Emma's POV

　　It takes him a moment to compose himself before he replies, "Uh, I think I'll pass on that one, thanks."

　　My cheeks heat up. The image of me and Matthew together under the shower while he lathers shampoo on my hair flashes in my eyes. Oh my Goddess! I shouldn't think of such thoughts! I shove those thoughts away.

　　As I sit beside Charlotte in her cozy bedroom, the atmosphere gets a little tense after Charlotte's comment about my hair. I can sense Matthew tensing up, and I feel a bit awkward under his intense gaze. But Charlotte, ever the peacemaker, quickly breaks the silence.

　　"Come on, Emma, keep telling the story!" she says, her eyes wide with excitement.

　　Relieved for the distraction, I continue with the story, stealing small glances at Matthew every now and then. He still looks a bit tense, but he's listening intently, his gaze fixed on me.

　　Eventually, Charlotte starts to drift off to sleep, her eyelids drooping as she snuggles under her blankets. Once I'm sure she's asleep, I quietly slip out of the room, Matthew following close behind.

　　There's still a lingering awkwardness between us as we stand in the hallway, unsure of what to say. But then, Matthew breaks the tension with a joke.

　　"I hope you don't take Charlotte's advice too seriously," he says with a playful smirk. "I don't think I'm cut out to shampoo a woman's hair."

　　I can't help but laugh at his comment, feeling the tension dissipate. "Yeah, I don't think long hair is really my thing anyway."

　　The atmosphere lightens even more as we share a laugh, and I feel a sense of relief wash over me. As we head down the hallway together, I kind of intend to ask if he has a girlfriend, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to go there yet. So instead, I opt for something a bit more indirect. I mustered up the courage to ask him a question.

　　"So, Matthew," I say, trying to keep my tone casual, "Have you ever applied shampoo to a girl's hair before?"

　　Matthew's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but then he shakes his head. "No, can't say I have. But I imagine it would be quite the experience if I did."

　　I nod, feeling a bit relieved and a bit disappointed at the same time. "Yeah, I bet it would be."

　　We stand there for a moment, the awkwardness creeping back in, before Matthew clears his throat. "Well, I should probably head back to my room. It's getting late."

　　I nod again, feeling a strange mix of emotions swirling inside me. As we part ways and I head back to my room, I can't help but wonder what it would be like if Matthew did have a girlfriend. Would he treat her the same way he treats me? The thought makes me feel a twinge of jealousy, but I quickly push it away. After all, it's not like I have any claim over him. We're just acquaintances, right? More like enemies, considering the pack I come from.

　　Accalia purrs inside my head, telling me that she likes Matthew, and she does not see him as our enemy. I would never want to have him as my enemy. Not him, not Charlotte. If the Moonshade Pack ever decides to battle against the Night Howlers Pack, I wonder whose side I'll pick.

　　A surge of sadness hits me as I realize that I am no longer a part of the Moonshade pack. Not after everyone thinks of me as Ava's killer.

　　As I lay in bed, the events of the day swirling around in my head, I can't shake the feeling that I am still nowhere close to finding the real killer. I reach for the notebook I've been using to gather information on Ava's case, hoping that maybe I can connect the dots and figure out what's been bothering me.

　　But as I flip through the pages, I groan in frustration. There's nothing. No clues, no leads, nothing that could help me make sense of what happened to Ava. I toss the notebook aside, feeling defeated.

　　With a heavy sigh, I resign myself to just falling asleep and dealing with it all tomorrow. But just as I'm about to close my eyes, a memory suddenly floods my mind.

　　Flashback

　　"You know, I feel like I have the best life. I have the perfect family, my crush is my mate, and I have you, Ava. The perfect friend. I just want it to be like this forever," I declare, and turn to see Ava who is driving the car. My brows furrow when a dark look crosses her face.

　　"You never know. It can all be taken away from you," she replies, and I groan as my head starts to spin. What is she talking about?

　　Her strange words turn me alert to my surroundings, and I realize that the road we are on does not lead back to the pack. I don't know where it leads to.

　　"Ava, where are we going?" I struggle to make out the words as I feel nauseous. I shouldn't have drunk so much.

　　My friend seems a little nervous as she does not respond, and she takes a turn, entering a clearing surrounded by thick trees. She stops the car and gets out. I hear the door on my side open, "I am sorry, Emma." It's her voice, but I can't make out her face anymore as my eyelids feel like someone had put bricks on them.

　　"Ava…" My wrist is grabbed, and I am dragged out of the car.

　　"I am really sorry. But I can't do anything." she says, but I can't make out her features properly. Everything looks hazy.

　　"W-where are we?" I manage to speak, but my words come out slurred again.

　　"I am sorry. I really am, Emma. Please forgive me."

　　Flashback Ends

　　Suddenly, I'm wide awake, my heart pounding in my chest. Oh my Goddess! It's not a dream. It's a memory, one that I could not access because I was drunk that night. But now that I remember, I feel like I have discovered something very important. Could this be the clue I've been searching for?

　　She looked very off that day. But I did not pay much attention to it because I was busy celebrating my birthday. Guilt floods my chest. I am a terrible friend.

　　Ignoring the exhaustion pulling at my limbs, I scramble out of bed and grab the notebook again, determined to dig deeper into this memory and see if it leads me anywhere.