Chapter 50: You Don't Need To Work

Chapter fifty: You Don't Need To Work

Elena

Everyone in the bakery turned their attention towards Bernard as they all stood up from their seats. Jack looked over his shoulder to see what everyone was looking at.

"Alpha." Everyone in the bakery said in unison. This is the first time they are seeing their Alpha since he got admitted into the hospital. There had been many rumors flying around about his well-being. Some had been accurate while others were just so far fetched it was comical.

Bernard kept his eyes locked on me or more special my hand. The ink that Jack had used on my skin suddenly felt like wolfsbane now. It was hurting and it felt like it was searing my skin like a piece of meat. I don't know why I felt guilty even though I had done nothing wrong but the look on Bernard's face told me otherwise.

This is not how I wanted his first time out of the hospital to be, so much for my good day. Bernard seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was and greeted his people. Some of them went up to him where he stood at the door and offered their joy at seeing him out of the hospital. All the while, my eyes stayed glued to him. His forest green eyes looked much brighter and the dark circles under his eyes had somehow miraculously disappeared. More colour had returned to his face and he looked good as new. Normally, a poison like wolfsbane would have killed a regular wolf but since Bernard is an Alpha, he was able to fight off the poison.

I admired him from where I stood, his dark brown hair was wet, and he must have just taken a shower before he came here. He is wearing clean white sneakers, fitting pants, and a tight black shirt that shows off his toned muscles. He looked good enough to eat. As he was done greeting his people, he turned his eyes back to me and started walking towards me. As he drew closer, I felt my heart hammer harder in my chest. Jack pushed off the counter and stood straight. He stepped aside for Bernard and bowed his head in submission.

"Alpha." He greeted him.

"Praise the moon goddess for your recovery and I wish nothing more than fast healing to your bones." He added but Bernard barely acknowledged him, he just grunted in response and kept his eyes on me. He is really in a foul mood.

With great effort, I peeled my eyes away from him and addressed Jack. His presence is annoying Bernard and I didn't want any unnecessary tension within the bakery. Bernard didn't need that neither did Veronica.

"I will see you later, Jack." I said to him and he gave me a small smile before walking out of the bakery with the coffee in his hand.

I saw Bernard ball his fists on the counter from my peripheral vision. I wanted nothing more than to place my hand on top of his to stop him from exploding but I didn't. We were out in the open and a lot of eyes were on us. I turned my attention fully on him and offered him a small smile. I tried to let my eyes do all the talking at the moment, hopefully he would see the hidden message I was trying to convey to him.

"Hi Bern." I tested his nickname on my lips for the first time and I like it. It felt right to call him that.

He didn't smile back, he barely even acknowledged me after I spoke. His eyes were glued to the menu we had on the boards above my head. His eyes were scanning the boards but I knew that he wasn't focused on it, he was just trying to avoid eye contact with me. When his eyes finally came to meet mine once more, they were masked. I couldn't tell what he was thinking or how he was feeling at the moment. The irritation and anger I had seen earlier had all vanished.

I couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or even grumpy. His face was just blank, it was much worse than having him on the border of exploding.

"What got you all worked up?" I whispered just loud enough that only his ears could hear it but he said nothing. His face still remained blank and void of any emotions, I hated it.

And when he finally opened his mouth, I thought I was finally going to get answers but his words did nothing to appease me.

"I will have a black coffee and butter croissant to go with, please." He said as he brought cash from his pocket and slammed it on the table. I blinked once, twice, and a third time. He didn't even say hello, didn't even offer me a smile.

Why was he being so frigid with me today? Was it because of what happened with Jack? I nodded to his order and turned around to prepare it. I could feel the weight of his stare when I turned my back but as soon as I turned to face him, he looked away. We played this little game the entire time I was preparing his order.

Finally, I was done with his order and headed to the cash register for his change but he started walking out without caring for his change.

"Your change." I called out to him but he didn't bother to turn back.

"Keep it." He responded with his back still turned at me and then he was out of my view.

I just stood still at the spot, I didn't feel right about this conversation between us. There was so much tension for no reason at all, he was being frosty with me all because his brain most likely assumed something else. I turned back to the bakery and saw Veronica already staring at me. Somehow, she must have known what I wanted to do because she nodded and offered me a reassuring smile. I thanked her and removed the apron as I started walking out of the bakery with hopes of catching up to Bernard. As I burst out of the bakery to the sidewalk, I looked down the way he had gone and saw his back from the distance heading to a sleek looking black car.

"Bernard! I mean Alpha!" I called out to him, I took running towards him hoping to catch up with him before he entered his car. I knew he heard me but he just continued walking as if he didn't. I pushed my legs a little faster so I could catch up with him.

"Alpha!" I called out to him once more and this time he stopped.

He turned around slowly to watch me running towards me and I came to a grinding halt in front of him. I stared at him, trying to possibly understand why he was being this way with me. Once I caught my breath, I stood to my full height and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You are out of the hospital?" I asked.

"Yes." He sounded so detached, I don't like it. I don't like this Bernard at all, I wanted my cheerful Bernard back.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He shrugged.

He was being childish, giving me shortcut answers. Being so detached from the conversations, he hadn't even looked at me properly since I was standing in front of him. His eyes were either just over my head or slightly to the side. I looked around the area and saw that the streets were not that crowded but I couldn't change it. When I felt like no one was watching us, I took his hand and pulled him into a nearby alley. Those familiar tingles spread throughout my body as soon as we made body contact. He is stronger than me but he allowed me to pull him without any hassle.

"Why are you behaving like this, Bernard? You are acting so cold with me and I don't even understand what I could have possibly done to make you behave like this." He was silent, he was being so irritating and I could barely stand it.

"You could have at least told me that you had been discharged. I was planning to come and see you after my shift was over." I saw the muscle in his jaw tick slightly.

"And you could have told me that you have a job now, Elena." His expression was hard and his eyes were narrowed. So, is this the reason why he was so angry? Or maybe it was a combination of both Jack and the fact that I didn't tell him I got a job.

"Is this why you are acting like I murdered your cat? Why are you acting like this is new to you, Bernard? I told you that I wanted to be more independent and getting a job was the next step in fulfilling that after I found a place to stay." I replied.

"But you could have at least told me about it, Elena."

"I did." I replied, exasperated.

"You knew I was looking for one." I added.

"Is it about money? You don't have to work here, I have more than enough to support our family and future generations to come." He said.

My heart fluttered when he said our family. He had truly accepted me, he was making plans for our future. That little act made my heart swell with joy, I don't want to fight with him anymore.

"I don't want to fight with you, especially not in this open place. Can we continue this conversation later? Maybe go to a place where we can be alone and talk freely." His eyes finally connected with mine and I felt the air leave my lungs as I gasped. I am always in awe of how breathtakingly handsome this man is. Everything about him just screamed beauty and commanded to be adored.

He cast his eyes down to my hand that was still in his and moved his hand in mine so that we were palm to palm. He threaded his fingers through mine and gave my hand a little squeeze. The tension that had been locked in my shoulder evaporated. Just one simple touch eased all the anxieties and worries that had been flowing through my body.

"Okay." He agreed and I smiled softly at him.

I closed the distance between us, stood up on my toes, and took his lips onto mine. I allowed our lips to dance together a little longer than usual, I wanted to savor every touch and kiss we shared. When I pulled back, I could see that his eyes had taken on a darker tint and his hold on my hand had tightened.

"I need to get back to work, Bernard. We will talk later, okay?" Reluctantly, I let go of his hand and turned to leave.

This man had me flustered, frustrated, and heated all at the same time. What a talent you possessed, Bernard Joseph.