Wolf's Bane

Chapter 3

Luna--

After a couple of hours had passed, not a single incident happened. Luna was finally in a good mood for once, though it was hard to tell by her facial features. When the last bell rang, she stood up from her seat and waited for her newfound protector to stand. "I have to go to work now." She began to walk out of the classroom and rummaged through her bag for her work clothes. Standing after wincing at the high pitch of the bell, Sam looked at Luna with a smile. The air around her seemed much lighter than the previous day. He loved this; being around him, or at least the actions he had done for her, seemed to help her distress lift. "At the Mom and Pops?" Watching her rummage through her bag, he remembered the application he had put in and then remembered that she got harassed even there. "I'll go with you. I usually go to the woods, but it'll be fun to see you," He stopped his sentence short. He knew that it wouldn't be right to state her world. Thinking for a moment, he began to speak again. "It'll be fun to hang out."

Luna smiled a bit before finally finding her work clothes. "I can't hang out much if we are short-handed again." Instead of changing like she usually does, she threw over the outfit over her shirt and began to unball the apron. Her face then froze for a second before looking at the boy she had been hanging out with all day. "I'm so stupid. I never did formally get to know you. I only got your name from others." She suddenly facepalmed before sighing. "I'm so sorry. " She suddenly stopped and stuck her hand out to shake his hand. "My name is Luna Mason. What do you want me to call you?"

He looked at her hand before taking it on his own. "My name is Samuel Hendrickson. You can call me Sam, though." Once he shook her hand, he gave a smile. After the formalities, he walked with her to her place of work. The mom-and-pop restaurant was a short walk from the school, and instantly, upon walking into the building, Sam could smell the grilled meats. It wasn't as packed as yesterday, but the building was still alive with occupants. Sam saw the kitchen workers in the back as they made plate after plate of food. His blue eyes scanned the open lobby for any sign of Luna's harassers. So far, it has looked like a good day. The first thing Luna heard was Jane yelling in the kitchen. She tilted her head slightly before peeking over the counter. "Jane?"

"Oh, there you are, dear. We have an order to deliver here soon. Falling a little behind. You boy." She came around the corner only to see Sam and Luna standing beside each other. She smiled a bit before pointing at him. It wasn't long before an apron got tossed at the boy and a shirt. "Help her with orders. It gives me more time to finish this one. Luna, show him how it's done. Don't let yesterday mess with you." She then disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Luna in a slight shock. "Well? Ain't she a bit spunky today?" Luna knew that Jane was a very busy lady ,but rarely did she hire someone on the spot like that. This change in Jane caused Luna to look concerned for a moment before shrugging it off.

The yell from the kitchen had caught Sam off guard. The pieces of cloth being thrown Sam's way were acquired in each hand as his eyes went to Luna. "Do I have to wear these?" Looking at the clothing again, he sighed. He knew he would have to wear the uniform if he wanted to work there. Putting the shirt on over his own, Sam looked at the apron. "Feels like I'm helping mom in the kitchen." He muttered to himself before tying the apron behind his back.

Luna laughed a bit before picking up her ordering pad. The laugh almost seemed nervous about his statement. It was almost as if she couldn't really relate. She had a special pad that held her name on the corner of every page. "Well, that's the sanitary code for you. Since you're new, you can use mine. I have a good amount." She smiled a bit as she picked up the pen and handed him both items. "All you have to do is be nice. " Her red hair seemed redder than usual as the sun entered the window. Her smile seemed to make her eyes greener. It wasn't long till the regular group of girls walked in and sat in the same spot as yesterday. "We'll start with them. They normally get coffee and salads with no onions. But I want you to go ask them what they want." She lightly pushed him away from the counter.

Taking the pad and pen, Sam allowed the light pushing toward the preps that had sat at the table from yesterday. His stance was intimidating, but he tried to soften himself as he approached. "Good evening. What may I get for you?" His voice was soft, and he spoke as if reading a script. The preppy girls looked at him before laughing outright. "Awe, Red's got her doggy taking her orders now."

"How cute. Look at Sam with his little apron." The girls began to slow their laughter before reciting their usual order. As Luna had stated, it was coffee with salad, no onion. However, Sam sparked an idea. Don't do it. You'll get Luna in trouble. He looked down at the order and sighed as he jotted down 'No onion.' Damn it, why did the beast have to be right? He'd have to f**k with them when he had his pad and paper. Moving from the table, he followed Luna's scent trail to the kitchen and tore the paper off, only to clip it for the kitchen staff.

With that done, he moved back to Luna with a smile. "Easy."

Luna smiled at him and put her hand up for a high five. It's been a while since she had someone to hang around. Though she didn't know how long it would last. "Better than me on my first try. I dropped my pen in some girl's drink the first time." She laughed a little bit before grabbing another pad when more people came in. She placed it in her apron pocket. She then went to make their coffee. "Don't tell them, but I put 4 sugars instead of 3. They still haven't noticed."

He gave her a light high five. He knew that using full force would hurt her, and he didn't want that. He chuckled at her story and the statement after. "Your secret is safe with me." He told her as he took a tray that held their salads.

With the tray in hand, he walked to their table and began placing their plates in front of them. One of them bent their hand upon Sam's and leaned forward. In a calm tone, she began to speak with him. "Do you know what happened to Zach?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You ran with him, didn't you?"

"I haven't since the wolves went into hiding."

"So you don't know where my mate is?" Sam shook his head and stood up. "Where ever he is, I'm sure he isn't missing you." Sam ripped his hand from the girl and walked back toward the kitchen.

Luna watched his confutation with the girl closely. Her hand on Sam's was enough to make her ears red, but not enough for a reaction. After he started heading back toward the employees, it only got slower. The realization of it being too slow made her slightly worried. Tips are what she lived on, but she couldn't tell anyone that. She began to tap her pen on the counter before sighing heavily. "You think they stopped coming in because of yesterday?"

Sam shook his head. "Nah, I think the cops have most of the town looking for Zach." He leaned against a counter and noticed her nervous tapping of the pen. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh.." Her tapping stopped before she looked down at the pen. "Nothing. Just slow."

"Slow means we get to hang out." He moved closer to her. His nasal passages take in her scent and cause his beast to run circles in his head. He could tell there was something else going on. "Tell me what's on your mind."

Luna faced away from him and out of the window of the restaurant. "I appreciate what you've done for me today. But this is not something I want to talk about." Her pen tapping started up again, but this time it was slow. She knew that soon she had to pick up her food and get off. It was only a couple more hours. Her eyes then wandered back to Sam, giving her a small smile. "I do appreciate you helping me. Maybe now you'll come back to school. It's important."

"We'll see." He gave her a smirk before grabbing a broom and sweeping the lobby. They weren't closed yet, but slow enough to clean. After serving families with small children and other messy people, he knew the open dining room needed cleaning. Staying away from those still enjoying their meals, Sam seemed to dance to music no one heard. The broom moved across the floor as he swept. What are you doing, i***t? You're making us look like fools. Their eyes went to Luna before he chuckled to himself.

Luna watched the boy as he swept in a dance-like motion that caused her to smile. It didn't take much for the girl to be entertained by him. He was strange. Something about how he carried himself showed more confidence than she would ever have. She saw him look before pointing at the floor. "Missed a spot." She said this jokingly as she grabbed a rag to wipe off the counters. She couldn't sit around all day. Jane would kill her. "Pretty sure we can leave early today. Heard Jane talking about it."

"Well, then, let's clean up and leave." He smiled as he swept the debris into a dustpan, picking it up and carrying it to a trash can. Dumping it, he looked around the lobby. The tables had been cleared of dishes, Luna had wiped most of the unoccupied tables, and Sam had swept the floors. Being new, he didn't want to talk to the boss, lady Jane, so he leaned against a counter and watched Luna finish. He found her figure enticing. The curvature of her structure showed a woman in her prime. Even with the slight weight on her form, she was an angel in his eyes.