Dorian's eyes widened as his jaw dropped before he quickly composed himself only for his lips to part slightly but no words came out until he eventually mustered up the courage to ask. "What?"
"Not like that." Leona rushed. "I'm not asking because I have feelings for you. I just need to know if you do. Because that could ruin our friendship."
And then he laughed, wildly. "Of course not." He said, grinning. "When I look at you, I don't see a lady, I see a fellow man."
She grimaced. "I don't know if that's a compliment."
"It is." He insisted. "It means I see you as someone I can relate to. And I know you probably see me as one of the girls."
"No." She shook her head. "I see you as a male friend."
He sighed dramatically. "Then I guess I'm the problem."
"Yes." She said without missing a beat. "You are."
They both burst out laughing, the tension dissolving between them. When it faded, Dorian grew serious again. "Truth is, I don't have those kinds of feelings for you. You're one of the greatest people I know, but you're not the one I have feelings for."
Leona narrowed her eyes. "Wait, you just said that I am not the one you have feelings for… That means that there is someone you like, right?"
Dorian remained silent, so she continued, asking. "Do I know her?"
He shrugged. "Maybe you know them, maybe you don't. But it's not important."
"Oh, it's absolutely important." She said, jogging to keep up as he picked up his pace. "You can't just say that and walk away."
He ignored her, a grin tugging at his lips and they laughed all the way down the street until something clicked in her mind.
"Wait!" Leona said suddenly, turning to him. "How are we going to get back to the Pack if Thalia took the car?"
"She offered to come back for us." Dorian said, scoffing. "But I figured we could just take a cab."
"My dad would lose his mind if he knew I took a cab."
"We could run back."
"And get caught?" She shot him a look. "Absolutely not. Cab it is."
With that decided, they walked for several minutes before the city noise thinned out and the club's bass-heavy music faded into the background. The night air was peaceful here, broken only by the occasional passing car and the glow of streetlights stretching long shadows across the pavement.
Leona shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket, her thoughts still tangled from everything that had happened. Dorian stayed beside her, matching her pace easily, occasionally glancing around the street out of habit.
Eventually, headlights slowed beside them and a cab pulled up, its indicator blinking lazily. Dorian stepped forward first, leaning down toward the open window. "Townsville." He said.
The driver raised an eyebrow, looking them over briefly before naming the price. Leona grimaced slightly. "That much?"
"It's late." The driver replied. "And Townsville's not close."
Leona hesitated only a second because she was still skeptical about using a cab, before nodding. "Fine."
Then they climbed into the back seat, the door thudding shut behind them as the cab merged back onto the road. As the city began to unfold around them, Townsville gradually emerged with wide streets, towering buildings, and glass facades reflecting artificial light like polished mirrors.
It was a city that looked clean, and organized, and to humans, it was ruled by Mayor Davion, an influential man with charm, wealth, and a spotless public image. But to werewolves, and to a select few humans in power, it belonged to Alpha Davion of the Moonshadow Pack.
Leona watched the city through the window, her expression unreadable. "Take us a little further in." She told the driver after a while.
He glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "That'll cost extra."
"That's fine." Dorian said immediately and the cab rolled deeper into Townsville, moving past familiar landmarks until Leona finally pointed out a quieter street.
"Here's good." The cab slowed to a stop a few blocks away from the Packhouse, far enough to avoid attention, and close enough to walk without concern.
Leona reached into her purse, fingers brushing against folded bills, but Dorian caught her wrist gently. "I've got it." He said and she looked at him. "You don't have to…"
"I know, but I am still doing it."
She relented, stepping out onto the sidewalk as Dorian paid the driver and the cold air wrapped around her again, grounding her as they exchanged a brief look. "Get home safe." Dorian said.
"You too." She said, watching as he shut the door, and the cab pulled away again, carrying him further down the street.
As they drove, Dorian leaned back into the seat, finally allowing himself to relax. "You can drop me off a few blocks ahead." He told the driver, giving him the address.
The ride was quieter now and when they reached his stop, Dorian paid then stepped out. As he crossed into the parking area, his gaze immediately landed on his car which meant Thalia was home.
He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair before heading inside. The stairwell echoed faintly with his footsteps as he climbed, unlocking the apartment door and pushing it open to see that the living room lights were on and a crime documentary played on the television.
Thalia stood in front of the screen, completely absorbed, tugging a sports bra over her head and pulling on a top without much concern for her surroundings.
Dorian stopped short. "…Seriously?" He muttered, closing the door behind him and walked further inside, his eyes landing on a towel discarded on the couch. Picking it up, he crossed the room and draped it around her shoulders.
She startled, spinning around. "Hey! What are you doing?"
"You should really start dressing properly around me." He said, irritation slipping into his voice. "You keep forgetting you live with a man."
She blinked at him, then she laughed. "Have you gone crazy?"
"Excuse me?" He frowned.
"The fact that you consider yourself a man is what's crazy." She shot back. "I see you as a lady, that's why I dress comfortably around you."
He stared at her. "That's… not reassuring."
She crossed her arms, unfazed. "I know you see me as a man too, so trust me, we're both safe."
Dorian exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well…" He said finally, lowering his hand and meeting her eyes. "What if I saw you as a woman?"
The laughter drained from her face and the room went quiet except for the television murmuring in the background. Thalia searched his expression, suddenly unsure whether he was joking. "…What?"
"Well…" She said, arms crossing slowly over her chest. "Do you see me as a woman?"
On hearing her question, Dorian stopped breathing for half a second because he had known her for years so he should never have felt anything on seeing her dressed this way, and yet his chest felt tight.
And the worst part? He didn't even know which answer was true. His feelings for her had come out of nowhere, just a sudden, disorienting awareness that had started some weeks ago and refused to quiet down.
So he did the only cowardly thing that could buy him time, he laughed awkwardly, though it didn't match the tension in the room. "Come on." He said, waving a hand. "I was just joking."
Thalia's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're… joking."
"Yeah." He shifted his weight, forcing his tone lighter than he felt. "Relax."
There was a second of silence, then he added, too quickly, grasping for something safe. "But still, you need to start dressing properly around me."
Her mouth fell open. "What?"
"I mean…" He shrugged, already regretting it. "Walking around in just a sports bra and shorts isn't exactly… appropriate."
She scoffed. "We've lived together for years, Dorian."
"I know, I'm just saying."
"Since when?" She pressed. "Since when has this been a problem?"
She kept talking after that, words tumbling over each other, clearly irritated as she pointed out how she'd done this a hundred times before, how he'd never cared, and how ridiculous he was being.
Dorian barely heard her, he just walked past her, eyes fixed ahead. "I'm done with this." He muttered.
"Done with what?" She called after him. "I asked you a question."
He didn't answer, he just reached his room, shut the door, and leaned back against it, pressing his shoulders into the wood as if it might hold him upright. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Idiot." He murmured to himself meanwhile in the living room, Thalia let out a laugh of disbelief.
"Oh, wow." She muttered.
She tugged the towel off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor, before making her way to the couch. "Unbelievable." The murder documentary she'd been watching earlier was still playing with the narrator calmly describing violence as a subject.
Normally, she would've been engrossed, but tonight it barely registered because her mind constantly replayed Dorian's laugh, and the way he'd avoided her eyes.
The sound of her phone buzzing dragged her back to reality. Frowning, she picked it up to see that it was a text message from Leona and it was just a link with no explanation. Thinking that it might be a link to a fun video, Thalia tapped on it and immediately, her face drained of color.
"What the…" She whispered, heart racing as she scanned the headline, then the first paragraph, before she looked at the photos that blurred beneath it.
Without hesitation, she shot up to her feet then stormed towards Dorian's room, and pushed the door. "Do…" She began but paused on seeing Dorian standing at the edge of his bed, rubbing his hair dry with a small face towel.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He snapped, spinning around.
Thalia stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide.
"Oh, shit!" Sorry, sorry." She said quickly, turning her head away. "I didn't mean to barge in, I just…"
"You should've knocked." He cut in.
"I know, I know." She said, holding up a hand. "I'm sorry, I would have if it wasn't urgent."
"Urgent enough to ignore basic boundaries?" he asked, irritation flaring, until he really
looked at her and noticed that looked shaken.
He lowered the towel slowly. "What's going on?"
She turned back toward him, clutching her phone. "I just saw on the news that two girls were found dead at the club we just left."