Chapter 10
Lola's POV
I take a fork and drive it into the omelette, and I'm about to bring it to my mouth when Tyler speaks.
"I didn't want to bring this up at first," he begins, "but what happened in the Blu-ray Spark?"
I stiffen, the memories flashing through my mind. I blink back and hesitate, not wanting to recount all those bad things that happened.
Tyler reaches out and holds my hand while showing me. "You have to talk about it eventually," he says, not trying to sugarcoat it at all.
I give a nod, and I know that he is right. After meeting me like that, about to be executed, he's sure to ask questions. I surprise myself that he hasn't popped up the question a long time before.
"They labelled my parents as traitors," I say, my voice still and cold. Brian's cruel words are burned deep into my memory, how he rejected me. I think about pushing it out of my head. His actions are the ones that forced me into a one-night stand with a stranger just to remove the memories of how he touched me.
I catch my face under the table, reminding myself that I was never going to forgive him for what he did. It made me satisfied to see that he got what he deserved. Everything that was coming.
"Traitors?" Tyler repeated. He took a bite of his food and said nothing for a while.
I ended up breaking the silence myself. "But my parents weren't traitors," I say desperately, trying to make him understand. "My father was loyal. He did nothing but serve the Alpha faithfully."
Tyler remained silent for a while, seeming to think about it. "So, then do you suppose that there was some behind-the-scenes action?" he asked keenly.
I raised an eyebrow, starting to consider it. "But my parents were murdered by rogues," I said, pausing to realize that it didn't make sense. There was something that I was missing in the picture.
Tyler waited patiently to see if I would catch up to it.
"My parents wouldn't leave the Beta's groves if they did nothing but serve the Alpha," I thought, and the events of their death played in my mind. How they tried to protect his lady. "They died protecting a stranger," I informed Tyler.
Tyler began drumming his fingers on the table. I could tell that he was listening intently. "What if that stranger was once feared by the Alpha?" he asked.
My eyes widened in realization, and suddenly the whole process seemed to click into place. "That's it," I muttered in a low voice, my fist clenching under the table. "The Alpha King wanted that stranger dead, and that was why he killed my parents. He was the one who sent the rogues. The Alpha killed my parents," I said, my voice heavy with bitter realization.
"Be careful," Tyler warned. "This isn't just an ordinary problem. The Alpha King includes his young friends and family because sound enough, I can't ignore this any longer."
"I snapped back into attention at his words. You are already in enough trouble," Tyler let out a soft shuffle. He stepped closer to me with a slight smile on his face.
"The only thing I care about," he said, "they hurt you, and I'm going to hurt them in return. I swear that I'm going to end them." I caught the steel behind his smile, the killing instinct.
I directed my thoughts to the Blu-ray Spark in my mind, wondering what was really going on here. "If you hadn't come when you did..." my voice trailed off as a sob escaped me.
If Tyler hadn't come around the minute he did, even if it was just five minutes late, I would have been killed. The realization hit me hard.
Tyler's eyes softened, and yet there was a certain chilliness behind them. "It's okay, you're okay," he said softly. He easily pulled me out of my seat and wrapped his arms around me.
I let myself cry into his chest. He didn't let go, holding me tight.
"Just give me the word, Lola," he whispered against me. "Tell me you want them dead. I'll slaughter them all and lay them at your feet. I'll make anyone who dares stand against you bow to their knees. Just tell me, my love, what you want."
It could have been the certainty or the seriousness in his voice, or the hurt that I was feeling, but I muttered softly, "I want them to pay."
I didn't know how long I spent there, but time seemed to just fade away. Finally, I pulled away from him after getting a grip on myself. My heart was still set with resolve; I was going to get payback. No, he was going to get it for me.
I stared back at him, wondering if I was really going to go the extra mile for someone that he earned. However, the look in Tyler's eyes was nothing but resolve to protect me no matter what.
Then I had the sudden urge to tell him about my pregnancy. I was about to open my mouth and tell him when he spoke again.
"And if I find out that bastard Brian laid hands on you, I'm not sure he's going to survive this, Lola."
I stiffened, snapping my head up, knowing fully well that Brian did lay a hand on me. Tyler looked like he read my mind because his eyes darkened and he clenched his fist, turning away. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
I only had a glance of the killing instinct in his eyes. It made me shudder and take a step back, realizing that this man was capable of anything. As much as he was willing to stay by my side and protect me, I shouldn't for one moment take that for granted, because he could turn around the very next moment and I'd be done for. The realization left a sour feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Wisely, I kept my mouth shut concerning the pregnancy. Marcellus's words echoed in my head: his providence who meets a woman that's pregnant. I wasn't very well versed in the traditions and expectations of the Lycan King, but if he said so, then it was most likely going to be true. Why should I ruin what I had for myself before it started? I thought to myself.
"Thank you for everything," I said in a soft voice.
Tyler leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You don't need to thank me," he said. "I'll protect you to the ends of the earth." With that, he turned around and walked away.
A part of me had a feeling that he was going to take care of the matters immediately, and I didn't know how to think of that. "Waging war against the Blu-ray Spark," I muttered to myself.
Even though it sounded like a small feat for the Lycan to accomplish, I couldn't pretend to not know the connection that Alpha Sylvian had with drugs. Taking care of the park shouldn't be a problem, but the rogues could be one unpredictable turn that we wouldn't like to have at our side.
"He'll be fine; he's the Lycan King. He's got this," I said to myself, and the more I said it, the more I reassured myself that the Lycan possessed powers that one could not begin to fathom.
Looking back at the food, I realized that I didn't have much of an appetite myself, and so I stood up. The rest of the maids immediately began clearing the table while I headed out of the dining room.
I looked both ways, but I didn't see where Tyler had gone. Anyway, it wasn't like I was worried about him. He could take care of himself, and he could take care of me too. It put a small smile on my lips.
However, the smile evaporated right out of my face once I caught sight of a woman walking straight towards me. No, I'd like to think that she was walking towards the dining room instead, and I just happened to be in her way.
She was the tall, regal blonde woman that I bumped into during the tour. There was no hint of recognition in her face. I remembered what the guard said: the Lycan King's sister. I didn't know what to make of her yet, but I didn't have a very good impression of her, and I didn't know if I was going to fix that or if it was necessary to fix that. There was this bitchy personality around her in general.
"Who are you?" she asked, regarding me as a servant. It made me like her even less now.
"Um, did Luna around here?" I said.
"I think I should be the one asking the questions. So, who are you?"
Initially, I didn't want to throw it around, but if she was going to look down on me, then I was going to stand it. She stared at me, her lips drawn in a hard line.
"Genevieve Wilson," she said. "Tyler's sister." She walked around me in her six-inch heels, her frown growing with each passing second. "You are that little traitor, aren't you?"
I clenched my fist beside me, hearing the word again made my ears tingle. "I'm not a traitor," I said coldly.
"Right, but you definitely don't look good enough for Tyler," she spat.