Episode Five--Work Resumption

Selene smiled and hugged Chloe. "All thanks to you; you gave me my job back!" She giggled as she stared at the email again.

"Go and get dressed for work," Chloe urged. Selene ran out of the bathroom a few minutes later, flinging her towel onto the bed. She gathered some clothes and applied creams and oils to her skin. After getting dressed and putting on her heels, she sat in front of the mirror.

Chloe was sitting in front of the television, her jaw dropped and her brows furrowed. Selene walked out just as a news report flashed across the screen: "Warnings from reporters indicate that strange wolves have been appearing at night, with several injuries reported." Chloe paused the television and turned to Selene.

"Hey! Be back before dusk," she said as she pulled Selene back and helped her with the door. The drive from Selene's apartment to the office was swift and calm. She wore a smile as she entered the building. "I must confess, you resumed faster than expected," the M.D. said with a smile. Selene nodded in response, and he added, "Be careful, human girl."

"Sir! What did you say?" Selene asked, slightly confused.

"I said, be careful, Selene," he repeated.

"I thought... Never mind," she replied, took the envelope he handed her, bowed, and rushed to his office.

A message popped up on her phone: "Yellow is a sin!" She shrugged it off as she entered her own office. The space was neat and smelled of strawberries, with light reflecting off the floor and the ash-colored walls looking great.

The doorknob creaked open, and Jay walked out, his cologne wafting toward her. He glared at her for a moment before stepping out.

Selene quickly scurried to her desk and pushed her bag against the files on her table. Jay walked back in, his hair tousled and his shirt half open. She noticed his abs through the gap in his shirt, but quickly snapped out of her thoughts as he exhaled through his mouth and collapsed onto the couch.

"Call Lauren!" he uttered, and she immediately rushed to the white landline on the table. Turning back to him, she said, "Sir, it's unreachable."

He sighed, eyes shut, and lips slightly parted. He managed to rise and stagger toward the restroom. The sound of running water filled the room as Selene turned her attention to her phone, messaging Lauren, but received no responses.

Feeling overwhelmed, she collapsed onto the couch. After a moment, she turned to her laptop and began typing away. Jay returned to her side, dropping some files on her desk, which startled her with the clatter. "I'm going," he stated before walking toward the door.

"Sir, you left these!" she called out, raising the keys she found on the desk. He approached her, took the keys, and she caught sight of a thorn-like bracelet on his wrist, but there was no blood. He took the keys and left.

Time flew by, and Selene didn’t take a lunch break, only sipping water as she worked to rectify her previous mistakes. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she noticed the office doors closing around her. Taking a deep breath, she drank from her glass of water, then shut her laptop. She organized her bags and files.

Switching off the lights, Selene rose from her seat and looked at her phone, gasping, "It's twelve minutes after nine!" She sprinted to the elevator, but it was closed. Glancing at the stairs, she realized her heels made her footsteps noisy.

She raced outside in ten minutes, the wind blowing her hair into her face. Attempting to book a ride, she found the connection poor. Biting her lip, she headed toward the gate, the wind intensifying around her.

Suddenly, she heard a distant howl, and her heart raced as she quickened her pace, glancing over her shoulder. Her cheeks flushed, and sweat trickled down her spine. Turning back, she saw a wolf standing on all fours, its eyes glowing in the darkness.

The wolf's fur sparkled like diamonds in the low light, and its paws pressed down onto the ground. Realizing what the howl meant, she turned to run, but a wild bird collided with her. She fell to the ground, her head bleeding, and rolled toward the wolf.

In a panic, she struck it with a log she found and leaped to her feet. But the wolf quickly caught her and held her in its grip. She screamed as it merely huffed in response. Then, another wolf intervened and freed her.

Stumbling to her feet, she tried to regain her balance as tears streamed down her cheeks. Watching the two wolves pounce on each other, she saw them knock heads until they were both dizzy.

In a moment of clarity, she ran again, but her gaze fell on the thorn-like bracelet and she remembered Jay. The golden wolf seized the bracelet and pressed it against the ear of the other wolf before yanking it away in a swift motion.

In a surprising act of protection, the golden wolf lifted her onto its back and took off while the other still groaned behind them. They reached her apartment, where the wolf slowed down its pace. Selene hugged its back tightly before jumping down. The wolf howled as she dashed into her apartment.

Pressing her back against the door, she slammed it shut and slowly knelt, tears falling as she cried.

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