Chapter 1:

Chapter 1

Is it Silver Or Is it Love?



-Him

It started last week.

A week ago, I saw her for the first time

With her sun-kissed locks of hair

With her pale, snow-white skin

With her warm and comforting glow

And most especially her unique eyes

Each eye was filled with a different color

I never knew those eyes could even exist.

In the right eye, a drowning ocean-blue color and in the other, golden rays like the radiating sun

She was at her part-time job, walking dogs, every day for a week now. She walked past my shop today, too. She walks like a reigning queen who jumped out of a royal portrait.

And here's the fun bit:

Each day, she was walking with a different dog.

I heard from my customers and the people in town that she's apparently the new girl who just moved in a few weeks ago. She works as a dog walker and she's so damn good at it. This amazing girl is like a walking dog magnet. The dogs all over town adore her.

And I can see from the look on her face every time she walks each and every dog, she adores them just as much.

I can literally feel the love emanating from her eyes.

But...

There's just one thing...

For some reason

For the whole week

For the whole seven consecutive days

After she walked each dog, she returned in front of my shop.

In the same exact spot

Just...

Standing there.

Always doing the same exact thing:

Looking over the silver finery I carefully and skillfully made in the glass display

Every time, she always looks over my hard work with a certain expression on her face.

A look I couldn't put my finger on

An expression I couldn't figure out

Was it curiosity?

Was it disgust?

Was it disdain?

One thing was for sure.

It was that she didn't seem to like it.

Every time, she just leaves afterward.

She never buys anything; I don’t think she's even considering buying anything after minutes long of staring at my works.

She just doesn’t like it.

Any of it,

Any of my silver works,

Which puts a dent on my pride since my silver finery is sought all over the whole world.

Heck, if possible, it could be sought all over the multiple universes.

I make a good living with my silver works.

So, as a silversmith, I'm a bit hurt that there's someone out there, in this vast universe, who can make that sort of face with a mere look at my works.

Silver is my specialty.

But for the first time, there's someone who makes me doubt if silver is really my specialty.

It's even in my name for God's sake!

Argentiño Silver

Yeah, my name is hella redundant.

It basically translates to 'silvery silver.'

Then, guess what my nickname is?

Aggy.

From the Silver Element 'Ag'

My parents named me that because I was born with silver hair. They said I got it from my great grandfather.

See? Silver is literally my everything.

My name,

My career,

My identity.

But this captivating, dog magnet girl just made me question if I am

'Argentiño Silver'

In conclusion, I made myself a goal...

Call it a selfish goal

I don't care

My goal is to make this girl appreciate silver

Be ready, girl with mesmerizing eyes.

Because I, Argentiño Silver, am coming for you.

******

-Her

I am shameless

Just plain shameless

I've been doing it every day for a week

Literally for a whole seven consecutive days

Doing the exact same thing

Doing my part-time dog walking

And I made sure to do the exact same dumb thing every day

To pass by this man's shop and return to the exact same shop after my part-time job

And to do what?

Just to look over the silver works in a careful array in the glass display case

And for what?

So that I can get to know this handsome silversmith

And why?

Because the moment I laid my eyes on this slick silver-haired man with obsidian eyes,

I knew it was love.

He's like a bright full moon in a dark black night.

Especially with his silver hair and strikingly contrasting black orbs for eyes

I feel like I can show him my real self

But I can't

And why?

Because of silver! God damn it.

He's a silversmith. Of all things!

And silver is deadly

To me

To my real self

To a werewolf

And I've been a werewolf my whole life.

Our pack's teachings basically told us to stay away from any silver.

But this handsome hunk I fell in love with just happened to be a silversmith.

What rotten luck

Now...

This week-long staring contest ends now.

I'm going to werewolf- I mean, woman up and enter his shop and freaking talk to him

Ask for his number or maybe his name

Anything

Whatever progress I can make

As per schedule, I walked an adorable golden retriever around the neighborhood.

Of course, I passed by the silversmith's shop while doing it.

Afterwards, the dog owner, my client, offered me an early dinner and I couldn't refuse.

It's starting to get dark out. I quickly returned to the shop despite the delay in my usual routine.

The moment of truth

I really should enter his shop instead of just rudely staring again without buying anything.

Just a mere footstep inside made me think I'd die on the spot.

Oh, screw it!

I was about to open the door when the bell rang and the door opened right in front of me.

It was him!

My full moon

My voice couldn't come out because the man took my breath away.

"Hello Miss! I noticed you standing there so I thought I could give you our shop's anniversary freebie."

His voice was practically dripping with honey.

He sounded so sweet.

My full moon sounds so enchanting.

Like the full moon shining the dark night above him.

Wait...

Full moon?

Oh no!

With mere seconds, I started changing so without a second thought, I entered this man's shop.

Totally ignoring that this shop is chock full of silver

That's still better than changing into a wolf in a street with people around.

Good thing that it's only us two in his shop.

The moment I entered, I had already turned into a wolf.

How nice.

How's that for a first interaction?

I can feel my skin burn because of the silver all over the shop.

The silversmith quickly closed the door and pulled the shutters down. He was officially closing down his store; out of peoples’ sight.

Oh God..

This man made me fall for him even more than I thought possible.

He looked back carefully at me. He hurriedly took a piece of fabric and wrapped it around me.

He gently reached out for my face.

"So, that explains that expression all week."

His voice was shaking but not out of fear.

It was more like it was out of relief.

"You don't hate my silver. You're afraid of it."

It's great that I can still talk in my wolf form.

"I'm sorry for this hideous form. I'm Amiella Moon. I can't touch your silver works but I've always loved it."

And I added

"I love your silver."

My voice was quiet because I was afraid he would get freaked out, but he answered:

"Hideous? Far from it. You are a dazzling being. Be it a wolf or a woman. I'm Aggy. Argentiño Silver. Do you still want our shop's silver freebie?"

Then he realized what he had said and immediately hid the freebie from me since I can't be near any silver.

"You know what? I'll be your Silver. The only silver you can and will have forever."

What do you know?

I can finally love silver.