Olivia’s POV
Evening came quickly, and I got dressed and hurried to the cafe. It was a few minutes to 7:00 pm, and so many people were already waiting to get drinks in the cafe.
It wasn’t a particularly fancy cafe, but the roof was a beautiful skylight, and it let in the full moon’s elegant glow, making everything look magical.
I continued taking orders and refilling drinks as the evening crept on and the moon rose higher into the sky.
I was working the latest shift, and it didn’t take long before my coworkers went out for the evening.
Time flew even faster, and I was about to close up for the evening.
Just as I pulled one of the doors, three men strode in, and my heart raced at the fierce look in their eyes.
“I’m sorry, but we are closed for the night,” I said, trying to be as polite as possible.
Instead of replying, the men smiled and pushed the door open while forcing themselves inside.
“How about you stay a little longer for a nice little chat?..”
Looking at them in shock, I felt a chill run down my spine. I looked around and saw that their huge, muscular bodies were blocking the door.
“Where are you going, love? We just want to talk. You are a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”
One of the men stretched out a hand to touch me, but I flinched and slapped it away.
“Don’t you dare even touch me!”
One of the men licked his lips in uttermost satisfaction, taking pleasure in the fear in my eyes. He glared at my body, and I could see his body shiver in delight.
“She is a very pretty thing. Feisty too. Her hair feels so soft.”
One of them lightly grabbed a chunk of my hair, and I pulled it away as fast as I could.
“Leave me alone! What do you want from me?”
One of them smiled.
“Nothing, darling. We just thought that a nice girl like you, all frail and beautiful, should have a few tough hands looking after you. How about you follow us home, and we can get this over with?”
“I have no intention of following you disgusting men back anywhere. I don’t need your protection, and I want you to let me go right now or else…”
I felt them close in on me, and I went pale with fright. What was I going to do? How could I fight all four of them off at once?
I suddenly felt a strange energy fill me, and my wolf rushed to the surface. A voice filled my head.
“Olivia, we need to get you out of here.”
I was stunned, but I was too scared to show it. I spoke back to the voice in my mind.
“Who are you?”
“I am the ghost of your conscience,” the voice rang out again, dripping in sarcasm,
My face twisted in confusion, and my assailants looked at me equally confused.
“I’m your wolf. What did you expect me to say? My name is Nima, and if you keep asking me stupid questions, these ruffians are going to make a savoury meal out of you. I need you to do exactly what I say.”
“Okay. Tell me what to do.”
“Good. Focus your attention and energy into your hands and make them become claws. I’ll help you shift partially.”
Her voice was commanding, and I was forced to pay attention. I closed my eyes and focused my energy on my palm. I felt a slight tingling sensation, and I could hear gasps, and I realised that the men were slowly backing away.
“What do you think you are doing?” growled one of the men in anger
“I advise that you stop what you are doing; otherwise, we aren’t going to be gentle with that pretty little face of yours.”
I ignored their comments and threats and continued to focus my energy while Nima urged me on.
“Good, good. Just a little more.”
I focused even harder and soon felt my palm feel soft and furry. When I opened my eyes, my nails had become sharp, curved claws.
I didn’t even dare to waste any time, and I swiped my hand swiftly into the air, catching one of my assailants on the right cheek and leaving three clean lacerations.
However, before I could find my footing and try to escape, I felt a hot palm on my cheek. I fell to the floor, and my cheek throbbed in raw pain. Hot tears formed in my eyes, and I couldn’t look up at my assailant.
“How dare you? Do you think that this is some high school prom? Because of your pretty little face, we are going to give you one more chance to surrender. Otherwise, we will do much worse things than what we had in mind initially.”
I felt one of them grab me by my throat and lift me off the ground. My feet were dangling in the air, and I could feel the oxygen in my lungs being squeezed out of me.
Before I could finish, I was dropped, and I landed roughly on the ground on my butt. The person who had grabbed me had his head flung backwards, and standing defensively in front of me was a tall, handsome man with chestnut-coloured hair and bright golden eyes. He was muscular, and his pecs strained against the shirt he wore.
I couldn’t get a good look at his handsome face as he immediately pounced into action and began to take down my harassers.
His blows were swift and precise, and he had amazing control of his wolf. He would partially shift his hands to form claws and would rip at his opponent’s clothes and skin, drawing blood that stained the grey sidewalk.
I was unable to stand or walk, and I simply shuffled back, away from the carnage, in fear.
It didn’t take too long, and in almost the blink of an eye, all four of my assailants were on the ground with unforgettable injuries but still quite alive.
The handsome man stood in front of me with his blood-stained clothes. His jaw looked like a divine being had sculpted it. His golden eyes seemed to get brighter each time I looked at them. His beard made his jaw even more chiselled and was neatly trimmed from cheek to cheek. Who was this person?
He stretched his hand towards me, but I hesitated to take it.
“Who are you, and why should I trust you?”
I tried my best not to sound fearful or be intimidated by his looks and strength.
He opened his mouth to speak, and his words were as melodic as a Spanish guitar.
“I understand that you don’t trust me, and you have every reason to. But if we don’t leave this place at once, we are going to have more than just four men on our tail. And these four aren’t dead; they are only injured and unconscious. Only the Goddess would know how angry they would be if they woke up and we were still here…”