“I came here as fast as I could,” Zera said, stepping through the door, and she froze at the door upon seeing the office in disarray. It was a shock because she knew the kind of man Aaron was-one who loved to have his office as organised as possible. If this mess could have been helped, he would have done it, and that meant there was no way to have stopped it.
His desk was broken and splashed with blood, and the glass wall had a deep crack on it.
“What happened?” She asked and glanced at him, seated in his seat and looking like nothing had happened.
“We were attacked.” He answered and heaved a deep sigh.
Her eyes grew wide at his answer. “Did something happen to Diya?” she asked, remembering that was also the reason she came this fast.
He shook his head and then pointed to the corner of the office. Her head turned, and she found Diya seated on the floor in the corner of the office, her chin on her knees and her arms around her legs. Though her eyes were open, she seemed so lost in her thoughts or whatever battle she was in.
Zera turned to Aaron, and she didn’t want to believe that Diya had witnessed what had happened in the office. Yet, that was the only logical explanation for why she was the way she was now.
“She didn’t, did she?” she asked.
His head dropped. “Yes, she did.”
She turned back to Diya, and for once, she didn’t know if she was to approach or stay where she was. If Diya saw half of what she knew happened, that meant her friend knew they were far from human. And if they weren’t human, it meant she knew she was married to a werewolf, and probably one, too. It also meant she knew she had kept her in the dark for years and probably felt betrayed and not sure who she was.
“Diya…” she called, and Diya’s head lifted slowly, her eyes landing on Zera, and a small smile came onto her face.
“Hey, Zera. Are you real?” She asked in a weary tone.
Zera nodded and stretched her hand towards her. Despite trembling, Diya took her hand, and Zera pulled her onto her shaky feet.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, but her eyes drifted from Zera over to Aaron seated behind, and she stumbled back from Zera and trembled uncontrollably. “He’s not human; he is not human.” She said, but Zera didn’t move or react to her word.
Diya’s eyes flew from Aaron over to Zera, and her eyes narrowed at her. “You know that, don’t you? You know he’s not human, which means you’re just like him.”
“Diya, listen,” she started, but Diya didn’t let her speak.
“You are not human, and you’ve lied to me and stayed beside me, pretending while keeping this secret. Why?”
“I kept you in the dark because knowing the truth would only put you and Greg in trouble, and that wasn’t what I wanted.”
Diya shook her head. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because I’m your friend.”
“Are you?” she demanded.
Someone stepped in before Zera could answer, and turning around, she found Ivan standing beside Damor.
Damor must have gone to bring him because she had heard his voice in the background when Aaron called earlier, but when she arrived, she didn’t find him. She had forgotten about that because she had to deal with Diya immediately.
“What did you do with Lionel?” she asked Ivan. She had left her brother under his watch before leaving earlier to chase a lead that had turned dead much later. Aaron called not long after, and she had to come here.
“He’s still asleep.” He answered.
“What are you doing here, then?”
“I called him over,” Aaron said, rising from his seat and stepping towards her. “I need him to take Diya’s memories away.”
“No,” Zera said immediately, and Aaron paused a little.
“She witnessed us not only get attacked but also kill four people, one of whom had her in his hands, intending to harm her. Then she witnessed us take their bodies out. We do not need her to know what she shouldn’t or get in the way of this. We have other things to deal with. We can’t afford to add her to it.” “What if something bad happens?” she asked with a weary tone.
“If you’re afraid that I will leave her in a worse shape, then do not worry; I am taking away the last few hours, not the last three years. So, you have nothing to worry about,” Ivan said and stepped forward, his eyes already glowing silver.
Diya stepped away from him, her eyes filled with panic. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Do not worry, you will feel so much better after this,” Ivan assured her, and for some very strange reasons, she believed him and stopped her trembling. It had to do with Ivan’s powers of compulsion.
Ivan offered his hand to her, and without hesitating, she accepted it, and he led her out of the office.
“Where is he taking her now?” Zera asked, turning back to Aaron after Ivan and Diya stepped out of the office.
“To her car. That way, it would seem as if he escorted her to the parking lot. We don’t need her here and risk her life.”
He had a point; he had probably thought this through and knew that was the only way out of it. He saw it even before she came in. It would make sense since he was the one who got attacked. “How are you?” she asked, stepping towards him.
He gave her a small smile and nodded. “I am fine. I wish death wasn’t the only way to stop Mercedes, though. This isn’t getting any better.” He revealed.
“I am sorry.” She said this, cupping his face in her hands.
He leaned in and kissed her lips softly, and she kissed back, wrapping her arms around his shoulder to deepen the kiss.
“I am here.” Damor announced, and they pulled away. “How do you even get an erection in this mess?” he asked, not giving them the chance to answer before adding. “And I am the crazy one.”
Aaron pressed his lips together, and his cheeks burned at the words of Damor. He had probably picked up the change in heartbeat and knew the little kiss they had shared had triggered emotions within him. “Sorry about that then.”
“For a moment, I thought I would not get to see your face again,” he admitted, while placing his head against hers. “When I saw her eyes glow purple, I felt it was the end; I couldn’t even think. But I wondered if I told you and Zion how much I loved you enough.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” she firmly told him, leaned in, and pecked his lips.
He pressed his lips together, believing his words.
“Who do you think sent them?” Zera asked, staring up at him.
“I do not know, but whoever they are, they do not want us to know about them. In the end, Mercedes didn’t tell us who sent her,” he replied.
Ivan stepped into the office and shut the door. “What did you tell her?”
“I replaced the memory of the attack with a busy day at the office. She submitted her project to Aaron and went home without being interrupted.” He answered her. “She will call you as soon as she gets home to tell you about the Barbie movie.”
Relief washed over her. “Thank you, Ivan,” for once she had doubts about what he would do to her. Hearing it now gave her rest of mind.
“You’re welcome, but we do not know who is behind this,” Ivan replied.
“We know who they are; they are some shady, sneaky bastards, that’s for certain.” Damor said, his teeth gritting.
Ivan had found no clues about the enemy. With the Crimson Moon pack annihilated, the remaining packs across the country were down to sixty-eight. Though he had subjected himself to witnessing their brutal deaths, he couldn’t find the very enemy he sought. It left them at a dead end. In the end, Ivan’s search for the truth proved futile.
They were in the dark about the enemy, and though not as vulnerable as before, they were still in danger.
“We will not get to the root of this until we are well rested.” Aaron said, taking a step back from Zera. “Send words to Miguel to get the cleaners over. Ivana will cover the press conference and give a press release. I will take a step down until this is all over.”
“Do you think that is wise?” Damor asked.
“I am not risking the life of another human caught in the midst of a wildfire because of us. They wanted me to step down, and I will; however, I am not stepping down on their terms, but on my own.”
“I will call the cleaners to take care of the rest.” Damor responded, moving to do what Aaron instructed.