STRANGE MOON (Werewolf Romance)

Are we safe? Part 24

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Chapter 24

"Mr. Belle," Sansia said taking a seat next to the elderly man at his insistence.

"Please call me Tony," Mr. Belle Senior insisted.

"That would just seem so forward," Sansia said fidgeting with her glasses.

It hadn't seemed too forward calling Raydon Payne, Raydon. In fact if she had to be perfectly honest with herself, it seemed almost ludicrous to think of him as Mr. Payne anymore.

"It makes me feel so uncomfortable having to insist all the time," Mr. Belle Senior complained gently.

"I'm sorry," Sansia muttered.

"You never have to be sorry with me," Mr. Belle Senior said.

The old man was so pleasant, it was amazing to Sansia that she had never noticed what a pleasant man he was. It was probably because Mr. Belle Senior never had much time to frequent research labs and mingle with low level staff.

"So please, tell me everything that happened while we were away," Sansia said sparing a brief glance at the four wolves sitting casually around Mr. Belle Senior. "How did you manage to get such a following?"

Mr. Belle Senior grinned.

"First of all," Mr. Belle Senior said taking Sansia's hand gently. "After you left, my son and I started immediately to scope out the building. We found some very interesting things."

Clearly Mr. Belle Senior loved a good story and enjoyed being prompted to continue.

"Like what?" Sansia asked politely.

"Nothing on the first three floors, but on the fourth floor..." He paused for emphasis.

"What did you find on the fourth floor?" Sansia asked.

"A blocked corridor," Mr. Belle Senior said in his most dramatic voice.

"I told my dad we should leave well enough alone," Belle Junior put in. "I'm just saying that a blocked corridor is protection for us too."

Mr. Belle Senior grunted.

"Of course we had to unblock it." He patted Sansia's hand gently. "We had to know who was behind that blockade with enough intelligence and hands to stack furniture like that."

"Who did you find?" Sansia asked. She hadn't noticed any strange faces, only the wolves.

"That's just it," Mr. Belle Senior said with a laugh. "There was no one up there. Just these four wolves cowering in a room."

"But who would have lifted the furniture?" Sansia asked. "Could the wolves have dragged it?"

"No," Mr. Belle Senior said smugly. "The way that furniture was packed needed someone with hands."

"So how...?" Sansia wanted to know.

"I think," Mr. Belle Senior said pausing again for emphasis. "I think that when these four went up to the fourth floor they were humans...but then they changed."

It made sense, Sansia thought to herself, the change was still on-going, that was evidenced by Raydon.

"Of course. How did you get them to come with you?" Sansia questioned.

"I think they were more afraid of themselves than of me," Belle Senior confessed. "I realized immediately that they didn't seem to want to harm me. My stupid son ran off of course."