Ⅳ

The long silhouette hissed, in the minimum light that fell on him you could see his extruded claws. In the dark one could visibly see the gold that stood out in the cloud of darkness.

*Why?*

Why was he here? Why did he end up following her all the way to this shitty place?

Back at the palace he literally stormed out, why? He couldn't bear to withstand those dainty eyes filled with fear.

The nobles would have probably thought he couldn't stand the stinking smell of the impure but oh my wasn't it wrong. He craved the scent, the scent of her lotus skin. He wanted to be filled with her scent.

Another fact he had a hard time accepting was that he cared. He saw her moments before and he cared for her so much that he came here? To her?

*'Damned mate bond.'*

He would have to sever it down. After all asides from the fact that she *laid* with another man, he was an engaged man, a man who had promised to wed. Also, he couldn't have her with him even if he wishes because of *that*.

His actions contrasted with his thoughts, his eyes raked down her body. A purr of satisfaction rumbled in his chest.*Perfect*.

She was perfect, built in the right places, curves so alluring as he watched the water embrace her. Breasts not too big nor too small, just perfect for *him* to hold, legs long and inviting. Just looking at her was simulating all these foreign emotions in him.

*Disgraceful*. Was he now lusting over a woman who was bathing herself? Did he just spy on her?

*Splish.*

Aleksej's ears perked up at the noise, eyes immediately falling on the cause of it.

And what he saw *burned* him. Eve had exited out of the water and now he could see the *marks* he had missed. A huge purple-blue bruise covered her entire stomach, her shoulder seemed weak, and she was limping.

He seethed. Why was she not healing? Was she not a vampire? Where was her recovering ability?

The fact that he didn't realize her wounds made him ashamed. A mate was supposed to take care of each other. And yet here he was hiding in the darkness, *stalking* her.

*Were you not going to break it off?'*
His beast sneered, annoyed at the fact that he even thought of such a silly thing.

Aleksej didn't respond to the tauntings of his beast, because he would just be lying straight through his teeth if he said he didn't want her.

*She slept with another man.'*
Aleksej retorted.

His beast snarled, baring its sharp teeth,
*'You do not know for sure, you man.'*

*Man here is not the slang man, it's like addressing him as a male, a man.

*Creak.*

He snapped out of his raveling thoughts as he heard the door click behind her. Should he leave now? Or go to her break the bond?

*'I better get rid of these unnecessary feelings right away.'*

Aleksej walked or well in his words he walked, in a human's words he *ran*, so terribly fast that he covered the distance between the cottage and him in a second.

His long legs led him to the door, hand on the handle he pondered. Wouldn't she be dressing now?

Eve sighed. She was inside her little cottage and had dried herself and all that was left was to wear a cloth. Yes, *cloth*. The one pair of dress she had was probably burning in the fire now. What was she to wear? She had worn her tattered blue dress to the palace with her underskirt too.

Shall she cover herself with the sheet she lies on? She could but what would she wear tomorrow? She had her job. How could she go with just a sheet covering her?

Aleksej lurked around the cottage, stopping to look into through the broken window. He frowned, a weak old door and a broken window? Wouldn't it be too cold for her? Seeing that her healing abilities doesn't work?

Inside as he peeked, he could immediately spot her. The cottage compared to normal ones was *quite* small. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed through the furnitures. A small wooden piece of a bed and a loose chair.

In the middle she stood, covering herself with the washed clean faded sheet. Limping through the small distance she tried to sit on the bed, hissing her pain as it stung when she sat.

Aleksej felt like *whining*. Never did he feel like this. *Whining?* Like a teenage mutt.

His eyes followed her every action, from her little face scrunching up in pain as she laid down to how she adjusted her ankle on the bed. He growled, she looked so pitiful. *His mate*, pitiful. Just even seeing her like that made him want to tear out the heads of the people who hurt her.

Even though she covered herself with the sheet with the cold air fleeting in from the broken window she shivered. The forest was more chilly than the village. This night felt more so chilly perhaps because of the ghostly stare she was getting, which she is unaware of.

He watched her throughout the night. Letting her dainty eyes flutter close, he entered the room.

Bending down at her bed, he heaved.

*Beautiful*. She looked beautiful. The calm prettiness of her face, the softness of her lips which he knew even without touching. She looked so at peace that he couldn't bear to not look at her.

Slowly, very slowly might I add, he let his fingers skim through her pale skin. And he was right her skin felt nice to touch, it felt like to him she was to be handled so carefully or she would break.

For a moment he wanted to wake her up because he felt that she might just slip into sleep forever and he would be left all alone.

*'She looks like she would be perfect to hold, an angel on my bed. Hair loose, morning eyes-'*

Aleksej stood up, retracting his hands from her skin as if she *burnt* him. He couldn't believe he had such a thought. He came here to break the bond and now he's watching her sleep?

In moments time he had fallen so bad. She was dangerous, he came to a realization. *Dangerous for him as all he wanted to do was run away with her*.

His feelings were moving too fast, very rapid and that realization made him rage.

'He was not stupid enough to fall for a woman's charms, especially not an impures.

*'She's your mate. She's not anyone.'*

Aleksej ignored his beast.

He didn't wish to know of a face that he was trying to reject. He had to soon, as fast as he can break it off with her. Soon, before he gets too *tangled* in deep.

A swept of dust and wind was all he left as he ran, towards his way to the palace. Ah yes, a very something he did leave behind too.

The light missed him, he was running through the dark at such speed that the moon failed to glitter him. He could hear it all from the tiny squeaks of animals, the hooting of the owl, the rustling of the trees in the wind, buzzing and clicking of the insects to the noise of the moving gravel-

*Gravel?*

"Don't mind it old man, she's pretty enough to last for a night" dark, a gravelly voice laughed.

"That pretty?" The other man with a beard asked.

"Yer haven't seen her yet, ha? She's a nice one" more booming laughter.

" Ya, sure she'll open her legs?"

The man stopped laughing, and the light shone on his eyes, they glistened with mad lust, "We'll force her to then"

Aleksej grunted. Selfish, perverted, shameless beings they were. To think of raping a woman at this time of night. *Filths*.

This was exactly why Aleksej wasn't fond of the commoner people. Shameless with no manners only looking out for themselves. While he has to look after all of *them*.

*'Reporting them to the officials at the front would do. I do not wish to dirty my hands with such blood.'*

Just as Aleksej turned away, ready to be off his way he heard them speak-

"*Nothing* will happen even if she's an *impure*, nah?"

" *Nothing*, nobody would *care*, nobody would *know*"

Aleksej let out a chuckle, which resonated with his disbelief, and of course, they definitely heard him loud and clear.

*'Ah yes, this exactly why I slaughtered them like pigs.'*

The Northern Emperor, Aleksej Czar Valentin, the *tyrant* yet *peacemaker* of the interius world. His younger days were the most famous for slaughtering nobles and commoners all like mere cattle. And even so, more than that was the sinister smirk he wore when killing.

**" Say who wants to go first?"**

The unsettling feeling that awoke in those men chilled them to their core. They started running immediately, they dashed out or well they *tried* to.

In a flash, he was near the first man, a simple blood-chilling smile and-

*Scrunch.*

He thrusted his sharp fingers inside the man. Hand still inside, he lifted him up, his eyes never leaving the man's. And the smile on his face never faded in fact it grew as the blood splattered on his face.

The man couldn't even register what had happened or that he had a hand through his belly. It happened at such speed that he didn't even realize the pain. And when he did, he died for the *first* time. He spat out blood more like it flooded down from his mouth.

Aleksej licked his lips, tasting the blood. He grinned, his eyes feeling more brighter, **"Wonderful. It still tastes very disgusting."**

He twisted his hand inside, and with his other held the man by the neck high up in the hair. He took out his hand out and shoved it back again.

And that's when the man died for the *second* time.

Aleksej laughed, his eyes never leaving the man's. Boring into the petrified eyes. Then he brought his hand inside the man to the middle, the man knew what was coming, a grim terror-filled look came into his eyes, he shook his head as if saying *'please mercy'*

To which the Northern Emperor replied, ***"Not a man who practices mercy I am"***

In a swift move of his hands, he tore the man into two pieces. He let go of the corpse as he realized the bearded man was off long gone.

Well, *hunting* was his specialty. Poor man, if only he had stayed still he would have gotten a swift death but now he wanted to be hunted down like *prey*.

Good with him. He was longing for prey to hunt on.

Aleksej *walked* through the forest, stalking out the man. He intentionally slowed down, giving the man more time. If the prey dies easily with no effort that would be just murder not hunt. Hunting is preying.

The horror-stricken man ran, ran like his life depended on it. Stumbling up to a stop he stàred behind, checking for him.

That was major mistake *one*. Never look back, *never*. If you're running run, stop and you get caught.

The man breathed an air of relief as he saw that no was chasing after him. His heart beat a marathon. He stared at the trees yet again checking again and again.

***"Umm who are you looking for?"*** The amusement and fun could be heard from the deep voice.

If the man's heart ran about a marathon then, it was *hysterical* now.

***"Umm?"*** Aleksej breathed from behind the man, his head close to the man's face and he could feel the cold breath.

"P-pleas-se let-t me liv-"

Major mistake number *two*, pleading never worked.

***"No"*** before the man was able to complete his sentence, his head was long gone. With a mere twist with his hands, it came out like a screw.

*'Good. No more filth will hang around here.'*

His promise to the priest was shattered. A promise to control his killing intent.

*Nobody*. No one will ever harm *her*. *No one*.

He sprinted to the front gate of the palace. And the smell of fear reached him.

Well of course, why wouldn't they be afraid when they see an Emperor, The *Northern Emperor* soaked in blood.

He smirked, actually quite liking the response. That only made the guards’ skin crawl.

He chuckled, ***"Clean it up for me, will you?"***


Well if you found him quite *sweet* earlier, oh he's quite *bitter* now, isn't he?