Although it was hard to believe that they were the same person. Back at the tavern, Phaeryl had only seen him for some seconds. She was convinced that they were the same person.
In a split second, he was already at his throne; lazily leaning on it with his legs spread apart. His hair was black and messy, his light brown eyes had tints of golden in it, and his mouth twitched at the corner as if he didn't enjoy much but found pleasure in inflicting pain. He looked bored and cruel.
Phaeryl could've opined that she had never seen any werewolf with that much speed in her life. There was this energy she couldn't deny he gave off. An energy of superiority.
"This group is lesser than that of last year's" He taunted.
"We have come to serve you" Esme muttered with her head down.
In an elegant move, he strode towards them, making everyone bow their heads.
"I don't remember asking" Blood was already dripping down his fingers as his fingers dug into Esme 's cheeks.
Phaeryl could hear the faint sounds Esme could make out. She slowly raised up her head; maybe this would motivate her to come up with a plan to escape.
Their eyes met.
Phaeryl immediately bent her head, staring at the marble floor of the palace. She winced on hearing Esme fall on the floor with a thud. Esme had been here for the third time, and this was how she was treated. Her mind wrapped around the fact that Xhanes Ardegard could leisurely decide when it was their time.
"Why are you here?" He sounded a few steps closer to Phaeryl. She sneaked a peak at Esme on the floor. Thankfully, she was breathing. This time, the danger was closer than she thought. He was talking to the girl next to her. She watched as the girl froze with her lips curved into a nervous smile.
"I'm here work for you, My Lord"
In a bat of an eye, his arm had already speared through the girl's abdomen. Phaeryl's legs moved faster than she could think, taking a few steps backward. They locked eyes again. She cursed herself for not sticking to the marble floor like others.
Phaeryl quickly returned to her former state of bowing. Her heartbeat paced faster with each second that passed. The room felt smaller, the walls pressing in as her fingers played with the ring on her index finger.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Suddenly, the man stood in front of her.
His voice snapped through the silence. She flinched hard,heart slamming against her as if it were trying to escape. Her mind went back to the rumor she heard about his abilities to hear thoughts.
She slowly raised her head. This close, he was undeniably attractive and taller than she'd realized.
"I– I– I was forced. I would say to bring honor to my pack by serving you"
She didn't mean to blurt out all those words. He gave her a smile, revealing a pair of dimples that made him look more angel than the devil.
"That's interesting. Which pack is that?"
Her breath spilled out like she'd been holding it for years.
"Lanster"
"I almost forgot Lanster was among the six packs"
He chuckled as he moved past her towards the girl behind her. Luckily, he skipped Isla.
Only a fool who lives under a rock would forget Lanster was a pack. Fortunately for him, he lives in a beautiful palace.
Xhanes stopped abruptly. Phaeryl stood frozen, every muscle locked as he walked back to his previous position in front of her. Even blinking felt too loud. Were the rumors true? Did he hear her thoughts?
He cupped her cheeks with that same maniac smile plastered across his face. She found the fact that her hands wouldn't stop trembling diabolical.
Phaeryl could only pray that he wouldn't ruin her face like he did to Esme. He maintained eye contact for a while before letting go.
She sucked in a shaky breath as warmth spread through her chest. For the first time since she entered the damned palace, her heartbeat slowed.
Her eyes darted around the place, and it was also appropriately maintained like its surroundings. Her mind kept going back to the funny reality that the one the packs had tried so hard to seal was now roaming about in the capital.
Her shoulders sagged, reminding of the heavy bag of belongings. The weight of the bag could never compare to what she was facing at the moment. Using the back of her hand, she quickly wiped the stain of blood from the girl Xhanes had punctured.
"I don't have a bond mark, so I came here to serve you" Phaeryl's attention drifted to another girl. The girl looked visibly shaken with ragged breaths. Phaeryl's eyes drifted to the girl's shoulder. She could make out a pattern sticking out that appeared to resemble a bond mark. She considered the girl stupid; she couldn't understand why someone with a bond mark would want to embark on a suicide mission or why she wouldn't cover her shoulder up properly.
In a flash, her head fell off her body. Xhanes slowly wiped his hands with a handkerchief and then his dagger before throwing it on the detached head. Phaeryl could only help but wonder how fast he had to be to enable him to cut her head off.
That was it, Xhanes had killed two of the twenty girls.