"Can I seduce you?"
I was stunned. I felt that Sol's question had a hidden meaning. It wasn't as if he was joking. My senses whispered that he was trying to find out.
"Sol, this is not funny anymore. You're Gwen's boyfriend. Please act like someone else's good boyfriend."
I got out of the chair. My late breakfast was not completely finished. But I didn't care.
The sooner my business with Sol was over, the better for me.
So I motioned for him to come into the living room. It was better to work on our group assignment at my house than to have to go to Sol's.
Mom was kind enough to make snacks for us. A minced tuna sandwich to go with the assignment. Fortunately, Sol didn't complain about my stubbornness to work at home.
The afternoon was supposed to go smoothly. Until my cell phone rang loudly and Sergey's name flashed across the touch screen.
I froze.
"Lei, your phone is ringing." Sol touched my elbow with the tip of his pen.
I swallowed. My heart was torn between answering the call or ignoring it.
But Sergey had been missing for days. Now he was calling me, his fiancée. Isn't this a good and encouraging thing?
"Wait here. I'll take the call first."
Sol just nodded. I hurried to the porch. A strong summer breeze greeted me as soon as I opened the door.
"Hello, Sergey." I greeted, pretending to be happy.
Damn it. I can't act at all. Should I take an acting class to be a good and proper girlfriend to Sergey?
"Are you home?"
I nodded. The next second I answered immediately because I realized that Sergey couldn't possibly see my nod.
"Yes, I'm home. Where are you, Sergey? Are you okay?"
"You're worried about me?"
My forehead wrinkled. Sergey's question was very strange.
"Of course I'm worried about you. The whole clan is worried about you. Where are you, Sergey?"
"So you're as worried about me as the rest of the clan?"
I should have been angry with Sergey for not answering my question right away. Instead, I was annoyed at his convoluted questions.
"Sergey, come on. Don't make a big deal about whether I'm worried or not. Where are you right now? What happened to you?"
There was a long breath on the other side. "I'm fine, Lei. Some hunters are after us. Hummer gave his life to protect me."
"My condolences to Hummer." I said spontaneously, because the news of his death left us all sad and shocked.
"They burned Hummer. Damn it. They think Hummer is the same as filthy blood that should be destroyed by burning."
I heard the anger in Sergey's voice. To be honest, I was also surprised by this information.
For a warrior like Hummer, he should have received a proper burial. Hummer was one of the werewolves who was very important to us.
"There is a traitor in the clan, Lei."
My body froze. A shiver ran down my spine. "What... what do you mean, Sergey?"
"My departure this time has a special mission. Nobody knows about it except me and Hummer. But when we're somewhere, those hunters will be there too."
I wondered where the place Sergey was talking about was. But I also knew that it would be wise not to ask. The less I knew about the clan's affairs, the better for me.
"Lei, I need your help. We have to go somewhere together."
I frowned. "Somewhere, where is it, Sergey? Why do we have to go there?"
"To lure those traitors." Sergey replied in a clearly audible tone of annoyance. "My departure plans have been leaked. I don't know what those traitors want by leaking information to the hunters."
"I think they want to kill you."
The words came out of my mouth spontaneously. In the next second, I regretted what I had said.
"Do you know something, Lei? Do you know that they want to kill me?"
I quickly explained what I had just said. "Sergey, that's just my guess. The problem is that the clan is in the process of electing a new leader."
There was a long silence on the other side. I felt uncomfortable in this situation. For some reason, I felt that I was the one who had become a traitor to the clan.
"Go ahead, Lei." Sergey ordered after a long silence.
I swallowed. My stomach turned in horror. I had to be careful how I spoke so as not to upset the situation in the clan. Knowing his answer, I had the feeling that Sergey didn't know the current situation in the clan either.
"I heard from Mom that the Moon Clan is holding an election for a new leader. They argued that the clan should not have a power vacuum. You've been missing for a while, and I think the clan is afraid."
"What fear?"
I passed on the information I had heard from my mother. On the other side, Sergey listened intently. After I finished the story, he made a comment.
"You are not wrong. If I were in the elders' shoes, I'd probably do the same thing."
"You might still do the same thing. You wouldn't have done the same thing." I commented.
"Yes, that's right. It is not easy to find a new clan leader. It requires careful consideration. And this reinforces my suspicion that the traitor is in my immediate circle."
I cleared my throat. "Sergey, if you need a place to stay, come here. Mom and Dad will be happy to have you."
Sergey was silent for a long time. When he finally spoke again, his question confused me.
"Are you happy with me too, Lei?"
I opened my mouth to speak. It should have been easy to answer this question. But why was it so difficult for my tongue to speak?
"I..." I cleared my throat again. "I'm glad you're here, Sergey. Come here. Stay as long as you like."
Sergey hung up the phone. I stared at the dark screen of the phone. When I tried to dial his number again, it was no longer active.
What had happened to him?
Confused at not getting the answer I wanted, I returned to the living room. Sol stared intently at his laptop. I sat down next to him, preparing to do my part of the job, when Sol suddenly spoke.
"I'm not Gwen's boyfriend."
My hand remained motionless. My ears caught Sol's voice again.
"Gwen keeps following me. She threatened to bully you if I ignored her."
I spontaneously looked up. My eyes met Sol's.
"She always bullies me." I said bitterly.
"Yes, I've only known this for a few days. And I admire you for being so strong to stand up to Gwen's mental pressure."
I looked down again. It was easier to be a woman pretending to be weak than to be strong in front of a man.
Interacting with Sol was much more fun than with Sergey. Sol made me feel like a normal girl. Sergey, on the other hand, often made me feel intimidated and afraid to speak up.
"So I decided to ignore Gwen completely."
I looked up again. "Sol?"
"Well, I know you were strong enough to stand up to Gwen. There's no reason for me to give in to her wishes anymore."
"Hey, that's harsh. If I wasn't strong enough, would you continue to do Gwen's bidding?"
Without hesitation, Sol nodded.
"Why?" I was surprised.
"Because I like you, Lei."
There was a long silence. My mouth opened wide. My heart was beating very fast again.
It's not healthy anymore. All Sol's words are just seduction. He's from Alaska, where women are scarce. Sol must have had minimal contact with girls there.
What he felt for me must have been wrong. It's not real. I tried to console myself by thinking that what Sol felt was just the euphoria of being a new kid.
"Sol, you don't really like me." I chuckled.
"You reject me, Lei?"
I rolled my eyes. "Sol, come on. You like me. You must like a lot of girls at school, too. Your attention to me must be out of pity because I'm the object of Gwen's bullying."
My tail caught Sol's tightly clenched hand. Okay, this time I'm afraid I'll misspeak again.
"Is that what you see in me?"
I was wide-eyed. Guilt hit me as my ears caught the hurt tone in Sol's voice.
"I like you, Lei. That's why I put up with Gwen's very annoying attitude."
I smiled. Okay, this time I agreed that Gwen's attitude was annoying.
"I was trying to protect you. But you took my feelings as a joke."
My smile was unbearable again. Oh, Sol's attitude is so cute. He's like a lover in love.
And I should be thankful that the target of Sol's romance is me. When all the girls at school wanted Sol's attention, I had no trouble getting it.
But I have Sergey.
"Sol, thank you for your feelings. It's very sweet and I'm very happy."
I said honestly. It was also very difficult to tell Sol the truth. If Sergey and I were normal people, I would have accepted Sol's feelings and let Sergey go.
The problem was that Sergey and I were not ordinary people. We were bound by fate. If I left Sergey, he would be seriously hurt, and I would be the target of the clan's wrath.
"But?" Sol asked with a distinctly curious tone.
I sighed heavily. This feeling had to end before it got any stronger.
"But I can't accept your feelings, Sol. I already have a fiancé."
Sol was silent.
"The one who called me earlier was my fiancé."
I desperately refrained from rushing into Sol's arms. How strange. It was clear that I was Luna for Sergey. But why did my feelings hurt so much when I rejected Sol's affection?
"Do you really like your fiancé, Lei?"
"Of course, Sol. I like him. How else would I have gotten engaged to him?"
Sol suddenly approached me. We were only inches apart now.
"Do you really love your fiance, Lei?"
I stammered. I panicked at Sol's sudden question.
"Tell me you love him when you feel me."
"Sol, what do you mean?"
My question was answered with action. Sol suddenly leaned in and kissed me.