A little crush

NOVA

My new life had begun a little over a year ago, but I kept thanking the Goddess Hecate for blessing me with it. Prince Tyrion turned out to have enough authority to arrange me an apartment in Grand Lunaville's omega's district and a temporary job as a pharmacist help. It wasn't a life filled with luxury, but it was freedom, something far better than being a coven's slave.

My life here wasn't the easiest either, for one more reason: the pack's hierarchy. The Moon Blade Pack was the home of the werewolf king. I had learned that the Moon Goddess blessed the royal family with unique strength and abilities, making their pack the most powerful pack in the entire kingdom. The royal family was—naturally—at the top of the food chain. Then there were all the ranked wolves and the rich members of the council. All the pack's warriors had a lower position, but they still held a lot of authority, which gave their families better access to education and jobs. The omegas were sometimes allowed to run small businesses, such as grocery stores, but mostly worked as servants. Finally, the bottom of the pack's food chain was created for wolfless creatures… like me.

"You should always be careful around the male wolves," Olivia, my pharmacy manager, warned. "Alpha King Luthor turns a blind eye to most cases of abuse. He only wants to keep his council members and his warriors happy. That is why weak ones like us always have to look over their shoulders."

"What about the ranked wolves? Or... those from ranked families who will be promoted in the future?" I asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Stay away from those especially! They are all no good!"

A sudden blush covered my cheeks as I recalled my "hero" carrying me out of the woods. I still couldn't confirm who it was, but secretly, I felt that it was the angel-like blond guy I met at the palace. "I don't think that all of them are bad," I murmured.

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Who do you have in mind?"

I smiled nervously and cleared my throat. "Prince Tyrion gave me a place to stay and this job, and his future Beta, Felix—"

Her loud laughter cut off my words. "You cannot seriously think that Prince Tyrion did it because he is ‘nice.’" She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked at me with pity. "Child, the Prince helped you only to piss off his father, nothing more. As for his best friend, Felix…"

"What about Felix?" I inquired anxiously.

"Stay away from him as far as possible. Even if I doubt that he could harm a woman physically, he is the pack's well-known biggest player and heartbreaker. He has a warrior's nature. The conquer is grounded in his genes. I don't want you to become one of his one-night trophies."

I slight frown formed on my forehead. "I'm a big girl, Olivia. I think I could handle him."

Olivia sighed. "You don't know what are you talking about. Felix is the current Beta's nephew. Everyone knows that he is handsome, and he has a lot of girls to choose from. If he lays his eyes on you, it'll be only because he is bored. He will never respect someone who's not even an omega. You two are in different leagues, hon."

That hurt. Fine, I admit that I had a little crush on Felix. I might have been stupid to think that he would be interested in someone like me. But a girl could dream, right?

Unfortunately, the dreams were all I had since I practically hadn't seen warriors or ranked wolves wandering around the omegas' district. Olivia kept telling me that it was a good thing because most of the royal warriors were bullies. I believed her, but living this kind of "safe" life seemed a bit boring after a month.

After two months of living in Grand Lunaville's omega district, I was practically dying of boredom. That was until one day when I happened to work alone at the pharmacy, and a wealthy-looking man wearing a dark-gray suit came, looking for a scar-healing ointment. I showed him everything the pharmacy had to offer, but I was itching to tell him that my magic could have worked better than any of them. Yet, I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to lose the job I had even if it wasn't a dream job…

"Are they efficient?" my customer asked, giving the ointments a wary stare.

"Well," I started, painting a hesitant smile, "they all consist of turmeric, Gotu cola, or goldenseal. These are all typical herbs to heal scars…"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Did you make them?"

I let out a nervous chuckle. "No, my boss, Olivia Herrnstein, made those."

He clicked his tongue. "That's disappointing. I came to this pharmacy only because I heard that the witch works here, and since you don't smell like the wolf, I'm guessing that this witch would be you."

I swallowed and stepped back from the counter. "I am a witch, but I only work here as an assistant. Olivia merely allows me to mix herbs based on her recipes."

The man in the suit burst into laughter. "Now that's clever and dumb at the same time!" Then he leaned closer and smirked. "Did you know that your boss tells everyone that her pharmacy sells magical medicine? She uses the fact that you work for her to increase the sale of her shitty ointments and pills. I guess that she was too dumb, or her ego was too big to actually ask for your help... not to mention that she would have to pay you more then. Scamming people was cheaper."

I stared at that man in disbelief. I had never thought that Olivia could have done something like that. I wouldn't mind helping her, and she wouldn't have to pay me more for it. But the fact that she used me to deceive her customers infuriated me beyond limits. Yet, I plastered a professional smile on my face and breathed in the serenity.

"What kind of scars do you want to heal?" I asked in a witchy-expert tone.

A devilish smirk curved my customer's mouth. "I want to heal an ugly scar on a lovely girl's face," he said. "If you prove that your healing abilities are as good as rumors say, I will pay you enough for you to afford a place outside omega's district."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why would I want to live anywhere else?"

He chuckled. "Because I know that spark in your eyes. You are ambitious, and you can be powerful. Those omegas around you are hardly able to rise above their pitiful status, but you? You are different. I bet that they told you that you mean nothing in here because you are wolfless, but that's not true. Most packs value those who have unique abilities. So, tell me: are you a unique healer like the rumors say, or are you not?"

I fisted my hands and looked straight into his eyes. "I do have healing powers."

"I am Elias Vergara, a member of the royal council." The man extended his hand toward me and smirked. "Now, Miss Witch, would you like to work for me?"

Only an idiot would refuse his offer, and that certainly wasn't me. A wide grin spread across my lips and, a second later, I was shaking the man's hand, happily accepting the job.

It turned out that Mr. Vergara had a daughter who fell in love with a cruel alpha from the neighboring pack. That asshole not only rejected the poor girl's love but also cut her face. Her father swore to find a way to cure the scar on her face. My magic became that cure…

I prepared several magically-infused ointments that healed the girl's face within a week. Mr. Vergara kept his part of the deal. With the money he paid me, I could afford an apartment in Grand Lunaville's central district. However, my apartment wasn't the only thing that changed... Mr. Vergara had a lot of wealthy friends who started coming to me, asking for a bit of magical help.

A month later, I was asked to cast protective spells in a massive factory. It required a lot of work, but a few weeks of chanting those spells could bring me more money than the two years of working at Olivia's pharmacy. On the downside of it, after half-of-month of using magic all day long, I barely had the energy to move my feet. I began falling asleep starving because I didn't have the strength to cook.  

Finally, I decided that it would be wiser to eat at a restaurant or bar. It was one of those days when I was so concentrated on work that I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and because it was after 10 PM, my stomach made all kinds of sounds to remind me how empty it was. Fortunately, I was living not far from a bar that served food until midnight.

"Hello, Jarvis," I said faintly, stumbling my way to the bar stool while waving to the familiar bartender.

"Hi, Nova! Rough day?" He laughed as he looked me up and down.

The hoarse groan I let out while climbing on my stool was enough for the answer. "I would kill for your burger and a salad."

Jarvis laughed. "I will get you a beer first."

I nodded. "Good idea."

He leaned over me and purred, "Coming right up." He winked, waving his long lashes, and poured me a large mug of beer. Jarvis was a six-foot-six, all-muscle tower of sexiness. He was brown-skinned, black-haired, and amber-eyed, and he definitely could have had most of the girls who visited his bar… if he weren't gay. Most of the female regulars didn't know, and he tent to use that fact to get higher tips, but I knew right away. Except for being a charmer, he was one of the "good guys," and I was glad to have him as a friend.

"Here you go," he said as he placed my beer in front of me. "Do you want fries for that burger and salad too?"

I wanted to answer, but a high-pitch giggle assaulted my ears before my throat could form a word. I cursed under my breath and turned my head toward the irritating female-like noise. It was a tall blonde. At least ninety percent of her dress consisted of air; even sitting ten feet away from her, I could see that she wasn't wearing underwear. I grimaced in disgust and was about to turn around, but then I saw whom that bimbo was giggling to... It was Felix—the notorious heartbreaker I had a crush on.