Tuesday
9:17 AM
As the monster got closer to the unaware girl, he began to feel something strange… excitement?
His wolf became restless, as if it could not wait to see her.
As if the wolf knew something he had not realized yet.
Suddenly, a delicious scent reached his nose… a mix of pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
"Mate! She is our mate!" the wolf screamed inside him.
His mate. At last, after all these years, he had found her.
His body surged forward at full speed, and in a single moment, he fully shifted into his wolf form, driven by the need to reach her as fast as possible.
The closer he got, the stronger the scent became. It was so tempting that he almost stopped just to savor it—but he couldn't. She was too close.
And when he finally saw her, a wave of emotions he had never felt before crashed over him.
Her mere presence made him feel stronger.
She was like an angel.
Lilian… a simple human, softly humming as she gathered fruit to make a fresh pie.
Her skin looked soft, and her delicate body filled him with an overwhelming urge to protect her—and claim her.
He watched her. Just watched…
He didn't know how much time passed, but he never grew bored, not even for a second.
He wondered why she was collecting so much fruit, but then thought maybe she simply loved it.
He silently promised himself that when she was with him, he would give her more than she could ever want.
After a while, she decided to head back, laughing to herself. "I knew it was just rumors! The forest isn't as scary as they say. Nothing happened to me."
She didn't know how wrong she was…
She didn't know there was a monster who wanted to hear that laugh again and again, following her on her way back to town.
He didn't like the way that young man greeted her.
The urge to tear him apart burned inside him.
"No one touches her but me! She is mine!"
He watched as the boy helped her carry the fruit, scolding her for entering the forest.
That friend—Matt—had thought she went to the store, only to find out she had dared to enter the dangerous woods.
"How dare he scold my angel? Humans don't deserve her… I'll rip him apart if he touches her again!"
The monster thought angrily, struggling to control himself.
He shifted back into his human form and hid behind a thick tree only a few meters away.
"I'm sorry… but I wanted fresh fruit for my pie, and I wanted to see if the forest had any," Lilian said softly.
His soul melted at the sound of her voice.
"You could have died! And what is this pie you keep talking about?"
The monster growled inside at the boy's voice.
Lilian smiled and raised a finger to her lips. "It's a secret… shhh."
One smile from her was enough to weaken them both—the monster and Matt.
After a few more minutes of scolding, they returned together to the bakery to serve customers, leaving the monster behind, boiling with frustration, hating the fact that he couldn't approach her or even see her properly.
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
He headed toward a tree where emergency clothes were hidden. He put on simple pants and a shirt and began thinking of a story to introduce himself to the humans.
---
"May I have a slice of lemon cake and an orange cupcake to eat here?"
An elderly woman asked Lilian with a warm smile.
Lilian replied cheerfully, "Of course! You can sit anywhere you like. Your order will be ready in five minutes."
The old woman nodded and headed to a table in the back.
Suddenly, Lilian felt the place darken for a moment. She looked up—and froze.
The tallest man she had ever seen stood before her.
It was clear he wasn't from this town.
She felt a strange pull toward him but ignored it, too surprised by his height.
Her eyes slowly met his gray ones, then traced his smooth black hair.
Without a doubt, he was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.
She spoke softly, hesitantly: "U-um… what would you like to order, sir?"
He smiled lightly and said, "I'll have an apple pie. But it's a shame something as beautiful as you isn't on the menu."
Her face instantly turned red at his bold words. "O-Oh! W-would you like it here or t-t-to…?"
She stumbled over the word sir, barely letting the "s" escape.
"Here, please," he said calmly.
She nodded shyly and watched him sit at the nearest table, his sharp gaze never leaving her, making her feel uneasy.
Behind the counter, Matt was watching—and nearly exploded with anger.
How dare a stranger flirt with the village's jewel? Everyone knew Matt and Lilian would end up together one day. That was why no one had ever dared to approach her before.
This foreign man clearly didn't know his place yet.
Matt slammed his hands into the cookie dough in anger.
Lilian passed by the stranger's table as she delivered the old woman's order.
Even though she said nothing, a shiver ran through her body as she walked behind him.
"Three den, please," she said as the woman handed her the money.
Lilian smiled in thanks and turned back, feeling the same shiver as she passed behind the mysterious man again.
The man sat there, biting his lip as he watched her from behind, his eyes fixed on her with unsettling focus.
A few minutes later, she approached him and placed the apple pie on the table.
He smiled casually. "Is there anything you recommend visiting in this town? My grandmother owns a cabin in the forest, and I'm staying with her for now. I left this place many years ago and thought I'd return to start a new life."
Lilian looked at him, beginning to understand his story. "Well… there's a park nearby down the street. If you walk a little farther, you'll find a beautiful meadow, full of colorful flowers as far as the eye can see. At sunset… it feels like another world."
She paused, then added shyly, "But if you're not into that kind of thing… there's a tavern a few shops away."
He smiled in a way that made her heart race. "I'd actually love to see that meadow. Would you mind accompanying me one day?"
She felt flustered, yet she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She nodded shyly, lowering her gaze.
Inside, he smiled darkly. "Even if you refused… we would still go. You're already mine, little one."
---