Chapter 8

I stood under the campus garden lights for several minutes after Gabriel left. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Tears almost fell, but I refused to look weak. Not tonight.

After making sure no one was around, I walked back toward the rooftop where the party was still going on. The music was faint in the distance, a cheerful rhythm that felt painfully out of place compared to the chaos in my head. I climbed the stairs slowly, hoping everyone had already forgotten what happened earlier.

When I reached the top, a few people turned their heads, some whispering softly. I could feel curious eyes following me, but I pretended not to notice. David was still standing near the railing, looking awkward.

As soon as he saw me, he jogged over quickly.

“Sera! I didn’t know that was your father.”

“It’s okay. He’s just a little overprotective.”

David scratched the back of his head, relief mixed with uncertainty on his face. “I thought he was mad because I asked you to dance. I really didn’t know.”

I let out a small laugh. “He’s just like that. He likes to show up out of nowhere, as if the whole world is dangerous. But that’s just Gabriel, uh, I mean, my Daddy.”

David frowned. “You call him by his first name?”

I froze for a second, my heartbeat quickening. Thankfully, David laughed it off before I had to say anything.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude. Maybe you two are just close?”

“You could say that,” I replied.

We walked back toward the center of the party. The music had changed to something more upbeat. People were dancing again, as if the incident earlier had never happened. I tried to smile, sipping the soda I’d left behind earlier. But David kept looking at me, his gaze now filled with a different kind of curiosity.

“Can I ask you something?” he said carefully.

“Sure,” I replied.

“Your Dad,  I mean, Alpha Gabriel Bloodfang, right? The Alpha of that pack?”

I went silent for a few seconds before answering softly, “Yes.”

David stared at me deeply, his expression slowly changing.

“But I can’t smell your wolf scent at all.”

I froze. For a few seconds, I didn’t know what to say. In a world divided between humans and werewolves, scent was something that couldn’t be hidden. And there was only one reason someone wouldn’t have a pack scent because they weren’t one of them.

“I’m human,” I said quietly.

His eyes widened. “Human? But I thought…”

“I’m just an adopted child. He raised me within the pack, but I’ve never really been one of them not by blood.”

“So you’re not mixed?” David asked.

I shook my head. “No. Not a single drop of wolf blood in me.”

A brief silence followed before I added softly, “I know some of them don’t like my presence. I’m just a human among wolves. But I’ve learned to live with it.”

David said nothing for a moment, looking at me in a way that made me uneasy. I expected him to back away, to keep his distance now that he knew the truth. But instead, his words completely caught me off guard.

“You’re incredible.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You live in their world among Alphas without powers, without aura, without natural protection, yet you still stand strong. You still smile like this. That’s incredible.”

I laughed softly, trying to hide the sudden warmth rising in my cheeks. “You’re exaggerating.”

“But I mean it, you know? Most humans can’t even stand near a werewolf without trembling. But you? You look them straight in the eyes without fear. Even an Alpha as strong as Gabriel Bloodfang seems weaker when he’s around you.”

I froze. “What do you mean by that?”

“I saw the way he looked at you. That wasn’t how a father looks at his daughter,” David said quietly.

My heart stopped for a second. I quickly looked away, pretending to watch the people dancing.

“You’re imagining things. He was just worried.”

David chuckled. “Alright, if you say so.”

“Now that you know I’m human, do you still want to be friends with me?” I asked.

David looked at me for a long moment, then smiled. “Of course.”

“You’re not afraid people will think your friend is weak?”

“Not at all. In fact, if I’m honest, I actually admire you. And maybe someday, I’ll become an Alpha strong enough to protect you.”

I turned to him, surprised. “What?”

David smiled confidently. “I mean it. I may not hold any rank in the pack now, but I’ll work hard, and when the time comes, you’ll be the first person I want to protect.”

I froze. His words made my heart race whether from shock, gratitude, or fear, I couldn’t tell.

“David, don’t joke like that.”

“I’m not joking. I know maybe you don’t see me that way now, but I’ll make you believe it one day.”

I looked at him, trying to find any hint that he was teasing, but there was none. His gaze was steady, sincere, filled with conviction that made me nervous.

The atmosphere around us suddenly felt different. The party lights flickered, the music shifted to a softer melody, and everyone else seemed distant as if only the two of us existed in that moment.

I took a deep breath. “Our worlds aren’t that simple.”

“Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I’m afraid to try.”

I looked into his eyes, searching for a reason to turn him down, but there wasn’t one. All I saw was warmth and sincerity things I rarely found in the world of rules and secrets I’d grown up in.

“Alright then, let’s start with being friends,” I said.

David chuckled, though his eyes stayed firm on mine. “A fair deal. But don’t be surprised if one day I really do become an Alpha and come to claim that promise.”

I laughed softly, patting his arm. “We’ll see about that.”

And without realizing it, far away in the shadows of a tall building, a pair of sharp eyes watched us silently. They belonged to Gabriel Bloodfang, eyes filled with fury and jealousy.