Fated to the Werewolf King novel Chapter 15

Damion checked the address for the fourth time, feeling the bags under his eyes. He strained against the exhaustion, forcing his mind and body to focus on the mission at hand. He looked up at an apartment building that was eight stories tall with a red brick exterior. Nigel and Joel flanked him, ready to kill this sick fuck that hurt his best friend's Mate. He felt eyes on them as they entered the building, but didn't care who watched him. They followed the steps to the fifth floor, walking down the sticky hallway until they reached the last door at the end. He nodded to Joel and Nigel before he slammed his foot against the door, sending it flying open and off its hinges. What he wasn't expecting to see was a lair of obsession.

As they entered the premises, pictures of Lily covered every surface of the walls. Lily smiling. Crying. Even in pain. He had pictures of her bruises, her lacerations, her blood. He had it all around him like it was a giant gallery of her misery.

"This is fucked up, man." Joel said behind him.

"No kidding. I can understand obsession with a sense, but this is on a whole new level." Nigel agreed with Joel as they searched the apartment. Damion raised his nose to the air, but he couldn't smell anyone outside of Joel and Nigel, and a scent lingering in the doorway behind them. When he looked back, an older lady stood just in the hall, her eyes wide as she took in the room.

"Are you Jasper's neighbor?" He asked her as he approached her. She stepped away from him, obviously afraid.

"Yes. Is he okay?" She asked, looking around his living room to the insanity on the walls, "What is all of that?" She asked, horror painting her face.

"We're trying to locate him." He mentioned to her.

"Are you with the police?" She asked nervously.

"No. We're Werewolves. We came to find him. Have you seen him?" He asked her. She stared wide eyed at him, slowly shaking her head.

"No, he left about a week ago now. Said he was visiting his girlfriend out of town." She told him. His blood ran cold.

"Joel! Nigel! Grab whatever evidence you can. We need to hurry back and warn the King." He yelled his orders. He watched as the men tore down some pictures, picking up what looked like journals on the couch. It will not please Jayce when he gets back.

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When he got back to the city, everyone was getting the festival underway. It was still early when they all got back, exhaustion nipping at their asses, but he couldn't stop yet. He needed to get to his Alpha and Luna to warn them of the danger she was in.

He drove up the stone driveway and stormed into the house without knocking. Jayce was coming out of the kitchen with Lily just behind him. Both must have woken up recently as they still had some bed head. A fruity scent filled his lungs, and he followed his nose to a woman that stood just behind Lily. His Wolf howled with excitement.

Mate.

"Damion, you could've called." Jayce said to him, but he couldn't focus on him. His eyes were solely on the woman before him. She was slightly taller than Lily with hazel eyes and red curly hair that was like a bob haircut and the left side of her head shaved low. She had piercings lining her ears and a thin layer of makeup. Aside from the other two, she was more awake and ready to go.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her voice like sweet velvet to his ears.

"Oh, boy." Jayce said behind him.

"What's wrong with him?" Lily asked in a whisper.

"Well, from the looks of it, I think Erica is Damion's Mate." Jayce said bluntly. Lily gasped beside him. Erica continued to stare back at Damion, her eyes filled with the recognition he was feeling.

"Hi, I'm Erica." She introduced herself.

Erica.

"Damion. Damion Stark. Beta to the Werewolf King." He gave a very lengthy and unnecessary introduction. She tilted her head as she listened.

"Are you okay? You look dead ass tired." She told him.

"I'm more than okay now." He said, reaching out to grab her hand, but she pulled away.

"Oh Damion. Take this slow. She doesn't like it when guys touch her." Lily informed him. Was she hurt like Lily was? His Wolf snarled angrily at the thought of that.

Oh, wait...

"I came here because I have information." He said, finally turning his gaze away from Erica, though her scent wrapped around him still. Jayce's expression darkened.

"We can talk in my office." He told him, finally waking up.

"Is it about Jasper?" Lily asked Damion directly. His eyes shot over to Jayce, who nodded grimly.

"Yeah, and you're not gonna like what I found either." He told her. He watched her face turn from concern to fear. Jayce grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"You're not alone anymore. Remember that." He told her. Lily nodded, letting out a breath. She came a long way since he last saw her. She was terrified at the mention of Jasper's name. Now she looked like she was ready to face the problem head on.

"Let's go." She said to him.

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He laid out the pictures on Jayce's desk, one more disturbing than the last. Lily only stared as she looked at each photo. Jayce was doing his best to keep himself and his Wolf in check. Erica, on the other hand...

"That sick, twisted fuck! I'll end him!" She screamed as she was going through the journals he found. From what they understood, it was his daily life tormenting Lily in writing. His plans to break her will until she was nothing more than an empty shell. He watched Erica with amusement and interest. She had a hot temper, and it made him hot all over. Watching her get riled up, ready to kill, made him want to kiss her.

"I'll find him my damn self and I'll break every bone in his body." Her eyes darkened to a degree of a psychopath as she described how she wanted to dismember Jasper. Jayce was listening with a slightly disturbed expression, but Damion was falling for her even more now. Lily looked unfazed as she stared down at the portfolio of herself. Her hands picked up one of her sleeping peacefully, a fresh bruise on her cheek.

"I never knew he was this demented." She mumbled, dropping the picture back onto the desk. Damion looked over to his Alpha, his best friend, his King. He looked beyond pissed, and that was a rarity. Jayce's hands were literally trembling from the rage that burned inside himself.

"He's also missing. One of his neighbors showed up when I kicked down the door to his place. Said he's been gone for a week now." He informed them. He watched Lily's body stiffen in response, her hands shooting up to her face.

"What if he comes here?" She asked aloud, but he believed everyone already knew that answer. Jayce got up from his seat without saying a word and pulled Lily into his bare chest. It didn't take her long to break down. Damion ran a hand through his hair, pulling on it to keep himself awake.

"If he does, we'll be ready." He told her, running his fingers through her hair slowly. He'd never seen Jayce on a gentler side. Normally, he would throw and break shit until he cooled down. He wasn't anywhere near chill, but his Mate needed him now more than ever, and he prioritized that over everything he felt.

Damion took that moment to take a glance at Erica. Was she getting emotional like Lily, so he could comfort her?

Erica had one journal in her hands, her shoulders visibly shaking, and she was mumbling curses under her breath. She looked just as pissed as Jayce, and that was something else. She caught him staring.

"What are you looking at?" She almost growled.

"Uh... Shit." He rubbed his face. He was far too exhausted to handle this right now. "I need to crash." He mumbled, forcing himself to turn away from them all.

"Damion." Jayce called to him before he left the room. "Thank you." He said to him. Damion tossed him a tired smile before leaving the small group alone. He made his way down the steps without stumbling, but he couldn't guarantee a safe trip home.

"They won't care if I crash on the couch." He grumbled as he made his way into the living room and plopped his tired ass down on the sofa. The moment his eyes shut, he was out.