To sign the contract!

I walked into the high-raised building of the Moonsimonial Corp. through the front door feeling far more embarrassed than worried or anxious or...

Actually, I was feeling more embarrassed than anything, period.

Why...?

Well mainly because...

"Morning bo-who-oh-ho! We got ourselves quite a wild luna, huh...!"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Lucian was walking right by my side, walking not a step faster nor slower, not trying to his neck in the slightest – and do I even need to spell out how his neck looked like this morning?!

And the short exchange like that was not even a rare occurrence either – everyone saw!

Everyone!

…

...that was both extremely embarrassing and very empowering – I marked him, and he was so unbelievably happy that I had no doubt in my mind that if he was in his werewolf form he would be wagging his tail like crazy.

He kept this happy-puppy aura around him as he escorted me all the way to the office where I would be supposed to read through the offered contract before deciding whether or not I would be signing it.

"You're the CEO, why would there be a problem with you being present...?"

I asked in confusion when Lucian denied having any other duties to attend this morning while simultaneously refusing to go in with me.

"It would feel like I'm putting pressure on you to just sign it without properly checking everything out for yourself, that won't do."

He shook his head and opened the door for me.

"Ah, Alexis, good to see you."

Inside Selene was already waiting for me seated behind a big, menacing desk with an even more menacing stack of papers piling on one side of it.

"Oh, don't worry about these – it's all the declarations about working with humans that all the employees had to sign up a few years ago – we're switching it all to the digital version, but for whatever reason, some of the dinosaurs we have for investors demand that we scan all those physical ones before destroying them for safety reasons – and since I messed up with your email and all, it became my show of good will – as they like to describe the punishments for the more rough individuals. It will be done by me and me alone, relax."

Selene waved her hand dismissively somehow correctly reading my mind.

I did indeed think that this pile of papers was waiting there just for the moment I put my name on the contract to be dropped on my lap while Selene will pull out a whip from the drawer and crack it above my head with a burst of diabolical laughter.

…

...alright, I don't think that she had guessed that all that went through my head – but still, she was close.

"Here."

Instead, Selene slid the actual contract towards me – with no pen as of yet, again, most likely to not make it seem like she's pressuring me to sign it right away.

"..."

I prepared myself and picked it up.

…

…...

Nearly half an hour later I exited the room.

"How did it go?"

"Lucian?! Why are you still – wait- were you waiting for me?!"

I gasped in shock as I realized that the handsome emerald eye man was sitting politely at the bench next to the door I just went through.

"I didn't mean to, but I realized that I don't have any other means to contact you, and using the company's phone would be an inappropriate use of the company's asset for my own purposes, kind of. And since I was serious about having my morning open..."

He leaned to the side, kind of like a puppy who had been caught on doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"...?"

But as he was doing that, and showing off more of his skin I realized that the hickeys were already much much paler.

"Oh – you noticed?"

Lucian instantly picked up on what I was looking at and smiled with disappointment.

"Werewolves have much faster regeneration than humans – those will be gone way before the lunch break."

He looked down, dispirited.

Oh, thank goodness...! That means that there may be people who will not see it!

"That's great to hear -I don't know what I've been thinking doing that..."

Is what I said out loud covering my face with both hands to hide the blush.

"I know, right?! It's such a shame that it will just heal up – you were working so hard on all of that...!"

Lucian sighed, touching his neck, making a sad expression...

…

...hold on a moment here...

"Why do you say it like that...? I thought that you were asleep..."

I looked up at him in suspicion...

"..."

...and saw his eyes dart to the left as he was clearly dodging the eye contact!

"A...! Ah...!"

I let out a panicked yelp.

"No, no - It's okay, it's okay for you to renew them whenever you like - as long as it is after the working hours that is - we are actually trying to root out any inappropriate behaviors in the workplace - I guess it's not that difficult to believe that if you put together a bunch of wild beast like us, it is bound to create some situation that would be outrageous for humans - but that said, since we were planning to start hiring humans anyway - the implementation of the new policies is already in full swing!"

He declared proudly, skillfully changing the subject before I could completely lose my head.

"That said - I really want to boast to Selene too, but I guess this will have to wait until later."

Lucian said which put me even more at ease - as far as I was concerned no one else had to know about the hickeys' accident - ever.

*snap*

"...eh...?"

That was when I heard the sound of the shutter going off and noticed Lucian taking a selfie with a fully exposed neck riddled with red spots.

"Since they will be gone anyways when she will finish her shift, this will have to do."

"No! NO! NO! Delete this!"

... I panicked, alright?

I completely panicked and threw myself at Lucian, in a last-ditch effort trying to grab his phone - in a normal situation with a normal human being - the two of us would end up on the floor - but with a werewolf - even in his human form - it resulted in me jumping into his arms in a rather compromising position.

...and then the door to Selene's office opened...

...at first, only her hand was visible gripping the door as if she was using it to propel herself forward - then was her head that popped out and turned right towards us.

"Morning, Selene!"

Lucian exclaimed without losing a beat while my heart dropped.

"..."

It seemed like she was going to shout at us for inappropriate behavior but then her eyes widened as she spotted Lucian'sneck and...

"Pffft...! Serously...! Which one of you is the real wolf I wonder...! Go away you two - Alexis you start tomorrow - Lucian, go take her to breakfast or something - your meeting starts at noon."

She snorted and shook her head, smiling cheerfully, and shooed us away before disappearing back into her office and closing the door.

"Ah! That means you've signed it?!"

Lucian exclaimed happily as if there was ever any doubt about that.

Seriously - is he a ferocious werewolf or a cute puppy?