Chapter 004

[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 was that this job offers 3 times what everyone else is paying.” 

“I see,” he says slowly, taking in my words.

Bowing to hide my tears I mumble,  “I am sorry I wasted your time.”

As I turn away, I hear an almost imperceivable, “Wait.” 

That simple, small word, touches something deep within and I feel a spark of something warm and bright.

“I have an offer for you,” he encourages me to retake my seat. “One that will be mutually beneficial.” 

As I take the offered seat he relaxes. “A Luna is not just a companion, she is the Alpha’s help mate, taking a share of the pack responsibilities so that everything runs smoothly.” He explains. “Luna is the public face of the pack. She speaks for them and represents their strength.”

 “Think of it as a customer service position, but with more money and an official title,” Sylvester suggests. “She does the work of being approachable so that I can do the work of managing the pack more…aggressively.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” I tap my fingertips on the knee of my jeans. “I don’t see how I can help you. I’m not a Luna. I’m not even a wolf.” 

“I know,” he smiles like the predator that he is. “And that is what makes you so perfect.” 

I don’t follow his logic, so he breaks it down. “My position requires that I have a Luna. Either through marriage or contract. I don’t want a Luna,” he confesses. “Lunas want you to love them and Love is just another way to control a person, and I refuse to be under anyone’s control.”

“I’ve been using the Rental Luna Service for 6 years now, and while it works for the most part, it isn’t a good long-term solution. There are too many misunderstandings about what my expectations are, specifically that I have no interest in taking any of them as my mate.”

“Oh, I see,” I lie. I don’t understand why he thinks I’d be of any help to him.

“Which is why you’d be perfect. You are human, so you can never be my mate. I don’t need to worry about you falling in love with me or expecting things you can’t have. The relationship can be purely professional. You get all the money you need to do whatever you want, and I get a beautiful spokesperson with no strings attached,” rubbing his hands together he adds. “This really is a perfect solution.” 

“Except that I’m not a wolf,” I point out. “Also, I have no experience as a Luna. I don’t know how to help run a pack or be a spokesperson or any of it. I’m just a simple HUMAN girl from Pleasant Valley looking for a way to pay my rent and go to school.”

“We can hide your scent,” he suggests, “Teach you how to walk and act like a wolf. It wouldn’t even be that hard. Put you in the right dress and heels and you have more than enough charisma.”

I feel the heat rising to my cheeks. First, he said I am beautiful, and now he is saying I’m charismatic enough to fake being a Luna. Does he mean to flirt?

“And I can have my Beta train you in everything you lack as far as your duties,” he assures me. “You get your money, and I get to keep my pack without the board of directors insisting I get remarried. If they think I’m serious enough about you to keep you around for more than a month, they’ll leave me alone, hopefully for good.” 

He makes it all sound so reasonable. 

But it’s far more than I can handle. 

“Could I have the entry-level position instead?” I counter.

“It’s the Luna position or nothing, I’m afraid.” he reaches into his desk and pulls out a contract, “We don’t hire humans for entry-level positions. Too dangerous. They tend to get hurt. But if you sign this Luna agreement, you will have all the protection of the pack, and of me, as your Alpha. You will help me in a tricky time, and in turn, I can help you during yours. “

His eyes are glowing, his wolf making an appearance. 

“Do we have an agreement?” they both ask, his voice deeper than it was a moment ago. 

Standing slowly, I step back towards the door, hoping the wolf in the room lets me leave. “I’m sorry,” I apologize as my hand touches the knob. “But I can’t.” 

He growls behind me as I head out the door and down the hall to the elevator.  A few minutes later I hear him coming after me. Thankfully I hit the button to close the door before he makes it around the corner. 

Good, I might just get out of this alive. 

As soon as I make it past the reception desk, I move as swiftly as I can to the front door. I know that if I run, I’ll draw attention, and then I’ll have more than one angry wolf to worry about. 

I feel a touch of relief as my sneakers hit the pavement but it isn’t until I reach my car that I finally release the breath I’ve been holding. 

I didn’t want to pay for parking, so instead I parked my vehicle in a nearby alleyway. Feeling grateful that I escaped my misadventure, I’m surprised when I hear a voice behind me. 

“Hey there, beautiful.” 

Turning, a tall young man in a suit swaggers towards me. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Not yet,” his eyes flash revealing his true, wolfish nature. He must have followed me from Sterling Incorporated, but why? What reason would he have?

“You smell amazing,” he closes the space between us and trapping me against my car. I reach back to grab the handle, but he slaps my hand, laughing when I rub my bruised wrist, his wolf strength damaging my delicate skin. 

“Leave me alone,” I beg. “I’m not here for any trouble.”

“Oh, neither am I,” His eyes are glowing as he traps my arms above my head with one of his hands. “I just want to make friends,” his teeth graze my neck and I freeze as his other hand finds the edge of my shirt and pulls it out of my jeans. “Don’t you want to be my friend?” 

“No,” I cry, shaking my head. “No, please stop.” 

“Oh don’t be like that,” his hand squeezes my breast, his sharp claw-like nails piercing my flesh. 

I cry out in pain, but this excites him more. His face begins to elongate into a muzzle as he slowly transforms into more of a wolfman. 

“I bet you like it rough,” he laughs as his hand reaches down and tears the front of my jeans open. 

Screaming, I struggle, but it’s no use, he’s so much stronger. There is nothing I can do against a wolf. 

“There now,” his hand reaches into my pants. “That’s right, just…

“GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY LUNA!”