One Step Closer

“Sod it!”

As Seth watched Edith leave him, he was unable to keep the girl in his car. As a result, he could only remain silent as he watched her walk away from him. The guilt overcame him, making him powerless. He longed to hold the girl but was too afraid to accept the fact that Edith would hate him even more.

Seth gasped, his sense of smell catching an unfamiliar scent. The scent of a wolf, but he did not recognise it. The wolf was not from this neighbourhood. His gaze was already drawn towards the forest on the side of the road. Seth searched in the darkness, trying to find and be alert. Up ahead, Edith was walking alone!

Seth got out of the car. He could already hear the rustling sound of leaves and branches being trampled. He looked up at the sky; the moon was already shining fully, casting its light on the earth. His body was already shaking violently; the pores of his skin had turned into light brown hairs. The nails on his hands and feet, which were originally white and short in size, instantly lengthened. At this moment, his body had already grown to twice its original size, with all four legs standing firmly on the ground.

[Over there, Seth!]

“Okay, I got it.”

Seth, with his wolf body, was already running fast towards the black wolf, who was walking slowly in front of a girl. He saw that Edith had fallen unconscious. When the black wolf made a leap in the air to pounce on Edith, Seth also centred his hind legs and made the same leap towards the black wolf.

Seth managed to bite the wolf's neck; now he stood over the wolf and growled while showing his fangs. The wolf tried to rebel, but its front legs managed to push Seth's body. Seth was dragged back a few metres away from him.

The black wolf managed to stand up; it looked at Seth, who was already walking slowly towards it. Seth growled once more, giving him a warning to back off. His brown eyes stared intently at the black wolf. This was his territory; one howl from him, and the black wolf's history would end.

[He’s a lone wolf.]

The black wolf turned and galloped off, leaving them to breach the dark depths of the forest. The moonlight was still faithfully accompanying Seth, as if it were a spotlight illuminating the brief battle that had just occurred.

[Why didn't you go after him, Seth?]

“I have to check on her.”

Seth walked towards the unconscious Edith. He changed into his human form. His clothes were already torn because of his shift. Seth didn't care; he only cared about Edith. He carried Edith on his lap and ran towards his car. His human running speed was only slightly slower than that of his wolf form.

Seth laid Edith down in the back seat of his car. He also took a set of clothes available in the car. After putting on his clothes, Seth sat in the driving seat and drove his car towards his house.

It was already three in the morning. When Edith opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a large white bed. After gathering her strength, Edith sat up. She observed every inch of the room; where was she?

Edith heard the sound of the door opening. She looked towards the door when Seth walked into the room with a glass of water.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Where am I?"

"At my house."

Edith accepted the glass of water Seth gave her. She drank it down and handed the glass back to him.

"My head is spinning. What time is it?

"Three in the morning." Seth switched on the diffuser to freshen up the room.

Edith snorted; she felt nauseous after inhaling the aroma from the device. "It stinks; the smell makes me nauseous."

Seth hurriedly switched off the air freshener. He made a mistake, and it turned out that Edith became nauseous because of the device.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to make you comfortable."

Edith was still sniffing her nose, but this time she smelled the soothing scent of Seth's body. She approached Seth and sniffed him. Seth's body scent made her sense of smell comfortable, not the scent of the diffuser.

"What's wrong, Edith?" Seth asked, confused by what Edith was doing.

"Your body smells so good. My head is not dizzy anymore."

"Really?"

Edith nodded. She did not know why she liked the scent of the guy's body, even though she did not like the person. Edith hated this situation; she didn't want to be weak just because Seth's body scent was so comfortable to her. She moved backward to get away from the man.

"Get some rest. I'll sit over there if you need anything."

"Why don't you just go?"

Seth smiled and then laughed amusedly at Edith's words, "This is my room; what am I getting out of here for?"

Edith pulled back the covers; she was just about to put her feet down, but Seth held her back.

"Don't hold me back! I want to go home, Seth."

"It's three in the morning, and I'm not letting you go home alone, Edith."

"Arrgghh… Why do you always piss me off?"

"Please, Edith. I just want to do the right thing for you. Aren't you tired of us fighting all the time?" said Seth pleadingly.

Seth was right; she still felt weak. Even now, she cannot stand properly. Her legs were not yet strong enough to bear her weight, yet she could not even walk. Edith decided to return to the bed and sat with her face bowed.

Seth got out of bed and sat on the sofa opposite her. He took his mobile phone from his pocket and was busy running his fingers across the screen.

Edith felt nauseous again. She was confused about her body; she would probably feel sick in front of him. This was really embarrassing; she kept feeling nauseous and even wanted to throw up at this moment.

"Seth, where's the toilet?"

"What's wrong?"

"I want to throw up."

Seth moved quickly over to Edith and helped the girl step towards the toilet. The girl immediately squatted in front of the toilet seat and threw up. Seth held Edith's flowing blonde hair next to her face, keeping it away.

Edith already felt better after releasing the liquid. She drooped limply beside the toilet. Her throat ached from the pressure.

"I was so tired. I kept vomiting all day. What's wrong with me?"

"Come on, let me help you up. You need to rest."

Edith had given up. She let herself be carried by Seth towards the bed. She let out her hatred for Seth and gave in to the situation.

Seth helped Edith lie down on the bed. He pulled the blanket off and covered the girl's body. Seth sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Edith, who was lying on her back. He wanted to comfort the girl, but he decided against it, so he got off the bed.

"Don't go; stay here."

"But I just want to sit on that sofa."

"I said stay here." Seth complied with Edith's wishes. It felt very strange to Seth after hearing the girl's words.

"You said you hated me?"

A stupid question that could provoke an argument. Why would he ask such a question? Seth hit his head and immediately stopped when Edith started talking again.

"I do hate you; I didn't know being around you made me comfortable. The scent of your body, I like it."

When Seth heard Edith's statement, he felt calm. At least he could be close to the girl to take care of her. Seth thought this was a good first step. Seth moved up to the bed and sat beside Edith.

"Hmmm... Edith, are you asleep yet?"

"No, what's wrong?"

"I'm getting sleepy." Seth spoke honestly; he started yawning a few times before asking.

"Sleep here, but remember not to take any chances."

"Alright, I got it."

His heart was just racing at this moment. He only dared to stare at the girl's back for a few minutes.

His sleepiness disappeared. Seth became awkward; next to him was the girl who had slowly taken his heart. Where was the one who was ignorant and always acted casually? Has he now fallen for Edith? In the midst of his thoughts, he saw from his eyes that Edith had turned to face him.

The awkwardness had reached its highest level. Her heart was already beating faster and faster. The girl's eyes were closed to him in contrast to his heart, which was now starting to burst because it had been stolen by the girl.

Seth took a deep breath to normalise his chaotic heartbeat. He changed his position to face Edith and whispered, "Edith, are you really asleep?"

"No, what else is it, Seth?"

"Can I touch your belly?"