~YULIA
“We should go,” I whispered to Issa as I pulled him towards the door.
He was still gazing at Deucalion with eyes of steel and I had to pull him a bit before he reluctantly moved.
As we reached the door, Deucalion called after us, his voice infuriating as he spoke. “Tell her who she really is, Issa, she deserves to know that much before we come for her.”
I wanted us out of there before Issa unleashed his unstable wolf at everyone in the house. Simmering with rage, Issa literally stomped down stairs and I followed him.
“Issa! Wait,” Iris called after us. But Issa did not stop and neither did I. “Please!” Iris persisted.
“What?” Issa thundered as he turned around.
Even I was a bit startled by his angry outburst. Andrea was beside her sister with an embarrassed look.
“You know that we mean you no harm, right?” Iris said. “We had no idea he was hiding such a dark secret from us.”
“Tell him to prepare himself, if he believes that I am just going to take this without a fight, he should think again, I do not care if he is under a spell.”
“There must be something we can do to stop all this,” Andrea said. “Clearly, he is not himself, Yulia saw to that.”
“Find Helena,” Issa said curtly. “The only way to stop this is to find your mother, wherever she is holed up.”
Issa whipped around and began to walk away. I saw the worried look on the two women’s faces before I followed my Lycan. Maybe they realized just how bigger than them the situation really was.
Issa did not bother making his presence known as he pushed people roughly out of his way. I muttered words of apology as I followed him outside the house. We both got in the car and he sped out of the Craven house.
Neither of us said a word as he drove and I could still feel his rage oozing off him, it was almost like a cloud filling up the car.
“My whole life has been a lie,” he said in a solemn tone. “I had always believed that the witches started the black rose war but a werewolf actually did.”
I could hear the pain and disbelief in his voice as we drove.
“And I was fighting alongside the man who knew it was all a lie,” he continued. “I killed so many people for nothing, so many witches, lost many of my pack members, my sister,” he said in a very dejected tone. “Your parents.”
I let him get everything off his chest as he drove.
“I will make her pay.” He said and it was a quiet deadly vow. I looked out the window to see that we were not heading home.
“Where are we going?” I asked him.
“To see someone with all the answers,” He replied curtly and went silent. I noticed that we were in a dense forested area and going uphill. It was a twenty minutes’ drive upward until we came across a villa built with a mixture of wood, brick and rock.
It looked very artistic and old school.
“Who lives here?” I asked, amazed at the architecture and the location.
I noticed that we were high up a hill overlooking the sprawling neighbourhood below.
The door to the villa opened with a small creak and out came Albus. “Lycan Frostwood, what a surprise, and Ms. Moonshadow.” He received us with a kind smile.
“Albus,” Issa said with a nod.
“Hello, Albus,” I smiled as I saw him.
Since we got past the pervert thing he pulled at me when we first met, I started feeling this warmth about him whenever I was around him.
“What brings you both here?” Albus asked as he ushered us into his home.
It smelled of old books and leather but there was a pleasant fragrance to mask the scent.
“I think you know,” Issa said as he took a seat on one of the soft cushions.
There were two cups of hot tea steaming on a small round table. It was as if he knew we were coming. I joined him as my eyes scanned the abundance of books and objects scattered across the room.
“He does?” I asked Issa with mild shock.
“Like I said, earlier, he has the answers.”
“I think you are giving me too much credit, Frostwood,” Albus replied with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Or maybe you are not giving yourself enough credit,” Issa muttered as he looked away.
“A compliment from Issa Frostwood, I guess I can still be surprised at my old age,” Albus chuckled as he spoke. He sat on a lone big couch across us and sighed contentedly. “I can see that your eyes have been opened and you do not like what you see.”
“I have been deceived,” Issa said, his tone having an angry undercurrent.
“It happens to the best of us,” Albus replied. “And I take it you want to finally know who you really are.” He turned to me.
I nodded.
“Then allow me to refer to you as Ms. Yulia Moonheart because that is your true name.” Albus said.
I felt a bit light headed and dizzy. “What you feel as we speak is power surging through you.” Albus said.
“Are you saying that my difficulties with my power were due to my hidden identity?” I asked after the dizzy spell had subsided.
“Your power resonates with who you truly are, Yulia.”
Moonheart. The name felt right and I felt my whole-body pulsing with a hidden force within me.
“Why was I given a false name?” I turned to Issa.
“Because you were in danger, Frostwood saved you from being sacrificed by a greedy, scorned woman.”
“Who then, did I kill at the altar?” Issa asked thoughtfully.
“That was just a vessel and not the real mastermind,” Albus said. “A lot of deception is at play here, you must understand.”
“I want to know everything,” I said to Albus.
“Then we go to the very beginning.”