108

\*\*LUCIANA'S POV\*\*



I was still reeling from the events of the day. Arielle had finally put Chestnut in her place.



Although I'm scared...growing up, I did not know Clara as someone who'd easily give up. She's usually always saucy and spicy, not leaving out her mean nature. 



When I was eight, there was this time Lenato suggested that they let me be for a while, since for the whole month they'd been constantly torturing me, but she refused, calling him faint-hearted.



She'd come to my room, better still cage… And hit me to her satisfaction before leaving, but could I speak up?. Who would I even tell? 



Mum and Dad were literally doing the same, and attempting to tell her, would be reporting the devil to him.



As we walked out of the elevator, we headed home. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. The tension between myself and Clara, although slightly hidden, was finally over...such relief.



The relief was, however, short-lived. As we walked out of the elevator, a strange man appeared out of nowhere.



His eyes were burning with bitterness sort of, as he took daring steps towards Arielle.



I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized something was certainly wrong. The man's eyes didn't leave Arielle, and I could sense hatred emanating from him.



Arielle, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice, she was sniffing something, with a horrific look on her face.



I wanted to call out to her, or grab her attention in a way.



The man didn't look nor seem nice. His eyes were distant and weary, his hair was unkempt, he didn't look like someone who was conscious of anything else aside from Arielle.



Was I over-thinking ?



Or is he perhaps a rogue wolf?



The man took another step closer to Arielle, his eyes never leaving her. I could suddenly sense tension, brooding, and anticipation.



Something sinister was about to happen…something that might change everything forever, and I didn't know how to stop it. 



Or maybe I was exaggerating.



I wanted to shake her, or scream to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, but I was frozen in place, unable to move or utter a word.



Suddenly, Arielle's head snapped up, and her eyes locked on the man.



Her face grew pale, as her eyes flashed with fear and horror.



What's going on? She doesn't seem too surprised. Does she perhaps know him?



"A... Adrian" she stuttered, trembling.



The man didn't answer, instead he took another step closer to her, his eyes still blazing. 



At that point, I was certain...he was a man on a mission, and I didn't know what the mission was.



Before I could understand what was going on, the man had already stabbed Arielle with an extremely swift motion.



I felt like I was in slow motion...no, it was like everything stopped as my mind tried to process what was happening. One moment the man was standing there, his eyes blazing with hatred, and the next Arielle was stumbling backwards, with a look of shock and pain on her face.



I tried to scream, but my voice was frozen. I tried to move, but my legs were rooted to the floor. All I could do was watch in horror as Arielle fell to the ground, with the man's dagger still lodged in her inside, and the man still standing and staring hatefully at her.



"Serves you right...now you'd certainly go and join her."



I finally found my voice, screaming at the top of my lungs. "Guards! Guards!" I shouted, wondering where everyone else was going, but then I recalled we were in the VIP hallway, only for Arielle and her very special guests, so her staff couldn't be anywhere close.



The man didn't even flinch at my scream. He still stood there, his eyes fixed on Arielle, as if he was savoring the moment.



I was starting to feel like I was going crazy. Why wasn't anyone coming to help us? Why was the man just standing there? Did criminals not run away after perpetrating evil? So why was he still standing there?



Then I saw guards, huge and intimidating ones, running towards us.



I felt a wave of relief wash over me as their numbers increased.



Whatever stopped them from showing up earlier.



They charged at the man and within a short while they already had him bundled.



My gaze drifted to Arielle lying down weakly on the bare floor, with blood still oozing from where she was stabbed.



"Let's get her to the hospital." I suggested, panicking and slightly trembling. "She's losing so much blood."



But there on the floor, Arielle's weak voice muttered a "no."



"Are you sure you don't want to be treated?" I asked, unable to conceal my worried expression.



"I'm fine...just take me home" she said again. "Duncan knows what to do."



I agreed and gestured for the guards to come get her. We got to the car, and I sat with her in the back seat, while the driver and a guard sat in the front.



As the drive began, my mind wandered to the man, and his rather creepy attack… 



Who exactly is he? What was he sent for?



Could this perhaps be Clara's handiwork? She just left without uttering a word. Did she do so because she had an attack already planned out?



I couldn't put my hands on what exactly was going on, but I was certain it wasn't something minor.



A part of me kept whispering some scary words to me, scaring me even more.



As we drove, the silence in the car was rather oppressive. The driver and guard at the front didn't say a word, and Arielle was too weak to talk. I was left with my thoughts, and they own, were not so pleasant.



If Clara was behind the attack, what did she stand to gain?



I was her problem, I've always been...so why Arielle?



What if it was someone else behind the attack? But who else?



Tired of thinking and getting no result, I looked over at Arielle, and that same moment, she looked into my face. "Don't worry, Luciana," she whispered. "I'll be fine."



I forced a smile on my face, although I was scared of the worst. "Of course you will." I murmured, my gaze lingering on the bleeding abdomen, and the knife still stuck in it.



As we pulled up at the mansion, I was shocked to see Duncan waiting for us. How did he know what had happened? I didn't recall calling him, and I was certain that Arielle hadn't either. She was too weak to even talk, let alone make phone calls.





He rushed over to the car. His face set in a worried expression. "What happened?" He demanded, his eyes scanning Arielle's pale face.



I shook my head, feeling a lump form in my throat, as the weight of his anger was already causing the temperature in the parking lot to grow cold. "A man... A man just appeared out of nowhere and stabbed her."



His face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. 



He took her from the guard, making his way to the mansion, while I followed suit, watching Arielle's blood make a trail behind.



...



I waited anxiously outside Alpha Duncan's chamber, my mind racing with thoughts of Arielle's condition. Over an hour had passed since he had taken her inside, and I was starting to get worried.



Just as I was about to pace back and forth, the door to the chamber opened, and Duncan stepped out. His face was grim, and his eyes were cold with what looked so much like fear.



"The sword that stabbed her...it's the Mystic Sword," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.



I felt like I had been punched in the gut. The Mystic Sword was a legendary sword, said to have the power to kill even the strongest of supernatural creatures. And it was also said to have no cure...