SIX: An Indelible Mark On The Cursed Lycan

"Alex. Alexander!" Cindy spilled out playfully, her delight evident as she repeatedly called his name.

She really liked his name and couldn't stop herself from saying it every minute.

Cindy looked at him again, stood on her toes, and gently held his face in her palms.

"You have such a cute name. How dare you hide such a sweet name from me, huh? Hubby, huh?" she asked, smiling brightly at him.

Alex was stunned. No one had ever dared to touch his face without his permission, yet Cindy did it so effortlessly. Her playful question snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Cute name?" he asked, perplexed. He was definitely not associated with anything cute, neither in his appearance nor his personality. His aim was always to instill fear, yet Cindy seemed to be the manipulator, while he followed her lead like he had forgotten his purpose since meeting her.

"Do you know how excited I am to know your name? It feels like I've won a lottery," she said aloud.

Of course, Alex knew she actually won to have known his name. If it was a Guinness record, then she'd break it.

"Listen," he said, pocketing his hands. Cindy stood still, listening with rapt attention.

She stared at his appearance again, unable to stop herself from biting her lip. How did she manage to find this heavenly tall god? She knew his creator was being partial when molding him into perfection. He even looked better without a suit, with his fresh morning voice and disheveled hair.

Alex was talking when he paused, noticing she had drifted off. Cindy quickly looked at his eyes, gulping gently.

"I'm listening," she said.

"There are two rules to knowing my name, and you must keep each rule. Am I making sense?" he asked.

"I have a question," Cindy raised her hand, and he threw her a glare.

"Let me finish," he spat coldly, and Cindy slowly hid her hand behind her.

"Firstly, no one aside from you must know my name. Secondly, you can't call me by my name when we are not alone. It's that simple. Is it clear?" he asked.

"Can I still ask my question?" she asked, and he started walking towards the end of the room.

"Ask," he said briefly, and Cindy followed him.

"Um... Can we still have conversations even when I'm gone?"

"No."

"But—"

"No," he replied sternly.

Cindy gave a soft sigh. Perhaps, this was going to be the last time she'd see her hubby. Maybe, she'd probably make use of her time with him before she finally left.

Alexander arrived at the end of the room and pulled open the door to the bathroom.

"Go in," he told her.

Cindy looked at him and went in. Not long after, she found him getting into the bathroom too. Her jaw dropped quickly.

Even though the bathroom was big enough to contain more than ten people, she wasn't expecting him to join her. It didn't cross her mind at all, and now she was madly scared.

"W-why are you here?" she stuttered.

"I'm here for what you're here for," he said, and her heart skipped.

Cindy lost her voice for a few seconds. She watched him take off his shirt, revealing his hard, well-defined physique.

He faced her and caught her staring hard.

"Take off yours. Don't worry, you don't have to be completely naked," he told her, and Cindy released a sigh of relief.

She walked out of her dress and was left in her undies. This was the second time she was almost bare in front of him, and she realized she was a bit more comfortable with it now.

Her hand was about to reach out to the faucet, but his arm went before her. The water began to sprinkle on them, and before she knew it, he pulled her back against his wet, hard chest.

Cindy's heart skipped crazily, but when his lips touched her back, her body froze instantly. His lips??

Did he take off his mask?

Cindy's head was spinning with so many questions that she couldn't even concentrate on what he was doing. His lips trailed gently on her neck, and Cindy held her breath, moving at his pace. She seriously wanted to see his full face, but she was rather scared to turn around and glance.

His fingers resumed their work, reaching out to greet her stiff nipples. Her heart madly raced when he touched them, making them respond.

"Oh no," she muttered.

She wasn't comfortable with him doing this to her. Perhaps, she needed more time to get used to his touch.

His hand retracted after he noticed her body movements.

"You don't like what I'm doing?" he asked, still holding her from behind.

" I feel kinda weird," she said, gently biting her lip.

"Weird? Has no one ever touched you like this?" he whispered softly into her ear.

"No guy has touched me. I'm a virgin," she said breathlessly.

As soon as he heard this, he immediately pulled away from her.

Cindy wondered what was happening behind her, but she knew it wasn't something good. She was scared to turn around because he wasn't wearing a mask. Remembering that she wouldn't see him again after today, she decided to gather the courage to turn around and look at him.

"Alex?" she whispered. He didn't reply, so she gave up and turned. To her surprise, he wasn't there.

She quickly grabbed the soap and decided to take her bath. When she was done, she stepped into the room.

He wasn't there either, but another older lady was waiting.

"Good morning, ma'am. I was told to prepare you for your departure," the lady said.

Cindy's heart squeezed in pain. Had she said something wrong? Was it bad being a virgin, or was he expecting something more? She sighed and moved into the room properly to start dressing up.

---

Alex walked around the table, checking out the food spread across it. All the workers were watching him in silence. No one dared speak, and from the lavish scent, Alex knew the meals were excellent.

Soon, Thyme entered the hall with another girl named Jean. Jean was Thyme's girlfriend, but she was slowly developing feelings for Alex too.

"The private jet is ready," Thyme said.

"I know. She has to eat first to regain some strength," Alex replied. Jean skeptically moved closer to him.

"I heard what happened last night. I hope she's okay now?" Jean asked.

"She is. But the offenders aren't," he said seriously.

"Ha, they are definitely dead!" Jean exclaimed. She knew well that Alex's offenders didn't stay alive till the next day.

Soon, Cindy's footsteps were heard as she headed down the stairs, and everyone's gaze turned toward her. She was dressed in nice baggy pants and a crop shirt, accompanied by a jean jacket. Her makeup was natural, highlighting her cute face. When she saw Alex, she immediately quickened her steps.

Alex was scared she'd fall, so he quickly went towards the stairs and stretched out his arm. She approached the last few steps and held his hand before completing her descent.

"I'm sorry," Cindy quickly told him, and Alex was simply startled.

He didn't remember being angry, so why was she apologizing?

"Sorry for what?" he asked.

She looked at him and realized he wasn't upset like she thought, so there was no need to explain. Perhaps he left her alone so that she could finish her bath. However, this wasn't a good place to discuss what happened in the bathroom.

"Is that food?" Cindy's eyes glimmered. She rushed to the large table and quickly made a seat.

"Ale—"

Her voice halted before she could finish. She remembered she wasn't supposed to say his name when they weren't alone.

"Hubby, is this food for me alone?" she asked. The food was enough to feed everyone watching her in the dining room. She took a scoop of rice and offered it to the attendants.

"Come join me," she said.

The lady stepped back, embarrassed. Cindy stood up.

"Everyone can come join me. It isn't fair if you all watch me eat alone. Come eat, there's enough," she persuaded them, but they were all nervous.

"We are fine, ma'am," one of the men said, and Cindy turned to Alex.

"Hubby, please, can they join me? I feel bored eating alone," she asked, and Alex leaned on the rail, saying nothing.

"It's a yes! Come eat quickly!" she told them, like she was gathering kids to come join her.

They didn't want to disappoint the master's girl to avoid annoying the master himself, so they all gathered around the table. Cindy busily shared the food with everyone, and the table was soon cheerfully enjoying her company.

They knew she was different from the previous girls Alex had brought, and they hoped the master would keep her. She was so happy talking to random people, and Alex watched her in disbelief.

What was happening before him?

Thyme approached him.

"She's not weird; she's just doing what she likes," he told him.

"This girl keeps surprising me every time," Alex said.

"I'm glad she's down to earth, unlike those others who only want to impress you with their bodies," he said.

Alex remembered that she was still a virgin, and that caused a knot in his stomach.

"I'm afraid my dark world will corrupt her. It's better she leaves earlier before something bad happens," he said and began to move away from his spot.

"Cindy, we should leave now," he told her.

"Bye, guys! Have fun!" Cindy waved at them and left the table before rushing to him.

"I'm ready," she smiled, a part of her lip stained. Alex saw it, but something in him wanted to lick that part reluctantly. He pinched his eyes, pulling himself together before opening them again sharply.

"I'm sure they didn't teach you table manners, huh?" Alex said, noticing the stain on Cindy's lips.

Cindy touched her lips and realized what he was talking about. Her face turned red with embarrassment.

Before she could explain, he started moving toward the elevator, and she joined him there.

"Where are we going next?" she asked.

"Home. Your home," he said.

"Home," Cindy sighed.

She heaved a heavy breath. Did she really have to go now? She hadn't made many memories here and felt sad about leaving Alex without truly getting to know him.

She stayed silent until they arrived at the rooftop. They stepped out into an open yard, and Cindy's eyes widened when she saw a luxurious jet waiting for them. She was too stunned to speak and covered her mouth in awe.

Alex led her inside, and she followed, looking around like she was seeing everything for the first time. They sat together on an automatic sofa in an air-conditioned room with a wide TV screen in front of them.

Cindy couldn't help but wonder what Alex did for a living to afford all this.

"You never told me what you do for a living," she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow teasingly. "Why are you suddenly asking?"

"You seem like a super wealt

"I guess I am," he said with a smirk. "I don't do anything for a living. I guess I was just born to be wealthy."

Cindy didn't fully understand what he meant and began wondering if he was involved in something illegal. She picked up her phone, remembering Juan. She quickly texted her:

“I'm on my way home,”

“Tell my parents,”

Hoping to see Juan's reply, Cindy saw a call from her. She bit her lip, unsure if this was the right place to talk with Alex sitting next to her, so she cut the call.

"Who's that?" Alex suddenly asked, making Cindy look at him.

"Um... m-my friend," she said, and his next question made her gasp.

"A male or a female friend?"

---

AT Montana High

It's Friday morning, and students were going in and out of the school. Autumn didn't like Fridays because they often meant bullying.

She entered her classroom, hoping to avoid the bullies. As soon as she walked into the empty class, she realized something was unusual. It wasn't normal for the class to be empty during school hours.

The door behind her closed, and Autumn quickly turned around to see Riri and Hailey—her worst nightmare.

"You caused us trouble last night, you ugly fool! How dare you?" Hailey yelled.

"Get on your knees!" Riri ordered.

Autumn quickly obeyed as tears welled in her eyes. When was this hatred going to stop? She hated it. It made her scared to come to school, especially on Fridays.

"But I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you guys doing this to me?" she cried loudly.

Riri stepped forward and shoved a ball gag into her mouth. "Good. That will stop your irritating murmur," she hissed.

"Hands up!" Hailey shouted, and Autumn obeyed. They tied her wrists and placed a lit candle on her head, letting the hot wax drip down her face.

"How do you like this? Cool, right?" Hailey laughed wickedly.

Autumn shut her eyes in discomfort as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Ivan met up with his friends in their usual spot in the library.

"Why did you guys lock me out last night? It wasn't fair, dude!" he yelled.

"We all got home earlier than you. So, you're the problem, not us!" Felix spat.

"Do you guys really want me in your group? It seems you all hate me more each day."

"We don't hate you," Asher told him. "But we agreed not to involve ourselves with girls, and you keep flaunting yourself around that girl in our class. You're ruining our image, dude," Felix added.

"But I never said I liked her. I was just trying to help," Ivan explained.

"If you keep helping her, you'll have to leave our group," Felix said.

"So, you guys are okay with her getting bullied at school? Are you even human?" Ivan bit his lower lip hard.

"Hey, I think they posted another video," Scar said.

"Autumn is getting bullied again?" Felix asked.

"It seems fun to watch," Asher laughed.

Ivan gritted his teeth. It was time to fight for what was right, even if it meant leaving his friends.

---

"It's about time to wrap this up," Hailey said excitedly as students filmed her.

Some students had been invited to the classroom, and now they were in a group. Everything seemed like fun to watch, but not for Autumn. The hot wax burned her skin, causing excruciating pain, and the gag prevented her from expressing her agony. She was in a world of discomfort.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Ivan stepped in. He looked serious, and when his eyes fell on Autumn, his heart skipped a beat. He ran to her, throwing the wax away and removing the ball gag from her mouth. He held her face in his hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked, knowing she was far from being okay. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but she was relieved her hero had come.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do to them?" he asked, and Autumn bit her lip, her nose turning red with anger.

AT THE AIRPORT:

Juan was greeted with Cindy after leaving the jet.

Even though it's been just a night for these friends, it felt like two decades being away from each-other.

" I missed you!" Cindy chuckled.

" You're so fucking crazy but I still miss you!" Juan said and they hugged.

" My Mom is here?" Cindy asked.

" You have a lot of explanation to do," Juan said and Cindy shivered before guiltily walking to meet her.

Juan walked towards Alex who was standing quite afar.

" So how was the date?" She asked curiously.

"The date went bad and good," he replied.

" She's my best friend, brother. Why don't you try her for a month instead?" Juan suggested with a mischievous smirk.