My breathing is irregular, and my heartbeat is unsteady.
My hands yet again refuse to remain still, so I hide them at my back.
The horror I witnessed only a few hours ago has left me shaken, and my heart won't stop racing.
Darius slaughtered about seven maids, in cold blood.
I can still feel the warmth of their blood dripping down my face.
He killed them on account of trying to poison him, though his anger may seem justified, did he truly have to make them pay so dearly?
Especially, since they were begging for their lives, I can still hear the sobs and screams echo in my ear canals.
After he was done with the girls, he transformed back to his human form, and went back for the chef.
Once he got all the answers needed, he grabbed the chef by the throat, who begged for his life.
Remembering it makes my stomach lurch.
"You said you would spare my life."
Which Darius replied with, "You didn't let me finish, I said I would give you a painless death."
After which the sound of a snapping bone echoed throughout the dining hall, and that was the end of that.
The horror of it all still sizzles in my bones, and my hands continue to shake, more aggressively whenever I am near Darius.
Which, as of now, is all the time. As he is pulling me around this massive hall, introducing me to guests, smiling ear to ear in a clean new suit, as though he didn't just murder seven or eight people a few hours prior.
My hands continue to shake, but I try to take control of my body's frenzy. Unfortunately, it is not made easy by the hundreds of guests present in Darius' castle.
The hall is filled to the brim with men in suits, and women in the most expensive looking gowns.
Wolves to be exact.
They are all here to celebrate and congratulate Darius on getting a new bride and or Luna, or at least that is what they are framing the reason they are here as.
Meeting the new Luna my ass. Just by the look on their faces, I can tell that the only reason they are here, is set up meeting dates with Darius to make business propositions on turf, company transactions, and all manner of illegal activities I don't even want to think of.
So many wolves are here, from different parts of the world. I have even seen several Asian wolves here, but I am not sure if they are Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.
But I don't believe that is really important.
While Darius parades all over the hall, meeting greetings and handshakes, my job is to stand by his side and look beautiful.
And it would seem I am doing my part very well, as many male guests that come to greet Darius have more than thrice, stared at me for longer than they should have.
Even running their gazes away from my face and heading down my body, which made me nervous and uncomfortable.
And...somewhat frightened. Mostly because they stared at me with the eyes of a predator.
But in said instances, I've found myself clinging to the monster I fear now more than anything, when he pulls me behind him and puts said males in their place.
I know he is just protecting his property, Alphas are like that, possessive and territorial.
But the chivalrous act is enough to make me forget for just a second, how much of a monster he is.
I remind myself of who he is by thinking about what he will do to these wolves that stared for too long.
Perhaps hunt down their entire pack, or burn down their company, and homes, or run them out of Washington. Perhaps even America all together.
Am I being too harsh and judgemental? No, because I've heard and seen with my own two eyes what he is capable of.
So I stop being stupid and force away this minor cling I feel towards him for protecting me from those hungry wolves.
After almost an hour of pulling me in every direction, Darius finally leaves me to be by myself when he is called away by Kysilius Morris, his best friend and right-hand man.
They speak to one another via a Neuropath, as my pack calls it, an Instinct we brought to the table.
And as expected, showcasing the superiority of his pack, they don't even need time to adjust or properly learn to use the Neuropath, they utilize it as though they had been born with it.
Whereas I who was born with it, took eleven years to fully master it.
Annoyance and anger glaze my emotions, shifting the fear coating my bones for a second. That is before I remember where I am, and who I am with.
I make to head for a chair, to rest my rump, as these heels I have been walking around in for almost an hour now have surely given me blisters.
As I make my way to the stairs at the end of the hall, so I can get a seat which are laid out near said stairs, I finding myself stop at a mirror near a wall which was set up as part of the decor.
I take a second or two to admire myself.
Looking into the mirror, I see the "Beauty" everyone one in and out of my life has always said I possessed. I mean, I've always seen it, but today in particular, I admire it.
For the longest part of my life, I've always hated it. I still do, but since the worst has already happened, might as well accept myself for who I am.
I stare myself down as my thoughts take over my head. I had initially thought the dress that the...now dead maids...gave me this morning was beautiful, until Darius called it a simple night dress and ordered the new maids he got in less than a second, to go out and get me a much more in trend gown.
When they returned, they brought with them a red and astonishing gown that took my breath away. In part because of the price tag I saw, and also in part because it was quite beautiful. And even better, the gown fit me in such a way one would assume it was made just for me.
Rosemary — my best friend — takes precedence in my head. I can hear her calling me an 8, like she always does with her playful jealous tone. She always said that I had the shape of an 8, plump and thin in the right places.
She always says she wishes she could at least have the figure of a 9 or even a b. But according to her, she was just an I. And each time she said this, she would always end up crying like a baby. So that I would always end up consoling her.
Remembering these memories makes me smile. God I really miss her. And I wonder, if we will ever see each other again.
As these thoughts swerve through my head, I begin to feel strange. As the seconds go by, these feelings become more and more clear, so that I begin to dread what is going on.
I can feel...my mate's pull. And it's...so close.
Turning around, I almost gasp when I see him standing before me.
Staring into each other's eyes, we stand mute for several seconds too long, before he breaks away from my gaze. And attempts to walk away from me when I stop him with a Neuropath.
'What are you doing here?' I say.
'Is...is this a NeuroPath? I always heard about it, but it feels weir...'
'Why?' I say, feeling fear envelope my heart.
'What do you think? I came to see you.' He says with a smile.
I turn to meet the crowd, and then I turn to find Darius, but he is missing.
My heart skips a beat, then I realize I am too close to a wolf that is not Darius.
'Let's talk from a distance.' I say, then I make my way up the stairs. 'Why would you come here? Do you know who Darius is?'
'Of course I do, who on earth doesn't?'
'Then, why would you come here?' I ask.
'You are my mate, I love you, I would do anything for you.'
'Including getting yourself killed?' I make my way to the railing, where I look down on the masses below. But specifically, I meet the eyes of the wolf I love.
And he does the same for me.
'Yes.'
'Well, I don't want you to die. Go right now and don't come back.'
'I can't.'
'Darius knows you came yesterday.'
My mate freezes for a second.
'I thought he would.'
'Go and don't come back. If you care about me, in any way, you will leave, and never return.'
He sinks his gaze in response.
Looking at him, it's evident that I've hurt him. But I'd rather he would be hurt and stay alive than be happy and die.
'Elias.' He says.
'What?' I respond.
'That's my name, Elias.' He meets my gaze.
I understand, if he is to leave, we should at least know each other's names.
I smile, feeling an ache in my heart.
'It's a beautiful name, the same as my favorite novel.'
'I've read that novel too, believe it or not, it's actually mine too.' He smiles back at me.
I stifle a sniffle, then I force myself to meet his gaze again.
'My name is Abigail.' I say.
'Abigail. Your name's the beautiful one here.' He says.
'Thank you.' I say, feeling my heart being pulled apart.
'Abigail, forgive me.' He lowers his gaze and confusing me.
'Why?'
'Because I'm going to be selfish. You are mine, and I am yours,' No, no no no, he can't be saying this. 'I will not stop till we become one, I will fight for you, and I don't care if I die fighting for the one I love. I will free you from that monster Darius.' He finishes, with a fire in his eyes.
'Elias, don...'
*BOOM*
Something explodes behind me, and I am thrust off the balcony so I crash into the floor below.
Pain becomes me, my eyes become filled with blood, and my back burns.
I don't know what just happened, but I can hear muffled screaming and running in the distance.
My sight fails me, and everything starts to go dark. But before I go cold, the last thing I see...is Darius.