Louisa's POV
"What happened after that?" I asked.
Leo rubbed his eyes and said, "Nobody knew who we were, so everyone tried to bully us. My brother had been brought up a royal prince back in the south, but he had to work like a slave in order to survive and protect me. Then, one day, he found Lucas at a dump site. He was hiding there like a stray cat and tried to attack my brother. My brother brought him back to the camp and gave him some food. Lucas slept for a whole day and when he woke up, he saw some soldiers trying to bully me. He smashed their heads against the ground. When my brother came back after work, he found Lucas holding me and eating an apple next to the dead soldiers. My brother was shocked and wanted to run away with me because it was a felony to kill soldiers, but Lucas persuaded him to stay. Alpha Batz, the Alpha of White Walkers at that time, was furious and wanted to punish Lucas, but my brother stood up and told him that he was the murderer, not Lucas."
That's exactly something Lucian would do. I thought to myself.
"Alpha Batz was moved by my brother's deed. He knew my brother would never do anything like this. At the same time, he was impressed by Lucas' violent nature and power. So, he said he could let this one go as long as Lucas promised to work for him."
"To work for him?" I asked.
Leo nodded and said, "Yeah, to become his personal guard and rough people around."
"Did he accept it?" I asked.
"Not really," Leo shrugged and said. "Lucas said he wouldn't work for anyone and used very bad language to curse him."
Well, that's exactly what Lucas would do. I thought to myself.
"Then, what happened?" I asked.
"Alpha Basil tortured Lucas for days, but he didn't yield. In the end, my brother pleaded for Lucas and suggested that Alpha Basil could adopt Lucas as his son. By doing so, Lucas could work for him and he would have an adopted son. Alpha Basil admitted immediately, because he didn't have any son at all."
"How about Lucas? Did he take the deal?" I asked.
"He spat at my brother and took the deal," Leo said. "Lucas isn't a very reasonable man, but he does listen to well-intentioned suggestions presented in a flexible way. He might not like these suggestions, but he listens. Anyway, after that, Lucas became Alpha Basil's adopted son and my brother's friend. They have become inseparable ever since that."
"And now they're arguing because of me," I whispered and lowered my head, feeling guilty for what I had made Lucian go through.
"That's why I want to talk to you, Louisa. Lucas and Lucian are all my brothers. I love them with all my heart. I don't like the way they were arguing this morning. I don't know why Lucas would want to kill someone like you. You're so kind, so gentle and so... so attractive. I mean..." Leo blushed and dodged my inquiry eyes by looking out of the window.
"Leo, what are you trying to say?" I asked.
"No... This isn't right..." Leo mumbled.
"What?" I frowned.
"This isn't the right way to Mountainside Village," Leo held the frame of the window and said.
I looked out and saw the stretching coastline of Agier Sea.
I immediately stood up and tried to push the carriage door open to check out with Darren, but to my surprise, the door was jammed.
"Darren?" I pushed the door again and asked. "What's happening?"
"Nothing." Darren's voice sounded calm.
"This isn't the way to the Mountainside Village. Darren, why is the door jammed?" I asked.
"Sorry, Louisa," Darren said. "It's for your own good. I'll explain it to you later."
"Darren! What's going on? What do you mean? Open the door!" I banged on the door.
"Louisa. Please be seated and fasten your seatbelt. It's going to be bumpy," he said.
The carriage bumped up and down violently.
I held the edge of my seat and looked out of the window, only to find that we had already been far away from any beaten roads.
"He's taking us to the Dimgrave Port." Leo looked out and said. "That's an abandoned port. Smugglers used to use it to transport illegal products to the Mainland. My brother has already shut it down."
That's why Darren insisted on driving the carriage. That's why he said it's going to be a bumpy ride. I thought to myself. Then, a thought occurred in my mind -
"Darren, are you kidnapping me?" I asked.
There was no response from outside.
Will woke up and looked panicked. He transformed into a bat and tried to fly out of the carriage through the window, but the window was suddenly shut and covered by some sort of wooden panels.
The whole carriage turned dark, but I could see everything clearly.
It must be the night vision of nocturnal animals. I thought to myself.
Will screamed as he banged his head against the wooden panel and landed on my shoulder. I held him carefully in my hands and checked him.
There was a bump on his head. He covered his head with his wings.
"Don't worry, Will. Everything will be alright," I said and gently patted the back of his neck.
He whimpered while crawling into my pocket.
Despite telling Will that everything would be fine, I felt terrified. My heart was pounding so fast that it was about to jump out of my chest.
Deep down in my heart, I knew Darren wouldn't do anything to hurt me. But it seemed that he had a lot of unresolved issues brewing in his mind, so I really didn't know what kind of crazy things he would do.
"Darren! Stop the carriage and open the door! Will is crying and you're making everyone terrified." I raised my voice.
"Sorry, Louisa. I can't do it. You have to come with me. This is the only way for us to survive," Darren said. "Leo, please tell your brother that I have to do this. I have to keep you for a while with us. When we get on the boat, you'll be released and he can send his soldiers to pick you up. Please let your brother know, if Lucas triggers the imprint on me, I'll immediately hold Louisa in my arms and we'll burn to death together."
Darren's voice was steady as if he was talking about something irrelevant to him. The tone of his voice made me believe that he had planned this long ago.
He had me, Leo, and Will in custody at the same time.
So, Lucas, Lucian, and Vincent would not take any action to stop him.
Leo kicked on the door anxiously and said, "Darren, you're out of your mind! You know Lucas will never take any threats. He will kill both of you and Louisa!"
"He wouldn't dare to kill her," Darren said. "He's mad at her for a reason, Leo. Louisa's Lucas' mate. If she dies, he dies."