At mid-day, the sun was barely out, and the weather was cloudy.
Polly sat on the armchair at their front porch, with two of her company's products placed on the wooden table in front of her.
She was doing some vital research on the web through her laptop, but paused the moment Malcolm showed up with a bowl of fruit salad, and a glass of hot melted chocolate just for her.
"Some snacks for the working lady." He chimed in, dropping them on the surface of the wooden table, and Polly could not restrain her smile. Whenever she was working, Malcolm always honored her with one or two of her favorite snacks.
She honestly wouldn't do a day without him.
Polly thanked him and didn't hesitate to reach for the hot chocolate. "If Norman catches you pampering me like this, he won't like it. He says you never spoil him the way you spoil me most of the time."
"That brother of yours has a temper that's similar to a woman going through a tough monthly cycle." Malcolm teased, "but this is a habit I've grown accustomed to since you forget to eat if I'm not available."
He stated as a matter-of-fact, taking the vacant chair beside her. "Norman doesn't need a reminder to eat unless he chooses not to, unlike you. I don't know how you do it, but you can go through the whole day without eating. You sometimes forget you haven't eaten, but the moment I bring your meal, your tummy starts to make those noises."
Polly smiled guiltily, knowing that Malcolm was right, and she feasted on her fruit salad.
Malcolm glanced at the two similar body products in a fancy white jar bottle that had been kept on the surface of the table. A golden colored calligraphy was designed in the middle of the jar, forming a word.
"Radiant glow." he read, inspecting the product, "isn't this your company's newest product? Have you begun sales without telling me?"
Polly looked at the two fancy white jars on her table before shaking her head, "no, not yet, but by next month, full sales would commence."
"Next month?" Malcolm's brows furrowed questioningly, "I thought you had the sales planned for this month? Why the sudden shift? I'm still using the one you gifted me, and my skin has never looked better. I look at myself in the mirror and still can't believe I'm in my forties."
Malcolm praised himself afterwards, and Polly shook her head with a smile. Her radiant glow body creams and lotion were very effective, and all genders could use it, including her annoying brother whose skin even glows a hundred times better than hers.
Malcolm's skin was also flourishing, the man eats well, and her products were made to bring out the natural glow on anyone's skin, and repulses acne. She was excited to release it this month after the successful testing from before, but then the sabotage ruined her hard work in one night.
"Unfortunately, that won't be possible for this month," Polly sighed wearily and ran her fingers into her red locks, "someone has been messing with my newest products in the company, but the mishaps have been cleared. These two products are similar, but one of them is contaminated with some sort of chemical substance. It was causing a lot of problems for me, so I brought it with me for personal research."
"Contaminated?"
She nodded, watching the shock in Malcolm's eyes deepen. "I've heightened the securities at work, and no batch must be submitted without proper examination. I haven't found the person responsible for the huge loss I had to face due to how many batches were contaminated, but that doesn't mean I'll let them hide forever. Imagine if these contaminated products were given out, my business would fall, and no one will ever trust my industry ever again, so I'm taking the necessary precautions so this mistake never repeats itself."
Her company has received so many good reviews and feedback, and this one single error would have ruined it completely. If she finds the person who dared to sabotage her hard work, she'll make sure that jobless scum pays her for her losses with interest.
Malcolm was taken aback, and from Polly's expression, he could tell she wasn't ready to dive deep into the topic. "I see, but you must keep them safely somewhere, so no one ends up using the contaminated product."
Polly nodded, and she grabbed her glass of hot chocolate.
When nighttime arrived, everyone had already left for the gathering. Polly had no intention of going early, so everyone left thirty minutes before she could fully get ready to join them.
She stepped out of the house, but was instantly startled at the unexpected sight of Blake. He was standing at the foot of the steps on her front porch, impeccably dressed in a fine suit, and heavens did he look like a demi-god.
"Blake?" The surprise in her voice did not go unnoticed.
His blue eyes were locked on her for many seconds, as though spellbound by her appearance. Her fiery-red hair was styled in a messy updo, with locks falling here and there, but damn was she a mesmerizing sight to behold.
"You look hot." He complimented, eyes traveling up her body with sparks of interest. "Uhm, I was told to come get you. It's your first time here, so you might not be aware of where the gathering is held."
"Well… thank you, that is very… nice of you." Polly managed a smile. He extended his hand for her, and Polly placed her dainty ones in his, allowing him to lead her down the steps.
"I hope I'm not overly dressed." She asked, "I tried to find something simpler to wear but this was all I could find." She looked down at her dress, feeling quite insecure since she doesn't know what their gathering here looked like.
She was wearing an A-line emerald green dress with delicate lace design, and her heart-shaped necklace complemented her outfit.
"You look perfect." Blake assured her, flashing her one of his best charming smiles, "if you don't mind, I'd like you to be my date to the gathering."
You mean the gathering happening right now?" Polly blinked, wondering if he didn't know about the rules that said never to ask a girl out on the day of an occasion, but maybe wolves do things differently, and not like she had a date anyway.
"Sure, why not?"
Blake's eyes brightened, and he proceeded to hook Polly's hand around his arm, then led her to the gathering while they indulged in small talks.
"My father was the beta of the pack, and I heard he was super loyal to your father. They worked hand-in-hand."
"That sounds great." Polly smiled at the thought, "where is he now?"
"Dead." He deadpanned, as if recalling a tragic moment, "he was murdered by the moonshadow pack. After his death, Albin made me the beta in his place, and I've been doing my best to ensure everyone's safety from those blood-thirsty packs."
Polly was speechless. She understood what it felt to lose a father.
"I'm so—"
"No, I'm sorry." Blake looked at her, "we were having a smooth conversation, and I ruined it by bringing a tragic topic." He suddenly leaned his face a little closer, and the corner of his lips curved into a tempting smirk, "you look gorgeous when you smile."
"Oh." Polly was flustered by his follow-up compliment. She looked into his eyes, and for a split second, the eyes of Rafael replaced his blue ones. They way those iridescent orbs stared at her in the forest after he kissed her.
Wait—
Is she out of her senses? She wouldn't even call what happened in the woods a kiss, yet she was unable to stop herself from thinking about it.
"We're here." Blake announced softly, and Polly stopped in her tracks when the amount of people present for the feast gathering stunned her.
The gathering happened inside a huge hall, with a group of men stationed at the entrance. They let them through after spotting Blake, and Polly's eyes were wide open as she surveyed the hall. There were many people present, making her believe that the crescent moon pack invited guests from outside to their feast.
A tremor went up her spine, and she felt someone was watching her again.