To me, Magnus was no longer the same person he used to be.
His fascination with werewolves, to be honest, felt somewhat inhuman to me.
I decided that I had to convince him otherwise. Letting him meet that person and turn into a werewolf himself would be too horrifying.
That afternoon, I went shopping with Evelyn and Judy.
Evelyn didn’t seem to be in a good mood. “I feel so exhausted,” she said. “It’s as if my energy is constantly being drained. There’s such a chaotic mix of auras in this town, and the smell of animals is getting stronger.”
“Does that mean more werewolves?” I asked.
“Yes, or maybe other creatures. Last night, I sensed an intense aura of darkness near the party. I dragged Judy away immediately. Honestly, I’m so relieved you didn’t go to the party.”
I sipped my cola and couldn’t help but laugh.
Little did Evelyn know that I had gotten far closer to werewolves than she had last night.
One of them, in a frenzy, had even leapt right in front of me.
For a moment, I thought he would grab me, just like Leo had once done.
Thankfully, Kael had stepped in to protect me.
But thinking about it now, it was strange. Kael had already resolved the issue of my “sweet scent.” So why was I still their primary target?
“I’ve been feeling like things are dangerous lately too,” I said. “Evelyn, Judy, you both need to be careful.”
“We know werewolves are afraid of silver, so we bought a ton of silver jewelry to wear. They can’t hurt us,” Evelyn said optimistically.
Only then did I notice that Evelyn and Judy had indeed bought an excessive amount of silver accessories-silver bracelets, necklaces, earrings. Evelyn looked like she was part of some silver-themed fashion show.
“Seraph, you should get some too. You’re practically unarmed,” Evelyn said, unfastening one of her bracelets and offering it to me.
I quickly waved her off. “No, no, you don’t need to give me anything. I don’t need it.”
“Why not?” Evelyn asked curiously.
Then, as if realizing something, she leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Is it because of your werewolf friend?”
I nodded. Yes, I had mentioned him to her before.
“Are you sure he won’t hurt you? Can I meet him?”
“I’m afraid it would scare you. Maybe someday, when the time is right,” I replied.
“Does he know why the town has been like this lately?”
Evelyn’s question caught me off guard. I did have an answer, but I couldn’t tell her.
What could I say-that all these creatures were here because of me?
“He doesn’t know either,” I finally said.
“Well, if he doesn’t hurt you, then he must be a good wolf. I guess not all werewolves are bad,” Evelyn concluded.
“Exactly. There are good and bad werewolves, just like people,” I said. After spending so much time with them, I had come to realize this. Kael and Marek, at least, were ones I could trust. As for the others, I hadn’t interacted with them enough to judge.
“Where were you last night?” Evelyn asked, suddenly changing the subject. “Kael left the party pretty early. Did he go to find you?”
Her teasing smile immediately gave away her intent to pry.
I admitted, “Yes.”
“I knew it!” Evelyn exclaimed, nudging Judy’s arm. “I’m so jealous of your relationship. Kael, the guy everyone at school dreams about, secretly dating someone!”
She leaned her whole weight onto Judy’s shoulder. “Good thing I only admire him and don’t actually like him. If his admirers find out about this, Seraph, you’re doomed!”
“Then please, help me keep it a secret,” I laughed.
“Sure, but you’re treating us to this meal,” Evelyn teased.
“Deal,” I said with a smile.
We joked around as we enjoyed our afternoon tea. Evelyn, ever the gossip, asked, “So, Seraphina, are you officially dating Kael? Does Vivienne know?”
“She knows.”
“I’m worried she might hurt you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that easy to mess with. I’ve been learning self-defense recently. If anyone tries to attack me, I won’t let them off easily,” I assured her.
“That’s good to hear.” Evelyn finally seemed to relax a bit.
We spent the afternoon shopping and chatting, enjoying ourselves like nothing was wrong. The town seemed peaceful and harmonious, as if nothing unusual had happened.
But I knew better.
It was only during the day that things seemed calm. At night, the werewolves would likely come out in full force.
Evelyn suggested we go for a massage. “I’ve been feeling so tired lately. Let’s go together, Seraph, to relax a bit.”
But I had my meeting with Magnus on my mind. After some hesitation, I declined.
“Sorry, I don’t really feel like getting a massage.”
“What, are you going to have Kael massage you instead?” Evelyn teased, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath.
“Stop it! If someone hears you, it’ll be bad,” I protested.
“Fine, fine, I won’t mention him again,” Evelyn said, covering her mouth, though her grin remained.
“When will you bring Kael to dinner with us? I’m looking forward to it,” she said playfully.
“Someday,” I replied.
After parting ways with Evelyn, I headed to the restaurant where Magnus and I had arranged to meet.
Magnus was already waiting for me when I arrived.
We sat down and ordered our food.
“Seraphina, I’m sorry. Is it my attitude toward werewolves that makes you uncomfortable?” Magnus asked as we ate.
“Yes, it scares me,” I admitted honestly. “The fact that you seem to dislike humans so much is shocking and, frankly, a bit terrifying to me.”
“I’m sorry. I think you’ve misunderstood me,” Magnus said, his tone gentle. “It’s not that I dislike humans. I just believe that humans could be so much better. If we could borrow the genes of werewolves, wouldn’t that make us perfect?”
“But then humans wouldn’t be purely human anymore,” I argued, frowning.
“You’re absolutely right,” Magnus said, his warm smile never faltering. He didn’t seem to notice my displeasure. His expression was as comforting as spring sunlight, the kind of smile that could lift anyone’s spirits.
“I’ve thought about it more carefully,” he continued. “I’ve realized that there are so many flaws in that idea. Humans and werewolves are completely different species. Werewolves may be strong, but they sometimes lose control of themselves. And they’ve been abandoned by God, forced to live in darkness. They’re nothing like humans.”