“Hey, Seraphina, are you okay? You look terrible right now.” Kael grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the hospital room.
I figured he was worried Lucian might overhear our conversation. The current Lucian-now a werewolf-possessed enhanced senses far beyond those of a regular human. In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to hear us from outside the room, but now? Who knew?
I silently followed Kael down the hallway.
The hospital’s fluorescent lights were stark white, the air heavy with the sharp scent of disinfectant. Patients shuffled by, along with doctors in pristine lab coats weaving between us.
They all looked like ordinary humans. Yet, in this place, how could I tell who was human and who wasn’t?
I couldn’t.
Once we stepped outside, the cold wind hit me, helping to calm my emotions slightly.
Kael’s hand was firmly clasped around mine. His warmth seeped into me, driving away the heavy weight in my chest.
“Lucian said he became this way because of me,” I murmured. “He thinks that by becoming stronger, I’ll choose him. But that’s impossible!”
“That bastard said that? Seraphina, don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s nothing but garbage,” Kael said, his voice edged with cold fury.
It was clear even he was angered by Lucian’s words.
“I know. That’s why I made it clear to him-I won’t let his words manipulate me,” I replied firmly.
The next moment, Kael pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.
“Seraphina, you’ve done nothing wrong. Even if Lucian became a werewolf because of you, so what? That was his choice. It has nothing to do with you. Nothing. Even if it were me, no matter what decision I made because of you, it would still be my own choice. You’re not responsible for that.”
Kael’s words struck a chord deep within me.
“Whatever happens to him, it’s no longer my concern. I’m just disappointed in him-choosing to become a werewolf for power, knowing he’ll hurt others in the process.”
I couldn’t accept this version of Lucian.
“Don’t worry about him anymore. Leave it to me,” Kael said with a reassuring smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Relax, Seraphina. How about we grab a drink?”
I glanced at a bar not far away. Its familiar appearance stirred unpleasant memories, making me hesitate.
God, wasn’t this the bar where I used to work part-time? The last time I was here, Vivienne and her friends humiliated me, and I was thrown out. I hadn’t been back since.
Even passing by this place brought a weight to my chest. All those bad memories came rushing back.
The pounding music seeped through the walls, loud and intrusive.
“How about we go somewhere else?” I suggested. I wanted a drink, but not here. Too many familiar faces.
“This is the closest. Come on, Seraphina,” Kael insisted, his grip firm.
Seeing my reluctance, he leaned in and spoke softly, “I know you had bad memories here. That’s exactly why you need to come back-to see that it’s all in the past.”
I looked into Kael’s deep brown eyes, filled with strength and determination. That strength radiated into me, calming the unease in my chest.
He was right. What happened back then was long over. I couldn’t let it haunt me anymore.
With that, I followed Kael into the bar.
Inside, my old friend Jack was at the counter, mixing drinks as always. He didn’t seem to recognize me.
Then again, during every shift, I used to wear heavy makeup. But tonight, I was bare-faced, dressed in a simple knit sweater and jeans, with a pair of black-rimmed glasses. I looked like the most ordinary girl imaginable.
Of course, he wouldn’t recognize me.
The bar wasn’t busy yet; the night had only just begun. Kael and I sat in a booth, and soon a server came to take our order.
Kael ordered a dozen beers and two cocktails.
I noticed the stares almost immediately-many of them from women. Their eyes were glued to Kael, filled with admiration, excitement, and delight.
But when they glanced at me, sitting across from him, their expressions shifted to shock and confusion.
It was obvious they couldn’t understand why someone like me was sitting with someone like Kael.
Kael, however, ignored their gazes entirely. He casually opened a beer, poured me a glass, and slid it across the table.
“Seraphina, does this place feel familiar?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink and spinning the glass in his hand.
“Of course. Too familiar,” I said.
After all, I’d worked here for so long. How could I not know this place inside and out?
“Your old boss is coming over,” Kael remarked, glancing at a man approaching from the other side of the bar. There was a teasing lilt to his tone.
I hadn’t expected my former boss to notice us, let alone approach with an almost reverent expression.
“Mr. Emberwood, you’re here? I had no idea you were coming tonight-I wasn’t prepared,” he said, bowing slightly to Kael with obvious respect.
I stared at him in shock. His behavior was so different from before.
Kael set his empty glass on the table, still spinning it idly with his long fingers. The glass caught the bar’s colorful lights, scattering radiant hues across the surface.
“And this is how you treat esteemed guests at your bar?” Kael’s tone was cold, laced with quiet authority.
It was a side of him I’d never seen before.
Leaning back lazily against the booth, he crossed one leg over the other, exuding a nonchalant confidence. He didn’t even bother to look at the man, his attention fixed instead on the glass in his hand.
It was as if the man standing before him wasn’t worth even a glance.
Kael’s presence was commanding, almost oppressive. Even though his demeanor wasn’t directed at me, I couldn’t help but feel pressured by the sheer force of it.
This wasn’t the Kael I thought I knew.
“N-no, of course not. Please forgive me. I didn’t know you’d be here tonight,” my former boss stammered, bowing again. His fear of Kael was palpable.
“And do you remember the lady sitting across from me?” Kael’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.
My old boss turned his gaze to me. His brows furrowed as he racked his brain, then, after a moment of hesitation, he stuttered, “S-Seraphina?”