58. His Way

Eden's fist clenched, crumpling the photo in his hand, as Jared spewed out his mate's secret. His breath grew heavier with each word out of the lycan's mouth. By the end of it, all he could feel was rage and betrayal. *Betrayal not just by anyone but Marley, his mate.*

"If you're lying-"

"Why would I lie about it?" Jared said. Seeing Eden barely contained was beginning to make him regret the decision of breaking his promise.

"Why now?" Alpha asked darkly, his eyes changing color. "You've been here for days. Why didn't you tell me this before?!" Every pair of eyes in room was now on them.

"Because Marley begged him not to." Thea moved to stand beside Jared. "Eden, I get it you're angry. But he's not the right person to get angry at." Eden glared at her, and she glared back. "Go to your mate who hid it from you in the first place, and Iosif who convinced her of that!"

Eden gave the two a menacing look, before heading for his mate and bumping Thea's shoulder on his way. "Bastard." He heard her mutter.

Iosif was out of Marshville, he'd deal with him later. The only person in Eden's mind right now was Marley. And she was in so much trouble.

********

"Kill the genie!" Ethan shouted, his fingers thrashing every button available on the joystick.

Marley, with knitted brows and small of her tongue stuck between her teeths, focused all her attention on the screen. They were in Eden's old room at his home, playing with his Xbox. He had left many things behind for his brother, including the old gameplay and house Stark's banner-- which hung behind them.

"And that's how you do it." Marley smiled smugly, after finishing off the said character.

"Yes! Die you piece of shit!"

She looked at little version of Eden surprised. "You're growing up," she commented. In reply Ethan gave her a toothy grin. "Don't use those words in front of your mom."

"I know that-"

The door of the room slammed open, scaring them both. A very grim Eden stood at the threshold, glaring at Marley. A sinister darkness loomed over his face.

"What happened to you?" Asked Ethan jovially.

"Ethan, leave." Eden ordered, his eyes not wavering from his mate. A very bad feeling surfaced inside Marley as she timidly met his gaze.

"Why?"

"Get out!" Alpha growled, and Ethan twitched at how scary his brother sounded. Not wanting to anger him further, the seven-year-old slid out of the room silently, but not before giving Marley a sorry look.

"Is everything alright?" Marley asked and received a sharp look from her mate.

"No, it's not." Eden stepped toward the bed, where she was sitting, his blazing eyes making her feel small. He leaned down and threw the crushed photograph on her lap. She froze as the photo unwrinkled itself. "The person I trusted the most lied. You fucking lied Marley!"

"I-I-"

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" He yelled, making her wince. "That you were going to save the day by sacrificing yourself to stop Dimitri."

Marley stood up. "It's not like-"

"No!" Eden cut her off. "It is like that. You hid it from me, so badly wanting to walk to your death." He closed the distance between them, backing her up against the wall. "I don't get it why the hell do you want to do that?" His voice came out hurt.

"Eden, I didn't want to hide it." Marley began, trying her hardest to pacify him. "I thought if I told you this, you wouldn't let me help you all-"

"The hell I won't let you die! And I don't give a shit what you thought before deciding to fight a homicidal vampire all by yourself." Werewolf looked down at her crudely. "But yes, you did think right. I won't let it happen, you're not getting even within a mile of that knight or his army."

"You cannot do that!" Her cool also wore off. "I'm not letting so many people die just because you can't fathom that it can end it in a better way."

"Shut the fuck up!" Eden punched the wall just a few inches away from her face. Marley gasped, looking at his fist which had punched a hole in the wall. When she turned back, she found his flaring eyes on herself, watching her with such ferocity that sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly he looked so fearsome. She had never felt this much afraid of anyone before, much less her own mate. "You should look at yourself right now." He began in a condescending tone. "See how pathetic you are. Afraid of your own mate, huh? How do you expect to kill Dimitri?"

The contempt that his eyes carried threatened Marley's heart to skip out of her chest, and her breathing became rapid.

"You should have some self-awareness baby." Unlike other times, she didn't like the way he said 'baby'. "You're weak. Killing that one knight was just a matter of coincidence, and you needed Kyle to save you. Get off your high horse and live in reality. You're not one of us." His every word carried venom, pricking her insides. "You are just a burden, who needs a constant saviour. Good news is that you got one, a willing one on top of that. So, stay the fuck inside and let me do my job!"

"I know I'm not like you but-"

Eden slammed his hand on the other side, trapping her between his arms. "Apparently, you don't know it enough. If you did, you wouldn't come up with your shitty conclusion of killing a knight who had killed hundreds of like you." Marley dug herself more into the wall as he leaned down. "Just let me protect things that are mine, including you."

"I'm not a thing," she added miserably. She tried to push him away but failed, he didn't move an inch. Eden sneered down at her futile attempt, reminding her that she was weak.

"It would be better if you were one, at least then I wouldn't have to deal with your little head coming up with fucked up logics. Because there comes a time when your acts of defiance stop being cute and become downright irritating-"

"Eden." She pleaded, looking down. The fight had left and all she could feel was hurt.

"You know what, maybe I should've taken up your offer of finding someone else, preferably an Alpha she-wolf. Then I wouldn't have to deal with an ungrateful bitch, who has no sense of reality."

"Please, stop." Marley shut her eyes, stopping the tears that were about to follow, and gulping down the heaviness in her throat. It hurt so much. She hated it that he was so close, gloating and watching everything thing he said proven right in front. *She was weak, scared, worthless, and ungrateful.*

"Open your eyes," Eden ordered. When she didn't comply, he grabbed her by cheeks and raised her face. "Open your eyes," he said again and this time Marley followed, finding his frenzied eyes glaring at her. "When he comes, I want you inside, safe and surrounded by guards. And I won't mind tying you down to bed to have it that way. So it's better if you do this willingly." He reached down and kissed her forcefully. She stood there frozen, too scared to respond, letting him have his way. When he pulled away, his hold softened but still remained firm. "I expect you to understand." With that, he let go of her and stormed out of the room.

Only when Marley heard the door close, did she break down. She slid down on the floor, finally letting her tears free. She felt loathed, humiliated, stripped of any self-regard, and abused. He won. He crushed her.

******

Iosif eyed the different palettes adorned before him. The colorful dishes on the dining table did nothing to little in evoking any appetite within him. Everything seemed same like the day he had left. The Victorian dine, as before, occupied the middle of the room, with extravagant flasks and gothic sculptures at the corners, and half-open green curtains giving the view of starry night. Nothing changed, not even the perpetual silence that the room carried.

The house still didn't feel like anything close to home.

But at least, his brother didn't neglect it, in spite of being busy in his plans of taking over the supernatural world.

A servant came and served him a silver wine glass full of red liquid.

"I hope it's wine," Iosif commented, despite being aware that it indeed was.

"It might've been long since you left, but not still enough that I confuse you for your brother." The greying knight in black suit replied, his tone carrying submissiveness but also familiarity. "I know you're the one who only drinks blood of his mate."

"Speaking of my brother, where is he?"

"He'll be here-"

The footsteps echoed from the doorway, and Dimitri appeared, clothed in red shirt--whose sleeves were folded till his elbows-- and a plain jeans, and long white hair rested at the back of his head in a bun. The man carried the same unchanging somber look which he acquired the day he found his mate died. His presence now always carried darkness which was hard to not notice.

"You took your time," Iosif said, sipping the wine.

Dimitri sat down at the head of table, and Yegor served him a similar glass. However, it contents were a lot different as Iosif caught the whiff of red liquid. It wasn't wine. The old servant left after one gesture from Dimitri.

"You took more than a year to come back, so a few minutes from me shouldn't bother you," Dimitri replied, before taking the sip from his glass. "I don't see Kyle. Is he already bored of you?"

"I didn't bring him with me."

"He's at Marshville, with the pack." The elder sibling stated, taking another round of his drink. "So tell me little brother how's the pack treating you both. Are they hospitable or barbarous as my mate's pack used to be. Also did they agree to your propositions of killing me?"

"They have," Iosif answered with the same nonchalance, receiving a wry smile from Dimitri. "I'm sure you must know by now that they have Sounia."

"Yes."

"At least be a little sympathetic for our cousin."

"She's there because of her own stupidity. I asked her to bring you here quietly, but she stirred up the whole mess, thinking she could take down a pack of wolves. Rage makes your judgements hazy."

"It also makes you kill your own father," Iosif added.

Dimitri's hand fisted around the glass, crushing it. "Yes, it does." He raised his drink before gulping it all down. "Enough of family. Since, you're already here on your own, why don't you give me reasons for not killing you right now."

"I don't think you're that far gone to kill me."

"Don't be that confident. You're after all plotting with wolves to kill me. My love for you cannot exceed my love for myself. Your sacrificing brother died with her."

Iosif smiled. "I'm here to restore that sacrificing brother." He brought out a folded paper from his pocket, and placed it in front of his brother.

As Dimitri unfolded the paper, a stunned look enraptured his stoic face. It was a blurry photo of Selene, peering out of the window of multi-storeyed house. By the look of it, she seems unaware of someone clicking her picture. "What kind of game you're playing Iosif?" He demanded, glaring at the other knight. Iosif liked how the mask of soberness was falling off from his brother.

It wouldn't take much effort

"She's at Marshville, with the Alpha."

"Selene is dead." Dimitri growled, standing up.

"Is she? We never found her body. Father just kept on telling us he killed her." Iosif leaned back.

"I looked for her everywhere."

"I don't think you looked everywhere."

"I don't trust you. It's a game. Modern technology can produce several such photos without there being any reality to it."

"Yes they can. That's why I invite you to come to Marshville and see her yourself."

"No!" Dimitri flung the glass, which fell on the floor after hitting the wall. A part of Iosif hated seeing his brother so desperate, but he quickly silenced his conscious for the greater good of all.

"Are you afraid of barbarous wolves?" Iosif challenged.

Dimitri shot a most heinous look at his brother.

"Turns out, love makes your judgements hazy too."

******