A True Lifestory: Part 2 A Demon’s Obsession

Chapter 35 Don’t Pick A Fight You Can’t Finish

[..]

When Armaros arrived at Stella’s house, he carried her into the house, where he headed to her bedroom and placed her on the bed.

“Stella! Are you already home?” Cathrine asked as she came in to view at the door, but when she saw Armaros placing Stella on the bed, she hurried to her bedside.

“What happened?” She asked, as she placed a hand on Stella’s forehead.

“I’m not completely sure yet, but I believe someone targeted her at school. That’s why I need you to do me a favor; don’t tell anyone about Stella’s condition yet. I have to find out if anyone is spying on us. Just, please stay here with her ‘til I come back!” Armaros spoke before he hurried out of the door to find Baal and Shax.

It didn’t take long before he found them. They were sitting on a bench together with Jinn, Corson, Dagon, outside the pack house, talking to one another.

They still kept some distance from the rest of the tribe members, but the tension between them had definitely calmed a lot since they arrived, and no one seemed to look twice as they passed them.

Some tribe members had even started to greet them nicely as they came past them.

Armaros headed directly up to them, as they looked at him curiously.

“Baal, Shax! I need to talk to you, alone.” He spoke, as they immediately rose from their seats and walked a few feet away with him.

“What’s wrong, did something happen?” Shax asked, as both he and Baal looked seriously at Armaros.

“I need your help. I can’t go into any details right now, but I need you to look out for any suspicious behavior around here, maybe someone who doesn’t belong here. Try not to be too obvious about it.” Armaros explained, as both of them nodded.

“I need to go back to Stella now, but please keep me updated if you find anything,” he added, as he was about to leave. But then he heard Nathan’s voice, as he showed up with some of his ridiculous friends, who were undoubtedly too old for him to hang out with.

They sat down on a bench, close by, as they talked so loudly, that no one could possibly avoid being part of their conversation.

“Perhaps she just has a thing for those red-eyed creators,” one of them said to Nathan as he shrugged.

He hadn’t been to school for the past week, and clearly wasn’t there today either.

But Armaros didn’t like where their conversation was heading because there was no doubt that they knew they were there, so either they didn’t care or they were purposely trying to provoke them.

“Who knows, she might have been with all of them.” Nathan spoke as they all laughed, which made something click in Armaros.

“You will take that back, now!” Armaros warned him, as Nathan and his friends turned to look at him.

“Or what? All you do is talk,” Nathan spoke carelessly, as he crossed his arms.

Somehow, these guys seemed to get a kick out of it, as they kept laughing and agreeing with him.

Nathan then rose from his seat as he glanced around, before he spoke.

“Please tell me, am I wrong? Or did she actually screw all of you?” He asked as he pointed at Armaros and the rest of his men.

That was the last straw for Armaros, as he walked directly up to Nathan, and hit him straight in the face, so he fell to the ground.

“I warned you, Nathan!” Armaros snapped as he grasped on to his shirt, and pulled him closer.

Armaros could see he was clearly scared by his reaction, but he tried to hide it. Probably so he wouldn’t lose face in front of his brainless friends.

“If you’re doing this because you’re mad and looking for someone to blame, then go get yourself a mirror, ‘cause you only have yourself to thank for your problems.” Armaros growled at him.

“What does she even see in you? I don’t get it, after everything you and your dad have done!” Nathan stated as he was trying to get Armaros to loosen his grasp on his shirt.

“You keep going on and on about what I have done, and who my father is, but what about yourself?”

“What your father did was way worse, he was going to kill Stella, someone he had known his entire life – his son’s best friend, and for what? Because she loves someone she wasn’t supposed to? You claim to be her friend, but you act like a complete ass. You are just as ridiculous and stupid as him!” Armaros growled, as he was about to hit him again when Drake suddenly rushed in.

“What the hell are you doing?” Drake yelled as he grabbed hold of Armaros' fist, before it collided with Nathan’s face again.

“Teaching this moron a lesson,” Armaros sneered. But then Charlie came over as well, and helped Drake keep them apart by removing Nathan from Armaros.

“Have you lost your mind? You can’t do that!” Drake growled, but Armaros wasn't concerned about what he should or shouldn’t do.

“I warned him, and he chose not to listen, he got what he deserved!” Armaros snarled.

“You are the one who hit me, I didn’t do anything!!” Nathan yelled but stepped back as Armaros tried lunching at him again, but Drake still held him back, this time with some help from Charlie.

“At least I have a sense of loyalty and honor, you seem to have none of those things, you lying piece of shít!” Armaros yelled at him, as he was fighting to get free.

“You are fücking insane!” Nathan blurred out, as he stepped further away.

“If I ever hear you talk like that again, I’ll make sure you wish you had never been born!” Armaros snapped, as he finally pulled himself free from their hold, but they were still making sure Armaros couldn’t get to Nathan.

“Is that seriously a threat?” Charlie asked accusingly, as Armaros glared at him.

“No, that’s a promise.” Armaros stated as he gave Nathan one last glare, before he turned to leave, but Charlie jogged after him.

“You know I can’t just let you walk away when you are openly admitting that you wanna hurt a member of this tribe.” He spoke, as he grabbed hold of Armaros arm, making Baal run up to them.

“Don’t put your filthy hands on him!” Baal hissed as he pushed Charlie, who started growling at him.

“You wanna pick a fight now?” Dagon asked as he went over there as well.

“I say bring it on,” he added, as Landon then came forward too, which only resulted in Jinn, Corson and Shax, stepping up, as well as several of Nathan’s friends doing the same.

“I knew Chase made a mistake when he decided to let you stay here. You bring nothing but trouble,” Landon growled.

“I didn’t start this, but that pathetic excuse of a wolf did, you are just too prejudiced to see it!” Armaros yelled, as he turned away, but he once again turned around as he looked at all of them.

“Right now, the most important person in my life is hurt, and I just wanna be there for her, so do you really think I wanna waste my time listening to all your cràp!”

“What are you talking about?” Charlie frowned as everyone stopped glaring at each other and turned to him, as Armaros’ hands started to shake with anger.

“Stella was attacked at school and instead of being by her side, I am here listening to these idiots talk shít about her. If someone is causing trouble, it would be them, not me.” Armaros added, before he finally walked away from all of them.

[..]

As Armaros had left, Charlie turned to Nathan.

“Did you purposely pick a fight with him!” He hissed, as Nathan looked away.

“No, we were just talking and I..” Nathan mumbled, but Charlie already knew he was lying, so he grabbed his arm, and pulled him further away.

“Stop lying to me Nathan, I don’t know what you are trying to accomplish here, but I suggest quitting it, or you end up getting yourself killed or kicked out of the tribe!” Charlie warned him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tried to dismiss, as Charlie growled at him.

“Shut up! You are playing a dangerous game, you are not a child anymore, so grow the fück up. I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t make me regret it, and then I suggest you apologize.” Charlie snapped.

“You can’t be serious about that!” Nathan frowned, as Charlie stepped closer to him.

“Oh, I’m dead serious, or we can go straight to the Alpha when he arrives back. And then you can explain to him yourself, what exactly it was you said about his daughter that made Armaros want to beat you to a pulp.” Charlie snarled, before he walked away.

[..]

When Stella finally opened her eyes, Armaros was sitting right by her side.

“Hey babygirl, how are you feeling?” Armaros asked, as he took hold of her hand.

“Like I have been hit by a train,” Stella replied, as she tried pulling herself up.

“Take it easy, okay, you just stay there.. At least until a doctor has been here,” Armaros stated.

“I’m fine, I’m just a little tired, that’s all,” Stella clarified.

“No, you’re not, you have been out for almost twelve hours, Stella,“ He explained, making Stella stunned for a second.

“You really scared me, you know that? Please tell me, what happened back there?” He asked, as he placed himself on the bed, next to her.

“I’m not sure, there was this guy who bumped into me at school.. At first, everything seemed fine. He helped me gather my things, but when he was about to leave, he dropped a bracelet. It had these stones I had never seen before, and as I touched them, it was like I was in no control of my own body.. And it felt like it was draining all my energy or something. I can’t really explain it.. Did you find him?”

“No, he unfortunately got away. So much for school security..” Armaros grumbled as he shook his head, but then moved on to ask a question himself.

“Did he do or say anything else?”

“No, he seemed only to be there to test how I was reacting to those stones.. Or, though he did seem to know you, and he clearly doesn’t like you,” Stella spoke.

“Numerous people don’t like me. That’s nothing new..” Armaros replied.

“Yeah, but this was different.. He seemed to have a personal grudge against you. I don’t know if it means anything, but he is a nature witch, or he wanted to be called a wizard, but anyway..” She replied, making Armaros frown.

“Did he tell you his name?” Armaros asked, which Stella confirmed with a nod.

“He told me his name was Ezra,” Stella replied. Armaros knew exactly who he was, and Stella caught that pretty quickly too.

“So, you do know him?” Stella asked.

“I do,” Armaros sighed as he pulled a hand down his face, as he thought about the first time he met him, which unfortunately wasn’t one of his best memories.

[flashback - two years ago]

“Why are you doing this to us? We haven’t done anything,” Ezra argued.

“I don’t care, it’s not my problem.”

“My sister doesn’t deserve this, she was only there because of me!” Ezra continued to defend, much to Armaros' annoyance.

“If it’s your fault, why are you pestering me about it, huh? You only have yourself to blame,” Armaros stated coldly.

“Can you be more insensitive right now!” Ezra snapped, but in the same second, Armaros grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall.

“Listen carefully kid, I do not care about you, nor your sister, but let me give you some friendly advice. Keep your mouth shut, or you will end up dead, pretty soon,” Armaros sneered, which made Ezra start to tremble.

“Am I making myself clear, or do I have to hammer it into that thick skull of yours?” Armaros continued.

“I.. I get it.” Ezra stammered.

“Good, being difficult gets you nowhere, no one here cares about your emotions, if you’re smart, you will suck it up, and forget about your past life. No matter what Damon said to you, you aren’t going to leave this place again.”

“But he promised..” Ezra started, but Armaros just rolled his eyes.

“Like he is ever gonna get rid of the power you and every other witch here are going to give him. Magic equals power, and all that matters to him is that, stop being so gullible.” Armaros stated.

“You might be young, but you need to pull yourself together, or you won’t even survive the first week, so try to keep up, and learn quick.” Armaros added, before he let go of his neck and pulled him further down the hall.

“Where are you taking me?” Ezra asked, which earned him a glare.

“You talk too much.. But if you really wanna know, I have something important I need to take care of. I thought about throwing you into one of the cells, but now that I’ve seen how weak and pathetic you really are, I think we have to toughen you up. So, you are coming with me, and I’ll show you what I do.” Armaros explained, as he glanced at Ezra’s worried expression.

“What exactly is it you do here?” Ezra questioned in a low voice, just as they reached a door where two men were standing guard.

“Well, my job is to deal with the most annoying creatures on Earth..” he spoke as he opened the door. What he saw was a man who was chained. The chains were placed on his ankles and wrists, and were bolted directly in to the floor.

The room had no windows, so there was no natural light, only a little amount of light, was coming from one small lightbulb in the ceiling, which made the room seem even smaller than it probably was. The closer they got to the man, the clearer it became how bad the man’s current state was. The floor around the man was covered in blood, both fresh and old. Furthermore, the man’s body was covered in deep wounds, and his eyes were clearly blood shot. The sight made Ezra take a step back in horror, but Armaros put a hand on his back and pushed him forward.

“Don’t be shy, he might be a killer, but he can’t do any harm right now. You see, he is pumped up with a special medicament mixed with something called wolfsbane, which is toxic to his kind.” Armaros explained, as the door was closed behind them.

“It won’t kill him, but I’m sure it hurts like hell.” Armaros added, as he walked around the man and back to Ezra.

“What are you doing to him?” Ezra asked hesitantly.

“Well, I have been using the last few weeks interrogating him, and as you can see, he was a tough nut to c***k, but earlier I finally got through to him,” he stated, as he was pretty satisfied with himself.

“So, are you letting him go now?” Ezra asked, as Armaros looked at him, like he had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Listen, werewolves might look like people, but they are not. They have more in common with dogs than an actual human being – don’t ever forget that!” Armaros warned him.

“Today, you have been given the opportunity of learning the proper way to handle a werewolf.” Armaros spoke, as he pulled out his gün and aimed at the man’s head.

“Watch and learn.”

[Stella’s POV]

“Armaros!” I yelled as I was shaking his arm, as he finally snapped out of it.

“What?” He asked, as he turned his head slightly to me, but he didn’t seem completely like himself.

“Why were you suddenly zooming out?” I asked him, as he just shook his head.

“Just some memories I.. It doesn’t matter anyway,” he dismissed, as he pulled me closer to him, so my head was resting on his chest, while he kissed me on the top of my head.

I knew he was trying to hide something from me, and I just wanted him to share it with me instead of constantly hiding the things there were clearly haunting his mind.

“Armaros, please talk to me, I wanna know what is bothering you,” I begged.

He was silent for a moment, before I felt him take a deep breath, and then release it again.

“You know I love you, right?” Armaros asked, as I turned to look into his eyes.

“Of course I do, and I love you too,” I replied, as I leaned even closer to him and placed a kiss on his lips. He placed his hand on my cheek as he observed my features, as he gave a sad smile.

“You are so beautiful, you know that? ” He asked, as he kissed me back. But I quickly realized he was stalling what he was going to say.

“You know something about Ezra you don’t wanna tell me, why?” I stated, as I pulled away.

“You’re right, I met him the day he and his sister were captured by some of Damon’s men two years ago.. He begged me to help his sister, and I did nothing,” Armaros stated, as he looked away.

“Furthermore, I showed him things I probably shouldn’t have, but I didn’t care at the time.”

“All I saw was a brat who needed to fix his attitude, and the easiest way to do that, was to break him,” Armaros clarified, before he looked at me.

“So, whatever he told you about me was true, I used to be worse than Damon, ‘cause that was how he wanted me to be,” He continued.

I proceeded to place both of my hands on his cheeks, which made him look at me without saying anything.

“Even though you have never given me any details of what you have done, I still know.. Of course, it’s horrible the things you have done, but you have changed Armaros, and I don’t regret choosing to be with you. My only regret is that I couldn’t help you back when we were kids, like you helped me,” I explained, as he took hold of my left hand and proceeded to kiss it.

“Maybe not back then, but you did.. Without you, I would still be that same cruel person. You’re the one who made me realize how wrong I was about so many things. ‘Cause how could it possibly be true, when the woman I love is partly werewolf, which is one of the things I was taught to hate the most in this world?” Armaros spoke with a warm smile, as he pushed some of my hair behind my ear.

“The only thing I ever wondered is how I, of all people, deserved to have someone like you in my life,” he added.

I felt my cheeks getting warm. For him to talk that honestly about his feelings for me was still new to me.

Usually, he did it in this teasing and playful manner, but now he was so serious and at the same time caring.

But I loved to have this side of him for myself because it wasn’t a side he was just showing to anyone.