Chapter 27: _A Lot Of Work To Be Done

Chapter 27: _A Lot Of Work To Be Done Marcellus POV ***** After sticking around Odessa for as long as possible during her investigation, Marcellus decided to give her some ’space’ to concentrate. Little did she know that he was actually heading back to his residence so he could strategize based on all he discovered today AND report back to the true king of the north. Anyway, when Marcellus got to his mansion, he walked in with his arms behind his back, a calm expression on his face. However, his ears picked up a sound all of a sudden that made him pause abruptly in his tracks. His ears moved repeatedly like a predator, following the sound of footsteps trying to hide from him. "Whoever you are, I know you’re out there." He muttered, swerving his body around to see if he could see the person. He was uncertain about who it could be, even though he had some guesses. His assistant, Cullen, was still in the mansion, probably doing something boring, so it couldn’t be him. That left a few other possible options, including... "Oh, Marcellus, I thought you’d be thrilled to have me around." A voice blurted, causing Marcellus’ muscles to tense up. And then it happened. Marcellus picked up an approaching heat wave heading for him, causing him to turn his gaze in its direction. Hurtling in his direction was a blazing red fireball, forcing Marcellus to make a sidestep to dodge it. ’Shit.’ Marcellus thought to himself when he successfully dodged the fireball. Unfortunately, it hit a spot on the ground behind him, leaving a black scorch mark on that spot. Marcellus’ eyebrows furrowed into a frown as he scanned his gaze stealthily around the compound, bracing himself for whatever was coming next. Suddenly, he picked up the heat from another approaching fireball, forcing him to leap into the air to dodge it. "Have you really gotten so slow already?" The voice which began to sound a little familiar now, remarked, causing him to click his tongue. He already had an idea of who this was, and he didn’t exactly like hanging around her. "Show yourself this instant or I’ll show you how ’slow’ I’ve gotten," Marcellus spoke out, his patience wearing thin. It was late in the afternoon already and he was supposed to be reporting to the true Lord of the North by now. He had no time for games. "Ugh, you’re no fun anymore." The voice responsible for sending the fireballs remarked with a grunt. "What’s gotten you so uptight recently? Is it this pack?" Marcellus clenched his fists, finally locating the source of the voice and turning his gaze in its direction. Standing there was a woman wearing a black cloak, with raven black hair and blood-red lipstick that helped emphasize the paleness of her skin. She walked seductively toward Marcellus, causing him to roll his eyes. "Regina." He remarked with a scoff, folding his arms in front of his chest as she finally got in front of him. Regina was another powerful member of the true Lord of the North’s rebellion, a part werewolf part witch who was made the way she was thanks to witchcraft. She’s also a thorn in his side and a messenger of the true lord of the North. Anyway, when she got to him and heard him call her name, she sniggered, a teasing smirk curling up the corner of her lips. "Well, greetings to you too, Marcellus," Regina muttered, placing her right hand on her chest and bowing slightly. "I hope you didn’t get... Burnt by my banter." Banter? Marcellus would love to say he was surprised but all he could do was smirk amusingly. He could call himself ’psychopathic’ but people like Regina gave a whole new meaning to the world. At least, to him anyway. He mostly only kills to elongate the effects of the hybrid ritual cast on him. "I’m fine, Regina." Marcellus blurted, using the back of his right hand to dust away some ash sticking on his shirt. "I was just about to establish a psychic link with Lord Ryker." A hint of surprise flashed through Regina’s eyes. She was probably stunned that he dared to say the true Lord of the North’s name out loud. But Marcellus didn’t give a rat’s ass about that. Anyway, after a few seconds of pause, Regina cleared her throat and spoke up. "Well, I guess there’s no need for that. The true Lord of the North sent me to see things for myself and also to see you and get any new information that you might have. Most especially about that witch bride of Alpha king Kaelos." Marcellus pursed his lips when he heard her mention Odessa. There, indeed, wasn’t anything special about that powerless Witch of the Luminari coven... Well, apart from her relation to Elder Althea. Oh, that and... "Is it true that she’s the mate of the Alpha king? Like... His fated mate assigned to him by the moon goddess and shit?" Regina asked, seemingly surprised by the concept. Marcellus diverted his gaze away from her, swerving his body back to his mansion and walking toward it. "Yes. Also, tell Lord Ryker that I’ve made the first strike to ensure the pack members remain suspicious of witches and will continue to bring this pack to its knees from the inside." Marcellus blurted, merely glancing at Regina from the top of his shoulder. The latter eyed him curiously but didn’t dare push things further. No one amongst Lord Ryker’s rogues would dare challenge Marcellus anyway. With that, Regina didn’t say anything but disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, causing Marcellus to sigh to himself. "Sir." A voice called from the mansion, causing Marcellus to fix his gaze there. His assistant, Cullen, who also happened to be an artificially made half-werewolf half-witch hybrid like him and Regina, walked out of the mansion with a curious look in his eyes. "What did Regina want?" Cullen asked, glancing around as if he would be able to catch a glimpse of the sneaky little devil. But Marcellus waved dismissively before walking past Cullen. "It doesn’t matter. We have a lot of work to attend to moving forward." He blurted, a sly smirk curling up the corner of his lips as he thought about all the ways he could use Odessa and Kaelos’ mate bond to his advantage.