28. I'm a secret.

The next couple of days went by in the blur. Ally couldn't find a place for herself, especially after her father returned to the Kingdom. Eros had heard about his daughter's and the Watchers meeting with Wrath, but everyone decided to keep it as a secret for the time being. If anyone found out that the Princess was technically engaged to Wrath, she would become a target.

For centuries the seven deadly sins, same as the creatures which represented them, were a mystery. Some believed they are real, some though it were tales of old to scare misbehaving children.
Before leaving the Princess behind, Eros took some time to research more about the seven deadly. Ally didn't want to be a part of it, nor she agreed to follow her father. She was determined to make sure that her family would be safe, especially without her around.
Wrath, carrying the fifth class, had been moved to the bottom of the charts. He was told to be the most dangerous of them all, even worse than Lust. Eros found out that Lust was a vampire, able to control whomever by leading them on. Wrath, on the other hand, didn't have much information about him. The male was an ancient shifter, called an unstoppable legendary animal, bringing chaos and destruction wherever he went.
Some rumored about their late relatives seeing the monster in person; there was nothing scarier than the blood-covered male who represented the worst sin of them all. Eros trusted his daughter, but he did make sure that the house was guarded by too many. He had an army of Watchers and shifters of various ranks next to his beloved firstborn. She was now a prisoner in her own house.

*"I miss that psychopath. Do you miss him too?"* Seraphima whined from the back of Ally's mind before the Princess could get out of her bed. She barely opened her eyes, and the beast in her got back to the lines she was whining for way too long.

One might think that the Royal beast wouldn't long for anyone, but since the moment when they slept next to Wrath, the beast wasn't the same. While Ally tried to resist him, doing her best to figure out whatever she felt and what she would do in the future- Seraphima had none of that. There was not a single hint of doubt in her mind whenever it came to Wrath. The beast gladly tried herself to the powerful male.

*"I do too, but it's not something about what I'm ready to have a conversation. Liste, we barely met him maybe a week ago, and we ended up in this shit state because of me. I feel stupid enough for following his lead and joining him that night, don't make it worse. Think, use your brain- we will miss him since our souls are tied together, and we already spent time with him. It would be different if we wouldn't be next to Wrath for so long that night. Damn it; sometimes, I wish he wouldn't come here that night."* Ally was eating herself up every minute of the day, Seraphima's reminders never helped her feel a little better. Of course, she did miss the deadly sin, but tying herself even closer to the male or spending the rest of her life next to him was none of her intentions. The young woman wanted to find out how to get rid of their bond. She was too young to get involved with someone, especially a man as vile as Wrath. Unpleasant shivers ram down her spine as she thought about him, forcing her to get closer. Ally had enough knowledge about sex and closeness of mates, but she wasn't ready to give herself to anyone, let alone by them forcing her.

The young woman tried to ignore Seraphima's whining and walked to the bathroom. She didn't feel like herself and judged by the person looking back at her in the mirror- nor did she represent herself anymore. The dark circles under her eyes were in the size of a country, her skin tone paler than one of a vampire's. The Princess sighed, closing her eyes, scolding her beast.

*"Can you see into what are we turning right now? The constant loss of appetite had made us lose too much weight. The depressive feeling and sleepless nights made us resemble a walking dead. We can't just sit here, avoid everyone, and the one thing we loved doing the most. We don't go to training anymore; we don't eat and don't sleep. If you don't stop affecting me this much, I'll have to do something soon! How on Earth are you dreaming about a man to love you, if we look like this? He wouldn't like a skinny, weak, and tired mate, would he?"* Ally decided to try another approach to her beast. Seraphima was head over heels into Wrath; using him against her might work. The beast fell quiet, probably thinking about her human side's words.

*"Shower or training?"* While Ally brushed her teeth, Seraphima popped up again, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

*"Training, duh."* Ally tried to sound careless, but the flame burned in her brighter than ever before. The young woman ran out of the bathroom like a wind, ignoring any pain she felt in her limbs. After missing as much training as she did, Ally became weaker. She promised herself that she wouldn't go a low, no matter what, but her beast did it for her. The Princess threw on an olf t-shirt and a pair of training shorts. She didn't wear any shoes, the excitement oozing from her like a child. She laughed, running downstairs and greeting any other person walking in front of her.

"Who's ready to be my punching bag?" Ally yelled out as soon as the main entrance door opened and she got hit by the fresh air. Everyone watched the Princess as if she grew a third leg, but some just chuckled. Some were brave enough to raise their hands, thinking that they had a chance against their King's daughter.
Don't judge a book by its cover, same as you shouldn't judge a woman on her ability to fight.

"Don't be stupid; it's your fault if she crushes you like an insect." One of the warriors nudged the male with his hand up, whispering a warning. The male decided to laugh it off, showing how truly low he thought of Princess. His attitude was yet another reason for Ally to point her finger at the male and tilt her head.

"You." She grinned and pointed at the area where everyone was allowed to train. The young woman nearly ran to the place, excitement and adrenaline filling her veins. She could feel how a hint of power slowly invades her system, making her feel more confident about herself. The male followed her lead, whispering some things she couldn't understand. Instead of stopping and asking, Ally decided to ask him while getting ready for the fight. If he had something to say- better say it in her face to fuel up her need to beath him up.

As soon as both of them stood in front of each other, the warrior looked her up and down. His eyes followed over her body so slowly; Ally could notice how he took in all of her body. The longest, his eyes lingered on her tan legs, a smirk following his actions.

"Come on, stop the staring contest. Better tell me what you were whispering while I walked in front of you. Please don't be shy, warrior, we're a family here." Ally grinned as wide as the male did before she spoke up. There were a couple of things she had in common with Wrath, playing cat and mouse game, being one of those. She loved to be the predator, to pay with her prey and attack without them noticing. She was silent yet deadly. Hopefully, the lack of training wouldn't hurt too much; Ally wanted to win.

"I complimented you, Princess. You see, many of us haven't seen the daughter of legendary King Azra, in person. I didn't expect you to look this good, nor I expected bravery from your side. I thought you might be a stuck up brat, who would cry for breaking a damn nail. But I'm facing a woman who is ready to fight anyone from the lines of warriors and Watchers. Impressive, nearly as impressive as your ass. Nice view." The warrior winked at Ally and poked her shoulder, probably in a weak attempt of flirt.

"I think I just vomited in my mouth a little." The young woman faked a gagging sound, sending the crowd around them into a vicious outburst of laugher. The cocky warrior dropped his smirk, his cheeks flushed, and the male lunged at Ally.

He threw his fists at the young woman's face, body, and even tried to kick her off her feet. She moved fast enough to avoid all of his attempted blows, feeling proud of her ability still being there.
Ally tried her best not to start laughing at his attempts to hurt her, silently thinking of how they were supposed to protect her when they couldn't protect themselves from her.

"One thing you didn't know about me- I like to play with fire!" Ally nearly screamed out as her fist collided with the warriors face. The male fell flat on the ground, grabbing onto his nose. She couldn't get over the anger she felt; one punch wasn't enough to calm down.

The male screamed out in pain, gaining the young woman's immediate attention. Over the trembling warrior stood Wrath. At least she thought that it was him, but nothing about him looked right. His face was a blur; a cloud of pitch-black smoke surrounded his face. Ally squeezed her eyes, trying her best to make out his facial features. Seraphima fell as quiet as never; she was no hope to the young Princess.

"You dare to touch what is MINE? You dare to look at what is MINE? You fucking dare to attempt to hurt what is MINE?" After the terrifying voice froze everyone surrounding them, Ally understood that the creature, indeed, was Wrath. His voice was nothing similar to what the Princess could remember. The last time they spoke, he sounded so gentle and caring, but now his voice was laced in so much hatred and venom- it made him sound like a demon.
The male didn't look at Ally; his full attention was given to the warrior, which trembled beneath his feet.

"No, this is a tra..." Ally tried to scream, to tell Wrath that whatever he saw wasn't what he thought it was. She wanted to explain how training works, to convince him that the male was doing only what she asked him to do. Deep down, Ally hoped that Wrath didn't hear those things that the warrior said.
She didn't get to finish the sentence, not even a word, when a loud snap of bones echoed throughout the backyard. Wrath held the warrior's lifeless body by the neck and dropped him like a rag doll.
Ally watched everything in horror; a loud gasp escaped her mouth before she could cover it with her palms. Her eyes took in the surroundings; only a moment later, she did notice that warriors and Watchers stood there like frozen. They didn't blink or show any sign of life- that must be the work of her beloved Wrath.

The next moment Wrath stood in front of her, trying to take her hand in his. The male looked genuinely concerned about her state. "Babe, I'm sorry you had to see this, but there's no other way you should expect me to react. He is to blame for my doings; if he never touched you, I wouldn't kill his worthless ass. Babe, look at me." Wrath tried to sound gentle, but the dark undertone in his voice made Ally try to fight back and run. She had no intention to stay around that ruthless killer. It's funny how she missed him just minutes ago, and after seeing a part of his true nature, she wanted to escape.

"No, don't touch me!" She backed away, staring straight into his eyes. The blood-red color of his orbs meant that the male was hungry for more destruction and death. "What was I thinking? How could I ever assume that someone like you would ever change? I hoped that you would, after meeting me, but how could I? You'll always choose darkness over light; you will always choose pain over me! I can't spend the rest of my life with someone so inhumane as you!"

"There are two sides to this life- one you see and one you refuse to notice. There aren't bright and happy days without ones that drive you insane. Why would you even be so stupid and assume that I could be anything near-human, Ally? Why? I am a fucking sin, think about it! Think about whom and what I represent, do some damn research, find out how one would become one of the seven! Do you think that this is bad? Oh, baby, you should have seen the shit I've been doing for the last couple of thousands of years. You should see the blood baths I created, the piles of bodies and cemeteries I filled with my bare hands. I am not a saint, but if being me makes me a sinner, so it be! Suck this up; I tried, I fucking tried for you! And it's not enough? Alright, let's play the game by your rules. As soon as you turn eighteen, I'll be near your door, and then there's no place to run or hide. Until then, I'll stay away, since I'm a secret of yours. See you in a year, Princess Ally, make sure your mind won't turn into your own Hell." The next moment Wrath stood next to Ally, leaning in and gently pecking her cheek. Before she could register what happened, the man, who just killed for her, disappeared, and a feeling of weakness overtook her. The Princess dropped on her knees and gasped, her eyes closing. The darkness overtook her; the last thing she could hear was the frantic screams of warriors and Watchers.