Chapter 25
I sat in the car with Jason, watching the Pack’s relentless flow of traffic. A wave of anxiety washed over me.“Nathan will definitely send people to find me,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “He’ll also try to cause trouble for you at school.”
This was, after all, the Ashford family business, one of the top three family in First Quarter Pack. That’s why I’d endured so much, waiting until after the WAT to leave. I felt terrible, dragging Jason into this.
He reached out and gently stroked my hair.“Don’t worry, they won’t find you. Right now, you need to think about where you’ll stay.”
I sighed. “I guess I’ll rent an apartment.” The thought had been a constant companion, a silent hope I’d never had the chance to act on. In a strange way, I almost wished Nathan *had* kicked me out earlier; it would have made things less complicated.
“I know a place with apartments for rent,” Jason said.
I didn’t ask questions, simply following him to the apartment complex. The environment was surprisingly pleasant. Stepping inside the apartment, I stared at the tasteful décor. It was quite rare for werewolves‘ decoration.“This apartment must be incredibly expensive,” I said, “and I’m practically broke right now!”
“Money isn’t a problem,” he replied, his tone nonchalant as he stood by the living room’s floor–to–ceiling windows.“It’s my friend’s apartment, and he doesn’t live here anyway. You’ll be housesitting for him. He’d actually owe *you* money.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.“Jason, is this actually your apartment?”
“No, mine’s next door,” he said, a playful glint in his eyes.
I was stunned.“Seriously? That’s a coincidence!”
He smirked. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you somewhere else. After all, I *did* kind of ‘kidnap‘ you.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. Kidnap‘? I never imagined him making a joke like that. He seemed to realize his words were a bit inappropriate and quickly changed the subject.“Just stay here for now. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Okay,” I agreed.“But I still want to pay rent. I can sleep on the couch, I promise not to mess up your friend’s room, or touch
anything.”
Jason frowned. “You’re not sleeping on the couch. You’re a minor werewolf. The FirstQuarter Pack will accuse me of abusing a minor. He’s never even lived here anyway. The guy’s rich and clueless; don’t worry about it.”
I chuckled.”You two must be really close friends.” Only best friends would talk like that.
He glanced at his watch.“Want to play some games now?”
“Sure!”
We went to the apartment next door. It was identical to the first one. Jason’s place was surprisingly sparse, almost empty. The only notable exception was his study, which housed two high–spec gaming computers.
As I logged into my game, I saw a livestream on the homepage – a clip of my twelve–hit combo from the earlier tournament. The title read, “King’s Disciple Returns!” A wave of guilt washed over me. In my past life, I hadn’t even known the twelve–hit combo during the resurrection round. And I had never even met the legendary player, King.
Jason looked at me.“You landed a twelve–hit combo. When did you learn that?”
Panic set in. How could I explain this? Tell him I learned it in my past life? The twelve–hit combo was King’s signature move, incredibly difficult to master; many people spent hours practicing from videos and still couldn’t pull it off.
I licked my lips. “I’m a huge fan of King. I’ve always admired him, and I secretly practiced his signature move. I never managed it before, but somehow, during the tournament, it just… worked.”
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< Chapter 25
Jason’s expression was unreadable.“You’ve been a fan since you were little?”
“Yes! That’s why I’m so familiar with his techniques,” I said, though my confidence wavered. My wolf let out a low, guilty whimper. It wasn’t a lie, though; I *had* admired King.
I stole a glance at Jason. His expression seemed uncomfortable. He replied stiffly, “Don’t just casually like someone.”
I was surprised.“But… that’s King!” Anyone who played the game worshipped him!
Jason looked at the video of me performing the twelve–hit combo, his expression softening slightly. After all these years, only *I* had managed to do it.
We started playing, our teamwork surprisingly seamless as we tackled dungeon raids together. He paused the game.“Have you ever played the Warrior class?” he asked.
“No, I mainly play Gunner.”
“You should try the Warrior class. It might suit you better.”
My pupils constricted at his words. In my past life,*someone* had said the exact same thing, urging me to play Warrior. But back then, I’d stubbornly stuck to Gunner because my brother, Lucas, needed a Gunner on his team.
A surge of excitement coursed through me. Could Jason be the person I met in my past life? Never having thanked him properly in my previous life was a constant regret.
“What are you staring at me like that for?” he asked, breaking my thoughts.
“Nothing,” I said.“Um, Jason, do you have someone you like?”
His eyes narrowed. “No. Why are you asking? Do you have a boyfriend?” He seemed determined to prevent any early relationships.
I looked at the computer screen.“I guess… sort of.” My past life’s ill–fated online boyfriend. If only I could meet him again in this lifetime. I remembered when and where I met him in my past life; maybe it would be around that time.
Jason’s voice was low and somewhat irritated.“Kid, your priority is studying, not dating.”
“I know, I know. I’ll wait until after the WAT,” I said, remembering that I met him after the exams in my past life.
Jason was somewhat irritated. Young girls dating early was always the most troublesome. He couldn’t tell if this was werewolves‘ possessiveness or his own feelings. He shut down the computer abruptly. “After dinner, you need to study more and less gaming.” He was clearly planning to overload me with homework to keep me from thinking about anything else. After tackling two sets of WAT practice papers, my brain felt like mush. As I prepared for bed, I realized I hadn’t brought any
clothes or toiletries.
Hesitantly, I decided to go out and buy some essentials. As I stepped out, Jason opened the door, his gaze assessing me from above.“It’s late. Where are you going?”
I felt like a child caught doing something wrong.“I’m going to buy toiletries and pajamas.”
His expression froze for a second, then he closed the door.“Let’s go.” He clearly hadn’t considered such basic needs; he’d never had to deal with taking care of a kid before. Most shops would be closed by now.
In the end, I only managed to buy toiletries; the pajamas and slippers remained elusive. Jason’s expression was impassive, but I could sense his discomfort. Back in the apartment, he immediately called Leo Cross.” What’s wrong with the apartment you arranged? Why are there no toiletries?”
“Dude, you gave me half an hour to get that apartment ready, how was I supposed to get toiletries? Plus, just go buy them with her! It’s a great chance to bond.”
Jason, accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, had never thought about such details.
< Chapter 25
Leo sounded suspicious.“You wouldn’t have forgotten and gone out to buy them in the middle of the night, wou ! you?”
Jason gritted his teeth.“Just shut up.” He hung up, feeling a slight pang of embarrassment. He rummaged through his closet, pulling out a pair of his slippers and a clean shirt.
He knocked on my door. After a moment, I opened the door. I transformed into a wolf because I didn’t have any pajamas to wear. My fur was still damp, water dripping down my fur. Jason’s gaze flickered, then he walked straight in.
Mertu
I instinctively stepped back, my left foot tripping over my right, and I started to fall. Oh no, this is so embarrassing!* was the only thought in my head. Sometimes it was hard to control four legs than two. But instead of hitting the floor, I landed in his warm embrace, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear.
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