I AlwaYs havE AnD I AlwayS WiLL --PART-2-TimE & AgaiN" Ongoing.

SEASON 2 "Time & Again" - -CHAPTER 41 - - The ProspecT Of HappinesS

Chapter 41

The ProspecT of HappineSS...

"So. What favours did young Luke do you?" said Alex sweetly.

Mia paused, in the middle of arranging the framed photograph next to her bed. "He carried my things for me." She murmured without looking back at her. "And you can stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?" said Alex, grinning. Mia rolled her eyes. "You're letting your imagination run wild, Alex."

But her eyes remained fixed on the photograph.

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"There you are," said Natalya, as Luke walked in, looking as though he was very far away. He looked up at her, at her voice.

"Hi, Natalya. Am I late?"

"Almost half an hour, yes," said Natalya. "I honestly hope that you didn't attack anyone-"

"I made a friend."He blurted it out without thinking.

"-because that really would be- What?" Natalya turned to him in surprise, her eyebrows raised.

"What?" But Luke was smiling. "She's really nice. And-"

"Wait, wait, hold on," said Natalya. "She? A female friend? But you always avoid women-"

"The ones you introduce me to are all chatterboxes and all they want is to have sex with me," said Luke, sounding irritated. "Humans are way better." Natalya's eyes went wide. "A human? You've fallen for a human?"

"So what if I have?" said Luke mulishly. "She's very nice."

Natalys sighed. "Luke, humans are a different race entirely- you can't just come and say you've found your mate in a human! Look at Wangji--- humans are very difficult to handle, Luke!"

"Relax, Natalya," said Luke. "I didn't say I've found my mate, did I? Yeah I like her, but she doesn't seem to fall all over me. That's a good thing, isn't it? Besides, it's not like you know all the humans in the world. Maybe this one's different."

Natalya nodded slowly. "I suppose so, yes...what is she like?" Luke shrugged, smiling slightly. "I don't know her very well. She doesn't talk too much. Or maybe," his smile dropped as the thought crossed his mind, "maybe she wasn't interested enough." Natalya shook her head. "How does that make you so determined that she is nice?" Luke sighed. "You don't understand, Natalya. She listened to me. And...I felt like telling her everything. She treated me like a normal person, and she--- and she seems very self collected, very sure..."

"Are you sure she was human?" said Natalya. "Funny. That reminds me of someone I know."

"Who?" said Luke.

"Alex Jilang," said Natalya, glancing down at her sketch. "The new werewolf Queen. Whenever I have met her, she gives off a similar vibe..."

"No," said Luke. "No, her name is Mia."

"Mia ?" said Natalya, still absorbed in the sketch. "Really?"

"Yes," said Luke. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," said Natalya distractedly. "No, that's settled, I suppose. For a moment there I thought maybe you'd taken a fancy to the new werewolf queen. She is gaining some fame these days for her pro-peace ideas, you know. Much better than her predecessor. Oh, well. Just be careful, Luke." She looked up earnestly at him. "No matter what the attractions of the human are...matters of the heart are complex. I just don't want you to be upset."