Priorities

Pacing from one corner to another, I couldn't help but feel anxious. Every time my eyes fell on the door at the end of the hallways, I wondered what could be happening inside.

I knew I must sound utterly ridiculous. And with the disheveled clothes and running my hand in my hair numerous times, I could qualify as a madman.

I couldn't help it. The veins of my forehead popped out and my head was filled with so much that I wanted to shut down everything for a while before I lost my mind and acted on something I probably would regret later.

How could it not concern me right now? The words I was putting for my people to pick on. In my defense, I kept reminding myself that it was for all of us, after all. I couldn't let it all go in vain when I got so close to success. And that was the only reason I cared about this woman and nothing else. Not at all.

I stopped pacing when I picked up the footsteps following behind the closed door before it parted to let a small figure step out of the room and closed the doors behind her.

I gave the old lady healer an impatient glare before quitting it and asked directly when she didn't speak on her own. "How is she?"

I gritted my teeth when my voice fell into my ear. It turned out somewhat soft and worried. Ridiculous.

The old lady raised her head to look at me through her warm eyes for a split second before answering my question. "The lady had lost a lot of blood and judging from the bruises covering different parts of her body, she was not gonna wake up for an hour or maybe a day. However, due to her wolf genes, her injuries are healing faster than usual and it's a good thing... you can meet her if you wish to."

I was taken aback by her offer. She shot me a knowing look before bowing her head and moving away.

I didn't wait to watch her silhouette vanish into the dark halls because I was already on my way to the room.

One stepped inside the room and my nostrils were hit by that captivating scent again. I hissed low in the back of my throat. Irritated at my senses, which seemed out of my control today. It took a significant amount of discipline not to act rationally.

Determined to finesse it, I took further steps inside and made it to the bed, where an unconscious figure lay on it.

I sucked in a breath when my body acted on its own. My legs bent down to sit by her side and my finger reached to slide the hair out of her face to let my eyes take a careful look at the lady. I felt tingles shooting down to my shin with such a small contact.

Her skin was so pale against her red fiery hair. She had the build of an athlete, but lying with her eyes closed, she was looking so weak and fragile. Someone in need of protection and, dare I thought, I wanted to be that person for her.

Funny, right? Though I was the one on whose order she was in this condition. It was my doing that she was here. Right now, looking at her battered figure, I wanted to shield her from all the hurt coming her way.

'Ahhh! How come I think differently in such a blink?'

I couldn't understand the conflicting pulls I was feeling toward her while I had barely known her for more than an hour. How come this female added herself to the list of my priorities? 

Since I took over my father's position, all I cared about was the well-being of my people. My people have been my only priority since then, however, it seems to be changing now. And I didn't like this change. Not at all. 

How could someone take that place with one look in my eyes? I was not new to all that mate bond bull crap that werewolves keep going on.

In all honesty, I never thought I got to experience it firsthand. That was their thing, not ours. We, vampires, didn't have fated mates. We got all the freedom to choose the one to spend our life with. Whatever was happening was wrong, and yet it felt so right. She felt so right here, under my roof, in my bed.

I viciously shook my head to shake off these hideous thoughts. I shouldn't sway from my purpose. Nothing changed from this woman's arrival. Nothing at all. She was just a way to free my people and nothing more. 

With a last glance at her, I shot back to my feet and turned my back towards her as I made my way towards the door.

Darius was standing just outside the door with his eyes focused on the ground, patiently waiting for me to make my way toward him. Once I closed the door behind me I turned to meet his red eyes filled with questions, though he didn't voice out. Instead, he said,

"My lord, actions are taken as you order. Would you want me to look into it further or do you wish to look into it yourself?"

I felt my eyes go darker while thinking of what happened earlier, how they acted on their own and challenged my authority. 

They couldn't act on their own until someone fired things and pushed them to act viciously.

Somewhere in my mind, I had a faint idea who could be behind all this, but I couldn't pin it on someone without solid proof, and that's why I had to look into this matter myself.

I glanced at Darius and declared, "Let's go. I have some questions to ask, and you handle the rest."

He nodded in reply before turning around to walk through the dimly lit hallways to the grave dark tunnels which lead to almost every nook and crook of this Island but not everyone is aware of it. 

While walking away from the place I had the urge to turn back but that's not what I did. 

'No matter how hard it's going to be I'll fight it. Nothing changed and not going to be.'