Chapter 15
CARINA
1 froze in his hold, wondering what he was doing.
Wife?
Was I hallucinating, or did he just call me his wife?
However, his next words snapped me back to reality.
“This is the natural reaction to getting the permit,” he whispered in my car, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
“We need to continue selling the act.”
I pursed my lips. Of course, that was it. With that, I wrapped my arms around him and indulged in his embrace.
Those watching around us started murmuring.
“They were granted a permit?”
“I thought Alpha Falco had a different partner.”
“Don’t listen to them,” Falco said, still holding me in his arms. When he deemed it was enough, he finally let go and placed me on the ground.
Then, he smiled, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers. The others continued watching us, so I tried my hardest to act. Although, it wasn’t that hard at all when Falco made it seem so real.
We continued holding hands until we arrived in the car. As soon as we were inside, though, he let go of my hand.
“Finally,” he said, massaging the bridge of his nose.
I watched him silently, wondering if everything was truly just an act to him.
I cleared my throat. “We got the permit,” I said.
A small smile made its way to his lips. “Yeah. It’s all thanks to you.”
I bit my lip to hide my smile.
“Your story sounded really sincere, and I nearly believed it. You did a good job coming up with a story,” he said.
I was taken aback for a second before letting out a small chuckle.
“Ah, yeah,” I muttered. “A story, huh?”
“Anyway,” he said, glancing outside the window. “We should go. The skies are already getting dark, and we still have a long drive home.”
“Hmm,” I hummed, staring out of the window.
The drive back had been quiet, even before the rain started. I sat in the passenger seat, my eyes fixed on the window as the first few drops streaked down the glass.
I frowned and looked up. The moon was faint behind the thickening clouds.
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Chapter 15
“Was it supposed to rain tonight?” I asked.
Falco frowned and also glanced outside. “No,” he answered. “The forecast had been clear skies.”
However, the rain only started pelting harder on the windshield.
“Should we stop?” I asked as his view of the road blurred.
He shook his head. “I can still see clearly.”
“Right.” I muttered. He had accelerated senses, after all.
However, I reckoned it still wasn’t safe.
“Besides, we’re two hours in,” he said. “If I stop now, it would be a waste. Let’s just continue.”
“Alright,” I muttered, trusting in his words.
However, only minutes after he said that, the car had come to a sudden halt.
The engine sputtered and groaned before falling silent altogether. The headlights then went out completely, leaving us in near darkness except for the dim glow of the streetlight above us.
“Crap,” he muttered, trying to start the
ine.
“What just happened?” I asked, sitting up straighter in my seat.
Falco didn’t answer immediately. His frown deepened as he turned the key in the ignition again. The engine made a sound but refused to come back to life.
He tried again, this time with a little more force, but the result was the same. Nothing. Just the sound of rain falling and the occasional distant rustle of leaves.
“The battery’s dead,” he concluded.
He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his dark hair, his jaw tightening as he glanced at the dashboard. “Radio’s
out too.”
I glanced around, my unease growing. The road was also empty so there was no one around we could ask for help.
Falco then pulled up his phone and tried to dial his parents. However, his phone didn’t ring. “No signal,” he said.
“Can you
link Carter from here?” I asked.
“The distance is too wide,” he confirmed, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
We sat there in silence for a moment, the rain growing heavier until it was pounding against the roof of the car.
The air had become colder, too, and I realized that the heater had inevitably shut down. I placed my hands on my lap, my fingers drumming nervously against my thigh.
“So, what now?” I asked finally, my voice softer.
Without any warning, Falco opened the car door, making my eyes go wide.
“What are you doing?” I exclaimed.
He didn’t answer and just popped the hood before stepping out without another word.
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Chapter 15
The rain immediately soaked through his shirt, the fabric clinging to his broad shoulders as he moved to the front.
“Falco I called out, but he didn’t listen. He stared down at the engine with a scowl, but it seemed like he couldn’t find anything worth fixing
With that, he came back, his hair wet and his shirt nearly see–through.
“It’s really dead,” he said. “We need to have it replaced
“How can we do—*
My words got stuck in the back of my throat when Falco suddenly tugged at the hem of his soaked shirt before pulling it off in one smooth motion.
1 froze, my eyes darting to him without meaning to. His skin was a deep bronze, smooth yet marked by a few scars that added to his ruggedness.
Every muscle was sharply defined, his chest rising and falling steadily as he threw the shirt onto the backseat. His body looked like it had been carved out of stone. The faint light above us cast shadows along his torso, emphasizing the ridges of his abs and the breadth of his shoulders.
“Why are you…?” I started, my voice catching slightly.
“It’s colder keeping a wet shirt on,” he said casually, running a hand through his damp hair. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the situation–or by the fact that he looked like some kind of Greek god sitting next to me.
Then, he looked out of the window. “We’re stuck here for the night, so get comfortable.”
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田
