Chapter One

LUNA

I sat up on my bed with a gasp and collapsed back when I realized that it was all a dream. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and sighed. I have had the same recurring nightmares of my father’s death for the past eleven years. And it was always the same thing.

Viper shoots my father, Viper sees me hiding under the truck, pulls me out, and kills me too. After all these years, I had not been able to get the face of my father’s killer out of my head. And every day, I prayed that karma caught up with him, and he was killed in the most gruesome ways that man could think of.

I looked at the time and saw that it was almost 6:00 am. It was useless to go back to sleep anyway. I got out of bed and walked to my kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water. I took the glass to my living room and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling reflective windows that overlooked the city of Los Angeles.

I heard a howl in the distance and rolled my eyes. Werewolves had come out of the shadows about a century ago, and since then, there had been a power shift. Humans were no longer the most intelligent species on the planet. They had subtly and slowly taken over everything. The government, the banks, our food supply. We were at their mercy. And so, everyone respected them. And thankfully, humans were not hunted or anything as cruel as that.

I looked down my window at the luxurious cars that passed my building. I was finally living my dream. Independent, a woman with her own money, her dream job, her dream apartment, and respect.

After my father was killed, I had come to America. I had gone to my aunt’s place as my father had originally planned, but I found her dead. She had been murdered too. It was as though whoever killed my father was trying to wipe his whole family from existence.

Getting an apartment was difficult as I was underaged, but I managed to swing that. I smiled sadly at the memories. I was glad that I managed to get through all of that. The only thing missing out on all of this was my family. I had not planned to do this alone.

I rinsed my cup, replaced it in its spot, and went back to my room. I had gotten a job as an interpreter in a company that offers translation and PR services for people. It was an up-and-coming company, but they paid well, and I enjoyed working there.

I hummed as I lotioned my body and applied my make-up, running the bright red lipstick across my plump lips. Deciding that today felt like a good day to go very bold—not that a day went by that I didn’t dress like it was my last day alive—I pulled my red power suit from my wardrobe. The suit had the design of a chef’s jacket and clung to my frame, and it was paired with a red pencil skirt that came down to my thighs. Just a few centimeters from my knees. Pairing it with a pair of knee-high leather boots, throwing my hair up into a ponytail, and I was ready to bring the world to its feet.

I fingered the necklace that my father had gifted me for my sixteenth birthday and tried to stop the wave of sadness that flowed through me. It was a pink diamond that had a somewhat oval shape. Even then, I knew that it was expensive, and I always wondered how my father could have afforded it. I sighed and picked up my bag. It was time for work.

I drove my Hilux down to the office. People always wondered why I chose to drive this particular vehicle. And to be honest, I wondered too. I knew for a fact that I would look much better in a sleek Benz or a Tesla. I guess you could say that the Hilux made me feel closer to my father. It was his favorite car, after all.

I got out of the car and rode the elevator up to the third floor where my office was located. Well, not exactly my office—it was an open space that I shared with nine other interpreters and each of us with our own cubicle.

I immediately got to work when I opened my mail and saw that the manager wanted to see me. Urgently. I frowned at the mail for a bit and then shrugged. It couldn’t be bad. I don’t have a single bad record. I stood from my seat and rode the elevator to the second floor where his office was located.

“Good morning, Amanda,” I greeted his secretary. She gave me the stink eye and muttered a response. For the life of me, I couldn’t guess why she didn’t like me. From her height and build, I could tell that she was a werewolf too.

“John asked me to see him.” She scoffed.

“What did you do now?”

I frowned at her.

“I believe that piece of information is above your payroll.” I smiled sweetly at her. She growled at me.

“Go in.”

“Why, thank you, Amanda.” I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” I opened the door and closed it quietly behind me.

“Good morning, John.”

John was a werewolf. A very handsome one at that. And if we weren’t coworkers, we would have been great sex buddies. The attraction was there.

“Good morning, Luna. How was your night?”

“It was great, thank you. How was yours?”

“Amazing. Take a seat.” I pulled back one of the seats in front of his table and sat.

“Is anything the matter?”

“Um. No. Not really. We are expecting a very important client from Italy.”

“Hm.”

“And he wants our best interpreter…and you happen to be that.” I smiled at him.

“Okay, so when and where?”

“Next week, Tuesday. You will be informed the moment he gets here.” I nodded.

“Is that all?” I asked him, standing. He stood as well and rounded the table till he stood in front of me. We were standing so close that we were sharing the same breath. He licked his lips, and I stared, fixated.

“Amanda…”

“John…we can’t do this.” I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed saliva. I was about to throw caution to the wind when the door opened, and there stood a not-so-impressed Amanda. John jumped away from me, and I immediately power-walked out of his office, my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. I tapped my feet as I waited for the elevator. I heard a door open and close, and there was Amanda, with smoke coming out of her ears. She walked up to me, really getting into my face,

“You little slut…” She hissed in my face. Just then, the elevator pinged, and a man stepped out. Without much ado, I stepped into the elevator and went back to my desk, wondering why she was so pissed.