CHAPTER 159 — THE BAD NEWS

DARIUS.

"I have bad news, Master," Rocky said as he entered the office, and Darius quickly stood up.

"What do you mean by bad news?" His wolf growled as he asked the inquiry, and the dreadful feeling he'd had in the previous several days returned.

Goosebumps emerged on his skin, and he wanted to scratch his entire body but stopped himself. Before taking any action, he needed to hear what Rocky had to say.

In the back of his mind, Darius had a clue as to what this might be about, but he suppressed the thought immediately.

No! No! Whatever news Rocky had for him was unconnected to Brielle. She was fine. She was still in the motel, and...

"Okay, since you said I should go on…" Rocky cleared his throat and announced, "Brielle is nowhere to be found."

Darius remained still. He felt like ice had been poured over him, and his bones and muscles stiffened. Shivers spread across his skin, and the hair on his arms stood up.

"Master, you are not saying anything," Rocky spoke after a while.

Still, Darius remained silent. He could not even blink. He stood there, shocked. Frozen to the spot as if he were a statue. What would he say? How would he start? What questions would he even pose?

"Master…" Rocky yelled out again, but Darius hardly heard it. Except for the quick beat of his heart against his chest, his entire world appeared to have come to a standstill. "Master, are you alright?" Rocky moved out to put his hand on Darius' shoulder, but he recoiled.

"You are joking, right Rocky?" Darius snapped; his voice ragged. He forced a slight smile on his lips and said, "Brielle is still at the motel, correct? She is safe. This is only some..."

"I am not joking, master. Brielle has disappeared, and the motel was burned down. We made some inquiries and asked questions. It appears that some rogue wolves attacked the motel. Nobody knows who they are or whether anyone survived. There were also many casualties, and all of them were burned to ashes.”

Darius vigorously shook his head, refusing to believe what Rocky said.

Okay, the motel had burned down, but Brielle was still alive and well. He could feel it. She was safe because his wolf still growled whenever her name was spoken. The beast in him reacted at any mention of her.

"No, this can’t be!" He yelled, reaching for his desk and removing every accessory and object from the table.

Darius didn't mind that his laptop, cell phone, and files were strewn across the floor.

"Master! You must remain calm!" Rocky muttered and ran towards him, but Darius raised his hand to stop him.

His eyes were scarlet, and he was distraught. He was angry with himself for letting Brielle go. No, she had to leave, but... He wouldn't even let her explain or accept that his wrath, which had been controlling his thoughts all along, pushed him to send her away. And now he was suffering the consequences.

He paced around the office, kicking everything in his path.

"Master, you have to stop," Rocky said again, and this time, he caught up with Darius, grabbed him by the arms, and hauled him to the floor, effectively preventing him from causing any more damage or harm in the office.

"I caused this. She may be dead now, and it is entirely due to my ignorance. I was blinded by the past and refused to let her explain, even though she asked. I ignored her and sent her out to be prey for my adversaries. What if they kidnapped and killed her? What if she was tortured all day and night while I..." He trailed off, picturing the rest of his thoughts as he sobbed heavily.

"We can still find her master. We don't know whether she is dead or not.”

Darius didn't care that Rocky was with him. He wasn't embarrassed to be crying in the arms of his guard; instead, all he could think about was how he had failed Brielle.

He had caused this, and now he had to suffer and pay the price.

***

BRIELLE.

"Like I said earlier, darling, I'm not the bad guy." Draken massaged her hair as he spoke.

Brielle held back a hiss.

He had murdered her father, held her captive here, and now dared to claim he wasn't the bad guy.

Brielle wanted to spit in his face and declare repeatedly that he was the bad guy. He was the devil masquerading as a human, but she kept calm and silent.

He had been talking for hours, and she had kept mute. Because she honestly didn't know what to say. And most importantly, she was frightened to say something he wouldn't like. Then, he would lash out at her.

"You won't say anything, huh?” Draken asked. "You see, I'm not a bad person. Yes, I have done many fearful things, but I am just doing so to regain what is rightfully mine. So forgive me if I appear selfish."

After that statement, he chuckled and stood up straight. He took a step away, causing Brielle to sigh with relief.

"Let me tell you a little story. No, the major story, rather.” He smirked. "Do you know that this whole Washington city once belonged to me?"

Brielle still did not say anything. She just raised her eyebrows.

Grinning and dramatically clapping his hand, Draken began his so-called tale. He told Brielle everything she needed to know about Washington City and why the vast territory was his apparent birthright.

This metropolis, which now housed humans, wolves, vampires, and other monsters, started as a small pack, with him destined to be the Alpha. But then his brother had betrayed him and, using a brilliant ploy, became the Alpha King.

Unable to bear the shame, Draken had gone into exile, only to return a few years later.

He'd devised a master plan, orchestrated his brother's death to teach him a lesson, and after successfully carrying it out, he fled into the shadows again, where he waited, watched, and bided his time.

Now, he was ready to reclaim his rightful reign. And with all the power in the world at his disposal, he intended to do just that.

At the end of his speech, he offered Brielle a triumphant smile.

"So what do you think?" He smirked again. "As you can see, I am returning to take back my throne. I want to inflict revenge on every last Havix descendent who gains power. What do you think about that?"

He laughed at his joke. The laughter was loud and mocking. It resonated across the room and sounded like an executioner's laughter. It made Brielle’s skin crawl.

She knew he'd kill her eventually, and he was simply waiting till he got what he wanted. Right now, he looked anxious to tell her about his ideas and foolish schemes.

But dammit, everything amused her.

She remembered how he had labeled her father cruel for showing no sympathy or concern for her, his flesh and blood, and now he was talking about killing the last descendants of his family. Brielle felt repulsed, and her lips turned bitter at the same time.

"You don't want to say a thing?" He scoffed, then took two steps forward. "You shouldn't, though. Your silence is even better."

He clacked his teeth as he continued. "I know you must be wondering why I still have you here. But you see, you're an essential tool for me."

He leaned forward. He was close enough that Brielle could smell his putrid odor. His breath smelled like rotting fish or something worse. "You'll be beneficial to me. You will help me rebuild my kingdom." With a rapid stroke of his hand, he seized her chin. He yanked it upwards until their eyes were level, then released his grip and rested his hands on her shoulders. The contact burnt her skin. "You will be the perfect tool to draw out my beloved niece, Darius Havix.“

Her jaw fell. She glanced at him, shocked. Everything was beginning to make sense now. Of course, this explained a lot. Why had he made her father endure so much to bring her to him? It was because of this because of his evil plans. He must have found out she was Lord Darius’s mate, and now she would be bait.

"No, no…" Brielle murmured and shook her head, but the man before her did not care.

He started again. "To get him out of the way or summon him, I need to call out to him in a specific way, and do you know how?" He queried, tenderly touching her cheek. "As much as I don't want to torture you because I have other lovely plans for both of us, I just have to do it. It's the only way Darius Havix will get to meet me. When he learns of your suffering, he will not hesitate to come here and fight for you. And you know what happens next.” His eyes twinkled when he finished. "I will catch him off guard and kill him."

"You will not do that! Darius would murder you before you ever knew it." Brielle spat, shutting her mouth tightly as the words came out.

"What did you just say?" Draken partially shouted, his stare sharpening as he quickly grasped her hair, prompting her to yell.

"What the fuck did you just say?" He inquired again, gritting his teeth furiously. "Surely you don't…"

Brielle did not let him finish. Despite the pain coursing through her body, she mustered the strength to speak. "I know Darius would defeat you, and I’ll say it repeatedly. You are no match for him at all. Your method will also fail because Darius hates me now. He knows about my father's involvement in the deaths of his parents and fiancée. So you may torture me all you want, but Darius Havix is not coming here. He hates me now, and..."

"You slut!" Draken screamed and struck her hard. "You fucking cunt." He cursed again and kicked her shin.

He continued to hit her despite her pleading and sobbing for him to stop.

Her statements must have upset him considerably, but she could not retract them because they were true. Darius despised her now. He hated her so much, and it hurts.

She would certainly die at the hands of this wicked man, for Darius would never appear. Regardless of what Draken thought, she was no longer bait for him, and this knowledge filled her with sadness.