Chapter 32 – Werewolves in the company – part 1

The man in a grey dark suit took one step forward, unable to stop staring at Lisa, and he asked, “Miss Aniya… I think that if the general public knows about Werewolves living among them, they will panic, but maybe if they are told that Werewolves are not mindless beasts and they can keep their reasoning, they will accept that scary fact…”

Aniya rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed. “Yes, because we all know what happens when different people walk down the street! No one looks at them, no one badmouths them behind their back, no one marginalises them. For the time being, or at least until we have a larger group, it is best to keep everything you saw here hidden. I also found out recently that Werewolves are spread all over the World, and there are some enormous packs out there that not even the Hunters dare to mess with. I want a pack like that. A strong and big family of Werewolves, gathered together to protect each other. A pack so strong and so big, that we won’t need to fear anyone.”

The same man made an awkward smile. “You know, it is often said that great power corrupts people.”

“I know, that’s why I want all of you to keep me and my partner in check, to make sure we don’t abuse that power.”

A woman asked, from the middle of the group, “You said pack and family. You mean, like wolves have? With a hierarchy and all?”

“Yes, that is correct. My partner told me he grew up in a pack of Werewolves in Ireland. His parents were the leaders of the pack, and they were called Alpha and Luna. Their seconds in the hierarchy were the Betas, and there were also Deltas and Omegas. Those were mostly fighters. I am the Luna, Lisa here is a Delta. She could be my second in command when I was absent, but she prefers to be in the fighting group.”

The same woman grinned while staring directly at Aniya. “What if someone else wanted to be the Luna to order everyone around?”

Aniya increased her light, and they all shrunk and looked down, overwhelmed by the pressure of her light and voice. “The moment you or any of you can make me look down, I will leave my spot vacant. Besides, I don’t want to order anyone around. I just want to be sure none of you gets killed by a mindless Werewolf or a Hunter.”

Aniya dispersed her light and made a gentle smile. “I think this is not a difficult thing to understand. Remember, I am not forcing or threatening anyone to join me. You are free to live your life as you see fit with your family. Since you are now immune to the wolf’s bane, the Hunters won’t have any means to test if you are a Werewolf or not, and if you come to me on the next full moon and I wake you up, you won’t ever fear the change. The next step would be to teach you how to change every time you want. That is very useful, especially if you or any of your dear ones are in danger.”

They all went silent, thinking about Aniya’s words, and Lisa put a new towel on the floor and faced the wall again.
While the group was in silence and thinking, they noticed that Lisa’s Werewolf body was turning into dust and falling over the towel at an incredible speed, and she didn’t even complain. She merely kept on rubbing her body with her hands to get rid of any residue of her previous enormous body.

Lisa then carefully stepped out of the towel and wrapped her naked body in a clean one, facing the dumbfounded group again, and explained, “To change back, it’s as easy as this. The only thing I noticed is that I am always starving after I change. I don’t feel dizzy or weak, only hungry and thirsty. No wonder, right? I have my body and blood inside that plastic, so I guess it’s understandable that I want to have breakfast again. I also need to take a bath to get rid of the dust in my hair. A small price to pay, I believe.”

Aniya smiled at the group that was looking at Lisa, surprised by her words and by the easiness of the change, with no visible pain or suffering, and she said, “You don’t need to answer me now or any time soon. I am not in a hurry. I have another group of people to meet this afternoon to explain to them what I said to you, and tomorrow I am going with a group of Hunters to kill as many of those cannibals I can.”

A woman asked, surprised by her words, “You are going with a group of Hunters? How did you get them to accept you?”

“Because my family comes from a long line of Hunters, and I was supposed to become an administrative assistant. Since I found out previously that I was also a Werewolf, I asked to join a Squad of Hunters and to go on field missions, to learn more about them and their tactics. Lisa went with me yesterday, and we met that strange group of Werewolves and we saw them change in front of us. Among them was Adrian Gordon, but he escaped. He won’t escape me next time. I can’t have a group of cannibal Werewolves eating people and giving us a bad name. We already look scary enough. There’s no need to make normal Humans afraid of being eaten.”

While they were talking among themselves, Lisa’s mother, who was also there but kept silent until that moment, clapped her hands to call for attention. “Considering it’s already the middle of the morning, what about if we all went to the dining room for some tea and biscuits while Lisa takes a quick bath? You just need to mind the subject of your conversations, because our staff is not aware of this. We already fired one maid yesterday that was working for us for three years, because she was the one to tell the Hunters about Lisa. I would rather not fire anyone today because it’s rather hard to find employees that keep their mouths shut.”

They all followed Sharon McCarty and sat at the long dining table, happily chatting in whispers about what they had heard, but going silent every time a servant entered the dining room.
They remained in the dining room, telling stories about their experiences as Werewolves, at least what their families told them about, and none of them even noticed that it was almost lunchtime.

Sharon smiled at her husband and asked the big group, “Considering the hour and because I warned my staff the moment you arrived, if any of you want to stay for lunch, we could have a commemorative meal.”

While only a few graciously refused because they had family waiting for them or work in the afternoon, the great majority accepted the invitation. Aniya said, after taking a sip of her tea, “After lunch, I am going to my company to meet another group of Werewolves. I won’t mind if any of you want to tag along. I could use your support if some of them are more sceptical than you were when you met me.”

One young man spoke with a slight smile. “I wouldn’t mind escorting you, Miss Aniya. When you say your company, are you talking about ‘Rossi Technologies’? Because I read in the news that you are the new CEO, but I would never imagine you were also… you know… like us?”

Aniya winked. “That is indeed the name of my company. And I am not like anyone else. I am the one and only, Aniya Rossi!”

Seeing her grinning and with her chin up made everyone laugh. Sharon McCarty didn’t fail to notice that Aniya was never so approachable, especially with new people, and her recent sympathy and gentle character could only be because of her change into a scary Werewolf. That, or the fact she found a partner, considering she let it slip during the conversation in the office.
Lisa noticed that her mother was slowly nodding with a big smile while glancing at Aniya, and made a mental note to ask her later what she was so happy about.
…

Frank McCarty’s driver stopped the car in front of Aniya’s company and rushed to open the door for her and Lisa. Ten more people joined them at the entrance after parking their cars, and they all followed Aniya and Lisa inside, admiring the exquisite lobby, expensively decorated with an enormous crystal chandelier on the ceiling, a five-meter reception desk with over ten big screens on the wall behind, showing non-stop several commercials with the company’s products.
Anna Kent was already there, smiling at Aniya and signalling for everyone to follow her to the elevators.

While they waited, Anna whispered, “Miss Aniya, who are all these people? The ones I called are already in the meeting room!”

“They are more of us that I met in the morning at Lisa’s house. Five couldn’t come because they already had other things to do, but they came to help, in case I needed support.”

The doors opened, and the first group entered with Anna Kent, and half remained near Aniya and Lisa, waiting for the next one.
On the fifteenth floor, Anna and six other people waited in the corridor near one security man. When the elevator doors opened and Aniya exited with her other guests, they all followed Anna to the big meeting room at the end of the corridor, with the security man remaining in front of the elevators to prevent anyone from disturbing Aniya’s meeting.

While walking along the corridor, Aniya whispered, “Anna, Lisa, pay attention to the group inside. If any of them resists my light, it means they are with Adrian Gordon and they can’t leave this building. Did I make myself clear?”

Lisa and Anna immediately nodded, with serious faces. Upon reaching the end of the corridor, Anna Kent opened the door for her, and Aniya entered, immediately followed by the smiling Lisa McCarty and ten more people. Anna put over the table and right in front of Aniya, a vase with wolf’s bane, covered with a plastic bag. The fifteen people that were already at the table jolted, but tried to disguise their nervousness.

Aniya smiled at the inquiring looks upon her and explained, “No need to be so nervous, we are all Werewolves here.”

A woman at Aniya’s left with dark brown curly hair asked with a frown, “Says who? I do not know what you are talking about, lady!”

Aniya looked at the windows to confirm if all the blinds were closed, and when she looked at the frowning woman again, Aniya was glowing, filling the entire room with her yellow light, as her voice asked in an icy tone, “I don’t remember saying that you could speak, did I? I will do the questions, and you will answer. Unless you want to leave and face death, the next time the Hunters go to your house for a visit.”

Aniya looked at the people around the table and saw two of them, one man and one woman, disguising a smile and glancing at each other. Aniya touched Anna’s and Lisa’s hands and signalled with her head to the two intruders. In the next second, Anna was near the woman and tasing her neck, and Lisa was kicking the man’s head so hard that he got knocked out even before hitting the floor.
Aniya diminished her light, and while everyone was still blinking, Anna and Lisa were pulling up the knocked-out couple and seating them on their chairs again, with their arms over the table.
Lisa took the gun the man had at his waist and found out he was also carrying handcuffs that she used on his wrists. Anna saw him moving his head and tased his neck without even thinking.