was led into the lounge room for the game and allowed to sit among the onlookers on the chairs arranged behind the lounge chairs. As the game started, I couldn¡¯t get comfortable for a while because Elijah¡¯s gaze remained fixed on me. It was only after a while that he looked away, at which time Sawyer patted my hand. When I looked up to meet his gaze, he gave me a short nod that made me realize that he¡¯d seen how Elijah had fixed his gaze on me and how uncomfortable it had made me feel and had done something to make Elijah look away while my gaze had been fixed awkwardly on my fingers. It was only after this seemingly insignificant incident that I got to finally enjoy the truth or dare game, watching people spin the bottle and answer questions or do dares before getting the chance to spin the bottle. As this was a game with only werewolves, Koda had even gone as far as securing a real truth meter machine to ensure that everyone who chose truth could not lie. The truth meter machine was a small square box with indicator lights and an arrow that could move in a semicircle along a bunch of lines. To the right edge of the semicircle was an unlit green indicator light and to the left edge was an unlit red indicator light. Several minutes into the game, the bottle cap pointed in Sawyer¡¯s direction. The girl who¡¯d done the spinning was a girl with dark roots and dyed blond hair that made her dark blue eyes pop. She and Sawyer seemed to know each other, and they had to have some sort of history because Koda kept glancing nervously from me to the girl to Sawyer as Sawyer chose truth. ¡°Sawyer, what do you look for in a girl?¡± Sawyer pressed his hand to the truth detector, glanced at me with a smile, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. So far, I want someone who is assertive and communicative, with an agile mind and spirit that can keep up with me. Someone like Clare Parker.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I blushed as everyone stared down at the truth detector, whose indicator light was a solid green. Even more impressively, the indicator ruler was stuck on the right end of the truth to lie scale where complete truths were on the right, lies were on the left and lies mixed with truths were in the middle. ¡°Tsk, tsk, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re using my birthday party to publicly confess your feelings for a girl. Where¡¯s the stoic, mentally unavailable, and emotionally in-adept boyfriend, Sawyer?¡± Sawyer chuckled while glaring at Koda. ¡°Mind your business or I¡¯ll give you something to do now. Don¡¯t forget that I get to spin the bottle next.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. You¡¯re the best! The most emotionally adept, intelligent guy in the world!¡± Sawyer rushed to flatter. ¡°What was your first impression of Sawyer?¡± ¡°Pretty boy¡­then annoying, arrogant troublemaker.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°That sounds about right. Then how about now?¡± Koda asked excitedly. ¡°Sweet¡­Intelligent¡­and very sensitive.¡± I answered with a smile, unable to meet Sawyer¡¯s gaze as I spoke. Koda let out a hearty laugh at my words before turning to Sawyer. ¡°Oh, oh, I really want to know what your first impression of Clare was.¡± Sawyer smirked at him. ¡°I¡¯m not answering that question if the bottle doesn¡¯t spin my way.¡± I gave my rights to spin the bottle to Sawyer and after he did, the bottle pointed straight at Koda. ¡°Koda, truth or dare?¡± ¡°Dare.¡± Koda said with a grin. ¡°I dare you to try to scream, bark, and shriek like a fox. Three different sounds.¡± Sawyer said with a grin. ¡°Noooo! You can¡¯t do this to me on my birthday! Do you know what respecting the birthday boy means? How can you ask such an evil question? By the way, you cheated. How the hell did the bottle point at me?¡± I couldn¡¯t help laughing as they quibbled until Koda eventually had to make fox noises. However, I wasn¡¯t laughing when Elijah spun the bottle and the cap of the bottle was pointed at me. This time, I couldn¡¯t avoid looking at him, as he gave me a derisive smirk. ¡°Truth or dare, Clare.¡± I looked down at the bottle before answering. ¡°Truth.¡± He reached for the truth meter and then slid it across the table until it stopped accurately in front of me. The lounge was silent as everyone seemed to have sensed the undercurrents of emotions between Elijah and I. The only person who spoke this time was Koda. ¡°Hey, be careful with that truth meter, Elijah. It took a lot of connections to rent it, you know.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Was Elijah¡¯s response as he used his head to indicate that I put my thumb on the truth meter. I wordlessly placed my thumb as everyone else had done earlier, feeling the zap as the meter activated to indicate a successful connection to me. ¡°When you like someone, how long do your feelings last before you magically wish them away at the snap of a finger or at the snap of a finger from any other boy who''s willing to give you some attention?¡± The room became charged as everyone¡¯s eyes fixed on me seemed to change. My hand trembled as a few people started whispering. I didn¡¯t like being the center of attention and I really didn¡¯t like airing out my business like Elijah had just done. I hated the feeling of walking past a whispering person and feeling like they could be gossiping about me. When Sawyer took my hand and seemed to want to say something, I decided to stop being cowardly around Elijah and my feelings for him. Squeezing Sawyer¡¯s hand, I looked up and met Elijah¡¯s eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I actually liked you. I was just infatuated with who I thought you were. Congratulations, you keep proving over and over that it was a good choice to give up on you when I saw through your mask. I¡¯m sorry if it makes you mad, but I know better than to stay attached to a mask.¡± I leaned closer to him, making sure he held my gaze as I said, ¡°If I¡¯m going to love someone, I have to love every side of them.¡± Koda¡¯s mood was much more muted as he took control of the situation with a glare directed Elijah¡¯s way. ¡°The truth meter says that she¡¯s telling the truth. I hope that answers your question, Elijah. Now let¡¯s continue without the super intense questions, okay? Simple, playful questions everyone!¡± We were still playing when I looked back and realized that at some point, Lissa had left the lounge room. I was going to look away, thinking she had possibly left because she got bored, but then I noticed that the seat of the older guy beside her was empty. Something about that made me uneasy and as a Fae-Witch who had never reaped any benefits from ignoring her instincts, I asked Sawyer to check her whereabouts. As soon as he did, he shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s in the small kitchen behind one of the food courts. That¡¯s a closed off area and she shouldn¡¯t be there alone. Let¡¯s go make sure she¡¯s fine.¡± Thankfully, we left the game and went to find her, rescuing her from a suspicious-looking college boy trying to get her to take his drink despite her repeated refusals. When we returned to the lounge, the truth and dare game had ended, so we wished Koda a happy birthday and left. Sawyer first dropped Lissa off at her home and, after making sure she got home safely, we took a comfortably silent and peaceful drive to the trailer park. ¡°So how was it?¡± Sawyer said as he helped me out of his car and closed the door behind us. ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked, turning to look at Sawyer while trying to clear my sleepiness. ¡°Our first date? Did you enjoy it?¡± he asked. ¡°I enjoyed it. It is definitely the best date I¡¯ve ever been on.¡± I answered truthfully, since I¡¯d only been on a few and barely decent dates in my lifetime. Sawyer beamed at my words as he held my hands loosely with his, swinging our joined hands back and forth. ¡°So, would you like to go on another date tomorrow afternoon?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I answered. ¡°Great!¡± His smile grew wider as he raised my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to my palm. My palm tingled all the way as he escorted me to the front of Josie¡¯s trailer in a comfortable silence. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± I said, as we stopped in front of the door. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pick you up at 2pm tomorrow evening?¡± he asked. Tomorrow was a Saturday and just like today, I didn¡¯t have a shift at the Lounge, so it was easy to agree. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be ready by 1:50. Should I¡­Can I dress casual or¡­?¡± He seemed surprisingly unsure about how the dressing had to be as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Well, let¡¯s do casual for the second date.¡± I smiled. ¡°Then, see you tomorrow?¡± He raised our joined hands in the air and then dropped them before releasing my hand. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± I smiled at him, stepped closer to him, and pressed a kiss on his cheek before rushing into Josie¡¯s home without a backward glance. Chapter 15 Clare ¡°So how are you doing?¡± Sawyer asked, playfully pulling my hand back and forth as we moved through the school hallways the first Monday after our consecutive double dates over the weekend. For our second date, we¡¯d done a bunch of things. He drove me to the newly opened amusement park in the next town, where we spent an amazing day together. Afterward, we enjoyed a cozy picnic before heading back to Hawkins for an evening movie at the local cinema. Ignoring the people staring at me, I smiled and teased, ¡°Doing great, actually. My weekend was filled with activity. Two dates and a hot guy that texted me all through Sunday and even helped me with my difficult AP math assignment over the phone.¡± His smile turned into a full grin. ¡°Why, we seemed to have enjoyed identical weekends. Mine was also filled with activities with a hot girl. Two dates, fun, interesting dates and even tutoring her on AP math.¡± I chuckled as we walked toward the cafeteria. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Queen first before lunch? I kinda missed her over the weekend.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He said, opening the door to the cafeteria for me. We ignored everyone that stared at us as we moved around the corners of the cafeteria so we could go out through its back door. However, when we got to the back of the cafeteria, other than a few students sitting on the short blade of grass behind the cafeteria and Queen¡¯s filled plate, she was nowhere to be found. Sawyer brought her plate to his nose and then winced. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°This food is old. It¡¯s already going bad. It wasn¡¯t placed today.¡± He placed the plate back and called in a loud voice that had the people sitting on the grass turning to stare at us, as well as a few faces pressing against the cafeteria¡¯s glass windows. ¡°Queen!¡± We waited for a few minutes, but there was no response or sounds of Queen running out of the woods like she always did at his call. Next, he made a bunch of really loud whistling sounds and there was still no response from Queen. We both had concerned, scowling faces as I told Sawyer, ¡°Can you speak to the cafeteria staff you asked to feed her often so we can know the last time they fed her?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Oh yeah, good idea. Give me a few minutes.¡± He was startled by my suggestion. While he was gone, I kept my face fully expressionless while enduring the burning gazes of everyone that was staring at me, obviously wondering why Sawyer and I seemed to be in a panic. When Sawyer returned, he came back with Koda. Koda and I waved at each other in greeting before I turned to Sawyer. ¡°Last person who remembered changing her food changed it Saturday morning. Everyone else thought that it was full when they wanted to fill her plate because someone else filled it up.¡± That was bad. Queen was a free range cat at first sight, but based on how carefully she was cared for and fed day and night, she had long become Sawyer¡¯s domesticated cat that lived separately from him. ¡°How about I shout it out on our group chat so that anyone who wants to help can help us search for her before lunch break is over?¡± Koda asked. ¡°No need.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Sawyer and I replied at the same time. I stared at Sawyer and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want help?¡± Sawyer¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Won¡¯t it be inconvenient for them? The three of us can just search for her ourselves.¡± Koda shook his head and rolled his eyes. ¡°Who would be inconvenienced by searching for a cute kitty? Have you seen that cat of yours? She¡¯s adorable¡­even if she¡¯s so antisocial. After this, you should really consider taking her home. I¡¯m sure your mom won¡¯t mind.¡± Sawyer¡¯s frown deepened, but then he sighed, ¡°My sister is allergic, though. It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s find her first. Let¡¯s go with your idea.¡± ¡°Good, good. Why don¡¯t you two start searching for her? I¡¯ll send out a message to the group chat and organize the search and rescue. We¡¯ll be out searching for her in the next ten to fifteen minutes. Keep your phones close. If anyone finds her, they¡¯ll send me a text and I¡¯ll send you a text.¡± Koda instructed. ¡°Thanks.¡± Sawyer said to him. Koda patted his shoulder with a smile. ¡°Hey, I still hope that I can get that mean cat to like me someday in the future. Maybe if I rescue her, she¡¯ll let me?¡± His words made Sawyer finally smile as he patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t dream too hard.¡± Then Sawyer and I went searching for Queen. I called her name while he whistled the way he usually did to get her attention. Eventually, it was one of the students Koda recruited for our mini search and rescue that found her running away from Sawyer¡¯s whistling, giving the myth that cats deliberately isolate themselves when they were about to die some credibility. Sawyer¡¯s face turned grim as he carried the cat that looked so plump and healthy the last time I saw her but now looked like a shadow of herself. She hadn¡¯t lost much weight, however, she was in a very weak state. The dews of the grass as she tried to run from Sawyer¡¯s call had wet and matted her fur, making her look smaller than she looked with her gray fur puffed all over her body. Worse yet, she was shivering with cold even when wrapped in the towel Koda had recovered from the school clinic and didn¡¯t even have any strength to push me away when Sawyer handed her over to me as he, Koda and I drove off to the Vet¡¯s. Chapter 16 Clare ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. We can¡¯t find what¡¯s wrong with your cat? We¡¯ve examined her but can¡¯t find anything wrong with her. We¡¯ve done x-rays, CT scan, MRIs, blood tests, toxicology screening, EEG and infectious disease testing. They all came out with normal indicators. I would have recommended you consult with a veterinary neurologist but the way your cat is now, I''m not sure she can live until tomorrow.¡± The second vet we¡¯d traveled to the closest city to meet concluded. It was six hours after we found Queen and we had been forced to travel to the city after the vet in Hawkins town told us he didn¡¯t have the necessary machines to determine what was wrong with her after her blood test came out with all the right indicators showing that Queen who was shivering like hell, frothing at the mouth and had fallen into some kind of coma was perfectly all right. Now, however, the Vet he had recommended, known to be the best in the city, was telling us the same thing. There was no problem with Queen physically. Suddenly, the idea that had flitted through my head after the first vet told us Queen seemed to be normal physically, came back to me again. However, I was resistant to it. I really, really didn¡¯t want to ever use that evil power again. Although I¡¯d used it to save a few animals when I was younger, it had shattered a man¡¯s spirit and pushed him into a persistent vegetative state where he was barely alive. Shuddering at the thought, I reassured myself that whatever was wrong with Queen was definitely not spiritual-related. However, when Sawyer, Koda and I were allowed to see Queen again, I could no longer hold on to my convictions. Queen was no longer frothing at the mouth but her eyes were opened a tiny slit. When she saw Sawyer, she let out a weak meow and tried to stand up but couldn¡¯t. Sawyer¡¯s eyes were red-rimmed as he laid his hand on her head, petting her over and over. When I squatted in front of her to look her in the eyes, I finally saw that her golden eyes were way darker than they should have ever been. I¡¯d seen a big playful Siberian husky¡¯s light blue eyes turn dark like that before as it lost its vitality. However, because I¡¯d seen it at its weakest before I healed it, I hadn¡¯t realized that what was preying on Queen was probably the same creature. I lowered my gaze to the floor and then stood up. ¡°Are you okay? Why do you look so pale?¡± Since Sawyer was busy petting Queen while murmuring sweet nothings to her, Koda was the one who noticed my change in demeanor. Truthfully, I felt a bit faint as I realized that I might have to use my instinctual magic if I wanted Queen to remain alive, but unlike when I saved that husky, there was now trauma attached to my instinctual magic. When I saved that husky, I¡¯d realized that even though I wasn¡¯t a powerful herbalist like my mom, who knew the best way to mix herbs to make them produce magical results in people¡¯s body, I could still help people. But now that my instinctual magic had harmed a life, albeit for self-preservation purposes, I now knew that it could be used in a deadly manner and couldn¡¯t really trust it anymore. Therefore, I¡¯d closed it off for several months only to realize now at this moment that I needed it to save Queen¡¯s life. But after ending someone¡¯s life with the same magic, did I have the right to save anyone¡¯s life with it again? Wasn¡¯t that just¡­wicked? I stumbled backward a little as Sawyer left Queen to hold my arm, wrapping his arm around my waist to support me as he led me to my seat. ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you feel sick anywhere?¡± Sawyer asked, staring at me with worried, bloodshot, and tired eyes. I shook my head twice before I could finally say a word. ¡°No¡­I know what might be wrong with Queen and if¡­I¡¯m right, I can¡­help her.¡± ¡°Really? Then that¡¯s good news, right? Why do you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?¡± Koda asked as he stared at me with a puzzled gaze. Sawyer was way more sensitive. ¡°Will it hurt you to help her?¡± I shook my head, avoiding Sawyer¡¯s gaze as I stared at my fingers that were interlocked together so I could try to restrain the way they were trembling. ¡°If it would hurt you to help her, why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s wrong with her? Maybe we can find someone who can?¡± Sawyer¡¯s words woke me up. Yes, even though I had never heard of or met someone with abilities like mine, I hadn¡¯t really searched for someone with them. Maybe they could help Queen. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­let me check to make sure that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong with her.¡± I said and then, ignoring Koda¡¯s furrowed brows and weirded out glance at Sawyer, I stared fixedly at Queen. With her in my view, I closed my eyes, trying to pull the cord that changed my vision to a negative film, allowing me to see the world in a different way from everyone else. It took a while. After all, using my instinctual magic required practice, which I had neglected for several months now. However, once everything in my view became white and black like a negative film and Queen lost her cat form and became a cat-shaped spirit body, I stood up and walked toward her. When I stood over her and stared down at her, I finally saw it. The translucent, writhing leech with a ghostly glow that was feeding on Queen¡¯s life force. It didn¡¯t see me, but I could see it. Under the compulsion and instinct of my instinctual magic, I felt a murderous intent toward it. That murderous intent had me pulling that cord to switch off my instinctual magic. As usual, my magic defied me as only one of my sights turned back to normal while the other continued to see the world in negative film. Covering my right eye with my right hand, I told Sawyer. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but it looks like a leech. It¡¯s not physical. It¡¯s ghostly, probably. It¡¯s a spirit¡­parasite. I¡¯ve seen it feeding on a dog once and it won¡¯t stop until it¡¯s killed or probably the host dies. If¡­¡± ¡°Moon goddess, you have an instinctual magic like Sawyer too?! Damn, you two are so lucky! Why didn¡¯t my mom marry a Fae man or a mixed blood? I want to be special too.¡± Koda complained. ¡°Koda.¡± Sawyer called once in a warning tone. Koda immediately seemed to remember that we were talking about the dying queen rather than advertising instinctual magics and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, go ahead.¡± ¡°If you can find someone like me who can see things like that. Maybe they could help. They probably just need to extract it and then squash it.¡± ¡°You sound like you know how to do it, so why don¡¯t you?¡± Koda asked. His question made my heart start racing fast in my chest, so fast that I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. Instead of insisting that I answer Koda¡¯s question, Sawyer distracted him by throwing him his car keys, ¡°Koda, go get my laptop from the car.¡± Then, after Koda left, he asked a different question. ¡°Do you know your instinctual magic classification number on the Supernatural Council¡¯s magic classification records?¡± I shook my head and instead of asking me why I refused to save Queen, he asked another question, ¡°Can you explain how your magic works, then? If we type in prompts, we can try to find it.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asking me why I won¡¯t save Queen?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. He sighed and then stepped close to me, cupping my face. ¡°Because you¡¯re pale and you¡¯re shivering and trembling. Your fear is palpable to anyone who is looking carefully and you¡¯re holding one eye because your fear is affecting your control over your instinctual magic. Based on this, I can conclude that you can¡¯t use your instinctual magic to help Queen for one of two reasons: You haven¡¯t learned to control your magic or you¡¯re too afraid of your magic that you can hardly control it. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure we can find someone with your instinctual magic somewhere to help Queen.¡± He gave me a soft, reassuring look while softly stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. By the time Koda came back, I was in a better state and my right eye had returned to normal. Together, Sawyer and I found my magic classifications because I seemed to be able to use more than one instinctual magic. My ability to see things in another light was called Spectral Vision and my ability to physically interact with what they called spectral forms and spiritual energies and matter was called Spectral Handling. Unfortunately, searching for people with this ability was less than fruitful. Even though Sawyer typed away for more than an hour and a half at his computer, looking through databases here and there at breakneck speed which he admitted to accessing illegally, we discovered that there was only one person with Spectral handling in the world and he was all the way in Africa. Several glances at Queen during this few hours of research showed that she didn¡¯t actually have any more time so contacting someone who obviously had commitments to the Supernatural Council in Africa and trying to get him to come all the way here was not going to be feasible. But Sawyer was determined to keep searching for another option. Even though the vet had sent a nurse to tell us that he would be closing up after his 8pm surgery, Sawyer had simply asked Koda to book three hotel rooms for us nearby and buy everything Queen would need to stay comfortable in said hotel room with his card. As I stared at him staring fixedly with bloodshot eyes at his laptop screen, that was flitting through pages at an uncomfortable speed, I knew what I had to do. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± I said, causing Koda to pause where he was making a phone call. Sawyer turned to me with a weary, tired gaze. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s not worth it if you lose your peace because of this.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I have done this before, so I can do it again. Queen¡­may not like me, but I like her very much. I like you and you¡¯ll probably not feel very good if she dies. Since I can help her, it¡¯s my responsibility to do so. Even if this is the only good I can do with this¡­ability, I have to try to do good with it, right?¡± He looked at me for a second before nodding along, putting his laptop on the stool before him and interlocking our fingers. ¡°If you really want to do it, then I¡¯ll stay with you as you do it.¡± So with a curious Koda staring at me like I¡¯d grown two horns on my forehead, I started trying to heal Queen. Now that I was resolved and determined to use my magic to save queen, pulling the cord that changed my vision was faster than ever. In less than ten seconds, all I could see was a vision colored like a negative film. I didn¡¯t want to touch the strange bug with my hand, so I surrounded it with a white strand of my magic and slowly pulled it out of Queen¡¯s spirit body. I didn¡¯t know how to kill it, so I reached for the murderous intent buried deep inside my magic and instinctively squeezed the white strands of my magic around it. It tried to fight, wiggling and secreting a strange liquid film over its body. It was too bad that I wasn¡¯t actually touching it and as soon as I squeezed it in my magic, it slowly disintegrated into nothing but powder. Seeing that shook me because it reminded me of how Zayn¡¯s spirit body had broken into tiny shards. I only felt better when Sawyer gathered me into his arms, hugging me tightly as Koda got the doctor to confirm that Queen was alive and that her vitals were much more steady as she had finally fallen asleep without any chemical or medical assistance. Chapter 17 Sawyer ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯m so sorry. We¡¯re all getting separate rooms for the night at a three-star hotel, the Moscow Hotel, and I¡¯ll drive her back home tomorrow morning after we confirm that Queen¡­the cat is in good condition¡­She¡¯s here. She¡¯s just a little tired. I¡¯ll give her the phone.¡± I turned to look at Clare, who looked completely out of it with fatigued, dazed eyes. I handed her the phone so she could speak to her guardian, Josie, a woman I¡¯d met when I went to pick Clare up for our second date. Unfortunately, before I could get to know her properly and show her my good side, this incident of trying to save Queen happened, and I took Clare on a two-hour drive out of Hawkins Town without getting her permission. The good thing was that she seemed to be chill about it and Clare had been careful enough to text her about where she was going before we left town. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll stay safe. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m really sorry about bothering you like this,¡± Clare said, her earnest look giving her sickly pale complexion some color. I heard Josie say over the phone. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re not bothering me. Stay safe. I¡¯m off work tomorrow, so I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning.¡± By the time they hung up the call, I was already swiping Clare¡¯s room card to open her room. The first thing I did was gesture for her to stay at her door and then examine every single nook and cranny of her hotel room, the closet and the bathroom attached to it for security reason. Then I led her into the room. ¡°Koda and I ordered PJs and a change of clothes for tomorrow for all of us. Yours are in that tote bag over there. Do you want to take a hot shower while I order some food? We only ate a few sandwiches in the afternoon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± She answered, as she picked out the pajamas from the tote bag and placed them in her arms. ¡°Alright, go take a hot shower first, then.¡± I said, as if I was agreeing to her request not to eat. There was no way I was letting her go to bed without eating, so I immediately reached for the phone in her hotel room and called for room service for a meal for two. It took her twenty minutes to take a shower, by which time the food had been delivered. During that time, I sat and texted Koda, who was keeping an eye on Queen during the overnight vigil at the veterinary hospital, monitored by one of the staff. He would watch her while I got Clare settled, since she hadn¡¯t been in the right state since she healed Queen. Once I¡¯d settled Clare down, I¡¯d go take a bath, change clothes and then take over watching Queen for the rest of the night with the Vet Hospital¡¯s staff. When she came out of the bathroom, it was with wet hair that fell over her robe which she wore over her pjs probably because of her wet hair. Although her face was flushed from her shower which made her look much better than when she went to take a shower, she still had a blank expression as I led her to sit in front of the table on which I¡¯d placed two comforting bowls of chicken soup and some sandwiches I ordered. She didn¡¯t seem to mind her dripping wet hair, but I did, so I went to get the hair dryer and urged her to eat instead of staring blankly at the chicken soup in front of her. ¡°Eat. If you can¡¯t eat the sandwiches, you have to drink the chicken soup. I told Josie that I would take care of you. You don¡¯t want her to think I¡¯m irresponsible and stop us from dating, do you?¡± My words seemed to work as she started taking small sips of the chicken soup as I carded my hands through her hair, blow drying it while trying to give her a comforting head massage as carefully as I could. It seemed to work because she looked less blank after she ate a sandwich and finished her bowl of chicken soup and looked up at me like an obedient little doe. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Her hair was already dry, so I pushed the cart of food to the side and helped her out of her robe, looking away from the cleavage showing through the unbuttoned neckline of her pajamas shirt. Then I helped her into her bed and tucked her in. ¡°Good night.¡± I said in a soft voice. Her voice was wispy as she told me good night. I had turned off the light by her bedside and was going to turn off the one on the other side when she grabbed my hand. I looked down at her, seeing her clearly because I had really good night vision as a werewolf and there was still a dim light from the other bedside light that was still on. ¡°Don¡¯t turn off the light.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m not scared of the dark,¡± she rushed to justify herself. ¡°I just¡­I¡¯m probably going to have nightmares tonight and this room is unfamiliar and I want¡­to be able to wake up and realize where I am quickly and¡­¡± Seeing her this vulnerable made my heart ache. A part of me regretted bringing her with me when I left Hawkins. This way, even if Queen had died, she wouldn¡¯t lose her peace and sense of self to heal her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to justify yourself. I¡¯ll leave the other light on.¡± I assured her. She nodded silently, but still didn¡¯t let go of my arm. She seemed to be hesitating on whether to share what she wanted to share or not. I covered her hand, holding my arm with my other hand, trying to show her that I was here for her if she wanted to tell me anything. ¡°Let''s say¡­¡± she started, ¡°Let¡¯s say that, hypothetically, someone did something irredeemable with their instinctual magic and hurt someone¡­maybe ended a life¡­in self defense! Do they deserve to ever work in an industry that saves people?¡± She looked up to catch my gaze and held them with eyes that were welling with tears as a sob escaped her lips. I sat beside her bed and embraced her, hugging her as tightly as I could without squishing her just to make her feel warm and comfortable. I didn¡¯t know who tried to harm her causing her to use her instinctual magic, but I knew that she was a good person and since the Supernatural Council had been involved in making her transfer to Hawkins high school possible, I knew that she had definitely been judged as not guilty for whatever she had done. I couldn¡¯t undo the harm and torment she was going through, but I could ease it with my words and my own story. ¡°Yes. If someone did something irredeemable with their instinctual magic in self-defense, they can use that magic to help people. You may not believe it, but when I was younger, after my mom died, I lost my way. I got involved with the wrong crowd online, dark web type of people and organizations. I helped them steal money, commit felonies, and I only realized how far I¡¯d fallen when someone deceived me into helping a known terrorist organization. That organization killed two people because I gave them access to a private database that I shouldn¡¯t have even touched with my instinctual magic. When the Supernatural Council judge saw my case, he first had them test me for any signs that I had taken any pleasure for those people¡¯s death and then made me sign a twenty-year contract to work for the Supernatural Council, Tyate Organization and any other legal supernatural organization that liaised with the Supernatural Council.¡± I took a deep breath, released it and raised her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss on her palms before continuing, ¡°Right now, I¡¯m still working for those organizations, making up for my mistake. Whatever you did in self-defense, you can work to clear the slate by helping as many people with the same instinctual magic you used to hurt someone. In that situation, it becomes your duty.¡± She nodded, looking at me without actually looking at me as she murmured, ¡°My duty.¡± I sighed. ¡°Listen, our instinctual magic is not a bad thing. It¡¯s like a sword that can be used to hurt people or save people. It¡¯s just a mere instrument. Everything depends on how you use it.¡± She lowered her gaze to her hand where our fingers were interlocked and suddenly sat up, sitting closer to me and pressing a kiss on my lips. It was a chaste kiss on the lips, but something about it felt so profound, as if it¡¯d led to us forming a deeper connection somehow. ¡°I like you¡­.I like you so much.¡± She met my gaze after she confessed but looked away after as if she expected me to tell her I didn¡¯t like her. I held her chin and made her meet my gaze. ¡°I like you very much, too.¡± Her light blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark room as we sat there and stared at each other, for only the Moon goddess knew how long. Seeing that she no longer looked so dazed, I hesitated. I wanted to ask her for something, but even though I felt so connected to her now, I didn¡¯t want to ask her and get her answer now while she was being so emotional. ¡°Do you¡­do you, maybe, want to make things official? Be my girlfriend? Don¡¯t answer now. I just¡­couldn¡¯t help asking.¡± ¡°Yes! Yes, I¡¯d love to be your girlfriend.¡± She replied, a small smile curling the sides of her lips. Looking down at her full cupid bow lips that looked super tempting in the lighting of the hotel room, I moved away from her, letting go of her hand. Before I left, I reassured her. ¡°If you think we¡¯re going too fast tomorrow after you think about it some more, you can choose to say no tomorrow. There¡¯s no rush. We can choose to enter into a committed relationship later.¡± Then I left hurriedly. Returning two minutes later to take the cart with my own chicken soup and sandwiches away. That night, I took a hot shower, ate my dinner and then relieved Koda of Queen watch duty. I completed some of my piling work while checking up on Queen who was rapidly improving throughout the night that by morning, she was meowing normally again and had started eating again. Because I didn¡¯t sleep at night, Koda was the one who drove us back to Hawkins, as I slept in the back seat of the car with my head on my new girlfriend¡¯s shoulders. Chapter 18 Clare When I woke up the next morning by 6:00am to the alarm Sawyer had set for me, I¡¯d been very surprised to find that I didn¡¯t have a single nightmare all night long. I was less jittery than I¡¯d expected, and my heart wasn¡¯t racing fast. I also felt pretty calm internally. I thought it was the calm before the storm, so I kept checking myself all morning long as I got ready and then met up with Koda in the hotel¡¯s elevator so we could go check up on Queen and Sawyer. When we got to the Vet Clinic and waited while Sawyer pet Queen as the doctor did some checks on her, I found that seeing Queen doing well seems to soothe some of the inner conflict that I still had toward my instinctual magic as the things I¡¯d discussed with Sawyer danced around in my mind over and over, reassuring me that helping people could actually bring me salvation. Of course, all my feelings of apprehensiveness were overshadowed by Queen, the aloof cat queen who only liked and responded to Sawyer, meowing at me when she saw me. ¡°Oh, my God! Moon goddess! Did you see that?! Did you see that?!¡± I was grinning from ear to ear as Queen rubbed her head on my palm and allowed me to stroke her fur. Sawyer grinned at me. ¡°She definitely knows you saved her life and helped her get better.¡± ¡°This is not fair, Queen. If you¡¯re going to go out of character, you have to show me some affection too, no? I sat here with you and traveled several hours away from home for your sake,¡± Koda complained, reaching out again to touch Queen only for her to move her head away from him as she purred to Sawyer and me touching her furry back. I couldn¡¯t help laughing at the sight, even as the Doctor walked over with a clipboard in hand. ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict?¡± Sawyer asked the doctor as I continued taking advantage of the honorable opportunity afforded me by Lady Queen before she took back my privileges by stroking her carefully and attentively. ¡°Well, by all indicators, she¡¯s all good. I would have wanted to keep her here to keep an eye on her, but I understand that you guys have to go back home and she would definitely be uncomfortable if she has to stay here without you so you can take her home with you. However, you still have to take her to the Vet in your town. Let her stay there under observation for a few days before you take her home. Don¡¯t leave her to roam the woods like before to avoid something like this, or worse, happening again.¡± ¡°Got it, thank you Doctor.¡± After that, we got into the car and started the two-hour drive back to Hawkins Town. Koda was responsible for driving, but because Sawyer and I wanted to sit together, we sat in the back seat with Queen¡¯s pet car seat. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Because Sawyer wanted to try to get some sleep, Queen¡¯s seat was on my right while Sawyer sat on my left, sleeping with his head resting on my shoulders while we held hands. It didn¡¯t seem to be comfortable, so I got him to sleep with his head on my thighs and spent the rest of the trip touching and petting Queen tenderly. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t retract my cat stroking privileges and allowed me to stroke her pretty fur while taking a nap. When we got to Hawkins, we first delivered her to the Vet and then Sawyer took me home while someone from Koda¡¯s home came to pick him up at the Vet¡¯s. The car ride to Josie¡¯s was very quiet, but it wasn¡¯t an awkward silence. When we got to the trailer park, Sawyer insisted on going in with me so he could apologize to Josie personally. ¡°Clare, why are you knocking? Come in quickly.¡± Josie said, as she opened the door, which I¡¯d politely knocked on before going in, even though I had a key. ¡°Josie, this is Sawyer Hawkins, the Alpha¡¯s son. Sawyer, this is Josie.¡± I introduced the both of them as I walked into the living room with Sawyer. Josie seemed surprised that he had come in with me, so I tried to explain his motives. ¡°He feels bad about me leaving town with him without getting your permission first, so he came to apologize.¡± Sawyer smiled, looking a little too tall to be standing in Josie¡¯s small mobile home, which had definitely been built for petite people. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± ¡°Josie. Just call me Josie. And you don¡¯t have to apologize. I heard you were trying to save a cat. How is she doing now?¡± Josie was, as usual, easy-going as she directed Sawyer to sit and then went to the open kitchen to get him a glass of water. I allowed Sawyer to speak as she placed the glass of water in front of him. ¡°She¡¯s fine, thank you. We dropped her off at the Vet and the Vet in the city just recommends keeping her under observation for the next few days to make sure all is well and then she can be discharged.¡± ¡°Very good, very good,¡± Josie said. Sawyer gulped down his water as the living room descended into awkward silence. After some awkward small talk, Sawyer stood up. ¡°Thank you so much, Josie. I¡¯m going to get out of your hair now. I just really wanted to come over and apologize to you and make sure you don¡¯t have a bad impression of me because I really really like Clare and I want to seriously date her. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Josie seemed taken aback by his honesty, but she recovered quickly as she smiled and shook her head. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind. Clare can date whoever she wants to date. I¡¯m not an overly traditional guardian or anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then. Thank you very much, Josie. It was a pleasure to meet you.¡± Sawyer said as he stepped out of the house. Josie smiled. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you too, Sawyer.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna go,¡± Sawyer said, waving at her. I forced a smile and said to Josie, ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ll just see him off to his car and be right back.¡± Josie seemed absentminded as she responded, ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡°What do you think? Do you think she¡¯s fine with me and you dating?¡± Sawyer asked as I saw him off to his car. I wanted to tell him not to worry about what Josie thought about him as she would probably never care whom I dated, but I could see that he was super concerned about it, so I just went along with it. ¡°I think she likes you.¡± ¡°Really? So would she mind if I ask you for a date on Friday, next weekend?¡± He said, giving me a lopsided grin. I smiled. ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡°Would you mind? Would you like to go on a dinner date with me next Friday?¡± He asked. ¡°I would have loved to, but I have to work on Friday. How about Saturday evening?¡± I asked. ¡°Saturday evening is fine.¡± He said, giving me a beaming smile. ¡°Well, I have to go home now. I¡¯ll see you at school tomorrow?¡± ¡°See you.¡± I said, waving at him as he got into his car and drove off. Chapter 19 Clare ¡°Can I take you somewhere?¡± Sawyer asked with a serious look. It was 8:30pm and Sawyer and I just finished having an intimate dinner in a tiny enclosed area of the restaurant he¡¯d brought me to for our first date since we became an official couple. It had been such an awesome date where Sawyer and I had connected so much more now that the incident with Queen had allowed us to share some things from our dark pasts. Because we¡¯d had so much fun, I had no qualms about agreeing to extend our date with a pit stop to somewhere else. ¡°Sure.¡± After he¡¯d helped me into the passenger seat and gotten into the driver¡¯s seat, I asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± He smiled and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nowhere exciting. It¡¯s just¡­somewhere special to me. You can call it the one place I go to whenever I want to feel better. I was going to show it to you later, but I can¡¯t wait anymore. I really want to show it to you now...today. I¡¯m sorry, am I¡­a little intense? Do you think we¡¯re going too fast?¡± I shook my head because I was actually really pleased that he was taking me to this place that was obviously very important to him. ¡°Not at all. I¡­I like that you¡¯re willing to share that with me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Was his only response, but he had a pleased smile on his face. The car fell into a comfortable silence as Sawyer focused on driving while I looked out the window, enjoying the views of parts of Hawkins that I¡¯d never seen since I arrived at Hawkins Town. As the car moved toward the outskirts, the tightly packed shops and bustling intersections gradually gave way to wider roads flanked by scattered apartment buildings with weathered facades. Open lots dotted with wild grass and the occasional billboard hinted at the slower, quieter edge of town life. Soon we arrived at a smooth and well-maintained parking lot, lined with sleek cars and motorcycles that gleamed under the soft glow of strategically placed, modern light fixtures. The apartment buildings beyond were elegant and contemporary, with large tinted windows, manicured shrubbery lining the pathways, and a quiet air of exclusivity that hinted at the caliber of its residents. ¡°We¡¯re going to the rooftop.¡± Sawyer explained as he opened the door for me. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know there was anywhere like this in Hawkins. Is this the tallest building in town?¡± I exclaimed as I walked beside Sawyer to the first apartment building. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why it was built close to the outskirts of the town. My dad thought it would ruin the scenic view of the small town vibes of the rest of Hawkins. The buildings beside it contain free apartments for our pack enforcers and other important personnel who don¡¯t have houses in town.¡± ¡°Cool.¡± I said because I didn¡¯t know what else to say. However, by the time we took the elevator to the apartment building¡¯s roof using a key card, the only word that could leave my mouth was, ¡°Wow.¡± The rooftop had a quiet charm. The wooden planks underfoot were smooth and worn, stretching out into an open space framed by a low glass railing. In one corner, a raised planter sat filled with dark soil, empty but full of promise. The rooftop was a sanctuary in its simplest form, built not for gatherings but for escape. The reading nook claimed the farthest corner, where a wooden pergola cast shifting patterns of shadow across the built-in bench beneath it. The bench was plain but sturdy, softened only by a weathered cushion, and a small side table held a neatly stacked notebook and pen, waiting for the thoughts that might spill out here. At the center of the rooftop, a low firepit sat surrounded by emptiness. No cluster of chairs, just a single chaise lounge angled toward the edge, as if waiting for someone to stretch out and lose themselves in the view. The rest of the rooftop remained open, the smooth planks warmed by the sun during the day and cool underfoot at night. It was a space that breathed, offering room to think, to wander, and to sit in silence with the stars. ¡°It¡¯s... peaceful,¡± I said, taking it all in. The empty planter, the bare trellis, and the quiet corner that felt like a little world all its own. ¡°That¡¯s what I was going for,¡± he said, his voice soft behind me. ¡°A place where I could feel like I could just... breathe.¡± I stepped closer to the nook, running my fingers along the edge of the bench. It wasn¡¯t perfect¡ªthere were a few scuffs on the wood, the vine hadn¡¯t grown far, and the rug was faded in spots¡ªbut somehow, that made it feel more real. More him. ¡°You built this, too?¡± I asked, glancing back at him. ¡°Every piece of it,¡± he said with a nod, his hands in his pockets. ¡°It¡¯s my spot when I want to read, or think, or just get away from everything for a while.¡± It was easy to imagine him sitting there, legs stretched out, a book balanced on his lap, the sky stretching endlessly above him. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I said, and I meant it. ¡°It¡¯s not finished,¡± he replied, a quiet laugh in his voice. ¡°But I¡¯m getting there.¡± I smiled and stepped closer to the edge, running my fingers over the cool glass railing. When Sawyer had talked about his father wanting the tall apartment building to be built away from town, I hadn¡¯t fully understood why until I stood on the rooftop of the tallest building in town with a grand view of the whole town. The view from here was incredible. Below us, the town lights twinkled like scattered fireflies, and above, the sky stretched out forever, stars just beginning to peek through the twilight. It was the kind of view that made you feel both tiny and infinite at the same time. The town planner''s vision was clear: a perfectly uniform set of buildings at the center of town, each one harmonizing with its neighbors to create a visually stunning tapestry. The buildings were not tall, but their arrangement was like a meticulously crafted quilt, each piece fitting seamlessly into the next. From up here, I could see the uniformity and symmetry of the town''s layout, the roofs forming neat rows and columns that stretched out like a beautiful, organized pattern. The colors of the buildings complemented each other, creating a soothing palette that was both calming and captivating. It was like looking at a living work of art, where every detail had been carefully considered and expertly executed. At night, the view looked even more magical. The addition of lights added a new layer of beauty to the scene. House lights created a warm, inviting glow from within each building, while shop lights illuminated the streets with a lively, welcoming ambiance. Streetlights lined the roads, casting a soft, golden hue that highlighted the uniformity and neatness of the town''s design. The lights twinkled like stars in a carefully orchestrated constellation, each one contributing to the overall harmony of the scene. The combination of structure and light created a mesmerizing effect, making the town look like a serene, perfectly planned village from a fairy tale. It was a perfect blend of structure and freedom, order and spontaneity, all coming together to create a view that was nothing short of breathtaking. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You like it too?¡± Sawyer asked with some pride in his voice, as if my compliments were praises to him. ¡°I love it. Whoever did the planning is so awesome.¡± I said, sharing all my praise straightforwardly. He chuckled softly. ¡°Whenever I argue with my dad or my migraines get unbearable, I come up here and just stare out at the town. Sometimes, I move the lounge chair out from under the shade to watch the stars instead. When I was younger, I¡¯d even imagine myself dancing in the stars with my mother¡ªanything to take my mind off the pain.¡± I looked to the side, staring at the nostalgia written all over his face. ¡°How long have you had the migraines? Have you tried working with Fae healers?¡± He had mentioned the migraines flippantly many times before, but during today¡¯s dinner, he shared more details about how he had chronic migraines since he was a child and I couldn¡¯t help being curious about them. ¡°It started around the time my mother died and became very serious when I was 12 or so,¡± He said. ¡°Wait, your mother died?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. He laughed at my rude question. ¡°Oh, you thought the pack Luna was my mother¡­She¡¯s just my stepmother. Surprisingly, she¡¯s not even a bad one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for¡­for bringing that up. I didn¡¯t realize...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Most people don¡¯t even remember most of the time any way.¡± He said. ¡°After my mom died, I had a really hard time because I¡¯d been closer to her than I¡¯d ever been closer to my dad. Because their marriage was an arranged marriage, there was really no love between them, so for several years, I could never accept how quickly he moved on from her death. Finding and falling in love with another woman just one and a half years after her death, so I became very rebellious. Eventually, my migraines started to get so bad that my dad just took me to a renown Fae healer in Britain, but the peace from our healing sessions never lasted for longer than a month, sometimes a month and a half. Traveling back and forth made no sense, so I decided to just stay over there and started attending a private boarding school in Britain ran by my mother¡¯s cousin. Unfortunately, three years later, that healer died and every other healer I met all told me that I was in perfect health and couldn¡¯t seem to relieve the migraines, which had somehow become worse.¡± I placed my hand on his hand which was grasping the edge of the protective metal fence surrounding the rooftop and he stared at it for several seconds before continuing, ¡°Since no one seemed to be able to help, I decided to just let go of the idea of getting miraculously healed and learn to deal with the migraines myself. That¡¯s when I came back home to stay until I could go to Camdine Academy. Right now, my dad has fixed his hope on the help of a healer called Aurora Byrnes. She¡¯s the founder of Hope Medical International. I¡¯m on her almost three years long waiting list to get checked by her and hopefully get healed, but truthfully, I have lost hope. The Fae healer that used to help me before he died once told me that my migraines are not caused by problems with my body, but rather spirit or soul problems. He can¡¯t tell what my problems are exactly because his healing magic mostly just gets absorbed by my body and soul to heal what needs to be healed.¡± His words made my hand trembled as I released the back of his hands and lowered my hands to my side, clenching them into fists. He sensed the change in my mood immediately. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I shook my head, but before I could speak, he held my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me nothing. Something I said now made you withdraw into your shell. What was it? Can you tell me? Do you have migraines too?¡± I shook my head again. ¡°No. I-I¡­When I turned fifteen, I got my instinctual magic and at first, I thought it was an aura-reading type magic but¡­some things happened recently that made me believe that it may be a spirit-type magic. It¡­allows me to see people and the world in a different way, like an x-ray but not a physical x-ray. I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but when I flip the switch, I see the world like a negative film strip¡ªeverything is reversed, with light appearing dark and colors inverted. It¡¯s like viewing reality through a photographic negative, where shadows glow and bright areas are muted.¡± I looked down at his hands that had covered my hand. ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t know how to flip the switch off or on. My vision would change to that sight and change back by itself, and I was so worried that I was going blind. Since the doctors all said there was absolutely nothing wrong with my eyesight, my stepfather convinced my mother that I was just fooling around to ¡®get attention¡¯ and she believed him.¡± I wiped away the tear that fell and sniffed, ¡°Any way, what I¡¯m trying to say is, if your migraine is caused by something not physical, I think I might be able to see what may be wrong. I won¡¯t touch you because this magic¡­can be dangerous too.¡± I peeked up at him and when I saw that he had an expressionless face, I got a little flustered, ¡°If¡­you don¡¯t believe me, it¡¯s fine. You can just forget that I said any weird stuff and maybe¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± He said, cupping my face so that I could meet his eyes that were now darker than I¡¯d ever seen them. ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you. I¡¯m just mad at your stepfather for saying that your cry for help was a desire to get attention. He had no right to. And I can¡¯t believe your mother believed him just like that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°There was a reason my mom believed him, after all. When I was younger, around the time they got married, I went through a phase where I did several things, made several shocking claims to get my mom¡¯s attention because she just¡­got so lost in him and their world together that she forgot about me. I j-just couldn¡¯t accept it, so I did and said a lot of outrageous things to get her attention.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I did similar things after my mother died. To get my dad¡¯s attention, I hacked into important places, even got in touch with people in the deep web, black hat type people. I came this close to helping the wrong people get into important state-confidential spaces on the web with my instinctual magic. But when my migraines started getting really bad, my dad and stepmother didn¡¯t believe for a second that I was pretending to get his attention even though the doctors could see no signs that I had a headache.¡± ¡°Wait, so your migraines got really bad around the time you started using your instinctual magic more intensely?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± His eyes widened and our gazes locked. ¡°How does your instinctual magic work?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I¡¯m not actually sure. I¡¯ve just been always been precocious and very intelligent. I started out having an eidetic memory. Then I discovered that I could learn anything very quickly. Later, when the internet started to become prominent, I would find myself breaking chains of logic of different programming languages on how I used the internet and accessing databases or web spaces that were super secure or encrypted. My dad and I never realized that it was an instinctual magic but my step mom did so I got tested and it was. My dad made me start to wear Kian rings around my neck to null my magic, and while I couldn¡¯t just steal into several well-secured web spaces, I still learned to hack. Now that you¡­I realize that at the beginning my migraines usually came in hard, days or weeks after intense use, but the thing is I don¡¯t do much of that anymore with my instinctual magic now but I still get very bad migraines.¡± ¡°Mm¡­so we can rule out instinctual magic use affecting the migraines. Do you mind if I take a look?¡± I asked. He didn¡¯t even hesitate. ¡°Sure, take a look.¡± Other than when I used it on Queen, it¡¯d been a few months since I used my instinctual magic and I hesitated for a second, not sure I wanted to use my magic that I¡¯d recently found out could be very destructive on Sawyer. ¡°How about we keep some space between us so I can see it? Maybe three meters?¡± At my words, Sawyer took several steps back before stopping and pointing to the space between us. ¡°Exactly three meters.¡± His words made me smile as I realized that he¡¯d calculated the three meters without a ruler or any kind of tool. ¡°Let me know if you feel any pain or you feel uncomfortable. Promise me.¡± I said. ¡°Sure.¡± He assured me with a smile. After getting his assurance, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, feeling around for the switch that opened me up to another world. I released a breath when I found it and quickly flipped it before I could hesitate. When I opened my eyes, the word was in negative film. At least most of it. Sawyer¡¯s head, however, had a different color. A bright gold that seemed to be active, vibrating with energy. I¡¯d seen this bright gold on several people, especially my mom and step father. My mom had some in her hands and brain, and my stepfather had a small speck of that same energetic gold in his mind, no bigger than a quail''s egg. And it was only now that I realized that the energetic gold was probably their instinctual magic. The weird thing was, while my mom had instinctual magic that allowed her to grow just about any herb she wanted, my stepfather had never confessed to having any instinctual magic. But then again, he might have secretly told my mom without telling me. I was getting distracted, so I shook my head and focused on Sawyer. Unlike the little energetic gold in my mom and stepfather, his covered a large expanse. The entirety of his head seemed to be filled with that energetic gold and when I walked around him so I could see the back of his head, all I saw was gold. The energetic color seemed like a body of water, with waves appearing here and there. However, while it covered a large expanse, it seemed similar to every other person¡¯s brain that I¡¯d seen before. At least it did. Until I stepped closer to Sawyer. Chapter 20 Sawyer ¡°Sawyer¡­¡± Clare¡¯s voice broke as she called my name, making me realize that whatever she¡¯d seen was frightening to her. I wanted to turn back to meet her gaze which was fixed on the back of my head to tell her that whatever she was seeing was okay and she could just break the news to me but the truth was I was a little scared to know what she¡¯d seen too. ¡°Yes?¡± I tried to make my voice sound calm even as my hands clenched into tight, sweaty fists by my side. ¡°I think I know what¡¯s causing the migraines. There¡¯s something feeding on your¡­energy. It¡¯s not just one¡­they¡¯re like little specs of black.¡± Her words made my heart sink down to my stomach, but before I could say anything, she continued, ¡°Wait a minute, I feel like I can¡­take them out. Can I try?¡± I hesitated, but then decided to let her. ¡°Sure.¡± She fell silent for several seconds, as if she wanted to take back her offer to try to take out whatever she¡¯d seen. I was going to tell her not to worry if she didn¡¯t want to when she started speaking again. ¡°I¡¯m starting. Y-you have to let me know if you feel any kind of pain, even if it¡¯s the tiniest of discomfort.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said as my fists tightened and my body tensed in anticipation of something I couldn¡¯t even see. Several seconds of silence went by and, other than hearing Clare¡¯s quickening breath, I felt nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°Did you feel anything?¡± she asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± I answered. She walked around me to stand in front of me, holding something invisible between her fingers. ¡°This is what I saw. I took only one out so I could look at it very well.¡± An involuntary shiver rocked her body. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked with concern. She met my gaze and then looked back at her thumb and forefingers, which were pressed together as if she was holding something in between them. ¡°Nothing, it just moved. Wiggled a little. It has gone back to playing dead. I can kill it, but I¡¯d rather we find out if it¡¯s dangerous to you or was actually serving some kind of purpose other than¡­well, feeding on your instinctual magic. That¡¯s what came to mind as soon as I saw them, but I don¡¯t know much about my instinctual magic and I think it¡¯s better we check.¡± ¡°Can you draw it?¡± I asked, moving my hand to scratch the back of my head only to retract said hand when I remembered that Clare had seen a bunch of invisible insects feeding on my energy at the back of my head. ¡°I might be able to search for it on all the supernatural creature databases I can find.¡± ¡°Sure. Where can we get a pen and paper, though?¡± she asked, still staring down at her fingers that were pressed together. ¡°Give me a minute. I have an apartment in this building.¡± I said, before exiting the rooftop and taking the stairs down to my penthouse apartment, which was the only apartment with access to the rooftop. There, I gathered my laptop, a sketchbook, several stationeries and a jacket for Clare because it was breezy on the rooftop and I¡¯d seen Clare shiver a few times as we spoke. When I returned, Clare didn¡¯t notice. She was seated on the lounge chair and fully focused on staring at her fingers. ¡°Clare?¡± I called, feeling a little worried as I draped the jacket over her shoulders. ¡°Mmm?¡± She answered, looking up at me before looking right back at the invisible bug. ¡°This thing makes sounds. At first, I thought it was just a buzzing noise but I¡¯m realizing that it¡¯s a song. Can you hear anything? It¡¯s singing again. A little louder now.¡± I sat beside her, dropping my laptop beside me and was going to hand over the stationery for drawing the bug when my body stiffened. The stationery notepad and everything I was holding clattered to the floor as the dull throb that began to pulse behind my eyes while I was in my apartment suddenly intensified, as if a thousand needles were stabbing through my skull. I gripped my head, trying to steady my breathing, but a groan of agony escaped my lips as the pain intensified. My vision blurred, and I could hardly think through the haze of agony. Through the haze, I noticed Clare¡¯s frantic face, her hand resting on my shoulder. "Moon Goddess, what¡¯s wrong?!" she asked in a strained voice. ¡°It¡¯s my migraine. It suddenly spiked.¡± I gasped, barely able to speak as the pain was relentless, washing over me in waves. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. "The pain is coming from the insect¡¯s song," she said, her voice filled with urgency as she looked down at her fingers. ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll crush it.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. For a while, I couldn¡¯t hear anything, but after what felt like several minutes, the pain began to fade. I sagged against her, my breath coming in ragged gasps as the sharp, searing pain slowly receded. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered, my body trembling with the aftermath. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She whispered as she held my hand in hers and squeezed it. I didn¡¯t know what to say as I pressed my nose to her shoulders, taking in her scent as I tried to calm my nerves that had been completely frazzled by the migraine attack earlier. I might have dozed off because when next I opened my eyes, Clare was asking, ¡°Do you want to rest? We can meet up tomorrow to find out about the bug.¡± I shook my head, stubbornly rubbing off the sleep in my eyes. ¡±Now that I¡¯m so close. I have to find out what is causing these migraines.¡± Then I realized that we¡¯d been together since 5 pm and it was now¡­9.55 pm. ¡°Are you tired? Do you want to go back to sleep? Let¡¯s make it tomorrow then.¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not tired. Let¡¯s check it now. We just have to be done before 12 am because I told Josie I¡¯ll be back before 12.¡± She picked up the sketchbook and opened the pencil bag that I¡¯d stuffed with as many pencils and pens as I could find in my apartment. ¡°I don¡¯t have an eidetic memory, so let¡¯s hope all the time I spent drawing out plants helps me draw this bug perfectly.¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will look great.¡± For the first time in my life, I worked with someone else, not over the internet but physically. As I gathered the databases we would need to search through when we had an image of the invisible bug, she drew out the back and front of the bug in surprising detail. ¡°It would seem like you have a hidden talent, Miss Parker.¡± I teased her. She laughed, ¡°Nah, this is the result of a lot of hard work. My mom was an herbalist with an instinctual magic that made her easily understand how to mix plants and herbs to make concoctions that alleviated or eliminated people¡¯s Illnesses as well as a green thumb on steroids.¡± Her smile turned a little sad. ¡°To impress her and spend more time with her, I studied very hard about plants so that I could help out at her shop and work with her on her small herb farm. Part of my studies involved drawing the plants because a lot of plants have lookalikes where just one little curve on the leaf means the herb is the poisonous version of the real herb.¡± ¡°Oh, wow. Being a herbalist must be a very tricky job.¡± I said as we scanned the bugs with an application on my phone. She smiled proudly. ¡°It is, and my mom was the best at it¡­until she died.¡± I covered her hand with my palm and squeezed them. ¡°I''m really sorry about your mom. I know this must still be hard for you.¡± We shared a moment of staring at each other and sharing comfort before she moved closer to me and, in a way that made my heart thump like never before, she placed her head on my shoulder. ¡°Are you cold? Do you want to go downstairs? We can go to my apartment or the apartment building¡¯s lounge?¡± I asked, worrying about her after I¡¯d plugged the scanned images, pressed enter on the code I¡¯d typed earlier while she was drawing to set the databases search in motion. She sighed, ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m wearing your jacket and I have werewolf blood too, you know. So I¡¯m very much a warm-blooded supernatural creature just like you, albeit to a lesser extent.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve met mixed bloods who have human-like immunities where exposure to the wrong chilly breeze has them sick with fever for days.¡± I said. ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never really had any exposure to mixed bloods, though. Growing up, the two towns I lived in were attached to very traditional packs where everyone were full blood werewolves due to their Alpha¡¯s beliefs of not mixing blood. I would have really loved to know more about the differences between mixed bloods.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a report on it because the Supernatural Council did some research on the matter with the Hope International Medical Facilities. Do you want to read it?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure.¡± We read the report and shared our thoughts as we waited for the database search to yield results while keeping an eye on the time because we¡¯d decided that regardless of when the database search was complete, I would take her home by 11:30 so she could get home in time for her curfew. Our conversation was interrupted by a notification sound from my laptop. Instantly, the research we were discussing was forgotten as I rubbed my hands together nervously before trying to figure out what the database search had found. ¡°It seems to have found something in this database owned by N.O.T.E.B.O.O.K., notebook?¡± I said nervously as I clicked in to see what the code had found. Immediately, a page started loading with another drawn image of the creature Clare had drawn. "This document explores the existence of spiritual parasites that feed on human mental energy. These entities, which are invisible to the naked eye, have been documented to cause severe mental and physical distress to their hosts." Clare read the abstract out loud before meeting my gaze. We skimmed through the short 1-page document, past the visual representation of the parasite and the symptoms in hosts, which I was very familiar with, until we got to the visibility ritual. It was an obscure, even unexplained ritual not outlined in the document for enabling a medical professional to see the parasite. When we got to the part about the extraction procedure, I was so excited that reading it in my mind didn''t seem to work, so I had to read out the paragraph with the necessary information. "Extraction Procedure. Once the visibility ritual has been performed, the doctor will be able to see the parasites. The extraction involves physically removing the parasite from the host''s body. So long as the doctor can see the parasites, extracting them one by one and crushing them immediately is a seamless task." "Every extracted parasite should be crushed into powder immediately upon removal. The parasites have a dangerous song that could alert the other parasites and cause them to cause havoc in the host¡¯s mental psyche, so immediate crushing is highly recommended. This method ensures the complete eradication of the parasite and mitigates any potential risk of causing pain to the host." I went silent after reading. I couldn¡¯t believe that the pain I¡¯d experienced for the past decade or so of my life could just be so simply eliminated by Clare Parker, my true mate with a simple movement of her hand. ¡°So basically, I can help you extract the parasites?¡± she asked. I looked at her, asking before I could stop myself. ¡°Do you want to?¡± ¡°Of course, I do. This may be one of my few chances of using this gift to actually help someone. You said it before, right? That it was my responsibility to help people with this gift to make up for my past. So let¡¯s do it. Tomorrow is a Sunday. You can come over anytime and I¡¯ll pick them all out and crush them.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± I asked, staring dazedly at her. As if she could see how shell-shocked I was at the possibility of being free, she gave me a wide, full grin. ¡°Just like that! If this document is to be believed, you¡¯ll be free just like that!¡± Unable to stop myself, my lips pulled up into a grin before I pressed a kiss on her forehead and thanked her. ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She smiled and then pressed a chaste kiss on my cheeks. We were lost staring into each other¡¯s eyes when the 11:30 alarm for taking her home went off. Chapter 21 Sawyer ¡°Come with me. Don¡¯t worry, Josie isn¡¯t around, and we¡¯re not even doing anything wrong.¡± Clare¡¯s words made me laugh as I finally stood up from the couch in the living room/kitchen that belonged to Clare¡¯s guardian. What was funny was the way she was trying to persuade me to step into her bedroom like a bad boy trying to fool a naive girl into his bed. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± She asked, even though she was laughing along with me, too. ¡°Why are you laughing too?¡± I asked, laughing as she led me through the narrow hallway to her room. ¡°I¡¯m laughing because you¡¯re laughing. Now, why are you laughing?¡± She complained, turning to glance back at me repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s because of what you said. It sounded like some jock guy in the movies trying to fool a naive girl into his bedroom with false justifications. Don¡¯t worry, my guardian isn¡¯t around and we¡¯re not even doing anything wrong.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She agreed with a giggle. I smiled as I felt the tension I¡¯d seen in her demeanor and smoky eye bags since I arrived at Josie¡¯s home finally bleed out at this small joke. Even though she had pretended that she was completely alright since she saved Queen with her magic, I could see that using it again still filled her with apprehension as she sat on her bed and directed me to lay on her bed with my head pressed to the pillow on her laps. Because the back of my head was facing her, I stared at the small reading table right opposite where she was seated. It was littered with piles of books and textbooks, which showed how much time she spent studying when she was in her bedroom. Other than her textbook, there were a few plants lining the wall of her window. For real plants that seemed to be grown indoor, they were incredibly healthy with lush green leaves. I had tried planting indoors in an entire balcony and even with all the knowledge in the world, they hadn¡¯t been able to stay alive for long, not just because I was possibly a plant killer but also because indirect sunlight was just not equivalent to direct sunlight. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. As I tried to assess whether my plants had all lost their lives pretty quickly due to my plant killer attributes or because they were bad seeds, I slowly descended into a drowsy sleep. I wanted to shake myself awake, but I seemed to have lost control over my body and could only close my eyes, falling into a drowsy, dreamless sleep. When I woke up again, I was lying on Clare¡¯s bed but at some point, I¡¯d turned from facing her reading table and window to facing her where she was lying on her side beside me. She slept with her hands placed together to pillow her head while the rest of her body was folded into a tiny space, leaving a large expanse of space. Other than slightly furrowed brows, her face looked pretty peaceful in her sleep. It was the first time I was seeing her like this and my greedy eyes couldn¡¯t move away from her for a single second. For several minutes, I traced her face with my gaze, trying to build a mental picture of every contour and angle of her face in my mind. I¡¯d spent so much time with her and I knew without a doubt that she was my true mate and thus, the second half of me created by the Moon Goddess to complete me. However, after observing her and dropping tiny hints over and over into our conversations, I knew she had no idea about the supernatural connection we shared. I didn¡¯t know why, because every research I¡¯d done showed that true mate werewolves recognized each other at first sight. I didn¡¯t know how to tell her about it, either. I loved the way we interacted already, but I could sense that Clare didn¡¯t think that we were long term. I didn¡¯t like that feeling and I was tempted several times to just confess that we were made for each other, but I was afraid because I didn¡¯t know how she would react to it. So I kept silent about the whole thing, hoping to convince her that we were long term without bringing up our supernatural connection. Because my mind was faraway thinking about her while staring dazedly at her, I didn¡¯t notice when Clare woke up until she opened her eyes and locked gazes with me. Whatever she saw in my gaze made her entire face flush to a lovely pink peach color as she sat up and put several inches of space between us non-subtly. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± she asked. ¡°Does your head hurt in any way? I hunted down each of those bugs and crushed them all¡­spiritually, that is.¡± I smiled and sat up, yawning as I stretched. ¡°It feels great, actually.¡± I gave her a grateful smile. ¡°I¡¯m really grateful for your help. You¡¯re my darling angel, sent down to me by the Moon goddess.¡± Her peachy face flushed harder as she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I could help.¡± We were both quiet for a few seconds before she started speaking. ¡°We should probably leave the room before Josie comes back or she¡¯ll get the wrong impression.¡± I smiled, secretly enjoying her awkward, flustered look. ¡°Sure. Do you want me to tutor you on your Physics before I leave?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± She said with a grin as her awkwardness easily gave away to a wide happy smile as she rushed to her reading table to take the necessary study materials. Chapter 22 Clare ¡°Moon goddess! Why does everyone keep staring?!¡± I said with my head bowed and my hands clenched to my side as I walked beside Lissa to my locker. ¡°Are you kidding? You don¡¯t know why people are staring? You¡¯re dating Sawyer Hawkins! And he proved that by driving you to school this morning and doing that whole gentlemanly thing where he opened the door to the car and then led you to your first class in front of everyone in school while holding your backpack!¡± The more she spoke, the louder Lissa¡¯s voice got. Worse yet, she was speaking like a fan girl who was at a concert and her favorite artist had thrown his shirt to the crowd and that shirt had landed in the hands of her best friend right beside her, me. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, right? I mean, Sawyer has dated other girls, right?¡± I said, reaching into my locker to exchange my bulky Biology textbook with my History textbook. ¡°It is so a big deal!¡± Lissa said. I hissed, ¡°Lower your voice!¡± Lissa finally looked around to find several people covertly and overtly staring at us and listening to us. ¡°Sorry.¡± She didn¡¯t start speaking until we left the locker area and started making our way to the next class, which we shared together¡ªHistory Class. ¡°Sawyer dated other girls before, yes, but driving them to school, opening the door for them and escorting them to their classes has never ever happened before.¡± Lissa said in a much lower voice. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s happening to me because I don¡¯t have a car?¡± I tried to explain as I sat in my usual seat, which was situated around the middle area of the classroom. Before Lissa could respond, however, the blonde girl whom I¡¯d introduced myself to on the first day of school without receiving any response other than a disdainful glance, turned to answer for Lissa. ¡°Stop fooling yourself. He is Sawyer Hawkins. He has never really done anything like this for any girl. He has always been chivalrous, yes. While opening the door for a girl when he comes across her is a common happenstance, he has never ever smiled while doing it. Neither have I ever seen him carry any girl¡¯s backpack or drop a kiss on any girl¡¯s forehead. You sure you¡¯re not going to share what you did to charm him so much?¡± The blonde girl literally had envy shooting out of her eyes like greedy cartoon characters sometimes had dollar signs for eyes. I didn¡¯t know what to say in response to her words but thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to because our History teacher walked into the class and had us turning our textbook pages. So, the blonde girl with neat wavy girl had to turn back to the front to face the teacher and Lissa elbowed me twice with a red face as if she was trying to hold in her laughter. *** To avoid any more attention, I bowed out of having lunch with Sawyer and Koda, opting instead to eat on the grassy plains behind the cafeteria while staring sadly at the spot where Queen, who was now a home-bound cat, used to eat and play with Sawyer. After eating lunch, Lissa and I had different classes, so we separated. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I was heading to my locker to pick up a textbook for my next class when a hand stretched out of nowhere and pulled me into a locker room. ¡°Wh¡ªWhat? He¡ª¡± Before I could do anything, I was pulled into a warm muscular arm and a hand covered my mouth. I tried to break free, but the man was way stronger than me. I started to panic immediately. The man¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t blocking my nose or my airways, but I started to hyperventilate. I lost the ability to break with my nose, struggling harder as my breathing became more and more rapid. The man holding me seemed shocked by my reaction and released me, asking in a fairly familiar voice, ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Thankfully, before I could descend into the depths of my panic attack, light flooded the dark janitor¡¯s closet, and I finally saw my ambusher¡ªElijah. I was too far gone to confront him for his stupid ambush, though. Instead, I had to allow him to help me find a spot to sit out my dizziness and immense nausea. I was still fairly weak when I finally confronted. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± If I could yell at him, I would have, but I didn¡¯t really want anyone finding us cooped up in a Janitor¡¯s closet together. Regardless, I really wanted to bludgeon him over the head with something heavy and murderous. I had successfully avoided having panic attacks for quite a while and he just had to stupidly pull me into a dark room and trigger me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I truly didn¡¯t know you would react like that.¡± He apologized. I felt lightheaded and super nauseous in a way that made me want to haul my entire lunch of an apple and some water in his face. I definitely wasn¡¯t ready to forgive him right now. So I settled for asking, ¡°What do you want?¡± I leaned my head on the back of the paper walls of the Janitor¡¯s Closet, trying to hold down my nausea while waiting for a response from him. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Clare. I¡ª¡± ¡°What. Do. You. Want?¡± I asked again, finally fixing my gaze on him. He fidgeted nervously, as if he didn¡¯t know what to say, and then finally met my gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to ask you about¡­well, you and Sawyer.¡± He looked away nervously as he asked, ¡°Are you truly with Sawyer? Does that mean¡­you¡¯re over me? Just because I¡¯m bi?¡± I gave him a bewildered look. ¡°What the hell are you even talking about? Just because you¡¯re bi? What does that have to do with me dating Sawyer? Okay, okay, if that¡¯s your question, I¡¯ll answer it. Yes, I¡¯m dating Sawyer now. Yes, I¡¯m completely over whatever feelings of infatuation I developed toward you when we first met, and no, it has nothing to do with your sexuality. In fact, it has everything to do with this. Everything you do makes me realize how far you are from what I actually thought you were..¡± He was quiet for a while. I was about to ask if he had nothing else to say so I could leave when he asked, ¡°How far has your relationship with Sawyer gone?¡± I stared at him with a perplexed look. ¡°Why¡­How does that even concern you?¡± ¡°Just answer my question.¡± He asked tersely. I scowled at him. ¡°Not that it¡¯s any of your business, but he asked me to be his girlfriend and I agreed.¡± His brows furrowed. ¡°Then¡­if I talk to him and ask for his¡­permission to date you, would you go on a date with me?¡± I stared at him. ¡°Have you lost your marbles? What do you think I am? A ping ball that you throw to the other person when you don¡¯t want her and then retrieve when you do?¡± He gave me an earnest look. ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry. I was in denial. I didn¡¯t want to admit the connection between us and I wanted to drive you away so I made sure you caught me in that alleyway hoping to get you to lose your affections but since you did, I can¡¯t help feeling like I¡¯ve lost everything. I just want another chance. Can you give another chance?¡± Something about the way he was staring at me and practically begging made my heart ache but then I remembered Sawyer and the relationship that had slowly grown between us and I knew that I could ignore the heart ache and the connection between me and Elijah without losing sleep for Sawyer. ¡°No¡­I¡¯m sorry, but I really like Sawyer. I like being with him, and I¡¯m not sacrificing my relationship with him for anything.¡± ¡°Even if I speak to him and persuade him?¡± he asked. I glared at him. ¡°Even then. I like Sawyer very much and I¡¯m not ditching him for you, so just stay away from me from now on.¡° Without waiting for him to respond, I strode out of the Janitor¡¯s closet, heading straight to the toilet to wash my face while trying to figure out an excuse for sneaking into my class that was already underway. Chapter 23 Clare ¡°Well, come along then. Didn¡¯t you really want to sit on the platform table with the popular people? Now¡¯s your chance.¡± I teased Lissa. ¡°I mean, I wanted to¡­but it was just a silly dream. I never really thought it would be possible. What if they don¡¯t like me? What if they think I talk too much?¡± ¡°Okay, okay, stop making assumptions. This is just a table with regular people and you can talk to Koda. He¡¯s very chill and fun too. If the others don¡¯t want to talk to you or me for whatever reason, we can talk to each other and Sawyer and Koda.¡± I encouraged. Even though I was trying to stop her from being nervous, I was also slightly nervous about sitting with Sawyer and his friends but I didn¡¯t want him to leave his platform table to come sit with me and Lissa because the last time he did that, Koda came to sit with us as well, leaving the others at his table as well as every other person in the cafeteria glancing over at us with listening ears. Sitting at his table was my attempt to mitigate the attention focused heavily on us. I had hoped that the attention would die down, but we had been coming to school throughout the past two weeks together and we seemed to still be ¡®hot news¡¯ with people trying to guess how we came to become a couple and how long we were bound to last. Other than that, Sawyer had also incentivized my move to his table. So without giving her a chance to chicken out, I clasped Lissa¡¯s hand and strode to the platform table. As soon as we got to the table, I found our spots, which were the two empty seats between Koda and Sawyer. Naturally, I sat beside Sawyer and urged Lissa to sit down with my eyes. The others at Sawyer¡¯s table seemed taken aback by our presence, but Koda cheerfully brushed it away and introduced both of us to everyone at the table. Other than a scowling girl, everyone else seemed to quickly get over our presence as they continued their conversation, eating their food as if there were no new people eating with them. Koda was also nice enough to bring Lissa into the conversation. When I saw her nodding along with their conversation, I turned to Sawyer with raised brows. ¡°What?¡± he asked with a laugh in his voice. ¡°Show me the goodies, give me my fix. Hurry up! Lunch will soon be over.¡± I urged. ¡°Am I to believe that the only thing that convinced you to eat up here with me is this?¡± Sawyer teased. Ignoring the glances that his table mates were throwing my way, I glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re quibbling, young man. Hurry up and deliver the pics. I hope you took some good feet pics too.¡± ¡°Um¡­should you two be having this conversation here?¡± Koda looked at us apprehensively. I couldn¡¯t help laughing at the uncomfortable look on his face. ¡°Chill, it¡¯s just pictures of Queen¡­and her cute pink feet, I mean paws.¡± ¡°Careful now, Parker. Your fetishes are showing.¡± Sawyer teased. I scowled at him. ¡°Young man, am I to believe that with the way you¡¯re stalling for time, you have no new pictures of Queen?¡± He laughed outright, ¡°Chill, chill. I took a few new pictures but only one more feet picture.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s such a poor work attitude, Mr. Hawkins. Do you remember our deal? One week of never ending supplies?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I apologize. I will do better tomorrow, ma¡¯am. Besides, I immediately sent that pretty picture of Queen¡¯s paws yesterday. Doesn¡¯t that count?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t count. That was yesterday¡¯s bonus activity. I definitely didn¡¯t ask you to send it ahead of time.¡± I said stubbornly. ¡°Huh, is that so? Then maybe I should withdraw the bonuses?¡± At his teasing, threatening voice, my attitude instantly took a positive turn. ¡°I apologize, Mr. Hawkins. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t have too many new feet pics today. It¡¯s best to keep sending bonuses on the go. That way, this cat slave can get a quick fix every time.¡± Sawyer laughed heartily for several seconds as he pulled out his phone and made a few swipes at it before handing it over to me. I leaned close to Lissa and together, we looked through the gallery of new pictures of Queen, obviously been done with Sawyer¡¯s antics as signified by the iconic photo of her pressing her cute pink paws on the phone¡¯s camera lens, the picture of her looking at him with disdain and displeasure, and the video of her turning her butt to face him. ¡°Isn¡¯t that look just cute? She looks like she¡¯s so done with Sawyer. Maybe, now, she could finally consider going home with me for a night or two. I promise not to take too many cat photos.¡± I commented. Lissa shook her head. ¡°You really are something else.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Sawyer agreed. ¡°Thankfully, Queen is an extremely loyal cat and she would never go to anyone else¡¯s house without her father¡¯s express permission.¡± When Sawyer said the word ¡®Father¡¯, Koda choked and suddenly started coughing. ¡°You okay, Koda?¡± I and several others at the table asked. He coughed some more before responding weakly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± After getting my Queen fix, I finally turned to Sawyer, handing his phone back to him. ¡°So, how are the plants doing?¡± ¡°Better actually. I almost forgot to water them yesterday, but thankfully, a recurring alarm saved me. I¡¯m still worried about them dying if I forget to water them.¡± He said as I munched on my apple. I chewed and swallowed before speaking. ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to build an automatic irrigation system before?¡± ¡°I did, but all the plans I keep coming up with can¡¯t service a few plants only. They can only work for at the very least a small garden.¡± He explained. ¡°Well, you¡¯re keeping those plants on the rooftop, right? So why don¡¯t you just start a whole garden? This way, you can build your irrigation system thoroughly.¡± I suggested. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just the angle I was staring at him from, but I saw his lips curl up at the corners as he answered, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but I don¡¯t really know anything about keeping a garden. What if I just water them to death?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m here. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m an expert or anything, but I have several years of experience caring for plants and I can guide you. Whatever I don¡¯t know, we can research online.¡± ¡°Oh, great, then let¡¯s do it. We¡¯ll build a garden together on the roof.¡± He said. I hesitated. He stared at me, but when I didn¡¯t speak, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Building a garden will probably take a lot of time, which would¡ª¡° ¡°That¡¯s not it. Will the apartment building owner be fine with you just building a garden on the roof? Plus, building a garden from scratch in a location like that will probably be expensive. Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. Don¡¯t worry. That apartment building is mine anyway, and my dad just manages it for me. As for expenses, I¡¯m sure we can figure out a way to build the garden with my pocket money. I wouldn¡¯t call myself ¡®wealthy,¡¯ but my pocket money is...substantial. And my freelance work? It¡¯s enough to keep the wolves of poverty at bay¡ªfor now, at least.¡± He boasted. ¡°Shut up, rich boy.¡± I said, chuckling. ¡°So we¡¯re good?¡± he asked. I paused, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a meaningful look. ¡°Well, so long as you¡¯re sure you actually want to build a garden and you¡¯re not doing this because you heard me moaning about how I missed having a place to plant my herbs.¡± He chuckled, ¡°Well, although you seem to have caught me. I¡¯m not just doing this for you. I¡¯m also doing this because building a garden together gives us more things to talk about and we get to spend a lot of time together, too.¡± I sighed and then pressed a kiss on his cheek quickly. ¡°How come you¡¯re so glib?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been glib.¡± Sawyer said cheekily. I was about to say something when a tray slapped on the table. When we turned to look at who made the sound, it was the scowling girl with a nose ring from earlier, whom Koda introduced as Hester. She had an expressionless face as she apologized, ¡°Sorry for interrupting but the warning bell for end of lunch just went off and I¡¯m leaving.¡± I watched as she responded to a few ¡°See ya¡± responses from others at the table before walking away. I glanced at Sawyer with a questioning look. Thankfully, he understood my question. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s pissed. And no, it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking. We¡¯ve been friends since we were kids and I even know her boyfriend. Did you do something to piss her off?¡± I gave him a pursed look of disbelief. ¡°Today is the first day I¡¯m meeting her face to face.¡± He looked as clueless as I felt, so I decided to believe him as he said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She¡¯ll come around. Finish your pudding and I¡¯ll walk you to your next class.¡± Chapter 24 Sawyer "You can''t date Clare, so just let go of her. She''s mine." Elijah''s words were as usual jarring, irritating and entitled. It was a Saturday, and I was seated on a lounge chair on the rooftop of my apartment building, reading a book while enjoying the cool breeze that blew my way, bringing the nice scent of the budding plants Clare and I had been nurturing in our DIY plant nursery. Unfortunately, my peaceful moment was not meant to last as my unwanted visitor arrived just in time to try to ruin my mood due to having free access to my apartment building from the period when we were somewhat close friends. I pretended not to hear him speak as I turned the page of the book I was reading. ¡°Sawyer?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I answered casually. ¡°Did you hear what I just said? Can you just drop that stupid book for a second?¡± I closed my eyes for a second, feeling irritated. Elijah had always been someone who could annoy the hell out of me with his careless way of dealing with everything. I closed my book down and stared at him with a blank, scrutinizing gaze similar to the one my father used to grill his Pack Council Members. ¡°Why do you think you have any right to dictate who Clare can date?¡± I asked. ¡°I''m her true mate.¡± He said boldly, pushing his chest out with pride. ¡°Lying about being a girl''s true mate just so you can try to wrangle her away from me because she hurt your ego by abandoning her crush for you? That''s low, Elijah, even for you.¡± ¡°Hey hey, what do you mean? I''m not lying, you know. Clare really is my true mate. I experienced the whole ¡®your world changes when you meet her and her scent smells like heaven¡¯ shtick when I met her for the first time. I just didn''t really want a true mate, so I tried to dissuade her.¡± I sighed. ¡°Elijah...stop lying to me. It''s impossible for Clare to be your true mate. She''s my true mate.¡± ¡°What? No, are you serious? Lying about being her true mate just because you think I''m lying about being her true mate?¡± he stared at me with an unbelieving gaze. Something about his focused, disbelieving gaze made me pause in my thoughts. I stepped closer to him until we were standing just a few inches away from each other. I caught his gaze and held it. ¡°Elijah, this is a serious matter. Clare is my true mate. If this is some kind of spiteful mission just to teach her a lesson because she...I don''t know...fell out of like with you so quickly, then now is a good time to abandon it. Doing this makes you look stupid.¡± The word ¡®stupid¡¯, as usual, made him mad. It was the word that I had called him when I realized the secret he was keeping to himself just to save face. His brows furrowed, and a scowl covered his face. ¡°I won''t say this again because I have already said it so many times. Number one, I''m not stupid just because you''re always irredeemably logical. Everything can''t be explained by logic!¡± He was slightly out of breath as he finalized his statement. ¡°Number two, Clare Parker is. My. True. Mate. Ordained by the Moon goddess, created just for me.¡± I searched his gaze for any signs of lies, but other than steely determination, there was no sign that he was lying. I gave him a grim look. ¡°I don''t know what to say then because, I can tell you that there is no doubt, down to my very soul, that Clare is my true mate.¡± We were both quiet for a second. ¡°Do you think Clare did something to us? Like maybe she made us think we were her true mates or something.¡± I didn¡¯t even consider it. ¡°No, if she did, she wouldn''t have rejected me so adamantly when I first asked her out. In some ways, the person she first felt a connection to was you, but thankfully, you botched that up yourself. And regardless of the connection, she still doesn''t even know that any of us are her true mates.¡± He was quiet for a second before he sat down on the floor, leaning his back on the wall. ¡°So what exactly is going on here? Can one person have two true mates?¡± he asked, while raking his fingers through his hair. ¡°It''s possible. I''ve heard about it before. There are even people who end up having more than two.¡± I said. ¡°Well, in that case, why don''t you just leave her to me? You don''t understand emotions anyway...You and your big brain have always found emotions hard to grasp. In that case, I think Clare is better off with me.¡± I clapped mockingly. ¡°That was a good speech, but I think it has no merit. I have always had a higher emotional quotient than you. I mean, just because you felt connected to her and knew she had a crush on you, you decided to do whatever you did that made her dislike you so much? Good work, by the way. It''s thanks to you that Clare and I are together right now.¡± ¡°You say that now, but how can you be sure she has no feelings for me? The only reason she let go of her connection and feelings for me was because you, practical and intelligent Sawyer, came along. You like her and when she''s with you, she can forget about the person she truly has feelings for.¡± His words stung because I knew that Clare had indeed accepted my offer to date initially to get over Elijah so my brain just kept hammering on that point with doubts about whether I wasn''t just Clare¡¯s second choice because she could be with good old safe and logical me. No, I wasn''t going to let Elijah get to me. Clare liked me. She had told me that so many times, so even if she still had a smidgen of feelings left for Elijah, they would die down with time. ¡°You''re hesitating because you know that what I said is true.¡± Elijah insisted. Stolen novel; please report. I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes. ¡°Even if she still has some feelings for you. It doesn''t matter because she''s my girlfriend now and with time, she''ll get over whatever feelings she has for you.¡± ¡°Yes, but can you stop thinking about the fact that she''s just with you because you''re the safer option?¡± I scowled. ¡°Don''t try to use reverse psychology on me. She¡¯s mine now, so just back off.¡± Even though I was trying to hold on to my resolve, his words filled my mind with a tangled mess of emotions¡ªdoubt, frustration, and a deep sense of loyalty to Clare. Elijah¡¯s voice broke through my thoughts, steady and insistent. ¡°Look, Sawyer,¡± Elijah said, leaning against the door frame with a serious expression. ¡°You know she had feelings for me first.¡± I turned to face Elijah, meeting his gaze with a mix of disbelief and annoyance. ¡°And you pushed her away. You did that because you didn¡¯t want her, so she gave up and moved on. Why can¡¯t you just leave her alone now?¡± Elijah sighed, running a hand through his hair. ¡°I made a mistake. I thought turning her away was the right thing to do at the time. But now...now I see that maybe I was wrong. I didn¡¯t want to honor the bond between us at first, but this is a true mate bond made by the Moon goddess herself, and I just couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her. Finding out she was going out with you? That brought everything into perspective.¡± He sighed, pulling his hair at the top down. ¡°I¡¯m going insane. I¡¯m quickly losing control over my wolf. I never realized how much she meant to me until it felt like if I didn¡¯t make a move, she was going to be lost forever.¡± I crossed my arms, my jaw tense. ¡°So, what are you saying? That I should just step aside and let you have her?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying at all,¡± Elijah replied, his voice firm but earnest. ¡°What I¡¯m suggesting is that we give her the chance to really choose. To date both of us, openly, so she can see where her heart truly lies.¡± I shook my head, a skeptical smile on my lips. ¡°You think that¡¯s fair to her? To put that kind of pressure on her?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not fair,¡± Elijah admitted, his expression softening. ¡°But think about it, Sawyer. If she¡¯s with you because she thinks I¡¯m not an option, then none of us will ever know what she truly wants. Don¡¯t you want her to be sure? For both of our sakes?¡± My mind raced with conflicting thoughts. The idea of sharing Clare, even temporarily, was hard to swallow. But there was a logic to Elijah¡¯s argument that I couldn¡¯t entirely dismiss. I wanted Clare to be happy more than anything, and if this was a way to ensure that, perhaps it was worth considering. ¡°And what if she chooses you?¡± I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Then you¡¯ll know it was never meant to be,¡± Elijah said softly. ¡°And if she chooses you, then at least I¡¯ll know I did everything I could. But right now, we¡¯re both in the dark.¡± I let out a long breath, the weight of Elijah¡¯s proposal settling over me like a heavy cloak. It was a gamble, and one that could potentially break my heart. But deep down, I knew that Clare deserved the freedom to explore her feelings fully. ¡°Alright,¡± I said finally, meeting Elijah¡¯s eyes with a mixture of determination and resignation. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Clare. But this has to be her decision, and hers alone. If she¡¯s not comfortable with it, we drop it.¡± Elijah nodded, a hint of relief in his eyes. ¡°Agreed. Thank you, Sawyer. I know this isn¡¯t easy.¡± I stood up and walked over to the part of the glass railing around the rooftop that faced town. I leaned against the sturdy, waist-high railing, gazing out at the bustling town some distance away. However, the view couldn¡¯t distract me from the way my heart ached at the thought of potentially losing Clare, but I also felt a sense of resolve. Whatever the outcome, I was committed to doing what was right for her, even if it meant challenging my own desires. Fully committed to my resolve, I called Clare. ¡°Hello.¡± I started. ¡°Hi. We just ate lunch together and we¡¯re going to meet at the Lounge later today, so why are you calling now? Can¡¯t get enough of me?¡± She teased. ¡°Yeah¡­I really can¡¯t.¡± I said quietly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°My math assignment. You sound weird. Are you okay? Do you need something?¡± How she immediately noticed that something was off with my voice made me feel so much better as I took in a deep breath and released it. ¡°I just¡­wanted to talk to you about Elijah.¡± ¡°What about Elijah?¡± She asked. ¡°Is he okay? Did he get hurt or something?¡± I could hear the anxiety rising in her voice as she asked, making me realize that even if she was unaware of it, she still had feelings for Elijah. Consciously or unconsciously. ¡°He¡¯s fine, he¡¯s fine. I just¡­do you still have feelings for Elijah?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°Definitely not. He¡¯s so different from who I thought he was. So rude and¡­and annoying.¡± She replied. ¡°I think you should date Elijah.¡± I said. ¡°What?!¡± She asked, shock at my very suggestion evident in her voice. ¡°I think you should date Elijah.¡± I repeated. ¡°You can date both of us and then choose who you really want.¡± ¡°What the hell brought this on? Is this a prank or some kind of weird loyalty test?¡± she sounded a little angry. I rushed to explain but hesitated about telling her that we were both her true mates. ¡°When you first met Elijah, you felt a deep connection to him. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, so what?¡± her answer was tense. ¡°So that connection might have never left. I¡¯m just letting you explore where all that goes so that you can choose who you really want.¡± ¡°Are you trying to break up with me?¡± she sounded breathless. ¡°No, no, no. Of course not, I¡¯m just¡­afraid that I might have been your second choice and that you might truly want Elijah and¡ª¡° ¡°Stop. I know Elijah is the one filling your head with these thoughts. Is he there?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Put the phone on speaker.¡± I did as she said with an expressionless face, as Elijah, who had been listening in on the conversation even when the phone wasn¡¯t on speaker mode, stepped closer to me. ¡°Elijah?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elijah answered, his face looking tense. ¡°I won¡¯t date the two of you at the same time. That¡­that¡¯s not¡­It¡¯s not just because I¡¯m pissed with you and I don¡¯t think our personalities are compatible, but it¡¯s also because I¡¯m afraid of what people would say. The contemptuous stares. The disdainful looks. I know¡­three people who tried to date in a conservative pack before and they were not treated well at all. I don¡¯t¡­want to experience that, so just let it go. Whatever could have been between us was not meant to be. I don¡¯t just like Sawyer now, I love him. I won¡¯t test that love for a connection with someone I don¡¯t think I can truly trust. Regardless of how intense that connection feels. I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± I didn¡¯t realize I had been holding my breath until after Clare said she loved me, so with a racing heart, I was trying to pull my breathing back to normal when she hung up. From the way she didn¡¯t speak to me, I knew she was mad at me, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to regret calling her. I could always apologize, but this conversation had made me realize how much I loved her. A ripping sound tore me out of the depths of my thought. Elijah¡¯s honey brown eyes had gotten lighter, almost translucent, as if an inner light was lighting up from inside him. I took a step away from him, inviting my Alpha wolf-half to the forefront so I could try to persuade him as his future Alpha to calm down. Although Hawkins mostly housed only werewolves, there were still a few humans who lived and worked here, which was why people were not allowed to shift casually, except when they went into the woods. ¡°Elijah, calm down. You have to calm down.¡± I said firmly. Several hoarse grunts left his lips and somehow from his eyes that were getting lighter, I could tell that he didn¡¯t care, especially when his hair started growing longer. ¡°Elijah stop! If you turn wolf now, I will have to subdue you, take you down to the elevator and drive you into town to the woods where you can run free. We can¡¯t have a 300-400 pound wolf in my car without anyone noticing so my dad will find out and when he does, he¡¯ll ask you why and then you¡¯ll have to tell the truth¡­that Clare is the reason why you changed forms. We both know how your father will feel about you losing control over a girl.¡± My words started to work immediately as his grunting slowly stopped. ¡°Can you¡­drive me to the woods?¡± He asked through gritted teeth. I sighed and then walked toward the elevator, listening to him take huffing breaths to make sure he remained in control. In no time, we were in my car and I was driving Elijah to the woods to shift while holding onto the warm feelings Clare¡¯s words had given me. Chapter 25 Sawyer ¡°When last did you see Clare?¡± Elijah asked, badging into the classroom where I was sitting alone, trying to figure out a project I had been struggling with for a while. I sighed and without looking at him where he was standing at the door, I answered, ¡°How does that concern you? She¡¯s not your girlfriend, anyway?¡± ¡°I think something is wrong with her.¡± Elijah¡¯s words finally got me to look at him. Unlike I expected, there was no scowl on his face from my mocking answer. Rather, his forehead was scrunched up into a frown with furrowed brows that made him uglier than usual. I was reclining on the teacher¡¯s desk, with my feet placed on the table and my back leaning lopsidedly on the chair and his words made me take my boots off the table and sit properly as I reached for the tissue beside me to clean the dusty mark my boots had left on the table. Then I turned to face him squarely. ¡°What do you mean? This better not be some kind of¡­¡± ¡°Answer me first. When last did you speak to Clare?¡± ¡°Two nights ago?¡± I answered. ¡°Have you noticed that she¡¯s been a bit different this week?¡± He asked. ¡°What the hell are you trying to say? We¡¯ve been talking on the phone frequently, eating lunch together and we went on a date last Sunday. There¡¯s nothing wrong with her.¡± I answered. ¡°So she¡¯s keeping what¡¯s going on a secret from you, I guess.¡± He said with a thoughtful look. His words made me irritated, but before I could tell him to stop stalking her since she already rejected him, he continued, ¡°She¡¯s been super quiet at work. She hasn¡¯t really been around Lissa either and yesterday, she took an unplanned three work day break and the manager gave it to her. When we tried to ask about it, he just said she was going through some stuff privately. Today, I saw her skipping school after lunch.¡± Okay, now that was serious because Clare never skipped school. She even told me once that seeing me skip school had added to her initially bad impression of me. I stood up and pushed the teacher¡¯s chair into the desk. ¡°Well, thanks for the observation and¡­for telling me about it. I¡¯ll take it from here and let you know, if it¡¯s not too personal, what went wrong with her. He stared at me for a few seconds with an inscrutable face before nodding and walking away. I, on the other hand, who only stayed at school so that Clare wouldn¡¯t see me skipping classes, immediately walked over to the parking lot and drove out of school to Josie¡¯s house in the mobile home park. I thought Elijah was being a sensible wolf for the first time in his life until I got to Clare¡¯s doorstep and found out that he had followed me all the way from school to Clare¡¯s house. ¡°Do you know that what you¡¯re doing is called stalking?¡± I asked through gritted teeth. He gave me a nonchalant look. ¡°I just want to know what¡¯s wrong with her and I¡¯ll back off. I know she doesn¡¯t want me, but I have the right to be concerned about her.¡± I sneered, ¡°What gives you the right to be concerned about her? Are you her friend or her relative or her boyfriend?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I¡¯m her¡ª¡° Thankfully, before he finished speaking, there was a clicking sound from the door to Clare¡¯s home. The door swung open and Clare stared at me and then at Elijah. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± Before I could speak, Elijah stepped closer to the door and said in the most earnest voice I had ever heard from him, ¡°He didn¡¯t bring me here. I secretly followed him. I don¡¯t mean any harm. I just want to make sure you¡¯re okay. Then I can leave. I won¡¯t disturb you. Just tell me that you¡¯re perfectly fine because I can feel that you¡¯re hurting and that¡¯s hurting me, too.¡± As expected, Clare didn¡¯t have any words to say as she just stared into Elijah¡¯s eyes with parted lips for what felt like hours. I wanted to interrupt whatever they were communicating to each other with their locked gazes, but something held me back. Eventually, Clare sighed and pushed the open door wider so we could come in. ¡°Both of you, come in.¡± I glared at the back of Elijah¡¯s head as he walked into the house ahead of me. I watched Clare get us a cup of water each while noticing the things that I seemed to have ignored because I thought she was perfectly fine. There were very dark bags under her eyes and from the back, she just looked so sad in the pajamas she was wearing. That made me very sad because she had truly been going through something like Elijah said, but she hadn¡¯t decided to confide in me about it. We all sat on different couches, staring at each other for minutes, not knowing what to say. ¡°Clare¡­can you tell me what¡¯s wrong? There are bags under your eyes when there were none this morning because you probably concealed them with makeup. Is something wrong with Josie or¡­¡± She was quiet for a few minutes before speaking. ¡°My mom died a year ago, this week.¡± Her voice was dull and when she looked at me with glassy eyes welling with tears, I could tell she wasn¡¯t looking at me. I wanted to reach for her, but I knew better than to interrupt at this moment. An involuntary sob escaped her lips as she continued speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t even know the exact day she died. I didn¡¯t know her illness had gotten so critical. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to see her in the three months before she died. I don¡¯t know what my step father told her was the reason I didn¡¯t come to see her. All I know was she died, my stepfather ran off and I didn¡¯t get to see her. And I thought I had cried enough and I wouldn¡¯t feel this awful, but looking at that date on the calendar, I get taken back to the day I found out she was gone and¡­¡± Elijah and I moved over to her side at the same time as sobs racked her tiny frame. Sitting on both sides of her, I hugged her and murmured several consoling words to her which Elijah just sat by her side, stroking her back in gentle, uneven patterns. I ignored the tiny tender kisses he dropped on her back, which holding Clare¡¯s head on my shoulder and stroking her hair in gentle smooth movements. After several minutes of silently consoling Clare, she lifted her head off my shoulder and sniffed. ¡°Can you take me to the rooftop again? I think I need some rooftop therapy.¡± I nodded, ¡°Alright, go get dressed. I¡¯ll drive you there.¡± She nodded and pressed a kiss on my cheek before turning to Elijah. ¡°Thank you for noticing that I wasn¡¯t okay. I thought I could bear it all by myself, but now that you two are here, I realize that closing myself off to the world and pretending to be happy was probably not the best way to go about it.¡± He stiffened and I could hear the nervousness in his voice as he answered, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling okay now.¡± She nodded and then stood up to go change her clothes. After we left Josie¡¯s house, we walked all the way to the parking lot. When we were about to separate, Elijah and Clare stared at each other while I watched from the sidelines. Elijah broke the awkward silence, extending his arms wide, away from his body, with his palms facing upwards. ¡°C-Can I give you a hug before I leave?¡± Clare hesitated, glancing at me, before moving toward him and hugging him. At first, her back seemed tense and then it slowly relaxed as Elijah hugged her, leaning into her so that his nose was buried in her hair. After the hug, Claire moved away slowly, moving to stand beside me. ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡± Elijah said with an awkward look before turning to walk away with his lonely back turned to us. I glanced at Clare and saw something akin to longing flash across her face as she watched him walk away. ¡°Do you want him to stay with us? Just for today?¡± I asked her. ¡°This is not a test or a trick question. I just want you to feel better and if his presence helps, then I don¡¯t mind.¡± She looked torn for a second before she slowly nodded her head. I nodded and called, ¡°Elijah!¡± He turned to stare at me with a blank expression, which told me that he had been listening to our conversation. ¡°Just come with us.¡± I said. ¡°Follow my car.¡± It was an order that he would have usually bristled against, complaining about how I wasn¡¯t yet his Alpha, but today he just nodded meekly and did as I said. Chapter 26 Clare What was once weird about two weeks ago felt like the norm as I sat in the makeshift cinema room in Sawyer¡¯s apartment with Sawyer sitting between me and Elijah. The room was slightly dark to aid our movie night, but none of us were really paying attention to the movie. Sawyer was on his phone while Elijah was petting the treacherous cat, Queen, who was happily rubbing her fluffy self all over Sawyer and Elijah but barely even touching me with her fluffy tail. The only advantage I could get was a squeeze or two of her soft paws before I got kicked away. Before she met Elijah, I had thought she just had a special preference to Sawyer which was why she only allowed me to pet her in short bursts where she just stood still with tiny purrs like allowing me to pet her was a service in exchange for my service of saving her life. After she met Elijah, I realized that Queen was just a partial cat who just arbitrarily chose whoever she wanted to give her love to. Somehow, Elijah and Sawyer had qualified, but I hadn¡¯t. Which was why the only reason she eventually left Elijah¡¯s arms was the smell of treat I had to use to attract her attention. While she ate the treats from my hands, I was able to enjoy rubbing her fluffy body with my free hand. Unfortunately, when she was done eating the treats, she pressed her paw against my petting hand to stop it, giving me a bombastic side eye that told me she was well aware of my tactics to get a rub in. After patting my hand in warning twice, she walked off onto Sawyer¡¯s lap, allowing her tail to drag over my hands. ¡°Queen, no, how can you leave just like that? You¡¯re killing me. You¡¯re breaking my heart here.¡± I said with a fake groan. Queen, didn¡¯t even give me a backward glance as she occupied Sawyer and Elijah¡¯s laps at the same time with the lower half of her body fixed on Sawyer¡¯s lap and upper half of her body fixed on Elijah¡¯s laps. Elijah dared to laugh as he started rubbing her fluffy face. However, unlike with me, she didn¡¯t just sit still for him to rub her head, she sat up slightly and rubbed her head all over his hands whenever he raised said hands to show off to me. She even had the audacity to turn around on her back to give him her belly, which made Elijah laugh even louder as I looked at him with resentment. ¡°Sawyer! Talk to Queen. She and Elijah are bullying me!¡± I released a fake cry, pressing my hand to my chest. To my surprise, Sawyer didn¡¯t join in our antics as he usually did. When I turned to stare at him, I saw that he was staring at his phone with furrowed brows and a worried, tense look. I nudged him with my elbow. ¡°Hey, are you okay? Did something go wrong with one of your jobs?¡± He met my gaze and looked away as he replied with a fake smile, ¡°No, everything is fine.¡± Before I could ask more questions, he locked his phone, pushed it into his pocket and rudely took off Queen from his laps, dropping her on my laps away from Elijah''s attentive hands. He was acting so weird that I didn¡¯t even take advantage of the time Queen was in my arms. Instead, I watched him leave the room without looking back once. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elijah asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head, looking down at Queen who gave me an inelegant snort before jumping off my thighs onto Elijah¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he does this sometimes whenever there is an attack on the stuffs he guards online. He¡¯ll be back once he has dealt with it.¡± Elijah said. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You know, I just realized that while you both bicker like an unhappy couple about to get a divorce, you seem to know each other pretty well.¡± I said, moving my eyebrow suggestively. ¡°We used to be friends¡­best friends, even.¡± He said, chuckling at my suggestive eyebrow movements. ¡°So what happened?¡± I asked, moving closer to him on the couch. He hesitated, and I moved my eyebrows suggestively, like a true Fujoshi. ¡°Did you develop feelings for each other?¡± Recognizing my facial expression from the time we had watched my favorite Anime together, he burst into laughter while shaking his head repeatedly. ¡°Not at all. He¡¯s straight, totally straight. Plus, I have never seen him that way. You can say that we were childhood brothers from different parents.¡± His laughter died down as his face turned melancholic. ¡°He just¡­he wanted to protect me from something by revealing a secret that I didn¡¯t want to be revealed. I¡­and that¡¯s basically how we fell out. He thought I was being cowardly by not just letting go of that thing that was hurting me and I thought he was being callous, without caring about the emotional, social and legal implications I would have to face if I let go.¡± I stared at him and grabbed his large hand with mine, squeezing them to try to give him comfort as I tried to figure out the best thing to say to make him feel better. That was when Sawyer walked into the room again, still with that tense look. ¡°Are you okay? Did something happen?¡± I asked. He sighed and then handed me his phone while explaining, ¡°I just took it off the internet but everyone who found a way to download it or make a screen recording as well as the original person who took it still has it. I would have to hack into each phone one by one to pull out the video. To do that, I need my dad¡¯s permission. Based on how far the video has already circulated in the pack, there¡¯s a high probability it already got to your father.¡± I pressed the play button to play the video and as soon as I saw what had been recorded, I turned to look at Elijah, watching all the blood in his face flush away until he looked like a white piece of paper. The video was a pretty sensual video of Elijah in the throes of pleasure as he got a blow job from a boy at the back of the school bleachers. As if to make Sawyer a prophet, Elijah¡¯s phone on the living room table started vibrating with the words, ¡®Dad¡¯ as the identity of the caller. Elijah turned even more pale as he dropped the phone on the couch, reclining back and covering his eyes with his palm as he muttered, ¡°He¡¯s going to kill me this time.¡± His words sounded a little exaggerated to me, but when I saw Sawyer¡¯s tense and serious face, I realized that Elijah¡¯s words probably had some merit to it. ¡°There¡¯s no need to panic, right? I heard the Alpha of the pack is pretty liberal and doesn¡¯t mind people¡¯s sexuality? Am I right?¡± I asked, looking back and forth from Elijah to Sawyer as Queen seemed to sense the tense mood and walked off Elijah¡¯s thighs to sit with her head curled on my lap. Unfortunately, I was in no mood to pet her right now. Sawyer sighed. ¡°My dad is not the problem. His dad is.¡± ¡°The highest he can do is yell at him, right? Or if he¡¯s super homophobic, I could pretend to be your girlfriend and you can tell your dad that you¡¯re bi and I¡¯ll be proof.¡± I suggested, my brain running several miles an hour as I tried to figure out why they were so somber. Elijah sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. The fact that I¡¯m gay is enough of a stain for him. Whether I like both girls and boys doesn¡¯t matter. The fact that I like boys automatically makes me an evil because when my mom ran away, she left with a female partner.¡± ¡°And his dad is not just going to yell at him, he¡¯s probably going to hit him till he loses several years of his life.¡± Sawyer explained. ¡°That¡¯s outrageous, right? How can he hit you?¡± I complained. Despite my problems with my mom and stepfather, I had never been hit more than getting a slap once or twice for ¡®running my mouth¡¯. ¡°He has always hit me¡­and my mom, too. That¡¯s why she ran away. He¡¯s the pack Beta, and he pretends to be this perfect gentleman outside, but he just loves to take his frustrations out on his loved ones. When anything happens, like someone talking to him slightly rudely at a pack council meeting, I get the brunt of it.¡± Elijah said. I watched a shiver of fear rack his body and started to feel tense as I pressed my hand to his thigh to comfort him. ¡°There has to be a way to stop him.¡± I said. ¡°There is a way to stop him, but Elijah doesn¡¯t want to do it. I¡¯ve told you, Elijah, the only way out is to tell my dad and file for emancipation.¡± Sawyer said. ¡°If I do that, I¡¯ll lose the only loved one I have,¡± Elijah said. ¡°He¡¯s not really a loved one if he hits you and hates you for your sexuality, though, is he?¡± Sawyer said. His words seemed to get to Elijah as Elijah stopped speaking and finally put down the hand he was using to cover his red-rimmed eyes. ¡°Even if I want to report to your father now, we have no evidence. It¡¯ll just be my word against his, and your father can¡¯t truly interfere.¡± An idea popped into my head immediately. ¡°Well, how about we make evidence, then?¡± They both turned to me. ¡°Tell me.¡± They chorused together. I shared my master plan and then, with some tweaks from Sawyer, we had a plan. Chapter 27 Clare The sound of someone getting hit hard was transmitted from the tablet Sawyer and I were looking at. I flinched and couldn¡¯t help fidgeting in my seat. If we weren¡¯t in a car, hiding away from Elijah¡¯s dad while monitoring the situation at Elijah¡¯s house, I would be pacing back and forth. ¡°When will your dad get here? Are you sure you won¡¯t go in and stop him?¡± I asked worriedly. ¡°No, my dad needs to see how bad it gets for Elijah and maybe Elijah needs to see this video so he can let go of his ¡®loved one¡¯ who delights in hurting him.¡± Sawyer said. If I ignored his tight grip on the steering wheel, I might have believed that he didn¡¯t care that the figure bending over the floor being kicked repeatedly was Elijah. However, I did agree that Elijah needed to see the monstrous look on his father¡¯s face and the depraved light in his eyes as he hit him. Even after I dropped the plan to help Elijah get evidence, it had taken several words of persuasion to get him to decide to get this evidence about his father, which we would use to help him get emancipation legally with Sawyer¡¯s father¡¯s help. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± Sawyer said, as a car quietly rounded the bend into Elijah¡¯s somewhat secluded house street, which was pitch dark and silent, showing that Elijah¡¯s father had even gone so far as soundproofing his home to hide how badly he hit Elijah. A dignified looking middle-aged man with hair styled like Sawyer¡¯s got out of the car wearing pajamas that were only slightly covered by the long coat he was wearing. The man glanced at Sawyer¡¯s car before bending down to pull a phone out of his car, shutting the door silently and then moving straight onto Elijah¡¯s front porch. I sighed in relief as the sound of Elijah¡¯s father¡¯s punches died down as Sawyer¡¯s father walked straight into the house without knocking and, in less than a minute, appeared on the video we were watching. Elijah¡¯s father¡¯s face turned gloomy at the sight of Alpha Jonathan Hawkins. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Beta Shepherd said in a stiff tone. ¡°If I didn¡¯t come over, did you plan to kill him? Look at your fists! They¡¯re bruised from hitting your only son! I should have known there was something fishy about the way Emily ran off without even telling me why, even at the risk of living as a rogue wolf. Turns out living like a rogue was probably better than staying married to you.¡± Alpha Jonathan¡¯s words were sharp and merciless, making Beta Shepherd¡¯s face contort into an ugly frown. ¡°Stay out of this. This doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Beta Shepherd said. Alpha Jonathan stood to his fullest height and looked at Beta Shepherd with a scowl. ¡°Doesn¡¯t concern me? Elijah is a member of my pack. Although you¡¯re his father and guardian, you¡¯re both under my jurisdiction, so if he wants, I can and will get him freedom from you. I¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Sawyer said, opening the car door and stepping out with the tablet in his hand. I rushed out to follow him so I could continue watching the video as Alpha Jonathan completely floored Beta Shepherd with his eloquence that Sawyer had undoubtedly inherited. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. When we walked into the living room where Alpha Jonathan, Elijah and Elijah¡¯s dad were, Alpha Jonathan was asking Elijah if he was willing to get emancipated from his dad under Elijah¡¯s father¡¯s watchful glare. Elijah seemed to have been hesitating, but when we walked in, his gaze locked with mine. I forced a smile, trying to encourage him to do what was right for him, but my smile could barely stay up because he looked completely beaten up, sitting on the floor, cupping his stomach with his hands with bruises everywhere my eyes fell on. Thankfully, something about my forced smile seemed to push Elijah to make the right choice as he closed his eyes and nodded in agreement with Alpha Jonathan¡¯s proposal. Once he got Elijah¡¯s permission, Alpha Jonathan started making plans. ¡°Good, you¡¯re going home with me¡­or Sawyer. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll call the lawyer over and we¡¯ll call the lawyer over and start the process. I¡¯ll get you a key to an apartment in Sawyer¡¯s apartment building and Sawyer will follow you back here to get all your stuff. If you need anything, just speak to Sawyer. I¡¯ll pay for it out of my own pocket.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this Jonathan! He¡¯s my only son. My legacy¡­he¡¯s supposed to be the next Beta of this pack after me,¡± Beta Shepherd said. Alpha Jonathan¡¯s face turned frosty. ¡°And who says he can¡¯t be the next Beta if he gets emancipated? I¡¯m giving you a warning now. We have a video of everything that just happened. If you go after Elijah even once, I¡¯ll bring that video to the pack council meeting and call for voting on your impeachment from the position of Beta. With how popular you are with the pack councilmen, I¡¯m sure you know how that will go.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this, you really can¡¯t do this.¡± Unlike the man who had been hitting Elijah spiritedly just a few minutes ago, Beta Shepherd sat on the floor, looking like a broken old man as Sawyer and I helped Elijah to his feet and helped him out of the house. ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to the pack hospital to get him treated.¡± Alpha Jonathan said as we moved toward Sawyer¡¯s car. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay, Dad. You can go back home. We¡¯ll take it from here. I¡¯ll give Elijah the keys to the apartment below mine, so you just need to call the property manager to prepare a contract.¡± After we settled Elijah into the back seat of Sawyer¡¯s car, I turned to find Alpha Jonathan studying me, which made me stiffen in place. He seemed to see my nervousness as he smiled and stretched out his hands with a smile. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Sawyer¡¯s father and the Alpha of the Hawkins pack. I believe this is our first meeting.¡± I was a bit surprised at how jovial he was being toward me, so I moved forward to shake his outstretched hands. ¡°Nice to meet you sir, I¡¯m Clare Parker, Sawyer¡¯s¡­Sawyer¡¯s¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t seem to say the word ¡®girlfriend¡¯ because I didn¡¯t know if he was one of those elitist Alphas who would be displeased with the idea of his future Alpha son dating a commoner, mixed mutt werewolf like myself with no birth pack of her own. ¡°Girlfriend. I know. No need to be too nervous. I¡¯m fine with you being Sawyer¡¯s girlfriend. In fact, I don¡¯t mind you coming over once in a while to our home for dinner.¡± He said, releasing my hand as he glanced at Sawyer, who had come around to where we were standing near the car¡¯s passenger seat. Was he trying to tell me that he didn¡¯t mind me dating Sawyer, but wanted me to know my place and not think of being more than a girlfriend to Sawyer? I didn¡¯t get to interact more with him, as Sawyer sent his father away quickly. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re scaring her. Just go home to your wife and daughter. I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± His father glared at him. ¡°What do you take me for? Your security agency? You just hack into my phone with live footage of my Beta hitting his son, get me to solve it, and then throw me away?¡± With a curl on the corner of his lips, Sawyer opened the door to the passenger seat for me to get in while speaking to his dad. ¡°Not at all. I just want you to go home quickly before Ava calls me worrying about you. Plus, Clare has a curfew and she won¡¯t be able to sleep well if we don¡¯t get Elijah settled on time at the hospital before her curfew starts. So just go home quickly. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± That evening, we settled Elijah into the hospital and by the time my curfew was almost starting, he had already gotten treated, receiving some pain relievers to help him bear the pain of his bruised ribs and sprained ankle. I placed a kiss on his forehead and got a smile out of him after I promised to come see him tomorrow with the honorable cat, Miss Queen. Then I left with Sawyer, who drove me straight to Josie¡¯s place, leaving only after giving me a warm hug. Chapter 28 Elijah I was frowning and nearly chewing into my pen when Clare appeared in the doorway, her familiar smile and scent bringing warmth to the cold space. The hospital room''s sterile white walls were starting to feel like home after two weeks, which probably wasn''t a good thing. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked softly. I smiled at her. ¡°Pretty good. I can¡¯t figure out this calculus assignment, though.¡± She moved one of the two seats in my room closer to my bed, which was haphazardly littered with papers, my phone, and a textbook. I handed her the paper with the assignment while staring down at my halfway done solution. ¡°I think I can help with this. Sawyer explained it to me last month and¡ª¡° My phone buzzed and interrupted her¡ªanother message from my father. I turned it face-down, my hand trembling slightly. Clare noticed but didn''t comment, instead launching into an explanation of derivatives that somehow made more sense than my textbook''s entire chapter. We were deep in problem-solving when Sawyer''s tall frame filled the doorway, his presence announcing itself before he did. "Ready to break free?" he asked, jingling his car keys. I stared at the keys for a moment, my mouth tightening into a thin line. Freedom was a loaded word when you''d never really had it. Clare must have noticed my expression because she squeezed my hand briefly, a silent reminder that I wasn''t alone anymore. The gesture meant more than she probably knew. We packed my hospital things quickly¡ªjust clothes, textbooks, and the few personal items that had made the sterile hospital room feel a bit more bearable. Clare insisted on carrying the lighter bags despite my protests. The three of us fit everything into Sawyer''s car, with Clare holding my laptop bag protectively in her lap. The drive to Sawyer¡¯s apartment building was short, but my heart seemed to beat faster with each floor the elevator climbed after we entered the building. My new apartment was just one floor below Sawyer''s penthouse apartment. When the door swung open, I stood frozen at the entrance for a moment, taking it all in. The movers had been efficient; labeled boxes lined the walls of each room, and the basic furniture I''d ordered sat waiting to be arranged. Afternoon light streamed through uncovered windows, painting patterns on the bare walls that somehow made the space feel both empty and full of possibility. "Welcome home," Clare said softly beside me. Home. The word echoed in my mind as I stepped inside, my hospital bags suddenly feeling insignificant compared to the life waiting to be unpacked around me. ¡°Now all we need to do is buy furniture and give this apartment some life.¡± Sawyer said with a smile as he walked into my apartment with Queen, whom he¡¯d gone to retrieve from his apartment in his arms. "We can do that by shopping online," Clare suggested with a subtle expression. I knew she was worried about me running into my pack members, and honestly, I was grateful. The thought of explaining my situation to anyone right now made my stomach churn. My new apartment was smaller than my dad¡¯s house, yet it felt very open and airy somehow. Maybe because it was mine, and I got to live here alone without having to dance to the tune of my father¡¯s whims and bad temper. Sawyer''s cat, Queen, made herself at home immediately, claiming my empty bookshelf as her new throne. Clare leaned forward, scrolling through the website on my laptop with full focus. "This one," she said, pointing to a gray sectional that looked comfortable and practical. "It''s simple, neutral, and it''s big enough for guests." Sawyer, perched on the back of a half-unpacked chair, leaned so far over her shoulder I thought he might topple forward. His eyes lit up the same way they did when he was breaking through a particularly tough firewall. "Too basic," he announced, quickly taking control of the touch pad. "Check this out." He pulled up a sleek, modular sofa with built-in USB ports and hidden compartments for cables. "It''s got wireless charging pods in the armrests, and look¡ª" he clicked through the features excitedly, "¡ªthe side table attachment has a cooling fan for your laptop." "We''re furnishing an apartment, not building a command center," Clare said, but I caught her fighting a smile. "Form follows function," Sawyer replied, already pulling up more tech-integrated furniture. "Oh, and this coffee table has programmable LED under lighting. We could sync it with your security system." I couldn''t help laughing. "I don''t need my furniture to double as a computer." "Everyone needs smart furniture," Sawyer insisted, showing us a minimalist entertainment center that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. "Think of the cable management possibilities!" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Queen chose that moment to pad into the room, heading straight for her favorite person. She wound herself around Sawyer''s legs before jumping onto his lap, settling there like a small empress on her throne. Clare watched them with a mix of fondness and frustration I''d seen before. She''d known Queen for months now, but the cat still kept her at arm''s length, only occasionally deigning to accept her attentions. "Still playing hard to get, huh?" I said softly, noticing Clare''s expression. She sighed. "I don''t get it. I''ve been around her plenty of times, but she still treats me like a stranger." "She''s particular about her affections," Sawyer said, scratching behind Queen''s ears. "Like her dad." "You mean she''s a snob," Clare retorted, but there was no heat in it. I moved closer to Clare, remembering how Queen had warmed up to me. "Here," I said, taking her hand. "Sometimes it''s all about the approach." We kneeled down together as Queen watched us with interest from Sawyer''s lap. I kept my hold on Clare''s hand gentle, showing her how to position her fingers. "She likes to feel like she''s in control," I explained softly. Sawyer slid down to join us on the floor, Queen still cradled in his arms. "Watch this," he said, shifting, so he was behind Clare. He wrapped his arms around her, helping to guide her movements. "See how she tilts her head when she''s interested?" Clare nodded, leaning back slightly into Sawyer''s chest as Queen finally stretched forward to investigate her hand. The cat sniffed her fingers delicately before pressing her head against their joined hands. "Finally," Clare breathed, delight clear in her voice. She was perfectly framed between us now, Sawyer''s arms around her waist, my hand still linked with hers as Queen began to purr. The moment stretched, warm and comfortable, until Queen decided she''d had enough attention and darted off to investigate an empty box. The spell broke, and we suddenly realized how tangled we''d become. Then Queen suddenly darted away, chasing some imaginary prey across the room, and we became acutely aware of our positions. Clare was still in Sawyer''s arms, her hand warm in mine, and none of us seemed to know what to do next. Sawyer cleared his throat and slowly pulled back. Clare quickly sat up straighter, her cheeks flushed pink. I reluctantly let go of her hand, trying to ignore the lingering warmth against my palm. We stood up and congregated around the laptop again. "Food?" Clare suggested, her voice slightly higher than usual. "Starving," Sawyer agreed quickly, pulling out his phone. "How about Miller''s? They''ve got the best burgers in town." "And those cheese fries you like," I added, looking at Clare. Her face lit up. "Oh! And their honey-fried chicken!" "Done," Sawyer said, already dialing. "The usual for everyone?" As Sawyer placed our order¡ªa double cheeseburger for himself, honey-fried chicken for Clare, and a classic burger with extra pickles for me¡ªI looked around the apartment. The walls were still bare, boxes still unopened, but something had shifted. The space felt different now, warmer somehow. Queen had returned to curl up on one of the unpacked boxes, watching us with half-closed eyes. Clare was arguing with Sawyer about how barbecue rather than hamburgers were the best food choice for our upcoming one-day school camping trip. The setting sun painted them both in soft golden light, and I felt something settle in my chest¡ªa feeling I hadn''t experienced since I was very young, before everything went wrong. This wasn''t just an apartment anymore. Somehow, without my noticing, it had become something else. A sanctuary. A beginning. A home. And as I watched Clare win the argument that barbecues were more suitable meal options for camping trips while Sawyer pretend to be annoyed about it, I realized that maybe home wasn''t just about the place. Maybe it was about the people who filled it with laughter and arguments about food and impromptu cat-petting sessions. People who made you feel safe enough to hope again. Suddenly, the prospect of sharing Clare with Sawyer didn¡¯t seem so distasteful. Maybe, with the two of them, I could build a family. My family, I thought, testing the word in my mind. It felt right. *** It took three days to get the apartment looking like somewhere people actually lived. Clare kept coming by after classes, her hand naturally finding Sawyer''s while they helped unpack. Queen had claimed the window seat as her second home, apparently deciding that supervising our unpacking efforts was her sacred duty. "Are you still coming to the camping trip this weekend?" Clare asked, looking up from where she was arranging books on the shelf. Her tone was careful, and I knew why. After everything that had happened lately, she was worried about how I would mingle back with our classmates. I focused on untangling a string of LED lights. "Yeah, I''ll be there." I had nothing to be ashamed of. I had never been ashamed of my sexuality. I had just been afraid that my father would find out and I would have to endure more physical and verbal abuse over the matter. As for everyone else knowing, I couldn¡¯t be bothered. I mean, it certainly hurt that only a few of my friends had called me to check on me since the incident and assured me that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but I wasn¡¯t falling apart over that. Besides, I was a member of the student council and I definitely had to return to school some time, especially after being gone for up to two weeks. This camping trip was a good way to ease back into things, let everyone say whatever they wanted and even deal with the unruly ones with my fist, if I needed to. "You sure?" Sawyer glanced up from his meticulous cable management project, and I could hear the concern underneath his casual tone. "I''m sure." I nodded. "Someone has to make sure you and Koda don¡¯t send half of the class to the hospital because of food poisoning this year." Clare leaned into Sawyer''s side, chuckling. ¡°They¡¯ve done that before? Moon goddess, I can totally imagine it.¡± "It was a mistake. We just picked the wrong vegetable." Sawyer defended, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Besides, I think we can blame that on the teacher who set the theme for the last camping trip. What a stupid idea to make us forage for our own food." ¡°You would sound so sensible if I wasn¡¯t there, and I didn¡¯t know that they provided all the necessary ingredients and only asked us to hunt for our protein. Probably because they knew people like you and Koda would find poisonous vegetables to ¡®garnish the dish¡¯.¡± Clare burst into laughter and it was only with Sawyer¡¯s grip around her waist that she remained on her feet. I watched the two of them as Sawyer amplified her laughter with playful tickles. I shook my head as I watched their antics. The jealousy and broodiness I felt from seeing them together some time ago was long gone. Looking at them, so naturally comfortable together, I felt a familiar warmth in my chest. Although their relationship still made me feel like a third wheel sometimes¡ªmost of the times, it kept me from retreating too far into myself with the warmth and togetherness it provided. ¡°Elijah, help me! Sawyer won¡¯t stop tickling!¡± Clare pleaded while laughing uncontrollably and bending her body to avoid Sawyer¡¯s tickles. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re on your own for this one.¡± ¡°Elijah!¡±