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Chapter 143 - Rabid Dogs

15 years ago.

"I've gotten rid of the evidence," James coldly said with an ominous expression on his face. The press would be here any minute now, demanding answers about the mysterious fire that started in a royal faculty of science.

"The fire has burned everything away," James added on. "The scientists, the children, the papers—"

"The children?" Addison repeated, her face paling as white as a ghost. She stood up from the couch, a gaunt and distraught expression on her face. She sharply turned to her husband who glanced away from her.

"You said there were no children involved!" Addison shouted, spinning wildly to James. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. There were children burned alive?

"They're mutts, Addison," James said. "Think of them as rabid dogs. If we didn't get rid of the last of them, then they would've breed amongst themselves and spread the werewolf population further. We've already eliminated every last one of them."

"You promised me," Addison muttered, turning to her husband now. She grabbed Kaline who had been unable to meet her gaze. "You promised me you'd never hurt children!"

"I didn't hurt them," Kaline whispered to her soothly. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the couch. Affectionately, he tugged her onto his l.a.p, wrapping his arms around her. His lips found its way to the side of her head, kissing her fondly.

"You do not need to worry, my dear." Kaline stroked the back of her hair, smiling upon her panicked face. She pushed him away, but he grabbed her wrist and kissed her thin fingers.

"Neither James and I harmed the children, you have our word. I'd never lie to you, Addison, you should know that." Kaline hugged her dearly, smiling when she didn't pull away again.

James pressed his lips together and focused his attention onto his polished desk. He stared at the individual streaks of the natural wood, wondering how his older brother was going to get out of this mess.

Technically, Kaline was right. Neither James and Kaline had hurt the children. The fire did. They didn't lift a hand to the children, but the fire swallowed them alive. James loosened his tie and sighed.

"There is one escapee. The worst of them all."

Addison instantly pushed her husband away. She climbed off of him, wide-eyed at her brother-in-law's words.

"A survivor?" Addison whispered.

"Yes, a little boy managed to escape from the facility. Our people are still searching for him as we speak," James reluctantly said. "But his condition is bewildering. We've never seen a species of his kind."

"Tell me more about this boy," Addison pressed on.

"My dear—"

"Shut up," Addison hissed at her husband. She stepped away when he tried to grab for her again. Kaline sulked on the couch, glaring at the velvet covers.

"He's a hybrid. His father was a Pure-Blood and his mother was a Werewolf. The combination is genetically impossible, for a vampire could never i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e a werewolf, yet that boy was born."

"What?" Addison breathed out in disbelief.

Everyone knew it was impossible for a Vampire to mate with a Werewolf. Genetically, their genes couldn't be combined. It was like asking a bat to have a child with a wolf. How was that possible?

"We don't know how it happened, but he's the rarest specimen in our facility," James said. "Not only is he rare, but incredibly useful if we can get our hands on him."

"No," Addison instantly said. "You will not experiment on a child!"

"Addison, honey—"

"Don't 'honey' me!" Addison yelled at her husband. She yanked her hand away when he grabbed for her wrist, like a kicked puppy. "You and your brother have the worst moral compass! Experimenting on children? Have you lost your mind?"

"It's the only way," Kaline said. "We needed to ensure Werewolves never breed anymore kids. If their population was to increase, then there would be another Species War. We can't have such a horrendous thing happen again."

"A child!" Addison screamed at him, her voice breaking towards the end. "We have a child too, Kaline. How can you stomach the thought of hurting children when our little Adeline can be the same age as them? How can you live with yourself?"

Kaline's exasperated expression freezes over. "I'm doing this for the sake of Adeline. She can't grow up in a world of werewolf sc.u.ms crawling around. If a war was to break out, what would happen to Adeline? Do you want her to experience the cruelty of war?!"

Addison couldn't even fathom such a thing. Just the thought of her little girl wandering lost on a battlefield, covered in film, the light in her eyes fleeting—

"No more of this foolishness," Addison said. "We must never speak or repeat this mistake. You will NEVER experiment on children anymore. Is that clear?"

Kaline and James exchanged glances. Of course, they'll never experiment on them. They had wiped the entire werewolf species. Now, every child born in this world would have a DNA test run on them, ensuring no such genes were to exist.

"It won't happen again," Kaline reassured his wife. "It—"

A shrilling scream ripped through the room. Addison's head snapped towards the door, Kaline's heart dropped. They had one thought in mind—Adeline!

Before Kaline could step forward, his wife was already running out the doors. Even with her thin and short legs, she was able to run quickly. Her husband was not far behind her, dashing for their life. They had never heard Adeline scream like that. Their precious, little daughter with eyes too naive, and a smile too pure.

But by the time they reached her room, they had already prepared for the worst. The smell of freshly spilled blood was thick in the air. Addison could hear ringing in her ears when she neared the bedroom door, her hands trembling as they slammed it open.

"Adeline, oh my baby," Addison sobbed out, realizing the blood was not her daughter's. She rushed to her daughter, enveloping her tightly.

Adeline was huddled by the corner of the bed, trembling like a kitten in winter. She shakily pointed a finger at a young boy covered in blood, his eyes red as ember in a spark, his pearly white fangs peeking out of his mouth. He held a decapitated head in one hand, and the other held the shoulder of a limp body.

"T-that man tried to kill me, mama," Adeline whimpered, holding onto the clothes of her mother. "T-that man—"

Adeline's eyes rolled back. She collapsed in her mother's arm, her body unmoving.

"Adeline?" Addison shrieked. "Adeline!"

Kaline tentatively stepped into the room, his eyes glued onto the most prized child of the facility. So this was where the boy was— lurking near the castle walls.

"Honey, honey, our Adeline!" Addison shouted, which instantly caught Kaline's attention. He rushed to the bed, where Adeline had fainted out of terror and trauma.

"She's going to be traumatized for the rest of her life," Addison shakily said. "S-she won't be able to go to sleep after witnessing this atrocity. N-now, she'll k-know people are out for her life. W-we can't have her fearing for her life at the age of five!"

Kaline swallowed hard. He approached his daughter and enveloped her into his arms. She was warm. "We will summon Elias and have it wiped—"

"The King is overseas, attending the Sovereign Nation's meeting. He can't just up and leave," Addison sobbed out, holding onto her child desperately.

"I can help."

Kaline's head snapped in the direction of the boy. He had nearly forgotten the atrocity was even here.

"I can wipe her memories. I can warp her perspective, she'll remember none of this."

Kaline narrowed his eyes. "And in return, what do you want?"

The boy lifted his head and dropped the one in his hand. "A new life. No more needles, no more tests, no more questions. I will erase my own memories and keep her safe. I will keep her from harm's way, and no one will ever doubt me— a child."

Kaline pressed his lips together. This was one smart boy. He was told the little boy was one of the smartest of his group, but strayed far from his peers.

Even so, Kaline did not trust the young boy. For all Kaline knew, the boy could wipe too many memories of Adeline. Only the skilled hand of the King would be able to help Adeline.

"Sweetheart," Addison sobbed out. "We have to do this. We must do it before Adeline wakes up."

Kaline's attention snapped back to Adeline. Once the boy wiped his own memories, would he remember the horrors of the facility? Will he remember he was half werewolf and half vampire?

Kaline supposed not.

"Do it," Kaline coldly said. "Wipe my daughter of her memories."