Chapter 9: Danger

"I hope you enjoyed the party; you shall not be rejoining."

His mask looked creepier in this light; one of those ugly, full faced masquerade ones with the protruding lower half. It muffled his voice so she couldn't tell if she recognized it or not. She scanned the room. They were in a storage room with old furniture and paintings. A box with what she assumed were antiques, sat to her right and she noticed a number of them were silver. Her hand inched towards the purse hanging low on her hips when he put a hand up,

"Ah, ah, ah. We shall have none of that."

A slight pain went up her leg when she got to her feet. Meaning, it would be a problem when it came time for her to escape. If she were to escape.

"I must admit that I expected more of you. The way Alpha is so enamored, you would think you were the perfect Luna."

She swallowed thickly, "Should I apologize for disappointing you?"

He gave a dry laugh, "Ah, maybe it is your attitude he likes. I can see the appeal, but it does not change the problem at hand. You are a human. Relationships between humans and wolf shifters are an abomination. It goes against everything." He began to pace in front of the door, hands clenching at his sides and slowly advancing on her.

"Th–then there's a reason I'm not with this boss of yours. You don't have to worry about it," she answered hesitantly. Her blood ran cold. He couldn't mean Victor as his Alpha, so it had to be his rival. Her eyes flitted to the box again, hoping to find something long and sharp...

"No, he has chosen you. There is no changing his mind. Once I get you, he will see the extent of my loyalty and make me beta for sure." He continued forward, reaching into his pocket.

"Isn't this the opposite of what you should do then? If you hurt me, you'll lose favor."

He laughed again, low and steady this time, "No, no. I am not going to hurt you; I am going to turn you. No need to worry, the pain will not last long."

"Turn? What are you saying?"

"Ah, so that boyfriend you are with tonight is keeping you in the dark. Figures, since you are not marked. He must not be serious about you. Born wolf shifters may not continue forever, but science will ensure that they do." A small box in his hand revealed a syringe, filled with a glowing, blue liquid. "Now, let us not make this difficult," he said, voice soft but his eyes were reflective, the eyes of a wolf.

They lunged at the same time; her towards the box and he towards her. She screamed when he grazed her arm, just out of reach. Using an old desk as a barrier, she managed to get behind it and hold an old candleholder out in front of her.

"I said this should not be difficult. There is no need for a weapon."

"Says the guy who lunged at me."

"You would not have stayed still otherwise. I can smell your fear. It naturally makes people skittish," he continued.

She tried to think fast. The crucial seconds it would take to unlock the door and get through, gave the opportunity for her to be grabbed from behind. Overpowering him was out of the question as well; her strength was outmatched.

"Alright. I won't fight you, if you tell me what I want to know," she bargained, carefully matching his tone.

He narrowed his eyes, giving her a once over, "What do you want to know?"

"A–about all of this. You were... right. My boyfriend and I must not be serious if he wouldn't tell me about this. You can explain it to me. Please." She held her breath as he watched her again.

Since her options were limited, she thought agreeing with him might get his guard down. The music could be heard in the room now and she wondered how much time had passed. Hopefully Gil was searching for her.

"I suppose I could educate you in our matters; make you worthy to join our pack. Then where to begin..." he finally answered, placing the syringe on a shelf behind him.

"Before you begin, may I take a seat? I unfortunately, injured my leg."

"You may."

"Thank you," she replied, limping to a lone chair with a broken arm rest.

"Ah, I can explain this process to you first. It is quite simple actually. Using shifter DNA with the antidote to wolfsbane poisoning, along with other elements, allow it to be miscible. It took a few trials and errors, but the dose was perfected to combine with human DNA without issue. The transformation is complex of course, but essentially harmless. Lucky for you."

Her throat felt dry, chest tightening. "S–so it's that easy these days? And accepted? You said so yourself, that humans and shifters didn't make sense. Then why allow ones to be turned?"

He leaned in close, and she could smell his aftershave, "Call us, progressive. We understand that advancement means getting things done no matter the cost."

"Ok, now what about customs? What did you mean by the perfect Luna?" She shifted in her seat, feigning discomfort on her leg again so she could grasp the candleholder behind her. She needed to keep him talking long enough for him to turn his back.

"The Luna is the Alpha's right-hand women essentially. She gains respect and authority, though never more than the Alpha, but it is enough to lead the pack. To make important decisions and act within its best interests."

"As the mother of a family would."

He snapped his focus back to her, "Correct! Becoming a shifter will give you power and advantages you could never have imagined. If you are as valuable and intelligent as Alpha believes, then you will be a perfect Luna to welcome in," he explained, voice full of excitement. "We should hurry with the injection. It's important you have time to rest after it."

As he turned to retrieve the syringe, Enora sprung from the chair and threw her body weight into him. The candleholder hit him with a heavy thud and slash across the neck, causing him to lose his balance and fall over a table. She pivoted one foot to gain momentum and rushed forward. Her hand was on the lock when he got ahold of her ankle, wrenching her back so forcefully her face hit the ground. She screamed as he dragged her back towards the middle of the room, locking her in place by the hips as he lifted the syringe.

A small stream of blood rolled over his neck from behind and it appeared to be steaming. He wiped it away angrily and looked at his hand, "Real silver. What a lucky b*tch you are." His arm rose another inch and the door burst open. A blur crossed overhead, taking the stranger with it. The syringe fell to the floor, shattering beside her head where she felt something lightly skim her cheek.

"GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

An odd sensation rippled over her and the room. Two shifters were there to gently lift her off the ground and support her weight as they exited. Gil passed them, not looking at her as anger emitted from his body and her brain snapped at the realization. The door closed as she caught a glimpse of Victor holding the stranger up against the wall.