Chapter 37 Lupus

Lupus

Nikolai

"You can do it Avalyn. Concentrate." I told her.

We were on the patio right now and I was helping Ava use her powers. We hadn't done this before because we didn't know how to control it. And since hadn't been able to find a face to help her, I had taken it upon myself to train her.

I had placed a bottle on a table in front of us and I had told Ava to use her mind power and lift it in the air.

We have been at it for almost an hour now but the bottle hasn't even moved a millimeter.

"I can't do it." She cried out of frustration.

"Remember how you willed Lisa to stand up from her kneeling position and sit beside Rhazien, we need that kind of determination Ava," I told her.

"But I didn't even do anything consciously." She frowned. "I just felt very strongly about her not kneeling."

"Do you remember when you saw me and Natalia in my office?" I asked her about the day she thought I cheated on her.

She gave me an unsure nod.

"I have cameras in the entire house, Ava. I could see you running in the camera one second and you vanished the next." I told her. Everyone had freaked out. But we just thought it was a glitch in the camera but I now knew it wasn't.

"We couldn't see you or smell you. What were you thinking at that time?" I asked her softly.

"Just that I wanted to be alone for some time. I didn't want anyone to find me." She whispered.

"Just like that, you have to think about moving this bottle," I told her.

She held my eyes and nodded.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. I could feel her trying hard through the bond.

The bottle slowly but unsteadily lifted from the table. Ava's brown hair was turning white but then suddenly they turned brown again and the bottle crashed on the ground.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked at the glass remains. She looked... defeated.

Suddenly an idea popped into my mind.

'Send in Ava's slave with a couple of daggers. Get her in full slave- mode.' I mind-linked Sofiya.

"You know what? Sit down and let's take a break. We will practice aiming next. I think practicing your powers is enough for today." I told her and snatched a bottle of water, opening the cap and gulping some before offering it to Ava.

She took it from my hand and drank the rest of it after she plopped on the chaise next to mine.

"I don't think I can do it." She whispered.

"Don't be so tough on yourself. It's your first day." I said lightly. I saw the slave walk in with a bag in her hand. "The equipment is here."

She came and kneeled at my feet, extending the bag towards me.

"Master." She greeted.

"Alpha," I growled lowly.

Only my Ava can call me Master.

She trembled. "I'm sorry. Alpha." She gulped.

Ava was looking at me with a frown on her beautiful face. I focused on the matter at hand.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"April, Alpha." She whispered.

"So April, would you mind giving your life for me, if the need arises?" I asked lightly as if I was talking about the weather.

"No, Alpha." She whispered again.

"Fantastic." I grinned. "Go stand against that tree. We would like to do some target practice." I said and stood up, taking the daggers out of the bag.

"Are you serious?" Ava all but shrieked.

"Of course I am serious. You out of all people should know I don't joke about training and safety." I sounded perfectly offended.

"And what about her safety. Her life?" She was hysterical by now. I could feel her hurt, anger, and betrayal through the bond.

"She just said she doesn't mind dying." I shrugged and picked up a dagger, twirling it around my fingers.

"She is a slave! Of course, she will say that!" She said, her eyes wide. "Are you going to throw them at her?"

"Are you crazy, Love? Of course not. No need to waste a perfectly good slave like this. I am going to aim at the tree, just her outlines. But there is a possibility it may hit her, and she might get hurt or die..." I trailed and offered her the dagger.

It was an insult to myself to even insinuate that I would miss my mark. The things I do for Ava...

She looked at the dagger and then at me like she didn't recognize any of the two.

I shrugged and decided to start. If she didn't want to go first, I would.

"Don't do this please!" She clutched my hand.

"Stay still April," I said in a firm, Master voice. She was standing against the tree, trembling slightly but she nodded.

I didn't want to kill her deliberately but if things didn't go the way I wanted and she moved even an inch, she was as good as dead. Not even Vladimir's blood would be able to save her.

I ignored Ava's pleas and threw the dagger in my hand. It landed a hair's length above her head.

"First time's a luck." I winked at Ava. She had tears in her eyes now.

I turned and picked up two more daggers, one in each hand, and threw again, both stopping mid-air and then falling to the ground.

I picked up more and threw them again but the same thing happened. I saw Ava give me a challenging look from the corner of my eye but I focused on throwing daggers. Once the entire bag was empty, I looked at April who was slumped against the tree in relief.

Ava had stopped every single dagger and I was so fucking proud of her.

"Did I tell you to rest?" I shouted at her as I stomped to where she was now sitting. Her eyes widened as she scrambled to get up again.

"Nikolai stop! Please! Just let her go!" I could hear Avalyn run behind me. I controlled my smirk and picked up my pace.

"Her life is more important to you than training!" I hissed at Ava. "I told you we were going to practice aiming but you keep on defying me!"

I held April by the waist and jumped up from branch to branch so I reached the topmost branch of the tree.

"Since you are so dead set on defying me, try and save her now," I said and pushed the hysterically crying slave off the tree.

She looked up at me and all I saw was fury in her eyes. Her eyes had turned pale blue and her hair was slowly turning white.

What shocked me this time was that Ava somehow switched places with April who was now on the ground and Ava was the one who was falling.

Fuck!

I leaped off the branch and dived to catch Ava. She was falling, her body facing mine and a hand stretched out towards me. I extended my hand and caught her hand in mine, pulling her in my arms and twisting so I get the worst of the fall and she falls on top of me so she wouldn't get hurt.

I closed my eyes just before I was about to crash but I stopped mid-air. And then fell with an oomph. But it hardly hurt since it was only one footfall.

I looked to see any signs of hurt on Ava who was lying on top of me. There was no sign of hurt except her crying and punching my chest.

I got up from the ground and pulled Ava with me. But she pushed me away and started walking to the house, still crying and furious. I tried to get into her mind but she had shut me out. I understood why but it pissed me off.

"You can leave," I told to April who was crying as she knelt on the ground and stalked behind my mate.

"Ava stop," I called her as she entered the house through the back doors.

"No!" She gritted and continued stomping.

"Why?" I asked. She looked so fucking hot all worked up. It was cute.

"You know why!" She sent a cute little glare my way before she stomped up the stairs.

"But I don't." I controlled my laugh. Goddess spent some extra making my mate.

Damn that ass!

I wanted to spank her and see that rosy color rise her ass. This was SO not a good time to get a boner.

"Don't you laugh at me!" She screamed and entered our room. Just when I was about to enter, the doors shut in my face.

So now she knows how to use her magic?

I opened the doors and saw her sitting on the bed, glaring daggers at me. Her white hair and pale blue eyes are more prominent than ever.

"Why did you do that to her? You know how I feel about treating slaves badly." She said, her voice soft and melodic, more so than ever.

I sat on the bed beside her and decided to answer her truthfully. "That was the only way to bring out your magic."

Realization dawned on her and she stilled. Only now realizing what all she did. It may be out of hurt or anger, but she did do it.

Her hair slowly changed from the platinum blond to the usual dark brown from her roots to the tips.

My Ava is back.

"But you had no right." She whispered, looking down at her hands.

I took her hands in mine and placed them in my lap. "Of course I do. I just did it."

"B-but you put her life in danger!" She sputtered.

"Did she get hurt? Did she die?" I rolled my eyes.

"But that's not the point!" She said. "You used her for my benefit!" She looked at me incredulously.

"And?" She has no idea what limits I would go to for her.

"She also has a heart, just like I do. She also has emotions, as I do. Why do you think that my life is more important than hers?" She squeezed my arm, trying to make me understand something.

"The fact that it is yours, of course," I said, offended that she would even compare herself to humans, nonetheless.

I had nothing against them but they were stupid. They destroyed the gifts of mother nature and left trash everywhere they went. The only good thing they created would be technology. But they didn't realize how much more important this planet was when compared to comfort.

She seemed agitated by my reply. "That's not right!" She cried out of frustration. "You should apologize to her."

"What I know is that I would kill a thousand more humans before I would let someone even touch your hair. And we are not going to have any more discussion on this. The motive of this exercise was to get your magic out. The slave is just fine." I ground. "And there is no chance in fucking hell I would ever apologize to a slave." I snorted.

People have punished and killed their slaves just for their amusement. Considering this was for a greater cause and she was still alive, she should have thanked both of us. But I didn't say that to Ava because I knew she wouldn't understand. And it would only hurt her.

"Bu—"

"Enough Avalyn." I cut her off. "Don't argue with me." Why must she always think of others before me?

"I have some work. I'll see you later." I muttered and was out of the room before she could say another word.

I called Andrei to the front door with the SUV.

"Let's go check up on club Lupus," I muttered.

We had to check on the club a long time ago but I didn't have the time. And from what I was told, the problem was solved. But then again, there was no reason I couldn't check again.

"Did something happen?" He asked.

"Wasn't there a problem there anyway?" I asked.

"With Luna."

"Wants me to apologize to the slave," I muttered, looking out of the window. We should be there in ten minutes tops if we maintained the speed we were going at.

"Or maybe she would want you to apologize to her if she were in the slave's position." He pointed out.

"But she's fucking not. Women like empathizing and dramatizing every fucking thing." Why couldn't she just be thankful for the fact that she could use her magic now? I had expected a mind-blowing thank you sex for that.

"That's what all women do," Andrei muttered back.

He pulled up in the club's garage and we got out.

There was a group of drunk women who were flirting with the bartender and a couple of humans sitting here and there. But then there wasn't much to do in a club in the afternoon.

"Is Jerry upstairs?" I asked the human bartender.

He looked up frowning and then a look of recognition flashed his eyes when he saw us. "Good afternoon, sir. And Jerry resigned. Kaleb Karwells took over like two months ago."

Resigned? Why wasn't I informed about it?

"Why did he resign?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." He replied.

"And where is Kaleb Karwells?"

"He is in his office, Sir." He replied.

I nodded and we climbed the stairs that lead to the manager's office.

'Were you aware of this?' I mind-linked Andrei.

'No. But something feels wrong.' He replied.

Exactly what I thought. My wolf was on edge too. I've known Jerry for a long time and he wouldn't have resigned just like that.

I opened the door and it was locked. The door was thick and soundproof so I brought my wolf forward. I heard a cry and I immediately pushed the door open, breaking the lock easily.

A scantily dressed woman had pushed up a man whom I assume was Kaleb Karwells against the wall and had impaled his chest with a knife.

The woman's head whipped up to look at us, fire in her eyes. She was a human.

I casually strolled in and took hold of her hand that still held the knife in his chest and twisted it, digging in deeper. "If you want to kill someone, you should do it right."

Kaleb looked at me with wide eyes before he gurgled out blood and I heard his heart stop pounding.

I took away my hand and the woman snatched her hand, caressing it against her chest as she backed away, looking at me and Andrei in confusion and fright.

I went and sat on the chair, motioning the woman to take a seat in front of me. She did as she was told.

"What did Kaleb do to you that made you kill him?" I came straight to the point.

Andrei shut the door and leaned against it, his posture of disinterest but he was guarding the door and putting up a show.

"Who are you?" She asked me instead.

"The owner of the club you stand in," I replied, taking out my handkerchief and wiping the blood off my hands.

"I...um, I -" her eyes darted from me to Andrei to the door. "He was a criminal."

"So I assume you are the police?" I raised a brow sardonically.

She shook her head, her fiery personality going meek.

"What did he do to you?" I asked.

I could hear her heart beating loudly. She is scared.

But why the hell did she kill him?

"What the fuck did he do to you?" I slapped my hands on the desk hard as I stood up, making a loud noise.

She jumped in her place as she looked up at me in unadulterated fear.

"He kidnapped my sister." The fury returned in her eyes. "He kidnapped my sister, raped her, and is keeping her in his house. She is too scared to even run away with me when I broke in to get her out of there."

So he had kidnapped her sister as his slave. But there was a strict rule for slavery. The slave should be an orphan, no living relative who would go out in search of them and ask unnecessary questions. Breaking that rule was asking for a death punishment.

"So you decided to kill him?" I asked.

"What kind of person are you? Did you not hear he kidnapped and raped my sister?" She screamed and stood up too.

Brave for a human. She may sense the predator in me but she didn't back away.

"You might want to reconsider your tone if you don't want to end up like your sister." I snarled and her eyes widened, the smell of fear rolling off of her in waves. Good.

So now she is scared.

"Now tell me how the fuck did you kill him?" I asked her. There was no way a mere human could be a full-grown male.

"I seduced him." She whispered, a blush rising her cheeks as she looked down.

The only thing that covered her, or maybe didn't, was a barely-there bra and a thong. This was what most males would call their fantasies to come true but it did nothing for me.

"Hey!" She snapped her fingers. "Eyes up here." She glared at me as her entire body flushed and the smell of her arousal became thick in the air.

Using her body to get what she wants. She disgusted me.

"There is nothing worth seeing. Don't flatter yourself. I've seen and had better." She could never measure up to Ava. Ava is an angel.

Andrei came and dropped a long black coat in her lap. All she had worn over her undergarments was a coat and my eyes bothered her? This was not saying much about her sister but I knew I couldn't let go of either of the sisters just like this. Our world's secrets could not be let out. But there was also a good chance she knew nothing about us.

My first reaction would normally be to kill her. But then Ava's face came to my mind. She wouldn't want an innocent to die. Especially if she didn't know anything about us.

'We will have to take her.' I mind-linked Andrei.

"When was your sister kidnapped?" I asked.

"Six months ago." She whispered.

"And how did you find her?" I raised my brow. How the hell did a human manage to find a slave in the werewolf's house?

"A friend of mine that lives in this town spotted her in this club a couple of times." She replied.

"And where do you live?" Andrei asked, coming to stand beside me, tension rolling off his shoulders.

"In a small town called Hochberg." She said.

'That's near Montãna Pack.' Andrei mind-linked.

What was Kaleb doing up there?

Unless he was a spy from Montana Pack and used to live there before he came here.