Chapter 198: Chapter 198

Janet almost cried out.

But then she saw it clearly-

The red drops on the ground were not blood, but wine.

The wooden box was shattered by the bullet, and so was the glass bottle containing the wine.

The precious wine was spilled, not a single drop left.

Daran stood on his stop, holding the mouth of that glass bottle, and looked back at Westin icily.

…You are fucking insane,” he said after a while.

Westin chuckled and put his gun away.

“I was actually aiming at your head,” he replied breezily with a shrug. “My shooting became a bit rusty. You should feel lucky.”

A vein popped furiously on Daran’s forehead.

“When Janet finds out about this-“he hissed.

“Janet won’t find out a damn thing because I am telling her that the bottle that she asked for is sold out. At the end of the day, it is going to be my word against yours.”

Daran’s face darkened, which pleased Westin greatly.

Westin blew a whistle, looking to be in a wonderful mood.

“Oh and whom do you think Janet will believe?”

Westin paced over to Daran, enjoying his anger–filled face, “Me? The person whom she finds very charming or attractive. Or you? The jealous old ex who has betrayed her once already? The answer seems pretty obvious to me, doesn’t it?

Daran’s eyes were slits of burning rage.

Blood trickled down his handsome face he got injured by a flying piece of glass earlier.

…Sooner or later, Janet will find out about who you really are,” he said in a harsh tone.

Westin’s lips curved, “Possibly. But by that time, you will be long gone.”

Mr. Larkin heard the explosive noise and rushed out of the house.

“My–My wine!!!”

He cried at the top of his lungs.

“Oh my god, it is all ruined! What did you do you manic Westin looked back at him with a leisurely look on his face, “Bring me another bottle. I want the most expensive kind in this vineyard.”

Mr. Larkin glared at him, “Forget it! This vineyard won’t sell a single drop to you-”

“Really?”

Westin raised an eyebrow and pulled out his gun again, playing it between his long fingers.

“Now you see, I can shoot a bottle of wine from 10 feet away. It is going to be a lot easier if I were to aim at your head, don’t you think?”

Mr. Larkin’s face became pale instantly.

“What is the answer now, Mr. Larkin? Your princess is expecting me back home. It is rude to keep a lady waiting,” Westin smiled.

Mr. Larking gulped, looking reluctant.

“Do as he said,” Daran said coolly.

“But Alpha Daran-

“It is fine.”

Mr. Larkin cast a resentful look at Westin and mumbled, “…There are staff at the reception desk.

You can ask them for any wine you want.

“Fabulous!”

Westin stepped on the broken glass of spilled wine and strode forward. He halted briefly by Daran’s side and gave Daran a condescending smile:

“I guess I will see you back at the packhouse…Or don’t.”

He left.

Mr. Larkin waited till he was gone and rushed over to Daran’s side, “That devil is fighting for our princess?! Alpha Daran! You can’t let him have his way! You have to warn Princess Janet about him!”

Daran rubbed his face, looking exhausted, “…Janet won’t believe me.‘

“I will voucher for you! That Lycan is way too dangerous-”

“I know.” Daran took in a deep breath, “I will protect her the best I can. Now, I still need a bottle of wine before going back.”

“Of course! Of course! I can give you one of our oldest collections, something worth more than thousands of dollars on the market-

“It is not about how much it values, but about its taste.”

Daran interrupted Mr. Larkin and said, “Balvina wanted that particular bottle because she likes the taste of it. Now do you have any wine that tastes similar?”

Mr. Larkin rubbed his chin, pondering, “Well…the wine that Luna Balvina requested is light–bodied and bright, with a rich flavor of raspberry and cinnamon. I think I have a similar barrel in storage, but we haven’t bottled it yet…”

“Can you bottle it tonight?” Daran asked.

“We can but that will put you behind the Lycan-

“Do not worry about the competition for now,” Daran said calmly. “Balvina deserves a wine that she likes at her wedding.”

“Certainly. You can rest in your room, Alpha Daran. I will put my staff to work immediately and bring the bottle to you tomorrow morning…”

They walked down the trail together and soon disappeared into the darkness.

When all of them were gone, Janet and Morgana finally stepped out of the garden where they were hiding.

“Holy fuck!

Morgana gasped by Janet’s side, sounding angry and shocked, “Do you know that Westin is like that? He looks like a completely different person compared to when he was in front of you!”

Janet shook her head stiffly, “L…I have no idea.”

The Westin that she knew would never shoot something randomly just because he couldn’t have it himself.

And he would never threaten an innocent vineyard owner.

Or maybe that was who he was….all along.

She was just fooled by him before.

“What are you going to do Janet?” Morgana asked hastily, “You can’t be with him, Janet! He is just being nice to you because you haven’t recognized your mate bond yet! But when you do that and go to the Lycan’s land with him, he will totally change! And by then you will have no one by your side to help you! That is terrible!”

Janet held her head down in silence.

“Janet? Wake up! I know that Daran is a jerk, but this Lycan is totally fucked–up….”

“I have to go,” Janet raised her head and said abruptly.

“What…Go where?!”

Janet didn’t have the time to answer and rushed down the trail that Daran had taken earlier.

“Don’t wait up for me Morgana!” she cried.

Morgana called her name again, but she was gone within seconds.

The moon hung low in the velvety sky, casting a gentle glow over the sprawling vineyard that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Janet’s breath misted in the cool night air as she raced down the narrow trail between rows of grapevines.

Their leaves shimmered in the soft moonlight.

Janet rounded a curve.

She caught a glimpse of Daran up ahead.

His silhouette was framed by the silver glow.

She quickened her pace, her footsteps crunching on the gravel path. The distant murmur of a gentle breeze through the vines created a soothing symphony, almost drowning out the racing of her heart.

“-Daran!”

She called, her voice echoing through the quiet night.

He stopped abruptly and turned to face her.

The moonlight revealed the shock in his eyes.

“Janet?!” he gasped with rounded eyes, “What are you doing here?”

Janet got up to him, slightly out of breath.

…I am here to see Westin,” she said.

The gleam in his eyes when he first saw her dimmed out gradually.

“He has already left,” he said deeply. “You are one step late.”

Janet took another step further, looking straight into his eyes, “And I saw. everything…how he shot the wine. How he threatened the Mr. Larkin.”

Daran held his breath. There was clear tension in his eyes.

Π “…So.”

He spoke up in a strained voice, “So what are you going to do?”

Janet took a deep breath, the scent of grapes filling her lungs, grounding her, “Morgana and I did a lightning round the other day. She asked me, Daran or Westin? I said Westin,”

she said.

Daran pressed his lips into a thin line in silence.

“Do you know why I said Westin?” she pursued, almost brutally.

He lowered his eyelids. His gorgeous eyes met with hers.

“…Because I lost you.”

He said hoarsely.

“I had my chance with you and I blew it. You are now moving onto a future without me in it. It is… It is completely my fault.”

She gritted.

A wave of strong emotions washed over her as she cried, “Yes, it is your fault! And you know what I hated the most? I hate that my brain stopped me before I could speak out Westin’s full name! I hate that my first reaction after finding out that Westin is a fucked–up guy was a relief!”

His eyes widened.

He suddenly cupped her face with both of his hands and asked, breathing very fast, “What are you saying, Janet…”

Her lips led.

She looked back at him, her eyes watery, “I hate myself the most….for still loving your after everything that happened…”

He froze, completely.

“…Tell me that this isn’t a dream…” he murmured in a daze.

She grabbed his collar and whispered into his ears, “Promise to me that you will never let me down, ever again.

”

His eyes were brighter than the starry night sky.

“I promise…with my entire soul,” he said hoarsely.

Janet stood on tiptoes and kissed him urgently.