"No way… Ria? The timid, average human?"
Lyna let out a low, impressed whistle, shaking her head slowly. A sly grin spread across her face. "Didn't know you were mixing up, banging humans now, Hyden."
Hyden shot her a dark scowl, sinking deeper into his chair. "Lyna, I'm not in the mood."
"Pfft, seriously though? You actually did it. Here? In the office?" She chuckled, leaning back on the couch, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hyden, my man… you've got some guts. Stupid, stupid guts—but guts."
Across from them, Isaldora sat with her head in her hands, fingers pressed hard against her throbbing temples. She was desperately trying to erase the last hour from her memory—and now these two were turning her headache into a full-blown migraine.
Hyden shot Lyna a sharp look, his embarrassment quickly turning to irritation.
"Lyna, I swear, if you don't shut up—"
"What?" she cut him off with an amusement. "You gonna bend me over the desk, too?" She let out a dark chuckle, her gaze locked on him.
"What can I expect? No doubt—you really are a well-known manwhore, huh."
Hyden's head snapped at her and he let out a dark chuckle, "Well, look who's talking about whoring around. You, of all people?" he shot back with a smirk, voice edged with bitterness. "That's actually rich coming from someone who literally lives on whoring around. Don't act like you're above any of this when your entire existence is one long seduction gig."
"Oh, I own what I am, darling." Lyna purred as her smirk deepened, the air around her seeming to hum with subtle power, her eyes turning feral. "I don't deny it. I'm a siren. That's what I do and enjoy. But I have never once stooped so low that I lost control. I don't drop to my knees for just anyone who happens to be nearby." Her voice dropped to a venomous, luring whisper. "There's a difference between mastering desire… and being mastered by it."
Hyden opened his mouth to retort—
"Could you two just shut up with this crap now or do you want me to choke you both?" Isaldora finally lifted her head, her eyes sharp and voice cutting through their argument like a blade.
Both Hyden and Lyna fell silent, shooting each one last glare before settling back reluctantly like scolded children.
"We were supposed to be discussing an important matter— about the rogue situation, the very actual reason I called for this meeting today—" She rubbed her temples, exhaling slowly and then added shooting Hyden a pointed look, "we have already wasted a lot of time because of a ceratin someone."
Hyden winced slightly under her glare, scratching the back of his neck with a quiet huff and embarrassment.
"Now, if you two are done trying to rip each other's throats out, let's talk."
"Did you find out anything new about the rogues, princess?" Lyna asked, turning serious.
"The rumors that you told me the last time we met are beginning to set in stone. Isaldora said, a shadow falling over her expression. "From what I picked up at the pack, the rogues are now claiming they work for the Doomwitch."
"That means then that someone is trying to use you as a scapegoat." Hyden added his expression turning hard now. His jaw ticked.
"Exactly, now we need to find out who is behind them and what purpose they have. Because there is no doubt that something big is brewing under the whole rogue noise." Isaldora leaned back in her spot, her eyes sharp and lethal.
""How'd you even catch wind of that?Because the news hadn't spread around yet about it." Lyna asked.
"Well I accidentally heard the council talk about it while passing by." Isaldora mentioned.
"And I bet they believed it without a second thought," Hyden said flatly.
"Those fools looked too relieved that the rogues and Doomwitch were the same matters." Isaldora scoffed. "Well.... except for one person." She added after minor pause as she remembered how Kaelith was skeptical to believe the claim.
"Who?" Lyna asked amused and Isaldora looked at her for a moment before saying,
"Kaelith Duskbane. He was the only one who didn't fully buy it. I am sure he had sensed something fishy about it. He even ordered to bring the rogues to him so he could interrogate himself."
"Well guess your mate's after all as sharp, clever exactly what people know him as." Hyden remarked with a smirk.
"Oh right," Lyna exclaimed, as if just remembering. "It completely skipped my mind to congratuate you for finding your mate, princess. Seriously. That's huge. And I am happy for you." She added with a smile.
"What's there to be happy about?" Isaldora almost snapped at her so called happiness. "Anyway I don't want to talk about it." Isaldora dismissed the topic instantly. "What I want from you is to dig deeper. Get anything about these rogues. I'll be launching a branch in Duskhowl soon and will do some poking around there myself." She said and then looked at Hyden.
"Meanwhile Hyden you'll have to take care of matters here on further note but this time—" her gaze shifted to Lyna, "I want you to join him Lyna. Work this out together by helping one another." Isaldora then glared at Hyden. "Besides I don't trust him anymore around the female staff. Who knows who he decides to fuck next time."
"Seriously Izzy? I'm hurt now. I already apologized okay. There's no need for you to assign a babysitter for me. Especially this bitch." Hyden groaned glaring at Lyna who rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't sound like that only you are the one against the idea. Don't flatter yourself. I'm not exactly thrilled to be working every second with trash like you either," Lyna flipped her hair at him in annoyance and glared at him.
"It's settled then." Isaldora ignored the both.
——
"Ready to head back, Luna?" Isaldora heard Lucien say the moment she sat in the car. He sat in the front passenger seat besode her driver, gaze fixed ahead.
"Yeah," Isaldora replied with a tired sigh, leaning back into the leather seat. "Just get back to the pack."
Yeah, well, news flash—apparently, Kaelith had assigned Lucien and a whole team of pack warriors to play as her personal guards.
Seriously, he was being so overprotective it was starting to get on her nerves but she was too annoyed and didn't bother to argue.
Isaldora closed her eyes, aiming to relax but her mind drifted back to what happened earlier with Hyden and Ria. Only this time, her imagination decided to play a cruel trick—the original two figures blurred and shifted, instantly replaced by Kaelith and herself. Him hovering over her, his intense gaze locked on hers… How would it feel if it were him and me...?
She shook her head sharply, forcing the thought away before it could fully form. What am I even thinking? Seriously, am I actually starting to feel something for him?
Isaldora heard Lyna's voice in her head frome earlier.
"So how's it going with your mate? Any progress? Did you two kiss?" Lyna had asked with an amused, nosy glint that only a deranged girl obsessed with someone else's love life would have.
"Wh.. what the hell are you even saying? Nothing happened. And didn't I say I don't want to talk about it." Isaldora had muttered almost stammering. She felt heat creeping up her spine. Kiss? Yeah, she remembered that kiss alright. Way too well.
"Why are you going all red Izzy?" Hyden had asked with an arched brow. Then his eyes widened after a moment of realization, "Woah... you both did kiss." He concluded with a whistle.
"Eeeeeeeeeee, wow." Lyna exclaimed like a kid getting lots of their favorite candy.
Isaldora in that moment had wanted to faint, her face held the horror of the situation. Am I so easy to read?
"Shut up, didn't I say there's nothing like that so just shut it." She snapped at them, her heart hammering way too loudly in her chest.
"You're changing, Izzy," Hyden said with a smile, his tone softening all the tease drained. "You don't have that death aura around you anymore. It's getting… warmer. And honestly? I'm happy for you."
Isaldora jerked out of her thoughts as the car suddenly skidded and jolted to an abrupt stop. She looked around— Yes, they definitely weren't even close to the pack yet.
"What's going on, Lucien?" she asked, leaning forward.
"My apologies, Luna. I'm not sure—maybe a flat tire. I'll check it out," he replied calmly before stepping out of the car.
Isaldora leaned back again, but something felt off. A weird, itching feeling crept up her spine. Her instincts were screaming that something was wrong.
Then, as if her gut feeling had come to life, she heard heavy commotion outside—growls, scuffling, the sound of something—or someone—being thrown.. She saw Lucien rushing back toward the car, his eyes flashing with urgency. He yanked the door open.
"We're under attack. The cars are not working. Luna, I need you to stay inside. Do not come out,"
"Lucien wait, who is—" before she could even ask, he slammed the door shut, and the car locks clicked firmly into place. Through the tinted windows, she watched him shift and lunge at a shadowy figure, claws slashing.
Isaldora could see movement everywhere—several attackers, some in wolf form, others not. Then something heavy banged against the car, making her jolt. Another bang and the door tore open.
Standing there before her was a man with glowing red eyes. A Vampire.
"Well, hello there beautiful," he smirked leaning forward with an annoying confidnece. "You'll be coming with us now. Don't worry—we'll keep you company."
Wothout waiting he reached in, grasped her arm and yanked her out roughly. Isaldora didn't bother to struggle or speak. She smirked allowing herself to be pulled out. Yeah, he is soon going to regret this.
As she stepped onto the road, her eyes quickly scanned the scene and her jaw ticked. Lucien and a few warriors were still fighting, though some were already down injured badly. They were utterly and clearly outnumbered. But how? Weren't these some of Kaelith's best fighters?
Isaldora was thinking when she saw a figure standing calmly off to the side of the road. She could feel the corrupted dark energy around it. A witch. A rogue one.
She took a sharp look around her and in an instant, everything clicked into place.
They had been attacked by rogues and this wasn't some random attack. They were here for her. They wanted to kidnap her.
But why? What did they want? Did they know who she was—or worse, what she was?
A cold clarity settled over her. Her expression hardened, and a slow, deathly smirk touched her lips. Her eyes glimmered with sharp, calculating focus. They're so gonna regret thus mistake.