49. You really had to destroy everything before we could have it, didn't you?

"Who the fuck are you?" Darius raised an eyebrow, letting his gaze focus on the woman who just invited herself in the bedroom. As a man, he had to admit that the woman was rather beautiful, but no other woman would ever compare to Ally if the beauty standards would rely on his opinion. Darius turned his attention back to the sleeping Princess, licked her neck, and climbed off the young woman. He didn't want to leave her alone, unattended, even for a minute, yet he had to take care of the intruder.
"I'll be right back, my love." Wrath whispered, smiling at the pale woman in his bed. Only the Gods knew how much Darius wanted to complete the mating process and take Ally away from the nightmare she was living.

The deadly sin turned his full attention back to the woman, who shook her head and mumbled something under her breath while looking at him wide-eyed. Reading human body language wasn't a difficult task since they gave out whatever they felt so easy. Wrath was one of few who fed off of fear; it allured him, brought him closer to his terrified targets.
The male approached her slowly, like a predator, his eyes burning holes in her body. The woman felt like being put under a magnifying glass; she couldn't move a muscle while the massive frame cautiously moved closer.

She wasn't a fool; the woman knew what he was doing. The man was known for living off of slaughter; it thrived his being, and everyone knew that. But now, she stood cornered like a wild animal, nowhere to run or hide. She knew that the idea was terrible, but she agreed to take the job after a lot of convincing. Well, and after receiving an offer she couldn’t resist even if wanted. Of course, no one could have known that she would arrive too late- the woman had to disturb the marking process, not to come when it was nearly finished. On the bright side, the Princess was still half-awake when she ran in, yelling like crazy. If she dies, the Princess might still want to break their union, since she had heard the disturbing line the woman used to rehearse in front of the mirror. Mating a cheater was a great reason to look for the council elders and break the bond. It didn't happen often, yet at times, when mates broke the most sacred bond- one did leave the other. It was rumored to be a cruel process, full of pain and agony, but who could understand shifters, if not the shifters themselves.

"I asked you a question, human! Who the fuck are you? And what the hell are you doing in Selena's temple?" The woman didn't notice how Wrath already stood just a foot away from her. He was monstrous, a lot bigger than she had been told. Compared to the male, she was nothing but a tiny ladybird, sitting on his shoulder.
Another thing she noticed, which hasn't been mentioned before, was how sharp his teeth seemed, and how mesmerizing eyes the male had. His mouth and chest dripped in fresh blood, the view making women feel sick. She was sure that she could vomit any moment now if she didn't avert her gaze away from his mouth.

"I-I..." The woman stuttered, unable to find the right words as her eyes fell on the white dress she was wearing. She must have angered the deadly sin since the blood covering his mouth stained her dress. The woman shivered; the thought of things he might have done to the poor Princess terrified her. Perhaps her arrival saved the young woman; if she managed to distract the predator long enough, she might provide Ally a time to escape. Rumored mate or not, this man was a monster, and a young woman couldn't have done such terrible things to deserve him. In the woman's mind, all of this didn't make any sense. She had learned about the Moon Goddess since she was a little girl, and the Goddess never punished her children with fated mates. Those were gifts to appreciate and cherish, which didn't seem to be the case here.

"Answer me!" Suddenly, a large hand, which reminded something like a lava-covered claw, grabbed her by the neck. The woman registered what was happening only when her back hit the wall, and Wrath added more pressure to her neck, lifting the woman against the wall till her feet were nowhere near the hardwood floor. She instantly tried to grab on his hand, maybe scratch it, but she did more damage to herself than she could ever injure the monster. Her palms burned in red, blisters slowly appearing on the delicate skin. When her vision blurred, the male let go of her neck and dropped her on the floor, smirking at her attempts to regain breathing. Just a few seconds more, and she'd be as good as dead. No wonder everyone kept telling her it was dangerous to play mind games with the deadly sin.

"Now, are you going to answer my questions, or should I try out some devices on you? Don't worry; I'm a professional. I know what I am doing with those things. Either way is fine by me, but I'd prefer it if you would choose the second option. Let's have some fun, and leave the tea time for later; then we can talk if you're able to. Don't get too scared; it's not like I'm planning to get rid of that venomous tongue of yours... yet." Wrath lowered himself a little, showing off the sickening grin on his lips.

The woman instantly understood what he meant by mentioning some mystical devices. Wrath loved to torture his victims; he never went out for a hunt just to kill and leave; no, it wasn't his style. What he did do was look for the weak spots and hit them when least expected. He kept the distance until everyone would think that the danger is gone, but he would be there- right behind the corner. His killing sprees were infamous, as a son of the Moon Goddess, he had sinned way too many times to count, his short temper seemed to be the reason for his downfall, yet it wasn't. Selene still loved him and justified her actions as a punishment; she gifted her son the title of deadly sin. The Moon Goddess always has her eyes on him, silently watching how her son turned into an unstoppable monster. Many thought she had a sweet spot for the man, yet most knew that she watched how her main assassin grows. If there would be a war to occur, she didn't need armies of shifters, fighting for her. She had her son, who alone could kill thousands. A cold-blooded murderer.

"I- I will answer." The woman choked out, coughing and crying in pain as the male seemed even more pleased by her state. He loved watching her, the hurt in her eyes, the fear surrounding her.

"Talk then, I won't repeat myself. If you lie, well, both of us know how entertaining and exciting night we shall spend together. Speak, human." Darius didn't bother to hide his intentions, but why would he? He didn't need to seem superior to get the information; it was easier to get it if his victim was frightened. The male knew how thin the line between life and death was, and humans tend to speak more if they hung by that thread.

"I can't say anything here if that girl wakes up, she won't take this information kindly," the woman whispered. She wouldn't tell him anything, even if she ended up dead. For her, there was no way out of the situation- she would end up dead no matter what. If she keeps quiet, the deadly sin will torture her till she's dead. If she speaks, there's still a possibility that Wrath might kill her, but if he wouldn't- she's still dead because one who sent her warned the woman about consequences to come if she ever tells him anything. She came up with the most inane plan ever, perhaps she would fail, but she wouldn't know unless she tried. The woman was ready to run and hide. Her main focus was on how to escape the claws of the monster, without giving out any information.

The woman stood up and pretended to dust off her dress as the monster kept watching her. She turned her back to him and headed for the door, taking small, cautious steps. If she moved too fast, the man would catch on her idea. If she moved way too slow, he would think that she's trying to hide any evidence, perhaps swallow it. In that case- she could imagine how the monster cuts her open and throws her body out as if it was an old rug.
Cautiously, she put her hand on the door handle and slowly pushed it down, pushing the door open and stepping outside the large bedroom.
*"Please wake up, Princess, please run back to your father and never look back. Save yourself and the future you might have with someone you love."* The woman thought to herself, silently begging the Moon Goddess to reconsider her decision. The young Princess deserved so much more than an abusive, monstrous mate, who just tried to feed off of her.

Even though the human lived among shifters for years, she had little to no idea how the marking worked. Humans were forbidden from such knowledge and details. Even if she asked some of the shifters, living in the temple, none would answer or would simply turn their backs to her.
What was happening in that room looked like a vile feast of a Vampire, not marking, but not that she would know how much blood can be lost during the process. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and bid goodbyes to everyone she had ever known. Now or never.

With the painful and disturbing images running through her mind, the woman took off. She ran like a maniac, oddly enough, not hearing a step following her. A victorious smile grew on her lips; the monster didn't chase her, now she was free. A victory to celebrate a little too early.
She didn't think about the power Wrath might possess; why would he run if he could use shadows and move all around the temple within seconds.
She took a sharp turn around a corner and ran into a wall. The woman fell backward, landing on her ass. Her hand instantly reached for her nose, which collided with the fall first. She was bleeding and her head seemed dizzy, the impact making her feel as if the whole world spun around her.

"What the fuck, where that wall came from? Did I really take the wrong turn?" The woman cursed under her breath, trying to be as quiet as she could, forgetting about the heightened senses of everyone surrounding her. Unnecessary to add that the wall she ran into wasn't quite a wall.

She looked up, her eyes meeting the mesmerizing orbs of the deadly sin. The woman gasped, crawling back, trying her best to escape the monster. This was the second time in a row when she cornered herself with this man stalking right behind her.

"Trying to escape, huh? And here I was, thinking that you might have some fucking brain cells. Poor you, a weak little human, unable to make the right decisions." Wrath stalked towards the woman, kneeling right next to her. His eyes were beautiful, but all she could see in them was the flame of hatred.

"I'm dead either way; if you don't kill me, then he will!" The woman screamed in his face, tears forming in her eyes. She knew that crying or begging wouldn't save nor her, nor her soul, but she couldn't fight the emotions.

"Is it so fucking difficult to let me know who the fuck are you? Sure, I love killing sneaky little rats such as yourself, but my sweet mate might be pretty upset if I wouldn't give you a chance of giving me explanations. And we don't want to upset my precious mate, do we?" Wrath smiled; this time, his smile wasn't straight up murderous. The male warned her for the last time, the sweetness in his voice was way too forced. He wanted to kill the woman, but held back for Ally. There are some promises he would keep until the end of his days; one of them would be enjoying his murderous deeds away from the Princess. She didn't want to be a part of his slaughter, destruction, and torturous lifestyle.

"A human. I'm Abby." The woman replied with her bottom lip trembling. She wondered why the male didn't try to get even closer to her, just watched from a small distance. He tilted his head, observing the trembling form.

"I know that you're human, and I don't give a shit about your name. What I do want to know, however, is who the fuck are you." Wrath tapped his index finger against his chin, imitating the look of deep thinking. Even if the male sank in his thoughts, the woman wouldn't gather enough courage to run again. Escaping him was impossible. The woman had a chance to observe his features, perhaps, if he wasn’t a killer and monster, she would like him. Alright, probably it would go beyond simple likings, the predator was a very handsome male.

"I, they. I can't explain who I am. They sent me here to follow the plan, and I did everything according to the information they gave me. I wasn't supposed to be stuck here without a way out." The woman sobbed, slowly accepting the fact that her last hours of life might come sooner than she predicted. Dying of old age seemed to be an unreasonable dream now.

"They? Who are they, human?" Wrath growled, losing the little bits of patience he had held on so far. The woman knew that he wasn't a patient man; he led his life with one goal- revenge. Yet, now he had someone to try for, someone to cherish and protect, but the airhead human nearly destroyed everything he cared for. Of course, how could a monster love someone, right? Well, from the day when he found out about Ally- she had been the center of his universe, and the man would never let anyone touch as much a hair on her head.

"The shadow humans, they promised me gifts. You wouldn't understand, some things are priceless for us, and we could do anything to get them." The woman tried to explain, avoiding giving out the truth about her gain in this situation. She wouldn't be able to hold on for a long time, though. If she didn't report to the leader within a few hours, they would announce her death, and the gift would never reach its destination.

"No, tell me. I want to know what might be more precious than your life." Wrath closed the distance between them, extending his claws as a sign of her death approaching.

"The life of my mother. They promised to heal her; she's dying. Kill me; if I die, they won't save my mother, at least we shall meet in Selena's garden." The human sobbed, accepting whatever was to come her way.

Wrath didn't waste time speaking; once again, he grabbed her by the neck and pushed her body against the cold concrete wall. The male leaned to her neck, inhaling the primary source of her fear. "Acting as if I gave two shits about you, or your mother, huh? I'm going to enjoy your screams for mercy." He whispered in her ear, laughing at the shivers of fear running down her spine. Even the woman knew that he was toying with her, making sure that he's having enough fun while being around her trembling form.

Wrath let his claws sink into the delicate skin, smiling at the little droplets of blood slowly covering his extended nails. Just as he was about to snap her neck, he overheard quiet steps moving towards them. The male instantly turned his gaze towards the unwanted guest.

"You really had to destroy everything before we could have it, didn't you? You're a fucking pig, Darius!" Ally whispered, dropping the little box with her name on it, she found next to the bed as she woke up. The Princess turned around and ran away, disappearing in the long halls of the temple.