Chapter 9

It was followed by silence. Neither of them spoke, and Therese slightly squinted her eyes, a bit suspicious. Harvey, on the other hand, fidgeted with the empty soda bottle while his tongue rolled around his mouth.

All I could think about was the clock ticking after I dropped this information. I would be counting my days from now on with thoughts of being hunted down.

“The prince does have a very… enigmatic reputation,” Therese pointed out. “What I mean by that is Azenians calling him too melancholic and reckless. I didn’t know reckless means he kills his own kind.”

“I’m not saying that he kills werewolves, but I just saw the prince with blood all over him. And I think the firefly led me to witness it. The scenario is too unclear to think of his motivations. But following the queen’s death and his threats, I don’t even know how to make sense of it.” I almost panted as I blurted those out.

“I know… but the fact he’s capable of cold murder like that is punishable by the law and order of Azen,” Therese implied and drifted her eyes at me. “And you told us about the firefly. It meant only one of these two things: either the fate is trying to lead you to that scene or… the fate leads you to him.”

I gulped at that and refused to believe the latter.

“He threatened to kill her,” Harvey pointed out, sounding a bit uneasy.

“He did,” I agreed. “He’s the prince. Fate can pick anyone as his match.”

“Thing is, we can never know the answer unless all of what’s written unfolds. Fireflies just have their own way of making certain events make sense. So it can be either one of those or both.” Therese shrugged, and I just stared at her in confusion. “The queen is dead, it’s not up to us to figure out why she died or if she was murdered. The least we can do right now is put everything in the Moon Goddess’s hands.”

She was right. Staying out of this and not speaking about the prince’s whereabouts during the queen’s tragedy was the safest option we had. This would spare us any involvements when the truth surfaced.

Harvey then stood upright and tucked his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. He put on a weak smile before saying, “I think I might need some rest. I’ll see you around.” His attention was only directed at Therese.

“We’ll have to meet some other time.” Therese patted his arm before he walked past me towards the door, not even taking a glance or acknowledging I was here.

He just left.

“What was that?” Therese noticed Harvey’s sudden indifference towards me.

Right. Good. He didn’t tell her.

“I don’t know.” I just shook off the thought and walked over to the chair closest to the counter. “I think he’s just not in the mood.”

“He walked into this boutique a while ago. I thought he’d buy another dress for you, but he just sat there talking about wanting to go back on the other side, which is a bit odd.”

“Going back to the other side?”

“Yes. He was asking me if there’s a loophole since the chaperone won’t let any Azenians leave this kingdom. He didn’t tell me exactly the reason why.”

That was odd. But, at the same time, maybe it was just frustration –– when someone couldn’t control something no matter how hard they tried. Like my reaction last night, or his parents getting rid of him. He might’ve felt unwanted, and going on the other side was his way of gaining that control again.

“Yeah, I also don’t know about that.” I stared at the dresses again and remembered what we were yesterday. Before the ball even happened –– before all of those emotions were poured disproportionately.

“Anyhow, if you’re not going to do anything today, I want you to come with me to the pub,” Therese invited. It had been a while since I had someone invite me to an endeavor outside of pack-related responsibilities.

“I––I don’t know about that,” I tried to refuse, but she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you don’t drink?”

“I do. It’s just that––“

“Then come with me. Have fun for the night. The kingdom is grieving right now because of this tragedy; the least we can do is lighten ourselves up, even just for a few hours.” Then she stared at me expectantly. “Please? You’re going to enjoy it, I promise.”

“But Harvey will look for me.” But I couldn’t make up any valid excuse not to go. Especially when I knew deep down it was tempting.

“Harvey can’t do anything about it.” She chuckled and put on a suggestive smile.

It wasn’t that I cared about tiptoeing on Harvey’s feelings; I just didn’t want to trigger more distance than we already had. This would lead to him feeling left out or being resentful towards me.

“Are you coming or should I call Harvey for permission?” Therese asked when I hadn’t answered her for a few seconds.

“No,” I said. “I mean, I’ll come with you. What time do you plan to go?”

She squealed in excitement and checked on her notepad.

“Let’s stay here until the sun comes down. Let’s get to know each other more while we wait.”

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Dusk came, and the sun had already set on the horizon. Pink and purple hues painted the sky, and the lit lamp posts of the street added warmth to the cold atmosphere of the night. The breeze wafted in our direction, so I had to pull my coat around my body as I shivered. I tried to match Therese’s pace; her every stride came so fast, like fighting the bluster of wind.

It was while we were left alone in the boutique that I learned about her upbringing. She spent most of her teenage years in Azen and turned out, she was about the same age as Harvey and me, only she was a year older –– twenty. She talked to me about her obsession with fashion and dresses that she couldn’t care less about the responsibilities of being a lycan. We found our common ground when she mentioned feeling more human than a supernatural because of her disinterest in werewolf political agendas. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I was a half-blood –– afraid to admit anything connecting me to the other side.

It took us some time before we reached the pub. ‘The Polaris House’, it read on the signage hanging atop the wide window panes. From the outside, it looked rustic: with a combination of brick walls and black, solid concrete. As we stepped inside, jazz music blasted in our ears with the intoxicated crowd dancing along and laughing. Therese pulled my wrist to the bar where the bartenders were throwing the shakers in the air and handing out cocktails. We sat on the leather stool as Therese stuck two fingers.

“Two glasses of Margaritas,” she ordered, and one of the bartenders nodded.

“This place is packed,” I said, scanning my eyes around the place. It had that old, vintage atmosphere: the warm lights, brown leather couches, and wooden bar counters with marble on top.

“It’s almost always crowded because this place is owned by the notorious pack in Azen: the Polaris. They earn gold from their gambling businesses and other shops they built in this kingdom. It was said that ever since they came here from the other side, they brought all the human temptations to the supernaturals. Without them, there’s no such thing as ‘fun’ in Azen. A lot of the packs dislike the Polaris because, well, they’re wealthy and the palace benefits from their wealth. The Polaris profit off of the supernaturals’ need to escape through humanly stuff –– like how we would go to clubs and casinos on the other side,” Therese replied and pulled some gold from her pouch. She slid them on the counter to pay for our drinks, as the bartender placed two glasses of Margaritas in front of us.

“Do you go here often?” I asked.

“I do. I mean, it’s where I reward myself every time I get some gold from my designs. There’s always enough time for leisure.” She brought the brim between her lips and stared at me through my lashes. After taking a sip, she sighed. “How about you? On the other side of the human world, what do you do for leisure? Do you go to clubs?”

“I don’t. I like the beach and the water. I prefer nature more than the city.”

“That’s interesting. Do you go to the beach with Harvey or do you go alone?”

The beach brought out so many memories with Harvey. After we left the bayou, we would meet up and ride a bicycle to the sea nearby.

“Yes. Harvey and I have always loved the beach.”

“Too sad we don’t have one in Azen, only lakes that would sometimes disappear during the dry season.” She placed her elbow on the counter and laid her chin on her hand. “Why don’t you tell me about both of you? You told me he’s your friend, but I do think there’s more to that than you want to share.”

“We’re childhood best friends. But then outer circumstances happened, and we separated for a few years. Then we reconnected when we moved here.”

“How was it like? It’s just the two of you here, both werewolves. Don’t you guys feel some type of…”

“Yes. I mean––no. It’s complicated.” I shook my head.

“Come on, tell me. This stays between the two of us.”

I drank almost half the glass of Margarita before saying, “Harvey told me last night that he wants me, but I’m not sure if I feel the same.”

“Why? Is there something holding you back? Or he’s just not your type?”

“I’m confused.” Then I drank the entire glass as Therese ordered another one. I couldn’t talk about my feelings sober. So I continued, “Because whenever he’s near or whenever I’ll see his face, I’ll feel a little tingly. Like I’m gushing over him. But when he confessed last night, I didn’t know what to feel. My body would respond to him, but I just feel hollow inside. I don’t feel connected to him in the way that he wants. Maybe because in my head, we’re still those little kids playing houses. I don’t understand it.”

“I think you just need to get laid.”

“What?” I raised my brows in confusion.

“That happens more often than you think. Some are just not ready to emotionally invest in a connection because they’re still exploring what they want in a relationship. That’s not the werewolf way, of course, because fate plays a huge role in us finding a mate. But it’s very possible if you’ve spent most of your life in the human world. And to you, you’ve known him when you were kids. Those years you weren’t together mean you don’t know him anymore. People can change a lot in just a year.”

“So you’re saying that I should try it with him?” I almost let out a chuckle.

“Look, I’m not saying you should sleep with Harvey because you feel rather lustful than genuine love. I’m just saying that you wouldn’t know unless you give it a shot. The question is, do you trust him?” She seemed more invested in our story than I was.

“A part of me wants to,” I admitted.

“Then let him lead. And observe what you feel after.” Then she took the glass to her lips and smirked.

As we were having our conversation, the crowd suddenly went quiet as they all averted their attention to the door. And when I looked behind the bar, something twisted in my stomach.

It was the prince.