Chapter 5

Chapter 5

~Zayne~

“Enough!” I yelled, my eyes blazing like primal fire as I glared at Thorn. He bent his head downward, unable to look at me as he fiddled with his fingers.

“What did I tell you?” I asked, grabbing his neck firmly as he gasped for breath. “What did I fucking say?” I shouted, my voice laced with rage.

“D….don't kill any child,” he stuttered, his eyes turning red as his breathing became slow and erratic. “Boss, I'm choking,” he muttered, holding my hands weakly.

I quickly released my grip on him before putting them back in my pocket. With a more subtle demeanor, I turned my back on him, walking towards my shelf as I grabbed the bottle of vodka lying carelessly.

“Who sent you?” I asked, my voice gentle and tender. He hesitated for a while, fiddling with his words as though he was frightened.

“Who sent you?” I repeated, my face twisted in a frown as I turned to look at him.

“Luther,” he mumbled, his lips quivering as he spoke.

“Luther? You may leave,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively as I watched him scurry away immediately.

“Luther,” I muttered, my jaw clenched. “That  bastard,” I cursed, gulping down a large amount of vodka.

Luther Cratos, my half brother, and my successor. Even though we shared the same father, we barely got along.

After the death of my mother, my father, the late lycan king, presented Luther to me as my half brother.

Apparently, he was a result of a reckless one night stand in the streets. Even though we barely came to terms, I loved him and he still remained my successor as I had no plans on remarrying.

But lately, his recent thirst for blood and vengeance on humans had me wondering if making him my successor was truly the right decision.

Suddenly I heard a knock on the door, jolting me out of my thoughts. “Come in,” I growled without looking up.

The door made a small creak as Reta walked in. Judging by the rough clanking sound her shoes made, I assumed she was boiling with anger.

“What was that about?” She asked, walking towards me in a fit of rage. “Relax, don't overthink it,” I muttered before entering my closet.

“What do you mean Zayne? Human maids? How ridiculous,” she spat, anger visibly noticeable in her voice. 

“Relax, they are just girls,” I replied, wearing a black leather jacket. “What danger could they possibly pose?”

“They killed your…..”

“Shut up!” I barked, cutting her off immediately. “Don't ever say that,” I growled, making her flinch.

She stared at me for a while, tears welled up in her eyes. “Why do you treat me like trash?” She asked, wiping off the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. 

My brows creased as I stared at her in shock. “Don't even start, Reta, don't,” I muttered before walking out, banging the door loudly behind me.

“Where to? My king,” Rowan asked, his gaze fixed on me as I barged out. 

“Just drive, anywhere,” I replied before entering the back seat of the black mayback.

“It's almost dark, my lord, it's dangerous,” He muttered, his voice laced with worry. “Drive!” I growled, my eyes blazing with fury.

__________

Scrrrrrrrrrrr

The tires screeched noisily as Rowan brought the car to a halt, just beside the castle’s cemetery. 

“Wait here, I will be back,” I muttered before walking towards the cemetery.

The cemetery, the only place I tend to find peace and solace. The silence was deafening with only the cries of vultures filling the air.

The air reeked of damp sand and rotten leaves with a mixture of earthly mud which somehow tend to calm my nerves.

As I walked closer to my destination, Maya's grave, I couldn't help but feel a striking pain in my heart. It felt as though I had been stabbed from behind.

Finally, I was in front of it, her grave, the place I had come to love. Flashbacks of our last moment together flashed through my mind.

“I am pregnant, Zayne,” She muttered, giggling sheepishly. 

She had traveled to see her father before the humans attacked her and my unborn child. That singular act caused the great war between humans and lycans.

It's been years since her death but it still felt like yesterday. The longevity of lycans felt like a curse at this point. It's been long, unending years of loneliness and turmoil.

I had tried to harm myself several times but I still wouldn't die. It felt like I had been trapped and the gods were punishing me.

She was the only one that could calm me down, her chilled fruity scent still lingered in my head even after her death.

“Those human scumbags,” I growled, my jaws clenched as I folded my fist. They didn't even have the decency to kill her normally. Her burnt body was sent in a bag.

As I stood over her grave with her name crested on the wall, I couldn't help but crumble in front of it.

“I miss you, Maya,” I muttered, my voice barely audible. “I promise to find everyone involved in this,” I added, my eyes filled with tears.

Grrrrrrrrr

The sky rumbled aggressively, a storm was obviously brooding. 

“It's not safe out here,” a voice suddenly said behind me, making me turn back. An old lanky woman was in front of me, dressed in a blue gown with white scanty hair.

“I should be telling you that,” I replied, walking past her with a blank expression.

“She loved you, you know right?” The woman said, making me stop on my track. I turned back to face her but she was already gone.

“It's late my lord, we need to go,” Rowan suddenly said, I guess he had been waiting at the entrance all this time.

“What's the time?” I asked, my brows creased slightly. “You have thirty minutes left, my lord,” he replied, his voice laced with worry.

“Are you kidding me? Why didn't you alert me?” I growled, dashing to the car as he sped off.

“I'm sorry, my lord,” he begged, his hands trembling as he drove furiously. “Drive faster,” I growled, wriggling my fingers nervously.

The death of Maya came with a price or should I say a curse. After her death, a certain curse enveloped me.

A curse that turned me to a beast at night and made me normal during the day. 

Over the years, I had learnt to keep it a secret from my brother and even Reta, only Rowan knew about it, that's why he is my most trusted guard.

“How many minutes left?” I asked, holding my left arm tightly. “Ten minutes, my lord,” he replied, his voice firm and urgent.

“Argh! Drive faster,” I groaned, holding my head, the curse was beginning to kick in. My eyes had turned black, with veins popping out of my neck.

“We are here,” Rowan muttered, dashing to the back seat as he grabbed me quickly, heading to my chamber.

The castle was as quiet as a graveyard and thanks to Rowan's ability, all the guards on duty were absent.

Once we entered my room, he laid me gently on the bed before shutting the door behind him. “My drugs,” I mumbled, pointing to the shelf beside him.

He immediately grabbed the drugs, pouring a little into my mouth. “Leave,” I muttered. “I might hurt you.”

“Arghh!” I groaned, holding my head tightly with blood dripping from my eyes. “Maya,” I mumbled, closing my eyes slowly as I slept off.