The Girl with The Dragon Wolf Tattoo

Chapter Two

{Third Person POV}

Dad…

Hunters…

Attack…

That’s what Adrienne’s mind could only think of as she kept running with her mother down the basement of their home. Her mind is chaotic that she just lets her mamai drag her away from her father, alone to face the group of hunters that's ready to attack any second. She wants to go back, she didn’t want to leave her father behind, but she’s also frozen and still in shock at everything that’s happening.

This is the first time Adrienne’s experiencing this kind of thing, after all, and let’s add the fact that she just saw a real person other than herself and her parents for the first time in her life. And not just a person, a whole group of people.

They’re hunters. That’s what my father said.

Adrienne spent her life studying, so she knows what hunters are and she also knows exactly what they do. They hunt and kill any creatures they want, especially werewolves, fairies, vampires, and dragons. From the countless books she has read before, all of them say that hunters are usually humans. They hunt creatures that humankind thought didn’t exist, moreover, they will kill or use them as an experiment.

But despite all the proofs shown in those books she has read, Adrienne never believed any of those. It sounds st*pid but it's the truth. She thinks it’s too impossible for any beings to hurt others, and her parents didn’t like that about her. The fact that she believes that everyone is good is not a bad thing, but what they are worried about is when the time comes that Adrienne has to live outside—which they wish would never happen— and she kept that personality of hers, there is a hundred percent possibility that she wouldn’t last a day alive.

Marietta leads her daughter inside the secret tunnel she and her mate built a very long time ago, it was hidden behind a cabinet, so even Adrienne won’t see it. It was made for only a reason; an escape place for them three.

“Come quick!” Marietta pulled a pale and frozen Adrienne towards the small tunnel after she successfully pushed the cabinet aside, revealing a tunnel that could only fit a person.

And as if finally coming to her senses, Adrienne blink several times and look around the basement, then her eyes settled on the tunnel that her mother was pushing her through.

“What—where are we, mamai? What is that?” Adrienne asked her mother calmly, despite their situation. The confusion and worry are visible on her innocent and pale face.

Marietta opened her mouth to answer but a loud explosion resounded throughout the upper part of the house, making the ground shake in the process.

“DAD!” Adrienne makes a move to run to where the explosion came from, but her mother didn’t let her by holding her wrist. “We have to save him!” She looked at her mother with such urgency.

“No, I will go save him but you… you must go inside this tunnel, Adrienne. Go, never stop and never look back.” Marietta said firmly.

“But—”

“This is our only way to save you, mo leanbh. Your father would want the same thing, and that’s for you to get out of here alive. Go, we don’t have much time. They’re coming for you.”

Adrienne stubbornly shook her head; it was her first time not doing what her mother tells her to do. “But we could all escape together.”

“They’ll find us, Adrienne and we can never let that happen. Your father and I will take the time to distract them while you escape.”

“But mamai—” Tears started to blurry Adrienne’s vision, how she wished that everything was just a nightmare.

Having no time left, Marietta carefully but urgently pushed her daughter inside the tunnel. “Go, Adrienne! Don’t come back.” A sob came out of Adrienne’s mouth as she looks at her mother whose eyes are covered with unshed tears. “Mamai loves you. Being your mother for the past twenty-six years was the best thing that ever happened to me. Go… this tunnel will lead you to the outside world. Go and change your real fate, mo leanbh. Prove them wrong.” Marietta kissed her middle and forefinger before pressing them against her daughter’s temple.

Adrienne shook her head but still do what her mother say. She runs further inside the narrow tunnel and never look back with her heart as tight as her clenched fist.

Everything feels like a nightmare for her, and what she wouldn’t give just to wake up. Everything seems impossible.

How could people do this to us?

MEANWHILE, Marietta goes back upstairs only to find her husband surrounded by six hunters whose faces are covered with black masks.

“Where is she?! Where is the girl?!” A dark haired man punched Oswald in the stomach, making him double over but despite the pain, he felt relieved.

Just knowing that Adrienne is safe is enough for the white wolf couple. It’s more than enough.

“There is no girl here but my wife, hunter.” He snarled and a punch was yet again landed on his face this time.

Oswald wants to fight back but he doesn’t want to risk the safety of his wife. The hunters will hurt both of them if he fights back.

“Liar!” Another punch. “Where is the girl?!”

Marietta made a move to run towards her mate but another man behind her gripped the back of her neck, making her whimper.

“We don’t know what you are talking about. There is no girl here. I swear!” She screamed, loud enough for everybody to hear.

“We know you two were the werewolf who took the monster.”

“Our daughter is not a monster!” Marietta burst out. She was enraged that the hunters are referring to Adrienne as a monster. My daughter was anything but a monster.

The man who punched Oswald smirked, victoriously. Then, turned his back on Oswald to face Marietta.

“So, the monster is here after all.” She could smell the wolf’s bane coated on the silver dagger that the man is playing on his finger. She knew he was taunting her, but she still held her ground even though that dagger could easily kill them both.

With a mocking smirk, the man holding the silver dagger looks into her eyes before asking, “Where is she?”

Dorion’s voice was calm and calculated as he asks the old woman, he know he couldn’t let his emotion get the best of him because no one knew but him how much he want to kill the two werewolves. He has been planning this attack for twenty-six years, he has been planning to kill the monster, so he better be careful if he didn’t want to waste the past twenty-six years of his life planning for this day to happen.

With a firm voice, Marietta stated, “She’s not here. You will never find her.”

Knowing that these two will never back down, Dorion thinks of another way and a smirk was yet again plastered on his face as an idea struck him.

He gestures for the two men behind him to take the couple. “Tie them up.” Looking upstairs where Adrienne’s room would be found, he spoke with a voice full of malice. “I’ll just have to do something.”

Oswald and Marietta tried to attack Dorion with their eyes glowing, but two hunters are holding each side of them.

The whole room is already covered with wolves’ bane, making them weak and unable to fight back.

“What are you doing?” Oswald growled, trying to hide his worry.

Slowly, Dorion looks at the elder man with a malicious smirk still plastered on his face. “If you two won’t tell me where she is, then why don’t I just make her come to me instead? Might as well put you two in use.”

Then, he started walking upstairs to Adrienne’s room as Oswald and Marietta looks at Dorion’s retreating back in horror.

***

{Adrienne’s POV}

I wipe all the dirt smudge on my face and look back behind me. I’ve been walking for almost thirty minutes and I’m still nowhere near the end of this tunnel. Not because it’s far, but because my feet can’t walk or run any faster. I want to go back and see if my parents were okay. And why were those hunters found out about where we live.

I thought our home was well hidden.

“Listen to your parents, Lia,” I told to myself while wiping the sweat that were slowly dripping down my neck and forehead. Being inside this tunnel with torches placed on the wall every seven meters is not funny to be completely honest. It’s like I was being grilled really hard. “But what if they need my help? What if they’re in trouble?” I asked myself again and stop walking to think if I could be right, but after a moment, I shook my head and sighed.

I know my parents; they hate violence because they don’t want me to think that violence is the key to everything, but I know that they are strong and good at fighting. I am just exaggerating.

I took a deep breath and when I was about to walk again, the ground above and beneath me shook as a very loud explosion shook my surroundings. It’s louder than earlier. The explosions earlier were nothing compared to this one.

“Oh, no.” Worry and fear spread inside me as I look back behind me. “Mamai, dad…” I whispered before running back as fast as I could.

Tiny pieces of the brown soil are falling on my head because of the explosion but I ignored them and continue running like a tiger was chasing after me.

My heart is beating so fast, and my hair is all over the place. My clothes are dirty, and I am a sweating bullet, but all of that is the least of my concern right now. All I wanted at this very moment is to hear my mamai’s voice telling me that she and dad are okay.

I reached the medium hole that I used to enter this tunnel earlier and then look around the basement. Everything was a mess and broken and it makes me even more worried.

Having no time to scan everything, I ran up the stairs and into the living room only to see the kitchen and the ceiling burning.

“Mamai?!” I shouted before going upstairs to my room. I was a little surprised to see that my room still looked the same. Neat and clean just like how it was before I left. But they’re not here. Next, I went to their room which is just across from mine, and look around and go through some stuff, hoping that they left something that would explain everything that was happening.

Unlike mine, their room was a mess which make it harder for me because it was obvious that someone had already gone here first. But my parents are better than that. If the hunters were looking for something my parents possessed, then it must be something important and I know my parents won’t just put it somewhere someone would just easily find. I have to think smart.

Dad likes to hide his stuff in his hidden drawer inside the closet, but I must admit that mamai is wiser than dad and he knows it, so it only means that mamai hid it. So, if I was her, where would I put it?

Their room is not that big and there is only the bed, the closet, cabinets, no bathroom either… so where?

I bit my lips in anticipation. The house is burning, and I have to hurry. I have to get out of here and find out where are my parents. If only I could see everything in just one picture like in my paintings.

Paintings…

My eyes widen when a realization hit me.

The painting in my room!

Before the hunters went here, my parents were in the middle of telling me something that they must hide from me all these years. And the hunters are not just a bunch of people who accidentally came across our hidden home! They knew something and they also knew that my parents are hiding everything from me which I’m hoping is for my own good. The hunters didn’t go through my stuff because they knew they would find nothing, so mamai decided to hide whatever that important thing is in my room!

I hope I was right.

I quickly hurry back inside my room and immediately, my eyes fell on the painting of the outside world I imagined hanging on the wall. I rushed to it before taking it in my hands and I was right! There was a folded paper glued behind my painting. I took it and opened the paper to see a letter in my mamai’s handwriting.

My dearest flower,

“Your father and I were probably not by your side the moment you read this letter. It was against me to write this, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before he found us. He was the reason why your real parents were dead and the reason why we needed to hide you from outside.”

He? Who’s he?

“You’re probably confused right now but don’t worry. I can’t say that everything will be okay because I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I can say that every question you have will be answered, trust me and your father. It’s time for you to step out of your cocoon and bloom like a grown beautiful butterfly. Do not hide anymore. Struck fear into their hearts and show them who you really are, Adrienne Dahlia, you are more powerful than you and everyone knows. Find out who you are.”

“And if you encounter him, do not be afraid, my flower. Your real parents couldn’t defeat him, no one can except you. You are the real weapon, so never be afraid of… And always remember, I and your father love you so much. We’re always in your heart. Always.”

My brows knitted together when I didn’t see the next word. The message was cut. There was nothing after that.

Never be afraid of who?

Mamai, what are you thinking? You’re making it a lot harder for me.

Does she really think that I'm that smart to make me guess the man behind this?

I look behind the paper and saw a name on it. But the handwriting is different.

Hmm...how strange.

“Cadmus Niccolo Demetriou.” I read the name out loud. “Is this the man she was talking about?” The one who killed my real parents and basically the reason for everything why my life is turned upside down now? Is he or just another reason that mamai forgot to mention?

I look out my window after hearing a loud crash downstairs and my eyes widen when I saw my parents being dragged out of this hidden place. They are now walking on the sparkling falls. It was like the door of this to the outside world.

Oh, no.

I crumpled the paper and tucked it in my pocket before opening the safe that was also hidden by the painting. It’s mine so I know the passcode, but I never put anything here. I’m just hoping that my mamai did put some important thing here.

After opening the safe, I immediately saw a small leather sack of gold coins and a beautiful heart-shaped ruby necklace.

I did not think twice and wore the necklace because I might lose it if I put it in my pocket, then I put the small sack of gold coins in my cloak pocket before hurrying downstairs

Fire greeted my vision when I stepped into the living room. I grab the crumpled letter from mamai and threw it in the blazing fire before covering my nose and ran down to the basement.

I once again enter the tunnel before running to where would this take me, leaving the place that has been my home for twenty-six years.

I will save my parents but first, I have to know where I would find Cadmus Niccolo Demetriou. He must be the man that my mamai mentioned in the letter.