Adrian paced around the room angrily. None of them had told him that his mate was possessing Alaska. They'd only told him when they needed help to rescue Noah Waters, Alaska's best friend who was kidnapped by the blackwater butcher impersonator. Arian sat with Michaela in a corner and went over possible locations in the blackwater forest that could have been missed by them. There were none.

"Adrian," Alaska sighed.

"I was there for you even when your own mate was a dick and wanted to kill you, Ally! This is how you reward me?" Adrian shouted angrily.

"Hey, I'm still a dick," Arian chided.

"Addy, can you really blame her? She was just scared." Milan told Adrian. He looked at her and sighed. "Whatever. Let's go get Noah, get my mate back and then kill the son of a bitch. I'm done with all of you after we finish that." Everyone in the room looked at each other grimly but said nothing. Adrian Lancaster was always calm and composed so seeing him furious told them enough for them to know not to mess with him.

An hour later, Arian, Alaska, Adrian, Milan, Avian and Michaela were all in the blackwater forest where Arian, also known as the Blackwater Butcher, killed most of his victims. It made sense that the copy-cat killer chose to keep Noah in the same forest where it all started.

"I can't scent Ezekiel. Maybe he isn't here," Arian said. Milan and the others nodded in agreement. The six of them split in twos and searched around the entire forest but found no one and nothing. Was it all just a coincidence?

Michaela walked tiredly to the Blackwater lake to have a sip of water when Alaska shrieked and told her about all the heads that were tossed in the water by her mate. The witched just waved her off and continued savouring the cool water.

Adrian circled the lake once, twice and then again the third time until Avian came and stood in front of him. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Walking around like a madman is just going to tire you."

Adrian shook his head and pointed to the water. "If there is a body of water surrounding this land, it should be flush with greenery. This entire circle has plants except for that," he said, pointing to a big oak tree on the west of the lake. Milan, overhearing their conversation, looked at the tree and hummed. "The tree is dying," she murmured.

"So? It's just a stupid tree," Avian grumbled.

"So it's dying because there isn't enough water being supplied to the tree," Arian replied.

"Because something is blocking the water from reaching the tree."

Ally walked towards the tree and dug around. She found a rope in the mud and fished it out, tugging on it as hard as possible. A loud creaking noise was heard before a wooden plank came loose along with the piece of rope. All six of them crouched low to see the dark pit that was hidden by the plank of wood.

Milan removed a flashlight from her pocket and shone light on the pit. It revealed a steep set of stairs. One by one, all six of them crawled into the dark pit and went down the stairs into a dim passageway. It smelled like mould and rotten flesh.

Somehow, Ezekiel had managed to install pipes that carried barely enough oxygen to keep a human being alive. Subtly, Arian looked behind to see if Alaska was okay but frowned when he saw her holding Avian's hand tightly. Adrian still trailed behind the group without saying a word to either of them unless it was truly necessary.

They reached the end of the passageway which revealed three passages. Milan and Adrian entered the first one without looking back. Avian took Alaska by her hand and placed her hand in Arian's. "You'll be the safest when you're with your mate," he told her softly. Arian nodded at his cousin as a final goodbye and took Alaska by her hand into the second passage as Michaela and Avian walked dauntlessly into the one on their extreme right.

Milan and Adrian kept walking in silence until they reached a door that was locked. After Adrian broke down the door, the two of them walked in casually and stopped before a wall holding at least fifteen tv screens showing CCTV footage. It recorded the entire palace, Noah's house, Alaska's house and even Adrian and Milan's respective palaces. On the table nearby, there was an entire file of all the records of the Royal members. "Damn it. He even knows that I cheated in my SATs," Milan grumbled under her breath.

Arian led the way as Alaska trailed behind him, taking in all the paintings and illustrations of executions on the walls. Ezekiel really was deranged and dangerous. What had made him walk over to the dark side? "Arian?" Alaska called out in the dark. He hummed in reply. "I'm sorry for accusing you of killing Noah." There was no reply. After a while, he spoke. "I know, darling. I know."

I want to give us another chance, she said in her mind, fully knowing that he'd hear that.

Arian didn't reply.

They reached a red door which creaked open on its own once the two of them reached it. In front of them, Noah lay on a cold metal table, tied down by ropes with spikes embedded in them. Ally sobbed as she reached Noah and untied his hands and legs without bothering about the skin that was ripped open as she pulled on the ropes.

Arian stood deadly still and watched the room sharply. No dents in the walls for hidden traps and no cameras. Was Ezekiel truly so foolish that he left his prisoner unguarded?

Why had Ezekiel made everything so easy?

After a few minutes, Arian walked over to the table where Alaska was sobbing over her friend's unconscious body and pulled his mate away before hauling Noah over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Be careful!" Ally scolded him. He rolled his eyes and continued walking out of the room.

All six of them emerged from their respective routes at the same time looking safe as before except for Avian and Michaela who looked like they'd just seen a ghost. "I don't want to talk about it," Michaela snapped when Arian asked about it.

Arian took Alaska and Noah to the Ivanov manor and much to his distress, left the two of them alone while he went looking for Alaska's father Clarence. After helping Arian lay Noah down on her bed, Ally went to the kitchen only to find her mother sobbing.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Teresa looked up at her daughter and threw a glass plate at Ally which shattered on the floor. "It's all your fault! The moment you were born, you stole my youth and my beauty! He left us and ran away with Noah's slut of a sister Naomi. It's all your fault, you worthless piece of trash!"

Ally's face heated with anger though she felt like someone had ripped her heart out. Did her own mother regret giving birth to her?

"Mom, how is it my fault if the man that gave birth to me is an asshole? You're still a wonderful woman. Beauty isn't everything, you know," Ally said softly. Teresa shook her head and laughed at her daughter.

"That's just something ugly people say to feel better about themselves. You of all people will know that. I should have just thrown you into a dumpster the moment you were born! Your retched soul tainted my whole life!"

"ENOUGH!" Alaska shouted angrily. "I'm sorry that you're a fucking mess who can't go one day without having a drink! I'm sorry that you spent more time in beauty salons than you did with your own husband! I'm sorry that you tried hiding your age with botox and ended up looking like a rotten apple! But most of all, I'm sorry that I ended up with a horrible mother like you!"

Teresa kicked her chair back as she grabbed a knife off the kitchen table and ran crazily towards Alaska. "I'll fucking kill you, you bitch! You're nothing but Arian's girlfriend!"

Ally ran out of the kitchen, into her room and slammed the door shut but Teresa was faster than her daughter and put her foot through the door before she could be locked out. She breathed heavily as she cornerd Ally into the bathing room and smiled. "I should have done this a long time ago," she whispered to herself.

The two of them stared at each other. Ally grabbed her mother, twisted her hand and threw the knife far away, running along with it. Teresa yanked her daughter back by her hair and slammed her into the wall; making Ally's head spin and her vision, blurry. She saw the deranged look in her mother's eyes as Teresa wrapped her fingers around her daughter's neck and squeezed with all her might.

In that moment, Alaska knew that this wasn't some fit of rage. Teresa had thought about doing this at least a few times before. She tried prying her mother's hands away but her head ached too much and she was too tired. She just wanted to give up and succumb to the darkness who called out to her in a seductive tone.

Arian's piercing blue eyes flashed before her.

"," she wanted to tell him, as they walked through the dark tunnels in search of Noah. All the women he'd been with was because he had switched his humanity off. She believed that they were meant to be together. She owed herself one last shot at a happy life. She'd make sure she got that chance.

But she couldn't save her life on her own.

There was only one person who could indubitably hear her cry for help. Only one person who would appear in front of her the moment she called out to him. And it would be that one person that would take her life before she could say another word.

"," she whispered softly.

Teresa laughed at how stupid her daughter was. "Whom do you think started all this? He saved your life and in return, your father handed you over to him. He did all of this for a stupid fool like you! I'm saving him a lifetime of w-"

Before Teresa could utter another word, she was yanked off of Alaska by an invisible power. Soon enough, Ezekiel, with his striking azure eyes and freshly pressed black suit, appeared in front of Alaska.

She gasped for breath as tears rolled down her cheeks. He frowned and handed the damsel in distress his handkerchief. She took it and slumped to the floor. He knelt down in front of her and smiled softly.

"You know what this means, don't you, love?"

Ally nodded stiffly. "I owe you a life debt," she said hoarsely.

"You sure do. You're coming with me," he said to her," and you," he looked at Teresa Ivanov and walked towards her. She pleaded with him and begged for forgiveness but he just shook his head as he summoned the same knife that Teresa had tried to stab Alaska with and plunged it into her chest.

Alaska watched as her mother's lifeless body fell to the floor.

This is the first chapter ever that I've written on my laptop🙆🏻‍♀️ I generally write on my phone since it's faster.

I should be done with this book in less than a month so let's see. I've already started working on a new book and while I love the plot, I don't know how to write a storyline around it🤦🏻‍♀️

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