CHAPTER 47: 47

"Sister-in-law... or should I call you Mrs. Dean?" Luna’s voice carried a teasing lilt as she approached me. I stood up, and little Cicilia clutched my hand, pulling me outside for a moment.

"Take care of her," Nix murmured to Luna, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead before walking in the opposite direction.

"Isn’t he coming with us?" I asked.

"No, the practice room is off-limits for him," Luna replied, entwining our arms together. "I always knew there was something special about you. Seeing you draw my no-fun brother out of his shell and hypnotize him into marrying you within a year..." She trailed off, her pupils dilating despite the smile on her face. "What’s the secret?" She gave me a light push on the shoulder, making me chuckle.

I knew it was best to keep the terms of our marriage a secret, so I looked away, feigning shyness.

"We only found out about your marriage a few hours ago from Grandpa. How long has it been? And how far along are you?" I turned swiftly to face her, puzzled, and saw her nodding towards my stomach.

"What?"

"You should wear looser clothes in your condition. He was always buried in his work and never looked at a single woman. But who would’ve thought he’d be the type to throw caution to the wind?" She smirked.

"Aunt, are you going to have another baby like my brother?" Cicilia tugged at the hem of my gown.

"What? Baby? No, I..."

"Cicilia, your aunt is too shy to admit it, but don’t worry. We’ll have another baby, okay?" Luna said with a knowing smile as she walked into the room before us, the door closing immediately after she let go of it.

I pushed open the heavy, soundproof door and stepped into the practice room. Immediately, the sharp, tangy scent of metal hit my nostrils, a distinctive odor of steel, iron, and gunpowder mingling in the air, driving me down memory lane. It was a scent I had grown to associate with focus and discipline, though it was always a bit jarring at first.

The room was vast, its high ceilings and wide, open space creating an almost cathedral-like atmosphere. Light filtered through a series of narrow, high windows, casting a soft, diffused glow over the array of weapons meticulously arranged along the walls. Each weapon was carefully categorized and displayed: swords and knives glinted on one wall, arranged from the shortest daggers to the longest broadswords. On another wall, firearms were mounted, each row dedicated to a different type of pistols, rifles, shotguns all polished and gleaming under the overhead lights.

The room felt more like a well-organized armory than a practice space. The weapons were not just tools for training; they were an impressive collection, each piece owning its history and purpose. My eyes moved from the ornate hilts of the swords to the sleek barrels of the guns. Knives were my thing, but if I showed off my skills before everyone, it would surely look suspicious. So, I made my way towards the wall where the guns were arranged.

At the far end of the room, various target practice objects stood ready: dummies designed to simulate different combat scenarios, paper targets with concentric circles for marksmanship, and even a few more unconventional targets, like hanging ropes and swinging bags, for testing agility and reflexes.

As I walked further into the room, my heels clinked softly against the polished floor. It felt like this was my domain, a place where I could hone my skills without interruption. The soundproofing ensured that no noise escaped, allowing me to practice with the intensity and focus that my training required for this mission. For me, this room was more than just a practice area it was a sanctuary where discipline and dedication came to life.

"What do you think about this room?" I turned to my side to find Gift’s girlfriend standing beside me with a straight look and a heinous smile playing on her lips.

"To be honest, although the room isn’t as vast as the one we used for training, I’d be lying to say it wouldn’t be useful... right, number 006." I choked on my breath hearing what she said. I turned to take a proper look at her face, but she wasn’t familiar. Maintaining a straight face, I turned to her, trying to keep my composure.

"I wish I could share your fond memories with you, but I doubt that is possible. I’d love to take my leave." I turned to take my heels, but my heart stopped hearing her next comment.

"Why the rush, Karmèla Dalton?" She called me by my birth name, and my feet froze on the spot. The sudden beeping of the security alarm caught my attention, and I looked around the room to find it empty. The door automatically locked, and the laser security system suddenly turned on. I cautiously stood, not wanting to get burnt by the laser light.

"I wonder how your grandfather would feel when he gets to know you’re still alive?" I turned to find her standing by the arranged knives and swords.

"What do you want?" I spoke cautiously, stepping closer to the arranged guns."Isn’t it obvious? Your demise. I wonder how the Deans would feel if they found out you’re the heiress of a deadly mafia dynasty."

"Don’t..." My sentence was abruptly cut off by the sharp hiss of a knife slicing through the air. The blade tore through my sleeve, and a surge of fresh blood flowed from the wound on my hand, making me hiss in pain.

"We’ve always hated you from day one and prayed you’d die during training, but no, your three princes in shining armor were always there to rescue you," she scoffed. "I even went as far as to electrocute you, but no, that stupid Alpha had to get involved and kept saving you time after time." She threw another dagger at me, and though I ducked, the laser light burned my arm.

"What would you gain by killing me?" I retorted, trying to buy time.

"I won’t get anything from your grandfather, but there’s someone who’s ready to provide me a bountiful life if I deliver your head," she winked, throwing another knife. This one cut through my chest, and I bit down on my lip, trying to suppress a scream.

I had no memory of what she was talking about or who she was referring to, but one thing was for sure I had to end her existence.

I moved swiftly, grabbing one of the shotguns, and opened fire on her, but fell to my knees as another laser light burned my skin.

"Carmela!" Tommy’s voice echoed from the speaker above. "There’s a button close to you. Press it to deactivate the laser system," he instructed. Desperation fueled my search for the button that could save my life.

I muttered silent prayers of gratitude as I finally disabled the laser system. But my relief was short-lived; a bullet struck my left shoulder.

"Do you want to know the truth? I had fun killing your mother."

With a surge of fury, I stood, pointing the gun at her while she brandished a dagger. "Lily, does it ring a bell? Well, I doubt it, because I’ve always been in the shadows," she taunted before throwing another dagger at me which I caught and pulled away from my chest.

The room fell into a suffocating silence, the kind that presses against your skin and wraps around your throat. I flinched as Gift’s girlfriend screamed, her voice piercing through the still air. My gaze dropped to the gun in my trembling hands, then lifted to her clutching her bloodied face. Her white gown was streaked with crimson, a grotesque contrast. My wrist bled as the dagger cut through my skin.

"Lily!" I heard Gift call, rushing into the room. He made his way towards her while Tommy rushed towards me. "Someone call an ambulance!" he screamed, guiding her towards the door and shooting me a deathly glare.

"You made a mistake of not killing me twice, I’ll be back," Lily whispered with a scoff.

I grasped the gun tightly. "Lily," I called, turning to face her. Before she could respond, I pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet into her head. The finality of the act settled over the room like a heavy, oppressive shroud.

"Little bunny!" I heard Zamiel’s voice in the back of my mind and swiftly shut my eyes close, feeling my head pound. I was met with a large field and a girl standing before me, while I pointed my gun towards her instead of darkness. "It’s against the rules to kill a member, do you want to get killed?" He said, snatching the gun I was holding. "You’ve made the mistake of not killing me, I’ll be back for you," the girl said in a whisper before taking her leave. "No matter what Lily does, don’t react, after all, she’s your cousin, bunny," he said, and I raised an eyebrow. "Lily," I said, opening my eyes to find her dead on the floor, while Gift was screaming his guts out, but for some weird reason, I was unable to make out what he was saying; it was as if I was present but also not present in the room, at least this was the end of lily’s Chapter and a revelation of an unknown enemy I thought as everything turned blank.