Claimed by The Rogue Alpha
Claimed By The Rogue Alpha Chapter 69

=Matteo==

I found myself in that usual space. The middle of nowhere in which the concept of time and logic were null and void. However, unlike other times, I wasn't encircled by darkness but rather bright blinding whiteness.

I sat with my legs crossed on top of each other. I appeared to be floating because I couldn't feel my bum make an impact with any surface. I didn't look down to make sure of the fact. It wasn't necessary.

Beside me in each side were nightmares. Two if my worst nightmares: Angela De La Crux and the one I didn't have a name for yet. A caricature of me.

I wasn't actively staring at them. But my peripheral vison did the trick. Angela was staring at me while the other fixed his gaze on his toes.

"I mean, the main winery's in Tuscany. Isn't it? This isn't the end of the world."

I didn't speak. A long stretched silence settled in, Angela thought it wise to thaw the ice.

"I sincerely apologise for the raid and the losses incurred."

Indeed. "You're a seer, aren't you? You know things even before they happen." As i said this, I lifted my gaze to her.. "So, tell me. Why did you let this happen?"

I could feel the frigidity of my stare. How heartless it was. I had the burning urge to pounce in Angela and punch her out of existence. Her expression was unreadable, almost neutral but I knew better. She was about to speak, when someone interrupted. "Well, you never believed she was real. So..."

Angela De la crux maintained eye contact with me. We were indeed in a stare-off match. I hated to admit it, but there was some form of truth in what my monstrous half had said. So much truth. But I was interested in what Angela had to say. "I'm all ears, Angela."

She tore her long gaze from, directing it to my side before returning it to my face again.

"If I told you, would you have believed?"

I frowned, gritting my teeth-not just from her reply but from the irritating noises my other half was making. I couldn't take it anymore; I shot him a glare and of course, he smirked in response.

"Don't pay much attention to him."

"And why shouldn't I? You aren't the one having to deal with his nuisance constantly. I am."

Angela sort of looked at me with a deadpanned expression, but I wasn't sure. The thing about her was that her looks didn't really express her feelings. Or rather her feelings and what she said weren't usually mirrored by her countenance. A huge dichotomy existed. "He's part of you. Learn to deal with him."

I frowned. That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but Angela didn't care. She didn't care if I smashed my head on the wall in protest.

"Why the f**k am I here? Can't I just carry on with my life without you two showing up?"

I clasped my head in my hand, my thoughts flying. My eyes shut close as exhaustion drowned me.

I'd been jubilant that finally, these two things...people were out of my way. But no, I had been wrong all along. The recent events had somehow summoned them up. "We've been in your life for the past ten years. You should have gotten used to our presence by now." There went me again.

I made no attempt to argue. It appeared this clone of mine was bent on clenching the title: Pinocchio's opposite. Why the f**k was he spitting facts? He was right again. It been ten years of hell. After my parents' death, I had spiralled. Nothing could hold me down, and somehow Angela began appearing in my dreams. I had thought it was a joke, or perhaps a crazily lucid dream. The workings of the mind, maybe. However, years of visiting a shrink and taking my medication didn't do much to deter hear. And some years after that, with the passing of Peggy, this idiotic replica of mine was born.

I was done fighting. It was useless. The harder I did, the more complicated and harsh life was to me. This was the part when I admitted to everything I had been scared of admitting. Yes, I had I killed my parents. They'd died because of my foolishness. I had been the one who caught them off guard by leaping out of the bushes in my wolf form. The scare had a huge distraction to the driver and the car skidded off the road. Did I regret this? Oh yes. My life had never been the same. Now, was my show of remorse going to change anything? Definitely not. I'd never see Mamma and Papà again.

Yes, I admit to being crazy. I had this weird looking lady that wanted me to believe she one of the ancestral mothers of the strongest, rarest clan of wolves. The xiene. And there was this part of me...or rather whole of me that existed outside my body and couldn't stop talking to save his life. Wasn't this what psychologists called DID? I had a split personality.

Yes, I was a murderer. I had a role to play in Peggy's death. As the talker had said, I was civilly culpable. She'd died while trying to get out the sticky situation I had put her in.

Yes, I had lost millions of dollars, thereby throwing a cloak of shame on my father's legacy. Yes, I was a pervert who agreed to take a man's daughter should he fail to pay me back and it was all because I wanted a s*x slave. I was deranged. I was damaged beyond redemption. This last part made me cringe. The extent of my depravity sneered at me. I couldn't believe this was what I had become. Something worse than the devil. "No, you're not."

I snapped my eyes open, whipping my head at. Angela. She had been reading my thoughts all these while?

And to further fuel my suspicion, she said, "I knew you'd find it offensive, but you are being too hard on yourself. Something needed to be said."

"Oh. I see," I said sitting up. My hands on bent knees. "So, despite all you've come to realise, thanks to your every elegant psychic powers, you still believe I shouldn't be worried?"

She tried to speak, but I wasn't done.

"You actually think I'm overreacting, don't you?"

She was silent for some time before speaking. "You are not. You are exhibiting the right attitude for someone in this kind of situation. But what's done is done. There's absolutely no gain in crying over spilled milk."

Once again, I had to ask: why on Earth...why on this godforsaken planet called Earth were these two musketeers the rational thinkers in this conversation? Why? I didn't like this one bit. Angela's words read true just like my granddad's: dimenticare il passato. "Angela's right, pal. I mean, she's like the mother we...you don't have." His words cut deep into me. I flinched. "What's done is done. At least, Tuscany is intact."

He grunted. I perceived he was trying to stand on his feet. "Mehn, my legs are achy."

I threw my gaze back at Angela who had her attention on me. Had she been staring? "What now? How am I gonna die?"

"You're a xiene," she deadpanned.

Behind me, I heard my other half laugh.

"Good one."

Right, a xiene. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"So, I'm basically gonna sit down and what...? Live life normally?"

Angela shrugged. "That depends on your conduct and how cooperative you are for the fulfilment of the prophesy."

I took a moment back. "Okay. Prophesy?"

Angela gave a curt nod. How many more weird things was I going to learn about? I blinked in an attempt to make sense out of her statement. "You mean to tell me that..." My eyed widened as realisation set in. "Wait you mean to tell me that all these...all these-my parents death, up to the recent happening had all being predestined?."

Angela's silence spoke volumes.

"Wait, a minute. Was me getting bitten and almost chewed alive part of the prophesy?"

Again, she wouldn't speak. That got to me.

"Answer me!"

I knew Angela didn't like being ordered around. On several occasions I had raised my voice at her, she had cast spells on me. Either gluing my lips shut or having me paralysed. But this time around, I didn't care. I didn't give a flying f**k.

"Yes. It's part of the prophesy." Shock seized me. I gaped. "I know this came as a shock, but look at it this way. We've all are products of prophesies. Out lives are. It was destined for Peggy to pass the way she did. It was destined for the lame, blind and terminally ill

to find themselves such unfortunate situations. And as for me...I guess you can say it was appointed that I be born in an era where werewolves were seen as evil. It was appointed that i be burned on the stake. Those all are prophesies, Matteo Macini." I offered her a blank stare, her stories doing little to douse the burning anger in me.

"So, what other prophesy do you have fir us, Angela," My other half spoke.

Angela rose. "You have an unfinished business with the girl you claimed, Matteo. Don't you think it's time you admitted to your feelings for her?"

I shut my eyes. My nose flared.

"You should. It's going to save you a lot...of drama, Matteo. Don't blow this up."