Half Of His Face
Adeline
That night was the last time I spent with Mike. We agreed not to see each other for the time being since Elda was mad at me for continuously seeing and getting intimate with him. She was so angry that she never talked to me, to the point that I couldn’t feel her presence. I got scared and worried for her as well. What if what I did harmed her in any way? Yes, we haven’t found our mates yet, but with Kaiser constantly saying that I am his, there’s no doubt that Elda was affected as well. She had never said anything against him ever since and didn’t get mad at me when he kissed me.
I sighed deeply because of the heaviness of my heart. I know how I feel about Mike, and hurting him is the last thing that I want to do. But I still need to think about my wolf. She’s a part of me, and we are one. ‘Elda,’ I called her, ‘can you talk to me already?’ I asked and waited for her reply, but there was none, so I decided to give up and proceed to the training hall for a sparring session with my brother.
As Daniel and I sparred, I remembered what Milka had told me about seeing me with that man who killed Dad’s friend’s counterpart in Kaiser’s world. I couldn’t help but tell Daniel about it. “What!” he exclaimed.
‘Can’t you lower your voice? I didn’t want anyone to hear it, so I mind-linked you instead.’
‘This is a serious matter, Adeline. We need to inform Dad about this,’ he replied.
‘I know that, but how can I explain to him about the other world?’
‘I believe you, right?’
‘And I’m still surprised about it. How can you just believe it after hearing it once?’ I asked.
‘Because you’re my little sister!’ I straightened up and put down my sword.
‘I’m serious, Daniel.’
“What do you want me to do about it? As much as possible, I want these killings to end. I want to know what’s going on and who the hell that man is that you and Milka saw.’
“Let’s talk privately,” I said, and he nodded. We stopped training and decided to freshen up and meet in the library.
As I entered my bedroom, my eyes landed on my bedside table. Then I remembered the notebook that I hadn’t finished reading. I didn’t have time to read it again. I’m tempted to read that now, but Daniel and I need to talk. So, I decided to go straight to my bathroom and take a shower. When I was finally able to clean my body, I left my bedroom and went to the library, where my older brother and I agreed to meet to continue our conversation.
“So, you were saying?” Daniel asked as soon as I entered the library.
“Can’t you let me sit first?” I asked, raising a brow. He’s so curious.
“Fine.” He replied, rolling his eyes at me.
“As I was saying, Milka and I saw that man. But what I saw was his decaying face that was starting to generate, so I didn’t know what exactly he looked like.”
“You said that you saw him with the dead girl, right?” he asked, and I nodded. “Do you think the reason you saw him regenerate was because of that poor girl?”
“That’s what we thought as well, but we’re not sure.”
“Is there any way we can find out about that?” he asked.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.
“I want to have a look at every book in this library. But I don’t think I will be able to find it here.”
“Why?”
“If someone knew about that kind of information, do you think he or she would let that out in the open?”
“You can never tell. We have to think of every possibility.”
“Do you think there might be a book about certain rituals or offerings? Milka thinks that the man has sold himself to the devil, and for him to have the youthful appearance of immortality, he had to make an offering.”
“That’s possible. I mean, immortality is a huge request to make. It’s not something you can have just because you want it.” He commented, and that’s what Milka and I think too. We can’t even ask the moon goddess to give us immortal life. Furthermore, who would desire immortality with the knowledge that their loved ones would leave them? Personally, I didn’t want that. I’d rather spend my limited time with my loved ones than stay and watch them all die.
“Daniel, I know the seriousness of this matter. But, can you promise me not to tell anyone about this yet?”
“What’s your plan?” He asked.
“I want to try and find out who that man is. As to how I am going to do it, I don’t know. I admit, I don’t have a plan either. But I want to start by following the lead the police have with all the killings.”
“Leads that they got from you!” He exclaimed. Yes, but I believe that they will be able to come up with something. That man will make a mistake in the future. “Another thing, you said that he looked at Milka. The reason she was scared at the same time.”
“Yeah, I am worried about that too.”
“We can’t just set aside that incident. For all we know, that man has started to look for you or Milka, and you are in grave danger.”
“Do you think so?” I asked, concerned. He nodded, so I looked at him intently.
“Then, can she stay here?”
“Don’t ask me, ask Dad.” Yeah right.
“Will you back me up?” I asked hesitantly. Our father is not fond of Milka. The reason he was letting her come into the pack was because he didn’t want me to get mad at him. He said that a witch betrayed his sister, causing her to die.
“I’ll try what I can do.” He replied, so I smiled at him. “But, I assure you, once we tell him about the reason why she had to stay here, he’ll say yes immediately.”
“Enough, Daniel. Whatever we find out, I will tell you. Just promise me that you won’t tell anyone.”
“Alright. You know that I always support you, no matter what.”
“That’s why I love you so much, big brother,” I said he rolled his eyes at me, which made me laugh loud.
A few days later, I talked to Dad, but he didn’t agree. He said it was enough that she was able to come and visit the pack. I haven’t told Milka about this because I didn’t want to give her false hope. Although she knew how Dad felt about her, I still felt uncomfortable telling her that he didn’t want her presence in our pack.
“So, where to?” she asked.
“To the morgue, of course.” A week before the blue moon, another girl’s dead body was found.
“Am I going to have a look at her again?”
“I’m really sorry about this. But if you don’t want to, it’s fine. We will find another way.” I replied, sadly. She looked into the other girls’s dead bodies, and just like the first one, that man was there while they were dying. That’s why we are certain that it was a ritual for an offering.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just, what if he saw me?” So she started to feel scared as well.
“As I’ve said, it’s fine if you don’t want to. I understand, and I am not going to take it against you. You’re my friend and very important to me as well, so harming you is never an option.”
“You are my friend too. The only friend I have, to be exact. So, I want to help you too.” I smiled at her before giving her a tight hug. Oh, how I wish that she’d end up being Daniel’s mate. I wonder what Dad will do.
“I’ll protect you with my life,” I said with conviction. I want to assure her that I am going to do everything in my power to save her from any kind of harm that this investigation may inflict on her. Or even if it’s not related to this case. As long as she needs me, I’ll make sure to be there for her. She nodded, and we started heading our way to the next city in the east. The girls’ dead bodies were found in three different locations. The south, north, and west. The last one was in the east.
The police officer who was waiting for us led the way when we arrived at the morgue and showed us the fourth girl’s dead body. Just like the first three, Milka touched her. Because I am already worried for her, I prepare myself just in case something unusual happens again. Thankfully, there’s none. She opened her eyes and faced us.
“He’s still there. It was confirmed that he was doing it for a ritual or offering. His face is not as decayed as before. I saw only his left face because I opened my eyes when he was about to look my way again. I’m sorry, but I had a feeling that it would turn bad once he saw me again,” she said, fearful.
“It’s fine, Milks. It was enough information already.” I replied, hugging her. I looked at the police officer, and he nodded. I’m glad he understood that we didn’t need to force her to say more.
Out of fear for my friend’s safety, I promise to do everything I can to protect her and convince Dad to let her stay in our pack. She has been a big help, and I am going to tell Dad that, but leave the information about the woman who looks like me who was with that man.