CHAPTER VI: The grumpy Snoopy

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"What the actually fuck Victor?! This has to be a fucking joke of yours!"

I made my way where my Alpha was, on one of the chairs behind the desk, facing the guests. I felt all the eyes burning on me while I reached Victor. Once I was next to him I decided to calm things down.

"Sorry for my delay. I was busy with the clan's work that Alpha Victor assigned to me."

Sitting down I realized I made the wrong move. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. Shocking faces and angry eyes were on me and on my upper rank. I even could swear I heard growls.

"Why are you so late? What happened?"

Victor whispered to me, while I listened to him I was smiling at the crowd that looked like at a given moment they would climb on the stage to rip our heads and guts out.

"Nothing... I'll explain everything later... I think now, for our best sake, we should start with the assembly."

Whispering back I sat composedly on my chair, Victor cleared his throat.

"As you well know, today we are here to discuss about the Mutilators. So we would like to start with the main point of all of this."

Listening carefully to him, my breath started to go heavy, I sweated cold and I was trembling on my chair. I couldn't heard the voices anymore, only a pitched sound, it seemed that it was going to break my eardrums. Then my vision was blurring. I was back only when Victor lightly pinched me on my arm.

"The situation worsened and you seem to be in another world... What the hell is going on with you? Are you even okay?"

I was so thankful to him to bring me back. While he whispered to me, some Alphas were asking explanations of what was happening. The crowd was getting mad for moments and Victor wasn't even paying attention to them, I saw the hint of worry when he asked me.

"-Alpha Victor! Are you even listening to what we have to say on this?!"

A raging voice filled the room, silencing everyone. It sounded almost like a demoniac growl. Were they that angry? Looking at the only man standing with proud and rage I decided to take advantage. Peeking at my side I saw Victor, who, as if he had read my mind, nodded at my intentions.

"As my Alpha said, today we are here to talk about the Mutilators. Once we finished, if time permits, we will answer all your questions. Thank you."

I was getting really pissed off. Why were they so angry at Victor's decision? The crowd seemed pissed but not as before.

"Thank you."

The man sat next to me, whispered back. I smiled in reply. Then I saw one of the Vic's closest friends raising up.

"Sorry Victor, we know each other since childhood, but I think you should have told us before deciding all of this."

Before my Alpha could speak, I slammed my hands on the desk and I stood up.

"Sorry Alpha Max, but why does it seem to me that you're all a bunch of sexiest that don't accept the idea of a woman become the next Alpha?"

"Andrea I didn't mean th-"

"Because a woman will be never stronger than a man!"

"Do you want to try your luck Alpha Theo?!"

"Enough! As my Beta said and as I said before, all the questions will be answered after the conclusion of the assembly! Now please I would like to start the damn meeting!"

Once we sat down and relaxed, Victor started to introduce the main point.

"As you know, the Mutilators started to be active seventeen years ago. At first they weren't as powerful as now but they went so far to set off a war. The butchery of eleven years ago, the war of the 30 dies. For those who didn't experience the war from the front lines I will tell you a few things."

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a couple of seconds to remind the cruel, painful and sad memories.

"The background takes place few years before, when they discovered our existence, so they started to chase all the demons, vampires, werewolves... all the creatures they made contact with. Through analysis they learnt that our DNA was different from theirs, and it was easy to combine different types of 'supernatural' genetic information. With various tests they found out our powers and regeneration, and, only in rare cases, we were more powerful than the others thanks to our ancestors or because we were, what they call us, Aurum Dei. So, with the desire of creating new creatures they hunted us, to find that 'specials' ones. Desperation filled their bodies to find them. The lust of power made them to increase the disappearances and bloodshed to 3% to a 49%."

I was so deep in my thoughts, that I didn't even heard Victor's voice anymore. I was recalling the day when my father made our family leaving Rome to escape. I remember the pain and confusion when I found myself alone in Belarus. Then I felt his hand giving a soft squeeze on my knee, reassuring me that everything was ok.

"They were totally insane, until eleven years ago a group of voluntaries, which I belonged to, decided to stop them. They called us 'Awaken Demons', in the beginning, we were more than five hundred men. Finding that amusing they decided to counter. That were the most horrible thirty days in all our lives... We lost our families, friends, half of us died in that butchery. During the day we fight while they collected the fallen bodies, or the almost dead ones, to experiment with them. Eventually they didn't survive of their injuries, they thought that they were playing a game. So every damn morning, we found the corpses of our warriors, friends, hanging from the trees of our next battle field. More men joined our cause, and at the twenty-ninth night we could kill their boss, but we didn't know that his son would take his place. The last day we could celebrate our victory, but we were internally destroyed for our losses."

Everyone was silent, probably thinking of those who lost their lives in the conflict.

"Alpha Victor, after that what happened to the Mutilators?"

Stroking slowly my knee, knowing that probably I was feeling anxious and nervous, he answered the question.

"After that they disappeared a few years but then again they retook his experiments but not with the same amount. We have evidence that they have a base in Moldova at the border with Ukraine."

Before the assembly could start, Emmett and Charlie gave the Alphas the papers I printed today. I wrote all the proves and also description about the group, their location and their experiments.

"As you can see on the documents, all you have to know is wrote on them, along with their history and killings. Now I would like to show you how their level of sadism is-" turning on the projector "-how they work, and their labs are. I want you to remember that, the videos and photos had cost the life of one of my oldest friends and warriors, who fought with me."

Tobias... How I missed him... He was so careless and sweet... He didn't deserve what they did to him. Surely now I had a hint of sadness crossing my features but suddenly I heard something very strange. Someone whispering the last thing I would have never expected.

"Mate."

That sounded like someone release a breath that was holding, but at the same time it seemed like a low growl. Why did nobody hear that? I was the only one? While the video showed the recordings that Tobias took, I tried to not to pay attention and search the source of the voice. Looking around I didn't find it, so I gave up. Time passed like seconds and when I checked my clock, it was already 12:17 pm. The debate about the Mutilators ended soon after, thanks God, but we had another problem to face.

Before we started the other point of the day I decided to tell Victor.

"Vic, I heard something utterly strange ."

Surprised by my statement he shook his head like he didn't understand what I meant.

"Mache cazzo stai dicendo?"
(What the fuck are you saying?)

"Ich hörte jemanden 'Mate' flüstern ."
(I heard someone whispering mate.)

"Okay Andrea, Italian or German?"

"Deutsch."
(German.)

"Ich hörte jemanden 'Mate' flüstern ."
(I heard someone whispering mate.)  

"Ja, das habe ich vertanden. Und?"
(Yeah, I already understand that. And?)

"Ich glaube dass jemand hier einem Mann bestimmt ist."
(I think someone here is mated to a man.)

He was looking at me dumbfounded. Then I saw him turning his head to the crowd and cover his mouth with his left hand to hide his laugh. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked at him astonished.

"What?"

"Nothing, little one, nothing..."

"I didn't imagine it! I heard it! I swear!"

"Sure thing piccola, sure thing..."

He suppressed his laugh for few seconds, before he cleared his throat,gaining the attention of the presents. Then I noticed him peeking at my side and smiling bright, almost preparing himself to burst onto laughing.

"Okay, now Alphas, Betas, you will have the opportunity to ask about my decision of Andrea Schiffer being the next Alpha, the first female one.-" before sitting he added one last thing "-Oh! And I beg you to go in order, if you also have questions to my former Beta, please, be free to ask her."

After few seconds I saw Emmett and Charlie sitting next to us, the last one winked at me excited.

"Credo che mi manchino le popcorn."
(I think I miss the popcorn.)

"Ma va' a farti inculare va'."
(Go to get screwed, c'mon.)

He chuckled at my 'fuck you'. We used to speak Italian or German between us, so the people couldn't understand what we were saying. It was funny to see their faces of 'what the hell are they saying?'.

I saw how most of the Alphas were preparing themselves. Pancake Goddess save me! It was what I thought at the moment. Then they started their 'interrogation'.

"Good morning Alpha Victor, Beta Andrea. I would like to ask why your Alpha thought about you at the first place."

Wow... I didn't notice your sarcasm, you know? Asshole. I smiled back to not showing my disgust face.

"I wasn't the first who Victor thought about. As you can know he has a son, when he asked him he didn't want to be the Alpha, so the next option was me."

I lied, truly Victor asked Jax if he did mind me being the next Alpha. Because he already knew that his son didn't want that responsibility.

Gasps filled the room, and soon they started bombarding Victor with questions about the education of his sons and about their duties and responsibilities. Time passed and I was getting asleep. Boring, so damn boring. Charlie hit me on my elbow with his, to wake me up. Then I heard an Alpha and I was really full awake.

"Okay, now I understand everything, why you will be the next alpha. You had sexual intercourse with Victor so you blackmailed him, threatening him by telling the Luna, so he gave you that title."

When we heard what he said and the applause, Emmett, Charlie, Victor and I exchanged shocking glances and few seconds later we burst onto laughing. I was laughing my ass off. God I couldn't believe what he said. Wiping my tears I looked at the crowd that seemed pissed for our disrespect for one of the maximum ranks.

"There is no way I would answer a stupid accusation like yours."

Calming myself and getting my breath back I interview my hands on the desk, for the amusement and interest of the questions. They wanted to play? They would play.

"Next question?"

When the crowd heard my hint of amusement in my voice, they exploded. I saw how most of them got up and started to shout things. I was so confused I didn't know who said what. I only recognized Alpha Nathaniel who, surely, was ashamed of the behaving of the others and I saw like four, five more couples of first and second ranks who were seated watching them.

After several minutes Victor could shout down the voices, he was stressed, nervous and tired. Shutting up a bunch of Alphas it wasn't an easy task. Emmett and Charlie helped him while I was looking for reasons inside my head to not raise up and kill everybody. For now I was furious for the disrespect towards Victor and the others. My blood was boiling at the line that my demons wanted to surface. So I was dealing with them and a bunch of an assholes puppies.

When all was silent again I felt how Victor sat on his chair, as the two boys, and sigh in relief. Few seconds passed before one Alpha, Rupert Smith, one of the most 'powerful' and hated by Victor, raised up slowly from his chair with a smirk on his face.

"And you, Andrea Schiffer? What were you doing while your Alpha and pack mates tried to calm us down?"

With a smirk on my face I decided to play my game against him. Most of the first ranks here weren't powerful, only their pride and old mentality were.

"Alpha. Rupert. Smith-" I spelled his name with sarcasm "-I was looking at the men in this room, as well as you. And I think that before scolding someone like me, that was trying to help in my own way, you have to learn how to shut up and be respectful with the others."

Then I heard Victor whispering a 'Wow' and I saw Charlie mouthing at me 'Smart ass', I smiled in satisfaction. When I faced back Rupert, I saw how he was taking deep breaths for not to climb on the stage and ripping my head apart. A girl who shut up a man, who was an Alpha? Yeah I think that was me...

"Your mother should have taught you the manners of a housewife and stay at home to make your man happy."

He finished with a smirk. Fuck. He hit me where it hurt most, my mother. At that moment, I wasn't angry, I was extremely irate and furious. When I was in that condition, I found hard to control my demons, so slowly they were trying to surface. I stood up with so much strength and impulse that my chair fell back.

"I'LL KILL YOU SEXIST MOTHERFUCKER!! YOU BASTARD!"

Then I felt Emmett and Charlie grabbed me by the arms, keeping me back from killing him.

"LET ME GO!! YOU'RE DEAD! I SWEAR TO GOD THAT YOU'RE DEAD!"

I was struggling against their hold. I didn't even recognized my voice, that was a growl not a werewolf one but a demonic one. And I was enjoying to scare the shit out of him. I wanted to get free from the two men, so I started to walk again with them clinging at my arms. The two of each one, dragging them with me. I couldn't think properly. I only wanted to let my demons surface to let me kill him in the bloodiest way possible.

"Andrea! Stop! If you drag us with you, then we can broke your arms or even rip them apart!"

I heard Charlie shouting at my back, this was thanks to the Mutilators, if I was a monster.

"I DON'T CARE! I ONLY WANT TO SEE HIS HEAD RIPPED APART FROM HIS BODY!!"

"ENOUGH!"

Turning to Victor, I saw fear and anger, but mostly, concern in his eyes. Seconds later he punched me straight in the face. That made me fall back to normal, but I was still dizzy.

"It seems like you're too witty Rupert, even to provoke my Beta and show this side to everyone. I have decided, this will be the only solution for you to accept her and it's fighting. Andrea will fight five of the most powerful Alphas. If she wins you will accept her without replying a word. If she looses she won't be the next Alpha. WAS I CLEAR ENOUGH?!"

"Yes, Alpha Victor!"

They bowed their heads in submission when Vic used his Alpha tone with them in a growl, but even then, they still sent dangerous glares to us.

"So, who are the lucky ones?"

I saw Rupert getting up with three other men, they were enormous. I didn't know how I was going to handle them, honestly.

"Alpha Logan, you're not up to the challenge?"

Victor was being more than sarcastic, he, as me as well, wanted to teach them a lesson. Then I saw the man called by him smirk.

"Well... I think this time I have to decline your offer. In this occasion it's better to be wise and don't fight instead of trying to show your pride and your non existent force against your girl. You would seem like a helpless puppy. No, thank you. It took me a lot to build up my reputation."

At his reply, Vicky smirked. He knew it wasn't good to go against him. Not when they would sign an alliance.

"It's very wise from you, good choice. So, who will be the fifth?"

Looking around the auditorium we saw a first rank raising up and went where Rupert and the others were.

"It's gonna be me! I would hate to see how a woman can control a pack just as one as strong as yours!"

Nodding at his 'pride' answer, he concluded the assembly.

"Very well then. We will see you in twenty minutes outside, on the courtyard. The meeting is over. You can step back."

Watching the people leave, he murmured to us to leave as well.

"Go out by the back door. Bring Andrea as well-" peeking on my way "-we have something to discuss."

Ahia... I knew I fucked up. And now I was going to get the second scold of the day... Yippee!

Once in the hallway Charlie and Emmett released me from their hold, I exhaled deeply.

"You know, you're gonna be dead before lunchtime."

That bastard... I hate when he talks with that hint of amusement and sarcasm in his voice. Well at least, when he is making fun of me in this kind of situations.

"Oh! Thank you Charlie Brown! Please enlighten us with your wisdom and tell us something we already know!"

He frowned at my irony.

"I hate you when you call me Brown... I don't look like him."

"Oh yes... You do. The only think you need is Snoopy!"

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could even speak Victor stormed out the door and caught me from my left ear.

"What the actually fuck were you thinking you were doing?! You could have killed us!"

"Ouch! Ouch! My ear! Let me go, you old man!!"

With that he tightened his grip on my ear. I got him angrier.

"Call me old again, and you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Growling at me I gave up.

"Okay! Okay! But first free my ear or you will let it look like Dumbo ones!"

Sighing and letting go of it, a look of sorrow and worried crossed his face.

"Talk, now."

"Ho capito! Old grumpy..."
(I understood!)

He growled once again.

"Andrea!!"

"Okay!"

I huffed trying to find a way to explain my misbehave inside.

"I don't know, I was furious because he mentioned my mother. It seemed an insult coming out from his disgusting mouth."

"You know? I was thinking on scolding you, but knowing your 'difficult nature' the only think I have to say is, well done Andy. For not ripping his head out. Even... I would have liked to see that."

He gave me a soft smile.

"Come here."

He opened one of his arms to hug me. I was lucky to have someone like him.

"Go change. You have to beat five little puppies asses."

We shared a laugh and then Charlie went with me inside the house. He wrapped an arm around my neck.

"I already have a Snoopy."

Rising an eyebrow at him I decided to play along.

"Oh yes? And who is it, gorgeous?"

"Smart ass... I thought you knew it. It's you!"

"Ha! You wish , Casanova!"

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➳30 Dies (LATIN): 30 days.

➳Aurum Dei (LATIN): Golden God

➳ Piccola (ITA): Little one. 

➳ Ahia... (ITA): Ouch...

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Thank you for the almost 500 views!! And I changed the cover of the book, for those who want to see it better:

Plus now I'm also making covers! So if you want one just contact me! :)

19/02/2016

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Awaken Demons: Stheno
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