Chapter Eight — Lyra’s POV

“You seem to be enjoying this,” Mr. Randolf commented cheerfully, watching as I maneuvered through the diner, arms full of used dishes and empty coffee mugs.

“I am enjoying this,” I replied to him with a smile. “It feels normal. And easy.” Unlike life.

Mr. Randolf chuckled. “Well, keep it up. I’m heading inside now—got a bit of a headache, but I just need to sleep it off. I trust you can handle things?”

I shook my head in affirmation.

“And if you need help with anything, Isolde’s right over there,” he added.

I glanced over my shoulder, toward the counter where Isolde stood, glaring at me with that cold expression I’d now gotten used to. I still couldn’t figure out why she was so mad at me. Six years ago, she was the one who helped me run away. How did she go from that to this icy, hostile version of herself?

“Go ahead, Mr. Randolf,” I said, turning back to him. “I’ll call you when it’s time to close, though it doesn’t look like that will be anytime soon.” A group of men trooped in, adding to the already packed diner.

Evenings at the diner were always the busiest. Around this time, there were a lot of people either coming off work or just meeting friends. That hadn’t changed, though I hoped the fighting and quarreling had lessened. Usually, crowds like this stirred up trouble. Mr. Randolf always tried his best to keep the peace, banning anyone who caused a fight. It never quite stopped it, but it did reduce the fighting significantly, but not so much the quarreling.

Mr. Randolf headed inside, and I went over to get the orders of the men who just walked in. Something about the way one of them nudged the others as I approached made my skin crawl. But I’d been a waiter for years, and I’d dealt with men like these before. If I could handle Rogers and Matt, I could handle these guys.

“Welcome to the Moonlit Grill. What can I get you?” I said with a tight smile, gesturing to the menu on the table, before handing them a copy of our daily specials. They all seemed disinterested in the menu, except for one who immediately grabbed it, flipping through it like a starved man.

“I know you from somewhere,” one of them said, the tallest, eyes roaming over me with unsettling interest. “You new in town?”

“Eh—sort of,” I replied, pointing to the menu to steer the conversation back to business. “What would you like to order?”

“Ah! That’s right!” Recognition flashed in his eyes. “It’s you! You’re the Rejected Mate!”

How great. My reputation now precedes me, no thanks to Kaine.

He leaned in, far too close, a wolfish grin on his scarred face. “Why don’t you sit with us for a bit? I’m sure your colleague over there can handle things. After all, she’s the only one here most nights.” He jutted his chin toward the counter, and I turned to see Isolde staring at us. She seemed to have caught onto what was happening.

“I’m sorry, but I've got work to do,” I said it like a recitation, having gotten used to men hitting on me. “If you’re not going to order, I’ll have to move on to other customers.”

“Come on now, don’t be like that. We just want to talk…see where the night takes us,” he smirked, and his goons chuckled. “We promise, we don’t bite…unless you want us, too.” Tall guy winked, and a wave of irritation passed through me.

I was seconds away from smashing a mug against his head. But instead, I kept my tone polite. “Thanks, but I’ve got work to do.”

As I turned to leave, his hand shot out to grab my wrist. Startled, I flinched, trying to shake off his grip, but he held onto me tightly. My teeth gritted, my heart pounding with the need to shove him across the room.

“Get your hands off me,” I demanded, trying to keep my voice low in order not to attract the attention of the other patrons in the diner. It was a futile effort, as heads had already begun to swing in our direction.

Still, the man didn’t let up. “You let the Alpha bang you and then reject you. I’d say you’re a pretty used commodity, woman. Now stop playing hard to get and sit your ass down.”

That was it. I was going to break this idiot’s nose. But someone beat me to it. Before I could react, tall guy was clutching his bleeding nose, staring in horror at the person responsible.

“Didn’t you hear the lady? She said back off,” Dominic growled between tight lips, glaring at the others with a dangerous edge.

Tall guy jumped to his feet, fuming with rage as he prepared to retaliate. Quickly, I inserted myself between him and Dominic, trying to prevent an all-out brawl.

“Okay, let’s try to calm down—”

I didn’t get to complete the statement. Tall guy shoved me aside, muttering something along the lines of “out of my way bitch”, and lunged at Dominic by slamming his fists into his face. Dominic’s eyes flashed, his wolf barely restrained. Fists flew, and before I knew it, tables were getting knocked over. The diner erupted in chaos. Tall guy and his goons attacked Dominic all at once, but there were too many for him to handle alone. I jumped in, catching the arm of one of the men swinging his fists Dominic’s way, and landed a punch on his face.

“You’re gonna pay for that, bitch!” He charged at me, fangs bared.

Meanwhile, Dominic was trying to fend off the three men coming at him. It was near-impossible to evade all of the blows they were throwing in his direction, but he somehow managed it. The rest of the patrons gathered around, watching the fight unfold. It was pure madness, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, Mr. Randolf stormed in, bellowing.

“Not in my diner, you halfwits!” He grabbed the tall guy by his collar. “What did I tell you about starting a fight in my diner again?”

The man opened his mouth to protest, but Mr. Randolf cut him off. “Get out. Take your goons and get the hell out of here. And if I see your faces again, you’ll be facing my wrath.”

He gestured to his guys and they scrambled out of the diner. Mr. Randolf then turned to Dominic. “I know you’re one of the good guys, Dom, but you should know better than to start a fight in my diner”

“I didn’t start the fight. Those guys were harassing Lyra,” he retorted.

“Either way, Dom, I think you should head home already. We’ve seen enough of you for one night.”

Dominic grunted, grabbed his jacket and stormed out.

Finally, Mr. Randolf faced me, his face tight in a frown. “Lyra, my office. Now!”

Once I stepped into Mr. Randolf’s office, I expected him to yell, scold or even scream at me for fueling a fight when I knew too well that he prided himself in making the diner a safe space for everyone. Instead, Mr. Randolf stood, leaned against the wall, rubbing his temple as though he was conflicted about what to say.

I seized this moment to tender an apology. “I’m really sorry about the fight, Mr. Randolf. There’s no excuse for what happened, and I take full responsibility.”

His expression was grim. Pushing off the wall, he circled back to his desk and took a seat while I stood across from him. “Look, Lyra,” he began. “There’s talk going on about you—talk about you being the Alpha’s favorite, and evading the consequences of the laws you flaunt.”

I blinked, taken aback. What on earth was he talking about? “Your presence is upsetting customers,” he continued. ”This isn’t the first time someone’s gotten riled up about you. Just the other day, Mr. Mason complained to me about you, asking why I hired you. When you go around engaging in fights and disrupting the peace of the diner, it makes it hard to defend you.” He glanced away, seemingly searching for the right words to what he was about to say next. “It’s not just the customers, Lyra. Even Isolde has suggested that…maybe your presence here isn’t really helping the business.”

The words knocked the wind out of me. There was simply no right way to frame a statement like that. It basically meant that my best friend didn’t want me around and was saying things to get me out of the only job I could secure. It felt like a betrayal.

Mr. Randolf sighed, turning back to look at me. This time, his expression was stern. “I can’t have this kind of drama here, Lyra. So I’m warning you—keep your head down and stay out of trouble, or I’m going to have to let you go.”

I was speechless. In fact, the air in the office felt suffocating. Numbly, I nodded in understanding and left his office in a daze. Needing to clear my head before heading back inside to complete the rest of my shift, I went through the back door leading to an alley to get some fresh air. Only when I opened the door and stepped out did I spot Isolde in the corner, having a smoke. She regarded me for a second, then glanced away as she puffed out smoke.

I didn’t intend to confront her, but since that opportunity had presented itself…

“How could you?” I demanded, marching towards her. “You told him to fire me?”

Isolde removed the cigarette from her mouth, turning her gaze toward me, her expression hard. “I didn’t tell him anything, Lyra. I just pointed out the truth.”

“What truth?” I said incredulously. “That I’m bad for business? That I’m a problem?”

Her jaw tightened, and I thought she was going to respond. Instead, she dropped the cigarette, and stomped it till it was out before turning away.

I caught her by the arm, and her eyes widened in shock. “Let me go, Lyra!”

“Why are you being like this, Isolde? You’re my best friend. Why are you acting like that has changed?”

“That has changed, Lyra!” she snapped. “You can’t just waltz back into town and expect things to be the way they were. It’s been six years. Everything has changed.”

I stared at her, my eyes burning with unshed tears as I struggled to understand. “We’re friends, Isolde. That doesn’t have to change.”

“Oh my goodness!” She yanked her arm away from grip, exhaling in frustration and annoyance. “That’s exactly your problem, Lyra. You’re so arrogant. You think because you’re you, everyone has to like you and bend over backward for you.”

Her words hit me like a force and I stumbled back a few steps, tears brimming in my eyes. It hurt hearing this from my best friend.

Isolde wasn’t finished. “You’ve been gone for six years, and in that time, things moved on. I moved on. You should too.”

She spun around and went inside, leaving me in the dark alley reeling with shock.

By the time my shift ended, I was a mess. My feet dragged all the way home till I finally made it to my porch. Exhaustion weighed heavy on me. I just wanted to crawl into bed and forget this night ever happened, but the night had one last surprise in store for me. When I looked up, my heart stopped.

Kaine was sitting by my doorstep.

His jaw was clenched, his eyes stormy as they locked on me—he was furious.

“You lied to me, Lyra,” he said, his voice low and cold.

My breath caught in my throat as he stood and stepped forward, causing me to back away. Before I could trip over the stairs, he caught my arm, gripping it tightly. I was sure it would leave an imprint behind.

“Kaine…wh–what are you talking about?” I stammered, swallowing the thick knot that had formed in my throat.

“Leo,” he said. “I know he is my son.”