Today marks the mating season—or so the beasts in human coats call it.

It was a period most eighteen-year-old girls anticipated, while others dreaded it like the sound of a closing coffin lid.

For those with ambition burning behind their eyes, the season was a chance—a dangerous game where beauty and cunning could elevate one from prey to queen. But for those who knew better and valued peace over power, it was nothing short of hell on earth. Because associating with beasts—wolves with their primal hunger and vampires with their cold, calculated thirst—meant stepping into a dark world where survival was not promised.

--

The sun had set in the West, casting a soft glow over the old airport, where quiet hellos and heavy goodbyes filled the air. It was especially bustling these days due to the upcoming selection of this generation's noble bloods, finally choosing their human mates.

"M-My little cupcake, hic! My adorable jiggly pudding… Daddy is… sniff… Daddy's going to miss your sulking and grumpy face in the morning."

"Hic! Daddy, stop… sniff… stop crying! Everyone's looking. You're scary face is so ugly when crying, it's… hic! It's so embarrassing!"

Velvetiana's cheeks burned with tears as her pink foster father and maternal uncle, Pauly, clutched her in a bear hug, sniffling so loudly it echoed through the halls of the airport. His muscular arms, which could rival a heavyweight champion's, squeezed her so tightly it was a wonder her ribs didn't crack.

Uff!

"Urk! Daddy, I can't breathe! Oh god, you're squishing your daughter so hard!"

Nearby travelers slowed their steps to glance at the unusual scene, their curiosity only fueling Velvetiana's growing discomfort.

"Get… get away, Daddy, your face looks gross right now! Ahh, Dad! Your snot is falling on me now! I swear get off!"

"But… But I forgot my tissue, boohoo! Lend me some princess…"

Sobbing, the two looked at each other like two lost puppies with swirling round watery gazes.

Velvetiana cooed. "I… I packed the tissues inside my luggage. Daddy, do you want my hanky?"

He stared at the wet handkerchief and shrunk a little. Pauly automatically let go of the hug and deliberately took astepped back before she could rub the slimy fabric on his face.

"O-Oh wow! What a coincidence, I... I almost forgot that I still have this… Ha, haha! S-So lucky." He laughed awkwardly and quickly averted his gaze as he took out a clean, worn-out white fabric.

Seeing his aversion, Velvetiana parted her lips wide as a goldfish and gasped feeling betrayed.

"Daddy, you…!" she wanted to sulk and accuse him but when she glanced at her used hanky, she inadvertently winced. She paused and decided to just put it on a thin plastic before tossing it in her hand carry.

'I should wash it thoroughly later... Squeaky clean,' she made a mental note to herself.

Poor can't be picky and wasteful.

Pauly was dressed in an outfit that could only be described as an assault on the senses—a rainbow-striped jacket with sequined lapels over a hot pink mesh shirt. His pants, on the other hand, were a violent clash of lime green and electric blue. Secured by a belt adorned with glittering star-shaped buckles.

The entire ensemble practically screamed, Look at me!—which was exactly why Velvetiana wanted to melt into the floor.

Still, as mortifying as it was, she let him cling to her. Pauly's theatrics weren't anything new, and under the embarrassment lay the painful understanding that this was his way of saying goodbye.

Pauly hiccupped and sighed emotionally thorned.

"Wuwu! Why do you grow up so fast…? Daddy will be so lonely without you, darling. You have to stay strong while living on campus. Be sure to wake up early to be on time for school, okay? I'm not sure how's the weather in that place but wear thick clothes and don't forget to apply the sunscreen I gave you whenever you go out."

Velvetiana's lips twitched, but she held her expression neutral while listening to his reminders.

"I know."

When a particularly loud sniffle hit her ears almost deafening.

"Eat your breakfast and don't stay up late watching porn. I won't be there to nag you, so—"

"Daaad?!" Her eyes widened in horror.

All she could do at that point was throw her hand in the air to cover his mouth to stop him from saying more.

"—umphh!"

The murmuring near their spot quieted. But it was not the quiet that provided her solitude. Rather, it was the opposite!

She felt utterly screwed.

Several people outright stopped walking to stare and Velvetiana's heart dropped to her stomach.

"Oh please! Not this again. How many times do I have to tell you? It was just a clip in my biology class that my damn classmate deliberately cut and sent me! I didn't—argh! Whatever!"

Pauly tilted his head, looking entirely unconvinced. "Mmm-hmm."

This is so embarrassing. Pauly's whims were over the top even on a good day, but this… this was a new low. But how else would she get a Velvetiana Red name just because she likes red if her old man wasn't a weirdo?

The worst part? The crowd of travelers seemed very interested in the exchange. She even saw a mother covering her child's ears. A businessman smirked behind his coffee cup. Someone holding a smartphone looked suspiciously like they were filming.

Great. Just great.

Perhaps the only consolation she had was this developing town was three hours away by train from the rundown slums they lived in. No one would know shit or even recognize her.

Still, Velvetiana's hands curled into fists at her sides. Her face was red enough to rival the color of her namesake.

"Tch! What are you all looking at?" Her eyes narrowed into thin, dagger-like slits as her voice dropped into a growl. "Do you want me to gouge your eyeballs out before you board? Scram!"

Gasps followed and the crowd dispersed quickly under her glare, though a few dared to steal lingering glances.

"Those damn pricks," she hissed under her breath. "As if you have never seen pictures of dicks and pussies when you were my age! I bet they've done far worse and messier!"

Pauly giggled, wiping his face with the hem of his sleeve.

"Ey! That's my girl. So fierce like her Mama," he winked and struck a pose with his index fingers firing at her, finally forgetting how to behave outside as he promised and started addressing himself with a high-pitch 'Mama' like he'd used to at home.

'He's your Daddy, Vel. He's your Daddy… You cannot smack him.'

Sigh, forget it. It wasn't like she asked him to change anyway.

Velvetiana inhaled deeply and turned toward him, her brows knitting together.

"Daddy, it's all your fault you know…"

"Oh? Yeah, you're right. Hehe," Pauly looked away and acted coy. "Well, now, now. Forget those froglets and listen to your Mama, dear. Remember what I taught you!" Pauly grabbed her hands, lowering his voice into the sage tone of a life coach.

"Chin up, boobs out. Even if you are pretty you can't slouch and walk like a gangsta! Oh my gosh, don't waste our beautiful genes okay? Perk those thick butts up and flaunt those naturally curvaceous thighs. There's gonna be a lot of bastards in college so you have to be picky. Don't just decide based on the face value, hot men are mostly jerks but nowadays even ugly bastards are very confident."

"Ahem! Of course, I know you're going there to study. But Mama doesn't mind having an in-law early fufufu!"

"Oh gods, there he goes again," she held her throbbing temples, feeling the ensuing surge of headache. "My darling, romance is not a sin! Fill your youth with rainbows and cotton candy, hihi~!" Pauly clapped his hands together, his eyes sparkling with unhinged enthusiasm. "As long as you don't lose your scholarship, of course. That's the line, baby girl."

He leaned in conspiratorially, his glittery eyelids fluttering.

"Also, if you do get a boyfriend, you have to grab onto the hottest guy you see—even if you have to yank some other girl's extensions out by the roots! You have to be fierce, territorial, and most importantly, decisive! Don't let anyone, especially those rich bitches who've never even seen mud, step on your toes, alright?"

Then, without warning, he squealed like a dying poodle and clapped his hands on her cheeks. "Whatever it is that you do, Mama, ahem, Daddy's got your back! So make the most fun you can get in your college. I won't be able to see you for so long, hic…"

His eyes watered again. The girl pursed her squeezed cheeks and mumbled.

"Stop crying, I'm going to save up my allowance and see you soon. So don't get uglier by crying more. I'm not going there to find a rich lover got it? So, stop imagining things! Of course, I will never my self be bullied and stepped on. But not over a guy. I won't fight another girl for that so why would I even care—"

"Oh no, sweety! What do you mean you won't care about the girls?" Pauly's eyes widened dramatically. He grasped her hands and whispered, "They wear deadly heels, darling. It will hurt so bad you know."

Velvetiana was speechless.

Damn, right. Of course, he's gonna say that.

"And don't forget," Pauly pressed on, undeterred, "a man's value is in his tan. My baby is fair and flawless, a pale motherfucker won't suit you. Don't ever entertain those walking cold corpses with red eyes. You're already anemic! Don't bother with them and find someone normal."

Velvetiana's eye twitched so hard she was convinced she was developing a neurological condition.

"Pauly…!"

"Hmm? What is it? I'm merely just reminding my baby. If he's not at least three shades darker than you, he's not worth your time—"

"AHH! Fine, stop! That's it. I'm boarding the plane."

"Wait, what? But I still have so many things to say, ah! Remember, just three shades darling not fifty, okay? That one's porno!"