Chapter 7: Chapter 7

SEVEN

Willow was putting on her old black flats when her aunt walked into the room. Charlotte looked exhausted just like always, with bags under her eyes and her shoulders slouched. She looked at her niece and gave her a smile. Willow smiled back and stood from her bed after successfully wearing her shoes.

“Good morning,” Willow beamed. “I guess you have a day off.” She said because, on usual days, Charlotte would already be gone.

Charlotte ran a hand through her hair, bringing it in front of her shoulders before nodding. “The supermarket is closed today, the owner is scared to open because of the riots that have been going on.” She said and sat on Willow’s bed.

“So you’re gonna be here for the whole day?” Willow asked, she already felt excited. If Charlotte had a day free of work, then they could spend time together.

Charlotte shook her head already feeling awful that she had to ruin her niece’s excitement. “I have to hunt for another job, it’s already hard because of all this violence happening.”

There had been horrible occasions over the last two weeks when people raided shops, broke things, stole things and people ended up injured. Willow remembered that even the manager at the restaurant where she worked was wary of opening. It was a horrible disadvantage for most of the people because there was not much outside the city and if most of the businesses and shops were shut down due to fear then people would end up unable to pay bills. The city was a half-hour drive away and jobs would be harder to find there.

“Why don’t you rest today and search tomorrow?”

Charlotte sighed and fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “I wish I could but if I stay here longer the less possible it’ll be to find a job,”

Willow pursed her lips and pulled her hair into a ponytail before tying it with a ribbon. “I think you should rest, no one is going to hire you if you look like a zombie.”

Charlotte laughed and raised her body to look at the younger woman. “What will I even do in this house?”

“Wait for me until I come back and then we can go watch a movie at Mr Monty’s cinema,” Willow suggested.

“That’s a luxury we can’t afford, Willow.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Don’t be like that, I’ll pay for both of us. I’m getting paid today and I’m sure we can make buy snacks from the tips.” She looked excited at the idea of going out for a movie and so Charlotte sighed before giving in.

“Okay, but if the tips aren’t enough then you should tell me and I’ll pay.”

“You do not have to worry about that, the tips are amazing when you have my face,” Willow said smugly and grabbed her handbag. Charlotte rolled her eyes before clicking her tongue.

“Make sure to sleep until four and then we’ll go for the movie at five, okay?”

Charlotte nodded. “I’m gonna be right here on this bed when you come back,” She replied before making herself comfortable on the bed.

“Bye!” Willow waved as she walked out of the room and closed the day. She was glad that Charlotte was going to rest, she always pushed herself too hard.

When she walked down the streets to the restaurant, chaos covered most parts of the street. Broken windows to shops that had been attacked and a few people lingering around trying to see what they could get from the after-mess. When she finally arrived at the restaurant, her manager still looked nervous about opening the place. She was just as nervous as the rest of the workers and she knew that even if they opened they would not have as many customers as usual.

Willow entered through the back and smiled at the people in the kitchen before greeting them. She patted her uniform before walking over to one of the cooks.

“Willow,” Millie, one of the waitresses and the manager’s niece called out to her, she walked over to her. “There’s a guy out there who wants to see you, I found him early in the morning before the place was even open. I thought he was one of those anonymous rioters but he told me that he wants to see you.” She informed her while pointing to the door that led to the main restaurant.

Willow’s eyebrows furrowed, no one ever came to see her here. There was no one who would want to see her, it could not be any of her relatives because they had abandoned her and it could not be Charlotte because she was a female and obviously at home. The only other person she could think of was Levi but if he wished to see her he would have called or gone to her place.

Is it Louis? The thought alone made her shiver in fear

“I thought that other dude Louis was your boyfriend but this guy damn Willow, I would also cheat if he came at me.”

I guess it isn’t Louis.

“I would go see him if I were you, he looks very eager to see you.” Millie continued with a suggestive smile on her face. Willow could see all the thoughts in the girl’s mind. “I made him sit at table five.”

“I’m not a cheater, Millie.” She was more amused than annoyed at the girl’s assumptions. How could she cheat in the first place if there was no one to cheat on?

She walked through the door and into the restaurant, ready to see whoever wished to see her. She walked over to table five but before she could reach it, she already knew who was seated there and he also saw her. She cussed at the openness of the entire restaurant. She walked over regardless and stood in front of the table. He had already seen her, there was no need to try and walk away.

“What are you doing here?”

Black looked unfazed by the tone of her voice. “I would say I am a customer but I don’t care for the food.” He said and stood from the table. He towered over her easily and Willow felt intimidated now that he was standing.

“I want to have a word with you,”

“Didn’t we already do that?” Willow raised her eyebrows at him.

Black's eyes went down her body, staring at everything, from the top of her brown hair to the black flats. Willow could see him staring at her a bit too intimately and she did not know if she should be glad or scared. She had not seen the man for two weeks and all of a sudden he was here in front of her, staring at her in a not-so-subtle way. He was not even trying to hide the fact that he was raking over her entire body.

“If I recall, we did not finish. You ran away and did not answer my question.” He said, his eyes finally staring at her face.

Willow knew that her cheeks were not the right colour, your cheeks were bound to brighten if a handsome man looked at you like that–like he desired you. She tried to scold herself but allowed herself to fall for the same trap but it did not work.

Why do I feel like this when I see him?

She had been haunted by thoughts of him for so long and when she thought it was about to stop. Here he was, in all his grace staring at her like that, as if he wanted her. How could he though? He had that black girl with those cute twins. How could he want her when that woman was so beautiful and confident?

“I-I have nothing to say to you,” She forced herself to speak.

She did not want to allow herself to feel like this about a man with children and a wife or whatever Levi always called it. Levi told her that werewolves had someone made specifically for them and he called it a soulmate. That black woman was probably Black’s mate.

“Does your soulmate even know that you’re here?” She asked through glitter teeth. She suddenly felt so much anger when she remembered the memory of him with the kid in his arms and the woman in front of him.

Black was now confused and the scrunched of his eyebrows was enough proof but Willow just wanted him to leave her alone. She wanted him to stop haunting her thoughts. Black finally registered what she said, she only proved to him that she knew more about werewolves than she let on.

“Soulmate?” Black asked, his voice was deeper than she remembered. It sounded like he did not use it often.

Is he playing dumb? She knew that if she did not get away from him soon, she would probably end up cussing at him. That was against restaurant policy, she could not yell at the customer. She took a deep breath before looking at him again.

“I don’t know what you want but I don’t have it. Please go back to your soulmate, how can you leave her so early in the morning especially since you have twins?...please leave me alone.” She was pleading at this point. Pleading not only for him to leave physically but to leave her mind.

The realisation set on Black’s face. He was slightly amused at her speculation but it was understandable how she had come up with it. An amused smile graced his face. Willow looked shocked when she saw his smile.

“You think Zaira is my mate?” He asked, more amused than anything.

So her name is Zaira...

Willow could not get used to the way his lips lifted up and his teeth peeked out, a small smile but a gorgeous one. Why did he have to be so good-looking? Everything about him just seemed so perfect. Willow kept quiet, it was almost like her tongue was tied and she could only look at his face.

Black realised that she would not speak anytime soon. “Zaira is my friend. I don’t have a mate.” He said.

Willow was even more shocked when he said that. She looked up into his eyes, she could see the yearning in his eyes, he looked sad. It was enough proof for her that he did not have a mate, Levi said that it was the best thing to ever happen to a werewolf. If that woman was his mate then Willow would not have seen the sad look in Black’s eyes.

“Will you talk to me now?” Black tilted his head to the side. “If you know about mates then I must assume that you have the answers to my questions.”

“Look, I don’t know what you want and I surely don’t have the answers to your questions. I’m just a human stuck in between all this werewolf shit.” She said to him in a hushed voice because there were more people in the restaurant now, more than she had assumed.

How do people still come to a restaurant despite all this chaos?

Black was starting to lose his patience. He was a man of little patience and things had not been going well for him over the last two weeks. He needed answers and he needed them soon. Answers about all these rogues and answers about why this woman was stuck in his mind like a broken record, on constant repeat.

He looked at her before grabbing her wrist, Willow yelled when he grabbed her so abruptly. She looked into his eyes with fear but somehow she felt safe, safer than she had felt since her parents. He pulled her away from the table and she tried to escape from his hold with no success. Millie was by the counter and she looked at her with wide eyes, Willow sent a message of plea with her eyes to the other woman. Millie looked at her before smiling and showing her a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fill in for you!” Millie yelled at her, misinterpreting her plea for help.

Willow rolled her eyes. Black pulled her outside the restaurant until she felt her back against metal. She looked at the Black car that trapped her before looking up at Black who stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

“I luck patience, forgive me. Get in the car.” He said calmly. He did not want to scare her but she already made him talk more within minutes than he did on average a day.

Willow looked at him before looking at the sides, searching for any person so that she could scream for help. She already felt threatened by the way he pulled her and caged her in front of his car. She needed to get far away from him.

If I escape, I could probably run to the club and Levi will help me.

It was a useless thought because when she looked up Black had an unamused look on his face. “Don’t try it, you ran away last time and we are here today. Just get in the car, I want to talk but your restaurant has no privacy. If you try to run now, I’ll catch you.” He warned her and she knew that he was right.

“Do you know that I can get you arrested for this?” She retorted trying to scare him with the law.

“Just get in the car, Willow.” Black was getting bored of this interaction.

Willow was once again swooning over the sound of her name rolling off his tongue. Her name always sounded childish when everyone else said it but when Black did, it sounded foreign and appealing, like the forbidden word–too sensual.

“Look, can we talk about this?”

“That is exactly what I am asking for,” Black countered and moved closer to her and put his hand at her side caging her. “I would not do anything you don’t like, I just want to speak with you. Please enter the damn car.” He said before opening the door to the passenger side.

Willow looked into the car, checking for any hidden weapons—guns or knives. For all she knew he could be some crazy serial killer ready to kill her after driving her away.

Why do the handsome ones have to be the fucked up ones?

“I don’t want to, please don’t make me.” She begged out, her tears were already threatening to come out. She closed her eyes

Black sensed her distress and he felt horrible when he saw her moist eyelashes. He sighed before moving away from her and closing the door. He cleared his throat.

“You don’t have to get in the car,” He said and in instant Willow's eyes opened. She looked like she was on the verge of crying. “I just wish to have a word with you...” He paused before adding. “Can we talk somewhere private?” Willow’s eyes widened in a panic once more. “A place of your choice.” He added quickly.

Willow breathed out. She could finally think better with him not too close to her. She looked up at him before nodding reluctantly.

:->

Black looked around him, his hands deep in his pockets as the cool air brushed through his hair and exposed skin. Everything around was calm and so were the trees. He liked it and most especially he was glad that he could no longer smell the horrid smell of rogues. He looked over at Willow who was beside him and his lips tugged upwards. He liked this and he would have liked it better if he could smell her actual scent. It bothered him that he could not smell her actual scent because she still smelled like rogues.

“Your scent...” Black spoke out and Willow looked at him with a big question mark on her face. “I can’t smell your natural scent...I can only smell rogues on you.”

Another person’s scent was not capable of covering up someone’s natural scent. He could not even get a trace of her scent. Willow looked at him and sighed, she knew what he meant. Levi had made sure of it that no one can smell her natural scent. He had given her some pills to mask her natural scent, he had explained something about how her scent would make it too hard for her around so many werewolves. Levi had also mentioned something about a mate but either way, she started taking the pills because she trusted him. If he said that she should take the pills to hide her scent then it was probably for her own good.

“I use a lavender body wash but I don’t know what this has to do with anything.” She replied instead.

Black shook his head. “No, not that. Everyone has a natural scent but I can’t smell yours...it’s like it’s hidden.”

Willow scratched the side of her neck and sighed. “Is this why you came to my workplace before working hours?”

“Why do you smell like rogues?” Willow was silent and bit on her tongue. “Okay, if you can’t answer that then tell me where I can find these rogues.” Black looked at her seriously.

“I don’t think I can answer that either,”

They stood at the side of the road, the tree line very close and Black remembered how he had taken a run through the forest. He wondered why she chose this roadside to speak to him, it would be very easy for him to just grab her and disappear behind the trees. He looked at her one more time before sighing.

“I don’t think you understand just how dangerous rogues are.” He voiced out. “I need to know why they are here...so close to a pack.”

A pack, Levi mentioned that.

“I don’t understand how this has anything to do with me,”

Black huffed. “Willow, I just need answers.” His gaze pierced into her, he was losing patience once again and she could see it. “If you don’t give me answers then I will have to consider you as a threat as well.”

Rogues had a horrible way of working, Black did not put it past them that they would try to use a human girl like her. He scowled when he thought of her working with rogues. The thought of rogues passed him off so much and smelling them on her made him want to soak her in a bath filled with a heavily scented body wash to cleanse her of the scent.

She can be a huge threat. Stop thinking with your dick, Black. He scolded himself mentally.

Willow could sense the seriousness in his tone now. He meant business and she felt intimidated and compelled to tell him everything she knew just by the way he looked at her.

“I don’t know anything okay? This thing about werewolves, I knew nothing about until a year and a few months ago. I was once blind to the truth just like everyone else and I wish I could turn back time so that I did not know about...so that I do not have to deal with all those creeps, Louis or you!” Willow was shaking. Black recognised the look in her eyes. It was the same look she had two weeks ago when she ran away from him.

“I didn’t want any of this, okay...” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be involved in all these werewolf politics...”

Black stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Willow looked up at him with panicked eyes. Why does it hurt to see her with tears? This was the second time today that he saw tears threaten to spill out of her eyes and it still made him feel horrible.

“I’m sorry,” He found himself apologising. “I just need you to tell me where these rogues are. My entire pack is at risk as long as rogues are so close to it. You do realise that I have to control the threat before it gets out of hand. If you know where they are, I just need you to tell me where they are...”

He could see her contemplating what to do, that was a good thing. She was thinking about his words. Willow chewed on the inside of her cheek.

“There’s a nightclub not so far from here and that’s where most of them are found...I can’t tell you anything more.” She was trying to concentrate on her words but his hand on her shoulder was distracting her.

“Thanks,” Black smiled at her and dropped his hand.