Chapter 19
Aaliyah
I soon found myself in Lucian's car, driving through the gates. The road was quiet, with very few cars passing by. It was lined with tall, ancient trees, and the sun cast a soft glow on the branches. There were cracks in the asphalt, as if the road itself had witnessed countless battles and accidents.
A faint mist lingered in the air, adding to the mysterious atmosphere. Thick forests stretched into the distance on either side of the road.
"Well?" Lucian pressed. "You've been quiet for the last ten minutes."
"I don't really have anything to say," I replied, though in truth, I was nervous. I didn't know any place in this area. What if he was taking me somewhere else?
Lucian snorted, but he didn't say anything else as he drove at high speed.
A thought crossed my mind, and I spoke up. "What if Tristan found out that you were the one who helped me escape?"
"He's not going to think that way because he knows that we haven't met," Lucian said. "He doesn't want me near you."
"Because he doesn't trust you?" I asked.
"No, because we had a big misunderstanding in the past that led to us fighting with each other most times," Lucian replied.
"You two are brothers. Don't you think you should settle any misunderstandings?"
"You really don't know anything about our past. Keep it that way," Lucian said.
Silence stretched between us for the next five minutes, and I leaned back in my seat.
"Hayley said so much about you, making me wonder why he would suddenly want to marry you. Or maybe he planned to use you for his gain."
I frowned. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Never mind."
I pushed any disturbing thoughts from my head and tried to focus on the journey. We drove in silence, and aside from the constant chirping of birds and the howling of werewolves in the forest, the road was quiet.
"Who is Amara?"
"Amara," he sighed. "She's a powerful and ancient witch. Friends with Tristan. Good gods, I hate her so much that even the mention of her name makes me angry."
"Why?"
"Because she's a witch," he said. "I hate witches."
"How old are you?" I asked. "Older than Tristan?"
He glanced at me, laughing lightly before tearing his gaze away. "If I were older than Tristan, I would have been the one on the throne. I would have been King."
I put two and two together. "You two have misunderstandings because of the throne."
"Not exactly, but before my father died, he didn't want Tristan to rule," Lucian said. "He chose me as his heir."
"Then what happened?"
"It was not up to him to decide who would be King. The Council chose the eldest as King," Lucian said. "And to answer your question, I am old. Very old."
He murmured something under his breath, and I turned to look at him. There was a deep scar I hadn't noticed before. It ran from his cheek down to the corner of his mouth.
"How did you get that scar?" I asked.
"Tristan," he replied. "I fought with Tristan."
My eyes widened. "He did that to you?"
Lucian didn't respond as he continued driving.
All of a sudden, Tristan appeared in front of our car.
"Stop the car!" I yelled.
"No," Lucian said with a smirk as he drove at high speed.
Tristan stood at a short distance from our car like a statue. His hands were casually stuffed inside the pockets of his dark coat. His eyes slowly turned red as the car sped toward him.
"Lucian, please stop!" I shouted again, my heart racing in my chest. Though I wanted to escape, I didn't think killing Tristan was part of the plan.
Lucian tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his eyes also glowing red.
"I've had enough of him," Lucian muttered. "This bastard dies today."
Just when I thought we were going to hit him, Tristan suddenly disappeared, and the car screeched to a halt. He appeared at the side of the car, throwing a punch at the window.
The glass shattered as he gripped Lucian's throat, pulling him out of the car.
"Bastard," Tristan growled.
"She doesn't deserve you or what you are forcing her into," Lucian snapped.
Tristan's eyes darkened with rage as he shifted his gaze to me. "I told you that I didn't trust Lucian. And yet here you are, running away with him."
"I am not running away with him," I frowned. "He's just helping me leave."
"Helping you?" Tristan scoffed. "And where exactly do you think you are going? There's nowhere in this world you can hide that I won't find you."
"She doesn't want you. Let her go."
Without warning, Tristan moved toward Lucian, wrapping his hand around his neck. He slammed Lucian's head against the car.
"I will rip your heart out before you even try to take her away," Tristan growled.
I slowly tore my gaze from them, pushing the car door open and stepping outside.
"I'm saving her from you," Lucian snapped, pushing Tristan away.
Once Tristan regained himself, he lunged at Lucian, throwing a heavy blow to his face. Lucian's hands slowly changed into claws, striking Tristan across his face.
I stood still for a moment, hearing them fight each other. This was my chance to escape. While they were distracted, I could run away. I could escape from here.
Heart racing, I took a step forward, and then another, before sprinting into the forest. Branches whipped against my face as I ran deeper into the woods, but I didn't stop. I ran with such speed that the sounds of their loud growls and curses began to fade.
I didn't dare to stop for even a moment. I didn't know where I was going, but I ran. If I continued running, I would find my way to the other side. I didn't stop until I was deep inside the forest.
Then I slowed down, leaning against a tree. I gasped for air, bringing my hand to rub my stomach.
A twig snapped, and I immediately knew I wasn't alone. Was it Tristan who had found me already? But the air didn't smell like Tristan.
I focused, preparing to shift into my wolf for the hundredth time since I had found my wolf, but nothing happened. This was a secret I had hidden from anyone since a year ago when I found my wolf. The minute I shifted and ran into the woods that night, my grey wolf had rejected me.
She'd rejected me, and since then, I could not shift. Out of shame and fear of being mocked by Jack and others, I lied that I haven't found my wolf.
I screamed as the bones in my body began popping and reforming. I fell to the ground, my skin slowly changing into fur. But just as my paws touched the ground, my wolf retreated, leaving me naked on the ground.
My breathing turned ragged as I spotted werewolves moving closer to me. My eyes widened. These were not random wolves; they were rogues.