Chapter 3

When Averie regained consciousness, she found herself lying once again in a hospital bed. With her eyes wide open, she immediately scanned the room, ensuring that no monster was lurking nearby. Her search came to a halt when she saw the back of a man standing near the window.

"Who are you? Did you bring me here?" Her voice finally returned.

The man slowly turned around to face her. Averie was taken aback as she recognized him as the same man she had seen in the restroom before losing consciousness.

Startled, Averie flinched when the man tossed his jacket at her. "Put it on and come with me if you don't want the demon werewolf to devour you when it strikes again," he said, ignoring her question.

"Demon werewolf? Is the monster that attacked me really a demon werewolf? Does such a creature actually exist in this world? And why did it come after me? What does it want from me?" Averie found it hard to believe what the man was telling her. While she is aware of werewolves as a folklore and movie concept, she never thought of them as real. The idea of a demon werewolf is entirely new to her.

"Don't ask so many questions. You're being too noisy," he replied, his tone expressing annoyance towards her inquiries. "If you don't want to come with me, then feel free to stay here and wait for the demon werewolf to eat you."

Averie was filled with panic as she watched the grumpy man exit the room.

"Wait! I'll go with you."

Averie quickly got up from the bed and hastily put on the man's jacket before chasing after him. However, to her surprise, he was waiting just outside the door, causing her to unintentionally collide with his lean body.

The man's powerful arms embraced Averie's petite waist, securely holding her to prevent her from falling, while her hands instinctively grasped his neck. Both of them locked eyes for a few moments as if neither of them were willing to break the silence.

Finally, the man took the initiative to speak. "Are we going to remain like this forever? Or should I lift you in my arms?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you or hold on like that. I thought you had already left," Averie responded after she released her grip on him. She felt flustered, as this was the first time she had been so close to a man in such a manner. Even her best friend, Anton, had never hugged her before. "Where are you taking me? Can you please tell me your name and explain more about this demon werewolf?"

"Call me Lance," the man replied with just three words, and then he walked into the hospital hallway. Averie had no choice but to follow him.

Averie believed that Lance wouldn't harm her since he had saved her from the demon werewolf. Being with a stranger seemed safer than being pursued by a monster.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they got into his car.

"To your house," Lance responded.

"Why is the demon werewolf after me?" she asked once more.

"To devour you," Lance replied, again using only three words.

Averie started to feel frustrated with the man beside her. He seemed to be a person of few words as if he might perish if he uttered more than three words at a time.

"Could you please explain everything to me so that I can understand what is happening?" she asked again, growing more annoyed by his brevity in their conversation. However, to her disappointment, Lance remained silent until he eventually stopped the car.

"Where are we?" Averie asked, now not only irritated but thoroughly exasperated with him. If he hadn't rescued her earlier, she would have unleashed a torrent of words upon him like he had never heard before.

"In front of your house," Lance answered, then he opened the automatic door. "You can get out now, Lady."

"Hey! I'm not going to get out of this goddamn car until you explain to me what's going on!" Averie's patience was almost running out, so she couldn't help but raise her voice.

"Don't shout at me if you don't want me to throw you out of my car," Lance threatened her. "Now, get out of my car so I can leave."

Averie got out of the car without a word and strongly closed the door. As soon as she was out, Lance immediately drove his car away from her.

"Arrogant! Stern-faced! The most annoying man in the world!" Averie shouted while kicking the ground. Her annoyance with him rose to a hundred degrees Celsius. In the meantime, she forgot that she had just narrowly escaped death twice in a row upon arriving in her mother's hometown.

"Averie! Why did you just come now? Where is the car and your things?" Ernest, the caretaker of their house in the province, asked her when he came out and saw her outside the house. "And what happened to your arm?"

"Ernest!" Averie ran towards the old caretaker whom she treated as her grandfather and hugged him. "I missed you, Ernest. You're getting older, but you still look younger than your actual age," she said as she released him from her embrace.

Ernest chuckled and gently ruffled her hair. "You visit here every year, yet you still miss me? Anyway, where is the car and your luggage? Marvin already told me that you drove here by yourself."

"It's a long story, Ernest. I don't know if you'll believe me or not. But it's okay if I don't get my things back, especially my clothes, because I still have plenty of clothes here, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Ernest agreed with her. She calls him by his first name because he prefers it that way. He mentioned that he feels young when someone younger than him addresses him by his first name. "So what are you waiting for, Averie? Come inside the house because this is your home."

Averie entered their house and went to her room after informing him that she had an accident on the road, which is why the car was missing as it fell off the cliff along with her belongings. She didn't mention the frightening experiences she had encountered because she didn't want him to worry about her. Besides, she was certain he wouldn't believe her if she told him the truth. She should keep it to herself rather than make him think that she is out of her mind. After all, no one in the world would believe that she was attacked by a demon werewolf. No one would believe that werewolves existed in the world and they were living alongside humans. But the question inside her mind that she wants an answer is what the heck those demon werewolves from her?