Chapter 17 Petty tasks
>>Clio
A feeling of unease settled upon me like a heavy fog. The air seemed to be charged with an inexplicable tension, and an eerie stillness filled the space. The dim lighting only added to the unsettling atmosphere, casting elongated shadows that danced on the walls.
With each step, the creaking floorboards echoed through the house. My heart was strangely calm as I made my way to the kitchen as if my emotions had gone numb. The kitchen was dimly lit by a single overhead light, casting elongated shadows across the countertops and cabinets. The silence was almost deafening, interrupted only by the faint hum of the refrigerator, followed by a fainter sound of liquid droplets falling.
I walked to the middle and stopped when I noticed a weary figure sitting on the floor, right by the kitchen table’s side. With a butcher’s knife in her hands, she trembled with blood all over her front, staining mostly her apron. The knife had thick red liquid streaming down it, stopping at the edge before they jumped down to the crimson pool on the floor.
“Mom,” I whispered and she froze.
Then she raised her head and looked at me.
“Clio,” Her voice was trembling while my gaze traveled to the body of the man lying on the floor.
“Mom,” I felt my throat get dry, “What have you done?” The fear was grasping my bones, seeping into my soul
My mother didn’t answer me, she kept staring at me. At my disheveled appearance. The buttons of my shirt were hanging loose while a few had popped off. I had zipped up my pants back up but the belt button was broken so that part remained awkwardly open.
My hair was a mess but I knew that none of it was her focus.
“Clio,” My mother’s hands began to shake even more, “Why do you have blood on you?”
I woke up with a gasp and had to take a few deep breaths before I calmed down
God…
As I calmed down I wiped the sweat on my skin away with my shirt.
Is it going to be like this every time I see Dani?? I felt sick at the thought.
Is it just him? Or is it because I came to live in City A? This city has brought a lot of trauma for me…
I got up from bed.
The day I left, I thought I’d never be coming back but here I am again… And I’m only here because of Nolan.
I took a shower, got ready for work, and left the apartment early as I usually do.
“Nolan, I can’t come back yet?” I called him myself because I had the same nightmare again and he just wasn’t calling me first.
“Matthew got out, there’s no charge on him, you can’t come back yet.” I was making my way towards the office, “That sly bastard, that interview he gave made people think he’s innocent.”
“But,”
“You’ve only been there for a few days, how can you come back so early?” He didn’t let me say much.
“But, I get the feeling Matthew isn’t the killer.” I protested, “What if we’re chasing a ghost here?”
“No Clio, stay there, get whatever you can on him.” He huffed, “Besides he got out!” He seemed ticked off, “And he’s free of all his charges too, why would you come back?”
Right… I paused. He got out… So I’ll have to stay and try to get something out again.
“Nolan,” I felt a little sick, “What makes you so sure Matthew is the bad guy here?”
“I just am,” He replied as I got into the bus, “Don’t doubt me, and do your job right. Didn’t you already see he’s involved with the Mafia?”
“Yea but,” I paused. I was going to say it was only his building and he wasn’t involved with the drug mafia but I also know that might not be true, “Yea…” The mafia wouldn’t just go to a random building and discuss important stuff there.
“Good,” He replied, “Get to work.”
“Yes…” I felt defeated.
>>Matthew
“Hey,” Azef walked into the room.
“Hmm?” I barely acknowledged him since I had a lot to do and I wasn’t even feeling well. So, I just kept my eyes on my laptop as I went through the enormous amount of emails I had.
“It’s the full moon tonight.” He said, pausing near the wall shelves.
“And?” I didn’t pay much attention to his words at first.
“...” There was a moment of silence and I paused, then looked up from my laptop, noticing how Azef was looking at me in horror.
“What?” I asked in confusion, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You seem to have forgotten something,” He folded his arms.
“....” I raised my right brow at him, “What?”
“Your rut is coming.”
!!!!
My eyes went wide at his words, “Oh SHIT!” I realized why I wasn’t feeling well and stood up in horror, “Shit…” I looked away for a moment, then back at my laptop screen.
The drug scandal had already given the company a blow and I didn’t have the time to spare on a holiday. I got away with the ‘side business’ this once, but I need to make sure something like this never happens again. I should have caught that woman who had the scent of my mate on her. My hesitation brought this upon me.
I let out a sigh as I kept staring at the screen, then sat back down, “I’ll be fine,”
Azef continued to stare at me, “Why are you lying to yourself?” He shook his head at me, “How are you going to be fine?”
“Shut it,” I sighed, “Send someone to me at night.”
“You’re not going to leave the office?”
“Most likely not.”
“So, you’re going to do it in the office?” I could feel his gaze on me.
“...” I paused and looked up at him, “Got a problem?”
“No,” He raised his hands in defeat, “It’s your office, you can mess it up however you like.” I got back to work, typing on the keyboard, “I’ll send you the best girl but do you really think you’ll be able to have sex with her?”
My hands stopped again. I knew what he meant. I had already met my mate and my wolf would reject anyone else but him. Unless I was getting with the girl I saw at the party with the same scent as Clio, sleeping with anyone else is going to be difficult.
I could feel the temperature of my body rising. Being thirty and unmated means going through this. I let out a sigh.
People are such lonely creatures.
“I’m sure the rut will help me lose my mind enough,” I said softly, unsure of my words myself.
Azef shrugged, “Sure,” He stepped back, “Whatever.” He started to leave, “I’ll send you someone after everyone else leaves.”
I only nodded at him in return and focused on my work.
>>Azef
I came out of the CEO's office and began to walk away toward mine when something went through my mind and I stopped. Then I looked at the employees working in the office area.
My eyes searched for a specific person and the moment I spotted him, I started watching that boy, Clio, with my hands in my pocket. It was still odd to me that Matthew had a male as his mate.
Unless the Moon Goddess thinks that Matthew’s bloodline should end with him, I don’t see why she chose to give him a man as a destined lover.
I let out a soft internal sigh as I kept my gaze on him. I’m not all that keen about bloodlines as other werewolves are, I’ve already lost all those feelings involved with the mate-bond but I wonder what Matthew thinks…
No matter the gender, if the mate bond is there then he must be attracted to that boy.
Right, I nodded to myself.
Where there is a hole there is a way. If not down there, the boy also has a mouth.
“Hey,” I said, “Intern,” He shot his head up while the other employees glanced at him, “Come here.” I gestured to him with my face and he stood up.
“Yes?” He looked a little fragile to be a boy but well maybe that will help Matthew get it up, “Me?”
“Yes, you,” I got my hands out of my pocket, “Come to my office,” I gestured with my index finger and began to walk away. Clio followed me and I took him to my room.
“There’s something I want you to do,” I said as soon as we entered the office.
“Yes?” The boy stopped near the door while I walked to the shelves and grabbed a thin box from there.
“Here,” I handed him the box, “You’ll have to stay behind today.”
“Stay behind?” He was shocked, “Till when?” He was also confused but he still took the box from me.
“Well,” I wasn’t sure myself, “It’s going to get late.” I folded my arms.
He seemed flustered, “Can I ask why?”
“Yea,” I nodded, “I need you to help Matthew with something.”
“With what?”
>>Clio
The box in my hand was slender, it looked like it could only contain some pen-sized thing in it but I didn’t open it. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to.
“Matthew is going to stay here overnight and get the work done, I need you to help him out with something at night.”
“At night?” It seemed suspicious, “What is it?”
“It’s supposed to be a secret.” The director smirked, “So make sure whatever happens between the two of you, it doesn’t get out,” He made a zero with his thumb and index finger, representing an ‘Ok’ sign, “Okay?”
Well, if it’s supposed to be a secret then maybe I can get my hands on something good. Then maybe I’ll get to leave faster too.
“Alright,” I nodded
The director smiled but there was something odd in those sinister eyes of his yet he praised me, “Good boy,” He seemed very satisfied, “You can go now.” I felt a chill run down my spine.
I don’t know what it is with the CEO and the director, but both of them have a very domineering aura.
“Yes,” I nodded and turned to leave when he stopped me again.
“Oh! Wait,” He remembered something.
I paused and looked back. He pointed at the thin thing in my hand, “You can use that only if things get way out of hand. Open it if you find yourself in trouble.” He kept his smile on, “I’m only giving it to you because I don’t know if it’ll work or not.”
“What’ll work?” I looked at the box, “This?”
“Oh! That will work.” He chuckled, “But I don’t know if you will.”
Author’s Bullshit
Let me explain something here. It’s something I have established in my universe, so it only applies to my books. Any werewolf over the age of 24 goes through a rut and heat too. The females have heat cycles and the males go through a rut! I mean, the unmated ones do. If you’re mated it works differently but if you’re unmated over the age of 24 you get these mating cycles to cope with the absence of a mate and wolves spend that time with a sex partner. The term mated and unmated applies to being mated with your mate.