Chapter 8

• Maxsuel stared at me for a moment, his eyes wide with surprise and his mouth slightly open. His reaction didn’t help my poor heart, already overwhelmed by anxiety.
• “Eliza? Wow, you look amazing!” he finally exclaimed. I sighed, unsure whether I should feel relieved or not about that kind of comment.
• “You better not embarrass our guest,” Nicolas shot him a deadly glare before motioning for me to follow him.
• I took a deep breath and walked after Nicolas. I noticed when he purposely bumped into Maxsuel, who only laughed and started teasing him, as if it were a regular thing between them.
• “Eliza, what a surprise!” Annie ran up to me and hugged me excitedly. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
• “Hey.” Liam greeted, looking equally surprised.
• “Hello, Eliza!” Jonathan said, leaning on his drum set with a goofy smile. “Are you joining us?”
• “I’m just here to watch.” I shifted my gaze to Nicolas, waiting for his response. He gave me a calm smile, nodded slightly, then returned to his spot and picked up his guitar.
• I sat on the side bench and observed the band’s performance—nothing out of the ordinary—until Annie started showing signs of fatigue, and Liam decided to take her home.
• “Great rehearsal today. Goodnight, everyone!” Liam said. Annie let out a deep yawn before wishing us a good night as well.
• “You two, out!” Nicolas ordered Maxsuel and Jonathan, who remained standing as if expecting some kind of big event.
• “Come on, man! What’s up with you?” Maxsuel protested, only to be silenced by another deadly glare from Nicolas. He raised his hands in surrender, shutting up immediately. Jonathan mimicked the gesture and followed him out the door, both laughing about something I didn’t quite understand.
• “Idiots,” Nicolas muttered, shaking his head in disapproval.
• I remained seated, waiting for him to say something. Since he didn’t, I gathered the courage to ask about something that had been bothering me since his confession.
• “Why did my scent irritate you? Did I do something to you?”
• Guilt and regret—that was all I saw in his eyes as he crouched down near me.
• “Do you remember when I said I was at the concert?” I nodded. “It was my dream to meet you, so I got special permission to go that night. But I ruined everything...”
• His voice came out hoarse, either from all the rehearsing or from holding back tears.
• “You didn’t do anything.”
• “Yes, I did! Not only did I do nothing to stop the fans from storming the stage, but I also took advantage of the chaos to get closer to you. And after that night, Lisa disappeared, and I felt like it was my fault—mine and everyone else’s who was there.”
• He lowered his gaze to the floor, unable to look at me.
• “When I first caught your scent and couldn’t remember where from, something in my mind triggered instant sadness, and not understanding why made me angry. I thought I was losing my mind, drowning in a bad feeling for someone I didn’t even know. I figured if I broke that feeling by treating you better, the sadness would go away, and then…”
• “You saved me from an arrow and ended up recognizing me.” I chuckled awkwardly at how strange this whole story was becoming.
• He lifted his head and smiled at my statement.
• “Don’t worry, I don’t hold any grudges against you.”
• “Eliza…” He took my hands, making me flustered, but I didn’t pull away, paralyzed by his intense gaze.
• “The reason I convinced the band to do covers of Lisa’s songs was to make amends, just like the other fans are doing. We want to honor her in every way possible so you’ll come back. We want to see you sing again!”
• After coming to Siram, I had stopped responding to my manager. Eventually, he sent me a message saying that hundreds of videos were being posted online by my fans—apologizing and singing my songs. The trauma still lingered inside me, but that wasn’t the real reason I hadn’t returned yet —it was the fact that I was stuck in this godforsaken place for an indefinite period.
• “Look, it wasn’t you guys. It wasn’t that night! It’s something else you don’t know about.” I pulled my hands away from his and clasped them together, feeling a bit anxious. “But I really don’t want to talk about it. Besides, I couldn’t come back even if I wanted to. I’m stuck here because of the summons.”
• “I can help you with that.” He stood up and sat beside me. “My father is the Beta of the clan—the Alpha’s right-hand man. I can get whatever permissions you need to leave.”
• I looked at him, surprised by this revelation. Nicolas had more influence in the clan than I had imagined.
• “Right now, he’s at the Alpha’s house with my older brother. When they get back, I can speak on your behalf.”
• “There’s no rush.” I stood up, pulling my phone out of my pocket to check the time. “Everything happens in its own time. If you really want to do something for me, then please, keep everything about me a secret. I need to go now.”
• “You walked here?” I nodded. “I’ll drive you home. It’s too late!”
• It wasn’t that late, but I didn’t say anything to contradict him. I remained silent the entire ride back, gazing at the sky and admiring the almost full moon.
• The pickup truck stopped in front of my grandmother’s house, and just as I was about to get out, Nicolas opened the glove compartment and pulled out a Lisa CD.
• “Before you go, can you sign this for me?” he asked.
• I smiled at him, took a pen from my pocket—an old habit I had developed from signing autographs—and wrote:
• "To my biggest fan, Nicolas. Please, stop blaming yourself. Kisses, Lisa."
• "Goodnight!" I said, handing the CD back before stepping out of the truck.
• "Goodnight, and thanks!" I heard him say before I shut the door.
• I walked into the house feeling content. As I reheated the dinner my grandmother had left for me, I felt my wolf howling happily inside, saying:
• "One more problem solved. Eliza, you're the best!"