Steve was restless, pacing back and forth in his bedroom. His eyes darted around the room, and every now and then, he would glance at the clock. Shane sat on the couch, his arms crossed, silently watching his friend’s agitated movements. Finally, the tension in the room became too much for him. “Steve, will you calm down? Pacing like this won’t change anything.”
Steve stopped abruptly, turning to face Shane. His eyes were filled with worry. “How can I calm down, Shane? It’s been two days since that chemical substance hit that she-wolf, and she’s still suffering! What if we’ve done something irreversible?”
Shane sighed, trying to remain patient. “I understand how you’re feeling, but we have to wait. Doctor Eugene will be here tomorrow. He’ll know what to do. There’s nothing more we can do right now.”
“Waiting feels like we’re just letting her die!” Steve ran his fingers through his hair, his voice filled with frustration. “We caused this, Shane! We did this to her. We have to fix it before it’s too late.”
“Listen,” Shane said firmly, standing up from the couch and placing his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard, but we need to trust Doctor Eugene. We can’t afford to go into that room without a cure, or we might make things worse. Plus, those werewolves could attack us at any moment.”
Steve swallowed hard, his mind racing. He knew Shane was right, but the guilt was eating him alive. Two days ago, the experiment had gone horribly wrong when Hannah and Louis, the subjects, had transformed into werewolves. In a panic, Doctor Eugene and the guards had fled the room, leaving Steve to seal the lab’s doors. But something Steve hadn’t anticipated happened. As Hannah and Louis pounded on the door, trying to escape, a chemical substance from the experiment had spilled on Hannah, causing her to revert to her human form-but also inflicting her with unbearable pain.
Louis had cradled her in his arms as her skin peeled and swelled in strange places. He had screamed at the CCTV camera for help, but no one dared enter the room. Steve had sent footage of the incident to Doctor Eugene immediately, but the doctor had only theories about what was happening. No cure. No solution.
The weight of that memory crushed Steve. He had promised Louis that as soon as Hannah was healed, they would both be released. He had to keep that promise, especially now that he knew Hannah was pregnant.
“I just hope Doctor Eugene calls with good news tomorrow,” Steve muttered as he sank into a chair, exhaustion and worry etched into his face.
“He will,” Shane replied, his voice steady. “We just have to hang in there.”
Just then, Shane’s phone rang, cutting through the tension in the room. He picked it up from the side of the couch and answered. “Yes?”
“Sir, there’s a young woman here to see you,” a female voice said on the other end.
Shane blinked, a bit taken aback. “All right, I’ll be right down,” he said before hanging up.
Steve noticed Shane’s sudden change in expression and immediately felt concerned. “Who was that? You look worried. Is everything okay?”
Shane hesitated for a moment, then shrugged it off. “It’s nothing serious. Just a young woman waiting for me downstairs.”
Steve raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin forming on his face. “A young woman, huh? This is news! I didn’t know you had visitors of that sort.”
“Steve, stop it. It’s just business. Nothing to get excited about.” Shane tried to maintain a neutral tone, but Steve’s grin only widened.
“Business, huh? Maybe I should check the CCTV and see what this ‘business’ looks like.” Steve was already reaching for the control panel.
“You know that’s against building regulations, right?” Shane warned, though he didn’t seem too serious about it.
Steve chuckled, brushing off the warning. “Rules are meant to be bent every now and then, Shane. Or are you hiding something from me?”
Shane rolled his eyes. “Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don’t make it a habit.” With that, he headed for the door, leaving Steve behind.
As soon as Shane was out of the room, Steve eagerly pulled up the CCTV feed, scanning until he found the camera focused on the lobby. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the woman standing there, waiting for Shane.
She was breathtaking. Her jet-black curls framed a face of soft brown skin, glowing under the lobby’s lights. Her striking green eyes seemed to pierce through the screen. She wasn’t just beautiful; she exuded a presence that Steve had never encountered before. It was as if she was part of the building itself, radiating energy that made everything around her come alive.
Steve was so captivated by her beauty that he didn’t notice Shane had already reached the lobby. As Shane approached the woman, Steve could see her tense expression soften slightly. She looked nervous, but there was something else in her eyes-determination.
Shane greeted her, his voice barely audible through the feed. Steve leaned closer to the screen, trying to catch every detail of their interaction. The woman spoke softly, her lips barely moving, but whatever she said made Shane’s expression turn serious.
For a moment, Steve wished he had turned on the sound for the CCTV feed, but he didn’t want to break the building’s rules completely. He continued to watch as Shane and the mysterious woman talked for a few more minutes before Shane led her out of the lobby and into a private room.
“What the hell is going on?” Steve muttered to himself, his mind racing. He had never seen Shane act like this around anyone. Something about this woman was different-very different.
Suddenly, Steve’s phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was a message from Doctor Eugene. “We need to talk-urgent.”
Steve’s heart skipped a beat as he read the message. He glanced back at the CCTV feed, where Shane and the woman had just disappeared from view. Something big was happening, and Steve had no idea what to do next.