"I am always serious," Fang responded to my question with an innocent shrug, and it had my eyes narrowed at him. He smirked, "I don't mind doing a little love act with my dear soulmate to make Channing jealous. At the end of the day, he turns out to be only a thorn in my way"

To Fang, nothing else mattered as long as he got what he wanted, and that was a big question. What did he want? The first time I had met him, he wanted to marry me, now is nothing different. He is trying to take baby steps with the same end goal. However, I refuse to believe he simply wants to marry me. There was another hidden agenda, and what is the highest reward you obtain from a princess, The Crown!

My eyes keenly observed Fang, to see if he would react even a slight bit to my thoughts, but he held the same faint smile on his face. There was no reaction. He was rather waiting for my answer about taking his help to make Channing jealous.

I pursed my lips, thinking about what he was trying to do. As some casual reply, my eyes rolled, and I said, "Stop trying to convince me of lies. Why are you here?"

Fang hummed, ready to answer my words instead of the actual question, "Those aren't lies I speak, little one. You should ask him what happened with his previous girlfriend, whom he thought he was so head over heels with. The poor girl was in jail for years, all thanks to Channing's anger and his blood noesis"

Right when I thought this conversation ended, he threw another mystery at me, which, of course, I can't ask Fang to clear it. It was better to check it with the accused person first.

But what Fang just said reminded me of Channing's words. He had resolved to never take a liking to someone, and this sounded somewhere the reason for it.

Fang stood by the wooden railing of the house deck. He was unusually keeping his distance today. Not that I did not want him to, I felt better that he wasn't creeping close, but every time he did something now made me want to find the hidden meanings in them. His eyes looked at the village of Winterwells in the distance and then back at me. "It takes time for one to understand the other person before taking a liking towards them," said Fang.

I gawked at him, eyes almost falling out of sockets. What was he trying to say? The words did not sit well for a man like him, who asked to marry me the moment he met me.

He continued, "And then you come to see and understand the flaws that person has. The compromises involved and their acceptance that slowly converts liking to love."

This was not something Fang would say. Everything he was preaching, I could bet he did not follow, but he was explaining it so calmly. "Do you have a fever or something, Fang?"

Fang let out a chuckle. "I am explaining to you things in your own stupid language. Of course, they don't matter to me, I get my goal when I want and how I want"

My tongues rolled, going over the insides of my cheek. "Un hun." I gave him a sceptical look. Knowing Fang, this felt more reasonable. Because if this man had those concepts about love or liking someone, the world would have been a different place.

Fang exhaled from his mouth as if he was tired of explaining something repeatedly, then continued his explanation. "It is not normal for Channing with his Blood Noesis, it pushes every emotional and physical aspect in an exponential force. A little gratitude can grow so much he misinterprets it as infatuation. When that infatuation really starts existing in his heart, it tenfolds into a mirage of liking or desires."

Fang gritted his teeth at the end, as if remembering what desires Channing had a moment ago.

Fang continued with a tired tone. "A normal person's empathy picks even a slight change in emotion and the person feels the need to help the emotionally imbalanced, especially if it is someone you are close to. It is a natural response to put yourself in their shoes. Those emotions are like droplets that can soak only a small section of cloth. Imagine the emotions coming like a flood. Even a minuscule amount of empathy drowns into it."

He walked towards me, finally having done the explanations. My eyes looked away, pondering over what Fang had just said.

He was talking huge logic right now, and I had nothing to say.

But one thing I did not understand was why was Fang taking so much effort into explaining it all to me? I could sense the sincerity in his words, but then again, this man was hideous and devious about everything. Whatever he did led to something that he would benefit from. Only time would tell that.

I, on the other hand, couldn't jump to conclusions without having a chat with Channing. There were so many questions and I specifically needed clearance about his feelings towards me.

He stepped closer to me, keeping a reasonable distance, so if I try to run, he could easily catch hold of me. My eyes drifted downwards. I did not wish to see that face, which always carried a wicked, charming smile. As I looked down, I saw a big box that was kept at the side. "What is that?"

Fang smiled, delighted by the question. He bent down to pick it up and hold it in front of me. "This here, little one, is a small gift." I met his gaze, confused. His usual devil smile braced his beautifully carved face, "It is time for you to fulfil your end of the deal. A beautiful gift for the girl who is going on her first date tomorrow."

My eyes shifted between the box and him. I promised him a date, but I had not expected him to go to these lengths. As much as I wanted to refuse it, it was a word I had given to him.

Fang leaned ahead. "Can't wait to see the outfit glow on you. I handpicked this personally, little one, befitting for my date and the princess," saying this, he gently planted a kiss on my cheek. An innocent kiss, one which lingered on my skin like a gentle tickle. Meeting my eyes, his lips twisted in a smile, "I will call you tomorrow, a few hours before I come to pick you up. Get your maid to help you into this. You might need her help"

He handed the box to me, and I was speechless. I gulped nervously as the box felt heavy for just one dress to be inside it. Before I could say anything, he disappeared, turning into his wolf, running away from Winterwells. As soon as I saw his wolf, another question horrified my mind.

Fang turned into a pitch-black wolf. If Fang's wolf was pitch black, then who was the one I had seen when I was saving Channing's life from John.

That wolf, who had come from Waterwoods, was black and white.

Fang had a black wolf.

It truly wasn't Fang who had killed the previous Beta, as he was claiming when we met at the court. He took the blame to save that wolf.

Then who was the murderer of John Walter?