Sara didn’t know where he came from, or why he had that arrogant attitude and aristocratic features. All she knew was to avoid trouble. And this man screamed plenty of it.

                  Perfect.

                  Sara’s heart thumped in her chest, wild and mad. The moment she looked down to meet the pair of dark grey eyes, she swore she saw something golden flashed in the irises. He had looked unnatural and inhumane, the kind that doctors in Gangnam wouldn’t be able to make. She could stare at him forever, looking at those beautiful grey eyes that were so unusual for an Asian. His lips left a curvaceous space in-between as he looked back at her with the same intensity; if not more. He had pretty lips.

                  Sara might not know a lot about branded fashion, but the shirt he wore looked expensive. Or he made it look that way. It did a fairly bad job in covering the muscles hidden beneath the thin layer of silk. An important person, or a chaebol, Sara assumed. The man couldn’t look older than twenty-two, judging from his youthful appearance. He was bordering pretty and wild; the naughty bad boy one couldn’t help but be attracted to. And that successfully distracted Sara for a moment.

                  A very good-looking man coming into the suburban area and walking into a bar was odd enough. Maybe he ran away from home. The sudden appearance of young men and women in the bar was not a good sign. She looked around and counted thirty-two, and that was the maximum to fit into this small, pathetic excuse for a restaurant and bar. Maybe they were involved in gang activity. She heard it was pretty common these days to recruit younger people into the business. Sara sighed and slapped herself awake from the mental distraction. She had a job to do and she’d better get it done fast.

                  “Good evening, Sir. Can I get you anything?” She tried to sound nonchalant about it. The room was suddenly quiet, and everyone was staring. No, they were glaring at her. Had she upset them? But she didn’t even do anything!

                  “My Lord,” The closest man to him spoke, his voice deep and raspy, as if he hadn’t talked in a long while. Something in his eyes flickered dangerously at her, and she had a sudden urge to run away from these judging eyes. Sadly, her feet were stuck on the ground, and they stubbornly refused to let her get away with it until she had the orders written down.

                  My Lord? Sara furrowed her eyebrows together and looked around once more. Everyone was tense. Their fists clenched and unclenched, as if they were ready to fight. She was right. He must be a gangster and a leader, on top of that. What a luck she had to encounter him tonight!

                  “Quiet, Junhyung,” He sounded restrained, but smooth, and it sent tingles down her skin. His voice held authority, as was the way he carried himself. “She is frightened.” And that was the moment that she let out her breath slowly. Sara refused to let them know that she was indeed, frightened. Thank God her knees hadn’t given up on her.

                  “My apologies,” Junhyung muttered a quick apology and shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

                  Sara finally found her gaze back to him. It was unnerving to know that his stare hadn’t left her for once. He might as well just burn a hole in her head if he could. He was so intense. “Sir?” The poor girl didn’t know what to do, so she asked once again. She had forgotten how to smile, and it felt like the thin lines on her lips would stay on if she had to entertain these guests for the whole night.

                  The Alpha let out a sarcastic wolfish grin, and it was so boyish and charming that it knocked her off guard. For that moment, Sara forgot why she was here to begin with. “What’s your name?” He asked, but then he caught the sight of her nametag and narrowed his eyes. Sara gasped and covered it with her brown tray, away from his preying eyes. Unfortunately, Junhong’s heightened sense had seen it. Sara. What a pretty name. “Sara, huh?”

                  If anything, she felt vulnerable. Sara liked the way her name rolled off so casually from his mouth, as if he owned her. The thought itself should have been illegal to begin with. But thoughts are thoughts, with no laws enforced.

                  “Yes, now can I get your order, please?” Sara smiled a little, but it was cold and calculating. She tried to be as gentle as possible, but her self-defense would only allow so much. Working in a bar was not her favorite choice, but as a university student, it was hard to find a job elsewhere. Besides, if she brought in enough customers for a month, her boss would be generous in bonuses.

                  “Red wine and meat,” He ordered quickly, and averted his eyes. Sara quickly wrote down his order and nodded, “Anything else, Sir?”

                  “Junhong,” She felt the constraint in her heart but ignored it with a saccharine sweet smile. He had a voice too deep for someone so young. “My name is Junhong. You need not to call me Sire, it doesn’t please me much.” She shivered. Was he indirectly being , or was that her being ? She couldn’t help it! The guy was a major turn-on and a tease in the eye.

                  “Alright then, I will take your order… Sir,” She bowed and walked back without so much as a glance. Even then, she could feel his heated gaze on her back, and she didn’t know what to feel about the sudden attention she got from this Lord.

                  Jeon Sara, a woman in her twenty who had the tendencies to attract troubles wherever she went decided to go against her better judgment and ignored the perfect species called ‘Junhong’. Flirting with a gangster was definitely last on her wanted boyfriend list. No matter how handsome or rich. She dropped the order by the kitchen and subtly pushed her co-worker, Jimin, who was more than happy to serve the eye-candy(-ies).

                  “Out of all people, a human, my Lord?!” Junhyung hissed at Junhong the moment Sara was out of hearing distance. His tone was neither subtle nor harsh. Junhong’s eyes almost glowed golden again, but he restrained himself with the control he practiced so well over the years. The Alpha, unlike his usual loud self, was quiet for the night. He looked down at the wooden table and ignored all the whispers and gossips.

                  He was the Alpha. He turned two-hundred-something this year. He was by far the youngest leader in the Shadow world, shortly coronated after Yongguk left. He knew two hundred was a small number in his world, but it was way passed the age of Mating. At first he had grieved over the possibility that perhaps his mate would not appear centuries or millennias later. Until a certain human girl caught his eye and turned his world upside down.

                  A befitted name for a future Luna. A name as pretty as the beholder herself.

                  Junhong had never seen anyone as pretty. The moonlight seemed to glow in her presence, the brightness dancing subtly in her pretty brown eyes. Her voice was smooth and velvety, and he knew the delightful shivers he felt was because of her. His whole body was suddenly lit on fire. My mate, he screamed possessively, and proudly. My mate, the most beautiful woman I have ever met. He was clearly pleased.

                  The Moon Goddess had designed her children with a mate for each. And that they would know it by the first sight. Like he did, with Sara. It was infatuation, a sudden affection he felt with just a glance of her small smile. The world had shifted. She was becoming the first priority of his happiness, and he would give her literally anything. He would shower her with gifts for a Queen, because that was what she would be. And he wouldn’t allow her to work in this ty place anymore. Not when those dirty old rags kept on stealing glances at her . No, she was rightfully his. Nobody should look at her with anything other than admiration and respect!

Imagine how disappointed he was when another girl came in to serve his Clan. Not Sara, some other girl he couldn’t care less about. He looked around, and spotted a small smirk tucking in Sara’s face when she realized he was looking. She turned around, purposefully avoiding him. His heart thumped. If she thought he would give up, then she was in for a hell of a ride. Nobody got away from Junhong.

He got what he wanted, no matter what it was.

And he was never wrong.

***

Sara bit her lips.   

“Not going home? It’s almost 4am. Don’t you have morning class?” The old chef, Kim Yeonwoo asked. It was a good intention and she knew it, but she was beyond agitated now. The nerve of that Lord! She silently cursed and tapped her feet, “Only if that boy is going home. He seems to be waiting for someone. It’s very unnerving.”

“Do you think he’s waiting for you?” He crooked an eyebrow. “Does he even know you? Don’t get me wrong, Sara, you’re quite beautiful, but…” He threw the boy a look, and she got it. He meant that she wasn’t up to par with such good-looking man and that it was impossible for him to want her. Somehow that hurt. But she swatted the feeling away like she would to a fly.  

“Maybe you’re right. I am paranoid. I should head home and rest,” Sara bit the insides of her lips and unclenched her fist. “Bye, Yeonwoo-ssi. See you tonight.” Her tone wasn’t unicorn and rainbow, but the old man understood. He took a good look at the girl before he waved her goodbye. The bicycle he rode was only fitted for one man, and he wasn’t generous enough to ever offer her a ride home. Not that she expected it, though. She understood.

Sara faked a smile and waved him away. The two parted ways by the door. And she slowly made her way back to the empty road. Too bad it was still dark. The shadows of the trees were dancing around her, making noises to fend off passersby. She thought it would all be right, until a warm hand grabbed hers. And she screamed as loud as she could.

“Chill, Woman! No one’s gonna hear you anyway!” Junhong used his free hand to massage his earlobe. Sara’s high-pitched voice was seriously hurting his enhanced hearings. She begged to pull away, but he held her still and casted her a dark look. He had been waiting for hours to be treated right by his mate, but what he got in return was awful.

“!” She cursed lowly and glared daggers at his direction, “Don’t creep up behind me! And let my hand go. What do you want?!”

His mate got a foul mouth, that was one thing for sure. He loved it, because he tended to curse a lot as well. “It’s dangerous for a girl to walk home alone when it’s dark. Didn’t your mother tell you scary bedtime stories about big bad wolves?” And he still wouldn’t let go. Sara was starting to get pissed. So he was, indeed, following her. It wasn’t just a loud ego of her part.

She bit her lips again, “My mother didn’t.” She didn’t have one. Her father was a single parent. “I don’t see any problem walking alone until you hold me back.” She raised her tone and he flinched. “You are the problem here! What’s your deal, anyway?! For all I know, you could be hiding a gun somewhere in your pocket.”

“A… gun?” He looked at her as if it was the most ridiculous thing ever. A werewolf didn’t need human’s technology to fight. His claws and paws were enough. Honestly, his ego was hurt. “Why would I hide a gun, Sara?” Again with the name-calling. It was insanely hot. She was frightened, and yet at the same time, she felt strangely brave and spiteful.

“Because you are a gangster?! Isn’t that what you do? Hold a gun, act brave, and kill people? Be the bad guy?!” Someday, Sara realized, her loud mouth was going to get her killed.   

Junhong didn’t understand what a ‘gangster’ was, but it sure wasn’t good. “I am not a ganstar.” He tried to spell it but failed miserably.

“It’s ‘gang-ster’. God, what’s wrong with your Hangul?!” She eyed him suspiciously. “Are you not from here?” Then she quickly added, albeit the doubt in her voice, “And I still don’t believe you. You might be ‘a wolf in a sheep’s costume’.”

“But I am a wolf!” He shouted back. And this time she flinched. Then snorted. Then laughed. “Ha, yeah, right, and I am a Faery Princess. Now scram before I call police.” He didn’t appreciate the sarcasm in her words, either. His mate was so difficult to handle. He was slowly going insane. Not even the Faery Queens were this crazy. Human, Junhong decided, were far more complicated to be understood. Their brains were not exposed to the other dimension, hence that terminology called ‘science’ that screwed up mythology and legends, which were true. At least to the Shadow world it was.

“You are not going to believe me, are you?” He finally let go, and the cold night air immediately attack her vulnerable skin. She trembled and shook her head. “Not ever. I’m serious about my threat. Leave, or the polices come.”

The dark veins in his face popped out, and in the dark, Junhong looked more like a wolf than a human. He was pissed off, and she was frightened. Sara tried to run, but he held her wrist and growled in her face. It was so animalistic and terrifying, “You are my mate! The moment I laid eyes on you, you are mine, humans or not. Don’t you ever forget that!”

She was so stunned by his insane revelation that moments later, when he was out of sight, she was still standing there, clutching onto her backpack tightly, refusing to accept the reality. Were those Twilight for real?

***

He came again the next day.

And the day after that.

And before she knew it, the stranger had been there for a week, sometimes with or without companion. He would order the same drink, the same food, and the same corner seat, watching every move with hawk-like eyes. Everything about him was unnerving. And yet, his presence alone calmed her down when she had to work full-time shift.

Sara had searched all over the Internet for ‘werewolf’. They weren’t real, she tried to convince herself. Werewolf was just myth and legends parents used to scare off the children. Until she saw the man herself. Overnight, the definition of fantasy and reality seemed to have blurred out into a thin thread of disbelief and fake comfort.

“He keeps on asking for you. Maybe you should talk to him,” Her only female co-worker, Mina, reluctantly said. After taking Junhong’s order for seven days straight, she was starting to get fed up by his constant request to see Sara. “He said he wouldn’t leave until he sees you. And he seems like the persistent type. It’s better if you talk, tell him to screw off if you are really uncomfortable.”

Sara eyed Mina guiltily and nodded. “Fine, I will. But you’d better take care of the drunk customer in table nine.”

Mina groaned and pushed Junhong’s order towards Sara, “Whatever. Just go before I change my mind.”

She made sure to take her time before she walked onto the corner table. She thought she had him memorized until she saw him again. Her heart fluttered in the strangest way. One look at her, and she was weak. Damn him and his dazzling smile. The way his lips curled up into a bright, radiant grin was enough to make her feel like she was back in square one. He was wickedly charming and disarming.

Sara bit her lips extra hard and placed his order on the table. Ignoring his stare was hard enough. He subtly brushed his finger against her as he pushed his plate nearer. She cursed at the momentary intimacy and almost jolted back in surprise. She knew the kind of effect he had. Knew what it would do to her mind days afterwards. And she cursed again.

“Sara,” his low, husky voice was almost breathless when he greeted her. She deluded the longing and dismissed the joy in it.

“Yes, Mr. Stranger, now talk. What do you want?” Sara’s indifferent tone was amusing. Everything about her was. Junhong smirked again, noticing her distress – all because of him. He had the strongest urge to reach out and caress her hair, but that could be done later; when she had surrendered and became completely his.

“I just want to talk, face-to-face, equally, where I am not your customer and you don’t feel the need to be polite and reserved,” The werewolf Lord slowly stated as he took notes of her behavior. He might seem like the rash and foolish type, but he was far from that. The intelligent Lord was just yet to grow up pass the stage of being Yongguk’s shadow. He had been haunted by the nightmare of his own coronation ever since.

“Why can’t you talk now?” She demanded, and hissed slowly when she noticed the glares from her boss. This stranger was causing her trouble and she didn’t like it.

“Because there are ears everywhere, and trust me, My Dearest, you won’t want to be dragged into this mess of a world,” Junhong explained, or at least tried to give her a head start of what their relationships would be like. But Sara didn’t seem to take it seriously. She didn’t even like the idea of her being a ‘Mate’, scoffing at the ridiculous idea. If only she knew how important it would be for him and his whole Clan…

She looked at him skeptically, “If you are just trying to find an excuse to bring me to a dark alley and me, I will kill you, and haunt you, and make sure you regret it every single second of your life.” She said the threat ever so smoothly, but the coldness in her voice was unmistakable. She meant it.

“No,” Junhong sipped his drink and ignored the bitterness of it, “I won’t do anything to you,” yet, “We’ll talk. Here, after work, if you’d like. Just make sure that we are alone.” She gripped the hem of her short skirt tighter, and his eyes darkened. Sara was suspicious of him, and his wolf howled at his fault for making the wrong impression about himself. “Please, Sara.” She gave in the moment his eyes softened and begged.

“Fine. Wait for me here, like you usually do, and then we’ll talk. But I can’t promise you that I’d sit still throughout everything,” She narrowed her eyes and walked away. Someday… Junhong swore to himself, someday that woman would be Queen of the wolves, and he couldn’t be any more proud of her of who she already was; a strong, beautiful girl, albeit a little bit too sarcastic and stubborn at times. But he could live with it.

***

Sara ignored the eagerness that tucked close to her heart. Patiently, she waited as the employees started to throw out their aprons and put it in the sacks. The sounds of groans and delighted moans showed that it was finally time to go home. One by one, they punched the card and grabbed their belongings.

“I will close the door,” Sara hastily told the manager, Mr. Kim, a baldy man in his early fifties. He was kind enough to employ her when she was desperately looking for job. He was just as generous of his smiles as he was with his bonuses. “Alright,” he dangled the key in front of her, “Be careful, Sara. There’s another hospitalized case over the week.”

For the past few weeks, a lot of neighbors had been hospitalized over animal bites and sudden loss of blood. It was strange, but when she tried to link it back to Junhong, it made sense. If there were wolves, surely there were vampires and what else. “I will, Mr. Kim. Thanks. Rest well, and see you tomorrow.”

When she carefully closed the door, she caught Junhong’s stare from the kitchen. The table lamp might be dimmed, but she could see the odd mixture of blue and gray in his eyes. His pair was so alive and confident. Holding her breath, she walked over to the basket and put her apron in, before going out to reach his table, and finally sitting down.

He gave her an appreciative glance and smiled. She bit her lips and red blush spread on her cheeks inevitably. He was really, really good looking and she couldn’t help it.

“So you’re a werewolf. Are you real?” Her hushed whisper was full of doubt. Junhong understood how hard it was to explain to human, so he took the time to convince her. One day in the human world, one hour in the Shadow dimension. And so far, he’d spend half a day trying to get close to her.

“Yes, I am. My name is Junhong, and I am the leader of the werewolf clan,” He explained softly.

Sara searched his face for lies but found none. “The leader?”

“The one and only,” He gave her a wolfish grin and she almost flinched.

“How old are you?” She was getting more and more suspicious. Junhong didn’t look older than twenty, but he was probably a century or so. God, he was older than her grandfather, then. He gave her a heart-stopping smile and replied, “About two hundred-something. I can’t quite remember it now. I mean… what is age when you’re immortal.”

She didn’t bulge, but something sickening was stirring in her stomach. 

“And you said that I am your mate.”

His eyes softened again, and she melted inside. There was sincerity in them, and she appreciated that. But she honestly had no idea what to feel. Being called a ‘Mate’ by an attractive stranger was not as infuriating as she first thought. “You are my one mate. My perfect piece of soul, made to be together.”

“How can I believe that?” Sara whispered in return, and he drank in the sight of her. She was so fragile, so beautiful, and so humane. The moment he marked her his, she was going to be the envy of the Courts, just like Hana was, when she first came to the Shadow world. Now that he thought about it, the world must have gone mad; so many human Mates for the Alphas, and in such a short time, too. “You could be lying.”

He snorted; a harsh, inhumane laughter. “I don’t lie, Sara. I am no Faery, but my pride won’t allow me to lie.” Then his finger subtly grazed her hands again, “Tell me that you feel the same torture as I am. Please. You’re pushing me away and it’s driving me insane. You’re my Mate, and yet, I can feel your denial on me.”

He made it sound so intimate. She struggled uncomfortably and avoided his heated gaze.

“Can’t you at least give me a chance?” His wounded puppy look was not helping her resolution at all. They were still for a moment. The silence gave her time and space, as she thought over and over again. Her mind drifted back to when she first saw the man in the bar, surrounded by his minions, calm, hot and frightening. He screamed trouble, and there was something about trouble that always attracted her. She tried to avoid them before it got out of hand, and before him, she always succeeded.

“Okay. But there is no second to the first chance I am giving you, so don’t screw it up.”

Junhong was trouble. And maybe… Just maybe, he would be worth all the fight she would be fighting for…