His True Luna

Chapter two: Not Alone

Delia's inner wild came front and center. 'It can't be,' she marveled to herself. She had never met another wolf before. It's hard to explain just how she knew there were other wolves nearby, but her instincts had never wronged her before. She had to trust her instincts. Just as the elevator door began to close, Delia reached out with her arm to stop it. She took a hurried step through the doors and found herself in another waiting area much like the one downstairs.

The only difference between the two was the very distinct smell of wet earth, pine, and something else, something more, something wild.

Delia's wolf became more excited the longer they stayed so close to the smell of other wolves. A deep sense of longing for companionship, and to be understood, had festered like a wound that refused to heal for most of her life. Smelling other wolves felt like a balm to that deep-seated ache in her chest. Other wolves meant that there was hope for Delia. It meant she didn't have to be alone anymore. Nothing excited nor terrified Delia more than that.

She had spent her entire life pushing people away so that she wasn't sure how to make friends. Not wanting to make a total fool of herself, Delia decided that she would pretend not to notice the obvious. She would proceed as best as she could, as though this was a normal interview between normal people who lacked the ability to spontaneously shift into hairy beasts with sharp claws and fangs.

's**t,' she worried, 'am I in danger? What if they aren't friendly?' She briefly paused, and chewed her thumb nail. She quickly reprimanded herself for resorting to the nasty habit that she had been attempting to break herself out of since she aged out of the foster care system. Dangerous or not, Delia refused to regress into that scared little girl's headspace ever again. She had faced scary people before, and overcome plenty of dangerous situations. She had scraped by, fought for, and overcome every hurdle meant to break her. Her experiences are what made her the confident and headstrong woman she is today. She would never cower in fear of anyone, ever again.

She felt a surge of reassurance from her wolf. Her instincts were telling her that whoever she was about to face posed no danger or aggression to her. Besides, these wolves had to be in somewhat of a civilized and professional capacity if she was meeting them at a law firm with an excellent location.

She took a deep breath full of air and confidently pushed her way through the double glass doors that read Partners of Hart & Rowe Law Firm, James and Edith Rowe: Co-Leading Attorneys of 5he Dept. of Family Affairs, written in bold white lettering. The doors were made of double-paned glass, so dark that she couldn't see through them, but gave her the impression that whoever was inside could see her just fine.

It made her uncomfortable that she could be seen but not see. She relaxed a bit when the doors closed behind her and a young man with a bright and friendly smile greeted her. His smile quickly faded, and a scowl took over his face as he eyed Delia from top to bottom. Delia's heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

This man had a wolf inside like she did, and instead of feeling accepted, she felt like she was facing his harsh judgment. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how much she wanted the other wolves to like her. She had no idea what she had done wrong. She hadn't even introduced herself yet, but before she could speak a word, the scowling man in front of her dramatically raised his hand to gesture to her to wait just a minute. He then furiously punched buttons, and raised a phone to his ear.

He began tapping his pen on the top of his desk as he waited for the person at the other end to pick it up. Not more than two seconds later, he flew into angry banter with whom Delia quickly realized was Carrie.

"Caroline Louise Greer. Would you like to explain why I'm staring at the blouse I bought you last week? Hm? Carrie, you swore you would wear it!," he whined into the phone. His voice then grew deeper, as he spoke "Did that good for nothing limp d**k boyfriend of yours say something nasty to you again? Tell me now Carrie, and I'll clàw his eyes out. It's obvious he is blind anyway, so he won't even miss them." He grumbled a few more things before they settled on the date and time for their next shopping trip.

He then hung up the phone and shifted his attention back to Delia. Delia was relieved to see the smile had returned to his face. Delia introduced herself, and reached out to shake his hand.

She let out a little yip in surprise when, instead of shaking her hand across the desk, he quickly rounded it, and pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm Marcus, and around here friends hug, and we're going to be the best of friends, trust me!"

Delia chuckled nervously. She had never been much of a hugger, but she didn't feel her wolf bristle like it normally did when a stranger invaded her personal space. She patted his back. "Nice to meet you Màrcus. My name is Delia James, and I hope after today we'll be more than friends but coworkers too."

He quickly released her, and looked at her in confusion. "Didn't the council send you over? That's how rogue wolves get job placement. That means you're a shoe in. We'd be in violation of the code, and the council could fine us on claims of inequality. You know, Rogue Rights and all," he chucked and waved it off like it was common knowledge.

Maybe it was common knowledge, but not Delia. Did that make Delia uncommon? Certainly. It didn't surprise her either. She was used to being the outsider, or the one continuously left out of the loop.

She frowned. "Rogue? I don't understand what you mean, but I'm not on any council. I found out about the job from Marjorie. She recommended me, and wrote me a reference. I have already sent it over along with my resume and college credentials. It should be on file," she explained as she reached for her bag to pull them out or him. "Ah, here they are." Despite her inner confusion, she put on her brightest smile, and handed over her resume and the letter of recommendation.

Her smile slightly slipped into a frown when she noticed the look on Marcus' face. He seemed more confused than she was. Delia had no idea what 'rogue' meant to another wolf, but she prayed it that whatever it was wouldn't cost her the job. She couldn't help but wonder, 'am I a rogue?'

Her