31. The Lesser Evil

"It's a shame that you don't eat meat. You're missing out on a lot of good things."

Marley turned to Theo who was busy twirling a metal spatula, stirring the contents inside the pot. The thick brown liquid and a few green lumps floating in it looked far from eatable but Marley wasn't exactly in a state to nit-pick, after all, it was the same food that was keeping her stomach warm for last three days.

Ever since she came here, her most day's hours were spent roaming around the hallways of the dilapidated building- which looked like a very old abandoned mansion or something close to it- and nights locked away in a dark room. During her expeditions, she always had a company, mostly Theo and some rare times Jared. She had concluded that they were assigned by Odis to keep an eye on her. Even though their presence was a big hindrance to her escape, she sometimes felt grateful for it.

Around a hundred other people (or whatever they were) resided in the old mansion. And Marley was subjected to their predatory gazes, like a food waiting to be devoured by them. She hated their prying eyes.

After all, they were men and she happened to be the only female among them and to top it all, a weakling human. And for this reason she was grateful that Jared was keeping his promise of protecting her. He made sure that every other man stayed within his limits and never approached her in any hostile manner. His one glare happened to be enough to convey that message. Marley wondered if Jared had some upper hand on them to be able to pull this off because one cannot simply make those brawny brutes shrink back.

She decided to ignore Theo's remark and willed herself to finally have some solid conversation. He was the only man present here who came off as non-threatening but then again looks can be deceiving.

"Why are you here?" Marley asked in her low voice, looking around to make sure no one else was in the small room-which she guessed to be the kitchen.

Theo looked at her with knitted brows, still rotating the big metal spoon.

"You're a human. Aren't you?" She spoke again. "What are you doing with these... people?"

"What gave it away? My lack of muscles or my inability to growl." Theo chuckled which turned into awkward coughs when Marley didn't share his amusement. Given her circumstances, she wasn't particularly fond of laughing. All she wanted was to go home.

"Jared told me."

"Oh! that nosy prick. Couldn't mind his own business." He grumbled, looking at the boiling soup inside the pot. "Yes, I am *normal* just like you without any special powers."

"Why are you here? Did they abduct you too?" She asked warily.

"No, they didn't. Joining them was my choice," Theo replied and sighed when saw Marley giving him a cynical look of 'why'. "Odis isn't as bad as you think of him. He's actually the good guy here-" His tongue felt bitter. "Okay maybe not the good guy but he's definitely not the bad one."

"I don't believe you."

"And I don't expect you to after what he did." He dropped the spoon and put out the fire. "Marley others were given order only to attack your pack but we didn't know Odis was there to get you. Jared would stop him somehow if he knew about that beforehand. Jared's not a rogue so he kind of understands the importance of mates but maybe Odis doesn't. Or if he does, he doesn't care."

The last thing Marley wanted to hear was a guy praising someone like Odis because what the man did was simply evil.

"Why are you here?" She asked again, hoping if Theo could find these lycans (as they like to call themselves) then so could Eden to save her from this hell.

"I am here to get my revenge on some bastards who killed my people." Theo's fist tightened. Marley could see the moisture seeping into his eyes. "Odis was the one who found me and took me in when I was waiting for the death to consume me. Like I said Marley, he isn't the bad guy here, he's trying to do the right thing."

Marley wanted to yell at Theo that kidnapping her and keeping her here against her will wasn't the right thing to do but stopped herself from doing so, when she saw him on the verge of a breakdown. The guy had already been through enough and... maybe Odis was helping him.

"Few months ago if someone had told me that vampires exist, I would have most likely made fun of them. Who knew that a horde of bloodsuckers would be the one to burn down my village?" Theo let out a humorless chuckle and Marley's heart went out for him. The guy surely had been through more than enough.

A long silence descended upon them. Marley didn't speak, letting Theo have his time to compose himself. Behind the awkward, clumsy guy persona, no one would've never guessed that he was hiding such pain.

Looks can be deceiving.

She used the silence to process the information that she had gathered at the moment. *Vampires!* Now what the hell was that?!

If lycans and werewolves weren't enough, there were vampires too. And according to Theo, they seemed far from human-friendly. She could definitely use a long break from all the supernatural stuff.

"Marley!" A familiar voice called out, pulling both the humans out of their thoughts.

They turned around to spot an anxious-looking Jared at the door.

"Odis wants to see you."

The fear crawled into Marley's spine at the thought of seeing that terrifying man.

"Don't be scared. I am going to be there the whole time." Jared immediately added sensing her distress. "I am not going to leave you alone. Trust me."

Putting her trust into a stranger that she had only known for three days, Marley nodded. Despite her raging nerves, she too wanted to see Odis and demand for reasons. Reasons for plucking her out of her peaceful life and throwing her into this chaos.

******

Marley gulped and ran her sweaty palms on the yellow dress that Theo had gotten for her from the town.

Yes, there was a town nearby which either of her allies refused to give her information about for some obvious reasons but Marley was bent on getting to that town when she'd find the perfect opportunity to run away from here.

Jared and she stood at the threshold of a large room, which contained old antique chairs and a table. She had discovered that this place hardly contained anything that wasn't needed and sometimes also lacked basic necessities like electricity. Only a few rooms had bulb wired into them and even fewer were functioning. These lycans had some serious financial issues.

Odis was sitting on one of the chairs, his eyes focused on some photos lying on the table.

"You seemed to be doing fine since the last time I saw you," said Odis, not bothering to lift his gaze. His dark skin was glistening from the sun rays that entered through the large window behind him.

Without replying, she stepped into the room with Jared on her heels.

"Jared you can leave." Odis commanded but Jared completely ignored him and took the chair just across his leader. Odis finally looked up and glared at the boy. "Your disrespect is starting to get on my nerves."

"Do I look like I care?" Jared bit back.

Odis threw an unpleasant look at him before turning to Marley, who was watching the strange exchange between the two men. Odis gestured her to take a seat and she followed.

"You must have questions." He stated.

"I do." She replied, suddenly sounding a little bold. "Why did your people attack my pack and what do you want from me?"

"The answer is simple; I attacked your pack to get you. And as for you, I needed an unmated alpha female to turn her into a lycan and bear my children. You happen to be the only one available at the moment."

[A/N: Here unmated implies that she haven't yet had sex with her mate. Wanted to clear that up.]

At this Marley's face turned into an unreadable expression. She felt disgusted by the lycan sitting in front of her. He was a monster.

"You're a sick bastard!" Jared yelled, slamming his palm hard on the wooden table and making it shake violently.

"Y-you don't know that," Marley said in a last attempt to save herself. She purposefully yet discreetly flicked back her hair to reveal the hickey that Eden had given her a few days ago. "We've done it."

Odis smirked. "Do you take me for a fool girl? You don't smell of that Alpha yet, so cut out the act."

Marley knew what he was talking about. Catherine had once told her that after sex, mates' scents mingle with each other to ward off other unmated wolves. Marley hoped Odis didn't know that but it seemed like that the whole universe was now set against her.

"She's a human!" Jared interrupted, looking at Odis in disbelief. He was now seeing the whole new side of his leader and he hated that side.

"And this fact just saved you. Apparently your packmate...what was his name?...yes, Tristan. He forgot to mention the most important detail. Maybe, he was just tricking me." Odis muttered still looking at Marley. "You're a human, too weak to withstand the change which renders you useless. You're not fit to be a lycan. I won't be changing you."

Relief flooded through Marley at his words. She was not going to be violated by Odis for his sick plan. She had never felt this grateful for being an ordinary human.

"I didn't sign up for this." Jared shook his head, looking at Odis with disgust. "If she was a wolf, would you really rape her just you could become a family man? Now that she doesn't cut your checklist, are you going to look for another she-wolf and take her away from her mate?!"

A flash of guilt passed through Odis' eyes before turning lifeless. "I'll do what I think is necessary. Lycans are dying and we need purebloods. If you've any other suggestions to revive us, I'll gladly take them."

"Fuck you! You cannot justify that in any way. It is evil."

"Then let me do the evil thing, you don't have to take it on your conscience." Odis sighed. "Leave Jared. You don't have to be here. You're making it more difficult than it already is."

Jared wanted to throw the table on Odis's head and challenge him for the title. The bastard wasn't fit to lead them, he had no morals.

He looked at Marley, who was cautiously watching the two men, and decided to remain glued to his seat. He needed to keep his words about protecting her.

When both the lycans fell into silence, Marley decided to cease it. "If I'm useless then what am I doing here? Let me go!"

"The second I found out you were a human, I was going to let you go. I was never interested in harming innocents." Odis looked at the photos. "Don't call me evil yet when you haven't seen the real evil."

Marley and Jared followed his gaze and landed their eyes on a particular photo. Odis slipped the picture to Marley, who looked confused after looking at it.

It was a picture of a smiling girl taken in the middle of some woods. She looked beautiful in a blue summer dress. Her long black hair flowing with the wind falling on her black eyes and pink lips, complimenting her pale skin.

Marley stared at the picture baffled with what it had to do with her.

"Give it to me." Jared demanded and she handed him the photo.

Jared's brows scrunched up, before he looked at Marley then again at the picture. He repeated his actions for at least five more times.

"What is it?" Marley asked, squirming under Jared's glances.

"She looks just like you... except the hair, yours are short but other than that you two look very similar."

"I-I don't look like her." Marley retorted but her words had no confidence. *Did she really look like her?!*

"Yes, you do." Odis jumped in, staring at her. "And this happens to be the reason that why you're here."

"Who is she?"

"The real evil."

******