Part I - 09

Ryan stormed out of the cell and headed for the main quarters where Alpha Luca's study is located. Nothing pissed her as much as how Alpha Luca reacted to the situation at hand. She was used to Romeo being how he is, but she didn't expect Alpha Luca to vent his anger on her that way. "What did I expect though?" She muttered to herself and chuckled. "Not like I am anything special to him, so why would he care about how I felt?"

She sighed and a hiss came out of her mouth before she could even think it through. She had had feelings for Alpha Luca way before anyone could think about it. It's been years and she still does. That was why aside from being his Beta, she was always ready to defend him and to stick to his side in case of anything. Her feelings for him had grown through the years, and it was only hurtful for her when after all those years, the feelings still haven't been reciprocated by him.

"All he does is shout at me and order me around." She muttered again and hissed. As she sighed and sat on the nearest chair to her, Hera walked in.

"Brother! You did not tell me anything about your plans and how..." Her voice trailed off in the middle of her sentence as she saw Ryan on the chair, looking down. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked as she went further to sit next to her.

"Yes, Hera. I'm good." Ryan said, but it was too obvious for Hera to believe that she was fine. Her facial expression could tell anyone that she was bothered about something.

"I know you, Ryan. What is wrong?" Hera asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, that's it," Ryan said and turned to face Hera. "It's Alpha Luca. I wonder why he has not noticed I have feelings for him after all these years. All he does is shout at me and order me around as if that's all I'll ever be to him. Many times, he'd even say hurtful things but I'll act like I didn't hear them, or just brush them off. Many times I've defended and more than anyone else, we all know I've stuck by his side, hoping that he'd see me as more than just a Beta. But maybe we cannot love someone into loving us."

"Awww," Hera cooed and pulled Ryan into a brief hug. "Look at our Beta Ryan, all sulky and emotional because of a man."

"Are you trying to make me feel bad about this now?" Ryan asked her as she pulled herself from the hug.

"No. I'm sorry about how my brother, Richard makes you feel. You see, he's someone so hidden that I can't even tell if he likes you or not, honestly. But then, I feel if he does, he'd have let you know."

"I know right," Ryan said. "And it's said that he doesn't see me that way. Sad."

"Hey, girl. You need to get over Richard. There sure are better creatures out there that you haven't explored all because you circle and zero your mind around Richard alone. If you could just try to let go of him, please do. You're a sweet lady, and trust me when I say you'd sure find someone who'd love you just the way you want it out there." Hera said to her and she smiled. "But if you don't look, how do you want to find it?"

"True," Ryan said and smiled once again. "Thanks, Hera. I feel way better now."

"Anytime, young lady." She said to her with a broad smile too. Then, she got up to go do what she was there for in the first place, but she remembered that Alpha Luca isn't in the room. "Where's he though?"

"Who? Alpha Luca?"

"Yeah."

"The cell. He's with Romeo." Ryan added the lasts sentence with disgust and rolled her eyes, which made Hera chuckle.

"Alright. Thank you!" Hera replied and walked out of the room, heading to the cell in the attic.

As soon as she got there and walked in, the first thing she caught sight of was the heart of the shapeshifter in Lord Romeo's hands.

"Eww, whose heart do you have with you?" She asked as she walked further in and saw her brother. Then, she remembered that Romeo had been missing and he was back now, so she turned to look at him again. "And when did you return? Thought they said you were dead or something?"

"And you did believe that I died? Really?" Lord Romeo asked as he shook his head at her. "And if you still care to know, here's the shapeshifter's heart," he said and brought it forward. "Want to have a look?"

"Get this shift out of my way, duh! And welcome back." She said, then turned in the direction of where her brother stood. "And if you're going to disappear this way next time, at least inform one of us and stop confusing everywhere."

"Whatever." Lord Romeo simply muttered as he threw the shapeshifter's heart on the floor.

"Hey, brother." She said to Alpha Luca when she got to where he stood at the far end of the cell.

"Hera." He simply called her name to acknowledge her greetings.

Then, she sighted the body of the shapeshifter in the cell, but without its heart, which was the one in Lord Romeo's hand when she came in. "And who is that?"

"The shapeshifter." Lord Romeo replied from the other end of the cell.

"I wasn't asking you, Romeo." Hera retorted and turned to face her brother again. "Who is the shapeshifter?"

"Apparently, from his name, I believe you already know what he does. Before we ripped off his heart though, he said some things. Well, we forced him to tell us some things."

"You didn't have to tell me that you forced him to tell you. It's not like there's any other way he could have told you aside from forcing him to." Hera replied and rolled her eyes.

"Well, will you let me tell you what he said or you'd keep ranting?" Alpha Luca glared at her as he spoke.

"Whatever, I'm listening."

"He claimed to be the one that stole Cassie's coffin and—"

Hera cut in immediately, as that was news to her. "Cassie's coffin was stolen?" She exclaimed.

"Wasn't that what I just said, Hera? Or do I have to repeat myself?" Alpha Luca asked, looking uninterested in the whole discussion. All he had in mind was the next step he wanted to take and what to do next.

"Who sent him to do that? Did he tell you?" Hera asked anxiously.

"If you'll calm down and let me speak, then you'd be lucky to hear the full details, Hera." Alpha Luca stated again.

"Okay, okay. Fine, go on. I'm all ears." She rolled her eyes as to how commanding and nonchalant he can be. "Now I understand why Ryan was complaining," she muttered to herself.

"Did you say something?" Alpha Luca asked her.

"No, brother. Just said you should continue. I'm all ears."

"Well, he claimed he was sent by his boss to disguise as Romeo and steak the coffin—"

Hera cut in again. "And who is his boss? Who dares to do something like that to Lord Romeo?" She asked as if Romeo wasn't in the cell room with them.

"Hera, stop interrupting!" Alpha Luca growled.

"Sorry, duh!" Hera said and rolled her eyes once again. "You can continue, Alpha." She only called him Alpha when he acts bossy to her, and now isn't an exception.

"His boss is someone named Mario. He claimed to not know anything about Mario and to steal Cassie's coffin just to distract me from going further into their realm." Alpha Luca ended his speech.

"So, why did they steal Cassie's coffin? What in the world do they even need it for?"

"As I said, we have no answers yet." Alpha Luca replied.

"Wow," Hera simply said and turned to look at Romeo who just laid by the wall, arms akimbo, as he stared at both of them as Hera questioned Alpha Luca. "I'm sorry about Cassie's coffin. I mean, we all know how much she means to you and all—"

"I get it, Hera. Thank you." Lord Romeo cut in and Hera just rolled her eyes for him interrupting her.

"Next time, you'll let me finish up my sentence before you cut in. It's only rude to do that." Hera retorted.

"Fine, go on with your apology about Cassie's coffin, which obviously wouldn't even bring back the coffin! So, I don't understand what the apology is for. Not like you were the one who stole it or something." Lord Romeo said and Hera just sighed.

"Forgive me for wanting to be nice to you for once. It won't happen again next time." She said and rolled her eyes at him again, while he just looked away.

"But where do we go from here? How do we find this Mario, and Cassie's coffin?" Alpha Luca asked no one in particular as he looked ahead.