《Lunar Eclipse》


 Chapter 01

    I awoke to the familiar sounds of birds chirping... a slight breeze on my face... and a dead weight on my arm. I don''t know how the birds can be so happy when they wake up so early, even if they do get the worm. Which begs the question, when did the worms get up? You''d think they''d be smart and stay in bed. They''d live longer.


    The breeze on my face meant that I had forgotten to close my bedroom window... again. You might think that was a stupid thing to do; but, I''m glad for many reasons to be living in a really nice neighbourhood. One of the main reasons is privacy, and of course another is hardly any crime. Don''t get me wrong. There''s still crime, it''s just of a higher class than you''d normally see.


    There''s no gangs of street punks, no drug pushers, and no prostitutes... operating openly. We still have those things, it was just conducted at a far more discreet level and not rubbed in your face when you walk down the street... that is unless you liked that, then they would flaunt it at your request.


    I live in a comfortable ranch style home with moderate furnishings. Nothing extravagant mind you; because unlike most of the people in my area, I know the value of a dollar. Why would I waste thousands of dollars on a painting, when I can get one from the guy selling them at the bazaar downtown for 20 dollars, and actually like the thing? Right. I wouldn''t.


    I twisted my body a little, and the dead weight on my arm didn''t budge. I reach over with my spare hand, since the hand on the trapped arm was pretty much immobilized, and I scratch behind the ear of my pup. Well, I guess when they reach a year and a half old and well over a hundred pounds they''re not much of a pup anymore. No matter how big this one gets though, he''ll always be my little puppy. He looks as much like a wolf as you could imagine, and sometimes I think he might be one for real. I don''t think I''ll ever know for sure.


    You see, I found the poor little guy during one of my very rare and brief vacations. While I was driving in the Mojave Desert, I spotted this tiny bump on the side of the road. For some reason I felt that I just had to stop and see what that bump was, then I let my curiosity get the better of me and I did stop. That bump turned out to be an almost completely starved little pup. He was all skin and bones and his fur was matted and torn in places; but, I didn''t see any blood, which I had hoped was a good sign.


    I could imagine myself strangling the wretched soul that was driving the vehicle that must have hit him. My heart went out to the pup as I picked up his small and frail form. I held him close to me and cried because he whimpered when I touched him. I had to get him to the car and that meant moving him. I couldn''t tell if he had any internal injuries, so I placed him as gently as I could in my open suitcase on the back seat.


    I got him settled in a nest of soft clothing and transferred the bag to the passenger seat, because I wanted to keep as close an eye on him as I could manage while still driving safely. I rushed to the nearest town and got him in to see a local vet. The vet said that besides the severe dehydration and a lot of bumps and bruises, with some love and attention the pup would make a full recovery in time. Since I thought he looked like he''d been dragged through hell and back... I called him Cerberus... and now he''s mine.


    My alarm went off at the preset time, and without me jostling him or trying to push him off of me, Cerberus got up and off the bed. He turned and sat with as much panache as a dancer doing a pirouette and looked at me quizzically. His soft golden eyes caught me like a spell. It always amazed me when he did that. It was almost like he was finally giving me permission to get up now that the alarm went off.


    I smiled at him, reached over and ruffled the fur on his head in a silent thank you, and rolled off the bed. I had to get ready for work. I stripped off my sleep clothes... pyjama bottoms and a tank top... hey, they''re really comfortable... and I hopped in the shower. I let the water rinse over me to wash away last night''s warmth. It was nice and breezy last night; but, just laying still for that amount of time lets perspiration build up in certain areas.


    I scrubbed and rinsed and shampooed my hair, even though it didn''t really need it since I had washed it last night before heading to bed. I didn''t want any extra tangles today. I got out of the shower fresh and clean and ready to tackle the world, but first I had to tackle... my reflection.


    Despite what anyone else says to me, I''m not fussy on what I see there. A mass of hair that some people would generously call dirty blonde. I would just call it very light brown with a few highlights. It''s down to just past my shoulders, a good length no matter what time of year it is. I see some women with hair longer than that and they always complain that it''s too hard to manage or time consuming to maintain. A quick wash and shampoo with mine and I''m done.


    I tied my hair up into a tight bun with some bobby pins, exposing my neck and getting the hair out of the way. My hair has some natural curls and I could take extra time with curlers and possibly a curling iron and make it really curly. I do that occasionally when I want to dress up because it really accentuates my face. I''ll freely admit that there''s a time and a place for that... just not today. Today I have work to do.


    My name is Jessica Scott and I am a lawyer. I know, I know. Most people think lawyers are scum, vile, cruel, and have no conscience. Ambulance chasers. Well, let me get one thing straight with you... most of them are right. On the other hand, there are certain exceptions, and I am one of them.


    Even though the money can be great sometimes, I don''t do it for the money... I do it for the satisfaction. To finally get an innocent person acquitted of a crime they didn''t commit, or to stop a corporation from abusing the rights of their workers, it''s the best feeling in the world. I didn''t start out this way, however.


    I did my time in the district attorney''s office prosecuting criminals because I thought that as long as the law was on my side I could do no wrong. I was completely wrong about that, though. I got tired of the defense attorney getting their clients off on technicalities... one even got dismissed because the arresting officer had written the criminal''s time of arrest being ''at around midnight'' when in fact it had been at 12:45. It was sloppy paperwork and the criminal got to go free.


    The biggest mistake that I made that had changed what I wanted to do with my life, was when I sent a man to prison for murder. The evidence gathered was all conclusive and pointed directly to him. It was a cut and dry case. Simple, right? Wrong. The investigating police officer had withheld a crucial piece of evidence; another fingerprint, which turned out to be his partner. While the police officer''s involvement was being discovered, the man I had sent to jail had had an ''accident''. He died.


    Since he was a criminal in prison it was all swept under the rug and covered up so that no one could be officially implicated in the wrongful death suit that soon followed. He should have been alive and free, and he wasn''t because of me. I did my job to the best of my ability and he had paid the ultimate price for it.


    Now, I take the cases that I want and not what''s assigned to me. I work at the Phillips Wyatt & Associates Law Firm, located in the McGruber Building. The firm rents the top three floors for both offices and conference rooms. There''s quite a few other lawyers here, too. Some of them are independent contractors like me and others are a part of the main structure and are given assignments.


    Of course, there''s not much chance for me to advance in the company, since I''m only technically an employee and not an actual member of it, and that''s fine with me. I love my job and I''m good at it. Some even say that I''m very good at it. Others sometimes call me a stone cold heartless... well, you know. I''m hard and merciless in the courtroom because I have to be. It''s the only way to survive, and that''s what I am. A survivor.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I pulled a conservative pants suit from my closet and a set of blue lacy bra and underwear from the top drawer of my dresser. I wasn''t planning on having anyone see them, and no one has (or will) for a while; but, I still like to feel like a woman under the disguise of a man that I wear to court. They make me feel pretty. There''s nothing wrong with that, is there?


    I don''t really have self esteem issues... except for my chest. I think they are a little too big for comfort. My ex-boyfriend said that they were perfect and I could believe that as much as the moon is made out of cheese. What is it with men and their fixation with breasts? They''re just a piece of my body. Of course, I don''t think any man would be stupid enough to say that they weren''t perfect to my face, probably because they wouldn''t live too much longer after the words left their mouths.


    I got dressed in record time and headed down to the kitchen while I carried my suit coat. I hung it on the kitchen chair and turned to see my ex-boyfriend Paul sitting at the counter and eating my pop tarts. At least he wasn''t drinking my chocolate milk.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I said in a slightly raised voice.


    ¡°Eating.¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°Hey, come on Jess. I''m trying to be civil here. I just want to talk.¡±


    He looked petulant and I was starting to get angry.


    ¡°My name is Jessica. Not Jess. Not Jessie. Jessica. You always say it wrong because you know I hate it when you do. Get. Out.¡±


    With a pleading tone in his voice he said, ¡°Jessie... Jessica. Look, I''m sorry okay? I want to work this out with you.¡±


    ¡°What part of ''get out'' did you not understand? I don''t want to work things out with you. It''s over! It''s been over since you slept with that... person... my so-called friend... two months ago.¡±


    I took a deep breath, raised my voice some more, and continued.


    ¡°I wouldn''t have even found out about it if she hadn''t called me afterwards to ask why you and I had broken up! Do you know how that felt? I was shocked! You screwed this relationship up, you idiot! It wasn''t my fault! It was all you!¡±


    It was then that I realized it was true. It wasn''t my fault. I was a good girlfriend. I was loving and attentive and practically bent over backwards to make him happy. I stood still for a moment in silence as I thought about it, then I got my mind back onto the track that it was on. I couldn''t believe that he would dredge all this up now, right when I was about to go to work. I didn''t have time to go through all of this again. Not today, and as far as I''m concerned, not ever.


    Paul tried to plead with me. ¡°I made a mistake, Jess... Jessica. I''ve been trying to apologize for months! I don''t love her. I love you. It was just a fling and it didn''t mean anything!¡±


    He reached out and tried to grab my arm, I think to pull me in for an embrace, and I reacted like he was going to attack me. I jerked out of his reach, grabbed his wrist, twisted him around to face the counter and jammed his arm behind his back. He made a nice ''oomph'' sound when his stomach hit the counter''s edge and I leaned in close and whispered into his ear.


    ¡°Have you told her that? She must have enjoyed hearing it as much as I just did.¡± I said. ¡°If you can hurt someone that you love by cheating on them, what would you do behind the back of someone you don''t?¡±


    I was invading his personal space and hadn''t intended to, so I let him go. He turned back to me and stood up. He stayed there with a blank expression on his face and didn''t respond. How could he answer that without making things worse? Well, he couldn''t. I let him stew with that information for another moment while I calmed down, and then I spoke.


    ¡°Give me the spare key. It won''t be there tomorrow. I never want to see you again. If I find out you''ve been in my house after today, I''ll have you arrested for stalking. I''ll even prosecute you pro-bono for the state.¡±


    Paul didn''t move from where he stood, and I heard a low guttural growl sweep past me. I turned my head and saw Cerberus in the hallway. He stood stiff and straight while he glared at Paul. He must have been there the whole time. It must have startled Paul and shook him out of whatever thoughts he''d been thinking, because I turned my head to face Paul again and saw him as he reached into his pocket and put the key on the counter.


    ¡°Now get out.¡± I said, without a hint of tone in my voice.


    I reached my hand down and out a bit, away from my body to the side, and Cerberus was there waiting to be touched. I caressed his fur and let it run between my fingers and watched Paul as he walked out of the kitchen and out of my sight. A moment later I heard my front door close and I let out a sigh of relief. I knelt down to the floor and hugged my puppy around the neck and whispered to him.


    I told him that he had been a good boy to let me handle that all by myself. I rubbed his ears and belly and thanked him because he was watching out for me, and I cried a little bit. Even though it had been months since it had happened, it still hurt. Cerberus would be there for me, because he will always be my puppy.


    I cleaned myself up in the bathroom sink. Thankfully, I hadn''t had a chance to put on my makeup before Paul showed up, so it didn''t take long to wipe the tears away. It''s too bad the memories couldn''t be wiped away just as easily. I artfully applied my makeup and donned my suit coat as I passed through the kitchen. I didn''t have time to eat breakfast now, so I''ll have to grab some fast food on the way to the office. I was about to leave when Cerberus nudged my leg with his head. I stopped and bent down and hugged him again.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m fine. I''ll be home as soon as I can. We''ll have a treat tonight, okay?¡±


    Cerberus whined a bit. He accepted that I had to go; but, that didn''t mean he had to like it. He lifted a paw and placed it on my shoulder and caught me with the beauty of his golden eyes again. I laughed.


    ¡°How about I take the afternoon off, then? Would that make you happy?¡±


    He let out a soft bark and dropped his paw. I stood up, opened the front door, and we both went outside. I took a deep cleansing breath in through my nose and held it for a minute, then blew it out through my mouth. I held the door open and asked Cerberus if he wanted to stay out today. He shook his head and went back into the house and I shut the door and locked it.


    I thought about getting the locks changed just in case Paul had a duplicate key made. That might seem a bit paranoid, it''s just that you never know what guys will do after a breakup sometimes. Even if they were the ones who caused it in the first place, they almost always feel that they''ve been wronged.


    I hopped into my trusty car and drove to work. The ride was surprisingly uneventful. Considering how my morning had progressed, I thought that there would be a big pile up on the expressway or that the traffic would be backed up for hours. Despite how the day started, everything went fine. I got to work on time and even got a good spot in the parking garage. Usually, I had to hunt around to get one that was even remotely close to the elevator. I parked and got out and only had a short walk to go. The day was definitely looking up.


    I arrived on the seventh floor, or more accurately the bottom floor of the three floors that the firm rents from the McGruber Building. The building looked small from the outside and was absolutely huge on the inside. I don''t know how the city planners let the McGruber Corporation claim this much land in the middle of the city; but, I wasn''t about to complain.


    I''ve got the smallest office on the floor and it''s luxurious. It has an outer office and a waiting area with a desk for my very own secretary slash personal assistant. The outer office is decorated in a soft pastel color with various plants located around the room in strategic areas. That''s what the florist said when she put them there, and they''ve been there ever since.


    I barely got in through the door and Alice was up from her desk and handing me my messages.


    ¡°Hi, boss. Here''s the messages from this morning and from the answering service overnight. I put them in priority order with the most important on the top.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Alice.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Your coffee is on your desk.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what I''d do without you.¡±


    ¡°Everything... and all by yourself, I''d bet.¡±


    We both laughed because we both knew she was right.


    I passed her desk and entered my office, then I dropped the notes on my desk blotter and they spread out a bit. They were not only in priority order, they were color coded as well. I smiled because she had the most important one in bright red. It was from the warehouse security firm involved in my court case today. I called them without even looking at the other messages. I spoke to the voice on the phone, stating that I was returning their call, and they forwarded me to the head office. They had what I had asked for, and wondered if I wanted to pick it up. I said that I''d be there as soon as I could and hung up.


    I glanced at the other notes and they were on orange, yellow and blue paper, which meant I could ignore them for now. I swung out of my chair and grabbed my briefcase. It already contained everything I needed for today. I told Alice I''d be running a quick errand and that she didn''t have to worry that I wouldn''t make it to the court building on time.


    Today was going to be a great day.

 Chapter 02

    I made it to the court building with ten minutes to spare. The traffic in town was a bit heavier than I had thought it would be at this time of day, so it took me a bit longer than I estimated to run my errand. I got inside and didn''t make eye contact with anyone else in the lobby. I didn''t need to be slowed down by polite conversation at the moment.


    I got to the right floor and courtroom and nodded at the bailiff stationed at the door. He nodded back with a quick up and down motion and opened the door for me as I passed him. I smiled at him and he straightened his posture a bit, like it could get any straighter. He must think that I was flirting with him. Ugh. It''s just a smile.


    I ignore my gut instinct to tell him I wasn''t flirting and I make my way into the courtroom. It was crowded with family members of the defendant, the press, and onlookers who just seem to like watching the proceedings. Unlike what you see on television, real courtroom officials don''t make you sit in the audience through every other court case until their own case comes up on the docket. That''s like cruel and unusual punishment. You show up when it''s your turn and then leave when it''s done. You either walk out to freedom, or walk into a waiting cell.


    I got to the defendant''s table just as the judge stepped from his chamber through the door located off to the side of the bench. I remained standing as the court bailiff bid for everyone to stand and then I sat when the judge gave everyone permission to sit after he''d seated himself.


    My client, a Mr. Ben Stewart, was accused of committing a murder. I reviewed his file and came to the conclusion that he was innocent of the crime and took his case. I''ve worked hard to get to this point. Now, on the final day of the trial, it was time for the last witness to be called to the stand. Edward ''Eddie'' Malone. Of course, he didn''t know that he was the key witness for the defense... and he was about to find that out. After we got the preliminary questions out of the way, establishing his name and occupation for the record, I got down to business.


    ¡°What exactly is your relationship with the defendant?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°We don''t have a relationship. I don''t play on that team.¡± He said and smiled.


    ¡°Let me rephrase the question then. How do you know the defendant?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know him.¡±


    ¡°Your statement to the police says that you''ve met him before, and suspected him of something and couldn''t put your finger on it.¡±


    ¡°Sure. That doesn''t mean I know him.¡±


    ¡°So you''ve just seen him around?¡± I said.


    ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡±


    ¡°How many times would you say?¡±


    ¡°Once or twice, I can''t be sure.¡±


    ¡°In your statement you said that you saw him leaving the scene of the crime as you arrived yourself.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°How could you tell it was him?¡±


    ¡°I recognized him.¡±


    ¡°Really? How? If you''d only seen him once or twice, how did you know that it was the defendant and not someone else?¡±


    Eddie smiled a bit broader.


    ¡°I remembered seeing his bright blue sports jacket. It''s kinda hard to miss something like that.¡±


    I nodded my head in agreement.


    ¡°How did you know that it was him who was wearing the jacket at the time that you saw him the night of the crime?¡±


    ¡°His dark hair and the way he walked.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the defendant is capable of committing the crime that occurred that night?¡±


    Eddie nodded his head and smiled a bit broader. He reminded me of a car salesman who''d just landed a big sale.


    ¡°Sure. Almost anyone is capable of killing someone in the right circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± I said.


    I almost had him. Just one more bit of prodding. He was so full of himself that he couldn''t see this coming at all. I walked back to my desk where the defendant sat and took the tape I got from the security company out of my briefcase, and held it up for everyone in the court to see when I turned back around and faced the judge.


    ¡°What would you say if I said that I had some security camera footage of the incident?¡±


    Eddie laughed. In open court.


    ¡°That''s not possible.¡± He said.


    ¡°Why is that? Don''t they run all the time?¡± I sounded dumbfounded.


    ¡°I disabled the video cameras that night.¡±


    Eddie had a shocked look on his face. He surprised himself by telling the truth. Of course, now that he''d opened the door, I was going to push him right through it.


    ¡°Why did you do that? You knew something was going to happen that night, didn''t you?¡±


    He just shook his head. I think he was afraid to open his mouth because he might dig himself into an even deeper hole. I glanced at my client and Ben had a surprised look on his face, too.


    ¡°Your Honor, I''d like to enter into evidence this video recording, taken on the night in question.¡±


    ¡°I object!¡± The prosecutor said as he stood.


    ¡°We were unaware that such a video existed.¡± He blustered.


    ¡°I was unaware of its existence until this morning as well.¡± I countered.


    The judge looked at the both of us and then at Eddie sitting very uncomfortably on the stand, then asked me where I had obtained it. I explained that the cameras were in fact disabled for the premises where the crime happened; but, the warehouse across the street had suffered a rash of break-ins and vandalism and had a security system installed. Including video surveillance of their parking lot and the surrounding street outside.


    ¡°I''ll allow it.¡± The judge said.


    I nearly shouted in triumph and barely managed to hold myself in check. Screaming with joy is not something a lawyer should do in the middle of a courtroom. I looked at the judge and held out the video.


    ¡°With your permission, Your Honor?¡±


    He nodded and the court bailiff took the video and walked across the room to the mobile media center. That''s just a fancy title for a cart with a video cassette recorder, a DVD player, and a television set. What can I say? The courts haven''t quite caught up to the technological revolution yet. The bailiff turned everything on and put the tape in. It was a bit grainy but otherwise it was a very good quality video.


    The whole courtroom sat in complete silence as we watched it; which included me as well, since I hadn''t had time to review it beforehand. All of us sat very still... and we saw Eddie get out of his car and cross the street to the scene of the crime. I heard a few muffled gasps. I think it was a bit of a shock for everyone, especially Eddie, because everyone in the courtroom had clearly seen that Eddie had been wearing what looked to be my client''s jacket.


    Eddie must have made some sort of movement because I turned around to see him lunge out of the witness box and make a break for the door to the hallway. The judge immediately ordered the court bailiff to restrain him and place him in handcuffs. That order had been a bit unnecessary, since the bailiff in question had already crossed the room and tackled Eddie.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The prosecutor stood up and said that in light of the new evidence, he''d like to submit the motion that the charges against the accused should be withdrawn. The judge, in his infinite wisdom, declared that in light of the new evidence that all charges against the defendant were dismissed. He turned towards my client and spoke the magic words.


    ¡°You are free to go.¡±


    The courtroom exploded into cheers and applause as the judge said those words. He banged his gavel a couple of times and asked for order, then gave up and left the bench instead. On his way out he nodded to the bailiff, who had handed Eddie off to the police moments before, and he motioned for the room to be cleared.


    The doors sprung open and several bailiffs and police came through and they ushered the rowdy gallery crowd out into the hallway. My client who was still a little shell shocked from the verdict just stared at me with his mouth hanging open surprise.


    I smiled at him. ¡°Come on, Mr. Free Man. I''ll buy you a coffee.¡±


    It turned out to be only a halfhearted gesture because just then the table was swarmed by his family and friends. They hugged him and shook his hand and were really happy that he had been acquitted. Some turned to me to shake my hand, too. They all thanked me and praised me. I just nodded my head and backed away. Ben looked at me and shrugged. I nodded to him, gave him a short wave, and left.


    I wasn''t going to intrude on a happy family gathering, and by the looks of it, they''d be celebrating for a long time. They had a lot to celebrate about. That video could easily have shown that it was my client entering the building. I believed it wouldn''t, though I hadn''t really expected that Eddie himself would have been the one to have done it. I trusted that my client was innocent and that I''d get him off; but, nabbing the real perpetrator? That was a really great bonus.


    I got back to the office around one in the afternoon, and Alice was waiting for me. No new messages, she said; but, she said she wanted me to at least look at the other ones she''d given to me before. I nodded my head at her in defeat and went into my office. I looked at them, but nothing was there that was pressing... a deposition for another client, one of the senior partners was having a dinner party and everyone was invited, and an old client was celebrating a year out of jail this weekend because of me.


    That last one was the best of them... and it was on the blue paper. Leave it to Alice to make sure that I read that one last. She definitely has some insight into what makes me tick. I grabbed my stuff and was about to leave the office to head home when my phone intercom buzzed. I hit the button without thinking.


    ¡°Yes, Alice?¡±


    ¡°There''s a Mr. Soulson here to see you. He doesn''t have an appointment.¡±


    I knew that, since she was the one who had cleared it for me for the trial; but, she was also giving me a chance to not see this guy, whoever he is.


    ¡°What does he want?¡± I said.


    ¡°He says that he wants to hire you.¡±


    It was a bit strange that someone would come to me directly like this. I wonder if someone referred him to me? Well, only one way to find out, I guess.


    ¡°It''s fine, Alice. Send him in.¡±


    My door opened a moment later. Alice ushered Mr. Soulson and his personal assistant into my office. I assumed he was a personal assistant mainly because he was dressed the same as his boss, only cheaper. They almost looked like the same suit. One was thousands of dollars worth of cloth and the other one was only a few hundred dollars worth. I''m not a high fashion person but I can tell quality from quantity when I see it.


    Mr. Soulson''s suit fit him perfectly and was tailor made to hang properly; his assistant''s suit on the other hand, was a bit too box-like to have been fitted to him and clearly came straight off the rack. I have no problem buying things off the rack. In fact, most of the clothing that I''ve bought in my current wardrobe I obtained that way. I stood up from behind my desk and reached out my hand. Mr. Soulson just glanced down at it.


    ¡°I''d like to hire you.¡± He said.


    I dropped my hand from my intended handshake and frowned a little at him. It was just common courtesy that dictated you should shake someone''s hand when you first meet them. People don''t have to shake my hand; but, it makes me distrust them almost immediately when they don''t. I didn''t tell Mr. Soulson that, though.


    ¡°What is it that you think I can do for you, Mr. Soulson?¡±


    He looked at his personal assistant and nodded as he sat down across from my desk. Without an invitation. He sat there, almost regally, and contemplated something in his hands or on his shirt cuffs. My frown deepened as his personal assistant started in with his speech. I knew it would be a long speech and that I''d be stuck there listening to it if I didn''t nip it in the bud before it began.


    ¡°In the recent past Mr. Soulson has been...¡± The assistant began.


    I snapped my hand up in a stop gesture to forestall hearing the long winded, and no doubt legally correct, prepared presentation. The assistant stopped with a look on his face like I''d slapped him instead of just holding up my hand and I hid my smile. There was no need to show the help that I liked that he was so easy to rattle.


    ¡°I asked you a question, sir.¡± I said to Mr. Soulson.


    He lifted his head from his silent contemplation and looked at me. He had the brightest blue eyes that I had ever seen and for an instant they were all that I could see, then a headache started to develop near my forehead right behind my eyes. It felt like a buzz saw was trying to cut its way through my head. I closed my eyes and immediately felt better. The pain didn''t go away but it wasn''t as intense. I could only assume that the florescent lighting wasn''t going to help me keep the headache from spreading.


    I hadn''t had a migraine appear like this in almost four years. I kept my eyes closed and sat down in my chair. I was relieved that I hadn''t moved out from behind my desk to greet my visitors. I don''t think flopping onto the floor in pain would endear me to my prospective clients. Alice noticed my closed eyes and rushed to my side.


    ¡°Can I get you anything?¡± She said in a soft voice.


    I shook my head no but stayed seated where I was. Maybe the headache would just pass if all I did was sit there and didn''t move. I could hear Alice moving away and I could hear the assistant moving around, but not Mr. Soulson. I thought that was a bit strange, then ignored it in the face of this headache. I sat there with my eyes closed for several minutes, and no one spoke the whole time.


    The pain eased away and I relaxed a bit by taking a deep breath of air and letting it out slowly. I opened my eyes and Mr. Soulson was looking away from me. The quick headache burned away all the good vibes I had gathered after the trial and my temper started to rear it''s ugly head.


    ¡°If you aren''t going to answer a simple question, then I suggest you leave.¡± I said.


    ¡°I own the CorpMeat company.¡± He said in a soft voice.


    I leaned back in my chair and studied his profile while I thought about what he had just said. The CorpMeat company was embroiled in the biggest scandal to hit the city in years. Not just one, but several plant workers came together and filed a huge class action lawsuit against the company for mistreatment of workers and misrepresentation of products and services. In strict legal terms it was a ''big deal''.


    I had never seen such infighting and mud-throwing outside of a political arena before. I had been keeping track of the proceedings as a hobby in my spare time and it was a complete mess. People have actually died because of it. The scandal alone has almost cut the legs off the company and the last three lawyers they had hired have either quit or disappeared. I started to shake my head when Mr. Soulson stood up.


    ¡°Here''s the file with all the information you need...¡± His assistant placed the file on my desk as he continued talking.


    ¡°... you can look over it tonight and we will see you in the morning.¡± Mr. Soulson said, then he stepped around the chair he had just occupied and was halfway to the door before I could open my mouth.


    ¡°Hold it!¡± I almost shouted as I stood. ¡°I didn''t agree to do this.¡±


    The two men turned at the same time, side by side like mirror images, with near identical looks of surprise on their faces.


    ¡°Not only have you not told me anything, we haven''t discussed anything, either. It took me a minute, but I recognize you now. Eccentric billionaire; recluse, bought up anything and everything on the outskirts of the city. I thought you didn''t go out in public?¡±


    Mr. Soulson glared at me and I felt the headache return with such force that I nearly slumped back into my chair. I grabbed the edge of my desk and held on to stop from swaying. I didn''t close my eyes this time but I did drop my gaze to my desk and let my head drop. I had hoped so much that I was rid of these stupid migraines for good. I noticed their shadows on the carpet start to move away.


    ¡°I won''t be taking your case. It is a headache...¡± quite literally, ¡° ...that I just can''t deal with right now. It''s a case so messed up and overexposed that no one in their right minds would take on, let alone fight it in front of a jury.¡±


    They stopped just inside the door, but I didn''t look up to see their faces this time. If they were surprised again, I didn''t want to know that badly.


    ¡°Don''t forget your file.¡± I said.


    I picked the file up with one hand and kept a death grip on my desk with the other. I can only assume that the assistant came and took the file because I didn''t look as I felt it leave my hand. I heard the door shut and then I actually did slump down into my chair. My head was killing me, but it didn''t seem as bad as it was a minute ago.


    Alice came over with some aspirin and a bottle of water and I took them gratefully. She had a worried expression on her face as she studied me and I told her that I was going to be fine. I was glad that I had the afternoon off because I was leaving the office and heading home to a nice quiet evening. I needed to relax.


    Interlude


    When the door was closed behind them, Mr. Soulson had a grim look on his face. His assistant hurried to keep pace with his boss as they walked to the elevator.


    ¡°No one says no to me. Ever. Take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Right away, sir.¡± The assistant said. ¡°Do you want to call on some local talent or should someone be brought in for the task?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. Just get it done.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    End Interlude


    By the time I got to my car in the parking garage in the basement my headache was gone. I was grateful for that, since the ride home in lunch hour traffic could be a real mess sometimes. I got through the city and onto the freeway relatively quickly, despite the massive amount of cars.


    I made it home just in time for Cerberus to tackle me when I opened the door. I laughed and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and we roughhoused for a few minutes on the floor. If I didn''t know any better, I could swear that he knew I needed a bit of cheering up. We got to the end of our little tussle when he got me by the scruff of my neck.


    ¡°Okay, enough. I give, I give!¡± I half laughed.


    He let me go, huffed at me, and then he licked my face.


    ¡°Hey! Gross!¡± I said as I pushed him off of me. He padded away grumbling and as I listened to him go, it almost sounded like he was laughing at me.

 Chapter 03

    Cerberus and I spent the whole afternoon, and most of the evening, eating treats and watching old movies on television. It was just a nice and relaxing time. It felt good that Cerberus didn''t demand anything, or whined that the movies were terrible. I had to admit that some of them were pretty bad, but he never complained and neither did I. I had just finished up eating my granola bar and wiping the crumbs off my t-shirt when the phone rang. I checked out the caller ID and it said that it was the emergency room at the hospital.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Is this Ms. Scott?¡± A man''s voice asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Your name was in the contact information for an Alice Grant. I''m sorry, there''s been an accident.¡±


    ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°We can''t discuss the conditions of patients over the phone. Hospital policy.¡±


    ¡°Is she... dead?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°No... that much I can tell you, but we''d have to see you in person to give out any more details. There''s some paperwork to sign as well.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right there.¡±


    I looked at Cerberus and he looked at me. We both had sad looks on our faces. Out of all the people in this world that bad stuff could happen to, why would it have to happen to Alice? She was like the epitome of nice. If you looked up the word ''nice'' in the dictionary, her picture would be there.


    Well... okay, not really. Her picture should be there, though. I nodded to Cerberus and we both got off the couch. I went into the bedroom and grabbed a pair of boot cut jeans and a shirt to throw on. I got dressed in record time and was almost out the front door when Cerberus shot past me to the outside.


    ¡°Hey, come on. You can''t go with me. It''s a hospital. No pets.¡±


    He gave me his sad puppy dog eyes.


    ¡°No, I said. Now get back in the house.¡±


    He just sat there by the car and didn''t move.


    ¡°Look, I''m just going to leave you here if you don''t go inside.¡±


    He turned his head away to stare at the car.


    ¡°Fine. Be that way.¡±


    I grabbed my purse and then shut and locked my door. I walked to the driver''s side of my car as Cerberus just sat there and stared at me. I shook my head and got in, started it up, and pulled out of the driveway. I got about halfway down the street before I looked back, and I saw that he was still sitting there, staring at the car as I drove away.


    I huffed at myself and started to stop the car. He must have seen the brake lights because he was off like a shot down the street and before I had the car completely stopped he was waiting at the passenger side door. I reached across the seat and opened the door as I shook my head at him.


    ¡°In the back.¡± I said.


    I folded the passenger seat forward to let him into the backseat and he barked and hopped up without any trouble at all. I shook my head again and shut the door, then I smiled at myself because I just had an argument with my dog, and the dog won. With Cerberus in the car all nice and cozy laying down on the backseat, we headed off to the hospital. I had a feeling that this was the start of a very long night.


    We turned off of my street and made our way to the main road. We cut across a few side streets that I really shouldn''t be taking this late at night; but, I was in a hurry. I had to get to the hospital because my friend was in trouble. That was all the justification I needed and I could only hope that the cops will see it the same way if I get stopped for one of the many moving violations that I was currently engaging in... the main one being speeding in a residential area.


    A short time later we made it out of the suburb that I lived in and arrived at the main thoroughfare where I could really step on my gas pedal. I start to push my little car to its limits, revving the engine more than it had ever been revved before. If I wasn''t in such a rush I think I might have enjoyed cutting loose like this. I heard it said that a car isn''t really broken in until you red-line the needle at least once. I can''t remember if it was the speedometer that they meant, so I didn''t test it.


    I was driving for about 20 minutes when something darted out from the side of the road and into my car''s path. I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel so that I wouldn''t hit the thing, whatever it was. I then heard a loud thump and then another softer one. I''d hit it! In more of a panic now than I was a moment before, I twisted the wheel back the other way, not thinking what it would do, and the car slid off the edge of the pavement and the right front tire dug into the dirt.


    There was a sudden stop and then the car flipped once, end over end, then it started to roll. I kind of blacked out for a minute, because when I came to, the car was resting on the driver''s side door. Thankfully, I had remembered to fasten my safety belt and it had saved my life. It was then that I realized that Cerberus had been just laying on the backseat and wasn''t buckled in.


    I almost screamed at that realization and tried to turn frantically in my seat. I couldn''t manage it because I was buckled in, so I reached down and struggled with the seat belt release for a minute or two until I finally got it to open. I landed on the driver''s side door and moved around to get on my knees to look in the backseat... and he wasn''t there!Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°N-n-no!¡± I almost cried when I saw that the rear window had been broken out and he must have been thrown from the car during our tumble. I got up from where I was and crawled into the backseat and then out of the car through the broken window. I didn''t smell any gas, so I wasn''t worried about a fire or an explosion or anything. I was only worried about Cerberus.


    I stumbled back towards the road where I thought we had left it, and looked side to side to see where Cerberus might have gotten thrown. I got about halfway back to the pavement when I saw his still form resting in a squashed bit of long grass. Tears sprang to my eyes because he looked like he was just sleeping. Oh, I hope he''s just sleeping! I didn''t know if I could handle it if I lost him from such a stupid mistake!


    I rushed to his side and saw that he was bleeding... but still breathing! I shifted him a bit and saw that he had landed on what was left of the broken rear window. I cried as I lifted him slowly from the broken glass and put him onto his good side in some clean grass nearby. The blood was everywhere! I cried some more with great racking sobs, and I was nearly incoherent... then I remembered I had a cell phone. I reached down and gently pat Cerberus on his head.


    ¡°Don''t worry, baby. Momma is gonna get you some help right now.¡±


    I stood up and turned away from that heartbreaking sight and went back towards the car. My cell phone was in my purse, and that should still be in the car under the front seat where I had stashed it. I was about 20 feet from the car when I heard something. It sounded like grass ruffling, even though there wasn''t any wind.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I called out and there was no answer. I heard another rustle sound. ¡°Is anybody there?¡±


    There was still no answer, so I took another step towards the car and heard a distinct growl. I spun on my heels to the right and was startled by what I saw. A wolf... and not just any wolf, either. It was huge! I mean, Cerberus was a good size for a dog, because he was a bit bigger than a real wolf; but, this thing was the size of a lion or a small bear. I didn''t know that they could get so big!


    I was in shock I think, and so awestruck that I didn''t hear the others as they approached. I didn''t notice I was being surrounded until it was too late. Their first attack got me in the back and I tumbled forward as I felt claws dig into my skin. My instincts for fighting kicked in and I rolled with the force of the impact and got out of its path. The wolves were so fast that I had a hard time following their movements.


    I instinctively crouched low to the ground to present a smaller target, and they still had no trouble hitting me. They would dart in and grab at me with their mouths or swipe at me with their claws. Wounds blossomed all over my body and I was bleeding quite a lot. They tore through my jeans like it was paper to get at the flesh beneath... which also tore like paper under those teeth and claws.


    I had no choice and I took it all, since most of my injuries were just flesh wounds and they hadn''t hit anything vital. Yet. I didn''t scream or try to run, either. That would have been just plain stupid. The last thing you want to do with a predator on your tail is try to run. Screaming? All that does is draw more attention to you which is also something you don''t want to do.


    I took their attacks and waited for my moment. I knew I wasn''t going to make it out of this alive... because there were six of them. I wasn''t going to get away, no matter what I did. My only regret was that I wasn''t going to get Cerberus the help that he needed before my time was up.


    For some reason I had the distinct thought that they were playing with me. I wasn''t sure why I thought that, then I saw out of the corner of my eye that one was crouched and looked about ready to pounce on me. It must have been going for a take-down attack instead of the hit and run ones like they had been using up until now. I smiled and turned at the last second to take its charge.


    The wolf seemed surprised and that gave me the split second I needed to knock its open muzzle aside with my forearm and used its own forward momentum to move myself behind its head just enough so I could wrap my arms around its neck. I held on like my life depended on it, and it did in some respects. It tried to hook me with its claws to push me off; but, I was inside its attack range now and it couldn''t reach me completely.


    It still scratched up my arms and tore at my skin, even though it didn''t have the leverage to do much of anything else. I tightened my grip on its neck and felt around for the big vein. I found what I was looking for and mashed my hand down on it and held it there. It couldn''t have known what I was doing because it didn''t fight any harder to get rid of me. Its movements slowed more and more until eventually it stopped fighting completely.


    I nearly collapsed under its weight when it finally gave up and passed out. I took hold of the back of its head with my left hand, to act as the fulcrum, and grabbed hold of its jaw with my right hand. The other wolves watched as I pulled sharply and heard the crack of its neck, which sounded surprisingly like a gunshot in the suddenly still darkness, especially with no other sounds around to drown it out.


    We all stood there in silence while we all absorbed the situation. After a moment, one of the other wolves let out a low howl and then the others joined in. They raised their heads and progressed in a louder and louder crescendo until they all reached the same pitch and then stopped. They lowered their heads and looked at me.


    I guess that meant they were done playing around. I had hoped to take one or two more out before they finally finished me off; but, it looks like they had their own idea about how this situation was going to play out. I was outnumbered five to one, out-muscled, and out-manoeuvred. I was surrounded by my death. I thought I had started to come to grips with that when they all attacked me at the same time, unlike what I thought would happen with one taking me down and the others eating.


    I didn''t scream at all as they bit and clawed at me for what seemed like an eternity. I couldn''t see past all of the fur and teeth and my blood gushed out of my body through punctures and slashes from both teeth and claws that moved faster than I could keep track of. At one point I stopped feeling it at all and only felt my body moving slightly from the impacts.


    The blood flowed over the grass in an ever increasing tide of crimson. It wasn''t like they show you on the television or in the movies at all. There was approximately 2 gallons of blood in the human body, so if you want any idea of how much that really is, you should buy 2 gallons of milk and try dumping it on the floor. Believe me, it makes a huge mess.


    I was pulled out of my reverie when one of the wolves let out a loud squeal. It stopped attacking me and turned away. In the cleared spot its absence left, I saw Cerberus! He had dragged himself over to the fight to help me. How I loved that dog! The other wolves saw what had happened and turned to the new threat. I used the last of my strength as I reached up and plunged my thumb into the closest wolf''s eye and felt the flesh break apart. It howled and jumped away from me and spun on the spot, clearly in pain. My moment of triumph was short lived however.


    Cerberus put up a good fight, hurt as much as he was. The wolves didn''t know what hit them! He dodged and chomped and tormented them until they had had enough and did the same thing they had done with me and attacked him all at once. Cerberus went down like a prize fighter, though. I didn''t have the energy left to sob and cry for him, though. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, so I just let the tears flow silently and as I saw the wolves turn back towards me, I closed my eyes.

 Chapter 04

    I felt a strange tingling sensation in my arm. I felt something? I awoke with a start and nearly fell out of the bed. Luckily the bed''s railing caught me before I did a tumble onto the floor. Apparently, I wasn''t dead. A loud screech broke out to my right and I turned to see a heart monitor machine go flat line. I looked down and saw that one of the leads from the patch on my chest was pulled out. I reached for it when two nurses and a crash cart barrelled through my room door and a doctor followed them in.


    They looked about as stunned to see me sitting up in bed as I was about being alive. We all just stared at each other for a minute and no one said a word. The doctor was the first to come to his senses and told one of the nurses to shut off the monitor while the other one came over to me and reattached the monitoring patch. The first nurse turned the machine back on and the steady electronic beep it emitted reassured everyone that everything was fine.


    The doctor told the nurses to take the cart out and to give us some privacy. Well, he didn''t say the privacy part; but, that was what he meant. How do I know? I''m a lawyer. It''s my job to read between the lines. I also read his name tag.


    ¡°Well, Ms. Scott. How are you feeling?¡± Doctor Wilson asked.


    ¡°Besides a tingling in my arm, I feel pretty good, actually.¡± I said. I stopped and thought about what I''d said. I was being a bit flippant; but, now that I was concentrating on how my body really felt, I was surprised. I really did feel good.


    ¡°That''s good.¡± He said it like he didn''t believe me.


    ¡°Well, I''d feel better if this thing...¡± I held up my arm and pointed to the IV tube, ¡°...was not stuck in me anymore.¡±


    His eyes roamed over me in evaluation. ¡°You were severely dehydrated when you came in, Ms. Scott. I highly suggest you leave that in and replenish your fluids.¡±


    ¡°Severely dehydrated?¡± Was he kidding me? ¡°That was all that was wrong with me when I was brought in?¡±


    ¡°Well, no. You were also suffering from a slight case of over-exposure to the elements.¡±


    ¡°No cuts, bruises, lacerations, punctures, or anything?¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°Nothing like that was on your chart. You were fine, as far as the staff available at the time could see.¡±


    ¡°How long have I been in here?¡± I said.


    ¡°Almost a week, now. Are you okay?¡±


    I had to think about the answer to that one for a minute. Was I okay? Did I just imagine that whole thing with the wolves and Cerberus?


    ¡°Cerberus!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Where''s my dog?¡±


    A smile spread across the doctor''s face. ¡°Don''t worry. Your secretary Alice, has been taking care of him. She''s been in here every day by your side. I''m sorry we couldn''t let your dog in to your room. It''s hospital policy to keep animal visits limited to the visitor''s area.¡±


    ¡°Alice?¡± I said, wonderingly.


    ¡°Yes, she''s been a big help with your recovery. In fact, I tried to get her to sign up for a permanent position here. She flatly refused, saying that it was her job to make you well, not to make everyone well. Or something to that effect.¡± He waved his hand in the air like he was trying to swat an errant fly that was bugging him.


    A call from the hospital that said Alice was in trouble was what had gotten me onto the main road in the first place. How is it that she''s fine and taking care of Cerberus? I had some serious questions that need to be answered and it didn''t look like I was going to get them while I was stuck in the hospital.


    ¡°Well Doctor Wilson, when can I get out of here?¡±


    ¡°Since you just woke up, I''d like to keep you here at least overnight for observation, just to make sure that you don''t slip back into a coma.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Seems reasonable. I''d like the IV removed, though. I can take liquids normally now that I''m awake.¡±


    The doctor looked a bit skeptical, then he just shrugged and nodded.


    ¡°If you can be reasonable, I can be reasonable, too. It''s rare to find that in a patient these days.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll just get the nurse.¡± He said as he turned and left the room.


    The rest of the day passed as slowly as molasses flowing uphill in wintertime. The staff poked and prodded me and ran pretty much every medical examination that mankind had ever thought of. Or it felt that way, at least. The night seemed a bit longer than usual, but I think that was more anticipation than anything else. The doctor said that it was only for the night that he wanted to observe me, so I was getting out tomorrow. Even if the good doctor doesn''t want to let me out, I was out of here.


    The doctor let me out the next morning, with no muss and no fuss. I was a bit surprised at first, then he reassured me that it wasn''t a trick and that overnight observation was standard policy. Plus, in my case, since I was only dehydrated and sunburned, despite the short coma he saw no reason to keep me any longer. Of course, he made that determination after consulting the multitude of test results from the day before.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    I agreed with him one hundred percent... especially since my week long stay in the hospital was going to cost me an arm and a leg anyways. I was just glad that I had a good sized nest egg saved up for a while now and I should be able to cover the cost without putting too much of a dent in what I''ve saved. It was supposed to be for emergencies only.


    I was also glad that I didn''t have to use any of it up until now. My life did not need any more emergencies, thank you very much. This one was quite enough, assuming I didn''t just imagine it all in a sun-bleached delusion. Was it a delusion? It happened at night and there was no sun, right? It did happen, didn''t it? I looked down at my arms that I thought had been chewed on by wolves and they were fine. Did it really happen? Doubt filled my mind and I pushed it aside for now.


    I found my personal effects in the drawer beside the bed and they gave me back my cell phone at the nurse''s desk and I ignored their offer of a wheelchair. I got a hold of Alice right away and she agreed to come and pick me up at the hospital''s main entrance. Since my car was pretty much totalled in the crash, I was going to have to rely on her for transportation for a while. She would be my designated driver at least until I arranged for some kind of replacement vehicle.


    I just hoped it didn''t turn out to be a bigger headache than I thought it was going to be. My hopes were dashed not long after I made a second call to my insurance company. The representative I talked to said that the damage to the car looked somewhat suspicious and that there would have to be an investigation. I asked how long that would take, and they said that they didn''t know and that they would get back to me as soon as they could.


    I also asked if the emergency rental clause in my contract was still active while there was an ongoing investigation, and they said that it wasn''t valid if the accident''s cause was still in question but that they would reimburse me any costs I incurred if it turned out to be a legitimate claim. Well, isn''t that just great. The costs are going to come straight out of my pocket for now. I hung up my cell phone just as I saw Alice''s car pull into the hospital''s parking lot.


    I walked over to where she was trying to park and flagged her down. She stopped the car and unlocked the door. She told me once that locking the car doors was a safety precaution that she always used, no matter who''s car she was in, or where she sat in it. I didn''t comment on how impossible it was to get out of the vehicle if there was an accident while she was still locked inside it. But, to each their own.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Alice asked me as I opened the passenger side door and got in.


    ¡°According to the doctor, I''m fit as a fiddle and got a decent tan to boot.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Hey, stop kidding around.¡± Alice frowned at me. ¡°What did he really say?¡±


    ¡°He said I was fine. Really. Even with the over-exposure I got. Okay?¡±


    Alice nodded, put the car into gear, and we pulled out of the parking lot and into the street. I knew she wasn''t done asking questions, but I had a few of my own to ask.


    ¡°How''s Cerberus?¡± I said, cutting her off as she opened her mouth.


    She gave me a sideways glance, then she looked back out the windshield at the passing traffic.


    ¡°He''s fine. Not a scratch on him. I don''t know what happened to you two, but neither of you seem to be any worse for the wear.¡±


    I stopped what I was about to say and looked at Alice more closely. What she had just said told me that she knew more about what had happened than she had let on during the time she had visited me in the hospital. I listened to her breathing, and it seemed a bit faster than a normal person would breathe if they were relaxed. How I knew that, I didn''t know. I just knew it. She was nervous.


    I took a short inhale of breath through my nose and I caught a whiff of something. I couldn''t tell what it was, so I took an even deeper breath. There was some kind of smell coming from the backseat. I turned around and I didn''t see anything. I leaned between the seats a bit to see if there was anything on the floor and I didn''t see anything there, either. I shook my head and sat more comfortably into the passenger seat.


    I closed my eyes and just sat there and didn''t say anything. I took some deep cleansing breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. I could still pick up whatever that smell was, then forced myself to relax and let any suspicions go for now. Alice was my personal assistant and she would never do anything nefarious.


    We arrived at my place not too long after we left the hospital. I didn''t know if Alice was trying to set a new land-speed record; but, it felt like we had passed it a few miles back. I didn''t comment about it to her, especially since it didn''t actually bother me. Now, I''m usually a great stickler for following the speed limit, and you''d think that after my accident that I would be even more prone to stick to the rules of the road, but for some reason I was fine. In fact, I kinda liked going faster than we were supposed to.


    We pulled into my driveway and when Alice turned off the car I could hear Cerberus banging the door from inside the house. He knew I was there and wanted to greet me as soon as possible, I guess. I got out and ran to the door to unlock it. I didn''t want him to hurt himself trying to get to me through a solid wooden door. I barely turned the knob and was tackled by a big furry mass.


    Alice came over behind me and was laughing so hard she was almost crying. I, on the other hand, was covered in dog slobber. I tried to push him off of me, but he was having none of that.


    ¡°Eewww!¡± I exclaimed between licks and Cerberus just kept licking me. ¡°Cerberus, now that''s enough!¡± I managed to squeak out before he drowned me in even more doggy drool. ¡°I''m fine!¡± I said when I finally managed to push him off and started to laugh myself.


    When I got myself standing again and looked at him, he was completely unrepentant and panted happily at me. Apparently, I had just gotten my reward for coming back safe and sound. We all went inside the house after receiving Cerberus''s welcome home gift and we all tried to relax. It felt really good to be home, so I enjoyed it as much as I could.


    Alice hung out for a little while and we shared some ice cream, double chocolate fudge of course, and she filled me in on what had happened while I was in the hospital. I needed the update, and I thanked her for taking care of the business while I was in the hospital and for watching Cerberus for me. She made up an excuse after a few hours for having to leave, something about paperwork having to be filed the next morning, when I knew full well that she only filed paperwork on Mondays. I walked her to the front door and gave her a big hug.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and then I smiled at her.


    ¡°Uh... um... you''re welcome.¡± She stuttered while she glanced at her feet.


    ¡°I''ll see you in the morning at the office.¡± I said. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Um... night.¡± She whispered as she turned towards her car.


    I closed the door and looked down at Cerberus who had walked us both to the door. ¡°I wonder why she got all quiet when I thanked her?¡±


    He just looked back at me and tilted his head.


    ¡°I don''t know, either.¡± I said as I turned off the lights and headed to bed. Cerberus trotted behind me and watched me get changed, then we both climbed onto the bed and went to sleep.

 Chapter 05

    The next few days were a bit of a blur. Thanks to Alice''s expertly rearranging all of my court dates and meeting schedules, I eventually got back on track with work. I was winning arguments and cases with little or no effort on my part. It was all easier than I thought it would be. Don''t get me wrong, it was still long, endless, and tireless work; but, I went through it without breaking a sweat.


    I don''t know what had happened to make it seem so much easier and I wasn''t about to start complaining. Why would I? Things were starting to work out great. I even got the insurance company to pay out on my insurance claim and got myself a new car.


    A client and a few of her friends were going out to celebrate the prodigious win I had just acquired for her. It was a huge settlement over a contract dispute and subsequent litigation. I absolutely hated it when a big corporation thinks it can just flaunt the law to suit its own ends while screwing over the little guy... and I love it when I can get that little guy some payback of their own.


    I was happy enough that I actually accepted Sharon''s invitation to come along instead of gracefully declining it like I usually do. She said she would call me with the details later and where to meet. I made it back to the parking garage of the building where I work just in time to see Alice next to the elevator talking to some strange guy. Alice noticed me and said something I couldn''t hear, and the guy stiffened like someone had struck him.


    I frowned a bit at that analogy. Why did I think of it like that? I shook my head and drove to my recently acquired designated parking spot. You have got to love the perks of the job. I parked my car, got out, and took my briefcase with me. I didn''t need it tonight, so there wasn''t much point in leaving it in the car. When I got to the elevator, Alice was there waiting for me.


    I asked her about the stranger when we got into the elevator and all she said was that he was just some guy trying to hit on her while he asked her for directions. For some odd reason, that didn''t strike me as truth; but, I didn''t want to pry into her personal life. If she didn''t want me to know who the guy was, that was her choice. We got off the elevator on the floor our business was on and went to the office. Alice sat behind her desk in the waiting area and I went into my main office.


    I left my briefcase on the floor next to my desk and started in on the mound of paperwork. Even winning takes paperwork to finalize. I did what I had to do, essentially just signing my name to everything Alice put in front of me. I got a call from Sharon Smythe just before I was about to leave. She told me the name of the bar where I was to meet her and the rest of the girls.


    I got home in record time and got a shower, then dried off and changed into what I had thought was party clothes. When I looked in the mirror, it completely disagreed with me. Cerberus put in his two cents by pulling on the end of my skirt and tearing it. I tried to complain that he had ruined it, but he shook his head at me and I smiled. He was right, the skirt sucked and was no big loss.


    Now that I had his full attention, I dove into my closet and threw out everything that he growled at and didn''t like. There wasn''t much left. The business suits and skirts I didn''t even contemplate tossing, since they were for work and not play. What was left besides that wasn''t great. The baby blue chemise wrap, top and shorts set was nice... but nowhere near what you could wear out to party. On the other hand, if I wore just the top with my short black a-line skirt, it might just work.


    I put on the appropriate undergarments, an under-wire lace bra and undies, and then the outfit. Both the mirror and Cerberus agreed that I looked good. I nodded and Cerberus barked. I ruffled the fur on his head as I passed him and grabbed my clutch purse. It was black so it went with everything and I tossed in the essentials and headed out to meet the girls at the bar. The Playful Tides, here I come!


    I arrived in the area of the bar and parked a couple of blocks away. I figured there was no way that anyone was going to get a parking spot close to any bar at this time of night. I didn''t have a jacket with me because it was so warm outside, so I just grabbed my purse and locked the car. It seemed like a nice enough neighbourhood; but, I kept my eyes peeled for any unsavoury characters just in case. You never knew when your self defense training would come in handy.


    I got to the bar and waited outside for Sharon and her friends to show up. Luckily, I didn''t have to wait long. A taxi pulled up in front of the bar stuffed to the roof with women. I wasn''t sure how, but six girls got out, and as they gathered themselves up to go into the bar Sharon stepped out of the crowd and gave me a hug.


    ¡°I''m so glad you came!¡± Sharon said as she let go of me.


    ¡°Me, too. At least I am now. We''ll see what the night brings.¡± I said and we both laughed.


    ¡°Come on, girls! Hunks await!¡± She said to her friends, and we all entered the bar together.


    We were carded at the door, of course. I laughed when the bouncer asked me for ID. I showed it to him and told him that I hadn''t been carded in years. He had to do a double take when he saw my age on the license. He looked surprised as he passed it back to me and smiled. I smiled back and he ushered us through the door and into the waiting throng of post-pubescent boys waiting for the next big challenge.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Interlude


    Colin Marsh didn''t like all the noise here. It hurt his ears. He winced and cringed and whimpered at every beat of the music. He shook his head several times but just couldn''t get used to the noise. Andrew Williams on the other hand, loved it here. It wasn''t the music or the booze, since he had almost as much trouble with loud noises as Colin did, and he couldn''t get drunk like he used to.


    It was the people that he liked. All different shapes and sizes, all coming together to just have fun. His predator instincts kicked in once and a while and he followed potential targets as they moved about the place. But it was just for fun. He would be killed if he hunted here. Plus, why would he ruin a good thing? If he hunted here even once, he''d never get to come back.


    ¡°Why did you bring me here, man?¡± Colin whimpered.


    ¡°What? I thought you''d like it. This place is great!¡± Andrew responded.


    ¡°What''s so great about it?¡±


    ¡°Look around! Where else can you see all of this, pick someone and follow them around, and not be considered stalking them?¡± Andrew laughed at his own inside joke.


    ¡°Yeah. Whatever, ma... huuuurkk!¡± Colin choked out.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Andrew shouted and started to stand. Colin reached up and grabbed Andrew''s arm and hauled him back into his seat.


    ¡°Don''t. Move.¡± Colin whispered. ¡°Don''t you feel that?¡±


    ¡°Feel what?¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Oh, man... how can you not feel that? You''re shielding too much!¡± Colin shook his head.


    Andrew let his guard down enough so that the music started to hurt his ears and then he felt it.


    ¡°Whoa. Is that for real?¡± He whispered.


    ¡°Geez, I hope not! If it is, we''ve got some serious trouble on our hands. We have to report this.¡± Colin said.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Andrew said. Colin had a look of outrage on his face before Andrew could explain.


    ¡°Think about it. What''s the first thing they''re gonna ask us?¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°Right. We can''t just say there might be something here. We have to find it first.¡±


    Colin nodded to his friend. They got up from the table and started to search through the bar and dance floor. Unfortunately, they couldn''t pinpoint the location. They met up in front of the booths section and they both felt it at the same time. They turned and saw a large group of people crammed in and around one of the booths. They leaned close to one another and discussed what to do next.


    ¡°Go ahead and take a picture. There''s too many of them too close together to sort through them all tonight.¡± Andrew said.


    Colin took out his phone and pretended to not get a signal. He turned around and held the phone out at arms length, got just the right angle for a full view of the booth, and took the picture they needed. He nodded at Andrew and they both left the bar. Once outside, they decided that now was a good time to call and report what they had found.


    End Interlude


    Sharon and her gaggle of girls, myself included tonight, made our way over to the bar and bought some drinks. Mine was non-alcoholic since I was driving. It was the first and only time during the night that a woman ever bought her own drinks. If I had thought ahead I would have gotten a taxi like the other girls; but, I haven''t done anything like this in a long time. We talked for a bit about normal things and one of the girls recognized a friend of hers. It was a male friend, and of course he had a bunch of his buddies with him.


    I rolled my eyes at the obvious setup, but I was still in a good mood and Sharon and her friends didn''t take long to convince me to join them. The booth at the back of the club was small, especially with all of us crammed in together. At least the guys were nice enough to let all the girls sit down. We all talked, and danced, and had a good time. I was propositioned a few times and some of them were quite good come-ons; but, I was not having a one night stand. That was where I drew the line while having fun. I had higher standards than that.


    So, at the end of the night I was out the door by myself, while the other girls had found rides home on their own. I walked down the street towards where I had parked my car. It was pretty late at night; but, I wasn''t worried, because there were lots of people leaving the bar at the same time and there were quite a few walking as well.


    I got about a block away from the bar and I noticed that it was really quiet. I looked around and I didn''t see anyone else on the street, which was odd, since there was just people around. I kept walking towards my car and I could see it in the distance a block or so away, so I made it my mission to get there without panicking.


    I sped up my walking and you could hear my heels clicking loudly on the concrete sidewalk. My steps sounded like gunshots as they echoed from the nearby buildings and I started to get nervous. The car was a block away, then it was half a block, then thirty feet. Twenty feet. Ten. I dug out my keys and dropped them on the pavement. I huffed in frustration and bent to pick them up. That''s when something tackled me.


    I hit the ground on my back with a resounding thud and with my attacker on top of me. I quickly put up my knee and hit him in the gut as I let his own force and weight do the work for me. His sound of pain was almost as satisfying as when I flipped him over my head in a classic judo throw and heard the crash when he hit the nearby storefront''s pane glass window.


    My elation was short lived because when I stood up to see the damage I had done to both him and the store, I saw that he was standing, too... and looked right back at me. My eyes widened in surprise as he just stood there and stared at me but didn''t attack. I was about to egg him on when the migraine hit. It wasn''t as bad as it was the last time, although it still hurt. I reached for my head with one hand and then he made his move. I saw him and kicked out with my right foot and turned it sideways so I didn''t break my ankle.


    Just like my instructors taught me, I aimed for two inches past the point that I wanted to hit, and my foot connected with his chest. I heard something snap and he recoiled away from my blow. I pulled my foot back and went down on my knee to check my ankle. I knew that I heard something break, thenI was shocked to discover that I was fine. I looked up to see if it was my attacker that was hurt and no one was there.


    I got in my car and made it home without any further incidents. Cerberus nearly tackled me again when I came in the house; but, I easily sidestepped him this time and went to my bedroom. I changed out of my party clothes and got ready for bed. Cerberus followed me around until I got into bed and he snuggled down onto the floor. I patted the side of the bed next to me, and he hopped up without a sound and lay down next to me.


    I decided to wait until the morning to report the assault and drifted off to sleep with Cerberus'' comforting warmth at my side.

 Chapter 06

    I awoke the next morning to a bright and sunny day. I had forgotten to close my curtains last night and the sun was glaring at me through my bedroom window. I tried to roll over to get away from the offending brightness and was stopped by a large furry mass. I scratched Cerberus behind his ear and sighed. It was time to get out of bed anyways.


    I stood up and stretched and tried to work out the stiffness from the night before. My alarm went off and I hit the off switch without even thinking about it. I stripped off my sleep clothes and got a quick shower, then dressed for work. Cerberus followed me around all morning, even when I ate breakfast and when I had called the police to report the assault. I gave the officer all of the details I could remember and then my contact information.


    It wasn''t until I moved to go out the front door that Cerberus stopped me and I saw his pleading expression. I told him that I was fine and that I had handled myself well against the assailant last night. He put his paw on my leg in a begging gesture and I said that I already filed a police report and there wasn''t anything else for either of us to do. He dropped the paw and barked almost sadly, so I gave him a hug and told him I would see him tonight.


    There were no new court cases for the rest of the month on my agenda, so today''s work was all just catching up with paperwork that I had been ignoring. I was also supposed to set up some possible new clients, so I got in my car and went to work.


    I arrived to a flurry of activity in front of the McGruber Building. Backed up traffic and police were everywhere. I hoped they would sort this mess out soon or the whole city would be gridlocked in less than fifteen minutes. You would be surprised at how quickly things like a traffic jam can get out of hand. I slipped by a double parked police car and squeezed into the parking garage entrance.


    I never would have made it through in my old car. In this new one I could tell that I would fit through the small gap quite easily and did so. I parked in my normal spot and went up to my office. Alice was already there like she usually was and I asked her what was going on downstairs. She said that she didn''t know what I was talking about and we both went to the window to see what we could see. It looked like a car had been rear-ended by a packing truck.


    Both of the drivers were arguing over who''s fault it was because we could clearly see them pointing and shouting. The police were trying to stop them before the situation became a full blown fight. I debated on how long it would take for the fight to be over if it came to using their fists and each other''s heads as punching bags, when there was a knock on my office''s door frame. Alice whirled around to see what was going on, while I calmly turned to stare at the man who stood there.


    ¡°C-can I help you?¡± Alice stuttered at the obviously handsome man.


    ¡°I''m looking for a Jessica Scott. Is that you?¡± He said.


    Alice blushed at him and then she glanced at me.


    ¡°That would be me.¡± I said into Alice''s awkward pause. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I see the resemblance now. I believe this is yours.¡± He said as he held up my clutch purse and waved it back and forth.


    ¡°My purse!¡± I exclaimed before I could get a hold of myself. I had forgotten that I didn''t have it with me last night when I got home.


    ¡°I found this on the sidewalk this morning as I was walking by and thought I would return it to you.¡± He smiled and held my purse out for me to take.


    I hesitated for a moment and didn''t reach out to take it from him. His face changed, and he frowned at me for an instant, then he adjusted his face back as if he had been smiling the whole time.I had seen the frown, though.


    ¡°Thank you for returning it, Mr...?¡±


    ¡°Robert.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Mr. Robert. Just leave it there.¡± I said as I pointed to the edge of my desk.


    ¡°No mister, just Robert.¡± He continued to smile and it looked forced. He didn''t like that I wasn''t being as receptive to him as I should have been. I started to get a headache right between my eyes; but, it wasn''t anything major and I ignored it. Alice wasn''t that much better off than I was at dealing with this guy and she looked like she was rooted to the spot where she stood. He walked across the small office and placed my purse on the desk.


    ¡°I''m glad that I could return this to you.¡± Robert nodded to me and the pain in my head intensified. I nodded back and didn''t let the pain show. He turned away and walked back to the door and then stopped.


    ¡°Have a good day.¡± I said through gritted teeth. He turned and smiled at me, then left.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°That was really creepy.¡± Alice said when she thought he was out of earshot.


    ¡°And the Understatement of the Year Award goes to...¡± I snickered.


    Alice laughed and the weird moment passed, just as the pain in my head stopped.


    We left the office to head down to the deli on the corner for lunch. I told Alice all about my night out celebrating with the client and she soaked it all up like a sponge. She said that that it must have been nice to get out like that. I hedged a bit and said that it was alright and that I wouldn''t want to do that all the time, because having so much fun was too exhausting. Alice laughed at my obvious joke.


    We finished our meals and went back to the office. When I shut my door, I called the police to check on if they had made any progress on the assault that I reported. The woman on the phone told me that there was a detective there for another case and that he would be right up to see me. I hung up the phone and told Alice that a detective would be in to visit.


    A few minutes later, she let a man into my office and he seemed to be a bit short for a police detective. Alice shut the door and the detective asked me to tell him everything that had happened. I repeated everything I had told them on the phone and he wrote everything down in his little notebook while he slouched in my client chair. I even told him about my purse and its miraculous return.


    The detective asked me to describe the guy and I did. He sat bolt upright in the chair and asked me if I knew the guy''s name. I said that his name was Robert. No last name, just Robert. I asked why he was so interested in Robert, and he said that he fit the description of the guy who had walked in front of a car, in front of this very building in fact, that had caused the accident this morning. I nodded my head and said that I thought something seemed a little off with him.


    The detective gave me his card and told me that if I remembered anything else, or if something else happens, that I should give him a call. I said that I would and he gave me a nod and left.


    Interlude


    ¡°Awww, man. He''s gonna kill us!¡± Colin said.


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Andrew responded.


    ¡°Because that was the fifth one we''ve tracked down and we still didn''t find it!¡±


    ¡°Look, process of elimination, right? If there''s six, and we just tracked the fifth one...¡±


    ¡°Then the last one must be the one we want!¡± Colin shouted.


    ¡°Shhh! Keep it down. That''s right. Now lets get this last one out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Where are we headed?¡± Colin said with subdued enthusiasm.


    ¡°186 Yorkshire Lane. It''s up in the hills.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Think we should scout a bit first?¡±


    ¡°Nope. We go in and we take it.¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Sweet.¡±


    Colin and Andrew arrived at the address and parked down the road. They quickly went to the right house on foot and went around to the back door. They tried to listen and didn''t hear anything. They opened the door and crept inside to search the place, only to find nothing. They searched the garage and the shed out back and still find nothing.


    They were about to give up when they heard a car approaching. They nodded to each other and hid themselves out of sight while the person who just arrived parked their car. Colin and Andrew positioned themselves to strike when the door opens, then they jumped the guy and knocked him out.


    Colin looked at the guy and freaks out a little. ¡°Oh, crap. It''s not him!¡±


    ¡°No kidding?¡± Andrew sneered at him.


    ¡°What are we gonna do now?¡±


    ¡°What can we do? We have to tell him.¡± Andrew said. ¡°Give me the phone.¡±


    Colin reached into his pocket and took out the phone that was only to be used for emergencies. It was a special number that only a few people had. He speed dialed the number and handed the phone to Andrew.


    ¡°It''s a no-go.¡± Andrew told the voice on the phone. ¡°No, sir.¡± He listened for a moment. ¡°Yes, sir. That was everyone.¡± He said. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± He protested and then waited. ¡°Yes, sir. We''ll get right on it.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Colin asked as Andrew hung up.


    ¡°He said that we didn''t check everyone in the photo.¡±


    ¡°Sure we did! Every guy on this list!¡± Colin pointed to the paper.


    ¡°Nope, as I was just told, they was one more person in the picture.¡± Andrew explained and Colin''s mouth hung open at that.


    ¡°Who?¡± He asked.


    ¡°There was a guy passing behind the booth the group was in. It was just a shadow, but they enhanced the photo and got the guy''s mug shot. I got his address. Some guy named Paul Burge.¡±


    End Interlude


    Alice and I finished up for the day, and we rode the elevator down to the parking garage. I waved goodbye to her as she went one way and I went to my car. I put my briefcase in the backseat and hopped in the front. I drove out of there and headed home to have a nice relaxing bath. I definitely needed it after all the paperwork I had pushed today.


    I got to my house and pulled into the driveway. Even though I was a bit tired, I got out of the car and opened the garage door to put the car inside. I just got the car and I didn''t want anything happening to it. I was going to have to invest in a garage door opener if I wanted to keep doing this. I closed the garage door and went inside to enjoy the nice warm bath I had promised myself.


    I was really looking forward to it and I barely had my shoes off when I heard a car pull up into my driveway. I sighed and turned around to face the door, then I reached out and opened the door just as I heard the doorbell. I wasn''t at all surprised to see the scum on my welcome mat.


    ¡°Hi, Paul. Bye Paul.¡± I said as I pushed the door closed.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He said with what sounded like desperation in his voice. I hesitated and knew it was a mistake, because it gave him just enough time to come through my door and into my house.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I said as I pushed the door closed again. Unfortunately, Paul was on the same side as me now and a shut door wasn''t as comforting as it should have been.


    ¡°Some guys are following me.¡± Paul said.


    I shook my head. ¡°Some guys? Wait, why are you telling me?¡±


    ¡°You''re a lawyer. You know about stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I''m a lawyer, not a police officer. Talk to the cops. It''s their job.¡± I said.


    ¡°You''re not going to help me?¡±


    ¡°I don''t mean to sound heartless, Paul. Oh, wait... yes I do. Get out.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Jess! I need your help here!¡± He pleaded.


    ¡°Look, I don''t have time for your stupid little games anymore!¡± I nearly screamed at him.


    That was when my world changed forever.

 Chapter 07

    Whoever it was that was after Paul kicked my front door in. It slammed into me and flung me across the space I had kept between Paul and myself. We collided and fell backwards to the floor in a heap, then rolled into my living room. We ended up next to the wall with Paul''s back to it and my back to the two guys coming in.


    ¡°It''s him!¡± The guy closest to us said.


    ¡°Well, don''t just stand there, knock him out before he gets up!¡± His buddy said.


    I don''t know what their problem was with Paul; but, no one breaks into my house and busts my door in! Paul showing up out of the blue made me angry enough as it was... and now I was pissed. I braced my hand against the wall and whispered to Paul to close his eyes. I put my leg over Paul''s body and braced the toes of my right foot next to the wall, too. I felt the guy get closer, and when I figured he was just at the right spot, his shadow passed over me and I pushed away from the wall with all of my strength.


    I couldn''t remember the last time I had my floor waxed; but apparently, it was still quite slick because I flew across the floor like it was made of ice. I tripped the guy that was next to us and he hit the wall face first and bounced off onto the floor. I skidded into the other guy who must have seen me coming and braced himself, and I still pushed him back about a foot or so.


    ¡°We''ve got no beef with you, lady.¡± He said.


    ¡°You break into my house and you have no beef with me? Ha! You do now!¡± I snarled.


    He reached down to grab me and I rolled away from his legs. He moved pretty fast while following me across the floor, so I grabbed the edge of the kitchen counter and flipped up into a crouched position. He just smiled at me and lunged. I didn''t know what he thought he was expecting, because he definitely didn''t expect me to stand up and sidestep him. I saw the look of astonishment on his face when I took his wrist and twisted it around.


    He turned to me and was about to say something until I planted my fist into his cheekbone. I heard a nice resounding crack as his head snapped to the side and he dropped like a rock. He had a glass jaw, go figure. I turned towards the living room and saw the other guy starting to stir. I took the few steps I needed to get to Paul and hauled him up off the floor. He must have lost some weight, because I didn''t think Paul was supposed to be so light.


    Paul opened his eyes and looked at me like he thought I was going to kill him, until he realized that it was me and not one of the guys that were after him. I saw the relief pass over his face, at least until he heard the guy next to us stir. He glanced at the guy and then ran as fast as he could, just like that.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, jerk!¡± I yelled as Paul disappeared out through the hole that used to be my doorway.


    I heard a short scuffle, a bang, and a soft growl. I turned just in time to see that Cerberus had joined the party and it looked like he had tackled the guy to get him back onto the floor. He now had his muzzle across the guy''s neck. If the guy so much as twitched, Cerberus would have a brand new chew toy. The guy on the floor came to as he opened his eyes and looked me in surprise.


    I moved closer and stood near him. I could see the thoughts pass over his face; fear, panic, desperation, and then hope. The last stumped me until I heard the guy behind me speak.


    ¡°We have to talk.¡± He said as he rubbed his face.


    ¡°Talk? You break in to my house and assault me, and now you want to talk? Get out of my house!¡± I yelled as I stepped away from the first guy and backed up towards the wall just enough to see the both of them at the same time.


    ¡°Look, we made a mistake, okay? We''re sorry.¡±


    ¡°You''re sorry? You might be sorry now, but you''re definitely going to be sorry when the police get through with you.¡± I said, then the guy who was speaking had the gall to approached me.


    ¡°My name''s Andrew, and this here''s Colin.¡± Andrew said as he pointed to his accomplice.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Colin gurgled out as he tried to not move too much.


    ¡°This wasn''t how it was supposed to go.¡± Andrew said and I laughed at him.


    ¡°Of course not. You were supposed to catch us completely by surprise and take Paul. Well, he''s gone now. Good luck finding him.¡± I said and pointed to the door.


    ¡°He wasn''t who we were looking for. We thought he was, but he''s not.¡±


    ¡°Then who?¡± I said.


    ¡°We were looking for you.¡± Andrew said.


    Cerberus growled menacingly and Colin whimpered as his neck was covered in drool.


    I stood there for a full minute while I tried to discern what he meant. I didn''t know these guys and I wasn''t involved in anything that would even have guys like these involved in it. The guy stood there and just let me think about it. Of course, it wasn''t like he could do anything to help his friend. Cerberus had him well in hand. Or in mouth.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked when I couldn''t think of anything.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°First contact isn''t supposed to be like this.¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I''m not an alien!¡±


    ¡°No, no... that''s not what I meant. When we meet new people it''s called first contact. You know that old saying, ''first impressions are the most important'' and all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well, you definitely made a memorable first impression, I''ll give you that much.¡± I said.


    Andrew smiled and motioned to the couch. Surprisingly it had survived our little tussle completely intact. I nodded, and he walked very slowly to the couch and sat down. I pulled over one of the kitchen chairs and sat down a good distance away.


    Andrew tilted his head and nodded at Colin, who was still motionless on the floor with Cerberus holding his neck. I thought about it, and decided that even if they wanted to start up some trouble, Cerberus and I could handle them pretty easily now.


    ¡°It''s okay. You can let him up.¡± I said to Cerberus.


    Cerberus growled and shifted his weight, then bit down just a little. Colin made a satisfyingly high squeal of shock and then Cerberus let him go. Colin definitely knew who the boss was now. He got up from the floor and skittered around the end of the couch, closer to the door. If anything did start to happen, I knew exactly where Colin was headed and I smiled.


    Cerberus came over to me and sat at my right side. I put my hand on his head and ruffled the fur between his ears. A low rumbling came from him, and if he were a cat, I would bet you that he would be purring. After a few moments of letting them sit in silence, I spoke.


    ¡°So, talk.¡± I said.


    ¡°Were you at a bar last night? The Playful Tides?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don''t see how that''s any of your business.¡±


    ¡°Just answer the question. Please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was there, but so were a ton of other people. Why?¡±


    ¡°That''s where we felt someone new was close by. We tracked it to a booth, but there were so many people there, we had to wait and see who it was that we were looking for.¡± Andrew said. ¡°After we tracked everyone down, Paul was the last one on our list. We didn''t know that it was you that we were supposed to be looking for... until now.¡±


    Colin sucked in a deep breath when Andrew said that. ¡°Andrew, you can''t be serious!¡± He whispered out of the side of his mouth, thinking I wouldn''t hear.


    ¡°It''s the only explanation, isn''t it?¡± Andrew whispered to Colin, and then turned to me. ¡°So... how long have you known?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°Known what?¡± I said.


    ¡°What you are.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been a lawyer for several years.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I meant. How long have you been one of us?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°One of you? Ha! I''m not one of you. Do I even look like a criminal?¡±


    ¡°This isn''t working. I''m just going to have to come right out and say it. How long have you been a werewolf?¡±


    I recoiled from him and nearly fell off my chair. Cerberus growled at him and he put up his hands in a pleading gesture, palms up to show that he wasn''t dangerous. Colin just sat there and tried not to draw attention to himself.


    ¡°What are you talking about? A werewolf? That''s ridiculous. They don''t exist.¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course they do. I''m right here. Colin is sitting right there. That''s two. We thought it was that guy Paul, until you grabbed my arm and I felt the same thing I felt last night. I was going to say something about it but then you hit me. Just that little hit and you broke my jaw and knocked me out. That''s not normal.¡±


    ¡°You just have a glass jaw.¡± I countered and he laughed.


    ¡°You hear that, Colin? She thinks I have a glass jaw!¡± He said and then they both laughed.


    ¡°Hey. Hey! I don''t see what''s funny here.¡± I said.


    They finished laughing and looked at me.


    ¡°The only thing that can hurt a werewolf is another werewolf, or another supernatural creature. You barely hit me and it hurt. Most of us are pretty strong; stronger than a normal human at any rate, but you... I don''t even want to think about what you could do to me if you let yourself go.¡± Andrew said, and shivered a little bit.


    It sounded like he had both pride and fear mixed in equal parts with that last statement. I was a bit taken aback, but then I started to think about everything that had been happening. All the little things that I''ve seen and done over the last several weeks. Ever since... my accident. That was it! That wasn''t a delusion brought on by overexposure. It really did happen like I remembered it. I sat back in my chair and let the shock show on my face.


    Andrew saw it and nodded. ¡°You understand. That''s good. Accepting the truth is usually the hardest thing for us to do at first. The rest after that is just icing on the cake in comparison.¡± He said with aplomb.


    I just nodded and didn''t respond.


    ¡°We have to contact our pack leader and let him know what''s going on and the situation we''re in.¡± Andrew said and pointed to Colin and then himself.


    I nodded again and he hit Colin on the arm and Colin reached into his coat pocket. Cerberus growled at him because he moved too fast for his liking. Colin stopped moving and said that he was just getting a cell phone. I scratched Cerberus''s head again and he huffed.


    Colin took that as an ''okay you can move'' huff and dug the phone out of his pocket and then passed it to Andrew. A few moments passed and Andrew filled in whoever it was on the line with what had happened and got a liberal chewing out. I was smiling by the time he got off the phone.


    ¡°He said that he''d like to meet you.¡± Andrew said as he passed the phone back to Colin.


    ¡°Why?¡± I said, not really caring why, I was just trying to be polite.


    ¡°Every new wolf that comes into our territory is supposed to petition the local pack for permission.¡±


    My anger bubbled to the surface again and Cerberus growled. What right did they have to tell me that I have to ask them for permission? Andrew saw the look on my face and put his hands up in a stop gesture.


    ¡°Ease down. I''m sorry, that''s just pack rules.¡± He said.


    ¡°I''ve lived here all my life. I don''t need anyone''s permission to be here!¡± I nearly screamed at him as I stood.


    Colin shrunk down into a ball and Andrew rolled off the couch and knelt in front of him.


    ¡°Whoa... whoa! Hold on, now. Take it easy, okay? We thought you were new in town. That''s all. Honest mistake.¡± Andrew said as he shivered.


    I looked down at them cowering on the floor and I didn''t want to be the cause of that. I brought my anger back into check and sat back down.


    ¡°Oh, man... did you feel that? Her energy...¡± Colin whispered.


    ¡°Yeah. That was... really scary.¡± Andrew said in response.


    ¡°When does he want to meet?¡± I asked them and tried to sound normal and failed, because they cringed away when I spoke.


    ¡°Uh... tonight, at eight o''clock. Seaside restaurant on the boardwalk. It''ll be closed so no one will disturb you.¡±


    I nodded. He wanted to meet somewhere where there was no chance of someone coming in and discovering what was going on... or what could go on. They could kidnap me and no one would be the wiser. Well, what they don''t know won''t hurt me. I told them that I would be there right at eight o''clock and ushered them to the door. They were eager to go.


    Cerberus gave them a cursory bark when they crossed the threshold and they jumped and made a run for it. I laughed as they scampered away like cockroaches in a New York apartment when you turned the light on. I turned away and grabbed the door that was still reasonably solid and propped it up against the door frame.


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to lock this now?¡± I asked and Cerberus barked. ¡°All right. I''ll nail the thing shut for now.¡±

 Chapter 08

    I arrived at the Seaside restaurant promptly at eight, just like I said I would. I had called Alice before coming over and let her know where I was going. She''d know where to start looking just in case anything happened to me. Since no one was around, I got a good parking space right in front of the place and went inside. The door wasn''t locked and I wasn''t surprised.


    I thought that might have been a bit weird; but, since I was meeting someone here I had assumed that they had the key or at least knew someone who had a key. I walked over to the counter, but I didn''t see anyone around. The place was deserted as far as I could see. I decided that I could wait a few minutes for them to show up and then I was out of there. I was not going to hang around all night just so someone could stand me up. That was not happening.


    Interlude


    Josh stood at the end of the boardwalk inside a clump of trees near the entrance. He watched closely as a car drove by.


    ¡°Chris, can you feel that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Josh. So what?¡± Chris said without much interest from a boat in the water nearby.


    ¡°So what? That''s an alpha or I''ll eat my shirt.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Chris said as he hit the call button on his phone.


    ¡°Tell the boss she''s here and that Andrew wasn''t lying.¡± Then he hung up. Now he understood what Colin and Andrew meant. Definitely scary, that one.


    End Interlude


    I was there for only a minute when the back door opened and a handsome man walked in. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiselled features, and a body to die for. He was everything that a red-blooded American woman would kill for... and he made my skin crawl. I don''t know what that was; but, I got the distinct feeling that he was very bad news. How much do you want to bet that his personality is gonna match my sentiment exactly? Don''t answer that. It''s a sucker bet.


    ¡°Hi. I''m Mark. So... you''re the new wolf in town.¡± He drawled in a revolting sexy tone.


    See? I told you it was a sucker bet.


    Mark sauntered over to my table and I got a pretty strong feeling of revulsion as he tried to sit down next to me at the table.


    ¡°That seat''s taken.¡± I said.


    He stopped in the middle of his movement just like I had pushed pause on a remote control. He looked like he was trying to exert himself; but, it wasn''t doing anything to me, so I just waited while he changed his direction and sat in the chair across from me. He leaned over the table to get closer to me.


    ¡°There are certain rules that should be followed when you''re trying to petition a pack for permission to be in their territory. One of them is being... nice to the pack leader.¡± Mark smiled.


    My anger rushed to the surface and I had a hard time trying to stop myself from pounding his insufferable arrogant butt into the table. His face was frozen in the smile because I think he felt what I felt at the moment.


    ¡°I am NOT petitioning you for anything. I live here. I''ve ALWAYS lived here.¡± I said through gritted teeth. He moved back from leaning over the table to sit up straight.


    ¡°Then there has been a misunderstanding. I was under the impression that you were new here.¡± He said as he distanced himself further from me. I think he really can feel what I''m feeling.


    ¡°You asked to meet. We''ve met. Good-bye.¡± I smiled and stood.


    ¡°Hold on. I can''t have a lone wolf roaming out and about in my territory.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what you want.¡±


    ¡°You have to be a part of the pack or you have to leave.¡± Mark said as he stood.


    ¡°I don''t even understand what''s going on here, let alone want to join anything. Not only that, but I live here. I. Am. Not. Leaving.¡± With each word my blood pressure soared and I could feel each pulse go through every vein in my body. ¡°No one tells me what to do. Not when I was a little girl, and not when I was a teenager, and certainly not now that I am a grown woman. Do you understand? DO YOU?¡± I shouted at him and balled my hands into fists.


    Mark took a hesitating step back from the table, then another. The door to the restaurant opened and six men came in. Two of them were the ones that had attacked me earlier and they stayed at the back of the group. The others were cracking their knuckles and twisting their heads to make their necks crack. That always unnerved me before; but, I now understood that was just a natural reaction to seeing it, and that was why they did it. To unnerve people.


    I smiled. The guys took a couple of steps forward and the leader took a couple of steps back and now they were one big happy mob. The confidence flowed off them in waves. He wasn''t so brave when he was all alone. Now that he had his backup, everything was fine.


    ¡°I''m afraid I am going to have to insist.¡± Mark said and shrugged.


    I smiled at them and let myself relax. Posturing fools. Andrew said that werewolves were strong, and that I was stronger than he expected. I wonder if I can turn that to my advantage before they can jump me. I looked down at the table and judged it to be reasonably light. It could also be used as a good shield if I needed it. My blood flowed under the surface of my skin and I counted to ten.


    ¡°Don''t make me hurt you.¡± I said. ¡°Andrew, tell them.¡±


    They all turned to him.


    ¡°Leave me out of this.¡± Andrew said as he grabbed Colin and moved back towards the door.


    ¡°There''s no need for this to come to a fight.¡± Mark said. ¡°We''re all reasonable people here. I don''t want you to join my pack because it''s something that I want. It''s because you have to. It''s the law.¡±


    If there were any words that were guaranteed to stop me in my tracks, those were the ones.


    ¡°Law? What law?¡± I said as I calmed down.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Everyone else seemed to calm down at the same time as I did. It was as if I was itching for a fight, then I''d get one; but if I wasn''t going to fight, then they weren''t going to force me. Mark explained that it was a pack''s job to hunt down rogue werewolves and stop their threat on humanity and at the moment I was one of those werewolves.


    I sat back down and so did everyone else. Mark sat across from me again, much more cautiously this time, and the others spread out around us. We sat and talked for a long time. While we did that, more and more people came inside the restaurant and joined us. They all filled me in on the pack, the laws that everyone had to follow, and what it was that werewolves did.


    Most of them laughed when I asked what werewolves do. They said that they have lives just the same as everyone else does, only they turn furry every month during the full moon. Once they found out what I did for a living, they were really happy. The pack had lots of legal troubles that had to be dealt with and having a lawyer on retainer who knew what they were would be a huge benefit for the pack.


    I agreed that it would be a big help, then I told them that I wasn''t going to give them a species discount, which made them all laugh.


    ¡°Okay, so what does this ''petitioning for admission to the pack'' mean?¡± I asked when the laughter was dying off.


    Mark gestured to a smallish guy with glasses. ¡°This is Sheldon. He''s the current holder of our Book of Pack Law. He''ll fill you in on everything you will need to know. He''s a bit shy, but once you get used to him, he''ll open right up.¡±


    A couple of people near Sheldon pat him on the back and rubbed his hair, then one pushed him towards my table. Mark called an end to our little improvised pack meeting and Sheldon reluctantly walked over to where we were sitting. He sat down in the seat that Mark tried to sit in earlier and I didn''t object. I thought I saw a strange look cross Mark''s face before he turned away.


    I definitely have to keep my eyes open with this group. Especially on the head wolf.


    Everyone piled out of the little restaurant and waved goodbye to me, and some even said ''see you later'' to Sheldon. They left us sitting there and didn''t even think twice about leaving Sheldon alone with me. I could have been a serial killer for all they knew. Then again, most of them seemed to be nice so far. Plus, once they explained why I should apply for membership, I guess they didn''t really see me as a threat to their pack anymore.


    I turned to Sheldon and he hunched down in the chair. I smiled and asked him some easy questions about the admittance rites of the pack and what everyone does in it. I got a few reluctant answers from him at first, then once I got him to warm up a bit he just kept going and going. I had to stop him at one point because I didn''t understand what he meant by ''gammas'' when describing wolves.


    ¡°Oh, right. I keep forgetting that you''re not used to our terminology yet. The pack is divided up into three main groups. The Alphas are the highest and are usually the most powerful of us and they run the group. The Betas are the next most powerful, and when we lose an alpha through a fight, an accident, or they just decide to leave, one of the betas steps in to take up the position. The Gammas are just the regular members, like you and me.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Oh... okay. Who decides who is an Alpha, a Beta, and a Gamma?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who decides? No one. It doesn''t work that way. You either are one or your not.¡±


    ¡°Then why am I a Gamma?¡±


    ¡°Because you''re female.¡± Sheldon said.


    My blood started pumping and my anger started to come to the surface. Sheldon let out a short yell as he fell off of his chair and backed away from the table on his butt.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°G-g-getting away from you before you hit me.¡± Sheldon said behind his crossed arms. It looked like he held them front of his face to ward off a blow that he thought might be coming at him at any second.


    ¡°I''m not going to hit you.¡± I said, puzzled.


    ¡°I can feel the energy you''re giving off. You''re so angry!¡± He squealed.


    I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I asked him to calm down as well and to get back in the chair. He picked himself up off the floor and sat in the chair again. I asked him how he could feel what I felt.


    ¡°W-we can all feel the energy buildup if we are close enough. Strong emotions like anger and fear are usually the easiest to pick up. I''ve been with the pack a long time and I''ve never felt anything like your energy before.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t felt anything from any of you, not even from Mark. What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°You haven''t? The whole time you were here with a room full of werewolves and you didn''t feel anything from anyone?¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure I didn''t feel anything... although I thought I did feel a light buzzing across my arms when everyone was laughing, but that wasn''t anything to do with you guys, was it?¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, that was us. For me, it felt like the whole room was shaking. There was so much energy moving around.¡± Sheldon shivered again.


    ¡°I''ll have to keep trying to see if I can ''feel'' you guys any better than that.¡±


    ¡°You just might not be as sensitive as us or you''re wired for a much higher energy range.¡±


    ¡°That''s an interesting point. Which brings me back to the gamma thing. Why are females always gammas?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing personal. It''s been a rule in the pack for generations. Women are members of the pack; but, the only way they gain status is by dating someone higher in the pack structure. You see, it''s that way because if the females were allowed to fight each other, then we''d lose too many to continue the heritage of the pack. You can still become queen of the pack, although only by marrying the king and not by fighting your way up the ladder, so to speak. I mean, you don''t want to get stuck marrying someone you don''t like, right?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense in a misogynistic society.¡± I said.


    ¡°That''s the pack mentality for you.¡± Sheldon joked and I laughed. ¡°I do have a question for you, though... if that''s okay?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Turnabout is fair play, after all.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been a werewolf?¡± Sheldon asked.


    ¡°I''m not sure. I can only assume that I''ve been one since my attack, so... about a month and a half, I think.¡± I said thoughtfully.


    Sheldon''s jaw dropped when I said attack, and then he gasped when I said the length of time.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, worried that I''d said something wrong.


    ¡°You''ve been a werewolf for a month and a half ?¡± Sheldon exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah. You seem shocked. Why?¡±


    ¡°B-b-because... you''ve had two full moons since then!¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m pretty sure that the first full moon was the night I was attacked, so I didn''t go through that one. The only full moon I saw was a couple weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Sheldon nearly shouted.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± I said and he relaxed. ¡°It was just another normal night. I watched a movie with my dog and went to bed. It was during the week and I had work the next day.¡±


    I stared at Sheldon''s wide open mouth and thought that if I had Cerberus''s dog bone I could have shoved it in Sheldon''s mouth sideways and still have room for a tennis ball.


    ¡°You... you... didn''t change? At all?¡± He gasped.


    ¡°Change what? My clothes?¡±


    ¡°No. I mean, did you become a wolf?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course not. Don''t be absurd. I didn''t even know about werewolves until today.¡± I said. ¡°In fact, this whole thing just seems so ludicrous that I only came here to humour you all.¡±


    Sheldon dropped his head to the table with a loud thunk and I asked him what was wrong. He said that he didn''t know what was going on anymore and his whole world was going topsy-turvy. I had to laugh at his phrasing and told him that I didn''t know, either. He gave me his business card after he wrote his personal number on the back of it, then he told me to not answer my phone for any unfamiliar numbers, except for his. I agreed, and then he stood up.


    ¡°Just for future reference...¡± I said to get Sheldon''s attention. ¡°...it''s about before. I wasn''t even close to being angry enough to hit someone.¡±


    Sheldon paused and shivered before he turned towards the door and left.


    I made it home and pulled into my driveway just in time to see the rain start. I didn''t bother putting the car in the garage because I didn''t have enough time. Luckily, I got in through my back door before it really started to pour down. I went through the house and checked the front door, then hoped that the rain wouldn''t flood my living room if the door wasn''t closed properly.


    I put a couple towels behind the door as a water break, just in case. Cerberus greeted me in his usual manner by trying to tackle me, only this time I caught him and stayed standing up. He wasn''t surprised by this and just licked my face while I stood instead. I dropped him and laughed, then he took off like a shot around the kitchen counter and into the living room.


    ¡°Get back here you little rat!¡± I said and he just barked at me in defiance.


    I shook my head and went into my bedroom to change. I took a quick shower and climbed into bed. What a long and weird day this was. I closed my eyes as Cerberus hopped up onto my bed and laid down next to me. I lightly pet his fur and for some reason, I couldn''t wait to see what tomorrow was going to bring.

 Chapter 09

    I awoke the next morning to a loud pounding on my door, which was strange, since I didn''t have a door to pound on that wouldn''t collapse when you touched it. I rolled out of bed and had a robe on before I even thought about it and I stood at my front door. Hey! I had a front door! I opened it and watched as a service truck drove away from my house and down the street.


    I looked at my door and there was a bag taped to it. I pulled it off and went back inside. I locked the door and sat down at the kitchen table with my new mystery bag. Cerberus had followed me out of the bedroom, to the front door, and back here to the table to sit by my side. I opened the bag and inside was a note, the keys to the new locks, and the receipt.


    I nearly fainted at the cost of having a rush job done to replace a door. I looked at the list of things that were repaired and fixed and I saw the reason behind the enormous cost. I didn''t think there was that much damage done; but, I wasn''t a carpenter so I couldn''t honestly say for sure. The note was from Mark and it said that the door was replaced at no cost to me. There was no mention of it being his own fault that it was destroyed in the first place. At least he was nice enough to get it done without being asked. I wouldn''t know the first thing about what to do to get things like that handled properly.


    I got dressed and ready for work while Cerberus followed me around again. When I left the house, I left him outside this time, that way he could run around. I told him not to get into trouble and he just huffed at me and trotted off down the street. I shook my head at him and drove to the office.


    Alice was waiting for me with my messages as usual. I got halfway through the stack and saw a note from Sheldon. He said the admittance ritual was to be held the next night and that he needed to speak to me about something first. I called him on his cell phone and he picked up on the first ring. He said that he had found out about something and wanted to ask me what was going on.


    I told him that I didn''t know much, but that I''d help him with whatever I could. He hesitated for a moment, probably deciding if he could trust me or not, and then he asked to meet. I looked at my schedule for the day and nothing would be affected if I left. I told him that we could meet right now and after a few moments, he suggested a walk in the nearby park. I was a bit surprised that he would want to be out in the open like that, considering his personality. I had to assume that was just my paranoia talking and I agreed to meet him there in a few minutes.


    I told Alice that I was going out for awhile and that I''d be back as soon as possible. She didn''t ask me where I was going and just nodded. Either she wasn''t curious or she had overheard me talking. It wasn''t like I was being quiet about it. I left the office and walked over to the park and waited on a bench near a small pond.


    Sheldon walked up and sat next to me. ¡°It''s been an unwritten pack law that no one is supposed to ask how someone became a werewolf.¡±


    ¡°Well ''hello'' to you, too.¡± I smirked.


    Sheldon blushed and ducked his head. ¡°Sorry. Um... hi.¡± He said awkwardly and blushed even harder.


    ¡°That''s better.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°Now, what you were saying?¡±


    ¡°How did you become a werewolf? You don''t have to tell me, but you... you''re someone special. This could be very important!¡± Sheldon gushed.


    I was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. ¡°All right.¡±


    I would have to trust him completely if I was to reveal what had happened to me that night. I had thought it was only a delusion at first, since it was so fantastical; but, now with everything that has happened since then, it had to be true. So, I told him. I told him everything. Right from the moment my car left the road and right up until the meeting last night. Sheldon sat in silence for a long time after I stopped speaking.


    ¡°Sheldon?¡± I said after ten minutes had passed.


    ¡°I knew something was going on, but I had no idea.¡± Sheldon said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I touched his arm.


    ¡°His name was Randal. They said that he was in a car accident. Just a stupid accident and that he''d been partially thrown out through his window and that the car had rolled over onto him. That''s what had broken his neck.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°B-because... I wanted you to know his name. It had happened about a month and a half ago, around the same time of your attack. I knew something was wrong with their story and I just couldn''t sniff out the lie. The wolf... the one you killed that night... his name was Randal.¡±


    The blood drained out of my face and I slumped back on the park bench. It''s not true. It can''t be! I didn''t kill anyone... it was just a wolf. Just a wolf.


    ¡°... just a wolf...¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Jessica, listen to me. You don''t understand. I wasn''t telling you to make you feel guilty! I was telling you one of the names of the men who attacked you!¡±


    I closed my eyes and tried to deny it. I couldn''t have. I did. I had killed someone!


    ¡°Jessica! JESSICA!¡± Sheldon shouted as he grabbed my arms and shook me.


    ¡°What?¡± I said when I broke out of the fit of depression I was in.


    ¡°You were attacked on purpose! We aren''t mindless beasts when we change, Jessica. We are cognizant! We know exactly what we are doing!¡± Sheldon let my arms go and sat back on the bench. ¡°Do you get it now?¡±


    I thought about what he said and it took me a minute to process it. Then my blood started to boil again. How could they do that? They tried to kill me! No wonder they don''t want anyone to ask how they became a werewolf! If they did, then everyone would know of their crimes!


    I could feel the energy pulsing down my arms and legs and my shoes got tighter and I tightened my grip on the bench. I heard the wood start to split and Sheldon turned to me.


    ¡°Not here!¡± Sheldon gasped and then whispered. ¡°Control it. You can''t change here.¡±


    ¡°I thought we could only change during the full moon.¡± I said with a harsh laugh.


    ¡°The strong ones can do a partial change during any phase of the moon. Their hands, and sometimes their feet. It''s only on the nights of the full moon that we can all change completely.¡±


    That little detail caught my attention and I worked to calm myself. I looked down at my hands as they gripped the edge of the bench. There was some extra hair that wasn''t there before, then it vanished as I relaxed.


    ¡°So, I''m a strong one, then.¡± I spoke and Sheldon nodded. ¡°What else can I expect?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°You''re stronger and faster than the rest of us gammas. You can see, hear, and sense better than the rest of us, too.¡±


    I closed my eyes and asked the question that had been burning in my mind since he made the connection with Randal and my accident. I opened my eyes and speared Sheldon with them.


    ¡°Who were the other wolves that night?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Sheldon said as he stared back at me.


    I saw the truth in his eyes and nodded. ¡°How do I find out?¡±


    ¡°I... have an idea about that. There are a couple of catches to it, though. Would you be willing to trust me and go through with it?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°If it will get me those names, I''ll do whatever you say.¡± I smiled.


    The next night was the night of the ritual for my admittance into the pack. With Sheldon''s help and liberal access to the Book of Pack Law, I was as prepared as I was ever going to be for what it entailed. I was dressed in a sleek and formfitting spandex pants and top with a lose t-shirt over that. It was blood red in color, so I stood out from the average person, or wolf, as the case may be.


    I put on a coat and headed out to the place where they held all of the pack''s rituals. It was the regular meeting place for the pack as well, and Sheldon said that I was in for a real treat. I arrived at the downtown address and looked up to see a huge skyscraper that touched the sky. How this was supposed to get the wolves in touch with their roots was beyond me. I shrugged and pulled into the parking garage that was for pack use only.


    The attendant there took my car and said that I don''t have to worry about it and to go on ahead to the meeting. I was about to ask where to go when Sheldon came out of the door behind the guard station. He waved to me and I smiled.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Sheldon responded. ¡°Are you sure you''re ready for this? It''s not too soon to back out, you know.¡±


    ¡°I''m ready... and don''t worry. I''ve got this.¡± I smiled again and took his arm in mine.


    We walked through the door and into a small room with monitors. It looked like a security station, except that all the cameras were outside and pointed away from the building. They weren''t worried so much about security, but about seeing anything coming at them from a distance. Good to know. We went through another door and into a stairwell.


    I was about to ask why we couldn''t use the elevator if we were going to walk all the way up to the top using the stairs when Sheldon motioned for us to go down. I raised an eyebrow and he gave me a little smirk. It warmed my heart a little that the shy man could play coy if he wanted to. We went down a few flights of stairs and I was relieved that I had decided to wear flats instead of high heels tonight.


    When we got to the bottom I saw a large sized garage door. Before I could ask what it was for, it started to open. I stood there and fought like crazy not to kneel down and peek through the widening gap. I won my fight against my curiosity and to my amazement, I saw what looked like a bank vault door. A man stepped out of a concealed cabinet and opened the door for us. It must have been about four feet thick. I made a mental note to ask Sheldon later what it was made of.


    We stepped through the cavern-like opening behind the vault door and I stopped to marvel at the sight inside. Wilderness was there for as far as the eye could see. I didn''t know how they had pulled it off; but, the pack had their own personal jungle under the streets of a very modern day city. I ran my hands along the tree trunks and picked up vines and brushed the leaves and smelled the flora and fauna all along the well worn path to the center of the wilderness.


    A clearing appeared in front of us almost as if by magic. It was a good size I think, or at least it would be if everyone wasn''t crowded into it at the moment. I smiled at them and it touched off a wave of smiles and greetings that flowed with us as Sheldon and I made our way to the center of the gathering.


    Mark was there, along with the others that had confronted me during our first meeting the other day. Andrew half waved to me as he elbowed Colin to pay attention. A bubble of laughter sprang from my lips and the sound reverberated through the trees and echoed back to me. It was the greatest sound that I had ever heard. I wasn''t alone in that assessment, either.


    Everyone around me took on an expression of happiness... except for Mark. He had noticed that I was on Sheldon''s arm and he didn''t like that one bit. I narrowed my eyes at him and he shook himself and smiled.


    Surprisingly, it wasn''t like a blood sharing ritual, where we would have to drink each other''s blood, or make lasting marks by burning our skin with a mystical tattoo or something. All they did was an odd tribal dance, kind of like a Hawaiian Luau, did some funky hand waving to the ''sky'' above us, prayed to the moon, then bowed to the ground. After that, I just signed my name into their book.


    That was it.


    Once all the formalities were done the pack started to mingle. Most came to me and shook my hand or gave me a hug to welcome me into their pack and into their family. After a while the people spread out a bit, and then it was Mark''s turn to greet me. I kept Sheldon close to me the whole night mainly because I didn''t really know anyone else and he stepped closer to me and spoke just as Mark approached.


    ¡°It was a tragic thing that happened seven weeks ago, wasn''t it? When we lost Randal?¡± Sheldon said to me.


    ¡°Yes, I know. I''ve heard the story... a car accident. I''m so sorry.¡± I said as I gripped his arm.


    ¡°Thanks. We''ll all miss him. You wouldn''t think a car could be so dangerous to people like us, would you?¡± Sheldon said.


    ¡°No, not really. In fact, I was in a car accident recently, too.¡± I said as I dropped my head.


    ¡°You were? What happened?¡± Sheldon said in mock surprise.


    ¡°It was about seven weeks ago while I was driving along the highway, and something darted out in front of me. I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late and I skidded into whatever it was. I cut my wheel the other way and my car flipped over several times.¡±


    The whole place seemed to stop and everyone turned to look at Sheldon, Mark, and myself. Our audience stood stock still as they heard the truth in my words. No one moved or made a sound, I think in fear that they would put a stop to my little melodrama if they did.


    ¡°I survived, but my dog was badly hurt, and... and when I tried to help him...¡± I stumbled over my words and Sheldon patted me on the back.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Sheldon said.


    ¡°I was attacked... by a pack of wolves.¡±


    A collective gasp filled the forest as my words filtered through everyone there. I continued my story and told them everything that had happened, even waking up in the hospital with no damage from the attack. No one made a sound and I turned to Mark.


    ¡°I can''t make anyone tell me who did this to me. I don''t have any standing in the pack. But you, you''re the leader, their King.¡± I said. ¡°They can''t refuse if you ask them in my name.¡±


    Mark backed away from me and I saw the fear in his eyes. I shook my head at him and several voices spoke up at the same time.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°He couldn''t have!¡±


    ¡°He didn''t!¡±


    ¡°It''s against pack law!¡±


    ¡°It can''t be true! It can''t!¡±


    I let my anger out and I let my blood boil. I asked it. I begged it. I needed its help. Help me! I screamed in my head. The pulse of energy I could feel went out of me and into the surrounding pack. They felt what I felt and most of them dropped to their knees. Others didn''t let my feelings move them and stood their ground, like Mark''s guard.


    After a few moments, it was like a switch had been thrown in my brain. I let it go. I let it all go. The fear, the hatred, the malice, the denial. It meant nothing... and everything. I understood now what it was to be what we were. I locked my gaze onto the ''king'' of the werewolves as the energy I built up went away and everyone stood.


    ¡°I challenge you, as is my right. The defender becomes the avenger. The attacker becomes the attacked.¡± I spit at him.


    Mark winced away from my words and took another step back, only to find that he had nowhere to go. He was surrounded. His guard stood behind him, except for Andrew and Colin. They had moved away and were now mixed into the surrounding crowd. Andrew shook his head and I nodded to him. Neither he nor Colin were involved. Good. Innocence was to be protected, not destroyed.


    ¡°What is your answer!¡± I yelled. Everyone winced as they felt the pure anger I was sending out to them. Mark put a good smirk on his face and stepped towards me.


    ¡°Women are forbidden to fight. It''s pack law.¡± Mark grinned.


    ¡°You''re wrong.¡± I said defiantly.


    ¡°Women are forbidden to fight for position in the pack.¡± He countered.


    ¡°Women are forbidden from fighting each other for position in the pack. There''s nothing in the book that says they can''t fight normally.¡± I said and I smiled.


    Mark stood there with his mouth hanging open. He didn''t realize what he had gotten himself into when he argued with a lawyer.


    ¡°Sheldon! Tell her she can''t fight me!¡± Mark demanded.


    ¡°I can''t. She''s right. There''s no pack law against her fighting men.¡± Sheldon said and stepped back to give me some room.


    ¡°I''ll tear you apart!¡± Mark screamed at me.


    ¡°Does that mean you accept my challenge?¡± I folded my arms and waited.


    ¡°Sure, I''ll accept your challenge.¡±


    There was another collective gasp from the audience.


    ¡°Just as soon as you fight your way up through pack. When you''re next in line for leadership, then I''ll fight you.¡± Mark got a satisfied look on his face. He turned to his guard and they all had satisfied looks on their faces, too. I would have to fight every one of them just to get to Mark, and that was after I defeated everyone else.


    I just shook my head. ¡°You really are as dumb as you look.¡± I said and he growled at me. ¡°I''m not fighting for succession or pack dominance. I''m fighting you... my attacker... to take revenge on you!¡± I pumped up my anger at each pause until it was nearly a suffocating weight in my chest. I could only imagine what the rest of them must have felt like. Sheldon stepped forward and spoke.


    ¡°Her challenge is valid and in accordance with pack law. She has the solemn right to accuse her attacker and then fight them in combat... no matter who that may be.¡±


    ¡°No one is above the law.¡± I said.


    ¡°I am KING here!¡± Mark spat. ¡°My word is the law! Kill her!¡±


    Before anyone could react, a loud growl pierced the serenity of the forest. Everyone stood frozen in place and didn''t move. Whatever made that growl didn''t want anyone to move. We could feel its presence in the trees as it moved towards the clearing. The crowd on that side moved away from the edge of the woods and parted so we could see what it was. The growling got louder and louder and then a dark shape stepped out of the forest and into the clearing with us.


    ¡°Cerberus!¡± I shouted and everyone around me jumped.


    Cerberus trotted over to where I stood with Sheldon and stood at his place by my right side. Mark and his guard got a cocky look on their faces and were busy telling each other that he was just a dog. Unlike them, I could see recognition on Mark''s face. He remembered how they had so much trouble with ''just a dog'' that night and I smiled.


    ¡°You are not going to escape by having me killed for no reason. Everyone knows what you did and that you''re a liar.¡± I said and patted Cerberus on the head.


    ¡°Fine. I accept your pitiful challenge.¡± Mark said and then snarled. ¡°I am going to eat your heart out!¡±

 Chapter 10

    Surprisingly there wasn''t much preparation work for a fight like this. They just cleared a bigger area than they had for the admittance ritual and stood there. I had read up on the rules for this kind of fighting and apparently the only rules were that no one interfered and no one used weapons. Of course, considering what we were, we already had our own weapons. Or at least that''s what I was told.


    ¡°You''ve never done this before.¡± Sheldon admonished me.


    ¡°Hey, I can fight, that''s no problem.¡± I said.


    ¡°You know that''s not what I meant. You''ve never... changed before.¡± Sheldon whispered.


    ¡°It''s okay. I can handle it. Just watch me and make sure I do it right.¡±


    Sheldon shook his head as he smiled and stepped to the side at an equal distance between me and Mark. Since he was the holder of the Book of Pack Law, he was also the judge for the fight.


    ¡°Since it''s not the night of the full moon for another two weeks, the participants have agreed that they are only going to partially transform and won''t become full wolves. Hands mainly, but feet also if they can manage it.¡± Sheldon said to the crowd.


    They all milled around and speculated on the fight. They probably expected me to get myself beaten up pretty badly and then killed. I could only hope that they were wrong. Their focus shifted to Mark as he put out some energy and they could feel him trying to transform himself. I could feel him struggling with it, trying to push it around and command it to do what he wanted.


    I shook my head and watched as he grew a few inches taller and his bare feet got a bit bigger. Then his hands took on a different shape. They elongated and hair grew on the back of them. His fingernails grew out and formed claws that were almost as long as his fingers. I felt the energy dissipate and he stood there in all his glory and revelled in the pack''s admiration of his half transformed state. I thought he looked kind of silly, actually. Everyone turned their attention to me, because now it was my turn.


    I closed my eyes and saw within myself that potential to be more. The desire to be stronger and faster and better was there; but, it was tempered with compassion and grace. I remembered that night of the accident and felt my anger at what had happened to me rise to the surface. It was so easy to lose myself in the rage and mindlessness of the beast within.


    I screamed as I opened my eyes and let the energy flow out and out from me and everyone felt it. I let my blood boil and it filled my veins with my hate and anger. I could feel everyone around me going along for the ride with me. I kicked off my shoes and let my feet expand as they were meant to and they tore my socks as if they were paper. I knelt down on the ground as my calves burned like they were on fire. I heard the snap of the bones in my legs but it didn''t hurt like you''d think it would.


    There was pain, sure; but, not that kind of pain. It was more like... well, I don''t know what it was like since I had never felt anything like it before. I let the fire build and flow down into my hands and watched them grow and become huge with dark claws and fur grew out and up to my elbows. I could feel the fire trying to burn over even more of me and I didn''t want it to.


    I put my new hands on my head and rocked back and forth. The fire wanted more. I growled out loud and some people in the crowd echoed me. I shook my head and told myself over and over that I wasn''t a monster. This was enough. I didn''t need to change any more than this.


    ¡°We are all monsters.¡± Mark said.


    ¡°NO!¡± I snarled at him and stared at him with amber wolf eyes. ¡°It''s not what you are that makes you a monster. It''s the choices you make. You choose to be a monster, and then you are.¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Then that''s what we are. Monsters. Just look at yourself, sweetheart.¡± Mark said with a smirk.


    I growled at him and let the fire burn up through my face. I saw his look of shock as my face elongated and a muzzle appeared. My teeth extended and my fur grew to cover my new mouth. I growled at him and snapped my teeth together and he jumped, then I heard a few gasps.


    ¡°Do you see this? I''m still me. I know what I must look like. I can see it in your eyes. You see a monster, but that''s not who I am inside. This is only the beast. It''s not what I am, it''s just what I can become.¡± I said as normally as I could with a wolf''s lips and mouth.


    I concentrated and calmed myself. Unlike Mark, I didn''t command the fire or force it to do anything. It was a part of me. I pulled the fire back from my face and it reformed back into what it looked like normally. I heard more gasps from our audience and I ignored them because it didn''t matter.


    I didn''t know what they had expected; but, when I stood up I heard even more gasps as they saw what my legs looked like. I was almost a foot taller than I was before I had changed and I leaned back on my haunches. I had haunches like a wolf!


    I smiled as I looked at my new hands and I saw that they were in a slightly different shape than a moment before, as if they were made specifically for slashing, and my new feet were good for digging into the dirt and running to catch prey. I looked at Mark and saw his surprise.


    ¡°The participants are ready.¡± Sheldon said and gave me a wink. ¡°This fight is to the death or until one of the fighters concedes defeat.¡±


    There wasn''t any disagreements with that arrangement and heads nodded all the way around, except for Mark''s guards. They stood stolidly at his back and didn''t nod. Cerberus barked at me and I turned to him. I reached out with one of my new hands and ruffled his fur. He licked my hand and then my face and I asked him to watch my back. He looked me in the eye and barked again. I nodded and stood.


    ¡°Begin.¡± Sheldon said.


    I had been in fights before but I wasn''t prepared for the sheer ferocity of Mark''s attack. He used every bit of his strength and speed to their fullest advantage and caught me flatfooted. His first punch was to my face and the second was to my jaw. I knew he was aiming for my head so I let my own momentum carry me out of his range of attack.


    His kick hit me in the shoulder instead of my face when I fell away from him. He growled and tried to follow up on his combination; but, I was fast, too. I swept his legs out from underneath him and he hit the dirt on his back. I rolled away and ended the roll in a crouch. He hopped up to his feet like nothing had happened and tried to lunge for me again.


    I was ready this time and struck a solid blow to his solar plexus with the palm of my hand. He stumbled backwards and wheezed a few breaths before he resumed his attack. He feinted a left jab and sent his right hook across my forehead. If I hadn''t seen it coming, he would have impacted my temple and I would probably be dead from the strength of the blow. As it was, it only made me a bit woozy and I stumbled a bit. He roundhouse kicked me in the chest and it was my turn to step away and try to catch my breath.


    Mark didn''t give me the time I needed to recover like I gave him. He pounced on me and rode my body to the ground. He slammed my head into the ground as hard as he could. My vision swam as I tried to grapple his arms away; but, he kept pounding my head into the ground over and over. I stopped struggling and let my arms drop to my sides. He stopped when he saw I wasn''t trying to stop him anymore


    He got up off of me and stood facing the crowd. He roared and pounded his chest, which was met with some applause. Most of the gathered throng just stood there in silence.


    I felt that fire within me try to grow and I let it. I welcomed it and embraced it with open arms and a willing mind. The feelings of pain and soreness vanished immediately and my vision cleared. I let the fire flow through me and it grew as I let it consume as much of me as it wanted. I wasn''t any match for Mark in my current condition anyway, so that had to change. I had to change.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    It seemed so simple now. My blood boiled and my skin burned and it didn''t hurt like it did before. It was a part of me, just like I was a part of it, and I felt my body shift completely. I heard gasps and a couple of screams as I rolled over and got up on my knees. I felt fine. Better than fine, actually. I felt wonderful. I wasn''t sure what had happened, and whatever it was, I liked it. I growled as I stood up and I didn''t recognize my voice. That didn''t matter right now, though.


    The beast was free.


    It revelled in its newfound freedom and rejoiced in its new world. My prey was in front of me. Mark turned around and he seemed a lot shorter than I remembered him being. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open in shock as he took in my appearance. Whatever he saw, he was really afraid of it.


    I smiled and revealed a huge set of canine teeth through my muzzle and I could feel them. I wasn''t repulsed by the sensation, either. Mark''s face went white as the blood drained from his head. I growled again and even more screams erupted from the crowd. I hauled my huge clawed hand back to my shoulder and smashed it into his face.


    Mark was catapulted into the crowd and landed on some members of his guard. He shook his head in disbelief and growled at me. I barked a laugh at him and taunted him. He jumped at me with what looked like all of his strength and it was like slow motion for me. I sidestepped him easily, even in my much larger form and punched him in the back. I heard a crunching sound and growled in pleasure.


    I had hurt my prey! I crouched and waited for him to stand again. He braced himself and stretched his back out. As he stood, I lunged at him and tackled him around the waist. I heard a few more bones snap and barked another laugh. He tried to punch and kick me when we hit the ground and I didn''t feel anything that he did. It was amazing to me that he had so easily hurt me before, and now he couldn''t even muster enough strength to do more than just scratch me.


    I laughed at him when he tried to gouge my eyes and I caught his hands effortlessly. Mark made fists and tried his best to break free, so I just sneered at him and squeezed my hands closed. He cried out as I crushed his hands. I heard voices screaming at me to stop, but I ignored them and let his crushed hands go and then punched him in the chest. He went down like a sack of potatoes.


    I think I cracked a few of his ribs with that last shot and I barked another laugh and stepped back. I turned towards the crowd and they moved away from me. I barked again and turned back to my prey. He was gone!


    ¡°Where is he!¡± I bellowed in a deep raspy voice and no one answered. I thought about hurting them all until someone told me where he went, but then I remembered my claws. I looked down and there on my claws was his blood. I smiled. I put my nose down to my hands and took a big sniff. I got a scent from it, but it wasn''t what I thought it was going to be.


    I thought that I would get my prey''s scent and then be able to track him. What I got instead was a horrible wrenching pain in my gut. I dropped to my knees and curled myself into a fetal position to wait for the pain to stop, and it just got worse. I didn''t know what was happening! If only the pain would stop I could think of what to do next! It started getting so bad that I could barely move.


    I fell to my side and a few flecks of blood from my hands dropped onto my face and muzzle. I reached up to wipe it off and then an electric buzz went through my body. The blood. It was the blood! I licked it off of my hands and the pain I was experiencing eased. I felt that tingling go through me and ease the pain. I wanted more. I needed more! Where was my prey? I froze as the feeling came to me. He was close by.


    I hopped up quick as a flash and a dozen screams pierced the clearing. I ran to the edge of the trees and jumped into the underbrush. His trail blazed in my eyes and I knew that I could follow him anywhere. My prey can''t escape me!


    A few seconds later I saw them. His men had picked him up and taken him away from me. I lunged at them and growled as loudly as I could. No one else gets my prey! The men scattered as I got to them and they left my prey in the middle of the path. I stopped and howled at my good fortune. A few howls answered me. I reached down and grabbed my prey and took it back to the clearing. I couldn''t eat it there in the woods.


    I came out of the woods and stepped into the clearing. Most of the crowd that had gathered were backed away into the trees that surrounded the clearing and hadn''t moved away any more than that. They wanted to see me eat my prey. That was fine, as long as they didn''t try and take it from me. Then they would be sorry.


    I sat down in the clearing and dragged my prey over my lap. I couldn''t really remember what was going on; but, I had food I needed to eat, so nothing else mattered. I heard something walk over beside me and I turned and growled at it. A man who kinda looked familiar stood there with his hands out palms facing towards me. He didn''t want any of my food, I think he said. I grunted and huffed.


    He took that as an invitation and sat down across from me. He made no move for my food, so he was okay for now. I kept my eye on him just in case. Other people came out of the trees and walked closer to me. I huddled my food closer to me so they would know I wasn''t going to share. They stopped moving and I barked. They understood me. Good.


    I pulled one of the limbs of my prey to my mouth and then the man across from me spoke. I couldn''t quite understand what he was saying so I put my food down before I took a bite from it and I leaned closer. He said something about not being an animal. I huffed and leaned away and he got louder. I ignored him and tried to pick up my prey and I heard a bark.


    I recognized it, I think. I looked around and there was this thing trying to get my attention. I tried to ignore it and it barked and stepped closer. I growled and it growled back. A dominance game, was it? Well, I can play that game easily. I got up and went over to the creature. It spread its feet out and growled harder. I dropped to my knees and put my muzzle next to it. I growled and it sounded like a car engine.


    I barked a laugh and the creature barked louder. I barked louder myself. It barked back. I got bored. I swung my paw to bat the creature away but before I could hit it, it squealed in pain and fell over. I stopped mid-swing and looked at the creature and I saw it... just like that night when this all started. Then everything hit me at once.


    I remembered everything.


    I had become a beast; but, that wasn''t who I was! I wasn''t a mindless creature! I closed my eyes and screamed at the top of my lungs. I kept screaming as the fire I had let lose receded from me and flowed back into wherever it came from. When I opened my tear-filled eyes a few moments later, I was myself again. Cerberus was snuggled in my lap and Sheldon stood nearby.


    People gathered around and were talking about what had happened. They knew just as much as I did about it. The crowd parted and a few of them dropped Mark into the little circle Sheldon, Cerberus and myself had made.


    ¡°Mark was unconscious so he lost. He couldn''t continue or submit.¡± Sheldon said.


    ¡°Now what happens?¡± I asked in a low voice.


    ¡°That depends on if you want your questions answered or not.¡± Sheldon explained.


    ¡°I do, but no one has to tell me anything.¡± I said.


    ¡°Do you really think no one will talk after seeing what you just did?¡± Sheldon laughed. ¡°Do you even realize what you were? You were a wolf-man! A huge, over-sized wolf that stood up on two muscular legs. No one has ever seen anything like that before. It''s never happened!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± I said, kind of flattered and flabbergasted at the same time.


    Mark''s guards were ushered into the clearing with us and everyone we asked said that if anyone knew what had gone on that night, it would be them. They are the ones who usually handle stuff for Mark. I asked my questions and they were reluctant at first; but, with the whole pack around them and threatening them, they soon came to the decision to tell me everything. It wasn''t what I had thought I was going to hear.


    I had expected a story about a forgotten night full of excesses and mistakes or something, and that was really far from the truth. Mark was in the employ of a local business man who would hire him to take care of things. That meant he was their clean-up man. If they had a dirty job to be handled, they would get Mark to do it. Sometimes Mark would just take some pack members who would have to do what he said, or he would get some rogue werewolves that were passing through his territory and hire them.


    I tried to get them to tell me who the local businessman was and none of them knew. Only Mark knew who the guy was, so I would have to wait for him to regain consciousness before I could ask him. I asked why they could answer my questions now and couldn''t before. They said that they were under orders not to say anything, then I had beaten Mark fair and square and now I was ranked higher than him, even though it was only a revenge fight and not one for dominance.


    Apparently, once you were beaten in a fight, you were a lower rank, no matter the circumstances. It wasn''t long before Mark started to recover from the injuries I had given him during the fight. When he woke, he discovered that he was restrained and tried to struggle free. That wasn''t going to happen. I asked him who it was that he worked for, and he said that he couldn''t tell me or he would be killed.


    I leaned towards him and he leaned away. I asked him what he thought that I would do to him right now if he didn''t answer. He blanched as the blood drained from his face again and he looked at the people gathered around him. None of them gave him an encouraging word and some even looked down on him. He sighed and told me who it was that had hired him.


    I was shocked and dismayed at his answer and I just sat there in stone cold silence for several minutes. It wasn''t possible! Why would he do it? It must be a mistake.


    Mark said that he had been doing jobs off and on for the man for years. Now that I knew the identity of the man responsible for everything that happened to me, I turned to Mark and asked the question that was now burning in my mind.


    ¡°When Mr. Soulson''s assistant paid you to kill me, who did you get to help you?¡±


    The end?