Jackson lost track of time, not knowing how much time he had spent accompanying Alicante.

Yet, he found he wasn’t bored looking at Alicante and enjoyed the scenery.

He would sometimes find Alicante touching and playing in the sand on the beach.

Then Alicante turned his attention from the beach sand to watching a sand bubbler crab run at crab speed away from him when he tried to catch the sand bubbler crab.

Of all the things he gave today, only taking to the beach could make Alicante look this happy.

It was just a pretty simple invitation. There was nothing special about his invitation.

Should Alicante feel that happy just because of that simple invitation?

Or could it be because, for Alicante, going to the beach was something he had never done in his life?

Maybe so.

It didn’t mean he was upset by the new facts he found. He was happy to see the new side of Alicante he never knew before.

Looking at Alicante’s childish expression was more than enough for telling him that all the sacrifices he made to go back in time were not in vain.

His gaze was drawn to the figure of Alicante, who was humming pleasantly and smiling slightly.

He chuckled a little when he observed Alicante, who was now trying to construct something out of beach sand with his hands full of sand.

Suddenly, he felt the aura of another werewolf he did not know at all.

Some auras he detected were filled with evil intentions, which he could sense from the scent emanating from the enemy stalking them.

Without thinking twice, Jackson activated his werewolf’s eyes to find out the identity of the person.

Unfortunately, the werewolves were hiding in places that were difficult for him to track.

Only a faint scent wafted through his nose, though that alone made him shudder and be wary of it.

Jackson rushed to Alicante, patting the man on the shoulder.

“Hey, Alicante?”

“Hmm?” The man shifted his concentration from his earlier attempt to catch the small bubbler crab, turning to him with a curious look on his face. “What? Wait. Your eyes … there is something wrong with your eyes …”

“Oh, my eyes?” Jackson panicked when he realized he forgot to hide his werewolf’s eyes in front of Alicante. “Err … that …”

“Yes?”

“It’s not important,” said Jackson quickly, hiding his panic by trying to distract Alicante from his curiosity about the changes in his now werewolf-mode eyes to another topic. “I know this is not what I promised you earlier. But we need to get out of here right now!”

“Huh? But I still want to be here. You said you would accompany me here for how long it will be,” Alicante looked disappointed, showing his teary eyes. “Don’t tell me you want to break your promise––”

“What? No! I don’t mean it!” Jackson cleared his throat to resist the cuteness of Alicante. “Okay, I know I promised to accompany you until you want to go home.”

“Then, what?” Alicante cocked his head, waiting for his response. “Why are you asking me to leave?”

He glanced around. His nose could smell the trail of another werewolf moving slowly from their hiding place, but getting closer and closer to them.

“But the situation is different now. We can visit this beach tomorrow––”

“No. I don’t know if I can go to school or visit this place tomorrow ...”

“Eh?” He frowned at Alicante’s response. “What are you talking about?”

“I ... I don’t know if I can go to school tomorrow or not if I come home at this hour,” Alicante replied quietly.

Alicante’s body was shivering, which he interpreted as a sign that it was the temperature around the beach where they were making the man’s body shiver, so he immediately took off the jacket he was wearing and put it on Alicante.

“You mean, you feel scared of being late because your parents will scold you if you come home late?” Jackson asked Alicante carefully as he brushed off the remaining sand stuck to Alicante’s hands, trying to appear calm.

There was no answer from Alicante, so he continued his speech while patting the man’s head.

“Don’t worry about that. How about I tell your parent that you were with me—”

“No!!” Alicante quickly shook his head in panic. “I-I mean, you don’t need to go that far …”

“But I don’t mind …,” Jackson paused for a moment, observing Alicante’s reaction before he continued. “Okay. How about I will come to pick you up for school tomorrow? Does it sound good to you?”

“Eh?” Alicante’s eyes perplexed, not believing with what he just heard. “Can … Can I take your word for it?”

“Sure. Anything for you.”

“Are you … Are you really going to pick me up tomorrow?” asked Alicante again, to which he answered with a firm nod.

“Can … Can I believe what you just said?” asked Alicante again, then he tightened the jacket he had given him earlier.

“I told you I would do anything for you. Did everything I did to you just now not explain itself to you?”

“I... I just wanted to make sure...,” Alicante looked hesitant. “I just... I mean, I still find it difficult to accept this new side of you. I mean, it’s too sudden for me…”

Jackson did not really listen to Alicante’s words as he became more and more worried when he saw some large gray wolves were trying to approach Alicante silently from behind. “Save your questions for later, okay?”

Without trying to explain anything to Alicante about their current situation, Jackson lifted him up before he could even protest Jackson’s action.

Then he ran at his ultrasonic speed until they arrived at the parking area.

Alicante’s blue eyes blinked when he realized they were already standing in the parking area in a blink of an eye, with him getting on his motorcycle and putting his helmet on Alicante.

“Hop in!” he called to Alicante. “We had better hurry!”

“What is happening—”

“I will explain to you later,” Jackson started the engine, dismayed to find the werewolves were now trying to catch up with them. “Now, you had better move and hop in!”

Thankfully, he got no more questions from Alicante. Alicante quickly obeyed and hopped on his motorcycle.

He glanced briefly in his rear-view mirror, then immediately drove his motorcycle at full speed as they were leaving the area, as soon as he saw the distance of his enemies getting closer to them.

There was no need for Jackson to ask him to hug him tightly, just like Alicante did to him this afternoon, as the man wrapped his thin arms around his waist.

Alicante hugged his waist tightly until he could feel Alicante’s body trembling with fear as he drove his motorcycle at high speed.

He even overtook several vehicles on a busy highway without trying to reduce the speed of his motorcycle.

It took him more than half an hour to drive his motorcycle across the lane to outwit the enemy.

He chanted in silence a spell his mother had taught him secretly once she knew about his intention to go back to the past.

A spell that could only be used at crucial moments by tricking the werewolf’s sense of smell.

In the past, he did not know why his mother taught him, but now he understood it. His mother appeared to have foreseen this would happen to him if he went back in time.

Yet, he still didn’t understand why the werewolves were following him—or perhaps they were after Alicante.

He felt relieved when he knew that the spell he had cast earlier did its job pretty well, making the werewolves confused by their smell and no longer chasing after him.

He already slipped his motorcycle among the crowds of traffic jams to Alicante’s house.

Casting that spell alone had actually drained his strength, plus he barely got any rest after successfully returning to the past.

Yet he did not have time to worry about that part. It was not him who should be his priority. It was Alicante’s safety that he had to ensure.

He slowed down the speed of his motorcycle, patting Alicante’s hands, which were still wrapped around his waist.

“Hey? Alicante?”

There was no answer from Alicante, making Jackson continue his words.

“I am really sorry to make you feel scared.”

Alicante still had his arms around him, like his words hadn’t made him feel safe yet.

Or maybe Alicante felt disappointed with him for breaking the promise.

He didn’t know.

He said nothing more, just let Alicante hold him.

Deep in his heart, he felt annoyed and cursed at the appearance of the werewolves, who interrupted his time with Alicante.

Then he realized one thing.

Why were the werewolves trying to approach them?

***