Chapter 22: Traitor

The sun was kissing Althea's skin, and the intense heat and light blinded her eyes. She then looked around and noticed that she was still in her wolf form from earlier; she assumed she was too tired to change back. She groaned and rubbed her temples as an excruciating headache swept through her mind.

"Good morning," Xian greets her from behind. She nods as she twists her head and looks back at him. "Do you need some clothes to change into?" he asks, smiling slightly. Althen then nodded, forgetting that she had forgotten her clothes, but Allan never brought her any.

Xian nods and walks down a small corridor, quickly returning with a sweatshirt in his hands. "The restroom is the first door to the right," he says as he sits on the couch to watch television.

She nodded and entered the bathroom, trying to pick up the shirt with her mouth. She predicted Xian to be scarier; after all, he is still a serial murderer. Sometimes she forgets, and she wishes she could forget Allan murdered thousands. For all she knows, he's a psychopath, and that's all she knows about him.

But something seemed to bother him when she left him, but that was most likely his wolf. If only she had responded from all over the entire universe.

Althea takes a step back, looking into the mirror before pulling the sweatshirt over her head. It reached her mid-thigh, which was unfortunate. She was pleased because this is the type of sweatshirt she prefers. She then walks out of the bathroom to find Xian sitting on the couch. She chose to sit on the floor against a wall on the opposite side of the room. She didn't feel at ease around them.

Right now, being cautious is her best bet. Whether dying would be a bad thing or not, she was still trying to figure out if there was even a slim chance she could get out of this.

"Oh come on," Xian exclaims. She looked at him, unsure whether he was speaking to the television or her. "Come on Althea, you don't have to be afraid of me," he says as he pats the seat beside him. She shook her head, saying no because she could see the television from where she was. So she doesn't need to change seats.

"How could Allan make his friend afraid of the real world?" Xian wonders. With thoughts in his eyes, he looked down at her. It was easy to tell their emotions because of who he was. After all, everyone is unique, but Allan was a special kind of unique. "F*ck, did I say he's special to me?" she ask herself in disbelief, shaking her head.

An hour later, it was lunchtime, and Xian was contemplating what to eat. Xan desired Korean cuisine and pizza. "Althea, are you okay with that kind of food?" Xian inquires.

"You can let me know if you want to hear something specific," he added.

"Don't worry, that's fine with me," she replied, looking up at him. She wasn't.

She isn't hungry at all, and her hunger is the least of her concerns.

"Oh yeah okay," Xian says as he pulls out his phone and orders pizza and a Korean buffet to be delivered.

Within thirty minutes, both meals were delivered, and Xian began devouring them. He didn't appear to be eating at all, which was peculiar.

"Here," Xian says, handing her a slice of pizza. She politely declines, her gaze fixed on the floor. He shrugs and eats that and five other pieces. Werewolves had a voracious appetite, not that they could compare it to anything.

As the day grew long and boring, the night began to fall. Xian is still watching sports, and she despises them. She didn't even dare to tell him to change the damn channel. She wishes she could.

He gives her a few glances before walking over to her and picking her up without saying anything. He doesn't let her go despite her wriggling. He walks down the corridors and into a navy blue bedroom that was surprisingly clean. He places her on the bed "You can sleep here tonight because I have the room.

So you can sleep comfortably on the couch, "He tucks her in, whispering. She felt like a child, which was strangely comforting.

"Goodnight, Althea," Xian says, turning off the lights so that the room is nearly pitch black. She closed her eyes and settled in, inhaling the strong cologne scent. Hopefully, she'll be able to stay a little longer.

When she heard squeaking nearby, her eyes opened. She focused her attention and noticed that the room door was completely open. She brushed it off until she noticed a shadow reflecting off the wall in the corridor. It still looked like it was watching Something, but from where it was, it couldn't see her.

She kept looking at it to see if it was Xian, but the hairstyle was completely different, and he was hunching. She bit her lower lip as she wrapped the blanket tightly around her.

When she heard talking, her ears perked up. "Three hundred grand," said a voice. It was older and strangely familiar. Is she curious about what he was saying? "It appears that they are discussing money, but about what?" she wonders.

"My life is on the line," Xian growls. He made her flinch, he sounded very frightening.

"Four hundred grand for a year's protection service," he adds. They were dealing, and it appeared to be more than just a drug deal. A drug for everyone would include a protection service.

"Three-hundred-fifty with the entire year of protection and security, that's as significant as I'll go before sending you psychos to prison," the other man grumbles. Althea's eyes widen as she tries to connect the dots. That man out there is the Sheriff, the sheriff of the werewolf system with the highest level of security. The one on the lookout for Allan's mate. The one who is after her.

"All right, Deal," Xian says, his voice cheerful. She then slowly slid out of bed, but she heard footsteps approaching, so she looked around for the best course of action.

The first thing she noticed was a window. She shatters the glass and crashes to the ground. For a brief moment, she returned her gaze to the windows and noticed the sheriff grinning, as if to say she wouldn't win.

As she wiped her face, her hands were dripping with blood. That was far from smooth, but she had no choice.

She took a step forward, but wolves began to surround her. They were prepared, and she know that she would lose.