Page 9 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)

The Beta’s Prerogative

L uca entered his current place of employment just in time to clock in. Panda Plate, the Chinese restaurant, was a small, family-owned, buffet, with a dining room that sat less than fifty customers. The back door automatically swung shut behind him as he entered.

“On time today then,” Mr. Yang said as Luca joined him in the kitchen.

“It appears so,” Luca joked as he pulled on an apron and took over what Mr. Yang was preparing.

“Hey,” Tai Yang greeted as he entered the kitchen from the front of the restaurant.

Luca nodded at him and continued to stir the contents of his pot.

Tai turned to his father and said something in Mandarin Luca couldn’t comprehend and then returned his attention to his friend.

“Thanks for agreeing to do that double date thing,” Tai said as he lounged against one of the stainless-steel counters. “According to Monica, I really messed up.” Tai cringed.

“No worries, I’m happy to help,” Luca said as the contents of his pot came to a boil.

“Two years is a long time. It’s important to celebrate such a day,” Tai’s dad added while dumping ingredients into yet another pan. “Monica’s not the only one who thinks my son messed up.”

“Yeah, yeah Dad,” Tai mumbled. “You and Mom have both made yourselves clear on that one.”

Luca smiled as he watched father and son.

“Sometimes I think they like Monica more than me.”

“Sometimes we do,” Mr. Yang commented, although his son was no longer speaking to him directly.

Luca remembered interacting with his father with the same level of familial banter and ease. It was part of why he liked working here, in this family atmosphere. It reminded him what a family really was and made him remember his own.

The phone began to ring. Luca finished dumping the chicken in another pan, set it on the warmer, and walked over to answer the call. Scribbling down the order, he walked it back and stuck it to the metal bar over Mister Yang’s head.

“Speaking of that favor,” Luca said as he walked back to his own workstation. “Tell me, who is this girl I’ve agreed to go out with?”

“Well…” Tai joined him at the counter near the warmer.

Luca began working on another entre as Tai spoke.

“She’s around your age. I think. It’s kinda weird since she works at my school, but whatever.

And don’t tell Monica that I said it but, she’s super sexy but also, like, cute… ” Tai paused, presumably thinking.

Luca laughed. “I meant her name.”

“Oh,” Tai looked a little embarrassed. “It’s…”

“Boys,” Mr. Yang called. “Work.” He pointed to the warmer where the chicken was waiting to be taken out to the buffet.

“Okay, I’m going.” Tai rolled his eyes, picked up the pan and walked into the dining room.

Jules turned the corner and headed away from the town’s center.

The wolves were still on her tail. The sound of labored breathing far too close for comfort.

Come on! Give up! One of the pursuers howled.

If he turns now … Her train of thought was interrupted by a hard smack on the back of her head.

She spun, opened her mouth, and let out a threatening snarl.

The wolves stopped in their tracks. The one who had thrown the brick took one step back.

They were in an abandoned alley now, she could attack.

But chose to run into a more open area instead.

Past a deserted bus stop, toward a highly populated restaurant.

Once inside, she hurried past the hostess, toward the restroom in the back.

The wolves entered just as Jules passed through the swinging door.

Once inside the restroom, she looked around.

There were three stalls and a small window at the far end.

Going for the window, she jumped through it into the back alley.

Leaping onto the roof of the neighboring shop, she waited.

Finally, with the sound of the restaurant door slamming, followed by angry voices, the wolves emerged one by one.

I may have lost them . She couldn’t count on it though. Just then, Monica’s phone vibrated.

“Where are you, Jules?” Gabriel’s voice was rushed, anxious.

“On top of the office building next to Seaside Soda Shop,” she told him.

“I’m six blocks away. Head east,” he instructed calculatingly.

The wolves had headed north-east so if she swayed just slightly to the south, she would probably avoid them. Walking to the far side of the building, away from the restaurant, she jumped off the roof. Landing soundlessly on the pavement below, she bolted in Gabriel’s direction.

Within moments Gabriel’s car skidded next to her. She didn’t slow and he didn’t stop as she yanked the door open and slid into the car next to him.

“Hi there.” Her tone was light, despite the circumstances.

“I can’t believe those animals actually chased you,” Gabriel spat.

Jules shrugged her shoulders as if to say, it’s no big deal. “Gabriel, I’m fine.” She lifted her head to smile at him reassuringly.

“No, you’re not. Your head is bleeding all over my seat. What happened?”

Jules lifted her hand to the back of her head and flinched when she felt the gaping wound there. “I’m fine. It’s already healing.”

“How are you fine?” he asked, glaring at her.

“Gabriel,” Eileen chided from the back seat. “She says she’s fine. Trust her.”

“There is a strong sense of relief that comes when one is no longer being chased,” Jules teased as she fiddled with her hair, attempting to mask the blood in it.

“Jules, these beasts…” Gabriel began to argue.

“I’m sure they were following orders,” Jules interrupted.

“So that makes it alright!”

“I didn’t say that, but…” Jules began.

Eileen cut her off, “Gabriel is right. We can’t just pretend we don’t have a problem.” Eileen leaned forward to be more a part of the conversation.

“We don’t know that we do,” Jules said. “Obviously, they chased me and that’s not promising…”

Gabriel started to say something, but Jules continued, cutting him off.

“It’s not a great sign, but I won’t do anything to escalate this. It might just fizzle out if we don’t feed into it, and we are going to give it that chance,” Jules said, looking back at Eileen and then at Gabriel to ensure compliance.

Gabriel nodded. He was obviously not happy with this course of action. However, she was his coven leader, and he would respect her wishes.

“Now take me home,” Jules said, frowning slightly. “I should wash this blood out of my hair before I meet up with Monica.”

A few minutes later they were in front of Jules’s little green house. Her car was parked to one side of the driveway.

“Monica must have come here,” Jules commented.

Gabriel still looked uneasy, but she smiled at him brightly anyway. Monica often came to Jules’s after a fight with her parents or Tai. It was one place Monica felt safe. Ironically.

“May I?” Jules asked Eileen, holding up a hat she’d found on the passenger floor.

“Of course,” Eileen replied.

“Thanks.” Jules pulled on the hat. She didn’t want to scare Monica unnecessarily. “See you later.” She held up her hand to stop the protestations before he could voice them. “Everything will be fine.”

She waved him off as she approached her front door. As expected, it was unlocked.

“Monica?” Jules walked into her living room and found Monica sitting on the couch, curled up, knees to her chest, wrapped in a blanket. She was staring silently at Jules’s cell phone.

“Monica,” Jules said again, getting the girl’s attention.

Monica looked up, shock and concern written on her face.

“Monica, it’s okay. I told you I’d be fine,” she comforted, sitting down beside her and wrapping her small arms around her friend.

Monica began to cry softly.

“You said you took care of it. So why did they chase us?” Monica whimpered, but then sat up and tried to compose herself, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

“I may have humiliated their Alpha yesterday.” Jules smiled sheepishly.

“What does that mean?” Monica asked, her tone a mix of confusion, anxiety, and interest. But Jules could tell by listening to her heartbeat that she was starting to calm down.

“I just might have stepped on his pride a bit.” Jules leaned into the couch and pulled her feet up, making herself more comfortable.

“So, what you mean is that you kicked it, stomped on it, and then lit it on fire.”

Jules made a non-committal sound and then chuckled.

“Jules!”

“He had it coming. He called me a child.”

“Too be fair you were a minor when you died. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years ago of course.”

“Yes, I know. I’m a long dead corpse,” Jules said.

“But a very sexy one,” Monica added.

Both girls laughed.

Luca was exhausted and smelling like spices and soy sauce, as he always did after a shift. Parking under the bedroom window, he grumbled seeing it was once again closed. Begrudgingly, he walked around the house to go in the front.

“Luca!” Carson’s voice called as the screen door slammed shut behind him.

Luca scowled and turned in the direction of the family room.

Upon entering, he realized the rest of the residents of the Den were already gathered.

Apparently, Carson had called some sort of emergency meeting.

Kyle, of course, was no longer among them.

However, a sixth man, that Luca had seen before but never officially met, was leaning against a far window.

The lanky wolf wore glasses and was constantly fidgeting from one foot to the other and then back again.

“Luca,” Carson addressed his Beta.

Luca’s attention shifted to his Alpha, who was pacing menacingly in the center of the room. “I’ve asked Jed here,” he motioned toward the man Luca didn’t know, “to move into that vacant room.”

Vacant. Luca thought, Kyle has only been gone for like twelve hours.