7. ARIA

As the soft morning light streamed through the windows of my bookstore, I was engrossed in the monotonous chore of organizing last week"s sales records. Despite the lingering recent problems, I had remained steadfast in my resolve to persevere and reclaim what belonged to me. There had to be a way to fix all of this.

The papers still sat on my desk unsigned. I had to make a choice to give my business another chance or to guarantee it would be torn down and replaced with a plaque.

The money would be appreciated, but I didn't want to see the store demolished. But if I continued to do nothing, the bank would take it away anyway.

Jake had the day off while I figured out the numbers.

For a good part of the day, I was lost in the monotony of my work. The afternoon was now fading, and I let my mind wonder.

I looked up as the evening rays painted the walls and cursed the increase in crime and how it had scared away my customers. It felt as if someone was targeting this street.

My speculation was interrupted by the bell on the front door. I turned to find a man in a suit. He was not bad looking. His hair was a bit messy, but it suited the casualness in his stride.

"Hello. How can I help you, sir?" I was ecstatic for a customer, so I nearly tripped over my feet trying to get to him.

"Hi, I'm here to clear up the matter with Poppy Kline."

"That was my mother. How can I help you?

"Oh, wonderful! I'm Bill Moriarty." He handed me his business card with a smile.

The front was white and had his name embossed on it. He pulled my attention back to him with his continuous speech.

"I have been trying to get a hold of the wrong person.I have some paperwork here."

"I don"t need to transfer," I replied.

"Yes, my dear, you do. You are not your mother, so you must sign the title here. See?" he asked, shaking his head.

He was mesmerizing, and I began nodding even though I had no idea what he was talking about. The moments blurred as he explained and explained but never answered my questions. Before I knew it, I had signed the document.

"And initial here." He pointed to the paper, and I quickly complied, his impatience causing my stress to rise.

"Good. Here, too." His reassurance felt like a comforting hug.

"What is this for again?" I managed to break my trance.

"Aria, dear, this is all in your mother's name, and you have to transfer the title. That is all we are doing." He spoke so quickly that I barely heard him. "We are almost done; not to worry. Here is the last signature."

And with a snap, I signed the last page.

"Wonderful," he said before hitting print on his portable printer. It spit out page after page.

Had I signed all of that? Oh dear, what had I done?

"Here is your copy of the transfer. Take your time looking it over, and good evening to you." He smiled at me and walked out of my life as quickly as he had walked into it.

I looked down at his card in one hand and the contract in the other.

What was this? I turned the card over the back,it was black and had the most beautiful script that read Black Moon.

My heart sank. Had I just signed over to my store to the Black Moon pack?

I was torn from my thoughts by a sudden clamor outside. I put the papers on the counter and ran to the front door.

The sun was setting and the streets were filled with shadows. I peeked my head out the door. I heightened my hearing and heard the sound of raised voices and heavy footsteps echo around the corner.

Oh no, you don"t!I thought, needing to take a stand and defend my little bit of land. I felt my blood begin to boil as I ran around the corner.

Instinctively, my senses sharpened, the wolf within me stirring with unease. I felt the tension building, a primal warning that danger lurked just ahead.

My heart pounded as I braced myself for whatever awaited me.

"Will this problem never end?" I muttered. With each step closer to the source of the commotion, my pulse quickened.

As I rounded the corner, the scene before me gave me chills. A group of men, their faces twisted with malice, stood in a crescent moon blocking the path.

My heart pounded as I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I knew these men weren"t here for a friendly chat. "Hey! What"s going on here?" I demanded, trying to sound authoritative despite the fear creeping into my voice.

The men turned to face me, their expressions shifting from aggression to surprise as they took me in. It was clear they hadn"t expected me to intervene.

One of them, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. "You must be the book lady," he said. "Aria."

My blood ran cold. What did he mean? And how did he know my name?

Before I could voice my confusion, another man in the group called out, "You should leave before things get ugly."

My heart skipped a beat as I realized what was happening. They were up to no good, and I was outnumbered.

"Who are you?" I demanded, trying to keep the tremor from my voice. "What do you think you"re doing?"

They didn"t answer. Instead, they advanced, their movements predatory and menacing.

Instinct took over as I felt the familiar surge of power coursing through my veins. Without a second thought, I shifted, my body transforming into its wolf form in a blur of fur and muscle.

The men faltered, their bravado replaced by fear as they stared at me in awe. They hadn"t expected this.

I didn"t give them a chance to recover. With a fierce growl, I lunged forward, my teeth bared, and my claws extended, ready to defend myself.

The confrontation erupted as the men shifted into their wolf forms, the once-tranquil surroundings now painted with the vivid hues of a savage skirmish.

Their snarls echoed through the air, punctuated by the sharp clash of fangs and claws as they lunged at me.

Despite their efforts to overpower me, my wolf rushed forth with an intense ferocity, meeting each attack with a calculated precision.

With every swipe and bite, I defended my territory with unwavering resolve, refusing to yield to their misguided notions of superiority.

As the battle raged on, the scent of blood mingled with the earthy musk of forest permeated the air.

Yet amid the flurry of blows and frantic movements, it became apparent that my adversaries were beginning to falter, their resolve waning as exhaustion set in.

With the last burst of strength that I could muster, I drove them back. Soon, they were retreating, their human forms marred by the wounds of our conflict, blood staining their skin as a harsh reminder of their defeat.

Though the wounds inflicted were superficial, their implications were not lost on me. As wolves, they would heal swiftly, their bodies mending with a resilience born of their nature. But for the humans among them, the scars would linger, a reminder of their folly in challenging a wolf of my stature.

However, it was not the aftermath of the skirmish that troubled me most, but rather the whispered exchange that ensued as they beat a hasty retreat.

With senses heightened by my wolf nature, their words reached my ears with unsettling clarity, each syllable carving a path of dread through my consciousness.

"She is the one," one of the men murmured, his voice carrying an urgency.

"What do you mean?" another countered, confusion evident in his tone. "She"s just Aria, the bookstore owner. We were told to chase her off, and that"s it."

But it was the mention of a distinctive red stripe that gave weight to their words, stirring a sense of unease within me that I couldn"t shake. The realization dawned on them, their whispers growing hushed as the gravity of their discovery settled upon them like a heavy shroud.

"She"s the daughter of the slain Alpha."

The implications of their revelation hung in the air like a heavy fog, casting a pull over my thoughts as I grappled with the meaning of their words.

Who was their mysterious "boss," and what connection did he have to my father"s demise? Was my past catching up to me? .

The questions swirled through my mind, a tangled web of uncertainty that left me reeling. Desperate to get in the store, I moved hastily to the lock. I ran to the back room and wrapped myself in a discarded sweater.

Retrieving my phone from the table, I looked at the blank screen, deciding who to call. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I hastily dialed Elinor"s number.

"Eli, you won"t believe what just went down," I blurted out as soon as she answered.

"Is everything okay? You sound shaken. What's going on?" she responded, concern evident in her voice.

"A group of men just ambushed me; it all happened in a blur," I recounted, trying to catch my breath.

"Are you ok? Are you safe? Where are you? ?" Elinor asked worriedly.

"I … I'm…"

"Where are you?" Elinor pressed.

The tears fell from my eyes as the adrenaline finally wore off. "They were at the store."

"Oh, no, are you ok? Are you hurt?

"I'm fine, just a little shaken up."

"Well yeah that is to be expected." The relief in her voice was audible.

"Eli, they mentioned something that"s nagging at me," I confessed.

"What did they say?" Elinor prompted.

"They mentioned my late father, my wolf"s unique stripe, and some mysterious boss who would apparently be thrilled to hear about their encounter with me," I explained, shivering at the memory.

Elinor gasped. "Your father? Are you sure?. Do you think they were looking for you?"

"I"m not sure. It feels like they were sent to rough up the locals, but finding me was not what they were expecting," I replied, pacing back and forth.

"Did they give any clues about who this boss might be?" she asked.

"Not really. They were pretty cryptic about it," I admitted, frustration creeping into my tone.

"Did they say anything about who sent them?"

"I don"t remember," I admitted.

"Well, we need to figure this out. I"ll start digging around and see what I can find. You should come over here if you feel up to driving," Elinor declared.

"Thanks, Eli. I don"t know what I"d do without you," I said, feeling a wave of relief wash over me knowing she was on my side.

"Hey, that"s what friends are for, right? Hang in there, Aria. We"ll get to the bottom of this," Elinor reassured me before we said our goodbyes.

I hung up the phone and sighed. I emerged from my office, stepped into the dimly lit bookstore, and found a hollow emptiness in the walls of where I once felt only warmth and comfort. What was happening to my life? All my comforts were being stripped away.