The Lycan Within

c. seven

Much to the dismay of Benjamin, I ate the rest of my breakfast in silence. They discussed the affairs and with my heart beating so loudly in my chest I couldn't begin to hear what they had to say. If they found out I killed Esmerelda, they'd kill me too. I remembered how I'd plan to run from this town after I finished school, but it looked like I would have to run now.

"Why so serious, Celeste?" Benjamin asked casually, his hands held behind his head, "Your heart is beating at high enough speed that it could leap out of your chest!" He tutted. Sebastian seemed to listen for a moment, and then looked up to regard me with concern. He came around the counter, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Ben, deal with the dishes," he said simply and Benjamin grumbled.
"That, dear Seb, is peasant work and the lupus anax doesn't do such things," he said quite seriously. Benjamin turned to Catori pleadingly, and the moment she met his eyes, she growled deeply at him. I flinched slightly, not used to the sound, still not used to their world, the world I knew nothing about. Benjamin muttered strings of profanities under his breath as he went about doing as he was told.

Sebastian bent down, picking me up from the chair I sat in with ease. I opened my mouth to protest and he noticed this, simply looking at me and this simple gesture silenced me. He carried me up the stairs, and going a different direction, we found ourselves infront of two dark oak wood doors. He pushed them open and I gasped as I saw an elegant office within. The walls were a deep brown colour, with cream accents all over the walls, and dark oakwood furniture complimented it all. His desk was the size of a small bed and I gasped as he placed me atop it, beside a sleek, modern computer. He sat in the desk chair regarding me.

"I'm sure you have plenty questions," placing his hands over his still exposed chest, and this time I resisted the temptation to glance, much to my inner disappointment.
"But like Catori said, we came here on business," he said sighing and rubbing his temples.
"What kind of business?" I asked. I had to know exactly what they planned to do to me.

He seemed thoughtful for a moment before he spoke, "Well, us lycans are far stronger than wolves, our forefathers were hand picked by the moon goddess herself," I tilted my head in confusion and he shook his head, as if to say he'd tell me another time, "and for their services, we were made to rule over werewolf kind." He says slowly bringing his chair forth and beginning to look through documents on his computer.
"In this area, there's been a murder and it was most certainly one of our kind," he carries on.
"We don't permit such senseless killing of one another, well, in my territories we do not." He seems to stiffen as he goes further into detail.
"And so for killing another, the killer is killed." he says simply and I have to take deep breaths to stop my heart from beating itself out of my chest.

"What if there was a reason?" I asked meekly. He seems to consider this for a moment before sighing.
"If a lycan or wolf feels there is reason enough to kill another, then I must be called to intervene."
I gulped quietly and simply watched him, fear building up in my core, as with each key pressed on my keyboard, he came closer to having to kill me.
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It had been a few days and Sebastian had grown frustrated at the lack of answers to the case. I noticed his frustration and it took everything in me to refrain from telling him. I just had to see him smile again, and something inside me was willing to do anything to make that happen. I shivered at this fierce passion burning in my core.

I had done my best to stay around Sebastian, I had convinced myself it was to keep track of his investigations, but I knew deep down I enjoyed his company. We had become friends of sorts, and my feelings for him had inexplicably grown over the last few days.

The desire to know why was burning me up inside, and I decided when I next saw Ben, I'd ask him. Catori seemed to have a hatred for me burning deep within her and a part of me ached to understand why. I'd never had a friend and although Benjamin and Sebastian were slowly filling that hole, I yearned for her company, and yet it was though she yearned for my death. I was snapped back into reality by the beeps of Sebastian's office phone and after dialing the number, placed the phone on speaker nonchalantly. I pretended that my mind was distant as I sat snuggled on a sofa in his office.

"Nero," Sebastian's deep voice droned,"I hope you've been doing well,"
The two exchanged pleasantries and polite conversation although something about his voice had me on-edge, fear coursing through my veins with each word he spoke.
" I presume you're calling on account of the murder I reported to you, si?" he said slowly, his voice sending shivers down my spine.
Sebastian hummed in agreement.
"What exactly did you see?" He asked. Nero laughed quietly, "I saw the murderer in all her glory," and this statement had me sitting up right, my heart besting frantically as I remembered the distant heart beat I'd heard that night. Sebastian gripped his desk tightly, small cracks appearing in the wood.
"Did you not think this information important?" he said, his voice returning to that dangerously calm tone which nothing good ever came from.

"I simply wasn't asked," Nero offered sinply and I squirmed. He took a deep breath before beginning to speak and I silently prayed to the heavens.
"A rather tantalizing," he uttered slowly, "specimen if you asked me. I couldn't quite tell whether she was wolf or lycan. Her skin was a rich chocolate colour," at this I saw Sebastian glance over at me with an eyebrow raised suspiciously, and I avoided his eyes furiously, "Quite short for someone like us really, maybe only about five feet three," butterflies erupted in my stomach, "I'm pretty sure I know her name too, I did a little research," he said thoughtfully. At this Sebastian met my eyes, his gaze fierce as he stared into my soul.
I couldn't bring myself to look away as Sebastian spoke slowly, "Tell me her name," each word uttered out slowly as if trying to prolong my last breaths. I began to hyperventilate.
"Celeste," Nero said and before all the syllables in my name had been uttered, the phone was cut and Sebastian had me pinned between him and the wall, caging a beast between the two. His whole form shook in rage as his gaze burned my eyes, the firm hold he had on my jaw restraining me from looking away.
"How long did you plan to lie to me, Celeste?" and his eyes slowly became pitch black.

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SPOOOPY THINGS GUYS!! after next chapter, shit should start happening y'all
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