Chapter 1

A woman paced back and forth along the concrete sidewalk. Her heart pounding in her ears and butterflies flapped relentlessly against her stomach. Ignoring the hustle and bustle of the city around her. She was utterly nervous and terrified. Pausing the rhythmic trekking, fearing if she continued at her rate of movement she would wear a path in the stone surface, she took a deep breath. Attempting to calm herself and prepare for the task at hand. Straightening her shoulders and pressing her hands down the front of her skirt, she took a quick glance in the mirror-like window in front of her.

The dark tint of the wall gave her an odd coloring instead of the complexion that was normally seen in the mirror but was still effective at giving her appearance a ‘once over’ one more time. Golden hair was pulled to the side, just behind her ear in a ponytail. Wispy strands were pulled free from their confines to frame her face. Subtle makeup brought out her natural creme colored skin, and made her bright blue eyes stand out. Though right now they were conveying the nervousness she felt within.

“Get yourself together Amelia, you don’t have time for this.” She scolded herself under her breath. Her eyes glanced over the rest of her reflection.

She had to admit that the secondhand suit tugged her curves nicely after the little 'do it yourself' altering she did at home. It was a black blazer with blue pinstripes, with a matching pencil style skirt. A pair of black pumps she had in her closet for forever, and a pale blue camisole with lace across the top finished off the ensemble. She looked like she actually belonged in the business world.

Glancing up at the name on the side of the building brought a small curl to the edge of her lips. Wolfe & Howell, in bright gold letters. The name in itself was funny given the rumors that flew about this place. Maybe their names are what really started it all. Jasmine, Amelia’s roommate, had almost fallen over when Amelia had said she had an interview at the law firm today.

“You what?!” Jasmine choked on her coffee. “I would not be caught dead working there. They’re nothing but a pack of ravenous wolves. It’s too dangerous, you should call and cancel.”

Amelia inwardly chuckled at and shook her head at the memory. Taking the meaning as cutthroat lawyers. Funny, because she always remembered people referring to lawyers as Vampires.

Unfortunately, time was running out for Amelia. She had bills stacking up, and no income to feed the money hungry gremlins. Right now, she would willingly go dancing with the devil himself if it meant getting a job to be able to support herself again. Her last job laid her off due to downsizing, so right now she was grabbing at whatever could help her out.

Unfortunately, with a small degree in Animal Science, you are not going to get far in a big city. All the jobs that her degree would have been of use at were “no longer hiring at this moment.” So, she had to start looking outside the box. That is when an ad for a level entry office personnel at a law firm caught her attention. Reasonable pay, benefits, easy hours, it seems almost perfect. Until the name of the company came into view.

There is no denying the whispers and the gossip heard all around town. Like Bigfoot in the Midwest and the Moth Man in the northeast. Well, this town had wolves. She could not help but be a little uneasy about this, as everyone talked. It is that feeling someone would get walking into a forest where someone else swore they saw a Sasquatch. You start to second guess your own common sense. But how real could those accusations really be? Werewolves did not exist. They were supernatural creatures of myth and legend.

“I mean come on, really!? Werewolves in Chicago?” Amelia thought to herself and shook her head. Adjusting her purse on her shoulder and checking the time on her phone, she took another deep breath to steady herself, and strode through the door. She hesitantly walked up to the desk just inside the doorway.

“Hi, I’m here for a 11 o’clock interview.” she politely stated.

“Name please?” the bored women behind the counter questioned, not even bothering to look up.

“Amelia Rowe?” Amelia was almost unsure of her own name and was unnerved by the crudeness of the person before her.

“Take the elevator to the 3rd floor, the conference room is on the left.” The lady spoke again as she threw her hand out towards Amelia with a visitors’ badge.

“T-thank you.” Amelia stated as she took the badge and quickly stepped towards the elevator. Eager to get away from the hostile air about the lady behind the desk, and eager to get this over with.

She could not help but glance around. It was a massive building, both inside and out. The feel inside was unsettling. Amelia rung her hands together, took a deep breath, counted to ten and stepped into the elevator with as much confidence as she could muster.

A little while later she was leaving the conference room, her head held a little higher. The job was hers, and she was to report for duty first thing in the morning.

Two figures watched as Amelia practically danced out of the lobby, from a window looking down on it.

“Are you sure it's a good idea to hire her, Jax?” a smooth baritone voice asked of the man beside him.

“Of course, I am. It’ll give us a slightly friendlier face. Have I ever steered you wrong Marcus?” The second threw back, as he clapped his companion on the back.

Marcus made an“hmph”noise admitting defeat, but still not fully happy about the situation, as he continued to stare at the bouncing woman below.