~ISSA
I walked out of the dining room and out the house.
Since Yulia showed up in my life, my mind has been a hell of a mess. Meeting her at the dining table this morning intensified the battle in me, as keeping Iran in had become extremely difficult.
“You look like you had shit for breakfast, Issa,” Miles chuckled.
I shot him a hard glare which silenced the laughter the chuckle was turning into.
He was also dressed in an all black outfit, just like me. It was a color we both loved to wear, especially whenever we were going on a raid or we had a risky mission at hand.
“Always playing the tough guy, yet deep down you and I know it’s just a facade,” he teased further, running to the other side of the car as I raised my hands to grab him.
“Sometimes, it feels as if you forget your place. I’m still your Lycan King and you answer to me. You had better watch your mouth or I might be forced to do the horrific things I reserve for my victims,” I bawled in the darkest tone, watching fear take over his face.
“You are insane,” he sulked, resting against the car. “But you won’t kill me because I am all you have. No one else can put up with your personality.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. I had given the man too much freedom. I pushed it aside and found myself thinking about Yulia again.
We stood there for what seemed like forever in silence, lost in our thoughts.
“You were right, Miles,” I whispered, not wanting to totally admit the truth.
His gaze softened and he looked at me, confused at first.
“About what exactly?” He began. “You know I’m always right about so many things.” He grinned.
“About Yulia. She’s my mate.” I declared, dropping the bombshell.
His eyes widened with surprise.
“H… how?” He asked, walking towards me.
I thought about what happened the night before, how she had come into my room and how Iran had taken over.
“She just came in when the door was unlocked and Iran was out, it all happened so fast and he lost control-” I shrieked, unable to continue speaking.
“Don’t put me in suspense Issa, what happened after that?” He demanded as surprise stretched across every inch of his face.
I wanted to just ignore him and not speak about it anymore but Miles was not one to let go so easily, he was like a thorn in my flesh except that, I wanted him there.
I also didn’t want to stop because I needed to get the guilt off my chest before it consumed me and I lost what was left of my sanity.
“He wanted to have sex with her b- but she resisted and he hurt her.”
Miles shrunk to the ground while covering his ears with his hands. At first, I thought he was genuinely sorry for me. Yet it also surprised me because he was never this serious whenever something came up.
Suddenly, he burst out laughing, almost rolling on the ground.
I shook my head in disbelief. Here I was, struggling with guilt and my Beta- the only person with whom I expected to help me- simply found pleasure in my predicament rather than help me find a solution.
“Laugh one more second and I’ll feed your teeth to the crocodiles in my lake,” I threatened and he stopped abruptly, but a muffled chuckle escaped his mouth right after.
“Fine, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help it,” he said, as he rose from the floor. “What are you going to do about her? You’re stuck with her.” He reminded me like I wasn’t aware.
“I have no idea why the goddess would try to play such a sick game on me. She’s supposed to be my niece and I’m supposed to be her guardian,” I muttered.
Miles chuckled. “A mate is also a guardian,” he teased.
“Just shut the fuck up!” I scolded him. “I’ll think of a way out myself,” I whispered, opening the door to settle in the car.
He came in after, giving me a weird look- a silent mockery that pierced through my defenses.
“Feed me with updates, anything that I should know about?” I asked, ignoring his look.
“Yes, my Lord,” he replied in a sarcastic voice but changed to seriousness the moment I sent him a harsh glare.
“Well, there’s something you indeed have to know. Remember the house on the outskirts, at the top of the hill?” He asked.
“The deserted house believed to be haunted?” I guessed, turning to face him.
“Yes, that very one,” he confirmed. “Recently, some werewolves went exploring and for the first time, something happened,” he spoke, making me curious.
“What happened to them?” I questioned, my eyes peering into his as if to see what was going through his head.
“They all disappeared- gone, just like smoke, without a trace,” he announced.
I narrowed my eyes immediately. “Take me there,” I growled, as he turned on the engine and drove off.
I didn’t know how long this had been going on but I didn’t care. Anything that threatened the peace and well-being of my pack was not going to pass me by.
After driving for a while, we stopped just before a hill. On it, stood a mansion that had an eerie feeling around it- a glance at it filled me with disgust. A deafening silence covered the house like a thick fog, adding an extra layer of eeriness to the setting.
We walked into the building, treading cautiously, to catch whatever or whoever it was that was responsible for the disappearance of people, unawares.
Little beads of sweat were visible on Miles’ face. I could feel his feet trembling under him through the floor.
“Let’s split up,” I suggested. ” We will be able to cover more grounds this way.”
He stopped abruptly, itching his ears with his fingers like he didn’t hear what I had said.
“Are you crazy!” He blurted. “How do you expect me to roam this dark- haunted building alone? You are the Lycan, I’m not. Besides, haven’t you learnt anything from the movies? When two people go separate ways on a scary mission, something terrible always happens.”
I shook my head at him. He was being overly dramatic again and I asked myself how he had qualified to be my Beta again.
“Relax Miles, you’ve seen way too many movies. It’s not like I’ll be too far away, I’ve got your back buddy,” I grinned, walking away.
“Fine,” he whispered, giving up in despair. “I guess I’ll just roam about till I disappear too,” he called out and walked away.
“Typical Miles,” I sighed, inching towards the stairs, avoiding different holes that were present in it.
A strange mist welcomed me the moment I got to the first floor. At first, I couldn’t see but my vision became planer as I took in the objects in my surroundings.
It was a room that was outgrown with weeds and moss. It stank, almost as if something had died here.
Or was it someone?
I was about to turn to the next room when something strange caught my attention. On a metal table not so far away from me, stood a black rose in all its glory.
I furrowed my brows as I approached. There was something about it that felt familiar. Almost as if I had seen it somewhere before but I could not recall where.
I lifted my fingers to touch it when a roar suddenly erupted from the ground floor. Then it was followed by abrupt silence.
“No. . .” I breathed heavily as shock scattered across my core and turned towards the stairs.
“Miles!”