Wolf’s Bane

“Hey wait a fucking minute…” The Charmer whispered to himself. “Max didn’t put up a fuss when Jack said he might have to pay for my motorbike… Why that scumbag son of a bitch, I oughta…”

“Eron, what did you find?”

“Huh, uh… what? Find? What do you mean?” he stammered as he looked around the basement trying to act busy.

“I mean you’ve been staring at that machine for the longest time and not even saying anything. Anything the matter?”

“Oh, no, no…” the new boarder answered his landlady, realizing that he was too immersed in his memory a few minutes before. “It’s me just studying the way this works. Too bad there isn’t a manual.”

“Of course, there is. Why didn’t you just ask me? I can search the attic for it later after we’ve finished eating lunch, which is about an hour from now.”

‘Yeah, that sounds awesome. And thanks for showing me all of this, Miss Diwana. Now, I have more hopes of putting Scorpia together.”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“Well, you are free to use all this anytime you want, on one condition…”

“What condition?”

“That you never call me Miss again.” the lady in the large overalls said as she walked to where he was.

“Huh? But it’s a sign of respect…” Eron explained in a flustered manner.

“I know and that’s why I didn’t ask you to change it before. But now that you slipped, which means you have been thinking about using my name without the Miss way back when I think it’s only right that you call me the way that you really choose to. And Di is also fine… or Diwa even,” she replied in a gentle voice while looking up at him with an unsure smile.

He suddenly found himself stuttering, “Uhhh… ok then, D-Diwana. If you say so…”

“You don’t lose respect just because you don’t use titles. You lose them when you act disrespectfully towards other people’s feelings. At least, that’s what I believe…”

Eron’s thoughts: Yeah, she’s right, you know? After all, people may change their titles, their careers, and even their sexual preferences, but that doesn’t mean they lose their people’s respect. I mean, even ‘The Feared Left Hand’ has a dream that many will ridicule him for, like the pub goons in Disney’s Rapunzel or Adam Sandler’s Zohan, but no one would disrespect him for that. There is no way I can disrespect him if I ever called him cook…

Or even chef…

+++

Meanwhile, back at the farmhouse around the same time…\

“Now, you need to take the cucumber, and with the same peeler, pull some long, thin slices off it. We’ll prepare a vinaigrette and shape the cucumber-like flowers. You’ll see, they will love it.”

“Very detailed, bro, that’s nice. And the carrot?”

“When you’re done making the slices, put them on that plate, then you can grind the carrot. I’ll cut some cherry tomatoes and prepare the vinaigrette. Look, it’s easy… salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, olive oil and vinegar. That does magic in the salad, and even the kids will love it.”

Vigil paused as he looked intently at his friend.

“When all of this is over, I’ll hire you to teach me how to cook. And on that note, I believe you should have stayed working in the kitchen instead of turning to the mafia… Hell, you could have stayed at home with us, but yeah… you wouldn’t have found your mate if you were with us…”

“Thanks, bro, I actually enjoyed being a cook even when it was really busy and tiring. However, I got tired of never having enough money. It was always on average pay, but when the Governor approached me and offered me a place in his organization, I didn’t think much of it. I was angry at life and the world… at everything and everyone… even at myself… I was pretty much dead by then, so I didn’t care about what might happen to me during that time.”

“And then she came along?” V said in the middle of slicing vegetables.

“Yeah…” Hero said with a deep long sigh. “And then, she came along and reminded me what it felt like to have a reason to stay alive… Especially after that night, when she went through the transformation, and then, when she got pregnant… Bro, even when I was a bastard and from time to time and was cold and mean to her, she stood there for me and with me… even when she got to know all the truth about me, not just that I was a werewolf, but a mafia leader…. Damn, that was even more difficult for me to tell her… that I worked with the guys that wanted to take her, and that’s how I knew their plan…”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Hero… even back then, when you were Mr. Wall, we knew that you’d not hesitate to give your life for her… despite being a bit rough on the edges…”

“Yeah… I would have, back then. Now, I would do whatever as well, but would stay alive for her… have to, Virgil…” The Ogre answered as he brought out the ribs from their marinade.

“I know what you mean… Don’t worry, this is risky, but if we do things right, we’re all staying alive. Now, let’s hope that Helena does convince her to come with us…”

“Yeah, let’s hope. Hey, watch what you’re doing, or you’ll grind your fingers, and then your mate will kill me for sure!”

Speaking of mates…

“I think he might do something stupid… I really want to trust him, Helena, but I don’t know if I could…” explains Alicia back at the front porch, while the kids played around them. “He cares so much and tries to be with us as much as he can, but really, I’m not sure about how risky the plan is or that he might even sacrifice himself for it to succeed… You know what kind of madman the Governor is, right? He cares for nobody, and the moment he finds out that Hero helped Eron out…”

“I know… but the fact remains that, you being here, alone and vulnerable with your children, will make your mate more vulnerable. His mind is always thinking of what might happen to you three, and you’re the only thing that he considers his weakness. Having you here, exposed to that same madman, weakens him. Sorah, the best you can do to help him, to protect him, and increase the possibility of his survival is if you go to the packhouse with us… For him, and for your kids… You’re not leaving him; you’re just giving him the peace of mind he needs to succeed…”

Alicia looked at Helena with wide eyes. Truly, she had not thought of that before, on the possibility that she could be the weak spot for a man that tough, that cold, and that important to his organization.

If Helena was right, then it was a matter of time that either the Governor or any of his enemies, could show up there and try to take them.

And in the back of Alicia’s mind, she knew her friend was right…

You know, for a guy who insists on you to go to the pack where his surrogate brothers were, while he did not stay with them after losing his parents, that can’t be a very easy thing, a voice in Alicia’s head said.

Rys, I know you’ve been in favor of us leaving, but what will we do if we lose him? Alicia replied in her head.

Helena knew that Alice and her wolf were talking so she just kept silent for a while.

Well, while you were distracted, I heard something from the kitchen. Check that video as soon as you can, ok? And I agree with Helena, you’d be better off with them… especially since he would be better, too. Think about it, and check the video, Rys suggested to Alicia, who then went back into her human’s mind again.

And the men indeed were too busy to notice the tablet that was continually recording their actions and conversations…

“Last, we prepare the mashed potatoes, right? What do you want me to do, bro?”

“Just peel the potatoes, but remember that they’re very hot. Then we add some butter, cheese and milk, and you’ll see… We’re almost done, so if you hurry…”

“Done,” V said after wolfspeeding the peeling process. “Sorry bro, I’m starving, and the smell of those ribs is to blame.”

“Alright, very good, I guess.” Hero chuckled. “Then, I’ll cut and plate. I’ll just add the ingredients I mentioned to your bowl and will let you mash them. Careful that you don’t make a mess and leave the bowl of mashed potatoes on the counter.”

“Got it, chef,” Virgil smiled some more. “I really want to try this at home. It’s pretty cool all the things you learned. Heck, even the salad looks great!”

“It’s not difficult, maybe because I always liked to cook… I have to admit that, at some point, I really wanted to be a chef and have my own big restaurant with Michelin stars, you know?”

“What!? Bro, you never told me that!”

“There was no reason to mention it, but had I not been so… well, following that dream would have changed everything, so I’m happy with the outcome…” The Ogre explained while doing all the leftover work on the dishes. “Just that I will not get to be the Gordon Ramsay of our country as I once wanted, but hey, not complaining.”

“Well, who knows what will happen after all this ends.”

“True… OK, we’re ready. Wanna call the ladies and babies to the table?”

“I’ll just mindlink Helena and help you get the food there,” Virgil said, taking his bowl of mashed potatoes, and the large salad plate.

Hey, baby, the food is ready. Come on in you both, before I die of starvation, Virgil mindlinked, making his mate smile. And kids, hope you’re as hungry as me.”