Chap 9: Unexpected meeting

After dinner, Conal led Azura to the bedroom on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Lying on the soft bed, Azura thought over everything and the conditions he offered. If she defeats him, he will agree to return to Montana with her; otherwise, she must not appear in front of him and bother him anymore.

Azura sighed; she knew that she wouldn't be Conal's match. Because

usually, he was much stronger than her. If on the night of the full moon, Conal will have terrible power. Because he is the Alpha werewolf, her chance of winning Conal is only 0.01%. Even though she foresaw such an outcome, she still gave herself a little hope and accepted Conal's challenge.

She stood on the second floor looking through the glass window; she saw a family of three who were very cheerful and happy. They hold hands, walk together, enjoy life. Azura looked at them happily and involuntarily laughed along.

Yes, what Azura wanted was freedom. This time she came here to complete the quest. That way, when she returned to see Sir Henry again, she could set conditions for leaving that place. Although it was where she lived from childhood until now, it was like hell. Living there, Azura had never lived a single day for herself.

Suddenly, a knock on the door from outside, startling her. At the same time, Conal's voice resounded:

"Azura, have you slept yet?"

Azura was silent, walking over to open the door. When Azura opened the door, the scent on his body hit her face, giving her a pleasant feeling. Azura looked up at him; could this be his pheromone?

Seeing that Azura was still staring at him stupidly, Conal handed her a white long-sleeve t-shirt. Then he said in a calm but warm voice:

"I think this shirt will make you more comfortable!"

After saying that, Conal glanced at Azura's injured arm. Confusion was evident on Azura's beautiful face. As if there was mana commanding him, Azura did not refuse to accept the shirt from his hand. The smell of Bulgarian roses rises again to Azura's nose, gradually creeping into the bedroom. She clutched the sweater in her hand, not knowing what to say at this point.

Conal saw Azura's shyness at this moment; he gave a sly but seductive smile and said: "Then you go to bed early. Good night."

"Thanks. You seem to like white, don't you?"

Conal stopped walking turned to look at her with a puzzled look. Looking into her blue eyes, he suddenly became dazed. He sneered and then jokingly teased her in a very natural way:

"Are you trying to get to know me?"

Azura was confused; she hurriedly explained sincerely: "No, it's not. Because I see around you mostly white, even the office is decorated with white colors."

Conal didn't care what she said; he continued his joke. For some reason, every time he teased her, he found it fascinating.

Conal tilted his head to the side, accompanied by a captivating smile. Then, he looked straight into Azura's clear eyes and asked her half-jokingly, half-truly:

"Looks like you already like me."

Azura's face fell, her cheeks suddenly turning red. Her heart pounded in her chest, making it difficult for Azura to breathe. Why did he ask her so bluntly? Azura took a deep breath to regain his composure. She quickly balanced her emotions coldly replied:

"Perhaps you have misunderstood."

After saying that, Azura returned to her room. She felt that all of her emotions were mixed right now. Then, she put on Conal's T-shirt, which was a bit too big for her but made her feel comfortable. Significantly the Bulgarian rose scent.

Perhaps because Azura traveled a long distance with her injury, she was tired and quickly fell asleep. At midnight, the fever seemed to find her. Azura's whole body was hot; she felt no strength left.

While in a trance, she saw the figure of a tall man approaching her. Azura tried to open her eyes wide to see who it was, but her eyes were heavy, like someone intentionally blindfolded her. She panicked, trying to get out of this place, but she couldn't even sit up. Suddenly the familiar scent of Conal's body surrounded her. It's like a protective layer of charm. Azura felt a big, warm hand on her forehead. Is that person Conal? She whispered, vaguely:

"Conal is by my side."

In the morning, Azura was awakened by the laughter of children. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around, and then sat up like a spring. Azura recalled her dream last night feeling so embarrassed. Yet she dreamed of Conal – whom she had only known for a day. Didn't she think that she would notice him like that? Perhaps it was his kind treatment for her. That's why she had sympathy for Conal.

Azura reassured herself and got out of bed. She checked the wound on her arm; fortunately, it had healed. Taking the old cell phone from her backpack, she found three missed calls from Elmer at 6 a.m. this morning. Azura was about to dial Elmer back, but when she looked at the clock, it was already past ten in the morning, surprising her. Azura quickly got ready and went downstairs to the first floor. Maybe Conal has gone to the office by now, she thought. If that's the case, she's the only one left here.

However, unlike Azura's thoughts, when she went to the living room, she saw Conal and two other people sitting at the dining table talking happily. Azura was quite surprised by the sudden appearance of two strangers. By the time no one had spotted her, Azura was about to return to her room quietly. At this moment, Conal glanced at her again. Their eyes met once again, startling Azura. Seeing him staring at her, afraid to draw attention to the two people sitting next to Conal, she put her hand to her mouth to signal him to keep quiet until she left.

But there was no way Conal would follow Azura's will. He flashed that sly but charming smile again, and his eyes didn't leave her. Like he was purposely making the two people around him notice her. At this point, Azura began to feel anxious and resentful. And most of all, the feeling of being enchanted. She couldn't believe how there was such a beautiful person in the world.

Just as Conal wanted, two middle-aged people, one male and one female turned to follow his gaze, bringing their attention to Azura's body. Their gazes carried the surprise and, above all, the joy of the woman. She swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. The atmosphere that fell into silence now made Azura even tenser. In contrast to her, Conal was still eating leisurely; his face was still as if nothing had happened, even though she had signaled him with a pleading look.

Finally, Azura took the initiative to speak up; she couldn't be impolite in front of the elders.

"Hi guys, I'm Azura Helen. I'm a friend of Conal's."

The woman heard what she said and turned to Conal, whispering to him something she couldn't quite hear. Azura only saw him glance at her, eyes that seemed to be sending a message, but she couldn't understand. She saw the corners of Conal's mouth curl up slightly as if he was chuckling.

The woman then stood up, approached her, and greeted her in a friendly manner: "Hi, I'm Glenda Jane. I'm that kid's mother. And the other is Jethro - my husband. Come on; you come to dine with us."

Hearing Glenda's introduction, she was surprised and taken aback. What about Conal's parents? In her head, she began to jump numbers. Perhaps these two were his adoptive parents. Looking at their faces, they look so kind and gentle.

Glenda pulled her to sit next to Conal, making her very awkward. Her enthusiasm and affection made Azura unable to refuse.

"This shirt suits you!" Glenda smiled in praise, her eyes shining with joy.

Even if they were compliments for her, Azura felt that Conal's mother's words were full of meaning. She quickly looked down and remembered she was still wearing Conal's t-shirt. She looked up at his parents, and she saw the two of them smiling at each other. Azura smiled wryly; perhaps they misunderstood Conal's relationship with her. Could it be that his parents thought she was his girlfriend? She decided she needed to speak up to clarify the matter.

"Sir, I don't..."

Suddenly Conal's arm wrapped around her shoulder, then pulled her close to him, startling her, unable to continue speaking. This close and intimate distance made Azura shy; the smell of his pheromones hit her nose again, making her breathing a little unstable, her heart beating faster than before. At this point, she wanted to push him away from her, but Conal's arms were strong, pinning her tightly, preventing her from escaping his embrace. Only now did he say:

"As you can see, Azura is my girlfriend."

Azura was surprised, eyes widening at him. The blood vessels in her body suddenly increased their circulation when she heard his words. How could he make a joke about this? Azura was about to retort, but Conal stopped her in time; he looked at her with a stern, slightly cold look. She frowned, not understanding what was going on.

"Azura, what were you trying to say just now?" Conal's mother asked her out of the blue, which confused her. She stammered, trying to find something to say.

"I, "I didn't know you guys were here this morning, so... should...I hope you both will be sympathetic."

Mrs. Glenda flashed a beautiful smile and said, meaningfully, "It's okay. Maybe it was my son that made you so tired last night."

Glenda's words caused both Conal and Azura to choke on water. Mr. Jethro, knowing that his wife was talking too frankly, spoke to comfort:

"Sorry, you two. She said it was a bit disrespectful."

Then Conal's father turned to Glenda, feigning reprimand but adoringly: "Why say that? Conal has a girlfriend for the first time. So it's still shy."

Jethro said as he glanced at Conal with a teasing look. Azura sounded like he couldn't believe his ears. Like Conal's father said, he never had a girlfriend? And she was the first, but she was fake. Azura gnawed on a piece of bread glanced at Conal to see his face dark and stiff. She had to be very restrained so as not to laugh in front of the three of them.

She quietly ate and thought idly about Conal's love story. A perfect person like him would not choose a lover indiscriminately. At least on the same level as him. It couldn't be an ordinary person, like me.