The Luna Secret

Chapter 2

Lucia’s POV

“Who on earth is he? Why is Mr Jones so agitated?” I asked, as the kitchen came alive almost immediately.

Elizabeth turned to me, “Have you been living under a rock?”

“Probably, in a way of speaking.”

She rolled her eyes, “Damien Nox is the CEO of Nox businesses, the biggest real estate company in all of New Orleans. He is quite literally a billionaire.”

“I still don’t get what the fuss is all about.”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “A billionaire is at our restaurant.” She snapped, “Do you know what that is?“

Mr Jones barged in, anxiety all over his face.”YOU!” He barked, pointing at me, “Go out there, take his order!”

“But sir-“

“NOW GODDAMMIT!”

Seeing he was in no mood to argue, I took a notebook and pen and walked into the diner itself.

What the hell is he doing here?

He stood by the door, gently surveying his surroundings, a slight look of distaste on his face. The entire room stopped all their chattering and eating just to stare at him, and for good reason too, he was incredibly handsome, so tall he towered over everybody in the diner, hair as black as coal and unruly. His smoky grey eyes landed on me, sending absolute shivers down my spine. It rested on my face for a while, not really staring into my eyes, rather ravaging down my body. I saw his tongue dart between his lips quickly, wetting them.

I knew that look, this man, this stranger, was dangerous.

But what I felt deep inside was foreign to me, an attraction so deep, it almost felt like something was physically pulling me to him, like a magnet.

He pulled his eyes away from me and strode confidently, like he owned the place, to a seat at the far end of the diner, carefully dusting it and then sitting down, his eyes returning to me again.

Trying to regain my composure, I took a deep breath, straightened my skirt and approached him, focusing on putting one door ahead of the other before I stumbled and fell.

“May I take your order sir?” I stuttered, pulling out my notebook.

His eyes never left my face, and somehow never met my eyes either. “Is this the kind of service you offer here?”

I stared at him, unsure of what to say, “Excuse me?”

“I don’t have a menu. How am I supposed to know what to order? Or are you as dumb as you look?”

I shook my head, “Sorry sir,” fishing out a spare menu from my apron, I handed it to him, hiding the fact that my hands were very obviously shaking.

He scanned through it, a sneer on his face. “I will have the coffee and omelette, black.” Shoving the menu right back at me, he leaned back on his seat, ”And be quick about it.”

“Sure sir.”

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked back to the kitchen, but that wasn’t what bothered me. Something else I had missed earlier when I saw him had now caught my attention.

His smell, and not just the cologne, his scent, his aura.

There was no doubt about it, Mr Damien Nox was an Alpha.

Somehow, I could tell he could smell me too, which would explain why he noticed me immediately. I had not heard from my wolf since the accident, and I had most definitely not shifted, but I was still one of him, his kind.

Quickly passing the order to Elizabeth in the kitchen, I hurried over to Mr Jones’ office.

“Sir, I gotta go.” I said, as soon as he let me in.

He sprang to his feet, “Are you mad? Do you know what it means?”

“Yes sir, no pay.” But I didn’t care, I just wanted to get out of there before I caught Damien’s attention again. “I have a cough sir, I don’t want to make your customers uncomfortable.”

The line always worked on him, he eyed me from head to toe, before jerking his head at the door. “Get outta here, but remember, no pay today for your negligence, that should teach you a lesson.”

I had spent all day wandering the streets of the French Quarter, trying to keep a low profile. By sundown, I returned to the Home, slipping in among the inmates.

Elizabeth approached me, sliding into my cubicle and standing with her hands on her waist. “Okay, spill it.”

I looked up at her, “Spill what?”

“Don’t play dumb Lucia, I know you left work early today.”

“Oh that,” I sighed,”I wasn’t feeling fine, had to go get some rest.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Really? Did you see a doctor?”

I shook my head, chuckling, “A doctor? With what money? No, no, it’s nothing serious. Just a minor headache and some fatigue. I think a good night’s sleep is all I need to be honest.”

Elizabeth looked at me as though she didn’t entirely believe me, like she suspected something was off.

Deciding not to push it, she sighed, “Well, if you say so. Just make sure to take care of yourself, okay? We don’t want you getting worse.”

I forced a smile, “Yeah, this place kinda does that to you.” I sat on the bed, ignoring the pangs of hunger rumbling in my stomach, “I do feel better now, thanks a lot.”

“Good to hear. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.” She whispered, gently touching my hand, “These streets aren’t safe, we are all here to support each other, and the only way we can do that is by sticking together.”

I smiled gratefully, “That means a lot, Elizabeth. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for understanding.”

She left while I prepared to go to bed on another empty stomach, ignoring its rumblings of protest as I lay on my bed, when Matron Bertha burst in, a look of glee in her face.

“Which one of you is Lucia?”

Why the hell was she looking for me? I slowly raised my hand, shaking slightly. Her eyes settled on me, a crooked smile forming on her face.

“It’s you, eh?” She shook her head, “I am not surprised, pack up your things, today is your lucky day.”

Somehow, that didn’t sound very lucky but I obeyed anyway, packing up and following her.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

She turned around to face me, her eyes blazing, “Mr Jones tells me you went home early today. What happened?”

“I wasn’t feeling too well.” I said, shrugging,”Didn’t want to stay and be of little use.”

She eyed me, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Is that so?”

“Yes, Matron Bertha. Did anyone tell you otherwise?”

She ignored me, instead leading me outside into the streets.

I gasped in shock. What the hell was going on?

It was him again, Damien Nox. He stood next to a sleek black Mercedes, a smirk on his face as I approached.

“Here she is,” Matron Bertha said, shoving me towards him. I stumbled and fell at his feet, scraping my knee on the hard pavement.

“Come on, get up.” He said, his voice cold and devoid of empathy. I slowly rose to my feet, staring at him, terror in my eyes. He jerked his head at the car, opening the backdoor.

“Get in.”

I slid in, shaking from head to toe. He got in after me and shut the door.

He nodded at the driver who walked out and handed the Matron a briefcase. She opened it and smiled, her eyes lighting up.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars, just like we agreed,” Damien said casually.

Bertha nodded, “Nice doing business with you sir.” She flashed her crooked smile as Damien slid into the car next to me.

“Where are you taking me to?” I asked as the driver turned on the ignition, the car purred to life.

“I think this would be a more comfortable experience if you remained quiet.” He said calmly, he then leaned in closer to me, his alpha aura almost overwhelming, completely paralyzing me. “You are mine now.”

The car glided out of the driveway into the street and sped into the dark.

I shut my eyes tight.

I didn’t know it then, but at that point, my life would never remain the same. I had reached the point of no return.