Layla wasted little time answering the door. Behind it was Liam, Ezra, Owen, and a girl I had only seen once before, Kira. Fenris watched in disbelief when they waltz in with sleeping bags at hand. They seemed ready for a sleepover slumber party for more than just a day. Fenris left my side to ask them why they were coming in, only for Layla to intercept. He could not even get a word out.

“I invited them over to stay with us! That way it will be a party!” Layla announced happily.

Fenris stared at her, bewildered by what she had just done.

“And for how long?” He questioned, annoyed.

Ezra threw his arm around him.

“Until the lockdown is over! We need to bond! And Owen brought the booze!” Ezra answered.

Fenris took his arm off himself, huffing a bit.

“I do not think this is good right now.” Fenris glanced towards me, worried how I would react to the sudden burst of people.

I was a fish out of the water. I barely knew what was happening anymore, but seeing his friends once again made me happy. Remembering the old times got me warm inside. In response to Fenris’s worries, I smiled at him, triggering him to sigh. I would bear anything that would make his life easier. Though he probably wanted me to say something against it.

“No, it will be perfect!” Kira announced, grabbing onto Liam, who slightly shrugged her off him.

He seemed just as uncomfortable as Fenris when Layla was all over him. Kira was an identical clone to Layla, personality-wise. Maybe some different quirks. They were sisters, too. When Kira noticed me in the bed, she smiled to greet me, but it was not a friendly one. Her gesture sent shivers down my spine. I was obviously not wanted here, even though this was my room.

After they fixed their things, Layla and Fenris argued again over where he would sleep again. He was not budging on sleeping with her instead of me. Especially now that there were more bodies to keep away from me. Drunken Lycans were the same idiots as humans or any race. The sleeping arrangements finished with Kira and Layla sleeping on Fenris’s bed. While the boys would use the sleeping bags they had brought on the surrounding floor.

Fenris would sleep with me until they all left, even though Layla did not want it to be that way. After they had settled everything, the wolves spoke about the moon festival that was coming up. Most of it was gossip. They did not let outsiders like me know much about what happened on it. For most of the day, the girls gossiped with the boys about silly things.

Fenris stayed beside me on the bed. There was no point in trying to rest with the loud chatter that echoed in the room. So instead, I wrote about the erratic dream I had when I fainted. Shade rested on my side and away from all the intruders. Fenris’s eyes followed my pen, reading what I wrote. I never intended to hide anything from him about what I saw, but I could not say it out loud with all the people that surrounded us now.

It was not the first time I did this either. It was sometimes better than trying to explain my emotions through words. Everyone else thought I was writing a spell that I had learned, but Fenris knew that I never did that in my fake grimoire. I mostly filled it with recounts of nightmares and drawings. Kind of like a diary that I shared with him. I had nothing to hide from my protector.

When I finished writing, I turned towards Fenris. He seemed a bit conflicted about what I had written in the book. Although, he tried to hide it since it was impossible to discuss it right now. Noticing how I had his full attention; I wrote him something I wanted to say to him. Simpler words I wanted to speak when he pulled me out of that alleyway into the sunlight.

. My heart pounded loudly, writing the words he would never let me say out loud.

‘I love y...’ Before I could finish the sentence Fenris grabbed onto my hand, preventing me from completing it.

A hollowness formed in my chest as he prevented me from even writing it. Releasing a sigh, he grabbed my pencil and wrote something next to my unfinished phrase.

‘Not ye...’

“Man! Fenris, you are marrying the best girl!” Ezra yelled from the other side of the room, startling both me and Fenris.

“Hah... I guess...” Fenris sighed, placing the pencil down and glancing towards the wolves who stared our way.

“He does not treat me like one though!” Layla complained to the boys.

‘Oh... So, this is what she is after.’

To peer pressure Fenris into doing her bidding.

“I do not know what you are talking about,” Fenris growled.

He cared little about what she was insinuating about his treatment of her. In an assist, Kira glanced towards me before pointing my way.

“You are always putting your charge in front of everything, or so I have seen. You do not even take Layla out on dates or anything.” Kira pointed out.

Fenris shook his head, rolling his eyes, annoyed.

The moment the atmosphere changed; the other boys seemed unwilling to enter that conversation. If their lunch chat was anything to go by, they could not care less if Fenris was not giving attention to Layla. After all, his friends wanted him to pay attention elsewhere. Even knew he was seeing someone else on the side. Faithful Liam spoke out to defend his friend.

“A charge is the most important thing to a Lycan. But you know that, Layla,” Liam defended Fenris, who seemed to appreciate the backup.

Liam was Fenris’s best friend. Part of me wondered if he knew about everything about me. Or if he was he like the rest. Ignorant to the fact I was a danger to everyone. Liam was always much more than that, though. He came from Fenris’s line of wolves even though he did not share the same coat color as Liam’s was brown.

However, like Fenris, he had lost his parents that same day. Ezra and Owen also lost family members that day, but they were not as sharp as Liam. The way he avoided my gaze made me believe he knew more than what he let on.

“Yeah, see?” Fenris agreed with Liam, who smiled at him, wagging his tail a bit.

Kira did not seem pleased by that answer, continuing to push it. Maybe they had a little too much booze.

“How about we speak about something else!” Owen suggested too, only to be ignored by Kira.

“Still, putting a witch over your fiancée is just wrong.” Kira continued as it rubbed me the wrong way.

A witch she called me. That was all I would be to these Lycans or anyone. I would be nothing more. Shade climbed up to my shoulder, feeling the tug of my emotions. I closed the book and stood up from my bed. First Ryker, then Layla, and this girl, Kira... were all judging me. Even my kind did not stand me. I did not belong anywhere in this world. I was slowly tiring of their scorn for me.

After all, I did everything to avoid them. Especially after what had happened to Lilith’s family in my dream. I did not want to hear it anymore, particularly in my room. I had to get out of the space for a bit of fresh air before I lost control. But before that, I would address her. Fenris seemed like he was about to say something to her when I stepped in.

“I am sorry I was born. Is that what you want from me?” I apologized for even existing, leaving Kira stunned that I even spoke back to her.

Usually, I would be submissive and let anyone say as they pleased, but the entire event with the other Lilith had shaken me to my core. I could not stand the feeling of scorn anymore. We were such hateful beings.

“I... I did not...” Kira tried to defend herself as the rest seemed too astonished to speak.

Even Fenris seemed surprised by my outburst. I guess the true me was shining through, and it was not pretty. Turning to my wolf, I simpered.

“I think am going to go get something to eat. Excuse me.” I informed Fenris, heading for the door, only to be followed by him.

He grabbed onto my hand to stop me from going.

“You just fainted a couple of hours ago. I will go with you.” Fenris worried about me.

Or was he trying to worm himself away from his kin? In all honesty. I wanted to get away from him, too. He would never let me say how I felt about him, and it hurt to be around him and his future family. A household I would be no part of. This was not good. I was no good. I wanted more. Yet I could not have more.

“I will be okay. I am just going to go downstairs for bread. Would you like some?” I smiled for Fenris’s eyes to narrow, annoyed by my expression.

Placing his hand on my head, he gently stroked my hair before sighing. There was so much he wanted to say, but could not. We were not alone anymore.

“Bring me a coconut one.” Fenris simpered, noticing I needed to get away from here for a bit.

I nodded in response.

“Well, if we are ordering. Bring me a strawberry loaf.” Liam broke the ice that was forming between everyone as the other boys followed suit and placed their orders.

Layla and Kira both remained silent on the matter. After writing everything they wanted, I ended up with a list of items larger than I expected. Even though I did not know if I had enough hands to handle this. I insisted Fenris stayed behind and please Layla. She seemed to become more hostile. Every second that he passed with me.

After the door closed behind me, I walked only a couple of steps before someone pulled me to the side. For a moment I thought it was Cora coming back for a second round, but it was not. It was a female black-haired Lycan. She seemed nervous and shy about something. I had never seen her before. For a moment I stared at her bewildered, while she took a few steps away from me, fumbling about with her words.

“I am so sorry!!! I just... You came out of that room, right???” she apologized, bowing her head.

Her nerves seemed to get the best of her. It was kind of cute, despite her erratic reactions. Her cheeks seemed to be redder than a tomato, too.

“Yes, did you need something?” I asked, puzzled by her strange demeanor.

No one ever spoke to me as she did. Other than the exception of Cora, she had no hate in her voice. However, something else more concerning caught my eye when I examined her further. She had something weird coming out of her.

A faint black aura radiated from her body. A curse? She did not seem to be part of Cerberus, either. No uniform or emblem to identify her, which meant she probably was a civilian. Had they evacuated the Lycans from the town inside Cerberus after the attacks?

“Yes. Uh... Could you please give this to Liam?! It is a thank you present for saving me. I needed to thank him for doing so!” She blurted, presenting me with a beautifully covered box.

Had she done the wrapping herself? It almost seemed like a piece of art. The contents would not matter with this presentation.

“I see... Isn’t it better that you give it to him yourself?” I asked, causing her to have a small meltdown right where she stood.

“N-no!!! I could not possibly do that!!! That would be too much!” She ranted, squealing the moment the thought surged in her mind.

Suddenly, her eyes widened, handing me the box and running for her life. It was almost like she had seen a ghost. The whole thing left me utterly bewildered by the strange female.

“Wait! Who...?” I trailed off.

Her figure disappeared into the distance. She was a strange girl. Shade shrugged in response, unable to understand what had happened, either. I felt a presence behind me, triggering me to turn around. The moment I did, I saw Liam staring at me from behind.

“Liam!” I called out, startled a bit by his sudden appearance.

For a moment, my heart almost left me.

“Hey, Fenris asked me to come to help you with the shopping. I did not expect to see Melody, though. What did she want?” Liam asked, baffled on why she ran off when she saw him.

Ah... I see. So that was how it was. Pure love was cuter than I thought. I chuckled a bit upon realizing what had unfolded in front of me. The strange female was Melody. What a silly girl. It was refreshing to see what a normal admiration was. Nothing like my obsession.

“She wanted to thank you for saving her with this.” I presented him with the box she had handed to me.

“Ah... Why did she not give it to me instead?” Liam queried.

I shook my head in response.

“I do not know.” I lied.

It was not my place to step into their relationship. Though I did root for the shy female, better than Kira. She seemed like a leech hanging over him.

“Oh... I do not even know why she gave me this. She was the one who saved me that night.” Liam created banter while we walked towards the bakery downstairs.

“Maybe she thinks differently,” I noted.

Liam shook his head, not quite believing it. For a moment, I forgot myself. I let myself sink into the conversation with him.

“It is hard to see it differently. She pushed me down before those knives hit me. I did not see them, but somehow, she did. For a moment I thought they cut her. Luckily, they just sliced through her dress.” Liam clarified, remembering the night of the explosions.

His words piqued my interest.

“Oh... Did you manage to see the liquid in the blades?” I inquired.

He nodded his head, holding the precious box in his hands.

“Yeah, they were radiant purple. Just by looking at them, I felt sick. Melody seemed unaffected by them, though. She dragged me out of the bakery. Even though she is not a fighter.” Liam recounted.

I remembered the blades I had seen that night, too. So, I was not wrong about what I had seen. Radiant purple... It had to be wolfsbane. But how? Ryker said it was not, though. Could he have been lying to prevent chaos? Or was this something else? Shaking off the thought, I continued to entertain Liam, hoping to squeeze any information out. Although I was also having fun talking to someone else. Someone who used to be an old friend.

“I guess she was more worried about you than herself.” I pointed out.

He chuckled in response.

“Hah, you think so?” He asked with a smile on his lips.

His cheeks seemed to be light pink.

“Call it an intuition,” I assured.

It seemed I fell for his trap.

“Is it that woman’s intuition I keep hearing about? I wonder, is it the same intuition I have when I see you and Fenris?” Liam questioned, triggering me to stop in my tracks.

Hesitantly, I glanced over at him. He met with my gaze. I got careless. At the moment’s spur, I forgot who I was trying to open up to. Liam the cunning.

“I-I... I do not k-know what y-you mean.” I tried to keep my cool, but I was stuttering.

My body broke into a cold sweat as Liam continued.

“Fenris never said it to me which kind of hurts. It became so clear to me after he slipped up that one time. When Cora took you. The anger in his face was much more than wanting to protect you.” He noted.

I froze because of his words. Liam was too clever. He had caught me in his trap. Was this why he agreed to come? Was his friendly demeanor all to create chatter to lower my guard? I did not know how to respond to him anymore.

“I-I...” I started, unable to finish.

He shrugged before scuffling my hair.

“Do not worry. I would never do anything to hurt you or Fenris. You have both been through enough.” Liam clarified, leaving little doubt about what he knew about.

He was too smart. Yet his words were also devoid of any hatred. Did he not blame me for what had happened to his family and friends?

“Fenris told you?” I questioned, glancing towards the floor, unable to face him anymore.

I must have been wrong. Surely he had to hate me. He probably was good at hiding it. If he did not hide it. How would he look at me? With Scorn? Anger? I did not want to know.

“No, they let me keep my memories. I am supposed to be Fenris’s right hand when he becomes the alpha,” Liam answered, leaving little doubt on the words that had come out of his mouth.

“I see. Liam, I am...” Before I could finish, Liam suddenly pulled me towards a private area.

We were away from prying eyes and ears. Even though there was no one around when we were speaking. Grabbing onto my cheeks, he pulled me to face him.

“Do not be. It was not your fault. Honestly, I do not know all the details of what happened to you, but I know enough to know that they terrified you. No child... No... No one, child or adult, deserves what you have been through. I like to put myself in people’s shoes. I think I would have destroyed this bloody world if I were you, yet you resisted the urge to.” Liam began.

I could only stare at him with my eyes wide open.

“At first, I did not know how to say this to you, so I avoided it. But now... After hearing you say you were sorry for being born. I just want you to know that I am thankful to you for holding out for so long. And for saving so many with...” He stopped the moment tears dripped down my cheeks.

I thought no one would say those words to me. Ben and Fenris had said something similar, but I never thought someone else would say that to me. I could not even find it in me to hide the tears, even though my bracelets were supposed to keep me from feeling negative emotions. That I could feel like this was supposed to be a secret yet I...

“Hey, I... Do not cry or Fenris will murder me.” Liam sighed, worrying for his life.

I was bawling my eyes out.

“I cannot help it.” I sobbed.

I did not know how to respond to Liam’s words. Before I knew it, I was in his arms as he clasped me closely. I cried on him.

“Geez, Lilith. I am sorry for everything you have been through. I am also sorry it took me this long to say anything!” Liam apologized, helping very little with my train of tears.

I felt sad and happy at the same time. Shade purred, much to my surprise. She seemed comfortable with Liam, holding her so close to him. For a while I cried, unable to contain the emotions that swelled within me. Liam tried his best to comfort me with little success. However, when the phone rang Liam became alarmed when he saw the name of who was calling. Fenris was checking on why we were taking so long. Liam gently gestured to be quieter, trying to come up with an excuse.

“The pieces of bread are being made!” Liam lied, trying to convince Fenris, who seemed angered that he had not come back with me already.

Luckily, Fenris seemed to buy Liam’s excuse for now. After hanging up, Liam had a crisis as it seemed he had just dug a bigger hole for himself.

“There better be fresh bread or I am fucking dead!” Liam mumbled, petrified of angering Fenris.

Seeing him flustered triggered me to giggle in response. Upon hearing me chuckle, Liam glanced towards me, only to smile at me in defeat. After waiting a couple of more minutes for me to calm myself, Liam led me out of the room we had hidden in.

Before heading towards the shop, where he begged the owner for fresh bread even though he was closing up. While we waited, he bought me a pack of ice to place on my eyes. It was to quell down the swelling that had risen from my crying. Seeing how nervous he was, I created some chatter to calm him down a bit.

“When did you meet Melody?” I asked, trying to be friendly.

Although I did not know if I was prying instead. Liam seemed a bit surprised by my question. It caught him off guard. All that had been in his mind was the murderous intent from Fenris that awaited him when we returned.

“What? Oh... I met her about seven years ago. Her baking attracted me. Sweets are my guilty pleasure. When I first saw her, she was working with her grandmother at their shop. They were bringing out the biggest and most beautiful cake I had ever seen.” Liam smiled, reminiscing about their meeting.

Although he did not say more, I could see Liam thought of that memory fondly. There had to be more, but I would not pry myself into his cherished memory.

“Was she here for...” I trailed off, not wanting to finish fearing the answer he would give.

“No, they came after. Although the explosions destroyed part of their bakery. Her grandmother was in there, sadly...” Liam stopped, biting his lip.

“Ah... Did her grandmother suffer?” I continued to query, not knowing if it was too much.

“I do not know. When I found them, Melody was holding her grandmother’s body in her arms. That was when she jumped in between me and the blades.” He recounted, chuckling a bit.

Melody was fearless.

“Ah... So, you were not in the bakery when it started?” I continued.

“No, I was all the way back in Cerberus. I do not think I have ever run so fast in my life. The moment they started, even though my senses were a mess. There was just no way I could leave Melody alone.” Liam sighed, knowing full well he was careless when he rushed into the unknown.

He stood up from the bench we sat on, grabbing a lollipop from the counter. We were the only ones in the shop.

“She seems like a lovely girl.” I smiled.

He turned towards me and responded with the same yet brighter smile.

“Hah... Melody is something special.” Liam added.

His expression was so gentle when he thought of her. I wished Fenris would look the same for me. Aches radiated through my chest as I tried to ignore them.

“Oh, she is?” I mumbled, forgetting myself for a moment.

It was the only way to stop the pain from consuming me. My tease triggered Liam to become flustered.

“Shut up.” He shot back, embarrassed.

I glanced down, thinking I had said something wrong. Unwillingly, I crossed a line I should not have.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

With the tone of my voice, he noticed he had startled me by his bold reply. There was no anger in his words, but I did not expect that reaction. I was afraid I had crossed a boundary.

“No... I did not... Arg... Melody cannot shift into her beast ever since she was born.” Liam blurted, trying to change the subject.

I glanced over at him once again. His cheeks seemed pink. Did I not mess it up?

“I see,” I said, trying to not pry any further.

The last thing I wanted was for him to hate me for being too nosey.

“Yeah, no doctor can figure out why. They just keep calling her a runt.” Liam informed, trying to change the soured atmosphere.

A runt was a Lycan who could not shift into its wolf form. Essentially, they are cut off from their other self. It dulled their senses compared to a functional wolf. That could be the reason Melody could stay calm, even as all the explosions were happening. Her condition was looked down upon. To not be able to shift meant one was crippled as a Lycan.

“That is harsh,” I whispered, not liking the fact that Melody was going through the same thing as me.

Unlike me, she had killed no one. Liam nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it does not bother or stop her from being reckless. She just keeps smiling no matter what anyone says. Even when she hurts...” Liam trailed off, sitting next to me once again.

He seemed worried about Melody as he grabbed the box she had given him, causing him to frown somewhat. When I first saw her... The black aura radiated from her. Could it have caused her shift problems rather than a defect?

“Liam, did she ever see a witch?” I asked, puzzled why Melody’s cause for her inability to be a wolf was unknown.

A witch would have been able to tell her if she was cursed or not. That was... if they wanted to help Melody. Lycans and witches did not like each other, though. They could easily identify any medical reasons that caused a Lycan to be a runt with a bit of testing.

“Yeah, she has been to every type of doctor,” Liam answered.

His words caused me to shake my head in disbelief. Figures they would not help each other. I was no expert, but I had seen cursed items back in Ryker’s office. They had the same aura, although most of them had some cracks, unlike hers.

“I see... Will you believe me if I tell you?” I turned towards Liam.

His glance met mine.

“On?” Liam tilted his head, not knowing what I was about to say.

I pointed towards my eyes.

“What I see,” I announced, confusing him even more.

“What did you see?” Liam continued, curious about what I had to say.

“She is cursed.” I declared, glancing towards the baker.

He had come out to grab a couple of ingredients before going back in. It somewhat startled me.

“What?” Liam questioned, puzzled by what I had just said.

His words caused me to gaze back at him.

“Melody has a black aura radiating from her. I am no expert, and I have only seen that once before in Ryker’s office. There is a cursed item that reminds me of her in there. It may be what is keeping her from shifting. But it has no cracks.” I clarified.

Liam was more baffled by it, though. Magic was not something he knew much about. Even though Lycans were trained in Latin to know witchcraft spells. They knew nothing about its contents.

“What are you talking about? Cracks?” Liam continued to query.

I resumed answering.

“My bond with the... You know. Allows me to see special things. Usually, in magical spells, I can see cracks or weak points within. If I concentrate, I can usually dispel them. So, I could see something similar coming from her.” I informed.

It triggered him suddenly to grab onto my hand. His eyes were full of hope.

“Then can you help her?” Liam asked, tightening his grip on me.

He seemed desperate to help her, but I... There was no way I could do that. It would be better for him to find a more stable witch to help Melody.

“No... Hers had none. And I do not trust myself to even try. Especially for a spell strong enough to have no cracks. I could end up hurting her instead.” I pulled away from him, planting my eyes on the floor.

I had no confidence in my ability to help Melody, or anyone, for that matter. If it were an object maybe, but a person I... I could not...

“Ah... I see. I will not push you to do something you are not comfortable doing. Well, thank you for letting me know. I wonder why the other witches said nothing.” Liam sighed.

The baker finally came out with our goods.

“Sorry... We can be resentful...” I whispered low enough for him to hear.

We paid for our items and left the shop. On the way back to the room, Liam took a few steps ahead of me, turning towards me and smiling.

“Lilith... You put yourself down too much. I think you will be a witch that witches will bow to one day.” Liam assured me, leaving me to shake my head in disbelief.

That would be impossible.

‘I like him.’ Shade commented, producing me to giggle.

The people I was around were shining light in places I thought would never be reached. Maybe there was more to this world than Fenris and Ben. Maybe I could live a normal life, but first, there would have to be peace between witches and every other race.

“Liam, I think that would be a pleasant dream.” I smiled back at him.

A hopeful dream indeed.