[Apple]
Excited about my first lead on a real job, I rush to my car and begin the drive to the other side of town. Turning on my radio, I discover that all of my stations have changed with the new location, and it takes a moment to find one playing something I can sing along with.
When an ad for Rental Luna plays, I turn it off. Disgusted.
I couldn’t imagine a job more pathetic or degrading than being a Rental Luna. I’d rather scrape gum off the bottoms of tables than sell myself off by the hour.
Hopefully, if all goes well here, I won’t have to worry about that potential future.
I get a few strange looks, and a few awkward sniffs in my direction as I push my way in through the revolving door. I wonder if my body odor is especially bad. I tend to sweat when I’m nervous. Discreetly, I take a brief sniff.
I smell okay to me. Maybe they have a few werewolves working here.
As I approach the main reception desk, I hold out the ad and announce that I’d like to apply for their entry-level position. She doesn’t even look at me, she just hands me a clipboard and points to the elevator.
“You’ll want to hurry and catch that next elevator.” She urges. “Or you’ll have to wait for the next batch. The Beta is interviewing candidates right now on the 14th floor.”
“Beta?” I say in question.
“Yes, Beta Forrester,” she confirms. “14th floor. Turn right, now hurry! You’re late..”
Confused, I find my way to the elevator just as it opens.
I have to stand back immediately as a tall brunette wearing stilettos marches out, tears ruining her otherwise perfect makeup. Her designer suit hugs her curves perfectly, tailor-made to fit.
“Luna Cindy, are you okay,” the receptionist stands, “what’s wrong? Can I help you with…”
“You can help by telling your Alpha that he is a BEAST!” she screams at the receptionist who bends under the force of the woman’s scream.
She isn’t just a woman, she’s a wolf. An Alpha-level Luna.
“Luna, I…”
“I’m not your Luna anymore. I quit!” I watch her throw the badge down on the desk as the elevator doors close in front of me.
I’m not sure what button I press as I try to make sense of what I just witnessed.
I’m off to see the beta about a job.
An angry Luna just marched out the front door.
Everyone keeps sniffing me…
“Shoot!” I curse. “Goddess damn it! This isn’t a company, it’s a werewolf pack!”
The door opens. Do I go in?
Wolves are dangerous, passionate, violent creatures. I’m little more than prey to them.
The receptionist at the desk in front of me smiles, “Oh you got here quick! Are you here for the interview?”
“Yes,” I find myself saying as I step forward. I need a job. If they are willing to hire me, I’m willing to try. Three times the minimum wage is too good a deal for me to pass up.
“Usually the agency takes longer to screen our hopefuls,” she smiles warmly as she leads me past a bunch of desks to a big door at the end of a long aisle. “I’m so glad you were available. We need you!”
She pauses in front of the big door. “Here you are, he’s waiting.”
“Sylvester Sterling. Alpha. CEO.”
My blood chills.
And I’m just a human. A weak, defenseless, human surrounded by supernaturals.
I need to get out of here before I do something that turns me into prey.
I turn my body, intending to go back the way I came when a deep voice seizes my attention.
“Enter,” it is more of a command than a request and I find myself shivering as I turn and move towards it, drawn by its primal energy.
I push open the heavy wood door and seated with his back to me is an elegantly dressed man gazing out his large windows at the city beneath his feet. I cannot see his face, but his body gives off an energy, an aura of command that demands obedience.
“Sit,” he orders me like a common dog as soon as I cross the threshold. I open my mouth to say something and as my breath catches, he perks up the smallest amount in his chair.
If he can hear the sound of my breath, he can probably hear the sound of my heart and who knows what else. Closing my mouth, I do as I’m told.
Once I’m settled, he rotates his chair to face me.
I can’t help but gasp.
Seated before me is easily the most attractive creature I have ever seen. He almost glows with barely contained power. Well built, thick black hair that ends with gentle waves, and the clearest blue eyes, like pools of water.
There is something about him that seems familiar, but I just can’t put my finger on it.
And then he starts to speak. His voice is deep and rich, rolling off his tongue like melted chocolate, delicious, dark, and sweet.”
"I'm assuming you're here for the open position?”
I nod nervously.
“Have you looked over the contract?" He pours me a glass of water and sets it on the edge of the desk before pouring some into his own glass.
I shake my head.
“I see,” he pauses and the air seems heavy with the silence. “It doesn't matter, it is a pretty standard contract. I'm sure you've signed dozens like them before."
I try to say something, to let him know I have no idea what he is talking about, but he doesn't give me a chance.
"Since you don't have a contract in front of you, I'll go over the basics. Under this contract, you are expected to appear in attire, hair, and nails that meet the level and standard of your rank within the company. You are to always be freshly pressed and clean. Your current attire, while attractive, is inappropriate. Skirts must be no more than three inches above or below your knee.
"That is a very precise measurement," I balk.
The corner of his lip twitches, but he gives no other indication that he heard me as he continues. "You are to be ready each morning and you will arrive punctually. Any infraction will be punished as deemed fit by your alpha," his grin expands. "Me. And I won't go easy on you just because you're young."
I swallow. The gleam in his eye tells me more than I want to know about how much the idea of him punishing me excites him.
The scary thing is, it excites me too.
"You will be ready and available for all official events involving the pack. It doesn't matter what time of day or what day of the week. You will make yourself ready and present yourself as expected based on the expectations laid out in this contract."
"But I'm a student," I finally get a word in edgewise. "How can I..."
"What are your rates for sex?" He doesn't even blink as he says this as if asking what I charge for my body is just something you do in an office.
I cough. “Sex? Do you usually have sex with your employees?”
He takes a step closer.
"If you're my Luna, it is expected that occasionally we will come together physically. Most she-wolves are excited about the idea, actually," he raises his eyebrow as he adds, "Some have even offered to pay me for the service."
“Luna?” I take a step back, not sure of what he means.
“What is your name,” he finally asks.
"Apple," I am barely able to breathe under the weight of his influence. "Apple LeRoux"
"Like the snack?" he laughs leaning in closer, "Did your parents really name you that? Or did the rental company give you that name?"
"I'm not from the rental company!" I insist, but he ignores me as his teeth graze the place where my neck and shoulder meet.
"What kind of wolf are you?" His eyes dilate, becoming less and less human. "You aren't from the Rental Luna, are you?"
[Apple]"No," I gasp. "I'm human." “Human?” He takes a step back, wiping his nose to clear the smell. “Are you sure?”“Yup, since the day I was born,” I try to make a joke but he isn’t smiling. “My town is a human-only community.” “Human-only,” he curls his lip. “How quaint.” A curious expression crosses his face.“If you are a human raised in an all-human community, why did you come looking for a job here? At a werewolf-run corporation? How did you show up here as my Rental Luna?”“I’m not your Rental Luna,” I repeat. “There’s been a mistake. This is the wrong job.”“Obviously,” he laughs. His laughter stings. I already feel stupid, and having him laugh at my mistake is embarrassing. “I was supposed to meet with the Beta to interview for the entry-level position, but I got off on the wrong floor,” I look down. “I didn’t realize my mistake until your assistant brought me to you.” A tear rolls down my cheek, followed by another. “I didn’t know it was a werewolf pack. All I knew wa
[Apple] My attacker releases me, dropping to the floor, showing his neck in supplication to the man growling behind him. Alpha Sylvester Sterling. “For the crime of touching my Luna, you are hereby dismissed from your position,” he snaps his teeth, now slightly pointed. “Yes, Alpha,” the wolfman grovels. Sylvester reaches down and with a single claw, scrapes a large, long “r” across his back as the man screams. “You are packless now, rogue,” the Alpha spits in rage. “Any wolf low enough to attack a defenseless woman is not honorable enough for the Silver Crescent pack or any other pack within our organization.” “Please Alpha, mercy,” he begs pathetically, dropping his chest to the pavement. “I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know she was yours.” “I am not your Alpha anymore,” Sylvester’s eyes are glowing like blue fire. “Now get out of here before I change my mind about skinning you and leaving your hide on the side of the building as a warning to others.” Becoming a rogue
[Apple] This is my second morning waking up in Crescent City and it feels like I’ve already been here a year. Monday I quit my old life. Tuesday was a nightmare. Today is Wednesday. The day I try my hand at being a Rental Luna for the biggest pack on the West Coast. I’m expecting the Beta to arrive by 7:30. That gives me just enough time for a quick run, shower, and breakfast before heading out. I’ve only just gotten out of the shower when I hear a loud banging on the door. Throwing a t-shirt haphazardly over my wet, naked body and wrapping my long damp hair in a towel, I rush to open it before my roommates wake up. I haven’t met any of them yet, and this is not how I want to make my first impression. “Um, hello,” I open the door and find a handsome young werewolf with long blonde hair braided off of his face, warm brown eyes, and a genuine smile. “Ms. LeRoux?” His voice is a question, when I nod his smile widens. “I’m Beta Randolph Forrester. I’m here to take you to work.”
[Apple]“What’s this?” I pull out a tiny glass vial filled with a liquid that swirls and glows green in the sunlight.“That is a scent-enhancer.” He tries to explain. “They are illegal because they can be used to mask a wolf’s true scent. They are often sought out by omegas who are trying to escape their fates by landing gamma or beta mates.”Something this valuable must have cost a small fortune. “A dab of that behind each ear and the crook of each knee, and most people who sniff you will think you are a Luna without question.” He nods his head while keeping his eyes on the road. “I got the strongest stuff the witch had…and she threw in a little extra scent since you have no scent to enhance.” “Thank…thank you,” I say, not sure what else I can do as I follow his instructions, placing a small drop behind each ear and knee. “For everything this morning. I appreciate it.”His cheeks redden at my unexpected praise, “It's nothing, Luna. Just doing my job.” When we pull up to the front o
[Apple]Taking up the entire door frame is Alpha Sly Sterling, his eyes wide with shock as he looks down at the tattered remains of the employee handbook. “Ahh…Alpha,” I stutter. “I didn’t realize you were standing there.” He looks down at the handbook now lying on the floor in three large chunks. Taking a bold step forward, he shuts the door behind him. In his hand is a manila envelope, which I am guessing must hold my new contract. He came to discuss the job and I threw a book at him.“I am so sorry,” I begin to cry, my makeup runs down my face. He doesn’t say anything as he tilts his head upward, his nostrils flaring. I walk around the desk, trying to stay as far away from him as I can, but he flows my movements, moving in sync as he slowly closes the gap. Reaching forward, he grabs my arm, places it on his face, and breathes deeply.“Beta Rudy got the scent for me…um…do you like it?”He walks me backwards, pressing me into a wall.“No,” his eyes glow bright blue as they snap o
[Sylvester]What have I done?Wrapped in what remains of her dress, her skin red and raw from where I rubbed myself against her, she is frozen, reeking of fear and the lingering smell of another wolf. If I stand here one minute longer, Rufus will take over again. And if he does, I can’t be sure he won’t try to claim her as his on the floor of her office, where everyone in the pack can hear us.“We need to get ourselves under control, Rufus!” My wolf, Rufus, growls in response as he paces back and forth through my mind, demanding we go back and finish what we started. “Don’t deny it,” he barks,” You felt it too.” I won’t consider what he is suggesting. It is impossible. Those were not tingles, that was simply the anticipation of the hunt, the desire to mark and claim every attractive female that crosses my path. Stupid Alpha male stuff. “Rudy,” I call over my shoulder to my Beta, who is waiting outside my office. “Take care of the new Luna she…she needs you more than I do.” Rudolp
[Apple]I don’t remember much of the rest of the day. Beta Rudy carried me out of the office and brought me back to the apartment. Somehow I ended up in borrowed pajamas underneath a large comforter on a small but cozy bed. The next morning I was almost my old self again, except for now I am stressed about signing up for classes. I haven’t paid yet, and I can’t sign up for classes until I pay. Ugh! “What am I going to do?” I ask Hazel as I eat some leftover pizza from the night before. “I need the money, but there is no way I can go back to that place. It was terrible.”“Think of it as a learning experience,” she places a cup of cool apple cider next to me and I take a long sip. The alcohol helps with my anxiety and I find myself open to listening to her advice. “What did you learn?”“I learned that I know nothing about werewolf society,” I groan. “And also that Alphas really don’t like it if you smell like anyone else.” “OK, that’s a start,” she nods encouragingly. “Anything else?
[Apple]The alpha, placing his hand near the small of my back, guides me out onto the street. As we pass his car, he tilts his head, “Are you sure you don’t want to try that breakfast spot I mentioned? They’re right along the coast with a beautiful view of …”“No!” I cut him off short and he laughs at my outburst. Eventually, he notices me glaring and I have to look away from his smoldering gaze. Damn it, why is he so sexy? I twist the edges of my sweater trying to think about anything other than how hot I am under the collar after just a glance. “About what happened at the office...That was one of my more challenging moments,” he admits as he takes a small drink and then wrinkles his nose in disgust before setting it down next to me. “It was wrong of me to…approach you in that way without explaining what was happening. Did…Did Beta Forrester explain…” I nod my head and tell him about the conversations I had with both his beta and my friend Hazel. “It’s okay,” I try to smile,“I und