Moonlight Prowl

Chapter Ten: Evelyn’s Escapade

Lena parked her motorcycle in the parking garage beneath her apartment complex, the familiar hum of the engine dying down. She sighed deeply, the day’s events weighing heavily on her mind. The case she was working on with Alex had consumed most of her thoughts, and she felt a nagging unease she couldn’t shake. She secured her bike and groggily headed toward the elevator.

As the elevator ascended, Lena pulled out her phone to check for messages. A text from Poppy popped up on the screen:

Poppy: Hey Lena, I’m so sorry, but I accidentally told some guys at the restaurant about you. They were asking questions about the case you’re working on. I tried to play it off, but I think I let a little bit of information slip. Somehow I couldn’t help but share information with them.. I couldn’t control my myself.. Sorry!

Lena frowned, her fingers flying over the keyboard in response. She knew Poppy meant well, and was a good informant.

Lena: No worries, Poppy. Can you describe what they looked like and perhaps what you shared with them?

She hit send just as the elevator dinged, signaling her floor. Lena stepped out, still engrossed in her phone as she aimlessly walked to her apartment door. As Lena unlocked the door and stepped inside she immediately noticed a pair of men’s dress shoes near the entrance. Clothes were strewn haphazardly across the living room floor, leading toward Evelyn’s bedroom. The unmistakable scents of arousal and s*x filled the air, causing Lena to wrinkle her nose slightly.

“Looks like Evelyn’s having a good date night,” Lena muttered to herself as closed the door quietly behind her, not wanting to disturb her friend and their guest.

She slipped off her own shoes and padded silently toward her bedroom, grabbing her AirPods from her nightstand. The noises from Evelyn’s room were unmistakable now, and Lena quickly put in her AirPods, choosing some calming music to drown out the sounds. She set her phone to do not disturb and began her nightly routine, hoping to unwind after such an intense day.

Lena changed into her pajamas, a pair of soft shorts and a tank top, then headed to the bathroom to wash her face. She splashed cool water on her skin, the sensation grounding her as she leaned over the sink to begin her skin care routine. Once back in her bedroom, Lena lit a lavender-scented candle and climbed into bed. The soft glow of the candlelight cast comforting shadows on the walls as she settled under the covers. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the music and let the day’s tension melt away. Suddenly, the thought of Poppy’s text materialized in her mind, and she wondered: Who were those men asking about her? And why were they so interested in the case?

Lena’s werecat, Beira, stirred within her, sharing her unease.

Beira: “You need to temporarily push the thoughts of the day from you mind and rest. We can’t fix anything now, so there is no point in worrying. How about I take control for the night. Maybe that will help ease our thoughts and prevent the night terrors.. it worked last time.”

Lena nodded internally, acknowledging her inner wercat’s guidance. “You’re right, Beira, we need our rest or we won’t be of any help to anyone. Including ourselves.” Lena relinquished control of her body and mind to Beira - she would guard them while they slept. This would make her wercat exhausted, and unavailable to her for a day or so, but they would switch back tomorrow and Beira would then get some much needed rest as well.

In the morning, Lena awoke early, feeling refreshed. Internally thanking Beira, She stretched and glanced at her phone, seeing that it was Saturday - her day of out of her room, finding Evelyn cleaning up the apartment from the night before.

“Morning, Ev,” Lena greeted, grabbing a mug and pouring herself some coffee. “Looks like you had quite the night. I’m assuming it went well,” Lena giggled.

Evelyn looked up, her face lighting up with a smile. “Good morning! Yeah

, it was a great night. Marcus was amazing! My god, and the things he could do with that tongue! Shifters are way better in bed..”

“Shifter?” Lena asked.

Evelyn reddened a bit, “Right, about that.. See I know I left a note about meeting a human man, but when I showed up at the restaurant, he had stood me up. Then, a shifter named Marcus saw how disappointed and lonely I was, and acted as my date instead. I honestly couldn’t be happier that my date didn’t show up it’s like it was meant to be!”

Lena raised an eyebrow, sipping her coffee. “Marcus, huh? What’s his full name? I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t do a little bit of research on him,” she teased with a smile.

Evelyn giggled, picking up a discarded shirt from the floor. “Marcus Steele. Or rather should I say, Marcus Steele-my-heart.”

Lena couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s joke. “Well, I see he certainly has made an impression. Will there be another date?”

Evelyn nodded, her eyes sparkling. “Absolutely, he did. He was so charming and sweet. We had dinner, talked for hours, and.. well, you can guess the rest.. We will be going out again in a few days. He said he had to leave for a business trip, but would be back as soon as he could and.. make it up to me,” she added with a wink.

Lena smiled, happy for her friend but also feeling a twinge of concern. “I’m glad you had a good time. Just be careful, okay? There are a lot of strange things happening lately, and you literally the most important person to me.”

Evelyn’s expression softened, and she nodded. “I will, Lena. Don’t worry. You’re the most important to me too.”

Lena finished her coffee and grabbed her phone, seeing another text from Poppy filing her in on the events of the night before.

Lena quickly texted back, “Thank you for the information. I know you didn’t mean any harm. Just stay safe and keep an eye out for anything unusual. I’ll handle the rest.”

She put her phone down and turned back to Evelyn. “Alright, I’m going to take a quick shower and then figure out what to do with my day off.”

Evelyn smiled. “Sounds good. I’ll finish cleaning up here.” She started carrying clothes in her arms to the laundry room when she stopped and yelled over her shoulder, “ Don’t forget that Alex is having a housewarming party tonight. We promised him we wouldn’t be late!”

“Roger that! I’ll be back way before then, and we can catch a ride over together.” Lena replied.

With that Lena headed to the bathroom, her mind still buzzing with thoughts of the case and the mysterious men. As the hot water cascaded over her, she tried to relax, letting the steam and warmth soothe her tense muscles.