A receptionist, never in his life Momotaro thought he would be a receptionist, but there he was welcoming the clients in the veterinary clinic. When he showed up for work that morning, with a bandage around his right arm and his other arm in a cast,  his boss put him in charge of the reception instead of letting him do his usual job.

"I don't even know why you're here, you should be resting, kid. How're you supposed to fulfill your duties as a veterinarian in that condition?" His boss was being prudent, and the truth is that Momo appreciated that he let him stay.

Another minute in his home, without distractions, buried in worries would have been devastating for him.

Do something before your mind suffocates you, that's what he kept saying to himself. He's always been the type of person who wants to be busy instead of stressing over his thoughts.

He goes into action,  looks for solutions, and never stays waiting for the answer to come knocking on his door. To stay behind isn't a possibility for Momotaro, and for that reason, he was planning to go to the headquarters that afternoon.

His entrance to the headquarters started a commotion, as always, thanks to his beautiful companion. The dog, in combination with Momotaro's usual all black clothes, tended to attract attention. Every time Titan set a foot in the building everyone got close to pet the Pit Bull Terrier. Sometimes the newcomers stayed alert on their first encounter with him but it takes less than an hour to become fond of Titan.

On the contrary to the fame his breed had, a fake one if you ask Momo, the black and white pitty loved to play and to make new friends. He was well behaved and answered immediately to commands.

His occurrences brought smiles to everyone's faces, from the way he constantly seemed to talk to the cute face he used when he wanted something. All the members of the Protectors were his friends but his favorites were Flora and Lorcan.

"Hello, little Titan."

Well, maybe not every single member was his friend. That's why Titan replied to Casimir's words with a deep growl.

"Still not fond of me, I see,"  the blond boy said, keeping his distance from the dog. Showing his teeth Titan moved a little to his right until he stood in front of his owner, the message was clear, Casimir had to stay away from Momotaro.

"Sorry, he's being careful," Momo apologized, a fake smile trying to make it look more convincing.

As soon as the apologies were accepted the duo kept walking in the direction of the infirmary.

The less time they spent next to Casimir, the better. Even when he showed a nice attitude on a daily basis there was something about the boy that Momotaro and Titan didn't like.

The visit to the infirmary turned out better than he expected. Considering the last conversation, Momo expected Genevieve to be mad at him or that at least she said something against him but all he received was indifference.

The doctor cleaned the wound on the right arm without making a sound. Some strands of her black hair, despite not being that long, fell over her face, sometimes covering her small brown eyes.

Yes, they were trapped by an uncomfortable silence but anything was better than the moral talk. A little bit of silence resulted to be beneficial to Momotaro, it allowed him to focus on the conversations he could hear thanks to his power. The enhanced hearing was more than useful to his purpose.

The weight of his shoulders was lifted the second they left the infirmary and moved to their next destination. On the short way to the kitchen Titan made all the noise he held on their stay in the infirmary. Owner and dog talked and talked as they walked. Before they arrived in the kitchen they shared an  entire discussion about what they would eat at dinner.

"Shh, go to your training!" Stella screamed as they got into the room.

Next to her was Bertram eating a tangerine.

"I already finished my training, don't send me again to that torture,"  The teenager begged using his blue eyes as a weapon against the woman. "Momotaro, I saved your life, please tell her I don't need more training today."

"Let the poor boy rest. He can't be lying about going to the training today, his father was in charge of it, if he skipped it he wouldn't be here," Momo defended the black hair boy, taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator to drink.

"Ok, you can stay here but only because my pretty baby likes you," said Stella looking at the Pit Bull drinking the water Momotaro poured in a bowl for him.

Titan, acknowledging the nickname used for him, stopped what he was doing to run in the direction of the woman demanding to be petted, she accepted with joy.

"How're your arms?" questioned Bertram.

"As bad as yesterday if I'm being honest. I tried to practice a little bit with my right arm today and some of the stitches opened."

A hand smacked Momo's head after he said those words, the punch wasn't strong enough to be painful but it worked as a warning.

"Are you stupid? You can't be training until you're healed"

Momotaro didn't dare to complain, instead, he tried to distract her by asking the question he was interested in.

"Were there any newcomers these last few weeks?" 

"This month we got ten new members, the number of newcomers is getting higher. That means we're doing things right for them to want to join."

As always Stella decided to see the good side. Her optimism made her perfect for the work she did at the resistance.

"Are they adjusting well? It can be hard to face the adaptation period." Momotaro pretended to care about their well-being.

He leaned against the counter, his gaze directed to the bandage that covered part of his tattoos, on his right arm. A symbol of the danger that threatened the members of his adopted family.

"Some are doing better than others, but that's normal. Not everyone can be as strong as you were."

"What about me?" The youngest one joined the conversation.

"You were pretty shy the first months but you got better at that."

"Are you sure he got better? He still can't see some people in the eyes, women in particular." Momo refuted Stella's words seconds after they left her mouth.

"Don't be mean, he's adorable."

"I don't want to be with mister meanie anymore. See you later Stella." Bertram took another tangerine and saved it in his pants pocket. He didn't forget to hug Titan to say goodbye, in return he got several licks on his face before he left the room.

Without Bertram in the kitchen, Momotaro could say what he planned.

"What I wanted to say is I can help with the newcomers if you want." He tried to convince her "I've got plenty of free time now that I can't train. "

"Can I interrupt the conversation?" Stefan's voice caught their attention. He was wearing his business smile, the smile every member of the Protectors was afraid of. "Momotaro come with me for a moment."

The young man and the dog followed his leader. The tension between them was clear, for the first time Momotaro experienced Stefan's disappointment and he was too proud to back up.

The man kept his composure as they walked the halls, his pace and the strength of his footsteps were relaxed; the only indication of his anger came from his tight fists. Once they set foot in the leader's office, the storm broke.

"You thought I wouldn't know what you're planning?" Stefan asked, filled with rage.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You think there's a traitor between us and you had the great idea of going around trying to blame someone. I trust my people and you should do it too. They risk their lives every day just by crossing the headquarters doors, god damn it!"

"They wouldn't be risking shit if the demons are on their side!" Momotaro spat back, hitting the closed door of the office with his right hand.

"That's enough. You're out."

"Out? I'm out? For being the only one that can see the truth?"

At this point of the discussion, even Titan was voicing his opinion, barking as loud as he could at Stefan for attacking his friend.

"I don't want to see you in the headquarters until your arm is healed. Use that time to reflect on your actions."

The walls of the office vibrated as an earthquake hit them, the force Momo used to slam the door on his way out was terrific.

The one that once he considered his most trusted person chose the others before him. Whoever the traitor was not only put the protectors in danger but also broke his relationship with Stefan. More and more reasons to find them were piling up. He couldn't wait for the day when he found them.

Momo is in trouble, he needs a little bit of support so press the vote bottom for him.
As always thanks for helping the book grow, your nice comments make my day happier ❤️