41. You shouldn't have done that.

"Revenge? For what? Her first day here was the first time you ever met her! I can't believe that you could go as low as you did. The whole idea of you, faking amnesia, for some unreasonable revenge is outrageous. I guess people do change, and sadly so did you. I don't know you anymore, and sadly, I wish I wouldn't get to know you even in the past. Your actions make me sick." Despite the tone of his voice and visible aggression on his face, Arex sounded more disappointed than angry. The young male shook his head, silently bidding good-bye to the man, who he kept calling a best friend for years.

It wasn't that he supported Ally more than others, nor did he took an extreme liking towards the Princess. Everyone had their faults and weak spots, but the current situation was more about how people chose to deal with them. Whatever Deimos has planned wasn't a thing Arex would do, even if he had to face an enemy. Toying with someone's feelings, emotions, and all in all, life was unacceptable.

"Why would you care? Oh, right, the little spoken brat is your friend now, isn't she? It didn't take too much time for you two to grow together and look at you now- all grown up, brave and loyal. It's sad to see how you exchanged years of friendship for a minute of fame, isn't it? But that's alright, not that I ever wanted to be your friend in the first place. Now, do yourself a favour and hop away from here like a good pet. I wouldn't want to be you if our paths cross ever again." Arex was right; the person standing next to him wasn't his best friend. The Deimos he loved and admired died the day he left. Whatever creature came back- it wasn't him.

As much as the young male wanted to object and ask more questions, he chose not to. Arex shook his head, signed and silently bid goodbyes to the male, who wouldn't miss his friendship. Deimos could think anything about him, but Arex never intended to exchange his friendship. He couldn't understand why the fact that Ally and he was close friends would ever bother anyone. It was clear that people get to know each other and grow close if they spend together as much time as they did.
Taking one last glance back, Arex strode deeper into the forest.
Somehow, he forgot about the possibility of meeting some creatures or the Wrath himself, and frankly- he didn't care. Nothing seemed to be possibly worse than the betrayal of a friend.

*"We should warn her, don't you think?"* Arex nearly jumped as the voice spoke up from the back of his head. He couldn't understand how to feel anymore- upset for the lost friend or happy because his wold finally awoke. The lazy animal hadn't spoken to the young male since the day when they met their fiancee. The wolf wasn't fond of the idea itself, rather pushing his human side to wait for their real mate.

*"I'm sure glad to hear you if you're wondering. Got me a little worried here, started thinking that something happened to you. How is my spoiled little baby doing back there?"* Arex instantly hid the sadness in his voice and replaced it with aggressive sarcasm. There were so many times he needed the wolves advice, support or just a plain conversation, but he wasn't there. Now, all of a sudden, he decided to come back and act as if nothing had happened between the two. Technically, nothing happened- the wolf just disappeared without warning.

*"You seem to be quite a sour candy, remember that people don't like those. Be a little more sweet, understanding maybe?"* The wolf chuckled, unbothered to hide his amusement.

His disappearance wasn't an act of a brat or an attempt to prove something, quite the opposite. The same as Deimos, the wolf, thought about their brides to be behaviour. He could feel that something was terribly off with that girl, so instead of being around- he lied low. If the bride or family struck at them, the wolf would have enough strength to take over without difficulty and defend themselves.

"Fuck off you overgrown chihuahua." Arex cussed under his breath, kicking the nearest twig out if his way.

The sky darkened even more than before, making the stars stand out on the nearly black background. The male laid down on the ground and aimlessly stared at the sky, watching the true beauty of nature.

"Alright, alright, but you still didn't answer my question. Should we say anything to Ally and warn her about plans that Deimos is having? I mean, she's our friend, after all. Deimos is too, perhaps just partly, but still. It's a thought choice, right?" As the wolf kept babbling, Arex felt how his eyelids became heavier with each second. He couldn't remember the last night when he had a decent rest. Thoughts and ideas about certain things wouldn't leave him even at nighttime.

Perhaps it was the time when he stops thinking about problems others had and focused on his own personal life? But wouldn't that be a massive mistake? Ally would warn him if anyone plotted something against him, right?
Arex couldn't decide what to do, how to act, and even if he had any right to involve himself into such a delicate topic.
Groaning, he sat up and slid a hand into the pocket of his jacket. The young male grabbed his phone, unlocked the screen and aimlessly stared at it, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

*"You're doing the right thing if you are about to call her, trust me. Deimos lied about many things; we don't know if he is what he says he is. Remember all those times when he suddenly disappeared, and no one could track him? To hide scent as he did, he would need to be someone extremely powerful, like a King or something. But he isn't, that's as much as we really do know. What if he isn't a shifter? What if he's some type of a half-breed? For fuck's sake, he might be a demon. And honestly, I believe that he actually could. I remember that one time when we were playing tag, and he disappeared before we reached him, do you remember that? No shifter is able to do such things."* The wolf kept talking, trying to convince Arex that the call would be the right decision. They couldn't reach Ally using mind-link, so phone seemed like the best alternative. None of them knew where the Princess was and if she was in safety. Something had to be done.

Without saying anything, Arex tapped the screen and took a deep breath when his eyes landed on a phone number with her name above it.

***

Ally twisted and turned as the annoying sound kept ringing in her ears. The Princess tried to hide her head under the weight of the pillow, but even that attempt ended up as unsuccessful. As soon as the ringing and buzzing ended, it started all over again within seconds. She opened one eye, trying to see where exactly she left the phone, but it wasn't one the regular nightstand as it was usually. She squeezed her eyes shut again and rubbed them in an attempt to adjust the darkness surrounding her.
When Ally opened her eyes once again, the young woman gasped.
She had no idea where she was; the room was cold and foreign.
The bedsheets, she was wrapped in, didn't smell like her, nor did the room itself. Sound of annoying ringtone stopped, and within seconds the phone wasn't a priority anymore. First and foremost, she wanted to understand where she was. Did someone kidnap her? No, that couldn't be possible, could it?

The young woman found it difficult to remember even small detail from the day before or imagine at what time had she woken up. That wasn't the only thing that worried her; there still was this unknown place and the odd feeling that didn't leave her mind.

"Think, Ally, think." She massaged her temples, not ready to give up.
How could she go back to sleep if she had no idea about the possible danger surrounding her?

*"Ally? Not that I want to scare you or anything, but I'm pretty sure that we're in deep shit right now. Take a deep breath, but make it seem as natural as you can. Catch the scent."* Seraphima circled in the back of her mind, noticeably nervous. The wolf tried to seem calm, but as much as she would keep on trying it wouldn't work.

Ally closed her eyes, let her head fall, faking a defeat and took a deep breath, just as Seraphima had told her seconds ago. She couldn't keep sniffing on air, that would give her out, yet she did catch the scent. It was a masculine scent, reminding her something she should have known. The young woman had been near it, yet she couldn't put her mind on where exactly she caught it for the last time. That was another problem- the confused and slightly terrified state of mind she was in at that point.

The phone rang again, startling the young woman. Ally opened her eyes and lifted her head, letting her eyes roam around the dark room in an attempt to notice where her phone might be.

"Aren't you going to pick that up?" A deep, raspy voice questioned, making Ally jump on the spot.
Her heart raced; this place wasn't playing in her favour, especially in such darkness.

"Who? Who are you?" The Princess did her best to sound fearless, but the way how her voice broke in the middle of the short sentence gave out her fear.

"A friend, or maybe not. So? Are you going to pick that up?" The voice asked again, this time sounding irritated and angry. Why would someone sneak up on her in the middle of the night? And why would someone get so angry over such tiny thing as a phone call? Who was this weirdo?

"I would, but I have no idea where my phone is. Should I add how awfully uncomfortable I feel when a stranger creeps up on me while I sleep and gets angry if I don't pick up the phone? Who on Earth are you to be so mean to me, when I'm not the one who's invading someone's privacy?" Ally replied coldly.
She wouldn't mind if someone she knew did that. There were countless times when Wrath sneaked into her room to sleep next to her, mostly when she was already asleep. Thing like that didn't bother her, not anymore. But this person, whom she didn't know even by their scent did make her feel somewhat endangered.

Ally tried to put the puzzle together- there must be a reason why she's in the shady feeling place. There has to be a reason why she wouldn't remember how she got there as well.

"If you're wondering," the stranger broke her thought bubble as he chuckled. He seemed to stand in the furthest corner of the room. Wise choice- he could keep an eye on Ally while she couldn't notice even the slightest thing about him. "You're not home, pretty sure you figured that out by now. You're here for the protection, as they say, but I wouldn't call this the safest place possible. After all, if it was that safe, I wouldn't be able to get in here without anyone noticing me, right?" A deep laugh left his lips, making instant goosebumps cover the young woman's body.

What the hell did he want from her? Wouldn't there be one night for her to rest and get avoided by all those freaks who keep chasing her? When the thought crossed her mind, Allu remembered what had happened the day before. Gabriel, Baka, and the temple. She was there to stay away from everyone who could potentially harm her.

"To add, I'm confident that a safe place is not a location which could be invaded by your beloved Wrath. Where's that low life fucker, anyway? Would he really leave his prized possession out here, alone, confused and unattended? That might end so bad; I'm feeling a little sorry for you." The stranger laughed, showing off how fake his words have been.

"Fuck you!" Ally finally had enough. She had listened to him, started at the dark spot and even bitten her lit to keep quiet, yet the stranger kept pushing her buttons.

"Is that an invitation? Because if that's so, I'm gladly taking you up the offer." Within seconds Ally's body was thrown back against the bed, and a massive figure hovered over her, holding her captive.

She couldn't see a face or a body itself, just a huge mass of shadows. Her heart raced, fearing that the worst might have happened- Gabriel caught her.

You damn coward, show yourself!" Ally yelled at the shadow. If the stranger would take any kind of form, the young woman might try to punch him and run. Violence is never the answer, but sometimes it gives you time to avoid something you didn't want to happen. No one can hurt you or force you to do things if this person is laying on the ground in pain as you run.

The stranger gladly nodded his head and the face that appeared made Ally gasp. Her eyes widened in shock, not even once in a million years she would think of facing him again. Deimos.

"This isn't funny, let go of me, Deimos." She spoke through gritted teeth, hoping that he was playing a stupid joke on her.

"If I do, how am I supposed to take you up to an offer, huh? I would gladly fuck you." He didn't give Ally time to react. The male grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head. He was heavy enough to keep her body tightly pressed against the bed, unable to move. Deimos ripped off her shirt and grinned, slowly taking in the form of her breasts. The male had dreamed about the day when he will be able to take the most prized possession Ally had- her purity. If he couldn't get it on a silver plate, he would take it by force if needed.

"No, don't do this. Deimos this isn't you, I know that you wouldn't do something you'd regret later on. Think, use your fucking brain; I'm mated to Wrath, he will kill you. Let go of her and save your life before it's too late. He will kill you without hesitation!" Ally spoke out loud, trying to bring some sense to Deimos.

The male chuckled and leaned down, tracing his tongue over her breasts, taking an extra time each time when his tongue neared her collar bones. Ally felt how tears filled her eyes. Deimos tracked her down to force her to do something she didn't want or was ready for.

"Who the fuck cares?" Deimos laughed, biting onto her neck gently. That was the exact spot where Wrath might try to mark her, and Deimos was determined to take it away from them both. No matter how big of a price, he would have to pay as consequences.

"You shouldn't have done that."