Chapter 5: You?

Aurora POV

"Son of a bitch!" I whispered at no one in particular while looking down at my phone; my eyes scanned the message; the crude words glowing against the darkness of my screen left me speechless. A mixture of anger and fear crashed through my body like a tidal wave, destroying everything in its path. Even Ava was numb. 

I shifted my eyes back to the body on the table before me; the wood table top cracked, splinters of wood everywhere, glasses shattered, and vibrant liquor mixed with the deep red of the blood oozing over the table in a dominant swirl. The male on the table stunk of fear, his face moulded in a mask of unadulterated terror, he had suffered, and it was clearly at Alec's hands!

"I should feel guilty!" I moaned to Ava, both of us knowing I should hate myself for pushing Alec and ignoring his warning, but I felt nothing but pure, unfiltered rage. 

"What for?" Ava questioned abruptly. "For not heeding Alec's warning? For loving the psychopath to start with? For not listening to me earlier when I told you to run?" Sighing, I shook my head angrily, knowing none of this was my fault. 

"I am a single female; if I want to dance with a guy in a bar, I should be allowed to without fearing my crazy ex-husband will castrate him!" I snapped harshly; Alec was my past, despite what his arrogant text said! Something I seemingly needed to remind him of.

Text: I AM NO ONES! Not yours! Not Hugo's, and if you think killing this guy will stop me from enjoying my life! You are mistaken! I will do what... and who... I damn well like! 

Running my fingers over the phone, I lifted my blue hues to lock on Alec's; when confident he was watching me, I hit send, blowing him a kiss. I watched him read the message and then blocked his number, taking away his control in the only way I could.

"Yeah, because that's gonna solve the issue!" Ava snipped, sinking back into herself as fear ate at her insides. Seeing the cruel smirk that split Alec's face had my blood boiling as I realised this was clearly a game to him! I was a game, but then, I am pretty sure I always was.

Flipping him off, I turned and walked from the body lying on the table, leaving everyone around me to frantically run around, some rushing to get security, some throwing up in decorative planters, but most were sobbing! Being human, this type of brutality wasn't typical for them. Growing up in the Azure pack, with an alpha known for his cruelty, I had seen my fair share of executions, and if I am honest with myself, the body I left in my wake was just that—an execution.

"And we signed his death warrant!" Ava mumbled, overcome by guilt. 

"No, Ava, we danced with a guy, that is all! That control freak killed him!" I growled as I stormed to the cloakroom, throwing my ticket at the assistant. I tapped my fingers impatiently as she rummaged for my stuff. 

"Leaving so soon, little wolf." A deep voice breathed into my ear as fingers trailed up my arm to my hair, scooping it off the back of my neck and around my right shoulder. 

"You didn't think my brother was the only one allowed to play with our new toy, did you?" My whole body tensed as the familiar icy sparks danced through my veins, freezing me to my core. 

"Take your hands off me, Hugo, before I break them!" I snarl, clenching my teeth so hard I thought they might shatter, feeling him step into my back with a dismissive laugh, his hands snaking around my waist.

"Did you really think we wouldn't find you?" Ignoring my comment, he whispers into my ear before lips pressed to the nape of my neck, my fists balled at my sides, my knuckles turning white; slowly letting out the breath I didn't realise I was holding, I spun to face the dark eyes of Hugo, my once fiancee. There was so much I needed and wanted to yell at him, but something about the manic look in his eyes had me snapping my mouth shut. 

"He is not the same Hugo we ran from Aurora. Step carefully!" Ava blubbers in a warning making me wince. She was correct; he reminds me of a documentary I had watched years ago about great white sharks and how they are one of the world's most dangerous predators. The show showed people going down in cages to the bottom of the ocean letting great whites stalk the cage before trying to attack the metal bars. 

And now, looking into Hugo's eyes, he had the same thirst for blood that great white had had in the show! The spine-chilling knowledge was that unlike the great white, the blood Hugo evidently craved, was mine! Undoubtedly, something evil had corrupted him; whatever it was, it had destroyed any shred of decency and goodness that may once upon a time have been hiding beneath the surface. It was infecting him from the inside and twisting up his reality. To outsiders, I am sure he appeared the same Hugo I had left behind with my marriage rejection! But to me- he seemed almost feral, not too different from one of the world's most deadly predators! 

I needed to get away; bringing my knee up, I smacked it straight into his groin as hard as I could muster. Smirking, pleased with myself, eyeing him bending at the waist, agony rippling through his dark features; the deranged noise that burst from his lips had me chuckling triumphantly. 

"Did I say you could touch me?" I barked, his eyes turning a deep yellow as they narrowed on me, letting me know his wolf was watching; 

"No, I didn't! And nor would I! EVER!" I added with disgust looking over his dark features, tanned skin, ocean blues and panty-dropping smile I knew had girls falling over themselves to get his attention! But I knew better than to fall for his good looks; he was pure poison wrapped in the prettiest of disguises.

"You sicken me!" I snarled, sucking in a breath seeing his eyes shine with the glimmers of his wolf. I could have sworn I saw amusement swimming in the golden hues. 

"Do you have a death wish!" Ava whined with apprehension; no one would have dared challenge Hugo before I left; he was an unpredictable force that thrived on tormenting everyone around him, making everyone nervous, including his brother. However, that Hugo was from years ago, and it seemed the brothers had transformed; the sweet Alec I had fallen in love with was cruel and unforgiving, and Hugo was beyond saving! 

I had changed, too; I had been forced to, thanks to the deranged man in front of me and his psychotic brother and my ex-husband. Nodding to the assistant, she threw me my coat and bag, clearly not wanting to approach the male vibrating with hate. Nodding my thanks to her, I scuttled from the club without a backwards glance. 

As soon as I stepped out into the cool morning air, I felt the tears threaten to spill from my eyes; I had too much pride to cry in front of the prying eyes of those in the line for V's. A line that even at this time stalked down the street, tonight it buzzed with chatter as it was held up by the death of an innocent and the crazy events that followed.

"Don't you dare let him see you break! You know they will have someone watching you!" Ava demanded, making my back straighten; she was right; Alec always was possessive over what he claimed was his! And apparently, I now fell into that category. Walking off with my head held high, I decided to take the longer route to give myself a chance to calm down. 

"You don't think they will follow, do you?" I asked Ava as we cut into the woods, but before she could answer, I heard the snap from behind me, pausing. It only took a second for me to see the shadow in the darkness. 

"Bastard!" I gasped as it lunged at me, knocking me to my ass, my head colliding with the thick mossy-covered rocks, my body twisting onto the ground; I landed so hard I thought I had cracked my skull. Blinking softly, trying to focus my vision to no avail, the last thing I remembered before it all went blank was a face appearing before me, a wicked smile on his face as he ran his tongue over his bottom lips. 

"You?" I groaned before the blackness swallowed me up, and my eyes succumbed to the darkness and closed.