“I think I might hurt you, Magnus,” I confessed honestly.
Magnus and I didn’t share the same views on everything, but I didn’t want to hurt him over something trivial.
After hearing my words, Magnus fell silent, then sighed. “I don’t care, Seraphina. I like you. I’m willing to stay by your side and help you through your lowest points. If I gave up over something this small, what right would I have to say I like you?”
His words unexpectedly moved me.
“Then, can you promise me one thing? Stop involving yourself with anything related to werewolves. Just live as a regular human, okay?”
Magnus hesitated for a moment but then smiled. “Alright. Werewolves aren’t all that great anyway. If I can’t be with the one I love, then none of it matters.”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but smile. I nodded at him. “If you’re serious about this, then perhaps we can give it a try.”
“Really?” Magnus’s eyes lit up instantly, as if my words had given him immense encouragement.
“Of course. If one day I can truly heal the wounds in my heart, maybe we could become more than just friends.”
Thinking about it, if Magnus was a normal person with similar values to mine, maybe we really could make it work.
Kael was wonderful, but I never felt secure with him. We weren’t the same species, after all. I could never truly be with him.
But Magnus was different. He was human, like me. His entire life followed the trajectory of an ordinary person.
And I thought, perhaps he was the best kind of ordinary person I could ever hope to find.
It was exactly because he was so good that I didn’t want to hurt him. I needed to take things slow.
Although, just earlier, he had already tried to kiss me.
“I’ll take you home,” Magnus offered, visibly happy. He grabbed my arm and led me to his parked car.
He was so considerate-he even got out of the car to open the door for me when we arrived.
“See you next time, Seraphina,” Magnus said with a smile.
For some reason, his gaze felt like an embrace, warm and comforting.
I turned and walked into my apartment without looking back.
Once I was inside, my heart was still racing wildly. Damn it. I pressed a hand to my chest.
Everything that happened tonight was beyond my expectations.
Magnus had tried to kiss me. And-he hypnotized me!
At times tonight, his demeanor felt like that of a completely different person.
I should’ve been furious, but somehow, after he coaxed me a few times, my anger dissipated.
“Seraphina, who was that man?” Marek suddenly appeared, startling me.
He was like a shadow, materializing in front of me in an instant. I instinctively stepped back, clutching my chest.
“Why do you always sneak up on me? You scared me to death!”
“Alright, I’ll make sure to notify you next time before I show up.”
“You should.”
“So, that man-he seemed close to you. Are you two… a couple?” Marek’s face was filled with confusion.
“We werewolves usually mate for life, one partner only. But you humans… do you have multiple partners?”
“No, no, no! We’re faithful too,” I said quickly, worried he might misunderstand.
I hadn’t forgotten the time when Lucian and Vivienne hurt me.
How could I ever accept being with multiple men? That would make me no better than a perpetrator, hurting others the same way I’d been hurt.
“I can’t do something like that,” I added firmly.
“Then, what about that man?” Marek pressed, still puzzled.
“I just don’t think my relationship with Kael will last,” I admitted. “He’s a werewolf, and I’m human. Have you ever heard of a human and a werewolf living happily ever after?”
Marek nodded. “The werewolf could turn the human into one of us.”
“I would never accept that! I can’t stand the thought of it. I know werewolves are powerful, but I don’t want to become some hideous monster!” My voice rose in frustration, and I immediately regretted it when I saw Marek’s startled expression.
He stepped back, looking at me with a hurt, almost pitiful expression.
“Werewolves aren’t as bad as you think. At least we’re strong… and handsome,” he said, his tone softening.
I realized I’d gone too far. Marek was a werewolf, and I shouldn’t have spoken like that.
Hurriedly, I apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Tonight had been overwhelming, and I felt like I was at my breaking point.
“It’s alright. I understand how humans think,” Marek said with a faint smile. “If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t want to become an ordinary human either.”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he added, “But that man earlier… he gave me a dangerous feeling. It’s rare for me to sense danger from a human, but I suggest you stay away from him.”
“Dangerous? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I’ve met him a few times before, and he always seemed calm and harmless. But tonight, when you two argued, there was a moment when I felt it-a dangerous aura.”
His words surprised me, and I immediately thought back to the moment I had felt the same thing.
Could it be the same moment?
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Marek had, too.
“Why do you think he’s dangerous? He’s just a human. You could easily handle him, couldn’t you?”
“That may be true,” Marek admitted, “but some humans are dangerous in their own way. Your kind can be just as cruel as we are, if not worse. Isn’t that true?”
He had a point.
Human society had its share of villains-people who would hurt others for their own gain. At least werewolves wouldn’t harm members of their own pack. Humans, though… humans would.
I grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed one to Marek. “Want a drink?”
“Thanks.” Marek accepted the bottle.
I glanced at my phone. Evelyn had texted me, saying she was staying at Judy’s tonight and wouldn’t be coming back.
Their friendship was far closer than I’d imagined.
But just then, Kael appeared. He sat down beside me and pulled me into his arms.
“Seraphina, why didn’t you invite me to join you for drinks? Hmm?” he asked with a teasing smile.