Moon Bound

"Bastard, how dare you talk back to me? I don't have a faggot as a son!" Keith closed his eyes as his hand moved. Every stroke on the canvass, his father's hurtful words resonated in his ears. Keith gripped the paintbrush tightly as he felt his heart ache remembering his father's enraged face. "If you don't change, you will not inherit the pack, Keith!" Keith opened his eyes and did the final touches. He sadly smiled and put the paintbrush down. "Not bad," Keith muttered and took the finished canvass. It was his eleventh painting. A lone wolf in the woods looking at the sky where free birds spread their wings. The wolf looked unhappy, yet at the same time, it looked determined to make its own path. A knock on the door snapped Keith out of his thoughts. He put the canvass down and wiped the paint from his hands. "Coming!" he yelled. Keith opened the door and saw his friend, Reinhart. A tenant upstairs where he was also renting. "Let's go, biatch. The big boys won't wait for us," Reinhart said. "Wait, I thought you were going with Samantha today?" Keith asked and crossed his arms. "Ugh, don't say her name. Please," Reinhart said and rolled his eyes, which made Keith chuckle. Reinhart is a werewolf like Keith. He left the pack at the age of nineteen and became a host. Now he's working in a bar with Keith. "What did she do this time?" Keith asked and leaned on the door. "That hoe left me and went with her newfound s*x partner!" Reinhart complained grumpily. "Well, that's Sam for you," Keith said. "Come inside, I'll wash first and we will go," he added. Reinhart looked at him from head to toe. "Although you're my type, Keith, a friend is a no-no for me," Reinhart said and shake his head. "So if you are seducing me right now, it won't work," he added. Keith rolled his eyes at Reinhart. "Rein, you're not my type. You know that. So you'll either go inside or wait here for me, suit yourself," Keith replied nonchalantly. Reinhart cheekily smiled. "I'm just kidding, babe. I know your type," Reinhart said, and went inside. Keith heaved a sigh and took his towel. "Don't touch my paintings, okay? Some of that isn't finished yet," Keith said, and went to the bathroom. He turned the shower on and washed. He had been away from his pack for four years now, and though he missed his mother and sister, he couldn't stand the sight of his father. The same father who disowned him after he found out he was gay. Keith turned off the shower after he was done and shook his head. He took the towel and wrapped it in his waist. He immediately went to his room and picked up his uniform. "Babe! Let's go, Hans is waiting!" Reinhart yelled. "Alright! I'm almost done," Keith said. Hans is their manager and also their friend. He's the owner of Horizon, where they were working, and a warlock. "Come on, babe," Keith said after he left his room. Reinhart looked at him and back to his newly finished painting. "I like this one among the others," Reinhart said. "It looks powerful to me," he added. "Really?" Keith asked and stared at the painting. "Do you want it?" he asked. Reinhart shook his head. "No, it suits you more than me," he said and smiled. Reinhart extended his hand at Keith. "Let's go?" he asked. Keith took his hand and the two went out of the house. "We're here, Hans!" Reinhart yelled upon entering the Horizon. Hans looked at them and smiled. "Good. We're opening at five, so you guys better prepare," Hans said. "Hans, have I said that I like you? You're so handsome today," Reinhart said and winked. Hans let out a chuckle and shook his head. He was already used to Reinhart's advances and he kept shrugging them off. "Thanks, Rein. Now you better go," Hans said. Reinhart pouted and pulled Keith. "Hans," Keith greeted. "I'll see you later, Keith," Hans said. "You're teasing him again, Rein," Keith said and laughed when they were in the staff room. "I can't help it. I wanted to see his reaction. You know Hans isn't like us, but he's a good guy," Reinhart said. "And I have "no f*****g friends rule", so he's off limits to me," he added as he put his lipstick on. "Let's go, guys, customers are coming in," Atasha, their vampire co-worker said. Reinhart looked at Keith and winked. "Ready?" he asked. Keith smiled. "Of course," Keith replied and they both went out of the staff room. Hans, who was waiting outside, crossed his hands. When he saw the two, he immediately cleared his throat. "Rein, the usual job for you and for Keith… you're in charge of bartending today," he said. Keith's brow furrowed. "What? Where's JJ?" he asked. "He asked for a leave. Had some urgent thing to do he said," Hans muttered. Keith groaned. He hates bartending because of some rude customers, but if that is what the boss wanted, then he has to follow it. "I'm sorry, we're short-staffed today. I'm counting on you guys," Hans said. Reinhart clicked his tongue and elbowed Keith in his hand. "It's okay Hans, I'm good," Keith said. Hans muttered his thanks and they all began to work. Midnight came and it was Horizon's peak time. Vampires, witches, warlocks, and werewolves came flooding in, yet one group stood out. They exuded powerful auras, hard enough not to notice. Keith stopped what he was doing and stared at the vampires. "It's the Blackwaters," the customer said. "Pardon?" Keith said. The woman smiled and drank. "The group who just walked in. They're the Blackwaters, a powerful clan here," she muttered. Keith slowly nodded his head and stared once more when he saw Reinhart running at the counter. "What?" Keith asked. "Excuse me, Ma'am. I have to talk to this handsome bartender," Reinhart said, which made the woman smile. "Go on," she said. Reinhart went inside the counter and pulled Keith near him. "We have a problem," Reinhart whispered. "What is it?" Keith asked. "They wanted a vampire to serve them, but Atasha and Triton were occupied at the moment," he said. "Who? Was it them?" Keith asked and looked at the Blackwaters. Reinhart nodded his head. "Where's Hans?" he asked. "I don't know. Clint said he went out for a moment," Reinhart replied. Keith breathed deeply. "I'll deal with them," he said. Reinhart worriedly looked at him. "But babe," he said. "I know they were hostile towards werewolves, but what are we going to do? I'll just greet them politely and take their orders," Keith said. "Okay, I will stay here then," Reinhart said. Keith nodded his head and composed himself before going out, his eyes not leaving the Blackwaters' group. When he arrived at their table, he tried grabbing their attention but they were busy talking to each other, laughing their asses off. "Excuse me," Keith said and cleared his throat. The boys looked at him, most of them had disgusted faces. "What's a mutt doing here? We clearly said we wanted a vampire to serve us." A pale-looking tall man with brown hair said. Keith clenched his hand into a fist. "I apologize, all of my vampires' co-workers were occupied at the moment," he said. A particular man caught his attention. The man looked at him intently and Keith couldn't help but stare at him too. The man was oozing with s*x appeal. He had defined cheekbones. He had a hawkish nose and sea rover-blue eyes which were insanely beautiful. And his body, he has a lean body which was Keith's type, but like Reinhart, he has a rule too. For him, it's a "no fuvking a vampire" rule. "Hey! Do you hear me!?" the man shouted, which broke the staring competition between them. Keith smiled at the man. "I'm sorry, I will be taking your orders," he said. "f**k, are you deaf? You f*****g mutt," the man said. Keith glared and, without a second thought, he punched the man in the face. "God damn it," he whispered as people began clamoring. It's going to be a long night for everyone.