Chapter 4

"Is there a problem?"

A police car stopped just half a meter behind Jayden, and an officer in uniform approached. With just a quick glance, Maera could tell that the officer was a sycophant—he flashed a knowing smile at Jayden just before walking closer.

"You're Miss Veilthorn, right? Who’s the man behind you? A newcomer?" he asked with a mocking grin.

"Officer, the young man beside you was trying to force this lady to go with him. I just happened to be passing by and offered my help," Kael said in a cold tone.

"Is that true?" The officer looked at Jayden, who responded with a shrug.

"I just wanted to take her home—it’s late. Who would’ve thought this stranger would hit me instead?" Jayden accused.

"He didn’t hit you. He—" Maera started to explain, but her hand was suddenly gripped by Kael. It wasn’t painful, but it sent a strange jolt through her entire body, leaving her thoughts frozen and distracted.

"I think this is just a misunderstanding. Besides, they know each other. Everyone in this town knows one another. If they seem to be arguing, maybe it’s just a lovers’ spat," the officer said again with that same meaningful smile directed at Jayden, which only irritated Maera further.

"What’s actually suspicious is you, stranger. Who are you, and what are you doing in our small town?"

"Stranger?" Kael lifted the corner of his mouth again.

"I’ve probably lived longer than you," he murmured so softly that Maera furrowed her brows in confusion.

Had she not seen his lips move faintly, she might’ve thought she’d imagined it. But she clearly saw those full, pink lips form the words—so the sentence wasn’t just in her head.

"We’d better go. I’ll take you home," Kael said as Maera felt her arm being gently pulled by the mysterious man. Strangely, she followed without protest—unlike earlier when Jayden had grabbed her.

"Get in," he instructed after opening the passenger door of a sleek black sports car that Maera hadn’t noticed earlier. Again, she complied without needing to be told twice. She didn’t even try to run when she saw him walk around to the driver’s seat.

The car drove off, leaving behind a visibly upset Jayden and the sly officer trying to calm him down.

A few seconds later, Maera seemed to snap out of her daze and turned to glance at the unfamiliar man behind the wheel.

“W-where are you taking me?” she asked, starting to panic as the realization hit her that she was inside a stranger’s car.

Kael let out an amused snort, casting a brief glance at Maera with a smile—damn it, the very same smile Crystal had described a few days ago—absolutely dazzling.

“If I were a kidnapper, your fate wouldn’t be as safe as it is now,” the man said calmly. “I’m taking you home,” he added flatly.

“Taking me home? How do you even know where I live?” Maera squeaked, her voice filled with doubt.

“What do you think?” Kael replied with a question of his own, just as he turned the car onto the road that led straight to Maera’s house.

“How do you know I live here?” Maera asked in confusion.

“Isn’t it true that in a small town like this, everyone knows everyone?” the man said in a mocking tone, stopping the car right in front of her grandmother’s gate. “The Veilthorn family is the only one that still chooses to live on the edge of Howlshade Forest when everyone else moved away because they believe it’s haunted,” he said, eyeing the forest edge bathed in the car’s headlights. “Aren’t you afraid that one day a werewolf might emerge from there and devour you?” he asked, turning his head to look at Maera intently.

Maera couldn’t hold back a smile. Apparently, besides her best friend Crystal, there were other people who believed in that myth. And even funnier, the one who believed it wasn’t a naive child, but a fully grown man with a tall, broad physique—one that looked more like the werewolf himself.

“If you’re really Kael Drenvarr, then you should know that werewolves don’t exist,” Maera said calmly. “Otherwise, how could your family survive living for generations in a castle built in an even more remote area—much closer to Howlshade Forest—and always at risk of being devoured at any moment?” she added with a smile, amused by the stranger’s thoughts.

Unlike Maera, who found Kael's question amusing, Kael instead felt a strange sensation upon seeing the girl's innocent smile. Just like the odd tingling he had felt earlier when touching Maera’s arm, he now felt another strange sensation coursing through his body as he looked at her smile. Even her mocking snort sounded like wind-chimed bells caught in a gentle breeze.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Maera quickly said when she noticed Kael’s brows furrow, clearly displeased with her words from a few seconds earlier.

Kael, realizing it, immediately adjusted his sitting position and returned his expression to normal.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Drenvarr. Thank you also for helping me get away from Jayden. And thank you for the generous donation to the orphanage," Maera said sincerely.

Kael merely gave a slight nod without saying a word.

Maera got out of the car, walked around the front, and opened the simple wooden gate of her grandmother’s house—one Kael knew wouldn’t be able to stop even a stray dog, let alone a hungry bear or a massive werewolf. Just as Maera stepped inside the house, the passenger door opened again and Jorah entered the vehicle.

"She’s accepted the job Gibson offered. You might be able to negotiate with her at the party," Jorah informed him.

"I don’t think it will be that easy. Even though she seems needy and physically weak, she doesn't strike me as someone easily swayed by money." Kael pulled the handbrake, backed up the car, then turned off the headlights and drove onto a different path leading to his castle. "I’ll have to put her in a truly desperate situation before I can conquer and make use of her," he muttered as he pressed the gas pedal deeper.

Although the forest was pitch black, Kael’s vision was as sharp as a wolf’s in the night. He wouldn’t crash into anything on his way back to the castle.

Yes, Kael Drenvarr was no ordinary human. He was a being whose existence was considered mere myth by most people. He was a werewolf—and more than that, he was an Alpha. The leader of the Silverfang pack, a ruler whose leadership commanded respect and whose strength was feared by other Alpha clans.

His human appearance might resemble a man in his early thirties, but in truth, he had lived for more than three-quarters of a century. Even so, his age was still considered young for a werewolf, who on average could live up to three hundred years.

Until now, Kael had never revealed himself to humans. Although he was one of the descendants of the four founders of Umbrahein city, not many knew his true identity—aside from the city’s high-ranking officials, including the father of Jayden, the young man who had flirted with Kael's target earlier.

Target? Yes. Maera Veilthorn was Kael's target.

As an Alpha, Kael was not only expected to lead the pack but also to produce an heir who would continue the leadership of the clan.

Unfortunately, after what happened to his parents, Kael decided never to claim a mate or perform a union ceremony with any woman from any clan. He feared history would repeat itself, so he avoided every possibility of a “natural pairing.” However, he couldn’t deny his desire to have offspring—not necessarily to carry on the leadership, but to have a companion in life, especially now that he was completely alone.

And that idea—though it might sound absurd—was something Kael took very seriously. He intended to make a human woman a surrogate mother who would carry his child. Even if the child would later be labeled as half-werewolf, he believed that would be even better. In his mind, it might at least reduce half of the curse that had been cast upon his family.

And Kael had made his decision—Maera Veilthorn.

No one knew exactly what he saw in that woman, because at first glance, Jorah thought she looked weak, unlike her friend named Crystal. But whatever his Alpha desired, as Beta, Jorah simply had to carry it out.