**CHAPTER NINE.**
Drake kept staring at me as I tried to process what he had just told me. The royal family of Edinburgh were werewolves…it made me wonder if what my nana had told me about werecats being the only supernatural beings on earth was true. How much of the world did I even know? How much of the world was still kept a secret?
"A werewolf?" I echoed, my eyes still locked on him. "Why would you trust me with such a secret?"
It didn't make sense for him to disclose his family's hidden nature to someone he barely knew.
"Aren't you afraid I might tell everyone?" I asked, testing his confidence.
Drake smiled, resting his hand under his chin. "You wouldn't dare."
"And why's that?" I pressed.
"Because you're just like us," he replied.
"Why do you think so?"
"Werewolves have an incredibly keen sense of smell, Eline," he said, taking my hands. He lifted it towards his nose and sniffed it. I was convinced the Gallaghers had a knack for sniffing people. "You smell like a well-groomed cat. You're a werecat, aren't you?"
I frowned, surprised that he had figured out my identity in just a matter of minutes. I could tell he was different from the rest of his family. The way he acted and carried himself made me know he was eccentric. I took my hand away from his as I stood up from the floor, adjusting my gown. "I should leave now."
Drake stood, and a maid promptly brought him his wheelchair. As he sat down, I wondered why he used a wheelchair if he could stand. Once seated, he moved back, creating distance between us. "I can tell you a lot about the world you haven't seen yet. As a werecat—"
"I don't remember admitting to being a werecat, Drake," I interrupted.
"But I can prove that you're one, Eline," he said with a grin.
"I bet you can," I replied sarcastically.
All I wanted was to leave the Gallagher mansion and go home. But I knew they'd likely prevent me, especially now that I knew their secret. It wasn't as if I wanted to know; Drake had forced the information on me. The existence of werewolves made me question what other lycanthropes might be out there. My whole life, I thought werecats were the only ones who could shift.
"I'm leaving," I said, my voice firm. I didn't care to see Draken or the rest of his family anymore. I knew he'd be fine. Besides, I didn't have any business with him.
As I took a step, I was quickly surrounded by several armed men in suits. I had my heart in my hands. Where had they come from?
I looked at Drake and he had a friendly smile on his face. Still, the smile felt like he was daring me to make a move. "What the hell is happening? I just want to return to my dorm. It's not like I forced you to tell me your family and you are werewolves. Please, I just want to leave."
"You will," he replied, "but first, I need to confirm if you're a werecat."
"And how do you plan to do that?" I asked, my voice trembling as his smile grew wider. It was no longer a friendly smile—it was cold, almost sinister.
Drake moved his wheelchair toward the dining room, stopping beside one of the armed men. "If you're going to keep your secret, I'll have to confirm it myself. There's no loss for me, after all, I'm just a curious person."
"And how are you planning to do that? A blood test?" I asked, my anxiety rising.
"No," he said, his smile widening. "A cat has nine lives, right, Eline?"
My heart raced as his words sank in. I knew what he planned on doing. Growing up, my nana had told me about the advantages and disadvantages of being a werecat, and one of the advantages involved the number of lives we had. Each werecat had nine birthmarks on its back, each birthmark signifying each of the nine lives, meaning we were opportune to cheat death nine times. On the ninth time, we were bound to die a painful, gruesome death.
I gripped the hem of my dress, trying to think of a way out. I didn't want to die. Well, not like I was going to die, but I was still going to feel the pain. I was also scared…*scared* that I might die. It was true that I did have nine birthmarks on my back also, but I couldn't be sure I had all nine lives. What if I was different? What if I was an abnormal werecat? The thought terrified me.
"Please, don't do anything rash," I pleaded.
"Too late," he said, raising his hand.
The men around immediately pointed their guns at me. It was my first time seeing guns so up close, and it terrified me. My body trembled, adrenaline surging through me. I thought about what I could do to escape my current situation, but I couldn't think of anything.
*Shift, Eline.*
I looked around and thought of a place I could escape through if I did shift, but shifting was a painful process, taking five minutes of agonizing transformation. There was no way I'd survive that with all these guns aimed at me. Besides, I had only shifted once and that was under the guidance of my parents on my 18th birthday.
A sigh escaped my lips as my brain racked for ways to get myself out of my current situation. "Wait," I said, desperately trying to think of a way out. "You caught me. I admit I'm a werecat, so can you let me go now?"
"I still have to test that in practical," he said with a smirk.
"But seeing my shift could also be practical, right? You don't need to shoot me." I chuckled nervously, feeling sweat break out of my skin.
"I already know you are a werecat, my dear Eline," he said, touching his nose. "I never doubt this nose of mine. When I first perceived your scent, I could immediately discern you were a lycanthrope. What I want to know is if truly cats have nine lives."
I knew Drake had no intention of letting me go easily. He was fixated on testing his theory, regardless of the consequences. I was scared for my life, wondering if anyone would step in to help me. Where the hell was Draken? Where the hell were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh? Where was Draken elder sister? For some reason, I believed they were the only ones who could get me out of my current situation.
"What's happening here?" a voice called out. It was the duke, descending the stairs with the duchess and Aurora. Draken was trailing behind like a scolded puppy, and I had never been so happy to see him.
"Drake is trying to kill me!" I shouted, panicking. "I just want to go home."
They eventually alighted the stairs. While my eyes were set on the duke, I could still feel Draken burning gaze on me.
The duke stared at Drake. "What's happening, son?" He asked. I also took note of the fact that he had called Drake his son. Ever since I set my eyes on Drake and his uncanny similarity to Draken, I had my suspicions. "Why are you trying to kill your brother's guest?"
Drake replied nonchalantly, "She's not going to die, father. I'm just trying to do a practical here. I just want to test a theory on her."
Draken stepped forward, breaking through the armed men to hold my hand. My heart skipped a beat at his gesture—it felt like a moment out of a *Disney* fairytale. "You won't be testing any theories on her, Drake," he said firmly. “She's my mate.”
“—What?” I spat incredulously.
Draken brought his gaze to me, holding my hand even tighter as he nodded. “Yes, Eline. I know for sure that you're my mate.”
That couldn't be possible…it just couldn't. I was a werecat…and Draken was a werewolf. We couldn't possibly be mates. Werecats didn't have mates! We couldn't.
There was a shift in the air, one that felt palpable. Drake's demeanor darkened. "I see, she's your mate? But no one can prevent me from doing what I want to do, Draken, even if she's your mate. Everyone in the Gallagher household knows that," Drake threatened in a menacingly low voice. He looked down at Draken and my hand which were joined together and he smirked, shaking his head. Draken tightened his hold on my hand. "One way or another, I'm going to have my way.”
"But—" Draken began, but he was cut off.
"No buts, little brother. I get it, she's your mate, but she isn't going to die," Drake interrupted. "Father and mother, you can leave. I know you might not like the sight of blood on your floor."
The duke and duchess exchanged glances before leaving. If there was one thing I noticed, it was the fact that they all seemed to respect his decisions no matter how ridiculous they were. None of them even dared to question him. Aurora had a disinterested look, moving toward Drake with a slight smirk on her lips.
I, on the other hand, was still reeling from the information Draken had dropped about me being his mate.
"Aurora, please can you convince Drake to not go ahead with this plan of his?" Draken asked.
She shook her head. "Sorry, little brother, I get she's your mate…even though I don't know how that works, but I'm as curious as Drake is. Also, you know no one can go against Drake, not even our parents. You also know me so well to know I'm unbothered. Never have been bothered; never will be."
The way Aurora spoke about Drake made me know he was trouble. I wondered what sort of power he had to make even his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, speechless before him.
"Besides, I've always wanted to experiment on werecats," Drake declared. "So I can't let Eline go. Think of her as my lab-rat. Let go of her hands now!"
Draken held my hand tighter, but then, as if under a spell, he released it and stepped back. The armed men formed a tighter circle around me, their guns trained on my chest. I felt my heart race fast and my body trembled with fear. They pulled the safety trigger and my pulse quickened, as did my breath.
"Please, can you not kill me?" I pleaded, feeling tears roll down my cheeks. I didn't even realize that I had been crying.
"Nine hundred and sixty-three times," Drake said, his voice low and dangerous. "Do you know what that number means?"
I shook my head, my mind racing with thoughts of escape.
"That's the number of times Draken has died," he explained.
I looked toward Draken, *my supposedly mate,* who averted his gaze. My heart ached for him. What had happened to him?
"You only have to die once, Eline, and I promise to let you go," Drake assured me, but my gaze was still set on Draken. I was still finding it hard to believe that Draken Gallagher, my self-proclaimed nemesis, the hottest dude on campus, one person I thought was *perfect* was now my *mate* and had died so much that I couldn't even wrap my head around it. "I promise to compensate you greatly, Eline. Deal?"
Ah, Karina. If I had stubbornly refused to attend yesterday's party, I wouldn't have been in the situation I currently was in.
"I await your answer, Eline," Drake pressed on.
I knew there was no way I could talk him out of it. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Shoot me," I said, accepting my fate.
The last thing I heard was a scream, followed by the deafening sound of gunshots.