LANCE AVOIDED Joaquin's eyes like a guilty person. He mulled the web of lies that he injected himself into and almost sighed in exasperation. 'I should've introduced myself as someone married. Maybe they would stop harassing me. All these people trying to irritate me for life.'

"It's not like it's real make up or something! It's just for design! Look, it wouldn't stick." Michael insisted. "Design, you know?"


Lance grinned with malice. "Are you kidding me? That's nail polish. I'm not into that. If it's not make up then why not slosh it up your cheek, okay? I know it's for nails but the way you're waving that to my face is pretty suspicious. "

Michael sighed. "You're being mean again. It's just some polish, you know. So your fingers will look nice and clean? Maybe you never heard of them."

"That stinks." Lance defended himself. "I don't want that. Go pester Miracle or something."


Miracle chimed in. She flashed her dreadful looking fingers in hot pink. "Michael did mine and it looks super fantastic. He just want to play with you."

'Super? Really?' Lance looked at her hand and fought not to cringe. "Yeah, fantastic. But you know me, Michael. Fantastic doesn't work on me. Why not Penelope? She has long and sturdy nails, you know. You can definitely bully her to do your whim."


"Why do I hear you selling me like cabbages back there, Lance?" Penelope shouted. The smell of roasted garlic made Lance pause for a moment.

"I'm not saying anything!" Lance said sulkily. "Maybe I should cut some woods, right? Since it will be cold at night."

"No. Don't shift the topic. You're so antsy this morning. You even dared to fight with a child in my presence. Did something happen, Lance?" Joaquin savoured his coffee and blinked slowly. "This one's good, Pen."

"Yeah, I'm the best." Penelope crossed the room and sat beside Joaquin. "There was indeed something that's bothering our dear guardian here."

"Care to tell me?" Joaquin's focused his eyes in Lance's direction. "I want to know so that I can help you."

"Nothing's wrong. Pen here just wanted to bait you into cornering me. That's not good, you know."

Miracle motioned Michael to stand and guided him outside to play. Lance looked to the ceiling and refused to face them both. "Fine. What's the problem? It's my mate. He's the nuisance."

Joaquin wore a fitted shirt for the day. It deviates to his usual style; pajama and a sweater. While Penelope was clad in a leggings and a large shirt which, in Lance's guess, owned by Joaquin.

"Did you..." Joaquin chewed on his words before he succumb. "Did you do something that angered him?"

Lance was appalled when he heard this. He pointed to himself. "Me? Did I do something wrong? Joaquin, how can you ask me that? Do I look like I'd commit a crime?"

Joaquin smiled. "Do you expect me to answer 'no' to that?"

He gave him a lopsided grin. "Well, not really."

"All I know is that when Samael left, he got a confused expression on his face. It looks like he ate something bad," Penelope guessed.

Lance was thoroughly devastated with her. 'He ate something bad? Impossible! He clung to my mouth as if it's steak!'

"Yeah, right. I did something bad but then, it's for the best. If he thinks I'm not sane, then he has to go far away and be gone because I'm not scared to face him anytime of the day." Lance knew he reeked of lies. He hurriedly sat up and smiled. "How about let's take this conversation into a wrap? I have things to do which will be more beneficial to all of us than this stupid talk. Nothing will change even if we continue to chatter about if for fifty times. It's best to let go, both of you."

Joaquin frowned. He didn't answer. Looks like he disagree to his words. Penelope nodded. "I want you to know that if you want to talk to someone about it, we're here to listen."

"And I'm thankful for that." Lance strides to the door. "I'm leaving for now. I'll be back later."

"SO, YOU CAN'T get any information about a woman named Lesley Grand?" Samael gnashed his teeth and spat, "That's all basic info. What about her police record? Her past relationships and her family background? What's the name of her pack?"

"Woah, Samael, hold back." Basty tsk-ed. He's clearly chewing a gum. "You know that she's a pack member of someone's territory. Once you are in, your data is sorted and nobody except the council can get your records from them. You expect me to go undercover for a woman, but then you wouldn't tell me 'why' are you so curious about her."

Samael pulled at his hair. He said, "Nothing. Stop asking me and just do your poking thing around and tell me what you've heard."

"Nadz will probably flip heaven and hell the moment she heard that you're ordering me to search for a woman's past relationship."

"So what?" He brought a chair to the center of the room and sat with a heavy sigh. "I don't care what she does in her free time. I got a person here blindly diving to a shit pile without fully knowing the person they are trying to hook up with. You know I have a huge heart, and so I'm doing them a favor of background checking that girl."

"Word." Basty sniggered. "The lies you tell. Why don't you just tell me that this Lesley Grand is your fated mate? I've never heard you so out of breath. This is the first time that you lost your cool over something."

"You want something cool? How about I freeze you blue and green when I get back?"

"Spiteful. This Lesley would not like you if you'll play hard to get." He even dared to whistle in his ears. "She's one pretty woman, I tell you. All natural and blooming."

'You're fired.' Samael steadied his breath. He shifted to the side and blared, "Oh, yeah? She's all blooming? You must've liked her. That's great. How about you come here and see if you can make her fall for you? This can be the season for mating in the Ferrers' home."

"You're a tad too late. They're going to send me on a date tomorrow with a woman whom I didn't even know." Basty's line got messy. After a while, he spoke with a hushed voice. "Nadz is setting a group to be your back up there. I think she sent them to monitor you, well, you know her. I'll try to submit a form and request to be part of the squad. I need a break from all these matchmaking."

Samael's nose soured. 'She's going to send people to monitor all my movements? That's great. What a freak!'

Another wolf to come is another mouth to feed and person to protect. He hates this responsibility. If it's Basty, then he wouldn't mind. He considered Basty or Sebastian Ferrer as his confidant. They rarely call each other. Only when the situation is dire and they need immediate help.

'Damn it.'

The sun is up to the sky but Samael is still inside his inn and pondering about Lance. They ate the same lunch and they drank the same brand of alcohol. 'Why does his lips tastes sweet? Shouldn't he smell like onions or a garbage bin?'

"Basty, have you ever heard of someone... having fate mated with a person the same sex as they are?" He expected the man to laugh but surprisingly, Basty considered his question.

"Well, in my opinion, it's possible to have one. I mean, I had a great-great-grandmother who met her fated mate on the last years of her life and it's a woman. I guess it's not about the gender, Samael. Belial will agree to me on that."

"That's so easy for you brothers to say." Samael wrinkled his nose. "Have you ever thought that one day, maybe your fated mate is a man and not a woman?"

"That's actually a scary thought, huh?" Basty humped. "I think I'd hide in my house and vow to never let the sun grace my skin again for the rest of my life."

'See?' Samael shook his head. 'It's easier said than done!'

"You said it's not about the sex, remember?"

"I said that because it's truly has nothing to do with that when the both of you loves each other and try to make the whole thing work but... with another man, it's gonna be complicated."

"Why?"

"He might not want me the way I want him. He's a man too. He has a pride of his own. What if I don't conquer his ego?"

Every word was like a punch to Samael's gut. He hissed. "If they can't take you, then take them. Why wait for his approval when you can just directly hide him somewhere only the two of you exists?"

Basty laughed uncomfortably. "That's a good joke. Haha!" He paused. "I mean, you're kidding me, right?"

Samael's brow creased. "Do I sound like I'm joking?"

"Oh god," Basty whispered, "this is why he should not date."