A pretty teenage girl stood a few feet away, beaming at her with unmistakable excitement. Lunara searched her face but came up empty. She had never seen the young girl before.

Forcing a polite smile, she gave her a small wave and continued toward the counter.

The girl hurried after her and stopped in front of her.

Lunara paused. She reminded herself that this was a fresh start. There was no reason to lose her temper over an enthusiastic stranger.

She smiled again, this time a little more naturally.

“My name is Cassara,” the girl said, almost bouncing with excitement. “I’m one of your biggest fans. I absolutely love you.”

“Nice to meet you, Cassara,” she returned her smile with a side hug.

“Come with me, I’m gonna attend to your needs,”Cassara said, and led her to one of the tables set under a canopy. She quickly served her as if she was a special customer. She could not tell her she came in search of a job.

She sat with her and continued telling her about her academy and her new moonallies. She obviously took Lunara as her role model.

About an hour later, she stood up from the chair and left the envelope she hid behind her back on the chair. Cassara called her attention to the envelope. She smiled and picked it up from the chair. She stared at her with facial expressions that were filled with unsaid words. Probably wondering what was inside the envelope.

“I will be staying around for a while…I…want to keep myself busy with a job.”

“Cassara gave out a great bellow of laughter.

“Lunara Greens, are you going to work?” Cassara asked with a laugh.

She ignored the question.

“I’d rather you call me Scarlet,” she said.

Cassara raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Scarlet.” A teasing smile spread across her face. “So tell me… are you here looking for some wolf?”

The grin on Cassara’s face made it clear she didn’t believe Scarlet had come to look for a job. Of all people, Lunara was the lucky one.

“Yes. I’m looking for the owner of this café.”

Cassara turned and pointed toward a woman chatting with a customer beneath a stylish canopy.

“That’s her,” she said.

“Thank you, Cassara. Do you work here?” She asked.

Cassara shook her head with a small smile. “No. My mother owns the café.”

Scarlet glanced at the woman again, then looked back at Cassara. “I had a feeling she was your mother.”

Cassara laughed softly and nodded. “You can wait here.” She motioned to the empty chair. “I’ll let her know you want to see her.”

Scarlet thanked her and sat back down, quietly watching customers come and go while the rich aroma of fresh coffee drifted through the air.

A few hours later, the owner finally walked over to her table. She looked to be in her late twenties or early-thirties, and the warm smile on her face made it seem as though they had already met.

“Hi, I’m Amaris. Most of my moonallies call me Ama,” she said, holding out her hand.

Scarlet shook it. “I’m Scarlet.”

Amaris tilted her head slightly. “Scarlet… are you Cassara’s moonally?”

Scarlet smiled and shook her head. “No. She’s seen my pictures on social media.”

“Cassara spends half her day surfing the internet,” Amaris said with a grin.

“I can believe that.”

“She told me you wanted to see me.”

She straightened in her seat. “Yes… I came to ask if you’re hiring.”

Amaris nodded, but before she could answer, her eyes drifted toward the parking lot. A sleek luxury car rolled to a stop outside the café.

A strikingly handsome man, probably in his late twenties, stepped out. As he walked past, he gave Amaris a casual wave.

“If you’ll excuse me for a minute,” Amaris said.

She walked over to greet him. They exchanged a few words, laughing as they talked. After several minutes, Amaris returned to the table, still smiling.

Scarlet watched her sit down. “Your mate is handsome.”

Amaris burst into laughter and shook her head.

“Oh, no. He’s not my mate.” She glanced toward the man. “He’s actually my very first customer. When I opened this café a few months ago with my severance pay, he was the first person to walk through those doors. Since then, I’ve always made sure he gets the best service.”

Scarlet nodded, waiting for Amaris to tell her when she could start work.

Instead, Amaris leaned in a little.

“That man is a billionaire,” she said quietly. “He’s the CEO of Darkmore Auto Group, so everyone here knows to treat him like a very important person.”

Scarlet smiled politely.

Amaris pointed a finger at her with a playful grin.

“And starting tomorrow, you’ll be doing the same.”

Scarlet’s eyes flew open.

“Tomorrow?”

The word slipped out louder than she intended.

She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around. A few customers had turned to stare. Heat rushed to her face as she gave them an embarrassed smile before lowering her eyes.

“So… I got the job?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Congrats, girl. But you need to work on your accent. It’s a little hard to understand,” Amaris said with a laugh.

Scarlet smiled and licked her lips.

“I’ll be right back.”

Amaris gave her shoulder a light pat before hurrying after the wealthy customer who had just walked past them. He headed toward his car with his chin lifted, carrying himself like he owned the whole city. Confidence—or arrogance—clung to every step.

The moment Amaris was gone, Cassara slipped into the empty seat across from Scarlet.

“So, why did you scream?” she asked, grinning.

“She just offered me a job.”

Cassara blinked, then burst out laughing.

“Wait… you’re actually going to work?”

“Yes.”

Cassara looked out the window at her mother, whose eyes stayed on the young CEO as they talked.

“My mother has a huge crush on him,” she said with a chuckle. “Too bad he doesn’t look at her the way she wishes he would.”

“What about your father?” Scarlet asked.

“My parents went through a severance. Mother used her severance settlement to open this café.”

Scarlet looked back at the pair outside. The man listened politely, but there was no warmth in his expression.

“Why is he still single?” she asked.

Cassara’s smile faded.

“His mate died last winter.”

Scarlet lowered her eyes for a moment before looking at him again.

“Oh… that’s sad.”

“My mother is trying so hard,” Cassara said, her eyes following Amaris through the window. “I don’t know why he won’t give her the attention she wants.” She shook her head, then smiled to herself. “If she can’t get him, I will.”

Scarlet’s eyes flew open.

“How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen.”

“And how old is he?”

Cassara tipped her head as if she had never bothered to count.

“Twenty-eight… maybe twenty-nine.”

“Cassara, you can’t be serious.”

“Why not?” She laughed. “Who cares about age? I’m not looking for love.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I just want his money.”

Scarlet could only stare at her.

Cassara looked back toward Gregory. He was saying something to Amaris beside his car, his posture relaxed, one hand tucked into his pocket.

“I mean, just look at him,” she said with a dreamy smile. “He’s tall, handsome, and always looks so put together. That smile alone is enough to make any girl lose her mind.” She laughed softly. “No wonder everyone wants him.”

She rested her elbow on the table and sighed.

“But none of them has gotten anywhere. Ever since his mate died, he hasn’t let anyone get close. Every woman who’s tried has walked away with the same cold rejection.”

Her fingers tapped lightly on the table as she kept watching him.

“I think work is the only thing keeping him going now. That’s probably why he comes here two times a day. Maybe he’s hoping that one day he’ll meet one who makes him feel alive again.”

She wrinkled her nose and clicked her tongue.

“But there’s one thing about him that I just can’t stand.”

Scarlet settled deeper into her chair, curiosity finally getting the better of her.

“What do you hate about him?” Scarlet asked.

Cassara rolled her eyes.

“He’s arrogant. He acts like the whole world revolves around him.” She threw her hands in the air. “He snaps at my mother’s staff over the smallest things, like they don’t matter. Ugh… I can’t stand that.”

Scarlet glanced toward Gregory before looking back at her.

“What happened to his mate?”

Cassara’s smile disappeared.

“She died in a car accident.” Her voice grew quieter. “It happened on Gregory’s birthday. She had gone to pick up her younger sibling from the academy. They were driving home when a speeding van slammed into their car. They both died at the scene.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“Gregory was never the same after that,” Cassara continued. “It’s been over a winter, but no one has been able to take her place.”

She looked toward the parking lot again.

“He’s one of my mother’s oldest customers. He stops by every moonrise before work and comes back again in the moonfall. After a while,my mother started talking to him whenever he came in. Little by little, he opened up to her. One day, he told her everything.”

Cassara let out a slow breath.

“By the time he finished, my mother had tears in her eyes.”

Scarlet nodded.

“Just make sure you talk to your mother before you start chasing him.”

Cassara laughed, but Scarlet was already pushing back her chair.

“You’re leaving already?” Amaris asked as she walked over.

“Yes.”

“All right. Be here tomorrow at six in the moonrise.”

“I will.” Scarlet smiled. “Thank you.”

She stepped outside, the bell above the café door chiming softly behind her.

—

The next moonrise, Scarlet woke before moonrise. She got dressed, checked her reflection one last time, and hurried out the door with a smile she couldn’t hide.

When she arrived at the café, Amaris welcomed her inside and introduced her to the rest of the staff. After everyone exchanged greetings, Amaris grabbed her purse, called for Cassara, and the two of them headed out, leaving Scarlet to begin her first day at work.

Not long after Amaris and Cassara left, the young CEO pulled into the parking lot.

The chatter inside the café faded. A few workers exchanged weary looks. One let out a long sigh, while another quietly turned away and busied herself wiping down a table.

Scarlet remembered everything Cassara had told her the day before. No wonder no one rushed to serve him.

She picked up a menu and walked over with a polite smile.

“Moonrise, sir. What can I get for you?”

Gregory looked up at her, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t feel like having anything.”

His sharp tone caught her off guard, but she kept her smile in place.

After a brief silence, his eyes settled on her face.

“Your accent is strange.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Scarlet said. “I’m still working on it.”

“Where are you from?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

She hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I’d rather not say.”

He gave a careless shrug, as if he didn’t care either way.

Scarlet nodded politely, turned, and went back to serving the other customers.