The Kiss 2

    Of course. Prince Nathan. He was the one who found and helped me. But why did he advise me to stay away from Lilith, my mate? While holding onto that thought, something came up in mind that led me to a conclusion.

    Nathan was the person behind it. He got mad and jealous so he wanted me to stay away from Lilith because he can't accept she chose me over him. And now he's trying to take revenge. But to make it more realistic, he intentionally helped me back there so I will not suspect him.

    Brilliant idea, Nathan. I may be a crippled impaired man but I'm not a fool enough to believe and fall from your trap. You wanted a fight for Lilith? Well, I'll give you an unforgettable battle.

    "Ghino, are you even listening to me?" Nadine snapped her fingers in front of my face. Loud enough my profound thoughts got shuttered.

    I slowly dragged my gaze back to her. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's just I'm sleepy already. Will you guys stay with me tonight?" Don't want to be alone in the meantime. Something from Nathan's statements earlier has felt me restless.

    Without debating further, my friends nodded in unison to support my decision. Then we grabbed our spot in my room to rest up.

    {Nathan's POV}

    "Dude, where are you? We can't perform without you, remember?"  One of the band's guitarists asked from the other line of the phone.

    "I'm on my way back to the restaurant but I can't perform tonight. I'm sorry. Please inform the rest of the members. Something important came up." I pressed the end call button and stepped onto the car's accelerator.

    Good thing no one from my bodyguards was able to follow my night appointments. I can't afford it if one of them could tell my parents about this transaction because they prohibit me to go beyond my gig schedule.

    After what happened to Ghino, my mind felt restless. Not to mention I just confessed my love for him. Shit. I shouldn't have said that. I'm afraid he will stay away from me for that reason.

    Either way, I can't sleep tonight unless the incident will get solved. I wanted to know right through those men's faces why did they try to kill the person I love. Fifteen more minutes, I hopped out of the car and immediately rushed to the security department of the restaurant.

    "Thank you for coming this late. What have you got?" I asked Mr. Delfin, the town's Sheriff. Then we exchanged handshakes.

    When I excused myself earlier back in my unit, I immediately reached out to the Sheriff to assist me with the case. I can't do it alone, especially when my parents will not support me on this one.

    After what happened during the Mating Event, my parents have already considered me an abomination to the family. Getting mated with the Blue Moon Pack's daughter, Lilith was most valuable to our pack. And I failed their expectations.

    To get their full support, I have to mate Lilith. But I'm not gonna let them ruin my feelings for Ghino either. It's the only thing that remained genuine in my life. I just have to fulfill my duty as the prince to get what I need.

    "It's my pleasure, Prince Nathan. We already ID'd those people, or should I say wolves, who tried to kill your friend." Mr. Delfin said back in an assured tone. And his assurance was a relief on my part.

    In front of us was the video of the incident being played. So, I made a quick scan of those faces, trying to recognize any of them.

    "Wolves?" I breathed out in suspicion. There were only two packs that might get involved in this case since it's all connected to Ghino being mated with Lilith. The Blue Moon Pack and ours, the Crescent Moon Pack.

    "Yes. The six of them were all members of the Blue Moon Pack. Do you have any idea how your friend gets involved with their packs?" Mr. Delfin asked.

    Well. First of all, Ghino was also a member of the Blue Moon Pack. And I forgot to inform the Sheriff about that. Perhaps he expected that my friend who gets abducted was a member of the Crescent.

    But if those wolves were from the Blue Moon, why would they attack their own member? Does Lilith have something to do with this? I know Ghino was having a hard time since he got mated with Lilith.

    Secondly, Lilith was the worst. Ghino might be blinded by her one-of-a-kind beauty but eventually, he will realize her true color. That's why Ghino should have to stay away from her as soon as possible. And the only person who could help him realize that is me.

    "Prince Nathan? Are you listening?" Mr. Delfin clapped his hands right in front of my face. "I'm saying that my men were already searching for them in town. You need to go home. Rest up. I'll keep you posted as soon as we got something."

    Mr. Delfin and his officers assisted me back to the car. Did not even disappear from their spot until I started the car and left the parking lot. When I reached for my wristwatch, it was already a quarter to two in the morning. And I still have my class as early as eight.

    I believed and trusted the Sheriff could do something about it. But before I drop my body on the bed, I grabbed my phone and dialed someone's digits.

    "Hello?" he asked in a faint tone. And that's a relief to my wolf he reached his dorm safe. "Who's this?"

    "Stay away from Lilith, please. I'm begging you, Ghino. She's not the woman you think she is." I enhanced my sense of hearing to know if his friends accompany him in his dorm.

    "You, stay away from me, Nathan. I already know your intention. And one more thing, don't text or call me anymore." Those were his last words before he ended the call.

    After the call ended, could not help but grit my teeth. I should have told him everything I know about Lilith when I got the chance. He should know he could barely see a brighter future with Lilith because I know he will end up getting hurt.

    Leaving no choice, I dropped the phone on the bed and tried to catch sleepiness as fast as possible despite my mind being fully occupied with doing the right thing. Doing what's best for Ghino and my feelings for him.

    The next morning, I and my friends headed out earlier to the school to watch over Ghino and his friends. But none of my friends knows about my real intention for Ghino.

    All they knew about me was being the ruler, the bully, the captain of our football team, and the heartless prince charming in school. None of them notice my soft side ever since I stepped into the university.

    "Come on, dude. What's so special about this crippled man, anyway?" Lackey, one of my close friends asked in a sleepy tone.

    "Come on, guys. Can you just focus? It's not about Ghino, all right? It's about my dad's restaurant. And I can't stand for it knowing someone wants to ruin my soon-to-be restaurant." I muttered back with my eyes focused on the telescope, tailing off Ghino and his friends entering the main building of the school.

    "Nathan, you are the Prince. And most of all, you're not a cop, all right? Why not let those authorities solve the case, huh? Instead, focus on some girls you should bang tonight. How does it sound?" Lackey insisted. He then snatched the telescope from me.

    "Or else there has more to it to that crippled man. I mean, he's a good-looking young man regardless of his metallic legs. He's smart. And have endured all those judgemental eyes..."

    As Jhonson kept on talking, could not help but think about what he said regarding Ghino. He was damn right about everything. He was the toughest man I've ever known in my entire life.

    Then I remembered our first encounter back in the canteen that year. I remembered how I stared at his expressive and meekly eyes. I wanted to stop everyone from humiliating him after I accidentally blocked his legs but it was already too late. 

    The crowd's fingers were as fast as the speed of light taking photos and videos of him after rolling over to the floor a few times. After that, I never get the chance to extend my apology to him when he kept himself away from me as much as possible.

    "... and that only tells me one thing." Johnson suddenly clapped my shoulder. "Our prince was experiencing what we called an identity crisis. He's shifting." Johnson added.

    "You mean... Our prince is falling in love with that impaired metallic boy? Well, our generation's love knows no bounds." Lackey even made it obvious. "I like the sound of it, Proclaimed and Mated to the Alpha Prince," he added in a romantic way.

    Johnson and Lackey giggled continuously. I don't know if they were simply teasing or annoying me with their assumptions. But I can't tell them yet. Not now. I still have to make sure of my feelings for him were not just because I felt pity for him for being different or because I felt more than that.

    "Where did you guys get those ideas, huh? Focus on the job at hand or else no more night parties in the mansion." I tossed the telescope back to Johnson and hopped out of the Lamborghini.

    "Dude, where are we going?" Lackey also hopped out of the car and followed me shortly. Johnson hopped next since he had to make sure all our stuff in the car are secured when we were out.

    "Someone's following him. And I bet he's not a student in the university." I retorted before I doubled my steps and in a few seconds, they turned into a run heading toward the man before he could have entered the entrance of the school.

    "What the fuck, dude?" says the man in a furious tone after I grasped his shoulder. Hard enough I could feel my hands will leave marks on his shoulder.

    "Prince Nathan, is everything all right?" The security immediately came to the rescue. They quickly pointed their guns at the man to make sure he could barely lean a hand on me.

    The man's eyes enlarged. Perhaps he already recognized me after hearing it from the school's security guards. As far as I could remember, he called me "dude".

    "Yeah. Everything's fine. But let us handle this one. You can get back to work." Johnson said back. He and Lackey quickly dragged the man to the Lamborghini.

    As soon as we all settled in the car, Lackey started the engine and rushed to my place. We then put the man in a chair, tied with ropes and chains. We were certain he was a wolf because of his scent. It's better to be safe than sorry if we just let him talk without being locked up.

    "Now, tell me why were you following Ghino in the school? Who paid you to kill him, tell me before I will rip your heart out." I started the interrogation.

    The man squeezed his body. The only word that comes out of his mouth was his continuous moans. Then I realized he could not talk because of the handkerchief I wrapped around his mouth. So, I removed it.

    "Who's Ghino? And what are you talking about?" he defensively said back, trying to remove the chains and ropes out of his arms and legs.

    "We found you sneaking around in the school. Now tell us why were you following that impaired metallic boy or I'm gonna punch you in the face."

    The man suddenly chuckled. He spits a drop of saliva on the ground. "I don't know what were you talking about. Don't know even know who is that impaired metallic boy. Now, take these chains and ropes from my body. You hate an old man to get furious, don't you?"

    This time, he shifted the color of his eyes, thinking he could scare us. I could feel his wolf was starting to take over his human side. If we will do nothing and let him shift into a wolf, we might be in trouble. Not to mention none of us are experts in battles.

    So, I did not reveal my trembling muscles. Instead, I frisked his pockets and was surprised when I found something.

    "This is the man I am talking about." I showed him the photo that I found in one of his pockets. "Now, talk before I change my mind." Out of anger, I shifted the color of my eyes.

    Though it was not the color the man expected, he could sense how furious I was at that time. I even crumpled the photo in front of his face.