Chapter 66: Conflict

AARON. Suddenly, someone screamed from the dining area, startling everyone in the kitchen. One of my colleagues almost dropped her frying pan of bruschetta, and it'd have been a total mess. I walked towards the dining area, scanning the room for any source of danger. A woman stood on the far end, towards the entrance. She was wearing a pink straight gown, with a hat and dainty shoes. Fancy. There was one wrong thing though. She was bleeding, and her eyes didn't look human. They were wide with excitement, and had this faintish glow I knew no one else could see. She definitely wasn't a werewolf, but she wasn't human. 'What's wrong ma'am?" I asked, walking cautiously towards her. 'Don't! She's crazy!" A young man yelled from behind me, but I ignored him. The woman looked like she was in shock. 'Ma'am? Can you hear me?" I inched closer, extending my hands. She snapped her head at me, trembling. 'I think I bite into something hard. My tooth is broken." She said calmly, trying to steady herself. 'I saw something. Something weird." She muttered, but it was very silent. I had to strain a bit to hear her. 'Can I see your food ma'am?" She pointed towards a plate of fish fillets. Something hard in fish? I took a fork and searched the meal. My blood ran cold. There was a tiny bottle in between the fish, and it seemed she had bitten into it and drank some of the contents. I glanced back at her. She was still shaking, but her eyes were calm. This was bad. I silently stole away the bottle into my pocket and carried the tray of fish back to the kitchen. 'You'll have another meal soon ma'am. On the house." I said, swiftly heading to dispose of the food. Murmurs filled the kitchen as I walked in with the empty tray. 'What did she bite into?" Linda asked almost immediately. 'A piece of glass. Who made this dish?" I demanded. 'And where is Mrs. Parker?" She was the manager, but she never came out of her office to supervise or inspect anything. It was becoming annoying. A petite woman weaved her way through the workers in the kitchen, raising her hands up. 'I made the dish, but I don't understand where glass would have come from." She looked visibly confused. Her breathing was erratic, and I could see her hands pale. She was scared. 'Don't worry about it." I had a hunch this was planned, but I didn't have the time to think about it. If someone was out there trying to poison werewolves, it wasn't working. Or maybe it was. I'd show Luna the bottle when I got home. I shoved aside the thoughts and finished my last dish before the lunch rush. I decided to search for Mrs. Parker. She was always in her office, never bothering to even….bother. I knocked and pushed open the wooden doors, straightening my uniform. 'Good afternoon ma'am…." My voice trailed off. There was no one here. I walked in, sniffing the air. It was warm. Someone, or people, had been here. I walked over to her desk. Her phone and notepad lay scattered in front of her system, and she had an excel sheet open. She was making entries of our revenue. The entire office looked normal, but at closer inspection, it was obvious that something went wrong here. I turned around to leave, a little confused when I spotted something glinting in the sunlight. I found it immediately and walked over. It was the exact same bottle as the one the woman had bitten into earlier. A cold wave of anxiety rushed over me. 'What the fuck is going on?" I picked up the bottle. It was empty, but there was a tiny bit of liquid left at the bottom. Even better. I left the office, more annoyed than when I first walked in. The rest of the day went by without incident, and all I could focus on was how Helena would react to the surprise I had for her. Well, I was about to find out. Everything went according to plan, and I was happy. Helena had a satisfied look on her face, and it made me happy. She was happy. I made her happy. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The night was perfect, and so was she. 'Did you cook all this?" She asked, almost halfway done with her food. 'Of course. Do you think I'd let anyone else cook for you?" I snorted. 'Your cockiness has gotten worse." She said, covering her flushed cheeks. She was so adorable. 'There's nothing cocky about stating facts." I said, plating a little more salad for her. 'We'll test that theory. I'll cook this weekend. Alone." She leaned forward, smirking. 'Um..Aaron?" I heard a familiar voice behind me, and my face fell. I turned around to find Linda staring at both of us with a sour expression. I groaned so much the tables shook. 'What?" I snapped. 'Mrs. Parker…she's…well…" she flinched, and began stuttering. 'Can this wait?" For all I knew she could be dead already. 'Oh, um sure." She walked off. 'Aaron, that was harsh." Helena scolded as soon as Linda was out of earshot. I glanced up at her and exhaled. 'Maybe it was. I'm sorry." I said, hanging my head low. 'You should apologize to her." She nudged my foot. I will do no such thing. Linda was nice, believe me. But if there was anything I hated, it was desperation. If it's meant for you it'll come naturally. There's no need to push too hard. I grunted in response, and tried to calm my nerves. I suddenly became curious. What could she have wanted to say? ‘Focus on the woman in front of you.' my subconscious said. This was going to be a long night. Helena was completely knocked out by the time we were done, and I had to carry her home. It wasn't something unusual. I loved it. Her scent lingered on my clothes by the time we got home. I knew she had a good time, and I wanted to make more of it. 'Aaron. The elders contacted me this evening." Luna said as soon as I put Helena to bed. 'What did they want?" I replied, getting up and leaving her room. I had enough of these people trying to disrupt my life already. 'They're giving you more time. Two weeks." She said simply. That's unusual. 'In two weeks we would have started preparations for the Luna festival. What are they doing?" I said, stroking my chin. 'They want to get stronger. You're proving to be a challenge for them, and I'm not helping matters because I'm here helping you." 'You're only helping me because of her. And you know that. And you don't even care about either of us." I retorted. 'I want something doesn't mean I'd just ignore everything to get it. I'm a werewolf. We don't take advantage of anyone." She said, storming off. Maybe she was right. But it didn't change the fact that deep down, she didn't really care.