Chapter 226 - Shoulder

GROWL!!!

All of a sudden, Eric heard a huge growling sound from Ivory's abdomen as he assisted her warmly sitting down on the public bench of the park. The sound was so loud and intense that it even startled him for a moment. 

"Wh-What's with that noise?" Nervously, he queried her gasping in awe taking his seat beside her. 

Looking a bit shy and timid in that entire tipsy state, she slowly caressed her palm over her abdomen, rustling in a low tone, "I am...hungry."

"Huh?"

"Since...yesterday...I didn't have anything... My stomach...is churning inside... Ugh...I am craving some fresh hot blood. Or some warm raw...flesh... would have been great too" Seeming quite frivolous, she frowned her pale grimace, uttering out aloud. 

"Heh!?" Spellbound at her desire, Eric was deadpanned in shock for a moment, rolling his dark, dilated black pupils wider. Seeming a bit fretful, he wondered on his own, "blood...flesh? Maybe...she is talking gibberish in this drunk state... There is no way any human can actually consume blood and flesh for a meal! Yes, she has lost it, actually." Nodding his head on his own, he abruptly stood up from the bench and she quickly observed his gesture. 

"Are you...leaving me...now? Alright...get...lost... I want some...lone time here... This place...is peaceful." She took a heavy sigh out, glancing at the desolated large park especially at the empty swings that were swirling on their own with the night breeze. 

Without answering a single word, he quickly rushed out of the park leaving her sitting alone and humming a mellow tune softly. Almost, in 15 minutes, he hushed back inside the park panting out heavily. It seemed as if he had come back to her running speedily to save as much possible time as he could. 

Watching him arriving back again, Ivory seemed very startled, fretting her grimace at him. Sulking her jowls, she winced at him, "what? You...are back...again? Didn't...you agree that you...would leave me alone?" 

"Yeah, I remember our deal. But I can't leave like this, especially when you are this drunk and starving." Quietly sitting next to her on the bench, he slowly handed her a wrapped packet that had some instant warm food packed in. 

"What's...this?" She doubted. 

"I am sorry, I couldn't find flesh and blood for your meal. All I got at this late hour is this chicken hamburger for you...but it's warm and fresh too." His polite voice sounded very considerate with a small blissful smile carved on his jowls. 

Without resisting further, she quietly grabbed it from him and took a large chomp of the burger that he had brought for her. Indeed it was warm and fresh! Since she was starving for a long time, it felt extremely delicious for her palate. Unknowingly a little sad smirk appeared on her pained face as she lowered her gaze down at the ground. 

"Umm...is it...edible for you?" Curiously centering his gaze upon her gestures, he probed. 

"It's not good...but I can eat it." Trying to act a bit cold before him, she declaimed in a polite voice. 

"Ahh... I am glad." He smiled wider with a glimmer of bliss shimmering in his dilated eyes. He was someone who could easily find happiness in every small thing. Watching her eating his food willingly, made his heart filled with content. 

"It's...been a long time...since...someone was kind to me... Though...you are very annoying...but...th-thank you." Softly peeking a glance at him, she whispered with a gloomy smile, gulping her food. 

Staring at her in awe for a moment, suddenly, an anguished look prevailed on his blissful grimace as he took a heavy sigh of grief out. Lifting his gaze up at the luminous sky, he queried to her curiously, "did something...happen?"

"Huh?"

"I mean...did something happen between you and...the person who has your heart?" His voice sounded quite morose as he repeated again. 

Suddenly, Ivory stopped chomping the ham and sat like a statue, absolutely still for a moment. Frowning her bereaved face, she narrowed her intense gaze while staring down at the ground as she murmured in a husky note, "don't...bring about that...fuckin' jerk...anymore." 

A short, gloomy smirk etched on his slender lips as he continued fixing his gaze at the sky while rustling, "so I was right. Something...indeed happened, eh? No doubt...why you looked so broken and bruised from inside. The scars we bear deep inside the heart are known to be more painful than the ones we bear outside." 

Clenching the ham tighter in her grasp, all of a sudden her eyes turned out to be swelled with glistening tears. Involuntarily, her body began to tremble a little which indicated she was getting quite infuriated. Quickly noticing her change in action, Eric grew a bit nervous and tried to divert her attention a little.

"Miss Ivory--"

"I did...every fucking thing...for that jerk...a-and...it all...never mattered to him... Why did I ever love a heartless jerk? No...matter how much I try...but I just can't stop thinking about him and I fuckin' hate it!! I hate him so much! I...I just hate him, argh!" Biting her lower lip ardently, she started to sob down bitter tears of anguish, lowering her grimace down. Her expression seemed severely pained and his heart was aching to see her in that mess. Nervous and concerned about her, a bit hesitatingly Eric tried to wrap his arm around her shoulder to console her wounded heart. But, he was intensified trying not to provoke her wrath furthermore.

But as he slowly placed his arm, he noticed that she didn't oppose or tried to shove him away. Getting a bit gallant, he firmly wrapped her in his embrace, and to his surprise, Ivory gently leaned her head on his warm shoulder, shedding her aching tears. 

"If you were holding onto so much pain inside...you should have let it flow already! Don't get too used to concealing your misery amidst loneliness. If...you needed a shoulder where you could vent your grief, you could have asked me already!" Tapping her back softly, he whispered his words sighing heavily. 

"I...hic...I hate you...Zeus...I...just hate you..." She was still grieving on her own, but her voice lowered, humming as an echo.

"Zeus? Maybe that's the name of that prick who hurt her innocent heart! Fuck! I wish I could punch him hard for making her cry so much..." Wondering inside while fretting his brows, he blew out a heavy puff of air out. 

"Miss Ivory...is his name...Zeus? Is that's...the one prick who made you cry?" Scrunching his cast, he queried her inquisitively. 

-SILENCE-

No answer flew back from her which even made him more curious. Shifting his gaze down, he observed that she was already asleep on his shoulder, breathing heavily. Her face was like that of an innocent child, with a red hue of sadness prominent as she wailed too hard. 

"She must have been...so exhausted...both mentally and physically." Softly caressing her head with a sad smile in his eyes, he whispered on his own. "I am glad...you are comfortable with sleeping on my shoulder. You were already too drunk. But...

Wait!

You can't pass out here, Miss Ivory! I don't know your address!" Suddenly, his facial expression turned out extremely anxious as he started to wake her up by caressing her side face nervously. 

"Please wake up!! How am I going to send you home when I know nothing about your residence!? I...I can't leave you here in this state either! That means...do I have to sit here with you for the whole night!? Fuck! Please wake up, Miss Ivory! I beg of you...please~" 

His intense attempts resulted in nothing as she was still unconscious, lost in her tired slumber. Exhaling a huge blow of air out in angst, he rustled on his own, "fuck...I am in huge trouble tonight!"

........

Walking towards the Sur river bridge that was a few meters away from her home, Clara glanced at her phone screen once to check the timing. It was already pretty late and Eva had called her earlier asking her to meet on the giant Sur bridge. It was quite essential for both of them to talk and sort out everything so without giving it a second thought, she headed straight to meet her. 

But, as soon as she was at the nearby distance from the bridge, on the desolated giant road all of a sudden, 15-20 young men dressed up in black suits and seeming quite mysterious appeared before her blocking her way ahead! Their sudden appearance further shocked her because she could sense from their scent, all of them were werewolves! She could sense, something troublesome was yet to happen!

Suddenly, she halted her motion, glaring at them fiercely as they surrounded her from all over. Gulping her saliva, she clenched her fist before roaring at them, "now...who the fuck are you all?"