CHAPTER 48: I THOUGHT I SAW EBERHARD

As the car rolled out of the pack’s gates, Rhea’s eyes immediately widened. Her face pressed lightly against the glass window as she took in the view beyond the compound. Towering buildings shimmered in the distance, streetlights blinking in perfect rhythm, cars whizzing by on smooth asphalt roads.

Her lips parted slightly. This world... it looks exactly like mine.

The city stretched endlessly, a reflection of modern civilization, glass towers, neon signs, busy sidewalks. Everything from the architecture to the billboards looked like something ripped straight from her old life. Guess the author modeled this place after Earth, she thought, unable to decide whether to laugh or scream.

Ellie stole glances at her from behind the wheel. She was practically glowing with awe, eyes darting from one corner of the passing cityscape to another. He found himself wondering why someone like her had been trapped inside those pack walls for so long. Guess it takes a bit of rebellion to break your own chains, he thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

From the back seat, Tavian and Jason exchanged small looks, half amused, half guilty. To them, she just looked like someone seeing the world for the first time, which, in a way, she was.

They drove past a café on a street corner, its glass walls revealing people chatting and laughing inside. Rhea’s head turned sharply. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of a familiar figure walking through the café door.

Her pulse skipped. Eberhard?

She twisted in her seat, craning her neck for another look, and checked the side mirror to be sure.

Ellie noticed. "What’s wrong?"

"I thought I saw Eberhard walk into that coffee shop we just passed," she said, still glancing back.

Both Tavian and Jason turned too, trying to catch a glimpse through the rear window as if they’d be able to confirm it.

Ellie chuckled. "Your eyes are probably playing tricks on you. There’s been no report of Eberhard leaving the pack grounds. No one does without the Alpha’s approval."

Rhea frowned and sank back into her seat. "Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me," she said softly, though doubt lingered in her tone.

"He must’ve really gotten under your skin for you to be seeing him everywhere, now." Ellie teased.

"I’m not seeing him everywhere, just that coffee shop," she shot back, scowling as Ellie’s quiet laughter filled the car. But even then, she couldn’t shake the image, she could’ve sworn that was him.

After another ten minutes of smooth driving, Ellie turned into a parking lot and guided the car into a spot near a tall, glass-front building glowing with the name "Lunaris Mall" in bright gold letters. He cut the engine. "We’re here."

Rhea stepped out, her eyes immediately darting up to the towering mall that seemed to touch the clouds. The wide glass entrance reflected the city lights like a jewel.

"This is... massive," she breathed. "I knew the pack was rich by how fancy that house is, but this? This is next level. Who builds a literal palace for shopping?"

Ellie laughed, shaking his head. Tavian and Jason tried to hide their smiles, failing miserably. They’d never seen anyone so openly baffled by something so normal.

"Your reactions are kind of cute," Ellie said, still grinning. "I can understand though, this is your first time seeing a mall."

Rhea huffed. "Believe it or not, I’ve seen bigger malls than this. I’m just surprised this world owns one too."

Ellie gave her a skeptical look. There she goes again, he thought, rambling about seeing things she hasn’t and talking about ’this world’ like she isn’t part of it.

Still, he couldn’t completely dismiss her words. In a way, she was right, being cut off from everything outside the Pack would make anyone sound detached. He shook his head and decided not to push it.

As they approached the entrance, Rhea asked, "So... humans own this place or what?"

"The mall actually belongs to the Grimhowl Pack," Ellie said, holding the door open for her. "But, both humans and werewolves work here."

Rhea’s eyes widened. "Wait, what? You mean humans and werewolves actually work together?"

"Yes, why do you sound surprised?" Ellie asked, glancing at her.

"Because I am..." she said.

Ellie chuckled; he kind of liked this side of her.

"So..." Rhea tilted her head. "If the pack owns this mall, then the clothes here should be free, right?"

Ellie stared at her. "How did you even come up with that?"

"Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?" she asked innocently.

Tavian bit his lip to keep from laughing while Jason turned away, shoulders shaking silently.

"It doesn’t work that way," Ellie said, pushing open the glass door for her. "Sure, the pack owns the mall, but the stores belong to different people. They set their own prices."

"Oh." Rhea nodded slowly, then smirked. "Here I was hoping to run that big-headed Alpha’s pockets dry."

Ellie nearly choked on a laugh while Tavian and Jason looked both horrified and amused.

They stepped inside the mall, bright lights, marble floors, and the hum of conversation surrounding them, heading straight toward the clothing section, with Rhea already scanning every corner like she’d just discovered paradise.

*******

The coffee shop buzzed with the soft hum of conversation and the clinking of porcelain cups against saucers. Near the farthest corner, away from the crowd gathered at the counter and tables, a man dressed entirely in black sat half-shadowed. His face was obscured beneath a cap pulled low, one gloved hand slowly stirring a cup he hadn’t taken a sip from.

Eberhard walked in briskly, his heavy coat brushing against a few chairs as he made his way to the back. The barista barely spared him a glance; the man moved with the kind of confidence that made people instinctively look away.

When he reached the corner table, his brows furrowed. "This better be worth dragging me out here," he muttered, lowering himself into the seat opposite the stranger.