It was shortly after midnight when my cell phone rang. Before I could even ask who was calling me, I heard a woman's scream. Zhan and I immediately sat up straight in bed, staring at the cell phone. I shouted for her to tell me what was going on and why she was calling me. But she just screamed again and then I heard a train coming in the background. The train station!

Since the newspaper even said that I had caught this identity swindler and thief together with Zhan, I was getting calls all the time. Everyone suddenly needed a private detective. But this call was different!

Immediately Zhan and I got dressed and we raced to the station in my car. We were afraid that something had happened to the woman and she might be injured or even dead already. So we searched the station for her until we heard another scream a little further away by the train tracks.

We ran like devils and stopped rooted to the spot. We saw the woman. But, well, how shall I say? She was anything but in distress. This chubby woman was just beating up a skinny guy!

Zhan and I pulled them apart and saw that the man had a black eye and several scratches on his face. I asked the woman what had happened and she explained that this man was her husband and that she had caught him stealing a candy bar from her purse and eating it.

I was at a loss for words. I really didn't know what to say to that. Zhan looked at me and then burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that it was really contagious and I laughed too. The couple must have thought we were crazy. But, well, in contrast to these two crazy people who were fighting over a candy bar, we are harmless.

When the minds of the two crazies had calmed down, the woman explained to me how it came to the call to me. She had read the article about us in the newspaper and immediately looked up my number. Because she wanted to ask me to follow her son and find out what was happening to him, in the time between leaving the house and coming home.

She said he was 14 years old and had always been approachable and cheerful. However, since he has been in a new school, he has become more withdrawn and does not leave his room. She also said that while cleaning his room, she saw that all his saved money was gone. In addition, she found several pieces of clothing that had blood on them, which he hid.

Since she is so worried and wanted my help, or in this case our help, she wanted to call me. But her son came home at that moment and so she hung up immediately. The call that night was just a mistake.

And she also explained to me the reason why she beat up her husband for the candy bar. He has diabetes and his values had been very bad for days. She is afraid for him and went into a rage when she noticed that he ate sweet again, although it could even mean his death. Since the house of the two is right next to the train station, it also explained why the two had a fight there of all places. He ran out of the house, she chased him and threw her handbag at the back of his head, causing him to fall and her to grab him.

Well, anyway, we made a contract with her about her son. She sent me a picture of him on my cell phone and gave me the times when he goes to school. Then we went back home and slept for a few hours before we set out to tail the woman's son.

We followed her son and just before he got to school we solved the case. He was stopped by a couple of older schoolmates. They pushed him, searched his pockets and backpack. They beat him and stole his money. We videotaped all of this and immediately sent it to the mother.

She then went to the principal of the school with the video and what happened next I don't know. All I know is she wired me the money the same day and texted me that she was grateful to us. Well, that was an easy case. But I am glad that we were able to uncover what happened to the boy and I hope that he will not have such problems in the future.

A completely different and for me more difficult case was when Zhan's grandpa called and told us that the pack wants to meet me. I had been really nervous!

That same evening we drove to a farmhouse outside of town where the pack lives when they are not off somewhere else. Even as we drove up the driveway to the farmhouse, I saw the twins scuffling with each other on the lawn behind a fence. They were transformed and Zhan immediately laughed and said they were having fun. I rather thought they were killing each other, they were wrestling so violently.

I saw a narrow cloud of smoke rising to the sky and Zhan explained to me that apparently there was a barbecue. I immediately gulped. "Barbecue?" I asked him.

"Mhm. But don't worry. They use special herbs, so you won't mind the smell. You'll see." Replied Zhan. I wasn't reassured one bit.

When we stopped in front of the house and I opened the door of the car, I realized that Zhan was really right. The meat on the grill didn't smell like shit. In fact, it smelled quite delicious.

Zhan's grandfather came to greet us, holding a little wolf in his arms, who immediately wanted to join Zhan when the two of them stood in front of us. The little wolf is Zhan's nephew and he is 3 years old. He has brown fur with white spots and he is totally cute. And like everyone in the pack, he has the silver eyes.

It was totally cute how he sniffed me carefully and almost fell out of Zhan's arms because of his curiosity. Zhan just pushed him into my arms and the little one happily licked my whole face. And it didn't seem like he wanted to get away from my arms again. Instead, he turned back into his human form and suddenly I was holding a little naked boy in my arms, beaming all over his face and telling me he liked me.

Zhan then gave me a long robe that looked like a nightgown, which I put on the boy. As we joined the others, I met Zhan's family and relatives one by one. His little brother was also there. When I saw him, I immediately thought of my brother and how he was exactly the type of man my brother was into. And then it also turned out that Cheng was a fan of my brother's at the time and was one of the few fans who still stood by him even after the scandal.

I also met Zhan's big sister. A beautiful woman and mother of the little boy. Even without Zhan telling me, I felt that something was wrong with her. Zhan later told me that she is the weakest in the pack and has been struggling with health problems since childhood. She is even too weak to be able to transform.

And so little by little it became clear to me what kind of life Zhan must have had. Parents who were always away. A big sister who was constantly sick and had to be taken care of. And his little brother, who seems to be quite a hothead and very temperamental. I think Zhan didn't have a real childhood and had to take care of his siblings all the time.

Maybe he also often felt as lonely as I did back then. My parents only ever worked and my brother, who is 10 years older than me, often had to take care of me. Of course I was aware that our parents worked so much to give us a nice life. A life where we have everything we wanted. Just no parents!

Even at Christmas they were never at home. And instead of presents under the Christmas tree, there were always envelopes filled with money, on which it was written that we should buy ourselves what we wanted. And it had been that way ever since I could remember. But at least back then I still had my brother with me.

But then in his senior year of high school, he happened to be spotted at a theater play by a movie producer who asked him to participate in an audition. My brother did and within a year he had played a supporting minor role in a movie and then got a leading role in a series. And I was always just by myself until Youn and his family moved into the house next door and we became friends.

Since Youn's parents were also always away, he and I always spent our time together and kept each other company. At some point, Youn was always just with me. His parents often didn't even notice when he wasn't home overnight. While my parents equally didn't notice when Youn slept at my place.

But I still knew that my parents loved my brother and me and did all this just for us. But they never understood that I would have gladly done without anything if I could have seen them more often in return.

Then when my parents got divorced and they both emigrated to different countries, I was horrified that neither of them wanted to take me with them. They said that they did not want to take me out of my familiar environment and school and therefore bought me an apartment so that I could stay here. They sent me money every month, but they rarely called. If then rather my father than my mother. It was also my father who financed my studies. I only received money from my mother on my birthday or at Christmas.

Both of them then remarried after two years or so. Neither my brother nor I were invited to their weddings. I know neither my stepfather nor my stepmother. My mom had another child and became a housewife and mother to my half-brother. She calls me maybe once or twice a year. My dad calls me once a month. I haven't felt any of the parental love since then. It's like they stopped loving us when they divorced.

So I was always lonely and on my own. And I think even though Zhan had his siblings, he also felt lonely. And he certainly could rarely do what he wanted sometime. At least he confirmed the latter when he told me that he didn't return home after graduation and instead did a lot of traveling until he stayed somewhere abroad for a few years to pursue his research.

But back to the visit with the pack. We all sat together and I even got to eat a piece of grilled meat and I didn't get sick! Zhan's grandpa had explained to me that there are special herbs that allow vampires like me to eat normal food. I was really excited.

Later we all sat around a big campfire and the pack told stories from their pack's past. I found it all very exciting and was amazed at how far back their history went. And especially the stories about fighting vampires I found very interesting. Even though I am a vampire myself!

Before we headed back after midnight, Zhan's aunt said to me, "You can come visit us again anytime. We were very happy to meet you. And now we understand why Zhan said you were someone very special."

I ask, "And why?"

"Because you're not like the other vampires. Your smell alone is completely different. You don't smell like death at all. Rather, you smell like a red rose."

"I smell like a red rose?"

"Yes. Strange, isn't it? But it's true. Normally vampires smell like blood and death, so more decayed. At least to us werewolves. But you don't. I guess you're as rare as our Zhan with his snow-white fur."

"Is that so unusual with his white fur?"

"Yes. Look around this pack. No one here has white fur. Only Zhan. And there's no werewolf with such snow-white fur in the other packs either."

"Ah I see."

"Mhm. And actually vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies. That a relationship like yours came to be is more than unusual, rather unthinkable, and is therefore something very special. We are therefore all eager to see how it will continue with you."

"I didn't think it was that unusual."

"It is." She said. Then Zhan came back from taking his sister to her bedroom and we went on our way.

On the drive back, I had to think about what Zhan's aunt said and wondered if Zhan and I were really that special and maybe there could be more to it? Could he and I be meant for each other for some reason after all?