Althea couldn't sleep that night because she couldn't get Allan out of her head. He had to have been present to overhear their conversation, or he would have sent someone, she knows that he is not the type to do so. But she never smelled him from the beginning, which is strange.
She watched as the sun began to rise from the riverbank. The river had returned to its normal size, but its banks were extremely dirty. Bathing would be difficult for a few days as she avoided the mud.
She takes a step back and changes into some clothes she purchased just before meeting Allan since she can't wear the same outfit every day. People might notice it and think she had bad hygiene.
Her thoughts wandered as she walked to work. She couldn't get Allan out of her head; he shows her love and care at times, and not at others. She wonders if he can even love her; she recalls him saying something about it to her. And men claim that women are difficult when men are the most difficult to handle and understand.
She begins her shift, and the first person through the door is someone she does not want to see: Oliver, Allan's younger brother. He ignores her and settles into a random booth.
She takes a deep breath and walks over to him, pulling out her notepad to take his order. After all, no one here knows she's Althea, the girlfriend of a notorious serial killer.
"H-hello, may I take your order?" she says hesitantly, trying to hide her face behind the notepad so Oliver doesn't recognize her.
Oliver doesn't even look at her as he orders his breakfast. "Simple home meal along with some mango shake please," he says, putting the menu down. She nods and dashes into the kitchen before he can look at her.
Althea believes he would approach her and try to talk to her if he saw her.
The last time she saw him, she discovered he was a spy out to conceal her away from Allan. She could anticipate Allan's movements, but not his movements in general.
She takes another deep breath as she fills a glass with mango shake and hands it to Oliver. If she was going to make it through this, she needed to calm down. "Here's your order, Sir," she says as she sets her drink down. He takes a drink without looking at her. She walked away once more, waiting for his meal to be ready. After five minutes, his meal was ready, and she had to take it to him. She shakes her head as she places it in front of him.
"And here's your meal," she says flatly, her voice as trembling as her own.
She was about to walk away when his commanding voice stopped her. "Nah, sit down," he says. She grumbles and turns around to sit across from him. There were no other customers to serve, and she was terrified of him as well.
He takes a bite and looks up at her as if investigating her. "You don't strong and healthy," he says without even greeting her.
"And you anticipate anything else?" Althea snaps back. She's not sure why people have the impression that once you leave somewhere, you're a free bird, but that's not always the case.
"I didn't intend to be rude, but your hair is filled with dirt, you are so skinny, and you have bags under your eyes," he tugs at his bottom lip, "Go back to your mate, you need my brother."
"I don't need him. Oh yeah, I saw him yesterday. He's stalking me now," she snarled, resting her elbow on the table. Everything in her life seemed to be repeating itself, and she was getting tired of it. When Althea and Allan get angry at each other, they always end up back together, and the government plays a role somewhere.
"You should give him a chance, you're not the only one suffering," Oliver says, smiling. "I've been watching him from a distance, and his crime spree has gotten chaotic. I'm trying to hide it. but soon people will realize something is wrong." he sighs, returning to a blank expression.
"No! don't want him. Do you want to know why? He's f*cking abusive. He doesn't show love. He's a murderer!" Althea screams, slamming her hands on the table. Her boss peers out of his office and glares at her as if to warn her. She carefully returns to her seat. After much deliberation, she decided that she should be without Allan. "I can survive without him," she mutters.
"I'll talk to him, maybe tempt him to abduct you again," Oliver patted his temples. "The government will stop replacing their tails soon and come for you once more. I'm what's managing to keep them from executing it," he tells her, rising from his chair and putting a hundred dollar bill behind, ten times as much as his food.
Althea cleans the table while talking to herself. She was harsh to Oliver, but she doesn't believe he understands her predicament. Allan is his brother, but he has no mating bond with him.
It's impossible to deny that she has feelings for Allan. She simply does not want to make the same mistake twice.
He must accept that things must change for them to be compatible, even if she must change only slightly. Be a little more patient with him. Allan had always been portrayed as a heartless killer in the media. While this is partially correct, they never had contact with him.
This is the first opportunity she has had to think to herself. All she could think about when she was with Allan was herself. She is starting to think about him now that she has been away.
"Because we miss him," her wolf explained as she shook her head.
Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, she knows they'll cross paths again and again.