Chapter 39: Stalker

Karl returns an hour later with a couple of bags. She smacks her head, puzzled as to why he got so much. She only needed the necessities.

He hands her one of the bags and encourages her to open it like a child on Christmas morning. She eagerly opens it and discovers a cute brown nude dress that falls to her mid-thigh. It's ideal for the winter, especially because the doors are always open. She then pulls out light violet lingerie and raises an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. Karl smiles at me, trying to hide his flushed face.

She goes on, not wishing him to be embarrassed. The cute high heels she pulled out next didn't match the dress, but they were so beautiful she couldn't resist. "Thank you so much!" she exclaims as she embraces Karl.

"Don't forget about the new bag," he laughs, trying to point to the other one. She ran over to the bag and opened it curiously to find a backpack that looked almost identical to her old one that had been washed away. She brings it up to her heart and clutches it; she can't believe he went out of his way to get her this.

She reaches into her bag one last time and pulls out a warm maroon hooded sweatshirt. It said "I'm a bunny" on the front, and the hood has ears. "So me," she laughs, smiling as she repacks everything into a single bag. "Thank you so much, Karl; I'd probably have a nervous breakdown if you hadn't helped," she says as she picks up the bag to go change.

Karl rolls his eyes and says, "Of course, I had to, now get on with it," as the customers begin to pour in. She nods and dashes to the bathroom to change into her new, amazing outfit.

She exits the restroom and resumes her work, running around the establishment bringing everyone their drinks, taking their orders, and dealing with their temper tantrums.

She approaches the customer just as her dinner break begins. Yes, during the dinner hour, Karl wanted to take her out as a friend. They did this now and then, and she felt guilty because he was always the one who had to pay. She believes it is because he is aware of her situation and it would feel bad if she paid, even though she wishes she could.

This man was in his 30s and quite attractive. "Hello, sir," she says, taking out her pad of paper to take his order.

He looks her over from head to toe, smirking slightly. She was used to it; some people are just creepy. "Please, a water and a double cheeseburger," he says, smiling. She nods and scribbles something down that the cook can read.

She turns away, but she is being dragged back. She turned around and frowned at the man, upset that she was being touched without her permission. Unless you know the person, it's just plain rude and inconsiderate.

"May I speak to you outside, honey?" he inquires quietly. His grip on her arm became a little tighter. "I will give you an extra tip," he says as a bribe.

"Let me go to give this to the chef sir," she says as she rushes to toss the notes into the cooking area before going back.

She refused to go any further as they exited and stood beside the doorway. Outside, he said, this is. She's had her fair bit of folly, and this is one of them, but money is still money.

"You're a young, beautiful girl; you could be making loads of money," the man says as he pulls out a bundle of cigarettes. He lights one cigarette and asks, "You want to know how?" as he inhales the foul smoke. She was aware that Allan smoked, but never in her presence.

Althea shook her head. "And how?" she wondered, unsure what he was on about. Her gaze traveled down the quiet neighborhood, which was riddled with bad roads and other hazards.

"Consider working for me, you could make thousands of dollars per week," he smirks, trying to pull out his wallet to show her his bunch of hundred of thousands.

Her eyes sparkle as she wonders how he makes so much money. "But what is the job?" she inquired, not wanting to be associated with a gang. Werewolf mafias still exist in the current era, but they aren't as prevalent as they once were.

He fastly finishes his smoking and throws the butt onto the ground, not worrying to step on it. "All you have to do is be a pretty lady and perform a quick dance," he says hazily. Her brain tries to make sense of what he said. "Look pretty and dance? Like stripping? Oh hell no! That work you are trying to say is being a prostitute, jerk!" she takes a step away from him, "Sorry but I'm not that kind of girl but still Thank you, sir and I'm already fine with my job now," she smiles, attempting to get around him so she could take her to break.

"Don't be so impulsive woman, you could make even far more than that by playing a little game," he smirks, his eyes mischievous as he pulls out another cigarette.

"No thank you," she clenched her teeth as she cringed and tried to pull her arm away from him. She understood what he was saying and refused to do such a heinous thing. Plus, she still had Allan's mark on her, it was just less visible now that they had been away for some time. It will only get her killed, which is why only a mateless woman engages in it.

He grips their arm tightly, and she remains motionless, unsure of what to do. "Get the f*ck out of here," Karl yells through the door. Normally, she doesn't hear the bell jingle when it opens. My eyes shine as she looks up at him. Karl, on the other hand, is powerful.

After a while, the man grumbles and lets her go. "Just find me if you want the job," he says quietly as he walks away.

She runs up to Karl and quickly embraces him. "Thank you so much, Karl!" she exclaims. He looks down at her and shakes his head, "You're welcome, now let's go eat, my mate is waiting," he says as he walks back inside, she shut behind. She liked going out to eat with Karl because his friend is very nice to her. She almost cringes at how much they love each other.

"See yah, Christina!" Karl exclaims as she walks out the door, "dinner was fun!" she waves goodbye, "Yup," she agrees, hurrying home before it's too late. It was already dark, but she had a bedtime set, so she would be fine waking up.

She also knows she'll be spending the night in the mud tonight because it started raining again during dinner. She was having fantastic luck today.

She walks down the quiet street, staring at her feet as only a few strangers pass by. One was presumably a youngster trying to sneak out, and the other was likely a prostitute working for that creepy dude. She wishes he were miraculously hit by a car, but either way works.

"P-please!" she hears someone scream from a location near the alleyway, which piques her interest. She didn't want to go look into it, but she did want to listen. "I didn't mean it! I swear on my life!"

A loud smash rang through the night sky, cutting the man off. Althea shuddered, knowing that the sound of it suggested a fractured jaw. It's toe to the next building over, knowing she can hear them from here.

"Oh sorry, ain't going to help you when I start tearing every part of you from your body and giving it to those prostitutes of yours," Allan roars. She became aware that the other man was the creepy guy from earlier.

She exclaimed, quickly covering her mouth so she wouldn't be heard. She continued to listen, perplexed as to why Allan was butchering the man.

"I didn't know she was your mate, for all I knew her name was Christina, not Althea!" the guy yells, probably trying to get someone's attention. But she was the only one nearby, and she wasn't going to help him. If he wants Out, he'll have to go get it himself.

"I don't give a f*ck, you asked my mate to work like that, don't you know I hate it when you touch my mate!" Allan snarls, punching the guy. She could hear his brow furrow.

She walked away from the scene before Allan could smell her. With these pumps on, she pulled the hood over her head and ran as fast as she could. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard, Allan was there when the guy asked her to sell her body and work for that crazy dude, ", So all this time he's stalking me?" she wondered.

Her wolf howled in delight, relieved that her mate was still alive. Her wolf said, "I miss him," but she ignored him. That would explain why she is still alive, but only just. She wonders if he will ever decide to reveal himself, or if he will remain in the shadows for the rest of his life.