Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Duncan

It was one chaos after another. At this point, I wouldn't be shocked if I was also Azeal's son.

I had no idea what to do now, beating Azeal to death was a little more awkward now than it was only an hour ago.

Anna was pacing about.

I had no idea how to comfort her.

She'd spent her entire life blaming my father and me for her mother's death, now, it turned out it was all Azeal's.

Her father had killed her mother.

I'd be defeated too if I had heard news like that.

"How is she?" Lucas walked up to me several hours later.

"Not good. She's refused to speak. She is distraught,"

"Of course she will be. She just found out her father killed her mother,'

Lucas sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe it either. Azeal is a  bastard, but this? It's beyond anything I imagined. This is inhumane,"

"Indeed. I have no idea how to comfort Anna. I feel like a failure,"

"You're anything but. This is something you can't comfort anyone through. Her entire identity has been flipped upside down. Let her grieve."

Lucas advised

I sighed.

He was right. He was completely right.

I wanted to kill the monster with my gate handsome what kind of monster would let his daughter go through such excruciating pain?

What kind of fawhe, what kind of monsters ltws his daughter carry a burden that he created?

She spent years hunting ghosts while the real devi sat in plain sight, pretending to be a memory.

Lucas stayed quiet beside me, and for once, I was grateful for the silence. My fists clenched. The urge to break something or someone was unbearable.

I glanced towards the door again

She hadn't eaten. Hadn't rested. Just paced like a storm trapped in a glass box. I could see it in her eyes, the disbelief, the heartbreak, the fury.

How was I supposed to help her carry this?

"I'll try again," I muttered, pushing away from the wall.

"Don't forget her," Lucas warned.

"I won't"

I knocked gently, then opened the door. She was still pacing. Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her temples like she could squeeze the memory out of her head.

"Anna?" I asked carefully and she snapped her head towards me.

She shook her head and ran towards me, eyes filled with tears and sorrow.

"Duncan, how could he do this?"

Anna asked, shaking uncontrollably as I held her close.

Celia was seated on the bed, looking absolutely distraught herself.

It looked like her brain had been rewired and she was having a hard time processing what was going on.

When Anna told her, she almost fainted.

She'd been lied to all her life and made to believe she went wanted by her parents when Azeal had stolen her away.

"O don't know my love," I whispered.

"I've spent years, years of my life..." she choked out. "trying to find my mother, hating you, thinking your father had sent the order to kill her but it was... it was my...it was my  own father. My father is Azeal?..."

Her voice broke and with it, my heart.

I would fight any monster for her but I couldn't fight this one

She had to do it herself.

"I should uh, I should go," Celia suddenly stood. There were tears in her eyes but she looked like she was trying to hide it.

Anna nodded.

They both needed space to process.

"I'm going to kill him," Anna suddenly whispered.

"I'm going to kill that bastard. I'm going to kill him!" Anna snapped, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she yelled.

I watched in silence, letting her get it out of her chest.

There was not much else I could do anyway.

She tore away from me and began pacing again, her fingers digging into her scalp as if she could claw the truth out of her mind. Her breaths came fast and heavy, the storm inside her threatening to shatter everything in its path.

"Anna..."

"I'm fine, 8k fine," she laughed but there was no humor in it.

"I just don't understand why he did all of this? For power? It doesn't make sense."

"Actually, he did this for another reason."

I said, not sure if this was the time to bring this up.

"What reason?" She suddenly looked up.

"Well, tell me!" She pushed, walking up to me.

"I don't think you're ready to hear this,Anna,"

"Tell me!" She snapped.

I stared at her, unsure if this was a good idea. I planned on eventually telling her but I was hoping when things finally blew over.

"I have something to show you."

I settled on telling her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Follow me," I said.

Ah hesitates but follows me into my closet.

I pulled the dresser out of the way and then pulled the lever.

She followed me down into the basement silently.

We passed by the weapons and vials on the walls and tables.

"Where are we going?" She questioned.

"You'll see." I said and continued to lead her till we got to a door.

I pushed it open and she didn't seem to flinch.

"You've been here haven't you?" I asked

She nodded.

"You've seen him then?" I asked, referring to the man laying on a table in a coma."

"Yes, I have," she whispered. "What is wrong with him?"

"About the experiment your mother was doing. It was not just her trying to understand werewolves as a species. It was her trying to find both a cure and a way to subdue them. She also worked for my father briefly, she helped make different drugs, at that time, I didn't know her or at least cared about her. Anyway, my father was working on a cure for the rogue diseases and she was helping out but sadly he passed away from it. That's him right there"

Anna's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Yes, I kept his body, well, her serum did. He's not decaying even though he's brain dead."

"How do I not know any of this? I feel like everyone else knows more about my mother than I do,"

"I know darling, I know how you feel."

"So, why does Azeal care about the rogue disease?"

"He doesn't. But he thinks he can tweak the formula to become a type of steroid he can use. He'd have been unstoppable if he got it and then he'd have used that power to subdue my pack."

"He killed my mother for a stupid formula?"

"No, I think he killed her thinking she'd given him the formula."

Anna turned around, exasperated beyond belief.

I suddenly felt her anger bubble up into a degree that was bordered on rage.

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him," she snarled.

Before I could make much sense of her words, she was walking out of the room and out of the basement, grabbing a baseball bat covered in silver and iron spikes.

"Anna," she ignored me, walking towards the west wing.

"What's going on?" Celia, Lucas and Alice followed me.

"Looks like she's about to kill Azeal,"

I shrugged.

"I see, I guess we should get ready for the show, then."

I made my way into the West Wing basement where Anna was already beating Azeal with the bat.

You fucking bastard!" She growled.

"You killed her, you killed her and you don't care!"

She continued to hit him.

Blood sprayed with every strike, the metallic scent sharp in the air. Azeal, chained and barely conscious, choked on his own breath.

Anna, stop!" I shouted, but she didn't hear me or maybe she didn't care.

"You lied to me! You ruined my life!" she sobbed, bringing the bat down again.

Lucas lunged forward, grabbing her arm mid-swing. "Enough!"

"Why? Why should I?"

"I think you're not thinking straight,"

"Yes, I am. He destroyed my life, he destroyed Celia's life. He killed our mother."

Azeal suddenly began to laugh.

"You're just like me, daughter. you might not have your werewolf side but you're truly my daughter,"

That seemed to break something in Anna because she grabbed the bar tighter and hit him one last time.

Blood splattered everywhere.

He was dead.