Chapter 4 Good Service, Here's Your Tip

• Caleb Brooks’ POV
• “Bam!”
• “Oh, shit!” Chris rubbed his lower back where I’d hit him, rolling on the ground like a mangy dog refusing to get up.
• “Again!” I clenched my fists and swung at him.
• “I can’t take it! My Alpha, if you keep hitting me, we’ll be kissing the Moon Goddess goodbye!”
• Every top fighter in the Howlwood Clan lay knocked out around us, groaning and unable to stand.
• “Useless trash.” Sweat soaked my hair, but it still wasn’t enough. I needed to burn off the wild energy raging inside me. This restless power had been eating at me for months.
• It all started three months ago.
• I’m the Alpha of the Howlwood Clan. Three months back, I awakened a rare bloodline gift—Frenzy Bone.
• Among the werewolf tribes, it’s considered a blessing from the Moon Goddess.
• It boosts bone strength, power, and speed several times in battle, and even grants resistance to silver.
• Sounds incredible, right? I thought the Howlwood Clan would rise to the top of the wolf world.
• But the gift came with a nasty side effect.
• I became more irritable, volatile, and mentally unstable. Headaches hammered my skull day and night. Sleep was impossible, especially on full moons.
• I pinned my hopes on a potion from Lunaris Laboratories, but their boss, known only as “K,” was impossible to reach. He refused to meet with any of my people.
• “Caleb, this isn’t working. We should go straight to Saintleaf Town ourselves. That's K’s turf. If we show sincerity, he might cooperate,” Chris said, appearing beside me and slapping my shoulder.
• Though I was the Alpha, Chris and I grew up together. Behind the scenes, we were more like brothers.
• “Maybe you’re right. I heard the Alpha of the Redrock Pack visited personally to get medicine for his son.”
• “Yeah. And rumor says he actually got K’s potion.”
• I considered it for a moment before deciding to go to Saintleaf Town myself. If K cooperated, I’d reward him well. If he didn’t… I had other ways to make him cooperate.
• I told Chris I was going alone and set off.
• Two days in Saintleaf Town brought me nothing. K was far more mysterious than I’d expected. The whole town ran under his watch without a single obvious lead.
• My frustration grew, and my unstable energy spiked to dangerous levels.
• Chris suggested I hit a bar to relax, claiming he had a “surprise” that might help calm me down.
• I was curious at first—until he revealed the surprise was a woman.
• I almost laughed. Even the tough women in our tribe avoided me because of my volatile temper. What could some random woman possibly do?
• I lost interest immediately and turned to leave.
• But then a drunk woman stumbled into my path.
• I was about to push her aside until I recognized her—Lady Luck from the dance floor.
• The way she danced was hypnotizing.
• Curiosity flickered. When she nearly fell, I caught her by the waist.
• A soft floral scent mixed with herbs drifted from her skin. Maybe it was my imagination, but my wild mental energy eased for a second.
• Before I could think, she kissed me boldly.
• I froze. Remembering what Chris said about a surprise, then hearing her whisper, “It’s you,” everything clicked.
• So this was his setup.
• Well… not bad.
• I slept better that night than I had in three months.
• The next morning, I woke feeling calm—truly calm—for the first time in ages. I turned and saw her asleep beside me, blonde hair spilling over the pillow, her soft hand resting on my waist.
• I recalled her pale blue eyes from last night, teary and pleading. A sharp breath escaped me.
• “What a little troublemaker.”
• Then I noticed the bruises on her body. I hesitated. I’d heard a first time could be painful…
• Suppressing the urge stirring below, I gently moved her hand away and slipped into the shower.
• No sooner had I finished than my phone buzzed.
• Chris’s teasing voice blasted through the speaker.
• “So? Brooks, my man, how’d you sleep? Didn’t scare her off, did you? You know the women in our tribe run from you. You should smile more!”
• “Not bad,” I said calmly, a rare smirk forming on my lips.
• “Knew it! I told you the girl I picked was perfect for you!”
• I opened my mouth to reply—but then my eyes landed on the bed.
• Empty.
• My heart skipped.
• She was gone.
• On the nightstand sat a check for a hundred grand and a note.
• I grabbed it.
• Good service. This is for you.
• Chris was still laughing through the phone. “So? Was it unforgettable?”
• I almost crushed the paper in my fist. “Unforgettable, alright?.”
• “Uh… what’s wrong? You don’t sound too happy.”
• “Give me that woman’s contact information.”
• “Come on, man, she’s just a bar girl. Have fun, don’t take it seri—”
• “Cut the crap. Give it to me.”
• “Alright, alright! Hold on!”
• A moment later, Chris returned, shocked. “Shit! That chick said she had a date last night and never showed up. Dude… you actually slept with someone else last night?”
• I pressed my fingers to my forehead.
• “Unbelievable.”
• I stared at the note again. Remembering the strange connection we shared, remembering how calm I'd felt this morning…
• My eyes narrowed.
• “You little troublemaker. Don’t let me find you.”