When I woke up, Kael was already gone.
He was always like that.
Honestly, it was probably for the best. I didn’t want Evelyn to catch us together. In that sense, it wasn’t so bad that Kael was a werewolf-he could come and go without anyone noticing.
Last night had been wild again, and today I had no choice but to drag my exhausted body to class. Evelyn had spent the night with Judy, so there was no one to make me breakfast or coffee this morning.
Since I’d woken up late, I went downstairs to the cafe to grab a quick coffee and a piece of toast. As I walked and ate, someone suddenly rushed out and grabbed my arm.
“Are you Seraphina?”
I looked warily at the chubby boy standing in front of me. He was a stranger, and his sudden appearance made me cautious. “Who are you?”
“I’m Lucian’s friend,” he said. “He’s been missing for days, hasn’t been to class, and I can’t get in touch with him. Do you know where he is?”
Lucian’s friend?
I didn’t recognize him. When Lucian and I were together, he had never made our relationship public. None of his friends knew about me, and I never met them.
Looking back now, that relationship had been so toxic.
But at the time, I was so in love with Lucian that I didn’t mind. I kept waiting for the day he would finally acknowledge me. Instead, I got the result I should’ve seen coming.
“We broke up a long time ago,” I said coldly. “How would I know where he is?”
“But he’s been saying he wants to get back together with you!” the boy said, his voice rising in frustration. “He must’ve come to find you-probably a lot. How can you not know where he is?”
I took two steps back, keeping my distance from his agitated energy. “Calm down,” I said firmly. “I understand you’re worried, but we broke up ages ago. The last time I even saw him was a month ago. I have no idea where he’s gone.”
The boy’s shoulders sagged, but his words were still insistent. “Then something must’ve happened to him. Seraphina, I mean it-Lucian might’ve messed up, but you’re still the person he loves most.”
With that, he turned and left.
I stood there, frozen, his words echoing in my mind.
The person he loves most? Messed up a little?
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
What kind of logic was that? Just because he claimed to love me, I was supposed to forgive him?
The audacity of these people never failed to amaze me.
I rushed to my classroom, but even as I sat in my seat, I couldn’t stop thinking.
Lucian hadn’t shown up for days. Even his friends couldn’t find him. Could something have happened to him?
From what I knew of Lucian, he was a hard worker. He wasn’t just dedicated to boxing-he was serious about his studies too.
That’s what had drawn me to him in the first place.
He wasn’t naturally talented, but his drive and determination were far more attractive to me than raw talent.
So, for someone like him to skip class for days? It didn’t make sense.
I hadn’t seen him at the Eagle Club either.
Could it have something to do with Kael?
Kael had promised me he’d make Lucian disappear from my life. And now Lucian was gone-not just from school, but from the club as well.
No. That couldn’t be it.
I didn’t believe Kael was capable of something so extreme. Even if he hated Lucian, he’d probably just get him kicked out of the Eagle Club. He wouldn’t interfere with his school life.
Kael wasn’t that kind of person.
But Lucian’s sudden disappearance still didn’t sit right with me.
I thought about the strange incidents that had been happening around town lately. Could Lucian have been attacked by a werewolf? Or worse… could he have become one?
A werewolf…
The thought made me remember the celebration party. That wolf that had lunged at me-it had been so strange.
Kael had given me a potion to mask my scent, so there was no way it could’ve smelled me.
At the time, I’d been too terrified to pay attention to the details. But now that I thought about it, the wolf’s eyes when it looked at me-they weren’t filled with rage. They seemed… sad.
It was massive and terrifying, and I had ignored all the subtle signs.
But now, replaying the memory in my mind, it all seemed to make sense.
I couldn’t focus on my classes anymore. I had to ask Kael about this.
After class, I grabbed my things and headed straight to the Eagle Club. I wasn’t planning to attend my afternoon lectures anyway-they weren’t important.
When I arrived, I saw Kael talking to Vivienne. She was laughing, unable to hide her delight.
Kael noticed me almost immediately. He turned to Vivienne and said, “Thanks for telling me. I know what to do now.”
Then he walked toward me without a second glance at her.
Vivienne’s expression darkened with fury. If looks could kill, I’d have been dead on the spot.
I stared back at her evenly, unfazed. Vivienne’s anger didn’t bother me. Only the losers of a game lose their composure like that.
Kael ignored her entirely as he reached me. He put a hand on my shoulder and guided me toward the storage room.
As we walked past others, he said loudly, “You still don’t know the way to the storage room? How many times have you been here?”
I rolled my eyes. Kael was clearly trying to make it seem like I was lost to avoid suspicion.
But to me, his act felt a little too obvious.
Before I could respond, Kael pushed me into the storage room and closed the door behind us.
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me deeply.
I hadn’t expected him to be so impatient.
His kiss left me breathless, my body softening under his touch.
But I had come here for a reason. I mustered all my strength to push him away.
Finally, I managed to break free.
Kael frowned, clearly displeased. “Why did you push me away?”
“I need to ask you something,” I said, still catching my breath. “Lucian’s been missing for days. Do you know anything about it?”
His expression instantly turned cold. “You’re still worried about him?”
“No,” I replied quickly. “But his friend came to me today, asking if I knew where he was. Did something happen to him?”