*Sophia’s POV*
“Wow, you’re really good.”
I jumped. I wasn’t expecting to be disturbed. I looked for the source of the voice and saw a handsome face smiling down at me.
“Er, thanks.”
He moved closer to my canvas, cocking his head to this side and that to take in the image. His shoulder was nearly touching mine. I tensed at the feeling of someone being so near. I could smell his expensive cologne. I took the opportunity to look at him a little closer. He didn’t look much older than me, maybe in his early 20’s? He had light blonde hair, a complete contrast to my raven locks. His clean-shaven face displayed the sharpness of his features. I couldn’t work out his eye colour from this position.
He turned his face towards me, and I blinked. I wasn’t used to people being this close. “Do you do portraits?”
Blue. His eyes were blue. I shook my head. “No not really. I only do landscapes. Mostly of the river.”
I felt his eyes trace my face, feeling myself flush a little when he looked at my lips. “Why not portraits?”
I wasn’t sure what to tell him. I was going to sound like a complete loser if I told him it was because I had no friends and family. Well, I had a brother. But I could barely see him at the moment. Fuck. I missed him. Realising he was still waiting for an answer I tried to compose myself.
“I guess I just find landscapes easier.”
I watched him regard me, a small quirk appearing at the corner of his mouth. I got the sense he didn’t believe me.
He took in a breath and finally leaned away. “My name is Danny by the way.” He stuck out his hand for me to shake, I took it. It was so warm.
“I’m Sophia.”
He still held my hand and I wondered when he would let go. “Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
I cringed a little at the cheesy line, but his easy smile made me give him the benefit of the doubt.
Finally letting go of my hand, he faced my painting again. He looked as if he was thinking something over. I watched him cautiously as he sat down on the bench next to me. His strong legs were outlined by his tight jeans, his thigh almost making contact with my own.
“You know Sophia, you look very familiar. So is your name.”
I looked at him curiously. I definitely hadn’t seen him before. “I’m not sure why. I’ve never met you.”
“Hmm.” He looked at me intently, and I struggled to maintain his gaze. His confidence radiated off of him.
Finally he snapped his fingers triumphantly. “I know. You lived with the Drews right?”
My eyes widened. How did he know the Drews? “Er...yes. How do you know them?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Old family friend. Mrs Drew showed me a picture of you once when I bumped into her on the street. She mentioned your talent. Including your ability to do portraits.” He winked at me, letting me know that I’d been caught out.
“Well…” I shifted uncomfortably on the bench I was sat on. “I meant I don’t do them anymore.”
He chuckled and placed his hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket. “I’ve inherited my house, which has been in the family for quite some time. It’s traditional for each owner to have our portrait done and hung in the hall. I would like you to do mine.”
Inherited a house that is grand enough to have painted portraits? This man had to be well-off.
Sensing my hesitation, he added, “I will pay you of course. It would be like a proper commission. Should we say...£1000? Think of how proud Mrs Drew would be.”
£1000? That was insane. I couldn’t lie. I was in desperate need of the money. I told myself it would help get Jack back. He was right about Mrs Drew as well. Danny seemed alright. I had to try.
“O…Okay.” I managed.
Danny flashed me his perfectly white teeth. “Great!” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a card. “Here are my details. My address is on there too.”
I read the card.
Daniel Blatch
Red Moon Ltd.
21 Upper Grosvenor street
Mayfair
London
07849523132
Oh my god. Mayfair? This guy didn’t just have a lot of money, he was rich. Like super rich. I’d never heard of the company though. Red Moon seemed like an odd name and didn’t really tell me anything about what it could be.
Danny was watching me with interest. “Just call me when you can come over.”
The sound of a mobile went off, and I realised it was his. He pulled it out and checked the caller ID. His face darkened a little. “Shit sorry Sophia, I need to take this. Call me soon, okay?” Not waiting for me to answer, he brought the phone to his ear. Standing up, he strode off with a confident swagger.
My eyes fell back to the business card. My first commission. Not bad considering I was only 18 really. I took out my scarily empty purse, and placed it carefully inside the credit card sleeve.
After what had just happened, I found it difficult to concentrate on my painting again.
Before Danny had interrupted me, I was about to add more highlights to the water. Water was one of the most difficult things to paint, but if you got it right, it was stunning. One of the reasons I painted the Thames so much was so that I could practice.
The conversation with Danny had unnerved me a little, and I had lost track of time. I checked the time on my phone. Fuck. I needed to get home now, or I would be late for my shift.
I packed away my things as quickly as possible, and ran towards the station. It was going to take me at least an hour to get back to Croydon, I wasn’t sure if I was even going to have time to drop my stuff at home.
I worked two jobs. This meant I worked every day. This job was in a questionable pub called the Black Bull, not far from where I lived. I was pretty sure the landlord had only employed me because he wanted a young girl behind the bar serving the much older male regulars. After all, I’d had zero experience before starting.
As I continued to run down Tooley Street, I checked my phone again to see if I was going to make the next train. Suddenly, I hit something rock solid. I fell to the ground, my paint brushes and paints crashing onto the pavement. Thankfully, I’d clung to my easel, saving it from breaking. How could I have hit a wall in the middle of the pavement?
“I do apologise miss. I didn’t see you coming.”
I blinked upwards to find a captivating face looking down on me with concern. He eclipsed the sun, giving him a strange angelic glow. I shook my head a little, and started to get up.
I felt a firm hand on my arm helping me to my feet. I hadn’t hit my head, but for some strange reason I was utterly mesmerized by the stranger before me. His eyes were like bottomless emerald pools with flecks of gold. Almost inhuman in nature. His dark hair was perfectly slicked back, a smattering of dark stubble covered his angular jaw. His lips were full and parted slightly, I briefly wondered what they would feel like. Broad shoulders filled his tailored charcoal suit. The gold Rolex resting on his wrist glinted in the light. As he towered above me, I tried to work out his age. He was probably in his early 30’s, but he somehow seemed…older?
I still hadn’t spoken. I wasn’t sure if I could.
“Please, let me help you pick these up.”
Only then I remembered that half my belongings were still on the floor. Feeling flustered, I hurriedly bent down to gather them up, trying to stuff them into my shoulder bag as quickly as possible. We both reached for one of the paint brushes at the same time, for a brief second, our fingers touched. I felt a jolt go through me, like electricity, and I gasped audibly. He seemed to be a little surprised as well, and he was giving me a curious look.
“My apologies. Please, take it.” He handed me the stray paintbrush and I stood up.
“Thank you.” My voice was small and pathetic.
He seemed to stare into my eyes, as if he was looking for something. The concentration in his expression was intense. “What’s your na…,” he began, but I cut him off.
I didn’t have time for this. “I’m so sorry, I have to go.” I started to run again towards the station. This shift was more important than a mysterious stranger, no matter how good looking.
There was no way I was going to be able to go home before. I was going to have to go straight to the pub.
Finally getting to the station, I swiftly scanned my travel card to get through the gates, and bolted down the escalator. My boots clanged noisily on the metal steps. I made a last-minute decision to get on the tube. I would have to walk further the other end but it would save me waiting for the next train. It was the start of rush-hour, so the platform was already crowded. I weaved through as close as I could to the front, the screeching of the tube train getting louder as it came into view. I managed to squeeze my way into one of the carriages. I scanned for an empty seat, but there weren’t any. I stood to the side of the door so I could at least lean against the wall.
I was going to be on here for a while, so I let my mind wander back to the day I’d just had. My life had been fairly monotonous since leaving the Drews, and yet on the same day I’d had an encounter with two separate handsome men. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Something inside me had shifted, but I couldn’t work out what or how this had happened. I felt a mixture of fear and anticipation at the thought of doing this portrait for Danny. There was something that seemed dangerous about him. I shook my head. Perhaps I was being too judgemental. My life had taught me to be suspicious, but if he knew the Drews then I should be willing to trust him.
As for the stranger, well I would likely never see him again. I was surprised to find I felt a little sad at the prospect of not coming into contact with him again. His eyes had been so intense, so beautiful. Even though it was ridiculous, I was conscious of a notion of loss, like I would miss them. Even though my time looking into them had been brief.
*Sophia's POV* I left it a few days before contacting Danny. I still wanted to think about it properly. However, after a particularly crappy shift at the pub, I decided to call him. I couldn't bear to work in dirty places like this where men would openly stare at my ass and boobs. I waited till it was my break and then went outside. A gruff voice greeted me. “Yeah?” I could hear drum and bass music in the background. “Er, is that Danny?” “Who wants to know?” That response did not fill me with confidence. “It’s Sophia…the girl who paints? We met the other day?” His tone suddenly changed. “Oh Sophia! I’ve been waiting for you to call. How are you doing?” “Yeah, I’m fine thank you. Sorry if I’ve distu
*Sophia's POV*A few days later, I was working at the cafe. It was a Thursday, which meant that it was busy with a local photography group that came in to have a drink and discuss their work. For this reason, I usually looked forward to Thursday’s. The group would often show me the pictures they’d taken that week, talking me through how they’d captured a certain angle or light.I was in the middle of appreciating a particularly gorgeous sunset image, when I heard the tinkle of the bell that sounded whenever the cafe door was opened. I quickly gave the photograph back to the group and made my way to the counter.A man approached, although it was impossible to know what he looked like. His figure was imposing, but his features were concealed by sunglasses, a scarf and hood.I looked at him nervously, my image reflected back at me in
*Sophia's POV*The next morning, I woke up with a sense of anticipation and nerves. Now I had agreed to continue with the painting, I realised I was going to have to accept Danny. Along with whatever ‘business’ he was involved in.He had assured me that although not always legal, he was making decisions for the greater good. Surely that meant he was helping people? Perhaps if I showed my commitment to the painting, he would trust me more. Maybe he would tell me in more detail what he did. There was also something else though that was playing in the back of my mind. The more time I spent with him, the more he seemed to get under my skin. He was clearly good looking, but it was more than that. He interested me. There was something that hooked me in. Despite my little experience with men, I knew it was very likely that Danny was popular with women. I would have to guard my heart throughout this proces
*Sophia's POV*A few days later, I was painting by the river again. Danny told me he was busy, so I couldn’t go and add to the portrait today. Part of me was still berating myself for allowing him to kiss me. For kissing him back. Each time we kissed, it seemed to get more intense. Everything was happening so fast and I wasn’t sure if it was really a good idea. What even was I to Danny? Was I just the girl who was painting his portrait who he happened to be kissing on the side? Did he want something more? I had only had a few experiences with boys. I wasn’t a virgin. Although my first and only time had been painful and brief. The boy in question had been in my class, and was just as inexperienced as I was. I essentially had no idea what I was doing. Danny, clearly did know what he was doing. If he did want to take things further, I worried that I wasn’t going to be any good. Then it would be more awkward
*Sophia's POV*It was strange being in Danny’s room. Although it was huge, there wasn’t a lot in it. However, the item that was most obvious, was a massive bed in the centre of the room. It was the largest bed I had ever seen, and I vaguely wondered where he even managed to source big enough linen to cover it. Something about it made me feel a little nervous. After all, I guessed that he usually slept alone. Why did he need a bed of this size? The only explanation was if he was in the habit of having other people in it. Maybe more than one at a time…Danny caught me looking at the bed, and came behind me. Moving my hair to one side, he planted soft kisses down my neck. Slowly, he removed my jacket. I heard him walk over to a chair to put it down, at the same time, dimming the lights.I tried to breathe slowly and tell myself this was going to be fine. His hands were back on me, tracing
*Thales POV*I tapped my fingers impatiently against the top of my mahogany desk. I should be using the time to look over my accounts and schedule for the upcoming week, but I was still waiting for Louis to return with news. For a human, he was pretty decent at gathering information. Most of the people who worked for me were human, there were not many of my kind left.A firm knock on my office door alerted me to someone’s’ presence.“Come,” I called out, my tone commanding.The heavy door was pushed open, and the man I had been waiting for entered. Louis didn’t look like much. He was short and was starting to lose his hair. It made him look a lot older than his 40 years. However, despite his apparent willowy frame, he could definitely handle himself. Not that he could overpower me, but then, what human could?&ld
*Sophia’s POV*It was the night after Danny’s revelation. I was still trying to process it all. Part of me wondering if it was all part of some elaborate prank. Although now I had seen evidence, this was unlikely. Painting and drawing had always helped me process things, so I decided to sketch while I went through again, the conversation I had had with Danny.After he had told me what he was, or at least what he’d claimed to be, I had experienced the most bizarre combination of emotions. Firstly, I’d wanted to laugh. Werewolf? Was this a joke? I was pretty sure I wasn’t in a spin off of Twilight, so what on earth was he going on about? When I realised, he’d been serious, I felt a little afraid. If this man was mad enough to believe he was a mythological creature, then he was dangerous to be around. As he’d explained the concept of his Alpha status and how his pack was called
*Sophia’s POV*I had no idea what he was talking about. “What do you mean?”His lips quirked and his eyes sparkled. “It’s a wolf thing. It means you’re my soulmate. We’re meant to be together.” He moved towards my ear and whispered the next word. “Forever.”I gasped. Forever? I was only 18. “But…we hardly know each other.”He kissed my neck before pulling back to face me. As he dragged his thumb over my bottom lip, he smiled. “That doesn’t matter Sophia. You are mine. I love you, and you will be with me always.” There was a possessive edge to his voice.I blinked, trying to process what he was saying. I cared for Danny a great deal now, to the point I didn’t want to leave him. But love? I was far away from that. The way he had said it was as