LOGINSERA'S POVI didn't let Gabriel come downstairs."You wait in the room," I said, pushing him back toward the stairs. "Don't come out. Don't appear at the window. Don't make any noise."He looked at me with a furrowed brow."Why?""Please. Do this for me," I said.He nodded, went back up the stairs, and closed the apartment door behind him.I let out a sigh of relief, then went back to the front of the shop. I opened the metal shutters, arranged the flowers as usual, smiled at Mrs. Harrison who arrived with her bright smile.But my hands were trembling as I held the flower shears.I waited until Mrs. Harrison was busy in the back, then I picked up my phone.I opened the news app, and there, on the front page, the headline made me freeze."OFFICIAL PACK ANNOUNCEMENT: BOUNTY FOR THE CAPTURE OF GABRIEL BLOODFANG."I read it once more."The Council of Elders of the Bloodfang Pack has officially announced a bounty for the capture of the former Alpha, Gabriel Bloodfang. With a reward of one
SERA'S POVThe next day.Gabriel was still fast asleep. His large body was folded on the single bed that was too narrow, one leg dangling off the edge, his arm stretched out to the side where I had been lying. His face was slightly furrowed in sleep, as if he was dreaming of something unpleasant.I didn't wake him.I got up quietly, grabbed my jacket, and went down the creaky wooden stairs. In the small bathroom behind the shop, I splashed cold water on my face, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were a little puffy, my hair still messy, but not too bad. I took a deep breath, tied my hair back, and walked to the front to open the shop.I opened the metal shutters, arranged the flowers in front of the display case, changed the water in the vases that had started to cloud. This routine had been my solace for months. The scent of flowers, the quiet of the morning, the occasional sound of birds or passing cars.But this morning was different.The small TV in the corner of the
SERA'S POVMidnight.I woke up because of something. Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was the bed being too narrow for two people, or maybe it was because Gabriel was no longer holding me.I opened my eyes.He wasn't beside me.I sat up, my heart beating faster. My gaze swept across the dark room, and I found him near the window. Gabriel was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, one knee bent, his hand resting on top of it.He was staring outside, toward the wet streets, toward the city lights blinking in the distance. In the dim light filtering in, I could see the tension in his jawline, his shoulders slightly slumped, and something in his eyes that he couldn't hide when he thought I was asleep.Sadness.A very deep sadness, the kind he hid behind those words of "relief" and his faint smile.I stayed quiet for a while, just observing. He didn't move, didn't know I was awake. And in the silence of that night, I saw everything he had tried to hide since he arrived.It wasn't
SERA'S POVI quietly brought Gabriel into my apartment.Not because I was embarrassed, but because I didn't want Mrs. Harrison to see him. The shop downstairs was already closed, but who knew if she was still in the back kitchen. I held his hand tightly, guiding him through the back hallway, up the creaky wooden stairs, then opened the door to my small room.Gabriel was too big for this space. His broad shoulders almost touched the doorframe. His height made the ceiling feel lower. His jacket was gone, his shirt was wrinkled, his hair was disheveled, but he was still Gabriel. Still handsome in his own messy way.I closed the door, locked it, then looked at him.He stood in the middle of the room, looking around with eyes I couldn't quite read."Neat," he finally said.I snorted. "Liar. It's a mess.""Neat by human living standards.""Do you want to die?"He smiled faintly.I observed him carefully. His face showed no sadness. No traces of tears, no wrinkles of grief, no signs that tod
SERA'S POVA few days after Gabriel came to my apartment, I was still trying to live life as usual. Opening the shop, arranging flowers, serving customers. My phone still had his number blocked, but I knew he wasn't going anywhere. The same black car was often parked at the end of the street, never coming in, never bothering anyone. Just there, like his promise to wait.I wasn't ready to unblock him, but every morning, when I opened the shop curtains, I always glanced toward that car. And every morning, that car was always there.Until this morning.That car was gone. Strange, but I thought maybe he was busy, or maybe he finally gave up and left. I didn't want to think too much about it. I had work to do.But during the afternoon break, Mrs. Harrison turned on the small TV in the corner of the shop, as usual. I was arranging a bouquet for an order, not really paying attention. Until I heard that name."—a leadership crisis at Bloodfang Corporation. Gabriel Bloodfang, the CEO who has b
SERA'S POV That night, I didn't expect him to actually come. I had already turned off my phone, blocked his number, and decided to go to sleep and forget about him. But around eleven at night, loud knocking on my apartment door made me jolt awake. I got out of bed and opened the door. Gabriel stood there. He was soaking wet. His hair was disheveled, his white shirt clung to his broad chest, his jacket was nowhere to be seen. His eyes were red, his breath was ragged, and I could see his chest rising and falling rapidly. "You..." I leaned my body against the doorframe, crossed my arms over my chest, and smiled. A wide smile. A smirk that I deliberately put on to annoy him. "Hello, Father," I greeted sweetly. His face changed. From panicked to red with restrained anger. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" "Call you what? Father? That's what you wanted, isn't it? You said I was your daughter." "SERA!" "Why are you shouting? The neighbors will hear." He clenched his fists, trying to contro
The next morning, the atmosphere in the apartment felt different. Maybe because last night I fell asleep in Gabriel’s arms. Maybe because I woke up with a kind of calm I was not used to, or maybe because I knew today I had to return to playing my role as the “ordinary” student Sera, not someone tra
A light knock sounded at the dining room door. I instinctively lifted my face, while Gabriel remained calm, as if he already knew who it was even before the door opened.Marcus entered in a neat dark suit, his expression almost never changing. His face was cold, his eyes sharp, and his movements al
As lunch neared its end, the atmosphere in the room grew quiet. Gabriel had not spoken much. He only ate slowly, occasionally observing my face as if making sure every detail of my expression was recorded in his memory.After swallowing his last bite, he placed his fork and knife down with movement
Gabriel pulled out a chair for me, a simple gesture that felt incredibly personal when it came from him. I sat down slowly, feeling the satin dress that wrapped my body as if it was recording every bit of my nervousness. Gabriel sat across from me, watching without blinking, as if he was studying e







