Chapter 17- Glimpse Of Danger

That morning, Rafael left the magnolia estate and decided to go for a walk in the park.

He didn't miss the weather report broadcasted last night, and despite wanting to stand in the rain and relish in the sensation of being soaked, the people strolling by would probably find his love for the rain a bit weird, so he brought an umbrella with him– to blend in.

A little walk in the rain would surely uplift his mood.

Looking around at the strolling couples and teenagers on bicycles, he tsked, "A run in the woods would be so much better right now," he fantasized, suddenly feeling nostalgic since all he could see was buildings everywhere and maybe one or two trees.

If they weren't artificial.

Aleyska had all the woods and trees he could freely run into. Dunecliff was a city with limited trees and forest, so shifting would be too risky, as there was a high chance he'd get caught in one of those glaring cameras, and attention from these folks was the last thing he sought.

When his parents were alive, everyone related to the Demetriou family understood the peril of exposure all too well– they refrained from attracting unnecessary attention, knowing that fame inevitably led to relentless pursuit. He hated the sight of cameras, and the unwelcome attention of news reports detailing sights of a wolf-like creature in the city was a news he had no desire to encounter, that's why, his family had always avoided the spotlight's glare.

Their photos were concealed, their residential home addresses were discreetly known to a few, and their company's public face was represented by a human delegate. Aside from that, all the activities within the business are carried out by him.

Looking up at the sky, the manipulative clouds were really taking their time.

"What tha–" his eyes dilated, and he froze.

A consistent flash of light caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head and spotted about three girls taking his picture with their phones, and as though they knew he caught them taking his photos without permission, they quickly walked away, blushing and giggling all through.

"I should have just stayed at home." Rafael muttered, instantly regretting his decision to even be out here.

He didn't believe he was that attractive, his mate never looked at him the way those girls did, and he had to admit, he was irked by the fact that the only attention he seeked was the one constantly avoiding him. Was she not affected by the bond they both shared? Or is it just him?

Wallowing in his own pity.

Continuing his stroll, Rafael stopped in his tracks when a familiar scent assaulted his nostrils. At first he did not believe the familiarity of it, but when he inhaled the second time, that sweet addicting scent nearly sent his heart exploding from his chest.

Then he saw her.

His mate, who had been torturing his heart with no mercy, was crossing the road to make it to the other sidewalk. She was wearing her usual gray cloth, and her beautiful slim legs carried her in a direction he knew did not lead to her workplace. A disturbing thought popped in his mind at that consecutive moment, and he frowned.

Was she on a date?

Without thinking, he followed her, the earlier vow he made to never stalk her again completely eluding his thought. He hid in a shade the minute she walked into a hospital, and his fear that she might have found someone else vanished instantly. A worried look clouded his visage the minute she was out of sight, and unfortunately, he could not follow her in without attracting suspicion.

"A hospital?"

Not too long after she went in, the drizzling rain started. The pressure mounted, but Rafael remained in the shade without moving an inch. He needed to see if his mate would leave the hospital, if she was alright. Did something happen? Was she targeted when he wasn't watching?

More than an hour passed by, and he still waited, standing in the shade with an umbrella.

As she stepped out of the hospital, Rafael released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He shouldn't even be here, shouldn't be watching her like some love sick puppy, but he was. This side of him was beyond his control, and he'd only stop when she was fully right where she needed to be.

In his arms.

His mate surprisingly hadn't brought an umbrella, and he watched the frustration in her tired eyes build. She had dark circles around her pretty eyes — those eyes that reminded him of healthy leaves coated with raindrops during the rainy season. He was tempted to wipe away every stress from her life, to erase every goddamn one.

His heart pounded as he continued to watch her, unsure of what to do next.

"Go talk to her, you pimp!" Jerome's voice echoed in his thoughts, "by tomorrow, we won't see her again since we're leaving for Aleyska. Leave an impression— she has to remember you till we return to claim what is ours!"

Rafael didn't respond to his wolf this time, but that certainly didn't mean he wasn't contemplating a hundred dark ways to make that come true.

His umbrella unfurled, and he stepped forward. He shouldn't do this, he'd probably scare her away again, but he couldn't stop himself. The pull was too strong. He obviously wanted this, so why stop?

Approaching her from behind, he barely heard his own footsteps. He shielded her with his umbrella, but it wasn't the right approach, because he had frightened her yet again.

"It's you!" Her voice held a sheer panic that startled him.

When she stumbled back into the rain, Rafael instinctively grabbed her arm— their first contact— and a jolt of electricity ran through him. She stared at his face with widened eyes, and he involuntarily gulped at their proximity.

She was a cute fireball, even cuter up close.

"Miss Polly, would you like to go on a coffee date with me, right now." The word slipped from his lips, neither a request nor a command, and there was no room for refusal. His expression barely gave his thoughts away, but his heart raced.

The rhythm was too loud— he feared she might hear it.

Polly blinked at him, her lips parted like she had been meaning to say something entirely, but was stopped by his unanticipated offer. He saw the suspicion mixed with pure bewilderment in her eyes, and he tried not to melt from it.

She seemed to have recovered a few seconds later, but still struggled to give him a befitting response.

"This is your chance, mark her! Claim her! Mark her! Mark her!" Jerome's voice was a relentless echo he could not get rid of, and he wished there was a mute button he could press to quiet the desperate wolf.

Before his mate could respond to his offer, he caught a glimpse of danger behind her. His pupils constricted when they settled on a hand extending from a car's window, holding a gun deliberately pointed at his mate.

"Polly!"

He acted swiftly, grabbing her shoulders and turning her away, shielding her with his own body.

A bullet whizzed past, scraping Rafael's shoulders, and Polly's face paled at the sight of blood.