Reservation Night

    Right after sensing there was no threat in my dorm, I quickly jumped out of the bed and slid closer to the window, and pushed them close. Did not even get the chance to take a glimpse outside as I was in a hurry to replace my soaked clothes and bed mattress.

    The next morning, my helpless eyes could not help but shift directions towards those students who also stared at me weirdly from head to toe. Though none of them said a thing, I may assume that I have done something wrong.

    "Did I do something wrong?" I made it clear to my friends who have gathered around at our favorite table in the canteen. Three of my friends, Edwin, Jackson, and Nadine were present, having their meals.

    "Perhaps that was the result of being late on our first day of the class, dude. Good thing our professor did not appear in the room." Edwin teasingly retorted. But he was right. I was indeed very late for our first subject but too early for our second one because I woke very late after the nightmare.

    "I'm serious, dude. What happened?" I insisted before I set my backpack and grabbed my seat in between Nadine and Jackson. Still, my eyes were curiously staring at those students who kept their partly curious and partly furious gaze at me, especially the male ones.

    Nadine set her spoon and fork on her empty dish before saying, "well, you can't blame them, Ghino. You mated the hottest female in the States last night, remember? Just simply ignore them. Let them die with envy about how lucky you are."

    "Have you seen... her?" I shortly hold onto my breath when Prince Nathan, carrying his acoustic guitar behind his back approached in our direction. Behind him were his ten terrifying werewolf watchdogs, making sure of his safety.

    I remembered how furious he was last night after seeing me and Lilith got mated instead of him. However, don't know how, but his expression that morning got differed from last night. It was as though he forgot I mated his destined mate.

    "Have you noticed it?" Could not help but asked my friends out of curiosity. My eyes were pretty much sure his lips were slightly bent upward while staring at me before he and his watchdogs passed through our table.

    "Noticed what? The prince passing through with his sharp eyes on you?" Jackson asked back. Yeah, I almost forgot. Between the four of us, Jackson was the last person to know and sense everything because he was still a human."What is this mating thing anyway? I kept hearing those words a few times from the students since I got here."

    "Well, for being part of the pack, it is the part where our loser metallic boy was chosen to be Lilith's boyfriend instead of the prince. Got it now?" Edwin explained as he tapped my shoulder continuously.

    "What?" Jackson's mouth was enlarged and was formed in an O-shape. Large enough that I can even fit my fist in it. "You and Princess Lilith were boyfriends and girlfriends now instead of Prince Nathan?"

    Our backbiting about Prince Nathan got stopped when another someone with royal blood was approaching in our direction.

    "See it for yourself, dude." Nadine smiled as soon as Lilith and her elite friends appeared right behind me.

    "Babe, my shoes got dirtied. Could you please wipe it for me? I can't afford to see my ten thousand dollar shoes get stained. It was so disappointing."  Lilith babyishly announced.

    I, who will do everything to make her happy, crouched as further my body could and wiped her shoes with my bare hands.

    "Babe, it will not get cleaned if you will not use something with water. Could you please lick it?" Lilith added with a disappointing face. And I can't afford to see her that way on our first day as a couple.

    "What?" My friends questioned in unison. 

    "No. Even if you're a princess, you can't let our friend do that." Nadine stood up her disagreement in disbelief.

    "Come on, babe. Will you do it for me, please?" Lilith insisted. Even dropped her Lacoste hand-carry bag to the floor out of disappointment. "Or maybe I should just mate the prince instead of you. Such as a waste of time." then she picked up her bag and was about to turn.

    "It's fine. I'll do it. Please stay still, babe." I muttered back. Could barely stare at my friends' expressions as I crawled closer to Lilith's shoes and did the unexpected by licking her glimmering shoes.

    "That's enough. Please come with us, babe." Lilith suddenly tossed her bag at me. "I hate to say this but maybe you have to detach yourself from your loser friends, Ghino. You are my mate now. We are bound to be together anytime and anywhere. Seeing me with them might ruin my reputation." 

    She and her friends immediately disappeared from their spots. But my friends were staring at me as if they were telling me to choose them over my mate. I slowly dragged my gaze to my backpack on the table to ease the awkward and undesirable moment between us.

    "I'm so sorry, guys. But I have to go." So I picked up my backpack and shortly followed Lilith to their VIP table in the canteen. For safety purposes, Prince Nathan and Princess Lilith were given their special rooms in the canteen. They had to stay away from the crowd, especially during lunchtime.

    I know my friends were freaking mad at me for what I did. But I know as well that of all people who would better understand me is them. They knew how deeply I like Lilith since the world began. Since my world began.

    All I could think of to make it up for them was to treat them to our favorite place. My friends were important to me and my wolf. And so am I to them. But the opportunity to be mated with the one you like was a blessing. I can't afford to lose that opportunity as well.

    This kind of opportunity, I know, will not open my door even for another thousand years because they see me nothing but as a useless metallic boy. I was mated. And that's a relief, thinking I will only die being one of those hopeless romantics.

    Thirty minutes later, I was in a rush to head to our next room because I am already fifteen minutes late. Could not believe Lilith and her friends took half-hour for lunch while three to five minutes when I'm with my friends.

    As I stepped inside the room, everyone, including our professor, was staring at me. Based on my quick observation, they were gathered around by groupings. Perhaps I have missed a lot of things out of my fifteen minutes late.

    "What did I miss?" I muttered to my friends while catching up my breath. Sadly, none of them responded. Instead, they continued discussing with each other along with a new face.

    "Mr. Frost, you're late," says our professor in a louder tone to make sure everyone gets aware of my inconsistency. "Have you forgotten to recharge your metallic legs last night or this morning?"

    Everyone, excluding my friends, burst out laughing. Though I was used to it already, my heart was still a human and a wolf. That makes me wish the doctors could have just included my heart in their metallic operations for me not to feel pain.

    If could just bring back the time five years ago during the operation, I could have just told the doctors to replace my heart with a metal one so none of these things could have happened.

    "Kind of, Mr. Professor." And that was a fucking lie. Could not believe I lied to our professor. But the worst of all was I lied in front of my friends, considering that they knew what happened earlier back in the canteen. But that's the only reason I could think of that will consider me.

    Then our professor filled me in on what was happening in the class. They were grouped by four for a certain project. Sadly, because I was late for the class, my friends picked up one of our classmates instead of me.

    I tried to negotiate with the professor about joining my friends' team since it was I who was left alone and has no team of four. If I could not have a team, I will do the project alone. And honestly, I can't do that without my friends.

    Our professor agreed to my proposal, considering I have my metallic indifference. That was a total relief on my part. Sadly, my friends have straightly declined my proposal. They said I might have ruined their projects if I were part of the team.

    I begged Jackson since he was the group leader. Regrettably, his decision not to include me has undergone a team votation. And their unanimous decision was not to include me.

    Heading out of the room with a heavy heart, I left no choice but to solo our school project. And for my classmates to end up humiliating me. I could not blame my friends for that. They were mad at me for choosing Lilith over them. And that was my biggest mistake.

    After the class ended, I immediately went back to my dorm to change my clothes. I had to look better and more formal since it will be my first ever real date with Lilith in one of the prestigious restaurants in town. And I can't afford it if my friends could have missed it as well. To make it up to my friends, I also invited them for a free dinner.

    Delicious food and drinks were their lifeguards. Our stress reliever. It's hard for them to say no when it comes to free food and drinks. Even if I had to spend a few hundred dollars to make it up to my friends, I would rather become broke just to maintain a good relationship with them.

    Luckily, my instinct about them never ceases to surprise me. At first, they declined my offer since my wickedness was still fresh from their memories. But when I told them they will spend nothing in the restaurant, they agreed in unison. All I have to do next was to equally and reasonably divide my time between both parties. To my friends and Lilith's.

    After settling in, I rushed downstairs to hail a cab. Fifteen minutes before the schedule, I hopped out of the cab and marched to the said restaurant. The place was undeniably enormous. 

    Good thing I was wearing a black tuxedo, semi-fit black jeans, and black shoes to fit in with those men and women in their glimmering suits. Aside from that, it's the only way I could hide my metallic legs from the eyes of those judgemental people.

    And for the record, it was my first time to indulge in that kind of place. A place for the wealthy. I have no regrets about being mated with Lilith even if sometimes I felt constrictive with her terrible attitude. But I love her for that.

    "Excuse me, sir, may I know the reservation details?" One of the Reservation Officers greeted me with a wide smile on her face. She was tall and gorgeous. Perhaps one of the restaurant's best assets is that can magnetize rich and well-known customers to indulge in the place.

    "Reservation details?" I cleared out my throat, and paced my gaze back and forth, trying to remember if Lilith has left me something about the information for our dinner date. However, I barely remember anything aside from the time, address, and name of the restaurant. Unless there were other restaurants nearby with the same information.

    "Yes, sir. So we could have control over people who come and go. And for us to know and assist where your booked table is." The Reservation Officer explained.

    I don't have any further information about Lilith's booking details. But I don't want to argue with them anymore to make sure everything will go according to plan. I'm just gonna wait for Lilith to appear so she could tell them herself. So I distance myself from the Reservation Desk.

    To my surprise, Edwin's enthusiasm greeted my feeble eyes from the entrance of the building. I almost forgot I  booked an affordable table for my friends. So, I turned my face back to the Reservation Officer and said, "Ghino Frost. I booked one table under my name."

    One of the Reservation Officers suddenly nodded to her co-officer. "This way to your table, sir," she said.

    "Thank you. But I'm just gonna wait for my friends first." I smiled at them as soon as they got their vision of me in front of the Reservation Desk. "And, please tell let me know if Princess Lilith arrived. You can ask her about me if you guys thought I could not be trusted because that's what your eyes told me."