Moonbound: The Alpha's Chosen

The newsroom of The Urban Observer hummed with activity, but Emily barely noticed. Her head throbbed mercilessly—a constant percussion that had started last night after removing her pendant. She'd taken painkillers, but they might as well have been sugar pills for all the relief they provided.

"Grey! My office, now!" Catherine Howard's sharp command cut through the noise.

Emily winced, the sound amplifying her headache. Though she'd removed the pendant, her senses remained unnaturally heightened. Every conversation in the office seemed directed at her ears; the fluorescent lights overhead burned like miniature suns.

Catherine stood behind her desk, elegant as always in a tailored burgundy suit that somehow reminded Emily of dried blood. "Tell me you have something concrete on Stone and A Group," she said without preamble.

"I'm making progress," Emily replied, sinking gratefully into a chair. "But there are inconsistencies I need to resolve before filing the story."

Catherine's perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. "Inconsistencies? Or cold feet? Lucas Stone is quite the charmer, I hear."

Heat crawled up Emily's neck. Had Catherine somehow learned about their night together? "This has nothing to do with Lucas personally," she insisted. "I'm just following journalistic standards. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

"How very principled," Catherine remarked, her tone suggesting the opposite. She slid a manila folder across the desk. "Perhaps this will help overcome your... scruples. A former A Group employee reached out to me directly."

Emily opened the folder to find blueprints of what appeared to be underground facilities beneath A Group's research complex, along with security protocols and access codes.

"This is..." she began, disbelief coloring her voice.

"The smoking gun you've been looking for," Catherine finished. "Their secret research facility. Eyewitness reports place most attacks within a five-mile radius of this location." Her manicured finger tapped a specific section of the blueprint. "Focus here. The restricted labs. That's where the real story is."

Emily examined the documents, journalistic instincts warring with growing suspicion. "This seems incredibly convenient. Why would someone just hand over classified material like this?"

"Some people have consciences, Grey," Catherine replied coolly. "Not everyone is willing to look the other way while monsters are created."

The word "monsters" hung in the air between them. Emily studied her editor with new wariness. "I never mentioned monsters in my reports."

Catherine waved dismissively. "A figure of speech. The point is, we finally have concrete evidence of A Group's involvement in these 'animal attacks.' I want your exposé ready for Sunday's edition. Front page."

"Sunday?" Emily protested. "That's barely forty-eight hours. I need more time to verify these documents, to—"

"To what? Warn your friend Lucas?" Catherine's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You seem extraordinarily concerned with protecting A Group's interests lately. One might almost suspect a conflict of interest."

The accusation stung, especially given her profession. "I'm concerned with the truth. With accuracy. Not with manufacturing a scandal."

"The scandal is already there, Emily. We're merely exposing it." Catherine leaned forward, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Unless you're no longer interested in this assignment? I'm sure another reporter would jump at the chance—"

"No," Emily said quickly. "I started this investigation. I'll finish it."

"Good." Catherine straightened, victory evident in her posture. "Because I've already informed our publisher we have a major exposé coming. Your byline, front page."

The pressure was unmistakable—deliver the story Catherine wanted, or watch someone else take credit for months of her work. Worse, she'd be branded as unreliable, perhaps even compromised.

A knock interrupted the tension. Jason Chen stood in the doorway, his familiar face a welcome sight amid the morning's stress.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, adjusting his glasses. "I was looking for Emily."

Catherine's expression soured instantly. "This is a private meeting, Mr....?"

"Chen. Jason Chen." He extended a hand that Catherine pointedly ignored. "I'm an old friend of Emily's."

"How charming," Catherine replied icily. "Unfortunately, Ms. Grey is quite busy with an important deadline."

Jason's eyes flicked to Emily, concern evident in his gaze. "You look terrible, Em. Are you sick?"

Emily managed a weak smile. "Just a headache. What brings you here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought you might want to grab coffee." His casual tone didn't match the intensity of his gaze. "To catch up."

Something in his manner suggested more than a friendly chat. Emily started to accept, but Catherine intervened.

"As I mentioned, Ms. Grey has a critical deadline. Perhaps another time?" Her dismissal was unmistakable.

Jason hesitated, then nodded. "Sure. But Emily, when you have a minute, I really need to talk to you." He lowered his voice. "It's about what you've been researching. I found something in our systems you should see."

Catherine moved with surprising speed, inserting herself between them. "Mr. Chen, was it? I'm not sure what company you represent, but attempting to interfere with one of my journalists during an active investigation borders on ethical misconduct."

"I'm not interfering," Jason replied evenly. "I'm helping an old friend navigate a situation more complex than she realizes."

"How gallant," Catherine's voice dripped sarcasm. "But unnecessary. Emily has all the resources she needs right here." She turned to Emily, dismissal clear. "The folder has everything. Sunday's edition, Grey. Make it worth the front page."

As Emily left with the folder, Jason fell into step beside her. "Your boss is intense," he murmured. "And weirdly protective of this story."

"She's always like that with major exposés," Emily replied, though she'd never seen Catherine quite so personally invested before.

"Is she?" Jason glanced back toward Catherine's office. "Be careful, Em. The people involved in this story... they're not what they seem."

"Including you?" Emily asked pointedly.

Jason's smile was sad. "Especially me. But at least I'm on your side." He pressed a small flash drive into her palm. "Security footage from A Group's research wing. Watch it alone. And Emily?" His eyes were serious behind his glasses. "Whatever you do, don't go into those woods tonight. The full moon's tomorrow."

Before she could ask what the moon had to do with anything, Jason was gone, leaving Emily clutching both Catherine's folder and his flash drive, unsure which pathway led to the truth—or if either could be trusted at all.