~YULIA
“I will rip all your hearts apart!”
I jumped in my spot and my mouth instantly went dry. I helplessly watched as all their faces began to turn pale with fear- maids and guards alike.
There was no telling what Iran was going to do to them. He was losing control.
“Who did it?” He demanded again and his words almost made me lose my balance.
I looked from the maids to Issa. Even if someone was willing to say anything, I doubted if they would be able to utter a word under this condition.
“Fine, I’ll help you decide,” he whispered ever so calmly yet in such a dangerous way that my legs refused to move.
He grabbed a maid and she began to whimper on the spot. My heart sank when I realised that he was going to kill her.
I looked to Miles, hoping that he would intervene but the man remained rooted to his spot. I did not know it when my legs developed a mind of their own and pushed me forward.
“Iran!” I yelled and almost slapped myself for daring to confront him.
He shot his crimson eyes at me and I felt my heart stop for a split second. My wolf came alive and she began to dance with panic.
“I don’t think you’re going to get a solution like this,” I muttered shakily.
Iran narrowed his eyes at me before releasing the maid and beginning to walk toward me instead.
“What way do you propose is the best, oh wise one?” Sarcasm laced his voice and I forced myself not to back away as he killed the distance between us.
“You’ll end up killing everybody before you get an answer. . . maybe you should let Issa handle this,” I dared to say.
Iran’s left eye twitched and a sudden emotion flashed before his eyes. He lifted his hand in a swift action as if he was going to strike me.
I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut. My heart began to hammer hard against my chest as I waited for the worst to happen when. . .
Nothing. Nothing happened.
I opened my eyes to meet forest green eyes. Issa was back. Iran had listened to me. He had fucking listened to me. I released a shaky breath as he turned away from me and faced his subjects.
“You had better start talking before Iran decides to come back again,” he stated in a weaker tone.
“I- I think I saw something strange. . .” A petite maid called from the other end of the line.
We all turned in her direction. She was trembling all over and it was evident in her voice. She looked like a terrified mouse that was about to be killed.
“Why didn’t you speak up since?” Issa suddenly snapped and she yelped.
‘Fool!’ My wolf snapped inwardly at Issa.
The girl was already terrified and he was only making it worse. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to speak up.
So I decided to help by approaching her. I placed my hands on her shoulders and smiled at her.
“It’s okay. No one will hurt you. I’ll protect you. Just tell us what you saw,” I stated. I knew that I was disrespecting Issa in a way but I couldn’t care less. The man was just too arrogant.
The maid nodded at me and held on to my words like they were her saving grace.
“I- I had just finished cleaning the other rooms upstairs when I saw a strange maid coming out of your room. I could not recognize her as one of us a- and at the same time, I was not sure since exchanges happen and new people get posted to work here,” she stuttered.
She stopped and looked at Issa only to see that he was glaring daggers at her. She turned back to me immediately.
“I figured that she might have been cleaning your room, s- so I didn’t give it much thought. No one else went in after her and she dropped something while leaving, I haven’t seen her since then.”
“What did she drop?” Issa demanded as he swiftly appeared before us.
The maid swallowed hard. “A- a key. . .” Then she retrieved it from her pocket to reveal a long black metallic key that had two pointy horns at the top.
Issa suddenly widened his eyes and staggered back in shock. There was instant fear in his eyes as he ran his trembling fingers over his head.
“That’s not possible. How is that here? H- how-” He stopped as he kept retreating away from the key as if it was a plague. Even his intake of breath had switched to a heavier one.
He came back to us and snatched the key from the maid. “You’re all dismissed,” he stated and half-ran, half-walked back up to his room.
I furrowed my brows in confusion as I registered the Lycan’s sudden change of mood. He had gone from terrifying to the terrified.
What was it about the key? Why had he suddenly become so scared of it?
Just when I thought the questions would not multiply, they did. Why did I find myself at the center of it all?
I thought coming here was to keep me safe. How did I get entangled in this?
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Yulia,” Miles muttered and I watched him leave.
“What am I supposed to do now?” I asked myself as I stared at the now empty space.
Perhaps a walk outside to get some fresh air would be nice. So I walked out of the house but immediately I did, guards surrounded me.
“My Lady, we have strict instructions not to let you leave alone,” One of them announced.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not leaving. I’m just taking a walk around the estate.”
Two guards suddenly stepped forward. “We will be your escorts.”
I gritted my teeth and was about to complain when I let it go. I began to walk toward the garden instead. That was when I noticed that they at least had the courtesy of putting some distance between us, so that they were not in my personal space.
We entered the garden and I smiled as I admired the many plants and trees that made it into a sort of maze.
It was a habit I got from my mother. Whenever she was getting overwhelmed with the things happening around her, she always went out to our garden to breathe in the air that the plants had to share.
There was a calming effect about it. It helped bring peace to my tormented mind.
I had gotten so lost in my thoughts that I did not sense it when a dark presence fell upon me until it was too late.
I turned swiftly to meet my supposed escorts hanging upside down from a tree, unconscious. My heart sank at the sight and it only got worse when I felt the temperature around me drop for the millionth time today.
The hair at the back of my neck stood when a familiar feeling hit me. The feeling of being watched.
I turned instantly only to freeze at what I saw waiting for me.
“Yulia. . .” it called in a long whisper that echoed incessantly in my brain. “We meet again.”