Chapter 5: The Fugitive

My phone screen lights up, displaying hundreds of notifications, as if trying to make it explode.

Someone has made the party video public. With my face on display, everyone recognizes me as the woman David abandoned for someone from his past. Everyone has identified the woman in that video as me.

"Dammit, who leaked it?" I whisper, trembling.

I throw the phone onto the sofa, rubbing my face in frustration.

Reporters have swarmed the entrance to my apartment building like a school of piranhas, drawn by the scent of blood. Yet, my fear of the cameras is nothing compared to the dread seeping into my marrow when I think of Xavier Sterling.

Every time I inhale, the memory of his cedarwood and musk scent invades my senses, as if he were standing right behind me. My hybrid blood surges, defying my rationality. His touch in the car that night wasn't just ordinary passion; it was the call of a predator recognizing its prey.

I couldn't stay. If reporters managed to locate me, it would only take Xavier a mere flick of his fingers to drag me back into his enslavement. I had to leave. I couldn't be associated with a man who could make every werewolf clan on this continent tremble.

***

I arrived on the southern coast under a gloomy sky, as if I were mourning the chaos of my life. This fishing village is extremely remote, silent, and hidden, still largely unknown to the world. This island was the ideal location for my escape from the David scandal and the looming threat of Xavier Sterling.

I gaze at the vast, beautiful, mesmerizing ocean before me. But my heart is too numb to appreciate it.

The wooden cabin I rented stands in silence on the shore, facing the roaring expanse of the sea directly.

Here, I hoped the solitude would be a balm. But I was wrong. The silence only amplified the madness in my head.

Nights on the beach feel like endless torture. Every time I close my eyes, the sound of the waves transforms into the husky baritone of Xavier's whispers.

I'm transported back to that car cabin, feeling the intoxicating heat of his body, his demanding tongue, and the small nips on my neck that felt like they were tearing my soul out.

My dreams become wild and uncontrollable. In my sleep, I see myself with him under silvery moonlight, surrendering all my dignity under his dominant hold.

I wake with a violent start. I wake up gasping for breath, my sheets damp with cold sweat, and an intense thirst seeping through every nerve, especially in my pulsing core.

"Dammit..." I curse, my voice hoarse and strange to my ears.

I scramble out of bed, my steps unsteady as if the earth were shaking. In the bathroom, I splash my face with cold water repeatedly, trying to extinguish the fire burning beneath my skin.

I stare at my reflection in the foggy mirror. My eyes glitter strangely, with an unusual flush on my cheeks.

The cause is the heat. This is an unbearable phase of arousal, a pain I have never experienced in my three years with David.

The magic stone seal on my neck feels warm. I can see hairline cracks on its surface. That brief encounter with Xavier has damaged my defenses, awakening my long-dormant animal instincts.

"I must be going insane," I whisper to my reflection, my trembling fingers touching my lips that still feel the phantom pressure of Xavier's. "This can't be. I cannot succumb to my instincts. I have to forget him! He's dangerous, Rose. He is your ruin!"

I grip the edge of the sink until my knuckles turn white. I hate the reality that while my common sense screams danger, my body is thrashing, yearning for the predator I'm supposed to avoid.

***

That morning, I try to find a sliver of peace by walking along the shoreline. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks should be a soothing melody, but my hybrid instinct remains on high alert, sensing something is wrong.

The cold sea wind hits my face but does nothing to cool the fire blazing under my skin. The wet sand slips between my toes, offering a small sense of reality amidst my fading sanity.

Suddenly, my steps halt.

The air around me abruptly changes. The atmospheric pressure feels heavy, as though the presence of something massive has just sucked out the oxygen here. My sense of smell, now ten times sharper due to the cracked seal, picks up a scent.

It's a strong, cold aroma, mixed with an overwhelmingly dominant masculine fragrance. Cedarwood and musk. This scent has been tormenting me in my dreams for several nights.

"Impossible..." I whisper, my heart pounding so hard it's painful.

I slowly turn towards the rocky cliff at the edge of the beach. There stands a figure whose presence can dim the morning sunlight.

Xavier Sterling.

He stands there arrogantly, his unbuttoned white shirt billowing in the sea breeze, revealing a glimpse of the broad chest that kept me awake with desire last night.

"Hey, how could he be here?" The danger instinct inside me screams. Before he notices me, I have to leave.

I immediately turn and walk away, hoping he hasn't noticed my presence.

Regrettably, just as I'm about to arrive at my cabin, a voice abruptly stops me.

"Finally, I found you, Rose."

Thud.

My body freezes. Just hearing his voice, I already know who stands behind me.

Calm down, Rose, calm down. Act normal and pretend to be surprised.

I turn around and see Xavier standing a few steps behind me.

"M-Mr.? Goodness, it's a small world, isn't it? To think we'd meet again here." I try to stay calm, accompanied by a forced, unnatural laugh.

His sharp gold eyes lock onto my gaze. He doesn't reply to my foolish words. He just walks slowly, erasing the distance between us. Each step has the rhythm of a predator who knows his prey has no escape left.

The wind carries his heavy baritone voice, "A rather far escape, Rose," right to the pit of my stomach.

My feet feel rooted to the ground, despite my desire to run. Violent tremors begin to attack my knees. "Ha ha... escape? From what?" I know my dry laughter sounds very suspicious.

Xavier stops right in front of me. The distance is so close I can feel the radiating heat from his powerful body. He leans his face down, inhaling the air around my neck in an intensely possessive manner.

"I don't know. From what?" he whispers in a voice that sends shivers down my spine.

***