Scarred Luna

Kieran’s POV

I swallowed a huge lump that was lodged at the base of my throat. I had done that thrice in the last minute now, and still nothing had changed. I wanted to ask for another glass of water, but decided against it. What kind of person asked for over five glasses of water in the past ten minutes? Me. I was that person.

Beads of sweat lined my forehead, and a few droplets slipped down and got into my eye. With a huff, I swiped at my forehead with the sleeve of my shirt. The room was cool with the AC set to the highest degree, but even at that, I was sweating, and not just on my face. Even my palms weren’t spared of the sticky assault.

In case it wasn’t already obvious by now, I was anxious. Overly anxious about what was going to happen in the next couple of minutes. My gaze darted to the lady in front of me. It was Sabrina, but as I ran my fingers loosely through the braids I’d just finished and watched her through the mirror, she looked different, and it was definitely the good kind.

Sabrina’s hair color, which was a vibrant black suited her tan skin, and the way she wore her hair into different styles in the mansion had her looking radiant everyday. But as I snuck one last glance at the mirror, I decided she was absolutely breathtaking. I made a simple updo on her, a half bun with braided tips at the end, and if I was being honest, if I hadn’t been the one who had styled her, I wouldn’t have believed she was the same woman who had walked in here with me.

She was breathtaking, and even that was an understatement.

If I knew and could see that I had done a fantastic job, then why couldn’t I summon up the courage to tell the two women I was done with my assignment? I inhaled and exhaled, before counting to three. It was a trick I’d learned to help calm myself down whenever I was anxious, and growing up, it had helped me right from the very beginning to this moment.

I allowed my eyes to scour the room I was in. For a hairdressing saloon, it was actually a really nice space. Hair posters of different varieties lined the walls and I found myself in awe of the many different styles each one of them held. To the left, two huge shelves were stacked against the walls. These shelves held even more hair products and I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I said I didn’t know what half of them were being used for. The walls were painted a pretty pastel purple color that was cool to the eye. Amidst the beauty of the entire place, what really stood out to me, were the huge mirrors. The very ones that Sabrina was propped in front of. I was stuck admiring the mirror when I walked in, but now, the very object served as a reminder that I may or may not have messed up Sabrina’s hair.

“Kieran?” I jumped to a start at the sound of my name. “Are you okay? You look pale.”

“I’m fine.” It took me a couple of seconds to bring myself back into the salon.

“I’m fine. I just zoned out a bit.” I explained.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Okay.” Sabrina smiled. “Are you finished yet?”

“Yes.” No. I wanted to scream, but there was no use now. If I was being honest, I’d already spent too much time on Sabrina’s hair and if I was the shop owner, I would be tired too. “I’m done.”

“I like it.” Sabrina beamed as she peered into the mirror. The moment those words slid past her lips, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. A million and one scenarios on how Sabrina would react badly after I was done with her hair had played out in my mind more times than I couldn’t count. Now that it has actually gone well, I couldn’t help but grin at myself. “What do you think, Eliza?”

I froze. I’d totally forgotten that I wasn’t going to be needing only Sabrina’s approval. Mrs Eliza, the saloon owner, also had to approve of it, or else, I could kiss my new stylist profession goodbye.

“Hmmm.” The middle aged lady beside me let out. Fear gripped my sides as she walked over to Sabrina’s chair. Time seemed to grind to a halt as she stated at my latest creation. She had a stoic expression on and even her eyes gave nothing away.

Even with the state of unrest in my stomach, I couldn’t help but stare at Eliza. Her oval face looked too familiar if you asked me, almost like I’d seen the face before. Despite her she, she could easily pass out for a young woman in her late thirties and with her brown hair msttee to her head in an intricate updo, it heightened my suspicion that I knew her, or someone who shared the same facial features as her.

Did she like it? Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life? Maybe I wasn’t cut out for all of this. Was it too late to turn on my heels and go back to the mansion? I’m sure I could be fulfilled living a mundane life, right? No, that wouldn’t-

“I like it.” She announced and I let out a sigh of relief. “For a beginner, you did a great job.”

“Thank you so much, ma’am.” I grinned. A certain urge to jump like an excited five year old child washed over me, but I reeled it in. The last thing I needed was Mrs Eliza thinking I wasn’t serious. “This really means a lot to me and….”

“But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement.” Mrs Eliza cut in again. “You’re good, but this is only the basics. You still have a long way to go.”

“Of Course.” Sabrina spoke up. ” But her basics can definitely land her a job here, right?”

“Please ma’am.” I clasped my hands together. “Please give me this opportunity. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior and do my very best to learn everything there is.”

There was no way I could lose this opportunity. If I did, I would never be able to forgive myself. A lot of things were bordering on this job and I couldn’t afford to mess it up. Even though they wouldn’t say it to my face, I felt like I would lose my value and respect when it came to Sabrina and Xander. And Alice too. Since we didn’t particularly get along, I could accurately say she wanted nothing more than to see my downfall.

“I was going to say,” Mrs Eliza drawled as I swallowed a mouthful of air. ” That I’ll be more than happy to offer her a job with her skills. She might be a beginner, but she’s good enough to work here and still get paid.”

“Yes!” I shrieked in pure joy. Like my loud cheer wasn’t enough, I pumped my fist in the air before waving it around in a small mini victory dance. “Yes! Thank you so much ma’am.”

“Thank you, Eliza.” Sabrina chimed in, equally happy. “This means a lot to me, both of us.”

“Don’t mention it.” My new boss waved it off. “This is the least I could do. We’ve known each other for years and even though you don’t like to admit it very often, you helped my daughter too.”

“Oh, you have a daughter.” I found myself saying, my curiosity piquing. Only when the two women’s gazes reached my eyes did I realize I’d said it out loud.

“I do.” She smiled. “And if I’m being honest, she’s just a lot like you. Her determination and everything else.”

“What’s her name?” If her daughter was working here as well, then we could be friends. “I’d love to meet her sometime.” I said.

“Sabrina’s already met her.” I turned to Sabrina. Oh? “She even runs into her on a daily basis. Her name is Alice, and she works in the Alpha’s mansion.” she said and I nodded absent mindedly.

“Wow, that’s so nice…” I trailed off as Eliza’s words sunk into my skull.

Wait, what?

Alice was Mrs Eliza’s daughter? Now it made sense why she looked so familiar earlier. There was a striking resemblance between both of them. Both Alice and her mother shared the same hair and eyebrows, even the same heart shaped lips too.

A frown tugged at my brows. If they shared an uncanny resemblance, did that mean that they had the same attitude as well? No. I shook my head. From what I’d seen, the two of them were polar opposites. Alice was stuck up and rude while her mother was warm and seemed gentle.

“I’m surprised you haven’t met her” Alice’s mother’s enthusiasm was hard to ignore. “Don’t you stay in the Alpha’s mansion?” she asked and I almost winced. Oh, I had definitely met Alice.

“Yes, I do and I have met her” I nodded, trying to mask the irritation merely from talking about her. Eliza smiled at me and I felt the need to add to what I already said.

“She, um- she looks just like you. She’s really nice as well” I said and I felt like clawing my eyes out.

I never thought there would ever be a time when I would pair Alice and the word ‘nice’ together, but here we are. Anything for the job, right?.

“That’s good, that’s good.” My new boss nodded.

“Now, let’s get to serious business. For your first task, you’ll be learning styles that are suitable for the mating ceremony.” she said and my eyes widened. What?

“Don’t give me that look. Work starts immediately” she said and I froze.

Again. What?!