We drove an hour outside of the city to the official mansion of House Werewolves. Unlike the other place with the manicured lawns and bright inviting forests, this place with the thing of nightmares.
The snarled branches of the forest trees created a canopy overtop of the car as we drove down the long stretch of road. The only light coming from our cars, even the moon in the sky was covered. The darkness made my mind wander to what could be watching us, hidden amongst the trees and branches on either side of the highway.
I didn't know if it was because I was tired, or my mind was playing tricks on me, but I could swear that I saw yellow glowing eyes staring at us from the shadows as if waiting for a helpless person to become lost. My heartbeat picked up and Viktor turned to look at me. "You okay?" he asked as he took my hand.
I shook my head, my eyes darting between him and the unknowns lurking in the forest. "Apparently I am not a fan of forests at night… in the middle of winter… with wolves running around in them."
Viktor let out a low chuckle as he entwined our fingers together. Pulling my hand up to his lips, he gently kissed the top of it. "There is nothing to worry about, especially with me here. Besides, can't you feel them?"
Okay, I got that he was the biggest bad of all the monsters out there, but I would kill to have half of his confidence in kicking ass.
I shook my head at his mention of my 'gifts'. As much as I liked the idea of being able to kill anyone without much effort, it was like a double-edged sword. I couldn't kill everyone that was tainted, and I didn't want to abuse my powers so much that the universe took issue with me. For right now, my powers were best left alone.
Besides, even if I didn't use the strings of fate, I could still use my threads to keep myself alive.
Understanding my silence, he just smiled at me, continuing to hold my hand in comfort. "Are you sure you can't read my mind?" I asked with a half smile.
"I don't need to," he promised me. But he had yet to completely deny that he could read my mind. I shook my head and laughed quietly. What was there to be scared of in the darkness? I had the Hunter by my side.
Our convoy passed through the forest and into the horseshoe driveway. I looked at the mansion in surprise. It was definitely not what I was expecting, but at the same time, seemed to suit Lucas more than the ornate one closer to the city.
Although massive, it was designed as an A-line log cabin with the entire front comprised of nothing but windows. You could see the soft glow of the lights inside from massive chandeliers hanging down from the vaulted ceilings.
Viktor helped me out of the SUV just as Lucas came roaring out of the doorway, a look of anger and anguish on his face. Viktor stood tall beside me, still holding my hand, not at all concerned about the wolf in front of us.
Lucas came to a standstill not feet away from where we stood and tipped back his head to let out a howl. "You don't want to be here, Hunter," came the growl from Lucas as the sorrowful melody filled the air with countless wolves, both human and four-footed took up the cry.
"You need me here," replied Viktor with a shrug of his shoulders. "You need me here as a friend and as a hunter." Lucas turned to glare at me but said nothing. Letting out a tired sigh, he spun around and went back inside, leaving us to follow.
Four knights followed us into the house while the rest stayed outside, guarding the perimeter against anyone who meant harm.
Lucas brought us into a living room and waved his hand for us to sit, not bothering to say anything. As soon as he took his seat, women in dresses flowed into the room, trays of drinks and food in their hands. Four women, whose arms were empty, glided over to Lucas as if they were magical creatures that never stepped foot on the ground.
The four women each took a part of Lucas, one on each shoulder and one on each leg, and started massaging him as if we weren't even here. Lucas didn't move, didn't let out a sound of any kind, and just let them work on him. Three women went up to Viktor while another three stood in front of me. Trying to tame down my jealousy at the woman paying so much attention to Viktor, I focused on the women in front of me.
"You don't have to be, you know," said the slightly older one of my group. She had long blonde hair that curled over her shoulders and down her back. Her skin was absolutely flawless and her eyes sparkled with sincerity and kindness. To say that I was uneasy was an understatement.
"I don't have to be what?" I asked as I took the cup of hot chocolate offered to me by one of the other women. It was like they knew what I wanted before I even did.
"Jealous," the first woman replied with a kind smile. Mind you, no matter how nice she seemed, I wasn't overly happy to have my jealousy called out by a complete stranger. "They are terrified of him," she said as she tilted her head toward the three women in front of Viktor. Taking the time to look at them, I could see the tightening around their eyes, how they were practically vibrating with nervous energy.
"Our nature is a double-edged sword," she continued as the third woman brought forward a tray covered in a cloche. Opening it up I saw one of the most delicious-looking lasagna I had ever seen and by the sound of my stomach, it agreed with me.
"We are driven to help, we need to serve like some need air to breathe. But as much as we need to ease tension, to fix what is causing someone pain, being so close to an Alpha outside of Lucas causes our flight or fight instincts to kick in," she continued as she brought around a small table that I could eat off of.
"And since we pretty much suck at the whole fight thing, it takes a lot for us not to run away," whispered the third woman as she placed my steaming plate of pasta on the table for me.
The second girl just giggled as she took the hot chocolate cup out of my hand and place it next to my plate.