Five

PHOENIX

The mildly chilly spring breeze blew through the warm Californian air lighting up the evening sky in a beautiful array of colours. Birds chirped as the fragrance of different flowers assaulted the noses of passersby.

Caleb and I on the other hand could barely appreciate this common beauty as we stood, nerves shot, anxiously preparing for the arrival of the rustless Alpha in all of the United states.

I stood peering into the refrigerator, note pad in hand as I tried to organize the cuisine we would serve our short notice visitor.

Beside me, Caleb stood bouncing on his feet, his nerves present. My own nerves picked up when the severity of the situation sunk in.

I breathed in deeply, steadying my breathing before turning to Caleb and handing him the revised menu I just put together.

He looked royally confused, his brows furrowing. I just shrugged.

'I made that keeping in mind the short time we have to fix everything up. We better get moving' I mused.

Caleb nodded.

* * *

Warm and sweet fragrances greeted me when I walked into the dinning area. Flowers of different varieties hung beautifully around the restaurant, booths neatly cleaned. More decorations hung around giving the restaurant a homey feel. Caleb had really outdone himself.

He turned to fix those green orbs of his on my forest green ones when I cleared my throat.

'I am done with cooking' I looked around 'Everything looks great Caleb' I mused, knowing how much he really needed my enthusiasm right now. The compliment seemed to bounce off of him.

He sighed.

'I just want everything to be perfect Nixy' his deep baritone answered me, still seemingly worried.

I was taken aback by the nerves present in his voice. Caleb who always seemed on top of everything sounded so unsure.

Something was up.

The bell chiming off in the distance halted my enquiries and I turned to the intruder. I froze.

Icy blue eyes met my green ones, the owner smirking, mischief clear as day in those cold blue orbs.

Kyra

'Look who we have here' she turned to Caleb 'you called her over Cally?' she asked, her whiny voice raising a tad bit.

Caleb merely ignored her, raising a sardonic brow as he surveyed her rather scandalous outfit.

'what are you wearing?' he asked, none too nicely. I walked to the corner, slightly away from the commotion, too happy for the shift in attention.

Kyra giggled flirtingly, her blue orbs dilated.

'clothes. I heard the Alpha of the Blood red pack would be coming over' she chortled mischievously.

Caleb sighed.

'Kyra, this dinner is important to not just me but to the entire pack as we are hoping to make a good lasting impression on him...'

'You shouldn't tell that to me' she interrupted him, turning to throw accusatory glances at me. I cowered.

'what I am trying to say is that today have to go well as planned and I don't think with your outfit, you realise the importance of this' he concluded.

Kyra huffed.

The bell chimed again. Heels clinked against the linoleum floor as footsteps drew closer. I looked up to see anxious brown eyes.

Caramel.

She threw a half hazard smile my way and turned to Caleb.

'They're here boss' she said.

* * *

The clanking of silverware filled the porcelain kitchen as I walked around trying to busy myself to block out my shot nerves. The Alpha and his entourage had walked into the restaurant, their presence domineering. Though I had not set my eyes on them, I could not help the unsettling feeling that had settled in the pit of my stomach.

I passed the entrées to Caramel, pausing to shake off this feeling that was spreading to my fingertips. I felt different.

Something was up.

I breathed in deeply, telling myself it was all for Caleb. I had to pull through today for him.

I turned to the side, warm dishes in hand, only to be confronted with the image of Kyra powdering her already made up face with even more makeup.

I walked quickly to her and set the tray in front of her, silently telling her to go and serve them. She looked up at me and huffed, turning to continue what she was doing. I snatched the powder from her manicured fingers, no doubt smearing some on her shirt but I couldn't care less.

I was pissed.

She glared at me angrily but relented when she saw I wasn't backing down any time soon. I had about had enough.

She picked up the tray with a heavy sigh and walked out, making sure to sway her hips in what I thought was supposed to be seductive. I looked at her, holding in my laughter.

She was something else.

An exhausted feeling settled on me, my eyelids drooping. I sighed heavily, silently telling myself it would soon be over.

Kyra walked in only moments later, a twinkle in her eyes. I swallowed tensely, silently asking what was wrong.

"The Alpha is asking who prepared the meal" she chided happily.

This sent my heart into a frenzy. My mind began to race a million miles a second as I tried to figure out what could be wrong. One should never have an Alpha as an enemy and I have learnt that lesson one too many times from Alpha Rain.

I walked quietly to the dinning area, pausing when I heard a dark rumble. My heart fluttered at this and my wolf became restless. I hadn't heard from her in two years, ever since my Dad disappeared. I wondered what could have brought her back.

I didn't have time to ponder any further when I stepped into full view. I put my head down while I heard Caleb telling the Alpha he made the dishes. He was trying to save me from trouble. I couldn't let him do that though.

"I did sir, I made the dishes" I answered.

Everything stopped. It was pin drop silence and I swear if a needle dropped, someone could hear the sound in this place. I was growing agitated as the silence dragged on.

I looked up to see what was going on. The room was pervaded by the domineering presence of the men all dressed formally. My gaze however met with deep sea blue ones - which was already fixed on me - and I immediately looked back down. I immediately knew he was the Alpha.

"Look. At. Me" the Alpha growled.

I jumped back a little, feeling scared. Lisa, my wolf started pacing around in my mind. Was she scared or excited, I didn't know.

Caleb immediately came to stand slightly in front of me, knowing how well Alphas intimidate me.

"I really apologize for any defects in the food. It was all done in a hurry" Caleb said.

I looked up just in time to see mischievous cold blue eyes stare back at me.

Kyra

I huffed and looked down. A growl reverberating caught my attention once more. The Alpha was angry.

"Get away from her" he growled. Caleb stared at him long and hard, no doubt challenging the Alpha. The air grew more tensed as the atmosphere fired up. The Alpha growled again and I immediately looked up only to regret that as our gazes locked. I heard one word that sent my heart into a downward spiral.

'Mate'