Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

Leilani.

Morning came with a doze of self consciousness and as I rolled out of my bed, gathering my flimsy silk robe around my body, I couldn’t help the smile that graced my face.

It was slow and sure, breaking the wall of ice that was my face. And goddess, I knew that there were so many things to feel bad about— I mean, I had just learned of Agnes’ death a couple of days ago plus every other thing that’s happened afterwards...

Yet, for some reason unknown to me, I felt happy. I felt at peace, and I felt this irresistible urge to scream joyously and at the top of my lungs.

Why?

Because I knew now that I had my hybrid, Nyx, and that even after Zevran left two nights ago, I had shifted. Not once, not twice, but countless times without any problems.

Because I now had a solid grip on my wolf/lycan, and it was only a matter of time before I would also get a grip on the strange weird energy that always rushed through my veins at weird moments.

The thoughts made my smile widen, not because I was proud but because I was now sure that there was a possibility to get back at the people who had hurt Agnes. The people who had killed her, thinking she was me... and every other person who’s done worse to me in the past few years.

"What about the triplets?" A voice called in my head and I didn’t feel shocked this time to hear from my wolf. If anything, I am getting pretty used to her nowadays.

I frowned. "The triplets?"

"Yes, the triplets," she answered softly, "...you want to get back at everyone who’s ever hurt you. Does it also mean that you would get back at them as well for murdering your father in cold blood?"

I gulped.

"Or would you let it slide because you’re mated to them?"

I wish I knew the answers to those questions. I wish I knew what I wanted to say to her. But instead, all I felt was my heart racing wildly in my chest. All I felt was a flush in my face whenever I remembered Zevran— not for killing my father but for kissing me.

I knew that it was stupid of me to think about him in the ways I did especially with all that has happened but I couldn’t help it, and in order to clear my head, to rid myself of all these conflicting thoughts, I decided then that I had to go for a run.

"In my form?" She asked again, slipping into my mind and I rolled my eyes before seething;

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it’s daytime dumbo. And we look too scary to be running across the streets of New York City in your wolf form."

I heard her sharp intake of breath and I immediately know that she was about to correct me that she wasn’t a wolf but a hybrid, but before she could even manage to get the words out, I surprisingly cut her off, unlinked myself from her and left my hotel room, that is after changing into a black runner’s shorts and a matching tank top. I was also wearing an ugly looking sneakers that I had gotten from a rushed shopping at Target; and then I styled my hair into a ponytail.

Also, before I left the hotel room, I covered the lower half of my face with a dark face mask to hide my identity and then I left.

However, I was just a few minutes into my run through the quiet streets at the wee hours of the morning when the hairs at the back of my neck suddenly began to stand on end. All my nerve cells were at alert too, as if waiting patiently for something or someone in the shadows to pounce at me.

At first, I tried to shrug off these feelings by convincing myself that I was simply being paranoid, but the more time I spent running , the more my discomfort grew, intensifying into something along the lines of fear and panic.

And in a desperate attempt to hide away from whoever it was that was following me, I swerved into a busier street and increased my speed, but just as I did that, I heard the increasing sounds of footsteps behind me.

It was sounding closer and closer... heavier and heavier, and this made my heart pound loudly in my chest.

At this point, I was beginning to hyperventilate. My heart was racing so much, I feared I would pass out. Even my joints felt rubbery and my palms clammy; But despite all of these discomfort, I didn’t stop running.

I couldn’t stop.

Not when it felt like I was running for my life.

Not when it felt like I was running away from danger.

I made another turn and dashed into a narrower street, and it wasn’t until I had run a few meters into it that I discovered that the street was a close.

A freaking close!

Goddess, I almost cursed out at myself. I almost even plucked out my own hairs as I ran so fast, my breath felt labored.

But at this time, the person following was closing in quickly— a little too quickly. Their footsteps were sounding too close, and I could swear that I even smelled the cologne on their skin— metallic but cheap— as it clouded my senses.

I could also tell from this close range that that was no normal human or a werewolf. It was a Lycan through and through, and that in itself was enough to have my blood curdling.

My heart fell to my stomach when I suddenly came to a stop at the end of the street where a large block of wall stood like a tower before me, and seeing as there were no other ways out of here, I spun around quickly, my breath hitching when I came face to face with a large looking man.

His mismatched eyes were swirling with dark excitement, and he licked his lips upon seeing the shock plus fear on my face.

I gulped. "Who are you?" I asked, but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he smiled.

However, I was just about to ask him why he was smiling when I suddenly felt something as hard as a piece of a brick strike the back of my head from behind.

The pain made my head swirl and made tiny stars dance in my line of sight.

"Argh!" I yelled, falling forward and straight into the arms of the ugly burly man who immediately caught me.

"Who the fuck are you?!" I hissed in annoyance only to have my breath stolen when he forced a piece of wet handkerchief into my face.

I passed out.

—

Darius.

I had just killed Anita.

My Anita.

I had killed the one woman who had been by my side for most of my dark times and even the good ones.

I had killed the one friend I’d ever made in my entire life.

And do you want to know something shocking?

I felt nothing besides relief after doing it.

I was not mad. I was not irritated or sad. Hell, I didn’t even feel remorseful about what I did. I simply felt numb to everything— to her pain, to her blood now pooling on the floor, to her flushed face and her eyes that now stared unblinkingly in death... and to her once plump pink lips which were now a dark shade of purple.

A look at her lips had me shivering. Why?

Because I could remember all the times they used to be on mine or on other parts of my body which I didn’t want to remember.

And goddess, I meant it when I said I loved her.

I meant it when I said I wanted her to be in my life forever, but now, I was sure as hell that those were simply what they were— wishful thinking.

We could never be together. She could never be mine and would never make life easy for Leilani because she was jealous, and that was why I had to take her out.

With a heavy heart, I called on my bodyguard, the one who was standing just outside my door, and when he rushed in and took in the situation of my room, he froze and then lowered his head.

"Alpha..." he drawled, sounding afraid. "You sent for me."

"I want you to get rid of that body." I said coldly, pointing to Anita’s stiff body.

I couldn’t help but notice the way he took one glance at her before turning to me, his face a mask of indifference— even though I could see his fear— as he said quickly; "Yes, Alpha."

"Burn her." I added, "and make sure no trace of her remains is left behind. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Alpha."

"Good!"

And with that, I turned and walked away, satisfied, because I had just eliminated another one of Leilani’s threats, and I knew now that it was only a matter of time before she would accept me... and love me just like her father had loved me.

—If not more.