Prologue
Driving to one of the most important interviews of your life can be intimidating specifically when your car starts to make tapping sounds.
Groaning, I pull on the brakes hoping it isn’t what I think it is. The Malfunction Indicator light winks at me from behind my steering wheel. My favourite car which has sticked with me in countless situations and never once let me down has come to a stop on what would be the most important day of my life,
Annoyed, I get out of my driver’s seat, unclipping the seat belt as I walk around to the front and try to lift the hood of my car. As my fingers touch the hood, I jerk my hand back. It’s too hot.
Blowing air on my fingers I reach into my pants pockets and fish out a kerchief before wrapping it around my fist and trying again. Thankfully, my skin didn’t burn and thanks to my higher rate of healing even if it did it would probably not leave a scar,
I flex my fingers and try again and this time the hood of my car pops open as I check my engine. Smoke emitting from the engine fills my lungs as I cough clutching at my chest.
Moving aside and taking a gulp of fresh air, I rub my eyes which were earlier filled with water from my coughing spree and step back in front of the hood. One by one I check for any malfunctions and find the problem.
Yup it is engine knocking and there is no way that I would be able to fix this given the tight frame of time left for me to attend what would be the most important interview of my life until now.
Cursing I close the hood and take out my phone searching for signals. I still have half an hour and the drive from here to Helios company must be at least twenty minutes. I try to book an Uber but the nearest uber is at least thirty minutes from me.
Shit.
I kick the tire which makes a loud blowing sound before it deflates. Great. Now my ill temper has given me a blown out tire.
Sighing,I look towards the highway hoping to see a vehicle so that I can ask for a lift. Nope. There is no sign of life.
Shoulders hunched in tension, I walk back to the driver’s seat and park the car properly on the shoulder before taking out my backpack and make sure that all my essentials are inside.
Resume. Check. Certificates. Double check. Back up suppression shots. Triple check. Letting out a huge breath, I quickly exit the car, locking it up behind me and then starting to run towards the destination. I need to walk along the highway until the next exit.
I try to borrow extra strength from my beast who stirs in my mind and co-operates with me but there is a hint of annoyance in her. From the past few days, I have been taking suppression shots more especially due to my visits to the university.
I never estimated that there would come such a time when I had to take them so frequently. I had developed them during my master’s when I discovered that there were a few seniors who were Werewolves. One of them included Archer Rex who turned out to be good acquaintances with my uncle James as they shared the same dorm wing when my Uncle was doing his master’s while Archer had just joined the university for his bachelor’s degree.
Archer has actually helped me and hooked me up with this interview. So I have been taking my suppression shots as my interactions with fellow weres increased. These shots suppressed my beast’s power because if I didn’t use them, my powers would rival that of an Alpha.
And If I was asked to shift my abnormal beast would cause fear. No one knew the reason for my abnormal wolf. Still in thoughts, I run as fast as possible while still searching for any vehicles that can give me lift.
Suddenly, my ears pick up the sounds of a motor vehicle. It is throaty, reminding me of one of my favourite motorcycles. The Ducati.
But right now, my focus needs to be on the interview. Hope fills my body as I look in the direction of the sound and my eyes go wide as I take in the vehicle.
The mountains create a picturesque background and the bike that glides along the Highway is the bike of my dreams. It is black as it almost syncs into the asphalt, with the driver wearing a heavy helmet and a leather jacket that protects him against the road rash.
My beast drools in the back of my mind, but then I come back to my senses and stretch my arm out in hopes that the driver would give me a lift.
A huge wind then blows right in my direction, carrying with it a scent that is so intoxicating that has my beast shivering in pleasure. Chocolate with some nutty flavour that makes me inhale the scent once again. But with it comes an awareness that the rider is not just a human.
Waves of power crash against me. They almost push me over, indicating that this Were ranks high. I have never been so affected by someone. Once I met one of the most fearsome Alphas, Alpha Brandon, when he had visited our company to organise his mating ceremony. But even he didn’t affect me as much as this stranger does.
I see the Stranger tilt his head towards my car that’s parked a few feet away from me before the sound of him hitting the brakes reaches my ears. He slows down before coming to a stop before me.
I feel him assessing me as his head bobs up and down. “Identify yourself!” he barks.
Not an unusual response from a high ranked Were. “Aurelia gayl. weresap,” I say, casting my eyes down.
It is disrespectful for a Were of lower rank to look directly into the eyes of someone ranked higher unless they are familiar.
“Do you need help, Ma’am?” The stranger says, his voice now soft like silk against my skin, which causes me to shiver.
That is the cue for me to look in his direction and converse like a normal person.
“Yes. I have an interview with Helios company in Al Tavi city.”
Al tavi is a city that is mostly governed by supernaturals, but many humans reside there too. All the humans who reside there are sworn to secrecy. They are mostly mates or relatives of other supernaturals, so they understand that talking about us essentially means risking the lives of their loved ones.
“Ok. Hop on. I too have some business in the city,” he grunts as he finishes saying the words.
Apprehension takes over as I look at him. Am I really going to take the lift of a higher ranked Were? It wouldn’t be much of a problem if it were a human.
With my secret, I usually spend time avoiding supernatural beings of any kind, especially when I am not acquainted with them.
The stranger must sense my hesitation as he grunts and says, “Look, lady. I am not taking advantage. Here you can keep my wallet with you until we have reached your destination.”
He reaches into his pants pocket and fishes out a brown leather wallet, extending it towards me. He then lifts his visors, making eye contact with me.
My breath hitches as I look into his eyes. They are a dark brown in colour, but something in them pushes me to trust him. I nod at him and take his wallet from his eyes before I hop on the back seat, straddling it.
“When is your interview?” He asks.
I glance at my wrist and reply, “Twenty minutes left.”
“Then you better hold on tight,” he says, before revving the engine and squeezing the accelerator.
The tires protest initially before the bike jerks into motion and the force pushes me back. Involuntarily, a gasp escapes my lips as I clutch on to his shoulders, not wanting to be thrown off the bike.
Soon, I get used to the feeling of wind in my hair, my ponytail swinging against my neck as the stranger races towards the city. I can sense that he is a skilful driver as he swerves past cars and switches lanes with ease, and soon we are going down the exit to the city and we enter the traffic.
The honks of the cars cause us to wince in symphony, our heightened hearing protests at the sudden change in decibels before we get used to it and he starts navigating the traffic smoothly.
All throughout the way, the stranger has been calm, making me believe that he is not a man of many words. I don’t know how he knows the location of the company, but he drives straight through the gates and stops just a few feet away from the entrance.
Trying to tame my disheveled hair, I get off the bike and hand him his wallet muttering “Thank you.”
He lifts his visors again and assesses me for a moment before taking back his wallet. His glove covered fingers brush me again and for some unknown reason my beast’s delighted.
He raises his brow in question, but I shake my head in response before saying thank you again. He nods and gestures to me towards the entrance.
I look at my wrist again and see that I only have five minutes left. My eyes widen as I dash towards the entrance, now nervous for the interview.
