The Luna on a Chain

Raindrops streamed down the windows, tracing simple, delicate paths.

The rain had started so suddenly that I had to go back for my umbrella. The car keys were missing, which meant I'd have to pick my friend up from the hospital on foot-or sacrifice a few hundred for a taxi.

Opening the umbrella, I stepped out of the building and walked briskly down the sidewalk. Puddles had already formed underfoot, threatening to seep into my black pumps. The shoes were definitely a poor choice for the day, but I was already running late, and there was no time to turn back.

A sudden idea crossed my mind-to take a shortcut. My legs acted on it immediately, carrying me into the courtyards between the apartment blocks.

How quickly I came to regret that decision. The puddles here were enormous, some so wide I had to jump over them. During one of those leaps, one of my heels gave way and snapped.

"Of course," I muttered in frustration, limping onward.

But fate clearly wasn't finished with me yet. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind tore the umbrella from my hands, sending it flying into the unknown. I watched it disappear, cursed under my breath, and broke into a run toward the hospital.

By the time I stepped inside, I looked like one of their patients-limping, drenched, and sneezing.

Maya spotted me immediately and followed my path from the door to the waiting area with a bewildered stare. I collapsed onto a soft couch and let out a breath of relief.

"Vera, what happened to you?" my friend asked, looking me over from head to toe.

"My heel broke on the way, and then the umbrella flew off."

"You walked here? What about the car?"

"I can't find the keys. We'll take a taxi back."

She gave a crooked smile.

"The discharge papers aren't ready yet. We'll have to wait a bit."

I sighed in annoyance and leaned back against the cushion. After flipping through a few magazines on the table, I began to fidget. My clothes clung to my body-cold and uncomfortable. Lucky me.

Then the woman at the reception window stirred, glanced up, and called Maya over. Finally. While my friend signed her papers, I pulled out my phone and ordered a taxi.

When I looked up again, she was still busy writing something, and behind her stood a tall, broad-shouldered man. Darkness seemed to coil around him, and the air itself felt charged with danger. I narrowed my eyes, studying him-wide, muscular shoulders, black wavy hair. But his face-I couldn't see it. He leaned slightly toward Maya, as if... smelling her. Odd, to say the least.

Then his hands, clasped behind his back, began to change. My heart dropped to my heels when I saw black, sharp claws glinting where his fingers had been.

A werewolf.

Panic seized me.

"Maya!" I shouted. The man straightened instantly, as if nothing had happened. "Come on, let's go! The taxi's here."

Maya