Angela walked into the store the old lady had recomnded, the one Zane told them about. At first glance it looked like an ordinary perfu shop, bottles lined up neatly on shelves with a faint scent of flowers hanging in the air.
She wondered if there was more to it than what t the eye or if this was truly just a place that sold perfu. Unlike the way Zane welcod them earlier, here they were asked to sit in a small guest area instead of being invited into an inner room.
"Where is the woman? I don’t see anyone except that sales boy who showed us in," Stales muttered, his eyes moving around the shop. He was already restless, his patience running thin after they had been waiting for five long minutes. Zane had not kept them waiting when they visited his place.
"Are you sure this is the right store?" Angela asked softly. She could not help wondering what was going on and why they had not yet t Eliza.
"Yes, Angel," Samuel replied in a calm voice. "You have to be patient. We ca here for help, so we must stay calm."
"I know," she whispered, her eyes drifting to Hiro. He had been unusually quiet, and she could not tell if he was lost in thought or simply avoiding another chance to tease her.
They were sitting side by side, so she leaned against him and rested her head lightly on his back. He did not push her away or make a comnt. That silence comforted her, and she smiled faintly.
"I already texted Renn and Taros but neither of them has replied," Hiro said after a while. His voice carried unease. He wanted to know how far they had gone with their task, but deep down he had a gnawing feeling that sothing had gone wrong.
"You don’t have to worry," Angela whispered through their bond, her words echoing gently in his mind. "I’m sure they can handle whatever cos."
Hiro glanced sideways at her, his lips twitching as though fighting a smile. "Why are you in my head?" he asked quietly. He would never admit it aloud, but he liked it—the way she could reach him at any ti, her voice brushing against his thoughts as though it belonged there. It felt like sothing sacred between them....a mating bond he could not deny even if he tried.
"Yes. Do you want out?" Angela asked, her tone filled with concern. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"No. Never," Hiro said at once, surprising even himself. He hated the thought of her feeling unwanted. She reached for his hand, her fingers curling around his as she gave a gentle squeeze. A shiver ran through him, sharp and sweet, and he fought the urge to close his eyes.
When he turned to look at her, she was already smiling, and that smile drew him in like a tide he could not resist. His breath caught, and before he realized it, his face was moving closer to hers.
He was so near he could see the softness of her lips, and he wanted nothing more than to taste them. But just as he leaned in, Stales coughed loudly.
Hiro looked up and saw that Stales’ eyes were turned elsewhere, yet the boy coughed again, loud and clear. Hiro understood exactly what that ant. Her friend had a way of ruining monts, and this ti was no different. He clenched his jaw, whispering bitterly, "your friend knows how to get on my nerves."
Angela swallowed hard as her eyes lingered on Hiro. She wanted that kiss, she wanted it more than anything in that mont, even though she knew she should not. Her whole life was about to change, her identity was hanging by a thread, and the mont Eliza ca and revealed the truth everything would shatter. Fear gripped her chest, but at the sa ti her heart was aching for sothing warm and safe. She was terrified of what was coming, yet here she was waiting for it.
"This is not the place for us to ...," Angela whispered, pausing as her ears caught the sound of footsteps outside. Soone was coming, the mont she had been dreading.
Quickly she straightened up in her seat, her heart beating faster. The door opened and a woman walked in, her presence filling the room at once. She looked to be in her early forties, of average height, her light skin marked with tattoos that told clearly she was a werewolf.
"Are you my visitors?" she asked, her voice calm, almost pretending not to know who they were.
Angela’s eyes darted around, scanning the store one more ti. Aside from the sales boy, no one else was there. She forced a small smile and tried to appear at ease.
"Yes ma," Hiro said as he stood up and reached to shake her hand, but instead of shaking it, the woman leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek.
Angela felt a wave of heat rush through her. Anger burned inside her chest, sharp and fierce. If there was one thing she never shared or joked about, it was her mate. Hiro was hers and hers alone, and seeing another woman touch him made her blood boil.
Hiro, sensing it, glanced at her quickly. She looked like a furious little parrot, ready to bite, so he pressed his foot against hers under the table, a silent way to calm her before the woman noticed.
"Are you alright, boy?" the woman asked, looking at Angela as if worried. Angela forced herself to nod.
"You may sit, Hiro," the woman said, turning back to him. "These are your friends, right?"
"Yes," Hiro answered, though the word tasted bitter. "We also ca to shop." It was another lie, one among many he had told today. He wondered when it would finally end.
"How may I help you?" the woman asked as she took her seat across from them. "Zane said it is about the Malynsters. That will be fifty dollars for each question."
Hiro sighed deeply. Of course she would want money. He should have expected her greed. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and placed it on the table. She tapped the surface with her finger, signaling for him to leave it there, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.
"Ask your questions then," she said with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"I want to know about Maverick Malynster," Hiro said firmly. "Who he is and where we can find him."
"I have worked with the Malynsters for years, but I have never heard of anyone called Maverick. Can you ask another question?" Eliza said, her tone flat as though she wanted to dismiss it quickly.
Hiro turned his eyes to Angela. Maybe she had misheard her mother that night, or maybe this woman was hiding sothing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sketch of the crescent mark. He placed it on the table and asked, "What about this?"
Eliza leaned forward to look at the drawing. "That is the mark of the Malynster family. It is how they are identified. So say it glows during the full moon, and when it does, it doubles their powers."
Angela’s heart raced. "What kind of power?" she asked, her voice filled with both fear and curiosity. She prayed the woman would give an answer that made sense, sothing that would explain everything.
"It is usually passed down from parent to child. For example, Marcus has the power to erase mories and—"
Angela did not wait to hear more. Her eyes darted to Stales, who looked just as shaken as she was. If Marcus could erase mories, then it ant she had inherited the sa ability.
The mory of what happened to Xavier suddenly ca back to her. She had not wanted to believe it, but now the truth was right in front of her. The woman had said it could happen during transformation, and it all made sense.
"The Malynsters are not like other werewolves. I am sure you already know that," Eliza added, her hand sliding across the table to claim the money Hiro had placed earlier. She tucked it away without sha and looked at them again. "Do you have another question?"
Angela’s lips trembled as she spoke. "Does Marcus have a daughter?" Her voice carried both hope and fear, as though the answer would either save her or break her completely.
"I don’t know about that. It is difficult to say anything certain," the woman replied, her tone cautious.
"Do you know if he has a relationship with—"
"Boy, I will not answer without seeing money first," Eliza cut him off with a sly smile.
Hiro’s patience was already thin. He rolled his eyes, pulled out another hundred-dollar bill, and dropped it on the table.
"Good," she said, her fingers brushing over the note as if the money gave her power.
"Tell sothing sacred about that family, sothing no one outside knows," Hiro said firmly. "I want to know two things."
"You are a clever boy," Nikita said, her eyes glinting as she picked up the money. She sighed, as though rembering sothing heavy. "The Malynster family rarely gives birth to females. When I worked with them, there were only two won in the entire family. A female is considered important, almost sacred, and I do not think Marcus would hide his daughter if he truly had one. The family would never allow it."
"He is chasing after a girl with the Malynster mark," Samuel spoke up. His voice was calm but heavy. "Does that not an she is his daughter?"
The woman froze for a mont, her eyes flickering in surprise at what they already knew. She turned to Hiro, studying him carefully, and for a second her face showed discomfort. She could feel the boy’s gaze cutting into her, and she hated it, because it ant he was slowly realizing the truth—she was still tied to the Malynsters.
Her lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Since you are so curious about Marcus, why don’t you ask him yourself?"
"What do you an?" Angela asked, her voice trembling with confusion.
Before anyone could answer, Hiro suddenly reached forward and snatched the woman’s phone from her hand. But it was already too late. The betrayal had already taken root. Angela’s eyes shot toward the door, her heart skipping a beat.
There he was. Marcus stood at the entrance, tall and unshaken, his presence filling the room like a storm waiting to break.
"Hello, dear," he said with a smirk, his voice smooth and mocking, as if he had been waiting for this mont all along.
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