Chapter 4 Meeting at the Cafe

Maya's POV

I arrived at Sweethunt Cafe, where there were barely any customers within. I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Yesterday, I had thought the person who called me was a scammer, a prank caller, and went off on him. He was probably annoyed with my manner. Although I wasn't sure if he would show up, I still took a seat at an empty table, ordered a cup of coffee, and waited. 

Hours passed since I arrived. The sunlight near the window became dazzlingly bright, and the busy hours were coming to an end in the cafe. And yet, with every customer that had been coming by, not one approached me nor seemed remotely familiar. 

‘He won’t come. I should go back to Corina’s. She might be worried about me,’ I sighed, rose from my seat and left payment for the coffee and lunch on the table and took my leave.

As I exited out the cafe, my head down in disappointment with my day, I didn’t notice someone walking in front of me and bumped into that person.

“Oof! I’m sorry. I-” I paused as I looked up at the person I bumped into. Coming face-to-face with stern eyes looking down at me. “You’re… from the pharmacy,” I spoke in recognition, feeling a bit embarrassed to meet this guy again so soon.

The man said nothing to me, as he took out a phone with a yellow case from his pocket. That being my phone. My eyes lit up, and I quickly took the phone, swiping a few times on the screen. “Thank you so much, sir.”  I said gratefully.

“I believe you've got something of mine.” He stared at me, which really gave me the creeps. 

As I suddenly realized something, I hurriedly took out his phone from my bag, “Here you are. And about yesterday… I’m really sorry for how I acted,” I stuttered out an apology. 

I felt his hand brush against my palm as he retrieved his phone back. His fingers felt cold, sending shivers down my spine. “It’s fine. Don’t mention it,” he claimed. Though I could sense he was really annoyed when he said that, given how heavy his glare had suddenly become.

I swallowed down the fear I felt for him as I watched him walk away to a car parked by the roadside. I was about to take my leave too, when I felt my mark burning. “Gah!” I screamed out, falling to my knees as I clutched my shoulder in severe pain.

My mind thought back to yesterday, what Corina said about the mark and its warnings. The memory of that made me feel nothing but frustration, as I realized what the dreadful thing was telling me.

“Are you okay?” the man suddenly turned back and asked me. I was not surprised he could hear my sound from far away, after all, werewolves have excellent hearing. But as I looked up to see him kneeling down in front of me. His face was indifferent as he laid eyes on me, showing neither concern nor mockery, which honestly confused me. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

I toughed out the pain, and shakily rose to my feet. “No. I just… want to go home…”

I didn't mean to say that last part; I only planned to walk away after. However, to my surprise, he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the car.

“It’d be annoying otherwise if rumors start after I leave you,” he stated, raising more of my confusion. For after all, what sort of rumor would come up for a werewolf leaving a human behind?

***

We soon arrived at Corina’s house, where my friend was getting some mail from her mailbox. She looked my way as I exited out the car and turned to the man. 

“Thank you for the ride, and sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” he simply said. 

I only lightly nodded and closed the door, watching as the car drove off. Almost as soon as it left, Corina jumped on me.

“What the heck?! A limited edition supercar?” her eyes widened, and asked in a teasing voice, in which I chuckled at. “Look at you, already moving on~ So who’s new and rich?”

“It’s not what you think. He’s just someone I accidentally swapped phones with. Besides, I… didn’t even get his name,” I said, now realizing that one little thing. 

Corina lightly pouted at my denial. “Oh, come on. I know I like good gossip, but even I have a line I don’t cross. Although, I do want to hear more about that Mr. Wolfie later~”

Realizing she didn’t believe me, I only sighed and walked into her house, wanting nothing more than to rest in bed. Or at least try to. What with the mark acting up during the ride, it was making me feel sick, and angrier at the people causing the mark to act up.

I made several calls to various human-friendly lawyers in the pack. In the case if I couldn’t find a powerful werewolf willing to help me make him break it off, the next best thing would have to be bringing the situation to court. Back in the human world, there were plenty of cases where married couples were unable to get along in the end and had to file for divorces. Oftentimes, a court session was also held to see which side would get authority over the things they shared, such as property or financials, and even custody over their child.

While Jayden and I are far from a married couple, we are still in an unwilling relationship. At the very least, this bond between us is only one-sided, and I was tricked into agreeing to it. However…

“I see. Thank you, anyway,” I said, ending yet another call I had made to another human-friendly lawyer.

Though I had explained my situation to the few lawyers I called thus far, not one was willing to help me with my case. Not only were they unwilling, they even explained that since I was a human who had been in a bonded relationship with Jayden for years, my situation was extremely difficult. It did not help that there was little law in the werewolf world that supports humans in any way. Even if I do bring my case to the court, the possibility of it ending in my favor was low.

I sighed and rested my head on my hands in light exhaustion. ‘How do I break free from this bond?’ I wondered, feeling hopelessness sinking into me.

“Oh my gosh!” I paused as I heard Corina’s gasp, and saw her looking at one envelope in her hand with wide eyes. A joyful expression then spread all over her face as she looked to me. “Maya! Maya, you’ll never guess what came in the mail!”

Hearing her this excited took me off guard, as I asked, “What is it?”

“Check it out,” she said, handing me the letter, with a sigil stamped on it. “This is an invitation to the Alpha’s Crescent Night Gala. A masquerade ball that happens once every decade. The invitation is given to a household at random, regardless of your rank in the pack. This is basically the perfect place for anyone to attend and find their destined mate, without having to worry about their rank. According to the invite, I can bring one more person along. Let’s go to the gala together!”

Watching her get this excited for this event made me feel a little guilty I could not share the same sentiment. At the same time, though, the part about finding a ‘special someone’ did catch my attention. I have little hope in finding that ‘special someone’, but if it’s finding someone who can help me out of my situation with Jayden…

“Do you have a dress and mask for two?” I might be able to find someone who can help.