~ Kaelos POV ~
As I ran through the forest, Gabriel was clearly enjoying the ride. But as soon as I reached the edge of the forest, the familiar smells faded, and I found myself staring at something strange—a black, tiled road. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and it made me stop in my tracks.
Gabriel jumped down from my back and quickly urged me to turn back into a human. He handed me a water lily leaf to cover my nakedness, worried that we might run into someone who would be terrified by my werewolf form.
"Wait, Gabriel. I'm not stepping on that thing," I said, pointing at the road with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "I don't know what it is."
"What are you talking about?" Gabriel asked, glancing around to see what had caught my attention.
"That road. Why is it black?" I squinted at the tiled surface, trying to make sense of it.
Gabriel chuckled softly. "Seriously? That's a government-tiled road, Kaelos. It's made for cars to travel smoothly."
I blinked in confusion. "Cars? What are those? Do we have them in the forest?"
Gabriel sighed, clearly exasperated. "This is why you need to experience city life, Kaelos. Vark Slade controls the city, and you need to know how things work here if you're going to defeat him!"
I could tell he was frustrated, but I genuinely didn't know about these things. I had spent my whole life in the forest, where my parents never mentioned anything like this. As I stood there, trying to make sense of it all, Kaelos pulled out something from his pocket.
"Hey! What's that?" I asked, intrigued.
"It's a cell phone, Kaelos. I'm calling my friend to pick us up. You can't walk into the city wrapped in leaves—people might think you're a pervert or mad," Gabriel said, his fingers deftly pressing buttons on the small device.
"Pervert? And where did you get that thing? I've never seen you with it before," I remarked, curiosity bubbling up inside me.
Gabriel just shook his head. "You ask too many questions, just wait and watch."
But as he tried to make the call, the person on the other end didn't pick up. I could see a flicker of worry cross Gabriel's face, but I remembered he'd said I asked too many questions, so I stayed quiet.
Still, a thought nagged at me. Why was I taking orders from him? I'm supposed to be the future Alpha, right? In the forest, he always respected me, so what has changed? Just as I was about to voice my thoughts, the cell phone made a noise that startled me. Gabriel glanced at it and smiled, which made me even more curious.
"My friend will be here soon. He couldn't answer earlier, but he's on his way now," Gabriel informed me with a relieved grin.
I nodded, though I didn't fully understand why we were just standing there by the road, waiting for this friend. My mission was to fulfill the prophecy, to defeat Vark Slade and save the werewolves, not to learn about things I had no use for. But for now, I decided to go along with it.
The road was quiet, and I kept glancing around, trying to figure out this new world. Suddenly, Gabriel pushed me back into the forest, almost making me lose my leaf covering.
"Hey, what's that?" I whispered, feeling a tremor of fear as my eyes widened.
"Hush!" Gabriel hissed, pressing a finger to his lips.
I heard a loud, strange noise—like something was screaming as it moved away. I had no idea what it could be, but Gabriel signaled for silence, so I didn't ask. (It was Jessica driving past, they didn't see her.)
There was a scent in the air, something that reminded me of Gabriel's smell, but different. It puzzled me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Before I could dwell on it, Gabriel spoke up.
"We can't stay here too long."
"What was that noise? And why did we hide?" I asked, looking directly at Gabriel to catch any hint of a lie.
"It was a vampire. And the sound you heard was a vehicle—its tires and engine," Gabriel explained.
"Vampire?" I repeated, surprised.
"Yes, why?" Gabriel asked.
"If that was a vampire, why did it have the same smell as you?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him.
"What? What smell are you talking about? You think I smell?" Gabriel asked, confused.
"Yes, you do, Gabriel. You smell like animal blood, but that one, I don't know how to describe it."
Gabriel gave me a look, one that made me suspect he was hiding something. But I didn't press him further.
"You smell too, Kaelos."
"Uh? I do?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, everyone has their smell," Gabriel said with a knowing smile.
Just then, another sound reached my ears, and I asked Gabriel what it was. He explained it was a car honking, a noise used to get attention.
"Ooh, okay, and who could that be?" I asked, trying to sniff the air as Gabriel did. But neither of us could detect anything, so we stepped out of the forest to see who it was.
We saw a man standing by a car, holding something in his hands. Gabriel rushed to him, and they hugged like old friends, laughing together. It seemed they had known each other for a long time.
"Huh, pardon me, this is the future Alpha. I've protected him all my life. Kaelos, come closer," Gabriel said, gesturing toward me.
I thought to myself, "Really? You protected me all these years, or did we protect each other?" But I stepped closer, still wrapped in leaves.
"Meet Eric Albert, and Eric, this is Kaelos, the prophecy child," Gabriel introduced us.
As soon as Gabriel mentioned my name, Eric dropped to his knees and bowed. He said it was a great honor to meet someone like me. It made me wonder if I was really that important. I thought the prophecy was just about killing Vark Slade, so why all this reverence?
"Please stand up. You don't have to kneel for me," I said, forcing a smile.
Eric then hurried to his car and brought me clothes. I realized this was where Gabriel had been getting the clothes he brought to the forest for us. After I put them on, Eric sprayed something on me and asked me to keep it.
"What is this?" I asked, looking between the two of them.
"It's a spray, my future Alpha, to cover your werewolf smell. Though I didn't notice any smell on you, maybe it's because I used too much spray on myself," Eric explained, avoiding my gaze.
"But Gabriel said I smell?" I looked at Gabriel.
"Huh, don't you think we've been standing here too long? Let's get going," Gabriel said, quickly changing the subject as he rushed to the car.
I noticed Eric used the object he was holding to unlock the car. That's how I realized it was a car key. We then drove out of the highway and headed toward the main city, Manila.
We are inside the vehicle, with Eric driving and Gabriel sitting beside him in the front while I sit in the back seat. I'm amazed by the view as we leave the highway and enter the city. Manila is stunning, with its large, beautiful shelters for humans. I can sense different smells, but they change at certain points. Among the humans, I can detect the scent of vampires.
"Are we going to live with you, Eric?" Gabriel asks.
"Hmmm, no, you can't," Eric replies, focusing on the road.
"What do you mean by that? If we don't live with you, where do you expect us to stay? You know we're not familiar with the city," Gabriel responds, gripping the vehicle's inner handle.
"Don't worry, Gabriel. I've already prepared a place for you and the future Alpha. Believe me, I want us all to live together, but it's not possible. I've filled in forms stating that I live alone, and if they find out someone else is living with me, I might get into trouble, which we can't afford right now."
"Gabriel, if staying with Eric will cause trouble, maybe we should live apart," I suggest.
Eric drives us into a neighborhood bustling with people selling goods in front of their homes. Some are roasting corn and meat. The houses here aren't as fancy as the ones we saw earlier in Manila.
Gabriel asks Eric why we're in this neighborhood, as it looks like a ghetto.
"I'm sorry, Gabriel, future Alpha, but you'll have to stay here so no one can discover who you are. Try to blend in with the people. Vampires don't come to places like this because of the smells," Eric explains as he stops the vehicle.
I tell him that if we're going to be safe here, that's fine with me, but I need to gain my power as soon as possible to defeat Vark Slade. Eric turns to face me in the back seat and promises to do anything to help me obtain the power the prophecy speaks of.
We get out of the vehicle, and Eric leads us to a building he calls a house. It's a two-story building that looks old but clean. Eric takes us to the upper floor and shows us around, calling the different areas "rooms."
"You two are free to live here. I've paid for everything. I chose the upper floor so no one will bother you. Don't worry, I've checked out the lady living downstairs—she won't be a problem at all."
Gabriel hugs Eric and thanks him for the house, and I do the same. Eric promises to return the next day to pick me up and show me around the city, especially the Vark Slade company. Just then, we hear someone scream outside, and the three of us rush out to see what's happening.
"Hello everyone! Your beautiful Ligaya is here! Come and see my new clothes collection! Hey, you there! What are you staring at, huh? You're not buying anything from me, are you? Gossip mongers!" A woman yells before going back inside her apartment.
This is my first time seeing someone behave like that. Before Vark Slade destroyed our hut in Tagaytay, the young female werewolves never acted this way.
"Are you sure we won't have any problems with her?" Gabriel asks Eric.
"You both have no business with her, so just ignore her. I need to leave now; they'll be looking for me at the office," Eric says, before leaving.