“Wake up, sleepyhead.” I yanked my eyes open in shock, stared out of the window and noticed to my dismay how the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon.

“I slept?” I asked myself, surprised and terrified at the same time. Somewhere along the line as I focused entirely on his hand, I must have dozed off as nothing happened. Sure, he let it wander up and down a bit, but he never touched me too lewdly. And somehow, after I realized that, it didn´t feel that bad anymore.

But still, dozing off while I had so little time left was horrible. It was already five o´clock, meaning I had a lot to do until midnight. And I hadn’t even finished with the hardest bulk of that.

“Yes, you slept for quite some time …” He claimed and smiled brightly.

“Uhh … I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you and now this.” I said and rubbed my eyes slowly.

“Don’t worry … I think it is better this way.” Huh? Did he drink paint or what? Better? That was a very interesting way of saying we wasted so much time.

“What do you mean?” I asked slowly.

“You will regret spending every single second with me.” He said while looking down on the mattress.

“Don’t say stuff like that! It´s not true.” I got on my knees right in front of him and touched his warm hand.

“It is. I wanted to tell you the truth after all.” He said, still avoiding eye contact with me.

“The truth?” I asked as if I was completely oblivious.

“Yes. I am a werewolf.” Jacob answered, completely forgetting the fact nobody should know what a werewolf is.

“What is that?” I asked swiftly.

“A monster … once upon a time, there was a general who had a wolf. He was his companion on the battlefield, during the hunt, and so much more. He was his family. And then … they apparently travelled into a particularly mana rich region. They got sick.” He explained.

“The mana sickness?” I asked, quite surprised.

“Yes. The wolve died quite quickly … but he changed. The wolf gave a part of it to him, turning him into neither human nor wolf. He could transform into a strong wolf, inherited their scent and way of living.” It sounded like a fable, but I knew too much mana was quite dangerous to the human body, so I tended to believe this story. It would also explain why nobody knew of them … because they were simply new in this world.

“That man …” I muttered.

“Is my father. Sirius Silberbaum. That was around thirty years ago.” Jacob said, making me wonder when these werewolves slowed their ageing process. Sirius certainly didn´t look like seventy-plus after all. Was it when they turned ten? Was Jacob older than he looked? Well, I chose not to ask that question to avoid a rather awkward atmosphere between us.

“And why should I hate you for that? I´m different as well. I was born without any elemental affinity … without any way to release the mana my body gathers normally. Three times a year, I swamp the whole area around me with destruction as all the mana escapes out of me at the same time. I killed my family … my whole village … I will never hate you for what you are.” I said and took his other hand as well.

“I … I´m so sorry … but my family isn´t as noble as you are. They are criminals, abduct innocent girls on the streets …” He said, slowly getting quieter with each word.

“That´s … have you ever abducted someone?” I asked, even though I was already sure what he would answer.

“No … at least not yet, but our criminal activities are the reason why I can study here. And my father … he is the alpha male. Nobody can resist him. If he wants me to do something, I have no choice.” He said.

“Why don’t you go to the guards then? If your father is forcing everyone else, they surely can help, no?” I naively asked.

“I love my family, Lucy. I could never betray them. I love my mother, my three siblings, and I love everyone else he turned into a werewolf.” That was complicating things. A lot.

“… I have decided.” I said slowly, my mind racing.

“Do you hate me now?” No, not at all. I would probably hate him within a few hours, but that was because of what path I wanted to take. And after that he would hate me. So was my world after all.

“No … I´ll show you I will never let you go.” I leaned forwards, grabbed his shoulders and brought my mouth close to his. Jacob´s eyes opened wide as I did so, but he didn´t resist me. After a short moment of hesitation, I kissed him on his lips. They were rougher than mine, a bit dry, but otherwise?

I felt nothing. No love for him, but also no disgust as I kissed him. I neither had the intention to put a torch in my mouth, nor to hack him apart. Surprisingly, it didn´t feel like pure disgust on my lips, but rather like the kiss I gave Aska, without all the love and a bit warmer to be honest.

And it was at that moment where I realized I would do everything, as long as it was necessary for my goals.