Chapter 6 Rabbit In A Wolf's Den

• "Whaddya mean, no?" Imelda frowned up at her granddaughter. "This whole date thing was your idea, and when Viktor asks you out, you say no? What kind of logic is that?"
• "Oh grandmother," Eliza said, pulling out a dress from her wardrobe and putting it against her body, trying out how it looked. This one seemed a bit much, she thought. It was a long, slinky red dress that would have complimented her curves well but didn't suit the occasion. "It's all part of the game, my dear sweet innocent grandmother."
• Imelda's only reply to that was a cackle. "What, so you keep him waiting?"
• "Exactly!" Eliza smiled, putting the dress back in the closet and pulling out a short, black dress with a high collar. "It doesn't do to seem too eager. Yes, we're Fated Mates, but still. I have some agency, do I not? So let's not let him control the narrative." She frowned at her reflection in the mirror, shook her head and replaced the dress.
• Imelda snickered. "I was wondering why you were in your room playing your video games instead of going out on that date. So, what's your plan?"
• "Ambush!" Eliza smirked. "I need to know more about my potential mate. So I'm going where he probably isn't going to like me going. His office." The dress she held up now was way too risque; a black lace mini dress with a plunging neckline that would leave her practically naked. It would have looked amazing, she felt, but it wasn't quite the look she was going for. Maybe if things went further with Viktor, she'd find a chance to wear that.
• "Redclaw Enterprises," Imelda nodded. "A wise choice. You need to know the full picture of this Alpha. Learning what he does to earn his money would be important." She raised her cane and tapped Eliza gently on the back of her head with it. "Good. Show these wolves us Ordo Luna have brains on our shoulders."
• Eliza smiled as she tried on a dress she'd just bought recently from an expensive department store. It had a white bodice and a pleated skirt of white and green, with a laced collar. It came with a small clutch purse of the same colour that she could put her phone and makeup into. It was perfect.
• "There we go!" she grinned. "That's the dress! Now all I need is a ride to Viktor's office."
• "What are you going to say about last night's attack?"
• Eliza frowned. The first she had heard about it was on social media, which was on fire with reports of the clash between werewolves and humans in the parking lot of the state park. So far there were only two injuries, one human and one wolf, but it was causing some serious chatter online. "I'll ask him about it. And see what he has to say."
• "Remember, we of the Ordo Luna do not side with either," Imelda said, her voice growing heavy with the gravity of the situation. "We mediate. Thus, we condemn strongly this attack and altercation. Unofficially I'll say that if these damned anti-wolf people have any beef with us, they should take it up with us straight, not make cowardly attacks in parking lots."
• That scared Eliza a bit - the fact that this had happened so close to the Ordo Luna manor, right as she was in her room. "We're...we're safe here, aren't we grandmother?"
• "Oh, don't worry, sweetpea. The Silver Sisters have faced worse than a bunch of guys with guns. We're quite safe," Imelda said, referring to the militant arm, the fighters of the Ordo Luna. "Now game face on! Your little ambush plan won't work quite so well if you look as scared as a rabbit in a wolf's den."
• After an hour, Eliza stepped out of the cab in front of the Redclaw Enterprises building. She stared up at it, marvelling at how tall it was. The building was in the city center, in the financial district, surrounded by other corporate headquarters and banks and surrounded by busy streets. As she walked to the entrance, Eliza was struck with just how much of a fish out of water she felt. Here she was, dressed as if going out to dinner with a friend, walking through a crowd of people all in business suits, talking on their cell phones, looking harried or hurried.
• Eliza took a deep breath, remembering her grandmother's advice. "Rabbit in a wolf's den," she reminded herself, and approached the receptionist, smiling.
• "Hello. I'd like to see Mr Viktor Redclaw, please."
• The receptionist gave no hint of it in her facial expression, but her voice betrayed her skepticism. "Do you have an appointment?"
• "No, but he'll see me. Please tell him Eliza is here to see him."
• The receptionist didn't move. "You must have an appointment to see Mr Redclaw."
• Eliza's heart began to race. This had been going perfectly in her head. What now? She decided to push further. "I guarantee you, he'll want to see me. Please just give him a call and let him know I'm here."
• Moments passed as Eliza stared down the receptionist. Then with a sigh, the receptionist picked up a phone and dialed a number. Eliza had to hide how relieved she felt. After less than a minute the receptionist put her phone down, a confused look on her face.
• "I...Mr Redclaw is on the twenty first floor. I'll wave you in."
• "Thank you," Eliza smiled, and headed to the elevators. A rabbit in a wolf's den she may be, but she wasn't caught yet.
• She almost gasped audibly when she stepped out of the elevator on the twenty first floor. The first floor lobby had been decorated in a modern corporate style; all glass and steel, white and black and grey. The twenty first floor looked more like the lobby of a very expensive hotel. There were polished marble floors and walls of carved wood panelling. She saw two separate fireplaces that roared with flame. In front of each was a seating area with cosy looking sofas and tables with flowers.
• "Eliza."
• She turned when she heard Viktor's voice, and once again the sight of him took her breath away. His eyes seemed to glow as he stared at her from under his bushy grey eyebrows, a slight smile playing at his lips. He wore a black suit, with a crisp white shirt and a blood red tie that seemed to match the colour of his eyes. He was sitting behind a large desk, carved from reddish brown wood. Behind him, a bookshelf reached floor to ceiling, filled with books.
• "Eliza, you are...such a surprise," Viktor said, rising from his desk.
• "You don't sound surprised. You sound angry," Eliza smiled, walking to him, hands behind her back. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion."
• "Nonsense. I'm not angry, just caught off guard."
• "Like a rabbit in a wolf's den?"
• His jaw dropped for a moment, then he recovered with a...well, wolfish grin. Eliza had to pinch herself to stop from leaping onto him right there and then. "Ha. I like that," he said. "How apt."
• Eliza turned and gestured. "So, this is the lair of Alpha Viktor Redclaw. Fancy."
• She heard him stand and approach her, and she felt her heart race. "Oh, this isn't my lair, dear Eliza. For that, you really should have accepted my offer yesterday. I would have taken you on a tour of my home. The dining room, the pool..." she felt him stand inches behind her, and his breath on her cheek as he leaned in. "The bedroom."
• Eliza turned, a smile on her face. She put her finger on Viktor's lips, shushing him. "Patience is a virtue, dear Alpha Viktor."
• He grinned, and stepped back. "But honestly, Eliza, I am surprised to see you here. This," he waved a hand at his office, "this is where the boring stuff happens. The stocks and deals and the numbers. Why are you here?"
• "If I am to let you lay your Claiming Bite on me," Eliza said, feeling more confident, "I need to know more about you. Not just the Alpha of the pack, but the CEO of the business. What you do here, how you do it, why..."
• "I told you. Business and numbers. Boring."
• "Well, I think you're confusing boring with interesting. Because I am very interested in this company you seem to be master and commander of." She held out a hand, fingers and palms down. "Take me on a tour, Viktor."
• Viktor took her hand and kissed it, sending butterflies flying in her stomach. "It would be my genuine pleasure, dear." He turned and called out. "Rumsfeld."
• Eliza had seen Rumsfeld many times before, and yet each time the old second of Viktor Redclaw made her heart skip a beat, as if she were seeing him for the first time. He always seemed to appear out of thin air, as if he were a phantom. Every time he was impeccably dressed, with a perfectly fitting dark blue suit and matching tie. His skin was clean shaven, his nose sharp and pointy on his long face, and he wore half moon spectacles that were always polished and clean.
• "Yes, Mr Redclaw?" he said, his voice level and smooth as a sheet of glass.
• "Ready the limo," Viktor said, still holding Eliza's hand. "My future mate would like a tour of our operations."