Chp 3

Pearl

I shoved against his chest, but he didn't budge and it was like trying to push over a brick wall. His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me flush against him, while those sharp, stormy eyes narrowed.

“Who sent you?” he growled, the threat in his voice vibrating through me.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Shit. Why is he asking that? Does he actually think I’m a spy? Panic started to set in, but then a flash of heat hit me. Wait, why am I the one trembling? I haven't done anything wrong. I was just trying to get away from those guards.

I finally wrenched myself free and scrambled up, frantically brushing the dust off my skirt. When I straightened, he was just... there. A literal wall of a man.

He had to be at least 6'4", I felt tiny standing at 5'5". Great, I’m going to end up with a neck sprain just trying to make eye contact. And why on earth did he smell so good? It was this intoxicating scent that made me want to lean in, even though every instinct was screaming at me to run.

He didn't move, just stood there watching me like he could see every secret I was hiding.

“Still waiting,” he reminded me, folding his arms. His gaze didn't waver for a second; he just kept scanning me from head to toe until my skin started to crawl.

I needed to get rid of him, as fast as I can. The Gamma who my aunt send could be here any second with his soldiers and this idiot was blocking my escape!

Why is he after me?! Just move out of the way!. He is getting on my nerves, moon goddess.

I lowered my head to avoid his piercing gaze.

“I was trying to get to the inn," I said quietly, "The night is cold... and I left my home because I didn’t want to be a burden on my aunt.” My voice was soft

It was the truth or at least most of it, without warning, he pinned me against the wall.

I gasped. Goosebumps prickled across my skin as I felt the heat of his breath on my skin. He stared directly into my eyes, his gaze sharp and unrelenting, as if he could tear the truth out of me. It looked as he he was trying to get truth out of my soul.

“How dare you lie to me,” he said, his voice colder than ice. His expression was terrifying.

I turned my face away, I couldn’t meet those eyes.

“I’m not lying!” I said, gathering all my courage. “Why would I? Everything I said is the truth!”, I forced myself to look him in the eyes again, even though my legs felt like jelly.

He studied me silently, as if weighing my words.

“This late at night, roaming empty streets alone…” he leaned in closer, “...

how can I believe you?”

His chest was almost brushing mine.

My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure he could hear it too.

I slowly tried to push him away, my hands trembling slightly.

I slowly tried to push him away, my hands trembling slightly.

His body was like a wall, unmoving, unshakable and for a moment, neither of us spoke. The cold night air wrapped around us, but the space between us was burning hot.

His eyes dropped to my lips briefly before snapping back to my eyes, dark and unreadable, I held my breath, was he going to kill me?, Arrest me?

Or... something worse? And finally, he released me.

I stumbled back, my heart still hammering.

He watched me carefully, as if deciding what to do with me.

“You’re not from around here,” he said at last, his voice low and almost curious.

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I straightened my back, forcing myself to appear braver than I felt.

“No. I’m not.”

For a brief second, something flickered across his face. Curiosity?

Or recognition?

Before I could say anything else, a distant sound echoed through the alley….the pounding of boots. Oh my…The Gamma’s men. Panic gripped me.

He noticed and without a word, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the shadows with him, covering my mouth lightly with his other hand.

“Stay silent,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear and I did because for some reason, I trusted him more than the soldiers chasing me.

We stayed hidden, pressed against the cold stone wall, his body shielding mine completely.

I could barely breathe not because of fear now, but because he smelled unfairly good, like leather, pine, and trouble.

The Gamma’s soldiers ran past us without noticing. I waited until their footsteps faded before shoving his hand away from my mouth.

“Do you mind?” I hissed. “I need that mouth to, you know, breathe.”

He didn’t move an inch.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he said with a smirk. “You weren’t doing much breathing anyway.”

I glared at him. “Because you were suffocating me with your giant… hand!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Giant?”

He sounded almost offended.

“Yes!” I crossed my arms stubbornly. “You were practically eating the air around me!”

His mouth twitched, “I suppose it’s better than you falling on me like a sack of potatoes,” he said casually.

“And don't get me started on the elbow you nearly drove through my ribs."

My cheeks burned.

“That was an accident!” I protested.

“Sure it was,” he said, smirking openly now. “Assassin by night, clumsy by nature.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but honestly, I couldn’t.

Instead, I gave him my best glare.

And he…that arrogant wolf actually chuckled under his breath.

“Come on, little storm," he said, ruffling my hair like I was a stray puppy.

"Let's get you somewhere before you trip and bring down an entire building."

I slapped his hand away, scowling even harder.

“Touch me again and I will trip and it'll be on your foot.”

He only grinned, completely unfazed.

It was official.

I hate him. And I hated how tall he was.

And how annoyingly handsome he was.

And most of all, I hated that I couldn’t stop noticing the way his stupid hair caught the moonlight just perfectly.

“And by the way, I’m not an assassin, okay!!” I said, trying to defend myself while moving toward my white cloth.

“If you’re not an assassin, then what are you doing here in the middle of the night?” he said, stepping in front of me, blocking my way like an annoying wall.

Ahh, again with those stupid questions! He was interrogating me like I was some deadly criminal on the run.

I shoved my white cloth in front of him. “Check it if you want. If I’m an assassin, you’ll find a weapon or some super-evil evidence against me,” I said proudly. Let’s see him try… there was nothing but clothes and maybe a squished apple inside.

He took the bag from my hands and dropped it on the ground. Then, with all the gentleness of a wild boar, he started digging through my neatly packed stuff.

I watched in horror as my once-tidy belongings turned into a battlefield.

When he finished his rampage, he picked up the bag casually, completely ignoring the chaos he created.

“It looks like some wild dog dug through my stuff,” I mumbled under my breath, already mourning the death of my organization skills. "Now I have to rearrange everything!”

Suddenly, I felt a cold stare burning into my soul.

Slowly, very slowly, I looked up and there he was, glaring at me like I had just insulted his ancestors.

He knelt down, bringing his face dangerously close to mine. I could feel my heart hammering like crazy.

“What do you mean by dog?” he said in a cold tone.

I gave him the most awkward smile in history. “Ahh, I meant to say... um... I have to doggedly rearrange my clothes! You know, with determination? Hehe...he...”

Dear Moon Goddess, why does he take everything so seriously?!

He stood up and dusted off his expensive-looking clothes without breaking eye contact.

Still staring.

Like—sir, blink, maybe?

“Why is the gamma after you?” he asked again, ignoring my obvious discomfort.

Ahh, here we go, back to the interrogation room.

“The gamma is close to my aunt, and now she’s probably worried and sent him to look for me,” I said while trying to organize my now-mangled clothes.

Honestly, it was easier to solve world peace than fold these shirts properly again.

“Hmm... I see. Anyway, I’m not fond of the gamma either. He only causes trouble,” he muttered, glancing darkly in the direction the soldiers had gone.

Oh? So Mr. Tall, Dark, and Grumpy had beef with the gamma too? How...comforting?

“I’m hiding because of my aunt, but I can’t understand why you were hiding,” I said casually without even thinking, still focused on my battle against wrinkles.

Suddenly—THWACK!

Something hard hit me square on the head.

“Ow!” I yelled, rubbing my scalp. I looked up to see a book fall onto the ground in front of me.

I shot him a look of utter betrayal. “Did you just hit me with your book??”

“Don’t ask silly questions. And get back to what you were doing,” he said coldly, as if whacking me was the most normal thing ever.

Then, in a voice dripping with insult, he added,

“Anyway, you’re too clumsy and dumb to be a spy. A real spy needs to be smart, not... whatever this is.”

And with that, he turned and began to walk away.

My jaw dropped.

Did he just... DID HE JUST CALL ME DUMB??

“You!!” I pointed at him furiously, but he disappeared into the shadows like some melodramatic soap opera villain.

What the hell?? How did he vanish so fast?? Was he part ninja?

I stared after him, fuming, clutching my bag of half-folded, very depressed clothes.

First night of freedom and I meet Mr. Pretty Boy with Anger Issues. Fantastic. Just fantastic.