Chapter One: A Stormy Encounter

 Kaida

Two months earlier 

It would have been great if crystals indeed fell around here; perhaps, I would have one single detail to be happy about living in this town. 

Crystal Falls was a quaint, bustling town where every local knew one another. There were hardly any secrets in this town. The locals, especially the old fogeys, were unrepentant gossipers. The town had been around since the first lupine community was established, making it one of the oldest communities in California and the hub for the annual convergence of all werewolves in California. 

I had grown up here. My ancestry stemmed from the soil of this land. Pity that I had failed them. I was unable to retain the inheritance that had been passed down through generations—the house—due to my inability to find a steady job and manage my finances effectively. 

I was barely getting by nowadays, given that I had just been laid off from my job recently. The owner claimed the store's earnings were insufficient to cover salary expenses, and he would have to lay off some of us. Fortunately for me, I was among the staff members who were laid off, despite having been recently employed and not having worked up to a month. Oh, the irony of my life! 

I had worked diligently upon resuming the job, hoping I would get noticed. However, my efforts were all for naught. If I had known I would end up being laid off, I would not have wasted my strength. 

Why could they not have observed that they were incapable of covering salary costs before recruiting new employees?

 I wrinkled my nose, wanting to curse them. Nevertheless, I held my tongue; I had been compensated generously. 

My circumstances gnawed at me nonetheless. I had substantial debts to pay, including student loans, housing fees, and sustenance, which were a herculean task nowadays, especially when one was on the brink of financial ruin. 

I had reluctantly sold my inheritance since the taxes it incurred far exceeded its actual worth. I was already overwhelmed with debt, and paying property tax on an old, family building that held no significance for me would have been a burden too far.

Currently, I was staying at my best friend Meredith's house. We had been friends since high school through college. She was fortunate to have living parents, unlike me, who had no one to turn to for assistance with bills. 

My parents had passed away in my final year of college in a fire at the restaurant where they were celebrating their anniversary; there had been no survivors. 

Meredith and I split the household expenses, but I owed her a considerable amount. She was understanding about my predicament, but I was ashamed of my inability to secure stable employment after graduating from college. 

Meredith worked at a pharmaceutical company, where she earned a significant salary. She often received financial support from her parents and three older brothers. As the last born and only girl in her family, she was doted upon. I, on the other hand, was an only child, an orphan, and seemingly plagued by unemployment. Or perhaps my ancestors were antagonizing my future because I had sold my inheritance?

I huffed exasperatedly, pushing my cart to the shelf housing the next item on my shopping list. I economized by utilizing coupons for my purchases and always looked out for promotions or products near their expiry dates, as such items came at cheaper prices. 

The box of granola bars I intended to grab had been placed on a shelf higher than my 5'3" frame. My diminutive stature often left me at a great disadvantage. 

I inched onto my toes, stretching my hand to grab the box. My fingers skimmed its edge, but it was not enough to get it within my grasp. 

I groaned, carefully planting my hand on a lower edge of the shelf, standing on my toes as far as I could go, impatient to grab the box. However, I couldn't reach it. 

I was about to withdraw and retrieve an object to push the box over the edge when I felt the heat of a masculine body behind my back. 

My body grew rigid, and my senses heightened. The towering male behind me easily reached above my head and procured the box of granola bars I had been struggling futilely to acquire.

 "Thank you," I sighed in relief, reaching out for the box and looking up into the face of my benefactor. 

Awareness pulsed through me like an electric shock. I had to tilt my head several inches back to meet his gaze. 

He was the embodiment of masculine virility and was as attractive as sin. His face seemed to have been sculpted from a painting, with its angled jaw, high cheekbones, thin lips set in a grim line, and champagne-blonde hair that looked silky enough to evoke a sigh from a woman.

 My fingers itched to comb through his hair and confirm they were as silky as they appeared. He practically glowed under the fluorescent lights of the store, his hair slick and shiny. His eyes were the most captivating feature, a rare stormy green color with several flecks of color that cast them aglow. 

This man was built to ensnare a woman. With those looks, I wondered how many hearts he had broken. Every part of him was hard, as if he had been carved out of stone. His eyes, the set of his jaw, the breadth of his shoulders – I tried not to let my eyes wander too far, knowing where my observation would lead. 

My cheeks heated up, and I flushed at ogling him. 

I swallowed, struggling to regain my composure around this gorgeous stranger. I waited for him to hand me the box of granola bars, my hand still outstretched. "Thanks for helping me with that," I said, gesturing with my fingers for him to give it to me. 

His gaze shifted from me to the box, a slight arch in his eyebrows. Then, he did the unimaginable. He turned on his heels and walked away from me with my box of granola bars. 

"Hey!" I charged after him, incensed by his conduct. I intercepted his path, planting my hands against my hips, and glaring up at him.

 He stared down at me with a look one would appraise someone stepping out of line. He was several heads taller than I was, and even if he weren't, I couldn't overpower him with his massive build. I looked like a petulant child next to him.

"That is mine!" I gritted through clenched teeth, jerking my finger at him. He remained silent, fueling my ire. "You brute! I reached for it first, so it's rightfully mine." 

He continued to stare at me in silence. I felt embarrassed when he didn't show any reaction to my outbursts, and I left, my shoulders slumping in defeat. 

I headed to push the cart containing our purchases – mostly Meredith's. If I had been the only one shopping, what I would have purchased would have hardly filled a small shopping basket, not to mention a full cart. I proceeded to the counter to have our purchases scanned, packaged, and made the necessary payment. 

"You have some nerve for a girl of your stature," the cashier remarked as she handed me my receipt. "Challenging one of the Ragnar Brothers. I assume you have a death wish."

 I raised an eyebrow at the older woman's words. One of the Ragnar Brothers? Were they someone significant in the community? I had assumed he was a stranger in this town. Guess he wasn't, and he had brothers or another brother who must be just handsome but ill-mannered. 

I was irritated by my encounter with him, mulling over the substitute I had to make for the item he had taken from me. Calculations ran through my head as I stepped out of the store, lugging the shopping bags after me and dropping them more aggressively than necessary into the back seat of Meredith's car. 

My hackles rose, sensing someone's gaze on me. I searched for the source amidst the rows of cars in the parking loft. My eyes locked with the familiar stormy green color of the thieving Ragnar Brother. 

Had he been deliberately waiting out here for me? Had he deliberately provoked me for a reaction? 

He was leaning casually against the hood of his exotic car, which screamed luxury. I thought about the cost of that car, and dollars rolled in my eyes. 

His brothers were in the car as well, and I confirmed that they were incredibly attractive. They had good genes in their family – tall, muscularly built, and devastatingly handsome. It's a pity manners were qualities they lacked.

 I tore my gaze from them, gave them the words "f*ck all of you" under my breath, and flipped them the bird before getting into Meredith's car.

 I sped out of the parking space, accelerating the speed, wishing I could trample over their smug, handsome faces.