Chapter 7 The Grassroots Beneath His Paws

• Viktor seemed to enjoy showing off his company to Eliza. He took her first to the Human Resources department, where he explained that they were always on the lookout for talent, especially within the werewolf community, but humans were also considered if they had the right skill set.
• "We have a program where we sponsor young wolves to study at universities in various fields of our choosing," he said. "If they come back with sufficient grades, we offer them a job. If they choose to work somewhere else, we don't mind too much, but we keep track of their progress. You never know when an outside contact could prove useful."
• Eliza nodded as she listened, glad she had decided on this little ambush of hers. While initially she had in mind an aloof, uncaring CEO who couldn't be bothered to know his employee's names, let alone care about their welfare, she was happy to see that Viktor was not like that at all. When he stepped into the department, several heads did turn, but nobody seemed ill at ease. In fact, passing staff seemed happy to greet him as they went about their work.
• "Hey boss," a man in a cornflower blue tie waved as he passed with a mug of coffee in his hand.
• "Good morning, Mr Redclaw!" a brown-haired woman said cheerily, her heels clacking loudly.
• "Excuse me boss," a worker in a jumpsuit pushed pallets of cardboard boxes past them. "Coming through!"
• As Viktor took her to other departments, pointing out what they did and why they were important, Eliza got the feeling that he was a man who cared deeply for the people who worked under him. He seemed to know his staff by name, even the lowly cleaners who were busy mopping floors. Viktor was polite to everyone and had a moment of time for anyone who greeted him, and even though his face seemed stern and unyielding, everyone seemed happy to see him as much as he seemed happy to see them. The general vibe of the office was one of congeniality, where people were happy to work here.
• So, Eliza tallied in her mind. Rich, caring, good looking. That's a good start.
• "Ooh, what's that?" Eliza pointed at what seemed like a scale model of a neighbourhood development.
• "We are heavily involved in real estate, so we have scale models of each project made." Viktor led her inside and looked at the development. "This one is called Redclaw Heights, and it is a development project aimed at the middle class. We've already built three hundred houses, and all of them have sold like hot cakes. There are still more projects planned there."
• "Oh, so your main business is in real estate?"
• "Real estate, property development, construction," Viktor rattled off the things his company did. "Among other things. Stock trading, of course, bond swaps, and naked alligator wrestling."
• Eliza blinked. "I'm sorry...naked alligator wrestling?"
• Viktor grinned. "Sorry. Just testing to see if you were listening. Let me know if I'm boring you with all this business talk."
• Eliza put her hand on his. "You can never be boring to me, Viktor."
• Viktor didn't answer, just stepped closer to her, still grinning, a low thrumming emanating from his throat. Eliza had to fight to keep herself steady. "Don't growl at me."
• "Why not?"
• "Because I like it."
• "If you like it so much...shouldn't you want me to keep doing it?"
• "Not in public...Mr Redclaw." Grinning back at him, she put a finger on his chest, enjoying how hard his muscles felt under his shirt, and pushed him gently back. Viktor, still smiling, accepted defeat and stepped back. "Really, what would your staff think?"
• "This is a first for me, but I find myself not caring."
• Eliza tsked. "And you were doing so well! But honestly...I do have a question."
• "So ask."
• "Not for you," Eliza wagged her finger at him. "There is a reason I dropped by unannounced. I didn't want to give you time to rehearse your staff in how to speak to me. So, I'd like to talk to one of them real quick. Mind if I borrow one of your employees for a bit?" Without waiting for an answer, Eliza turned to one of the office staff, a young man in his early twenties with a goatee.
• "Hi, I'm Eliza Samhain," she introduced herself. "And you are?"
• "Oh, uh...hi...I'm Michael, from accounting," the young man stammered out. "Uh, can I help you?"
• "Show me your teeth, Michael From Accounting."
• The young man's demeanour turned guarded instantly. "Why?"
• "I have a suspicion about your boss," she nodded at Viktor, "that only your teeth can confirm. So flash me those pearly whites, if you please."
• Michael, surprised, turned to Viktor for guidance. Viktor just nodded stoically. Sighing, Michael parted his lips, revealing his teeth in an awkward smile.
• It was just as Eliza suspected, as she looked closer. Michael's teeth were all sharp. Long fangs, canines and incisors meant for ripping, tearing and cutting flesh. A singular molar stood at the back of each side, most likely less used than the sharper dentition. Eliza stepped back and Michael closed his mouth, frowning.
• "Satisfied?" He asked, clearly uncomfortable.
• "Very!" Eliza smiled at him. "Thank you. Werewolf?"
• "Yes," Michael said. "Is that a problem?"
• "No. But it does confirm my suspicion about your boss. Sorry to disturb you, Michael," Eliza turned and walked back to Viktor, who had stood silently watching from afar. "Are all of your employees werewolves?"
• "No, of course not," Viktor said. "Before, I did mention that we do hire humans if they had the right skill set for our organisation."
• "But most of your employees are werewolves?"
• "Yes."
• "Doesn't that seem discriminatory?"
• Viktor sighed. "Eliza, we werewolves are a minority in the world. You know this better than anyone. We have needs that humans do not understand. We need to work together to survive in the human world and keep to the old ways of our traditions. And while my business is not wholly owned by wolves, we prefer to employ them whenever we can. This is for their benefit, of course."
• "I'm sorry if this seems like an interrogation, Viktor,” Eliza said, softening her tone. “But I just want to be sure about you. I am a priestess of the Ordo Luna, meaning I mediate between you and the humans. I have to be sure you won’t put that at risk."
• When Viktor spoke next, his voice was calm, assured, and confident, as if she had broached a topic he was very passionate about. "Know this, Eliza. Ever since the Redclaws were selected - by the Ordo Luna, I might add - to lead the werewolves of the world, I have taken great pains to protect my pack, which doesn't stop at the Redclaws. No, I take my responsibility as Alpha very seriously. All wolves are my responsibility. There are very bad actors in the world who would like nothing more than to see us all dead. You may not like big corporations, equating us to greedy landlords and penny pinchers that pollute the planet. But with this company, I can truly do some good. I can truly help my pack. And I will continue to do so no matter who you choose."
• Eliza beamed up at him, admiration for Viktor rising. She wanted to ask about those bad actors he mentioned, remembering the attack in the parking lot last night, but she felt she'd pushed enough of his buttons for now. Who knows how he might react? Besides, there was enough time later to broach the subject. So all she said in response was, "Well said, Mr Redclaw. Point for you."
• Viktor smiled and spread his arms out, posing, making Eliza laugh. "Am I winning?"
• "Down, boy. Too soon to tell." Eliza said, though she was thinking to herself how much she liked him. But she couldn't give herself away too soon. She had to play the game a little longer. "But...keep this up and we'll see."
• Viktor's smile changed into that wolfish grin that sent shivers down her spine again. "Oh, I should mention this about us corporate suits, Eliza. We don't like losing."
• "Oh, Viktor...just you remember that I am not a prize to be won like some trophy. If you do that, you'll do well." Eliza omitted the fact that she was so incredibly ready to leap into his arms there and then, not caring about the staff milling around them. Instead, she changed the subject. "So...is the limo ready? I can't wait to ride around in a limo and see the city as Mr Redclaw does."
• "Knowing Rumsfeld, I bet he's already waiting for us right now." He extended his hand to her, the perfect gentleman, and Eliza giggled as she took it. "So. Shall we?"
• "We shall," Eliza said. "Where are we going?"
• Viktor turned his head and nodded at the scale model of Redclaw Heights. "There."