Sera rolls over on the bed, her mind racing with recent events. She tries desperately to push the haunting memory of the murder away.
The murder from five years ago. The one that changed her completely.
"God," she groans, running a hand over her face and taking a deep breath to ground herself. "This shouldn't be bothering me this much right now."
She searches for a distraction and, unexpectedly, someone springs to mind.
The Alpha. Kim Taehyung.
The mere thought of him jolts her upright, a frown creasing her face. "Okay brain, anything but that ass," she mutters.
She stares blankly at the dim room, suddenly finding the wallpaper fascinating, anything to keep thoughts of him at bay. But they persist, looping back into her mind no matter how hard she tries to expel them.
"Goodness gracious," she mutters.
Sera decides against trying to fall back asleep, hoping that a cup of hot tea might help clear her racing thoughts. As she opens her bedroom door, a noise catches her attention.
It's the sound of something being struck. Or someone working on something.
She reaches for her gun, concealing it beneath her thick robe, and swiftly checks Yuri's room to ensure she is still asleep. Finding her safe and sound, Sera quietly closes the door and tiptoes towards the stairs. She peeks over the banister to see if anyone is downstairs.
The living room light is on, just as Yuri likes it. Sera descends the stairs cautiously, her gun poised at her side. Once she reaches the bottom, she freezes and listens intently.
The sound is coming from the kitchen.
She takes a deep breath, steeling herself for any potential threat. Moving out of the shadows, she steps into the kitchen, her gun aimed and steady.
"Don't move," she commands.
"Holy crap!" the person shrieks, stumbling backward off the chair. A muffin lands at Sera's feet, having tumbled from his mouth.
Sera gasps as she recognizes the brown-haired man groaning in pain on the floor. Even out of uniform, he is still recognizable.
"Wolfram?" she sighs, lowering her gun. "What are you doing here?"
Wolfram grunts as he gets up, rubbing his backside. "Seriously, Sera, make a sound, will you?"
Sera flicks the kitchen light on, placing her gun on the table. She turns to him with an exasperated look. "This is the part where you explain why you are here. Did they send you?"
Wolfram—full name Ishiyama Wolfram, known as 'Wolfie' to his friends—dusts off his backside before straightening up. He attempts a salute to Sera but stops midway.
"You do that, and I will shoot you," Sera warns him. "And why are you stealing our food?"
Wolfram gives his usual wolfish grin and then searches for his muffin. His face turns sour when he sees it at Sera's feet. "My muffin."
Sera doesn't buy his attempt to change the topic. "Wolfram."
"Okay, sorry." He lifts his hands in the air, then casually takes a seat as if this is a normal occurrence. "The murder case report sent the entire task force into a frenzy. All four departments had a meeting two nights ago."
"All four?" Sera looks alert. "At the ULPC?"
Wolfram nods and sighs. "Yes, so the Director of LDA sent me, to assist you... as a scientist."
