23. The Princess is MINE.

The blood-covered male roamed around the forest, quietly following the young woman. By the time when she gets back home, Ally wouldn't remember anything after the connection between them emerged. The sickening grin spread over his lips, showing off the rows of inhumane canine teeth. Even shifters didn't have as many as the creature did. Everything, the same as his appearance, came for a reason. He ate his victims, tore their flesh apart like fabric with teeth alone.

He loved watching her; the creature had been doing it for a while before they met. There was a reason for him to crawl to the town tonight, leading the clueless Princess straight to wherever he was. Everything that had happened to the young woman during the day was just a part of his plan. Even simple things such as drinking water was a list of his ideas for her to do. Ally wasn't a seeder, the man might be a monster, but he wasn't that terrible. He had enough of his seeders surrounding the young woman to make sure that she's under control. Still, the young woman wouldn't be a marionette herself. Each time when Ally nearly tripped over a branch, the male was there, catching her and holding her until she regained the balance. Their eyes never met, not even once; she was under a trance with the goal on her mind.

He enjoyed every little sway of her hips, wondering why the young Princess kept hiding that gorgeous figure of hers. At times, he couldn't understand why Ally didn't see herself the way he did. Monster or not, the male knew his way around beautiful women. Since Ally so blindly trusted his lies and invited the male to stay over, he could easily roam over the territory she was staying at. He didn't carry any scent, so no one would ever suspect an intruder on these lands. That is if they wouldn't think that the awful stench of fresh blood was something rather uncommon. The man took a deep breath, closing his eyes in delight. Roaming around new territories thrilled him, especially since he was locked in for such a long time. All that was left was sitting back and waiting for the moment to strike. Just a couple of hours, and he would come eye to eye with the infamous Watchers.

As soon as they appeared near the house, which was soaked in Ally's scent, the male stooped. He made sure to stay hidden within the tree line, climbing up on one to watch from afar. The blood still dripped from his clothing, but he didn't care- he set one goal, the same as his precious shifted female was. Ally reached the house; the same disgusting grin spread over his lips as he watched her regaining her senses. She was met by a man who instantly pulled her into a hug. The male snarled, disgusted by her being close to anyone else but him.

It took just a couple of minutes for a crowd of strangers to appear; a woman entered the house as if it belonged to her, while others stood to guard around the perimeter. A couple of them neared the monster's hideout, making him excited for what is about to come.

"Get down so that I can face you." After a light knocks on the tree, a powerful voice booms throughout the forest.

With ease, the monster jumped down the tree branch and landed on the ground with perfection. He didn't make a sound after the impact. His brow rose at the view of the Watcher, standing in front of him.

"So we finally meet the famously infamous Watcher. The pleasure is all mine." The male grinned, making Anto's face twist in disgust. Dried up blood on his face made the male look like a maniac.

"Who the fuck are you?" Anto stepped back, doing his best to avoid breathing in the stench of blood. It would drive him to do impossible things, like a switch which fueled him to lose whatever control he held before killing everyone around them.

"I have a better question for you, though. Was it really so difficult to notice the stench of blood I'm carrying? I've been roaming around this territory for quite a while, yet only now you find me. Have you lost your catch, Watcher? Or the reason is fear for your precious Princesses' safety? I'm curious enough to start a conversation, appreciate that much." Anto felt weirdly threatened, standing so close to the odd stranger. He had never met anyone who didn't carry even a bit of their own scent. There were many possibilities, but the only logical explanation was that the male was a creature of the darkness. Someone who dug his way up from the underground and had a little fun with the living.

The problem with creatures of the darkness was that they were unpredictable. What they considered fun and games were nothing but destruction and terror among shifters and humans. Anto hadn't heard a thing about those nasty murderers letting their instincts wild for years now. It left him wondering what was the male doing around there, and why did he appear. After silently processing the information and any knowledge Anto had, he nearly gasped. It was the night of the blood moon, the most dangerous night for anyone who craved blood.

"If you know who I am, it's only fair if I get to know who you are. Let's not lose the last bits of humanity we carry and introduce ourselves. You already know that I'm the Watcher, the name's Anto." He stepped back again, fearing to take on more of the scent that he wished to. Metallic touch to human and shifter blood nearly drove Anto insane, pushing him to find any target or victim without reason.

"I am everything and nothing: something or someone. I am the unexplainable and unbelievable. I am the fear itself, in the flesh. I am the vengeful, the best of past and present. Does it ring a bell, Anto?" The stranger made sure to change his tone of voice as the Watcher's name left his lips. For some reason, he kept grinning like a mad man, making Anto feel a cold shiver run down his spine. He had to feel fear, despite being as powerful as he was, Anto knew that there are bigger fishes than him out there.

"Drop the bullshit, why did you come here uninvited and why were you following the Princess? I'm sure you're familiar with the peace treaty we signed ages ago. You are not to invade someone's territory unless permission is given." Anto didn't want to back down. Whatever was the stranger doing on forbidden lands- he couldn't be there.

"Who said I came uninvited? The young Princess was more than happy to offer and provide me with a household. She invited me; she led me here and didn't protest when I decided to watch from afar. I was waiting for you, actually. And no, I'm not planning to kill any of the Watchers, well- at least tonight. I'm curious about how you look and act. I've always wanted to see one of you in person. Happens the unexpected, and it's my lucky day, or night for you, facing the strongest one. Tell me, Anto, how does it feel to stand on the top? How does it feel to live without a single hint of fear for your existence? Was the feeling thrilling enough to drive you moving forward? Was it... safe?" The male walked around Anto, taking in every little detail.

The Watcher returned the favor, observing the movements of a stranger. He walked, talked, and acted like a predator. Not one forced by anyone, but one created by nature. Anto was sure that the stranger wasn't one of the Moon Goddesses children; he was nowhere near any shifter alive. The Watcher had to figure out what it was and what it wanted on the territory where their Princess was held. There was a possibility of this creature putting everyone under great danger, the Watchers, including. The King was close enough to protect his precious child, but now, Anto feared that it couldn't be enough.

"You're quite interesting... thing. Talking in riddles, asking weird questions, and watching over me as if I was your next prey. You might be strong and powerful, I can feel it, but it doesn't mean that I would ever go down without a fight. Go on, keep observing, you won't find any weakness of mine." Anto grinned, feeling like he was on top of the world. Showing fear wasn't in his nature, and he wouldn't do that even if his life would depend on it.

"Watcher, you're underestimating me, such a pity. Would you play with a pray easy to get? I don't think so. It ruins the hunt, the drive to go further. I prefer my prey fighting for their life rather than hiding away and shaking as I roam around their surroundings. I want you to run and fight; I want to see the determination to survive in your eyes as I slit your throat. I want to see despair and pain. Now, now, dear Anto, don't take me for a fool. Your kind doesn't have any psychical weaknesses, yet the heart and mind are where it is. Your weakness is others, the ones you care about. Being a heartless monster doesn't sound as bad anymore, does it? How about that pretty little Princess of yours, is she important?" With each word leaving those parted lips, Anto felt the threat growing. He was ready to attack any moment now, holding onto the last bits of patience. The Watcher wanted to make sure Ally was safe, with or without backup from his warriors. Baka should be locked in one room with their Princess, the thought alone made Anto feel a little better. But the stranger still stood near, meaning that he had to watch out and keep his senses high. Anything could happen now.

"Don't you ever dare to even think of it!" Anto barked out, trying to intimidate the stranger. Maybe, just maybe, if he stood his ground, the creature would understand that Anto will not give in and leave.

"There we go, I found the weakness without trying." The disgusting monster laughed, showing off the pride in what he accomplished.

"I'll kill you before you think of getting near her!" Anto tried to threaten the stranger, hoping it might be the right approach. He couldn't just attack without calculating his chances beforehand. Anything could happen now, and Anto didn't know a thing about how strong the beast actually was, nor any of his weaknesses.

"Is that so? Pity, but go on, kill me, Watcher!" He stood in front of Anto with his hands up in the air. The mocking grin on his lips made the stranger look disgusting and vile. There wasn't a single feature about his appearance, which might scream "good." As much as Anto tried to figure out whom he was facing, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. Being one of the oldest, he had to know who the creature was, but he didn't. It frustrated the Watcher; he didn't like being wrong or clueless. The only idea he came up with was the male being another creation outside the womb of Mother Nature; he must be an experiment, same as Anto was. Maybe they were more alike than he thought, but if that's so- why was the stranger after his kind? Why did he suddenly appear to take everyone down without announcing himself first? The stranger took Antos's silence as a sign of retreat and laughed.
"I want to see you attempting to kill me. You can, but I'll be back within a few years, couldn't say the same about your precious little Princess. Ally, right? Such a pure and innocent name for such a wildfire. She is something else, isn't she? I like her hair and eyes. Eyes especially, those are alluring, never seen ones as such. I like the way she half-smiles whenever she looks at me and how her cheeks change color to the gentlest of pink. Barely noticeable, but it's there. I like her laugh, and stupid jokes she thinks are funny. And I absolutely love how naive she is. How can someone so powerful be that trusting without noticing a thing? Ah, I could only imagine the defeat and agony dancing in her eyes when she meets the consequences of her actions. You never know, but I do know what is about to come. If only you wouldn't protect her as much if only you would tell her that there's a great evil lurking outside the castle. Weak, stupid creatures couldn't give Princess a decent life lesson. Don't blame me; it's all of you, the Royals, and whoever surrounded her these years." The mockery in his voice was unbearable, making Anto tremble in anger. He pulled his hands into tight fists, avoiding the possibility of being the one who strikes first.

"To get to her, you will have to get over mine and a hundred other corpses of the Watchers first. Then you'll face every living shifter they rule, and even if you succeed, you still have to face the King and his allies. It's funny how you assume that going after one woman is worth it. It's funny how you think that defeating the ruler of shifters, his defense lines, and ruler of the underworld would be so easy. Guess you slept for too long, Wrath." Anto grinned as he watched the surprise on the stranger's face appear. He had won the first little battle; he figured out whom he was facing. It was a dangerous game to play, but worth every moment of it. The Watcher would go down, but he would with a smile on his lips- facing the worst one of the seven deadly sins was a dream come true.

"Figured out pretty quickly, I see. Good for you. I would be proud of you if I wouldn't want to kill you right now. So, how are we doing this? You attack first? Do I? You fight back to defend yourself, or I end your life on the spot?" He kept playing the game of cat and mouse. Anto was the mouse, but the man was the most dangerous cat you could ever think of. One from which there is no way to escape, one you could have no chance against for.

"Whatever suits you, although, I would love to see the look on your face when she walks down the aisle to the altar. To marry a man she promised to. You want her just because you can't get her now. And you won't get her ever. The Princess will marry the next ruler of the underworld. Good luck fighting a battle you can never win." Antos's cold behavior sent the creature over the edge. He grabbed the Watcher by the throat and smashed his body into the nearest tree, lifting it. The more anger he felt, the bigger he grew, losing whatever human alike features he had. Blood covered monster grinned, showing off lines of perfectly sculpted canine teeth.

"She is MINE! Nobody can have her; the Princess is MINE!" The beast roared out, his voice so full of power and rage, it shook the grounds of the territory.

The smirk on Antos's face faded, replaced by the purest form of absolute shock. Only now he was putting everything together, only now everything finally made sense. "Your souls... they're." Anto tried to choke out. He didn't need oxygen to survive, the Watchers didn't breathe, but only a couple knew how their bodies function. One who doesn't breathe but looks like a human form had the same inner organs, which means that cutting off the airflow was an easy way to kill them without needing it in the first place. Just a little more pressure, just a little more of Anto not fighting back, would send him right to the grave.

The beast wasn't a merciful creature, but he wanted for Anto to watch over how the Princess would be claimed. By none other than the Wrath himself. He dropped the Watcher and stepped aside, losing the interest in his prey way too quickly.

"They are. Should have told pretty little Ally how dangerous howling at the blood moon might be. She is mine. Don't forget that, and don't ever let anyone else forget that either. You've been warned. I'll see you around, Watcher Anto." The creature disappeared within the shadows, leaving no trace of its existence, but fear and despair alone.

"Ally, what have you done?"