Chapter 2 Secrets Behind the Office

This lady was small, old, with silver hair shining. Big glasses covered most of her face, making her eyes look huge. "Hi, ma'am," Ruby started, feeling a bit uneasy in this beautiful place. It had a certain charm, and she sensed she might be seen as different among all these professional-looking people.

The lady, Macy, listened as Ruby explained she was there for an interview happening in two hours. "Oh!" Macy smiled, shaking Ruby's hand. "Follow me." She led Ruby, asking about her name and complimenting her dress.

Ruby, trying to be confident, replied, "Thanks, I'm Ruby."

Macy stopped at the door, saying, "He's busy, but you're next. Sit here. Water or coffee?"

"Water's fine, thanks." Ruby waited as Macy went to get the water.

An interviewee rushed out, crying. People stared, and Ruby felt a bad vibe. What if the interviewer didn't like her either? Anxiety settled in.

Macy returned with sparkly water. "Thought you might like it," she said.

"Normal water would've been fine, but thanks." Ruby took the water, nervous. Macy assured her the interviewer would like her instantly, but Ruby was skeptical.

"Why do you say that?" Ruby asked.

"He's been expecting you. You're the one," Macy cryptically claimed.

Feeling uneasy, Ruby didn't want to question Macy further. People often liked her at first but changed later. She didn't want Macy to turn against her, too.

"NEXT!" a frustrated voice yelled from the office.

Ruby took a deep breath, heading in. Macy wished her luck, and Ruby stepped into the office, feeling a strange shift. It was like she belonged there, but she couldn't understand why.

"Have a seat," the only woman in the room said, reading Ruby's file. "Now, why do you need this job? What do you have to offer?" The room's attention shifted to Ruby.

Ruby took a big breath as she faced the intimidating people in the room. They seemed tough and a bit scary.

The lady called for Macy, wondering why Ruby was there. But when the interviewer got snooty, Ruby couldn't hold back.

"You shouldn't treat people like that just 'cause you're in charge," Ruby objected.

"What? How dare you!" the lady snapped back, eyes flashing with anger. Her eyes seemed to shine like silver, which freaked Ruby out.

The lady blew up, yelling that Ruby lost the job. Ruby stayed calm, grabbing her things to leave when another interviewer, Archer, stopped her.

The angry lady was stunned that Archer wanted Ruby to stay. "She's a Luna," he said.

The room went silent. The lady was shocked. "How can she be a Luna?" she stammered.

Archer insisted he sensed it. He kept staring at Ruby, making her feel like she knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't place it.

"So, she gets the job just like that?" the angry lady questioned.

Archer nodded, saying Lunas were the best for the job. Ruby asked what a Luna was, and they explained it was a special thing in the company for werewolf fans.

Ruby found it strange but cool. She wasn't into werewolves, but the company's quirkiness intrigued her.

The angry lady muttered something odd, but Ruby let it slide. Things had been weird lately, and this lady's behavior was just a small part of the strange stuff she'd experienced.

"Macy was so excited when Ruby stepped out of the room. 'You got the job, aren't you excited!' she said.

Ruby wondered, 'Where did I get such courage from?'

'You've got that courage within you,' Macy reassured her. 'You've got the power.'

Confused, Ruby asked, 'Excuse me?'

Macy paused for a moment, trying to say it more softly. 'Don't worry. As humans, we all have that inner confidence.'

Ruby smiled but felt Macy had more to say. Macy asked if Ruby wanted to start today.

'Start what?' Ruby was feeling a bit confused.

'Now that you've got the job, do you want to start today?' Macy clarified. She told the other people waiting for their interviews that they weren't needed anymore and asked them to leave.

They left one by one. Ruby noticed they were all women seeking the job.

'Why are they all women?' Ruby asked.

Macy turned to them, saying, 'It was in the job description. Didn't you see that?'"

She was getting more and more confused the longer she thought about it. "Can I start tomorrow?" Ruby asked. "I have stuff to do today."

Macy grinned, saying, "Sure thing. Anything you need, I'll be there."

Feeling even more puzzled, Ruby walked away from the building. The interview had left her feeling even more confused, and she couldn't shake the strange attraction she felt towards that man, Archer.

She entered the pitch-black room, panting heavily, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she surveyed the darkness. The loud smashing sound had heightened all her senses, putting her on edge as she tried to locate its origin.

"Where am I?" she wondered, fear evident in her voice, scanning the room for something familiar. Her vision remained fuzzy, the moonlight through the window behind the bed providing the only illumination. Paws dug into the surface of the TRI blanket beneath her without her knowing her transformation and possession with a special place in her heart.

Aside from that, something felt off. The bed adjacent to the vacant one was not supposed to be empty. "Where the heck am I, and where is the owner of this place?" she questioned.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and her cousin, Mabel, walked in. "Mabel?" she attempted to speak, but Mabel screamed at her.

"What is wrong?" then, with instinct, she began to race outside.

"Get that wolf?" the voice approached from behind as they hurried, the sound of guns and bullets in the air.

She called for help from just anyone, but no one could hear her. Yes, she knew she was a wolf in this place, wherever it was, but she didn't know the reason why.

'This has to be a dream...' she begged. 'This has to be a dream.' She kept on repeating as she galloped her way for safety.

The slither of bullets passing across was evident, and for a minute, she felt she was going to get shot. But no, she wasn't; she had a high sense of hearing, and her stamina was pretty much unprecedented.

But she wasn't sure she was going to make it. She continued to run, trying to find safety, perhaps in a house. But in a timely move, some pack of wolves dived in while the humans or people gave her the chase.

She slowed down for a minute, and all she could hear were screams of horror as the wolves chased them back to the cabin.

"What is going on?" she thought.

"You still haven't decided on who you are?"

Then she turned to the voice behind her. It was another wolf. The same wolf she'd mostly seen in her nightmares.

"This has to be a nightmare, right?"

"Do you feel it is?"

He circled her, his eyes stony and silver.

"Yes."

"What about the bite on your neck? Do you feel that's a dream of some sort?"

She realized she didn't even understand what was real and what wasn't. She tried as much as she could to explain it away, but no matter how much she tried, she felt stupid.

"I don't know..."