1 The Beginning

Lyga

Vampires, lycans, Hellhounds, and demons. Those are the people who live in my home country of Rossvakia. We call ourselves Abnormals. Few humans live here because we have suffered a lot thanks to them. They've slaughtered us, raped us, destroyed our homes, all because they have an obsession with being considered superior. Not here. They're hated and despised here, humans are separated from us. They live in the 6th District. They've been imprisoned there for decades. I mean imprisoned in the literal sense, they live in ghettos.

No one sees an issue with that, and they should. They did the same to us when the Soviet Union was still around. We're no better than them by doing what we are, no matter what we tell ourselves. I'm set to change it. Recently, I have begun to bring humans into the ranks of my gang, to the annoyance and anger of everyone else in it.

Draken, a human I have become very close to, is one of those people I've brought into the gang. He is a sex trafficking survivor. When he first came to live in the Pack House, his pimp and other rapist fucks who hurt him were still free and out there. So he never left my sight for months. Now they're all imprisoned in the Underground. And probably someone's wife or girlfriend as we say. Serves them right for what they did to Drake.

He's been by my side for 4 years now, since I was 15 and he was 26. I led a rescue operation to free him from the brothel he was being sold out of, I freed Draken and all his buddies, 25 men in total. They were shocked when they learned I led the operation at barely 15. They were insanely grateful, in literal tears and thanking us repeatedly. Draken was at the front of them, and I immediately knew he was to be my mate. Obviously nothing could've happened between us right then, I was underage.

Even if I had been of age, the same would have been true. I barely knew him. Now, I know him well. So well that I easily pick up on the slightest change in his demeanor, tone, or body language. Especially when he has an episode which makes him immobilized and unable to function. He has those episodes when his trauma is triggered by something or someone. Thankfully they're rare now, the last time he had one was about a year ago.

I still keep him in my sights as much as I can, our Mate Bond helps me do that even when he's not around. I can "see" him wherever he is, even if he's all the way in the 6th District, he's never been that far though. He doesn't understand why or how I can do that, because I've never told him about said Mate Bond. Humans can't feel it, so they don't know when a lycan or demon is Bonded to them unless they're told. Or if they're a hybrid. Unfortunately that means I've seen him go on dates with other men, which isn't bad because he's not my mate officially but it causes me agony at times. I keep the pain under wraps, and have started to cut in order to continue that pattern.

Which has caused them to surface. Them being the Dark Ones. Beings from the Second World, the place we go when we die. Technically, they're from the In-Between, the bridge that connects the Second World to the First, ours. The Dark Ones are made from tainted Essence, which every living being has. For some, it's small. Others, it's all that's inside them. Essence is what keeps us all alive, and tainted Essence is the opposite. It can literally kill you if there's a big enough concentration of it. For many sickos out there, that's a good thing. It rids the world of their disgusting existence.

The Dark Ones have been around since I was about 10, they weren't strong back then. They just whispered and taunted me, which was a nightmare because I knew they weren't real and yet they were in my head, never shutting up. Now they are stronger than ever, nine years later. They drain me of my Essence, which is painful beyond belief. It takes all I have not to scream when it happens. And I have various puncture wounds all over my body in various stages of healing. Some fresh, some years old.

This is one of many things that rules out Draken ever becoming my mate, not to mention his sexual trauma. He's been free for almost 5 years but that doesn't mean any of the hell he went through is just gone all of a sudden. So sex is out no matter what. Even if he brings it up, it most likely will still be off the table. I'm too worried about triggering him and causing memories to come back up. He of course doesn't know, and he most likely never will.

I groan, rolling over and checking the time on my phone. 12pm. Not too bad considering I drank myself into a stupor last night at Harlan's Halloween party. The group chat's already blowing up.

Juris: Everyone alive?

Harlan: Barely, partying with you little buggers was not a good idea

Me: Oh come on old man, you had fun

H: my head isnt having any fun right now, brat

J: awww poor Lan, I'm sure Chris is gonna baby your ass

H: you're damn right, he takes such good care of me. I have a feeling it's to get more money out of me, and I'll gladly give it

Me: I should ask him his secret to keeping your old ass interested, maybe Drake will take to it.

H: haha, I'll ask. Speaking of Drake, are you two still not mates yet?

Me: zip it. You already know that'll never happen

J: The lies you tell are unbelievable, old friend. We all know you're head over heels for Drake, it's painfully obvious.

Me: we're never going to be mates, Ju. I told you that a thousand times.

H: Why not? He feels the same, trust me. He tells me often. In fact, last night he told me that he wishes he had the balls to admit it to you.

I stop before I reply. Drake admitted he feels the same? There's no way. No fucking way that's true. No way he'd waste his time with me, especially when he learns the truth.

J: Ly? You good? You went silent.

Me: yeah, I'm good. I just zoned out for a second

H: you don't believe me, do you?

Absolutely not. Why would I? It's the worst lie I've ever heard.

Me: Until I hear it from him or see proof, it's a lie.

H: I would never lie to you, kid. Never.

Me: doesn't matter, this conversation is over.

I shut my phone off.

Draken

My phone goes off, I answer it

"Hey Lanny," I say. "What's up? You never call unless the world's ending."

"It kind of is," Harlan says. "The kid shut down today. I told him you admitted your feelings for him to me last night, and he said straight up that it's a lie."

"What? He thinks you lied?"

"Yup, and then he shut his phone off. I think. I don't know, Ju said it went straight to voicemail when he tried to call."

"Dammit, that kid! Why is he so stubborn and won't believe he can be loved? It just doesn't make sense."

"The Dark Ones, mate. Those things have terrorized the kid for years, long before you came around."

I hate how true that is. I wish I could have protected Lyga from the Dark Ones. But like Harlan said, they've been around in the kid's life than I have.