Chapter 5: Poisonous Rage

Lareia lay awake on the soft bed, deep in her thoughts as she stared blankly at the ceiling. The lights are off and the moon illuminated half of the room from the open windows. She frowned, thinking hard and trying to remind herself of the dream she had at the bath.

Weird. She clearly remembered it a couple of hours ago, and now, the images are all blurry, and the remnants of his voice are slightly fading. His body silhouette screams power and his aura emits darkness. Voice colder than hers, she admires them. Half of her was disgusted, while the other half wants to know the person inside the hood.

"What did he do to me?" She asked herself, sitting up abruptly. "Argh! Who the hell is he to make my night a sleepless one?!" She said, throwing one of her pillows to the wall in front of her and shaking her head.

After several minutes of shaking her head, acting like a child, she finally calmed down. She then stood and sat in front of the mirror. Taking out her comb from the drawer, she combed her hair while staring blankly at her reflection.

"Lareia... you're such a disgusting creature," she uttered, loathing herself. "If you gave up your life, Remiel would be safe and sound. You won't have to trouble the Utopian brothers. The Grim Reaper and the demons won't be after you. Wait, if they are after me, then the brothers are also in trouble... it's all your fault, Lareia. Useless."

Uttering those words, tears came falling from her beautiful red orbs. She cried her eyes out as she despised the girl in front of her. Black horns, silver hair, eyes filled with bloody red and black skin. A hideous sight.

Calming down, she placed her comb back to its place and wore a cape over her nightgown. Walking down the corridors and the garden, the cold breeze brushed against her skin, making her smile. As a demon who lived in hell, loving the cold is weird, but what can she do? She is somehow unique, and she hates it.

Looking up at the starry sky, all the pain came flooding back to her. She missed her castle, Cerberus, the other sins, and her lover. "Is he still alive? Did he kill any of them? Will I be able to see them again?" she wondered, her eyes watering again.

Looking down, she raised her hands and stared at them with great remorse. Her nails were at least ten inches long; her hands are black. It is one of her many curses. She could not stop her transformation once the sunsets—a hideous sight for many, and a glorious thing for demons, except for her.

Demons... they are complicated creatures. The lower ones stay hideous, and their minds are not at the right state, while the higher ones are sinfully beautiful, but are hideous under the mask. The more unsightly you are, the more powerful.

"Who are you?" She heard a familiar voice from behind, it was Jake. Quickly, she hid her head using the hood and was about to leave when someone held her wrist, stopping her. "I'm still talking to you!" He stated sternly as she kept looking in the other direction.

"Take off your hood," he ordered as she kept silent, not a single movement coming from her. "Are you deaf?" He added, but all he got is silence.

Out of frustration, Jake pulled and turned her to look at him. As she turns, her hood went down, revealing her black horns and skin as dark as black. His eyes widened for a split second, as a smile formed on his lips. He looked straight into her red eyes, not a hint of fear was seen.

He slowly touched her cheeks and wiped away her tears that Lareia was unaware of.

"Are you not afraid of me?" She asked hesitantly, scared of the possible answers.

"Why would I be scared of the most beautiful creature I have ever seen?" he asked softly, still smiling and wiping away her tears. "Stop thinking that you're hideous, and none of these was your fault. Partially, yes, but not all of it."

This comfort... only Remiel was able to make her feel like this. Staring back to his orange eyes, her heart skipped a beat. This feeling... it was as if Remiel was in front of him. This couldn't be possible, no, she shouldn't fall for anyone else other than her lover.

Betraying him after he sacrificed so many things for their relationship with her? Lareia knew that she couldn't betray him, but she also knew that this guy in front of him had taken her interest. It is wrong, is what she believed.

Realizing how close they are, Lareia quickly pushed him away and looked at him with disgust.

"Don't dare lie in front of me, Alpha Jake. It would be best if you also keep your distance, I... already have a lover," she stated coldly, a bit hesitant. He only sighed and smiled bitterly.

"I know that you still love him. Don't worry; I only admire you. For now." After uttering those words, he turned to his wolf form and left. It was a beautiful sight. Those brown fur that sways with the winds' direction and those beautiful orange eyes gleam in the dark. Only a glimpse, but her heart skipped a beat again.

As she stood there, she felt heat coming from the east. She then turned, only to be greeted by the bright sun, slowly rising to the sky. It felt warm and comforting while her body shifted back to normal. She hasn't slept a wink, but just the sight of the bright sun gave her energy.

Deciding to take a bath, she went back to her chamber.

As the bathroom door closed behind her, she let the clothes slide down to the floor, and she did her bath routine. After choosing a black medieval dress with laces that has red roses, she combed her hair and let it set into beautiful waves behind her. Lastly, she wore her black leather boots and went out of the room.

The maid guided her down the stairs to the dining room where the brothers sat. They smiled at her, and she sat in front of Valor.

"Shall we eat?" Valor asked, a cheerful smile on her face. We nodded, and they start digging in.

My gaze travels to each dish; it was a bunch of vegetable salads and bread. Gulping, she took a small piece of bread. Bringing it up to her mouth, the crunchy outer layer greeted her teeth as the soft texture followed. While chewing it, it slowly melted inside her mouth as the taste of cheese followed. Smiling, she continues eating it.

The brothers watched her intently, suppressing their laughs at the pretty sight in front of them. It was evident that this was the first time Lareia had this kind of meal, and she looked like a child enjoying the food given to them.

"You should try the salad too," Valor suggested.

"I don't eat vegetables though," she whispered, hesitant at first, but she took a bit of the salad. Taking a small portion, she ate it, her eyes widened.

"Poison. It is poisoned..." she whispered, enough for the brothers to hear as she starts to feel dizzy. Her sight was blurry, and she wasn't able to think straight. "You poisoned me..." she said, before falling from her chair and losing her consciousness.

Jake was fast enough to catch her before hitting the floor, shaking her in an attempt to wake her up. "Lareia, wake up! Lareia!" He was furious. He knew that the trust he tried so hard to build would be shattered just because of a setup. "Bring the maids who prepared this meal and bring them here! Quickly heal her, Valor."

"Calm down, brother. Demons can't die because of poison unless it is holy water." Valor tried to comfort his brother as he starts chanting healing spells. Dark smoke covered Lareia's body as he wanted to heal her.

"Do something. Anything! This must be the works of a demon... or maybe someone who wants revenge. Where are they?!" His voice echoed all over the mansion, destroying the peaceful silence surrounding it.

Three maids were brought to the dining room, each of them kneeled in front of Jake. Valor brought Lareia back to her chamber so she could rest.

"Tell me, who in this mansion did it?!" He roared as the sky got covered with dark clouds, a storm was formed.

"We.. we don't know. We don't know! Please, spare us! It felt as if we were controlled! We meant no harm, please... please don't kill us..." they begged him for mercy, reaching up to him.

"Get your filthy hands off me! Leave! Never show your face in front of me, or I will end your whole bloodline!" Upon hearing these words, they left in a hurry, afraid of what might happen.

Sitting back to his seat, he massaged his temples. For now, he won't check Lareia. She might hate him now that she mistook them for betrayal.

"Argh!" Out of anger, he pushed the table down as the shattering of glasses followed. The peaceful, clean dining room became a mess. Food and shattered glasses on the floor, the table and chairs are all tumbled down, and Jake sat there, furious.

His veins showing as his body grow a bit larger, wearing a dark look that can kill. The storm outside grew more robust, the winds are slowly destroying the beautiful garden, and the thunder echoed through the deadly silence surrounding the mansion.

Jake was trying to calm his wolf down when several knocks were heard, and his beta entered, Xander. Jake smelled trouble, and he knew instantly that he is about to report bad news.

"Alpha, they found us and are looking for your mate, what is your plan now?"

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Hello, the author here! I prepared a mini-quiz in the author's thoughts. Check it out and share your answer in the comments~