Chapter 12: What Happens During 'Couple Time'

Caph was a fast learner.

In the day, he followed Acamar to various parts of Punggol and learned about every inch of Eridanus's territory. In the evening, he would hole up with Ran in her father's study for what Cass dubbed 'couple time'.

As much as Ran disliked the thought of Cass coming up with more illicit rumours to spread about the both of them, she needed the cover it unwittingly gave her to show Caph what her father had been up to without her uncle getting suspicious.

'He was not a brute force kind of person,' she said, unrolling a large ancient-looking map on the darkwood desk. 'He preferred to talk instead of fight, which you know is unusual for a werewolf.'

Caph smiled. He peered over her shoulder at the map, his warm breath making her neck tingle.

She resisted the urge to elbow him backward.

'My father would negotiate with both werewolf and human, instead of burning bridges and declaring war. As a result, Eridanus territory shrank over the years. He gave up disputed land to the packs that fought him for it in return for information and an alliance. It made my uncle angry.'

'Information?'

The map that was spread out on the desk was crinkled from being rolled and unrolled too many times. It was vigorously marked with red lines and crosses, annotated with a scrawly messy handwriting. Ran traced the ugly penmanship with a slender finger.

'My father was curious about the history of other packs.'

Caph smiled. 'Your father was a genius.'

He leaned over the table, pressing down on Ran, his arms on either side of her. With his right hand, he pointed at Buttercup Town which had been crossed out and marked with black hatching lines.

'He had Eridanus abandon this town so the humans could build a metropolitan city and bring in businesses.'

Ran glanced up at him in surprise, her forehead bumping into his chin. 'How did you–'

Caph rested his chin on her forehead. 'I study sociology, Ran.'

She scowled. 'My uncle challenged him to a duel over that.'

He couldn't tell if it was because she hated his display of affection in this private setting or out of indignation for her father.

'Buttercup Town had been ancestral werewolf territory for a long time so Acamar thought it was dishonourable and cowardly of him. Even though Eridanus became wealthy and gained the respect of the other packs in the county.'

He nuzzled her forehead tentatively.

She didn't send him flying.

He paused. Was she so immersed in her father's work that she didn't realise what he was doing?

Oh well. He slipped one hand around her waist, slightly up her shirt and distracted her by pointing at the map with the other. 'Apparently the moor where you hold Full Moon Gatherings was once Eridanus territory.'

Her waist was small and warm. Electric jolts of heat radiated up his arm in time with her pulse.

Ran still didn't seem to realise they were practically glued to each other now.

She didn't like him, right? She made it very clear to him that she was not interested in him and did not want any intimate contact in private.

So why had she lowered her guard and let him come so close?

There's no way she was really so focused on their discussion of her father's work that she didn't notice he was playing around.

'We used to hold the gatherings somewhere further north but the humans converted that area to a national park of something and forest rangers patrol the area frequently. The other packs wanted to chase the humans away but my father said to leave them be and offered up the moor instead.'

She slapped him for hitting on her when they first met but now, he was basically embracing her and she had no violent objections?

Her sudden vulnerability and openness startled him.

Made him hesitate.

Was she like this with her close male friends as well?

Ran's potential behind the ice-cold exterior she presented to the world satisfied him. In many ways.

He felt the tiniest bit guilty for taking advantage of her.

But just as he was about to let go of her and move a respectable distance away, Ran pulled the hand he had around her waist back firmly around her waist.

She said, without looking at him, 'Don't let go. My uncle placed a spy camera in here to watch us.'

He lowered his voice. 'Is he listening in too?'

'No.' Ran spoke without shaking her head. 'He didn't go that far.'

Caph swore under his breath.

Ran sniggered and turned to him, a grin on her face. 'What, you thought I didn't notice you fooling around?'

'Why is there a CCTV in your father's study?' he said evasively.

'It's not for security. Acamar put it here earlier today. He'll remove it if he's satisfied with what he sees.'

Caph resisted the urge to look around for it.

The thrill of teasing Ran evaporated. What a bummer.

Then, he thought of something and smirked back at her.

He bent his head to meet hers. 'Should we show him something really convincing then?'

Their noses were almost touching.

Ran could see the flakes of light in his irises.

The tip of her ears turned pink and she shoved him away.

'Concentrate on what I'm telling you!'

The next day, Acamar retrieved the camera and Ran confirmed that it was gone.

She kept Caph at arm's length every evening after that.