"Two burgers, one with cheese and one with no cheese. Oh, and two zero Cokes, please."
A pleasant voice came through the headphones. The customer-care personnel working at the drive-through suddenly froze. She hurriedly gestured for her coworker to come closer.
"I think it's Ezra!"
"Oh my god," her coworker squealed.
"Hello?" Ezra's strong, masculine voice reverberated through the headphones, making the girl shiver slightly.
"Um... is that all, sir?"
The young man sitting in his car paused. He glanced at the menu once again before speaking. "I'll get some curly fries as well."
The young woman took a deep breath and calmed herself. "The total will be 10.50, and your order will be ready in a minute. Thank you for dining at Fishies." She smiled while holding her coworker's hand tightly beneath the counter.
The moment they removed their headphones, they both squeaked loudly.
"Oh my god! Ezra talked to me! Who knows? Maybe I might be his next girlfriend..."
"Girl, he talked to a Fishies drive-through girl, not you." Her coworker poured cold water over her hopes and dreams without mercy.
Sighing, the woman began packing his order. "Do you think he's going on a date again?"
"Probably. He brought curly fries. He only does that on dates."
The young woman's head snapped toward her in shock. "R-really?"
"Yeah. I've worked here for almost a year now. Every time he goes on a date, he drops by and buys some curly fries." She shrugged as she packed the delicious, hot fries into the takeaway bag.
"Wonder who it is? Do you think it's that Gina? Or maybe Priya?"
"Who knows? Either way, he's not going to end up with them," the older girl said with a slight sigh.
"What do you mean?"
The older girl moved closer to her. "Don't you know? If Ezra starts dating a girl, Rio won't let them be. He'll swoop down like a nasty viper and steal them. I bet it's going to happen this time as well." She scoffed.
A loud honk suddenly disrupted their chatter.
A young man dressed in a leather jacket had his head out of the car, peering at them with an unreadable look in his eyes. His soft brown hair was styled so that it was half swept to the side, while his almond-shaped eyes were hidden behind sunglasses that had slipped slightly down his nose. His pink, pouty lips held a small smile, but his eyes were cold as the tundra.
"That was an interesting chat I overheard..." he said casually. "My order?"
The young woman struggled to regain her composure. "H-here it is," she stuttered, handing the bag over to him.
Ezra coldly scoffed and drove away.
The two girls let out a deep breath.
"I guess my chance of dating him is now screwed. He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you. He hates Rio," the older woman said as she packed another order. "Come on, girl. Snap out of it and pack the orders."
"Yeah..."
Even after driving some distance away, Ezra could still hear their conversation. It was all thanks to his werewolf hearing. His nose twitched as he growled loudly.
"Rio this, Rio that. That bastard..." He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I really don't want my name to even be uttered close to his."
Taking a deep breath, he hurriedly devoured his cheese-free burger.
The tasty food quenched his anger a little.
"Why am I even angry? I have a date with the hottest girl in town, and nothing can bring me down. Not even that Rio bastard."
Smirking, he drove toward her street.
From a distance, he spotted her blond hair fluttering in the wind.
Gina.
That was his date for today. She had a smoking-hot body and a character to go with it. Today, she was wearing a sunny yellow tank top and ripped blue shorts. Her clothes clung to her form, accentuating her curves.
Ezra licked his lips, his gaze lingering on her voluptuous hips.
'This is going to be fun...'
"Ezra~" She glanced back and waved at him.
The car slowed to a stop right beside her.
Ezra rolled down his window with a smirk. "Ready to be swept off your feet?"
Gina grinned. "You have already accomplished that, handsome man."
Smirking, he got down and opened the door for her.
"Thank you."
She sat down, awkwardly adjusting her short shorts.
Noticing this, he walked back to his trunk and returned with a blanket. He spread it over her lap.
"If you are uncomfortable with these clothes, don't wear them," he whispered softly close to her ear. "I like you either way."
Gina smiled. "I know that. But I wanted to look pretty for the occasion. Come on, we're late for our date."
Ezra climbed into the driver's seat in a great mood. This girl really made him happy. After a long time, he felt like he was finally falling in love.
The car started and slowly moved out of her driveway.
"So, where are we going?"
"I have something special planned." Ezra pulled out the takeout bag and handed it to her.
She pulled out the curly fries with a deep grin.
"Looks like I'm an approved date. You even brought your trademark curly fries. I have to say, I am super flattered."
"Anything for you, babe."
Hearing that she liked curly fries, he was even happier. Unlike those skinny girls, Gina liked to eat well. That was what he liked about her the most. With her, he was able to go to his favorite fast-food stops and eat all that delicious food without anyone whining about carbs and sugar.
Ezra drove them over to the nearby cliff that overlooked the city. From this distance, all the houses and artificial lights looked like twinkling stars scattered across the darkness.
"Oh my god, I didn't even know a place like this existed."
"I stumbled upon it only recently."
He removed his coat and spread it over the wet grass for her.
With a grin, Gina sat down on the coat. "You are such a sweetie pie."
Ezra sat down beside her, gently holding her small hand.
Their date went smoothly, and to be honest, he really enjoyed her company. With her, he completely forgot about the maggot that had been in his mind for so long.
A loud chime from her phone broke the pleasant atmosphere.
Gina's expression shifted as soon as she read the text.
"Is everything okay?"
"It's... Dad. It's getting late..." Gina whispered with an awkward smile. "Shall we head back?"
"Sure."
He helped her up, and they both drove away.
The car moved along the peaceful road that ran through the deep, dark forest. There wasn't a single streetlight in sight. Only the car's headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the road ahead.
As they neared their school, Ezra glanced at her.
"C-can we stop here?" Gina asked softly. "I don't want the night to end so soon."
She subtly rolled down the window a little.
Ezra slammed on the brakes.
The car came to a stop on the side of the road. The lights of the football field behind her caught his attention for a moment. The thought of football reminded him so much of that maggot named Rio.
He really didn't want to stop at this particular spot, but since she wanted to, he did.
Gina's beautiful blue eyes peered at him shyly.
This was his cue.
He hurriedly removed his seat belt and leaned over, capturing her lips in a kiss.
"Mnnn... Ezra~" she let out a loud moan.
He felt his body react to her closeness. He lowered her seat and leaned over her, his lips devouring hers while his hands explored her curves.
"Ezra... yes... there..." she moaned.
He frowned subtly.
He wasn't even touching her in any particularly sensitive spots, though.
"Yes... yes, I like it so much," she moaned, clinging to his back.
Ezra ignored her strange behavior and started kissing down her neck. A loud growl escaped his throat. He desperately wanted to sink his teeth into her delicate neck.
BANG!!!
A loud sound startled him.
He immediately pulled away from her and sat upright.
His deadly eyes fell upon the football that had embedded itself into the windshield of his car. Shards of glass fell across his back.
"Shit... what the hell..."
He quickly swiped them away, afraid she might get hurt.
"Oh shit..." Gina exclaimed.
"Which fucker did that?" He glanced out through the cracked windowpane.
A pair of glowing green eyes peered back at him from the darkness.
He knew exactly who that was.
Rio fucking Velveta!
"That bastard! I will kill him!"
He hurriedly sat up, but Gina pulled him back down.
"Let's... let's leave... please..." she begged him, tears filling her eyes.
"It's my sister's car! Fuck! I will tear his werewolf ass apart and hang him as a tapestry, I swear," he growled loudly.
As he reached for the door, Gina once again grabbed his hand.
"I can deal with that ass, don't worry. He still hasn't faced my full fury."
He glared at the green eyes peering at him through the trees.
His dark figure walked out of the shadows. He raked a hand through his shiny black hair. The man was completely soaked in sweat, and even from this distance, Ezra could sniff his stench.
Rio Velveta came to a stop near his car. His grass-green eyes peered at the ball, his brows raised in mock surprise.
"Oops. So this is where my ball ended up..." He grinned condescendingly. "I hope my 'ball' didn't hurt anyone?"
"I will fucking kill you!" Ezra roared, pushing the door open.
"I slept with him!"
Ezra froze.
"W-what?"
He glanced at the young girl, who was now trembling.
"I slept with him..." she whispered. "I love him, Ezra... I want to be his mate."
She sniffled loudly before looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
"So please don't hurt him... please."
She sobbed loudly, wiping the tears and snot from her face.
Ezra felt numb.
"Get out," he whispered softly.
Gina froze. "Ezra... I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You love him, so you approached me to make him jealous..." His voice was strangely calm. "That's why you had me stop here, right? So that your fucking moans could call out to that man like a beast..."
He chuckled dryly, though there was no humor in it.
"Get out, Gina. I don't want to deal with this bullshit. Your prince charming is waiting for you. Go."
"I..." She looked at him apologetically.
"Get out!"
He watched as a shudder passed through her body at his alpha voice. She scrambled out of the car and ran straight toward Rio.
That degenerate wrapped an arm around her waist and grinned in Ezra's direction.
Without giving them another glance, Ezra drove away.