Soon, the dishes Kael had ordered were brought one by one to the table.
The food was arranged on large plates, each presentation so exquisite it looked like a work of art.
I hesitated to start eating, afraid to ruin such beautiful arrangements.
“Go ahead, eat. What’s wrong? Does it not suit your taste?” Kael asked, looking at me closely.
He was so perceptive, immediately noticing my hesitation.
I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s not that. It’s just… this is my first time dining at such a fancy restaurant.”
“If you like it, I can bring you here every day.” Kael smiled.
He then carefully cut the steak on his plate, placed it in front of me, and swapped it with mine.
His attention to detail and gentlemanly demeanor were remarkable.
Now I understood why so many women were drawn to him.
It wasn’t just his strength but also the tenderness he showed in caring for others.
When I first met Kael, I was different from those other girls. I wasn’t interested in him romantically-I just wanted to sleep with him to get back at Vivienne.
Later, when I ran into him again, I pretended not to know him.
Back then, Kael treated me with a forceful and domineering attitude.
But as time passed, we began to understand each other’s rhythms.
He no longer acted recklessly and aggressively toward me.
Our interactions became smoother, more harmonious.
I had to admit, this restaurant’s high prices were justified. As I ate the steak, I could feel the difference-the meat was unlike anything I’d tasted before.
It was incredibly fresh, tender, and seemed as if it had been flown straight from the slaughterhouse.
As I continued eating, I paused.
I had never paid this much attention to the freshness of a piece of meat before.
Normally, as long as food wasn’t too awful, I would eat it without a second thought.
But now, I found myself savoring the meat’s flavor, even discerning the sweetness of its juices amidst the sauces.
This realization startled me.
What was happening to me?
I couldn’t help but ask Kael, “Do you think this meat is really fresh?”
“Of course. I don’t eat anything that isn’t fresh. Trust me, we have a high standard for fresh food,” Kael replied with a smile.
He added, “Anything rotten or frozen is just garbage to me.”
I thought of wolves in the wild.
They only ate freshly killed meat, never the carcasses of animals that had been dead for long.
Only scavengers like vultures would eat such food.
Even though werewolves now lived like humans, in some ways, their instincts hadn’t changed.
After dinner, Kael drove me home.
When we arrived at the apartment building, I told him, “You can drop me off here.”
“Aren’t you going to invite me up? The thing I brought for you is very valuable. I need to deliver it to your apartment myself to feel at ease.”
I was surprised. “What is it? Why are you being so mysterious about it?”
“It’s something good. And I need to teach you how to use it. Since it’s your first time, you might not know how,” Kael said, his tone laced with intrigue.
I studied him skeptically. “You can’t tell me now?”
Kael shook his head.
Resigned, I led him upstairs to my apartment.
When we entered, I noticed something strange.
Normally, when Evelyn and I were home, the apartment never felt cramped.
But with Kael here, the space suddenly seemed smaller.
It was probably because of his height and broad frame.
In this small apartment, he was like a towering mountain.
Kael made himself comfortable on the couch.
What had once been a spacious piece of furniture now seemed crowded with him sitting on it.
“Come here, Seraphina,” Kael said.
I walked over and sat beside him.
He pulled out a small bottle, glowing faintly green like something out of a witch’s potion collection.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“This,” Kael explained with a smile, “is something that can completely erase your scent.”
“Go take a shower first. After you’re clean, apply this to your body. Once you do, those werewolves and monsters won’t be able to smell you anymore.”
I listened quietly, then asked, “What kind of scent do I have? Why can’t I smell it myself?”
“Of course you can’t smell it,” Kael replied.
“Seraphina, let me be honest with you. Even among us, the scent we pick up from you varies. But ultimately, it doesn’t matter-the sweetness of your scent is overwhelming. Anyone who catches it will want you.”
As he spoke, a shiver ran down my spine.
I thought of a cake displayed in a glass case, tempting every passerby.
The cake may think it’s safe behind the glass, but anyone can see it.
And if someone truly wanted it, they could easily take it.
Right now, I was that cake.
If not for Kael and Marek protecting me, I might have already died several times.
A wave of suffocating despair washed over me.
The next moment, Kael pulled me into his arms.
He held me tightly, his broad hand gently rubbing my back.
The warmth of his palm seeped into my skin, calming my turbulent emotions.
“Don’t be afraid, Seraphina,” he said softly.
“I’ll protect you. I told you, I’ll always stay by your side.”
“But I’m still worried,” I murmured with a sigh.
“You can’t stay by my side all the time.”
“Don’t worry, Seraphina. Just take a shower and use this potion. Once your scent is masked, no one will bother you anymore.”
Kael let me go, his deep brown eyes glinting with a hint of mischief.
“What’s wrong? Still not going? Or do you want me to join you in the shower?”
Hearing this, I immediately turned and rushed to the bathroom.
Behind me, I could hear Kael laughing. He seemed unusually pleased, though I couldn’t understand what he found so amusing.