Alexandra sat in a car with chains around her wrists and waist and the windows on the sides and back tinted black. Bars lay in the front, blocking access to the front seats, and a gangster sitting between her and Daren. Daren, for his part, lay back, his eyes closed and with zip ties around his wrists, unmoving despite the various bumps.

Alexandra swallowed her fear despite remaining pale before she asked, “Um, where are we going?”

The one beside her grunted before he replied, “Don’t worry about that, miss werewolf girl. We’re going far away from that little town.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it,” Daren said, his eyes snapping open as the guard turned to him and Ford, who sat in the front passenger seat, twisted back. “From the car’s motions, along with a déjà vu pattern, we’ve been going in circles.”

“Daren?” Alexandra asked as he sat straight, flexing his fingers. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. A solid hit, I give you that.” Daren shrugged. “But I didn’t fall unconscious. I just acted that way because it’s what you lot expected. That way, I can guess where we’re going from the motions.”

“Awww, now aren’t you a wise guy? This idiot, Ford, should’ve hit you harder.” Dirk chuckled, sucking on his cigar as Ford cracked his knuckles. “Still, you can’t be serious about that.”

“That we’re going in circles? Why not?” Daren glanced away with indifference. “It’s a common tactic in an attempt to obscure where we’re going along with blocking any vision. Plus, it isn’t the first time that this has happened to me.”

Alexandra stared at Daren, feeling torn within. Part of her wanted to reach out for Daren since he was alright, while another part wanted to smack him since he wasn’t as hurt as he acted. So, she instead remained still, glancing away. Then she heard a growl from behind, but when she turned around, no one was there. The growl grew louder, and a shadowy finger lay under her chin.

“You see?” the werewolf side said with savage glee. “That man wasn’t able to save you after all. Instead, he got us captured by the ones behind it. Perhaps I should be thankful to them, but I hate them instead.” It breathed into her ear. “You hate them too, don’t you?”

Alexandra shuffled away while thinking one thought again and again.

“We’re prisoners, and you still think anger never solves anything?” The werewolf side laughed, which was mixed with howls. “No, your little philosophy also got us captured. Let me take over, and I’ll solve it, proving you wrong.” Alexandra shook her head. “Why not? There must be something else that’s stopping you. But what?”

Alexandra glanced at Daren, and the werewolf within her growled deeper.

“Because of him? He shot us and never once apologized for it! If he had realized that we were heading to a trap sooner, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Alexandra clutched her hands tight. “Do you think he cared for us? I doubt that’s the case! I bet he hates us! After all, why wouldn’t he bother to look at us? He was trying to hide his hatred!”

Alexandra shook her head, shutting her eyes tight as she whispered. “P-perhaps he was bitten by a wolf and got something like PTSD from it.”

The werewolf side laughed some more. “No. It’s nothing like PTSD, and you know it. Rather, he hates wolves so much that I bet a glare from him would burn as bright as the sun! That is why he shut his eyes to us.”

Alexandra peeked at Daren, who rubbed his left forearm with his knee as he grunted, avoiding her glance. She felt her heart sink, with confusion filling the void, before snapping away. The werewolf side of her laughed, with the shadowy finger pressing against her neck.

“Let me take over. I’ll end him and everyone within this car and the others. Then I’ll get to this Reiner and choke his life out. No one will hurt us again.”

Alexandra shook her head harder, and the werewolf side sighed.

“Such a pity that you allow yourself to believe that lie. Anger does solve problems. You just have to believe it. Still, let me tell you this.” The voice snarled. “When the full moon comes, you’ll finally recede into my thoughts. I’ll take you over for the rest of our lives, with you receding in my mind just as I receded into your mind.”

Alexandra lowered her head, with a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead as the car bounced from a bump. Daren glanced at her, at first curious, before he lowered his head in shame, with him fidgeting his fingers. The car paused for a minute before driving again, continuing its circular loop.

The car stopped for the final time, the engine stopping, with Dirk and Ford stepping out, each pulling out a gun. They opened the back doors, dragging Daren and Alexandra out by the arm. Daren fell on the ground, though the guard between the two stepped out and yanked him back on his feet. Two more cars parked beside them even as Alexandra glanced around.

Before them stood a gate with a thick concrete wall beside it, and behind it was a massive mansion. It towered over three stories tall and as wide as a sports field, the walls having antique brown panels over the solid wall. It lay within a thick patch of a forest, enough that darkness surrounded it despite the clear midday sun above.

Alexandra got shoved against the beige wall, the chain rattling around her, as Kurt got out of his gray car, with Daren grimacing at it. “Impressive, isn’t it? We bribed any news media that cast even a glimpse of the place, and it’s placed so it’s out of the way from air traffic. And even if some random guy posted a picture of the place, we ignored it, knowing it’ll be drowned out by the endless expanding internet.”

“And trying to get them to remove it will only attract more attention,” Daren said, with Kurt nodding.

“You’re a clever one,” Kurt said as three more gangsters came over. “And that’s the only reason why you’re still alive.” He then headed over to the wall, where a speaker lay, and pressed the red button beneath it. “This is Kurt, with the test subject for Project Delphine and my guest.”

For a moment, nothing happened before a gruff voice came from the speaker. “Enter.”

The metal bars rattled before they slid open, and the group entered within, with Dirk and Ford dragging Alexandra and Daren within. The pathway beneath them held lain cobblestone-shape patterns, with a pristine green lawn around it. Statues of winged demons, vampires, and dragons on pillars lay at points beside the path,the pillars wide enough for three people to hide behind. A fountain lay in the middle, water sprouting from a flaming unicorn’s horn before they went up the steps. Daren glanced at the pillars within the porch, thick enough for one person to hide behind, and nodded.

“Intriguing,” Daren said as Dirk rolled his eyes at him. “This place is prepared for an attempted attack.”

“One cannot be overprepared for such an attempt,” Kurt said, waiting before the steel doors. Then, finally, the doors opened, with a pair of guards holding the doors kept an eye on them while holding onto pistols, the group stepping in. “What do you think?”

Alexandra twisted around, the main room spotless of dirt or smudge marks on the walls and floor. Blue vases sat upon white marble pillars beside the door, with a long staircase in front of the doors. The walls held an off-white color, the carpet on the stairs blood red over the obsidian wooden floor. Along each wall lay a series of bookcases and desks, the bookcases holding the same books while looking solid. A pair of countertops lay beside the staircase, thick and with the top ash gray.

The group went up the stairs, a chandelier shining above with its lights reflected in crystal glasses around them. They reached the second floor, the railing waist-high and solid before they got to the third floor. They traveled through a hallway, which branched out to other parts of the mansion before they reached the end, which also held steel doors.

The doors opened, and the group entered a large square room, bookshelves around them with different books and some handwritten. At the center held a desk, with two prominent men standing beside it and a man sitting on a tall black chair facing the opposite direction. As soon as the doors shut, its echo vibrating, the man spun around, having a thick cigar between his teeth.

“Want a smoke?” The man asked, adjusting his black tie within his black suit while opening up a cigar case.

“No thanks,” Daren said. Alexandra shook her head.

The man shrugged, closing the cigar case. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I am Reiner Graham.”

Daren nodded as Alexandra turned pale. “Yes. Your name has been repeated to me on occasion since I got here. An infamous mobster who ruled the area.”

“Correct.” Reiner chuckled. “I was once a regular mobster, working with my number one man Kurt when a meeting between the four ruling families was planned. Seeking power, Kurt and I planned an assassination by planting bombs, and they were wiped out on that fateful day. Each family blamed the other, and a mob war occurred, which ended when, after building up my power, I swept up the remainder and only grew since then. Everything that happens within my territory, I know, and even outside, my spies are everywhere. I know where each of my rival’s family went to school, where each held a legitimate job, and I know whenever a rival tried to spread their influence within my sphere. And I heard quite a few things that interest me about you, Mr. Crevan.”

Kurt nodded while grinning, reaching into his suit and pulling out Daren’s tool before handing it to Reiner. He fingered it between two of his fingers and even pressed its button, and Alexandra swallowed. However, it didn’t turn on, and he raised an eyebrow at it.

“Such a fascinating piece of technology,” Reiner said, setting it down on his desk. “If it wasn’t for Kurt tailing you and her, I would’ve taken it as mere junk. But he overheard you using it, even examining our dear test subject for defects which I’m thankful that you didn’t detect. He even said that you somehow created gold dust out of sugar.” Kurt pulled out a small bag with gold within. “This is beyond anyone’s capability.”

“Um, Daren?” Alexandra whispered to Daren, with Ford about to silence her, but Reiner held his hand up. “I thought you said that no one should be able to overhear our meeting.”

“I was sitting beside you two,” Kurt said, having a smirk. “And no matter how noisy it got, you two’s voices were loud and clear to me. Besides, such tactics only work if you don’t want anyone accidentally overhearing you.”

“And I should’ve been paying more attention to that possibility.” Daren darkened his expression. “Still, how would you know that I did that. For all you know—”

“Spare us the bluff,” Kurt said, shaking his head. “Jung’s General Store, where our test subject attacked the previous two nights, though footage suggested it was a bear.” Daren tilted his head even as Alexandra felt a cold chill. “Reiner told a few of his trusted men and me to keep an ear out for large animal attacks, especially at night under the full moon. Despite what the media said, I decided to follow my orders and check them out. You should be thankful,” Kurt smirked at Daren. “I encountered you leaving that place, with those two idiots there begging me to shoot your brains out for the humiliation, but I decided to be lenient.”

Daren clenched his hands tight. “I’m afraid that you’ll regret that.”

“When I checked the wrecked place, I couldn’t help but note some inconsistency of it being a mere rabid bear,” Kurt said, ignoring Daren along with Dirk and Ford’s indigent stares. “I honestly thought that the police were trying to cover up the truth, and when I checked the footage and noticed a glitch before and after the bear attack, I was certain. At least, until I saw you running in and heading into the security room before walking out.”

Daren grunted. “I knew I forgot something.”

Kurt broadened his grin, pacing in front of Reiner. “So, you admit it. And when I saw you last night, likely watching our test subject transform, I realized there is something special about you. And, from the looks of it, this tool.” He pointed at the device. “How you hid from me, I still have no clue. But I know one thing: My lenience has rewarded us far more than I expected.”

Daren shifted his eyes. “If that’s what you believe. Still, you lot did some admitting yourselves.” He glared at Reiner and Kurt. “You were the ones who made Alexandra into a werewolf.”

Reiner chuckled, sucking on his cigar. “Yes, I planned out Project Delphine.” He leaned forward, two fingers holding the cigar. “I always have a fascination with monsters like dragons and vampires. So much so that I always wanted a special group of enforcers of such beings. Imagine: Enforcers strong enough to lift a car at least, thick enough that even armor-piercing bullets won’t get far into the hide, fast enough to disappear into the dark. They’ll be perfect, especially since no one will believe they were attacked by a monster.”

“That’s what it’s all for?” Daren asked, squeezing his fists tight. “Enforcers?”

“Of course.” Reiner glanced at Kurt. “The life of a gangster is hard. Not only do you have to deal with rivals and enemies, never friends, in business, but you must be conscious that those within won’t get huge egos and try to take over. And mobsters, like sharks, go on a frenzy the moment they smell blood in the water, which is where law enforcers will intervene, so strength is all important.”

“But why Alexandra?” Daren asked in a low voice.

“Because she was convenient.” Reiner chuckled, dumping ashes into the ashtray. “It took years of research and investments and hundreds of millions of dollars to develop the means to modify someone’s genes. I picked werewolves, for they are among the easiest yet most powerful creatures I can create. We tested on a hundred and seven test subjects, figuring out what each modification does. Many died, some we put down and which they were thankful for,” Daren frowned. “But once we got the basic idea of what each modification does, we concluded step one and moved on to step two: combining them and injecting them into a person. Of course, it can’t be any person. The blood it was in has to be for a specific blood type. So, we persuaded the Walford Hospital to hand us the medical files for people checking up within a week, finding the right person with the right blood type. Alexandra here has the right blood type.”

“And what did you hope to achieve!?” Daren spat, with Dirk raising a fist at him before Reiner raised his hand in a stop gesture.

“If some bloke on the street can turn into a werewolf without any issue, then we move onto stage three: Vetting all of my trusted folks and turning them into werewolves, starting with Kurt here. If it went wrong, we’ll collect the remains and dissect them, find what went wrong, and try again. It’s that simple.” Reiner chuckled, sucking on the cigar again. “She has proven to be a successful subject.”

Alexandra turned pale, glancing away as Daren clenched his fists tighter. Reiner smirked, sucking on his cigar again before dumping the ash onto the ashtray. Still, he held a curious glance at her, tapping his fingers against the table, with it looking like wood with a brown grain.

“Still, you look like a lovely lady here. I don’t normally invite ladies into mob work since it’s messy stuff. But I’ll overlook it if you’re willing to work with me,” He laughed, with Alexandra feeling a chill crawling down her spine. “In fact, you’ll look perfect the way you are. After all, who would suspect a pretty little girl like you of being a werewolf?”

“I-I—” Alexandra shook her head. “No. I don’t like the work that you do,” She turned to him, her eyes flashing yellow with Reiner flinching a bit. “They said you sell drugs out on the streets, accepting anything as payment. Even if it’s blatantly stolen stuff like purses full of cash. And how you rigged games in your favor, with promises to ruin entire teams with blackmail material that you acquired. You’re disgusting.”

She then spat on the floor, with Ford raising a fist at her before Reiner raised a hand up, and he laughed. Alexandra blinked, her eyes returning to their regular orange shade, as Daren turned to her, his left forearm wiggling as though in pain and his eyes wide, startled. She shrunk back, with Reiner laughing, standing up and clapping.

“My, my. You do have steel in that back of yours.” Reiner grinned, waving his cigar. “This makes me even more interested in having you join me.” He turned to Kurt. “Let’s modify the plan with her. Take her outside in the cage and release her from those chains. But have the men not use any silver weapon on her.”

“Reiner?” Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought we would observe her transform for ourselves tonight before killing her.”

“No. I changed my mind.” Reiner winked at her. “But if you’ll reconsider, I’ll take you to one of the secure rooms, which should be able to contain you even in your transformed state.”

“I, um,” Alexandra said, turning white. “Er.”

“Alexandra, please—” Daren said before Dirk smacked him in the head.

“Shut up, you asshole! Let her decide.”

Alexandra shrunk down further, and Reiner sighed, shaking his head. “How disappointing.”

He nodded to Kurt, who waved his arm at two of the guards, who grabbed her by the shoulders… —Time stood still, and Alexandra heard panting behind her and steam rolling down her back. Alexandra swallowed, a shadowy claw rubbing her neck, and she sweated. A voice chuckled behind her, deep and with growls lying within the tone.

“My, my,” the werewolf side said, the shadowy face rubbing its cheek against her. “We seem to be in a pickle. But it doesn’t have to be that way.” It waited until Alexandra shook her head, and when it spoke, anger grew in the voice. “We have all of our enemies in a single room. These chains are nothing compared to me! Let me take over, and I’ll end it all!”

“Stop!” Alexandra said, her voice high. “Anger never—”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it!” The werewolf roared. “It’s always the same with you! People treat us horribly, and all you do in response is swallow your anger and take it! You may see it as the high road path, but if it’s meant being treated as an afterthought at the best of times, I’ll gladly be angry!”

“B-but—”

“But what?! We’re captured because of you!” The voice let out a sigh. “Why won’t you listen to me?”

Alexandra became silent, and time moved forward…—dragging out of the room, with Daren grunting as though in pain.

Daren glared at Reiner as pain shot through his left forearm, spreading to his fingers and upper arm. Reiner returned with a satisfied smile, the doors opening and closing with Alexandra out before he picked up the TF Scriúire and spun it between two of his fingers. He looked curious before he glanced at Kurt, clenching the tool tight.

“Head to the oversight view and make sure that everything is set up as planned,” Reiner said, with Kurt nodding before strolling out of the room. “It’ll be intriguing.”

“Are you crazy?!” Daren asked, with Dirk forcing him back. “Look, I saw her in action as a werewolf. You’ll get yourself, and everyone here, killed!”

“One cannot get great rewards if they refuse to take great risks,” Reiner replied, putting the device down. “This final test will be the last involving her. A body takes on great stress when transforming to and from being a werewolf, which is what phase one taught us. To suffer through it three times in a row and still live? That is when I’m sure we’re close, and all we need to do is refine it.”

“Refine it?” Daren asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. The genes within her are set to turn on at the sight of the full moon. But it isn’t needed, and it’ll be far better to have it so the enforcers can change at will. And if she changes her mind, I’ll see if I can modify her genes so she can transform at will as well.” He removed the remaining cigar stub from his mouth and placed it into the ashtray. “Still, I can tell you’re bluffing again. She hasn’t killed anyone during the previous two nights, instead scaring anyone around her, so I’m reasonably safe.”

Daren shook his head. “Listen to me. That hubris will be the end of you. Maybe Kurt mentioned it to you since he overheard my discussion with her, but what she told me worried me, especially since I know it’s the truth,” He took a step forward, his bandaged left forearm displayed to him. “She told me that the werewolf side of her is growing stronger since getting the genetic modifications, however you managed to do it. In fact, she explained that she has conversations with that side and is certain that, if she lets that side take over, she will transform into a werewolf in broad daylight. I know because I can sense her holding that side back!”

Reiner raised an eyebrow at him. “Intriguing comments for an alien of this world.” Daren blinked, the room becoming much colder. “Do you think I wouldn’t try to do a background check on you? After all, you or someone you know created such fantastic technology far beyond earth’s ability,” he pointed at the TF Scriúire, “and that got me curious. However, I find it more curious that I found nothing about you despite combing with a fine tooth. No SSN, no birth certificate, no past jobs, nothing. You never existed as far as we know before this week.”

“Maybe you didn’t check hard enough,” Daren said, but Reiner chuckled.

“Oh, my foolish boy. I know for certain that you’re from another world. There’s no need to lie with any facts you bring up about yourself as perfectly suspect. Hell, your name could be a fake identity that you thought sounded cool, Mr. Crevan.” Daren turned the lightest shade paler before his expression darkened, throwing a glare that could melt steel. “I need to know how you work this thing here.”

“Um, sir?” Dirk asked as he shook his head. “This asshole looks perfectly human. I don’t see how he could be an alien.”

“Oh? I admit that point, but I’m sure that if we put you through a full body examination with my personal doctor, they’ll find differences.” He sneered at Daren, who tried to break from Dirk’s grip. “What is it now?”

“This is beside the point that I’m trying to make!” Daren twisted around, with every gangster sneering at him. “She doesn’t need the full moon to transform anymore! You may think you’re prepared for her, but you’re not!”

“I heard that the first time, but why listen to someone who is a liar about himself? Even if you’re telling the truth, I’m prepared.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a revolver, a Rossi 352 38 Special. “It is impossible to trust anyone fully in this world, no matter how loyal they are.” He popped open the cylinder, with five rounds loaded in it, before he removed one, its surface shining warm in the light. “Silver bullets. The test subject has their genetic code edited so she has a nasty reaction. No matter how tough the hide is, no matter how fast she regenerates her wounds, it’ll pierce through, and her body will react as though she is suffering from an allergic reaction. She’ll be vulnerable then. But it’ll have to be my last resort if she gets here.”

Daren blinked, with gears spinning within him. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not.” Reiner loaded up the revolver before pocketing it. “It’ll be disappointing if it ever comes to that. I rather like her for showing that fire.”

Daren hesitated for a few seconds before he said, “Look, that wasn’t completely her. That was the werewolf influencing her words and actions. Unfortunately, that side has grown so powerful, especially from the last two nights, that she’ll likely remain a werewolf for the rest of her life. So, put her in that secure room.”

“She’ll be worth all fifty workers I have here in my mansion.” Reiner smirked at him. “Any life loss will be an acceptable sacrifice.”

“Anyone who dies in the process an acceptable sacrifice because you wanted her to work with you?” Daren clenched his hands tight. “You are evil.”

“It depends on what you call evil.” Reiner leaned back, tapping his fingers together. “The truth is that evil happens everywhere: we just accept it when it happens. I don’t mean bullshit like burglary, murder, and all that crap. I mean, like the government, the elites, and the common folks who supplement them,” He spun his chair to the side. “The government willfully takes your money under the excuse of ‘taxes’ for the ‘common good,’ but what they want with that is to pocket your hard-earned cash with little going to said good. And then they bait the commoners to give more money to the government so that more money will be used for the ‘common good’ while laughing behind closed doors, knowing how stupid they collectively are,” He gave a sour smirk. “They can even prop up a corpse, and people will vote for it if it has a letter next to the name. So you can call me evil, but at least I’m honest about it, more honest than the rulers. Though I’m sure Kurt will try to limit the casualties. He is practical like that,”

Daren remained silent for several seconds, digesting this speech, even as the various gangsters grinned at each other. The brown, wooden wall seemed to vibrate in anger yet remained calm. Then, finally, Reiner twisted forward to him again, tapping his fingers before picking up the TF Scriúire. He pressed its button again, but it refused to turn on, and he raised an eyebrow at it.

“Still, I doubt you’ll listen to the rambling of a man who faced death and the worst of humanity more times than you,” Reiner said, with Daren resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “What I’m more curious about is: how do you get this to work?”

He shook the TF Scriúire, and Daren shook his head. “Please, put her in that secure room where you know she can’t get out, even as a werewolf. Because once she transforms, willingly or unwillingly, the werewolf side will likely be permanent, and I doubt that you’ll be able to kill her that easily.”

“And all you’re telling me is that I may not refine the modifications as much as I fear,” Reiner curled his lips into a wide grin. “Now, stop avoiding the question, or I will take you to the good doctor who will drag the answer out from you.”

Daren sighed, shaking his head. “It’ll never work for you. It’ll never work for anyone in this room except me. When I first picked it up, it created a symbiotic connection with me. So it’ll only work for you if I willed it so. Otherwise, it’s just a paperweight.”

“Huh,” Reiner placed it on the desk again before pressing his fingers close and setting his elbows on the table. “Still, you’ll be a good member of the family.”

Daren narrowed his eyes. “I have no interest in working with you.”

“Then it’s time to call the good doctor,” Reiner picked up the landline phone on the desk and, after pressing some buttons on it, pressed it against his head. “This is Reiner. I have a reservation for one. Give him the special.” He hung up and waved at Dirk and Ford. “I’m sure you can guess what this means.”

“Yeah.” Daren lifted his arms just enough to reach for his aloha shirt before Dirk and Ford grabbed him by the arms, lowering it. “One last thing. I was being nice. Keep that in mind when we meet again.”

Reiner just shrugged before Dirk and Ford dragged Daren away, out of the room with the remaining gangsters staying within. Daren gritted his teeth, the guards laughing at each other as the doors opened and slammed shut behind them. But he kept his hands hidden, careful not to let the small blade he snagged from his pocket show or pierce his skin.