1. Among the mortals

The streets of los angeles are slick with snow that just fell a few hours ago. A man stepped on the asphalt pavement, trying not to slip his boots every time he stepped on the pavement that was covered in subtle ice.

He was holding a glass cup filled with hot chocolate that was still steaming. And he winced every time he took a sip of the warm thick liquid. It felt too sticky and sweet on his tongue which was not used to any of this.

Nicholas furrowed his brows after swallowing one gulp of chocolate that still left a sweetness on his tongue

"I should have ordered pure coffee" he mumbled as he looked around "But I didn't know they had that here. Every shop here has an unrealistic menu"

He muttered while holding the cup with the logo of the famous coffee cafe in his hand.

He doesn't really need it anyway. He doesn't need a cup of chocolate or coffee to warm his up. The cold winters in Los Angeles are nothing compared to where he came from.

He wouldn't even mind if every single one of those icicles fell on his bare skin. But of course all eyes here will stare at him strangely.

That's also the reason why he stopped by one of the warmer cafes down the street, he needed something to make it seem 'normal' among them.

Something that wouldn't make everyone he met look twice every time they passed him.

Nicholas had come here several times, he knew more or less about human behavior better than the rest of his friends. Humans drink coffee that is too sweet when it snows and eat a piece of cake that is as sweet as the coffee itself.

One more sip of his hot chocolate and Nicholas thought the hot chocolate wasn't so bad. It's just that if it's not too sweet like this, he doesn't mind finishing a few glasses.

He took another step down the sidewalk when he came across a group of girls who automatically looked up to look at him. Nicholas gave them a faint smile. And he heard them giggling.

He couldn't remember how many people here had done that. Looking at him like he was the most foreign person they had ever seen. Although that's not entirely wrong. They looked at him as if Nicholas was dressed very silly.

Even though he had scrutinized his appearance several times in a large shop window, there was nothing out of the ordinary about him.

Except maybe from his height that towered between them. Whenever he was in the crowd, people would stare at his neatly cut black ink coat. Under the coat, he wore an equally black turtleneck.

Likewise with the pants and boots.

And oh! It's his eyes. Many of them here had brown eyes, but few had a copper-like color. And rich in gold like molten gold. He will consider wearing sunglasses after this.

Nicholas finally stopped where his instincts told him to stop. He was standing on the pavement under the flashing street lights, he stood there for a moment, ignoring the melting snowdrops on his light brown strands 

Silent there looking towards a minimalist cafe. The cafe has a glass wall that allows people from outside to see inside. Nicholas' eyes fell on one of the visitors. A girl sitting in the corner of the room, closest to the glass wall.

Her face wasn't very visible because she was looking down in front of a thin rectangular object that he was eyeing seriously. Her brow furrowed. Sometimes she plays with her hair between her long fingers.

Nikolai smiled. He couldn't be wrong again.

Standing here, he was worried that she might catch him looking at her like this, but she didn't look out the window at all.

Nicholas couldn't be wrong, the aura of his people, werewolves would always stand out. Especially in this world, among humans.

Although he himself was sure that the girl was completely unaware of it.

People passed by in front of him, but he was still observing the girl minute by minute. And how did she get here? To this world? Who brought her here?

Nicholas thought what reaction his alpha would give if he heard this news. The girl raised her head and looked out the glass wall. Like she could also sense someone familiar was watching her. Nicholas turned quickly before she could catch her gaze.

And this news is enough. The news about this girl's whereabouts. He stepped away from the sidewalk and left the cafe.

*****

Violet sighed and closed her laptop in a lazy motion. She stretched her fingers which felt a little numb after a few hours of doing her job.

Even though she was used to this, what humans normally do, she still felt strange at times. Her fingers were still stiff and tucked into the keyboard as she typed something.

She had just finished an assignment before being able to take a long vacation and was replying to several emails for an internship offer. She rubbed her eyes, her head felt dizzy looking at the monitor screen for a long time.

She took a sip of the cup containing the matcha latte she ordered. That's when her cell phone on the table rang,

"Yes, mom?" she greets someone who calls

Violet's brow furrowed when it wasn't her mother's voice that answered her.

"vacation plans? I don't have one yet" she answered lazily when her sister's shrill voice sounded from the other side.

Violet's eyes scanned the sidewalks and street lamps outside, it was only moments ago that she was sure with all her heart that someone was standing there and watching her. Not an ordinary person. The same person and from the same world as him. At that time her stomach churned.

"That's a good idea Tiffany, I'll call Isa" Violet answered her sister about planning a vacation to the village.

Violet pushed the unpleasant thought away and focused her mind on her sister. And his mother. And that they would meet soon. She missed them all. Including her twin, Isabelle. Violet laughed "Oh, you called Isa before me?" she made a made-up voice of disappointment. "That's not typical of you, and why are you using mom's cell phone?"

On the other side of the phone Tiffany snorted "I have no choice. You didn't answer the few times I called you"

Violet listened to all of her sister's ramblings before she said goodbye to end the line "Good evening Tiff, see you soon, soon" she hung up the phone and started packing the things she brought, including her laptop.

Her bones had been stiff since she'd been in College all day and she hadn't had a chance to lay her back on the bed. Soaking in warm water with bathbombs and aromatherapy candles is what she wants most now. Violet sighed before rushing towards the cashier.