Sunlight shone into the room, filling it up with its light as soon as the curtains were parted. The sudden bright light caused Tessa to groan, shutting her eyes tighter and turning away from the window and cradling her pillow more. She didn't have the strength in her to protest against the intrusion. Vee who was done opening the window, letting sir into the stuffy room, turned to face her with a worried look. She hadn't seen her friend that heartbroken and worn down. "Tess" She called softly, joining her on her bed.
"It's been three days since you've been in here. Don't you think its time you come out? Your father is worried out of his mind seeing as you're refusing to see him or anyone else" She added, sitting by her side and placing her warm hand on her arm.
"I am seeing you, aren't I?" Tessa asked with her cracked and patched voice.
"That's because I didn't give you the chance to push me away too. Look Tess....i know you are heartbroken right now and I get it, you lost the person you've fallen deeply in love with..."
"I didn't lose him, he was taken away from forcefully, he was murdered" She blurted out angrily, her eyes quickly welling up with tears. She didn't think she had any more tears left to shed. The past three days she had spent isolated in her room, crying her eyes out.
"I know but you have to come to terms with the fact that he's gone and nothing any does will bring him back"
Hearing those words from her friend, She forced herself up and shot Vee an angry look. Though she knew what was said was the truth, but she wasn't prepared to hear it, not yet. She didn't even have the opportunity to see his body and tell him goodbye, he was ripped away from her cruelly. So she was nowhere coming to terms with it. "Don't repeat that again" She warned.
"Fine, I am sorry" Vee backed down.
"Thank you" She muttered and lay back down.
"I am just trying to help Tess, don't get angry with me" Vee stated
"Oh be rest assured my anger isn't directed toward you....i am channeling all my anger to him, the one with the different mask, his killer. I am going to kill him even if it's the last thing I do" Tessa declared. Vee could tell she wasn't joking with the look on her face and the seriousness in her voice.
"Come on Vee, don't go down that road, please. It's not going to end well" Vee pointed out with a pleading look.
"I don't care. All I care about is making him suffer just as much as he's making me suffer" She sat up and then began making her way out of bed.
"What are you doing?"
"You were right, I have been locked up in here, mourning for too long. If I am going to exert my revenge on him then I have to be in loop. So I am going to see my father. There should be a meeting today right? I have to go hear what information they have and whatever lead they've found that will lead me to him" Tessa explained.
"Come on Tess, I am begging you please, don't embark on this lost journey"
"You either help me or stay out of my way Vee. With or without you I am doing this" She concluded, heading for the bathroom. Vee stared at her with a worried look; she didn't know what to do to convince her. She knew she had to be with her to steer her away from whatever dark road that lies in her path.
***
"You should never let anyone take what is yours. Being able to protect what is yours is what makes you a man. I don't care who it is, what they are, you stand for what is yours and protect it, no matter the cost...no matter what you have to do, who you have to hurt and what you have to sacrifice"
Derek listened to the words of his father carefully. He looked down at his bloody knuckle and then looked down at the body of the kid he had smashed his face in with his fist. He felt no remorse for the kid, his father's words made sure of that. Though him and kid were same age, but it wasn't a fair fight. His trainings were paying off after all. "What about him?" He asked
Beta Maynard stared at the half dead kid on the floor and then back at his son. You don't concern yourself with him anymore. He was weak and that's what got him in that position. You are both twelve years old and your strength isn't close to being comparable. Now you know why I push you so hard. By the time you get your wolf, you'll become unstoppable and become the strongest Beta in our pack" He encouraged with a proud smirk. "Now pick up your toy and let's go"
Derek nodded with a smile. It was the first time he had seen his father looking proud at him. It made him feel good and made him feel he was doing the right thing. He bent down and pried his wooden wolf toy free from the half dead kid who was drowning in his own pool of blood. He wiped the blood stained toy with his clothe before walking away with his father, leaving the kid there in the hands of fate.
Derek had been playing that particular memory over and over again, trying to relate it with what he did to Kieran. He felt like he was understanding his father more and more. He was right after all, a man has to protect what is his with everything he's got, no matter the cost. Tessa was his and there was no way he was going to let Kieran swoop in and take her away from him. He did what he had to keep what was his, so he thought.
He rolled up the car window and looked over at the Alpha's house just in time to see Tessa and Vee making their way inside. He immediately alighted from the car, hurrying to catch up with them. It was the first time he was seeing Tessa in two days. She had been staying Vee's, isolating herself from everyone. That was his chance to talk to her.
***
"Tessa!" Derek called after her, entering the main hall behind them just as the Alpha was walking in with Beta Maynard following beside him. They came out from the private office's door by the side of the hall. "Tes..." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the direction of the Alpha's seat. The others were just as shocked as he was as they stood still on their tracks, staring in the same direction too.
Sitting on the Alpha's main chair was the masked man, Devils Eyes. He leaned back against the backrest of the chair, his arms resting on the right arm of the chair, his ankles crossed and his eyes staring directly at them. "Yo!" He called. "Welcome...we've been expecting you" He added just before Adan appeared from behind the chair and stood beside him.
The five of them exchanged confused and surprised glances, making their way to each other to make sure they were close enough to guard each other against any surprise attack. None of them had sensed their presence nor caught a whiff of their scent, not even the Alpha. Standing beside the others, Tessa was brewing with anger and hate the more she stared at him. All she could see was Kieran's murderer.
"To what do we owe the visit? What do you want?" Alpha Darius asked, looking around the hall, focusing his senses to try and pick up anything in case there were some more surprises.
"Be rest assured we haven't come to end your miserable lives. That will be done in due time. We figured it was time to introduce ourselves to one of our major opponents in the war to come. The Alpha who is at the center of this all" Kreed stated, resting his head on his hand on the Chair arm.
"What's stopping us from ending you both right here right now? After all you are in our territory, surrounded by this pack" Beta Maynard cut in.
"If you think you can win, then by all means...." He replied, smiling behind his mask.
Beta Maynard thought about it. He couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not. But judging from their experience from the members they've encountered, he didn't think he was bluffing. If just one member could cause so much damage then there was no way their leader who is dubbed Devils Eyes couldn't cause more chaos, and beside there was two of them. And they knew nothing about their visual prowess.
"You bastard!" Derek cursed "Why are you showing your faces here, waltzing in and out of our town and homes like you own the place" He questioned, angry at the fact that they couldn't end them right there.
"Things are beginning to move fast and it's best to know your opponent before any battle" Adan replied, covering the cut out holes in his mask with his palm.
"After all, rivals should be eliminated as quickly as possible. I am sure you can relate with that" Kreed added, staring directly at Derek.
"You bastard! You evil!!" Tessa blurted out angrily, almost launching forward at him if not for Vee who acted swiftly, grabbing her and holding her back, not minding her violent struggles. "You killed him! I am going to end you! I swear on my life I am going to be the one to drive a stake through your dark heart" She poured out her anger which she failed to bottle up.
Kreed watched her as she struggled continuously, throwing tantrums amidst sobs. "I see" He stood up from the seat and began heading to the door with Adan following behind. Tessa kept struggling to break free and attack him but the others kept holding her back. She could barely see from the tears clouding her eyes. Her wolf was slowly going into rage and just little was holding her back.
"Calm down Tess" Derek said to her, heaving a sigh of relief when the door closed following their exits.
She dropped to her knees, breaking down in tears once more. "I am...i am going to be the one to take his life...no one else...ME" She stated angrily.
"You will, when the time comes...for now we thread carefully" Beta Maynard pointed out.
"I swear on Kieran's life, I will" She added, burying her face in her palms.
***
Adan made his way over to the edge of the cliff where Kreed was standing, staring into the distance. He didn't have to ask, he knew what was in his mind. He came up and stood beside him, joining him in staring into the distance. "The others should be carrying out their missions now. We have just little time left to make sure everything is done before the war" Adan explained.
"Yes I am aware" Kreed replied not averting his gaze. "Well? Did you sense any presence back at the Alpha's house?"
"No. Nothing. I think it's empty"
"I see. Then they wouldn't suspect what the true motive of our visit was"
"And the girl" Adan mentioned
"Ah...yes...she didn't realize anything" He scoffed softly, more like with sadness as he proceeded to take off his hood, exposing his snow white hair. "After all, why would she? The Kieran she knew was the unreal version of myself and that version is no more"
"She seemed to harbor a real hatred and anger toward you without realizing"
"That hate and anger will make her stronger. It'll be fine as long as she doesn't find out my true identity but keep hating the unknown face behind the mask. Kieran, Kreed or Devils Eyes, it doesn't matter. What matters is what is coming" He explained, sitting down on the edge of the cliff, taking off his mask halfway and covering his eyes with his palm which was glowing from blue to yellow and then to red