Chapter: 15
*****

Marina arrived at her destination, she calmly got out of her car and shut the door with a soft click. The air was warm in front of the small building; she breathed it in, savoring it like some kind of medicine. She walked through the entranceway; there was nobody in the main lobby, just a couple of Omega Rogues, cleaning and sharing gossip as she walked by them. They smiled at her as she passed, but their smiles seemed to be more than friendly, there was something else underneath, and they looked almost predatory when they did that. But then again, all Rogues look predatory. Her heels clicked against the tiles as she walked up to the reception desk. Behind it sat a large, dark man dressed in black. He had his head bowed low and was busily scribbling on some papers with long and graceful fingers. His white shirt was buttoned to his collarbone revealing his pale neck. It contrasted so well with the dark brown, almost black hair and his skin which seemed to be almost luminescent in its color. He was attractive, definitely. He didn't notice Mariana's presence until she cleared her throat softly from behind him. He turned around and grinned broadly at her as he saw who it was. He stood up from his seat quickly and pulled her into an embrace, not too tight.

"Welcome to Deivl 2, dear Mariana," he said. "You're looking lovely today." He stepped back and took a quick scan of her body. Mariana could feel herself blushing beneath the scrutiny of those red eyes. "You've come a long way to see me." He murmured into her ear, his lips grazing it before releasing it slowly.

"Well, what other choices did you leave me, huh?" She teased, playfully punching his arm. He laughed and pulled away from her, taking her by the hand as they walked towards the elevators. "I didn't take you as a receptionist." His laughter was rich when he heard that and she couldn't help but smile brightly.

"Well, I have to do something with my time, don't I?" He teased and she smiled, nodding. "It is good that you are here because we have a lot to talk about." He muttered as they got into the elevator.

Deivl is a high-ranking Rogue PackLand mostly known for its vicious tactics and lack of mercy. Its leader was a slimy snake of a man simply known as Dare. He was very old, at a hundred and fifty-three, yet didn't look a day over forty, and extremely wealthy. His private mansion was situated somewhere in the hills, far from civilization, surrounded by thick forest, and hidden behind many security measures. The only access to it was through a secret route, he built himself along a few trusted Rogues and the day he ran from the Alpha of Alphas Betas, this was where he arrived and hid himself till the situation died down. And just like the Tiger Clan, he built a secret hideout for his Pack Members in preparation for the Alpha's attack, and those who made it out alive now lived here, in Deivl 2. He turned and gave her a small smile and opened the doors to the left, leading into the living room with the huge fireplace. On the other side lay a comfortable sofa and some chairs, a bookshelf, and a small fridge.

"Please sit down. Can I get you anything to drink while you settle in?" Dare asked politely, motioning for Mariana to take a seat in a nearby armchair. "Some coffee maybe? Tea perhaps? Or hot chocolate?" He added, sitting down opposite her.

"Just some tea would be great, thank you." She answered quietly, seating herself carefully on the armchair. Dare nodded and disappeared into another room, presumably, to prepare her cup. A minute later he returned, placing two steaming mugs of tea on the coffee table. "Thank you." She accepted gratefully as he handed her one of the cups, which she instantly drank. Dare watched her intently, but his expression was neutral. He sipped silently at his own tea, seemingly lost in thought. After a while of silence, he decided to speak up.

"So," he started hesitantly. "My little mockingbird, sent news of the Alpha's full recovery, have you heard this?" She shook her head in reply. "He is currently at full strength again. Apparently, the curse didn't kill him just as you had presumed it would." Mariana blinked and looked at him, surprised by his information. Dare continued. "The curse has been broken. Now all that remains is for us to decide on the next step." He paused for a moment. "Since he is back at full strength, he will stop at nothing till he has gotten back at us, well, me first then you." Mariana tensed under his gaze and he sighed deeply. "This can only end in blood." He finished off his tea with one gulp and placed his cup on the table beside him. "That's why I invited you to come here today," he told her, leaning forward slightly across the table.

Mariana was beyond enraged at this point. First, it was impossible for him to recover from such a curse and worse to recover as quickly as he had done. There should be a better explanation as to his sudden recovery, it didn't make sense to her. The curse should have killed him. She saw him die in her Mirror of Infinity which was how it should have ended, not for him to recover. "He could not have survived that curse," She muttered more to herself than to Dare. "Should not have survived it." She shook her head as if in denial.

"I agree," Dare said, nodding at her response. "But the fact remains that he did and there is no way of undoing it, now. It is already set in stone and cannot be changed without severe consequences. You can't perform another curse until you are certain it will not backfire." Mariana frowned at that and opened her mouth to answer but Dare continued speaking before she could even speak. "The curse has given him powers and strength greater than any he could have achieved by himself, it has given him immortality and made him impervious to most of the laws of Nature and mankind, Scarred witch's spells and curses included. He has become immune to these things or so I have heard." He shrugged his shoulders, looking tired. "And as much as I hate to say it, you know as well as I do that he will find your precious City of Light now that he is well again and it's only a matter of time until he finds me too. He is the Lycan after all." He finished his words with a bitter grin.

Mariana was seething, her hands clenched into fists at the mere thought of that monster having another chance at life. He does not deserve to live. He took her only son and now he is just going to walk around with shoulder high as if nothing has happened! She can't even begin to imagine that. Dare was right, if he survived that curse then a greater force is working in his favor. Her thoughts were interrupted as Dare spoke again.

"However, if we don't plan accordingly we will be completely defenseless against him. And I'm sorry, love but my plan must work this time, that Lycan has to die, not after what he did to me, I can't let him live and breathe the air I do, it's impossible!" He finished his sentence with an angry snarl, he rose from his chair and paced a couple of times before stopping by the windowsill, staring out of it blankly. "If there's any possibility of getting the Book of Neer, we will surely find a powerful spell great enough to kill the bastard and destroy his mind and memories once and for all." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"How can we possibly get a Book kept under the guidance of the Lycan himself?" Mariana questioned skeptically. "It's too dangerous. We can't get into River Bay, neither Witches nor Rogues can break through the barrier around the PackLand unless granted permission to enter."

Dare knew this but who said they were going in there themselves? He already has a mole within the PackLand and that mole is about to come in handy at this very moment. He is neither a wolf nor a witch. A perfect shape-shifter and a gentle manipulative Omega with a wicked agenda. 

"Who?" Mariana asked, eyeing the Rogue King curiously, clearly wanting to know all about this 'mole'. "Who is it?"

"No one you know," He answered curtly, turning away from the window. "A friend of mine," he said and sat back down.

"If this person is going to hold our lives in their hands then I want to know who they are," Mariana stated boldly and Dare smiled at her.

"Ah, my dear, Mariana," Dare cooed mockingly. "I think I can promise you, whatever he may be, whoever he is; he is loyal and will not put our lives in jeopardy, hmm..." He trailed off, letting his sentence drift off into nothingness, Mariana raised her eyebrow, a clear warning in her stare as she narrowed her eyes at Dare. Dare smirked, chuckling lightly. "He is a Fox. The last of the 8th. He has been under my care since I picked him up from the sinking sand. Saved his life and now he owes me forever loyalty."

"Foxes are known for their cunning and deceptive nature," She replied, a slight scowl on her face. "Why would you trust a Fox so greatly? He will obviously fail you even when you least expect it."

Dare raised one elegant eyebrow. "Not as long as I do not stand in his way," His voice became dark and deep.

"In his way?" Mariana said with a scoff. "You don't need to be in a Foxes way before they betray you."

"Oh, you mean like you?" He countered coldly.

Her expression darkened, her eyes flashing gold for a second, Dare immediately held up a hand and shook his head, his tone softening again and calming down.

"Let's be calm here, love, remember your place." His sweet voice calmed her down instantly, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"Don't worry, I understand." He reassured her. Dare stood up abruptly, his face turning white with rage. He was already angry with the witch. She has dirty secrets too and she has betrayed even the one she never should have betrayed and yet she points fingers at a Fox who has been nothing but loyal to him. He trusts his Fox first before he could even trust her. After all, she is a Scarred Witch. "Listen, for what it's worth, he is the only one who can get in and out of River Bay. He has lived amongst them for years now and he is the one bringing me news of things going on within the Gates, so rest assured, that as long as we do not cross the Fox, he will not cross us." He concluded, glaring at the witch with pure hatred.

Mariana sighed inwardly, feeling a headache coming, Dare was clearly upset. This man really did not listen to anyone, she thought with disdain, as she got up from her seat and walked toward Dare to give him a hug. She felt Dare relax in her arms almost immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck. She stroked his hair gently, trying to comfort him.

"I am sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She murmured.

"It's alright, love." He replied, pulling away slightly to look at her. "We'll get over it soon." She smiled reassuringly and nodded. Dare kissed her cheek lovingly. "Now let's get you on your way before your Clan begins to wonder where you had disappeared to." He added quietly.

"Alright." She pulled away from him reluctantly. "Come on then," she added while gesturing towards the door.

*****