Yohana rushed forward, but Iskander's hand shot out, grabbing her arm and pulling her back before she could reach him.
"Don't," Iskander warned sternly.
"Let me go! That's my uncle!" Yohana thrashed, her eyes filling with tears of rage and shock. "What is he doing here? What did you do to him?"
Iskander didn't loosen his grip. He looked down at the man on the floor, then back at Yohana, his face completely emotionless. "I told you I brought you here to meet someone. I didn't say it would be a happy reunion."
Uncle Vincent heard her voice and began to thrash more violently, letting out desperate, muffled cries through the gag.
Yohana felt like she was suffocating. She looked at the ruins, then at her uncle, and finally at the Alpha King standing beside her.
"You're a monster," she hissed, her voice trembling. "Is this why you made me sit next to you? To watch me break down like this?"
Iskander tilted his head, watching her with a dark, intense curiosity. "I made you sit next to me because there was no other place you could sit, and as for him… I brought you here to see…"
He stopped for a second, his boots clicking rhythmically on the stone floor as he walked over to Vincent. Without a hint of hesitation, he kicked the man's shoulder, sending him crashing onto his side on the cold, hard floor.
"To see what would happen if you ever tried to play games with me! I will do the same with every person you cherish, if you ever thought of leaving me or running away!"
Yohana felt the strength leave her legs. She fell to the floor on her knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
This was the very reason she had decided to accept her brother's proposal, to protect them, and yet, Iskander was still doing the same cruel things.
She didn't know why this person was so obsessed with her, or why he felt the need to hunt her down like this. But seeing Vincent in this condition made her heart ache.
"I…" She stammered, her voice cracking. "I want to talk to my Uncle!" She could barely let those words out of her mouth as the tears choked her.
"Sure," Iskander said casually, as if he hadn't just shattered her world. He gestured to one of his men standing in the shadows to take the gag out of Vincent's mouth.
The cloth was ripped away, and Vincent let out a painful cough, gasping for air.
"Alone," Yohana said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as she tried to stand up. Her legs were shaking, but she forced herself to look Iskander in the eye.
Iskander's expression didn't change, but he moved closer. He walked directly behind her, his presence looming over her like a dark cloud. He leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear as he whispered.
"Don't take a mile when I give you an inch, Dear Hana."
The use of the nickname made a cold shiver run down her entire body. It sounded like a threat and a caress all at once.
"You have five minutes," he added, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble. "And remember, I can hear every word you say in this room. Don't make me regret being 'generous'."
He stepped back and signaled his men to move out of the place.
Iskander, himself, didn't leave, but stood far behind Vincent to give the illusion of space, his eyes never once leaving Yohana's. Yohana scrambled toward Vincent, her heart breaking as she saw the bruises on his face.
"What happened?" She could barely talk, her voice trembling as she crawled toward him. "Why are you in this condition?"
She reached out to touch his arm, expecting him to look at her with relief, or at least kindness. Instead, Vincent flinched away from her touch. He glared at Yohana with pure contempt, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a bitterness she didn't recognize.
"Yohana!" Vincent spat her name with hatred. "It's all because of you!"
He started crying as his ugly sobs echoed off the mossy walls. The sound made her freeze in her place, her hand still hovering in the air.
What have I done? she thought, her stomach twisting into a knot.
"I'm sorry!" Yohana apologized, the words falling out of her mouth automatically, regardless of whether she had actually made a mistake. "I… I don't know…" she whispered, her head bowing as she felt the weight of his blame.
Behind her, she could feel Iskander's heavy gaze. He was watching the scene unfold with a terrifying silence.
"You don't know?" Vincent laughed through his tears. "He came for us because you! You're are the reason that your brother had to go through such hardships and…"
"What are you talking about!?" Yohana interrupted him. She was shaking, but she just couldn't take all the blame anymore. The guilt was suffocating, and hearing it from him was too much.
"Don't you know?" Vincent smiled at her suddenly, a creepy expression that looked out of place on his tear-streaked face. "Have you heard of fairies, Yohana?"
"Fairies?" Yohana knitted her brows in confusion. Even in this nightmare, the question felt ridiculous. "They don't exist! That's just a bedtime story."
"They do!" Vincent replied, his voice dropping to a frantic, feverish whisper. "And you are…"
Before he could complete the sentence, a hot gush of blood splattered all over Yohana's face, the warmth of it stinging her skin. Her eyes went wide in shock, frozen between fear and fury.
Iskander had appeared behind Vincent out of the blue. He moved so fast it was like he had simply materialized from the shadows.
His hand was right in front of Yohana's eyes, dripping and stained, as he extracted the heart from Vincent's chest.
He pulled it back, leaving a gaping hole in Vincent's chest.