MATED TO THE WEREWOLF PRINCE

CHAPTER FOUR

-YURI HANNA-

Mr. Gozo's rest house appeared to be an old ancestral home. If it weren't for the new blue Audi in the parking lot, which indicated that someone was inside, no one would dare to stop by the property in the middle of the night.

Disregarding the horrible sensation prodding my gut, I jumped out of the car first. I approached Prince Killah's side and opened the door. His Highness exited quickly but elegantly, wearing my black hoodie and grey sweatpants. He coiled his hair up in a bun with a few strands falling to the side of his face, using a pen he took from the dashboard of my car.

As Killah spruced up his back, I acknowledged his height almost reaching mine. He might be only two inches taller which is quite outstanding for me, the tallest among the members of Bloody Paws.

The prince raised his head.

The pair of emerald green orifices locked with my caramel orifices under the pale moonlight. Killah stared at me with fascination, as I stared back with blank emotion. After a few winks of 'staring' battle, I decided to call it quits.

"Let's go," I grumbled, closing the passenger seat door. As my legs strode towards the house, Killah grabbed my arm and stopped me in an instant. "What?" I snarled since I detested being touched without consent.

"Are you sure Mr.Gozo is here?" Killah inquired, casting his gaze over the area.

My face writhed. "This is the address he sent me; now move," I yanked my arm free from the prince's grasp and sauntered ahead.

"Wait," the prince said as he sprinted after me, one of his arms hooked on my shoulder as if we were buddies.

Startled by his rash gesture, I abruptly came to a halt and looked at him with disdain. "Take your arm off my shoulders or I'll rip it."

Killah gave me a steady grin and mumbled, "I'm scared of ghosts, bro!"

'Bro? Seriously?' With my eyes narrowed, I shook him off, marched quickly, and growled, "Whimp!"

Killah chuckled as he shadowed me, "Hey, Yuri Hanna, wait for me." He yelled out my name fondly, oblivious to the fact that I am a goddamn woman.

He's undoubtedly a moron.

"What the hell!" A harsh growl echoed from my mouth a few moments later. I had to use force to disentangle the prince's grip on my waist. "Space, goddamn it!" I snapped at him.

Prince Killah, who appeared to love witnessing my anguish, pouted and then smiled toothily as he took a step back. "Remember, if I die in fear, there will be war," he reminded me, and I pinned him a look of distress.

"You talk too much." Shaking my head, I approached the front door and was ready to knock when I noticed an unusual gap between the frame and the leaf.

The door had been left unlocked.

With a wrinkled brow, I pushed it open and was immediately confronted by a sickening aroma. "Son of a b***h!" I dashed inside, discovering Mr.Gozo's lifeless body in the receiving area, spreading on the wooden floor and bathed in his blood. His head had been severed and was seated near his trunk.

"He's dead," Killah, who had followed suit, spoke out in a placid tenor as if the horrendous image was nothing new to him.

My anxieties grew as I grumbled, "Let's get out of here." I had another awful feeling about Mr.Gozo's death. The blood was still fresh, and I could tell the killer was still in the house.

Never did I expect my instincts to be accurate when a bunch of men in black overalls jumped from the second floor and landed in front of us.

As I breathed their scents, my nostrils twitched. "Rogues." It was obvious that the assassins I had met earlier and the scoundrels who murdered Mr.Gozo belonged to the same faction, which meant only one thing.

They are after the royal prince.

"Run, Prince Killah!" I shouted, nudging the prince towards the door, but my subject didn't move an inch from where he was. "What are you doing? I said run!"

Damn it.

Why can't he grasp simple instructions?

Killah, whose hands were slumped into his sweatpants, provided me a perplexed look, but I could sense mischief beneath his orbs. "They're just insects, and I'm sure you can easily beat them, so why run?"

"What?" I sighed in frustration, wondering if the prince was oblivious to the notion that there would be more than three murderers to contend with. Yes, I could manage them, but not with a distraction nearby.

"Who do you refer to as insects?"

When someone spoke behind me, I lost the opportunity to make my point. My jaw twitched and my fists curled into balls around my sides when I recognized the voice. I turned around and came face to face with the man I had met previously.

Behind the assassins loomed the massive structure of the notorious renegade who stirred disruption in the eastern territories a few months ago.

"Dallas," his name slid off my lips as I glared at him in revulsion. He's still alive and I wasn't surprised that he was the mastermind behind the assassination of the royal prince. A scamp is always capable of devising nefarious conspiracies.

Dallas, the rogue's boss, strolled up in worn-out clothing and a pair of leather boots, tauntingly exclaiming, "What a pleasant surprise to see the Beta of Bloody Paws here in Adamson City."

I hastily stepped in front of Killian, as if my stature could conceal the prince, which only brought a wide grin from Dallas.

"Ah, I see. You are the hired bodyguard of the dark prince. Unfortunately, he must die," he said as if it were only a fly they were about to exterminate. His smirk had faded, and his demeanor had darkened. "How about you give us Prince Killah and I'll let you leave this house alive, Yuri Hanna?"

A smug sneer tugged the corner of my mouth before I retorted, "How about you f**k off before I kick your stupid ass, stinking mutt!" The severity of my voice indicated my reluctance, which shocked the prince who was watching the spectacle before his eyes.

Killah's esoteric profile glowed. He couldn't help but chuckle as he reached forward, patted my shoulder, and exclaimed, "Hell, yeah. That's my bodyguard!"