Chapter 64: Middle Path

"Thank you, Naomi" she replied, walking back down the road. She wiggled a little here and there but soon stabilised her gait. I waited for her to drop out of sight before I knocked on the front door again. Catherina opened the door, and I walked inside.

"Nice party trick you did over there" commented Catherina. "You should have become a lawyer or something"

"I did become something. Now, where is Jeremy?" I asked.

Jeremy was waiting for us at the bottom of the staircase. "And?" he asked.

I looked from him to Catherina. "There might be a way out of this. The middle path."

"What? How?" they echoed in unison.

"I, have made contact, with some uh, how should I say, employers, that are willing to offer a job" I explained, pretty vaguely I admitted. Covering up that it was actually Vincent Moonlight was killing my vocabulary.

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Jeremy first.

"What it means, is that we don't have to steal money, and neither do we have to kill anybody. We simply just, work for the money" I explained.

Jeremy and Catherialna chuckled.

"Work? Do we look like some fucking minimum wage burger tossers to you?" asked Catherina.

"Interestingly, I don't even think you'd be able to handle burger tossing, Catherina. You better stick to scowling and the other depravity like tearing living things apart." I replied.

"Oh, how you know me so well" retorted Catherina.

"Pardon me, but can we rush this along? Now, correct me if I'm mistaken, Ms Naomi, but a million dollars is quite a lot of money, isn't it?" he asked. "Surely not one person can earn in a month, right? Not even four people."

"Well, usually, no." I started "But this is a special case"

"And what's so special about it?"

I bit my tongue. "That this is a contract. We get hired to do a job, and we get paid a million dollars flat. No burger tossing here." I replied cheerily.

Jeremy whistled. "Doesn't that sound too easy? What kind of job is going to give us a million dollars" he scoffed.

"I don't see you providing any solutions out of this mess. The only thing I see is grumbling." I warned. Jeremiah went silent.

"Well, I for one, think it sounds wonderful. But I have some questions. 1. Who'd be dumb enough to give us a stupid amount of money, and 2. What exactly are we doing? Why do you keep saying 'job' like it's weird slang?" asked Catherina. I folded my arms.

"For your first question, I can't answer that here. And as for the second, I don't know" I stated.

"Excuse Me?"

"He, I mean the employer only mentioned that he would have to screen the pack for our abilities before negotiating the deal?" "Screen the pack? This employer of yours is a werewolf?!!!" asked Catherina loudly. Other dormant wolves in the building craned their heads to look at us, and I clicked my tongue. Catherina was always as sharp as a tack.

"I needn't say more about that" I replied. "Now, unless you have some other bright ideas, I suggest we take the new development to Alpha Harris. What say you?" I asked. Jeremiah continued to remain mute. Catherina looked at me like I was radioactive or something. "Alright, then, I'll take that as a yes. "

We were back at Alpha Harris's office, and I explained the situation while he stared outside blankly, his back turned to face. "Excellent," he said, after hearing the proposal. "Now let's hear the bombshell you've been waiting to drop"

"Huh?"

"The real meat of what you've been hiding, Naomi. Or Ithere isn't one? I would be surprised if that was the case" he said, turning to face us. "Now, what is it that you don't want to tell me?" he asked.

And I bit my lips. "The employer. His name is Vincent Moonlight. I think you're familiar" I replied finally. Catherina and Jeremiah looked at me with horror; their eyes practically burning a hole around my temples. Harris looked shocked, but only momentarily, because soon after, he assumed his thinking pose, head coxked on one side, and arms folded.

"You fucking piece of corn swaddle," said Catherina. Well, she didn't really say that. Corn Swaddle was a very mild censor compared to the depravity of the words uttered from her mouth that day.

"The first thing to do when you have a problem is call your rich boyfriend?!" she taunted. Too easy, Catherina.

"At least he exists. And he is rich" I replied defiantly. She drew her claws.

"I'll skin you alive!" she threatened.

"And I will put up a fight" I replied drawing my fangs.

"Enough. From both of you" instructed Harris. "But-"

"No buts, Catherina," said Harris.

He looked at me more carefully. "Vincent Moonlight is willing to dispense 1 million dollars?" he asked me.

"Not for free, of course. He has a job"

"And did he tell the specifics of said job?"

"He did not. He wishes to evaluate the pack firsthand" I replied.

"I see," said Harris, thinking. "How long do we have to respond?" he asked me again.

"This weekend, apparently" I replied. He delved even deeper into thought, and suddenly, struck his hands together.

"Alright!" he said.

"Alright, what?" asked Jeremiah and Catherina in anxious unison.

"If there is such a deal on the table, we have to take it seriously. And the Moonlights are the revered elite amongst them all, we have to take our best people" stated Harris.

"Alpha, surely you are not considering any of this?" asked Catherina.

"Abd why not? It is what I instructed, isn't it? To find the middle path. Naomi seems to have carved out an interesting path this time" Harris winked.