Blood Relations

Author's note: So I know I started another story on here, but I've been having difficulty writing it and this story was just eating away at me. I think I am going to finish this first, but I promise I will finish the other one. It is brand new (i.e. takes place in a different world than my other one) but still more of the same (what can I say? I like wolves). Again it is a "slow roll" so no sex in this installment. As always your comments/feedback is much appreciated :)

*****

The door swung open to a small loft apartment. Serena smiled and walked inside. It was warm and cozy, with a queen size bed taking up the center. A little kitchen was on the right, next to a door that led to what she assumed was a bathroom. It might be tiny, but it was much larger than the college dorm she was used to.

"And here is where you will be sleeping this summer," Malcolm said.

There was a set of french doors that caught Serena's eye. She headed over that way and pushed them open to a large balcony. The night breeze washed over her and she already knew these doors would be open whenever she was in the apartment. Malcolm appeared next to her on the balcony.

"No air conditioning," Malcolm said. "I know you're not used to Midwest summers, but they can become annoyingly hot and ridiculously humid. You should be able to get a decent cross breeze at least."

"It's prefect," Serena said. "What is that over there?"

Serena pointed to a group of people.

"That is the nightclub," Malcolm said. "You're far enough way that the noise shouldn't bother you."

"A town this small has a nightclub?" Serena asked. "No offense, but I'd never heard of Juliet Indiana, it's not on most maps."

"Our town is a bit of a tourist trap," Malcolm said. "I'm sure you will get a better sense of it tomorrow when you start work. Don't let the club distract you. I know you just turned twenty one this past year, but remember that is what you're here for..."

"Don't worry," Serena said. "I am so grateful for this opportunity. I know I waited until late to apply for...well anything... without this job I would have ended up waiting tables and losing money paying for a summer dorm. I won't screw this up."

Malcolm turned and looked at Serena. She examined his kind face. All of her interviews were done over the phone and when he met her at the airport this morning she wasn't expecting someone so distinguished or...young. He had the voice of a sixty year old, but she didn't think he was over forty with light brown hair that only had a touch of grey and warm blue eyes.

He brought his hand up to her cheek and cupped her face. Serena knew she should be creeped out, not only he was a virtual stranger but her boss as well, instead the sensation was almost paternal. Serena winced at the thought. Malcolm sensed her discomfort and dropped his hand.

"Tomorrow, downstairs at 9 AM sharp," Serena said.

"Piper will be there to greet you," Malcolm said. "Just in case here is a set of keys. The gold one is to the office, the silver to your loft."

"Thank you again," Serena said. "You won't regret this."

"I know I won't," Malcolm said. "I will leave you to get settled. Sleep tight."

Malcolm closed the door after he left and Serena let the air out of her lungs. Her first night alone in a strange town. She shrugged off any negative thoughts and went for her tablet. She realized she never asked about Internet, then glancing around noticed there was no television. Serena went for her phone. No service either. Determined not to let anything get her down she pulled up a saved playlist of downloaded music and hit play, before getting started on unpacking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Serena's alarm went off at seven, but she was already in the shower. She dealt with the annoying beep until she washed the soap off of her body, then ran out to slide the alarm to the off position. When she headed back into the small bathroom she wiped the steam off of the mirror. Her blue eyes had small black bags under them. That meant wearing more makeup than she would have liked. Her long strawberry blond hair was already starting to curl. She had to blow dry it fast before it turned into an uncontrollable mess of waves.

She was ready for work by eight. She picked a pair of simple black slacks that flared out, with black stiletto heels, and a white and black print top. The shoes made her look taller than the 5'1" she was and the top made her chest look fuller. Even though she was 21 people constantly assumed she was younger. She decided to forgo the blazer, since Malcolm told her the dress was business casual. Her stomach let out a growl and she regretted not asking Malcolm where the nearest grocery store was, or at least a coffee shop.

Deciding she had some time to kill Serena headed downstairs. Her heels clanked on the narrow wooden steps, and for a moment She realized one slip would mean a broken neck. Maybe she would switch to the flats tomorrow. The door at the bottom of her loft opened up the street. Serena knew if she turned right the office was the next door over, but if she went left there was only a three block walk to the main strip. She decided to venture out.

Much to her surprise, the street was dead. Serena saw the nightclub Malcolm mentioned last night. It was a black building with no sign at all. She headed North. There wasn't a single soul or car on the street. She passed restaurant after unopened restaurant. There was a small fresh market, but even that was closed. Glancing across the street Serena spotted a coffee shop and broke into a smile. She didn't bother looking before crossing the street, the hours said 5-1, but when Serena pulled on the door it didn't open. Was this place open from 5 at night to 1 am? What sort of coffee shop had those hours? It didn't make any sense.

Serena's phone started vibrating. The alarm she said for 8:45 went off. Oh well, she thought, maybe there would be a coffee machine at the office.

When Serena made it back she unlocked the door and turned on the lights. Hawkins Accounting looked much more like an accounting office in the morning light than it had when Malcolm gave her the tour yesterday evening.

It was a boutique space. With two large storefront windows and three desks along the walls with a conference room in the back. All designed so the screens faced away from the other parties. Serena didn't plan on playing much solitaire, but it would be nice to check her e-mail and facebook since there wasn't Internet anywhere else. She walked over to the desk that was hers and turned on the computer.

The machine was old, but it had Excel and that was all she needed to do her job. She couldn't believe when the position showed up in her e-mail account just two weeks ago. Spending the summer in a new place converting businesses from paper accounts to electronics would be easy and it would look great on her resume.

The computer clock read 9:04, but none of Serena's coworkers had arrived so she decided to goof off for a little bit. She logged into her facebook first, but kept getting an error message. Serena decided to deal with it later and instead checked her personal e-mail first. There was some junk mail, but as she scrolled down the screen she felt the color drain from her face. The subject lines read:

SLUT

WHORE

KILL YOURSELF

SLUT

SLUT

SLUT

All of the senders were different e-mails, but she had a feeling who it really was. Serena closed out the page. She took a moment to catch her breath before reminding herself this was nothing new, she was stronger than this. Serena opened the browser again and went to her school e-mail. At least they hadn't figured that account out yet. She did see a message from facebook and opened it up.

Ms. Cole,

We regret to inform you that your account has been suspended for indecent behavior. You have thirty days to appeal your suspension before it becomes permanent.

Thank you,

The Facebook Team.

Serena scrolled down the page where there were screen shots of her "indecent behavior".

Serena Cole: Come on boys, who wants to ride this slut?

Under the caption there was a pornographic picture.

Serena saw enough. She exited out of the browser. Someone obviously either hacked or just figured out her facebook password. It wasn't worth rejoining, they would probably do it again. It wasn't like there was anyone she wanted to keep in contact with anyway. She mainly used it to play games.

It wasn't even 9:15 and Serena was already rattled enough for the day. Even though her coworkers weren't here, she thought she might as well get started. Malcolm showed her the file room yesterday. She figured she would start alphabetically with the active files. The last seven years needed to be converted. The first business was called Ace. Serena yanked the files before walking over to her desk and diving in.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Serena was so interested in her work she jumped when the front door opened. A woman about her age walked in. Her black hair was piled in a messy bun on top of her head. She had on a baggy tank top with a visible sports bra underneath and a pair of yoga capris with flip flops on her feet. Her face was covered with giant round sunglasses.

"Good morning," she said. "You must be Serena. I'm Piper."

Serena glanced at the clock. It was 12:30.

"I brought breakfast," Piper said.

She dropped a white bag on Serena's desk and set down a coaster with two coffees inside, before pulling one out herself.

"It's lunchtime," Serena said.

"Then I brought lunch?"

Piper walked over to one of the other desks. She leaned back in the chair and swung her feet up.

"I know I'm late," Piper said. "So take that as a peace offering?"

"It's not a big deal," Serena said. "The phone never even rang, nobody stopped by. I got a lot done."

Piper pulled off her sunglasses, dropped her legs, and sat forward. Huge green eyes sparkled with mischief and her full lips spread into a giant grin. Serena realized Piper looked more like a model than an accountant.

"What time did you get here?" Piper asked.

"Nine," Serena said. "Well a little before."

Piper burst out laughing.

"Why?" Piper asked.

"Malcolm told me the hours were 9-6, with an hour for lunch," Serena said.

"Malcolm?" Piper asked. "He hasn't set foot down here in years. Our hours are whenever you want them to be. As long as you get your work done you're your own boss. Me for example, today is Friday and the closer to the weekend the later I come in and the earlier I leave. Monday I will probably be in here around ten and stay until eight, because that way Fridays I can work from noon to three. You follow?"

"Well I'm not actually working with clients," Serena said. "Just converting files to digital."

"Really?" Piper asked. "That's awesome! Once everything is digital my work will be cut in half!"

"Are you an accountant?" Serena asked.

Piper burst out laughing again.

"I'm a book keeper," Piper said. "My mother ran this business and then she passed it down to me when she retired. All my training is hands on."

"Is it just you?" Serena asked.

"Basically," Piper said. "Between January and April I have two full time helpers. Work so hard those months I like to coast the rest of the year."

Piper stood up from her desk and started back towards Serena. She stopped and sat on the edge of her desk before opening the white bag and pulling out a donut. Serena heard her stomach growl.

"I like what you're working with," Piper said. "But you're a little fancy. No need for formalities here. Eat a donut. You're already pretty tiny."

Piper handed Serena the donut she had just taken a bite out of. Serena didn't hesitate before grabbing it and taking a bite. The sugar felt rejuvenating.

"Thank you for giving me the job," Serena said.

"I didn't," Piper said. "It was Malcolm's idea, but who am I to turn down extra help?"

"I was under the impression he was the owner," Serena said.

"He is," Piper said. "But he's the owner of a lot of businesses. The accounting firm doesn't make him money so much as monitors how much money his other businesses are making."

Almost as if on cue the door to the shop opened and Malcolm stepped inside. Serena thought Piper looked like she had seen a ghost. Her head bowed and Serena felt the need to stand up, but froze in her seat.

"Good afternoon ladies," Malcolm said. "Piper I thought I requested a more formal environment this summer? After all Ms. Cole is an accounting major. I wanted to show her what a real firm looks like."

Piper didn't raise her head.

"I asked Piper to go home and change," Serena said. "Wearing these heels and thick pants with no AC is a little too much. She just came back with lunch then I was going to change. It's easier to work in comfort and you did mention this is a tourist town. There are no clients scheduled to come in today either."

Malcolm broke into a grin and nodded his head.

"Of course," he said. "I don't want you to think I'm smothering you. Just thought I would see how your first day is going."

"Wonderful," Serena said.

"I know tomorrow is the weekend," Malcolm said. "I was hoping to have some activities planned for you, but unfortunately I have to head out of town right now and I won't be back until Monday. Do you think you will be able to keep yourself occupied?"

"I'm sure I will be fine," Serena said. "Thank you again."

"Just remember what we discussed," Malcolm said. "I don't want to see you lose your drive."

"I am here to work," Serena said. "Scouts honor."

She held up her hand and gave a nervous laugh. Malcolm nodded his head.

"Thank you again Piper for making Ms. Cole feel at home," Malcolm said. "With that I bid the two of you adieu."

Serena waved goodbye as Malcolm backed out of the store. Piper looked over at her with a huge grin.

"That was amazing," Piper said. "Thank you so much. He sent me a letter with the formal requests and I thought it was my stupid brother playing a prank. I owe you one!"

"It was no trouble," Serena said. "You brought me lunch...or breakfast!"

"That hardly makes up for it," Piper said. "I know what I can do for you! I'll take you out tonight. Show you around the town!"

"You heard Malcolm," Serena said. "I'm not supposed to get distracted."

"As your boss I promise you have every Saturday and Sunday this summer," Piper said. "I'm sure he just doesn't want you partying during the week. I mean, he knows you're young."

A big part of Serena was screaming no, but she glanced at her computer and the memory of all the e-mails came flooding back. Right now Piper was her only friend in the world, and she desperately wanted that relationship. Serena nodded her head.

"Great," Piper said. "Then I'm going to head home and take a nap. You're in the loft right? I will be by at 9 and we can get ready together."

"Isn't 9 a little late to get ready?" Serena asked.

"This is a nighttime sort of place," Piper said. "You actually look pretty tired. Why don't you head upstairs and take a nap until then too. Pretend I didn't ask that, instead I ordered it as your boss."

Piper let out a giggle, but Serena knew she was serious. Malcolm had left for the weekend, and she did get much further ahead than originally planned. Serena nodded her head and shut down the computer and grabbing the bag of donuts Piper had left on her desk before exiting the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He had to make sure there was no noise whatsoever. If he were noticed his plan would fail. Adam pushed open the door only slightly before crawling on his stomach inside. He heard the occupant stir and momentarily stopped himself. Once the breathing returned to normal he continued his crawl. As he reached the bed he pushed himself up on his knees. Adam brought the two metal discs up with his hands and steadied himself before banging them together with full force.

"AHHHHHHH."

A shrill scream escaped Piper's mouth and Adam fell over laughing. He watched her look around her bedroom furiously before looking down at him. She stood up from the bed and gave him a furious kick in the side.

"Ass!"

"You're the one who asked me to wake you up," he said in-between laughter.

"Why did I let you move in with me again?" Piper asked.

"Because you're a good sister," Adam said. "And you love me."

"You're still an asshole," Piper said. "Did you at least make coffee?"

"There's a pot in the kitchen," Adam said.

He hoisted himself off the floor and followed his little sister to the caffeine.

"Are you coming to the club tonight?" Adam asked.

"Probably," Piper said. "I'm taking out my new employee."

"Oh yea," Adam said. "I forgot about that. Why?"

"She saved me from looking like an ass in front of Malcolm," Piper said. "I figured I owed her one."

"Malcolm came by the shop?" Adam asked. "Why?"

Piper shrugged.

"I thought it was weird when I got an employee without asking for one or choosing one, then I thought it was stranger when she was from outside the pack, then even stranger when I found out she is a human. Now Malcolm's interest in her makes even less sense."

"There's humans all over the town," Adam said.

"Yea," Piper said. "But not like this one. There's something weird with her aura."

"So you're a gypsy now?" Adam asked. "Is she hot?"

"Oh no," Piper said. "You stay away from her. If Malcolm has any interest in her you need to head in the opposite direction."

"He's not the Alpha or anything," Adam asked. "And in case you forgot I have a clean bill of health and an officially reinstated."

"I know," Piper said. "But I also know how you tear through women, and if you do anything to hurt this one Malcolm won't hesitate requesting your dismissal...AGAIN."

"I make no promises," Adam said.

"That means you're going to fuck her just to fuck with him," Piper said.

"Your words," Adam said. "Not mine."

"In that case we're not going to the club tonight," Piper said.

"Because I'm sure every other establishment is filled with people your age and free drinks," Adam said. "I got to get in the shower. I'll see you later tonight."

Adam left his sister in the kitchen before heading towards his room. A small smile grew into a huge one. His sister was right. Anything he could do to piss off Malcolm was appealing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Serena woke up to a loud knock on her door. She let out a groan as the pounding continued. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and it took her a moment to remember where she was.

"Serena are you in there?" Piper yelled through the door. "Your place looks dark from the street."

She picked herself up off the bed and started towards the door, flipping on the main light in the process. When she opened the front door Piper stood there with a huge duffel bag and another white bag. She walked around Serena and let herself into the apartment.

"It's been years since I've been up here," Piper said. "It looks the same. Here."

She handed Serena the white bag.

"I figured since we had donuts for lunch we could have subs for dinner," Piper said. "Always good to go out with bread in the stomach anyway."

"How are you so cheery?" Serena asked.

"Because I woke up an hour ago," Piper said.

Serena rubbed her eyes. Piper's hair was already sort of done. It was only chin length and she had bangs that were let down. Serena's hair was still straight. It was so long it would take her hours to curl it. She knew right then that was not in the cards for tonight.

"I brought some clothes and makeup too," Piper said. "In case you didn't have the right attire."

The corner of Serena's mouth turned into a small smirk. If there was one thing she knew she had the right attire for it was going out.