VALERIE'S POV
"Go away! Get out of the way!" I screamed at the top of my lungs before speeding up the bike.
"What the hell?! Do you want to die? Get out of the way, you f*ker!" I growled as I looked at all the bikes chasing behind me.
Damn it! Winning this race is important to me! It will ensure my living cost for the next year.
"Let go, girl! Do you think you can win from us?" One of the guys passed me, and I accelerated the bike even more.
If he thinks I would let him win against me just like that, he doesn’t know what’s waiting for him.
'Valerie! Are you committing suicide? You are still not a trainer racer. Control the speed,' My wolf shouted, and I smiled, liking how restless she was becoming. Seeing her like this was even more thrilling than this race.
"Here we go!" I accelerated the highest as we raced on the steep hill now.
"Look at this, stupid!" I laughed, passing the guy who had gotten ahead of me.
As I was nearing the finish line, I saw a few men standing on the other side, near the restaurant, and knowing they were werewolves, I sighed, annoyed.
Damn! These pack wolves are always hovering around. This is no man's territory. My presence here shouldn’t be a problem, no?
"Woah, you really amazed us with your skills. What's say? Do you want to join our group?" One of the boys said, my gaze fixated on the man, who has been looking at me since I got down from the bike.
"I don't think so," I smiled before taking the prize money.
Turning around to get to my bike, I was about to climb on it when someone held my hand.
"I am Sebastian. The leader of this racing group. We have an important race coming up. It's a group race. We would like to have talented racers like you on our team. I know you race for money. Luckily, the prize money for that race is 1 million dollars which would be equally divided. There are 4 people in a group. You can calculate your profit. Here is my card if you change your mind," Sebastian gave me the card, and I looked at it interestingly.
It does sound interesting. All I have to do is attend college and ensure I have enough grades to get the degree. If I can collect more money with races like these, I can actually manage to get a good master's degree without worrying about scholarships.
"I will think about it," I nodded before looking at the werewolf guy walking towards me.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"You are a rogue," the guy said, and I had this strong urge to roll my eyes at him, but I had promised Logan I would stay out of trouble with pack wolves, and thus, I smiled politely.
"I have been told that," I nodded.
"You look young enough to be a college student," The guy said.
"I have been told that too. Unfortunately, it is all thanks to my healthy skin. I am actually a mother of a healthy boy," I smiled.
"I don't see a mark on your neck, which means you don't have a mate. And neither do you smell like a human male," the guy interrogated further.
"He is adopted. I always wanted a kid, so," I smiled stiffly.
"I haven't violated any pack rules, so I don't have to answer you with anything else. If it's all then," I started my bike before turning it swiftly.
As I turned to look at the guy, I noticed a man sitting inside a car at some distance. He was probably an alpha.
Maybe the guy was worried about his safety, and that's why he came to interrogate me. I shrugged before sighing.
~~~~~
"Oh my god, Valerie! Where the hell were you? Don't you know how much you are necessary for our business? More than a hundred college guys came and asked about you," The manager asked as soon as I walked inside the cafe.
Seriously? Does he expect me to work here all the time just to boost his sales? I placed my helmet on one of the tables.
"Valerie!" One guy shouted from table no. 4, and I turned to him.
"Hey, Brandon, right?" I waved, and he grinned before nodding at his friends, and I chuckled at his behavior.
"So? I don't see why that's a problem. It's good for you and your business, no?" I asked the manager, and he pouted.
"Of course not. Almost everyone left because they didn’t want to deal with being late for their classes. Only a few stayed, waiting for you," the manager said, and I rolled my eyes.
"Stop exaggerating everything, will you? Don't use my powers for wrong means," I looked at him, amused.
"What powers? You are just god's favorite child for being so beautiful. Now get to work. Let me put up the banner that it's VK shift," The manager rubbed his hands mysteriously, and I looked at him, worried.
Something is definitely wrong with his brain. Why does he always act like the biggest plotter of the century? I shook my head.
"I don't even see why you create such hype about me. I can count hundreds of girls more beautiful than me in this area," I rolled my eyes.
"You don't get the point, do you? They don't come here because you are so beautiful. They come here because you are exotic. You are different from most of the locals here, not to mention your confidence gives you a vibe that even girls fall for you," The manager said, and I scoffed before wearing the apron and hat and putting my hair in a ponytail.
"Let's get started," I turned around, looking at the line that immediately formed in front of the counter.
"Damn, your popularity is no joke," My co-worker said, and I looked at the boys before smiling.
"Let me get your orders, but don't rush, okay?" I asked, and everyone nodded.
"What can I get you?" I asked the first guy before taking everyone's orders one by one.
Tilting my head, I looked at the guys shouting at table no.9 before gazing at the manager, who nodded before walking to them.
"Guys, don't make too much noise here. Many people come here to work and study," the manager said, and I smiled at the next customer before taking her order.
"Here, you go," I gave her the coffee, not before writing 'beautiful' on the sticker, and she squealed before leaving.
"Are you for real? What kind of nincompoop came here to study or work? It’s a cafe, right?" One of the guys said, and then I huffed.
‘Let the manager handle it. You are not a hero, Valerie. Stop acting righteous all the time. You can't afford to flex your werewolf powers here, or the council will have your head for revealing the identity to the humans.’ I told myself before forcing a smile.
"Please leave if you are here to cause a ruckus. We can't make others uncomfortable just because you don't have a life," the manager said, and everyone cheered for him, making me chuckle.
He was getting too arrogant these days, wasn't he? But unfortunately, his arrogance didn’t please everyone.
"What the hell? Are you disrespecting your customer like this? Who do you think you are?" One of the boys stood, and from his scent, I could feel he was high.
This wasn't going to turn out well for our manager. He is all manly, but let's face the truth. He can't fight to save his sorry arse.
"Where is Holland? Why is the manager not calling him?" I asked my co-worker, who didn't have a pleasant expression on her face.
Holland was like a bodyguard for the cafe and handled things like these.
"Didn't you hear? His mother is sick, and he is on leave for a week," she pressed her lips into a thin line, and I sighed before preparing the coffee for another person.
"Look, we don't want to call the cops here. You are making all of us uncomfortable, and we don't allow people who spread negative vibes here. Please see yourself out," the manager said, his patience wearing thin.
"What? Negative what?" The boy slurred before he took out his dagger from the pocket, making me grit my teeth as the girls shrieked in horror while the guys stepped back.
"Please handle the counter here," I said to my co-worker.
"Hi, I know you are not a bad person. Our manager is in a bad mood right now. Can you please go out and save us some trouble? You are welcome the next time," I tried to be as polite as I could, but the boy looked me up and down, making me disgusted.
"Where did this b*tch come from? Are you offering yourself or something?" The guy asked before extending his hand to touch me, which I readily dodged. I could see the guys behind me immediately stepping forward to help me.
However, I didn't need any of that.
"Yes, I am indeed offering. I am offering to beat you up," I grinned before I raised the tray and hit the guy’s head with it.
Grabbing his collar, I kicked his friend away, my ears perking to sense any danger or sound. As I noticed the other man sneaking at me, I grabbed the guy with my left hand before I bent forward and hit the guy with my sidekick.
"I really didn't want to hurt you," I slammed his head on the table, pressing his face onto the table as he flailed his legs to get free, trying to reach out to me.
Crossing his arms behind him, I bent to whisper.
"You can sneak and attack a human, but not a devil," I smiled before I lifted the chair to hit him.
However, as I was about to do that, I sensed something I didn't expect.
An alpha. And a very strong and dangerous one at that.
"Now you can easily throw them out," I looked at the manager, who looked back at me mouth-agape.
"Well, thank you," I smiled as everyone started to clap before hurriedly walking behind the counter.
I can't let the alpha see me beating up humans here, or he would surely complain to the council, and it will be tough to explain why I had to act like a hero amidst so many humans when the boys could've done the job.
Lowering my hat, I bowed and smiled at the customer before taking the orders when I saw two tall men entering the cafe from my periphery, and it felt as if someone sucked the air out of my lungs.
The power of this man is no joke.
What pack is he ruling?
"Can I have a cold coffee with extra coffee powder?" The alpha ordered from his seat. Even his voice held an authority that could make people drop to their knees. I could see a few girls fangirling.
I wanted to say this wasn't some kind of restaurant, nor was this cafe his pack where people succumb to his wishes, but I barely controlled my mouth to stop myself from getting into trouble when I saw the manager rushing to him as if that man was some kind of VIP.
His face was unclear, but I am sure he was some a*shole from his attitude.
"Valerie, bring his order," the manager said, and I gritted my teeth before taking it from my co-worker and walking to the table as the other guys, whose orders were put on hold, groaned.
As I was nearing the alpha, I could feel the change in his vibes. I am sure he sensed the presence of a rogue, and I would be really lucky if he didn't grab me by my neck.
Raising my gaze from his foot to his well-built body that looked straight out of a fiction book, my gaze stopped at his olive clear skin visible from his opened two buttons before I looked at his chiseled jaws, my eyes finally meeting his.
And Holy Sh*t!
What a piece of walking s*x!
I widened my eyes before nodding absentmindedly when the manager shook me.
"What are you doing? Keep the coffee and go," The manager reminded me, and I gulped, my heart beating so fast that I was afraid it would leap out of my mouth.
F*ck! F*ck!
'You know, I won't mind getting punished by an alpha this good-looking,' My wolf uttered shamelessly, and I gritted my teeth. As if my own thoughts weren't enough, she had to add oil to the fire.
Where is the girl who said she was more into people’s character than their looks? Because of seeing this man, I was unsure if that was me or not.