04. Noticed & Stalked

 Clare P.O.V

 I gasped when Sister Maria touched the scarf I was wearing. Turning around and holding the scarf, I awkwardly responded to Sister Maria, who looked at me in confusion.

 "Clare, did something happen when you bought the eggs earlier?" Sister Maria was curious.

 I shook my head, then tried to find an excuse. I smiled while tightening the scarf around my neck. "No. Nothing happened, sister. I was just a little lost and cold."

 Hearing that, Sister Maria felt so guilty. She apologized, took my hand, stroked it, and said, "I don't remember if you've ever been there. I'm sorry. Since I heard there's a new convenience store around the church, I thought if you knew, I would ask you to buy some eggs there."

 "But I managed to buy the eggs, right? Sister, needn't worry. I've also come home and feel a little warm now." I said, leaving Sister Maria to wash all the dirty dishes at the dinner table.

 "Clare, you can do that tomorrow, it's cold outside, don't take too long, come in and rest." Sister Maria said, persuading me to come in.

 "Yes, sister, I'll do this quickly and then take a break," I answered, opening the back door connecting the kitchen. There was a well behind the dormitory.

 At first, I doubted, considering several people were watching me from the trees in the forest this afternoon. I'm scared they're still there, but I don't want to pile up homework, so I forced myself to stay out.

 Although I was afraid, I was grateful that no one noticed the bluish bruise on my neck, so I closed it with a scarf.

 I really don't understand that guy. Is he really my Fated Mate? Is that why I was immediately affected when our views met? But why did he call me an intruder? And what do they do in such abandoned places?

 It's like a dream. Did I meet my fated mate? That guy is an Alpha? 

 I touched my neck. It hurt a lot. However, after strangling and interrogating me without getting what they wanted, they drove me to the convenience store where I was going, helped me buy eggs, and then drove me back to the church.

 I could still see the man looking at me sharply when leaving the car, but I didn't see friendliness. I'm sure my wolf is not lying. That man is my Fated Mate, my Alpha. But the other thing to me is like saying that men are dangerous. Should I reject him?

 On a very quiet night, I quickly finished my work. I returned inside to rest while helping Vicky and Andy finish their homework. I tightly locked the back door, hoping no one would secretly enter this dormitory.

 All through the night, I couldn't sleep. The image of the man continues to dance in my memory. He was rude and temperamental, but his face was very handsome. His skin was very white, and the faint scent of perfume mixed with pheromones did not disappear even though he was inside a very dense puff of cigar smoke. Is this what it feels like when a wolf finds its mate?

 "She is like the embodiment of an angel that I often read about in fairy tale books. Or maybe he's the devil?" I muttered while touching my neck, which still hurts.

 ***

 That morning, the congregation had arrived, including Agatha, her parents, and residents around the church who always came regularly. All the church seats are always full, never empty, and it is as if everyone is very enthusiastic about worship, even though this is just a small church on the edge of town.

 "Hi, Clare,"

 A man greets me with his crisp voice. When I turned around, Hendrik Nollan smiled as he waved his hand at me. And the same man whom Agatha liked.

 "Oh, hi, Hendrik." I tried to be casual, although I realized that Agatha was glaring at me, angry.

 "I didn't see you yesterday. Did something happen? Because usually, you never miss a morning prayer."

 I smiled awkwardly. There's no way I could have told Hendrik the same thing. He would have known immediately that I was a bad storyteller. So I must wash the sheets and some dirty rags in the dorm.

 Luckily, the prayer event started soon, so Hendrik did not have the opportunity to ask me many things. But in the middle of the event, the church door that was originally closed tightly suddenly opened, revealing a man I had met last night. There he is, my Alpha.

 The man stood in a very expensive suit. He looked up and stared coldly into the room, watching the congregation fervently praying.

 An hour passed very quickly, shortly before the man left the church. I called him several times, but he and the few people with him walked quickly.

 "No, wait—" I called, but when he turned around, suddenly I was pulled and almost fell.

 Agatha blocked my path. She and Jane looked at me irritably. 

 "Why are you in such a hurry? Is there someone waiting for you there?" Agatha looked around. However, he was no longer there. Their car had moved away from the church, and I had lost him.

 "What do you want this time?" I asked, a little annoyed.

 "Hey, don't be angry. We just wanted to take you to lunch together."

 "What?"

 "Why be surprised? Isn't this great? Agatha never took anyone to lunch with her. You're one of the lucky ones." Jane smiled, and I knew it was always the same smile. Mock and it will definitely end badly.

 "I—I have to clean up the church, sister Alberta will definitely be angry if I leave." I reasoned.

 Of course, I have to. If I still need to, I can accept their invitation. I don't want to be messed with by them again. It's just that when I was about to run away, Hendrik even joined us. With a radiant face, the man asked what we were doing there.

 "Hey, I thought you guys had gone home with your parents. What are you doing here? Do you have any plans to leave?" Hendrik asked curiously.

 Jane and Agatha looked at each other. They smiled when they knew that Hendrik was watching them. With a smile on her face, Agatha answered.

 "No, I haven't. I just wanted to take Clare to lunch, didn't I, Clare?" Agatha stroked my shoulder with a smile, followed by Jane, who did the same.

 Awkward. I feel stuck in a situation I really don't want to be in. Agatha is unpredictable and probably planned to take me out to lunch.

 "Wow, that's really amazing. Clare, let's have lunch together. I don't think I've been out for a long time either." Hendrik agrees with the proposal Agatha has put forward.

 "Hey, are you coming too, Hendrik?"

 "Can't it be?"

 Agatha glanced at me; she was confused. But the great thing is that he quickly mastered the situation. "Of course you can. We would be very happy if you could come with us."

 His eyes were filled with happiness. After a short conversation, Agatha immediately asked us to leave. I was dragged away to a restaurant using Hendrik's car, although I didn't want to.

 It was a not-too-big restaurant by the beach, far from the hostel and church. Agatha ordered a lot of food, including lobster, fresh and very large crabs, pasta, steak, and other foods in the restaurant.

 "I'm sure if the chef will cook it a little longer, how about we go to the beach first?" Agatha took Hendrik, pulling his hand so that he would go to the beach with them.

 I was about to stand up to go with them, but Jane pushed my shoulder, asking me to sit down again.

 "Where do you think you're going? Wait here until the food is ready. We'll return after that," she told me.

 "We won't be long, Clare." Hendrik smiled as he stroked my shoulder.

 I can trust Hendrik, though not Agatha or Jane. Still, I sat there, waiting for the waiter to bring our order to the table. The three of them go to the beach.

 About twenty minutes passed when the food was done. Everything was ready, but they hadn't come back yet. I didn't have a phone, so I couldn't call them or leave the table because some of the waiters had been watching me.

 Almost two hours passed very slowly for me, with all the pairs of eyes that didn't stop looking at me, seeing how much food was on the table, but I had not eaten a bit. I began to panic because the restaurant waiters began to whisper to each other with eyes that didn't stop looking at me.

 After quite a while, finally, a waiter came to the table and asked me when I would finish the food because the table would be used for other customers.

 "Can I wait until my friends come back? They were playing on the beach."

 "But it's been two hours. We have a lot of guests coming for lunch. We need this table emptied immediately." The waiter pointed towards the entrance. There. Many people came for lunch but left again when they did not find an empty table in the restaurant.

 "Please, I'm sure they'll be here soon."

 "Stop that already."

 "But I'm sure they're—"

 "Hey, it could be that your friends have gone home, and you have to pay for all this food."

 I'm freaking out. No matter how many times I begged, they didn't listen. Even though I knew the church's phone number to ask sister Alberta for help, it would make her angry. Sister Alberta would not have believed me if I had said I was left at the restaurant by Agatha, Jane, and Hendrik with a lot of food.

 "You'd better see our manager. I'm sure you won't pay for all this food." The waiter grabbed my hand. Forcing me to go with him.

 I begged, but he didn't listen. Everyone was paying more and more attention to me, making me very embarrassed but unable to let go of the servant's hand. Suddenly, our steps were stopped. A tall man stood in front of us, staring with a pair of sharp twinkling eyes. That's him, My Alpha.

 "Sir, can you get out of there?" the waiter asked.

 But the man, instead, smiled when our eyes met. I remember him. He was the man I met last night on that deserted road.

 "He's with me. I'll pay for all that food, so let him go," he said.

 The waiter was astonished. But the man did not explain anything more. The waiter, who looked astonished, immediately let go of me and left us without any objection. Yes, me and that man.

 "What are you doing? Let's sit down and finish the food you ordered. You look starving, don't you?" I invited him.

 He took my hand and took me back to that chair. While I was still confused by his presence there, the man had already begun to enjoy eating the cold steak. One bite, then change to another food.

 I shook my head. "No it's not me. I didn't order anything."

 "Really, then who ordered all this food?" He asked with his mouth full.

 "I was invited by someone, but they seem to have abandoned me." 

 I turned my face away. Finding myself in a restaurant with a bill that wasn't mine felt embarrassing.

 "Really? It was terrible; maybe the bill could have been two thousand dollars or more." He told her that made Reese shudder.

 "W—what?"

 "Sure. This is all very expensive food. Is your money enough to pay for this?" he asked, but I remained silent.

 I know that he's not lying. All the food in front of us looks very tasty, with ingredients that may be good quality. It is definitely very expensive. However, what surprised me even more was how this man could always be in front of me after our meeting for so long. Is he really my Alpha? If that's the case, was it his wolf instinct that brought him here?

 "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" he asked.

 Does he know if I keep looking at him?

 "Of course I know. You're like carrying a magnet in your body, pulling me, and making me know what's going to happen to you."

 "Are you reading my mind?" I'm guessing.

 "My mind link only works when I want to. And now, everything you're thinking, I can tell, including whether I'm your Alpha, right?"

 I gulped the spit. This man knows everything, and I can hide nothing from him. 

 "Who are you? Are you the one who keeps watching me from the woods behind the dorm? If you're my Alpha, why would you do that?"

 The man looked at me with the same look—cold and piercing. It looked terrible simultaneously, but I can't take my word. I want to know, so I don't get scared all the time.