BANG!
The table was slammed so hard that the entire room echoed with the sound.
Each face grew tense as Robert, the man standing by it, poured his emotions onto the table in front of him.
"They've crossed the line," he growled.
Cath could only rub her aching forehead. That table was a prized possession, something she'd spent a long time saving for, and now it seemed a waste if it were destroyed so easily by this man's temper.
ut alas, this wasn't the time for jokes. They were in a complicated situation.
"You killed them without thinking twice. If all you're trying to do is show brute strength, the sly ones will win," Cath explained, trying to put Robert's table-slam out of her mind.
"But if we don't kill them immediately, they might escape and tell everything to their most trusted ally," Robert countered.
"Yes, and now you're trapped," Cath shot back, her tone icy.
Robert scoffed. He hated complex situations that relied on thinking. He much preferred executions over strategy, and left the scheming to—
"Aamon, you can handle this easily, right?" Robert's face, despite his aggressive nature, looked like a pleading wolf.
Aamon only responded with a smile. "It's not my job to fix problems. You know I'm in charge of infiltration."
Aamon's response drove Robert into a frustrated yell as he ruffled his hair, muttering nonsense.
"You've been reckless, Robert," Cath sighed. "Don't make my café the site of your next fight."
She rose from her seat and headed toward the door. Her hand reached for the handle, but Aamon's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"They'll be here soon. You might want to leave the café before that cold-blooded woman arrives and destroys everything inside," Aamon remarked, his tone calm yet unsettling.
The white-haired man also stood, walking past Robert, who remained fuming. He positioned himself beside the now-confused Cath.
"They've arrived," Cath stated.
"Yes," Aamon confirmed.
A loud crashing sound could be heard from outside—screams, shrieks, and voices filled with emotion. The sound of objects being smashed only grew more terrifying.
Aamon stood silently, staring at the still-closed door, showing no desire to open it. This infuriated Cath.
"They'll wreck my café!" she seethed, her eyes narrowing, clearly not pleased with the unfolding chaos.
"Hey, Robert!" she yelled. "How long are you just going to sit there—!?"
Cath's eyes widened in surprise. Robert, the man she had been yelling at, was panting heavily, sweat covering his broad forehead.
"What's happening to him?" she asked, stepping back in shock.
"He's reached his limit," Aamon answered, his voice calm as always.
Cath glared at him. "How can that be? Is it a full moon?"
Aamon shook his head. "He used too much of his strength fighting that illegal monster."
"So, that blood is his too?" Cath asked, horrified. Aamon nodded in response, prompting an annoyed groan from her.
"Maybe we should just kill that damned monster?" she suggested, her hand hovering over the door handle, ready to open it again.
"Feel free to do it yourself," Aamon replied.
Cath froze at his words. She looked at Aamon, who walked back to his chair and sat down, relaxed as ever. It infuriated her even more.
"What are you doing?" Cath asked.
"Watching you fight the monster," Aamon said casually.
"Are you insane?"
"I'm not in the mood to get my hands dirty today."
"You're really going to let a woman face these monsters—creatures with terrifying strength?" Cath thought Aamon had completely lost his mind. But even so, her golden-blonde hair shimmered as she trusted him. She accepted his command and left him sitting comfortably inside.
"You're a pureblood vampire, aren't you? I'm trusting you to take care of this place," Aamon said.
"You sound like the owner of this café," Cath muttered, earning a smug smile from Aamon. She shivered as a chill ran down her spine, and, with a resigned sigh, opened the door.
"Don't forget to bring a deer- or horse-type monster here, and don't destroy them," Aamon instructed.
Cath scoffed, glancing at Robert, who was massaging his temples. The man's aura was dark, and it seemed his consciousness was slipping away.
"The wolf can hunt for his own prey," Cath said, refusing Aamon's command.
Aamon tilted his head slightly, his white hair swaying, and his sharp, blue eyes faintly glowed yellow. His gaze turned piercing as a cold voice sent shivers down Cath's spine.
"Catherine." He uttered her name, making her body tense up as if under immense pressure. She ground her teeth.
"Fine," she finally said. "I'll bring them as you ordered."
Seeing Aamon's nod, Cath stiffly turned away. Her body felt heavy as she pushed the door open wide—
BANG!
A louder crash came from near the door. The commotion in the café escalated, though fortunately, it was filled with vampires, not weak humans.
"To all the honorable vampires! Do not kill the deer- or horse-type monsters!" Cath shouted before closing the door again. "A wolf's blood needs assistance! Finish this quickly and return to your missions!"
The only ones in Cath's café were vampires.
With the door tightly shut, her commanding voice faded, blending into the growing chaos outside. Now, inside a room filled with expensive glassware and furniture, two men of different bloodlines remained.
"You're quite the actor," Aamon remarked to Robert.
The man sitting across from him looked up, his face flushed with frustration.
"Do I qualify as an actor now?" Robert asked.
Aamon shrugged, leaning back in his chair.
"Not yet. Emily's still better than you," Aamon replied, causing Robert to hiss in annoyance. "You'll be amazed when you see her in action one day."
Sure, Robert was curious, but now wasn't the time to reminisce about the past with so much tension in the air. Cath was out there fighting, while he was stuck sitting with Aamon, listening to the fierce battle outside.
"They really did come after us," Robert muttered, his gaze fixed on the shaking door, rattled by the impact of the battle beyond.
"Their blood can be traced. If any of them are in trouble, their leader will track them down," Aamon explained.
Robert's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me that before I took on this mission!?" he shouted.
The man, still covered in the blood of the illegal monsters he had fought, looked visibly panicked. But his panic faded when Aamon gave him a mysterious smile. Robert grew wary.
"Why are you smiling?" he asked suspiciously, remembering that Aamon always acted this way when missions took a dangerous turn. "Don't tell me you've set me up as bait!?"
"I never said you were bait," Aamon replied.
"Your face says otherwise!"
Robert could never quite predict Aamon's true motives. No matter how hard he tried to avoid being Aamon's pawn, he always ended up in that role.
Aamon smirked, his eyes drifting to the dried blood staining Robert's clothes.
"Cath's doing her best. We shouldn't waste her efforts," Aamon said, rising from his chair.
"You're the one who turned this place into a battlefield. Why should I be the one to take responsibility?" Robert grumbled.
The mahogany-haired man knew exactly what Aamon meant—he intended to leave the responsibility for the café's destruction to him.
Aamon ignored his complaints, turning to face the expensive wooden door. If that door broke, Robert would be the one to replace it. After all, as a werewolf, Robert had plenty of money saved up.
"Is this the work of that strange man? These terrifying monsters were able to find me just by the blood on my clothes," Robert muttered.
"They have many ways of reaching their goals," Aamon replied, pulling a sky-blue handkerchief from his black shirt pocket and wiping his hands. Robert, who had stood up because of Aamon, looked at him with confusion.
"You're cleaning your hands with a handkerchief even though we're not on a mission?" Robert asked.
The werewolf knew Aamon well. The white-haired man, who radiated an intimidating charisma, only cleaned his hands like this when he was about to start a mission.
After years of friendship, this was the first time Robert had seen Aamon act this way without a mission. It made him suspicious. He listened carefully.
"She's coming," Aamon said simply.
Robert blinked, confused, then realized what Aamon meant.
"He's coming," Aamon corrected himself with a calm nod, his eyes sharpening with anticipation.