NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: the next day
The morning sun streamed through the curtains of Samantha's room, illuminating the space after that incredible night with her. Clark was still there, lying next to her, listening to her calm breathing as he watched her. "Well, it looks like it's going to start happening..." he said, his deep voice breaking the silence as he began to tell her his plans, stroking her hair with a slight smile.
"Clark, help me put this bra on, please?" Sam asked, turning her back to him and holding the black fabric in her hands.
"Of course, beautiful," he replied, stepping closer and carefully fastening the clasp, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath his fingers. "How are you feeling about today's tournament?" he asked, looking at her with that calm look he always had.
She turned around, a confident smile spreading across her face. "I was a little nervous yesterday, but after our night, I feel great. It feels like nothing can stop me," she said, her tone firm as she adjusted her bra, giving his shoulder a playful push.
Clark chuckled softly, pulling her into a hug from behind and planting a kiss on the top of her head, inhaling the faint scent of shampoo. "I'm going out to get something to eat, beautiful. I'll see you later at the tournament," he said, letting her go slowly and picking up his own shirt that was thrown on the corner of the bed.
Sam turned quickly, looking at him sideways with a raised eyebrow. "Clark, you better show up this time. I don't want to hear another lame excuse that you got lost again," he said, crossing his arms and making a half-serious face, but with one corner of his mouth rising in a smile.
He chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled his shirt back on. "Haha, relax, babe. I won't be late this time, I swear. I'm just going to walk around, get some air," he replied, waving his hand as he left the room, the door slamming softly behind him.
"Why not take a walk?" he muttered to himself as he walked down the hotel stairs to the courtyard. Outside, almost all the competitors were gathered, talking loudly, laughing and exchanging taunts before the tournament. Clark saw Eli gesturing to Miguel about some move, Roby fiddling with his cell phone with a grumpy expression, and even Sensei Kim giving orders to some Cobra Kai students. He didn't pay much attention, just walked straight past the group, leaving the hotel with his hands in his pockets. He walked to a bench in the nearby square and sat down, looking up at the blue sky stretching above him.
He took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air fill his lungs, his eyes fixed on the clouds as he thought about everything he had experienced so far—from the day he entered this crazy world, becoming a wolf and a vampire, until now, sitting there like someone who had everything in his hands. I can't be thankful enough for this life... I'm going to be the father of two children—maybe three, if last night with Sam works out. I'm rich, I can have whatever I want, I'm powerful, maybe one of the strongest guys out there... My girls accepted everything, I'm with two incredible women... Hahaha, what a good life... He thought about it with a silly smile on his face, happiness pounding hard in his chest, amplified by the vampire side that made each emotion feel like a punch in the stomach—something that no human would understand properly.
But life doesn't let anyone keep everything for long. That feeling that something could go wrong lingered in the back of his mind, a warning he didn't want to hear. He didn't know it yet, but everything he had—this happiness, this power, these girls—wasn't going to last forever. Something was coming to take it all away from him, a shadow he couldn't see, waiting for the right moment to turn his life upside down.