Chapter 13
Iliana couldn’t move at the cold, magnetic vision of David. His eyes permeated through her body and touched her soul. She was in a trance without knowing it.
“Who are you?” David asked as he kept the unbroken stare.
“I…I—” Iliana heard herself speak without knowing she was speaking. She fought herself but it was as if she was without control of herself. “I…am…” Iliana in her mind remembered the stern warning about David’s eyes. “I…am…” Iliana paused. David and Erik wondered why she stopped talking. However, they maintained eye contact, yet… “I see why Alexander’s eyes are same as you two.” Iliana said.
David and Erik were caught off guard. David took steps back, studying Iliana and asking himself why. Erik did the same. Their countenance had many expressions of confusion. They looked at each other. Erik decided to give a try.
“Rachel…” Erik approached her as he locked sight with her. “Tell me who you are.”
“Don’t you know who I am?” Iliana replied.
Erik stood back with his brows furrowed and his mouth partly open. He turned to David who had the same reaction. “It’s the same as them.” David said to Erik.
“David. Erik.” A thick voice resonated. David and Erik without any doubt knew it was the voice of their enraged brother. “David. Erik.” Alexander stepped out of the shadows. David and Erik couldn’t look him in the eye, they felt they could die alone from the glare.
“Alexander, I’ve been looking for yo—”
“Get out of the forest.” Alexander commanded. “I want to talk to my brothers” Iliana instantly complied and walked away into the darkness of the forest.
“David. Erik. Why was Rachel with you two?” Alexander asked.
“We were looking for yo—”
“DON’T LIE TO ME!”
“What do you think you are using that time on us, your elder brothers?” Erik intoned
“I have never considered you two…my brothers. Now answer me.”
“No.” David disagreed “You have to answer to us first.” David glared back at Alexander.
“What is it?” Alexander asked.
“Who is she?”
Alexander was thrown off back the question “What do you mean?”
“Alexander, who is that girl?” Erik questioned. “I will not believe she is one of us.”
Alexander was quiet.
“Are you aiding a spy?” David implied
“What gives you the confidence to think that I would commit such an act?” Alexander was nearer to losing his composure.
“Then answer the question; WHO IS THAT GIRL?!” Erik yelled.
Alexander quietly observed Erik and David for a moment. “You used it against her, didn’t you? You used your gifts—those eyes.”
“Of course we did, and that is why we want to know who she really is.”
Alexander eyes lit up “How—” Alexander stopped talking. He shut his eyes and took in deep breaths until he felt a brief calmness. “Did it work?”
“No.” David replied. “There are only five people so far these gifts don’t work on; you, me, Erik, the two captured spies and Rachel. Why is Rachel in this number?”
“Alexander, I know you have your doubts but you cannot be selfish and think for yourself alone. The very foundation of the pack and Silver creek will crumble if we are not careful enough. You are my brother and I want to trust you and your decisions, everybody in the pack finds solace in you and your decisions alone. You’re the only alpha with so much authority in this pack. Alexander, please be careful.” Erik finished.
Alexander had nothing to say. There was nothing he had in his mind to say. His brothers were correct, he thought to himself, yet he scorned himself for failing to protect Rachel—Iliana—from them.
“How’s that power?” David brought a question to change the whole topic. “Doesn’t seem to be under control yet.”
“I am still trying to study its pattern and see if there is any range. I have to go…I might’ve found its main source.” Alexander said as he left the forest.
On his way out of the forest, he pondered on what Erik and David said to him concerning Rachel. He couldn’t stop thinking of the hellish mental punishment she might have gone through trying to fight the gifts. He despised the thought of Erik and David having such interaction with the one he called ‘his mate.’
As he walked through the forest, he spotted a familiar lady figure in front of him. She smelled very familiar, like Rachel. He walked closer to her and it was who he thought it would be.
“Are you lost?” Alexander asked Iliana who flinched at the sound of his voice.
“Alexander.”
“Come, let’s get out of here.”
Alexander and Iliana walked side by side, closer than they used to be. There were still many eyes that stared at them but they were already used to it. They made their way out of the forest and into the brightly illuminated town. The half moon was visible in the clear night sky.
“Alexander, I—”
“Rachel, it’s alright. I should’ve warned you about my brothers.”
“Oh.”
“I deeply apologize for what they did to you and for now being around to protect you. All together, they think you are a spy.”
“I see.”
“Rachel, I want you to be more careful. They won’t stop watching you. You also overcame them; they will be more intrusive from now on.”
Iliana scolded herself from within for not listening to earlier warning. It was unavoidable —meeting David and Erik, but the forest was avoidable. Iliana wondered to herself how she was able to resist speaking honestly when David and Erik tried their ‘trick’. Could it also be the reason no information has been taken from Stuart and Samuel? Was that what David meant when he said ‘she’s like them’?
“I’ll be more careful. Thank you for coming to rescue me from them.” Iliana said.
“I’ll leave you now. Stay out of trouble.” Alexander went back into the forest and Iliana to her room.
Iliana revisited her memories of the forest and every path she took with David and Alexander. She smirked at the memory. A plan was birthed. A plan of liberation. A risky plan. She did not care about any other thing or how much danger she would be putting herself in. She had a new priority she had to act on before the next 4 days. Iliana’s plan was incomplete, she felt more would come to her as long as she kept her head clear of every distraction.
It was a death sentence she gave herself. The outcome; unknown.
00:00am. 4 days before the execution.