Julian POVOn my first day in Ashfall, I set out to unravel the tensions among the soldiers. Whispers were maligning Norman, accusing him of drawing misfortune through his own misdeeds. I dismissed the two Betas who were fanning these rumors.The following day, I tasked my Beta, Mario Gomez, to investigate the eleven rogue prisoners. Having been stationed in Ashfall for a month, Mario was well-acquainted with the border area. Now, three days had passed, and I hadn't received a single message from Cecilia.After reorganizing Norman's troops, I sat alone in the military office while sipping coffee. I was waiting for Mario's investigation report and also hoping for a call from Cecilia.Since parting with her three days ago, my heart felt as if it had been cleaved in two—one half floating weightlessly in the air, the other sinking deeply into a mire.On the morning I left, she didn't come to see me off, clearly showing through her actions that she did not wish to accept my love.
Cecilia POVJulian's voice, deep and husky, echoed from the phone.Even though I was in a bright mood, I still hid my emotions. He had no idea how many times I had practiced calming my breath before I dialed his number.After a brief conversation, I hung up the phone, afraid that he would notice my feelings if we talked any longer.I lay on my bed while hugging my pillow, unable to suppress the smile on my lips.Sleep eluded me. Tossing and turning, my thoughts fixated on Julian, and it made me unbelievably turned on. It felt unhealthy, how fervently I thought of him, and my body started heating up as I ached for his touch."You have got to be kidding me!" I groaned and pushed the covers away because it was too hot.After that, I reached down between my legs, knowing there was no other way I would be able to sleep unless I relieved myself. I didn't take it slow since I was already wet just from thinking about him. When I touched my clit, I let out a small moan and kept rub
Cecilia POV'How does Ariel know? Does Julian know about what she mentioned in the email? Is he in danger?'These questions raced through my mind as I scrolled through my phone, only to realize I didn't have Ariel's number saved. I responded to her email, pressing for details on how she came across such critical information.Every half hour, I would check my inbox to see if there was any reply back from her. However, I still hadn't received a response from her after waiting the entire afternoon. I called Julian to inform him of the situation. He hadn't heard anything related but promised to dispatch scouts to verify the claims.After everything I did, I was still feeling uneasy. Hence, I called Hogan directly.At my family's funeral a week ago, he told me that I could reach out to him if I needed help with anything."A human hacker relayed this to you?" Hogan's skepticism was palpable through the phone. "Why would a human be entangled in werewolf politics?""But Ariel has
Cecilia POV"What? The flight is canceled?""Yes. Ashfall's airport was bombed two months ago and hasn't been repaired yet," the airport staff explained politely.It was my oversight to rush out without checking the flight schedules. Now, I was left with no option but to drive to the train station.The station, aged and worn, had a train that wouldn't depart until 5.00PM, meaning I wouldn't reach Ashfall until the following evening at 7.00PM.'You should get a pilot's license. At this rate, the battle will be over by the time we reach there,' Nana quipped.There was actually a helicopter back at the manor. Mark had once promised to teach me to fly, but I never got the chance to wait for that day to arrive."Fine. I promise I'll get my license this year," I said. Settling into the train's sleeping car, I flipped the blanket, only to recoil at the sight of yellow stains. With a grimace, I tossed it aside.The air inside the carriage was stifling, a pungent mix of sweat, feet, che
Cecilia POVI finally saw what had happened.A purple-haired vampire was drinking the boss' blood.Even though vampires could teleport instantly, the speed displayed by this vampire was extraordinary."Ugh! Your blood stinks!" the vampire lifted her head and grumbled.At that moment, recognition dawned on me. It was exactly who I thought."Zara?""Cecilia!"We both shouted each other's names in surprise.Zara Patel was a schoolmate of mine from Cumber School.A few years ago, she was turned into a vampire by an ancient noble vampire family and became one of them. Since then, her age was forever frozen at 18. When we first met, I was 16 while she was 18. Now, I was already 19, yet she was still 18.Our first encounter wasn't exactly a pleasant memory.When I first had my shift at 16, I couldn't control Nana and accidentally smashed all of Zara's makeup. Although I apologized afterward, Zara insisted on teaching me a lesson since she had her family to support her.Back then,
Cecilia POV"Gunnar Nunez." He straightened his back, clearly refusing to back down, not showing an ounce of fear.I locked eyes with him, feeling an odd sense of familiarity in his features. "This isn't your first time, is it? How many of you are there?"He stayed silent, arrogance written all over his face.I delivered a sharp slap across his cheek. "Stop the tough act. You're nothing but a coward, preying on helpless women!""We only wanted the money. No one was supposed to get hurt. We didn't expect vampires and shifters like you to be riding on some run-down train. "Even the cops won't care. They'll lock us up for a while, and that's it. How about you just let us go?" pleaded another robber, now cowering on the ground."What about the mother and daughter who begged for their lives? What did you do?" I crushed the robber's hand under my boot with a satisfying crack."They're just ordinary, worthless humans. Why are you protecting them?" Gunnar finally spoke."You're part
Julian POVTwo nights ago, after Cecilia told me over the phone about the collusion between the Western Kingdom and the Northern Territory, I had my people dig into Ariel's background.Oddly enough, even though Cecilia said they were classmates, there was no record of Ariel ever enrolling at Cumber School. Her digital footprint was a complete blank.Was Ariel even real?Hogan suspected Cecilia might be concocting this story to incite conflict between us and the Rogue King of the Western Kingdom, perhaps as revenge for her family. But I didn't see her as that type of person.If Ariel was indeed the top-tier hacker Cecilia described, erasing her online existence would be well within her capabilities."Have the scouts we sent near Ashfall reported back yet?" I queried Mario, reclining in my chair at the base office."We sent three, but nothing suspicious has surfaced so far," he replied, lighting a cigarette. The smoke drifted up lazily."Keep looking.""You really trust Cecilia?
Julian POVOriginally converted from an abandoned factory workers' dormitory, the camp's dorm rooms had charm but lacked proper soundproofing—a fact I discovered only after we returned to our respective rooms for the night.As I lay on the bed, I could hear Cecilia opening the wardrobe, dragging the stool, and humming a tune. At this moment, it all still seemed surreal to me. I couldn't believe that she was in the room next to mine now, and I could easily meet her.'Can you please stop eavesdropping? You're behaving like a real freak!' Zevin scoffed at me."The hell! I'm not eavesdropping, okay? It's not my fault that the soundproofing here is bad!"'Liar! You clearly perked up your ears and eavesdropped just now. Why don't you just make a hole in the wall? That way, you can even peep at her.'Just as I was about to retort, Cecilia mind-linked me from the next room. "Why is there no bathroom in the room?""This place used to be a workers' dormitory, so there's only one communa