II

However, just as I let out a sigh of relief, two black luxury cars began to arrive, their headlights shining against the light layer of freshly fallen snow covering the driveway.

Quickly, the waitresses and I approached the window and saw those huge men begin to get out of the cars.

It was incredible how their powerful auras spread throughout the place.

“Oh my God, look at them! They're so attractive! They look like presents under a Christmas tree, only much bigger,” whispered Daniela, her eyes wide.

In fact, there was one feature that distinguished the werewolves of Blue Lake from other wolves. They were huge, with white skin and light hair.

However, their most distinctive feature was their muscular bodies covered in tattoos. Some even had a dangerous aura that could make any omega crawl in reverence.

“Girls!” Dalila's shout came from behind.

Quickly, the girls and I jumped back from the window and looked at Dalila, who was walking toward us with a serious expression.

“Dalila, everything is ready. The businessmen have arrived,” Caroline hinted with a huge smile on her lips.

"I know. I need everyone to behave. And you, Kate, you are in charge of welcoming them. Remember, it's Christmas Eve; we need them to feel comfortable," she ordered me.

As soon as I heard her, I froze. I had to welcome these men? Damn it, the last thing I wanted was for some high-ranking member of the pack to see me.

However, how could I refuse an order from Dalila? She was counting on me for this.

With no other choice, I felt Daniela and Caroline head to the kitchen, whispering excitedly.

“Come on, Katerine, you can do this. It's just welcoming these alphas,” I told myself, searching for some kind of courage within me.

I gritted my teeth, forced a smile, and walked toward the restaurant entrance. Soon after, all those huge men began to enter, looking at me with mocking and pretentious expressions.

I could even hear them whispering about me as if I weren't there. But how could I blame them? I was a silly girl in a worn-out, ugly waitress uniform.

“Mr. Wallace, your seat is this one,” I said to one of the alphas as I showed him to his place.

Fortunately, they all had reservations, but when I went to serve the next alpha, my eyes widened at the next name on the list.

Within seconds, my body began to shake and I took a step back. This had to be a joke.

“Dilan... Dilan Fricher...” I said in a trembling voice.

I felt agitated when, suddenly, everyone waiting pushed their way through and the alphas who already had their seats stood up.

I wanted to quickly look down, but before I had time to do so, my eyes fell on the huge man walking towards me.

Damn, Dilan had grown much taller than I remembered. His face was more adult, and his body was full of muscles that showed perfectly under his opaque black suit. A small gold pin with a snowflake sparkled on his lapel, a festive touch that only accentuated his dangerous aura.

By the Moon Goddess. How could he have grown so much in just five years?

I swallowed hard as the rest of the alphas bowed in reverence. In fact, Dilan was the son of a powerful king, making him the leader of all the packs.

I clenched my fists, trying not to remember how he and his father had dragged me out of the pack and blamed me for the queen's death.

I didn't even want to look him in the eye. I lowered my gaze and focused my attention on the list I was holding in my hand. “Mr. Fricher, your... Your seat is over here,” I said, stammering.

Shit. I wanted to turn around and quickly lead him to his seat, but in a second I felt his gaze on me. The air suddenly turned cold, despite the warmth of the Christmas log.

“You? What are you doing here?” he said in a hoarse, pretentious voice.

I looked up slightly and saw him. Shit, I could feel the hatred with which this man was looking at me. It was clear that he didn't expect to find me there, especially on a night as significant as Christmas Eve.

However, just as I was about to ignore his words, he took a step toward me, causing me to recoil in terror.

His eyes moved from my feet to my head, scanning every inch of my body with contempt. I wanted him to stop, but he remained motionless, until finally his beta's voice was heard.

“My Alpha, let's sit down. Christmas Eve dinner should start soon,” he said in a recognizable voice.

Hearing the man's words, Dilan shook his head, but his gaze remained fixed on my face as he walked away.

“Let's go,” he said, walking with his beta toward the table.

When they finally walked away, I let out a sigh of relief and, shaking off my thoughts, called out to the rest of the alphas present.

Damn it, how was it possible that this bastard was here? Although I knew that some members of that pack would be coming, I didn't expect it to be Dilan.

“Mr. Michael Stark,” I said, and moved on to the next name on the list.

Was this a joke? Michael? Damn it! That was the man who had blamed me for the attack on the king's mansion and the queen's death.

I could even swear that he was the one responsible for everything. However, who would believe the word of an omega without a wolf like me?

As soon as I said the name of that detestable man who blamed me for everything, he approached me with a mocking smile on his lips. He wore a red and green wool scarf, contrasting horribly with his evilness.

“Well, look who it is, the traitor bitch,” the man said as he took one of the glasses of wine Caroline was offering them.

I didn't want to pay attention to his taunts, but he waved the glass and threw the wine on my shirt. The red wine, dark as blood, stained my uniform right over my chest.

“Oops!” Michael said with a laugh.

Immediately, the men behind him began to laugh at me. I took a step back, but before I could take another, I felt someone grab my arm and spin me around roughly.

“Listen to me, you little bitch: go and change out of that disgusting outfit, and I hope you know how to serve us; otherwise, I'll finish the job the king couldn't do myself,” the man insinuated, almost spitting in my face. His breath smelled of mint and winter cold.

His threats made my chest rise and fall with desperation. Damn it. I hated this man so much!

Michael let go of me and pushed me, causing my back to hit the wall next to the door. Small colored lights decorating the door frame flickered with the impact.

Immediately, the men's taunts continued as they returned to their tables, sitting under the warm glow of the Christmas atmosphere, oblivious to my humiliation.

The whole scene left a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to vomit and change my shirt as soon as possible, so I quickly gestured to Daniela and ran to the bathroom.

My hands were shaking and my eyes filled with tears. How was it possible that, after so many years, these men had reappeared on Christmas Eve?

I thought I would never have to deal with them again, but it was clear that the world had other plans for me. However, I couldn't stay locked in the bathroom all night; after all, I had promised Dalila.

With a sigh, I stepped out of the stall and took off my shirt, trying to wash out the red wine stain.

“Kate. Are you okay?” Caroline asked as she entered the bathroom. “My God, I saw that pretentious man deliberately spill wine on you,” she said, coming closer to me.

“Yeah, I guess it's part of the job,” I said, forcing a calm smile.

In fact, no one knew that I belonged to the Blue Lake pack, or that I knew those powerful men who now held the restaurant's future in their hands.

Meanwhile, Caroline quickly leaned over a bathroom shelf and pulled out a dress. “I knew it was here! It's for the staff at the special Christmas dinner,” she said.

Caroline stood up and handed me the dress. “Your uniform is dirty. You can't serve those men like that,” she said. The dress was dark green velvet, with a modest neckline and a skirt decorated with subtle silver trim.

I looked at the dress and frowned. “Caroline, I... I don't think I can wear that.”

Before I could finish speaking, Caroline waved her hands in front of my face. “Of course you can! Come on, Delilah is counting on us to make this work. And you represent this whole place,” she hinted with a pout on her lips.

Damn it, Caroline was right; besides, my shirt was all stained and I didn't have another one available. So I took the dress and put it on.

Hell, from the moment I put that dress on, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

The skirt was too short and practically outlined my round buttocks and squeezed my thick thighs. On the other hand, the top barely closed over my breasts, which seemed to be about to explode at any moment