Beyond and Wild

6. The Knife Thrower

Bell led me to a separate room for lunch. As we entered the room, I saw Blake and Cole sitting at the table, and my heart skipped a beat as Dylan walked in. Dylan gave me a suspicious look, and I couldn't help but think of him as a mini King Kong. I tried my best to look composed, but his stare was unnerving.

I remained busy spreading butter onto my bread with a knife, when a loud screech jolted me. My initial thought was that it must be a rat, but my fears were put to rest as a beautiful brunette woman emerged. She was clad in either a blouse or a bikini-like top, along with a short skirt and towering high heels. Despite her heavily made-up face, she exuded beauty. A slender figure with an oval-shaped face, high forehead, and well-defined eyebrows framing her big, dark brown eyes. Her petite nose sat straight above her full lips, while her wavy dark brown hair tumbled down her back.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Blake asked, his voice calm but firm.

"I heard some rumors," Lily said, her tone bitter. "Rumors about finally finding our Luna. But how can we find the queen when I am the queen?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed her words. I could feel the tension in the room rising, and I knew things were about to get heated.

Dylan looked at Lily, his eyes narrowing but then I saw him roll his eyes.

"Lily, we've been over this before. You're not the queen. The queen is our Luna, and we-" Cole stopped in the middle when Blake elbowed him.

As soon as Lily spotted me at the table, her demeanor shifted, and her face twisted into a mask of fear that she attempted to hide. But I could easily discern the unease in her eyes, despite her efforts to conceal it. Despite her attempts to act normal, her jealousy was palpable, but I couldn't quite grasp why she was jealous. And suddenly she continued to prattle on about my appearance, as if to distract from her own discomfort.

Suddenly, a knife was thrown in her direction, narrowly missing Lily's face and embedding itself in the wooden frame behind her. She was left with a cut on her cheek, and they all looked around, trying to identify who had thrown it, whilst I remained busy buttering the bread. Dylan stood up, his tall and imposing figure loomed over me, casting a shadow that seemed to stretch across the room. His mere presence was enough to make Lily bow to him, but I was left confused when she acknowledged him as the king, and scurried out of the room like a frightened mouse.

As Lily left the room, Dylan turned to me with suspicion.

Dylan's expression hardened, and he continued to stare at me, trying to gauge something. But as our eyes locked, I could see a hint of worry.

Upon finishing food, Bell took me to roam around and I encountered numerous individuals within the house, yet I couldn't shake the thought of why they were all residing together. Furthermore, I stumbled upon a room replete with an assortment of weapons such as archery and shooting equipment.

"They are seriously not some criminal group or something right?" I asked making her laugh at me.

"No, we're not," she replied, and I trailed closely behind her as she led the way. As she walked ahead of me, I accidentally bumped into her shoulders when she abruptly stopped.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, but my words trailed off when I noticed her standing silently and nodding her head.

"What's with all these people standing around quietly and nodding their heads?" I muttered irritably to myself.

"Uh, Alpha is calling you," Bell said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"How do you know that? Are you using a Bluetooth device?" I asked, but before I could finish my sentence, she grabbed my hand and hurried me along with her.

"Quick! He will get angry if we're late," she told me, dragging me up the stairs and into what I recalled as his office.

"He needs to speak with you alone," she said firmly, before knocking on the door and pushing me inside. As she closed the door and left me alone with King Kong I couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

I audibly gulped, but despite my nerves, I dared to look at him. He was leaning against his wooden desk, staring at me with a piercing gaze, as if I had stolen his five million dollars.

I stared at him, waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent. Finally, I spoke up, "Hey! What's up?"

He frowned, but quickly regained his composure and asked, "Did you do that?"

"What did I do?" I asked, scowling at his question.

"Don't act innocent. I know that you're the one who threw that knife at Lily," he said, approaching me.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets.

He stood before me, and confidently stated, "I asked Bell, Cole, and Blake, and they didn't do it. So, as you are the only remaining person, I am guessing that it was your doing."

Directly staring into his eyes, I asked, "What will you do if I tell you that I didn't do it?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and replied firmly, "Well, you're lying."

"The real question is how did you manage to do that? You cut her skin, but nothing more. Are you trained in some way?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. But I remained silent when he fished something out from his drawer and placed them before me. "Now it's three identities, Aderyn, Nicole, and Jasmine. Which one are you?"

I noticed my ID lying on the table and mentally frowned at the fact that he had it with him.

"Are you a cop? A spy?" he questioned, causing me to chuckle involuntarily.

"I believe you must be a cop or a detective," I responded, but he gave me a plain gaze before shifting on his foot.

"My question still remains the same, how did you throw the knife?"

"No, I admit, I think it just happened by chance," I said, turning to leave. But then I stopped and added, "Or maybe I just missed her eye." With that, I opened the door and made my way back to my room.

Upon arriving in my room, I tossed my top onto the bed and swapped it out for a sleeveless vest and a pair of short spandex. As I slipped into my workout gear, I tried to shake off the tension that had been building inside me all day. It was like a coiled snake, ready to strike at any moment. But I couldn't let anyone see it. I was better than that.

I took a deep breath and started my exercise routine, moving through the motions with precision and control. I wanted to start with something challenging, something that would require my full concentration. So, I decided to start with a handstand.

As I pushed myself harder and harder, the tension began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of power and control. I felt alive like I could take on anything that the world threw at me.

I moved to the center of the room and planted my hands firmly on the floor. I took a deep breath and kicked my legs up, feeling the rush of blood to my head as I balanced on my hands. For a moment, I forgot about everything else. All I could focus on was the balance and control of my body.