Chapter 2 - My blood boil
1293 Words
Zackary's POV
"....we have guests," the girl called down the long hallway, and she quickly and anxiously steered us in the direction of the living room.
"She seems worried," Lupa, my wolf, growled, taking in the girl.
I ignored him as we followed her to the living room on the opposite side of her home.
The girl's mother entered a few moments later and furrowed her eyebrows suspiciously at us.
"Royal warriors?" she whispered, her heartbeat quickening, and a look of fear flashing through her eyes. She quickly recovered and stepped closer, hiding her fear behind a mask as she gestured for us to take a seat.
"No, thank you, ma'am," James, a warrior, said, smiling. "We are not planning to stay very long."
"Very well," the she-wolf replied, smiling. "What brings you here, gentlemen?"
Her excessively sweet voice made my skin crawl, and Lupa snarled in agreement. He didn't trust this she-wolf; neither did I.
My gaze swept over the two beautiful women, noticing how the elder she-wolf fluttered her eyelashes at James. She was openly flirting and trying to hold his attention.
"They are power-hungry leeches," Lupa huffed annoyingly, stating the obvious.
"I can see that," I replied in disgust.
I didn't enjoy wasting my time on she-wolves like her, but I was sent on official royal business.
I silently stared down at the she-wolf, and she quickly became uncomfortable and moved away from James.
I slowly nodded at James to continue, yet he didn't say a word or move. He was spellbound by the she-wolf's beauty and behavior.
Jacob, James's twin brother, saw me getting impatient, and he cleared his throat and grabbed James's arm, shaking it lightly—breaking the she-wolf's hypnotic spell on him.
Jacob whispered from James's side, "You need to get a move on. Beta Zackary is losing his patience; he will not shy away from reporting us..."
James nodded, quickly recovered, and retrieved a scroll. He unrolled and started reading the notice.
I rolled my eyes and internally sighed. I understood every word on that notice—unfortunately, it was my responsibility to write it.
"Attention all unmated she-wolves," James read, keeping his eyes on the paper. "All unmated she-wolves between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five must make themselves available to attend the Royal Ball in honor of Prince Lex on the next blood moon. No exceptions. Everyone must attend."
"For what purposes?" The older she-wolf asked, rather upset.
"The ball is in honor of the future king's twenty-fifth birthday," Jacob said.
"Really?" the girl squealed excitedly. "We've been invited to Prince Lex's birthday?"
"Only the she-wolves stipulated in the invitation," Jacob warned, shifting his gaze to the girl's mother. "No one else!"
"The future king will use this opportunity to find his future queen," James added excitedly.
My gaze snapped toward James, and I growled over the mind link. The information was supposed to be kept a secret, not leaked out to the public.
James dropped his gaze and stepped back; he seemed to feel embarrassed about what had just happened.
"My apologies, Beta Zack," he mind linked. "I didn't mean to—"
"The future king has decided to take a mate," the woman chirped excitedly. "How wonderful; you will have a chance to become his mate..."
I internally growled and balled my hands into fists. The purpose of the ball was to find my sister and reunite her with her family and mate...
The smell of blood suddenly tickled my nose, and my attention shifted toward the hallway.
"It's coming from down there," Lupa said, anxiously pacing my mind. "It's intense—someone's in serious pain!"
"Excuse me!" I mumbled under my breath and spun around.
My actions startled the group, and my men called after me. I could hear a pair of frantic footsteps following behind me.
Could someone please explain why no one was calling for help? The smell was sickening, and I rushed faster down the hallway.
Did he pass out?
I came to a stop when I reached the kitchen. The smell was even worse there.
Did someone cut themself?
I shook the thought to the side. The loss of blood was more than just a simple cut!
My gaze swept over the big kitchen, noticing a fragile she-wolf sitting on the floor, her face covered in blood.
"What the hell?" I gasped, rushing to her side.
Her gaze snapped toward me, and she quickly turned to hide her face.
"Please, don't come any closer!" She whimpered.
"I am not here to hurt you," I said, slowing my pace. "You're in pain. Let me see. I want to help you."
"No, no, no—you can't!" Her bottom lip quivered as she stammered nervously. "I can manage by myself. I- I'll be alright. No one can help me. I am not worth it."
This struck me as odd. Why did she think so lowly of herself? She belongs to the werewolf community, where everyone receives equal treatment. All werewolves live by a code that no one gets left behind, definitely not one that is hurt this severely.
"I insist," I said, keeping my voice low and friendly as I extended my hand. "Come on, I promise you I won't hurt you."
The girl hesitated for a moment before she turned to look at me.
I froze in my spot, and my breath caught in my throat. Those eyes. They were the same as my mother's.
Could it be? Was it possible? Was this my lost sister?
A rogue attack claimed my sister almost thirteen years ago. She was almost twelve at the time, and I was seven. No one knew what had happened to her, and I made it my life's mission to find her.
"Beta, what happened in here?" James asked, breaking the spell on me.
My gaze unwillingly shifted to him standing at the door, waiting for orders.
"I don't know," I replied, helping the girl onto her feet and leading her to a barstool at the counter. "I found this she-wolf on her knees covered in blood. Could you please bring me a first aid box?"
Jacob left in a hurry, leaving me alone with the she-wolf.
"Can you tell me what happened to you?" I asked, frantically opening kitchen drawers in search of a clean towel. I couldn't help but steal glances at her. Her attire differed significantly from the other two. Her old yellow long-sleeve shirt was thin and worn out, and her pants had various rips and patches.
The she-wolf shook her head and forcefully swallowed. Tears were threatening to spill over. She looked so thin and neglected compared to the other two she-wolves living here.
Were they mistreating her?
Were they starving her?
Did they hold her against her will?
"She is scared," Lupa commented. His emotions are escalating beyond control. He appears to be deeply concerned about the current situation. "I suspect those two b*tches in the living room have something to do with this."
My gaze swept over the tiny golden-haired she-wolf; she didn't look taller than 5'1".
"Perhaps you are right," I replied. "They haven't even bothered to check up on her."
Jacob returned with a first aid kit, and I opened it and set it on the counter.
"Can you at least tell me your name?" I asked, wetting a towel in a bowl to clean her wounds.
She swallowed hard yet nodded her head as she closed her eyes.
"Lilly," she whispered.
My heart pounded with excitement. Could it be? Was it really her?
Lillie's gaze shifted, and she shivered.
Was she cold?
Was she going into shock?
Suddenly, I felt eyes piercing my back, and the words that followed made my blood boil.
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- Writer
