BACK AT ENORA'S APARTMENT More than a week had passed, and Enora hadn't heard from Victor. That morning Wilson had informed her the apartment was safe enough to return to, and it instantly brought her mood up. Enora entered her place with her arms spread wide, soaking in all that she missed from being away. At a run, she dramatically dove onto her bed with a light thud. "Oh, how I've missed you." "A fancy hotel not comfortable enough for you?" Wilson asked, knocking lightly on her door. "I can't help it. It always feels good to be back in your own bed." He laughed, "I'm just messing with you. I get it completely. Nothing can compare to what you're used to." She smiled in response, "Exactly." "Anyway, I'm checking every room and then I'll be out of your hair." She flopped onto her back and texted Victor again, asking when they'd be able to speak. She was surprised he hadn't been there to inspect everything himself, including her. Of course, she couldn't blame him if he was tr
MEANWHILE AT QUERCIA HEADQUARTERS His steps echoed through the empty halls as he made his way into the office and poured himself a drink. The ice clinked noisily together in the glass as Alessandro tipped it, taking a long swig of whiskey. His patience had grown thin. How long did it take to interrogate one shifter? The phone buzzed, displaying his beta's name on the screen. "Alpha, you wanted a progress report." "Yes. Why is this taking so long? Over a week is more than sufficient in time." "Understood, but he was being difficult at first. Then there was slight... complications." Alessandro rubbed his temples, understanding that his beta must have used excessive force as he usually did. "You should know by now that ones like him are weak. Control yourself beta. I expect to be able to speak with him." "Understood. My apologies." If he hadn't been ready to murder at learning of the underling's actions, he would be interrogating the idiot himself. The insignificant amount of cr
AT THE SUBWAY TRAIN STATION The platform was partially crowded when Enora entered through the turnstile, cautiously looking through people to locate the man with the camera. When she spotted him towards the end of the platform, she quickly buttoned up her jacket and shoved her hair into a hat she had in her purse. Just in case he was to see her, he wouldn't recognize her right away. Enora's phone buzzed in her pocket, making her jump as she saw it was Gil. Her hands tapped decline hurriedly–he was probably on his way there. Thankfully the train pulled up thirty seconds later and gravitated the crowd forward, giving her the opportunity to slip into the same train car as the man. He had just finished a text when he sat down and fiddled with his camera, appearing to be scrolling through the gallery. Enora moved slowly, but as naturally as possible to avoid attracting attention. Fortunately, the shifting of people at the next stop helped her reach him quickly. Placing her phone on sile
A hand covered her mouth before a scream could escape. They pulled her against their body and panic settled in as she attempted to turn her head. She thrashed against them, ready to try and fight until they whispered in her ear, "Hey it's me. Calm down." Relief washed over her when she turned to see Gil crouched beside her with a finger to his lips. He gently removed his hand and pulled her along. They put some distance between them and the dumpsters before speaking. "Enora, I don't even know what to say," he began; arms crossed and anger evident on his face. It made her flinch. "I know that sorry isn't enough, but I am. I did this selfishly because I wasn't thinking. It just happened." "But why? You know how dangerous this is and how much we care about your safety." "I don't know... A part of it felt like I owed it to myself. To not be useless and help out," she answered honestly. Gil pressed his hands to the back of his neck, releasing a long and heavy breath as he took a few
TWO HOURS AGO, AT LOTUS HEADQUARTERS The grandfather clock in the office struck its hourly chime, jolting Victor awake from his desk. He rubbed at his forehead groggily, unable to remember falling asleep. The past couple of days away from Enora had been rough and he was unsure of how much longer he would be able to hide it. It was obvious many in the pack had noticed him being absent and calling less meetings; patrolling on his own and even sparring less, but he couldn't focus. Talking about everything with his parents gave him some clarity of the situation; those decisions had to be made for the good of the pack as well as his own well-being. It was time to get the last secret off of his chest even if it meant benefitting him more than Enora. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts; it was a pack scientist coming to report. "Alpha, the final specimen results." "Yes, come in. What's been confirmed?" "This is indeed an enhancer. When mixed with a rogue's DNA it mutates into s
MEANWHILE, WITH GIL AND ENORA Another shot went off as the car sped down the empty streets followed by four others. In the rearview mirror she saw two more cars join in the chase from the side and men hanging out of the windows to aim. She screamed as she ducked her head when two shots hit the side mirror on Gil's side and blew out the back window. Shards of glass flew towards the front and grazed her hand, the rest sprinkling all over them. "Enora, reach for my bag in the back!" "Huh? Oh, ok!" she replied hurriedly, her shaking hands trying to get a proper hold of the bag on the floor. Opening it revealed a variety of weapons and other devices she didn't recognize. "Alright, grab the cylindrical cans and throw them behind us. Don't worry, they're smoke and flash bangs. It should slow at least one of down for now." "O–oh. I'll try." She grabbed two canisters and steadied herself as Gil opened the sunroof. She ducked back in when they fired again and tried to calm herself. She co
The collision threw the car off course. The sudden jerk hurt Enora's side as she held a death grip on the seatbelt, gritting her teeth. The breath had been knocked out of her lungs, making her unable to scream as the windows shattered and littered everything in glass; the sudden onslaught of wind whipping her hair into her face. They spiraled forward, seemingly going on forever as Wilson strained to right the car and keep them from crashing, while Gil kept a firm grip on Enora. "F*ck! Hold on!" Wilson shouted, finally regaining control. "Gil! Take the wheel!" He pulled out two pistols from the side of the door and hung out of the window to aim. Shots fired into the night once again as both made contact on each other's vehicles, the bullets popping in their ears as they skimmed the sides of the car. Wilson managed to hit one of the cars in back, blowing out its tire and sending them careening into the barrier. Enora managed to wrangle the hair out of her face, wildly reaching aro
Two wolves stealthily passed between the cars towards the others, and she knew they had to be from the Quercia. She ducked her head down behind the seat, and whispered to herself in panic, "Oh no, no, no." The chances of them not discovering her were low and she didn't feel confident in trying to pick up a weapon. The cars were packed tightly around each other as they'd all arrived in a hurry, so they would hopefully serve as good cover. Gingerly, she walked backwards and around the car door, keeping her eyes on any glimpse of the wolves' fur. She knew they could probably smell her, but the area was large enough to keep a distance for now. She'd wished she had convinced Wilson to let her stay closer, the snail's pace she moved at making every moment more nerve wrecking than the next. In her bad luck, she turned too quickly at the sound of a glass bottle rolling and the canisters she was carrying hit the side of a car ever so lightly, but enough so that it alerted the two predator