Episode 7

•Welcoming Her•

Immediately, Juan ran out of the house and hugged Alice, checking to ensure she wasn't hurt.

"Alice, are you okay? I hope you weren't hurt by them," She asked. Alice, who did not seem hurt in any way, appeared indifferent to her sister's concern.

"I'm fine," she said, leaving Juan behind and heading straight to the house. Upon meeting Aaron at the entrance, she ignored him as she entered.

Aaron and Juan exchanged a glance. Alice's sudden arrival was so strange, and she did not appear to have been hurt by those guys in any way.

Nevertheless, Juan proceeded inside the house, following Alice, while Aaron also joined them inside also, everyone of them wanted to hear from Alice.

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"Alice, what happened? How did you manage to escape from them?" Juan asked immediately she joined Alice in her room, while Aaron waited at the entrance.

"I told you I'm fine! Please, leave me alone!" Alice yelled, chasing Juan out of her room and locking the door.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Juan shouted after her, still concerned about her well-being. Juan was highly expecting Alice to tell them how she managed to return safely unharmed from the hands of those mafias.

However, Alice obviously didn't want to talk about it. While Juan continued knocking on her door, Aaron approached her.

"Juan, at least she's here now. I believe it's better to give her some space. We can talk to her later," he suggested. Juan agreed, and they both made their way to the parlor.

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Later At Night.

Aaron had just returned home. He went to see Oscar, one of his friends from school, to ask about school today and how the debate went without him and Alice on both sides.

He learned that the debate proceeded without them since they were both missing, Aaron from group A and Alice from group B, making it an equal matchup that continued as planned.

Upon returning home and entering the house, he headed straight to the kitchen, knowing that Juan would be in there preparing dinner.

"Aaron, you're back," Juan said as soon as he entered the kitchen. He nodded at her and approached, enjoying the sweet aroma of the food she was cooking.

"So, what did Oscar tell you about the debate? was it postponed?" she asked. Aaron smiled briefly, leaving her puzzled by his sudden smile.

"I'll tell you after I finish eating your delicious food," he replied, causing Juan to chuckle as she continued slicing the vegetables.

"I just hope you're not here to tease me again," she said, to which Aaron approached with a determined expression.

"You know I'm not teasing you. You're so good at this. But think about it," Aaron said, pausing to gather his thoughts while Juan focused on him, awaiting his words.

"Regarding the debate, it's unfortunate that we were both easily evicted," Aaron remarked, but Juan wasn't surprised; they were disqualified simply because they didn't attend.

"There's nothing to feel bad about. I know you could have done well if you had attended, but it's all right. Life comes first. Maybe next time," Juan said, focusing on her cooking. Aaron nodded in agreement.

"You're right. But what about Alice? Is she at home?" Aaron asked, and Juan nodded.

"Yes, she's in her room. I thought of cooking because of her. I prepared every dish to see if she could eat as she hasn't eaten since she returned, as she had refused all the food I made, I had to make her favorite" Juan explained.

"Hmm, and have you spoken to her at all? Or has she been silent since then?" Aaron inquired. Juan paused her cooking, focused on him, and washed her hands, probably stained with cooking spices, to avoid staining herself or anything else.

"I have talked to her. We discussed a lot about all of us. It's good news. She promised to stay away from us, so your secret is safe, Aaron," she said. Aaron was relieved but puzzled by the sudden change of heart.

Why would Alice agree to keep his secret now, only after returning from the kidnappers? There might be more to it, which he intended to discuss further. Even though she agreed to keep his secret, they still needed to be concerned about why those men kept coming after her and what transpired between her and them.

"It's really good news, but did she mention why she was kidnapped in the first place?" Aaron asked. Juan shook her head.

"I've tried my best. She refused to talk. I think there's something she's not telling us. I'm worried for her and for both of us," she expressed, leaving Aaron speechless.

"Maybe I should try talking to her myself?" Aaron suggested. Juan shrugged.

"Perhaps. You might get some information from her too. She might open up to you, but we can never be sure," she agreed as Aaron left the kitchen and headed straight to Alice's room.

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Upon reaching her room, he gently knocked on the door but received no response. Listening carefully, he heard the sound of splashing water, indicating that Alice was in the bathroom taking a bath.

Quietly, he pushed the door open and entered the room. He stood near the entrance, scanning the room for any signs that could suggest Alice was in pain or threatened by the so called Black Dragons, or at least provide a clue to lead him to them. Since his wolf was not lenient with bad guys, he was not afraid to confront them if necessary.

Finding no new clues, he turned to leave, and suddenly, a message notification rang on Alice's phone which she kept on her bed. 

Aaron, glanced back at the bathroom door, noticing she was still occupied, then he approached the phone.

"Don't play trick on me, you little brat! Werewolves are just myths and do not exist, monsters, beasts roaming, no wolf among us!" Aaron was shocked to see this message on Alice's screen.

It was unbelievable. What could they be discussing? What monsters? what beasts? Aaron pondered deeply as he quickly grabbed his phone to take a picture of the message when he noticed an envelope beside Alice's phone.

Setting the phone aside, he picked up the envelope, which contained a short letter that he began to read.

"I don't care about whatever obstacle you faced! Deliver her to us at the usual location! That's the deal! You have only three days of mercy left, or your life will be cut short like that pf Mr. Mark's. Don't toy with the devil!" Aaron couldn't believe his eyes after finishing reading the letter.

What deal had Alice made with these dangerous Mafias exactly? She must have been involved in a dangerous game, as he could clearly see from the letter, which mentioned murder. Who were they instructing her to deliver to them? Juan? Who was this Mark whose life had been cut short?

At least Aaron had a lead to start investigating this matter. Perhaps he needed to search for information on who Mr. Mark was and what really happened to him.

Aaron quickly took a photo of the letter with his phone, arranged it back where he found it, and kept it there for Alice just as she had left it.

As he was about to leave, he remembered he needed evidence from her phone as well. He picked up the phone to take a picture of the text message sent to her, but as he did, Alice emerged from the bathroom all of a sudden. Hastily, he put the phone back and turned towards Alice, hiding his phone behind his back.

She had a towel around her neck, completely on nude, not expecting to encounter anyone in her room. She was startled when she saw Aaron.

"Aaron! What are you doing in here?" she exclaimed, attempting to cover her nakedness with her hands.