One hour after Mister Nikolai delivered his speech to the Wolfenstein pack, everyone retreated to their rooms to begin their nightly activities. Werewolves, in essence, prefer staying awake through the night rather than sleeping, as their strength multiplies during the moonlit hours, especially under the full moon.
Two individuals were stationed downstairs, seated on a sofa, eyes and ears trained on their surroundings. I couldn't recall their names, they looked like twins. They were assigned to keep watch tonight, or so they claimed.
Shortly thereafter, I heard a knock at the door. Who could be visiting at this hour?
As the two opened the door, a woman appeared, dressed provocatively in red with bold lipstick to match. Her body was alluring, with curves that were truly tempting.
Who was this woman?
"Hello, is Mister Nikolai here?" she inquired.
"What do you want with him?" the door guard replied.
"I was invited by him to come here."
Unexpectedly, my husband suddenly appeared beside me, observing the uninvited guest.
"Are you Allen?" said Nikolai, clad only in a thin towel, his bare chest displaying glistening abdominal muscles.
"Yes, sir. Are you Mister Nikolai?"
"That's correct. Andre and Keshva, let this woman in and escort her straight to my room."
The two werewolves obeyed reluctantly. They hesitated, especially as I had been watching them both from the staircase, unsure of what to do. I was beginning to understand what was happening here. And I wasn't sure if I liked it.
Foolish me, I'd better lock myself in my room for the night.
I wanted to go to bed early tonight and pretend that I didn't know what my husband was doing in his room with another woman. But the moans from that woman were really loud. My ears ached at the lustful sounds coming from the other room. Even though my room was still blocked by Clara's room, it still seemed as if the woman's sighs of pleasure were coming from the room next to mine.
Oh god, I didn't even love that cold man, but somehow, when he had sex with another woman my heart screamed in pain. It really felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. My ears felt like they were going to bleed. Even the pillow I stuffed into my ear as a barrier couldn't block out the disgusting sounds coming from Nikolai's room.
How could you do this to me, Nikolai? Making love to another woman right in front of your own wife.
"Mom, are you okay?" Clara slipped into my room, catching me off guard.
"Clara? How long have you been here?"
"For a while. I've been worried about you."
"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. Why do you ask? I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about."
"But your tears tell a different story."
Tears?
Since when have tears been running down my cheeks like this? Have I been crying without even realizing it? How humiliating.
I buried my face in the pillow, trying to hide the pain that was welling up inside me. Clara's gentle arms wrapped around me on the bed.
"It's okay, Mom. I can see you're hurting right now. I'll stay with you tonight. I hope my being here can make you feel a little better."
"Oh Clara, you're such a sweet little angel."
I held her close, tears flowing softly, finally releasing all the pain I'd been struggling to bear alone.
Thank you, Clara.
The next morning, the sun rose brightly, casting a new light on fate awaiting all creatures beneath the horizon. Sunlight kissed Clara's sweet cheeks as she slept soundly beside me. I gently stroked her cute little cheek before getting out of bed. Exiting the room, I found Andre and Keshva asleep on the sofa in the living room.
Passing through Nikolai's area, I noticed his door was slightly ajar. Seizing the chance to peek inside, I found him staring out the window with a brooding, unclothed intensity. The woman he had invited into his room last night was nowhere to be seen.
I decided to head straight to the kitchen and prepare before everyone woke up from their slumber.
My goal was simple: to make breakfast for everyone. There were plenty of ingredients in the fridge that hadn't been used in a while. It seemed like the perfect time to put them to use.
One by one, the werewolves sleeping in the house began to wake up, lured by the aroma of roasting meat wafting through the air. Andre and Keshva woke up first and made their way to my kitchen upon catching wind of the delicious scent.
"What are you cooking, Madam?" Andre asked.
"I'm making breakfast. I noticed Nikolai and Clara had only eaten raw meat before. I hope you don't mind having cooked meat instead," I replied.
"Of course not. We werewolves are used to raw meat, but to be honest, we prefer properly cooked meat. The only reason we've been eating raw meat is that we didn't know how to cook it. I'm sure Nikolai doesn't know either. With you here, this kitchen can finally function as it should, right, Nikolai?"
The cold man had been observing me from afar all this time. He stood alone on the stairs in makeshift clothing.
"Whether it's raw meat or cooked, it doesn't matter to me. Food is just food," Nikolai remarked sharply before disappearing back into his room.
I couldn't help but pout a little hearing him say all that. A small part of me had hoped to see him smile at me, even if just for a moment.
"Don't take Nikolai's attitude to heart. He's naturally cold and unfeeling. The only time he can be more human is when he's with his late wife. You have her soul, and sooner or later, Nikolai's heart will soften towards you," Keshva reassured me.
"Well, I don't care either way. I am Mei Ling, with no ties to Nikolai's past or his late wife. Besides, I'm just an outsider. Why don't you both sit at the dining table? I'll prepare breakfast now."
Andre and Keshva looked slightly concerned about me. Sadness and worry were evident on their faces after I said all that.
Soon after, all the inhabitants of the house gathered at the dining table. Clara and Nikolai were also present. Their faces were stunned as they tasted my cooking.
"Oh my, this is so delicious, isn't it, Nikolai?" Giovanni exclaimed.
Nikolai's eyes widened briefly as he spooned the warm soup in front of him. But I couldn't be sure if he liked it or not. To me, he just seemed surprised.
By nine in the morning, everyone had finished their morning routines and headed to the office. The eleven of us traveled together in two large black cars. I rode with Giovanni, Nerfi, Clara, Nikolai, and myself in one car. The other car carried six werewolves in human form, including Andre and Keshva.
About fifteen minutes later, we all arrived in front of the Electro Stone Corporation building. The entire Wolfenstein werewolf family remained in their human forms, dressed in all-black attire resembling mafia guards from movies.
I wondered what had prompted Nikolai to invite them all to his office today. Upon entering the building, all eyes turned to us eleven. Everyone was surprised by the sudden arrival of so many guests.
"It seems you've brought quite a lot of guests, Sir," Mister Ken greeted us.
"They're not guests, they're my family. I want you to find suitable positions for them in our company immediately," Nikolai replied.
"All of them?"
"Yes, I want you to place them in the most suitable positions today."
"It might be difficult to accomplish everything by today."
"I don't care. You have to get it done today because starting tomorrow and for the next month, I will be shutting down this company."
"What! Shutting down the company? But why?"
Everyone was shocked once again by Nikolai's startling announcement.