Chapter 27
One day, as they walked, she noticed his worn-out shoes. "Keep this with you," she said, slipping a few dollars into his pocket. "You need a new pair."
Sion took the money, the weight of her kindness almost too much to bear. But as the familiar burning sensation flared in his veins, the one that always came when she was around her, he knew the lie couldn't last forever.
A different kind of craving was awakening in him now, one that was not of the wolf, but of a man. The scent of Safia’s kindness was a lure, a temptation to forget his destiny and to stay human. But he was not just a man. He was a werewolf, and his wolf was not only howling for its Pack, it was howling for Safia.
“It's okay. I can pull them on for one more year.” Sion dusted the worn shoes with a practiced hand, a full, blinding smile on his face as he looked at Safia. “I made this for you. It’s a heart that lights up red when you press the button on the back. My heart blooms like that when I’m with you. So I brought this for you.”
“Is it?” Safia’s eyes lit up with unbridled joy as she took the small, metallic heart from him and pressed the button.
“Do you like it?” he asked, and her eyes welled with tears as she nodded.
“Don’t cry,” he insisted, reaching out to gently wipe a tear away. “Give that to me.” He pulled a thin silver chain from his pocket, a delicate wisp of moonlight he’d bought for a small fortune, and attached it to the heart. “Come on, now, turn around.”
As she did, he reached around and clasped the chain around her neck. He, Sion, the heir of the powerful Wellcrow pack, could have brought the whole world to her feet. The pack’s vast vineyard estate, a sprawling empire built on both vines and ancient magic, was his birthright. But for now, he needed to maintain this charade. He needed to be sure she was completely his, that her love was so deep it wouldn’t shatter even after she knew the truth about his birth and heritage.
“This chain looks so costly. How much money did you spend on this? I saw you taking tuition from those kids the other day. It was all to buy this for me, right?” Her voice broke, a fragile tremor in the quiet air, as she clutched the pendant.
Sion said nothing, only holding her gaze with a quiet, honest intensity. For a long moment, they stayed that way, a silent conversation passing between them until she finally nodded. “I get it.”
Safia slowly leaned in and kissed him. It was the purest kiss he’d ever known, innocent yet burning with an inexperienced passion that ignited something deep within him. Her tongue, a flicker of shy warmth, traced the contours of his mouth, and the intoxicating scent of her—clean linen and fresh-cut grass—washed over his senses, a scent he knew he could never forget. The kiss was a potent drug, spreading a feverish heat through his body.
He wrapped his arms around her small frame, pulling her close, feeling the rapid, frantic beat of her human heart against his wolf beat. “Don't ever do something like that for me again at the cost of your own well-being. You need to study and get top grades for your scholarship to continue. If you start tutoring, when will you study? You have to stop.”
He started to object, but she hushed him, a soft finger pressed against his lips. She took the heart pendant in her hand and kissed it. “I like it very much.” Then she looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You know almost everything about me, but I know nothing about you except that your dad is a wine dealer. That's not fair. Tell me more about yourself,” she giggled.
A part of what he said is true. Isn’t it? Yeah, his dad is a wine dealer. A dealer who helps fix the lives of millions of American families by giving them employment under the famous name of Wellcrow Vineyards. He is the manufacturer of wine who trades with some of the best varieties of grapes found from across the world to bring out a vintage wine. Sion thought with a familiar, ancestral pride.
Acting as a struggling human from a poor family was working too well for him. It was a thrill to win Safia’s heart under false pretenses. All his life, he’d only known how to spend millions in a single night, partying with friends and bedding willing women. Now, he was learning the careful control of a middle-class boy saving for a gift, the pure joy of seeing a genuine smile on his girlfriend's face.
He was so immature then, so certain that life was a simple game. He didn’t know that lies are like tangled roots, and one day the truth would surface. But would he be able to handle the shattering repercussions when it finally did?
The next day, Safia came to him, taking his hand in hers.
“You said you wanted to meet me early today. What is it? Any doubts about statistics? Measures of central tendency are pretty easy. You just need a little bit of calculation, that's all,” Sion said, pulling a notebook from her lap. “When’s your test?”
“Shh, why do you chatter so much? I thought only girls did that. Is statistics the only thing that matters between us?” She took his hand in hers, pulling him towards a secluded spot on campus. “I didn’t have a test, and I understand the measures of central tendency perfectly well. No need to explain again.”
“Where are you taking me?” he asked, a tense tremor running through him. As his wolf stirred beneath his skin, the familiar pull of her nearness grew into a potent ache.
“Damn, boy, you’re more frightened than a girl. Don't worry, I’m not going to take your virginity away so early. Let’s complete our education first,” she said, biting her lip in a shy, charming way that made his wolf purr in amusement.
Sion suppressed a conceited titter. His innocent human maiden had no idea that he had long ago lost his virginity, had bedded hundreds of women before her, and was not in the least naive in such practices. The thought of a mate was so far from the reality of his life.
She started to unbutton her blouse. “What are you doing? We don't need to start this…” She wasn't like other women he’d known, willing to spend a few hours on a wild night. Safia was different. She was his mate, his future Luna. She was wife material, and he would keep her that way. Their physical togetherness would begin only after their marriage, after he introduced her to his parents and the pack. On that day, he would tell her who he truly was. There would be no more secrets. But it would also be the most significant day of his life, the day that would decide his destiny.
Would she accept him even after he’d lied about everything?
Disregarding his words, she pushed her shirt aside to show him a tattoo she’d gotten the previous day. It was a small heart on her left breast with a single word inside it.
“Guild.”
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