Chapter 3. Daredevil

Selena stood in the room, unable to move her feet, puzzled. She was alarmed by the detective’s final statement. Selena was astonished and tears were streaming down her cheek like water from a fountain. 

Hearing this in her brain, Isabel stumbled to the ground, but Detective Saul caught her up.

For the sake of her family, Hania, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain her composure. 

Hania, however, was doing her best to remain composed for the sake of her family. As for Jade, she had no clue why her mother was on the floor as she came down the stairs.

“What’s happening here?” She inquired. Jade was only aware of Selena returning home with the police the previous night. Her mother had told her that her father had gone on an errand and would be back the next day. Seeing her mother on the floor, Jade demanded an explanation.

Then, when she drew near Selena, her gaze turned to her. “Selena?” She touched her, jolting her out of her thoughts. “What’s wrong, why are you all crying? I need a response,” Jade screamed. 

Selena scowled and averted her gaze from her sister’s eyes. She shouldn’t be crying right now. When her family was around, she didn’t cry. That wasn’t like her at all. She kept telling herself that if she continued crying, they would perceive her as weak. She wiped away her tears and seemed to be getting back on her feet. With her hands trembling, she collected the photos from her mother, while Jade moved closer to see what’s also in the photos, and both gave it a close observation. 

Selena gave the photos a stern look. “This is my dad. I want to see his body,” she lamented. The detective nodded his head, “I’m sorry, but his body has been transferred to the morgue, I wouldn’t advice you see him this time.” and that made Selena become more angry. She attempted to struggle with the detective, but he was stronger. He didn’t even move very much. “He’s my dad,” this time, Jade trembled and fell to the ground when Selena yelled. 

She couldn’t believe her ears, but she was consoled by Hania, who held her tightly as she sobbed bitterly.   

“Please take her away from here,” Detective Saul instructed one of his men, but when the masked individual tried to approach Selena, she reacted with a slap. Being 20 years old didn’t make her a small child; it made her volatile. The sight of her favorite person in the world, she’s seeing in the photos lying lifeless on the floor had turned her into an emotional beast.

Selena turned to Isabel, her expression contorted with anger. “I need to know the cause of Daddy’s death,” she demanded, her scowl deepening. Isabel didn’t want her child to bear any more pain, and she couldn’t blame Selena for her feelings. Selena was completely unaware of the circumstances, and it was only natural for her to react this way to the loss of the person she loved most in the world - her father.

Isabel sniffed, looking at Detective Saul. “I believe she must be present here. It is, after all, her father. She took a breath before moving on. When you discovered him in the woods, what happened to him?

He cleared his throat and said, “As seen in the photos, there was a mark on his face and body, and... he had his heart removed when we found him.”

Selena handed over the photos back to the detective, feeling sick to her stomach after hearing Detective Saul’s words. She approached the table and leaned back on the chair to have some fresh air.

“Was it a bear?” Selena looked back at him and gave him a glance.

“What bear?” Isabel looked into Hania’s eyes while Detective Saul questioned, and she became curious.

“Yesterday, I spotted a bear in front of the car as we were on our way to the NBA games. I told Daddy not to hit it since it didn’t seem dangerous and I didn’t think it would harm us, so he instead hit the tree.”

“What? What kind of bear is this? Isabel continued her question out of curiosity. ”How big was it?”

“I’m not sure. It is really huge, but I can’t recall. I mean big. That’s all I have to say.”

“And the colour? What colour did it have?”

“I’m not sure, Mom.” She turned away once more, gritting her teeth firmly.

Detective Saul shook his head. “This is not from a bear, in my opinion. This is unusual in some way.”

“Naturally, it is strange.” Selena cried out. “You think it’s strange that my father suddenly disappeared, then was found later on with his heart out and claw marks all over him?” She snorted. “I need my father’s autopsy to determine what happened,”

Isabel was stunned by Selena’s statement. “What autopsy?” Isabel hesitated. 

“Yes, Mom,” Selena replied, turning to face her mother. “If we find out the result, we can understand the real reason for Dad’s death.”

“But we can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Isabel hesitated, then turned to Hania. “Tell her, Hania.”

“Tell me what?” Selena inquired, growing curious.

“Hmm, Selena, are you sure you want to go ahead with this?” Hania asked.

“What’s happening here?” Detective Saul inquired.

Isabel approached him. “Please let’s have a private discussion. The kids shouldn’t learn what I’m about to say.”

Selena snorted. I won’t stop until I receive the autopsy report on my father, no matter what you people say.” Selena left the room. 

Hania eventually raised her voice as she saw Selena ascending the stairs. “Detective, we’ll agree to the autopsy, all right?” Selena stopped in her tracks and turned in response to Hania’s comment, Isabel likewise jerked her head around in shock.

“What are you doing?” Isabel approached Hania and pulled her into a corner. “What’s going on?” She whispered. 

“Selena won’t stop until we provide her the result. The last person who should be shocked by her strong will is you.” 

“What else could you do but truly fulfill her request?” Hania, you should know better than anyone else what is going on here. We all know which werewolf attacked your father because Selena claimed it was a big werewolf that attacked your father.”

“Stop worrying, mom,” Hania looked over Isabella’s shoulder and saw that everyone was looking at them. If you keep acting like this, everyone will become suspicious.” 

“Although we know that the Alpha is out for vengeance for what Dad and the other hunters did to his parents, I am well aware that the Alpha did this, because the detective claimed that when they found Dad, his heart wasn’t found in him.” 

Isabel sighed. She could remember everything, but she had no idea how fast Jordan would be located by the Alpha after two years! “Hania, what should we do about the detective’s findings and the results?” What if they learned about these important secrets? The council won’t be pleased with us if this is revealed.” 

Hania shook her head and laughed uncontrollably. “Mom, no. They won’t be happy with you. Mom, they won’t even come after me. I’m not a part of your group that kill werewolves. I just turned 22 and I’m a student.” She beamed. “But don’t worry, anything we do or say won’t be noticed.” Before Selena or the detective finds out, we only need to receive the autopsy results and make the necessary changes.” 

“And how do we go about doing that?” Isabel inquired. 

As she grinned. “I think I know the right man for the job.” 

* * * * * * * * * * *

THE WEREWOLF’S CRIB

Alpha Titus was aware that there was just a thin line separating love and hatred. Love had never been his thing; he stopped believing in it after witnessing the tragic death of his parents two years ago by the hunters. He desires vengeance, and he is willing to go to any length to exact the revenge he so desperately seeks.

Two years later, after putting in a lot of training and keeping himself off with hatred, Titus, like his wolf, Devil, gained his ruthlessness. His wolf provided him with protection and solace, yet Titus lacks a heart just like his wolf.

He was a leader, and a leader must set an example by having no compassion for offenders, whether they are other humans or members of his own kind.  

He won’t spare everyone since humans have hurt him. Until he can find the remaining few hunters and exact his vengeance, he will continue to slaughter them. He had a mixed skin tone, stood at 5’9” in height, had brown hair and brown eyes, broad shoulders, and a chiseled jawline that could make ladies swoon. 

Alpha Titus took a position in front of the statues of the former Storm Wielder Wolf Pack, Luna, and Alpha while dressed in a black T-shirt and a pair of tight, faded trousers. 

He was constantly reminded of his deep-seated hatred for humans by the statue placed in front of the mansion.

As he gazed at the statue, his thoughts began to drift until a voice snapped him back to the present. “Alpha, I knew I’d find you here, I swear,” called Tyler, his closest friend, and the second person Titus would risk his life for, right after his younger brother, Dylan.

Turning to face Tyler, Titus sighed. “I’m here whenever you need me,” he responded with a smile.

Tyler approached him with a scowl. “Alpha, you should’ve invited me,” he whispered. “You see, if Dylan discovers what you’ve done, he’ll get really mad, and you can’t handle it when your brother’s angry.”

Titus agreed, “I had no choice, Tyler. I spent a long time looking for him until I eventually found him.”

“Two years have passed, Titus. Isn’t it time to just move on?”

Titus took a deep breath. “No, it’s not. I have to destroy every last one of them before my heart can find peace.”

“You’re ruthless, I swear,” Tyler teased, and Titus chuckled.

“Why are you here, Tyler? You’ve heard about what I did, so I’m sure it’s not just a social call. I...”

Tyler cut him off. “Actually, you’re to blame for what happened. When I recently entered the human settlement, I came across the police in the woods, and it didn’t look good, Titus.” Tyler paused and scanned their surroundings to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Then, he turned back to Titus. “They found the hunter’s lifeless body. Since when have you been consuming human hearts?”

Titus didn’t appear scared or nervous. He was more focused on carrying out further acts of violence. “I left it for the birds to feed on.”

Tyler frowned and said, “It’s difficult to believe.”

“Tyler,” Titus licked his lips, “just remember I’m the Alpha here, and I can do as I please.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha, but sometimes your best friend has to help you consider your options rationally. If you keep seeking revenge, you’ll never find closure. You’ll lose yourself.”

“Please spare me the lecture. I didn’t consume the hunter’s heart. I left it for the birds. I would never dare eat the heart of a wicked man.”

Tyler laughed. “You can’t judge whether someone is wicked or not; if you do, you’re no better than them.” In anger, Titus averted his gaze from Tyler.