A parallel of wolf knights in gold, silver and black uniforms positioned themselves with dignity in front of the entrance of Calber’s diner. The arrangement of the knights created a road in which at the end stood a 6’2 tall man, dark hair, emotionless brown eyes and skin, and a bulk figure. His detailed and elaborated dark-blue tunic knight uniform is garnering the attention of every other wolf who was watching the scene, including the customers who were watching from the open windows of the diner. His black cloak was flailing against the strong blow of the wind. Everything about him says intimidating, power and high profile authority.

Except for him.

Antares who stood in front of the door was watching the whole scene with his arms folded in his chest. He was wondering what the commander of the first division knight patrol: Beta Marthus Weibrock is doing in front of his father’s diner.

Malthus began to stride towards the main entrance of the diner.

All of their customers’ eyes were following his every step until he stood in front of Antares who was blocking the entrance of the diner.

“Marthus…” Antares said firmly, looking at Malthus straight into the eyes, refusing to back down at the beta’s authority.

“Antares…” Marthus stated in the same tone as his.

“What business do I owe the beta of the pack?” He tried to speak politely as possible. He was never in good terms with the higher ranking wolves.

“I was sent here by Kallean himself. He wanted to see the owner of this diner.”

“What do you want from me?” His dad spoke behind him. He lowered his head on the doorframe and got himself out of the diner.

“Dad.” Antares warned.

‘What would they want from a small diner like ours? What did we do wrong?’ These questions rang inside his mind.

“I don’t know sir. I was just following orders.” Malthus said.

His father sighed. “Alright. I’ll come with you.”

Marthus nodded and turned towards where his horse was. He mounted his white stallion and urged his father to ride the black one. He heard the horse whimper because of his dad’s weight.

“Maybe I should walk.” His dad suggested.

“Try to keep up.” The uninterested tone of Marthus remained.

The other knights mounted their brown horses as well. Then on Malthus’s signal, the horses started to walk towards the road.

“Dad!” Antares called out to his father. He was still confused of what’s going on. They never even gave him any explanation. Why are they taking his father to see the Alpha?

“I’ll be back by dinner Antares!” That’s what he said and waved back to him. “Tell Silvi to cook something delicious!”

He watched as the group marched away towards the mansion.

‘Damn it!’

He couldn’t stop himself from worrying.

-o-o-o-

*Blag!*

Kallean calmly raised his head to see the person who bravely barged into his office. A black haired woman in a ponytail, beige sweater and slacks.

He sighed. Who on earth would have the boldness to barge themselves inside his personal space?

His eyes darted to the blood trickling from her left hand. A small pool of her blood was forming on the marble floor.

And now the floor is dirty.

A terrible scent  then entered his nose, coming directly from the direction of the woman. He smacks his hand on his nose and mouth to try and unsmell the awful scent.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my office?” His words were muffled by his hand.

“It’s Silvi. And I’m here because you still didn’t return Sir Calber to us.” She said calmly but she sounded obviously raging mad.

Ack! He wanted to vomit from the smell. Who the heck is this woman? His wolf Dark is cowering away inside his head because of the odor.

“He’s in the dungeon. He deserves it.” He said sternly. He pressed his palm even more firmly to his nose and mouth, to the point that he can’t almost breathe.

“Why is he in the dungeon?!” She asked furiously.

“Do something about your hand first. Where did you get that anyway?”

She looked at her hand. “Your guards tried to stop me earlier with their swords, so I pushed myself inside.” She pulled out a pink handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped it tightly around her wound to stop the blood from dripping.

He frowned. “You’re not a werewolf.” He stated with certainty.

“I’m human. You better change your guards. They can’t even manage to hold a human like me. Now why did you throw Sir Calber to the dungeon. He’s the most decent person I’ve ever known. I don’t see any reason for him to be locked up.”

Kallean was amazed and surprised on how this woman speaks to him. No fear crossed her eyes even for a second while talking to him while other wolves can’t even make a minute eye contact because of fear. Maybe because she is human and his authority and pheromones don’t affect her.

‘Right, my pheromones.’ He released his pheromones and in a matter of seconds, the whole room was filled with his own scent.

He slowly removed his hand from his mouth. He can still smell her awful scent, but it was bearable for him to talk properly.

He heard groans and moans of pain outside his office. Sounds like werewolves in pain because of the pheromones he just released.

“That Calber deserves to be in that place after ruining my lunch the other day.” That stupid wolf completely ruined his appetite. “I was really looking forward to that lunch and thought I was going to eat the meal that I was waiting for. But what I get was not the one that I was hoping.”

There was a shocked expression on her face. Then she crossed her arms in front of her chest. His eyes landed to those gifted front bulging inside her sweater above her arms.

He cursed under his breath. ‘What on earth am I doing?!’

“Just for that, you threw him to the dungeons? That’s pretty unreasonable and childish, don’t you think?”

‘Unreasonable? Childish?’

“It may be unreasonable and childish to you Miss…”

“It’s Silvi…”

Her name lingered in his ears. So did her smell.

‘Ack!’

He released more pheromones.

“…but to me, that meal was the only thing to lift me up from all the stresses that I have been. It’s important to me. And I was terribly disappointed when my hopes were diminished by that meal.”

“I still don’t get it.”

Just then, Marthus blasted himself inside his office, breathing hard and seemed like he’s in terrible pain.

“Alpha! What’s happening? Your pheromone is all over the place. A lot of us are having trouble breathing.”

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stand her smell. I need to smell my own pheromones to mask hers.”

“What?!” The woman, named Silvi exclaimed. “What do you mean smell.” She sniffed herself. “I don’t stink. I know that I didn’t take a bath for the past two days because I was sick…until now…But that allegation is absurd. I don’t smell that bad for him,” she pointed Marthus. “…to crouch in pain.”

“I’m sorry Miss. But could you leave?” Marthus said pleadingly…or much appropriately, he was begging.

“Not until Sir Calber is with me.” She insisted.

“The cook from the diner in the dungeon?” Marthus clarified.

“Yes…him.”

“Alpha!” Marthus begged him.

He sighed and stopped releasing his pheromones smacks his hand again on his face after taking a whiff of her awful smell.

She looked flabbergasted when he did that. Her mouth hanged open.

“Come with me.” He said and led her out of her office. Marthus followed him from behind, not in pain anymore.

But he is. The smell is giving him headaches. He wished that there was something that could block the scent. But he knows that the only way to do that is to send the woman away. Damn this heightened wolf smell.

They reached the dark dungeons and to the cell where he place Calber last night.

“Sir Calber!” She exclaimed and runs to him as soon as she sees him.

‘Great…reunion.’ He thought sarcastically.

“Sir Calber…are you okay? Did they do anything bad to you here?” She asked him with an intense expression of worry.

Calber shook his head. The he looked at him. “Can I leave now Alpha?” He asked.

“Yeah yeah…whatever.” As long as it’ll make the awful smell leave with them.

“Calber, do I really smell? I didn’t take a bath for two days.” Silvi asked.

Calber sniffed her. “No you don’t. But you do smell like flour.”

She shrugged. “I baked this morning.”

“Can you two leave now?” He’s suffering in this air.

She walked closer to her. “Hey Mr. Alpha, I think you’re exaggerating. I don’t smell bad okay.”

‘Ugh!’ His head throbbed and it feels like splitting into two.

“The keys.” She said and laid her hand in front of him.

“Marthus.” He called his beta.

Marthus nodded and looked into the inside pocket of his uniform.

“No need for that Alpha.” Calber spoke.

They all looked to him, confused.

In one swift move, Calber pulled the bars with his bare hands like he was taking a piece of chunk from a cake. Cracks were created in the walls where the bars were attached and concrete and pebbles came flying everwhere.

Marthus and that woman, Silvi both have the same shock expression on their faces, except him.

“You should reinforce these bars Alpha. You’re at risk of the prisoners escaping.” Calber said. He gently propped the unhinged bars to the wall. 

“You can actually do that? You could have just escaped last night!” Silvi exclaimed.

Calber sighed. “I need to atone for my mistakes. I deserve it.”

“Just because he did not like the food you made yesterday?”

“I'm disappointed the Alpha. And besides, he knows that this punishment could not even be considered as a punishment.”

“But---but…”

“He was supposed to let me out later in the afternoon. But thanks for coming for me. Wait, are you okay now? Don’t you still have fever?” He palms her forehead. “You still have a slight fever! Why did Antares let you out?! That boy…” He growled.

“I snuck out. He didn’t know I was coming to get you. He was supposed to be the one to do it, but he took some swords and weapons so I made him sleep. I don’t want him to engage into a fight. You know how he is.”

“Yes I know but---.”

“Could you continue your damn conversation outside?! I can’t stand her smell anymore!” He thinks he had already suffered enough this week.

“Alpha…I’m very offended. I don’t think I smell that bad. I have no idea what’s wrong with you.” She stated.

“We werewolves have sensitive smells. But I don’t find your smell bad. Maybe there is something in your blood, or I don’t know…being human, that is unpleasant to him.” Calber explained.

That may be it. “Calber said it. Now get out! Before I completely lose my patience.” He said. “Marthus.”

His beta nodded and led the two up until he can no longer see or sense them. He slowly removed his hand from his mouth and tried to see if that awful is not there anymore.

He sighed gratefully that the air around him is back to the way it was.

He went back to his office and to the work he left, hoping that they will never see each other again.