To Be Luna For The Alpha!

-14-

The journey felt incredibly long for Jenifer; her heart remained back there with Niklaus.

Her expression grew so somber that her father raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her.

“Is something weighing on your mind, Jane? Do you not like this journey?” her father asked.

Jenifer offered only a stiff smile; she let out a long sigh and then shook her head.

“No, Father. It’s just... it feels like something is missing,” she quickly amended. “You know I grew up in that place; the forest and the wild animals there were my friends. So, I suppose humans and cities feel foreign to me now.”

It was natural for Jenifer to feel this way; to her, home was the fearsome forest where she had experienced so many joyful moments. Being forced now to navigate a completely different world didn't seem strange at all.

“When we get to the city, if you still find it hard to socialize with people, just stay at the house for a while. Uncle Gob has a small place on the outskirts—it’s quiet and not too crowded; I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Jenifer offered another stiff smile and glanced back; out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man standing atop a tall tree, watching her unblinkingly.

Jenifer knew who he was: Niklaus.

Niklaus’s howl echoed out—a sound so painful it evoked a simultaneous sense of sorrow and a crushing tightness in the chest. Jenifer’s expression grew increasingly troubled, until finally, her father cursed.

“Damn it!” her father exclaimed.

“How is it that all the time we spent in that forest, I failed to catch that werewolf, yet the moment we decide to return to the city, he shows up on his own? Is he planning to cause trouble?”

Jenifer swallowed hard, then forced a stiff smile. “Enough, Father; let’s not talk about those terrifying creatures anymore. I want to return to city life in peace and focus on ordinary people. Don’t fill my head with hallucinations that might make me act strangely around my college friends.”

Erdward knew this wasn’t the sort of conversation most normal people had.

Vampires and werewolves were creatures of myth—the stuff of bedtime stories for young children, or, of course, Halloween costumes.

Erdward didn't want his daughter to be seen as odd by everyone because of her obsession with hunting werewolves.

"Alright, how about we make a deal?" Erdward said finally.

"What kind?" Jenifer asked.

"Once we're in the city, no one is allowed to talk about werewolves under any circumstances—except when we're at home and it's just the two of us," Erdward proposed.

That idea piqued Jenifer's interest; she certainly didn't want to be thought of as crazy, as that would only make things messy.

Jenifer nodded in agreement and held up her little finger.

"Fine, I agree to your proposal, Dad. But promise me this: when you meet my friends, you have to dress normally and keep all those weird weapons away from your body so they don't get suspicious. I just want my friends to know you as a normal dad with a normal job—not a dad whose job involves being an annoying werewolf."

Erdward chuckled at that and agreed to his daughter's terms.

"Alright, alright... I agree to whatever you say, and I promise you'll never feel the least bit embarrassed to be with me, okay?"

Her expression relaxed and brightened, and she tried to drift off to sleep. However, a whisper reached her ears—one that left her utterly bewildered.

"Jane, you don't need to be sad when we part ways. Believe me, wherever you go, I will come to find you one day. Remember, we are bound together; never look for another man but me. I will make sure you are entirely mine, with no one else able to take you away."

Jenifer smiled upon hearing the message; she knew it was from Niklaus.