Reign | Dark #1 (18+)

Warning: This book is intended for an adult audience. Contains sexual violence, mature themes, unpleasant scenes that may disturb you. A dark subject matter of the story context, which means, you cannot try to use logic based on our society's expectations and advocates the law, that may be difficult to stomach.

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Feigh

"Seriously Dylan? Where are you taking me? We've been running for about 20 minutes now," I asked as I panted softly.

"Shh! We're here," I shut my mouth as soon as we came into an abrupt halt. I glared at Dylan warily. I knew him too well, this wasn't a good idea.

We had reached a huge, vast campsite.

Are we up to something? Like, we're going to murder someone or steal something from someone? Did I just rhyme? Geez, never mind.

In daylight?

Sometimes Dylan wasn't smart enough to fathom some smart ass scheme. But as much as I love him like I'm loving the beautiful sunshine, I can't rob or murder someone with Dylan. Thinking about the unreal devious occurrence, I hadn't realized I laughed out loud.

Dylan, who had been striving towards the entrance, stopped and frowned. "You're thinking about something. You knew it will never happen, but you are thinking about it."

I snorted because Dylan knows me so well.

When I'm confused or don't know what to do in my life in that instant, I laugh. Like a lunatic.

I narrowed my eyes at him because I hate it when he has an idea of my thought. Like, duh?! I do not like sharing my inspirational thoughts.

He explained, "This is our site. This is where I lived."

"Oh.." I breathed.

I don't know why Dylan found it necessary to bring me here. Herewith their campsite place, a very wide campsite. Of course, this place sure as hell, belonged to his father, Fernando. This was my first time coming here, he never let me see their place because accordingly, this place wasn't safe for me. I don't understand why, but I never tried to do some thorough digging about the cause and effect of that matter. I trusted Dylan more than anyone. And maybe Dylan was just being overprotective since he didn't have any female family members.

"I'm gonna tell you, who I am, what I am, who we are," his voice was in deep conviction but not so on point because my very smart ass wasn't functioning at the moment. So instead, I nodded once to let him know I want him to continue talking.

"Look, we've been friends since you were eleven and I was thirteen and yes I've grown to love you as my sister," his demeanor confused me. He looked as if he were afraid of telling me more. Anxiety wound through me.

"Dylan, what's wrong?" I had used the softest of tones. His shoulders relaxed a little.

He kept me locked in his gaze, "You know, I would never do something that would harm you."

I cooed, "Of course, no matter what happens, I would never think of you in such a manner. You are my brother. You will always be."

"You will always be my sister. Forever," he replied.

Aawww, that was so sweet considering I was an orphan.

I grew up at Cathedral Children's Home where the orphans are loved. When I reached the age of ten, a married couple adopted me, according to Sister Meredith. The said married couple moved me to a mansion by their personal lawyer and guards.

I still remembered how struck I was when I first moved to my so-called-home now. It wasn't just a mansion. It's almost like a freaking castle that has twenty-five bedrooms. An almost hundred of maids and guards welcomed me as soon as I stepped foot on the mansion. Going back, it has very high-security concrete walls surrounding the main house and the lawn stretched as far as the eye could see. The giant tall gate—oh, scratch that—the intricately detailed iron-wrought gate was magnificent. But there's a price of all of this. Because even tho I've been adopted ten years ago, I've never seen my adopted parents. They just sent me a trust funds since I moved to the mansion.

My life has been lonely since then. At least at my young age in CCH, I was able to play with other children. But thankfully, I got used to it. I've grown to accept what I am now, following the destiny's plan on bitching my life. And to say the least, I have been able to study in an expensive Academy. Indeed, a very rich Academy with rich students because of their rich parents. Good rich! I was drowning in richness there. But I never got the chance to have any friends because I love me more being alone and laughing my ass out loud, alone.

Until I met Dylan, when I was eleven and he was thirteen, we met at the park where my classmates were playing and I tried to play with them but they chose to bully me instead and threatened me to hand them over my pocket money and girls just love to punch me in the face just because I look like an angel from above. Ha! Of course, they didn't say that out loud but I reasoned out with that because it seemed to be the only reason that would justify their behavior towards me. Poor me, I know. That's a good way to calm myself every fucking time.

Well, I can't blame them either. So Dylan protected me from everyone basically.

Yeah, that was intense!

Going back to Dylan, he interrupted my thoughts and continued on his confession, "I didn't tell you because I was still a trainee back then but now I am officially one of them."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

He inhaled and exhaled, close his eyes and then open it again.

Okay, I'm done with this. "Dylan, what?"

"Feigh, I'm a Hunter," Hmm, a hunter. Like hunting an animal.

Sooooo?! What's the big deal then?

Oh my God!!! Was it possible that he's killing an animal in the neighborhood?

"No! Feigh, I'm not killing animals." I looked at him calculating every word.

He seemed to read my thoughts. Clearly not wanting any misunderstanding here, he continued to make his point, "In the neighborhood." I breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't waste any time to fill in the continuation of his absurd concession, "We're hunters, Feigh. We hunt Werewolves or Vampires. But mostly Werewolves. It's hard to come upon Vampires," I blinked hard.

"Dylan, what are you talking about? Werewolves and Vampires exist and you hunt them?" I almost laughed.

The look of shock was quite evident as my mouth was stuck in an 'o' form. Why the hell Dylan was talking about some medieval species that don't even exist?! I don't remember Dylan losing his mind. He seemed normal. Perspiration beaded along my hairline at the thought. I was starting to agree that he looked slightly crazy now. I contemplated in deep thought. Gazing into the distance, I nodded solemnly while holding my chin in a firm grip.

"Look Feigh, this is hard to believe but please don't tell anyone," said Dylan. As if I have friends to talk with.

And I don't wanna be a laughingstock the moment I accomplished in telling that very alarming secret.

Duh, Dylan?

"I'll explain to you every single thing," he breathes in and out. "Come," he tagged me along with him.

We entered the vast camp and before I have the chance to observe the campsite, Dylan reached from above me, he did some clicking and before I could raise my head to see what was the thing, I was more than shocked to see the chair moving and the floor creaked open to reveal a ladder.

"You have a hidden ladder to the underground?" Confusion wrenched from my gut. The look of cold calculation in his eyes in the direction of the ladder chilled me to the bone. It was immediately obvious he didn't like whatever conjured in there.

Dylan didn't say a word but instead started to jump and surge down the ladder, I just followed him.

As we reached the bottom, I was shocked to see Dylan's dad and his uncles and even his friends.

Why in hell they were here?

"Welcome, Ms. Feighla Sreene," Deaton, one of Dylan's friends, said mockingly. I hate him already.

"Feigh, this is my family. We are Hunters." Dylan's dad said while looking deep into my eyes like he doesn't like me being here or them being introduced or I don't know. A few moments of silence, I was fidgeting my fingers contemplating the awkwardness and before this gets hot because it's kind of hot down in here actually. I finally broke the intense staring game.

"Yuh, I already know that. But I don't know why you should guys have to tell me that, Dylan was enough, well I didn't mean that I don't like talking to all of you. Ha-ha-ha."

Oh, the fuck!! Stop talking already. I scolded myself.

"Feigh, part of Dylan's last training last week was to find out some werewolf's whereabout and as we speaking, he did find something," Fernando, Dylan's dad, stated.

Here comes my very intelligent and very meaningful reply. "Umm, okay?"

"And we found their last footmarks outside your house." As much as I love werewolves, it terrifies me to know that there's a big dog living in my place.

"Are you saying that there's a werewolf in my house?" I think my heart just stopped. I couldn't have heard him correctly. I spun my head to face Dylan, his reaction told me I did.

"No, Feigh, we already checked. No one from the maids and guards and even from their families are werewolves so we're thinking that they are after you." Dylan's response while looking at me in concerned made me shuddered in distress.

"I don't understand, Dylan. Werewolves were real? I don't understand why are you guys are Hunter, did they kill anybody or any human?" I asked them but I just looked at Dylan's shoulders. I can't even look directly into his eyes. I think they are crazy. How could be werewolves exist?

"We're assuming that one of them is your mate, Feigh." Oh my Gosh! So these guys were assuming. I almost laugh at them but they keep a straight face. What? Was that a bad thing?

"Werewolves, don't like humans to be part of their pack. And more importantly not to be mated with. So whenever they find out one of them is mates with a human they hunt the said human and kills them. That's how cruel they are." Fernando said, his voice was deep in conviction.

There was a moment of silence as everyone waited to see my reaction.

So it's true? What the fuck?!

I couldn't think past the intrepid fear coursing through my veins.

The silence in the room was deafening. I gulped loudly, my heart was beating out of control. My hands couldn't stop shaking. Dylan reached for my hand and squeezed it, I wanted anything more than to be away from this room and away from these people. Dylan must have understood that because he locked his arm around me like a vice. He spat vehemently, "Father, this isn't necessary. I don't think she's ready for any of this."

Fernando sneered, "I am surprised, Feigh, at your look of wisdom in this matter. The werewolves were after you. Should you realize the error of your mistake, you know how to find us. Dylan, I will let you take care of this mission, alone."

Immediately, at his words, I felt sheer terror crashing through me, leaving me breathless, when I realized that Fernando was considering Dylan to go after werewolves. This couldn't be happening. "No,"

Fernando raised an eyebrow, "No?!"

I met his gaze and finally managed to steady myself. If his words were true, we'll find out then. Even so, I wouldn't let Dylan face those creatures, alone.

Fernando smirked as he observed me, he realized how smart I am to have a direct cognition of what they really want from me. Of course, I didn't get a C-minus in every test papers handed by my professors for no reason.

I raised my chin and said, "What do you want me to do?"

Dylan tried to say something but I stopped him by holding his arm tightly.

"Before we proceed to that, I want to show you something first," Fernando said.

Dylan was having a second thought but let go of it as soon as I gave him a reassuring smile — that I was bigger than this. He seemed to just trust our instincts and led me out the door, and everyone followed us. None exchange any words.

******

The sound of groaning and screaming was becoming more audible the more I got closer, my silhouette grew tall making me jump. Dylan immediately held my hand tightly, he nodded, promising he won't let go.

I heard distant screaming and then laughing from the other side of the door, there was also excruciating sound of the impact of a... whip? Echoed loudly in the room.

As soon as we reached our intended destination, Fernando slowly opened the door. They slipped through the open crack of the door. Dylan looked down at me, I met his gaze and nodded to let him know, I was ready.

As we entered the basement, I immediately realized, it wasn't really a basement. It was a bloody dungeon.

Almost a dozen humans chained up in metal dungeon cells. I almost screamed myself, but I held my hand over my mouth to stop it from sounding.

"Feigh, this is our dungeon for werewolves," Fernando said.

What? But they looked human.

Fernando seemed to read my thoughts as he ordered one of his people, "Unchain the old one."

They unchained the old man who had dark red blood pouring from his feet. I felt sick as my horrified eyes watched him getting dragged pitilessly. As soon as the silver chain was finally unlocked, the old man smirked and then disappeared and become a giant dog — a wolf. My eyes widened. My heart beating frantically.

I started to panic and got distracted when Deaton raised a crossbow at the creature and without a second thought, he aimed the wolf's feet. The wolf disappeared as skin replaced fur, and the old man's naked body limping towards the cell bars came into sight, again. He snarled, "Are you that scared of me, Hunter?" I flinched and move back so suddenly. His skin had hints of green and he looked like he was infected by something contagious.

The amount of red substance oozing out his heel was ridiculous, he's barely alive, he looked powerless.

"Speak again and I will kill you slowly right in front of your pack members." Fernando lowly growled at him. The wolf showed his sharp and deadly canines and spat, "Bring it on, hunter! Because if you kill us, you will never know about who, what and how did my kind humiliated your wife and daughter. Actually, your wife wasn't that pleasurable... however, your daughter..."

His wife and daughter? Dylan's mom and sister? Oh my God! Dylan never told me and talk about them. What the fuck's happening?

My palms began to sweat both from anxiousness, as Fernando grabbed a thick and black whip. Fierce growls rumbled from his chest as he ordered to have the old man led over to a freestanding pole. It took every ounce of the three men's control, who was responsible for the wolf's body to raise the old man's wrist, to clasped them tightly inside of the shackles bolted into the pole.

After he was in a preferred position, Fernando didn't even bother to notify him before throwing the whip over his shoulder. The whip came forward in an alarming manner and when I heard that slash of affliction, my heart stopped.

The old man laughed, "I swear, if you won't kill me right now, you will regret this. Because as soon as I get out of here, I'm gonna fuck every hole in your body."

The old man's back was already split open and streaks of blood were visible. But Fernando was already corrupted by anger as every whip he threw was agonizing.

More and more.

Fernando's eyes flashed furiously and commanded harshly, "Skin him alive."

Anxiety wound through me. A mental gruesome and painful words invaded my brain. Horror and terror washed over me. Immediately, Dylan interjected, "Father, this isn't necessary to let Feigh witness a cruel and torturous death, even if he deserved that."

He just 'hmmed' and nodded. Quickly, Dylan, let me out of the dungeon.

We didn't speak as we exited the horrible dungeon. When we were finally alone, he stopped and gathered me tightly in his arms. "I'm sorry that you were subjected to such knowledge."

I realized that this level of violence was normal and natural for them, as a hunter. A part of me struggled to understand that. But Dylan was my family — in my heart, he's a family to me. And because of that, I needed to reconcile myself to the true nature of what he was.

A hunter.