Yo Lovelies, Presenting Chapter 19 of The Heirs and it is dedicated to @romanticnerd who has been a friend in Wattpad since my very first novel :D Love you dear :D
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DARK CHOCOLATE:
The original chocolate first consumed by mankind but let's face it we instantly hated it because it wasn't sweet. I belonged to the same category until I accidentally purchased a large bar and since there was no one else to eat it, I forced myself to eat one. Now, I make a point of purchasing it once a while and yes, I still do prefer the 'normal' chocolate but dark chocolate ain't bad either.
Dark chocolate is loaded with organic compounds that function as antioxidants. Studies have also shown that it improves heart health and blood sugar levels. It's mostly pure cocoa which helps in fighting tooth decay. The antioxidants in cocoa also help increase blood flow to the brain improving brain function.
Besides being nutritious, the dark chocolate can also uplift your mood while at the same time not give you any acne. The best way to eat them is by savouring it!
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"We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future."
― Steve Maraboli,
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CHAPTER 19 – REGRETS
Xanthos was still fuming in his seat when they had the takeout dinner. At that moment, Cyane knew better than to start a conversation with him.
When the second bell rang, he got off from his seat before her and brought in a medium-sized box. He placed it on the table and Cyane recognized the logo because she had seen it in her grandpa's house.
"White rum?" she asked curiously and he nodded.
"For beginners."
"Okay," she said and watched as he poured it onto the glass. The colour was the same as water and there was only a slight spirit aroma.
Xanthos then poured water into the same glass and sat down in his seat.
"Should I drink it?" she asked him and he nodded.
Cyane stared at the glass but made no move to touch it. She was aware that though it looked like water, it was alcohol. "What if I get drunk?"
"You won't," Xanthos said calmly.
"Okay," she said and slowly moved her hand and curved it around the glass. It cannot be that bad, she thought and brought it towards her lips.
She took in the scent again and noticed that it smelled like a nail polish remover. She scrunched up her nose and then asked Xanthos, "You sure I won't get drunk?"
He shot her a blank look and apologizing, Cyane took in a small slip.
At first, she didn't feel anything, for there was no taste but then her face scrunched up and sticking her tongue out, she screeched. "Eww.... It's Aaaa...." She screamed and then hurriedly picked up the water bottle.
It was only after emptying half the bottle, she felt that her palette was back to normal. However, she could still feel the burn in her throat because the drink was so harsh.
"Horrible," she grimaced and resisted the urge to scratch her tongue.
Alcohol was bad. Plain bad!
Elbows rested atop the table, Xanthos watched her with icy blue eyes that betrayed his amusement; but as usual, he had his lips covered with his thumb and index finger. Cyane was slowly beginning to become familiar with that gesture for she realized that it was something he did whenever he wanted to hide his grin.
The defensive look from earlier had vanished from his gaze and it immensely pleased her to see him almost smiling, for it completely transformed his serious demeanour.
"I don't want this. Ever" she spelt frowning at the rum bottle and flicked it towards him.
"White rum is best suited for cocktails" he murmured getting up and taking the rum bottle with him.
He was in the kitchen for a while, but when he came back, he had a glass of coke with him.
"Thank-you" Cyane said when he handed it to her. Ice-cubes were floating on the top and she caught the scent of lime along with the coke, but she drank it anyway.
It was only after she took a sip, did she realize that what she drank just then wasn't a simple diet coke drink.
"What is this?" she asked looking at Xanthos.
"Cuba Libre. It's a cocktail" he said. A cocktail of white rum and coke and lime and it tasted divine.
She took another sip and then grinned, "It's good. It's very, very good."
Scoffing, Xanthos walked into the room, while she enjoyed her first-ever alcoholic drink. She liked it so much that she was almost giddy with joy.
Maybe pure alcohol was bad, but the cocktails were delicious.
___
Later that night, as Cyane lay beside a shirtless Xanthos, she found that sleep was evading her. All she could think about was what Xanthos told her earlier, about that prison and the rogue Edmond.
She supposed that paedophile was long dead, killed by the king. However, she knew better than to ask for confirmation.
She turned sideward, to face Xanthos and noticed that he wasn't sleeping either. He was watching something on his phone, but since she was looking at the rear camera, she couldn't see what was on his screen.
He was shirtless again and her eyes moved towards the biceps.
"Your eyes are glowing" he muttered, without taking his eyes off his phone screen and she blinked repeatedly before clearing her throat and looking at him.
She wanted to ask something. So, she better focus on those arctic blue eyes instead of his fabulous body. Theos! She cannot be lusting after him like a teenager. He was bad! But he also had such a painful childhood...
His eyebrows shot up questioningly, "Did you meet all your friends in the prison?"
Xanthos nodded and Cyane felt a wave of sympathy coursing through her for his friends. All of them! They looked so strong and dangerous, but they were also young pups once and they had been brutally abused, with no one to protect them.
"How many boys were there in the prison along with you?"
"I never counted," he said sincerely and she nodded.
"Did they all go through the same thing?" The moment she asked that question, she felt stupid because of course, they did!
"Ash and Grayson faced the worst amongst us," he said quietly and inhaling sharply, she looked at him with wide eyes and he stared right back.
Grayson? He was such a good guy and Xanthos did tell her that Edmond had preferred the good ones.
"Ash? Acheron?" she queried and Xanthos nodded. "He was your friend?" Another nod was her reply and when he didn't continue, she decided to close the topic for the day.
So, Acheron had been also kidnapped and tortured in that very prison. But if the king had rescued him too, then why did he hate the king? While all his peers worked for the king, why did Acheron hate the king?
"What about before; when you were a child... did you have any friends then?" she probed carefully.
"None."
"Growing up, I had no friends either" she shared quietly but then shook her head, "No. I did. I do still have one friend."
"Who is it?" Xanthos was watching her curiously.
"Mr Black. He was my only friend before Minerva" she said fondly. Almost three weeks ago, she had sent him to look for Winnie and her sister Elvi and he wasn't back yet.
"Mr? A man?" Xanthos frowned.
"An animal" she corrected with a yawn.
"A pet?"
"No. He is not my pet. He is my friend."
You fed and tamed your pets but she had done neither to Mr Black. He had always been independent that way but he was there for her when she needed someone the most.
As sleep overcame her, she closed her eyes, wishing Mr Black was here, with her, for she missed him terribly and wanted him to come back to her.
•••
Perched on a branch of the oak tree, that gave him the best view of the hospital bed, the golden-eyed raven watched Mel as she sat beside Winnie's little sister, Elvi's bed and watched a movie from the T.V placed high on the wall so that all the patients in the general ward of the community hospital could watch it.
It was their daily routine. Mel spent the evenings in the hospital, giving time for Winnie to take a shower and come back with dinner.
Elvi had been hospitalised for almost a month after she had hit her head and fractured her ankles when she had been running away from the Liberi. She had been unconscious for the first two weeks and constantly running in and out of fever. The doctors had informed them that even though her cast would be removed next week, she had to continue using crutches for almost a year.
But something was off today because Winnie, who usually brought them dinner at around eight o'clock hadn't yet arrived and in about another ten minutes, the visiting hours would come to an end as per the hospital rules.
The raven flew off the branch and went towards the entrance of the hospital, to check if Winnie was nearby. He spotted her from a distance and she was running towards the hospital, carrying two large duffle bags instead of a lunch box.
After showing her visiting card at the entrance, she rushed upstairs. The raven flew back to his earlier place and waited for Winnie.
"Winnie? What's wrong?" Mel got off her seat when she saw the panicked face of her girlfriend.
Cautious of others watching them, Winnie hurriedly rushed towards Elvi's bed. "We have to leave" she whispered.
"What? Why?" Mel asked in dismay.
"There had been a murder two days ago. The parents were missing but the children were found dead at home. It was suspected that the parents had been kidnapped and the police are looking for them," Winnie said hastily and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "The images of the bodies had been doing the rounds in social media."
She pulled her phone out, opened her chat and showed the picture of the bodies. Mel flinched immediately and when Elvi tried to get a better look, Winnie locked the screen.
"It's them" Winnie breathed out and swallowed audibly. Her whole body trembled violently as she recalled how those monsters had torn apart her parents. How they had ruthlessly pursued after Cyane.
"What's happened?" Elvi asked fretfully, not comprehending what her sister and her friend were talking about.
"We have to leave before they get to us," Winnie said urgently.
"But Elvi... she is still undergoing treatment. She cannot walk" Mel argued but Winnie wasn't listening to her.
Instead, she looked around the room and then dragged a wheelchair from a nearby patient. Thankfully, the old lady had been sleeping and did not protest.
"Winnie... calm down! We cannot just leave" Mel protested but Winnie paid no attention.
"We have to leave kiddo. We have to leave now" Winnie told her sister.
"Where to?" Elvi asked confused.
Holding her arm, Mel tried to force her girlfriend to listen to her. "Just think about this with a clear head" she urged.
Two months ago, Winnie's parents had filed a case against Mel and had successfully obtained a restraining order against her. To protect Mel from further humiliation and imprisonment, Winnie had purposely broken up with Mel and had asked her to move to Scevola. She had then agreed to an arranged marriage with a much older man.
There had been no contact between them for almost a month and a half, when suddenly out of blue, Winnie had called Mel and asked her to come to the hospital, where her little sister, Elvi had been admitted to.
When Mel had reached the hospital situated in the west coast of Aelius, Elvi had still been unconscious after several head injuries.
A tearful Winnie had told Mel that on the day of the wedding, Cyane had intercepted the wedding party in the middle of the road. Her brother had been furious and there had been a heated argument between Cyane and him. Then suddenly out of nowhere some monstrous leopard-like creatures had attacked her family.
Cyane had screamed at them to run and Winnie along with her mother and sister had run into the woods. While the creatures continued chasing after them, their mother had sacrificed her own life and urged the sisters to run. In the process, Elvi had stumbled upon a stone and after hitting her head against a rock, she had rolled down the valley badly injuring her head and fracturing herself.
Winnie had gone after her but had tripped because of the huge wedding gown.
She had woken up to find herself in a hospital, where she had been brought by some rock climbers. From there, she had contacted Mel for help.
Mel trusted Winnie completely and hence did believe that the story was true. That some monstrous creatures had killed her family and that Cyane was a fairy.
"I am thinking with a clear head" Winnie snapped. "You have not seen them, but I did" she hissed and then lowered her voice when a nearby patient looked at them with a questioning look. "They are not humans. They are monstrous. We do not stand a chance against them. I cannot put Elvi's life at risk again."
"Her life will be in even more risk if we take her from here. She is not fit enough to be discharged" Mel argued as Winnie began helping her sister into the wheelchair.
"We will take her to another hospital, but we cannot stay here anymore. This place isn't safe" Winnie said harshly.
"What makes you think they are after you?" Mel asked as Winnie packed the medicines and tonics into her bag.
"They were after Cyane and they had seen us with her. She had run away from there and ever since nobody has heard from her. Maybe she escaped and now, they want us to tell them where she is. I don't know... there are so many things running in my head. But I do know that I cannot stay in a place where those creatures can openly lurk around. It's unsafe!" Winnie stated and then began moving the wheelchair.
Distressed, Mel picked up their bags and followed them into the wheelchair ramp.
As they were pushing the wheelchair down the last ramp, Winnie came to an abrupt halt. When Mel followed her gaze, she noticed two men near the entrance and gasped as they began crawling on the outside pillars.
Winnie ducked and Elvi bent her head, but Mel watched with horror until they vanished from her view.
All these times, she had been thinking that Winnie had been excessively paranoid until she saw through her own eyes that Winnie was right in being scared of them.
Women started screaming upstairs and loud footsteps could be heard.
"What happened? Why are they screaming?" a nurse asked her colleagues when they all rushed out after hearing the screams.
"Oh no! They are looking for us" Winnie gasped. Quickly pushing the wheelchair, they began moving towards another exit area.
The screams increased tenfold and nurses and other staff began rushing upstairs.
"Please don't go there. They'll kill everyone" Winnie screamed as they ran towards the other exit.
"Don't go up. Run" Mel shouted to them and then rushing forward, she pulled down the handle with all her might to turn on the fire alarm.
There was a loud thud noise and the nurse's downstairs screamed when they saw only an upper body of a nurse drop downstairs.
"Oh my God!" Mel gulped as two more bodies fell. One with the intestines pulled out of her stomach and the other with a torn chest.
Chaos ensured everywhere and people began running helter-skelter. Mel and Winnie came to an abrupt halt when they saw three more creatures waiting in the south-side exit.
Elvi screamed when she saw the creature with deathly pale skin and blood-red eyes. Baring his fangs, a creature moved to attack them but suddenly a black wolf jumped out of nowhere and tore his neck.
"It's him. He was with Cyane" Winnie told Mel as they watched the black wolf lunge at the other creatures and rip their limbs off.
After violently killing the other two creatures, the black wolf looked around and then to their fascination morphed into a black horse with the same golden eyes.
"I am scared Winnie" Elvi began crying.
"Don't be. We will be safe now" Winnie assured her sister. "Cyane sent him to us! Come on..." She urged a stupefied Mel, as she picked her sister off the wheelchair and helped her get on the back of the horse to saddle sideward because Elvi couldn't move her legs.
"He just... he changed..." Mel stuttered.
"This is not the time Mel. We need to leave from here before more bodies drop-down" Winnie said as she mounted up, behind her sister in a protective stance.
"I have never ridden a horse" Mel shook her head.
"Mel, please, come on!" Winnie extended her hand and gulping audibly, Mel passed on the bags to Winnie and then with difficulty climbed up to sit in the front, so that Elvi was sandwiched protectively between the either of them.
"Okay. Give me the bags" Mel said and the moment she took the bags, the black horse took off like a bullet train. With great struggle, she managed to keep it on her lap and hold them tightly with her hands.
They could hear screams behind them as they escaped to their safety.
____
When she heard the thud-thud sounds of loud footsteps hitting the ground, Winnie turned her head to look behind her and when she saw few of those monstrous creatures following after them, she gasped in horror.
Tightening her protective hold on her sister, Winnie gasped, "They are coming after us."
When Elvi tried to look at them, Winnie covered her little sister's eyes and pressed her closer to her chest.
They were abnormally fast and Winnie feared the consequences if those monsters caught up to them. Every time she heard them growl, she felt they did it right next to her ears and it scared her. She feared they would pull her with them if she did turn to look back at them, for they had pulled her father by his legs when he had tried to escape from them.
The horse was incredibly fast and the creatures had a hard time keeping up to his speed.
"They are not stopping" Winnie cried when she heard their harsh breathing sound. "We need to do something."
"Throw this" Mel passed her a duffle bag and even though Winnie knew the bag contained clothes and medicines, she was prepared to throw it on them just to stop them.
Mustering up, all the courage she possessed, she turned her head to look over her shoulders and cried lowly when she saw that there were more than ten of them and their fangs and claws were all out.
Closing her eyes, she blindly threw the bag and cried in dismay when it fell on the ground.
"There are too many" Winnie sobbed as she curled her fingers around Mel's shirt from behind. "We cannot stop them."
All her worst fears came true when they reached an edge of a beachside cliff. The black horse dug its hooves into the ground as it came to an abrupt halt.
The only way they could escape those creatures was by jumping into the sea and Winnie knew, it was not a fall either of them could survive. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable when the creatures too came to a stop, a few steps away from them.
The black horse stopped trotting uncomfortably and then sat on his haunches so that they could get off him.
Mel got off before Winnie and together they helped Elvi. They were tears in their eyes as they tightly clung to each other because they knew there was no way they could escape this.
"Good horsey" one of the monsters grinned and Winnie sniffed audibly. "Now, shoo," he said again to the animal.
The black horse moved to stand in front of them and then turned back into his wolf form, startling all the creatures. Snarling, he then lunged at the grinning monster and went for his neck, biting deep and instantly killing him.
As two more creatures lunged at him, he rolled off and then fought them off, throwing one off the cliff and tearing the limbs of the other.
One of the creatures sneakily attacked the girls and holding Mel's arm, he began dragging her away. While Mel tried to fight him off, Winnie picked the other bag from the ground and banged it against his head.
He barely flinched and then turned his head to glare at her with furious flaming eyes. Winnie gasped and began walking backwards as he stepped closer to her. Seeing her sister in danger, Elvi pulled off the needle still attached to her arm and threw it at Mel, who immediately picked it up and stabbed the creature's neck from behind.
She pulled it off and stabbed him again. He turned with a vicious snarl and holding her throat, he lifted her off the ground while Elvi and Winnie screamed in horror. Mel stabbed his wrist repeatedly, but it barely hurt him.
Hearing their scream, the black wolf that was fighting off another creature quickly got rid of him and lunged at the one holding Mel. In no time, he had separated the creature's head from the rest of his body.
While Winnie was watching the wolf tear apart the monster, another one moved forward and shoved her into the ground. She groaned in pain and as she rolled over, the creature jumped over her and tried to claw her face. Mel held his hand off with all her might, but she was no match to the creature, who simply dug his claws into her stomach. Crying in pain, Mel stabbed the needle into the creature's eye.
"Mel" Winnie screamed in terror and snarling the black wolf pounced on the creature and killed him cruelly, before running after the remaining two.
"Mel... God! No" Winnie cried. Elvi, whose hands were bleeding from the wound, crawled on the ground and reaching for the bag, she pulled open the zip and threw a shirt towards her sister.
"Help her" Elvi urged lying on the ground and pressed another t-shirt to her wounded hand, that got cut when she pulled the needle off.
"It's okay. I can manage" Mel said breathlessly and they all heaved a sigh of relief when the black horse came back towards them. He moved his big black head to get a closer look at Mel's wounds and whined.
"Thank-you" Winnie whispered as she pressed her head against his.
The horse then sat on the ground and with his head motioned for them to get on his back. Nodding, Winnie helped Mel sit at first and then moved towards her sister.
Hugging her sister close, she kissed her head and sniffed, before carrying her and helping her mount the horse.
"Where are we going?" Mel asked as the horse ran through the woods with incredible speed that caused the wind to tear at Winnie's long hair.
"I don't know. But I trust him. He will take us somewhere safe" she sighed as she pulled her sister closer and held Mel with another arm.
•••
"Despite my best efforts, she is not telling me what happened with Ash. You are also telling me that you did not see what exactly happened" Yolanda complained to Lysander as he drove her to the hospital for her early morning shift.
"I did not see what happened. I was outside the premises" Lysander defended. "Min made me promise not to come in between the fight and when I did choose to interfere, his men tranquillized me."
"Well, something did happen and Min is not telling me everything. She only told me that lightning struck her and Ash when they were fighting. I thought she would share with Cyane at least, but Cyane did not call back" Yolanda frowned. "And when she does, it's with different numbers. Something is not right and when I try to ask her, she always tells me everything is fine."
Lysander knew that something wasn't right with Cyane either. However, he wouldn't share his thoughts with Yolanda because his wife had already a lot on her plate at the moment.
"We can be worried about Cyane later. Our priority is Minerva. Maybe you can urge her to go back to college. She has been missing classes for almost two weeks now and I think getting back with her friends, will ease her pain" Lysander suggested because he has never seen his daughter so upset and it was all because of Acheron Zeke.
"I did. But he is her mate, Zander. It is not as easy and you know that. We have been through the same... for eight years."
When Yolanda blinked away her tears, Lysander tightened his hold on the steering wheel. He hated thinking of those eight years because he had misunderstood her intentions for separation and had spent hating his mate, while she had silently suffered.
He hated himself for not once bothering to look for her because if he had done, he could have saved both of them from several years of pain.
"I cannot bear the thought of my daughter going through all that" Yolanda whispered.
"And she will not" Lysander swore. "Ash has her trapped by keeping Gideon in prison, but it won't last forever."
"She just went to save him and came back defeated. I don't care that she lost one fight, I don't want her to lose her spirit. She has to get up and fight back" Yolanda growled. "If she accepts defeat early on, then she will become exactly like me. I paid a heavy price for not fighting back and I do not want my daughter to be like me. I do not want her to spend the rest of her life in regret like I still do."
When Yolanda roughly wiped her cheeks, Lysander growled lowly because he knew exactly what price she was talking about. When she had left him, he had been so heartbroken with rejection that he had hated her, but never once had he tried to understand why she had done that. Eight years later, when she had told him what had happened, he had been horrified to hear the extent of her sufferings.
He paid a heavy price too for his crime of not fighting for his mate.
He wouldn't let his daughter live the way they did. Regretting and wondering every day about what if's!
"I couldn't stop what happened to you, but I sure as hell will not let the same happen to my daughter" Lysander stated firmly. Closing her eyes, Yolanda nodded. "Ash is not invincible. He does have a weakness and I will find it out."
Blinking in confusion, Yolanda turned her head to look at her mate as he turned to left, towards the road that led to the hospital.
"When he had asked Minerva to met him in the food-court, he had wanted her to bring Cyane along" Lysander shared and Yolanda frowned, "Cyane left that day and has not returned since. The curious thing here is that Ash has not mentioned about her since that day either."
"What do you mean?" Yolanda questioned.
"They have a connection. Cyane and Acheron. He had spared her life in the woods that day but killed everyone else. He had purposely asked for her to be in the food-court and she goes there and doesn't come back to us. Does that seem like a coincidence?" Lysander demanded.
"But Cyane is sure she wasn't attacked by Ash that day" Yolanda pointed out.
"And she also tells she doesn't remember anything that has happened," Lysander said grimly. "All I know is that I cannot let it go as nothing. She might be with Ash or Ash knows where she is."
"What could be the connection between Cyane and Ash? She is a fairy and he is a wolf" Yolanda murmured.
"Do not forget her father and grandfather are wolves" Lysander reminded, kicking on the breaks when the security guard opened the gates that led to the staff parking lot.
"Yes. But she is still only a fairy. She did not take after her father" Yolanda said and Lysander sighed.
Ash has protection around him; his daughter had told him. Cyane had mentioned that her parents had been killed by some other creatures. Being a Zeke, he knew about a witch's curse on his family that led to the fall of the Zeke's.
Cyane was born to a fae and a werewolf. Though she turned out to be a fae, she still possessed certain werewolf abilities because she was a hybrid. What if Ash was one too?
He couldn't find out about Ash, but he did intend to find out if Cyane's past has any connection to Ash. His instincts told him that there was.
"What are you thinking about?" Yolanda asked leaning back in her seat when he parked the car in the place reserved for her.
Smiling, he turned his head and looked at the pair of moss green eyes that had captivated him, since the time he had first seen it at the age of seventeen. Now, twenty-eight years later, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world for him.
"You are going to look into Cyane's past, aren't you? You are going to contact her grandfather?" Yolanda sighed and he smiled, amazed that she could read him so easily.
"She is a player that has changed the game," he said slowly.
"She is not playing any games. She is not involved in any of this" Yolanda intoned.
"Yet, strange things happen whenever she is around" Lysander pointed out.
"I know" Yolanda whispered again. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes were lost. Not liking the helpless look in his mate's face, Lysander leaned forward and kissed her lips.
Startled, she stared at him with wide eyes, before smiling and resting her forehead against his shoulder to hide her blush. It was something she always did to hide her embarrassment.
When she had composed herself, she looked up and stated, "Cyane said she was with her fiancée and she needed some time. I don't think we should bother her now."
"I won't. I will be discreet" Lysander assured.
"I know you won't stop even if say no" she sighed and he smiled. His smile warmed her heart and leaning forward she placed a kiss on his lips because that smile got to her every single time.
After waving goodbye to his mate, Lysander put his car on reverse gear and was just about to turn right, when he heard the sounds of leaves crunching as they were stepped by horse's hooves.
Yolanda who had just stepped into the building, returned when she heard the noise. She shot him a confused look and looked around for the source until all of a sudden, a huge black stallion jumped through the compound wall.
Fearing for the safety of his mate, Lysander turned off the engine and rushed out of the car, as the black stallion came to a stop beside his mate. They were three girls lying atop each other on the stallion's back.
"Winnie?" Yolanda cried as the horse lowered himself and sat on the ground. Alarmed security guards and a couple of nurses who were around, also rushed forward.
Winnie?
Lysander's eyes flashed when he recognized the name.
"Get a stretcher" one of the security guards shouted as the nurses helped the girls get off the horse. Two of them were unconscious while the third one was hanging by a thread.
"Doctor" she whispered in relief when she saw Yolanda.
"Yes. I am here Winnie. You will be safe. Don't worry" Yolanda told the girl and rushed inside the building.
Lysander was about to follow them when he heard a thud sound. He turned his head and saw that it was the sound of the girls' duffle bag hitting the ground.
He picked it up and immediately grasped that the black stallion had vanished. What the hell? Where did he go?
A cat's meow got his attention and he looked down to see a black fur ball rushing into the building.
It dawned on him then that this was the creature Cyane had been talking about. Mr Black, she had called him and she had told him that he was a shapeshifter.
Lysander followed after the black cat as it ran along the long hallway, sniffing the floor and looking around. He was searching for Cyane.
"Leave," he told to the hovering guards and nurses; his eyes fixed on the cat. When one of them attempted to go pick the cat, Lysander growled in warning. Immediately bowing his head in submission, the guard walked away leaving the hallway empty except for Lysander and Mr Black.
"Cyane is not here," he said out loud and suddenly the cat stopped running. Mr Black spun around to look at him and when Lysander took a step forward, the cat hissed maliciously, golden eyes bright with anger.
"She is not here. She left two weeks ago and she has not returned since then. Before going she did tell me about you... Mr Black" Lysander crouched on the ground, seriously hoping the cat could understand English because Cyane's mother tongue was Greek. "I know you are her only friend. I also know what you are" he added quietly and slowly took a step forward.
When the cat didn't hiss again, he took it as a positive sign.
"No one is going to hurt you" he assured kindly raising his hands in front of him, in a display of surrender.
The cat took a step forward and then another. His golden eyes firmly fixed on Lysander's blue ones. Lowering his hands, Lysander gave a hesitant smile.
"I don't know where she is, but I don't think she is safe," Lysander said sincerely and the cat's eyes widened in alarm.
Lysander was amazed to see that the cat understood every single thing he was saying. He had heard about shape-shifters like this cat. They were the ones who could shift into any animal they wanted to but they weren't born that day. All shape-shifters were a cursed creature. Before turning into this animal form, they had another form and Lysander was curious what form this creature had before?
But he also knew he couldn't ever find out because shape-shifters lived for centuries until one day eventually their curse gets reversed and they leave the mortal world for good.
"Can you find her?" he asked Mr Black. Cyane had told him that the cat would always find its way back to her and he wished, she was very much right.
The cat meowed once and before Lysander could say something more, he turned and then shifting into a black crow, he flew out of the hospital building.
Lysander sighed.
He seriously hoped Mr Black went looking for Cyane.
____
Two hours later, when Yolanda stepped out of the emergency unit, she looked exhausted.
"How are they?" Lysander's voice startled her and she was surprised to see that he was still around.
"Good. I thought you left" she muttered as she walked with him back to her office in the building.
"I wanted to, but I know who those girls are," he said and she nodded.
"Winnie and her sister are fine. It's Mel who has lost a lot of blood. She has been moved to ICU. We need to carefully monitor her for some time."
When they entered her office, Yolanda immediately closed the door and faced Lysander. "Mel has been pierced by claws and I had to stitch it all up, but the thing is they aren't werewolf claws."
"Tiger?"
"No. This was different. Larger than our claws too" she said as she sat in a chair. "Winnie is sleeping at the moment but when she wakes up, you can ask her whatever you want."
And he would, Lysander thought firmly because he had a lot of questions for the girls regarding Cyane and Ash.
•••
Torn body parts, broken boats, blood and crude oil marred the once pristine seashore of Ash's private island.
Watching the speedboat that was retreating to the Aelius seashore, Samuel and Sheldon, who had shifted into their wolves, barked, furious that they had missed the gang leader.
Standing on the balcony that gave a clear view of the seashore, Skyla watched Ajax's boat take off with an angry growl.
She had fired at his boat twice from her shoulder-fired missile but had missed both the times and it pissed her off because now he was out of her sight.
The bastard and his men had dared to attack Ash's island. If Irwin hadn't seen them heading towards Ash's island, they would have all been dead by now.
Irwin's warning phone call had given them enough time to prepare and they had started attacking Ajax's men right from the moment they had stepped into Ash's private property.
Neither Ajax nor his men made further the shore because her brother's and few of Ash's trusted men had been ready to fight them off. They lost two of their trusted men today and Skyla hated to be the one to break the news to Ash.
Ash had not yet been informed but Skyla already knew how he was going to take this news. He had no idea this was coming today, but thankfully expecting something like this, he had been fully prepared.
His arsenal was well stocked with several firearms and explosives. The shoulder-fired missile she was currently holding, had also helped in shooting down two of Ajax's drones.
The bastard would think twice before stepping into Ash's property again. Ajax came with two boats and fifteen men but was returning with one boat and three men. He left because that was the only way he could save his life, but that didn't mean Ajax was defeated.
No. Skyla knew that the wolf would come even more prepared the second time around and now, she had to warn Ash.
He was the one who forced Ajax to come back to Aelius for a fight and Ajax was ready to give him that fight.
Panting heavily, Skyla looked at her brothers and the others, who howled together, mourning for the loss of their two friends. When she was unable to control herself, Skyla placed the missile against the wall and then shifted into her beige coloured wolf, at Ash's balcony.
Racing downstairs, she joined her brothers and together they all howled in grief.
Ash's dogs Savage, Rowdy and Villain, who had successfully managed to tear one grown werewolf apart, craned their necks and howled. The dogs had been fierce and brave in the fight and hadn't cowered when they had seen a pack of werewolves. Instead, they had lunged at the nearest wolf and had dragged him away. Together, they had killed him ruthlessly, just the way their master did.
Everyone was surprised and proud of them.
___
Half an hour later, Skyla stepped out of the shower, got dressed and went to check in on her brother Sheldon, who had been bitten by Ajax.
Mason, one of Ash's men, who was also a trained doctor of sorts, was stitching his wounds.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting beside her brother.
"Furious that I missed him," Sheldon said through gritted teeth. "Ash had no clue about this, right? Or else he would have been here."
"Yes... But Irwin has informed him now" Skyla said holding her brother's hand.
"How did he take it?" Mason asked, his gaze fixed on his work.
"How do you think? He lost two of his men today. He is as furious as we all are" Skyla whispered.
"Another wolf tried to make a go at me when I was fighting Ajax. It was Rico who pulled him away from me and now... He died saving me" Sheldon closed his eyes and Skyla tightened her hold on her brother's hand.
She had known Rico for a few years now. He had been close friends with Sheldon and they usually patrolled the island together. It was painful to think that Rico was no more. He was only twenty-three and he had been under Ash's guidance since he was seventeen.
Not very clever and not very interested in studies, Rico had a hard time getting a decent job but Ash had helped him and now, he was dead. Terry, the other wolf who had been killed had also known Ash for a long, long time.
"If you had been in his place, you would have done the same thing. He knew that and that is why he helped you. Don't blame yourself for what happened! Don't let Rico's sacrifice go in vain. He wanted you to do better" Skyla told her kid brother and he nodded.
"We will get our revenge," Sam said, as he walked into the living room, carrying Villain in his arms.
The Siberian Husky had injured himself during the fight and now he had a cast on his right forelimb and a pet cone around his head.
"That looks painful," Sheldon grimaced when Villain limped and reached towards them. Sitting on Skyla's lap, the dog licked Sheldon's face.
Pleased to see her brother smiling again, Skyla tenderly petted the dog's back.
When her phone rang, everyone tensed and looked at her. She pulled out her screen and nodded once because it was from Ash.
"How many casualties?" Ash asked through gritted teeth.
"Two. Rico and Terry" Skyla said, standing up after Sheldon took Villain into his arms.
For the next few minutes, all everyone heard was Ash growling murderously from the other end.
"Ash... Look, I understand—"
"No. Skyla, you don't" Ash disagreed immediately. "I was the one who put Rico there, thinking it would be a safer option for him."
"I know. But you couldn't have predicted this was going to happen" Skyla appeased.
"But that's the point. When I baited Ajax, I should have known something like this was going to happen. I should have carefully monitored him, instead, I lost focus. I let myself—"
"No" Skyla cut him off with an angry growl. She couldn't let him regret the choice he was making at the moment. She just couldn't.
He was hell-bent on revenge and she knew why, but once his revenge got fulfilled, he still had a life to live and if he regretted his choices now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"You will not blame yourself" Skyla stated firmly. "What happened today was not your fault. When Rico came to work for you, he knew of the danger he was putting himself into. Hell! We all do know, but we still work with you because that is the choice we make."
"It is," Samuel said and all the wolves in the vicinity nodded in agreement. Skyla knew they stood by Ash because they all knew it was only him who could take down King Stanislaus. Not everybody had a vendetta against the king. For some, it was Ash who had stepped in to help them when no else did. Ash had trusted them enough and in return, they gave him their absolute trust. He was the leader they chose.
"I cannot watch another wolf die for me. I have already seen it once" Ash bit out jerkily and he took several deep breaths before speaking again, "This would not have happened if I had paid attention."
"Ash, we are in a war and this is what happens in war. Do not blame yourself for what happened to Rico or Terry. They fought like the warriors they truly were. They trusted you, Ash. Do not let their deaths go in vain" Skyla framed through gritted teeth as she tried not to cry anymore for the lives lost today.
There was complete silence for few seconds until Ash sighed.
"Always the voice of reason" Ash conceded heavily and Skyla was relieved to hear the familiar drawl in his voice. "I will be there by evening" he added.
"Of course. Neither Rico nor Terry had any surviving family" Skyla said quietly.
"Their funeral rites will be held island" Ash stated quietly and then asked, "How are the others?"
"Good. Sheldon and Neil needed a couple of stitches but they will heal soon. Everyone else is fine and Villain... he, he's got a cast on his forelimb" Skyla shared as she watched the husky getting furious at the pen cone around his neck.
"The bastard went after my dogs?" Ash hissed.
"They killed one of his. They fought well" Skyla smiled for she had been really surprised to see the dogs' team spirit.
Ash's silence on the other end, told her that he was as much surprised by the news as she had been when she had seen the dogs fighting. Of course, the dogs were trained and it was to be expected, but it still shook her.
"Good to hear that! So, how many of his men survived?" Ash demanded.
"Four, including Ajax. I will send you their pictures" Skyla growled.
"Do send me. I will plan it carefully. Each worse than the other" Ash swore furiously. "Before I finish the call, I have to say Thank-you. You all were terrific."
His address was to the men who had fought today and they all smiled when they heard it. "Thank you, boss," they all said in unison.
"Hopper, run a scan around the perimeter. Make sure the fuckers haven't dropped any bugs anywhere."
"Sure" Hopper agreed.
"What about Gideon?" Ash then asked.
"He is in his cell. He has heard the commotion but he didn't create any ruckus after that" Sheldon answered.
"Good. See you in the evening."
Once Ash finished the call, Skyla scrolled down her contact list and dialled Lachlan because he had to know what happened today.
His reaction would be pretty much the same as Ash, but she had to warn him because he had a baby girl and in times like this, as a parent, his priority was to keep his daughter safe.
Skyla knew her daughter was well cared for by her parents and they lived far and safe because Ash had made sure Izara was well away from the public eye and the king's men.
However, Lachlan refused to let his daughter out of his sight for long because he firmly believed no one could protect her the way he does. Lachlan was crazy, Skyla knew that; but when it came to his daughter, he would turn bat-shit crazy and anyone daring to hurt his daughter, would not survive to tell the tale.
•••
"Winona said she is ready to talk, but let's not overburden her with questions, alright?" Yolanda said as she walked beside Lysander to Winnie's room in the hospital.
Minerva, who was walking behind them, asked, "Did you inform Cyane? She was the one who sent that shape-shifter to find them."
"No. How can I? I don't know how to contact her and she has not phoned since last evening" Yolanda said before pushing open the door that led to Winnie and her sister's room.
Winnie was already seated in her bed and drinking water when they walked into her room. In the next bed, her little sister Elvi was fast asleep. Her legs wrapped in a fresh cast and drip attached to her right hand.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good," Winnie said placing the empty glass back on the bedside table. "How's Mel?"
"Improving for the better" Yolanda smiled and then introduced her husband and daughter to Winnie.
Winnie nodded politely and then lowered her head, avoiding their gaze. Lysander watched her carefully and assessed that the girl knew something but wasn't sure if she could trust them.
"The horse that brought you here—" Lysander began and Winnie's head shot up to look at him in panic, "It belongs to Cyane, doesn't it?"
Winnie gulped and looked towards the door which was slightly ajar. Minerva closed it shut in one quick movement and stood in front of it, "Nothing you say will go out of this room" she assured firmly.
Winnie's eyes still showed some reluctance and Lysander realized that she wasn't sure if she could trust them.
"I know what kind of creature that horse is Winnie. Cyane told me" he began, hoping it would soothe her nerves. "I know he changes into different animals."
"Cyane is not here?" Winnie asked hesitantly.
"No. She has gone to her home" Yolanda replied.
"Is she safe?"
"Yes. My husband found her that day on the road. She was fine" Yolanda shared.
"She heals, doesn't she? That's how she could survive them!" Winnie muttered, lost in her thoughts.
"Whose them?" Lysander questioned.
"Those creatures. The ones that attacked her that day and the ones who attacked us yesterday" Winnie said with a gulp, her skin turning an ashen shade.
Yolanda placed a gentle hand above Winnie's tight fist and asked softly, "What creatures are you talking about? How did they look?"
"Like an animal, but they—"
"Wolves?" Minerva interrupted.
"No" Winnie shook her head and all the wolves present in the room, straightened immediately, startled by that piece of information. "I have seen wolves. They don't scare me, but these did."
"Were they like large wolves? Completely different from normal wolves?" Minerva pressed, believing Winnie had seen werewolves.
"No. They are not wolves. They do not have four legs" Winnie said and as she recalled the haunting red eyes of those creatures, she shivered a little in her seat.
Lysander and Minerva looked at each other with a frown, before Lysander stepped forward and asked, "How did they look then?"
"They... they do look like humans at first glance, but they have blood-red eyes. Then they start changing... their skin turns grey and they get claws." Winnie looked at her fingers and winced as she recalled seeing the blood in their claws, "Then they turn large, like seven-foot large and they get thick brown fur on their torso. Their head becomes like that of a leopard but monstrous and it is scary to look. Very scary and they have large tails."
When Winnie looked up again, there were tears in her eyes and surprise and confusion in Yolanda and Minerva's gaze, however, Lysander felt the colour drain from his skin as his whole posture turned rigid in shock.
He had heard about these creatures that Winnie was talking about. His uncle Xander had told him about them, but his uncle had also told him that they were all dead. They existed and were all killed even before he was born. His uncle had been a pup when those creatures had existed. They had all been killed by the fairy queen Varya when she killed their witch mother in a war... or so he had been told.
Their story came about when his uncle Xander had been explaining to him on what had led to the fall of the royal Zeke family. It was all because of a witch's curse on Zeke.
Lysander closed his eyes and tried to recall her name. She was a fierce sorceress and she had been unstoppable.
Georgia.
Her name was Georgia.
"Shit!" he said out loud and every single head in the room turned to look at him.
Georgia had wanted to kill the Zeke wolves after she lost her baby. She had wanted to wipe the werewolves from the surface of this earth and that's why her children were created. Mad. Blood-thirsty creatures who were a fierce match to werewolves and very powerful when their mother fought with them. Which was why, the wolves had asked the help of fairy queen Varya, who was the only one strong enough to kill her.
But Georgia wasn't killed that day.
If these creatures still roamed around the surface of the earth, then it meant that their mother was alive. Georgia was alive.
He let out another curse word and Yolanda stood up with a frown. "Zander, what's wrong?"
"Papa? Cyane mentioned some creatures. Was she talking about these creatures?" Minerva asked.
"Yes. They are after her. That day, they had come for her. My family was just an unwanted hindrance and so they—" Winnie sobbed unable to finish the sentence. Wiping her nose, she continued, "They are brutal. They killed everyone in the hospital too and they chased after us. If it wasn't for that animal, they would have killed all of us."
"So, it wasn't Ash who attacked her. Gideon was right in believing that" Minerva mumbled to herself and then looked at her father, who was deathly pale.
"Ash" Winnie whispered and then looked at Lysander.
"She kept telling she is strong enough to take down wolves. She kept telling that there was something else and I did not believe her" Minerva paced the room nervously.
"What are these creatures, Zander? What are they called?" Yolanda questioned her mate.
"Liberi" Lysander breathed out. "And it's not a leopard, they look like Lynx."
"I have never heard about them," Yolanda said with a frown.
"Only because everyone believed they were killed along with their mother. They were created to wipe out werewolves from the surface of the earth" Lysander shared reluctantly. Minerva inhaled sharply when she heard it while Yolanda gasped in shock.
"Do you know anything?" Minerva asked Winnie who was shivering in her seat. "What happened that day? I am asking you because Cyane cannot remember anything!"
Winnie looked up, startled to hear that, "What do you mean she cannot remember? They had come for her."
"Yes. But did they attack her in the head?"
"I don't know. While I ran away with Elvi and my mother, they were all circling Cyane. I did not see what they did to her, but I did see what they did to my father and brother" Winnie sobbed and Yolanda hugged the blonde girl closer to her chest.
"Why are they after Cyane?" Minerva asked him curiously.
"I intend to find out" Lysander swore, watching his mate console the sobbing teenager.
Liberi were alive and they were after Cyane. Why? Only her grandfather could tell him that and squaring his shoulders, Lysander stood up straight.
'I will be out of town for a few days' he told his mate through the link.
'Okay. Stay safe and when you reach uncle Ricky, please convey my apologies to him' Yolanda conveyed through the link and Lysander nodded.
Only Roderick could tell him why the Liberi were after Cyane. And it was only Roderick who could also tell him, how the hell these creatures were still alive!
****
Mr Black is back! :D I kind of love him... lol! And no, he is not a Pure Soul because everyone can see him. Mr Black is a shape-shifter.
I really hope you liked this chapter :D Also, thanks a lot for your support in the previous chapter, it makes my day! I love you all :D
Also, Pic of Clive Owen as Lysander Zeke -
And Penelope Cruz as Yolanda –
Next update on October 10th. It's a bit late because this coming week I have training followed by an exam in the Regional Office of my bank. I will be quiet busy. So sorry!
Also, please take care of yourself. COVID is still there and it is still as dangerous! Wear a mask, wash your hands and stay safe!
Love,
Shruthi.