Goodbye cruel world

Isabelle's perspective

Iris and I managed to buy tickets to board a ship to get out of town and escape to Birmingham. From there we plan on getting on the earliest flight, with our destination still unknown but I'm sure we would figure it out on the long sea voyage. Maybe along the way, I can also find an occult workshop where I can get some ingredients and items that I could use to restore my binding bracelet to its former charm. Hopefully we don't run into any abominable monsters along our travels.

"And,oh, you remember Isaac? The guy from literature who was hitting on you? The cops said they found him dead. They found his dead body floating in a lake. They said he has been missing but was found dead weeks ago so the police are investigating a case of impersonation and image theft. Only if they knew that it was a shapeshifter who killed him and took his form. They wouldn't even believe that." Iris finished filling me in on everything that basically went down when I was away. We exchanged stories while we waited for our ship to finally depart from the dock. It would very soon.

"So now it's your turn. Tell me all about the details that happened while you were kidnapped? And don't forget about the hot guy, Dimitri Castellan." Iris said, just grinning from ear to ear. She was overly enthusiastic and interested in knowing about every single detail about my kidnappers and venture with him, ever since I mentioned to her that it was the same hot guy I bumped into at coffee bay, she came to the absurd conclusion that it was some kind of Fate, pulling us together. How funny is that?

"I wouldn't technically call it kidnapping because I had a choice to leave, sort of. But I chose not to, you see." I babbled on, earning a rather confused look from my friend.

She just stared at me for a few seconds and then replied. "Uh-huh, okay. Noted, not a kidnapping. What else?" Iris said, nodding her head.

"They all lived out in the forest in this freaking huge castle, for real you could get lost in all the rooms and space in there. I think they were drug Lords or mafias or something." I paused, giving it another thought.

"Dimitri Axel Castellan? A drug lord? I highly doubt that. To the entire world he is like a legitimate influential business man and the CEO of Castellan corp. He is a freaking billionaire who has been on Europe's top five wealthy countless of times." She analyzed, feeding me with new information. I honestly didn't even know he was that famous and rich. He was even the CEO of the multi million company, Castellan corp, he was literally a billionaire and Castellan Corp was like the blood work of the whole continent. But not like I really cared about money or materialistic stuffs like that.

"Anyways tell me about the people there? What were they like?" She asked, placing her chin on her palm.

"They all were super sweet and nice to me, well except for this one crazy lunatic, Rubi. Aside from her they all were kind. Gemini mostly, she was the sweetest, as well as Lance, Dixie and Gabe. Most of all Dimitri, he never stopped protecting me and taking care of me. He made me feel safe and protected." I paused with a heavy sigh escaping my lips. I couldn't help reminiscing on our times together. I thought back to the time when he applied first aid on me in the kitchen. I continued reminiscing on our time at the balcony, "He was one of the hardest for me to leave behind." I finally added.

"Seems like you were in love with him." Iris said with a smile. My eyes quickly flashed at her, and for some unknown and completely coincidental reason, I felt my little heart skip a beat.

"No way!” I quickly shoot at her. “Me in love? With whom?? Pfft… I would rather stick pins in my eyeballs before I let that happen." I murmured, shaking my head at her totally absurd and untrue assumption. It was crazy to assume that I was in love with anyone, not less than that man.

"Come on, Belle. I know that look and I have never seen you look that way for anyone. You're in love, but you just won't admit it to yourself." She smiled, raising her eyebrows up and down.

“I'm not in love Iris.” I retorted. I wasn't in love with him and I needed to get those silly thoughts of love out of my mind if I wished to live long.

"Great! Look at that, it's time to get aboard. Let's go, Iris." I murmured, successfully changing the subject. We both got up and moved along with the other passengers that were boarding the ship. But I just couldn't shake off Iris’ words. What she said earlier on about me being in love, was it true? Could love be the reason why my heart ached so much? Was it calling out for Dimitri? Could it be possible that during this short time spent I have fallen in love with that man?

'Did you just figure that out now, dummy?' my inner thoughts sparked, ever so tauntingly to me. 'He stole your heart the moment you met his eyes but your stupid pride and stubbornness is getting in the way. It isn't too late to turn back now and go to him.'

For the first time this voice in my head actually made some sense. I needed to be around Dimitri, I needed him more than I knew. Against everything, I couldn't bear leaving him behind, I couldn't bear living without him. I had to go back.

"Iris, this feels like a mistake." I said to her, By now the ship had already begun sailing, and its loud horns were wailing signaling departure.

"No shit," Iris said, her eyes just wandering off. I held her hand, shifting her attention back to me.

"No, I mean it. This is a really huge mistake, I need to get back to Dimitri, now." I told her, she didn't even spare me a second look at me. She kept staring off at something in shock. Her eyes held disbelief as though she had seen a ghost from the dead.

"Are you even listening to me?" I asked.

"Isabelle look. He is here." Iris said, pointing far ahead. I turned around and took a look at what she saw and it was really him. Dimitri Axel Castellan in the flesh in all his glory and sexiness. He stood six feet, standing out as the only magnificent thing on board. His predatory eyes searched, finally narrowing on me with a danger in it. What was he doing here?

"Dimitri?" I spoke in a barely audible whisper, unsure of what to say next. I was more than shocked to see him here. I didn't expect him to come for me although I was thankful to the goddess to have seen his face.

"I'm so glad I was able to find you first." He said touching my cheeks with his rough palm, his touch which I can't deny I craved like a holy grail. "I was going crazy looking for you everywhere." He drew me into a cold embrace, shutting out all the noise around and in my mind, he made everywhere quiet. I could feel the urgency and joy he felt finding me, he needed me just as much as I needed him right now, maybe even more. His presence was sending my mind into a state of overdrive, it was his effect on me.

I wasn't able to control myself as I sent my lips crashing into his. He reciprocated the gesture by placing his hands on my waist pulling me in and kissing me back deeper. His kisses were hungry, rough and fierce but there was something about the way he kissed me that felt. Hollow. I felt nothing.

"How did you find out where I was?" I pulled away quickly and asked with a smile. I tried masking away my growing worry.

"I have my ways, have you forgotten." He smirked. "Hey Iris." He smiled at her, as she waved back at him gushing.

"I came to take you back." He said, dragging me away from the passengers that stared at us with smiles. Wow, I didn't realize that we were out here displaying our affections in public, and the entire crowd was clapping and gushing at the sweet scene. Some even had their phones out which was a little bit embarrassing. Dimitri dragged me heading out of the ship until we were in a quiet and empty room.

"We need to get off this damn ship." He added, "I'm not going to let any of those fucking monsters get to you Isabelle." I paused at his words.

"What did you say?" He tried dragging me off but I wasn't moved, I stood still in my spot.

"I'm not going to let those monsters get to you, I will protect you." He repeated himself, not realizing what he said earlier.

"No, you called me Isabelle. You never called me that." I said, taking my hand from his. He looked at me with shock and confusion. His brown eyes held something that I couldn't pinpoint, it was something dark, something deceitful.

"Are you kidding me, what else do you expect I call you? Isn't that your name." He tried to laugh it off, but I was already on to the truth. He wasn't my Dimitri. Iris also looked at me in confusion as though I was crazy.

"Natalie, that's the name you always called me even though you knew all along that wasn't even my real name. You never once addressed me as Isabelle, you kept on with my false identity." I pointed out the facts while he just stared at me, now his laugh was gone. For seconds there was nothing but a tense and cold silence that you could literally cut with a butter knife. Then he let out a terrifying laugh, that sent chills of dread down my spine

"Oh fuck it!" He continued laughing hard like a crazy maniac. "I really got you again, didn't I? How the hell was I to know that the lycan called you Natalie. Oh well, that doesn't even matter anyway you know why? Because I have you right where I want you. Alone." He grinned widely, and I saw his eyes reflect a bright green color. Immediately I knew just exactly who this trickster was.

"Belle, who's this?" Iris asked, taking a step behind me.

"He isn't Dimitri, he's a shapeshifter. Alectryon" I explained, staring fiercely at Alectryon.

"Yes, your boyfriend thought he killed me but he was terribly wrong. This trickster still has some tricks up his sleeve and I have come just for you Isabella. There's no escaping from me this time, the ship has already begun sailing." Sharp pointy teeth began showing as his fingernails became like sharp talons.

"Iris run!" I yelled. "Incendiá!" I said, using my magic to conjure a ring of fire surrounding him to serve as a distraction to buy us some time to get away.

I ran, with Iris far ahead, I could hear sounds of Alectryon chasing after us, his growls followed us–followed me. I couldn't keep running like this, I knew I needed to fight this monster even though honestly I was terrified to. The last time we fought, that bastard used my mother's memory against me, I don't know if I could survive that again.

I lured him to an empty cargo room, where cars and several automobiles were kept and parked there. I stood behind one of the cars, as I waited for Alectryon to catch up with me, but he never came. I could feel heated eyes watching me as I moved around in search of my predator.

I heard a frightening growl and with that I saw him hanging himself at me from above, sending me crashing against one of the cars. The car cried out and wailed in response.

I feel pain gush through my entire body as I cry out in agony. I struggled on the ground to get up, but couldn't, I was bleeding from my leg and I could feel it's parallel venom crippling and making me stiff

I whimpered, sliding away from Alectryon as he approached me, his face and skin fully mutated into a chimera looking creature.

The sound of triggered car sirens blared loudly as he continued to approach me. His huge shadow loomed over me, what I stared at wasn't like anything I have seen before. It was like a mutation formed of several creatures. It was like a chimera. He had shape shifted himself entirely, now he had the head of a sphinx, the skin of a serpent but a body of a beast and talons for hands.

He growled at me viciously, planning on going for the kill. My eyes were shut as he raced towards me.

This is it.

This is my end.

I am going to be eaten alive by him. Goodbye cruel world, you have been very unkind to me.

That was when I heard another threatening growl erupt from behind me. My eyes turned to the sound.

The other creature was huge, bigger than Alectryon and abnormal with matted fur and huge ears extending upwards. It looked like a giant wolf or beast of some sort and gave off an aura of pure evil and destruction. It was a lycan wolf. Werewolves aren't this big, and werewolves don't walk on two legs but this one did and he was protecting me!

He attacked Alectryon with so much fury and anger, wasting no time ripping him apart. Alectryon tried his best to fight back but he wasn't even a match. Finally the lycan sent his claws into Alectryon's chest, ripping his heart out and squashing the pulsating heart with its claws. Alectryon dropped dead, and this time I'm sure it is for good.

The lycan turned back to me, as he began walking towards me sending out a loud roar and I can't help but keep my head down in submission. I didn't really know much about werewolves but I knew that this was an Alpha–an Alpha Lycan– very rare to find, since all the lycans were wiped out centuries ago. As he approached, it was shifting back to its naked human form. I could make out a vague face, it looked like-- No it was. Dimitri.

The lycan beast was Dimitri.

My head suddenly began to spin around, I knew I was going to faint any moment as my mind felt nauseous and hazy.

Everything around me starts to spin and just like that the world goes black, and I'm out.

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***Author's note***

Hello fam. Hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. So there's the chapter, what do you think of it?

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on the progress of the book. This book is particularly on a fast pace because there is literally a lot to be done, trust me, you can't even imagine the ideas to come.

I don't want to spoil anything but there would likely, maybe and probably be a book two– I don't know– maybe lol. So stay looped.

Okay goodbye and expect a timely release for the next chapter.

Chapter soundtrack: Loneliest by

Maneskins (song literally rocks and cuts deep)