BLARING LIGHTS scalded Lance's eyes. The neon signs at the front gives a warning for his peace-loving mind. When he finally stepped inside, he accidentally caught the spotlight right by his face. He almost cussed out loud. 'What a great timing!'

Cold air blasted his neck. The temperature isn't as welcoming as it hoped to be. The air was soon filled with different body scents. It was still early but the sweat glistening off on other people's forehead shows that they are having a good time.


"This is a lot of people, Lance." Lesley held his arm. "Let me get a hold of you. I'm afraid I'd get thrown away by these enthusiastic dancers here."

He laughed like he mean it. Lance consoled her. "After three drinks and you'd be joining them."

"Make that ten." She batted her lashes. "I'm a strong lady. I can drink pretty well."


Lance made a show of sneaking a glance on her small chest. He made sure she had seen it before swallowing. "We'll see about that later."

"You bet!"


She wore a revealing tube top and a tight, holed jeans. Lance was surprised when she walked out of the fitting room having a red stiletto on her feet. The woman came prepared.

'Looks like she was really into me from the very first time we met.'

Lance looked ahead at Penelope' s direction, catching Samael's defensive eyes with his own. The man didn't change his clothes. It was like he was afraid that Lance will enter his fitting room and harass him.

'You wish.'

The man was incensed. Lance slipped when he was about to turn and take a piss while they were inside the comfort room. He fell facedown towards Samael. He didn't know what pills was he taking because Samael tackled him. That's why he laid for a second on the dirty floor thinking about why the Fates is he named Lance and not Rafael or something like Andrius. The man just had to make it worse for him.

Lance thought Samael would lay pliant and let him fall over him and protect his clothes but no, the man has to exchange their position as if this is football.

A public restroom was never a good place to lay down and contemplate about life. It stinks!

'I can't believe they have done this to me. Old women trying to shorten my lifespan by giving me one idiot of a mate. Oh, Fates! I thought you guys were brilliant matchmakers!' Lance held Lesley's waist. The lady didn't mind his strength. "Let's get this party started."

"Sure!"

PENELOPE WAS with her barely half a glass of a drink when a guy stood close to her. She looked up. He's a teenager with a playboy smile on his face. She politely decline his request to dance. Her prediction was right when she saw his brows forming a wave together. 'Pretty boy doesn't want to hear a 'no', hmn?'

"Why can't we dance? Are you married?" he insisted.

Samael tapped the counter with his middle finger. He grinned. "When the lady said no, you gotta move your ass away and don't piss her more like it would change her answer. Go invite another woman. She's taken."

"Oh, well..." The guy looked back at his friends and signaled them a 'zero' sign. He acquiesced. "You must be the boyfriend then. Fine. It's all just a bet with my friends anyways. Sorry. Have a nice evening."

"You too!" Samael answered with a fake smile. He then faced Penelope with a grim expression. "Kids nowadays. I hope you don't mind being paired up with me. It was his eyes that has a problem."

"It's okay. That's no big deal." Pen sipped her cup. "Lance would prolly say the same thing to drive him away if he's here."

"Unfortunately, he isn't here." Samael begrudgingly accused Lance, "He's being a womaniser there. I shouldn't have come here and torture myself like this."

"Why don't you dance with him then?" Penelope eyed Lance for a while. He was dancing stiffly in front of Lesley. On the other hand, the woman was grinding the air with might. Shimmying her waist glamorously with the beat.

Penelope stared for a moment then paled when she realized something.

"YOU KNOW, the pack where I live now has the most to offer with people like you." Lesley said. Her voice loud and clear on Lance's ears despite the booming music. "They care for the people..."

"People like me?" Lance refused to caress her body like what he did this morning. She might discover his cold, freezing hands. "I'd like to know what's it with 'people like me'."

"Well... those people who were doing bad things and now they want to change. Was it called... turning to a new page? We can totally help you. No need to stay by your boss' side."

Lance shifted his foot and moved faster. He wants this woman dizzy and vomiting in five seconds. "Damn woman, you want this bad guy to be good just for you, is that it?"

"I'll be honest with you, Lance. You're exactly my type. A guy who knows how to take care of himself. One that's handsome enough to move the moon. Caring to the extreme."

'Empty words.' Lance grinned. "You feed me so much praises. That might get inside my head."

"I'll give you more when you decide to go back with me. We need men like you."

Lance wouldn't deny that she's a gorgeous woman. She looks real and a classic beauty. If she wasn't connected with Pen in any way and that he doesn't have a fated mate, he wouldn't mind getting along with her.

She smiles a lot. But that's where it all ends.

"When the construction is done, I'll take your word on that."

"Does this mean you'll grant me access inside the calistre woods?" she asked with a palm heavy on his chest. She groped him as if it would made Lance happy right now.

'It doesn't.'

"Lance!" Penelope entered Lance's sight. He sighed in relief. "Samael wants to talk with you. He's waiting at the back of the bar since it's so loud."

"What does he want?" Lesley smirked. "Oh, I bet it's between you guys so... what about me?

"Save all of your dances with me." Lance played a jealous suitor's act. "Drink something to freshen up but please save all your expert dance moves on me."

Lesley covered her mouth and said, "I will. I promise!"

Lance crossed the packed dancefloor and went to the back of the building. The smell wasn't good. 'God, don't he know me well by now? This stinks!'

He whipped his head left and look for Samael. The guy was nowhere to be found. He clicked his tongue. "That guy. Thinking he's going to—"

A forceful tug caught Lance by surprise. When he turned to smack the man's head, Samael's lips crushed his lips in a punishing kiss.

An intrusive tongue pushed his mouth open. Lance didn't have any choice but to push himself back and stay still.

The sound coming out of the guy's throat is not normal. It looks like he angered the rogue in him. And this sweet kiss is his punishment.

Lance closed his eyes and thought that he needs to act petrified later. He doesn't know how to pull that look off when he looks confused as why this feels bad and extremely great at the same time.

'His saliva...' Lance opened his eyes and stared with Samael's opened pair. 'I'm so done.'

"I DON'T know..." Lesley gave a hefty tip to the bartender before swaying on the stool to face Penelope. "But men can't just be direct sometimes, yeah?"

Penelope's chest thumped with trepidation. 'Is Samael that obvious? Are we blown away now?' She asked tentatively, "Why is that?"

"Well... they couldn't be honest with the girl they like." She shook her head in pity. "They had to fight each other. What for? I mean, some girls can handle two men at once!"

Penelope tugged her ears and blinked. "Come again, what? I... I seem to can't understand."

'Did I hear her wrong?' She smiled with an awkward tilt of her mouth.

"Come on. You don't need to act so naive in front of me." Lesley held her chin and in distress, she said, "I knew they were fighting for my attention. I had a gut feeling about it since I met Samael. Lance came to me first but... Samael is not a bad guy too. What's there not to like about him?"

Penelope swallowed her tongue back. She grabbed her cup of alcohol and drink the remaining liquid inside. No. She didn't hear it wrong.

'She can handle two what at the same what?' She mulled it over and gulped. "I think Lance deserves to be the first and only though."

"Uh... who believes in monogamy, right?" Lesley rolled her eyes. "You know guys. After a month, they will have a new woman."

Nodding her head, Penelope agreed and kept on agreeing. For now, she knew that there's a big possibility that her guess was right.

The question is, how will she prove it?