"Who are you?"
His strangely feminine voice rung in my ears as I took him in. He was about my height, looked a bit older than me, and had really light blue eyes(of course). His wavy blond hair hung halfway in his face, and his pale coloured arms holding a small flashlight. An awkward silence blanketed the air as both me and Harry refuse to speak. The boy seemed genuinely shocked when he saw Dezmin in my arms, like he wasn't aware that Dezmin was being kept here.
"What the hell?!" He yelled, walking menacingly towards us. "What're you doing with big brother?!"
Now it was our turn to be confused. "What do you mean?!" Harry yelled back. "You're the one who locked him up here!"
"Huh?" The boy stopped in his tracks. "What?"
By that point, both parties were confused as hell.
With furrowed eyebrows, he sat down in front of me, hands in his lap, making Harry, who was in fighting mode, relax.
"Wait, what do you mean big brother was locked up here?" He asked calmly.
"We mean exactly that." Harry answered. "We came here to find him and this is where he was."
"But this is an old prison for rogues and criminals." He stated. "Why would he?..." he stopped and paused. A grim expression made its way onto his face. "No way..." he exclaimed.
"What?" Harry asked.
The boy shook his head. "Mr. Harrison... I can't believe him."
"Who?" I spoke up for the first time.
"Mr. Harrison." He repeated. "Big brother's adoptive father and the Alpha of the pack."
Suddenly, I heard a loud, raging, clanking sound. It was so far away, yet it felt so close. It sounded like rusty chains being scrapped against each other. It hurt my ears. Dezmin shifted, his face contorting into one of discomfort because of the loud sound.
"Shit." The boy said, getting up. "We're in trouble. The sound means that James and his posse are coming. We need to get out of here before he finds us."
Harry and I exchanged looks. Should we trust this guy?
"Hurry, dammit!" The stranger's pleading voice said it all. There was no lie in his voice; just pure sincerity.
I looked to Dezmin's now open eyes. They were in pain. I could tell, and it was like my heart was wrenching out.
"Hey, Dezmin, we need to get out of here." I slowly whispered. "Think you can get up?"
He wearily shook his head. My eyes softened and I wrapped my arms around him, slowly pulling him up. He was unsteady and was leaning heavily on me. I helped him walk all the way to the door that was big, but was embedded into the wall so that no one could tell. The boy led the way and opened the door. Harry let me and Dezmin in first, and then he hovered protectively over us. The blond in front of us led us into a room. It looked like a hotel suite; having two neat beds covered in twin rose coloured duvets, going well with the gold and cream coloured walls. The boy helped me get Dezmin to one of the beds and lay him down. A small whimper escaped his lips as he let go of me. The boy got up and opened another door.
"Lu! Come here!" He yelled.
An older boy with straight black hair with blue streaks walked in, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Eh? Whad'ya want, Matt?"
His eyes widened as he saw me and Dezmin.
"Damn, I got work, don't I?" He said, worry sweeping his voice.
The blond boy nodded and led Harry into the door. "Come on." He said to me. I shook my head, clasping my hand in Dezmin's. He sighed. "Please." He pleaded. "Lu's gonna fix him up and we need to leave him alone. Please trust me. Trust Lu."
I looked over at 'Lu'. He was looking at me with wary eyes and my eyes widened in surprise. "Luke.." I said.
He gulped. "Rou."
I looked back to Dezmin. His face showed even more pain now. I nodded hesitantly and followed the blond.
As I past Luke, he whispered into my ear. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."
I glanced at him. Giving him a half hearted glare, I replied, "You'd better."
I walked into the other room which was a kitchen. Harry was sitting at the table, sipping what looked like tea. He grimly nodded as I sat down. The blond boy poured me a cup and sat it down in front of me. I looked up at him and he flashed me a kind and shy smile, as if trying to reassure us. Though at this point, I don't think anything could reassure me.
"Um, I realized I didn't introduce myself." Slightly smiling, the boy said, almost in a whisper. "My name is Matthew."
I nodded. "My name's Rou." I pointed to Harry who was daydreaming, "And that's Harry."
"Big brother's friends?" He asked, pulling a chair to sit down himself.
"Yeah," I complied, sipping the tea quietly. The cinnamon taste melted in my mouth and I closed my eyes. Hm, this taste seems familiar.
"You seem... human." He pointed out.
"I am." I replied. "Are you one of this pack?"
"I am." He said with a smile. "The other half though."
"The other half?"
He nodded. "In the recent years, our pack has been divided. Though no one can point it out, it's obvious if you look really hard. Our new Alpha, Mr. Harrison, is a bad man. He caused the previous Alpha's death and manipulated the elders into picking him as the new leader."
My eyes widened. "Why?"
He shrugged. "No one really knows. But he's a really strict leader. He made so many rules that went against our beliefs and ticked off almost everyone."
"Like?"
"Like forbidding the marriage of human and werewolf, the right to marry someone of your own sex and rebels. That's what those cells are for. Traitors, rogues, and rebels."
I noticed his face fell when he mentioned the cells. "What did they do to him?"
He looked down. "Torture. That's the only way to describe it. Pure cruelty."
"I don't get this." I said, slamming my fist onto the table. "I've only known about werewolves for a few days and mayhem occurs! What the hell is wrong with this pack?!"
"People are too scared to admit things when they know something is wrong." Luke said as he stepped in the room to wash his hands in the sink. "They don't want to be hurt, or tortured as Matt put it."
"Luke..." my brows furrowed with confusion.
"He's okay now." He said. "I cleaned up all of his wounds. All he needs now is rest. And probably some food. Prepare soup for Dezmin, Matt."
Matt complied by nodding and getting up to turn the stove on. Both me and Harry burst into the other room where I saw Dezmin with open eyes, trying to sit up. I smiled and ran up to him, engulfing him in a hug.
He let out a flinched and let out a hiss in pain and I let go. "Sorry." I said, pulling back. "Got too excited there."
He cracked a tired smile. "No worries. You're okay though, right?" He asked in a hoarse voice.
"I'm fine!" I replied with a smile and helped him sit up as I sat on the edge of the bed.
Harry returned with a glass of water and handed it to Dezmin. He grasped it with a shaking hand and I steadied it before the water spilled. He drank the glass dry and handed it back to Harry. "Thank you." He said.
"Say none of it, big bro. Good to see your feeling well." He said. I raised my eyebrows.
"You guys...?" I pointed to the two of them, waiting for an answer.
Dezmin looked at Harry and pulled a face. "You didn't tell him yet?"
Harry's face flushed. "No.."
"Huh?" I asked, confused. "Tell me what?"
"Um, that I'm a part if the Tushara pack?" He mumbled stupidly.
I gaped at him. Then, grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and whacked Harry's head.
"After all this, this is how you tell me?!" I yelled, half frustrated and half happy that he had told me. At that point, for some reason, I immediately burst into tears.
Both Dezmin and Harry were surprised at my reaction.
"Hah?" Harry asked. "Why're you crying?"
"Rou?" Dezmin asked as he stroked my hair. I felt a rush go through me and I met with gentle and soft blue eyes. I started crying for all different reasons then. What is this? What do I feel? My chest felt tight and my head felt hot. I was being overwhelmed by emotions as the tears continued flowing. Over and over again.
That day, that moment, I realized that for the first time in my life, I was crying happy tears.
*
After my episode, I calmed down (with Harry repeatedly apologizing to me), as Luke and Matthew came into the room carrying something that smelt absolutely delicious.
"Here, big brother." Matthew said, placing the bowl in Dezmin's lap. "Chicken soup, just the way you like it."
Dezmin's eyes brightened and he grabbed the spoon to dig in. After a few scoops, he let out a sigh of content, causing us all to laugh, (well, I particularly giggled, but no one else needs to know that).
Luke sat on the other bed while Matt joined Harry on the carpeted floor.
"I'm guessing you told him that your part of the pack, Harry?" Luke asked, more stated.
Harry nodded. That clicked in my head. "Wait," I said. "Luke, does that mean that you're a werewolf too, Luke?"
He nodded in response. Luke was one of my closest friends, and I had absolutely no idea. Then I remembered Luke's twin brother, Gilbert.
"That means Gil is one too?" I asked.
"Nope." It was Harry who answered.
I was confused. "But you're brothers, Luke. How?"
"Half genes." He replied. "Like Harry, I had a human mother and a werewolf father. Harry was an only child though, so he got the genes from his dad. We came out as twins though, so all the wolf genes were in me. Gil does have some wolf senses, but he can't turn into a wolf."
I nodded in understanding. "That's so... weird."
"Come to think of it," Matt interrupted. "How do you guys know each other?"
"We go to school together." Me, Harry, Dezmin and Luke all answered in unison.
Matt blinked. "Aw! Lucky! I feel left out now."
"What school do you go to?" I asked.
"I don't." He replied with a smile. "I graduated uni two years back."
I stared blankly at him.
"I'm 26." He stated.
"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed." I thought you were in high school!"
Matt chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Then why do you call him big brother when you're nine years older?" I asked.
"Cause Matt's more childish." Luke said, a smirk playing on his lips.
Matt stuck his tongue out and we all laughed. It was nice getting to relax like this; no matter how short it may have been.
Dezmin finished eating and let out a yawn. We decided to let him rest and went back into the kitchen. Harry said he'll stay to keep watch over him, so me, Luke and Matt advanced into the other room.
I sighed. It would be better if I had any modes of communication with Liam. He and I had gone separate ways before I got his number.
"What're you groaning about?" Luke teased.
I rolled my eyes. "Nothing. Just," I said, "Do you have Liam's number?"
He looked startled for a second. "It makes me scared to know that you'd even, think that I'd have it."
I shrugged. "I don't know. You're close with Dezmin and Liam is his best friend so I figured."
"I may talk to Dezmin at school, but not Liam." He stated. "Last time I tried, he gave me a glare saying, 'come closer and I'll murder you'."
I laughed. "Sounds like Liam alright."
"Do you know where he might be?" Matt spoke up.
I shook my head. "No. All I know is that he's with Hunter, someone else and maybe Toby."
"Oh!" Matt exclaimed. "Hunter as in Hunter Harrison? Dezmin's brother?" I nodded. "Oh, then I have Hunter's number. Will that work?"
Hesitantly, I shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
Matt nodded and dialled and handed me the cell. I heard the rings pass by then a click followed by a familiar rough voice.
"Matt?" Hunter spoke. "Why the hell are you calling? I'm kinda busy right now!"
"Uh, it's not Matt." I said. "It's Rou."
"Rou?" He asked confused, probably not remembering me. "Oh, that pretty boy with Dezmin." He paused for a second. "Fuck! You!"
I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. "Well, fuck you too." I replied.
He let out an exasperated groan. "No, that's not what I meant! I meant--" another pause. "You know what, I'm not even gonna bother explaining. Like I said, I'm busy right now--" another pause with some cracks. And a voice, I think. "--so what do you want?!"
"Uh, what're you doing?" I asked.
"We're on a fucking train--" his line paused for a minute and some loud curses were heard. "-and there's this damned kid that just won't shut up! Didn't his parents teach him manners?! There just sitting there, while the kid rocks back and forth-- okay, I swear, if this continues, I'm gonna-- oh shit."
"What?" I asked.
"Lord, do you know how much for a temper Liam has? He's gonna be the death of me-- uh, Li? Can we talk like reasonable people? Please? I don't wish to die right now."
I was trying to stifle my laughter, so it came out as a snicker.
"Hey, are you, like, laughing at me?" He asked, mocking hurt. "And-- Liam please? Come on!" He pleaded for god knows what. "Hey, Toby, Jesse! Little help?"
I heard faint laughter in the distance. "Sorry!" Toby called.
"You're on your own for this one!" An unfamiliar voice called. Jesse. The other person they're travelling with.
I heard a few more cracks and a loud whine which I'm guessing came from Hunter whom Liam inflicted his wrath on.
"Hello?" Liam's voice sounded through the cell.
"Hey, Liam." I replied with a smile. "Long time no see!"
"Oh, hey, Rou!" He said. "God you have no idea how worried we've been. Ever since Toby came back and told us what had happened, we immediately set out to come back. Are you okay? What about Dezmin?"
"I'm fine. And Luke said that Dezmin is gonna be fine, so yeah. He's sleeping right now though."
"Luke? Stevens?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"Lord, is he part of the pack?"
"Yup. You don't sound too happy."
"Sorry, I'm not too fond of the guy."
"What did he ever do to you?"
"Long story short, he got me expelled from the soccer team. You don't want to hear the rest. Trust me."
"Right. Okay." I said, shaking my head. "I wanted to talk to you. The last time we saw each other, Dezmin told you to go, didn't he? Somehow I think that there was a certain specific place he wanted you to go to."
"You've got a sharp eye, Rou. And yes, he did." He replied and I could hear a few noises in the background. Like he was taking something out of a bag. "I went to my grandmother's mansion. Don't ask why she owns a mansion; just shut up and listen. I was looking for this book that was connected to the past of the Tushara clan. Honestly, I don't even know how it got there, but I remember seeing it when I was little and Dezmin knew that this was going to help solve some things."
"So? Have you read it?"
"Yeah. I started a while ago and found that the first page was just an intro type of thing."
"Intro for what?"
"What it looks like, a history of the pack. The next pages are a journal written by one of the two creators of the Tushara clan."
"There were two?"
"Yup. Asim and Faolan. I also found out from Hunter that the full name of the clan is Asim Tushara Faolan."
"Whoa. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Don't you think it's strange? The feel that the name gives off?"
"Actually, yeah. It's like it's trying to tell us something but I can't put my finger on it."
"That's what I thought. So I read further into the book and I found some things out. Asim and Faolan? They were both white wolves and they, somewhere along the way, ended up being lovers."
"Lovers? How did that happen?"
"I don't know. But the journal is written by Asim and it says that in here. By his words, I can tell he's head over heels for the man. And, there seems to be a lot of mention of war in it. I asked Hunter about it and he said that the land that is the pack's territory now used to be a village land. Though there were battles there all the time between neighbouring villages. But the strange thing is, they, despite being a small village, they won most of the time. What drove the people away was a fire."
"A fire?"
"Forest fires are very dangerous you know. It killed off almost everyone and there are detailed records of it and every other war that happened there in the book."
"Okay? Is this supposed to be important?"
"God, you sound like Hunter right now. Yes, it is. This book is a record of every single damn thing that ever happened."
"And?"
"And there is a fucking treasure that was left behind by Asim. And knowing how powerful the creator of one of the most fearsome packs in the world is, a lot, and I mean a lot of people are after it. Including the people of the pack themselves."
"Wait a second, you're not saying that the people here..?"
"The Alpha. I know the man, and I know that he was back then, and is now, trying to get it. The secret to the strongest ability ever known to the world."
"You know your tone is getting scarier by the minute." I pointed out.
"It's because l know we're dealing with him. He didn't get the position of the leader of that pack for no reason you know."
"So what do you want us to do?"
"Hopefully, sit tight till we get there. I'll give you a call then." A crack sounded through the other line and I faintly heard Liam's voice before we got cut off.
"Bye! Stay--!!"