Moonlit Shadows

To Meet The King

"That's a wolf. He looks shady enough to know the answer to my question." Jungkook eyed the unknown werewolf from across a busy street.

Sunny and Taehyung sat in a bench, casually watching the pedestrians passing.

"Does he look like he's worth the risk?" asked Taehyung quietly after taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"I'm not sure," mumbled Jungkook. He watched as the werewolf bent down to put the combination into the lock laced through the bicycle's tire.

He finally jerked his eyes away from the man across the street when he felt someone bump into him.

"My apologies," came a quiet voice in clear Korean.

Jungkook stepped to the side a few inches. "No problem," he replied hesitantly.

"Who are you looking for?" said the quiet voice.

Jungkook studied the small figure carefully. Everything that could identify them was covered. Eyes, hands, even their mouth since it was behind a mask. "And who are you?"

"Someone you will probably need," the stranger said.

Jungkook noticed the stranger was female, and as he drew in a deep breath he picked up on a distinctive scent.

"How do you know that?" he said, feeling Taehyung's looming presence right behind him.

She removed her sunglasses, and her eyes slowly cut over to Jungkook's. "I'm in the business of knowing things."

Jungkook eyed her through a narrowed gaze. "And why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't. At least not fully."

"What do you want?" said Taehyung coldly, tired of the chit chat.

Her eyes never left Jungkook. "I was enlisted by a friend to help you. Go to this address in one hour and we can talk there."

She shoved a crumpled paper into his hand. "And leave the bloodsuckers behind," she threw over her shoulder as she stepped off the curb.

After she reached the opposite side of the street, Jungkook lost sight of her.

"What was that about? Who was she, Jungkook?" Sunny stood beside him, looking up at him for answers.

"I don't know. I need to contact Hoseok."

* * *

Jaci stepped into the back of a luxury sedan parked in front of the house. In the driver's seat, Aydan sat, smiling into the rear view mirror.

"You look more nervous than you need to be," he said in a friendly tone.

Jaci gave him a tight smile and put her seatbelt on. The click of the buckle seemed to echo in the car due to the heavy silence.

"Music preference?"

"Ah...whatever you want to listen to. I'm not really a connoisseur of music," she said.

Aydan chuckled and put the car into gear. "Piano music it is, then. So, Miss. Aigle, Lord Zephyr tells me you're here because you have some questions."

Jaci felt uneasy with the line of conversation. "I'd rather ask him directly, if that's okay."

"Oh, of course. I'm not prying for specifics. I've been Lord Zephyr's assistant for a very long time. I'm not sure what you've heard about him, but you can certainly trust him."

Jaci licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. "How long have you worked for him?"

Aydan smiled straight ahead and tilted his head. "Long enough to forget exactly how long."