Chapter 8 – 3 days until the Eclipse

Eden’s POV  

 I feel like a car has run me over. My whole-body aches after sleeping on the floor. “What can I do to make him stay?” I ask my wolf, Charisma. She knows me best. Nix’s wolf is her mate and he will reject her too. “He told you why he was going to reject you. You either don’t listen, or you listen but only hear what you want to hear?”  

I think about what Nix said. He called me ungrateful, disrespectful, and spoiled. How do I fix any of that in a few hours? I get to my feet. It must be early. The sun is just rising. 

“Breakfast. I could make breakfast for the family.” I suggested to her. “Great idea, except you can’t cook.” Charisma informs me. “How hard can it be?” I told her. “I can get the chef to help me.” She snickers. I do not know why. I could be an amazing cook. I just haven’t been given the opportunity to try.  

I walk to the kitchen and the entire staff stops and stares at me. Most of them move away from me. I guess they can’t stand my aura. I am used to that happening. Jax can dampen our auras, but it’s not a skill me or Max have. “How can we help you, princess?” the head chef asks from several meters away. “I wanted to make my family some breakfast.” I heard some cooks laughing. 

“Princess, we make the breakfast for the Royal household and the Royal guard.” I shrugged my shoulders. “We cater for around 200 people at the same time.”  

“So? I can do that.” The cooks laugh again, and so does Charisma. Not one of them believes I can do it. 

“We are going to struggle to do that with you in the kitchen.” He looks around the kitchen when he hears a noise. There was a single girl standing there, still working. His eyes focused on her. 

“Ara.” She ignores him. “Ara.” he yells louder. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, chef,” she says, “why wouldn’t I be?” He looks at me then her. “Can you switch stations and work with the Princess to prepare the eggs?”  

“I have to be gone by 8am,” she tells him. “I know. Try your best.” She nodded. “If you want to help, work with Ara at that station on the edge of the room. But be warned, Ara is blunt and she works like she has a purpose.”  

Nix’s words replayed in my mind. I have to try, or he will reject me. “Okay.” I said as I walked over to her. 

She laughs at me. No one has ever laughed at my face before. “Come on Princess, let’s get you dressed to work.” Dressed to work? She walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a white coat and hairnet. Oh, goddess. She looks at me as I hesitate to take them on. “This is a kitchen. Hygiene is our first and most important rule. Get them on if you intend to work and get your hands washed.” She disappears behind a screen as I get ready. 

She reappears as I dry my hands. “Come on, we have 400 eggs to get cracked and we are already behind.” I look at her. I have never cracked an egg before. I watch Ara work. She cracks 2 at a time into a bowl. She is fast.  

“Come on.” She prompted me. “I erm”

“You have never done this before and thought today, of all days, would be a good day to start.” She looked less than impressed at me. “Something like that.” I admitted sheepishly, now knowing how out of my depth I was.  

“Well, I was ahead on my station and now I am behind. I have to get to my second job after I drop my son off at school. So, forgive me, Princess, but I am far too busy to watch your every move and I certainly won’t be doing your work for you.” I know my jaw drops. The head chef was right. She is blunt. No one other than Nix has ever spoken to me that way. I don’t know how to respond. 

“Mommy, can I have some breakfast?” A little boy appeared from behind the screen. He is only young. Ara goes to him and kneels. “Sure, you can, baby. But if you want eggs, you will have to wait.”

“Pancakes and bacon,” he asks for. “Coming right up.” She walks over to those stations and gets him what he wants. “Have a nap. Once you are finished, it’s still early.” He disappears behind the screen and she returns looking at me.  

“My aura did not bother him, either.” I asked her. “We wouldn’t be affected. My dad was a delta and his father was a gamma.” I quickly recognized she said ‘was’. She works multiple jobs just to care for her boy. That is why she works like she has a purpose. Because she does.  

I can do this, I tell myself. I can crack a few stupid eggs. 

Ara makes me crack one at a time into a bowl. I have to scoop out shells every now and again. I am not fast, but I am doing well. Or well for me.  

It’s coming up to 8am and I am aware Ara has to leave. “Chef, I have to go soon.” She shouts across the room.  

“Can you get the Queen’s eggs done before you leave? Please,” Ara he asks. She nods her head. The next lot of eggs she cracks into a bowl and starts whisking them. She then puts them in a pan. “Can you go get me the cheese, please? It should be in that refrigerator, just there?” I can do that easily.  

I returned with a block of cheese. She looks at me and laughs at me. “My fault. Can you please get me the Swiss cheese? The queen likes it mixed in with her eggs.”

“Isn’t it all the same? Cheese is cheese, right? She laughs at me again. “No, Swiss cheese is the one that is full of holes. It adds a nutty flavor to her eggs. Not my thing personally, but if the Queen wants, who are we to question it?”  

It never occurred to me how much thought is put into the food we eat. I guess I just take things for granted. I get the Swiss cheese. And she finishes my mom’s eggs. “I got to go, chef.” Ara shouts.  

“You will have to go too, Princess, unless you want to work there alone.” Ara removes her jacket, hairnet and collects her son. “It’s okay.” I told him. He breathed a sigh of relief. I took off my jacket and walked out with Ara. 

We are walking down the hallway. I am talking to Ara’s son. “Mate.” Charisma says. “Hey Eden.” Nix says, just after Charisma told me he was around. Both me and Ara stop walking. He looks at me and smiles. He has a gorgeous smile. “Nice hairnet,” he says. Crap, I forgot to take it off. I am going to kill Ara for not telling me. “Yeah, I took your advice and I am trying to be a bit more helpful around the place. I have been in the kitchen this morning.” I told him, trying discreetly to drag the hairnet out of my hair. “I was going to give my new friend, Ara, a hand at her next job. You know, gain some perspective about what goes on around the place.” I told him. He smiled at me again. “Or try at least,” I said humbly. He nods at me. “Where is your next job, Ara?” Nix asks her. “The stables.” She answers.  

Oh great, I thought to myself. “I might swing by and give you a hand,” he said. Seriously? Seriously? He is giving me a chance. He said he would and he is. I want to do a cartwheel. I don’t even care about what I have to do in the stables. Because no matter what it is, he will be there.