Dancing with Enid, Alex noticed Lucas — the mayor’s son — who had invited Yoko, Enid’s friend, to dance. Lucas chatted with her casually, smiling lightly, but every couple of seconds he glanced at his phone screen as if waiting for a signal. Alex already knew what he was planning. Lucas and his buddies were going to pour red paint into the fire-suppression system and then trigger the alarm, creating a bloody “rain.” The mood would be ruined instantly, and panic would sweep through all of Nevermore.

Casting another brief look at Lucas, Alex shook his head. There wasn’t much point in interfering. If Enid had come with Lucas — that would be different; Alex wouldn’t have missed the chance to teach the guy a lesson. But since Enid came with him, those three idiots would deal with the consequences on their own.

Enid, spinning cheerfully beside him, noticed that Alex had gotten distracted. She immediately grabbed his face and forced him to turn toward her. Seeing her pouty expression, Alex gave her a gentle smile and continued dancing, ignoring the glances from students who kept looking his way.

The students of Nevermore had long since grown used to seeing Alex almost every day. Everyone knew he was a federal agent, but that was exactly why many were surprised that he actually showed up to the school dance — and not alone, but together with Wednesday and Enid.

After dancing for a few more minutes, Alex decided to step outside for a smoke and told Enid. She nodded with a smile and let go of his hands.

Once outside in the fresh air, Alex pulled a cigarette from the sleeve of his haori. Lighting it and exhaling a stream of smoke upward, he wondered how Dean was doing near the cave. He had no idea that Dean was currently living through a real nightmare — in the form of Eugene, who flat-out refused to leave and decided to “watch over the cave” with him.

But the biggest problem wasn’t even his clinginess — it was his insane obsession with insects. The moment Eugene heard a chirp or a rustle, he immediately launched into a lecture about the specific species. After a couple of attempts to chase him away or at least make him be quiet, Dean gave up and simply tried to focus on the task.

Alex, of course, knew nothing about this and calmly smoked, listening to the music drifting from the dance hall.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Marilyn Thornhill walking out of the building — she was speaking quietly on the phone. When her gaze crossed with his, she gave him a polite smile and quickly hurried away to continue her conversation.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who she was calling. Tyler, of course. She was preparing to give the order to attack Dean — to get him away from the cave so she could cover her tracks afterward.

Watching Marilyn walk away, Alex exhaled smoke and merely shook his head, pondering her motives. In his eyes, Marilyn Thornhill was just a girl whose mind had been twisted by her father — a man who believed that Outcasts were parasites that needed to be eradicated. And Marilyn, also known as Laurel Gates, inherited his fanatical hatred completely.

But there was one thing he had to admit: she acted skillfully. So skillfully that no one would ever suspect she was the one responsible for everything that was happening. Alex could see faint traces of darkness on her — as if someone had accidentally smeared their hands with dirt that could be easily washed off.

But Alex felt no sympathy for people like her. Those willing to commit genocide in the name of “justice” evoked nothing but contempt in him.

Shaking his head, he glanced up at the sky.

Behind him, the quick tapping of heels sounded. Alex turned and saw Wednesday — calm and cold-blooded as always. Seeing her, Alex smiled.

“Why did you come out? The loud music getting to you, or is it the endless dance invitations?” he asked with a slight smirk as she stopped beside him.

“Xavier told me everything. How you threatened him,” Wednesday said in her usual calm voice, looking him directly in the eyes.

“The little snitch,” Alex scoffed. “I only told him not to act like a dumb teenager. And he ran off to complain already. Pathetic.”

“I see you’re not too concerned about what he said,” Wednesday noted, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“And what did you expect? That I’d go break his legs or knock out his teeth so he’d keep quiet? Nah. Too much effort. Besides, he’s just an insecure teenager,” Alex said, exhaling smoke with a smirk.

“In your place, I wouldn’t have limited myself to empty threats,” Wednesday replied calmly, lifting her gaze to the night sky.

“Let me guess… You’d kidnap him, tie him to a chair, and explain your point of view through torture? Sounds like your style,” he teased.

“You still understand me just as well. But I still don’t understand you,” Wednesday said, fixing him with her sharp gaze again.

Alex leaned in slightly, their noses almost touching.

“Maybe one day you’ll figure out what’s going on in my head. But for now… how about going back inside?” he said softly.

Wednesday stared at Alex, who once again stopped mere centimeters from her face, shamelessly invading her personal space — the very zone she never allowed anyone into. But unlike with others, she didn’t even try to push him away. Alex did it so naturally, as if he had always had the right to.

Again, they stood like that, staring into each other’s eyes without blinking. In Alex’s gaze, Wednesday saw no game, no attempt to unnerve her — only honesty, calm and slightly challenging. In the back of her mind flickered yesterday’s quick, nearly accidental kiss. She understood that it had been nothing more than payment for the answers she demanded. And yet, the more she thought about that brief touch, the more tangled her thoughts became.

She didn’t have time to sort them out — approaching footsteps broke the moment. They turned their heads simultaneously and saw Marilyn Thornhill watching them with a polite, overly proper smile.

“Oh, excuse me. I must have interrupted you. My apologies, Wednesday,” Thornhill said with that softness that always made Wednesday’s teeth clench just a little.

“Miss Thornhill, this is…” Wednesday began, automatically pushing Alex’s face away from hers with practiced precision.

“Agent Voldigoad, of course,” Marilyn finished lightly. “We often meet in the mornings at the Weathervane. And, frankly, he can be seen in Nevermore quite often.”

“That’s right, Miss Thornhill. We do run into each other,” Alex replied with a mild smile, as if merely engaging in casual small talk. “And where are you from, if it’s not a secret?”

“Before moving to Jericho, I lived in England with my grandmother. She adored rare exotic plants and traveled constantly in search of new species,” Marilyn answered, as if reciting a memorized line.

“Really? My condolences — but how is she doing now? And what brought you to Jericho?” Alex asked in the same calm, almost friendly tone.

“Sadly, my grandmother passed away of old age,” Marilyn replied softly. “I inherited her love for plants… especially dangerous ones. I traveled until I heard about Nevermore. I decided my knowledge could be useful there.”

“I see. Then one more question…” Alex smiled a little wider.

Marilyn nodded, fully convinced she was in control of the conversation. To her, Alex seemed young, inexperienced, far too easy to manipulate. She believed she could lead him around by the nose just like everyone else in Nevermore for the past twenty‑five years.

But the next second, Alex’s smile vanished as if someone had flipped a switch. His eyes turned icy, heavy, and completely empty — the kind of look that sends a chill down one’s spine.

For a moment, Marilyn felt her heart skip a beat. A lump formed in her throat. Cold sweat trickled down her back as Alex stared straight at her — too closely, too piercingly, as if he saw right through her.

Wednesday noticed the shift and raised an eyebrow slightly, watching him.

“You know…” Alex said in the same calm voice, returning his usual smile, “for the life of me, I can’t remember what I was going to ask. Must’ve been something trivial. Let’s go, Wednesday.”

He took her hand and headed back toward the entrance, leaving Thornhill frozen in place — stunned and completely knocked out of her carefully maintained role.

When their figures disappeared behind the doors, Marilyn finally exhaled — sharply and heavily — clutching her chest. A cold wave had crashed over her. She understood: a moment longer, and she would have slipped up. All because of his gaze… that unnatural, penetrating gaze, as if he saw every dirty secret she’d ever buried.

In that instant, Marilyn stopped thinking of Alex as a naïve newcomer. If before she saw Dean as nothing more than brutish muscle and Alex as an inexperienced boy, now she saw something entirely different. A dangerous man. The most dangerous person in all of Nevermore.

She realized that deceiving him would now be almost impossible. And any mistake — even the smallest one — could cost her everything she’d worked toward. Namely, the complete eradication of the Outcasts. Watching Alex’s retreating back, Marilyn came to one conclusion: he had to be eliminated.

As soon as possible.But first — remove his partner, who was currently hiding near the cave. All that remained was to wait for the moment she could slip away unnoticed… and strike first.

Alex and Wednesday returned to the dance hall, where the music was still blasting as Nevermore students danced under the lights.

Enid, seeing them return, immediately ran over, grabbed both of them by the hands, and, glowing with excitement, dragged them onto the dance floor. Surprisingly, Wednesday didn’t resist this time — she simply let Enid pull her into the crowd.

When Wednesday began to dance, Alex was first surprised, then couldn’t help but smirk as he joined her. Dancing with two girls at once, he didn’t stop smiling for a moment.

While some were having fun, others were miserable. Especially Xavier, who had once again managed to anger Bianca — to the point that she simply walked away from him. Under other circumstances, she likely would’ve smashed a glass over his head for such behavior.

Her patience finally snapped after Xavier asked her to use her siren powers to erase his memories — for Bianca, that became the last straw.

When the song ended, Alex headed for drinks for the girls. He noticed Lucas glancing around as he left the dance hall. Alex just shook his head, thinking that the students of Nevermore were going to have a long time scrubbing red paint off their white suits after what was about to happen.

Shrugging, he grabbed a Yetiti, having first poured a little alcohol into his glass, and returned to Wednesday and Enid. But only Wednesday was there — she calmly accepted the drink.

“Where did Enid go?” Alex asked, scanning the hall.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and the DJ’s voice boomed:

“Attention, everyone! I know you all want to dance, but at the persistent request of one young lady… someone wants to sing.”

All eyes turned to DJ Bloodsucker, who, baring his vampire fangs, held the microphone with a smile. Alex immediately spotted Enid — she was standing nearby, glowing as if her brilliant plan had finally worked.

The students exchanged glances, guessing who could be brave enough to perform in front of everyone. Even Larissa Weems raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

Wednesday glanced at Alex. In her eyes read: You’re going to do this?

Alex hadn’t even had time to decide when suddenly a spotlight fell on him.

Everyone turned to look at him — hundreds of eyes full of anticipation.

Alex’s expression resembled that of a person caught red-handed. He slipped his hands into his haori and calmly walked toward the small stage. Enid, glowing, had already prepared the microphone.

Her enthusiasm was so contagious that Alex once again realized — one day, Enid and Alice would become best friends.

Stepping onto the stage and meeting the shining eyes of Enid, he let out a heavy sigh, removed the katana case from his shoulder, and calmly said:

“Good evening. Honestly, I never thought I’d have to sing at an event like this. It’s quite fun here, and it’s been nice watching you all enjoy yourselves… This is my first time participating in such an event. Well, you understand why.”

“As for the song… I hope you like it. And now — the lights.”

Alex snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the entire hall went dark, except for a single beam of the spotlight directed straight at him. His face in the soft white light looked unexpectedly calm, almost gentle — so much so that complete silence fell over the hall.

Even Larissa Weems looked even more intrigued.

Enid bounced up to Wednesday, and the two girls, holding their breath, stared at Alex.

He lowered his hand, and a quiet, soft piano melody began to play from the speakers.

“In the dark. Miles apart. Made a promise that I’m coming out alive…” he began to sing, closing his eyes.

The first lines made everyone in the hall freeze. Alex’s voice was gentle and deep, as if it wrapped around the space itself.

Enid shone with excitement — having once heard him sing, she had dreamed of hearing it again.

Wednesday watched him calmly, holding her drink. She had seen many sides of him, but each new one unfolded like reading a book, with every page unique and unpredictable.

“Raging heart. Went too far. I will never lose myself again, oh I…” Alex continued, sinking deeper into the song.

Everyone in the ballroom was gradually falling under the spell of Alex’s song, as if enchanted. No one even dared to blink, afraid to miss a single moment of his performance. Listening to his voice, Larissa Weems was once again reminded of how multifaceted Alex was — and of what he was truly capable of. She had already seen him play the violin in a duet with Wednesday — against the backdrop of a burning statue. And now, even in this peaceful setting, Weems closed her eyes for a moment to fully savor the sound of his voice.

“I was calling you. Did you hear me? I lost my way. I lost my way,” Alex continued singing, opening his eyes and giving the hall a gentle, almost sorrowful smile.

As soon as he sang those lines, the melody began to shift, as though drifting from one genre to another while still remaining the same song — a story of a man lost in the darkness. Even the girls from his family, far away from Nevermore, paused what they were doing just to listen to their husband. Every one of his vocals was special to them, and they never missed a chance to hear him sing.

“I was trapped in a thousand nights with no escape. Nightmares taking me over. And now I’m wide awake. And now I’m wide awake,” Alex went on, raising his hand again.

He snapped his fingers. In that instant, the light exploded, flooding the hall with a cold white glow — sharp and blinding, like a writer’s spotlight. Shadows crawled along the walls — real Taken, born from the dark entity. But they didn’t attack. They danced. Slowly. Eerily. In rhythm with the music.

Everyone in the hall looked around, unable to tear their eyes away from the captivating, hypnotic shadows. Enid and Wednesday didn’t look anywhere else — their attention was fixed solely on Alex. When the light burst, a long shadow appeared behind him, covering almost the entire wall.

The guests sank deeper and deeper into the melody. Some, forgetting everything else, began to dance, mimicking the movements of the shadows on the walls — slow, fluid, breathtaking in their eerie beauty.

“Blinding lights. Burning eyes. I can see myself and I don’t need to hide,” Alex continued in that same soft, soul‑touching voice.

Some people noticed that the shadow behind him began to distort strangely, taking on the shape of a woman who was dancing behind him. Alex didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. Of course — Zhang Ya.

She had always been there. A quiet shadow, his support, ready to help even in a simple moment like a stage performance. Dancing to her husband’s voice… it brought a spark of light into her dark, negativity-filled heart.

“My foolish pride. Paid the price. I will never leave again, I’m by your side,” Alex sang softly, almost in a whisper.

His voice sent a brief, warm wave through everyone present, as if waking them from a long, drowsy sleep. But one of those present decided to take advantage of the moment.

Marilyn Thornhill.

Realizing that everyone was completely absorbed by the song, she quietly left the hall to set her plan in motion: to kill Dean and stage the murder as a wild animal attack.

Alex noticed her leaving but paid it no mind. He considered her far too self-assured — and far too predictable. Wednesday, watching his performance, allowed herself a small, barely noticeable smile. She didn’t take her eyes off him — completely absorbed. Meanwhile, Enid held her phone tightly, trying to capture every second. She knew for certain: she would watch this video hundreds of times.

The ballroom was utterly silent. Only Alex’s voice and the music remained, accompanying those who twirled as if in another world.

“I was trapped in a thousand nights with no escape. Nightmares taking me over. And now I’m wide awake. And now I’m wide awake,” Alex continued without a pause, swaying slightly to the rhythm of his song.

The shadows on the walls began to melt, transforming into a flock of black crows that soared toward the ceiling and disappeared in a flash of cold light. The shadow of the girl spinning behind Alex grew increasingly transparent until it vanished completely, as if her silhouette had been nothing more than a quiet dream, ready to be awakened from.

The light above the stage dimmed with each passing second, trembling as though it could go out at any moment. The climax of the song was approaching.

“Oh I died like a million times through the waves I break. The nightmare’s finally over. And now I’m wide awake. And now I’m wide awake,” Alex’s voice grew softer and quieter, fading along with the spotlight.

He sang the final lines without the microphone — his voice echoed throughout the hall, resonating directly in the hearts of every Nevermore student. And when the last word of the song rang out, the lights suddenly went out, and the music stopped, marking the end of the performance.

When the light returned, the stage was empty. Only a single black crow perched on the microphone stand, staring straight at the students.

Many widened their eyes in surprise. The crow spread its wings and flew off swiftly, under the watchful gaze of everyone in the hall. A second later, a powerful wave of applause swept through the room.

Even Larissa Weems clapped — genuinely, with a radiant smile, certain that the Crow Ball this year had become the best in many years. No one had expected Alex’s performance to be so beautiful, atmospheric, and mesmerizing that it would be remembered for years to come.

Wednesday and Enid looked around desperately, trying to find Alex — until they noticed him standing right beside them. He had appeared so quietly and suddenly that both of them jumped in surprise.

Enid opened her mouth, ready to launch into her usual hyperactive tirade, but Alex gently pressed a finger to her lips, signaling that it was not the time for noise. She nodded immediately, her eyes sparkling like a kitten’s.

Wednesday stared at Alex with a focused, studying look. He responded with a lazy wink. For the first time, a faint but genuine smile appeared on her face — so unexpected that it surprised not only Alex, but even Enid herself.

While some were still savoring the aftertaste of the performance, lost in the charm of the atmosphere, things were unfolding very differently in the dark forest near the monster’s cave.

Dean sat with his back against a tree, wrapped tightly in his jacket. Despite it being spring, the night here was bitterly cold. For several hours straight, he had been forced to listen to Eugene’s endless commentary as the boy recorded an audio diary every ten minutes.

During that time, Dean learned more about the world of insects than he had ever wanted to know, and the mere mention of beetles now made him shudder. He had tried to shoo Eugene away at least ten times, but the kid turned out to be surprisingly stubborn — hiding behind the nearest tree and returning again and again until Dean finally gave up.

Deep down, he understood: better to keep the strange kid close — easier to protect him that way.

But suddenly, the sound of an engine caught their attention.

Dean peered around the tree and saw headlights cutting through the fog.

“Eugene Otinger’s journal. Ten forty-two p.m. The suspect is approaching the cave…” Eugene muttered, lifting his phone to start another recording.

“Eugene, hide. And get ready to run,” Dean said quietly but firmly, drawing the Blade of Cain.

Eugene nodded and pressed himself against a thick tree root. They watched as a figure in dark clothing approached the cave. The hood completely hid their face. Dean wanted to confirm whether this was truly the person behind all the killings.

But what happened next made his blood run cold. The figure turned toward them — and Dean realized that under the hood there was no face. Only swirling living darkness, thick like ink, churning like a black ocean.

The cave entrance began to constrict, folding inward, and then a vortex of condensed darkness burst out of it. Distorted, inhuman voices echoed from within.

And instead of the monster, a person stepped out of the darkness. Their body jerked like a broken marionette, and a dense black smoke clung to them. But he wasn’t alone. Another emerged behind him… and another… until there were ten.

The hooded figure raised its hand and pointed directly at the tree where Dean and Eugene were hiding. The inky mist around the humanoids thickened — and weapons began to form in their hands, resembling rusty garden tools: sickles, pitchforks, axes.

“Eugene, run. NOW!” Dean barked.

“And you?” the boy asked, voice trembling.

“Don’t worry about me. Just run — and don’t look back. I’ll catch up,” Dean said, gripping the Blade of Cain even tighter.

Eugene nodded anxiously and sprinted off to get help. And he knew exactly who to call — Alex, who could definitely handle this nightmare.

Dean watched him disappear into the trees before turning his attention to the figures wrapped in black smoke. He remembered how Alex had told him about such beings — called them the Taken, and explained how to kill them.

The corners of Dean’s mouth lifted. He pulled a flare from his jacket pocket, and just as one of the Taken got dangerously close, Dean ignited it. The creature shrieked a long, ear-piercing scream, and Dean immediately drove the Blade of Cain into its chest. One down.

But as soon as he lifted his head, he saw that more of the Taken were already chasing after Eugene.

Wasting no time, Dean sprinted after them, not even noticing that he was once again subconsciously using Amara’s blessing. Meanwhile, the dark hooded figure left by the cave muttered something under its breath, pulled a small black glass shard from its pocket, and threw it into the vortex of darkness — then calmly headed toward their car.

Dean ran with all his might, swinging and tossing aside the Taken that appeared in his path, as if the darkness itself were trying to hold him back. He caught up to Eugene just as another Taken raised an axe above his head. Dean surged forward even faster — and in the next moment, knocked the creature off its feet, pinned it to the ground, and drove his blade into its chest.

Eugene was pale as a sheet, eyes wide — it seemed as though he had just seen his entire life flash before him.

“Kid, I told you from the start — we should’ve left. You okay? Not hurt?” Dean asked, rising from the fallen Taken.

“My leg… it grazed me,” Eugene muttered, rolling up his pant leg to show the wound.

“No big deal, it’ll heal. We’ll patch you up and get out of the woods. Just don’t panic,” Dean said, pulling a cloth from his pocket to bind Eugene’s leg.

He started quickly wrapping the wound, but Eugene suddenly froze, staring somewhere behind Dean. Pure terror reflected in his eyes.

“We… we’ve got… trouble…” he whispered, stammering and raising a trembling finger.

Dean spun around sharply — and saw dozens of Taken slowly emerging from behind the trees. There were far more than before, and each one carried a weapon — rusty pitchforks, crooked sickles, old axes.

Without hesitation, Dean pulled another flare from his pocket and ignited it. The bright light forced the Taken to recoil, hiss, and howl, but they began circling them in a half-moon formation, unwilling to come too close. Dean fended them off while pulling out his phone and dialing Alex — there was no other help coming.

Just minutes before Dean’s call, Alex had been in the dance hall, surrounded by Enid and Wednesday. After his performance, the atmosphere had become almost crazily festive — it seemed everyone in the hall had decided to live this night as if it were their last. Alex was genuinely pleased that his song had that effect.

He noticed Marilyn return to the hall — a manic gleam danced in her eyes, and the traces of darkness on her skin had grown denser. Alex squinted, but his attention was drawn away by the DJ’s voice announcing that it was nearly eleven — time for the final dance.

Music started playing, and Alex was just about to relax, confident that Dean was fine. But suddenly something cold and wet landed on his face. Alex only sighed — he immediately understood that Lucas and his buddies had decided to go through with their little “prank,” despite knowing exactly who was present in the hall.

A rain of red paint poured from the ceiling, and the hall instantly plunged into chaos. Screams, panic — students covered their heads, slipped on the floor, crashed into each other. Larissa Weems was shouting like she was seconds away from strangling someone.

Alex and Wednesday remained in place. He didn’t even notice how Enid dashed off toward Lucas — she saw that he was the one behind it and wanted to demand why he did it and why he hurt Yoko.

Wednesday, however, watched Alex — he stood calmly, as if chaos wasn’t raging around them.

“Amateurs,” Wednesday said in irritation. “They used paint… couldn’t even be bothered to get pig’s blood.”

“And where exactly would they get that much pig’s blood?” Alex asked calmly, wiping the red streak from his face.

“If there’s a will, anything is possible,” she muttered.

“Whatever you say. And where’s Enid? Where did she go?” Alex scanned the hall.

“Ran off somewhere. Maybe she went to hide,” Wednesday suggested.

“Oh, hell… Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back,” Alex said, already realizing exactly where Enid had rushed off to.

Wednesday watched Alex as he headed toward the emergency exit with quick, determined steps. She was about to follow him when she suddenly felt a light touch on her shoulder. In the same instant, a vision flashed before her eyes: Eugene and Dean standing under the harsh glow of a flare, surrounded by thickening shadows.

When the vision shattered, Wednesday spun around — Marilyn Thornhill was standing behind her, wearing her mask of a caring teacher. But Wednesday no longer listened. She bolted toward the exit, fully aware that her vision wasn’t random — someone was hunting Eugene and Dean.

Meanwhile, Alex had already reached the emergency exit. Raised voices drew his attention — Enid was arguing with Lucas, demanding to know why he had dared to pull such a prank on Yoko and humiliate her. Lucas’s friends stood around him, snickering and mocking Enid — after all, everyone knew she couldn’t transform during a full moon.

“Turn into a wolf! Turn into a wolf!” they taunted.

“Alright,” came a cold, icy voice from behind them.

Lucas and his buddies froze instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over them. Enid, on the verge of tears, felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Alex — calm, confident, wearing a soft, reassuring smile.

The boys’ attempts to run ended as quickly as they began — one look from Alex was enough to root them in place.

“So, what am I supposed to do with you little idiots?” he said in a cold tone, sliding the katana case off his shoulder. “This is the third time you’ve crossed my path, and the third time you’ve done something stupid. I think it’s time to send you on a little vacation… to a hospital.”

“T-that’s… illegal…” mumbled one of the boys who had been mocking Enid seconds earlier.

“Only if someone finds out,” Alex replied indifferently. “And as you can see, only Enid is here. A couple of good hits to the head — and your memory will become… selective. So get ready. It’s going to hurt a lot.”

He pulled a metal collapsible baton from his sleeve.

The boys tried to run, but Alex moved faster. Three precise, rapid strikes — and each of them doubled over, clutching their stomachs, unable to comprehend what had just happened. A second later, they were already scrambling into the truck and speeding away, with no idea what awaited them on the way home — or what lesson they would be learning over the next few days.

Alex returned to Enid and gently stroked her hair. She pressed herself against him, trembling with emotion.

“Don’t listen to them,” he said softly. “I don’t care whether you can transform into a wolf or not. You are who you are. Kind, sincere, and incredibly sweet. And that matters far more than any transformation.”

Enid sniffled, but she was already smiling, burying her nose in his chest.

“I just… I thought you were going to beat them up. But you… you just poked them in the stomach. What did you do to them?” she asked, not pulling away.

Alex smirked predatorily.

“I know kung fu,” he said lazily. “Now they’ll have such a brutal diarrhea for a few days that they’ll forget even my name. Let it be a lesson for them.”

Enid’s eyes widened for a moment, then she burst into loud laughter, imagining Lucas and his friends unable to make it home without soiling themselves. Still laughing, she playfully smacked Alex’s hands for such a cunning trick, though inside she still seethed at how Lucas had treated Yoko — and for using her in such a foolish prank.

When the laughter finally subsided, Enid stepped closer and hugged Alex tightly, burying her nose in his chest.

She gathered her thoughts, fearful of her own words and the consequences they might bring. This evening had given her so many emotions that she wished it could last forever.

“You know… I was so happy to go with you to the Raven Ball. It was the best day of my life. I love how you support me. And that you don’t care that I can’t transform into a werewolf. You keep saying that I am who I am, and that I shouldn’t live the way others say. That… means a lot to me,” Enid said, softly placing her hands on his cheeks.

“Your words embarrass me a little. Ah…” Alex theatrically placed a hand on his forehead, but still smiled.

“Even your silly antics make me laugh. I think… no, I know I like you,” Enid said, letting out a small giggle.

“I like you too, Enid. But you understand…” Alex replied, clearing his throat slightly.

“I know you like Wednesday too. And that she likes you as well. I don’t mind,” Enid said, nodding and smiling.

Alex looked at her in surprise. Of course, he hadn’t revealed the whole truth yet — she still didn’t know about the other girls. But the way she calmly accepted the possibility of his relationship with Wednesday made things a little easier — especially once she finds out everything else… and who he really is.

Enid closed her eyes and rose onto her tiptoes, clearly expecting more. Alex leaned in to kiss her on the lips when suddenly his phone rang sharply.

Enid’s eyes flew open and she growled angrily. Her claws elongated, digging into his clothes. Alex quickly answered the call — it was Dean. He was calling for help: judging by the tone, he had gotten into a very bad situation. Alex instantly understood — things were serious. He looked at Enid.

“Sorry, Enid. Dean’s in trouble. I have to go. But so you don’t get upset… we’ll continue next time. For now — just like this,” he said, quickly kissing her on the lips.

Enid’s eyes widened. It was as if a firework had exploded in her head — the brief kiss was so pleasant, so unexpected, that her hands, resting on his shoulders, immediately relaxed.

Alex grabbed the katana case, exhaled a cloud of white vapor, and dashed off, leaving fiery trails behind him.

Enid stood with her mouth open, trying to process the flood of emotions and events that had hit her in just a brief moment.

To be continued…

(I really wanted to cram more events into one chapter. But when I started writing it, I immediately realized it wasn’t as simple as it turned out to be. I couldn’t pass up the chance to describe Alex’s performance by just showing a few moments. Honestly, in this chapter, I wanted to show Alex and Dean fighting against the Taken. But alas, we’ll have to put that off until the next chapter.)

Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep