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Six

Elena took a deep breath and walked to the front of the building. The crowd was insane. There was paparazzi everywhere, and she was trying to avoid them. She walked through the main entrance, and everything was automated.

“Good morning, sir. I have an interview with the manager by 11 a.m.,” she told the security.

“Where is the message that was sent to you?” He spoke.

The security guard was very young and muscular, dressed in a black suit and pitch black eyeglasses that were not see-through,  unlike other guards she was used to. Elena pulled out her phone and showed him the message that Zoey sent to her.

“What is the name?” He asked her, taking the notepad that was beside him. “Elena Williams.” He wrote it down and told her to sign.

"Here.” He handed a visitor card to her and directed her in. She shook her head; she had never experienced such protocol before. She stopped at the reception to take a look at the place.

This was the first time she was ever entering the Avante building, and it was like they said. It was huge and fancier than what she had ever seen. She needed to hand it to them; the Avantes were very good when it came to business.

She used the elevator to go up; the message read third-floor office 11.

“Damn!” She sighed and kicked the elevator door.

Her phone had gone off; she had forgotten to plug it in before she left the house. “It is all good. I just need to do well in the interview,” she told herself. The elevator pinged, indicating that it had reached the third floor. Elena stepped out into the corridor, and her heart sank as she realized that the corridor looked identical in either direction, with a series of identical office doors and meeting rooms. There were no room numbers in sight.

Elena felt a sense of panic rising. She had no idea where room 11 was, and she didn't want to be late for her interview. She chose to go to the left, but after walking down the corridor for a few minutes and not finding room 11, she started to doubt her choice. She turned around and retraced her steps, heading in the opposite direction. With each passing minute, Elena's anxiety grew.

She paused when she saw someone coming out of the office. She followed him but waited for him to be done with his call. Victor shouted over the phone.

“Do you know how many deals are pending? Luca, stop whatever you are doing and go and attend the meeting. It is the most important thing. You must seal the deal and marry Imani,” Victor spoke.

Luca was so shocked that he excused himself and went to the hallways, where no one was. “Marry Imani? That is not part of the deal. Father, there were no talks of marriage. Imani is human, and we cannot marry. Promising her a marriage that will never happen will turn into war for both families,” he said, almost about to laugh.

Victor laughed. “You know what to do, Luca. You should try to live up to expectations." His father spoke over the phone before Luca could have the chance to speak. His father always used the word to put him in his place; as the heir in the Avante clan, everyone expected so much from him right from the time he could call his name. Luca growled; his father was using him for his dirty jobs.

“Wait, you want me to kill them all?” Luca’s voice was low. Victor was quiet. He heard a noise behind him.

“Oh no!" Elena exclaimed as quietly as she could. He immediately cut the call and turned to her. “What did you hear?” He asked her. Elena was confused. Was she supposed to admit that she heard everything that he said? “I did not mean to eavesdrop; I just wanted directions to the manager’s office, and I could not find them. I did not want to disturb your call, so I decided to wait,” she said as fast as she could.

The information she just heard was very disturbing. “I said, what did you hear?” He repeated his question, but this time he grabbed her hand tightly, and his eyes turned lighter green. Elena was terrified; there was something about his eyes that she could not understand. “What do you think you are doing?” She shouted at the top of her voice. Luca was not in the mood for this. The last time he let someone go after the person walked into his conversation, he paid the price for it. “I said, what did you hear?” He asked again, his wolf voice deepening and coming out. “Why are you doing this? I said I heard nothing, and what are you??"She tried to pull out. Luca went closer to her and looked into her eyes.

“This never happened, and you were never here. You did not hear anything." He spoke, trying to hypnotize her.

Elena broke out in laughter. “I knew you and your friend were stupid, lacking morals, serial rapists, and womanizers; maybe you too, because the saying goes, show me your friend, and I’ll tell you who you are. But this? You are just crazy,” she laughed.

He released her hand and looked at her. His eyes could not turn back again. “I said this never happened, and you were never here. You did not hear  anything."He stared into her eyes and repeated the same words. Luca laughed. “This is supposed to work. Why isn’t it working?" he asked himself. Elena laughed. “I have an interview now, and I don’t want to miss it. Can I go now, since you were not of any help to me?"

She pulled her hand away. “Four,” Luca said in just a whisper. Elena watched as the man who was downstairs appeared upstairs in a flash. “Take her to room 7,” Luca ordered. “Yes, sir,” he replied without asking questions.

Elena was confused. “I don’t understand. Where are you taking me?" She asked the man in glasses and quickly took her phone out of her bag. She had forgotten that it was switched off. The man took the phone from her and pocketed it. “I will be with you in a moment." Luca spoke and looked at Elena, studying her, then left. Luca went back to his own office, struggling to change back, but it was not possible.]

"Damn it," Luca muttered under his breath, his voice trembling with frustration. He clenched his fists, feeling the anger surge within him. He knew he had to find a way to calm down and regain control. "I can't afford to lose it now," he said, struggling to maintain composure. Antonio came in. “Why are you here?” He asked him, trying his best not to get angry. His office seemed to close in around him as his body continued to change.

White fur sprouted from his skin, and his teeth elongated into sharp fangs. His nails became claws, tearing through the fabric of his suit. Luca's eyes glowed with an eerie, green light as the transformation neared its completion. Antonio picked him up immediately and pressed a button. It led to an underground staircase. The Avante family had gotten used to their curse. They had adjusted and made sure they were never caught. After the family had moved out of their original home, they moved to a new town that was under development and bought real estate. In each of the properties, underground tunnels were built to be safe. His skin started to ripple, and his bones began to shift beneath his clothes. It was a painful process, one he had experienced many times before. He shouted as he transformed; transforming without the full moon was very difficult.

Elena was still in the room they had locked her in since morning; the small, windowless space offered no solace or distraction from the hunger and fatigue that gnawed at her. She sat huddled in a corner, her stomach growling and her eyes heavy with exhaustion. Elena's thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and fear. She had never expected Luca's reaction to be so extreme. She had been curious, yes, but she hadn't intended to pry into his private affairs. Now, all she wanted was to be released from this confinement, to escape the gnawing hunger that tormented her, and to finally get some much-needed rest. As the hours dragged on, her exhaustion became nearly unbearable. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her head against the cold, unforgiving wall. The room offered no comfort, no respite. Elena's only hope was that someone would come to her rescue soon and that she could put this nightmarish experience behind her.

Some hours later, Luca walked into the room where Elena was kept. “What are you? Why have you kept me here? I only came here to find a job, and now you are locking me up here! I need to go home. I promise, I did not hear what you were saying,” she screamed.

Luca was exhausted; he had just passed through the worst transformation in a long time. He always tried to control his anger. Four dragged a chair for Luca to sit down on. Elena looked at Luca; he had changed the clothes he was wearing before. He was now wearing a gray sweatpant and a black t-shirt that didn’t hide his definition at all. Luca sat in the chair that was provided for him.

“What are you?” Luca asked her in a very deep tone. Elena was so confused. “I tried to hypnotize you, but it did not work. Why did it not work?” He asked her again. Elena was so confused. “I have no idea what you are talking about. It’s already late; my battery is dead, and I am extremely hungry. Let me go now,” she pleaded. Luca sighed. “What job did she come here for, Four?”

Luca asked his beta. “I heard the position for the art curator was opened for the Avante Museum,” Four replied. Luca got up. “Give her the job. You are to resume tomorrow by 6:30 a.m.,” he told her.

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