Declyn stood in front of a digital keypad. He pressed an eight-digit code, and the door clicked open.
Declyn entered the dark apartment and frowned at the stale air. It seemed like no one had been there for years. Did he get into the wrong place?
This was one of many apartments owned by the Guardians. They owned properties all over the world. It allowed them to move among humans without leaving a trail by staying in hotels.
"You are late," A gravely voice was heard from the darkness.
Declyn smirked when he recognized the voice. It was Gregory, and that meant he was in the right place.
"It was not easy to find him," Declyn said and pulled the man to the front who was hiding behind him.
A soft click was heard, and warm light illuminated the area.
It was the living room of an apartment where furniture was covered in white bedsheets.
The only non-covered piece of furniture was a sofa where Gregory was sitting. The brown floor lamp that illuminated the space was on his right.
Declyn frowned at Gregory's mangled face.
"Did you get hit by a truck?", Declyn asked.
Every Guardian has an impressive physique. Their flesh is resistant to cold, heat, and other things that could cause injuries, such as cuts and bruises. Declyn's deformed face didn't belong to a Guardian unless he was hit by a truck. Or a tank. Did he try to stop an airplane with his head?
Gregory didn't respond, and Declyn came up with his own theory. "Did Alpha Natalia do this to you?" He knew that Gregory left their Castle in pursuit of Alpha Natalia.
Gregory narrowed his eyes at Declyn. "Do I need to teach you to keep your mouth shut?" By the time he finished, he was looking at the man next to Declyn.
"Do you still have your healing, Stephan?" Gregory asked while gesturing toward his face. "Come here and fix this."
Guardians have an impressive physique, but it comes at the cost of slow healing. A broken bone could take years to heal, which normally wouldn't be much for a Guardian with plenty of time available. However, Gregory was in a hurry.
"Why are you hesitating?" Gregory snapped at the man.
"I told you that I am not a Guardian anymore. I am just a man." He turned to Declyn. "You didn't tell me that the patient was this guy when you dragged me here. I had an important meeting, two of them."
Gregory's temper flared at the blatant disrespect, and the air crackled around him, as if it was solidifying.
"Decades away from the Castle made you forget who I am, Stephan," Gregory said in a dangerously low voice. "We can do this easy way or the hard way. It's up to you."
Stephan knew that Gregory wouldn't dare to kill him. After all, he was the only Guardian who could heal others. Actually, his ability was not healing. It was the reversal of time. By focusing on a specific area and exerting energy, Stephan could restore it to its previous state.
Stephan wouldn't die from some pressure and lack of air, but the pain and suffering were real. Now that he found out that Declyn brought him here to fix up Gregory, it was obvious that he couldn't leave until he accomplished that task.
"OK," he squeezed through his teeth, and then he breathed with ease.
He approached Gregory and cocked an eyebrow. "Do you want me to make you pretty while I'm at it?" He chuckled and extended his hands, palms hovering an inch away from Gregory's face.
A warm sensation spread from Stephan's palms, and Gregory's nose straightened as swelling and bruises faded within seconds.
Declyn moved to open a window. He was desperate for some fresh air.
The whole process of fixing up Gregory lasted less than a minute.
"Can I go now?" Stephan asked.
Declyn nodded. "Next time when you move, let me know." It took extra effort to locate Stephan because he didn't leave a forwarding address at his previous place.
Stephan snorted. "Next time I move, I will be more careful not to leave traces behind. This stunt of yours cost me two clients."
Declyn rolled his eyes and pulled a platinum-colored card from his pocket. "There is a hundred thousand on this. That should lessen the blow of losing clients."
Stephan snatched the card. "It's a start."
He moved toward the door, and when he touched the doorknob, he heard Gregory saying, "Until next time, Stephan."
"Let's hope there is no next time," Stephan retorted, and the apartment door closed with a bang behind him.
Declyn walked closer to Gregory and observed his face.
"Stephan did a good job. You look younger." He rubbed his chin. "I regret not asking him to make me younger also."
Gregory was not in the mood for jokes. Age and external appearance didn't mean anything to them. "Did you get the information I asked for?"
"I did," Declyn said. "But first, I want to hear what you found out."
Gregory frowned, and Declyn sat next to him on the sofa like he didn't notice.
"It's only fair to exchange information. Don't you think so?" Declyn asked.
Gregory gave up. He knew that bickering would only delay the progress, and he couldn't force Declyn and risk angering him. The number of active Guardians was too low already.
"What do you want to know?"
Declyn's face lit up. He was happy that he didn't need to drag this more than necessary.
"Who did that to your face? Alpha Natalia?"
Gregory shook his head. "It was her guard."
"She has impressive guards."
"It's not the guards," Gregory grumbled. "He had something. An ability or a spell. Or an item."
"What makes you think so?"
"I checked them all. He was just an average werewolf. I restricted his movements without any issues, but after some time, he broke out of it, and his punches felt like he was wielding a sledgehammer. Also, my ability didn't work on him anymore. I'm sure he had some protection."
Declyn didn't feel like guessing what it was. "We can look into him further. It shouldn't be difficult to figure out his identity once we look at the guestlist. What else did you find out?"
A smile slowly bloomed on Gregory's face as he was preparing to announce, "Alpha Natalia… she is one of us."
"One of us? Are you sure?"
"I did the heat-inducing ritual. It worked. She has the blood of a Guardian, and she is capable of bearing children. You should see her, Declyn. It took only a few seconds to work."
Declyn felt that something was missing. He knew about Gregory's obsession with preserving their kind. "If she is one of us and can bear children, how come you didn't bring her with you?"
Gregory rubbed his face with force. "I was about to, but then that guard jumped on me. I didn't expect it, and… she slipped through my fingers."
"Now she knows your face, and you can't get close to her. Do you want me to keep an eye on her?"
Gregory released a frustrated breath. He really messed up. And there was another problem. "She has a mate."
At the lack of reaction from Declyn, Gregory asked, "You knew about it?"
Declyn nodded. "That's what you wanted me to find out, right? My investigation confirmed that Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack and Luna of the Dark Howlers pack are the same person. And there is more..."
