Presenting Chapter 24 and it is dedicated to @amalrahman :D
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SODA WATER:
Also known as Carbonated Water is water containing dissolved carbon-dioxide gas which makes those little bubbles in the water. Though there is danger in drinking excessive soda water, one cannot deny the benefits of it either.
It hydrates the body just like regular water and almost has the same benefits of drinking ordinary water, just make sure that there is no added sugar in soda water. The most important benefit of soda that I have known is that it helps relieve stomach ache because of indigestion.
The soda water helps relieve constipation problems better than regular water. Studies have also shown that soda water improves overall digestion and does not have any harmful effects on dental health.
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"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better."– Plutarch
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CHAPTER 24 – TRUST
"Did you inform the king?" That was the first question Xanthos asked his friend.
"No" Grayson admitted and Cyane furrowed her brows.
Johnny was a rogue and Minerva had shown his photo to Cyane but it had been blurred and since he didn't seem so important, so she hadn't cared for much details about the rogue. Xanthos did because there was no display of emotion from Xanthos. Neither relief nor panic and that bothered her because Cyane knew he was scary when he showed no emotion at all.
His mind was continuously plotting at that very time and no one could guess what was going on in there.
"Should I?" Grayson asked tersely.
"Not yet," Xanthos said and then held Cyane's wrist, "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" she asked Xanthos in confusion as he helped her get into the passenger seat of his open jeep.
"You are going to the apartment" Xanthos replied as his friends got onto the backseat.
"I am sending you the location" Grayson replied sharing the location on his phone.
"Johnny Zeke. How did the bastard come out now? After all this time?" Brody mused.
"There was an incident in the hospital near Crescere recently. Thirty people dead. Bodies burnt. The authorities cannot point out what happened" Grayson began.
"Ash?" Brody asked.
"No" Grayson snapped. "I don't think it's Ash. There was a fire of some sort but no one knows what happened. The cameras were destroyed and some suspect it's the work of Scevola she-wolves. The authorities did not rule out massacre suspicions as of now and so, they are investigating criminals around the area."
"And Crescere is Johnny's lair. Of course, the rat is going to come out!" Miki grinned. "Where is he coming?"
"The powerhouse. He wants weapons and we have posed as sellers" Grayson smirked.
"How did you track him?" Brody asked suspiciously.
"I have my ways" Grayson replied cunningly and Cyane noticed that one corner of Xan's mouth tilted upward.
When Xan brought the jeep to a halt in front of the apartment, Miki and Brody got out first and ran upstairs. Grayson quickly followed.
"You will stay in the apartment until I am back?" Xanthos asked her and she nodded. "You don't have to worry; I will take care of everything" Xanthos added and she furrowed her brows.
Take care of what? Who was this Johnny?
Cyane stopped mid-stairs when she finally recognized the name. Johnny Zeke. The rogue whom everyone claimed had kidnapped Prince Saint.
Suddenly, Cyane wanted to see Johnny's photo and confirm for herself if it was the same guy who had hit Saint in the head that day.
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Coming to a halt at the top of the stairs Cyane noticed the front door of the room next to Xan's apartment, open. It had been closed for weeks until today and now, she could hear Brody and Miki talking from inside.
"Go in" Xanthos held her arms from behind and urged her into the direction of his apartment.
"That room?"
"It's empty. We have broken into it to store some stocks" he said and she narrowed her eyes. "I will send Jayson here" he added before he closed the front door from the outside, locking her in.
Gritting her teeth, Cyane muttered few filthy curses at Xanthos before placing her ears against the door to eavesdrop. She could hear footsteps and some metals clanking, but that's about it!
When she failed to catch anything good, she huffed. She went to the balcony but when she saw the huge iron bars which were rusted, she panicked and went back into the room.
She couldn't even ask Mr Black to go after them because he was out again. He had been with her until afternoon but had left after lunch and wasn't back yet.
Sometime later, she could hear them rushing downstairs and she huffed because now it would be even more difficult to track them. Her sense of smell wasn't as strong as them.
Almost ten minutes later, Jayson came into the room with a couple of books in his hands and a pencil behind his ears.
"Wow! Those books are thick" Cyane commented when she saw the books Jayson was holding.
"I know" Jayson chuckled.
"You have to study all that?"
"For finals, yes. But for Monday's test just a couple of chapters" Jayson murmured, placing the books on the table.
Cyane looked at his zoology book and then picked up a notebook. "You draw too?" she asked impressed.
"Yes. Not as good as you, but I do draw" he grinned. "What have you drawn so far?" he asked picking up her sketchbook from the T.V stand.
"Nothing much as of now," Cyane said and quickly pulled her sketchbook from his hands. The last time she had shown it to him, she had not drawn anything about Liberi, but now she had started drawing them and she didn't want him to see it and inform the others.
Jason raised his brows but didn't comment when she held the book close to her chest and paced the length of the living room.
"Can you show me a picture of Johnny Zeke?" she blurted out and Jayson narrowed his eyes.
"I do not have a picture of him, but I can search it for you. There's this website in the darknet with information of Johnny and the wolves from the nest. I can look it up. But why do you need it?" Jayson asked.
"They were all talking about him just now and I want to know who he is" Cyane shrugged.
Jayson nodded and leaned back in his seat. When he picked up the book, Cyane made an irritated noise.
"What? Now?" Jayson said startled and Cyane nodded. "It's in Gray's laptop and it's in our apartment, I have to go down there."
"Please.... It's urgent!"
"I... I don't get how?"
"They have gone after him" Cyane cried.
"Yes. That's because he is a bad guy. Johnny has done pretty bad things to the king and wolves of the kingdom. The king wants him dead" Jayson growled, his light brown eyes turning dark. For the first time, Cyane was seeing the wolf in the pup and it startled her. "Look, Cyane, I know you don't get it, but this is how things are here in Aelius. It's all about survival of the fittest."
"Please show me his picture" Cyane said politely. "I need to confirm to myself if I have seen this guy before or not!"
"Before?" Jayson whispered and Cyane compressed her lips. Sighing, Jayson stood up. "Stay here. Don't move. I will get Gray's laptop."
Cyane clenched her fists when Grayson locked the door from the outside.
Alright! She was done with this!
She twisted her neck a few times and then took a deep breath. Her hands started glowing immediately until they were flaming purple.
Rushing forward, she thrust those flaming hands against the door and broke it open. She didn't care if Jayson caught onto the noise. She then moved towards the next door and kicked it open.
As the second door fell to the floor with a loud bang, Cyane heard footsteps rushing upstairs but she paid no attention to it. Instead, she paid complete attention to the view inside the room.
The walls were painted dark blue and there were rows and rows of shelves around the room. The dark blue paint reminded her of the velvet fabric inside a jewellery box. How the bright, colourful gemstones shine and glitter against the royal blue.
But this room had no such jewellery. Instead, the rows and rows of shelves were filled with weapons of extremely high quality. Guns— small and big. Knives, swords, bullets, magazines, phones, spy and other recording devices, cameras and computers. This was Xanthos's arsenal.
Now she knew, what Brody and Miki were picking from this room.
She stepped into the room and looked around. What should have been a kitchen of this apartment was now turned into CCTV room and there was a total of ten TV screens attached to the wall and several monitors on the counter. The screens showed live footage of all the floors of the building, arena and the overall perimeter.
"You shouldn't be here," Jayson said from behind her and she sighed.
"He is an assassin. That's his work for the king!"
"Yes," Jayson confirmed. "Xan and Brody."
"That's why he has a criminal record," she said turning to face the teenager.
Jayson looked uncomfortable in the room and he avoided looking at the sharp knives neatly arranged in several rows on the shelves beside him.
"No one can arrest him for more than an hour" Jayson tried to reason and Cyane shot him a flat look. "They had no education Cyane. My brother or his friends couldn't complete their education. The odd jobs didn't pay them enough, the king did and so they chose this kind of life."
"Grayson chose to be honourable" Cyane argued.
"That's because he has me. Grayson had to take care of me, but Xan, Miki and Brody had no one but each other. They had no goals, nothing. All they knew was pain and suffering and that's the path they chose. It's easy to condemn them for it, but you also have to understand that they did not have many options. No one was ready to give them decent jobs. They had to survive and this was the only way they knew. And make no mistake, Grayson is no different. He is the same as them. Xan never let Grayson's name get out because of me and my future" Jayson sighed and gulping, Cyane nodded.
There was no all black or all white about Xanthos. He was coloured in several shades of grey and at that moment, Cyane accepted that very shade of his.
His life had been far different from hers and he had done what he had to survive. His life, his struggles were far different from hers. While she had struggled to be free, he had struggled to survive.
"Xanthos is a good man. He has helped my brother and me a lot. I happen to think you are starting to have feelings for him and if it's true, then please, give him a chance and get to know him. He is very complexed but he is very good to those he considers as his friends" Jayson shared quietly.
"I know. I know he is a good man but I also cannot deny that he is bad" Cyane said as she began walking out of the room.
"Only to those whom he considers as his enemy. He will never hurt you" Jasyon swore fiercely.
One corner of Cyane's mouth tilted upwards. Jayson was young and innocent. Everyone around him has protected him and in him, Cyane saw herself because he was naïve and hopeful.
Her immediate instinct was not to destroy that hope and it was at that moment she realized why her grandparents did what they did. They did not want to destroy her naivety and her hopes. They wanted to protect her from all the bad.
As tears welled up her eyes, she gulped and then walked back into Xan's apartment.
"I will tell Xan, I broke them" Jayson muttered from behind and Cyane chuckled.
"I don't need you to protect me. As you said, Xanthos is not going to hurt me" Cyane smiled and Jayson let out a relieved breath.
He then turned on the laptop and got to work. Fifteen minutes later, he showed her Johnny's photo and Cyane gritted her teeth when she saw the guy.
It was him. He had been the guy who had struck Saint in the head and had kidnapped them again. He had been the guy who had planned to save her for the cameras.
Johnny Zeke was the rogue who had seen her that day and he was the only one alive, who could reveal her identity to the king.
He had to die and Cyane couldn't let him get to the king.
"Will Xanthos kill him today?"
"I don't know. All I know is that they were looking for him under King's orders. Johnny has been a pest for a long, long time and I believe, the king will have him executed in front of the whole kingdom."
Gritting her teeth, Cyane got up. That's the one thing she did not want. She did not want Johnny getting to the king.
Xanthos told her he was going to take care of Johnny but she had no idea how. Would he kill Johnny or would he get Johnny to the king? Whatever the case, Cyane knew Johnny had to die before dawn.
"Let's go there" Cyane turned to leave.
"Woah!" Jayson said and held her wrist to stop her, "Go where?"
"Where Xan and your brother has gone. Powerhouse."
"Why?"
"You will get to know when we reach there," Cyane vowed.
"Cyane, no. We cannot go. Neither of us is allowed. We cannot interfere in their work. If it goes wrong, they will be pissed. Plus, it has taken everyone a lot of time to track down Johnny and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that they cannot miss" Jayson reasoned and Cyane compressed her lips.
He didn't understand and she had no time to explain.
"I am sorry. But I have to go" Cyane whispered and then she enclosed her fingers around his wrist.
She flinched when she saw Jayson tremble as electric shock passed through his body. She held him before he hit the ground and then, slowly laid him down on the couch.
"I am really very sorry but you are safer here," she said to his sleeping form and then pulled a strand of his hair.
Picking up his mobile phone, Cyane left Xan's apartment and as she sprinted downstairs, she changed her appearance to that of Jayson's.
•••
"I see them. I have them in range" Brody's voice came out loud and clear through Xanthos's earpiece.
Brody, who was currently laying low in a rooftop of a nearby building, was assigned by Xanthos to spot and shoot Johnny's men with his sniper.
"How many?" Xanthos asked as he hid behind a wall so that Johnny and his men wouldn't spot him when they entered the building.
"Eleven confirmed as of now" Brody replied. "Carlo, Gray, stay alert. Five have entered the building. Four are staying guard outside the building. Johnny is still inside the car."
"You have your eyes on all of them?" Xanthos demanded.
"Yes. Give me the green signal when you are ready."
Xanthos concealed himself in the darkness again when footsteps rang in. Carlos and Grayson who were posing as sellers were waiting for Johnny and his men in the vacant office upstairs. They had changed their appearance using wigs and had covered their scent by using other's hair. Miki meanwhile was around the area and he had to make sure no one got out of the building alive.
Johnny's men scanned the whole area but were unable to catch Xanthos's scent as he had used silver on himself to cover his scent. It burned his skin and his wolf trembled inside him, but it was a small price to pay.
Today, he wanted to successfully kill Johnny once and for all because Johnny was the only person other than him who had seen Cyane in the factory that day. He was the only person, other than Saint, who could inform the king about Cyane. Since Saint was out for good, Johnny was the only one who was a problem and Xanthos had to get rid of the wolf.
Cyane was his and Xanthos had already decided that he would not give her up to anyone for anything. From the moment he had seen her, he had developed a selfish streak because she was the only one in this world that was truly his.
He had no leverage against Cyane now because the king was already aware that Gideon was betraying the throne for Minerva, but Cyane did not know that and as long as Cyane did not know the truth, she would stay with him to protect her friends.
Though Xanthos was aware that he was morally wrong in lying by omission to Cyane, he was far from feeling ashamed of it. He knew Cyane would be hurt if she found out the truth, but he refused to think about that now. For now, she was with him and she seemed happy, which was enough to make him happy.
Whatever came in future, he would handle it at that time, for now, he just wanted Cyane with him.
For Cyane, Xanthos was ready to betray even those who helped him. It didn't make him feel guilty, it only made him feel more possessive about her for she was his and only his.
If the king found out of his betrayal then things would get complicated but Xanthos was prepared for that. He had a plan and for that, all he needed was some time.
It was from Cyane, Xanthos had learned that wolves didn't pay much attention to what's above them. They only saw the ground level which is why, Johnny's men were unable to spot him as he pressed himself against the narrow passageway ceiling— his hands on either side of the wall and his back pressed against the ceiling, holding his breath and looking down at the guy below him.
"Clear" Johnny's men announced and walked away from the passage.
Two more guys were thoroughly checking and inspecting Carlos and Grayson for any secret weapons or devices.
"Clear" the other three announced and only then Johnny climbed out of his vehicle.
"Target entering the building" Miki whispered through the speaker.
Xanthos slowly crawled down the wall, taking one step at a time, as Johnny and two of his men walked upstairs along with Carlos and Grayson, while three more stayed guard downstairs. All had weapons.
For the next ten minutes, Xanthos stayed hidden and waited patiently until Johnny and his men came back down. He dropped the dime-size silver locket he was wearing and let his wolf heal.
When he heard the door open, the first thing he did was pull out the cork of the test-tube and then roll it over the floor towards Johnny's men.
The sound of the tiny glass rolling on the floor echoed around the room and everyone stilled.
"Now" Xanthos commanded for Brody and Miki. The first shot was heard, followed by a groan. Brody had killed one from the outside.
Inside, Grayson reacted first by kicking Johnny on the back, pushing the wolf off the stairs. When Johnny's men growled, Xanthos stepped out of the shadows and attacked them.
He clawed at the hand holding the gun and then using that gun, randomly shot one guy. Grayson and Carlos stepped forward to take care of them, while outside Miki fought with the wolves.
Johnny got off the ground and stood up, baring his fangs. Xanthos shot him in the chest and as Johnny fell against the wall, he then turned and emptied all the bullets on the earlier guy. Grayson got rid of one wolf quickly and then went on to help Carlos, who was struggling with the other survivor.
Another shot was heard from the outside and Johnny growled. Another down!
"You bastard" Johnny spat as he got off the ground and stood, clad in a blood-stained t-shirt.
Xanthos smirked and then threw the gun away. "Always wanted to do a hand-to-hand combat with you."
"Oh! Yeah?" Johnny asked throwing off his jacket. "Then let's go for it."
As Johnny ran forward, Xanthos leapt high in and then slammed his elbows against Johnny's jaws, while Johnny scratched his claws against Xan's waist. Both fell on their sides but got upright in the very next second.
Loud growls could be heard from outside and Xanthos glared at Johnny, who grinned maniacally. "You didn't think I came so unprepared, did you? I am going to kill you and send your ashes to the king. The old geezer thinks he can trap me with the hospital massacre!"
Interesting! Xan thought as he fought off Johnny. If Johnny wasn't behind the hospital massacre, then who was? Who killed the staff and patients in the hospital and then proceeded to burn down the building?
"Xan! There's more than twenty" Brody gritted out through the earpiece and within him, Xan's wolf raised his hackles in fury. Of course, he knew this was going to happen!
Johnny moved to punch Xan in the face. Using an arm, Xan blocked one hit but took another one to the stomach and then raising his legs, he kicked Johnny in the thigh.
The front door was burst open and Miki fell into the room, while ten more wolves rushed in. Brody shot one of them but there were too many. All fighters.
"I am trying to get as much as I can but we have been outnumbered" Brody growled as Xanthos twisted an arm of a wolf and slammed his head against the bannister. "Shit! They are coming for me."
"Call for reinforcement" Grayson shouted as he began randomly shooting at the wolves.
Carlos fought off two more but he was also taking a lot of hits.
"Yes... go ahead! Call whomsoever you want" Johnny grinned. "By the time they come here, only your ashes will remain."
After hearing Johnny's words, Xanthos gritted his teeth and broke the neck of the wolf he was fighting. His whole body shook as he raised his lashes to look at Johnny, through arctic blue eyes.
"That's right. I work for Ash. We are a team" Johnny gloated as he then proceeded to punch Carlos.
"That makes me want to break your neck" Miki hissed before he extended his claws and then crushed the neck of another wolf.
Johnny snarled loudly but the snarl that erupted from Xanthos made all the wolves tremble around him. His wolf came at the forefront as he rushed forward and then repeatedly punched Johnny.
With powerful punches, he repeatedly hit Johnny in the stomach.
All of Johnny's men came to help him and Xan's friends tried to ward them off. But several still managed to pull Xanthos away from Johnny. As Johnny slumped against the wall and coughed blood, he watched Xanthos tear apart some of his best fighters like a mad-man.
"What the hell was that?" Brody asked through an earpiece as he fought off the five wolves who had spotted him in the rooftop and came to attack him.
"That was Xan" Miki muttered before butting his head against another wolf. He blinked from the impact before raising his legs and kicking the wolf in the groin.
"He has gone mad-man again?" Brody sighed as he hit two wolves with his sniper gun, before piercing one in the stomach with the same.
"Yes," Miki confirmed as he twisted the neck of the wolf and then watched Xan break the ankle of another wolf.
"Cut it out or else I am going to shoot this pup" a loud voice boomed within the empty building and all heads turned to look at the doorway, where two of Johnny's men were holding a teenage boy.
"Jay" Grayson cried in horror when he saw a gun pressed against his brother's forehead.
"What the fuck?" Miki hissed as he saw the pup trembling in the wolves hold.
Xanthos pulled his blood-soaked claws out of a dead wolf's chest and then stood up to glare at the young pup.
"Jayson is here?" Brody asked through the ear-piece.
"We need backup" Miki ventriloquized. He was furious with Grayson's younger brother. Why the hell did the pup come here? He was supposed to watch over Cyane and now... who the hell was there with her?
"I will be there" Brody assured as he kicked a wolf off the rooftop and then lunged to attack another.
Johnny chuckled loudly before gasping and spitting his blood. As some of his men went to help him stand up, the wolf holding Jayson stepped into the room.
"Leave my brother alone" Grayson shouted but one wolf punched him in the face and pushed him against the wall.
"Found him in the backyard. He was trying to sneak into the building" the guy holding Jayson captive grinned at Johnny, who nodded.
"Good job, Larry" one of Johnny's men grinned.
"Why the hell are you here?" Xanthos hissed at the young pup. Miki watched as Jayson cringed and then lowered his head in shame.
Miki still did not understand why Jayson came here. Sure, they were outnumbered by Johnny's men but their team still had a chance of taking Johnny and his men down. The pup had always followed Xan and Grayson's order, then why was he here this time?
"Step back now or I will shoot the boy" Larry threatened Xanthos who reluctantly kicked off the lifeless body of the wolf near his feet and then stepped away.
Johnny used that opportunity to punch Xanthos in the face and then another and another.
To Miki's horror, Jayson attempted to rush forward but Larry held the back of his hoodie and pulled the pup back.
As Xanthos fell on the ground, Johnny kicked him in the stomach.
"Take the pup upstairs," Johnny told Larry, who nodded. "I will have a chat with his friends until then" Johnny grinned at Miki before once again proceeding to kick Xanthos in the stomach.
Miki growled nastily but another wolf pressed his gun against Miki's shoulder from behind.
"No. Don't hurt my brother. Leave him alone!" Grayson shouted as Larry dragged Jayson upstairs.
"Tie them up!" Johnny commanded to his remaining men as he wiped his blood-stained mouth with his jacket.
As Miki was pushed against the wall, he watched Johnny's men dragging the chain towards Xanthos. When Xanthos growled nastily, they hesitated. "Tie him up!" Johnny barked and nodding, they moved forward.
"Where are you?" Miki asked Brody, without moving his mouth.
"I will be there in two minutes" Brody replied breathlessly.
Grayson struggled and fought against the men trying to hold him back, but Johnny's men resisted all his efforts.
"Let me tell you a secret" Johnny crouched in front of Xanthos. "I do not work for Ash" Johnny shared and Xanthos rolled his eyes.
Of course, he knew that. He didn't need Johnny to tell him that.
"I have never even met the bastard" Johnny chuckled.
A groan was heard from upstairs and everyone tensed. All eyes moved towards the closed office door.
"No!" Grayson cried, shaking his head in denial as Xanthos snarled furiously.
"Larry" Johnny called, slowly walking towards the staircase.
The door was pushed open again and Larry stepped out. He turned and shot a hesitant grin at Johnny before showing a thumbs up.
"I am going to kill you, you bastard" Grayson shouted at Larry, who flinched.
"Did you kill the boy?" Johnny asked Larry, his eyes on Grayson.
"No.... I just... I knocked him out! Jayson is safe" Larry assured Grayson and Johnny scowled at his friend. "He is going to wake up soon."
"Yes, and when he comes downstairs, he will see your ashes spread around here" Johnny grinned and then turned to face Xanthos again. Larry stiffened at that and narrowed his eyes.
"I wondered that day, why did Ash spare the infamous Hound?" Johnny mused looking at Xanthos, who was lying on his knees as wolves, chained him. "He killed everyone but spared you?" Johnny sneered. "But then I heard the story... you were friend's, right? Ash and you? You saved his life and he saved yours. The scale is equal now" Johnny grinned.
Trembling in rage, Xanthos glared at Johnny as he struggled to pull back his wolf, who was anxiously pacing inside him. He barely paid attention to what Johnny was yapping on about....
All he could think was that Cyane was alone in the house. Unprotected. She will protect herself but what if she flies away? How was he going to get her back then? Why did Jayson leave her alone there? How is she?
Those were the things running in Xanthos's mind and it was making his wolf angry and nervous at the same time. All he wanted to do was kill Johnny and get back home to her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and assure himself that she was safe.
Brody would be here any moment and he would use that moment to lunge at Johnny and kill him for good. Through the corner of his eyes, he watched Larry, slowly walk to stand behind Johnny.
Once he was done with Johnny, he would then kill Larry, for hurting Jayson.
"Everyone has that question, but tomorrow, everyone will get the answer to it too. Tomorrow, they will find Hound's ashes spread around here" Johnny laughed maniacally.
"You will kill him?" Larry asked from behind him, his voice angry as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"You have any better ideas?" Johnny demanded from his friend.
"No" Larry shook his head and Xanthos growled.
"Then let me do my work" Johnny muttered turning back to Xanthos.
"But that's the thing" Larry spoke again and Xanthos watched as Johnny gritted his teeth to suppress his frustration. Larry was irritating him and it amused Xanthos. "I hate it when others hurt him."
Xanthos furrowed his brows as Johnny whipped around to glare at his friend.
"Eínai dikós mou."
With that said, Larry pulled back his fist and then as he leaned forward to punch Johnny in the face, Xanthos watched in fascination as Larry's physical form changed to that of Cyane.
Johnny fell onto the ground with the force of her punch as Xanthos stared at her in amazement.
Surrounded by wounded male wolves, Cyane, clad in a pretty grey coloured dress, brought from a children's store, stood angrily glaring down at Johnny, who was lying on the floor and groaning from the impact of her punch.
Everyone was staring at her. Some in shock. Some in amazement.
No. The punch did not amaze Xanthos! It had already amazed him that day in the factory. What amazed him was the way she changed skin so easily.
He broke apart from the chains and then flipping over, he lunged at the wolves behind him. Miki and Carlos too fought other wolves, while Grayson was too shocked to react.
Brody burst into the room at that very moment and then he too got into the fight.
"Remember me?" Cyane innocently asked Johnny, whose skin was slowly healing from the burn.
"You bitch!" Johnny spat as he clenched his jaws and Xanthos whipped his head to snarl violently at Johnny who pushed himself back on the ground, while Cyane stepped closer to him. "Of course I remember you" Johnny snapped, "You were the one who blew apart my plan that day."
Before Johnny could attack Cyane, Xanthos stepped in between and then throwing a punch at Johnny's stomach, he flipped him over. Wrapping one arm around Johnny's neck, Xanthos held him in a stranglehold while at the same time he cruelly twisted Johnny's other arm.
"Your plan of kidnapping Prince Saint?" Cyane murmured as Johnny struggled against Xanthos's hold. "Yes. He was the one who hit Saint in the head right in front of me but he is no saviour" Cyane said and then looked at Xanthos, "He wanted to save me for the cameras."
Xanthos snarled violently and then baring his fangs, he broke Johnny's arm, the sounds of his bone-cracking, loud in the room. Xanthos then cut off Johnny's cries of pain, by crushing his throat and silencing him forever.
Kicking off Johnny's lifeless body off him, Xanthos then knelt on the ground and closed his eyes. He pressed his closed fist against the cement floor and gritted his teeth.
There was complete silence in the room as Xanthos growled repeatedly and tried to push back his wolf, who was still at the forefront. The bodies of Johnny and his men sprawled around the cement floor of the building and only Xanthos and his friend stood upright, undefeated.
Tucking a loose strand of her dark hair, behind her ears, Cyane took a step towards him but stopped when Grayson broke the silence in the room.
"Where is... where is Jayson?" he asked Cyane.
"In the apartment.... He is fine" Cyane replied with a smile and Grayson nodded, before letting out a relieved breath. "I am sorry, I knocked him out but he is fine" she assured and Grayson nodded again.
Her amethyst eyes then flickered to Brody, who was openly frowning at her. Miki on the other hand was staring at Xanthos's back with furrowed brows. When he felt Cyane's gaze on him, Miki turned to look at her.
"You are the girl?" he whispered in shock and Cyane gulped audibly.
Theos!
How could she forget the important bit? His friends didn't know yet that she was the girl Saint had kidnapped! Xanthos had specifically not mentioned that bit to them and now, they knew because of her.
"The king is looking for you" Miki added and Cyane turned her back to look at Xanthos who slowly stood up.
"Fuck" Miki shouted.
Cyane flinched and took a couple of steps closer to Xanthos because he was the only one with whom she felt safe at the moment.
"What the fuck? This is not going to end well Xan. This is going to fuck us all up!" Miki said outraged.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us before? Why the hell didn't you tell anyone before? Did you lie to the king too? Goddamnit! Do you know what is going to happen if the king finds out?" Brody spat at Xan's back.
"Are you going to tell the king?" Xan shot out as he turned to look at Brody. "Hmm?"
Brody opened and closed his mouth like a fish, before grinding his teeth and looking away.
"I get it that she is your mate and that's why you lied to the king, but there are going to be consequences Xan. Are you ready to face them?" Grayson asked quietly.
"Consequences? We will be fucked! All of us! That will be the consequence of your.... Your stupidity. We are all going to hell in a handbasket" Brody hissed.
"This is why I said girls are good.... From a distance. This is what I feared. She is going to be the end of all of us" Miki glared at Cyane, who gulped.
"She needs to go Xan. She needs to go back wherever the fuck she came from" Brody said flatly and Xan took a threatening step towards him.
"She is mine" Xan spelt out, staring down his friend.
The hair in the nape of Cyane's neck, raised prominently as shivers ran down the length of her spine after hearing his fierce declaration.
"That's your wolf talking. It's because you are together that you are behaving like this. Send her away and then everything will be fine" Miki growled but Xan's growl was deadlier.
"It doesn't work that way. Especially not after he marked her" Grayson muttered and Cyane raised her hand to brush her fingers across the mark.
The skin there had become extra sensitive and it was in that particular part she felt the most of the pain when Xan got hurt.
"There's that thing too. You marked her... you shouldn't have marked her" Brody said in a troubled tone.
"I can see this going in different directions and none of it is good" Miki groaned.
"Man! You lied to the king. You specifically didn't tell the king that you have seen her. How do you think the king will react when he finds out The Hound lied? He has killed people for less and you and her... he is going to kill both of you" Brody shook his head in worry.
"I want to see him try" Cyane ground out glaring at Brody, who blinked in surprise. One corner of Xan's mouth tilted upwards and Miki noticed that.
"I do not get how you are so chilled about all this" Miki mumbled with a frown.
"Johnny was the only one who could have been a threat to me and who could have told the king about her, but he is dead. So, now it's all good" Xanthos shrugged.
"Johnny wasn't the only one. There is Saint and obviously, he has seen her" Brody pointed out.
"But he is out like a light" Xan said calmly.
Miki frowned at that, "The doctors are doing everything they possibly can to wake him up. Do you seriously think he will sleep forever?"
"Things will be easier for me if he does" Xanthos shrugged again and Cyane frowned.
She did not like that careless attitude of his. Xan's friends were right, the king wouldn't be happy to learn Xan betrayed him. All this time, she had been worried if Xanthos would choose her or the king, but Xan seemed to have no such worries whatsoever.
Cyane was about to side with his friends when she suddenly paused and considered what she had learnt about Xanthos so far.
This was not him.
Xanthos wasn't rash. He was... methodical.
He might have jumped into the ditch, but he sure as hell had found his way out of it too!
Cyane knew she couldn't completely trust him when it came to certain things, but she sure could trust him on this. He knew the risks of his betrayal and yet, he took it head-on. He also knew involving his friends in wouldn't be wise and now, Cyane realized why he thought so.
Their lack of trust in him was a bit disheartening.
"But things never go the way we want Xan." There was an odd grave note in Grayson's voice as he said that and Cyane furrowed her brows. "You should already know that!"
Turning his head, Xanthos looked Grayson in the eyes as he said, "I will make it go my way."
"What if Saint wakes up? What then?" Brody questioned. "You might have silenced Johnny but you cannot silence Saint. He is the future king and what he wants he gets."
"He is not going to get Cyane. Ever" Xanthos said firmly, his voice animalistic as once again his wolf came to the forefront.
Cyane took in a deep breath and her eyes brightened after hearing his words. In her chest, her heart fluttered like a butterfly and she tucked her lips inside her mouth to hide her grin.
"Tell that to the king" Brody intoned rolling his eyes heavenwards before walking out of the building.
Miki, who noticed Xan clenching and unclenching his fists, sighed. "You are taking a risk, a huge risk and for what? Her?" With his chin, Miki indicated towards Cyane, who took another step closer to stand right beside Xanthos.
Without bothering to reply, Xanthos simply stared at his friend. Icy blue eyes fixed on Miki's carnelian coloured ones.
"This is not you" Miki muttered. Unable to look Xanthos in the eye, he then left the room and Grayson quietly followed.
When they were all out of the room, Cyane slowly moved her hands and placed them against Xan's wrist. She did not know if he would appreciate the effort and so she was hesitant, but she was taken by surprise when he held her hands in his.
Tingles shot all over her body at the contact and she raised her lashes to look at him. His blue eyes were already on her and when their gaze connected, she felt warm all over.
There was blood on his hands and now, the blood was on hers too but she didn't seem to mind it at all. The blood on his hands this time was because of her.
"Why the hell did you come here?" Xanthos asked her pulling back his hands.
"I didn't want you taking him to the king" Cyane whispered. "I wanted to kill him. I have wanted to kill him since that day."
"Me too" Xanthos gritted out and Cyane raised her head to look at him.
"But you... the king... execution?" Cyane was too stunned to say something coherent.
Taking a step forward, Xanthos held her upper arms and pulled her against his chest, "You are mine. Only mine and I will kill anyone who tries to take you from me."
His icy blue eyes turned dangerously dark as night and Cyane gulped. Her heart banged hard against her breastbone as blood raced through her veins. Her lips parted company and Xanthos lowered his lashes, his eyes trailing her lips. That fast he made her feel giddy with excitement.
She wanted him to kiss her but she also had to ask, "Even the King?"
Xanthos turned rigid right in front of her own eyes and immediately let her go. She stumbled but regained balance and stared at him as he glared at her.
"The king wasn't the one who kidnapped you," Xanthos said harshly.
"It was his son" Cyane agreed. "Will you kill Saint then?"
His face once again turned a stoic mask and Cyane knew she wouldn't get an answer to her question yet. But Xanthos had a plan, of that bit she was very sure. He knew how to keep her away from the king.
Sighing, she decided to change the topic.
"I am sorry about your friends" she whispered.
One corner of Xanthos's lips curved upwards to form a smile that told her that he had expected this kind of reaction.
"They were right. This is not going to end well" he warned her, looking at the bodies around them.
Yes. Cyane knew that. She had known it would get messy the moment she had decided to stay with Xanthos instead of Lysander. She knew this was not the right way but she couldn't help herself.
He was a walking, talking temptation to her and she couldn't deny herself because he was the one person that she wanted for herself.
Her heart wanted Xanthos and so she freely chose him because, before today, she had never had an opportunity to choose something for herself. He was a risk but she was ready to take this risk because certainty had lost its appeal to her, the day she had decided to step into the Iron Fort to face the unknown creature there.
Besides, she knew this could not go on forever. Xanthos was not the forever kind of guy and from what she had learnt, she also knew that he wasn't interested in relationships, which is what worked perfectly for her.
She had duties and responsibilities back home and before returning to that, she wanted to make the most of her life here and Xanthos had promised to fulfil her little wishes.
They were mates and so that explained the attraction between them but Cyane knew that for a relationship to last attraction wasn't enough. For almost a decade, she had been in a one-sided relationship, but with Xanthos, she was aware that whatever she felt for him was being reciprocated. She knew he felt weird things for her the same way she felt for him.
Mates worked both ways and he was attracted to her too. He was also very protective of her but that's about it. He didn't love her and at the moment, she didn't need love. She didn't run away from her wedding to tie herself to another man.
She wanted to live for herself and make her own choices. Being with him was an experience of its kind but she wasn't going to tell him that. He had told her to make a list but he didn't need to know that he was in her list too.
She liked him. She liked being with him but that was because she was attracted to him and it was in her control. What was beyond her control was the way she felt super-protective of him. She just... she hated the thought of someone hurting him or something bad happening to him.
It was the same for him, which is why he had said whatever he did. Which is why he was also making choices that would put him at risk.
"I will protect you" she assured sincerely and that half-smile dropped from Xanthos's face as he narrowed his eyes. "I just did protect you."
"Protected me? You got caught" Xanthos said flatly.
"Well, I was about to fly up when Larry saw me and I couldn't fly in front of him. That would have blown my cover" Cyane responded as they walked out of the powerhouse building.
"What about when you came in?"
"He had a gun with him and it had silver bullets. Silver can hurt me" Cyane shuddered. "Which is why I took him down when we were upstairs."
Xanthos stopped and then turned to face her, "Did you kill Larry?"
"No. I just knocked him out."
Compressing his lips, Xanthos sighed and then closed his eyes as if begging for patience.
"Stay here," he told her and went back to finish the unfinished work.
•••
The night was dark and the cave, darker still as Victoria moved quietly to stare at Georgia's sleeping form.
Prīmus, who was sitting on the ground beside his mother and watching her, stood up when Victoria approached.
"It's been more than a week and yet, Octavus hasn't come back," Victoria said gravely and Prīmus lowered his gaze, unable to meet the old witch's eyes. "You know what that means don't you?" Victoria hissed and Prīmus nodded.
"She killed him. She killed him and his group" Victoria spat, her loud voice resonating around the cave, trembling her audience.
"How are we going to help our mother if we aren't even capable of bringing the princess here? She is away from her family and she is vulnerable but we are still not strong enough to stand against her?" Quīntus asked in a grave voice.
"The Pure Soul is protecting her. He has been protecting her right from the start. How else do you think she survived when her family didn't?" Tertius growled. "We are no match for her as long as he is protecting her."
"You are talking like a wimp" Victoria hissed, standing right in front of Tertius's face. "Your mother would be ashamed to hear you say such a thing."
"Queen Mother is right Tertius" Prīmus growled. "We cannot lose hope. Our mother has always stood by us and now, we must be there for her."
"What do we do then? How else can we get the girl? Octavus and his pack members are all dead. What do we do brother?" Tertius cried.
"We cannot venture out on our own. The wolves will detect our presence and might get suspicious of us" Decimus muttered helplessly. "The massacre at Crescere has raised their doubts! If they find out we are still alive then wolves of both the kingdoms will unite and rise again. Without our mother, we cannot win a fight against them!"
"But we cannot give up!" Secundus growled. "Help us, Queen Mother!"
"Help us" the other brothers cried, looking at Victoria, who took, slow and careful steps away from the Liberi brothers.
She pulled a strand of her long, silver hair and then coiling it tightly around the delicate fingers of her right hand, she held the tip of the hair strand with the index finger and thumb of her left hand. Closing her eyes, she muttered a spell and roughly yanked her right hand away.
The Liberi watched with amazement as the single strand of her hair, that hung limply between her fingers, glowed bright silver. She dragged her fingers from the root to the tip of her hair in one smooth motion before flicking her fingers randomly in the air.
A cloud of silver dust loomed around Victoria before it morphed into a smoky figure of a woman, who was walking ahead. Victoria's eyes followed the steps of the woman, until the smoky haze around her morphed into a building, into which the woman entered.
The smoke vanished with a poof and Victoria blinked, startled.
A cloud formed around her again and immediately the same figure of the woman appeared again.
"It's the same as the last time" Decimus growled. "It's the same woman and it is the same hospital building."
"What's the meaning of this? Never before have we got the same image twice" Prīmus frowned.
"After seeing this image, I had sent my pack members to the hospital. They had followed the princess into the woods and attacked her and those humans she had been with. She survived while my pack members died" Secundus hissed and stared at the remaining members ten members of his pack.
He once had a pack of thirty people, all whom he had bitten and made like his own but now he had only ten members in his pack. The lowest amongst his brothers.
"Shh..." Victoria silenced him, placing her frail fingers against her chapped, broken lips. The Liberi quieted down immediately while their pack members whimpered and stepped back, to help Victoria focus.
"Like you said Prīmus, this has not happened before. I have never got the same image twice but if this is happening again then fate is telling me something" Victoria said extending her arms in front of her. "Look at her" Victoria said, her beady eyes affixed on the smoky figure of the woman.
Rubbing her long nails against each other, Victoria curiously studied everything that appeared in the haze of dust and smoke, over and over again.
"Her name is Doctor Yolanda Zeke. It's her hospital" Decimus supplied. "We had researched everything the last time."
"Yes," Victoria agreed. "Yolanda. How could I forget her? She is the one who had given birth to the next Zeke Heir."
At the mention of their mother's greatest enemy, the Liberi snarled violently and claws emerged out of their fingers.
"Fate is telling me something. Yolanda, the hospital building... it's all telling me something" Victoria muttered, her irises moving left to right in her eyes.
"We had found the princess there the last time. My pack members had followed her into the woods from the hospital" Secundus stated with a growl.
Victoria whipped her head to stare at Secundus. "Yes. That is, it" she muttered, stepping closer to the Liberi.
"We do not go after the Pure Soul rider anymore" Victoria spelt out, shaking her hand. "For years we have been going after her but we have never been able to catch her. Now, she will come to us."
"To us?" Quintus questioned in confusion.
"Yes. She will come back to the hospital building" Victoria said with a cruel grin. "The Pure Soul and his rider will both come to that hospital building and all we have to do is, wait."
****
I really, really hope you liked this chapter :D Do you think Xanthos has an actual plan or he is just going with the flow?
The story has been scattered in many directions but they are all coming to one particular direction, starting from the upcoming chapter.
Next chapter on December 8th :D
Please vote, comment and follow!
Love:-*
Oh! Stay safe!