'WHAT ABOUT ME?' Lance accepted the cap that Samael offered him. The sun was up and the sunlight is indeed irritating for his face. He needed something to block the sunlight from his skin. Samael didn't hesitate upon giving up his own cap for his sake. Now Lance couldn't help but replay the question that Samael blurted out awhile ago. 'What about me?'

He ignored the scent from the back of his ears. All the way denying that he liked it. Lance used to like rich and expensive perfume. Not the sweat of Samael's casual, homey scent.


'You...' Lance sniggered. 'You hang yourself upside down.'

Lance heard about his call with a woman named Nadz. There's no way that Penelope didn't hear about it too. It's no secret that she may feel sorry for him right now. Something he never wanted. 'It's good that Samael has someone, really. That way, I won't feel sorry when I hit on Lesley later.'

Now that he's thinking about this, he felt sorry about the way he acted when he first knew about Penelope. Mating pull sucks. Big time. He didn't know where this itchy feeling at the base of his neck whenever he tries lying to Samael.


"What about you?" Lance casted a side glance towards Penelope. He deliberately said, "Well... we'll talk about that later."

Samael furrowed his brows. It was as though he couldn't understand Penelope's relevance to the both of them. In the end, he sighed. "A date yet you have Bernadette here with you. Then, that mean you wouldn't mind another person joining, right?"


Lance wasn't surprised with his suggestion. He expected it. But his chest thumped like his words matter. Samael's words made this mission more enjoyable. "Ah... of course not! This is going to be a friendly date. She wanna ask me about something. I brought a beta she wolf with me too so she wouldn't be uncomfortable talking with me."

Samael didn't bother hiding his sarcasm. "Seems like you like helping people that much."

Lance gave him a bright smile. 'I heard that call, you idiot. I have nothing to feel guilty about!' "Accumulating good deeds so I can be rich in my next life."

Penelope smirked. If only she can record Lance's words right now. She had never seen a person who can act so shameless like him! "It's a novelty to see him acting like this, Samael. Can I call you that?"

"It's okay." Samael lead the way. Penelope's brow arched with the way Lance walked with his back straight as an arrow. She thought he looked ridiculous. She pitied how he tried his best not to look at Samael for more than 3 seconds but always failed. 'Boy, what the hell?' Her initial thought was right. Lance dressed up nicely today and it's not for Lesley. "I'll call you Bern."

'This is not a great idea.'

"How long did you know Lance? He's always been a shy one."

'He's shameless, foul-mouthed and fearless.' Penelope kept her fake happy expression and beamed. "It's a miracle that he has a new friend now."

"Two if you'll consider that Ms. Grand as a new friend of his too." The harsh pull of his lips didn't escape from Penelope's sight. She almost stopped and ask Lance wether is it too late for her to go back. "Lance is a good looking guy, yeah? It's not that difficult to attract bees."

'Am I going to witness a love triangle in action?' With Penelope's state of mind, and the fact that Lance is the one being hit on, she knew she could not handle it.

"So she's going to wait for you at a convenience store?" Samael continues to ask on the way. "Is she married? Or bonded, somehow?"

"Why does it matter?" Lance baited him. "We're going to trade information. Nothing else. I met her somewhere here. She's a lovely girl. You'll like her."

He went silent for a second. Penelope was anxious with the atmosphere. When Lance saw that Samael had a far away look in his eyes, he conceded. "And she's not bonded. I can't smell anything amiss."

"Oh." Samael blinked. The wave of his brows now more pronounced than ever. "You're not a wolf shifter so I guess you wouldn't know. Mates are very protective of their partners. You should be on guard or you'll have a shifter guy aiming his knifes at you."

Lance rolled his eyes. Penelope admired his audacity. She wished she could afford it too. "Bern is with me. I have you. What could possibly happen to me?"

Penelope roughly understood the lying undertone of his voice. 'I'm great and powerful. I escaped death once. Penelope even saw that. Who can hurt me? Don't piss me off.'

Samael, who doesn't know anything but the impression that Lance is naive, strong but gullible, sighed in relief. "Yeah. Stick to me—to us."

'I feel like the air. They can't see me.'

Walking down a slope, Penelope's inner thighs shook uncomfortably. She bit her lips and tried her best to hide the awkward pace of her stride. Joaquin was indeed blind, but his sex tool is working efficiently. The lingering feeling on her lower half made her reminisce about the things they did last night.

'It was glorious.' Penelope sighed with content. She glanced at Lance and almost halted when she saw his serious expression.

Lance looked down. His eyes' emotion obscured by his long lashes. He pursed his lips. "The air seems different."

Samael hurriedly explained. "I didn't bring any women up here."

Lance let out a scoff. "Did I ask you about that?"

Penelope sniffed the air. She couldn't find anything different. 'Could Lance sense something from afar? Is it going to be an ambush?'

"No. I was just saying. In case you thought I'm in a relationship with anyone in any way right now. Well, I'm not." Samael shove his hands deep in his pockets. He flashed a smile. Penelope recognized his greasy move of trying to feel Lance's thoughts about him. She eyed him doubtfully on that matter. Lance was always a generation ahead of them. He won't fall for those tricks easily.

"Oh... you're single?" Lance's eyes shined brightly. "That's great. Being single is great."

Penelope stopped herself from rolling her eyeballs out. 'Nevermind.'

"Lance?" A graceful woman popped out of Penelope's peripherals. "Lance, hi!"

"It's nice seeing Ms. Grand again." Lance held her hand unapologetically. Lesley accepted the touch with no less than a cheerful smile. "You look stunning today."

The woman blushed uncontrollably. "I-I wore my best dress for this day, Lance."

Penelope liked her being humble. "Hi, I'm Bern."

"I see you. You look beautiful! My name is Lesley."

"I'm Samael. Lance's—"

Penelope held her breath and prayed to the Fates that he won't put shame on his ancestors name.

"—other friend. Just like you."

His cool demeanor turned off in an instant. He look unconcerned but at the same time threatening. "Oh, hi, Samael. I just knew him the other day. That's... too early to say we're friends compared to the two of you."

Before Samael could savour the victory in his heart, Lance interrupted their conversation.

"That's nonsense. I'll treat you all the same." Lance shifted the conversation to Lesley again. He asked how did he get there and how was the people back in her pack. When Lance asked Lesley how did she get the permission from the alpha to go outside again, Penelope listened carefully.

She didn't miss Lesley's veiled response.

"You know she sent me here last time. I said I found a clue about the traitor's whereabouts. She allowed me to investigate. Just like that."

"She must have trusted you so much, if that's the case."

"I know I'm trustworthy. I never did anything that will make the alpha unsatisfied with me. I always tried my best. That's how Beta should do with their alpha. Serve and give your life in exchange for their safety."

Samael wrinkled his nose but he didn't say anything. Instead, he shared, "I'll never know about that. Pack loyalty. I grew up in my uncle's place. People get paid for their service. That's reasonable. Because you get something in return."

"You're a rogue?" Lesley paled. Penelope pitied her frail constitution. 'How can you save your alpha like what you said earlier if you're too weak and easily rattled?'

"Yes. Well, no." Samael scrunched up his nose. "I have a place to stay with other people living inside. I don't call them my pack or my home in any way. It's complicated."

Lance was listening with eyes glistening with interest.

"Lance, what shifter kind are you? It's alright if you won't tell."

He shrugged. "Well, I've never really known what kind am I. But I'm sure as hell I'm half an elf."

"An elf?" Samael grinned. The wolf in his eyes full of glee and selfish glint. "Wow. I mean, you are rare."

"You've never seen one?" Lance struggled to hide his scorn. "I'm working at my boss' company and half of the workers there are all half an elf. You should befriend one and you'll never stop seeing them for life."

Samael stared at his face. "You have a small face."

"You just got a large head doesn't mean mine's small in any way."

"Burn." Samael breathed the air with a smile. "No. Your face is indeed small, Lance."

"Lance is really handsome though." Lesley smiled knowingly. "I almost fall for him the first time I met him."

"Guess our first meeting left a great deal of impression on you, what gives it away?"

"Your white shirt. You look formal even in your casual wear."

Lance laughed. "You're right, you're right."

Samael held Lesley's wrist. He grinned. "Have you eaten? Do you want to eat somewhere?"

Penelope was left with Lance. She tapped his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

He wasn't moving 'til the both of them were far enough. Lance raised a brow. "I'm not wearing a white shirt the day I met Lesley, Pen."

Penelope's fingers went cold. "What?"

"She doesn't smell like the Lesley that I met. Her smell was superficial. It was added on and not her own scent."

She was scared of Lance's ability. Penelope gulped. "Are you really half an elf, Lance?"

"What?" Lance rolled his eyes. His serious face broke into a spiteful expression. "No. Of course not. I hate elves. They all want me dead. No way."

Penelope asked, "Then what are you?"

He sighed. "I'm Joaquin's guardian. That's the fact that I can only tell you right now. Even I don't know what I really am."

"You're a great person. Foul-mouthed but reliable as hell. It would be scarry to have you as my enemy."

"Don't hurt Joaquin in any way and I'll be your best friend forever."