| CHAPTER 22 : METAL FACE AND BLACK MOHAWK |

A lady with a pristine red suit guided me to the backdoor. Red coated lipstick, brown hair tied in a bun. Green eyes coated with mascara.

This got me thinking if witches and werewolves had fixed colour eyes. Green eyes for witches and blue eyes for werewolves. Since I've never seen otherwise.

Levi has black eyes, idiot.

Oh right.

The red suit lady led to an elevator with sixty floors. Imagining the view outside from the top floor made me dizzy. I wrapped my arms around myself when I started feeling queasy.

The elevator ride felt awkward with the lady staring into nothing and not saying anything. I threw her frequent glances to check if she was even breathing or not. She represented a robot.

I cleared my throat, "What's your name?"

"Jo." She replied without even looking at me or blinking.

"Oh," I gave a small nod, "Nice."

She gave a nod back.

When the elevator doors opened, I took in a breath of relief and followed her out. She walked towards a blue door at the end of the hallway which looked like a door for fire exits.

She held the door open for me.

I peered out. The night sky stretched out ahead of me, with people chattering, car horns, and busy activities sounding somewhere a little far away. Here in front of me, was a huge plain parking spot with a few cars. Ahead were trees that cut off the busy environment from the building.

Remembering King Alpha was here somewhere around the building trying to get through an invisible barrier made me shudder.

"Should I walk from here?" I asked the lady.

She nodded.

A gulp went down my throat and I stepped into the open sky, already feeling scared that King Alpha might pounce on me anytime. I looked back at the door to the lady. She gave me another nod and shut the door.

I took in a deep breath and walked.

I should go back to Ava I guess. Since I don't know where else to go.

I didn't want to see her though. So many lies, so many secrets. It just made me want to dig a hole right here and live there, curled up, forever.

Can I do that?

Keep walking, bish.

Right. King Alpha was still behind me.

I continued down an empty street feeling a little scared and too alone. My hands wrapped tight around me as I meandered. Silence filled the area with only my shoes making a sound. Dark houses with their walls too high, lights all shut off, lined on either side of the street.

My eyes landed on a small bike leaning against a bricked wall. My face fell a little remembering how Collin used to chase me around while I rode on a bicycle. Was that even real? Or just another fake memory?

Slowly, my mind drowned in a stream of various memories with Collin trying to comprehend if they were real or fake. Memories ranged from when we were little celebrating Christmas to when we were shifting away from our uncle's house to our apartment. Everything felt real. Everything felt normal. Was it possible to wipe out a person's entire brain and actually fill it with fake stuff?

A sigh came out of my lips and I realized I had stopped walking and was staring at the bike in silence.

"Am I even real?" I asked myself and proceeded to pinch myself.

I yelped.

"Yup, defiantly real." I rubbed the sore spot on my arm.

"I'm still not so sure. Why don't you slap yourself and see?"

I screamed and whirled around.

"Boo." King Alpha grinned.

My body's response to his sudden presence was to jerk back. My feet not properly implanted on the ground, tangled themselves up, causing me to trip and fall back on my butt.

I scrambled up and back at the same time at the same speed.

King Alpha gave a flat look at my clumsiness and rolled his eyes, "Why do you always fall?"

I held arms raised in front of me in defence after scrambling to my feet as if that would stop King Alpha from reaching out to me.

"I don't know," I responded, "Why can't you make some damn noise before creeping up on someone?"

He raised a genuine eyebrow, "Isn't making any noise the point of successfully creeping up on someone?"

"Yeah if that doesn't result in a heart attack after."

"You're wasting my time," he took a step forward and I immediately took a step back in response, "I think you already know what I'm going to ask you."

"You thought wrong."

"What did Ace want?" his eyes iced in irritation and took another step closer while I took another one back.

"A few beauty tips."

He gave a sour look which I couldn't tell was fake or real, "From you?"

I took slight offence to that and crossed my arms against my chest, "Yes. Yes, from me."

"Quit playing around and tell me what he wanted, Blondie," he growled.

"Why? What does it have to do with you?"

"It has everything to do with me." He commented.

"Ego much?"

"You're testing my patience."

"Am I supposed to apologize?"

A grin masked his features despite the irritation still in his eyes, "Sure."

"I'm not going to."

"You have to," he took another step closer, and I took another back.

An 'oof' came out my mouth when my back collided with the wall. King Alpha's hands were quick to plant beside my head, trapping me between him and the wall. My eyes remained locked with his and despite the dangerous tension here which begged my body to shake, I found him the most gorgeous person right now.

His large physique hid the view behind, and I couldn't see anything past his body. Warmth radiated from him, seeping through my clothes and his eyes glistened dangerously in the night. A corner of his mouth lifted into a smug smirk, and I held my breath.

"You did very bad things," he whispered, leaning into me making my eyes widen at our close proximity, "and they all need an apology."

"I..." my mouth couldn't form words with him this close and staring intently into my eyes.

"Go on," he urged, his voice low, "make up for your bad deeds."

My heart jumped everywhere in my chest with my skin burning hot with the blush I tried keeping down, "I..."

"Mhmm, I'm listening." He leaned closer until there was barely an inch left between us.

"I-"

remember the barrier thing Ace gave me to protect myself from him.

"-think you're the one who needs to apologize for ruining my life." I glared and grabbed his face in my hands.

His eyes widened in surprise for a split second before he yelped and jerked back, vanishing before my eyes. My hands left hanging in the air; my eyes scanned the dark street for him in confusion.

There he was, standing twenty feet away from me. A scowl on his face.

"You've bonded with Ace." He growled, eyes blazing with anger.

For a moment, my eyes and mouth went wide at the anger and danger in his voice. His hands clenched into fists, with a look threatening to kill. I forgot how to breathe. How to move.

At that moment, I wanted to give in to my knees and collapse on the ground by how much this man makes me want to tremble, how much he makes me want to keep running, how much he makes me want to hold onto the word 'fear'.

But then I remember the barrier I have now. The one thing which actually saved me from him tonight. And how much safer I am from his touch.

I leaned my side on the wall, hand on hip, and dare to give him a smug smile of my own, "What happened? You seem to have lost your touch?"

He narrowed his eyes into slits at the silly pun I made.

"You're gonna kill yourself bonding yourself to him." He said.

"You would have killed me if I hadn't." I pointed.

He growled, seeming to have lost control of the situation.

"So this is what he wanted?" he asked, "your soul?"

I frowned in confusion, "My what?"

He ran a hand through his hair looking the most frustrated I have ever seen.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" he barked at me.

"I looked out for myself! That's what I've done!" I yelled back.

His eyes flashed a glimmer of pure anger before he sucked in a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself down.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be anywhere near him while he was like this, "Okay...so umm...now that happened, I'll just go back to my life, and you can go back to yours. Bye."

I turned around to leave but gasped when King Alpha appeared in front of me.

He kept ten feet between us.

He still looked frustrated but a little more...comprehended?

"Let's start over." He stated after taking a deep breath and looking at me with pointed eyes.

I raised my eyebrows, "S'cuse me?"

"Let's start over." He repeated.

I gave him a confused frown and also a look that says 'did-you-bang-your-head?'

"I didn't know my touch could mess up brain cells," I said honestly looking at my hands.

He rolled his eyes, "My brain is fine."

"Then why are you talking gibberish?"

His jaw clenched but he didn't say anything to snap at me. Instead, he released another calm breath before looking dead serious into my eyes.

"I want us to start over."

"After you tried killing me?"

"Is that a yes?"

"No." I drawled out crossing my arms against my chest, "No, we are not starting over."

He raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Have you really lost your mind?" I asked almost close to yelling, "You tried killing me. As in, you tried making me one of the extinct species. Tick. Tick. tick-kaboom!" I made a gesture of an explosion with my hands, "Poof! Ezlynn gone!"

He narrowed his eyes in boredom then stating, "But you're not dead."

"And I wish to remain that way. So please step out of my way and let me live my life."

He snorted but stepped aside, "Where are you going to go? Your apartment?"

I walked past him, glowering, "Somewhere that doesn't concern you."

"Everywhere you go concerns me," He followed casually behind me, "In case your stupid brain forgot, you're my mate plus we're bonded."

"That doesn't mean anything," I said in a small, irritated sing-song voice.

"That means we're practically engaged." He copied my tone.

I whirled around; eyes wide, "What?"

He gave a smug smile in response.

"I'm only seventeen!"

He frowned, "You said you were eighteen."

Realizing my slip-up, "Uh I mean I'll turn eighteen in two months - oh forget it! I am not engaged to you."

"Yes, you're engaged to me. Just not physically."

I spluttered, "Well then I-I...break this engagement. Yes! I break this engagement."

Amusement shone in his eyes, "You can't."

"I can and I will," I took a step closer to him, looking at him dead serious in the eye, "King Alpha, from this day onwards, I am no longer your fiancée, and you are no longer my fiancé. You can live your life without me, and I can live my life without you. From this day, we part."

Creases of worry formed on his face, and he placed a hand on his chest, "Ezlynn..." he spoke as if it hurt, "I can feel something ripping out of my chest," he groaned bending over, placing his other hand on his knee, "Ah, it hurts. What have you done to me? What...have you-ah!" He fell onto his knees in front of me making me jerk a step back. My mouth parted in surprise.

He clutched his chest, his head bowed down, and held that position with a wince on his face.

For a moment he remained like that. Unmoving. Wince still there.

A gulp went down my throat, "Are-are you...okay?" I asked after a long moment.

He sprung up.

A scream left my mouth, body jerking back as he grinned smugly, eyes twinkling with mock amusement.

"Of course I'm fine. I'm King Alpha."

"You-you...jerk!" I yelled reaching out to grab his face or whatever the hell his body displayed.

He was quick to see me coming and disappeared with a mocking laugh hanging in the air.

I growled, looking around to find him.

"Stupid, stupid, blondie." His voice appeared from nowhere near.

"I hate you!" I yelled, still looking around to find him. The street lay empty and dark with no sign of him. But his voice still rang out as if he were somewhere here, watching and mocking me.

"You know what?" I yelled, "You want to watch me walk away, fine! Watch me. cause there's nothing else you can do except sticking your tail between your legs."

"You got me annoyed until you got to the 'between your legs' part." His voice mocked in sheer amusement.

"I'm not even gonna act affected by your choice of words. Bye." Saying that I turned around and walked away.

I didn't know if he was following me or not. I refused to turn around and look. I passed by street after street before realizing, I don't know where the hell I am.

Cold sweat slid down my back, but I didn't stop. If King Alpha was following me, I didn't want to appear lost in his eyes and let him mock me more. If he really was following me, he made a good job of keeping extreme silence and stealth.

Trusting my gut, I turned into random streets which I blindly believed will lead me to Jade's house.

It's been so long since I saw her. That gave me some motivation to go on.

I walked through another empty dark street, the weather not helping the sweat forming on my forehead with me walking for so long. Somewhere in the back of my mind, something told me to turn around. So I did.

A dark blue Toyota car appeared at the end of the street. A sense of relief washed over me thinking that maybe I could take a lift.

Bish the person could be a serial killer.

Right...

But my legs ached and I'm too lazy.

I don't think a serial killer would scare me considering how many people-or creatures-I've met in the past days.

I was still debating whether or not to lift my hand to ask for a lift when the car sped up a little towards me. My immediate reaction to that was nope and I turned around to speed walk away.

The car appeared beside me, making my heart pump fast. I didn't look at the car and kept walking ignoring it as it slowly matched my speed of pace and drove beside me.

The window rolled down and I could see from my peripheral vision the two punk guys sitting inside with piercings and tattoos.

"Hey babe, need a ride?" One on the passenger seat asked.

"Nope." I popped the 'p' still keeping my head down.

A smirk appeared on his pierced lips.

"They say girls shouldn't walk alone at night."

"They even say I shouldn't talk to Rolf Buchholz."

He clearly took that as me flirting as his smirk widened, "These babies turn you on?" he asked licking his lip piercing.

"You're asking me if a piece of metal is turning me on?" I responded trying to increase my speed whilst also trying not to appear afraid.

Metal Face shrugged, "Maybe."

"It doesn't."

"Sure don't wanna ride? It's fun." He drawled on the word 'fun'.

"No thank you."

The car moved silently for a few seconds beside me before it sped and curved until it blocked my way. My heart jumped in my chest, and I staggered back. The doors to the car threw open and the two bulky punk guys jumped out. My reaction was to widen my eyes and turn around to run away but they were quick to block my path.

"Woah, woah, woah," Metal Face stood in front of me, arms outstretched, blocking my way, "where do you think you're running off to?"

I turned around and gasped when the other guy, Black Mohawk, was right behind me, blocking my way.

I sucked in a deep breath, not meeting their eyes, "Let me go."

"Or else?"

"You people might find this weird and completely strange...but I can actually shoot laser-type thingies from my hands. You don't want to roast your mohawk." I tried warning.

Black Mohawk snorted, "And I can poop cupcakes."

"That's actually cool..." I said.

He gave me a flat look, "We're giving you options, bedroom or back of the car?"

"What's the third option?" I asked.

"Hmm, do you know how to swim?"

"Kinda...?" I answer.

"Then it's the pool."

My eyes widened and they slowly started closing in on me. A hand caressed the length of my arm and I flinched back only to be touched further on the shoulder.

"Don't touch me," I warned, glaring at them.

Their hands continued touching.

"I said don't touch me." I gritted and slammed a fist right into Black Mohawk's face.

That action caused two things. A, Black Mohawk to shriek and clutch his nose, B, for me to gasp.

Holy sheesh, I still got it in me!

I didn't expect my punch to be that hard considering how long ago I left boxing.

"You bitch!" He exclaimed sneering at me.

Before I could do anything, two hands clamped around my waist, holding me firmly to a bulky chest. I immediately started squirming as Metal Face behind me wrapped his hands around me harder, pinning my hands down.

"Let me go, you jerk!" I yelled, trying to free my hands.

Black Mohawk, whom I've punched, raised his hand. Was he seriously going to slap me?

He moved towards me and before he could strike, I leaned back on the guy who pinned me and raised my legs, bending it to my chest. With all my strength, I thrust my legs forward, giving a hard kick to Black Mohawk's chest. He staggered back along with the guy holding me.

His grip loosened on me, and I took the perfect chance to loosen one of my arms and plant my elbow to his face.

In that moment, an unexplainable feeling washed over me. something which suddenly gave me strength, confidence. This all seemed too familiar. Not like 'I've been harassed before' familiar but like 'I've fought like this before' familiar.

My boxing reflexes are coming back, and I wanted to jump and dance in excitement yelling 'yeah, baby!'

Metal Face's arms loosed on me completely as he clutched his nose yelling 'bitch'.

In my distraction of looking at Mr. Metal Face, I didn't notice Black Mohawk diving towards me from behind and landing a hard kick to my back.

My knees and palms made contact with the ground and a shriek came out my lips.

A heavy booted foot roughly shoved me from the waist, until I rolled over to face the sky.

I didn't have time to react as Black Mohawk raised his foot to kick me in the guts. But his foot never came down on me as his head disappeared in plain sight with a sickening snap.

A gasp cut through my mouth as his headless body swayed a little before tipping and collapsing on me.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew." I shrieked trying to get out from under him. His open neck staining my blouse with black blood.

"What the fuck?" Mr. Metal face cussed, looking around.

He yelped as something flung at his face out of nowhere, sending him falling backwards.

Black Mohawk's head.

"What the fuck is right, punk-o."

I looked back up to see King Alpha casually striding towards us from wherever he appeared from with a smirk.

Metal face's eyes widened as he got up on his elbows, "King Alpha?"

"Yup." King Alpha grinned wickedly.

I stared in confusion at Metal face, "You know him?"

He gulped and gave a small nod.

"Everyone knows me," King Alpha stated breezily, "I'm a legend. Anyways, you know the rules," he glared at Metal face with his ice-blue eyes, "do you want your punishment quick or time-consuming?"

Metal face frowned despite his bottom lip quivering. Was he actually shaking because of King Alpha? "What do you mean?"

"What? You don't know who she is?" King Alpha waved at me.

Metal face glanced at me, thinking. Then shook his head looking back at King Alpha.

"Hmm," King Alpha mused before tilting his head towards me, "slowly slide her hair back from the right side and look at her neck. Careful. If you even touch the hair of her skin with your germ-filled nails, I'll leave your body to decay in Times Square."

Metal face glanced at me again, but I scoffed, standing up and dusting myself.

"No one's touching my hair or coming near me thank you very much."

My hair slid back anyways while standing up, letting Metal Face see the mark King Alpha gave me on my neck.

His eyes widened, "She's your mate?"

"Bingo." King Alpha grinned.

"But she stenches of human. This is impossible."

"I know, right!" King Alpha exclaimed, "Eh, I've already got over her human stench."

"I do not stench." I glared at both of them crossing my arms.

Both of them wrinkled their nose at me.

"Anyhow," King Alpha turned back to Metal face, "you know the rules of messing with the family of a Royal."

"But I didn't know she was your mate!"

"Liar. Everyone knows she's my mate."

"I didn't!"

"Doesn't mean I care."

"Please let me go."

"Pfft, we're just getting started." He said and stalked towards him.

I quickly stood in his way.

"You're not killing him," I said raising my hands in front of me.

He looked at my face before narrowing his eyes, "Yes, I am"

"You can't just kill people!"

"He's a demon."

"Whoeve- wait what? Demon?" I turned my head around to look at Metal Face with eyes before looking back at King Alpha, "A freaking demon was harassing me? I punched a freaking demon?!"

"Yes, Blondie. You did." King Alpha sighed in annoyance.

"Wow. That makes me kinda cool..."

"Her hair is black..."

Metal face and I said at the same time.

For a moment there was this silence between us with us three staring at each other without a word.

That silence was cut off when King Alpha made an impatient sound, "Okayyy, demon-slaying time. Move Blondie. Come Demon."

"No, you're not slaying him," I repeated crossing my arms in front of me not moving out of his way.

He blinked at me. I blinked at him.

Poof.

He vanished.

I gasped and whirled around when I heard a grunt then a snap behind me. King Alpha held Metal face's head in his hand, body sprawled on the ground with blood pooling out.

He smirked at me.

"Told you I was killing him"

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Here we have our demons!!

Date: 26 July 2021