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Chapter 6 - Who Is Following Me?

Noel rubbed his eyes as he walked slowly down the stairs. He could already smell something nice coming from the kitchen — the warm, happy smell of eggs and crispy bacon.

That smell made him open his eyes wider. He was still sleepy, but the food helped wake him up.

When he got to the dining room, he smiled. "Aunty... good morning."

But then he saw someone he didn't expect.

His father.

Mr. Alexei was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading something on his iPad.

Noel ran to sit beside him. His small legs swung a little as he climbed into the chair. His heart felt full. It had been so long since his dad had breakfast with him.

He opened his mouth. "Uncle..." he stopped himself, then said softly, "Dad, good morning."

Alexei turned to look at him. The boy's cheeks were red like strawberries. "Good morning," he replied, taking another sip from his coffee.

Noel tried to act like an adult and lifted his small cup to take a dramatic sip too.

"Did you come home last night?" he asked, trying not to sound too excited.

"Yes," said Alexei.

The housekeeper walked over and placed two plates on the table. One for Alexei, one for Noel. She smiled kindly. "Master has seen your report card. Remember to write your full name next time, okay?"

Noel's smile grew wide like a sunflower. "Alright!"

For a long time, when he took his exams, he didn't know what last name to write. So he just wrote his first name twice. But now, he had a real family name. He was part of the Adkins family.

"Dad, how come you have time to eat with us today?"

The housekeeper answered while clearing a glass. "The procedures have been completed. You'll be registered in the household book soon. Master's just in a good mood today."

Noel nodded happily. "Okay!"

The housekeeper placed pancakes on his plate, and he quickly grabbed one.

Alexei looked up. "We won't be having dinner at home," he said to the housekeeper.

"Alright."

Noel stopped chewing. "Are we going to Grandpa's house?"

The housekeeper had told him that after everything was done, he would have to visit his great grandfather. But Noel had never met the man before. All he knew was that he was strict, and that made him nervous.

Alexei placed his mug down gently. It made a soft sound against the coaster. "You can't call him 'Grandpa.'"

Noel blinked. "But I'm calling you Dad?"

Alexei gave a small nod. He looked at his watch. "It's almost time. Go get ready."

"Oh... Oh!" Noel gulped his tea fast and jumped off his seat. "Bye, Dad!"

Alexei gave a tiny smile as he watched his son run out of the room. Then he turned back to his coffee, just as his phone buzzed.

[Mr. Alexei, Miss Park has checked out.]

He swiped the screen and called the number.

"Hello, Mr. Alexei," came the voice on the other end.

"Follow her closely," he said calmly. "See where she goes. And who she meets."

...

The cab smelled like old leather and mint gum.

The driver frowned at the address she gave him. "Adkins Road?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. He looked at Lola in the mirror. "Never heard of it. Is that in this city? I'm changing shifts soon. I can't go too far."

Lola rubbed her temples. Her head hurt. The Moon Goddess hadn't told her what place she would wake up in. She didn't even know who she was now. She didn't know this body, this city, or anything around her.

She hadn't heard from the Moon Goddess since waking up in that hotel.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Valley Road."

"No… I mean, what city is this?"

The driver gave a small laugh. "City B."

She froze. "What?"

None of this made sense. In her old life, cities didn't have names like this. There were only packs — like Crimson Moon Pack, West Pack, or Velvet Pack.

People didn't ride in metal cars or smoke strange sticks by the street. She had guessed she was in the future, since the Moon Goddess mentioned Alpha Kade's grandsons... but this future felt too different.

"You drunk?" the driver asked, eyeing her. "I'm warning you now, if you throw up, I'll charge you extra because there's a cleaning fee."

Lola didn't say anything. She quickly opened the door and stepped out.

As soon as she closed the door, the car pulled away.

She looked around. The street was full of people — talking, walking, hurrying to different places. Some were dressed fancy. Others had headphones in and were dancing.

A group of teens was filming a video nearby. The road was loud with music, cars, and footsteps.

She had never seen so many people in one place. Back in her pack, Omegas had their jobs near the Alpha's cottage. They didn't walk around like this.

She looked up and saw a sign: "Adkins Underground Subway."

Her eyes widened.

"Adkins… underground?" she whispered.

Could the Adkins family be hiding under the ground?

"Why would they put their secret hideout on a sign?" she whispered, covering her mouth.

She walked down the stairs quickly, following the people into the subway. The air smelled like dust, oil, and something fried.

She reached the bottom, where a train was waiting. People were going in and out. A man in uniform was checking tickets near the entrance. Lola stood in the line, near the back, but close enough to see the train doors.

She glanced around. The place was noisy. There were signs, loud voices, and someone shouting into a phone nearby. A little girl dropped her toy, and someone stepped on it by accident. The girl cried.

Then a voice whispered near her ear:

"Behind you. Lola, there's a man following you."

She turned quickly.

But there were too many people with blurred faces. Some looked at her strangely, and she didn't know why. She didn't know they were looking at her because of how big her body was. She just felt watched.

Figment of memory came rushing into her head. She saw herself falling — falling from somewhere high.

She had been pushed.

Her hand grabbed for something, anything to steady herself. It all felt like she was reliving the fall.

Lola gasped as she reached out to the person in front of her, hoping to hold on to them, just to stay upright.

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