Chapter 55 The Mysterious Man

Seraphina's POV:

The second that mask came off, I spun around without hesitation, heart racing like crazy, scared outta my mind I'd get caught.

"You little punk, I'm gonna end you!" Ophelia wasn't done. She came at me again, claws ready to rip.

Without the mask, I was pretty much screwed. Just when I thought I was toast, Lucas, who was sitting on the ground, saw what was up and grabbed Ophelia's leg.

Ophelia tripped and face-planted right into a bucket of water.

Everyone lost it, laughing their butts off.

I didn't dare look back at her mess of a situation, just praying she'd get lost quick.

Ophelia struggled to get up, her face red as a tomato, glaring at the laughing werewolves around her, totally humiliated.

"Just you wait! I won't forget this!" With that, Ophelia stumbled to her feet, grabbed Cecilia, and bolted.

"Get lost!" Everyone yelled at their retreating backs.

Once I was sure they were really gone, I let out a big sigh of relief, turned around, and helped Lucas up, checking him and Saki over. "You guys okay? Any injuries?"

"Mom, we're good!" Saki and Lucas said in unison.

"What about you? She didn't hurt you, did she?" Lucas asked, worry all over his face as he brushed my hair outta my face.

"I'm fine too. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you guys alone. I didn't take good care of you." I looked at Saki and Lucas, feeling all kinds of guilty.

I never thought Saki and Lucas would have to face Cecilia and her mom one day.

If they found out these were my kids, who knows what would happen.

"This isn't your fault. Don't beat yourself up. It's on them. They were the bullies." Saki saw my worry and held my hand, trying to comfort me.

"Yeah, they're the bad guys." I mumbled, still feeling a wave of fear.

After everyone slowly left, the store clerk came over, looking all guilty, and said to me, "I'm really sorry you and your kids had to go through that."

"No! I should be the one saying sorry." I stood up and gave the clerk an apologetic smile. "I caused a scene, and you'll probably get in trouble with your boss. I'll make up for today's mess. I hope you don't get in trouble."

"Don't sweat it." The clerk smiled a bit. "Our boss actually hates those stuck-up types; so if he hears what happened, he won't blame me."

"Besides," the clerk grinned and ruffled Lucas's hair, "protecting the little ones is what every grown-up werewolf should do. These two stood up for me like champs. They're real little warriors."

Hearing that, Saki and Lucas exchanged proud smirks.

"Yeah, as their mom, I'm super proud of them." I messed up the kids' hair playfully. "I'm gonna go change. You two stay put, alright? I'll be back in a sec."

"Don't worry, nothing like this will happen again," the clerk reassured me.

I shot the clerk a grateful smile and headed off to change.

After slipping back into my own clothes, I took the work uniform back to the utility room.

I sighed, looking at the fancy princess dress I had tossed on the ground earlier, and carefully checked it for any damage.

This dress wasn't cheap. I caused such a mess in the store. It was a miracle they were not making me pay for everything, but I definitely needed to cover the dress.

I just hoped I had enough cash.

I sighed again, picked up the princess dress, and was about to talk to the clerk when I turned around and saw a tall, handsome werewolf standing at the door.

He had a killer face, brown hair slicked back with a few strands falling over his forehead, giving him a roguish vibe.

His fitted suit had an open collar, showing off a bit of his muscular chest.

I was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of this guy. Feeling guilty about the dress, I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye.

His green eyes locked onto me, glancing at the work uniform I had just hung up. His lips curled into a smirk. "New cleaner? How come I haven't seen you before?"

"I'm not," I replied quickly.

"The dress you're holding isn't cheap," he cut me off, eyeing me with a half-smile. "If you can't pay for it, you might have to work it off."

His suggestive tone made me blush, but I couldn't argue with him.

If I really couldn't pay, I might have to work to cover the cost.

Seeing me silent, his smile widened. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took long strides towards me.

His tall frame cast a shadow over me, making me step back until I was pressed against the wall.

Thinking I could just pay for the dress, there was no need for him to corner me like this, like I was some nobody.

Feeling a bit frustrated, I looked up angrily, only to meet his eyes.

They were like a green forest, calm yet endless.