Kitchen wars II

Kitchen wars II
Dali’s eyebrows knitted into a frown. She shook her head, taking Celyn’s hand from her jaw and then interlaced their fingers.
“I do not still have feelings for him, Celyn,” she said. “And it has nothing to do with anything. I simply grew out of it. And I have rejected him, so the mate bond is not as strong as before.”
Celyn listened intensely.
“Moreover, I’m no longer a slave to my emotions, Celyn,” she said.
Celyn nodded her head. She placed a strand of hair behind Dali’s ears.
She knew Dali so well, but sometimes, after not talking to her for two years, she feared she had missed out on a lot of things. Especially the most important part of her growth. She had missed the transition from a naive eighteen-year-old girl to the wise twenty-year-old woman now.
However, she could still read Dali like a book. She could tell that her words were far from the truth. But it didn’t matter; what mattered was her resolution.
She would not yield to the feelings she harbored for him. She was wise enough to be stronger than she used to be. Smarter too.
The preparations for the full moon kicked off the second the sun began to set behind the mountains. The healers, excited for this tradition, gathered chairs, tables and set up a bonfire right in the middle of the open field, illuminating the village like it was noon.
The wolves present stared around with their eyes widened. This was a sight they were never accustomed to; it felt warm, enough to distract them from the fact they were separated from the rest of their families.
The healers set everything out, the meat they had hunted had been seasoned by the kitchen staff, everything was ready for the party to be kicked off. The healers and wolves who had a fair understanding of music already had their drums out.
Meanwhile, Chase and Kiara ran away from where they had set out to cook, coughing their guts out. Smoke rose from the pot on the fire.
They ran a good distance from the spot and watched flames rise from the thick dark smoke.
Kiara and Chase both watched the flames rise up.
Burning in that pot was what they had tried to cook for Dali. How it turned out this way, they could actually not explain. Neither of them knew the first thing about cooking, but they had totally looked over a few things, underestimated a lot, and they were left with flames.
Kiara turned to her partner in crime. “I’m sorry.”
Chase bit on his lower lip and dropped his gaze. “I knew from the start that I’d be losing.” He slowly shook his head. “I just wanted to do something, to prove that I’m not what he thinks I am.”
Kiara scoffed. “Please, you’re exactly what he thinks you are.”
A second of silence.
They both doubled over in laughter.
Chase nodded his head after a laughing fit. “You’re right, I’m exactly what he thinks I am.”
She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “What he thinks you are is who you used to be. You don’t know who you are yet, but you’re on a journey to be who you want to be, and that’s what matters.”
“The things you did, they’re all in the past.”
Chase nodded his head. He tilted his chin towards the fire in the pot. “Just like that.”
Kiara nodded, feeding into his delusion. “Yes. That’s in the past. Tomorrow, you’ll be a better cook.”
They both laughed for a while before they abandoned the pot and walked out to where the party was being held.
On their way, they spotted Marcus with a tray that contained what definitely was food. It was sealed in a container that they could not see, but surely, it was easy to guess.
They watched as he made his way over to Dali.
“Fucking piece of shit,” Chase cursed.
Kiara agreed with a nod. “He’s so annoying.”
Marcus brought the tray of food over to Dali. Behind him trailed Kiara and Chase, and next to Dali stood Celyn dressed in a red dress.
On seeing her, desire flashed through Kiara’s eyes.
As for Chase, he took a step back when he saw Dali. Her dress was as dark as the night—simple, yet intriguing. It was a dress that stopped right on her knees, lacy and accentuating her curves.
She was ethereal.
He swallowed, heat spreading through him.
“Control yourself,” Kiara growled softly next to him.
“The same applies to you.”
Celyn’s eyes raked over Chase, spotting the disheveled appearance of both him and her mate. Their hair was messy, looking like a bird’s nest. As for their clothes, there were stains on them she could not begin to guess where they came from.
Looking at them, she could already guess what happened. The disaster was written all over them.
Clear as day.
She pressed her lips into a thin line to hold back her laugh.
Marcus glanced behind him and saw the two of them. He chuckled to himself. “So I thought you were really passionate about this. What happened?”
Chase glared at him. “How does that have anything to do with you?”
Marcus scoffed. “You kept running your mouth earlier. I thought you would actually be a worthy competition.”
Chase tightened his fists, shooting daggers at Marcus and the smug smirk resting on his lips. He rolled his eyes at him before shifting his gaze to Dali.
He caught her staring.
His heart skipped a beat.
Dali’s gaze was unlike what he had been acquainted with these past weeks he had lived here. For the first time, she wasn’t staring at him with sheer hatred, but rather intrigue. Interest.
Amusement.
She dropped her gaze, then her lips stretched into a soft smile.
Something tickled Chase’s heart.
Dali turned to Marcus. She opened the container and glanced inside. “This looks yummy.” She bit her lip.
Marcus smiled happily. “Yes, I really put a lot of effort into this.”
“It’s just a silly competition,” Dali laughed. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Marcus shrugged. “I wanted to show you that I will care for you, Dali. All you need to do is give me a chance to actually do it.”
Chase’s jaw clenched. He took a step forward, but the fingers wrapped around his wrist stopped him.
Kiara glanced at him and shook her head, and whispered to him, “You made her laugh just now. Why do you want to ruin it for yourself?”
Anger burned in Chase’s heart, mixed with jealousy. It wasn’t a pleasurable feeling. There was some similarity between this feeling and the feeling of getting stabbed over and over again.
He watched as Dali ate the food, a smile on her face, her eyes twinkling like the stars in the night.
He turned his eyes away.
After having a taste of the food, she returned the lid to the container. “This is really delicious,” she said.
Marcus smiled widely. “So I win?”
“Please,” Celyn chimed in, “we all know you would win.” She gestured to Chase and Kiara standing there, clad with stains on their clothes, their hair messy and the stench of smoke stuck on them.
“The two of them know nothing of what a kitchen looks like. You were bound to win, Marcus.”
Kiara grinned at her mate. “You know me so well.”
“Let’s have the dance now?” Marcus asked Dali.
Her eyes found the man standing behind him. There was not the slightest clue what she felt at that moment, but it appeared to be the sibling of disappointment.
Perhaps the twin.