Diana suddenly excims, “It’s Lowe!”

  Conri immediately feels a sense of unease. This troublemaker has come all the way here, and if he doesn’t open the door, Lowe will undoubtedly cause a commotion. That would only attract unwanted attention and create unnecessary problems.

  With a sigh, Conri unlocks the door. “Why are you here?”

  “I know Diana is here. Let me in first—we need to talk.”

  “Hold on. Why should I let you in?”

  “I don’t have time to expin right now. Someone might see me. Let me in first, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Without another word, Conri grabs Lowe’s arm and pulls him inside.

  Diana’s eyes widen as she takes in the sight of Lowe.

  “You’re here,” Lowe says, catching his breath. “Who are those people after you? And do you have any water? I ran all the way here.”

  Without hesitation, Diana rushes to get him a gss of water, handing it over.

  “Now,” Conri says, arms crossed, “start expining. What’s going on, and why are you here?”

  “I saw the same guy—the one outside Diana’s apartment. After you chased him, he ran out of the building. He’s still in this area, looking for Diana.”

  Conri’s expression darkens. “So you were nearby when I was attacked by that guy?”

  Diana suddenly recalls an unsettling encounter. A stranger had approached her and said, ‘Just know you’re being targeted. It would be wise to surrender the item.’

  “I don’t understand any of this,” Diana murmurs. “Why are these people after me? Someone told me to hand over ‘the item,’ but they never expined what it was.”

  Conri and Lowe exchange gnces. “Did you pick up something unusual?” Lowe asks. “Something that doesn’t belong to you?”

  Diana hesitates, thinking hard. Finally, she shakes her head. “No, I haven’t taken anything that isn’t mine. Why am I being targeted?”

  Lowe furrows his brow. “I’ve been keeping an eye on that guy. He’s searching for something—something missing. He was hired by someone, but I haven’t figured out who yet.”

  “This must be important,” Conri muses. “Diana, try to remember if anything strange happened recently. Maybe you saw or heard something without realizing its significance.”

  Diana sighs. “I’ll try. But right now, we have a bigger issue—we’re stuck here, and there’s no food in the vil.”

  “I can order something,” Conri says. “But we need to stay alert. We don’t know how many people are involved, and they could already be watching us.”

  Lowe raises an eyebrow. “If they’re monitoring this pce, why haven’t they attacked yet? Diana is right here.”

  Conri smirks. “Because I’m here. They won’t dare make a move unless they’re confident they can win.”

  Lowe nods, realizing Conri has a point. As long as he’s around, their enemies will hesitate. But what exactly are they pnning?

  Meanwhile, Diana struggles to make sense of it all. What could they possibly want from me?

  Conri interrupts her thoughts. “You’ve told us what you know. You can leave now.”

  Lowe shakes his head. “No way. If I go back out there, they’ll capture me.”

  “That’s not my problem.”

  Diana steps forward. “Lowe got involved because of me. I can’t just let him leave when we don’t even know what they want.”

  Conri sighs at Diana’s sympathetic expression. “Fine. But he’s sleeping on the sofa.”

  Diana gnces at Lowe, who merely shrugs. “As long as I have somewhere to sleep, I don’t care.”

  Conri narrows his eyes. “I’m not feeding you for free. If you’re staying, you’re helping. While I’m working upstairs, you’ll protect Diana.”

  Lowe raises an eyebrow. “You work from here? I thought you had to go to the office.”

  “I can work from anywhere,” Conri replies. “We need to focus on figuring this out. Let’s go over what we know—the people involved and what they might be after.”

  Lowe nods in agreement.

  Diana suddenly remembers something. “Wait, what about school? I can’t keep missing csses.”

  Conri frowns. “Diana, you’re in danger. We don’t know what they want or why they’re following you. Until we figure it out, going to school is risky.”

  Turning to Lowe, he asks, “By the way, how did you even find us? How did you know we were here?”

  Lowe scratches the back of his head. “I was at a gas station with a friend when I spotted that guy. He was following your car after you left.”

  “I assume your friend was driving. Where is he now?”

  “I came on my motorcycle. I stopped for gas while my friend drove off.”

  Conri’s expression hardens. “Where’s your motorcycle? Tell me it’s not parked outside the vil.”

  “No, I left it at the resort parking lot near where you parked your car.”

  Conri exhales sharply. “So that means the guy who attacked me outside Diana’s apartment is still around. Is there anyone else with him?”

  “I’m not sure,” Lowe admits. “But if he’s here, he could call for backup. We need to be cautious.”

  Conri crosses his arms. “We don’t need to be cautious. Diana does. She’s their target.” He turns to Diana. “You’re not leaving our sight. For safety, we’ll take turns keeping watch at night. I’ll guard from 10 p.m. to midnight, Lowe will cover midnight to 4 a.m., and you’ll take over from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.”

  Lowe scowls. “Hold on, why do I have to do four hours?”

  Conri crosses his arms. "I have work to do, and I need sleep. Diana is a woman—she shouldn’t have to stay up for long hours on night watch. You, on the other hand, don’t have a job. Since I’m providing food and letting you stay here, the least you can do is take responsibility."

  Diana nods. "I don’t mind the schedule. I can always sleep during the day."

  Conri turns to Lowe. "During the day, you’ll be in charge of watching over Diana while she rests. Diana, when Lowe sleeps, stay alert. If anything happens, come straight to me."

  Lowe studies Conri for a moment before giving a small nod.

  Diana smiles. "Lowe, I’ll let you know when I need to rest, and you do the same. We’ll figure out the exact timing each day."

  Lowe agrees.

  Conri realizes they need to be familiar with the yout of the vil in case they have to make a quick escape. He grabs a sheet of paper and sketches a rough floor pn. "Here’s where we are. The entrance is here, and this is the only direct path to the main road. If we need to flee, this route is the shortest. The resort parking lot is over here. By buggy, it takes about 15 minutes. If we run, it’s about 25 minutes at a human pace. If we use werewolf speed, we can cover it in 10 minutes—unless we’re carrying Diana."

  Diana stares at the drawing, surprised by how well Conri knows the area and how detailed his pnning is.

  Lowe, despite his usual irritation with Conri, has to admit that the guy is sharp and well-organized.

  Conri looks at Diana. "If we ever get separated, don’t try to escape through the main exit. Instead, come back here."

  Diana frowns. "Why not head straight for the exit?"

  "Because if they’re after you, they’ll be waiting there. If you leave, we might lose track of you," Conri expins.

  Lowe considers this. "So staying in the most obvious pce is actually the safest option?"

  Conri smirks. "Exactly."

  Diana thinks for a moment, then suggests, "Instead of buying meals every time, I can cook. We should stock up on groceries—steak, chicken, fish, vegetables, fruits, rice, and pasta. If we order them, can they be delivered here?"

  Conri nods. "That’s a good idea. I’ll pce an order online."

  Lowe leans back. "Then food won’t be a problem."

  Diana grins. "Great! Can I pick what we get?"

  Conri gestures to the screen. "Come sit here and choose."

  Before Diana can move, Lowe steps in between them. "I want in on this too!"

  Conri rolls his eyes but lets him join.

  After selecting all the necessary groceries, Diana hesitates before adding, "I also need to buy some… sanitary pads."

  Conri and Lowe freeze, their faces instantly turning red.

  Diana pretends not to notice as she finalizes the order. "That should be everything we need."

  Conri clears his throat. "I’ll go ahead and check out."

  "When will the groceries arrive?" Diana asks.

  Conri checks the delivery details. "Three days from now."

  Turning to Lowe, he adds, "Since you’re staying here and eating our food, make sure you actually do your job and protect Diana."

  Lowe scoffs. "You don’t need to remind me. I know what I’m doing."

  Diana sighs. "Can you two stop bickering? It’s giving me a headache. If you keep this up, I won’t be able to stay here."

  Conri softens. "Sorry, my dear."

  Lowe shrugs. "As long as he doesn’t start anything, I won’t either."

  Diana yawns. "Conri, please, no more fighting. I need some rest."

  Conri stretches. "I have work to do anyway."

  Lowe, now with nothing to do, falls silent.

  Diana moves to the window, gazing outside. In the distance, something is moving—fast. She narrows her eyes, trying to make sense of what she’s seeing.

  Lowe notices her staring and walks over. "What are you looking at?"

  Diana points. "Look… something’s running out there."

  Lowe tenses. "That’s not just something. That’s one of them."

  Without warning, he grabs Diana’s wrist and pulls her away from the window, quickly shutting the curtains. "You can’t let them see you."

  Diana bites her lip. "Should I hide on the third floor?"

  Lowe nods. "That’s a good idea. I’ll stay down here. If you hear anything, don’t come down."

  As Diana makes her way upstairs, Conri notices. "What’s going on?"

  Diana gnces back. "I saw something moving really fast outside."

  Conri’s expression turns serious. "Go up and stay there. Don’t come down, no matter what you hear. Lowe’s downstairs, right?"

  "Yes," Diana confirms before hurrying to the third floor.

  The room is dimly lit with a deep blue hue, resembling a cozy lounge. A pool table sits in the center, and there’s even a small bar setup. She sinks onto the sofa, her mind racing.

  Lowe… I feel bad leaving him down there. But I can’t shake the image of him turning into a werewolf. It scares me…

  Her fingers instinctively reach for the neckce around her neck—Eternality Love. Made of seashells and pearls, it’s something she’s had for a long time. Why are they after me?

  She remembers the stranger’s warning. "Just know you’re being targeted. It would be wise if you surrender the item."

  What item?

  Meanwhile, Conri heads downstairs to check on Lowe. The living room is quiet, but Lowe is nowhere in sight.

  "Lowe?" Conri calls out. No response.

  He steps outside near the sauna and built-in pool, spotting Lowe standing there.

  Before Conri can speak, a stranger steps forward. "We’re here for the girl. Hand her over."

  Lowe stands firm. "Not happening."

  The figure grins. "Then we’ll have to take her by force."

  Just then, the stranger’s gaze shifts past Lowe to Conri. The moment he sees him, his face pales, and he immediately turns to flee.

  Conri raises an eyebrow. "Who were you talking to?"

  Lowe watches the man disappear into the shadows. "Someone I used to know. But it’s clear he’s here for Diana."

  Conri scowls. "Some friend that is. Why are you even associating with people like that?"

  Lowe shakes his head. "I don’t anymore. But he ran the second he saw you."

  "Because you’re weak," Conri says bluntly before heading upstairs.

  Diana jumps when she sees him enter.

  "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice softer than usual. "Are you afraid of werewolves? Or… are you scared of me and Lowe?"

  Diana hesitates. "Is there a difference?"

  "Of course," Conri replies. "If you’re afraid of Lowe, I get it. But if you’re scared of all werewolves, then that means you fear everything about us."

  Diana frowns. "There are different kinds of werewolves?"

  "Yes," Conri expins. "Different breeds, different abilities. Some have enhanced strength, others heightened senses. A werewolf’s sense of smell is 10,000 times sharper than a human’s. They can hear conversations from five miles away and even pick up bat sonar."

  Diana runs a hand through her hair. "I don’t know what to think anymore. My mind is overwhelmed. Why is this happening to me? Who are these people?"

  Without thinking, Conri pulls her into a hug. "It’s okay. You’re not alone. I won’t let them hurt you."

  Diana pulls back slightly. "Is Lowe okay?"

  "He might be weak," Conri mutters, "but he’s not useless. Get some rest. I’ll wake you ter."