Mary woke up the next morning questioning if last night happened or was it all a dream. Dabbing her lips, she remembered how she felt when he kissed her. It was urgent and sweet. Dominating yet yearning. Her heart and stomach performed Olympic jumps just thinking about it. She can still feel how soft his lips were. He smelled just as good as the night of the Mating Ball.

Hopeless, she buried her face in her hands. Scrubbing it from its sleep and her incognito desires. It was hopeless because she liked his kisses, but she also knew without a doubt that it wouldn't work. He was an Alpha. That reason alone was enough to stop her from dreaming about any future with him.

Alpha of werewolf packs were strong and authoritative leaders. He 'll smother her if he wished it so. Sighing, she tossed back her thin blanket and hopped out of bed. She needed to get ready for work.

She showered and brushed her teeth before pulling on her work uniform. She wrapped her long hair into a tight bun above her head. The uniform was a traditional white sous chef coat with black piping. She paired it with black chef pants and shoes.

At twenty, Mary applied for a sous chef position in a local restaurant. She enjoyed working in a fast-paced environment and cooking. She took two years of culinary school.

When she arrived at her workplace, it was already busy with many people. It didn't come as a surprise though. The restaurant gets busy around lunch hour and remains steady until late at night. Although it wasn't a high-end restaurant, many locals enjoyed dining there because of the friendly environment and food delicacy.

Mary nodded to a few people with a smile on her face as she made her way through the dining area and into the back. The calm environment in the dining area differed from the kitchen. Everyone was working hard on completing their dishes. When Charlotte caught sight of Mary, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my god, Mary. Thank God you are here," she said, waving Mary over.

Charlotte was bent down working on a menu, but it had a ton of scribbles and thoughts jumbled together. For a second, Mary didn't understand. Were they suddenly changing the menu to their restaurant?

"What are you doing?" Mary inquired.

"Alpha Ivan called today. The fool asked me to prepare an 'out of the world' dinner for our guests," Charlotte nearly growled at the end in frustration.

Mary placed a hand on her colleague's shoulder. Bending down, she reviewed Charlotte's menu. For the appetizer, she had chosen a sweet-tart and savory blend of pate, slow-cooked pork, and pickle dried apricots that smeared over toasted bread. It sounded wonderful and Mary could already taste the different flavors that would erupt in her mouth.

When Mary looked over Charlotte's options for the main course, she frowned slightly. Her friend made a noise of exasperation. Apparently, she had caught sight of Mary's befuddled expression.

"They would be here within a few hours. I have not yet prepped any of the ingredients, Mary," she groaned.

"Why are you freaking out? You can do this. You're the chef. The General of this establishment. You didn't get this position because you look beautiful, babe. You owned it. You beat everyone else to it," Mary reminded her friend and then returned her attention to the menu. Pointing at a dish that Charlotte was working on.

"Since you already added bread as an appetizer, we should aim for something a little lighter in the main course. Fewer carbs and more protein. We can do a surf and turf kind of dish. How about throwing out a hearty stew and throwing in some rock shrimps, filet mignon, and vegetable medley?" she offered.

The worry on Charlotte's face slipped away. A smile appeared in its place and she pulled Mary into a hug. Squeezing her tightly in her arms. If it was any other executive chef, they would probably toss Mary out on the streets for suggesting any ideas. Yet this was Charlotte, she always valued Mary's opinion.

They worked on a light dessert to end the menu, and it was just in time. The guests have just arrived in the restaurant. The hostess who seated the guests in the dining area quickly informed them.

Together, the two worked on the menu. Charlotte worked on creating the contrasting flavors between the sweet-tart apricot spread and the pate while the pork was being slow-cooked.

"Oh God, I hope this works," Charlotte whispered to herself while plating her plates. Mary helped her plate the plates. There was seven plates, which means there were seven people out there.

"Ok," Charlotte waved for the plates to be picked up and delivered.

Once the appetizers were delivered, she worked on creating the nice creamy ice cream dessert. While Mary help create the surf and turf dish. She seasoned the steak well to get a good sear with a nice salty crust. She roasted the vegetables in the oven and seared the shrimps under garlic butter and seasoning them in the pan.

She plated them quickly and then waved for them to be delivered once again. She felt anxious. Normally, she would work on the regular menu, but to assist Charlotte in creating dishes for important guests of Alpha Ivan, Mary couldn't help but feel like she needed to impress them.

It didn't occur to her yet who was Alpha Ivan's guests. She was so immersed in helping her colleague out she didn't think about it twice, but when the waiter that delivered her dishes came into the kitchen again and requested that she stepped out into the dining area; she was momentarily taken aback.

"Did they not like it?" she asked.

Charlotte moved to stand next to her.

"I'll go," Charlotte said. She didn't want Mary to feel like it was her fault. If they have any criticism at all about the menu of choice, it was Charlotte's job to own up to it.

"They specifically ask for the person who cooked the main course," the waiter insisted.

"Why?" Charlotte seemed confused. She looked at Mary with the same confused expression. "I am the chef. If they have any complaints about the food we make here, they should bring it to my attention. It is my menu."

Mary placed a hand on Charlotte's arm. "It's okay. I'll see what they are looking for. You still have the rest of the kitchen staff to direct. Continue working. I will be gone just for a minute and I'll be back. I'll let you know if anything goes wrong."

"If they give you a hard time, let me know," Charlotte insisted.

Mary stepped outside with the waiter. They maneuvered around the countless round tables until they appeared in the private dining area. The waiter slid open the double doors and Mary looked inside. Her eyes swept the group of males until it stopped on Alpha Ryker. He looked surprised to see her too.

It was just her luck. She had hoped to avoid him forever, but here he was again. It seemed he was going to make her lose her job now too. She'll give him an earful if this was the case. She feared him, but she also hated being bullied.

She stepped inside the room and walked over to Alpha Ivan. Bowing her head in greetings to him and the rest of the guest. Alpha Ivan smiled when he saw her.

"Mary, I should have known it was you," Alpha Ivan chuckled.

"Pardon?" She looked confused.

"The dish was delicious," Beta Abraham announced from beside Alpha Ivan.

Her eyes flew to him when he spoke. Being so close to him she could see how handsome Abraham was. He looked a lot likes his brother, but a little more on the playful side. Why was it that Ryker looked a little more ruggedly handsome?

Someone cleared their throat, but it sounded more like an irritated growl. She blinked, breaking out of her thoughts and quickly realizing she had been ogling Beta Abraham. She was the first to look away.

"Thank you," she murmured a reply to Beta Abraham.

"The steak was cooked perfectly. It paired well with the wine of choice too," Alpha Ivan redirected her attention back to him.

She offered him a smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Alpha."

She thanked everyone around the table as they offered their warm praises. Her cheeks heating up at the amount of attention she was receiving from all the males. To have her culinary skills be praised was a huge boost in her ego. She loved cooking because cooking sends her on a tasteful journey. To turn simple ingredients into something more delicate and beautiful was always a challenge that she enjoyed.

After they dismissed her, she returned to the kitchen. Mary told Charlotte everything that had happened. It relieved Charlotte to hear that it had nothing to do with the menu. However, she didn't know that Mary's mind was entirely elsewhere.

Throughout the rest of the night, she thought about him. He didn't praise her like everyone else. Instead, he regarded her quietly. It was unnerving and made her body heat in all kinds of places.

Finally, the night ended. She told her goodbyes to her coworkers and headed out of the restaurant. On a non-busy night, she would leave the restaurant early around nine in the evening, but tonight was rather busy. She didn't get to leave until eleven. Her apartment wasn't that far, though. It was only a few blocks from the restaurant.

The street was quiet with street lamps lighting the way. Tonight, it wasn't too breezy. The air was the kind of quiet which allowed her to listen to everything that was happening around her. She can still hear music playing from some late-night bar that she passed by frequently to her home.

She thought back to meeting Alpha Ryker tonight at the restaurant. Taking secretive glances at him, she found little things that she secretly liked about him. Those lips looked as soft as they felt. She like the stubble beard that spread to just underneath his chin. Then the way he looked, sitting in that chair dressed in a nice white dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the top. It made him look almost as wild as he looked. She couldn't help but imagine him in nothing but nudity.

Would he look rougher than he was now?, she mused thoughtfully.

Or an utterly sexy Viking.

Those dark, penetrating eyes were hypnotizing. Every time their eyes would collide with each other, she found it hard to breathe. Her nether regions were screaming his name.

Mary was so deep in thought, she really didn't focus on what was ahead of her. She tripped on her feet over something. Her eyes widened as she realized she was about to go down onto the sidewalk. A scream was building up in the back of her throat until she fell into a pair of open arms. The smell of cardamom and clove spices wrapped around her.

A second later, she was pulled upright again. She knew who had saved her even before she looked at him. Alpha Ryker looked down at her with an inexpressible expression.

"Thank you," she found herself saying while gathering herself together.

"You should look where you are going," he replied roughly.

Speaking of looking, what exactly did she trip over? She turned to look and found a crack in the sidewalk. Her toe had connected with the raised cement.

"I apologize. I am usually not this out of it," she muttered. "However, I thank you for saving me from greeting the hard cement with my face."

She blinked too fast. She swore she saw his mouth twitch, but then it could be her imagination. Once again, they found themselves underneath the moon and a little farther away from the street lamp. No one would see them unless they were close to them.

"Are you walking home?" he changed direction.

She glanced down the block. Her apartment was just around the corner. Glancing back at him, she nodded her head.

"I'm almost home," she replied.

"I'll walk you home then," he offered and turned to walk.

She frowned. He didn't know where she lived, but by turning and walking; he gave her no choice to object. Mary followed him. Walking side by side, she tried to be discreet in inhaling his wonderful scent. She loved these two spices. If only she could get closer to him. She'll greedily sniff him.

"I wanted to talk to you about that night," he started.

She wondered which night. The night at Alpha Ivan's house or the night at the Mating Ball? She couldn't decide what night, so she remained quiet.

"That night was unexpected, and I hope that it doesn't happen again. You can't go around kissing people," he said.

"I can kiss anyone I want," she retorted, feeling her own anger rising for some reason. She didn't like being scolded by him.

"No, you can't. If it was anybody else, they would surely have taken advantage of you," he growled.

"Like you?" she threw back at him.

He stopped in his footsteps. They were at the corner of the block now. Turning to look at her, he threw her a glare that scared the living crap out of her, but her own resentment was growing for her to care.

"It seemed trying to reason with you won't work," he drawled.

She lifted her chin defiantly into the air. "No, it won't. Who knows, I may kiss another stranger."

His lips pinched into a thin line. He grabbed her arms and yanked her closer to him. Her face was only a few inches away from his.

"Is that what you are? Throwing away kisses and letting others touch your body?" he implied in an angrily almost deadly whisper.

Mary struggled to break out of his embrace. The second she started fighting, he wrapped his arms around her body. She released an angry growl before glaring up at him.

"Have you kissed other males like how you kissed me?" he questioned. She stopped struggling when she heard a hint of jealousy in his voice. He bit the last part out as if sickened by him.

They regarded each other with seething anger, but in the mix of all that anger was something even more prominent. Something that has been with them since the night they met on the terrace. It lingered in the air and seemed to intensify the closer they are together. Fighting it was an instinct.

She gulped and unconsciously wetted her lips. His eyes dropped to her lips once again before flying back to her.

"Mary," he said gutturally.

"I have never kissed other males the way I kissed you," she admitted.

That seemed to appease him. His arms that wrapped around her loosened enough for her feet to touch the ground again.

"I agree though," she added quickly and saw the confused look on his face. "I agree that we shouldn't kiss each other anymore. After all, you are Alpha Ryker and I am just a female werewolf. Let's forget that it ever happened. You can return to your pack after your visit and I can go on with my life."

She offered him a smile of comfort that they both were on the same term, but she didn't expect his lips snatching hers a second later. She had just told him no kissing. Yet he went and kissed her again. Maybe he was kissing her for the last time. It made sense to her. So, she obliged him and kissed him back with as much ardor. If it was going to be their last kiss, she wanted to savor every moment.

The kiss was like an erotic dance. Their lips melted against each other perfectly. The swept of his tongue inside her mouth was like walking into familiar territory. He took control and smothered all the little sighs and moans she elicited from the kiss. It was enticing, and her knees buckled. She used his body weight to hold her up. He didn't mind holding her too. His arms held her tightly against his body. She ran her palms underneath his chin and to cup his cheeks. His stubble beard was tickling and sexy.

A car honked its horn as it turned the corner and catch them amid their make-out session. He broke from the kiss but held her up in his arms until she could stand on her own two feet again. Then he walked her back to her apartment until she was safely inside.