SERENITY KELLER
Four years later "Serenity, I love you. Please marry me!"
Frank Golden knelt on one knee, holding a large bouquet of blooming red roses as he proposed.
I nervously clutched my apron, a little worried about being seen. I'd lived in the small town of Tara for four years now and knew that at this hour, my café rarely had many customers.
"Mr. Golden, that joke isn't funny," I told him dryly, hoping he'd catch the rejection in my tone.
But Frank was a passionate and stubborn man. He might have heard my underlying message, but he didn't get up.
"I'm not joking. I'm serious," he said. "Serenity, I know this is sudden. You need time to think. But I can't keep the love in my heart bottled up anymore. I had to let you know how I feel."
I sighed, not understanding how things had come to this. "Frank, what exactly do you like about me? We've only known each other for a month."
"A month is enough, my angel." His gaze was full of affection. "Of course, I love everything about you. From the first time I tasted the coffee you made with your own hands in this café, I was captivated by your smile. It was love at first sight. My soul told me you're the one I am destined to find!"
Destined.
The word stung a little. I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
I was sure what Frank meant by "destined" was very different from what I understood as fated mates.
After all, Frank wasn't a werewolf. He was an ordinary human. And in his eyes, I was just an ordinary human woman, too.
I was content with my current life. It was almost dreamlike—living alone in a small town far from any pack, running a little café. The income wasn't much, but it was enough to get by. This simple, ordinary life was the dream I'd longed for since childhood.
In this little café, I could shed my Omega identity. No one looked down on me for my inferior bloodline. I could freely explore my creativity with cooking and coffee without anyone telling me such pursuits were beneath me.
Quite the opposite. Customers loved my work.
I'd originally opened the shop just to scrape by, but the praise for my coffee and cooking was almost overwhelming. People raved about my brews and happily devoured every dish I made. Their tips were far more generous than I'd expected—enough that I never had to worry about living expenses again.
Everything I had now was precious happiness to me. But this happiness depended on hiding my werewolf identity. Over these four years of living in human territory, I'd become acutely aware of how terrifying the hunters' pursuit of werewolves really was.
I'd heard they tracked wolves relentlessly with their hounds. Even wolves living within packs were sometimes hunted, let alone a lone wolf like me who'd lost pack protection. I didn't want to lose my current life.
But figuring out how to reject Frank without hurting him was a major challenge.
Because he was the only son of the Goldens.
And the Goldens had saved my life four years ago.
I still remembered that night when I'd been at the end of my rope and had lost all will to live. Driven by my last survival instinct, I'd escaped the sanatorium with no idea where to go. I'd gone out the back door looking for a way out, only to find a steep cliff. Staring down at the rushing river below, a dark thought had surfaced.
If I was destined to die, I wanted the water to carry me away. Far from this grim sanatorium. Far from the emotions that had caused me so much pain.
I'd thought of Liv jumping into the sea all those years ago. I'd thought of Elias.
I no longer hoped for his love or trust, but I didn't want his hatred or misunderstanding either. I'd prayed to the Moon Goddess, willing to abandon all my feelings if only I could be reborn as a wolf running free through the wilderness.
Not as Elias's mate.
But the Moon Goddess apparently hadn't intended to let me die so easily.
I survived.
When I opened my eyes again, I realized I wasn't dead. I was lying in an unfamiliar bed. A gray-haired elderly woman sat beside me, gently wiping my forehead with a warm, damp towel.
Her kind eyes and gentle touch nearly made me cry, even though she was human, even though I should have been wary.
I later learned that her husband had found me half-dead by the river and brought me back to their home.
At that time, I hadn't wanted to speak. They never pressured me or asked about my identity or background. They simply took care of me in silence.
But I was still afraid of being discovered. I worried they'd notice my healing speed was faster than a human's and turn me over to hunters. So I'd tried to sneak away. But the elderly couple had anticipated my plan and blocked me at the front door.
I'd thought they were going to restrain me. But as I stood there, tense and frightened, Mrs. Golden simply took my hand, gently touched my cheek, and said something I never expected.
She said, "Stay. From now on, this is your home."
Home.
Something I'd never had among werewolves was given to me so easily by an elderly human couple.
The Goldens took me in for a year. During that time, I hid my identity while they taught me all kinds of skills—how to make coffee, how to cook delicious food… Most importantly, living with them, I learned that humans and werewolves weren't really so different. There were good people and bad people among both.
Humans couldn't be defined by the single label of "hunter." They weren't all enemies of werewolves.
Not long after, the Goldens passed away from old age. Before they died, they left me everything they owned, including this house that I'd converted into a café.
They were my saviors. And now their son was proposing to me. It was truly a complicated situation.
"Listen, Frank. You don't really know me. Just like I don't really know you."
I smiled at him, trying to let him down as gently as possible. "Before you came back to Tara, I didn't even know the Goldens had a son. We haven't known each other nearly long enough to talk about marriage."
During my time with the Goldens, they'd mentioned having a son but never talked about him.
If other townspeople hadn't vouched for Frank when he returned, I might have thought he was a con artist. Out of guilt, I'd given him free coffee every time he came to the café. Maybe that had caused this misunderstanding.
"I understand what you're saying. But Serenity, think about it. Are you rejecting me because you don't like me, or because of your past?"
My heart skipped a beat. I straightened abruptly and looked at Frank suspiciously.
Why would he bring up my past? What did he know?
"Don't be scared, Serenity." Frank softened his tone and quickly explained.
"I haven't been digging into your past. It's just that I can tell. Even though you smile every day, there's always a hint of sadness in your eyes. You often look exhausted, like you're carrying something heavy. I think you must have a past full of stories that you still can't let go of. Am I right?"
I said nothing, letting my silence answer for me.
Frank stood up from his kneeling position. He held the bouquet of roses right under my nose. I had to look up at his face.
He said, "Serenity, no matter what you've been through, I don't mind. I hope you can let go of the past and look at me—the man standing right in front of you. Give me a chance to pursue you. Please?"
Hearing his words, I could only smile bitterly.
How could letting go of the past be that easy?
Frank made it sound so simple, but forgetting was so, so hard. All the pain I'd experienced, all the love, the child I'd given birth to—they were all scars on my heart that would never fade.
But I also knew Frank was right. Four years had passed. Elias had probably long forgotten I existed. He might be living happily with Liv now. And here I was, still tormenting myself over pain that no longer existed. That was foolish.
Frank, standing before me, was a good man. Not as handsome as Elias, but still the most attractive young man in Tara. He had a stable job, a gentle temperament, and had treated me well this past month.
If I wanted to find new love and a fresh start, maybe I really could try dating him first… Just as these thoughts swirled through my mind and I couldn't make up my mind, the café doorbell suddenly jingled.
A customer had arrived.
I immediately forgot about Frank and turned toward the door with a bright, welcoming smile. "Welcome —" I stopped mid-sentence.
Because I caught a faint scent of my own kind. It was weak, but unmistakable—a werewolf scent.
I looked warily at the entrance. To my surprise, the customer wasn't an adult werewolf but a small boy who looked no more than three or four years old.
His head was lowered, his brown hair soft and well-behaved. He wore an expensive, custom-tailored little suit, but his shoes and shorts were covered in dust.
I realized this was the perfect opportunity to interrupt Frank's proposal. So I pretended not to see his attempts to stop me, walked over to the boy, crouched down, and spoke to him gently. "Hello there. Are you alone? Are you lost?"
The little boy shook his head. Then he looked up at me with blue eyes identical to mine.
In that moment, my smile froze. Shock made my pupils contract. This child looked almost exactly like Elias!
"Excuse me, can I buy food here?"
He didn't notice my reaction. Despite trying to act mature, his soft, chubby cheeks made him look more like a sweet little marshmallow than a grown-up.
My heart melted.
"Of course you can. What would you like? Want to sit down and look at the menu?"
I forced myself to act normal. I stood up and led him to a table, found him a booster seat, and handed him a menu. While he studied it seriously, I studied him just as seriously. The more I looked, the more stunned I became. His face. His expression when he concentrated. Everything was exactly like Elias!
Who was he? What was his connection to Elias? Was he Elias's child… Could he be the child Liv had given him?
"No!" Novella shouted inside me. "He's our child! His blue eyes and his age match perfectly!"
So was it really him? The child I thought I'd never see again?
My fingers trembled. I could barely hold onto my order pad. But after the brief surge of joy and disbelief, fear began to rise in my heart.
He was so young.
All alone, out in human society. What if hunters noticed him?
Where were his guardians? Why wasn't Elias with him? But if Elias really was nearby and discovered I was still alive, living peacefully here all this time, what would he do?
Two completely different fears tangled inside me, throwing my thoughts into chaos.
Suddenly, the little boy pointed at something on the menu, interrupting my turmoil. "I want this one."
I leaned over to look. He'd chosen the most basic ham sandwich.
"Just this?" I asked softly. "Don't you want something to drink? Milk or hot chocolate?"
His eyes lit up. He nodded, then quickly shook his head. His little face scrunched up. "No, I need to save money. I can't waste it."
"It's all right. Milk is free today." I used every ounce of restraint not to stroke his soft hair. "What's your name?"
He looked up at me. "Thank you. My name is Arian."
Arian! Arian!
Novella spun joyfully inside me, repeating the name over and over. I couldn't help but share her excitement. I collected the menu and went back behind the counter to prepare his order.
But I couldn't focus on what I was doing. My mind was filled with Arian. I kept sneaking glances at him as he sat in his chair, swinging his little legs and curiously looking around the café. That innocent expression made a powerful wave of longing and guilt surge through me.
I wanted so badly to ask him where he'd come from. How his life had been from birth until now. Whether he'd ever been unhappy. Whether anyone had taken good care of him. Whether he knew who his mother was… Lost in thought, I was startled when Frank's voice suddenly sounded beside me. "Serenity."
I nearly cut my finger with the knife.
Only then did I realize I'd completely forgotten about Frank. He still hadn't left the café.
"Look at that kid." Frank moved closer to me. His voice was low but still excited. "His clothes are expensive. He must be from a wealthy family."
I frowned. "So what?"
"A rich kid comes out to eat but only orders a ham sandwich. And there's no adult with him. His clothes are covered in dirt." Frank lowered his voice even more. "I think he might have run away from home. We should try to get some information about his family, then contact his parents to come get him. What do you think?"
Contact his parents?
If Arian really had run away from home, that was the right thing to do.
But I hesitated, unable to answer Frank right away. My breathing grew rapid.
If we contacted his parents, wouldn't that mean contacting Elias? Then he'd find this place immediately and shatter the peaceful refuge I'd finally found — "Please, don't tell my Daddy!"
Suddenly, the child's high-pitched voice interrupted our whispered conversation.
Arian had climbed down from his seat at some point and come close to the counter, overhearing Frank and me.
Anxiety flickered across his little face as he loudly explained, "I didn't run away from home! Please don't contact Daddy and send me back!"
Frank didn't believe him. "If you didn't run away, why are you alone?"
"It's true!" Arian's lip trembled. His blue eyes filled with tears. "I just want Mommy. I came out alone to find Mommy!"