Wolverton Falls

19. A Confused Conscience

HONESTLY, IT LOOKED liked the girl wished she fainted in that moment.

Luka could practically feel the distress and shock flood his senses. He could hear every frantic beat of her human heart. The shifting of her bones and the blood circulating though her body like a river rapid echoed in his mind. His dark eyes acutely noticed the minuscule, fair hairs that rose on her exposed neck. He was aware of everything, no matter how microscopic. He could feel his gums ache and knew the iris of his eyes were beginning to flicker. His fists curled tightly as he frowned at his body's reaction, shaking the away his focus on the girl. Luka blocked the human's overwhelming emotions, and the shuddering breaths escaping her, from further assaulting his senses.

He scrutinised the way his sister immediately gripped the fragile girl's elbows and supported her. It made him uncomfortable to witness how easily attached Katya got when she met women that caught her interest. It would always end in heartbreak and it made Luka's cold, black heart clench at the sad inevitability.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but we're going to have to take you in for questioning," The short deputy said. Nervousness spilled from his pores as his small eyes flickered to Luka's towering frame which lingered nearby. "Just to get an understanding of the situation," He added quickly.

The words seemed to pass through the human girl as she blankly stared at her burnt home, undoubtedly remembering and reeling at the discovery.

A loud slam of a car door resounded. The sharp noise pricked Luka's sensitive ears as his sight landed on the town sheriff's truck. The tan-skinned, broad-shouldered man strode confidently towards the two females standing beside Deputy Pearson.

Immediately feeling defensive, Luka slowly stalked back toward his sister and the frozen girl next to her. He was aware that Ruslan, the black-haired lycanthrope and Ade, the bulkier lycanthrope, had returned. He would have to speak to them later about the only lycanthrope that managed to escape his grasp; Emmett.

Luka was not used to these circumstances as they rarely occurred. Luka wanted to ensure that every person who was on his employers' hit list was dead by the time he left Wolverton Falls. He hoped to have everything wrapped up in a couple of days. Once Emmett was found, Luka would waste no time in slaughtering the tortuous bastard.

Turning his attention back to the approaching officer, Luka observed him wordlessly. During his extensive research on the mysterious town, Sheriff Braxton Mellor was a man to be aware of. The human was a proud, shameless person with a sketchy past in gun laundering and had previous drug addiction. Luka was also suspicious that the sheriff might have knowledge of the supernatural presence that lurked in his town. Therefore, he had to remain cautious around the mistrustful human. Even if Luka could snap his neck under a second – a bullet was just as fast.

Planting his booted feet on the ground, the man straightened his back and hoisted his chin in the air. "You the owner of the house?" Sheriff Mellor raised a brow at Maggie who numbly nodded. "Great. We've been wondering where the hell you've been," He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and glanced at the blackened structure of the burnt house.

Sheriff Mellor chose to remain completely ignorant to the sniffles and silent tears running down the cheeks of the homeowner. "You'll need to be questioned – you need to confirm your whereabouts during and after the fire and inform us of your brother's location. It's rare for these things to happen," He gestured lazily to the house. "It's a quiet town. I don't need trouble from some newcomers – especially one that's missing, it could cause panic."

The blatant mention of her missing – previously believed dead – brother caused another onslaught of trembles to befall the brunette girl. Luka nearly winced at the evident pain expressed on her pale, freckled face. Katya rubbed her back soothingly whilst staring warningly at Sherriff Mellor who looked untroubled.