LANCE DIDN'T know who pulled away first, but the two of them ended up catching their breath. Lance failed to play his 'horrified' act. Samael was holding his waist on a death grip, spouting words that he normally thought offensive.

"You done blaming my mouth?" His rasped voice didn't make him feel embarrassed. "It was not like I pulled you to my lips, right? You were the one who shove your tongue right in, Samael."


"You didn't fight me." Samael laid his head on his shoulder and sniffed. "Should have punched me or something."

"I chose 'or something'." Lance bit his lips and faced left. "You... I can't move the moment you kissed me."

The guy hissed. "Stop saying that word."


"What?" Lance smiled. "It disgusts you?"

"No... Yes?" Samael pushed himself closer. Lance felt something on his thigh. Something that should not be possible since they were both 'straight'. "Of course, you wouldn't be able to move. You now acknowledge my presence. Hah! The thing now works for the both of us. At least I'm not the only one who's going to hurt from now on."


"That's..." He sighed and tapped his head. "Why don't you move away now? Since you look fine already."

"In a moment. Help me."

Lance nodded. "What do I do?"

"Just... stand here. Don't move. Let me burry my head just like this on your shoulder. Once I'm fine, I'll be out of your hair soon."

"Breathe all you can. That's nothing to me. I just feel sorry for your wolf soul."

Lance worked on his breathing. Trying to inhale slowly and with ease. 'Get your hard on away from my thighs. Stop rubbing it. I feel...'

"You're too close."

Samael whispered with his weakened voice, "I have to be."

Lance struggled with defeat. He mumbled, 'Now I have a puppy running after me.'

"HOW LONG are they going to be outside?" Miracle sat beside Joaquin. She folded her dress to make sure it won't scatter. Joaquin didn't flinch on her sudden appearance but his expression seems surprised that the kid personally went to him to talk. "I'm afraid they would get hurt while doing their work or on the way here."

"They're safe. I'll know if something bad happened."

He had formed a bond with Penelope. It would trigger once she felt hurt or devastated. Joaquin will find a way to locate her by then.

"Oh..." She went silent for a second before asking, "Are you not cold in here? I'll get you a blanket if you want."

"No need. Waiting at the porch is not bad. I gotta hear the nature."

"Okay... Michael and the rest of the kids were all asleep now. Ymar went to read a book he borrowed on the table. I... I got nothing to do and I don't feel sleepy yet."

"Are you worried for Lance?" He smiled. "You really like him, hmn?"

"As a brother? Yes." Miracle sighed noisily. "He's the only person who makes me not afraid to go out again. When he's around, I feel safe. Just like when I'm with you."

"You have to know that what had happened in the past is something that won't occur again. Once you get a new place to stay, I promise you'll be safe for life."

"I don't know..." Her voice seems distressed. Joaquin doesn't know how to comfort the kid. "By that time, Ymar will establish a class system again with the rest of us. He's the remaining noble left. I don't want the children to grow up with the same garbage thought that Ymar has to be respected just because he shares the same surname with the last noble family in our fluffle. No one was born a helper or a server."

"I don't think he will do that to you or to any of the children inside." Joaquin can hear a set of feet hurrying their way over their direction but Miracle didn't seem to notice. It was Ymar's silent footsteps. He's the only one awake. "What do you want to do exactly? That no one will lead the rest of you? Because in our kind, the werewolves, we have that same ruling class to divide the work to each other. A leader has to have his own resources if he wants to establish a pack."

"…I don't think Ymar wants to govern over kids, Miracle. He's a teenage guy. Too young to be saddled over handling something that was not even existing. Wait for the kids to be of age, by then, you can create fluffle where every one of you has a say to everything that happens inside."

"…they were too young to be constantly reminded of how their families fell."

Miracle sniffed. She rolled her eyes. "There are times I think you and Lance are close relatives."

Joaquin pursed his lips. "Haven't you heard him bragging about how we're cousins? He's pretty loud about it."

"I thought he's only joking!" She laughed. "You two doesn't even look alike."

He shared, "I don't look like my dad too. Our similarity were all in the eyes. Nothing else."

"That still means you're not adopted then!"

"Well, you're not wrong." Joaquin moved his head to the right. "You should go inside and ask Ymar to stop reading and sleep. Take a rest."

"I want to see Lance and Penelope home safe but.. " Miracle tapped Joaquin's shoulder. "I'll get you a blanket and you're going to use it. It's so cold now, you know."

"You sound like Michael."

Miracle didn't bother answering him and ran back inside. Joaquin steadily rocked back himself to the chair and blinked slowly. Trying to push the sleepiness at the back of his mind.

"Here!" Miracle returned with a large comforter at hand. "Here's an extra. Don't catch a cold, okay? Thank you for the meals today. They were all great and delicious!"

Joaquin motioned for her to come closer. Securing the comforter on both of his shoulders, he then patted Miracle's head. "You're a kind child. Your parents raised you well."

"They were all great person. Especially my mom. I look like her."

"Then she must be beautiful. Now go back and hug Michael to sleep."

"Yes, sir!"

There are days when Joaquin badly wants to meet his mom. He thought, if his parents didn't broke up, maybe he wouldn't have lost his ability to see.

'If my mom was there, she would prioritize my safety.' Too bad Joaquin didn't even got the chance to meet her.

Adarmus, his dad, wouldn't give him the information that he needed. The man would even look defensive. Not a man's expression when remembering his lost wife.

Was she dead?

'Is she okay now?' Joaquin prayed that he would at the very least, see the one who birthed him before he die. He'd like to thank them, and ask for a kiss on the forehead.

Footsteps approached Joaquin's front door. He smiled and greeted his guest, "Missy is going home alone, why? Where's your bodyguard?"

"He's way behind me. Walking like a sloth because according to him, he doesn't want to see wordly things that has nothing to do with work and money," Penelope said.

Joaquin immediately took notice of the shaking of her own voice. He extended his arms. "You did well today. Have you eaten?"

"Yeap. I hope you won't mind. I smell like someone poured me twenty perfumes simultaneously." Penelope launched herself to his lap and squeezed his neck with her arms. "You smell so great. How's your evening?"

"The kids were all noisy but other than that, there's nothing." He kissed the side of her face. "So Lance ended up going to a bar, hmn?"

"Yeah... please don't get mad at him." She hurriedly explained, "It was Lesley, okay? She's been insisting that we go—"

"It's okay." He held her back. "Though it would be great to be able to join you the next time."

"You'd like to? You want to? I mean..."

"I'd like to. When it's with you." Joaquin shifted slightly. "The Old Sy locked himself in his room for the whole day. He wouldn't even go at the table to eat. I sent some food for him in case he's not feeling well."

"You're really considerate." Penelope tug at his ears. "I don't think we will be able to see Lesley anytime soon. I won't be surprised to know that she's been dead for a week now."

"What?" He blinked.

She confessed, "When I saw her dancing with Lance, I remembered the way she move. The way she dance. It's really similar to my female alpha. Their mannerisms, the ways she talks has an uncanny similarity with Beatrix."

"That's..." Joaquin was astonished. "Lance is well-versed in mage craft. He didn't suspect anything?"

"He said she smelled different but we can't fully confirm it since she's using a strong scented perfume. She's using Lesley's face, then copying her movements and the way she talk at the beginning is necessary. But when we entered the bar and she finally had her fair share of alcohol, she started spouting about how all men seems to like her." Penelope looked down. "That's something that Beatrix would say."

"Did you confirm it?"

"No. I didn't have the chance." She frowned. "Some men barged in to our conversation. Lesley laughed uncontrollably when she saw them. She went with the guys without saying goodbye to Lance."

"It could be her new beta enforcers?"

"They could be." She inhaled deeply. "I can't help but worry, Joaquin, where's the real Lesley?"

"One thing I am sure of, there's a strong mage within your former pack. Someone who was able to fool Lance with his art of copying the real Lesley's face and paste it to your alpha's."

'Looks like we are dealing with more people than I imagined.' Joaquin closed his eyes and wondered why Lance is still not home.