Zuria
I had known it was coming. The rumors, the gossip, the whispers—they were all inevitable after yesterday. Celeste had made such a ruckus that it would have been a surprise if the entire town didn't know by now. As I passed the familiar streets near the restaurant where I worked, I could already feel the eyes on me. People lingered outside, glancing at me with strange, judgmental looks, and it made my stomach churn.
I took a deep breath as I approached the restaurant, steeling myself for the inevitable. I pushed the door open and walked in, hoping to get to the kitchen without drawing too much attention. Mr. Connor, the owner, was standing by the counter, watching me as I entered. I hesitated for just a moment, unsure if he'd heard the rumors yet. But I wasn't going to wait around to find out.
I kept my head down and walked past him, avoiding his gaze, and, thankfully, he didn't say anything. He had no reason to. I wasn't late—there wasn't much to complain about.
I made my way to the kitchen, and immediately, everything came to a halt. The voices of the staff stopped, and every pair of eyes in the room was on me. I couldn't suppress the frown that formed on my face. Of course, they were all staring—Celeste had made sure of that.
I walked to the locker room to drop off my bag, trying to ignore the piercing gazes. As I did, I could already feel my blood pressure rising. Celeste had ruined everything, and now I had to deal with the fallout.
I slammed my locker shut, frustrated.
If I ever saw her again, I'd—
"Hey."
I turned, and Danny was standing there, offering me a weak smile. I smiled back at him, though it was strained.
"Hey, Danny," I greeted, trying to sound casual as I turned back to my work.
"How are you doing today? I hope you're not feeling any pain," he asked, concern in his voice.
"I'm fine," I assured him. "I'm feeling better than yesterday. No pain." I forced a small smile to let him know I was okay.
"Good to hear." Danny's smile grew a little wider, but before he could say anything else, two women entered the kitchen. I recognized them immediately—the two who had helped me yesterday.
"Hi, Zuria," one of them said with a warm smile.
"Good morning," I greeted them, my face lighting up at their kindness.
"I hope you had a good rest and you're not feeling any of that pain anymore," the midwife said kindly.
"Yeah, I feel much better, thanks," I responded, grateful for their concern.
"You should really be taking care of yourself," the other woman spoke up for the first time. "The first three months are the most crucial. You need to rest more."
I sighed, not exactly thrilled by the advice. I knew she meant well, but I didn't need anyone telling me what to do with my own body. Still, it was hard to argue, especially since we were in a quiet corner of the kitchen.
"Thank you for the advice, ma'am," I said, trying to keep my tone polite, but I couldn't stop the edge that slipped in. "But I can handle this myself, okay? I don't need anyone going around spreading what's none of their business."
The woman's face faltered slightly, and she seemed to realize her mistake. She muttered an apology before turning and walking away, leaving me to deal with my brewing anger.
Danny watched the exchange carefully, but he didn't say anything. He knew I was upset, and honestly, I was too. It was frustrating how Celeste's actions had spiraled out of control and turned into something far bigger than it should have been.
"I see Celeste's actions have spread rumors, now, haven't they?" I asked Danny, my voice dripping with frustration.
"Yeah, they have," Danny confirmed, his expression tense. "I didn't think it would spread so fast, but I'm doing my best to shut down the worst of them. Some people are even saying stuff that's... way off the mark. Like, for example, that you were a prostitute in your old pack. And that you beat Celeste up."
I stared at him, unable to hold back a laugh. I couldn't believe the things people were making up to spice up the story.
"Really?" I asked, still laughing. "I can't believe that. Who comes up with these lies?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Danny muttered, shaking his head. "I was shocked when I heard it. Like, who even thinks of these things?"
Just then, Mr. Connor walked into the kitchen. His eyes immediately locked onto Danny, and before I knew it, Danny had dropped to the floor, crouching by one of the ovens, trying to stay out of sight. I raised an eyebrow, amused by his antics.
"Where's Danny?" Mr. Connor shouted, his voice booming through the kitchen. "Why does he make it his personal mission to disappear every time he's needed?"
Everyone in the kitchen glanced at me, clearly expecting Danny to be nearby, but when they didn't see him, their expressions turned confused. Meanwhile, Danny was peeking out from behind the oven, making exaggerated faces, trying to suppress his laughter.
"We don't know," the head chef said, a bit too nonchalantly. "Maybe he's in the bathroom?"
Mr. Connor let out a frustrated sigh and stomped out of the room, muttering under his breath. I couldn't hold back a smile as I watched Danny stretch his back, standing up as if nothing had happened.
"He's gone," I said with a grin.
Danny stretched his arms dramatically. "That was close," he muttered, chuckling under his breath.
Before we could go back to talking, a loud shout echoed through the restaurant, followed by crashing sounds. My stomach twisted. It didn't sound like a normal commotion. Something was happening, and I didn't know what it was.
I glanced around at the staff gathered near the door. They were peeking out into the main area, some of them even stepping outside to see what was going on.
"I'll go check it out," Danny said, pointing toward the door.
I nodded, but my gut told me something was off. I watched as Danny made his way outside, towering over everyone else. He seemed to tense up when he got a good look at the situation. His face went from confusion to shock, then to a sudden realization.
His eyes met mine, wide with something I couldn't place.
"What happened?" I asked, motioning for him to come over.
Danny didn't move.
"What's wrong?" I asked again, my concern growing as his eyes never left me.
"Zuria…" he said, his voice barely audible. "She's here."
My heart dropped. No. It couldn't be.
Celeste.
I knew exactly who it was now. I scoffed, furious that she hadn't learned her lesson yet.
Why was she still doing this?
I turned to walk past Danny, but his hand shot out, grabbing my arm.
"Zuria, you don't need to go out there," he said quickly, his voice filled with worry.
"I do," I replied, my tone firm. "If I don't, she'll just keep doing this. You can hear her—she wants to make sure I can't escape."
"No, Zuria. We can handle this. Let me go out. I'll make sure she leaves."
"No," I snapped, pulling my arm out of his grip. "This is my problem. I'm going to handle it. I don't need you to fight my battles for me."
I made my way toward the door, pushing through the crowd of staff members who had gathered in the kitchen.
The noise from outside grew louder, and as I stepped into the main area, I froze. Celeste was seated on the floor, surrounded by broken glass. Chairs and tables were overturned, and the restaurant had been turned into a complete mess. Mr. Connor stood nearby, looking furious.
"Zuria, finally," Celeste slurred from the floor, her eyes bloodshot and unfocused. "I've been waiting for you."
"What are you doing here, Celeste?" I asked, my voice tight.
She staggered to her feet, wobbling as she tried to stand. "Is that any way to talk to your aunt? You disrespected me yesterday. You hurt my feelings."
"Come on, let's get you out of here," I said, moving toward her to grab her arm.
But Celeste pulled away, her eyes filled with anger. "Leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere."
"Everyone," she shouted, her voice dripping with venom, "this girl is a witch and a whore! She killed her own parents! She was a prostitute in her old pack, and that's why her mate rejected her!"
Gasps echoed around the restaurant as people stared at me in disbelief.
"She used her position as the Alpha's son's mate to destroy my husband and me. She had him beat us up and banish us from our pack! She's been living comfortably while my mate and I have had to scrape by." She sobbed, her tears fake and exaggerated.
I couldn't stand it anymore. I walked toward her, determined to shut her down.
But just as I was about to grab her again, her hand swung back and slapped me across the face.
The room went silent as I cradled my cheek in my hands, shocked.
Danny was about to rush to my side when I held my hand up, stopping him. I lowered my hands and turned to face Celeste, whose crying had turned into a loud, obnoxious sob.
"That's enough, Celeste," I said firmly. "It's time for you to leave."
She staggered toward me, her breath smelling of alcohol. "Who do you think you are? You don't get to tell me what to do! I'll stay as long as I want!"
Before I could respond, the bell over the restaurant door rang.
I turned toward the entrance, and my stomach dropped. There, standing in the doorway, was Peter. His eyes locked onto mine, filled with so much hate and rage, it sent a chill down my spine.