Chapter 4: Watched by the Devil

Kate’s POV:

Although it was sweet of her to assure me of  a better future, I knew that was far away from the truth.

"But how? Everyone will treat me badly here when they find out I don't have a wolf. I can't escape from it," I said, lowering my head in defeat.

I was born with a fate that was as cruel as it could be. There was no escape from it, not before and certainly not now.

Noticing my dismay, Anna bought upon a warm smile on her face, and instantly lifted my chin.

"That's an easy problem to solve. If you'd like, I can easily hide your wolfless aura, and no one will know a thing," she suggested, brightening up my gloomy face.

“Wait, you can do that?” I asked, staring at her in confusion.

“Of course, I can. I’m a witch. You see this stone on my necklace? It’s a stone that only us witches possess. With my spell, I’ll be able to hide your aura and then no one would want to even bully you.” she explained, holding her necklace near my sight.

I couldn't help but be very grateful for her. She was the first person whom I could actually call a friend.

—-------------------------

It was evening, and I left my dorm to go out for a jog, needing some fresh air after everything that happened earlier.

Feeling a little safer outside after Anna used one of her spells to hide my aura, shielding the fact that I didn't have a wolf from others, I kept myself alert nonetheless.

Walking towards the woods, I couldn't shake the feeling of being followed, even after leaving my dorm. My nerves intensified, and my hands became shaky and sweaty; my heart sank.

Stopping in my tracks, I turned around, a shiver going down my spine as I gazed upon Deimon standing before me. His cold blue eyes pierced me, and his powerful dark aura made my legs shake in fear.

I couldn’t understand why my fate was so cruel for making me confront him the second time.

At first, I failed to get any words out of my mouth but somehow tried my best to muster enough courage to do so.

"A-Are you following me?" I asked with a shaky tone, afraid of his mere presence. Even the strongest warriors were no match for his formidable strength. The realization that I was nothing more than a ragdoll in front of his eyes shook me to my core.

"What did you say to me?" he asked in a deep, stern tone, making me flinch.

"P-Please, I don't want any trouble. I just want to be left alone," I pleaded, lowering my head meekly in front of him. I couldn't face him, my body shaking uncontrollably as he leaned towards me with daggers in his eyes.He carried a dark aura around him that made me quiver in my spot.

"Don't flatter yourself. Anyone is allowed to walk anywhere on the campus. No one is following you," he coldly stated, with a piercing gaze, making my heart sink.

After stinging me with his words, Deimon turned around and left without uttering a single word, making me sigh with relief. If he had stayed near me any longer, I felt like I could've passed out.

I breathed a sigh of relief, trying to calm down my beating heart. Wiping the sweat that was dripping down my face, I decided to continue on with my jog.

As I jogged my way further, I couldn’t shake Deimon off my mind. He was formidable to anyone around him. I knew that I was gravely vulnerable in front of him, his mere stare driving shivers down my spine.

I tried to clear my mind and enjoy the peaceful evening but there seemed to be a feeling of being watched lingering in me, just like before.

My heart was pounding as I turned around, trying to see who was behind me. It struck me even hard, as I noticed Deimon standing not far away from me in the forest.

The eeriness of the atmosphere made me even more jumpy. Even though I tried to ignore him, I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

I had heard several stories about him and what he did to those who crossed him and I wouldn’t ever want to be his next victim.

Attempting to walk further ahead, I failed to take another step and immediately ran back to my dorm. Although Anna’s spell had kept me protected, I still felt unsafe going out on my own especially with a beast like Deimon lurking around.

I needed to get inside before I got myself into more trouble. I didn't want my grandfather to have any more reasons to hate and feel disappointed in me than he already did.

All my life, I was an easy target to get bullied. It was foolish of me to even think that it could change at any point. I should’ve realized it sooner than later.

I forced my legs to take me inside as fast as it could, ignoring the pain that I was feeling with the exertion.

Opening the door to my room, I saw a strange scene that made me stiff in place.

 I stood at the entrance as a nail polish brush floated mid-air, painting Anna's nails black.

"Hey there! You’re back so soon?” Anna questioned with a smile as she spotted me.

“Yeah, I didn’t feel like being out for too long. It’s a bit chilly,” I lied, closing the door behind me and settling onto my bed, which was adjacent to Anna’s.

She continued painting her nails with her magic, making me wonder what I could’ve done if I had her powers myself. Being amongst so many powerful creatures, I felt so useless with no unique powers of my own.

I didn’t belong in this world. I had no place amongst these creatures. I was as good as a regular human being.

Maybe Hilda was right. The only place I could be safe and treated better would be the human world.

I grabbed my handbag and pulled out the envelope that Hilda had generously given me.

This was my only way of getting myself to the human world.

However, after counting all the notes, I realized that this wouldn’t even cover half the journey. Hilda had worked really hard all her life to save this, but being on a nanny’s pay didn’t earn her much—just enough to make ends meet.

It made me feel even worse, taking her hard-earned money from her. But since I already had it, I didn’t want to let her down.

I had to find another way to get enough money to safely get me to the human world.

“Uh, Anna?” I asked hesitantly in a low voice, but Anna heard it.

“What’s up?” she asked, blowing her black nail polish dry.

“Do you know where I could get a job?” I asked, not revealing my exact reason.

Even though I felt comfortable enough with her to call her my friend, I knew I had to deal with my problems on my own. I didn’t want to drag anyone into my mess.

“Sure, let me ask my friend Jacky. She used to work as a part-time waitress at the bar near the academy but became ill. Would you like to be her replacement?” she informed me after settling herself on my bed.

“Yes, please. I would love to.”

“Awesome. I’ll go ahead and talk to her right away.”

—--------------------------

It had been a few days since I began working as a waitress in the bar, taking over Jacky's position. Though being among many intoxicated people made me uncomfortable, I suppressed my unease, reminding myself that I had to do whatever it took to save up and escape from this world.

I headed around tables with my notepad, ready to take in the customer’s orders. The place was crowded as a party was being thrown in the bar by the owner, Joey.

My heart dropped and my breathing came to a halt, the moment I gazed upon Deimon sitting at the table I made my to. He wore a short sleeved white shirt that was thin enough to let anyone feast their eyes on his muscular frame underneath.

His dominating aura took over the entire atmosphere of the place.

I gulped the saliva in my mouth before mustering the courage to speak up.

“G-Good e-evening sir. What would you like to have this evening?” I stammered as I buried my head into my notebook.

Deimon tilted his head, reading my body language with a cold expression in his eyes.

“Are you trying to comfort me or make me cringe with that smile of yours?” he spat out, making me fade the wide smile I had forced myself to put on for the customers.

“N-No s-sir. I’m very s-sorry about that. May I take your order?” I asked, color draining out from my skin.

I tried to relax myself in front of him as I didn’t want to piss him off any further.

He didn’t leave his sight off me as he placed his feet on the table, “Why don’t you tell me? I’ll have whatever you enjoy here.”

“I’m s-sorry sir, I don’t actually drink but I can recommend you some whiskey. It’s our top selling drink of the evening.” I said, giving out a nervous laugh.

He gave out a cold smirk, taking his feet off the table and leaning towards me, “Sure, but do tell me…. If you don’t drink, why are you working in a bar?”

My eyes popped out of their sockets, hearing his question. I couldn’t possibly tell him the real reason I had to make myself work in a place I wouldn’t dare to visit all my life.

“T-the salary helps.” I said vaguely, “I’ll go get your drink.”

I walked away from his table, not looking behind me even for a second.

While waiting for Deimon’s drink, I went ahead to fetch more orders as the place was filling up even more as time went by.

“You seem new here,” I heard a man’s clear voice behind me. Turning around, I was surprised to see Chris, the future beta of the Nascent Moon Pack, seated at a table.

“I-I am,” I stuttered, adjusting my appearance as I felt a bit uneasy standing next to him.

“Have a boyfriend?” he leaned in closer towards me, scanning me from head to toe. I flinched as he extended his hand, touching my hair in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

“Can I please take your order?” I asked hastily, taking a step back.

“Woah, you don’t need to worry. I promise I won't bite.”

I did not respond, maintaining my distance from him as I sensed the unpleasant intentions in his eyes.

Noticing the silence, he chuckled, “Alright, I’ll have some whiskey,” and I immediately walked away to get his drink.

As I returned, I took the glass from the tray and was about to hand it over to him when suddenly, another hand from behind me yanked the glass away. I lost my balance, about to fall on my back, but the man instantly grabbed hold of me, his muscular arm curving behind my back.

I slowly opened my terrified eyes to get a better look at the guy and apologize for my clumsiness. However, as soon as my eyes met his, I felt my soul escape my body. My heart skipped a beat as I gazed upon Deimon glaring at me.