Chapter 3 A Riddle

Rosaline awakened from a stressful sleep, the first rays of sunlight filtering through her window.

She stretched, her silver hair falling in soft waves around her face. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, her gaze shifting towards the mirror.

In the soft light of dawn, her hazel eyes shone like gold. Her silver hair was tousled from sleep, but it only added to her beauty, making her look wild and untamed just as she was.

After slipping into her usual training wear, she plotted to escape the three glue-packs waiting outside her door. With one last glance in the mirror, she slipped out of her room through the window, and successfully made her way down the courtyard without anyone's notice- was what she thought until she heard a voice creeping behind her,

"Where are you going?"

She flinched back to see Ace looking down at her.

"Agh great!" She mumbled to herself with irritation tingling in her voice.

"She's over here!"

Hearing Ace's voice Ryder and Shaan stepped near Rosaline.

"That was sneaky. I remember you said you'll let us guide you if we won." Ryder said.

Without saying any words, Rosaline started walking out as they followed her. She didn't feel the need to argue more with them. Well, not until she was about to step inside a bar filled with dangerous people.

"I don't think this is a better place for you, princess."

"I don't think dad pays you for your opinion. So keep that mouth shut or leave."

"Sure, Princess." Shaan shrugged and followed her, observing her every move. All the people around seemed to feast their eyes as Rosalina walked amidst them towards her group. However she ordered them to keep their distance and they did so, seeing her in the middle of girls.

"I need to hunt down this Phantom Reaper." She confessed and the girls gasped at her words.

"What are you saying? They're the most lethal clan and didn't you hear what they do?" Liza whispered and explained what she knew about the Phantom Reaper.

Apparently, no one was aware of his face or his whereabouts. He already had a sinister reputation as a powerful Alpha who devoured Omegas, humans, Beta or whatever came his way. Now he entered Maverick's territory recently and two Omega's were hunted down.

Just as she was in deep concentration, one of the girls screamed out and she whipped her face to see a middle aged man grabbing her chest in front of everyone. Before she could think, her hands took action, taking on the blue martini glass and smashing on his hand. The broken glasses pierced through his flesh, making him yelp in pain.

"Hope you can never use those hands again, motherfucker!" She hissed.

Shaan and the others rushed over and sighed at the sight. He had expected that scenery but not that soon.

"Shall we leave now, Princess?" He offered his hand but Rosaline simply nodded and walked past his hand. He watched her walk out and cracked his neck, squatting down to whisper in that man's ear,

"You're lucky these hands didn't touch her."

With that he walked away from that place, catching up to Ace and Ryder.

Rosaline strode down the dimly lit street, feeling annoyed while thinking about the Phantom Reaper. She sighed, her breath forming puffs of mist in the chilly night air. This was supposed to be her one night of freedom, yet here they were again, hovering like vultures waiting for their next meal.

"Must you walk so close? I can barely breathe without inhaling your cologne," she snapped.

Shaan's raspy chuckle grated on her nerves. "Don't be like that, princess. We're just doing our jobs."

"And must you call me that ridiculous nickname?"

"I'll call you whatever I like," he said dismissively. Rosaline's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white.

Up ahead, a group of drunk youths loitered outside a bar, catcalling as she walked past. One grabbed her arm as she strode by, reeking of alcohol.

"Hands off!" she demanded and prepared her fists to land a punch.

But before that, Ryder grasped the man's wrist, bending it back to force him to release Rosaline.

"The lady said get your hands off," he growled, shoving the man away. The group scrambled off, tripping over themselves.

Rosaline blinked up at Ryder as her annoyance deepened, "You didn't need to guard me in a needless situation."

"Really now?" scepticism dripped from Ryder's deep voice. "I saved the man, not you."

Over the course of the winding road through the city, she began to realise she was drawing closer to the seedier parts of town. She strode resolutely onward, showing no fear and finally halted.

Rosaline turned around to face them and calmly uttered,

"I'm going to meet a friend and I have private business here. So leave and don't follow me anymore for the night."

"That makes more reasons for us to stay." Ace objected as he scanned the area.

Rosaline greeted her teeth as she exclaimed, her voice flashing with anger, "I fucking said to leave! I have privacy! Do my words sound like a joke to you? You lowborn Shit!"

The three of them stood there frozen as they stole glances at each other, keeping silent.

Rosaline expected them to get angry, but Shaan just shrugged, his expression unchanged. "Suit yourself," he said, before walking away.

Rosaline blinked in surprise as Ryder and Ace followed Shaan without another word. For a moment, she almost felt disappointed at their easy acquiescence. But she shook it off, turning to head into the alley where her friend was waiting.

However, she was unable to find the correct location. She searched for the sign as she turned a corner and bumped into a tall man.

"Ahh..Sorry," She stumbled back and watched as a card fell from his pocket.

As she picked up the card, she saw the name "President Matthew" and couldn't help but wonder why a president would be in such a place. When she looked up, her eyes met with those pair of blazing red eyes that seemed to pierce through her. Suddenly, she felt a crushing sensation in her chest that made it difficult to breathe.

"Are you okay, little lady?" The man spoke in a deep voice as he reached out to steady her. She stumbled slightly, feeling weak in the knees.

The man's immense presence and the intensity of his gaze made Rosaline feel both intimidated and intrigued. She couldn't help but feel like escaping as she struggled to catch her breath.

She was confused why she felt that way, meeting that stranger but she was in a hurry to think about that.

"Thank you. I'm fine." She fixed her posture and asked, handing a notelet, "Can you tell me which side is this?"

Eventually, with his help, she reached her destination and made her way through the crowded room, scanning the faces of those around her until she spotted her friend. Erica, a Beta woman with short hair and a tattooed arm, and they embraced. They exchanged a few words, and then Rosaline got down to business, erasing that man temporarily from her mind.

"Did you find what I asked for?"

Erica gave a nod and handed her a document,

"Seems like your mom had a connection with the 'Phantom Reaper'.

"Mother..?"

Erica looked at her with confusion before glancing at the document. Rosaline's heart raced as she read the document,

"Are you saying my mom didn't have a normal death but was murdered?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked at her with her widened eyes. Her mind reeled as she tried to process the unexpected information.