His True Luna

Chapter One:: When it rains

's**t. s**t. s**t! I'm so late,' Delia's mind screamed as she raced to another job interview. It wasn't just any old, run-of-the-mill job she was running late to. It was the job. It had taken alot of shmoozing up to one of her regular customers at the popular restaurant she worked at on the weekends.

After nearly a year of making small talk with Frank and his wife, Marjorie, Delia finally had an interview at the prestigious law firm that Marjorie worked for.

Hart & Rowe Law Firm were the top dogs in the lawyer world. They were big time. They held the highest rate of success on the East Coast, and had been mentioned in an article recently in the judicial magazine, The Courtroom Today.

For a paralegal studying to take the bar exam, Delia was stoaked when Marjorie told her that a position had opened up at Hart & Rowe. Delia had served Frank and Marjorie dinner as their waitress every Saturday evening for an entire year, and had made quite an impression on the older woman.

Marjorie was in her late 50's, and had been working at her job for over 20 years. She was originally the paralegal for the senior Mr. Hart, and then remained at the firm afterward, employed by his son, Ethan.

Ethan had other partners at the firm. Hart & Rowe had a specialized attorney to meet all types of legal needs; business, real estate, criminal, family, taxes, etc.

The partners at the firm were like a pack of wolves, a well oiled machine. They worked together as a team, had eachother's backs, and were great at collaborating to get things done. Delia could not wait to be apart of their dynamic.

There was only one thing standing in her way, the interview. Even with Marjorie's reference, and a letter of recommendation from her well known professor from law school, Delia knew she had to stand out. The competiton for this position was going to be stiff.

Marjorie had given her several tips the Saturday before. Delia recalled the older woman's advice. 'Don't be late. Be well put together, and presentable. Mr. Hart detests a messy appearance. Wear something modest, because Mr. Rowe's wife would veto any woman she thought would be a distraction to the mostly married partners and staff.

Delia laughed to herself when she recalled what Marjorie's husband, Frank had said to that.

"Well, I think Mr. Rowe's wife is making a mistake scarnig off all the good lookin' ladies."

"Oh yeah," countered the amused older woman. She raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Why's that, and what do you know about good lookin' ladies Mr. Franklin Foley,?"

Frank understood his wive's expressions, and had carefully chose his next words, or else he'd end up in the proverbial dog house. "Well.. most importantly I know I'm married to the prettiest one there is. As far as hiring them goes, I'd say for one, it's wrong to write off a potential employee just for being a confident, beautiful woman. For two, having a well-placed 'honey pot' on the team is a great strategy for getting things accomplished that a man like myself never could," he stated matter of fact like then continued eating his dinner.

"I never knew you to be such a strategist, Frank," Marj teased lovingly. "I see your point Dear, but I don't think Mrs. Rowe would sign her vote for the hiring of any 'honey pots,' as you so eloquently put it." The older couple made eye contact, and Delia felt the love between them. It

made her long to have a connection like theirs with someone.

As the memory faded, a taxi drove through a deep puddle alongside where Delia happened to be walking. A tidal wave of dirty rain water doused Delia. In shock, she slipped on the wet pavement and broke the heel of her right pump. Her arms flailed as she attempted to regain her balance which caused the contents of her purse to spill out around her.

'This can NOT be happening today,' she mentally cried. She quickly rounded up all her personal items, including a tampon that landed near a scowling older man. She really wanted to tell the judgey brute where he could shove it. Instead, she apologized and limped off wearing her broken heeled pumps to call a cab.

There was no way she would have made good time walking with the heel of her shoe broken like it was. She jumped in the taxi, gave the driver the firm's address, and pulled out her compact mirror to asses the damage.

She was horified by what she saw in the mirror. The longer she stared the harder she cringed. Her long golden hair was a wreck, her makeup was smeared and had even started to run down her face. Her clothes were soaked through, and stained. Her white top was now totally see through, so she decided to butoon up her jacket. 'So much for being modest. If I take the coat off, Mr. Rowe's wife will likely throw me out,' she admonished herself for her bad luck.

She attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in her beige pant suit. It didn't help. She looked as if she had slept n her clothes the night before, then woke up and rolled in a mud puddle. She plucked someone's old cigarette but that was stuck to the arm of her jacket, and gagged.

She was edging ever closer to a full blown panic attack when the driver pulled up to the curb outside of Hart & Rowe Law Firm.

Delia reached into her purse to pull out her wallet and pay for the cab, but her wallet wasn't there. She grew frantic and dumped out her purse for the second time. Her wallet was gone. She had to make a decision in that moment. She could either go back and look for her wallet where she had broken her heel, and miss out on a great opportunity, or she could call upon every bit of her inner strength and sanity she needed to walk into this building for an interview.

It took her almost 5 minutes to convince the cabby to accept her contact info, and make him believe she would pay him back later today after she found her wallet. Luckily, he felt sorry for the poor girl.

She walked up to the high rise building, but was too late to admire the beauty behind the architectural design. She took a deep breath in, and reminded herself that this was small potatoes compared to everything else she had to overcome already. With that thought, she put on a brave face, and ploughed through the revolving door, full steam ahead.

The inside of Hart & Rowe Law Firm was classy. It had high windows that let in the light. What appeared to be a reception area was arranged with black leather couches flanked by high back chairs. Finance and the current Times magazines, as well as the local daily newspaper were stacked neatly on top of marble and glass cofee tables. Expensive chandelliors gave the already bright room a warm ambiance.

Delia's sensitive nose picked up the scent of chamomille and lavender from well placed oil diffusers. Between the two identical waiting areas stood a long black desk. Behind it sat a common looking woman with red hair, wearing thick rimmed glasses, and a green turtle neck.

It was obvious to Delia that it was her job to greet people, and to direct them where to go. Delia had received an email specifying which floor that the interviews were to take place on, but she was too frazzled to recall the exact details.

She let out an exasperated breath. Delia was a total wreck, a hundred care pile up, and she felt it. She reached for her phone to pull up the email. A sense of dred flooded over her. 'This is just great!' She cursed the fates for creating such chaos on such an important day.

She looked towards the red headed receptionist, and smiled. She was relieved to see that the woman returned her smile, and looked genuine. When the receptionist took in Delia's appearance head to toe, her smile turned into a slight frown. She tilted her head examining the three ring circus that was Delia James that morning.

"Well hello there. Welcome to Hart & Rowe. I got lucky and remembered to carry my umbrella today.," the woman paused as Delia came closer. She was shocked how wet Delia actually was. "Oh dear, you are drpping wet. One minute, I need to call someone to mop this up. I wouldn't want anyone to fall. We could get sued," she chuckled at her own joke.

"I am so sory about the mess. It was a total monsoon out there. I don't mean to cause extra work for anyone, and I know getting it mopped up is very important, but mam could you please direct to which floor the interviews with Mr. Rowe are on this morning? I am terribly late,, and I really need this job," Delia pleasded to the woman with her big expressive eyes.

"Bad day," she asked?

"You have no idea." Delia sounded truly at her wits end.

"Let me help turn your luck around a bit, Doll. There's no way you'll get the job showing up like a drown rat, no offense," she added.

"None taken." They both let out a giggle, seeming to be more comfortable with eachother.

"Let me shoot a call upstairs to Mr. Rowe's assistant, Marcus, he's the best. I'll put in a good word and see if I can get him to jot you down as if you were on time, but needed to use the restroom. Then, we can get ya cleaned up a bit. I've got a few things here that might help." She already had the phone to her ear and was dialing an extension by the time she quit talking.

"Hey boyfriend," she flirted. "Listen, I've got a real sweet heart down here for an interview with Mr. Rowe. Her name is." she paused looking to Delia before continuing.

"Delia. Delia James."

"A Miss Delia James. Wait 'til you see her Marcus, she's a doll. I know she's already running a bit behind, but if you were down here you'd see that she had a bit of a mishap on the way here. I need to clean her up real quick..." She was quiet as she listened to Marcus speak on the other end. "I know. I know. I'll hurry." .. "Oh, I can too hurry Marcus." ... "She'll be right up. Mark her down for on time. I greeted the few before her, and I don't want Delia's passed over for one of them over something silly. She's sweet and deserves a fair shot. Alright Marcus. I owe ya. Lunch is on me today. Text me your order before lunch and I'll run to pick it up. Yep. 10 minutes. Gotcha!"

"I can't thank you enough for your help. You have no idea what this job means to me," Delia was choked up by the display of kindness.

"Oh, it's nothing really. This job isn't very demanding. I'd just be sitting her anyway. Nobody will miss me if we hurry. Follow me."

The two woman walked towards the bathroom to clean up Delia's appearance. "You never gave me your name."

"Carolene, but everyone calls me Carrie." Carrie had a megawatt smile. 'No wonder they hired her as a receptionist. Her personality is perfect for that position,' thought Delia.

The women were almost to the bathroom door, but Carrie opened the door next to the bathroom first. "Wait right here while I grab a couple of things, and let Henry know about the wet floor."

"Okay. No problem." Carrie was only gone for a flash before she was back and carrying a small bag. She grabbed Delia's hand and pulled her into the bathroom. She closed and flipped the lock so no one could walk in and see Delia indisposed.

"Alright Doll Face, here's a brush, and my makeup bag. Let's get you wiped down and dried off first. Do you mind taking off your coat?" Carrie sat down the bag, and began pulling out handfulls of paper towels for Delia to dry herself.

Delia let out a nervous chuckle, "Uhh yeah about that. I sorta met with a rogue wave on the way here thanks to an asshole driving a taxi. I think he was timing and hitting the big puddles on purpose." Delia took off her coat, and hung it on the back of the door before she turned around. "Now, as you can see.. My top leaves nothing to the imagination."

Carrie giggled at Delia. She was right. Carrie could see it all. "Well at least you wore a bra," she joked.

"Oh Carrie, it's not funny at all. I was told Mrs. Rowe is a real hard ass towards women who flaunt their goods to get what they want. She'll take one look at me and send me packing," Delia worried.

"You are right. Mrs. Rowe won't even let you into the interview room with her husband wearing that blouse. Which is crazy because the woman is freakishly gorgeous. Kinda like you!" Delia blushed.

"What the hell am I going to do Carrie? I don't have another top!"

"Oh shush," Carrie then pulled out a silky cream camisole and a pink blazer from the bag she carried in with her. They still had tags on them. "I was going to return these today after work, and I believe they'll fit you perfect. They were a little small on me. My boyfriend says I've gained too much weight over the winter." Carrie's voice cracked, and her head dropped as shw looked down. Her admission broke Delia's heart. This woman was much too sweet to be talked to like that.

"Absolute nonsense! Your man needs his head examined. Your body is perfect! Your chest is way fuller than mine, and perky as hell! If the shirts didn't fit you, then I'd bet my last dollar it's because of your t**s not all that other nonsense. Next time a man says something like that to you again, you give them my number, and I'll set their ass straight. I'll ruin their egos so bad you'll have to compliment them for hours before they're brave enough to pull their tiny pathetic d***s out from their shorts."

Carrie howled with laighter. She didn't have others sticking up for her very often. She was glad she offered to help the woman infront of her. There was something special about Delia. Delia felt the same about Carrie.

The potential for a friendship crept up on Delia the same way it always did. She ached to have just one friend. Just one person that got to know Delia beyond the information that could be found on her resume, or college profile.

The truth wsa Delia had never had a friend, and it wasn't because she was unlikeable. No, you'd be a fool not to be drawn in by Delia's easy going, sincere, kind personality. Delia's smile and aura was bright as the sun. There was a feeling like gravity that surrounded her. It drew people in.

Unfortunately, Delia knew she could never let anyone get closer than an arm's length to her personal life. If she allowed a person to be around her every moment, at any time, on any day, under any circumstance or situation, her secret would be exposed.

No matter how skilled Delia became at controlling her inner wild, there were times when it was impossible to hide. Under extreme duress or when she felt any strong emotion, her voice had a deeper, raspy growl to it. Her eyes would flicker between their natural cerulean ocean blue, and the gold of her wolf.

If she became extrememly angry, she'd clench her hands into fists, and her claws would grow through the skin around her knuckles. Her wolf's white fur would spontaneously sprout on her body.

These occurences were more likely to happen around the full moon, but could potentially happen at any time. When she was younger they often did. She lost track of how many different foster homes she had run away from in the heat of the moment, to avoid shifting infront of others.

She would always come back after she calmed down, but by that time her case manager was always waiting for her with her suit csae, and a long lecture. Her case manager, Susan wasn't a bad person. She was trying to look out fo the young girl, but how could she help when she had no idea what was really going on with Delia.

After Delia first shifted to her wolf, at 12 years old, she begged Susan for any information on her real family. By that age she knew that most traits are inherited from our parents, and she needed information on what was happening to her body. She was scared, and so very alone.

Of course Susan refused to provide Delia with any information on her previous family. Or maybe there just really wasn't any information in her file like Susan always said.

So many nights Delia cried herself to sleep during those difficult years. She would stay up lte at night, unablto sleep, and ask herself why? Why would anyone abandon their daughter, knowing that she would be so differentt than everyone else. Didn't they realize how scary it would be for a young girl to experience that alone, how dangerous? Did they not care for her at all? Maybe they didn't even know about her anomally. Maybe Delia was just a one time freak of nature.

That thought hurt Delia in a way she couldn't explain. As much as she would love to make friends with Carrie, and share all her secrets, braid eachother's hair, and go on double dates, Delia knew she couldn't. She would have to kindly push the girl away like she did everyone else.

"Thanks Carrie. I really appreciate it. I'll be sure to pay you back."

"Nonsense. That's what friends are for," Carrie reassured her.

"Oh, no that's alright. I would rather pay you back," Delia responded with a tight awkward smile that didn't reach her eyes.

It confused Carrie, but she assumed that maybe Delia was just proud like that. The two got along so well that the last thing she expected was that Delia just didn't want to be friends with her, so the young woman shook it off, and thought nothing more about Delia's comment.

After using the automatic blow dryer to dry Delia's hair a bit, she added a quick touch to her makeup. She took the tags off of the borrowed shirts, and was very pleased to see that they fit perfect.

"Okay last thing." Carrie pulled a pair of black flats from her miracle bag, and Delia squealed in appreciation.

"You are my fairy God mother today Carrie. How could I ever repay you for this?" Delia was overcome with emotion. She knew that there was no way she would have ever gotten the job in the condition she was in before Carrie's help.

"You can pay me back by rocking this interview, and getting this position. You would understand my determination to get you hired if you would have seen the skanky bitches that came through here earlier. They acted like I was nothing but a pest on the wall. You would think they were applying to be CEO of a large corporation, not a paralegal at a law firm."

"It is a prestigious law firm, but yeah I get why that would be super annoying. Very pretentious of them I'd say."

"Delia, I have no idea what the word 'pretentious' means, but it sounds like we understand eachother anyway." The women smiled at one another, and exited the small bathroom with not a minute left to spare.

They'd spent every bit of the 10 minutes that Marcus had alotted them. Carrie directed Delia to the 12th floor where the interviews were being held. Delia smiled over her shoulder and gave Carrie a small wave as she entered the elevator. She laughed when Carrie sent her a big thumbs up and was wearing that giant smile on her face.

Carrie had to have some super voo doo powers to turn Delia's luck around. It had seemed like the universe was doing everything it could to prevent Delia from getting this job, but Carrie swooped in like one of the fates herself and realigned the stars for Delia. Finally, Delia let out a breath and relaxed a teeny tiny bit. For the first time that day, Delia wasn't on the verge of a panic attack.

Well, that was until the elevator pinged and the doors slid open to reveal a bombshell being dropped on Delia's life. Her heart took off like a herd of race horses. Sweat gathered at the nape of her neck, and beaded on her forehead.

'There's no f*****g way," she kept repeating to herself mentally.