Chapter 3
I bit my lower lip when I saw the bartender's forehead creased. I'd been sitting at the bar area for more than five minutes, trying to figure out what the bloody cocktail drinks were made of.
I tapped my fingers at the counter while my eyes narrowed at the menu. "Uh, excuse me but what's this uhm... this Bloody Mary?"
The bartender sighed and shook his head. "You don't want that, kid." He grabbed a can of Coke in the chiller and placed it in front of me. "Just get this one and get out of here, will yah? I ain't Google, sugar."
I pouted and stared at the carbonated drink for a couple seconds. "I'm being nice here." My eyes drifted to his nametag. "Ryle. I'm serious. I need a drink."
He raised both of his eyebrows and pushed the Coke closer to my hand. "There. Now get lost."
I rolled my eyes and pulled out my bills to show it to him. "I got money, alright? I can pay for like twenty more." I shook my head. "It's not expensive to be nice to customers, Sir."
Ryle chuckled, his dimples showed as he rubbed his jaw. "Ah, little girl. You're totally missing the point here, alright? I don't know what magic you did back there with Big J but that's not gonna work with me."
He turned away from me to give a glass of scotch to the guy sitting on the other side. When the two started chatting about the "beast" who attacked the campers, I sighed and looked at the menu again. I didn't know there's something harder than Math.
If only I brought her phone, it's going to be easier to figure out which one of the fancy cocktails was best for a beginner. I didn't want to waste time and Ryle probably got tired of explaining things to me already.
I scratched my neck and began looking around, observing the interiors of the place. Its walls were designed with red bricks. There's a red vintage car sitting inside as a decoration near the pool table. Heads of wolves and a pair of swords were displayed near the bar area while several abstract paintings were lining up on the other side, near the bathroom.
I was busy checking the place out when I felt someone sat on the stool next to me. His elbow slightly hit mine, making me gasp for unknown reason. What was that? My body reacted as if I was hit by lightning bolts.
When I tilted my head to look at him, I swore my heart almost broke my ribcage just to jump towards his hands like it was an animal that longed for its master. He was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen; like a work of art that's meant to be praised.
Where the hell did those come from? I was never been poetic nor a big fan of her English subject? Why did that sound like I was possessed by Shakespeare or something?
Damn it, I couldn't even blink. His pair of gray with strands of green eyes reminded me of medows and storms, of unforseen comfort in the midst of a catastrophe. And look at those bone structures? His patrician forehead hid under his damp black strands, its tips almost reaching his thick, inky brows.
Holy mother of pearls, this guy's facial features must've been handcrafted by God himself. His narrow and pointy nose and sharp jaw matched his thin, reddish lips that seemed to be calling for every woman's attention. My attention.
Oh, goodness, he looked dangerous with the wet hoodie he's wearing but I couldn't help but admire his features.
Seriously, I needed exorcism with all the cringe words and stupid admiration I was having while looking at him because I didn't think that those, with all honesty, came from me.
Thank goodness, the guy looked away and turned to Ryle before I even fell off my chair. "JD, double on the rocks." He pulled out his cash and put it on the counter.
I swallowed when I felt chills ran down my spine. Why did his deep, husky voice sounded familiar?
I grabbed the Coke Ryle gave me earlier and opened it with my trembling hands. Good heavens, I didn't even know why my body was acting strange towards this man next to me. Was it because he looked like someone who magically popped out of a billboard? Or perhaps because he reminded me of someone I imagine whenever I was reading fiction books about hot, problematic heroes?
I was hopeless. Maybe I need to gargle holy water instead of Bloody Mary.
"Impossible. The Legion would know if it's true. They'd been looking for the beast for decades," I heard the guy Ryle was talking to earlier said to another guy.
The man sitting next to me took in a sharp breath. His fist balled so tight that his knuckles turned white. Was he... listening to the other guys?
It wasn't my intention to study him but I couldn't help it. His elbows were resting on the counter while his eyes were watching his glass of burning liquor, but with the way his jaw was clenching, I knew he was indeed, listening to the other guys' conversation.
"When you're done, go home, kid. Your coke's on me," Ryle said, earning my attention again.
He winked when I looked at him but I just frowned. "You know what? Fine. Just give me the same bluish thingy you gave the lady earlier."
Ryle pursed his lips for a moment then arced his thick brow. "You mean the Margarita?"
I gulped. Marga--what?
"Y--Yeah."
He shook his head while grinning. "You really ain't gonna stop, are you?"
The guy sitting next to me straightened up his back then pulled his hoodie off his head. "Just give her what she wants. You've been treating her like a joke since she walked in." He drank his JD and threw a sharp gaze at Ryle. "That's not how you treat a lady."
Ryle's smile faded. For a second, I thought the two would get into a fight like those scenes from the movies. Take goodness Ryle looked down and started preparing my cocktail. When he's done, he poured another shot of JD for the guy.
The guy sighed and rubbed his collosal palm on his handsome face. He didn't even throw a glance at me even when he obviously felt my stares. Somehow, it made me uncomfortable. My head bowed a little and I gathered some strength to talk to him. "T--Thanks."
He just gave me a nod, an annoyed one before he drank the last of his whisky. When he got up, he pulled out a few more bills then placed it under his glass before walking away. I couldn't help but feel bad. Did I ruin his mood? Probably.
Maybe everyone was right. It was a bad idea to come here after all. I didn't even know which drink to pick so what was I thinking?
Letting out the heaviness off my chest, I drank the blue drink in front of me. I winced when I tasted the bitter taste of the alcohol. How the hell did everybody loved alcohol when it tasted so bad?
I was putting it back on the counter when my heart felt something strange. When I noticed the group of men sitting on one of the tables near the bar area, I realized that they were all staring at me with lust in their eyes.
I jumped off my seat and stormed outside. Big John looked at me as if he was wondering how the hell did I get in. I picked up my pace and ran towards my car. When I realized I left my keys inside, I cursed another stupid cursed.
I doubted if I would be lucky enough to get in again. When I saw the guys exiting Tifler's, my flight or fight instinct took over. I put on my hoodie and walked towards the taxi bay.
It was too late when I realized it was a bad idea. The area was dark and rain was too heavy for anyone to see nor hear my scream when an unfamiliar van stopped in front of me. A couple of men grabbed me. One of them covered my mouth and nose with a piece of cloth while I was being dragged inside the van.
I tried to fight h but the guy on my right threw a punch on my stomach. My vision went blurry and the air got stucked in my throat, making me unable to breathe properly. Was this what I was thinking about?
Tears formed in my eyes as fear clawed my heart. Was this the payment of my stubborness? Was my life about to be over?
Was heaven listening to me earlier when I said I wish I could just disappear like my mother?
My eyes shut as pain consumed me. There was no use in fighting anymore. The van was moving too fast and my muscles felt too weak already. With the way they guys were talking, I realized there's no more coming home to dad to say my sorry.
I tried to stay awake but the chemical was taking away my consciousness. But just right before I drifted off into a painful slumber, I felt the van slammed against something. The door opened and I heard my abductors screamed as if their flesh were being torn apart.
Their plea for mercy was the last thing I remembered...
The next thing I knew, I was already laying in a king size bed. I was wearing nothing but a large shirt while a familiar man was sitting on the couch like a feral king...
Chapter 4 I must be crazy when I thought I was having deja vu after seeing the man sitting across the room wearing nothing to cover his chiseled upper body. For a moment, I thought I was still onthatdream. That weird dream I constantly had when I was younger. It was unusual for someone who's barely a teen to dream about herself between a man's arms. The faceless guy in my dreams were telling me words that eventhough I barely understood nor remembered, brought a different kind of feeling in my heart. Sometimes it would wake up the butterflies in my belly I didn't remember swallowing, but most of the time, I would fear him as if he was the reason why I died in my dreams. And now, the longer I stared at the man who's watching me carefullly from across the room, I realized his resemblance to the guy I was running away from in my crazy dreams. The dreams that made my parents bring me to a psychologist named Mara Le
Chapter5I DIDN'T realize I was so good at glaring at someone until I met Roam. When he caught my ass after I did the whole James Bond thing, he brought me back inside the house and settled me in the kitchen. Now what? Was he going to poison me?My eyes looked at him and I swore if my pupil--iris? Damn anatomy! Anyway, if it were lazerbeams, he would be dead by now but the bastard didn't seem to care. He even smirked as if I was the biggest joke he'd stumbled on. "What were you even thinking? You're in the middle of nowhere. If you managed to get out of here, you ain't gonna last 'til dawn in the woods."I glared at him. "I'm a girlscout, mister."He trapped a laugh by pursing his lips. "Yeah, right. As if assembling tents and singing camp songs are not the only things you did."An exaggerated gasp escaped my mouth. "How dare you? We did more than that you... you..."He raised both of his brows and folded his toned arms in fron
Chapter 6Half an hour had passed before Roam went back to the house looking like a ragged warrior. His shirt was ripped with blood stains, horrifying me. I knew there was something inhumane about him that was scaring the shit out of me, but when I saw the cuts on his cheek and lower lip, something inside me twisted.He pulled off his shirt, revealing more of his cuts on his chest ang back. Jesus! What the hell happened to him?I was left frozen on my spot at the living room, unable to blink as he reached for the first aid kit hiding under the center table. The fact that he was keeping it there and not in the kitchen made me assume that he usually gets himself into trouble.He dropped himself on the couch then looked up. "You okay?" he asked with a wrinkled forehead.Was he for real? "How am I supposed to be okay when you just changed eye color in front of me and then returned looking you just had an MMA match with a freaking be
Chapter 7 Roam OVER THE PAST decades that I was waiting for my mate's return, there was never a moment in my life that I didn't think of her. Her soft lips that used to whisper sweet words in my ear to calm me down, her eyes that spoke more than she could ever utter, her hands that fitted perfectly with mine, and even the tiniest thing about her, it all haunted me even when I was awake. She was my nightmare and my sweetest dream, while my love was her calmest sea and the same ocean that drowned her... With a halfway empty bottle of whisky in my hand, I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep. Her forehead wrinkled and she let out low groans as she dreamed of something, but no matter how much I was trying to convince myself that it's not possible for her to remember it all, I knew her bad dreams were about me. My hand held the side of her face as I looked at her with raw affection. I waited for so long and each pas
Chapter 8JemimahSINCE the night I dreamed about Roam transforming into a dangerous beast who preyed on me even when I begged him to stop, I kept my distance from him. I avoided him in any way possible. I dodged his worried stares, and shut my mouth whenever he was trying to approach me. It's all because of that fear I felt because of that dream, yet everytime he's letting out a frustrated sigh, my chest would feel heavy.How long had it been? A few days? A week rather since I stopped speaking to him? I couldn't remember. I already lost count anyway, but there's one thing I was sure of.My heart was not happy with what I was doing to him...I hugged my knees tighter when I heard his footsteps approaching the room. He stopped but didn't knock as soon as he reached the door, as if he was hesitating to do so becausee he knew I would not bother answer.My eyes watched the small gap under the door. He was standing outside for
Chapter 9IT FELT WEIRD. Sitting on the couch with a saucer of cake while Roam was next to me just gave me goosebumps for reasons I could not decipher. My fear subsided earlier at the sight of his sweet smile, as if my memory of him being a monster I should be scared of suddenly went blurry.I swallowed the piece of cake in my mouth before I threw him another glance. He was busy eating like me when I noticed the icing left on the corner of his lips. When he licked it off before he chewed, I felt my throat went dry as I watched his jaw moved.Dear God, I know my points in heaven have been decreasing eversince I got here, but for once, I'd like to blame you for sculpting such well-defined jaw...I looked away instantly when he gazed at me. My heart did the crazy drum roll-like beat again as I pretend to be admiring the cake I was slicing with my fork. This organ better behave before I volunteer for a transplant once I was out of
Chapter 10I COULDN'T help it. I just wanted to greet the morning sun when I went to the porch but after seeing Roam effortlessly cut the giant trunks of woods with his axe like he was Thor, I found myself staring at his sexy back like it was a once in a lifetime phenomena to have a sight of his majestic bod.His back muscles would flex with his every movement, yet with all the force I assumed was needed to cut such large pieces of woods, I wondered why he was not sweating as much as I was expecting?Not that I found it sexy when a man was doing manly stuff and their skin were sparkling because of their sweat. I was just... oh, right. I figured it out. Was it because he wasn't normal?"You nasty, nasty mind. Since when did you built allegiance with my stupid heart, hmm? He ain't someone to fangirl over," I murmured to myself. Great. Now I was sure I was losing my mind.I sighed and looked at Roam again but what he did next
Chapter 11ROAM made us dinner early. He tried to bring up something to talk about while we shared our meal but everytime it was my turn to tell him about my life back in my town, I would see him glancing at the clock as if it was a ticking bomb that would explode once the Sun was finally set."Sorry." He cleared his throat and drew his attention back to his pasta. "You were saying?"I heaved a silent sigh and reached for my glass of water. "I said many girls from my school dreams to be a werewolf's mate." I took a sip. "What exactly is that?"I saw the corner of his lips lifted for a sly smile. "It's uhm, like a soul connection. A unique one chosen by the Moon Goddess. Mates share a powerful bond. They get to feel each other's feelings, communicate thru their minds, and heal each other once the bond was established.""Huh. That's weird." I rested my chin on my fisted hand. "You mean to tell me that that's similar to lycan