Alpha's Moon

Chapter 65

"Ohayōgozaimasu Alex-san!"

Alex tipped back her red umbrella to wave at the middle-aged man standing at the door of the ceramics shop.

"Ohayo!" She called back as she continued to walk down the crowded Kyoto street. Even though it was only ten in the morning, the shops in the shade of Kiamizudera Temple were crowded with tourists. People had come from all over; some to shop, some to sightsee, and yet others to pick up love tokens from Jishu Shrine that looked out over a forest of lush maple and cherry trees.

Nodding to several women in kimonos, Alex headed down Sannenzaka Slope and in through the little gateway which led to Bergamot. The glass door of the cafe stood open, allowing the scent of freshly baked chocolate cornets to spill out into the road.

"Look what just arrived!" Yu Yan accosted her just as she closed her umbrella to step inside.

Alex took the letter from her cafe manger, noting the familiar handwriting with pleasure before looking at the busy tables around them. "How is everything going?"

"Perfectly. The cornets are a hit," Yu Yan grinned, then lowering her voice she went on: "Mieko has finally gotten a hang of your last recipe, she's really talented. Although, her taste in men is terrible. She really needs to get rid of that boyfriend of hers, he is such a -" Yu Yan cut herself off, switching from mandarin to the little Japanese she had learned in the past three months. "Ohayōgozaimasu!"

Alex laughed as she watched the girl rush forward to greet the new customers at the door.

Things were finally coming together. Ever since James helped her settle in Kyoto five months ago, Alex had been working to open Bergamot. After purchasing the space and finding a gifted pastry chef, she had asked for James' help to bring Yu Yan over to be her manager. From picking chairs and napkin colours to designing the menu and training her two baristas, Alex had kept herself busy; that was the only way she had managed to stop thinking about him.

Now, with her chef in place, the baristas working hard and Yu Yan handling the books, Alex was left with free time on her hands... and free time was her enemy.

Moving along the pale wood coffee counter, Alex smiled at her hardworking staff, then pushed out into the little internal garden of the cafe. The bright space had a beautiful red maple and a small rock pool. Alex had plans to put a few tables here too, but for now there was only a small wooden bench left by a previous owner.

She sat herself down gently and propped the red umbrella that she now carried to shade her from the sun, on the seat next to her. A soft breeze shifted her hair across the teal-green shoulders of her kimono-dress. He didn't push anymore.

Alex's touched her fingers to her left shoulder, then lowered them back to her lap. Since the moment Gabriel marked her, the strength of her connection to him had increased ten fold. For weeks, she had felt Gabriel's attempts to speak to her like a drumming inside her mind. From morning till night, he tried to communicated from behind that door, but she had ignored him at every turn. And it wasn't until a few days ago, when he suddenly went silent, that she realised how attached she had become to his pushing.

Somewhere deep down, his attempts at communication had given her the feeling that he was still with her. That they were not really over. But that was just foolishness. They were done.

"It's over now, Alex. Truly over." She tipped her head up and closed her eyes, taking in the scents of Kyoto. Sweet dough, rice pastries, macha teas and sandal wood, the smells came together, drifting in and out of her nose along with the scent of bergamot. Her mind turn to her wolf who was just under the surface, waiting for the moment when they would go running again in the bamboo groves of Arashiyama. Soon, she promised, before turning to the letter in her hand.

Luca's handwriting was its usual mess: Mio bella, you are so slow at writing, it is very irritating and also very you. I've tried the macha glaze recipe you sent on the Boston bun and you are right, it was perfect. Not only the bun, I may use this glaze on a few other things since it is that strong green colour- maybe a Saint Patrick's day gimmick? You know how Bostonian's love making everything green. Anyway, enough about that, I have perfected that lobster sauce we were discussing last time -"

"You could have written me, too."

Alex froze at the words that came from behind her. It couldn't be. Luca's letter dropped from her fingers as Gabriel stepped around the bench and came to stand in front of her. "Just a word from you would have made it easier to breathe."

Breathe. Yes, she had to breathe, but she couldn't seem to. Gabriel. She drank in the sight of him greedily; his tousled hair, the deep blue of his gaze, the stubble on his jaw and his lips. Damn it, he looked good enough to eat. Wrapping her arms around herself she pushed the unwanted thoughts aside and commanded her jubilant wolf to shush.

She had to focus, or he would find out!