Predator | 54

Back at Eric's place, April took her time under the shower. Her clothes and her body, she had noticed in utter horror, were covered in blood. It wasn't even her blood but maybe that was why she was so disgusted by it.

It was the blood of the Lycans Nikolaj had fought and it smeared all over her when he was carrying her. She had barely noticed that his whole shirt was wet with blood.

The smell was burning her nostrils. It wasn't only the smell of Lycan blood, it was the disgusting smell of the cell as well.

If death had a scent, then it would be the scent she had to endure in the cell. It was still in her nose and every time she tried to breathe through her mouth, she could taste it and it made her gag.

She used almost the whole bottle of shampoo to get rid of the metallic reeking scent. She scrubbed her skin with hot water until her body felt sore and she still felt dirty.

She placed her hands against the tiles when her head began to spin. She had seen how Shawn's head was ripped off. She had seen how Charles had pierced his medieval sword right into Viktor's chest.

It was something she would never forget. She still could hear the sickening, cracking sound when Viktor ripped Shawn's head off and dropped it to the ground. This would haunt her in her nightmares for a long time.

She wished that she didn't insist on staying with them, but at the same time she was glad she had witnessed this.

Her brother Eric was part of this Lycan world, which meant she would always be connected to his world too. He was already used to the sight of violence and death.

She still had to get used to it, since she already decided to be at her brothers and at Nikolaj's side.

April wasn't naive enough to believe that she would never end up being in danger again. Sooner or later there will be another attack, the world is full of crazy people.

She realized that her brother wasn't living a fairytale life. There was no space left for peace in his world.

That's why at the end of the day, she didn't regret what she had witnessed. It made her only stronger. She couldn't afford to be childish or bratty anymore. She had to grow up.

April didn't even know for how long she was already in the shower, but apparently long enough for Nikolaj to get worried to knock the door and ask if she was alright.

After that, she decided that she finally was feeling clean enough to get out, even though the smell didn't quite leave her nose.

She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her body. Nikolaj was sitting on her bed when she stepped out of the bathroom.

He had changed his clothes and was wearing her brothers clothes now. He remained silent and watched her with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm feeling okay," April said, which was actually the truth. She just couldn't tell if she did convince him or only made him believe the exact opposite.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm just a bit hungry I guess," she responded with a weak smile as she went to sit on the edge of her bed.

Nikolaj grinned. "Your brother just brought some Chinese takeaway."

He grabbed her brush and the hairdryer and started to blow-dry her hair. She closed her eyes and enjoyed it. She found it soothing when Nikolaj brushed her hair.

After her hair was dry, she put her pajamas on and went into the living room with Nikolaj. Eric and Charles were already there, eating the Chinese food.

Eric was stuffing his mouth with Chinese noodles, while Charles starred at the noodles like he never ate something like this. He took a small bite, grimaced and put it away.

Eric put the food away when April took a seat next to her brother. He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked in a concerned voice.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm glad you brought food though. I haven't eaten anything in the last few days."

Eric grabbed the box of noodles and a fork and handed it to her. She was thankful that her brother brought food.

"So, do we have any plan what we do from now on?" Eric asked when he finished eating.

"We don't need a plan," Charles answered. "Shawn and Viktor are dead. Everything is over."

"Well, not entirely," Eric responded. "There are still the Lycans that Shawn had turned. We need to take care of them. And what are we going to tell the rest of the town? They need to know that Viktor is dead. We basically need to take care of the whole mess that Shawn had caused."

"That's not my problem. Why would I want to waste my time with this?"

"Don't you want to take over Viktor's territory?" Eric frowned.

"No, I don't want it and quite frankly, I don't even need it. I don't have the intention to waste any more time in this goddamn town."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Why the hell did you kill Viktor then?" Eric aske angrily.

Nikolaj stood next to the couch and crossed his arms. He was just as curious as the rest of them to know why Viktor actually killed Viktor. They didn't have the time to even question his motive.

Anger took over Charles face and he looked like he could hardly control himself. His hands were tightly clenched into fists. "He killed my brother. I didn't realize it until I found my brothers belongings in his possession. He kept them like trophies."

There was a short silence. The anger that was on Eric's face vanished.

"Fuck.. I'm sorry," Eric whispered shocked. "But how?"

April didn't know anything about Charles brother and never heard of him during her stay in Rosewood. But judging by her brothers and Nikolaj's reaction, they were clearly shocked, even though there shouldn't be anything about Viktor that could shock them anymore. Everyone knew what kind of monster he was.

April wondered if Viktor and Charles were friends at some point. If they were, than she could understand what he was feeling right now. Shawn did betray her too. The only difference was, that for him it should be a far worse pain because Viktor killed his brother. And he learned about it hundreds years later.

"I am not entirely sure and quite frankly, I don't care anymore. Viktor is gone. He got what he deserved."

Eric remained silent for a few long seconds, then he raised his gaze and looked at Nikolaj with an accusing glare. "Did you know about that? Did you know Viktor killed his brother? His big fucking fancy mansion was you second home, after all."

"No, I didn't know," Nikolaj responded through clenched teeth and narrowed his eyes at him. He didn't like his accusation. He took a harsh breath through his nose. "Viktor didn't chat with me about his personal life."

Eric averted his eyes. "Alright. I believe you. I'm sorry," he apologized in a quiet murmur.

"Well, now that we got that cleared up," Charles got off the couch and stood up on his feet and continued. "I think it's time for me to leave. I'm going to leave the town today."

"Woah, wait." Eric abruptly stood up with a confused expression all over his face. "Are you sure you don't want to rethink your decision?"

"I don't need to rethink anything," Charles said and judging by his expression, there was nothing and no one that could change his mind. He already made a decision. Despite that, during his whole stay it didn't seem like he was planning to settle down in Rosewood.

"But we need you!" Eric protested frustrated. "Shawn caused a lot of mess and the people will want an explanation. They need a new leader. They need you."

"They don't need me," Charles said. "They are free people now. From everything I gathered Viktor wasn't exactly popular. Not even amongst his own people. They should be glad that they are finally free of him. The last thing they need is a new leader. A leader they don't even know, I might add."

Charles grabbed his coat and put it on as he made his way towards the door. His hand rested on the doorknob but he didn't open it, instead he was watching Eric.

"I believe you are capable enough to take care of this town," he insisted. "Besides, you know how to contact me if anything should happen."

Eric nodded begrudgingly an said his goodbyes. This wasn't an ideal situation for him. Things didn't turn out how he had wished them to and now he was left with no choice but to take care of this town along with Nikolaj's help.

"It's going to be okay," April assured him.

Eric grimaced. "I'm not too sure about that. It's not going to be easy to take care of this whole mess."

"No, it probably isn't easy at all, but you are not alone in this. We will all be here to help you where we can," April reassured and Nikolaj nodded in agreement.

A smile crept over Eric's lips. "Thank you, April," he said and threw himself on the couch, leaned his head back, closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. "At least Viktor is dead now. That at least gives me some comfort."

"Hmm," April muttered in agreement. "That makes me think, why did Viktor kill Charles' brother?"

Eric shrugged. "It's Viktor we're talking about. Did he need any reason for anything? But my guess is that it was because of the territory. Charles and his brother had the largest territories back then."

"His brothers?" April asked.

"Yeah. He had two brothers. William and Emil. The three had each their own territory and were well-known amongst Lycans. William was known for his kind nature and his soft spot for humans, while Emil was known for the exact opposite reason. He detested humans. And Charles, well, he was the one who simply didn't want to have anything to do with humans."

It took her a moment to take in the information. The three brothers had all different views about humans. That reminded her, that Viktor didn't seem to be pleased around her arrival in Rosewood merely because she was human.

"Which brother did he kill for territory?" April asked.

"It was William. Thinking about it now, I think it's not even surprising that Viktor chose him. He probably found his love for humans pathetic and wanted him gone, so he killed him and his wife."

"His wife?" April croaked. "Was she human?"

Eric opened his eyes and frowned. "Of course not. When I said that William loved humans, I didn't mean it that way. Pureblood Lycans can't have children with a human. They can only have a child when both of them are purebloods."

"Oh.. I didn't know that."

"Yeah. That's why there aren't many female purebloods around anymore. Or none. A couple of hundred years ago Lycans hunted female purebloods to stop them from giving birth to more pureblood Lycans."

"Why would they do that?" She asked and frowned.

"It was because of the power they held. Pureblood Lycans always controlled the weaker Lycans. People like Nikolaj, who was born a Lycan but still has some human blood running through his vains. Or people like me, who were turned," he explained.

"So there are truly no female pureblood Lycans around anymore? Not even one?"

"No, not that we know of. There is a slight possibility that there are a few left, but we can't be sure. It has been many many years since the last time a female pureblood was seen." Eric said and snorted with laughter, "And if there is a living female pureblood, then Charles would more than likely hunt her down, kidnap her and keep her until she gives birth to his child."

Even Nikolaj seemed to agree with that and chuckled quietly to himself. It was surprising to hear that Charles wanted so desperately to have a child. She felt sad for him because it would more than likely never happen.

There was a brief silence around them when Natalya walked out of Eric's bedroom, wearing his clothes which were too large for her small body. She eyed April and Nikolaj when she hesitantly walked into the living room.

April was surprised to see her here, much more surprised to see her walking out of her brothers bedroom while wearing his clothes. Nik didn't seem to appreciate her presence and narrowed his eyes at her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked roughly.

"Don't talk to her like that," Eric growled harshly. "If you have a problem with her, then leave."

Nikolaj breathed harshly and looked at April. She shook her head and pulled his hand until he was sitting next to her on the couch. She could understand that he was angry and felt betrayed, but she still couldn't bring herself to hate Natalya. In her eyes, Natalya was Shawn's victim just like she was.

"Can.. can I talk to y-you?" Natalya asked in a small voice and looked at April for a few seconds, before she broke the eye contact and looked at her bare feet.

"Uhm, yeah, of course," April murmured and stood up to follow her.

She looked over her shoulder at Nikolaj and he didn't seem too pleased that Natalya wanted to talk to her. The things she did affected Nik's and Natalya's relationship. April hoped than one day he could forgive her since she didn't deserve his hate.

April lead her to her bedroom for some privacy and closed the door after Natalya. She gestured with her hand towards her bed, since she didn't have a chair or a couch in her room.

Natalya hesitantly walked towards her bed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. She looked uncomfortable to be in her room, sitting on her bed that she couldn't even look April in the face and played with her shaky hands.

April sat next to her and saw from the corner of her eyes Natalya flinching slightly. A few seconds passed and now she was feeling uncomfortable too. Was she waiting for her to say something? Or was she still trying to gather more confidence before starting to speak? April coughed and decided to speak first, because Natalya seemed too nervous and scared to do go first.

"Um... what did you want to talk about?" April asked and turned around to look at her.

"I.. I wanted to apologize to you," Natalya whispered in her smallest voice and hesitantly lifted her gaze up to April's face. "For everything I did. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. I forgive you," April said and smiled when Natalya looked at her in disbelief.

"But... you could have died."

"Yeah, but I didn't die. I'm still alive," she answered. "You made a mistake, that much is true, but you recognized it soon enough. You could have decided to follow Shawn's plan, but you didn't. You helped Nik and Eric to find me and for that, I'm thankful."

Natalya's eyes glazed with unshed tears. "You are too kind. Nikolaj won't forgive me for this," she whispered in her deep accent.

"You can't really blame him for being angry. I don't think he will always stay angry at you though. He needs time.," April said. "Look, I know that Shawn convinced you to follow his plans and made you empty promises about saving you from Viktor. You fell to his lies. I think we all did at one point. You are just as much of a victim than I am."

Natalya nodded, but April still could see that she was hesitant to believe April's words. She was feeling guilty for what she did and she probably would for a long time.

Silent tears were streaming down Natalya's face. April wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. Would it be too inappropriate to put her arm around her shoulder? They weren't friends. They barely knew each other.

"Thank you, April" she sniffed as she wiped away her tears. "For everything you said.. a-and for not hating me."

"Anytime," April smiled and received a hesitant smile from Natalya.

After her talk with Natalya, her brother Eric offered to take her back to Viktor's mansion, so she could pack her things and move out of that place.

Nikolaj felt relieved when they left, partly because he didn't want to stay in the same room as Natalya and partly because he wanted to have some alone time with April. He pulled her towards her bed and put his arms tightly around her.

"How are you feeling?" He murmured into her hair.

"I'm okay," she answered quietly into his chest, then looked up at him. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

He pressed a light kiss to her head. "I'm good. Don't worry about me."

April nodded her head and put her head back to Nikolaj's chest, closing her eyes and enjoying the rise and fall of his chest beneath her head.

"Natalya apologized to me," she whispered after a few moments of silence.

Nikolaj stiffened for a second. "I see," he said roughly. "And you accepted her apology?" He asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

"Of course I did. She just wanted to be free of Viktor. That's the only reason she accepted to help Shawn with his plans. He knew she was weak and would do everything to be free of Viktor. He used her," she explained. "Maybe one day you will be able to forgive her," she whispered.

"Hmmm," he murmured, but didn't disagree with her, which was a bit of a success.

April wondered if Eric was going to move Natalya's stuff into his apartment and asked herself if there was something going on between the two of them. If yes, then it was something they kept in secret, seeing as Nikolaj was just as surprised to see her here as April was.

"So.. what are you planning to do now that Viktor is dead?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You are free now. Do you want to stay here in Rosewood or do you want to move away?" She remembered when he told her that he never left Rosewood since the day he had been brought here from Russia.

"I don't know where to go. This is my home," he answered eventually. "What about you? Will you return to your home?"

His question surprised her a bit. She didn't think about her home as often as she did in the beginning anymore. To be honest, she can't even remember the last time she thought about her hometown. April lifted her eyes and saw the worried expression over Nik's face, like he was dreading for her to say yes.

"No, I don't think so. I will stay here and help where I can. I can't leave Eric alone now," she answered and then added softly, "or you."

A smile broke out across his face and he took her face into his hands to give her a deep and passionate kiss. April broke out into a fit of giggles when he placed kissed all over her face.

"But," she quickly interrupted between his kisses. "Maybe we can leave Rosewood once we took care of the town to travel around. Only if you want, of course. We can even return back to Rosewood after that," April offered and watched him with hopeful eyes.

His smile widened. "Yes," he agreed. "I would love to do that with you."

April returned his smile. They would travel from city to city and she would show him all the places he had never seen before and together they would explore new places that neither of them have seen before.

But first, they had to take care of Shawn's aftermath.

-The End-

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I honestly can't believe that I finished my very first book!! Thanks to everyone who has read my story so far. :) Am forever thankful for sticking with me and my horrible update schedule.

By the way, did anyone notice the hint that there will be a spin-off? I originally didn't plan to do one, but while I was writing this chapter I got the perfect idea for one!

I will publish the spin-off soon, I just need the right title. Make sure to leave Predator in your library if you want to be notified when I post the book. :)

Thank you for reading!