BACK AT ENORA'S APARTMENT Victor looked at his phone, the open text conversation between him and Enora on the screen. The text line blinked patiently as he wrote and erased in the bar over and over again. What was he supposed to say to her? They didn't find the guy, so stay away from the windows? That he feels like an idiot for letting Bianchi get the jump on him again? That sending her away from him was the last thing he wanted to do because it's practically killing him being apart. Nah. Those wouldn't bode over well. Gil entered the apartment with a tablet in hand, "We found how the envelope got in." Victor straightened up in the armchair, "Let me see it." "The men were right that only residents came in and out of the building, but that was how it got in. Her elderly neighbor from down the hall taped it to the door. She'd explained that a man asked her to leave it as a surprise," "Ah geez." "Yeah. We had to lie and tell her it wasn't anything bad, but rather that it was sus
AT THE LOTUS PACK COMMUNITY Wolves sparred in the front area of the cluster of buildings, a group of children passed with chaperones on their way home, and humans ran drills on an obstacle course. All turned when Victor passed through; they bowed, waved, and saluted to their respected Alpha. Coming back to the main compound consistently put Victor in a good mood. Most of his time was spent at Lotus headquarters, in charge of the portion of the pack that was for business affairs. It was comforting being there, but it didn't have the same aura as the community. "Sir, your parents await you in their apartment," a guard at the front desk informed him. He nodded and continued to the elevator. The main, center building of the compound housed his parents on the top floor, while the five lower floors were for meetings, security, and other business. With all that had transpired thus far, he felt guilty for not informing his parents sooner, but especially his father who held a place on the
BACK AT ENORA'S APARTMENT More than a week had passed, and Enora hadn't heard from Victor. That morning Wilson had informed her the apartment was safe enough to return to, and it instantly brought her mood up. Enora entered her place with her arms spread wide, soaking in all that she missed from being away. At a run, she dramatically dove onto her bed with a light thud. "Oh, how I've missed you." "A fancy hotel not comfortable enough for you?" Wilson asked, knocking lightly on her door. "I can't help it. It always feels good to be back in your own bed." He laughed, "I'm just messing with you. I get it completely. Nothing can compare to what you're used to." She smiled in response, "Exactly." "Anyway, I'm checking every room and then I'll be out of your hair." She flopped onto her back and texted Victor again, asking when they'd be able to speak. She was surprised he hadn't been there to inspect everything himself, including her. Of course, she couldn't blame him if he was tr
MEANWHILE AT QUERCIA HEADQUARTERS His steps echoed through the empty halls as he made his way into the office and poured himself a drink. The ice clinked noisily together in the glass as Alessandro tipped it, taking a long swig of whiskey. His patience had grown thin. How long did it take to interrogate one shifter? The phone buzzed, displaying his beta's name on the screen. "Alpha, you wanted a progress report." "Yes. Why is this taking so long? Over a week is more than sufficient in time." "Understood, but he was being difficult at first. Then there was slight... complications." Alessandro rubbed his temples, understanding that his beta must have used excessive force as he usually did. "You should know by now that ones like him are weak. Control yourself beta. I expect to be able to speak with him." "Understood. My apologies." If he hadn't been ready to murder at learning of the underling's actions, he would be interrogating the idiot himself. The insignificant amount of cr
AT THE SUBWAY TRAIN STATION The platform was partially crowded when Enora entered through the turnstile, cautiously looking through people to locate the man with the camera. When she spotted him towards the end of the platform, she quickly buttoned up her jacket and shoved her hair into a hat she had in her purse. Just in case he was to see her, he wouldn't recognize her right away. Enora's phone buzzed in her pocket, making her jump as she saw it was Gil. Her hands tapped decline hurriedly–he was probably on his way there. Thankfully the train pulled up thirty seconds later and gravitated the crowd forward, giving her the opportunity to slip into the same train car as the man. He had just finished a text when he sat down and fiddled with his camera, appearing to be scrolling through the gallery. Enora moved slowly, but as naturally as possible to avoid attracting attention. Fortunately, the shifting of people at the next stop helped her reach him quickly. Placing her phone on sile
A hand covered her mouth before a scream could escape. They pulled her against their body and panic settled in as she attempted to turn her head. She thrashed against them, ready to try and fight until they whispered in her ear, "Hey it's me. Calm down." Relief washed over her when she turned to see Gil crouched beside her with a finger to his lips. He gently removed his hand and pulled her along. They put some distance between them and the dumpsters before speaking. "Enora, I don't even know what to say," he began; arms crossed and anger evident on his face. It made her flinch. "I know that sorry isn't enough, but I am. I did this selfishly because I wasn't thinking. It just happened." "But why? You know how dangerous this is and how much we care about your safety." "I don't know... A part of it felt like I owed it to myself. To not be useless and help out," she answered honestly. Gil pressed his hands to the back of his neck, releasing a long and heavy breath as he took a few
TWO HOURS AGO, AT LOTUS HEADQUARTERS The grandfather clock in the office struck its hourly chime, jolting Victor awake from his desk. He rubbed at his forehead groggily, unable to remember falling asleep. The past couple of days away from Enora had been rough and he was unsure of how much longer he would be able to hide it. It was obvious many in the pack had noticed him being absent and calling less meetings; patrolling on his own and even sparring less, but he couldn't focus. Talking about everything with his parents gave him some clarity of the situation; those decisions had to be made for the good of the pack as well as his own well-being. It was time to get the last secret off of his chest even if it meant benefitting him more than Enora. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts; it was a pack scientist coming to report. "Alpha, the final specimen results." "Yes, come in. What's been confirmed?" "This is indeed an enhancer. When mixed with a rogue's DNA it mutates into s
MEANWHILE, WITH GIL AND ENORA Another shot went off as the car sped down the empty streets followed by four others. In the rearview mirror she saw two more cars join in the chase from the side and men hanging out of the windows to aim. She screamed as she ducked her head when two shots hit the side mirror on Gil's side and blew out the back window. Shards of glass flew towards the front and grazed her hand, the rest sprinkling all over them. "Enora, reach for my bag in the back!" "Huh? Oh, ok!" she replied hurriedly, her shaking hands trying to get a proper hold of the bag on the floor. Opening it revealed a variety of weapons and other devices she didn't recognize. "Alright, grab the cylindrical cans and throw them behind us. Don't worry, they're smoke and flash bangs. It should slow at least one of down for now." "O–oh. I'll try." She grabbed two canisters and steadied herself as Gil opened the sunroof. She ducked back in when they fired again and tried to calm herself. She co
Enora panted as she crouched down once more. Pressing her back against the wall, she followed it around to the side where a car on the street would serve as cover. Her legs hurt and her hands shook uncontrollably as she texted Gil and Wilson her whereabouts. "Please one of you pick up. Or please find Victor, please," she whispered to herself. Thankfully during her escape, she hadn't encountered anyone else, and the exit had led her through an alleyway and onto the main streets. Several sirens played on the soundtrack for the night; after the gunshots had finally ceased and the sounds of struggles had subsided. Closing her eyes, she tuned to the background noise, hoping to hear something or someone familiar. Her mind wouldn't stop flashing possible scenarios where Victor didn't walk out of that building and back into her arms, and that scared her. Curling into herself, she rocked back and forth, working to breathe through the severe agony, fury, and sorrow she and Victor were cycl
ONE HOUR AGO Victor's phone buzzed in his pocket, knowing it was Enora before he checked at the screen. As soon as they were within a few minutes of the Quercia base, he'd absorbed her fear to a maximum level. She'd been ok for the majority of the day, so this could only mean true peril was looming over her. Her text informed him that she was inside Bianchi's apartment, about to have dinner with him and she would try to stall for as long as possible. The suspicious feeling was shared between them as he tossed the phone into the bushes and went to get into position with the others. "You two stay alive. I won't forgive you if you dare die on me," Wilson said, hitting Victor and Gil on the back. Gil laughed, "You're the human here. We should be saying that to you." "Ha! You think these untrained losers have anything on me? I'll take them all out in no time." "We'll see about that. You'll still be fighting by the time Gil, Enora, and I come out," Victor said with a smirk. "Ah, fin
There were clothes on the bed when Enora returned to the bedroom; from pajamas to bathing suits, to underwear and dresses, and a shiver ran down her spine at the thought of what Alessandro might be thinking about. "I have another request to ask of you ladies," she began, pretending to enjoy the variety of clothing by holding them up against herself. "Yes, Miss?" they replied in unison. "If you could just wait outside while I rest, that would be great. I was startled before when I woke, and you were standing there. I scare easily, sorry." "Oh! I apologize, I was told to watch and wait, so I suppose I took it quite literally," woman A said, hanging her head in embarrassment. "No, no. Don't be. I probably would have done the same," Enora chuckled. "Thank you. You're too kind Miss. We will be right outside. You need only knock, and we or the guards will open the door." "We can put those away for you first," woman B offered, gesturing to the clothes. "Don't worry yourselves, I've g
Once she'd eaten her fill, she was unsure of how to get anyone's attention. It felt gross to ring the bell to summon people, so she went to the living room door instead, startled when the two women magically appeared in her path. "Miss, have you finished?" woman B asked. "Yes, thank you. Would you both mind if I explored the apartment? A–Alessandro said it was alright with him," she said, hating that she had to speak his name. "You do not need to ask us, you may simply command us to do what you would like," woman A added. "Oh, um. I can't actually. That also makes me uncomfortable. I'd prefer we be friendly," Enora answered sheepishly. The two looked from one another to Enora with questionable expressions. Has no one ever been nice to them? Or had she said something wrong? "Whatever you say Miss. Would you like to see the kitchen?" "Maybe later, I don't want to be in the way as the staff goes back and forth." "Ok, follow us then and we'll start with the living room. As you can
AT QUERCIA HEADQUARTERS The lengthy walk to the dining room was nerve-wracking; she was not ready nor willing to face Alessandro again. Another woman had joined Enora in the room when she'd exited the bathroom in one of the outfits that had been provided. It wasn't bad per say, but it was less modest than she was used to. They'd told her she looked great however, and announced breakfast was ready. Guards were outside of her room, unsurprisingly, and at every doorway of the apartment it seemed. As if she were stupid enough to attempt an escape. This place was completely unfamiliar to her, and it was the enemy base; even if she managed to reach the rest of the building, where would she hide? "You may have a seat here, Mr. Bianchi shall be in shortly," woman A said, breaking her out of her thoughts. Both women had refused to give her their names, explaining it was not in Bianchi's orders and they weren't important enough to be addressed that way. So, woman A and woman B would have to
Sunlight coming in through the window woke Enora, her eyes squinted and fought to open against its harshness. Turning away from it instead, she jumped from fright at the sight of a woman staring at her from across the room. "Ah, Miss, you're awake. Good morning," she greeted. "Um, hello. Where am I?" Enora asked politely, though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer. "At Quercia headquarters of course. The Boss is delighted to have you here as his guest." "I'm sure that psycho is beyond delighted," she said under her breath. "I'm sorry, what was that?" the woman asked. "I said, I'm happy to be here. So, what am I to do now?" "We shall prepare a bath for you and show you the clothes the Boss has chosen for you, so that you may join him for breakfast. Wait here for a minute." Hm, clothes? Looking down at herself, she found ripped and dirty clothing; it looked like she'd been trying to escape them for days, as opposed to twenty minutes. Oh. "Sure." The woman stepped
A struggle could be heard after a second shot went off, and Enora's sleeve was pulled on from behind. "Miss, we have to go. Come on!" They ran towards the end of the street where she said another SUV would pull up at any moment. From the side, a man jumped out at them, grabbing onto Enora while she struggled against him, and the guard stepped in with a right hook to his jaw. "The car is there, run!" The car came to a screeching halt and two out of the four people ran towards her, only to be cut off by more of Bianchi's men. "Oh, come on! How many of these clowns are there?!" she yelled out, looking around for some sort of weapon. A broken umbrella stuck out of one the dumpsters she passed, and she figured it would have to suffice. Swinging it around wildly, she managed to get one on the side of the head and hit his eye. With a scream, he stumbled and gave an opening for a Lotus to get him to the ground and knock him unconscious. They helped her get to the car while dodging swin
Davide slouched against the elevator wall, blowing the bangs out of his eyes and hanging his head. He could admit that Alessandro had been acting a bit out of sorts, and he was quick to shut down others' questions, but this was different. Who would've thought the day would come when he would question his Alpha's sanity? By an odd coincidence, the men he was on his way to retrieve for testing, were waiting when he stepped off the elevator. "Anderson, Marino, and Rojas, perfect, you're up for a promotion in rank. Need you to run the trials first, let's go." "Sure, we can do that, but we were wondering if we could have a word with you first," Rojas said. Davide sighed, "As long as we walk and talk, fine. What's this about?" "The boss," Anderson replied. "We haven't seen him in days, which is odd." "And this isn't the first time either. Too many of us have noticed something is going on and it isn't good," Marino continued. "What are you trying to say here? Questioning our leader?
SUNDAY EVENING, LOTUS HEADQUARTERS Several wolves circled the alpha in the center of the arena, mapping out their steps and timing their attacks. As others lay on the sidelines in exhaustion, Victor moved about in anticipation of attacks with infinite energy; vigor running high. Signaling for three to come forward, he dodged the first with a sidestep, the next with a bob and weave that left her neck open, and the third with a jump forward. Getting around them, he nipped them each in vital take down points, which tapped them out and sent them to do ten laps around the field. "I continue to reiterate the importance of speed. Your power matters once you know your opponent will and can be taken down," Victor stated to the group. Another three charged at him and he waited until the last moment to drop and roll beneath, tripping the second who remained on the ground, open to a bite at the base of their throat. From behind the other two, Victor jumped onto one's back to smash them into t