Chapter 4

Remembering how much we stare into each other’s souls made me sweat bullets. This guy was something I should look after, not flirt after.

"Excuse me, miss," a voice rang at my side.

As soon as Collin's piercing looks caught my attention, I turned away and smiled at the person who had called me. He was glancing at the menu that he was holding in his hands.

"What is your favorite food on this menu?"

It was a serious tone in the man's words, and his gaze rose up from the menu to meet mine as well. An amused chuckle from the woman on his side drew my attention to her.

"Oh, come on, Marcus, don't flirt in front of me, please?" The woman ran her slender fingers on the man she called Marcus arm.

Marcus turned his head and fixed his gaze on the woman sitting next to him. He smiled, and I realized at that instant that the woman had reddened as a result of this man's magnetic personality and charm.

Although I wanted to speak and respond to Marcus, my throat was dry for some reason, which made it difficult. That could have been because I could still feel Collin's gaze on me.

"I'm not flirting. I'm just simply trying to ask her," Marcus shook his head and put his hand on the woman's exposed thigh.

He drew his chin closer to the woman's neck and muttered something that caused her to exclaim with delight. When they were kissing, they were so near to each other that if I stood a few inches away from them, I would have thought they were actually kissing.

"Ahem," a fake cough escaped my mouth to have Marcus' attention back to me.

It was only when his eyes shifted that I noticed his head moving away from the woman's side face. I gave him a tiny smile. I leaned forward and pointed to the cuisine that was the most popular for this certain evening.

"This is called Shells in Virgin. It's basically a fresh oyster with a special sauce made of virgin olive oil."

"Hmm..."

When I caught a whiff of a mixture of cigarette and alcohol breath that was gently blown on my cheek, I flinched. I turned to face Marcus, who I hadn't realized was pressing in closer to me. I instantly sat up with my back to the wall.

"I'll have that... Shells in Virgin, then."

I nodded at him and wrote down his orders on the notepad I have with me at all times. I repeated his order and smiled, but I tried to stay away from him because his eyes were starting to gaze at me in different ways. Unfortunately, Collin was the one who caught my attention.

His legs were still wide open when I locked eyes with him. The only difference was his elbows were resting on his knees while his chin was resting on his palms. He was keeping a tight eye on me as if I were a prey he was trying to catch and kill.

"Uh... I-is that all, sirs, ma'ams?" I tried to look around at the other customers that were seated on their couch, but my eyes would always get pulled by Collin's eyes.

"Yes, Miss... Avery," Marcus said after reading the name tag pinned on my uniform.

Without missing a beat, I nodded at him and gently excused myself. Marcus and Collins were the only ones who were gazing at me. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not, but this was a nice opportunity to get things started, wasn't it?

Immediately upon returning to their room, I convinced myself that I needed to improve my performance. I was right. While I waited for their meals to be ready for delivery, I tried to conjure up ideas and scenarios in my head to keep myself entertained. Lane, on the other hand, wouldn't let me think.

"How is it Av? Is there any... uh, bad news? Do you hear anything, or what?" Lane immediately asked as soon as he entered the kitchen and saw me.

I shook my head at him. I didn't know what I heard because all I could remember was Collin's eyes and posture!

How could he ooze with so much authority in just sitting down? Like seriously? "Hello to earth, Av! I'm asking you if Sir Collin mentioned any special orders?"

Lane was a handsome man, but he had soft features and a quiet voice that distinguished him from the rest of the men in Tucson.

He was the center of my attention as I groaned "No, Lane, that is not the case. He didn't say anything about it."

Lane exhaled a sigh of relief that was a little too overdone. He even sat down, as if his knees were so weak that he couldn't maintain standing any longer. He had requested that I bring him water, so I put water into a glass and handed it to him.

"That's just-"

"Lane! Lane!" a voice from the old waitress that was with me in serving the group of Collin, entered the kitchen with a panic on her face.

"S-Sir Collin wants you! Now!"

Lane was on the verge of spitting up the water he was sipping. His eyes were virtually protruding out of their sockets. He promptly rose to his feet and proceeded out the door in a posing manner. He was shortly followed by the aged waitress.

Collin Ash Balders was the one and only son of the Balders Clan's Alpha. For more than a decade, the clan was said to have controlled more than ten packs in a span of fifteen years. Balders Pack was a wolf pack that had just been created in the country.

It was formerly rumored that the current Alpha, Frederick Balders, was a loser who had been expelled out of a powerful house of wolves. This was no longer believed because he gained attention by marrying the daughter of a tiny tribe of wolves, he was able to form his own wolf pack.

And, since he married and became the father of his wife's child, he had been conquest other little tribes of wolves, eventually building up a large army of wolves under his control. That's when he began attacking larger groups of people as well. And he was now at the pinnacle of his role as the most attentive alpha.

Also like his father, Collin Ash earned the honor of being called the great Collin Ash. Anyone who knew him in the city knew that he had a bad temper, a rude mouth, and an awful attitude.