CHAPTER 4—Lilith POV
With a soft blink, my eyelids lifted, revealing the blurred white room around me. When I glanced to my right, the hallway stood quiet and empty. A dull ache throbbed around my ankles where the monitor had been. I frowned. Taking a slow, deep breath, my mind started to devise a plan when the door abruptly opened. A brown-haired werewolf male strolled in. His golden eyes shone with anger as he glared at me.
My lips curled. "Are you my knight in shining armor? Have you come to save me from this misery?"
"You fucking hunter!" he spat. "You have the blood of my parents in your hands. Every day I live with the emptiness you created."
"You can say the same thing for witches who've lost their loved ones," I snapped.
"Have you forgotten I am a werewolf?"
"No wonder you reek of dog's shit."
The dagger-like look in his eyes deepened as he approached.
"And unlike Lycans who fritter away valuable time interrogating you, I don't show mercy to your kind," he continued.
I sighed. "Just get to the point."
"I came here to kill you," he said. "But I'm not alone."
I slowly turned to discover two werewolf males at the door.
"You are being incredibly stupid if you think you can kill me," I said.
"I remember your face," one of the werewolves at the door spoke up. "You made me watch as you murdered my brother."
"Do you have any identifying features that can make me remember you, because your face doesn't seem to ring a bell?" I asked. "You know, I've killed more werewolves than I can remember, but I believe your brother's death was savoring."
He growled; his claws elongated as he grabbed my neck.
"When we're finished with you, we'll send your head to your people as a warning," he threatened.
I turned to the other werewolf still standing at the door. "What about you? What loved one did you lose to the hunters?"
"My mate." I struggled against the tight grip. "She fought, and killed hunters daily. But one evening when I returned home, I found her dead."
"That must have been a great day for the hunter that killed her." I smiled, staring at all three werewolves. "If you think I would apologize for what happened, you'd better return, because that wouldn't be happening."
"We are not here for apologies but to kill you, bitch!" A slap on my cheek swung my face to the other side.
A moment later, I was pulled away from the chair and handcuffed as the werewolves hurled me to the ground. Strike after strike, the werewolves mercilessly whipped my back. Every strike burned like acid all thanks to the silver laced through the whip. Blood leaked from the wounds down to my hands.
I didn't know how long it went, but at some point I burst out laughing, even when it felt like I was close to death. It was one thing we were taught as hunters: never show weakness because they would surely use it against you.
The brown-haired werewolf halted, taking a step backward. I lifted my eyes to meet his gaze, shaking the curls from my face as I laughed hard.
"What's funny?" he asked.
"Does this look funny to you, bitch?" the other asked.
I smiled. "You all are dead men."
Suddenly, I wrenched free of the cuffs around my wrists, slowly rubbing the burning pain as I rose to my feet.
"What?" the brown-haired werewolf staggered backward. "How is this possible?"
"You mean, how was I able to set myself free?" I took a step forward.
"Those cuffs are infused with silver strong enough to melt your skin," the dark-haired werewolf said.
"You made a terrible mistake drawing blood from me. Silver weakens every hunter, but old, powerful hunters have magic in their blood, and magic that answers to our call."
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
"When you bled me, the magic in my blood unchained me."
The dark-haired werewolf growled and charged toward me. I extended my hand; my sword appeared. I gave the werewolf a chance to prove himself before striking him down with my sword. The second werewolf halted, and in a blink of an eye, I decapitated him.
I snapped my head to the last werewolf. He swiftly moved, and before I could do anything, he dashed away.
I began to walk toward the door when it abruptly flung open, and I saw Maverick walk in. He was dressed in his usual dark suit. He looked like a gentleman, but there was nothing gentle about him.
"What have you done?" He asked.
"They made a terrible mistake to attack me," I answered.
The door opened behind him, and Davina walked inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of the two werewolves lying dead on the ground.
"I warned you about her. That you should kill her," Davina said. "Why are you still keeping her alive?"
"We need information from her."
"Information?" Davina scoffed.
"Once we know the location of the hunters still, she's dead to me."
Davina showed a little hesitation but Maverick kissed her lightly.
"Trust me with this one."
"It's nauseating watching you two," I said from behind.
"Shut up!" Davina snapped. "I would say we should kill her now."
"We cannot kill her now."
"But she is withholding information from us because of the oath she took," she said. "She's just as useless as the others."
When Maverick gave no answer, she turned around, and walked away.
"What do you think would happen when she finds out that we're mates?"
He rushed towards me, grabbing and pinning me against the wall.
"Hunters and Lycans don't mate." He growled.
I chuckled. "Yet you plan to take me home. Isn't that what you intend to do?"
He stared at me in silence.
"Do you plan to fuck me to strengthen the mating bond?" I asked. "You know, that is exactly what the bond wants."
"Watch that mouth of yours or you'll end up having no tongue tonight."
… ..
When two guards entered the room, pulled me from the chair, and cuffed my hands, they dragged me away without saying a word.
Abruptly, we came to a halt when Prince Tristan appeared. His hair was golden as the sun.
"So this is the hunter that tried to kill the King." His eyes raked over me as if he were expecting better.
"Well, I originally planned to kill you first. You're just lucky I met your the King first."
One of the guards prepared to hit me but Tristan slowly raised his hand to stop them.
"Where are you taking her?"
"We're taking her to prison for hunters," the guard answered.
"Is that what he told you?" I turned to the guard.
"Be quiet!" the guard snapped.
"And he couldn't inform me?" Tristan asked.
"Well—" the guard began to speak when Tristan's phone started to buzz, and he swiftly walked away. The guards waited some time, and when Tristan waved them off, they pulled me away.
As we passed through another set of double doors, I forcefully pulled myself from the guards and dashed away. Making it to another door, I kicked it open with my knee, and the door crumbled. Cool air slammed against me, taking me by surprise as I scanned my surroundings. Before I could take a step forward, the sounds of gunshots went off behind me. The intense burn spread from my back throughout my entire body like wildfire. I fell to my knees, groaning in pain as the silver bullet worked its way through my body.
Shortly after that, a couple of guards approached and pulled me from the ground. I didn't know how much time had passed, but when I woke up again, I soon found myself in a car. Maverick and Davina sat across from me, and the look on their faces felt like a physical blow.
"What did I miss?" I asked, groaning at the pain that traveled through my spine. A white bandage wrapped around my back where the bullet had hit.
A knowing smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I stared at Maverick. His hand rested on her lap possessively.
Our eyes held each other's gaze for a moment as I pulled on the mating bond between us. The bond awakened, sending goosebumps across my skin. His hand clutched her lap tightly as he continued to stare at me. His jaw clenched, muscles ticking as he fought against the bond. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and when Davina looked at him, he tried to remain calm.
"What is wrong?" Davina asked.
He shook his head, forcing a smile. "Nothing." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. Davina turned, and rested her head on his chest.
"So how long are you going to continue resisting the bond?"
Vertical lines creased between his eyebrows as he glared at me.
"What?" Davina slowly pulled away, glancing at Maverick before turning to me. "What are you talking about?"
"Why don't you ask your beloved yourself." I smiled. "What is he hiding?"
Just as Maverick opened his mouth to speak, we heard a loud crash outside. The car suddenly hit something with enough force to sway me forward. I braced myself for what would happen next, wondering what was wrong.
"We have company," Maverick said after a brief phone call.
"Rogues," Maverick added, growling as he started to move out of the car.
Since I was seated in the middle of two brawny guards, I could not see much of what was happening outside.
Maverick's expression was unreadable as he stared through the glass window as though he were familiar with threats like this.
"Stay back," he commanded Davina before exiting the car with a guard.
"Maverick," Davina called after him. He slowly turned around, staring at her for a moment.
"Be safe," she said before leaning back.
...
Maverick
The moment I came down from the car, two dozen rogues surrounded me and my men.
In less than a minute, the place had descended into chaos. Leading my men, I charged at the rogues, grabbing and ripping their necks apart. I could feel the hunter's excitement through the bond, and it caused a strain on me.
Two rogues soon attacked me at the same time, slashing with their claws. I swiftly moved to the side, dodging the attack gracefully. From there, I grabbed one of the rogues, decapitating its head with sharp claws. Blood splashed across my face and suit, causing me to rage even more.
I grabbed the other rogue, pinning him against the car as I clawed his face. As I fought the rogue werewolves, I noticed they began to surround me closely. Before I could finish the one I was holding, another from behind slashed his claws across my face, ripping cloth and flesh.
With a deep growl, I sped forward, yanking the werewolf and slowly breaking its bones with my immortal strength.
The battle soon ended as I finished the last rogue. Only a few of my men had fallen to the rogues, and the wounds we sustained started to heal. The ground was gruesome with the sight of dead werewolves and blood leaking from them.
I took the white handkerchief from him, wiping away the stain of blood from my hands and face. I peeled the suit from my body, donning a dark blue suit before I entered the car.
The air in the car felt heavy; I could almost taste it. Both women sat across from each other in silence. It felt like they were about to snap each other's necks. Davina's eyes burned into Lilith with a hard glare.
She turned to me, lips pressed in a straight line. "I'll continue the journey in a different car."
"Why? What happened when I left?"
"Just take me to a different car, please." She rose from the chair, moving toward me.
Without a word, I curled my hand around her waist and led her to another car. Once she was seated, I started to ask what was wrong, but she silenced me with her hand.
"What did you do?!" I glared at the hunter once I returned to the other car. "What did you say?!"
"I only gave her a hint of what would happen to her once I free myself from these chains," she answered. "You know, she shot me twice with an arrow. It's only fair if I have my payback."
Without warning, I rushed forward, closing my hands around her neck.
"Touch a single hair on her head and I'll fucking kill you!"
She smiled, leaning closer. All of a sudden, the bond between us started to rise. It sent a cold chill down my spine. I couldn't ignore the pull of the mating bond between us. The space between us suddenly felt too small. Heat pooled in my stomach, traveling down to my bottom. My body slowly ached for her touch.
"What were you saying again?" I felt her breath on my skin.
A slow shake of my head pulled me back, and I swiftly sat down.