Chapter 9 Chapter 9
His friends were currently talking with Aurora's dad when Fiel suddenly felt something. If he wasn't mistaken, he knew who owned that scent. He had been searching for her for a long time. He longed to see her. He slowly turned around to make sure his hunch was correct.
There she is!
Staring at him as if he was a creature from another planet! They stared at each other for a long time—as though barriers had been broken and souls had met.
He felt like they were in another dimension where only the two of them existed in their own world. He heard her whisper his name—and it was like music to his ears.
"Fiel..." Her voice was clear to his hearing.
"Dude, your fangs might come out, and worse, you'll drool," Gray said to him, laughing.
"You're crazy!" he said to his friend, who just laughed. He was used to their kind of banter, especially with Gray. Gray was grinning at him.
Aurora heard them clearly, so she smiled. Having sharp hearing was really something! She approached them. She couldn't help but feel a little awkward as she walked because people were staring at her and she could even hear their whispers.
"That's the supermodel, isn't it? When did she arrive in the Philippines?"
"So hot! Shit! She's like a goddess walking among the crowd..."
"If she's beautiful in magazines and TV, she's even more stunning in person. Oh, how I wish I was her boyfriend."
"She looks like an angel, she's so beautiful..."
"She's a supermodel, idiot! You're so clueless because you're stuck in your room and don't know what's going on in the outside world."
Her smile faded as she heard the conversation of two patrons inside the restaurant. She still couldn't help but feel shy even though everyone she met admired her beauty. She wasn't just famous in the Philippines; she was known in France too. She remembered having a huge billboard in New York City.
She wondered what her real parents looked like. She wanted to see them so she could be with them, and of course, with her dad. So she would do everything to see them.
She was just a few steps away from Fiel's table when her dad stood up and greeted her with a tight hug. How she missed her dad! She hugged him tightly, fearing that this was just a dream. She truly loved him despite everything she had learned about her true identity. Maybe her parents had a reason for keeping everything a secret from her.
"How are you, dad? You're not taking good care of yourself, you're losing weight," she said sadly to her father. Her dad's cheeks had sunken in, and his body clearly showed signs of weight loss. In fact, this was the first thing she noticed when she saw him. His body had changed a lot compared to when her mom disappeared. He had worried too much when she went missing, which made her realize that he truly loved her, even though they weren't blood-related.
"Where have you been, hija? We were so worried about you. Fiel and the authorities helped us search for you, but still, no one knew your whereabouts. I thought I would never see you again." Her father's voice was hoarse as he hugged her tightly, as if ensuring that she would never disappear again.
She lightened her voice to ease her father's sadness. "I'm fine, Dad. I'm already here, so please don't worry anymore," she said with a smile, reassuring the old man that no matter what, she wouldn't leave him alone again. He let go of the hug and looked at her with a smile.
"You look like you've lost weight, hija. Let's eat first, maybe you're hungry."
"Dad, when did I ever gain weight?" she jokingly asked her father.
"That's why I want you to eat a lot today," he replied while serving her food on a plate.
And he wasn't joking about her eating a lot, as her plate was almost full with the amount of food he gave her. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her father's fussiness. She knew he just wanted to spoil her, so she let him, as long as he was happy and comfortable with her being there.
The three men were smiling at her and her father, while the doctor was staring at her intently, like he was studying her like a specimen under a microscope lens. After they ate, they went to her father's house with the four men. On the way, they were chatting happily about the events that had occurred while she was quietly smiling—a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
She was worried about the outcome of everything if they found out about her true identity. Now that she realized she had feelings for the young doctor, she didn't want to get her hopes up for happy days that she knew were impossible between her and Fiel. She didn't want to hope anymore because she knew the outcome of everything for the two of them—the failure! The doctor wouldn't accept her, and what's worse, he might even despise her. What sane person would love someone like her—a monster?
She never thought that creatures like her existed—immortal, wolf, vampire? She only saw those creatures on TV. Creatures she thought were just a product of a writer's vivid imagination. Just thinking about her and the doctor taking different paths was already hurting her, like millions of daggers and claws piercing her heart.
She would accept their fate earlier so they wouldn't get hurt in the end. Everything wasn't like before, and even if she wanted things to be okay again, her life wouldn't go back to the way it was. She wanted to think that everything was just a dream and ignore what she had learned, but she didn't want to be selfish. It was her destiny to take this path—the path of failure—but she had a chance to save some lives.
Someday, she would tell the doctor everything about herself, but she knew that now wasn't the right time. She had something more important to focus on—her parents and her true kin... She would make whoever destroyed her family pay, even if it cost her life! She needed to set aside all her potential weaknesses to fulfill the mission that lay ahead of her. She knew many were counting on her. She couldn't waste a single moment, as every hour could be equivalent to the lives of her parents and the people who had become part of her life.
She needed to return to reality to fulfill her duty. She wasn't the weak Aurora she used to be; the Aurora she had become was stronger and more resilient. She needed to accept the reality that she no longer belonged to the world she grew up in. It was hard to accept, but she had to open her eyes to the truth and fully embrace the fate that awaited her, along with her parents and kin.
She knew she wouldn't regret anything in the end, especially if she could save her parents and friends in the wolf mountain. She would keep her love for the mortal doctor a secret, even if leaving might mean leaving her heart behind with him. Even if she got hurt in the end, at least she knew that her heart was in the right place.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to close her eyes to rest and avoid thinking about negative things. A new chapter in her life was about to begin in the coming days…