The world around me slowed down, while my breath increased. Cold sweat was dripping from my forehead and my heart was hammering in my chest. I was slowly panicking at the thought of being close to them.
“Come on! Don’t make me do this!” I begged for a hundredth time. “This is not funny, you guys”. The complaints I made to my new colleagues had no effect.
“Babe, this is one of the most common punishments for losing a bet. It is something we have all done or seen someone else do. Remember, it was you who insisted you were right and wouldn’t lose our bet. Now get on with it. Go!” Jacob said with a grin on his face. He was enjoying this too much! I looked at him defeated.
I turned my head towards the tables. The café I was working at for the summer was crowded with groups of friends having fun during prime time. Their table was at the back of the café, in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The table they were occupying had a breath-taking view of the lake and it was next to a lovely library of fantasy books. “But… Look at them!” I tried to protest. “Gosh, I’m going to become a laughingstock”. My stomach tightened and I felt nauseous. Out of every person in this café, why did Jacob and Rhea have to involve this group of people in my punishment? Stupid me. I have been trying hard to stay out of the radar and hide my identity, yet I agreed on a bet. What was I expecting? It’s my fault really. I should be trying harder to stay away from people. I sighed. Why can’t I keep to myself for once?
“No buts. A bet is a bet. Now go! Or perhaps you’re scared, like a little girl?” Rhea stated in a stage whisper. Her glistening eyes and amused smile indicated she was enjoying this. My heart thundered in my chest like a drum.
“Of course not! What are you talking about? I’m not scared!” No doubt I was scared. Never have I approached men with this in mind. It took a couple of minutes to calm myself down, to gather my courage and prepare myself for what was to come. The thought of coming close to them made me nervous, but I could not back down. I had lost the bet, so now I had to go through my punishment with my head up. Am I a scared little girl or am I some coward? Definitely not! “Piece of cake. I’ll be done in a minute, wait and see”.
Taking a deep breath, I put on my brightest smile and walked slowly to the group of four boys in front of me. They are regulars at the café. I’ve only seen the four of them a few times, however Rhea told me there are six guys in their group of friends. They are all tall, well above 6 ft, muscular, always well dressed, gorgeous like models out of the most expensive and elegant fashion magazines. I am surprised they are not supermodels or superstars.
The boys always stay together and never initiate contact outside their group of friends. Their beautiful image matches their kind personalities. They are very polite and seem down to earth, despite being reclusive and private. The waitresses that serve them always comment on how politely they speak and how big the tips they leave are. The oddest thing about them is that I have never seen them fool around with girls or boys. People are always throwing themselves at them – shamelessly may I add – yet they seem unaffected and uninterested. Sometimes a couple of girls accompany them, one of which always sits next to the dark-skinned boy. Based on how similar they look, I would guess they are siblings.
So, what makes me want to stay away from them? They are werewolves. From the amount of power they are radiating, they are all really strong, above normal alphas and betas. I knew I would encounter strong werewolves – or even lycans – when I entered the royal pack but having to serve them and interact with them on a daily basis is quite nerve wrecking! Though I am not sure who they are, I suspect that they are members of the royal pack hierarchy, but not the Alpha King or his Beta. This is the first time I will be speaking to them and my nerves are taking the best of me. My plan when entering their territory was to stay as far away from them as possible. Yet, here I am, working at the most prestigious café of the area, serving them coffee and now, trying to initiate contact with them. Gods and Goddesses, please have mercy on me! Please make this contact between us as quick and as insignificant as possible.
Since not all the customers and staff here are sups, they must keep their identity hidden. Revealing ourselves to the humans is both punishable by our laws and very dangerous. Humans are scared of the unknown and they resort to violence because of their fear. We wouldn’t want to start a war between supernatural creatures and humans, so we are forced – for now at least – to hide our identities. Dragons were the only supernatural creatures that revealed themselves to humans, mostly because of their massive size, and they are now extinct. People hunted them relentlessly, scaled them, until the last one of them dropped dead to the ground and perished. Thankfully, the knowledge of their existence was relegated to mere myths and bedtime stories. As for myself, I am no werewolf. Thankfully, all kinds of sups are welcome to most kingdoms, so one can befriend or even mate any kind of creature. To be honest, I expected the royal pack to be stricter about who enters their premises, but they are essentially very welcoming to diversity. Even now, at the café, I can smell wolves, other shifters, humans, witches and some fae. During my night shifts, I encounter vampires and demons as well.
“Hello”, I said shyly. My heart was clenching from embarrassment.
All the boys turned and looked at me. My face must have been as red as my hair. I got lost under their intense stares and curious faces. My body and face were scanned from top to bottom by each of them, satisfied with what they saw. My mouth was suddenly very dry. I tried speaking but no words could come out of my mouth. One of them smirked.
“How can we help you, kitten?”. The boy who spoke was very muscular, with faint scars all over his hands. Some of them were covered with tattoos but were still noticeable. His beautiful silky silver hair complemented his pale white skin.
“I… I…” I stopped talking as soon as my eyes met his. His expressive forest green eyes were looking at mine with amusement in them. So handsome, I thought. I felt drawn to him. Under different circumstances, I would love to become friends with him, or even date him. In reality, would I flirt with him? No. Being with me has proven to be dangerous. Also, we are not mates. Even if we had the best relationship ever and we loved each other deeply, no one can defy the mating bond. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Having my parents as true mates had a huge impact on me and my perception of mates. To the very last breath of mom's life, dad loved her. Even after she had died, her absence almost drove dad to madness.
I tried to hide my face with my hands. “Oh, Gods and Goddesses, why me?” I whispered so softly I was certain they didn’t hear me. Yet, some of them reacted to my words with questioning glares. At least I think so. Maybe I was mistaken. They couldn’t have heard me, could they? Although werewolves have incredible hearing, I could barely hear the words myself.
“Could you please go out with me?” I yelled as soon as I mustered all my courage.
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