LIANAI stared at Zaylen blankly for a moment before laughing. "Gosh, why did you have to apologize first? I was gonna do it!"He chuckled sheepishly, realizing the tense air between us had dissipated. "I am so sorry for ruining your plans. I felt so terrible that I couldn't wait."Noticing the bags under his eyes, I gently touched his cheek. "I can tell."Zaylen smiled softly, a bit of relief washing over his features. "I guess you felt the same way as me."He looked at me intently, and I had a feeling he noticed the eye bags I tried to cover with concealer."Anyway, who were you bringing the coffee for in such a rush?" I asked, trying to change the subject.He raised an eyebrow. "Um, you were the one in the rush."I shrugged. "Oh, I just didn't want to be third-wheeling Sara and Jordan.""First time?" he asked.I nodded. "Yeah."He smiled wryly. "I am so used to it, I don't care at this point."I chuckled, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood. "You know, for someone who cla
LIANA"Where are you lost?" Zaylen's voice interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to the present."Oh, uh, nowhere," I replied, offering him a faint smile.He arched an eyebrow, studying me intently. "Hmm, sure about that?"I shrugged, trying to shake off the distraction. I would try to contact Colin later. Doing it in front of Zaylen would just be like showing a red flag to a bull."Yeah, just lost in my own thoughts, I guess.”Zaylen nodded, accepting my answer. "Well, wherever you were, I hope it was a nice place.""Not as nice as here," I quipped, giving him a playful grin.He smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Normally, flattery doesn't work on me. But in your case… flattery will get you everywhere, you know.""Oh really?" I teased, leaning a bit closer. "Good to know. I'll keep that in mind."Zaylen's gaze flickered to my lips for a brief moment before meeting my eyes again. "You should. But tell me, what's so intriguing in your thoughts that it pulled you away from th
LIANAZaylen's response was immediate. "Of course I do!" he exclaimed, a hint of enthusiasm in his voice.A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Great, so now you won't just be my boss at the office, but in my community too?" I teased playfully.He chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, not necessarily. I mean, I can be your ma—"Before he could finish his sentence, my phone rang, Colin's name flashing on the screen."Oh, someone is calling. I will get going then," I interjected, rising from my seat. "Thanks for the coffee, Boss," I added gratefully, grabbing my cup to go.With a quick wave, I hurried out of the café, a cup of coffee in hand for Jordan. After all, I told him I would bring one for him too.I couldn't just enjoy coffee all by myself with Zaylen and leave him to die. He must have been awake all night too; he needed it more.As I walked along the sidewalk, the familiar sound of Colin's voice filled my ears through the phone."Hey, Liana," Colin greeted me. "Any upda
LIANAAs I regained consciousness, the dim surroundings of the godown slowly came into focus. Panic surged through me as I realized I was tied to a chair, completely immobilized. What the hell was going on? Who on earth were these people and why did they kidnap me?My shock turned to anger as James entered the room. "Hey, nobody will touch her before I do," he declared, his voice oozing with arrogance.One of the men, presumably the second speaker, responded eagerly. "Sure, sure, but don't forget you promised us shares of her blood."What? Shares of my blood? The third man chimed in with a sinister grin. "Yeah, otherwise we wouldn't have helped you kidnap this beauty."James frowned, seemingly annoyed. "What did you guys even do? You were just inside the van," he retorted.The first man scoffed, his tone defensive. "Yeah, do you know how risky that is for us? Kidnapping someone in broad daylight like that?"James nodded begrudgingly. "Fine, fine. You all can have a share of her bloo
ZAYLENAfter Liana left the café, I sat there for a moment, staring at the empty seat she had just occupied.I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when I saw Colin's name flash on her screen. Why did he have to call right then? We were having a nice chat. It felt like it had been so long since we sat down and talked like that.Everything had gone downhill ever since James came back into our lives and decided to ruin everything by going on a killing spree around our neighborhood.Sighing, I pushed my coffee cup aside and got up.My footsteps echoed softly as I walked out of the café, my thoughts tangled with frustration and concern. Colin was helping us, but there was something about him that made me uneasy, especially with Liana.Maybe that’s just your pure jealousy — spoke my inner wolf. As I made my way towards the hospital, I couldn't shake the image of Liana’s laugh, her eyes sparkling and her nose scrunching a bit. She was so pretty and she had absolutely no idea how sm
ZAYLENFinally, after what felt like an eternity, my private investigator — the one I used to find stuff unrelated to our werewolf world — called me back with the location. The dash cam had caught the license plate, and we had tracked down the van to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. My heart pounded as I approached the building."Stay calm, Zaylen," I muttered to myself, trying to steady my nerves. "You have to be smart about this."Just as I was about to proceed cautiously, I heard it – growling noises coming from inside. My blood ran cold.Screw not being stupid! I burst into the warehouse, and the sight before me sent chills down my spine.There she was, Liana, in her full wolf form. I couldn't believe the sight in front of me.Three men were scattered around the place, bleeding from their shoulders, waists, and thighs, where she had bitten them and even torn off flesh.And now, she was standing atop James, her paw resting on his chest, growling angrily.James's
LIANAI woke up the next morning in a room that felt both unfamiliar and strangely recognizable. My head throbbed as I tried to piece together where I was. Just then, Zaylen walked in, his demeanor colder than I had ever seen. He placed a tray of medicines and a glass of water on the bedside table without a word."Where am I?" I asked, my voice still groggy from sleep."My bedroom," he replied curtly."Why?" I pressed, trying to understand the situation."You fainted, so I brought you here," he said, his tone flat and distant."Oh," I muttered, memories of the previous night slowly coming back to me. The events replayed in my mind, making me wince.Zaylen turned to leave, and panic surged through me. "Hey, are you mad at me?" I called out, desperate to understand his sudden shift."No," he replied, not even turning around."You seem mad, though,” I insisted, feeling the chill in his usually warm presence."Why does it matter if I am mad or not? You clearly don't think of me as someo
LIANAI took a deep steady breath, gathering my thoughts and summoning my courage. Knocking on Zaylen's bedroom door, I called out, "Zaylen, are you free now?"I pursed my lips, hoping he was free now. He just returned from the office an hour ago. I was hoping he was not in the shower or something right now, otherwise, I had to wait more.This morning, he had already left by the time I finished talking to Noelle, so I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to him until now. And this conversation was something I needed to have before I could move forward with anything else.I clearly couldn't go on a trip with this unresolved air between us. Zaylen meant way too much for that.After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened. My eyes widened as I saw Zaylen standing there shirtless. He was undeniably hot, with a sculpted chest and defined abs that made my cheeks flush involuntarily.And the fresh scent of him being out of the shower made him all the more enticing. His hair was ev