10 - CONFRONTATION

DAMON

"You know, the people really think that shit was some sort of hunting accident," Tyrell, the chief of the Elite Guards was talking.

I yawned in boredom, couldn't wait for the old man to get this over with so I can go about my business.

"To the general public, our beloved heir, Lord Stephan was unlucky during a hunting expedition and got severely injured but thank the goddess, he was saved. The truth however is more sinister than that..." Tyrell continued.

"Under our very noses, our heir was attacked by warlocks!"

My eyes widened with surprise, this was the first time I was hearing of this. I too, like the general public, thought that Stephan's misfortune stemmed from a hunting expedition gone wrong.

It sounded silly, the supposed heir to the throne almost dying after embarking on a hunting expedition, it just made Stephan look impotent in my eyes.

Now this? This was a surprise.

"With all due respect chief, what happens to the heir to the alpha is not any concern of ours," Vane replied.

He was considered as the left hand of the chief, one of the two people likely to become the leader once the chief retired, I was the second person.

"Preposterous!" Tyrell exclaimed, "How can you say something like that?"

"Our job is solely to worry about the alpha himself!" Vane fired back, maintaining his stance.

"And you don't think his son almost dying worried the alpha? What worries the alpha worries us. It is our job to make sure he has no worries!" Tyrell shot back too.

I yawned, it was back to being boring again, I didn't care about what bothered the alpha or didn't bother the alpha, I just wanted to leave and take a bite.

"Damon, you are awfully quiet about something of such great importance," Tyrell said suddenly, catching my attention.

Damn the old man, he just wanted to get me involved by all means, I sighed, "If the alpha says we jump, we jump. If he says we hunt the bastards who hurt his beloved son, we'll do that. We answer to him and him alone so we should wait for his command!"

"Seconded!" Vane screamed loudly and patted me heavily on my shoulder, "Spoken like a true Elite Guard."

"So you want to wait until another attempt is made on the heir's life before we act?" Tyrell raised his voice, staring at me intently.

My blue eyes matched his gaze and then I sneered, "Acting without the alpha's word is treason... is that what you are suggesting, chief?"

Tyrell swallowed and jerked back as if he was hit in the face, his eyes darted from side to side and he seemed unsure of himself again.

A smirk escaped my lips, that's right old man... stay quiet.

He cleared his throat loudly, "This meeting is adjourned but stay available, the alpha may call on us at any time!"

I left the hall yawning more widely than before, this time around from hunger as I made a left turn outside the gate, I came to a complete stop.

Standing a few feet in front of me was none other than Stephan.

His hands were crossed in front of his chest and he was leaning on a bleach tree staring right at me.

A small smile spread across my lips as I regained my composure, "Look who is here!"

I began to walk towards him as calmly as possible. "You back for round two?"

Stephan pushed away from the tree and stood straight, his legs spread out in front of him. "Damon Chase, right hand of the chief of the Elite Guards."

My smile got wider, "Daddy's boy knows how to do research!" I kept closing the distance in a way that looked nonchalant but I was cautious.

"I know exactly what type of a person you are!" Stephan continued holding his ground.

"Yeah? What type of a person are you?" I was up in his face now. "The type that runs to daddy when he is in trouble?" I suddenly gave him a powerful shove.

Stephen was ready this time around, he screeched backwards only a few inches, his eyes were smoldering like heated coal, "I didn't come to fight you," he said tightly.

I closed the distance between us again, "Yeah, what did you come to do then? Go on, let's hear it."

I could see him gnashing his teeth as he stared me in the face, "Stay away from Rebekka! She doesn't need your likes in her life!" he growled.

I scoffed in his face, "You mean the same Rebekka you rejected? The one that tried to kill herself for a scumbag like you... that Rebekka?"

Stephan's resolve seemed to break for a split when he heard that but he regained his composure and his anger far too quickly.

"Listen to me–"

"No, you listen to me, Rebekka is with a real man now, okay?" I scoffed, "So you," I stuck out a finger and poked his chest, "Can run back to daddy now!"

Stephen's reaction was unexpected, he grabbed me by my shirt suddenly and shoved me into the trunk of the bleach tree.

There was a loud thud as my back slammed into it forcibly.

He held me there, his right fist was balled up and he was holding it above his head, ready to throw a punch.

I grinned widely and spread out my hands, "Go on then, boy, have at it... I will even let you have the first hit for free."

His eyes were staring me down but I refused to back down.

"Stay away from her," he growled much more slowly in a deep guttural voice and then as suddenly as he had reacted, he let go of me and brought down his hand.

I scoffed, "That's what I thought." I straightened the fabric of my shirt and looked at him.

"There will be consequences if you defy me!" he growled.

11 – SCENT

STEPHAN

I could not understand what was going on.

The Elite Guards answered only to my father, that was a fact but that didn't mean they went around disrespecting me either, that Damon guy must just be a bad seed in the midst of them trying to give them a bad name.

How did someone like that even get tangled up with Rebekka in the first place? I was right to be worried, Damon was nothing but bad news and I needed to get her away from the influence of a piece of shit like him.

Claude was still in my room when I returned. When the door slammed, he looked up from the bottle.

"You back?" his voice slurred.

I frowned and stared at him, "For crying out loud, it is the early hours of the morning and you are already at the bottom of the bottle!"

"As if you are one to talk..." he replied airily, "What happened, did you meet him?"

I returned to my seat, I was still racking my brain on what to do next, "I don't want to talk about it."

Claude sighed, "You never want to talk about anything, that is your problem. If you talked to me more, you would not be so stuck up all the time."

I flashed him a quick look, the fire in me was starting to rekindle but then I thought better of it.

Claude was definitely on my side, there was no use getting mad at him.

"I think I am going to go," he got to his feet and staggered to the side uneasily.

"Yeah, you do that," I said without looking at him.

"Call me when you need me to find another pair of eyes or whatever, wonder what they would be this time... maybe green nostrils," he sniggered to himself as he walked uneasily to the door.

I heard the door open then I sighed in relief, finally, I could be left alone with my thoughts.

"Hey Vannie, what are you doing here?" I heard Claude at the door.

I stiffened, what was Vanessa doing here? I didn't send for her.

"Is he in?" she asked as she pushed past Claude.

"Fine, go ahead and ignore me too," Claude pouted as he left.

Vanessa closed the door behind her, "Baby?"

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back then took a deep breath, then I turned to look at her, "What?"

She pouted, "Are you not happy to see me?" She walked over and gave me a hug.

She tried to kiss me on the lips but I averted my face. "Why are you here? Is something wrong?"

Vanessa stood up straight and then frowned, "Does something need to be wrong for me to come see you?"

I got up too, "Listen Vannie, I got somewhere to be now, let's do this some other time, okay?"

"So you got somewhere to be that's more important than me? Stephan?"

I sighed, I didn't have time.

"Clara was right to be worried, since your accident, you have been acting strangely."

"Clara is an idiot, I have told you to do something about your friendship group, they will turn you dumb and petty just like them!"

Vanessa scoffed, "You are one to talk, what about the company you keep, Claude? All he knows is drinking and–"

My eyes flashed red all of a sudden and I growled at her.

Vanessa took a step back and stiffened, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have brought him up. My bad, I'm sorry."

I looked down at her, my eyes still flashing red, "I've got to go," I walked past her brushing her slightly.

The smell of her perfume and scent filled my nose, a smell that once used to drive me crazy and set my skin on fire but now, I felt nothing.

I knew that I needed to leave but I had nowhere in mind, I just walked, letting my legs lead me to wherever my subconscious had in mind.

When I finally looked up, I scoffed to myself, "You have to be kidding me," I muttered.

I was standing in front of Dr. Purcell's clinic.

Why the fuck was I here? I knew the answer to that, I just didn't want to admit it yet.

I pushed open the doors and stepped in.

The first thing that hit my nose was her scent, it was overpowering the whole place.

My eyes widened as I filled my nostrils with it, yes, this was it. A low growl escaped my throat as my eyes searched the hall.

The place was scanty except for one old couple that was huddled together at the far right side.

Rebekka was nowhere in sight but that didn't matter, I walked in and started heading towards a brown door with the caption, Cleaning Supplies.

I pushed open the door slowly, the scent was thickest here, no doubt, she was inside.

Rebekka was sitting, her back facing me, there was a headphone over her head and she was snacking on a sandwich.

She was bobbing her head to the music and muttering along, the food in her mouth didn't let her speak well.

I scoffed and smiled, this was easily the most charming thing I had ever seen, I caught myself smiling like an idiot then I frowned and cleared my throat.

Rebekka cast a quick look back, darted her head forward and then slowly looked back again. The piece of sandwich in her hand fell listlessly to the ground as her mouth hung open.

Her eyes were wide open, first there was a look of abject shock in them and then slowly but surely, it turned into horror.

I could see her hands and her lips trembling as if she was suffering from a cold.

I leaned back slightly, resting my back against the door and then I thrust my hands deep into my pocket.

"L-, L-, L," the words refused to come out of her trembling lips.

"Hello Rebekka!"