Chapter 4

I watched Archer’s back as he stepped further away from us. There is an unyielding regality that radiates from the way he just carries himself.

"I can't believe I just talked to Archer Sinclair!" Vivian hysterically murmured beside me, and I saw her fanning herself with her hands in my peripheral view.

My eyes, which are still looking ahead, went wide when Archer Sinclair stopped walking, which caused my breathing to momentarily stop too.

Slowly, he turned his body and strides in our direction.

"Oh my gosh, he's coming again! He's coming!" Vivian squealed beside me.

I could almost hear the drumming of my heart.

I gulped when Archer stopped in front of me. His eyebrows were almost forming a line, and his eyes looked determined.

"Lord Archer! What can I do for you?" Vivian clasped her hands together as her eyes sparkled at the sight of him.

Archer ignored her.

I blinked. "Do you need something?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

My mouth formed a circle because of the surprise, but I immediately closed it. I bravely asked, "What is it, Lord Archer?"

My mind thought of many things he could possibly need from me, but nothing particular came to mind as we've never been involved with each other before.

I almost lost my balance and fell when my sister shoved me to the side, but Archer's muscular arms and the tight grip of his arms saved me from having to hug the floor again.

"How about you tell me what it is, Lord Archer? I'd be willing to do whatever you want!" my sister appealed, and she was almost throwing her body between Archer and me.

I saw his jaw clench. "Miss Pierce, will you give me a moment with your sister? I wish to speak to her alone."

His tone was harsh but controlled.

"O-oh." Vivian shot me a deadly glance. "Of course, Lord Archer."

I could almost visibly see the daggers in her eyes that were aiming at me when Vivian stepped back and granted us some space.

"What can I do for you, Lord Archer?"

He firmly stared at me. "Be safe."

I gulped. "I am safe."

"Yes, you are safe for now. There are rouges out on the run. They are everywhere. You can't let them figure out what you don't have, Miss Pierce," he darkly said.

I fell silent for a few seconds. "I am doing my best, Lord Archer," I said.

He curtly nodded his head. I looked around, and shame flooded my body.

"They're all staring," I pointed out, but he didn't even look around as if I were the only one who cared about the

"Let them stare," he said.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you talking to me?" I asked.

He lets out a short, low chuckle. "You know, when you meet somebody and they're different from you, it's fascinating."

He finds me fascinating?

"Aren't we fascinating?" he asked, as if he had read my mind.

I hesitantly nodded my head.

"Lord Archer," somebody called him, and it is the same guy who came to us earlier. "We really need to go. I sent the troops and the rouge ahead."

I glanced around, and the crowd that surrounded the commotion earlier is starting to dissolve.

"We really need to get going," he said to him, as if he were pleading with the man in front of me to move.

"Alright, let's go," he said to him, but he turned to me one last time. I fancy seeing you, Leila."

My heart pumped faster than ever before, and my soul almost left my body when I heard my name escape his lips.

"The pleasure is mine, Lord Archer," I uttered, and although he said not to, I gave him a courtesy.

***

The trip back home wasn't really as peaceful as I thought, nor were the next few days after it.

"You really do stand a chance now with Lord Archer, my dear!" I heard Aunt Violet say. She's beaming with happiness as Vivian tells her what happened earlier.

"I know, mother!" There is a smug look on my sister's face.

I don't know why it's more fun to watch her assume on her own accord than to burst her bubble that the chance that she's seeing may be non-existent.

"It was just a brief moment of introduction, but I really felt the connection between us," Vivian mentioned.

"Of course, my dear. You are perfect! I am sure that he felt something for you!" Aunt Violet assured.

I badly want to roll my eyes and walk out of here. I'd be more happy to wipe the living room until it's squeaky clean than sit here in the dining room and listen to Vivian blabber the same thing for days now, if not for my father sitting in the living room with us.

"Have you picked your dress, Leila?" my father, Klaus Pierce, asked in an attempt to have a conversation with me.

I stopped flipping the page of an old, dusty book that I found on the shelf. I could already feel Aunt Violet's glare at me.

The image of Lord Archer flashed into my mind.

'I will see you at the ball.'

I subtly shook my head. "Uh... yes, father."

"Great," he responded, immediately ending the conversation. "I will be gone tomorrow to oversee something at Healdian with Bren, so I won't be there."

That's another reason for Aunt Violet to widely smile.

"Be ready, father. When you arrive back here, our pack will be known to all of our kind," Vivian jokingly said.

Father chuckled. "Really? I better prepare myself, then. I know you won't disappoint me."

The three of them laughed.

"Of course, father. When did I ever disappoint you?" Vivian boasted. I could hear her mind saying, 'Unlike my sister, who's been a disappointment ever since she was born by being wolf-less,

"I will do everything to make sure that you'll be Luna, my dear. You don't have to worry," my aunt said.