Chapter 2

Neighbor

***

Leila was humming her favorite song as she placed the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the cooling rack.

"Finally..." She smilingly clasped her both hands together while her eyes glittered while looking at it.

It was a fine sultry day, and she decided to give some of her neighbors her own version of chocolate chip cookies. Her mother, Sheila, and her stepbrother, Darcel, truly loved it and she was hoping her neighbors would love it, too.

She was looking forward to selling some cookies and other pastries for her to have some extra income. She was dreaming of having her own bakeshop soon.

Leila giggled at her thoughts.

She rummaged through the hanging cabinet in the kitchen for possible containers, and she sweetly smiled when she found ten of it.

"Nice! I can't believe Carina bought some of the things that I need." She whispered to herself.

The market was an hour-drive from her house. She still needed to ride a taxi from the arc of the Sacred Place Village, and that was more or less a thirty minutes' walk.

Honestly, it was working just fine for her. She loved the greenery, and walking wasn't a massive turnover of her decision.

She immediately placed the cookies inside each of the containers, munching one in her mouth – it was chewy and delicious, like what she wanted them to be.

"Wow! I can smell something from your door. What's that?" Cristine cheerfully asked as she went to her side.

She swiftly motioned the cooling rack to her – where the excess cookies were. Her eyes glittered and she couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Wow! This is so great!" Cristine commented.

"Really?" She loudly inquired.

Cristine just nodded her head while her mouth was full of cookies. Leila chuckled. She felt more confident now.

"You can have the two containers, okay?" She smilingly reminded her before riding her old bicycle – given to her by her grandfather.

Good thing, it was still fine. She could use it to sell her pastries soon.

Leila stared at the huge mansion just beside her house. She surely wanted to give some to her nearest neighbor, and it was her chance to build rapport and friendship.

She walked towards the gate and pressed the doorbell, but no one opened it. She tried pressing it again and waited for a couple of minutes, but to no avail.

"Was there anyone inside?" She lowly whispered to herself.

But she was surprised by a man with a cold stoic expression pasted in his gorgeous face suddenly open the gate with a bang.

She was about to wear her famous sweet smile, but it was hanging into thin air when she fully saw his face.

Leila blinked her eyes as she tried to prove to herself that she wasn't dreaming. He was surely someone with a menacing aura yet complemented with a handsome face. One thing that was more appealing in her eyes.

His perfect jaw had some stubbles on it, but it only added to his manly aura. His soulful deep ocean blue orbs were like taking her to a whole new dimension. His perfectly carved lips were lusciously pink – that she couldn't help but bite her lower lip while staring absentmindedly at him.

Her heart was beating so hard that it ached a bit. This was the first time she had ever felt this way.

Was she having a heart attack? – She mentally thought as she held her chest.

His simple black shirt hugged his perfectly toned body. And what had made him more strikingly gorgeous was his dark brown hair. He was literally a godlike man living in the human world.

She bit her lower lip more to prevent herself from smiling.

"What do you want?" He harshly said those words, but his voice seemed to be music in her ears.

The man pursed his lips – pure irritation was visibly written on his face.

"If you're just going to stare at me like that, just leave." He rudely stated and was about to walk away when she automatically held his arm to stop him.

The man looked at her with a death glare. She felt a shiver down her spine, but the volts of electricity creeping into her nerves caught her attention more. She bit her lower lip and immediately removed her hand from him – like she's been burned or something. She gave him a forced smile.

Leila shook her head – as if dragging herself from her drifting reverie.

"Uh, c-cookies?" She stupidly uttered.

The man's forehead creased – but it didn't even lessen his appeal.

"I don't eat something from a stranger." He coldly replied.

Leila couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'm your new neighbor. I'm Leila. Now, we're not strangers anymore." She swiftly introduced herself and pointed at her bungalow house before raising her hand for a handshake.

The man just stared at her like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Then, his expression darkened.

All of a sudden, Leila felt the hair at her nape stand up. Her smile turned sour as she put her hand down with her lips slightly pouted. But her optimistic side was getting out of her control. She instantly got one of the plastic containers where her cookies were.

"I just want to give you these cookies that I personally baked. I hope you'll like it." She smilingly stated.

She was loud and outgoing – not to mention nosy and optimistic. She knew that, and she was hoping she could reach for his coldness and melt it down.

Her smile grew wider when the man let out a deep sigh before receiving her cookies. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at him, opening the gate without even saying 'thank you' or 'goodbye.'

At least he got her cookies. He would surely love it the moment he tasted it. – A part of her mind soothed her.

Her heartbeat faster and harder this time.

She was just downhearted that she didn't even get to know his name. Well, she had a lot of time to talk to him. He was her nearest neighbor, anyway. She giggled just by thinking about it.

But before Leila could even took a step, she had heard the man talking to someone. And because she was such a nosy creature, she even moved closer to the closed gate – putting her ear on the metal to listen to their conversation more.

"Who was that?" A hoarse voice asked.

It was surely from someone older than her neighbor.

"I don't know. Some random people." Her neighbor replied.

Leila felt offended that he didn't even remember her name, but his next words made her blood boil.

"Just throw these cookies away. I don't like any of them." He ruthlessly commanded.

She gasped in horror and her eyes widened.

Her cookies!

"What kind of cookies? Maybe, I can taste it. Just give it to me." The man with the hoarse voice answered.

And their voices drifted out until she couldn't hear them anymore.

Leila's heart was undeniably beating so hard and fast, but it wasn't because of her fascination towards the man anymore.

It was because of pure annoyance and frustration. She wanted to talk to that rude man, but she wouldn't surely stoop that low just to prove her point.

That made her day turn sour, but she tried to compose herself as she gave her other cookies to her other neighbors to build a good impression on them – and possibly market her pastries. There was so much positive feedback, then, that they were asking for her contact number if they wanted to order something from her.

It turned out just great, yet the nearest one was just so rude, distant, and cold, which was certainly bugging her mind until she had already fallen asleep.

Little did she know, someone in the darkness of the woods was already spying on her every move.

The silhouette of the man lit his cigarette in the middle of darkness. He was watching her even before she arrived at the place.

"I've already waited long enough, my dear Leila." He maliciously uttered those words and wore an ominous smirk that could have sent shivers down anyone's spine.

With that, the man instantly walked away and vanished into the depths of darkness.

"What are you staring at?" Hunter was on his mansion's balcony, staring at that particular side of the forest, when his butler named Henry appeared at his side.

He didn't bother to look at him or even to answer his question. He was more curious – more so, bothered – about the man he had seen in the forest, staring at the bungalow house just beside his mansion.

Then, the smiling face of that loud and nosy lady appeared in his mind – making him frown.

Butler Henry, on the other hand, looked at him with amusement, for he rarely expressed his true emotions – not even in front of him.

He instantly wore his blank and stoic face as he turned away and marched towards his room.

Whoever it was, he didn't care.

What bothered him more was the woman that really irritates the hell out of him.

Chapter 3

Curiosity

***

It was a busy day for Leila. She had received so many texts about ordering cupcakes and cookies. It made her so busy that she almost forgot about what happened to her yesterday.

Well, almost, but not quite, for the moment she went to her gate, and she had seen the massive mansion just beside her house – everything just popped into her head like a fleeting mockery to her.

She pouted and let out a deep sigh before shrugging her shoulders. Maybe, she wouldn't ever forget how he treated her cookies!

She'd made sure to avenge her poor cookies when the time came!

She chuckled at her own joke and slightly shook her head. She wasn't that morbid, though. Maybe, she'll just put some stimulant laxatives in his food – nothing more.

Leila bit her lower lip as her mind drifted towards the man who had occupied her mind the entire night. She let out a frustrated sigh before driving towards the arc where her customers were waiting for her pastries and cupcakes.

"You're such a talented young woman, Leila. Josefa and Emilio would be so proud if she's still here with us." An old woman tenderly told her as she smiled at her.

Leila reciprocated it with a sweet smile.

"That was so kind of you, Mrs. Gomez. Thank you." She softly replied.

If her grandparents were still alive, they may have looked like the old woman in front of her. She just missed them so much.

"By the way, I just want you to be careful. You're living alone and your nearest neighbor was just so snobby and mysterious. Be careful, okay?" Mrs. Gomez worriedly reminded her.

"No worries, Mrs. Gomez. I have my baseball bat with me." She jokingly stated as she pointed her bat at the back of her bicycle.

The old kind woman giggled at her funny remarks.

"By any means, do you know who the man living in that mansion is?" She curiously asked.

Mrs. Gomez' forehead creased as she tried to remember something.

"Well, I heard his name was Hunter Black and he was just living with his butler named Henry. They were just so aloof that not anyone in this village had always seen them. Anyway, what I know of was they just moved in recently. They didn't attend to any of the invites that we sent them, so..." Mrs. Gomez shrugged her shoulders.

"They were just so distant and mysterious." She simply added.

Leila just nodded her head. So, the gorgeous rude man's name was Hunter Black. It suited him well. She bit her lower lip as she remembered how stunningly handsome, he was – if not for his rude behavior.

She instantly thanked Mrs. Gomez and went home. She needed to clean up her mess. She was her last customer for the day. She was so glad, though. She had four of them, which was very satisfied with her pastries. They even told her that they'd recommend her to their relatives.

"Oh, wait, I still have my carrot cake." She, then, remembered and immediately went to her fridge after cleaning up the mess in her kitchen.

Her perfectly baked six-round carrot cake was standing proudly there. And she thought of a bright idea. She immediately placed the cake into a box. She would try to talk to her rude neighbor once again.

Well, she was certainly too persistent that way.

Though she wasn't that heartless, she didn't put any type of laxative in her cake. She mentally chuckled.

She pressed the doorbell once again, but no one went out. She's been pressing it thrice, but to no avail.

"What kind of mansion is this? Was no one around?" She suddenly thought as she tried to push the gate, and to her surprise, it was open.

Leila shrugged her shoulders and peeked into the gate.

"Hello?" She softly whispered.

She saw a vast lawn with various plants around it. The brightly colored flowers were blooming attractively, and their fragrance filled her nose. She was undeniably awed!

Leila was just so amazed and curious that she walked towards the stone pathway that led towards the mansion. She was just right. It was so beautiful, and the design of the mansion was just so intricate and stunning.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried to grasp the magnificence in front of her. Not until she had heard a loud eerie scream coming from the second floor of the house. She gasped in horror.

A loud painful cry resonated in the entire mansion once again and it made her more worried and scared at the same time.

Did someone need help? – She mentally thought as she felt doubtful whether to go up or just walk away.

She went there unannounced anyway.

Leila was so agitated until a loud painful groan echoed throughout the entire mansion once again.

With that, she slowly walked towards the grand staircase.

Her heart was pounding so loud because of mixed nervousness and concern.

She heard a hurtful panting followed by a loud crashing sound and then a painful growl.

Leila swallowed the lump in her throat as she found a huge wooden door where the noise was coming from. She held her breath as she held the doorknob – when someone had grabbed her hand.

She flinched and almost screamed out loud if the man didn't cover her mouth.

"Who are you?"

His voice was hoarse – full of unsaid accusation and coldness.

It was an old man wearing a black waistcoat over his white long sleeves and tie paired with black trousers and black shiny shoes.

A typical uniform for a butler.

He must be Henry!

Leila was staring at him with her eyes widened.

He was maybe in his mid-fifties, yet still muscular at his age. His gray eyes were like piercing the hell out of her.

She bit her lower lip and played with her fingers, the moment he removed his hand in front of her mouth.

"Uh..." Leila couldn't find the right words to say.

Her eyes widened when she heard the loud screams once again. She stared at the closed door and then at the butler standing in front of her. She saw a bit of concern that flashed in his eyes but immediately changed into coldness – as if she was just hallucinating.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The man strictly interrogated her.

Leila cleared her throat.

"Uh, I'm Leila. I live in a bungalow house just beside the mansion. I met Hunter yesterday and I just wanted to give you this – only to find out that the gate wasn't closed. I heard loud screams that led me here. Your Butler Henry, right?" She swiftly said those words without a pause – as if some horses were tailing her.

She took a deep breath right after.

The man held the box that she gave and nodded his head.

"Yes. I'm Henry and I think you need to go now, Miss Leila. Master Hunter didn't want any visitors in the meantime. He was resting." His hoarse voice sent shivers down her spine.

She looked away because of the embarrassment she felt.

Butler Henry led her downstairs. He was just a few inches taller than her – for she had just reached his shoulders.

"Uh, what is h-happening inside? Is someone hurt?" She nosily asked while slowly following him.

The butler's forehead creased and let out a deep sigh.

"Master Hunter likes to watch suspense and thriller movies. His room wasn't soundproof yet." Butler Henry simply replied.

Leila just felt her entire face turn bright red because of the pure humiliation she felt. The loud screams were just the sound effects of what Hunter was watching?!

What the heck was she thinking anyway?

She harshly bit her lower lip as they reached the gate.

And before she even took a step out, she gathered all her strength to face the butler.

"Uh, sorry for barging in." She sincerely apologized.

The butler just nodded his head, and she immediately went out of the gate.

Leila slightly knocked her head twice for the embarrassment she felt.

"So much for being so nosy, Leila." She lowly whispered and marched towards her house.

On Hunter's mansion, Butler Henry heaved a deep sigh before proceeding urgently towards the second floor, where the woman named Leila almost caught Hunter's shifting.

He immediately opened the huge wooden door and found Hunter lying naked on the cold floor. He instantly went near him and covered him with a huge blanket.

"I smell someone entered in my territory." Hunter seriously commented while gritting his teeth.

Butler Henry's eyes widened.

He wanted to hide Miss Leila's trespassing escapades, but Hunter had advanced senses – even more advanced than their Alpha Hudson, his father, had.

Butler Henry cleared his throat.

"Our neighbor went inside the mansion." He plainly stated.

With that, he saw how his deep ocean blue eyes darkened – because of fury.

Chapter 4

Almost

***

Content Warning: This chapter might contain violence, abuse, crime, or triggering factors that may be harmful, disturbing, or traumatizing to some. Reader's discretion is advised. Thank you.

***

"You're such a great baker, Leila. Thank you for this." Mrs. Johnson proudly commented as she stood beside her.

Mrs. Johnson contacted her to create a customized cake for her daughter's birthday. She was slowly building her name in the community and words were easily spread all throughout.

Those words brought her back to reality and gave the kind woman a gentle small smile.

"I really love baking. Thank you for trusting me on this, too." She sincerely replied.

"I'll surely help you market your pastries and cakes, then. Maybe you can give me your portfolio so I can share it with my friends." Mrs. Johnson excitedly told her.

That made Leila ecstatic.

"Sure, Mrs. Johnson. I'd do that. Thank you for giving me an idea." Her voice was filled with happiness and anticipation.

Leila was walking absentmindedly down the street a few more blocks away from her house. She didn't use her bicycle because the cake was just so big and heavy that it might be ruined, so she just assiduously took the ten minutes' walk away from her house.

It was all worth it, though.

She was busy staring at the full moon, watching her every move. She loved how it shines so brightly in the midst of darkness.

But the moment it was hidden in the dark clouds, someone had grabbed her from behind.

She yelped, but whoever it was instantly covered her mouth with his filthy hands.

He was so strong that he immediately dragged her out of the road. The attacker forcibly moved towards the dark forest.

Leila was so scared that her eyes instantly moistened. She was praying so hard for her life. Whoever was trying to kidnap her was just so strong. She regretted the times that she disregarded entering the taekwondo class, when her mother offered her to enroll. She even regretted bringing her baseball bat with her.

She could hardly breathe so she tried to calm her nerves. She needed to get away and to make that happen, she needed to think hard and fast.

Leila gathered her strength to step on the foot of whoever her attacker was. She tried to escape, but he grabbed her long wavy hair and forcibly dragged her down the ground.

She felt pain in her knees and elbow because of the harsh impact. She let out a hurtful sob as she tried to stand up and ran away, but the attacker grabbed her both arms and tied it together with a thick rope.

"Help!" She agonizingly yelled.

"Help me! Please!" She helplessly cried but a loud laugh resonated in her ears – making her look at whoever her attacker was.

"Even though you scream at the top of your lungs, no one would hear you." A familiar voice sarcastically commented – making her heart beat crazily.

Her eyes turned into thin slits as she tried to look at his face, but the darkness wasn't helping her.

"Who are you?!" She furiously exclaimed.

The man sarcastically chuckled.

"Oh, dear Leila. You just left home, and you have already forgotten all about me, huh?" The man mockingly replied as he stepped out of the darkness.

Under the bright full moon, she was able to recognize who it was – her eyes widened in shock and fright.

"Donovan..." She lowly uttered.

Her tears flowed down from her eyes down to her cheeks. She felt disgusted and scared.

It was none other than her stepfather, Donovan Harrow. He was the main reason why she left home and decided to live independently even though it hurt her so much.

He was always giving her malicious stares, and at night, he always tried to open her door – that she even bought an install three more locks just to feel safe.

Unfortunately, he always found ways to touch her hand and arms – and worst – her bottom when her mother, Sheila, wasn't around.

She was just so furious and disgusted that she decided to live independently, for she couldn't find the strength to tell it to her mom. She couldn't find it in her heart to ruin her stepbrother's father and their relationship.

Now, she thought she had already gotten away from him, but he resorted to this kind of thing.

"What do you want?" She asked while gritting her teeth.

She needed him to talk as she tried to untie the rope in her hands.

Donovan let out a hearty chuckle.

"That was so obvious, my love. I want you." He smugly answered.

She wanted to puke.

How could he do this to her? Even to her mom?

"You're sick!" She angrily yelled.

"Whatever you say, dear Leila. I wanted to collect your debts. I am the one who raised you. Now, that you've grown up so stunningly beautiful, I wanted you." He maliciously said those words as he touched her face.

"F*ck you!" She cursed at him as she helplessly stared at him.

The knot he had put in her hands was just too tight that it was making it hard for her to untie it. She was feeling pessimistic now.

"You don't even try to think of my mom?! How dare you do this!" She bitterly accused him.

He just smirked at her.

"Your mom was aging, dear. I wanted a new one." He seriously told her as he licked his lips and looked at her entire body using his ghastly stares.

"No. No, please... Don't do this..." She eagerly pleaded.

But it was making Donovan more turned on that he grabbed her hair and sniffed it.

"I just so love your smell, you know." He whispered before running his filthy tongue over her left cheek.

Leila shut her eyes tightly. She could feel the hair at the back of her head stand up because of pure repugnance.

"Beg, Leila... I want to hear your sweet pleadings." Donovan whispered into her ear.

She opened her eyes and clenched her fists before hardly biting his ear.

Donovan automatically cried and slapped her hard – wounding her lips and cheek. She finally untied the rope!

"You b*tch!" He irritably spat while holding his bloody ear.

He was about to hurt her when they heard a loud growl.

It was so eerie that her heart almost stopped beating.

Before she could even run, a huge dark brown furred wolf appeared in between them.

Leila was rooted to the ground while Donovan tried to get a stick and whipped the wolf.

It let out a furious snarl – showing its bared long canines.

Donovan's eyes widened in horror, and without thinking twice, he instantly ran away – leaving her with the enormous wolf.

Should she be thankful? Or should she be praying now; for she might be its next prey?

The massive wolf stared at her and groaned before leaving her – stunned in the middle of the woods.