Chapter 10 Silver haired women

The next day, Kain was already seated with Veronica in his restaurant-tucked away in a quiet corner where it was just the two of them. Exactly the kind of privacy she seemed to want.

And Veronica came prepared. Her outfit quite literally knocked the breath out of him. Kain had always known she had a body to die for, but she'd never flaunted it like this before. What was she on-some kind of seduction pill? Her gown was scandalously short, and the backless cut dipped all the way to the curve of her butt. Up front, her nipples poked defiantly through the fabric, leaving no doubt in his mind: her intentions tonight were anything but innocent.

To make matters worse, her hair was down, her lipstick a bold red, and her makeup-natural, yet disturbingly hot.

He nearly got hard just looking at her, but caught himself. He was wiser than that now.

When he arrived, she moved in for a hug-eager for him to catch a whiff of that familiar mix of lavender and vanilla she always wore. But he extended a hand instead. She hesitated, then accepted it, disappointment flickering in her eyes.

It was what it was. She was here to seduce him. One night-that's all she wanted. Ever since she saw him kissing that human girl outside the pub, she'd been desperate. Whether she liked it or not, Kain was still the best lover she'd ever had.

"Kain. Missed me so much?"

He didn't answer. He knew her games too well.

"What would you like to have?" he asked instead.

She reached for his arm across the table, trailing a finger up his forearm. He snatched it away quickly and gave her a warning look.

"What would you like to have, Veronica?" he repeated.

She rolled her eyes. "A tall glass of you."

The words slipped from her lips like silk, her gaze thick with unspoken promises.

"That," he said flatly, "you will not be having." He clapped for a waitress.

A man in a blue and white uniform came jogging over.

"Good day, boss. What would you be having?" he asked, eager to impress.

"My usual," Kain replied. "But switch the drink out for something more... feminine."

Veronica frowned, clearly insulted. "Nah. I want exactly what he's having."

Kain arched a brow and smirked to himself. She really thought she could handle it? His drink?

Even the waiter hesitated, knowing full well what Kain's "usual" contained. But Kain gave him a nod, and he turned to fulfill the order.

"Feminine," Veronica scoffed. "Can't believe you think I'm weak."

"Who said anything about weakness?" Kain replied. "Femininity's not weak. You lot are snakes-venomous, emotional, unpredictable. Dangerous species."

She almost smiled, but caught herself. "Yeah, whatever."

Her plan was simple. Get drunk-or pretend to. He'd never let her go home alone, not the responsible Kain she knew. He'd take her back to his place. And once they were there, she'd throw herself at him without shame, blame it all on the alcohol in the morning, and act like it never happened.

For a second of course.

"The girls. Do you know them?" Kain cut straight to business.

"What girls?" Veronica blinked, genuinely blanking on the reason she was here in the first place.

"What do you mean, what girls?" he snapped. "Wesley's cousins."

"Oh-yeah, yeah. They work as bartenders in my father's bar. Cute twins."

Kain's eyes darkened. The news hit like a dead weight. If those girls were working in her father's bar, then they were as good as gone.

"Their names."

"Zody and Jody. And from what I've gathered, they ran off with the alpha of some new pack. Pretty rich guy. Apparently, the elders had nothing to do with their disappearance."

Wow. How convenient, he thought bitterly.

"And who told you this?" Suspicion crept into his tone. Something felt off. He didn't know why, but it was there.

"A very reliable source. Are you doubting me, Kain?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "No. I just don't see the point of this meeting if you already knew all that. Matter of fact, I think we should all go home."

Panic flickered across Veronica's face. Yes, that was the running story in the pack, but she wasn't here for the girls. She was here to get laid.

"Hey... you give up too easily. That's what my source said about those girls. But you never asked about the other girls-the ones still missing." She added emphasis, desperate to reel him back in.

"Not my problem."

"For God's sake, Kain. People think you devoured them or something. Don't you think you should at least try to clear your name? You should be alpha, not Kyle. No one even knows you, and yet they gave you this-"

He raised a hand-not just to silence her, but because something caught his eye from across the room.

"What the..."

Veronica turned to follow his gaze, annoyed at whatever had stolen his attention. But all she saw were the usual things: couples dining, staff moving between tables.

"What's wrong?" she asked, forehead creased.

"Excuse me." Without another word, Kain stood up and walked away, eyes locked on something-or someone.

Silver hair.

Not Veronica's. Someone else's. A restaurant staff member. Since when did silver-haired women become so common?

He picked up his pace, moving faster than he thought his legs could take him. When he reached her, he turned her by the shoulder-firm but not rough-startling her into a gasp.

"Professor Kain?"

"Lucy... Lucy Craig?" His confusion mirrored hers. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Before she could answer, the manager appeared beside them, already mid-explanation.

"She's new, sir. Just started part-time. Still under probation-we haven't finalized her employment yet, but-"

"I-Professor, I'm..." Lucy stammered, utterly lost. She had no idea why the manager felt the need to report her status to this man. No idea why he was looking at her like that.

No idea she'd just become the center of attention.

"Boss, I'm-"

"Boss?" Lucy echoed, her brows furrowed, trying to process what was happening. Then it clicked. "Oh no... You own this place?" It came out more like an accusation than a realization.

Kain didn't respond. He was livid. Ambushed, in his own restaurant. Two silver-haired she-wolves in his territory-one lethal, the other clearly terrified.

"I need you to leave this restaurant. Now. Go find a job somewhere else."

Lucy's eyes flew wide in shock, her face a blend of disbelief and brewing rage.

"Excuse me? Why? What did I do?" she asked, voice trembling but fierce. If he hadn't known better-if he didn't know her wolf was practically dormant-he would've sworn she was about to shift right there in front of everyone. Her skin flushed deep red, like she was on the edge of combusting.

"Do not make me repeat myself."

"Come on now, Kain. Don't be such a pain in the ass. Let the poor girl work." Veronica stepped in smoothly, her voice laced with faux warmth. Her presence had an almost magical way of easing tension-or at least distracting from it.

The commotion was obvious enough. Conversations in the restaurant had stopped, forks frozen mid-air. Everyone was now watching the CEO publicly humiliate a young woman for reasons no one could understand.

"Mind your business, Ver-"

She grabbed his wrist firmly, silencing him mid-sentence. It was subtle, but the power play was unmistakable.

"Get going, all of you. Come on-chop chop." She waved the remaining staff away like a practiced queen clearing her court.

And just like that, they obeyed-including Lucy. No one questioned her. Not when she spoke with that kind of authority. Not when Kain looked too stunned-or too furious-to intervene.

But inside, Kain was boiling. Veronica had crossed a line. Undermined him. In his space. She had just made a mockery of his authority, and she knew it.

The staff, of course, assumed she was someone important-his wife, maybe. A woman of significance. And in a way, she played the part well enough to restore calm. The customers returned to their meals, the clinking of cutlery resuming like the scene had been some brief performance.

"Our meeting is done. Get out." Kain's voice was low but deadly.

He turned his back on her without waiting for a reply, storming off like he had an urgent appointment with the devils themselves.