Chapter 23 The He-Wolf's Feelings

Marvin yanked Alice out of the dining room, pulling her along until they reached the garden. The moment they stepped outside, the atmosphere turned eerily quiet, so much so that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Marvin let out a sigh and released his grip on her wrist. As soon as he let go, Alice instinctively hid her hand behind her back. "Hold on a second. That's..." he started to say. He quickly grabbed her hand again and noticed that her wrist was red, marked by his own handprints. He hadn't meant to hold her so tightly, but she seemed so fragile. "Why... You should have told me it hurt," he said through clenched teeth, angry at himself for not realizing that he had accidentally hurt Alice. Alice replied, "It's nothing. Really, it's nothing." "Nothing? You act like being in pain is normal." "I'm sorry. The lunch was a disaster. And my family said awful things to you. I apo-" "Stop. Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong, Alice." Seeing her apologize like thi