Chapter 39: Trash Pandas

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Trash Pandas

Azura sat in the chair like she owned the place—back straight, chin up, eyes locked onto the elevator doors like a hawk stalking a particularly juicy field mouse.

Adrian sat across from her, nursing a cup of black coffee that had appeared in front of him by some miracle of waiter sorcery. He stared at her. Then at the bustling lobby around them. Then back at her.

"...Azura."

"Mm?"

"Why are we sitting here?"

Azura blinked, tearing her gaze away from the elevator for exactly 0.5 seconds before snapping it back.

"Uh... weren’t we going to talk while eating something? So this is the right place, isn’t it? Right??"

Adrian’s eyebrow twitched. He gestured vaguely at the chaos around them—businessmen on phones, a family arguing about lost luggage, a toddler waddling past with a cookie in each fist.

"You said you wanted to talk in private."

"Yes."

"But I don’t see any privacy here right now."

Azura gasped, clutching her chest like he’d personally insulted her entire bloodline.

"Of course it’s private!! As long as people don’t recognize us, don’t disturb us, and don’t listen to us, then they’re just a bunch of dried squid sitting around!"

Adrian stared at her like she had just declared water was a myth.

"...Dried squid."

"Yes!! DRIED SQUID!! They’re just sitting there, marinating in their own existence, not a single thought behind their eyes! That’s basically furniture with legs! It’s no different from privacy, okay?!"

Meanwhile, an elderly gentleman sitting one tables away—who had definitely overheard the entire exchange—slowly lowered his newspaper.

Was he... a dried squid?

The old man made a sound like a deflating balloon and went back to reading his newspaper, quietly wondering where he had gone wrong in life to be called seafood by a random young woman.

Adrian opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

Nothing came out.

He had nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

How was he supposed to respond to that? ’Dried squid’? She had just compared innocent bystanders to dried squid. What was the proper etiquette here? Should he apologize to the old man? Should he apologize on behalf of all humanity?

Adrian took a long, slow sip of his coffee. The kind of sip a man takes when he’s questioning every decision that led him to this moment.

"..."

"...Okay."

He didn’t okay it. He just... accepted it. Like a man accepting that his house was on fire and he had no hose.

---

Let’s rewind a bit, shall we?

Earlier, when Azura and Adrian had first arrived at the hotel, Azura had done a quick tactical assessment of the lobby. Her eyes had darted around like a surveillance drone on steroids, scanning every corner, every hallway, every suspicious potted plant.

And then she realized the problem.

The restaurant near the lobby?

Terrible positioning.

If she sat there, she wouldn’t be able to see the elevator.

If the Blackwood family walked past, she would miss them completely. They could waltz right out the front door, hop into a limo, and drive straight to the Crimson Crest Pack to meet Selena while she was stuck eating an overpriced Caesar salad, completely unaware.

Unacceptable.

So she scanned the lobby again like a Terminator acquiring a target.

And there it was.

The lobby lounge.

There was an empty seat.

And that seat happened to face the elevator directly, giving her a perfect, unobstructed view of every single person who came down from the guest rooms.

Perfect.

Without a word, Azura hooked her arm through Adrian’s and dragged him across the lobby with the determination of a woman on a mission. She didn’t ask. She didn’t explain. She simply moved, her heels clicking against the marble floor like a countdown to destiny.

Adrian—who had spent years spoiling Azura, who felt guilty about Selena, who would probably let her drag him into a volcano if she asked nicely—offered zero resistance.

He just went along with it.

Like a golden retriever being walked by a very enthusiastic toddler.

And now here they were.

Sitting in the lobby lounge.

Azura had ordered three different cakes—thankfully, the hotel did indeed serve cake, and not just cheese plates and existential dread—and Adrian had ordered a coffee that was now growing cold because he was too busy trying to process whatever the hell was happening.

The server had left.

The cakes sat on the table.

Azura stared at the elevator like a hawk watching its prey.

Adrian stared at Azura like she had grown a second head.

And somewhere in the background, a random old man questioned his life choices after being compared to dried seafood.

Adrian finally cleared his throat. Gently. Politely. The kind of throat-clearing a man does when he’s trying to remind his girlfriend that he exists without actually saying, "Hey, remember me? The guy you dragged here? The one who’s been sitting here like a handsome couch while you’ve been staring at the elevator as if it owes you money?"

"Azura."

She didn’t move.

"...Azura."

Still nothing.

He waved a hand in front of her face.

Nothing.

He could have stripped naked and done the Macarena and she probably wouldn’t have noticed.

"Alright," he said finally, leaning forward and snapping his fingers directly in her line of sight. "I know I’m not as interesting as a pair of automatic doors, but I’d appreciate it if you’d at least pretend I exist. Especially since there are cakes here. Your cakes. The ones you ordered and are now ignoring like they personally offended you."

Azura blinked. Then slowly—painfully slowly—she turned her head to look at him.

Her face was calm. Composed. Serene.

Her brain, however, was currently experiencing a Category 5 internal hurricane, because three seconds ago she had spotted a girl in the corner of the lobby.

A girl dressed entirely in white.

Like a bedsheet that had decided to become a person.

Hiding behind a large potted plant not too far from them.

A girl who was absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt the user named AlphaGroupie88 from the Hot Alphas group chat.

The same AlphaGroupie88 who had said, and Azura quoted directly, "I’ll just hide behind a potted plant in the lobby. No one ever sees me coming."

News flash, sis. They see you.

Because not only was she hiding behind a plant that barely covered her shoulders, but there were also six toddlers standing nearby, all staring at her like she was the most fascinating creature they had ever laid eyes on.

Sis, you’re not hiding. You’re a white-clad beacon of desperation surrounded by tiny human sharks. You’re standing out like a sore thumb covered in glitter and neon lights!

The toddlers are going to adopt you. Or eat you. Or both.

Azura wanted to observe more. She wanted to see how many other stalkers had taken "casual lobby lurking" to heart. She wanted to map out every single weirdo in this hotel like a conspiracy theorist with a corkboard and red string.

But she couldn’t. Because Adrian was staring at her with those big, guilty, please-love-me eyes.

She nodded at him, forcing a smile.

"Yeah! Yeah, we need to talk right now! Sorry if I’m not focused—I mean, I was wrong earlier!"

Adrian blinked. "...Wrong about what?"

"I said the dried squids wouldn’t disturb us, right? Well, turns out there’s actually an idiot squid here too! But don’t worry—it won’t disturb us either! Probably. Hopefully. Unless the toddlers lead it here."

"..."

"...Idiot squid?"

"YES, IDIOT SQUID. VERY RARE SPECIES. NATURALLY FOUND NEAR POTTED PLANTS. ANYWAY—CAKE!"

She shoved a forkful of chocolate mousse cake into her mouth with the enthusiasm of a woman trying to avoid a police interrogation.

Adrian’s eyebrow twitched. He was now genuinely curious about what—or who—she had been staring at. But he knew he had to stay focused. He was a man on a mission. A mission to figure out what the hell was going on with his girlfriend.

So he decided to ignore the entire dried squid situation for the sake of his own sanity.

"Right. Anyway. Moving on."

Azura clapped her hands together. "Yes! Let’s focus on us! And the cakes that are about to enter my stomach! They’ve been waiting patiently! They deserve my full attention!"

Adrian took a deep breath, steadied himself, and pressed forward.

"We’ve only haven’t seen each other for a few days... so what’s been going on with you? Why did Cora disappear? Or, more accurately, why is she hiding?"

Azura, who had just cut a perfect slice of cake, froze mid-bite.

Then she set down her fork, took a deep breath, and recited the same script she had repeated to everyone for the past five days—like a robot, a preacher, and a clown all rolled into one.

"Adrian. It’s because Cora hates me right now."

"...huh?"

"My wolf is hiding because she’s ashamed of me, Adrian!! She didn’t want to be stuck inside someone so villainous that she bullied her own sister!! I know you must be confused about why I’ve changed so much—but I’m reformed Azura now!!"

She slammed her hand on the table, making the plates jump.

"The old girlfriend you knew? DEAD! Gone! Six feet under with a tombstone that says ’Here Lies a Terrible Person, Good Riddance’!"

Adrian stared at her, frozen.

"But THIS Azura? THIS Azura is the angelic version! The director’s cut! The extended edition with bonus features and improved character development! I am the Selena Redemption Train conductor, Adrian, and I’m telling you—choo-choo—you better buy a ticket before it leaves the station without you!!"

Adrian looked at her. Then at his coffee. Then at the random old man who had given up on his newspaper entirely and was now just watching the show like it was a documentary on human behavior.

"...Azura."

"Yes?"

"Did you hit your head recently?"

"No!! I hit enlightenment!! It’s different!!"

Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose so hard it looked like he was trying to summon a headache by sheer physical force.

"I’ve heard from your brother that you said you’ve repented and forgiven Selena. But that’s... hard to believe, Azura. For years you tormented her. For years you made her life a living hell. And now, suddenly, overnight, you’re a saint? A redemption arc doesn’t usually happen in forty-eight hours unless you’ve found Moon Goddess, joined a cult, or suffered a traumatic brain injury. So which is it?"

"Also," Adrian continued, steamrolling forward, "doesn’t your wolf also hate Selena? Cora has wanted to rip her throat out since forever. So why would Cora suddenly go into hibernation because of Selena and decided that you’re the problem? That doesn’t make sense! Cora would rather die than admit she was wrong about anything! She’s the pettiest, most stubborn wolf I’ve ever met!"

He leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

"So, what’s really going on? Cora’s in hibernation. Your personality has done a complete 180. And you keep talking about ’reformed Azura’ like you’re a celebrity who just got out of rehab. I need answers. Real ones."

Azura felt it.

That familiar prickle of danger—the same one she’d felt yesterday when Caroline had stared at her like a hawk eyeing a very suspicious mouse.

She needed to shut this down. Fast. Before Adrian dug too deep and realized that the woman sitting in front of him was not, in fact, his girlfriend, but a terrified artist from another dimension who had woken up in villainess body.

Stupid Cora. Stupid Azura Williams. Both of you were annoying idiots who made my new life a living nightmare!

So Azura did the only thing she could do in a crisis—she cut him off like a bad song on the radio.

"ADRIAN. STOP. I have heard this exact same speech from Jonathan, Caroline, Selena, and even your mother! And you know what they all have in common? They’re ALL WRONG!"

Adrian opened his mouth. She held up a hand.

"No. No more words. Listen to me and listen good."

She pointed a finger at him like she was about to deliver a prophecy.

"The bottom line is this: Cora and I have changed. Our minds are sharper now. We can think clearly. We can see who was right and who was wrong in all those past events. And you know what we saw? We saw that we were the villains! The bullies! The trash pandas of the werewolf world!"

Adrian blinked. "...Trash pandas?"

"YES, TRASH PANDAS! DISGUSTING CREATURES THAT RUMBLE THROUGH GARBAGE AND LEAVE MESSES EVERYWHERE! THAT WAS US! BUT NO MORE!"

She slammed both hands on the table, leaning forward with the intensity of a televangelist who had just seen the light.

"So just so you know—I, Azura Lu—I mean, Williams, will do anything for my sister, Selena. Anything she wants, I’ll give it to her. Anything she needs, I’ll provide it. No matter what happens, I’ll support her! I will be her biggest cheerleader! Her personal hype woman! Her emotional support villain-turned-hero!"

Adrian stared at her, mouth slightly open.

"...You’ll give her anything?"

"Yes! Anything!"

"Like... if she wanted... me... would you give me to her?"

Azura froze.

Not because the question was meaningful. Not because she understood the weight of it. But because—

DING!

The elevator doors opened.

And a man stepped out.

A handsome man.

Azura’s brain immediately derailed.

Oh, he’s handsome. Is he one of the male leads? Is he a random side character? Is he a villain? A secret brother?

Adrian’s question had already left her ears and entered the void of forgotten things.

She waved a hand dismissively, not even looking at him.

"Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. Totally fine. Whatever you said. Agreed. Approved. Certified. Next topic."

Adrian’s face went pale.

Pale like a ghost. Pale like he had just seen his own funeral.

"...You... you’re fine with it?"

He swallowed.

"Is it because of three days ago...? You know about it...?"

His voice cracked. His hands trembled slightly. He looked like a man who had just realized he was standing on a landmine.

Meanwhile, Azura was squinting at the handsome stranger, trying to determine if he was a main character or just an extra with really good genetics.

Hmm. The jawline suggests main lead. The walk suggests arrogant second male lead. But the fact that he’s not glowing with protagonist energy makes me think he might just be a really attractive background character. I’ll need more data!