The sound of the Moonlight Sonata was smooth and soothing as he skillfully slid his slender fingers on the piano keys. He stopped and smiled, his stares could make one sinful. “How was my performance, Mr. de Lima? Was it worth your time? After all, I carry Beethoven’s blood in my veins.” He smirked, his perfect pair of white fangs visible in the dimly lit room.
Mr. de Lima stood tall in his black suit, his glaring grey eyes darted daggers at the young man sitting in front of his grand piano. “What brings you to my home, Mr. Beethoven? State your business and leave,” he said in a cold and chilling voice.
“Man, you’re so stiff. Don’t you know how to smile? Or to greet one ‘hello’?” the young man teased, his emerald eyes beaming in mischief. “I’m best at being polite. You might want to take classes from me. BUT,” - he stressed, his index finger pointing at the impatient Mr. de Lima - “not for free.” He wagged his forefinger and smiled playfully, a charming dimple popping from his left cheek.
Mr. de Lima was not happy with his act at all. He closed his eyes in annoyance, stopping himself from cursing the young man standing before him. “How much does it cost for you to leave?” he asked, his voice serious.
“Well, I could give you a discount if you free my friends down there,” the young man said, his eyes begging at the cold-hearted soon-to-be beta.
Mr. de Lima shook his head. “No, Axel. What those rogues did was unreasonable. How could they sell those drugs to the alpha, telling his subordinates that it was some kind of first-class herbal medicines? They were lucky I was the one ordered to get them. What if Beta Stephen was the one there? They could have made me become a rogue by being banished from the pack. Worse, an omega slave.”
Axel chuckled. “It’s not so bad. I’m a rogue and an omega. I’m supposed to be a slave, too, but I’m just too handsome to be one. Well, you wouldn’t let me become a slave, would you, uncle?” Mr. de Lima glared at him, not at all enjoying his joke. Axel only grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Of course, you wouldn’t. I know you love me even if you don’t always say it.”
“I never said I love you,” Mr. de Lima told him, slightly cringing and embarrassed of having to deny it out loud.
“I love you too, man!” Axel exclaimed teasingly, though it was half meant.
Mr. de Lima closed his eyes once again and rubbed his temples, his patience running thin the longer he spoke to Axel. “Just go do your business, boy. I’m not letting them go tonight. I’m serious. Don’t cause any trouble. I’m warning you.”
“When will you let them go, then?” Axel asked, genuinely worried for his fellow rogue friends.
“Until the higher-ups tell me to.” Mr. de Lima turned his back and walked upstairs to his room to rest, ending the discussion with Axel. The young man only curled his lips in a pout, disappointed that his plan to get his friends out did not work.
Axel sat in front of the piano once more and played the song he made when he was eight. It was as if his fingers were made for the piano as he swiftly played the keys with perfect skill and precision. He was a musical genius, yet he never got to finish his song. He was never satisfied with any of his revisions, and never completed the song ever since when his family became rogue.
As Axel hit the last key, his watch beeped repeatedly. It was time for him to leave. He stood up and walked his way to where his friends were. He opened the door only to find the room empty. His eyes widened, alarmed at his friends' sudden disappearance.
Axel left the room and wandered around the mansion's first floor. With the help of his advanced senses, he saw his friends escaping from the kitchen's sliding window. His brows furrowed, an unfamiliar person was assisting them from behind. He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. The one helping his friends escape was a woman.
When it was the woman's turn to jump from the window, Axel grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her back inside. The woman was quick and grabbed Axel by his neck and shoulder. Axel was surprised at first, but he was able to keep his balance. The woman landed in his arms. Her arms were circled around Axel's neck, causing the young man to heat up nervously.
He stood there, frozen in place as he stared at the woman's face. He could feel the tingling sensation from the woman's skin touching his bare neck. Axel was being electrocuted by the woman's electrifying purple eyes. Her irises shone beautifully under the moonlight, her expression cold yet magnetic and mysterious.
He gulped, mesmerized by her beauty. The woman rolled her eyes and jumped out of his arms. She swiftly grabbed the kitchen knife, went behind him, and placed the knife on the side of his throat, her other arm circled around his neck – keeping him still. Axel was unable to get out of her grasp, overwhelmed with how close her face was to his neck. He could feel her warm breath damping on his nape.
Axel closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of reality. Just then, he saw with his advanced sense of sight that Mr. de Lima's guards were looking for his missing rogue friends. The woman saw them with her own eyes, too. She dropped the knife and jumped out of the window. Left with no choice, Axel followed her outside.
The woman shifted into her wolf form and ran into the wilderness. Axel watched her ran out of the open gate in disbelief. “You got to be kidding me. Must you make this handsome wolf run?” he said to himself as he shifted into his wolf form.
Axel quickened his pace and pounced at her, both of them shifting back to their human form. He pushed the woman against the hard, brick wall. It was the boundary between the Nightshade and the Blackstone Pack, two neighboring packs in the town of Baskerville.
Axel's hands pushed the woman's wrists against the hard surface. He was towering over her, his gaze fixed on her expressionless face. This time, he was careful to not get caught by her charms.
“Who are you?” the woman asked, her eyes glaring coldly at Axel's mischievous green ones.
“Gosh, another impolite being. It must be an honor to meet two at a time.” He laughed, shaking his head in amusement.
“Move it, menace! They're on their way here,” she snarled at him, her eyes focused meters away. The guards were running to where they were at.
“Wow, talk about manners. You should really—ow!”
The woman kneed his abdomen, clamped his mouth, pulled him over to a tall bush, and made him duck. The guards were sweeping the area. Both of them sat still, the woman's hands still clamped on Axel's mouth. He squirmed, his eyes teasing the woman that he would shout.
“Move… and you're dead,” a voice from above spoke. They both looked up.
A guard was pointing his gun at them.