Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

#Chapter 62: Too Much To Ask
The door to Abby’s office swings shut behind me, and my mind races as I walk back into the kitchen.

First, she asks me to make nice with Chloe, and now this? Apprenticing under John, of all people? A

guy I can’t even stand to be in the same room with?

“Karl, grab the veal from the fridge. Now.” John’s voice snaps me back to reality, jarring and grating as

ever.

I grab the veal and set it on the counter, taking a moment to steel myself. I’m doing this for Abby, I

remind myself. As if sensing my inner turmoil, Abby glances over at me from across the kitchen.

Our eyes meet for just a second, but it’s enough. I nod subtly. I can do this.

The dinner rush starts, and the kitchen turns into a whirlwind of flying knives and sizzling pans. John

wastes no time in laying into me.

“Come on, Karl, chop those onions faster! We don’t have all day!”

My knuckles whiten around the knife handle, but I force a smile. “Sure, John, whatever you say.”

Dinner service rushes on like a torrential river, and I’m just trying to keep my head above water. Each

critique from John feels like another weight pulling me down, but I keep reminding myself why I’m here,

who I’m here for.

The clock ticks past nine, and the last orders are finally up. John looks at me, a satisfied smirk

spreading across his face. “Not a complete disaster, I suppose.”

My jaw clenches, my fists curl, but I refuse to let the torrent out. Abby’s eyes catch mine again, her

gaze searching. I look away. I can’t let her see how much this is getting to me.

And that’s when it happens. One small, insignificant straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back.

“Karl, you idiot! These steaks are overcooked! Do you even know what medium-rare looks like?” John

spits the words out, his

snaps. All the pent-up frustration, the

my pride—it all comes rushing to

That’s it.

hands shaking with barely contained fury. I shoot one last look toward

before, only to realize that she’s gone. Where her beautiful face would

now met with nothing

I throw my apron down onto the counter.

growl, more to myself than anyone else, and storm out

push through the back door into the alley, my chest

and light it, drawing the smoke deep into my lungs as

fill the gaping void inside

the brick wall, my mind reeling. What the hell am I doing? All of this,

For Abby. Because despite the chaos, the

of it all, I want

another drag, exhaling slowly as I stare up at the sliver of night sky visible between

how confined I feel, boxed in by my

as I want to break free, to tell John to shove

deep down, as much as it galls me

right, to prove that I’m not

unforgiving wall of the alley, still wrestling with the

within, not from my human side, but

shares my consciousness.

now?” I murmur under my breath, trying to soothe the restless animal

ss, Karl,” my wolf’s voice echoes in

just have to push through it for a little while

know, I know,” I reply silently, a conversation taking place entirely within the confines of

this, to prove I can be part of her world. But I f

do. It’ll just be for a while longer,

“It feels

asking myself ever since I walked out of Abby’s office earlier today. Sure, I

out, be the bigger man and tolerate

Abby sees that I’m trying, really trying, to be the man

me, as if reading my thoughts. “She’ll realize

you’re putting her needs above

its way into my mind despite my wolf’s

past my old mistakes? What if I’m forever labeled the

who broke her heart?