My Only Person

Poisonous Tongue

(The above-used image does not belong to me. The credit goes to the rightful owner.)

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Clarissa's POV

"Need help?"

My head whipped around at the speed of lightning upon hearing a deep voice behind me. The other person wasn't bothered in the least, not sparing me a single glance as he stood leaning against the wall concealed under the dark side of the flickering lamp with a cigarette in his hand.

Using all the strength, I forced my body to stand up, biting my lips to suppress any sounds as my whole being screamed with pain.

He exhaled billows of smoke while gazing blankly at the sky. His back was faced to me, but from his voice, I could tell who it was.

Was he here the entire time?

I had ensured no one was in the vicinity. Was it the poison that clouded my senses?

Damn it!

No one should have seen me in my current state.

Regardless, I fixed myself and, after much difficulty, managed to walk properly and stood leaning against a wall parallel to him. Retrieving a box of cigarette and a lighter from the inner pocket of my coat, I lit one for myself.

With each drag, I felt my insides easing a bit. This was a detoxification cigarette concocted by one of my allies to help me heal myself after any accidental exposure to poisons. It proved particularly effective against wolfsbane poisoning. But I use it all the time and this addiction probably started around the same time as my drinking problem.

As I took a few more puffs, my breathing stabilised more.

"Alpha Lionel," I finally acknowledged him.

"Vice-Captain Riley," he called out to me in the same lifeless tone, his eyes still hooked onto the stars and the half-moon.

"Don't you need to be inside the hall with the other Alphas?"

He let out a hoarse chuckle and dropped his cigarette on the ground, crushing it beneath his shoe. "You speak so sweetly, like other women."

He didn't sound sweet at all when saying that.

"Thank you..."

"No need. I didn't mean it as a compliment," he casually remarked, finally shifting his gaze to me, arms crossed over his chest.

He was bulked up, tall, and held a distinctive charm, along with having several scars on the left side of his face. The dim lighting in this area made it all the more petrifying; with only half his face illuminated, those scars stood out vividly.

"Women are sly. They say one thing, mean another. I'm sure you're probably poking fun at me right now by asking that question," he said, a slight smile on his face, but there was no warmth, it was stark dry.

"I'm not sure what gave you that impression, but my intention was no-"

"I know. I know. The same old cat-and-mouse strategy. Women are so exhausting, right?" He cocked his eyebrow in question.

He spoke in a super laid-back manner, but to me, every movement, gesture, word, smile, and gaze he made filled me with terror. The only person who has made me feel this level of danger and fright was Theo.

I kept myself together and faced him with an expressionless look. "I deduce you're not a fan of women."

"Wow, Einstein! I wonder what gave you that idea?"