Chapter 43 - Encounters

Devan groaned as a knock echoed in his room, gently putting down his pencil before standing up and making his way to the locked door, the small metal window opening to show a tray of raw meat.

"Eat young lord, it is necessary to your survival." The servant behind the locked door said, making Devan growl at them ferociously.

There was no way in hell he would ever take a bite out of anything they gave him, he refused to eat any flesh of anyone, god knows who that poor person was.

"Amadeel, you know I won't do that. You can tell my father to stop trying, I'd rather die of starvation."

"But young lord—"

"Amadeel. You're dismissed." He said in a cold tone, hearing the servant gulp before pulling the tray away and shutting the small window, a sigh of relief escaping Devan as he walked back to his desk where he could admire his work again.

There were a few dozen drawing of Matheo, some cute, some innocent... Some not so much.

He sighed as he sat down, gently passing his fingertips on the face he had just half drawn, oh how he missed Matheo, he wondered how he was doing, if he missed him at all.

"What I would do just for one kiss right now..." He mumbled as he leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes as he rested his hand on his crotch, remembering his lips and how they had—

"Son. I'm coming in." His father suddenly stated as the door unlocked, Devan's body jumping before he quickly opened his eyes in panick, grabbing all of the drawings in one go and hidding it in his desk.

"F-Father. What are you doing here?" He said facing the man who entered, his expression turning cold as he saw the blood that covered the man's body.

"I've been busy. I wanted to come check on you, has your mind cleared yet?" His father asked as Devan rolled his eyes, if only he knew what he was thinking moments prior.

He frowned when he caught a familiar smell, one he had dreamt of smelling again, one he feared ever smelling on his father.

"Who's blood is on you!?" Devan quickly asked, his face paling as he smelled it more and more now that he was aware of it.

"Someone irrelevant, anyways son. I wanted to know—"

"ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION BARTON!" Devan yelled as his father frowned, hearing his name for the first time in a long time, his son had never dared say it.

"Devan, son. Calm down—" Barton started before Devan rushed at him, slamming him into the metal door with a grunt, his son had grown much stronger than he remembered.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!? WHERE IS MATHEO!" He growled out in his distorted tone, his eyes glowing bright red as he snared at his father, the man completely taken aback by this sudden reaction.

"I don't understand why you're asking about him, son. I didn't touch your toy—" Barton said before Devan lost it, his claws shredding his father's skin with a slash, blood splattering on the wall before Devan lunged at him, strangling the man violently.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU FUCKING LYING FUCKING CUNT I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Devan yelled as his father started to panick, being overpowered as his body focused his strenght on healing the attack he had received to the face.

"Son... Please... Let me explain." He desperately tried to speak as Devan's teeth grew longer and sharper, fear showing in his father's eyes.

"I'm going to kill you." Devan said in a threatening voice, his mouth opening slowly as his face started to grow more and more sinister.

"If you do that he dies!" Barton yelled just before Devan was about to bite his father's throat, stopping immediately and frowning before letting go, the man gasping for air as he gripped his throat.

"Goodness son, a little more and you would have become one of us. As much as I want that... I do not want to be the sacrifice."

"Where is he!?" Devan commanded, his father groaning before standing straight, an angry expression on his face.

"I will not tell you, I am not done questioning him." The man said as he quickly walked out, locking the door as Devan bashed into it, screaming as his father sighed, shaking his head.

"I need to get that kitsune before my son gets to that wolf and mates him." He growled out as he walked away, leaving a heartbroken and enraged Devan alone with his yells.

Devan would not let that go, he would get out and save Matheo no matter what, his father had broken his agreement.

There would no longer be an obedient Devan.

-

Liam violently knocked at the door, the sun already starting to turn the sky orange, he knew the ceremony would begin once the sun was complete down, but he did not care... He shouldn't care.

His heart had to let her go, he had to forget her, she was a thing of the past, no matter how much he didn't want it... No matter how much it made him want to die.

Liam closed his eyes tightly, banging the door again as he waited in hopes that Devan would open, but that moment never came, he wasn't used to his sense of smell yet, but he could tell that by the lack of it... He hadn't been here in a while.

"Damnit! I don't know where he could be." Liam huffed, as he fell on his ass, feeling defeated as he looked at the sky, he couldn't forget it, he couldn't forget the words Silviano has said, how had he taken his mate away?

His tail wipped around while his eye twitched, annoyance showing on his face as he pinned it down, his ears falling back as he growled at his tail.

"I turned into this thing... I could have stayed human, she took that from me now..." He mumbled before he started to tear up, knowing that deep down, he was heartbroken by the lost of his fated.

He hugged himself as he sat there wondering what do do with himself, Matheo was clearly missing, Devan was nowhere to be seen either, Tammy was far from his friend and Narcia... Narcia was getting ready to finalize her bond with that horrible ex of hers.

"What does he have that I dont... Hmm? Is... is it my inexperience in leading? I would have tried to learn... Or... Maybe a virgin mate doesn't sound appealing to an experienced woman..." Liam mumbled as he pocked at his fluffy tail, his cheeks all puffy from the constant flow of tears.

"Is that you, Liam?" A girl asked as Liam frowned, wipping his eyes clean as he glanced at the person who had spoken, making him scoff.

"Yeah... It is me..." He mumbled as Giuliana slowly walked up to him amazement on her features as she sat down next to him, gently reaching out to touch his left ear.

"You're a kitsune... I would have never guessed." She said as Liam sighed heavily, wanting to never hear that word again, he wished he wasn't a damn fox.

He quickly smacked her hand away, his fur puffing up as she giggled, he didnt like the way his anger seemed to amuse her, he didn't like it at all.

"How is the cannibal doing, I haven't seen him in a while."

"What's it to you, you hate them anyway." Liam spat out, making her frown at his behavior, she didn't understand why he was so frustrated.

"Well you are in a grumpy mood, does your new form not please you?"

"Not one bit!" He exclaimed with his hands in the air, his chest rising and falling rapidly, why did everyone think this was a good thing?

He had lost his sense of normality, his sense of self, he didn't even know how this body worked, how he would learn to shift into his full form, not that he really wanted to after seeing the kids trials and errors.

"I suppose that being forced into this suddenly isn't really something pleasant..." She said softly, sitting by his side before tempting a hand forward, gently laying it on his shoulder.

His face changed into an expression he wasn't used to feeling, being understood and not questioned was something he missed, people here were so used to the unatural that they would forget that normalities was all Liam ever knew.

"Thank you, Giuliana. That means a lot, even if its coming from you..." He mumbled in a sad tone, making her smile a bit and nod as she gave his shoulder a soft squeeze, her eyes shifting to look at the house that stood before them.

"Can I tell you a secret, Liam?" Giuliana said in a serious tone, her hand slidding off his shoulder to rest on the grass as Liam turned his face to look at her.

He wasn't sure why the witch wanted to tell him a secret, he didn't know why she even was here to begin with, what business did she have around Devan's house?

"I mean... Sure, you can tell me if you want." Liam said with a shrug, his head turning to face the house again, its damp walls giving him goosebumps.

How could Devan ever bare living in such a place, did he not dream of anything more clean? More comfortable, perhaps? It was simply so foreign to Liam to want to live in such a delabrered place.

"I'm not really sure how to begin explaining it..." She started off softly, making him snap out of his thoughts.

"Well, start from the beginning..." Liam stated as she took a deep breath, leaning her head back as though she was trying to recall the events.

"About 2 weeks ago, I think at least... I met Devan and Matheo, they were trying to fix the cannibal."

"Yeah, I remember them trying something along those lines... They came back all bloody and we never got the story behind it." Liam said with a glare towards the witch, making her scoff before continuing.

"I was just trying to help... Anyway, I continued researching even once they were gone..." She stated before halting herself, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"Well? What did you find that you consider being a secret?"

"Oh right... The secret..."

A wind blew in between them, causing Liam to shiver a bit as his hair danced through the cold breeze, his fur standing a bit from the shiver.

"I think... I may know how to cure him."

A silence grew between the two individuals, the news making Liam's eyes grow wide, if what she was telling was true, Devan could become a normal shifter, he would be freed of this curse of his and could live a more normal life.

"What's the catch?" Liam stated as the witch frowned, turning her head to the side while looking at him perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you think, what's the uncertainty about? Why not say you know instead of you think..." Liam said as she chuckled, making Liam shiver in a wrong way, he hated the woman's noises of amusement.

"There is no catch, I just can't seem to find either the solution or the problem."

"What are you trying to say, I'm not following." He said as she sighed heavily, giving him an annoyed glare before looking at the house again.

"Devan is the problem... He is missing and I can't seem to find him anywhere. As for the solution..."

"Woman what solution!? Can you speed up your talking process!?" Liam yelled, getting way too impatient with her, did she have to halt her speech everytime she said something?

Giuliana rolled her eyes at his reaction, standing up before Liam caught her arm, growling as his eyes glowed, his royal emblems glowing bright gold around his face, she had to answer him if she wanted to leave, clearly.

"I know who his mate is."