Alexander's POV

100 years ago (1915)

I was at the marketplace when I picked up Monica's scent, and I don't know why it got me a little happy to see her. Turning around, Monica's mother is with her buying new dresses for her. But she seems a little more lively, and she's smiling a lot more than what she showed last night. Then, I picked up a scent similar to my kind but from a different family. The one Monica's talking to is the one I'm picking up the smell of, but he seems like he owns that shop. While I was focused on them, I suddenly saw him looking in my direction.

"Well, shit, this will get troublesome." Monica seems to notice that the man is looking in my direction, and she looks at me. She smiles at me and waves happily. Monica's mother looked at me, and she nodded at me.

"Alexander!" Monica greets me cheerfully and walks in my direction. The light blue dress suits her perfectly, and I don't know why I anticipated this moment. As she got closer, I felt like I longed for her scent. It's getting perilous, and I nod at her.

"Monica, fancy meeting you here." I greeted her with a smile plastered on my face; her mother also approached us.

"My apologies if my daughter seems to be thrilled to be meeting you, Mr. Hugh." They didn't even know that it wasn't my real name. I nodded.

"It's understandable, ma'am," I replied; Monica's mother eyed her and me.

"Say, Mr. Hugh, how old are you?" She asked.

"Twenty-five, ma'am. Do I look old with this suit?" I questioned, to which they both chuckled lightly.

"Oh, no. It's not that, and I happen to see that you could be a match for my dear Monica." My eyes widened from the sudden news. What is happening right now?

"Mother, please, don't be like that." Monica pointed out, looking at her. She seems flustered by it. She doesn't have anything towards me. Looking for an exit, I happen to oversee the man from earlier.

"Ah, I'm afraid the tailor is looking for the both of you." Monica's mother looked behind her and sighed.

"I'm afraid you're right, but the offer still stands. You're a very hardworking man, and I can see that. You can revisit the manor if you ever come up with an answer. This is a lot to digest today. See you, Mr. Hugh," She bids her farewell, and so does Monica. Thinking back to her offer, it's a pretty generous one. This could alleviate my pack's situation for the rest of our lives. I'll do everything to relieve ourselves from hunger, damn it.

As the mother and daughter left the tailor's shop, I gathered my courage to buy an expensive one to visit them tonight. Approaching him, he could already tell my scent was far different from the people he interacted with.

"It's quite an event whenever someone stumbles upon my shop, huh, wolf boy?" The tailor asked as he busily handled the shop.

"You could say that again, but alas, that is not the occasion. I'm here to buy a suit," I answered, to which I earned a scoff from him.

"Well, someone found his way into a job and earned quite a sum. What kind of a suit do you like?" The tailor pulls out some of the finest attires in the shop. All of them look expensive to the touch.

"The one over," I said, and he looked at the newest black suit.

"That'll be two thousand," The tailor says. I put the pawned money down beside him and picked the suit up.

"Then we're solved," I said to him.

"You're one lucky man," the tailor said.

"Luckier than I'll ever be, I'll be marrying the daughter who owns a manor. Probably the luckiest man alive," I pointed out, and he seems to be caught off guard by it, then he shrugs it off.

"What luck indeed," the tailor sternly says. I reach out my hand to him.

"Alexander Hugh," I announced my fake name, and he reached for it to shake.

"Jonathan Young," he says.

"I'll take my leave then," I stated and turned around, but he called my name.

"Alexander, if the daughter rejects you, feel free to come back anytime soon. I can give you the money back." I rolled my eyes at him and stared back.

"We're not friends, Jonathan, and we know each other." I pointed out and left; it was quite some time before I went back to the hideout. It wasn't long until I shared the news with them. They seemed happy to hear the news of our hunger finally ending. As I was about to leave the hideout, the police suddenly bombarded us.

"We found your place, you mutts! Your illegal errands end tonight!" They pulled out their iron rods and started attacking my people, and we had no choice but to fight back. In the heat of the moment, my punches became heavier and knocked one of the policemen. His jaw cracked loud, indicating that I broke it, leaving him dead on the spot. This death only angered the remaining policemen who pulled out their guns, one of them was about to pull the trigger but was soon knocked out by a blow on the back of his head.

"What the?!" One of the policemen shouted, and all of us stopped to look at who it was. To my surprise, it was Jonathan's scent I picked up. He's holding one of the policemen's rods and smiled at me. You just got in time, you lucky bastard.

"Am I missing something out?" Jonathan asks with a smile, and the fight erupted again. While I tried my best to approach him, we met in the middle of things.

"Well, aren't you glad to help me out with this one?" I pointed out as I swung the rod to knock the policemen, to which Jonathan scoffed.

"It's been quite a long time since I knocked someone out," he says as he hits another one on the head. I laughed as we decimated the rest of the policemen. It took some time to put them down.

"Well, isn't this fun to have you here." I shook his hand, and I felt someone tugging my leg, looking down at a severely beaten policeman who called us mutts earlier. The rest of the policemen are standing up and limping their way out of our hideout, his bloodied hand has stained my pants.

"The law is above you and your scoundrels, you cannot hide forever." He hisses as he was carried away from our place, I sigh heavily as I wonder what to do with the stained pants.

"Dammit, I could've been at the manor already if it wasn't for these damned policemen."

"Good thing I already knew someone was following you and brought an extra pair, this isn't free," Jonathan says as he lays it down on the table, there's nothing I can do but bend to his will.

"Well, wait until I get married to her, then I can pay for this suit for you." I pointed out before walking out of the place, it only took me ten high jumps to reach the manor. Standing only a meter away, I knocked nervously on the threshold. Once the double doors open, Monica is standing on the other side. She waves her hand at me before approaching me nervously, Monica's scent is much weaker than earlier this morning.

"Good evening, Monica. You don't seem fine," I said to her.

"It's just that— I wanted to tell you something," she says and bit her lower lip. Monica started fidgeting as I got curious about what she wanted to say, then I slowly realized it.

"You're seeing someone else, aren't you?" I asked, to which she was surprised. Monica lowers her head in embarrassment.

"Yes, I didn't have the guts to tell you so because my mother was pretty direct about the situation that I haven't stood up for myself. I apologize for making you feel like there's a chance, Alexander." Even with my heart shattered to pieces, I managed to laugh it off. Monica stared at me in confusion as to what she is witnessing right now, then I took a breath.

"I was about to say that as well, that I am not yet ready to look for someone. Although you already did, so don't let your conscience eat you up. Though I can try to steal you away from your special someone," I proposed then she chuckled.

"Then you better start dreaming, Alexander. I'm glad we're both not into each other," she says, which pricked my heart. A gentle yet insensitive woman that you are, Monica.

"I'm glad as well." Then the rain started pouring heavily.

"You should get in, you'll get wet from the sudden rain." Monica invited me, but I shook my head.

"No thank you, I'm not staying any longer, your mother might take it the other way," I explained, and she agreed. Why would she agree? Is she that naive?

"You're right, but stay there." Monica went inside and then handed me her umbrella, almost like a miniature one. What else am I going to do with this? I laughed at it.

"You're the only one who can fit in this umbrella, Monica." I pointed and she joined me in laughing.

"I can take it back now," she laughingly said and I stepped back.

"No thank you, I'll give this back to you when I have the time." We both bid our farewells, and as soon as I turned my back I sighed sadly. As soon as I got back into the hideout, Jonathan looked at me and he already knew it. He rolled his eyes at me and approached me.

"I didn't know you became a lady in just a night and had your tail between your legs," Jonathan says as he pulls out two flasks to give them to me.

"Oh shut up, the man got his ego bruised. The daughter is already seeing someone; what else do you want to rub in my face?" I asked before drinking the alcohol that he gave me.

"Well, all I know is that you gotta try harder. I mean there's this woman who I met a year ago, and now we're planning to get married in under four months." Jonathan proudly says as he takes a swig, I couldn't help but just empty the flask before I give it to him.

"You know what, I'll just continue working before those policemen start chasing our tails again." I stood up and told my men to pack their stuff to relocate, Jonathan and I kept in touch so that I could find work for my men as well. It didn't take long before all of us were making errands instead of swindling houses, probably because Monica is the reason why I tried to change for the better. Even after that meeting with her, I never saw a glimpse of her again.

Her scent faded and I couldn't tell if she left this place, but I decided to come to visit her in the manor. Just like what Monica stated back then, only her mother did all the things in the manor, I couldn't pick her scent up even though I am near her place. Monica's mother is talking to a couple, which must be Monica's fiance's parents. I happen to overhear that Monica has Tuberculosis and that her mother said that Monica only has a year left due to how it worsened. I quickly realized that I let Monica get wet in the rain, I stepped back away from them and felt that my heart was tightening.

They're concerned with each other, although it makes me curious as to why her mother would say such things. Probably saw something in me that she didn't see in Monica's fiancee. Leaving the manor for good, I also decided not to bother her. I went to become a jeweler as Monica saw in me, I can easily tell what's fake or not due to my experience in swindling. I can attest that I have been tricked before, but with what I am, I can easily tell them apart. I opened up a jewelry store next to Jonathan's, it's come to my attention that it is quite a populated place to start. Knowing that some policemen roam this place and can get me into trouble, a little disguise won't hurt me either.

Four months later...

As I carry the crate back to the store, I already see a line of women eager to come in. Most of them are here to see me, few are here to check if their jewelry is real or not. Some of the men who are waiting on Jonathan's store to open up are either a husband or a brother, the women start fanning themselves which signals to the men that I am here. Their eyes are glaring at me but I ignored them, I am earning by the minute.

"Good morning, ladies, sorry to have kept you all waiting." I put the box down and flexed my biceps intentionally, to which the women blush and giggle. I opened up the store and they crowded the place immediately with grace, they took a seat on the couch. My men are already serving them tea and keeping them busy as I handle the customers who are here for the real purpose. As time went by, I started entertaining the other women and I immediately stopped as soon as I picked up a familiar scent.

"Ah, if it isn't Alexander Hugh." I stood up and turned around to see Monica herself and her mother, she was wearing the same light blue dress from before. I composed myself and tended to them, I didn't even notice that I was already smiling widely.

"Monica's mother, it is a pleasure meeting you." I bowed my hat at them, I was about to talk to Monica when her mother started talking.

"Mr. Hugh, you've been quite popular these past few months. I believe that you put my jewelry to good use?" Her mother asked me, I laughed lightly.

"Yes, ma'am, this very store you're standing right now is mine." Monica's mother applauds.

"I am proud that I can help you and your family," she says and notices my men.

"Thank you, ma'am. They're grateful for what you did, we're stable now." I happened to see Monica leaving the store, and her mother trailed my gaze.

"Ah, my Monica. Yes, we should discuss this as well." It caught me off guard and I followed Monica's mother outside, Monica is talking to somebody again. She stopped talking when her mother called her out and saw me, her eyes widened a little in shock and I smiled at her.

"Monica, fancy seeing you here." I joked to which she laughed.

"Alexander! It's been quite some time since we last saw each other, how has it been?" She happily asked.

"Before I answer your question, I suppose I have something in your possession that I should give back." Monica tilted her head in confusion as I went back to the store to grab her umbrella. As soon as I walked out of the store, I saw Monica talking to that same guy. Walking closer to them, I noticed that it was Jonathan that whom she was chatting.

"Oh, Alexander, what business do you have here?" Jonathan asked as Monica looked back at me.

"I forgot that I gave you my umbrella!" Remembering the umbrella, I saw that Monica's face is paler than before.

"Are you alright?" I was concerned, Jonathan raised an eyebrow at me.

"Mr. Hugh, it's better that we discuss this now." I stared at Monica's mother and she looked worried. She closed her fan and approached us closer.

"Ma'am, it's okay. I already know," I said to them. They looked at me in a confused manner.

"You know?" Monica asked me, I nod in response.

"I know that you have Tuberculosis," I answered, to which the mother and daughter gasped. Even Jonathan was surprised by it, Monica's mother stammered in front of me.

"N-no, that's not what I m-meant." She pointed out, that this earned another confusion for Jonathan and me.

"Then, what is?" I questioned, eager to know what it is.

"I meant that Monica and this man right here, Jonathan, are already engaged. I was supposed to tell you this earlier but—" everything sounds muffled as I learned that not only did I make Monica sick even more, but I also am in love with Monica who is getting married to my best friend. Looking at them angrily, I walked out of the scene and went to the store. My head and heart are pounding heavily from the sudden truth.

One of the women approached me, she touched my shoulder and I pushed her aggressively off of me. I lost myself, fuming and enraged, I started thrashing the whole store as my men escorted the rest of the women out. I punched one of the glasses and it shattered violently, then, was a smell of blood. Looking at who it was, I saw Monica and her expression. A mix of fear and grim as her arm bleeds from the impact of the glass, I regained consciousness as her tears fell from her cheeks. Jonathan quickly comes to Monica's aid as I drop to my knees, realizing that I caused a mess.

"I'm sorry— I'm so sorry," I weakly said as Jonathan's gaze pierced through me as he ran away with Monica. From then on, I wanted to apologize to Jonathan for hurting his loved one. But I also wanted a piece of Monica myself, this later turned out to be an obsession, thus turning into a war that led to Monica's tragic death.

Present time...

Even until now, as soon as I heard the news of Monica. This awakened the obsession that I had once again and prepared my leave to immediately visit her. This time, I'll make sure that you'll be mine. Whatever the cost.