Blood Moon's Tears

Earlier that same week, Kenji found himself in the cozy kitchen of the bar, standing beside Lele as he mixed a cup of herbal tea for himself while instructing her on how to make pancakes from scratch. They were in the midst of her second batch when suddenly, Lele’s attention was diverted, he watched as her eyes changed repeatedly between her natural colour eyes and her wolf’s vibrant green, indicating that she was trying to stay in control.

“Mate…”Lele mumbled under her breath before she sniffed again, this time detecting an unpleasant scent. “Something’s burning.”

Kenji couldn’t help but hold in his laugh. “Maybe it’s the pancake you left in the pan over high heat.” He informs, his voice holding a bit of jest.

“Shit!” She cursed herself for being careless, shooting Kenji a death glare for laughing at her mishap.

Kenji chuckled, making his way out of the kitchen when Lele begged him to send Lucian away. He paused briefly but didn’t say anything, just let out an exasperated breath before walking off to unlock the door.

“I told you to call in advance if you were coming before opening hours,” Kenji reminded Lucian, a mix of annoyance and exasperation in his voice.

“I did, but it went straight to voice mail. Can I just say this before I go in?” The alpha responded.

“Bold of you to assume that I’d actually let you in, but go on.” Kenji retorted.

With a hint of unease, Lucian began, “I say this with the utmost respect. I really dislike how you have her scent all over you, however, what I really want is for you to come outside for a few minutes.”

“I’ll tranquillize you before you can even open your mouth fully to rip my head off, Alpha,” Kenji replied with a warning tone.

“By the goddess, Kenji, would you please just come and look at what I want to show you?” Lucian pleaded.

Kenji looks the young Alpha up and down before reluctantly following him a few paces outside of his bar.

“What is it?” Kenji asked, his curiosity piqued.

Lucian pointed upwards. “Look at the roof of your bar,”

Kenji scanned the roof, failing to notice anything unusual. “What about it? Doesn’t seem like anything’s off with it,” he remarked.

“How about you build another story above? I’m thinking that we can do business together, selling alcohol. I know that you wouldn’t want to part with your bar. I was thinking that the top section would be your office. The company is going through its expansion phase and I think your bar would be a great partner.” Lucian proposed.

Kenji shook his head firmly. “I refuse. I’m perfectly content with just running my bar and nothing else. Now, if you would excuse me, I have to go make sure that Lele isn’t setting the kitchen on fire. If I had known you would have been here, I would have made extra pancakes.”

Lucian nodded, seemingly undeterred by Kenji’s response. “It’s fine. I don’t particularly like pancakes. I’d much rather have waffles.”

“Suit yourself,” Kenji replied, as Lucian trailed behind him on his way back to the kitchen.

The two walk inside the kitchen to see Lele flipping the last pancake. Instantly Kenji noticed that Lucian’s breathing changed. Most likely caused by the outfit Lele was wearing. She wore a silk nightgown with spaghetti straps that stopped 3 inches below her butt. Kenji hadn’t revealed the origin of the nightgown to her, knowing it would upset her if she found out it was from Lucian. He didn’t want to risk any tension between them.

Kenji had to admit, she looked stunning. But he quickly redirected his attention to the pancakes.

“Why are there three plates?” Kenji asked curiously, observing that Lele had arranged two pancakes on a separate plate.

Lele gave a fake smile, her discomfort evident. “Well, it would be rude for us to eat while Alpha Lyall is just watching us. Besides, I’m sure he’s hungry.”

“It’s fine; I’ll make waffles for him instead,” Kenji offered, hoping to ease the tension.

Lele didn’t seem pleased taking offence that the thing she spent most of the morning making wasn’t good enough for the infamous Golden Alpha. “What’s wrong with pancakes?” She questioned, her disapproval evident in her tone.

“He doesn’t-” Kenji began to respond, but Lucian cut him off with a calm response.

“It’s fine. I’ll join you for breakfast. It doesn’t matter what it is; if my mate went through the trouble of making it, then I’ll eat it. All I ask is that you eat your normal amount.” Lucian answered. He placed the two pancakes back onto her plate and pulled out her chair, gesturing for her to sit. “I would appreciate it if you called me Lucian,” he added once she was properly seated.

However, Lele wasn’t as receptive to his offer as he would have hoped. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t call me your mate,” she firmly expressed. “The bond is nothing but a manipulation tactic used by the goddess herself just so she can fulfil her sick fantasy since she doesn’t have one.”

Kenji looked taken aback, not expecting such a vehement response. “Right, um, thank you for the door, Alpha Lyall. I hope this one is more sturdy than the last one,” he said, trying to change the subject.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. I do owe you,” Lucian replied politely, though his thoughts were conflicted.

Kenji saw an opportunity to share some news he had been holding back. “I’m glad both of you are here at the same time. I got a call from a family member of mine, and I’ll be out for a few days.”

Lele was taken aback by the announcement which caused her to stop cutting her pancake. “What? You’re leaving? So where would I stay? What’s going to happen to the bar?” she asked with concern.

“I’m leaving for a week, and I’ll return. I’m not leaving and never coming back. Besides, Lucian is here. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind having you stay at his pack for a few days until I return,” Kenji assured her.

Lucian almost choked on his pancake, caught off guard by Kenji’s suggestion. He shot Kenji a questioning look as if to ask if he was mad. His thoughts echoed with frustration, ”So what was the point of telling me to ease her into wanting to stay by me if you were just going to kick her out?"

“She refused to stay by me when I gave her the offer, so what makes you think that she would willingly stay at my pack now? I don’t mind if you give me the keys for the bar, and I just check in on her for you, but to just dump this on us? Is the trip really that important anyway? This is the first time I’ve ever heard you mention a family,” Lucian replied, trying to understand Kenji’s reasoning.

“Need I remind you that these are not working hours, so I’m not being paid to listen to people’s life stories while serving them drinks. It’s my time to deal with my own personal problems. If you must know, my mother died, and I’m on her will, so I need to be there,” Kenji explained with a tinge of annoyance.

He continued, “I wouldn’t mind if you did as you said, but when I’m away from the bar for an extended amount of time, I make sure to put barriers up to keep creatures like you two away. If, for any reason, Lele decides to leave the bar while the barrier is up, she won’t be able to reenter. If she stays inside the bar while the barrier is up, as much as she tries to deny that she is a werewolf, she will slowly be drained of all energy. Along with excruciating headaches, and after day three, she will start to feel like tiny needles are being inserted into her skin.”

Lele looked horrified at the revelation, realizing what had been implied. “Hence why I said that she can stay with you until I return. It’s still winter, after all. Lele, it’s just one week, five days. All you have to do is be civilized with Lucian for five days, and upon my return, I will inform him that you can come back. I don’t want you to go back to sleeping on the streets, do I make myself clear? Oh, and don’t think for a second that I won’t know because I will. So, would you go with Lucian, or will you be stubborn and try to endure a pain that will kill you before I return?”

Lele scoffed at the lack of choice in the matter, but Kenji was adamant with his decision. “It isn’t much of a choice now, is it? When are you leaving?”

“Today... Tonight, actually, but I need you out of the house as soon as you’re finished eating,” Kenji replied rather bluntly.

“What the hell, Kenji! That’s so last minute! Are you serious?” Lele exclaimed, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by what was asked of her.

Kenji let out a sigh. “Yes. You don’t technically need to leave now, but I do want you to because the longer you stay, the longer you would have time to devise a plan to escape from Lucian. Plus, I need a couple of hours to put up the barrier, and I don’t really want anyone around to distract me.”

“Such bull. Fine then… All of a sudden, you’re giving me orders as if you’re my dad.” She muttered under her breath as she stormed out, feeling a mix of anger and hurt at Kenji’s sudden directive.

Lucian turned his attention to Kenji. “Is your mom really dead?”

Kenji hesitated for a moment before responding, “My mom’s been dead for years now, I said that so she wouldn’t try to convince to let her tag along.” He admitted. “I’m actually going to visit my aunt to get a fresh supply of wolfsbane. Make sure that no one breaks into the bar while I’m gone, will you?”

“Sure. I’ll have Chase make his rounds here,” Lucian replied.

Kenji appreciated Lucian’s understanding. “I know a month ago, I told you to have her ease up to you, and yet I’m dumping her on you for a week. This situation, though-”

Lucian knew what Kenji was about to say and tried reassuring him, “I understand, Kenji. You need to get Wolfsbane for your protection. Anyway, as sudden as it is, do I need to know anything else?”

“No, she just really dislikes high-ranking werewolves, so I would suggest that you maybe not have her in the pack house,” Kenji advised.

“Sure. I’ll keep that in mind. It’s weird though. She is a high-ranking werewolf herself, so I don’t understand the hatred towards her own kind,” Lucian pondered.

“Childhood trauma. Maybe once you are able to get close to her, she might tell you the reason,” Kenji replied, hinting at the hidden pain Lele carried with her.