《It鈥檚 Funny How Love Starts (IFHLS Book 1)》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Mom! Zane won¡¯t give me back my book!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Come and get it, bitch,¡± he grinned, showing me the book but putting it high in the air, taunting me. That bastard, he was six, two. Too tall for me to grab the book from his hands.


    ¡°You asked for it,¡± I grinned, running up to him and jumped. We collided with a dissatisfying sound of the hard impact of our bodies, my body on top of his. His mouth formed an ¡®o,¡¯pletely unprepared of what I did.


    I grabbed for the book that was still in his hands but he was quick. He slid the book across the floor, pushed me off, and then pinned me back down on the hard wooden floor. Now he was on top of me. It wasn¡¯t in any loving affection but more so to mock me and wave his superiority to my face.


    ¡°You¡¯re still not strong or fast enough to beat me,¡± heughed at my failed attempt. His dark ck hair hung in the air as he looked down at me, still having that stupid grin on his face.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that someday,¡± I spat at Zane but we both knew that he would always be far better than me in strength and agility. He was three years older and twice as stronger than me but that didn¡¯t stop our constant fighting.It wasn¡¯t technically fighting since we both did it to our enjoyment.


    In reality, we were the best, the ultimate sibling anyone would loathe, which was good for our family reputation. My dad ruled as Alpha in our small town, making sure all the werewolves in our town stayed in control and didn¡¯t cause any big trouble. The town itself was respectably big and spacious but I¡¯ve always thought of it as small since we¡¯ve lived here forever.


    ¡°Your hair is all messy now,¡± Zaneughed and messed around with it even more, causing me to yell and say not-so-nice things to him. ¡°The other Alpha and his pack will be here soon. Don¡¯t want to look all Tarzan on them,¡± he smirked.


    ¡°Then let me go, idiot,¡± I punched his stomach hard with my fist. He recoiled but gave me a cute toothy grin. Too bad it didn¡¯t work on me since we¡¯ve grown up. Now, he just looked like a creeper on steroids.


    That¡¯s another thing. Since we¡¯re werewolves, we had nice bulky muscles that enhanced our ability to fight and defend. Well, not me since I still needed to grow and find my own mate to help me do all that Somewhere out there when my mate finds me, he would make me his mate by marking me first by biting my neck and then finish the whole process by taking my virginity. It was an odd process but we all had grown up, knowing that it would happen someday. Our mates were destined from the Heavens above and we would stick with them forever.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Unfortunately, Dad was a little more overprotective, making sure none of the guy werewolves got too physically close to me, which I was also thankful for to some extent since I didn¡¯t want to be imprinted identally with a guy who wasn¡¯t my mate.


    ¡°Here, let me help you little princess,¡± Zane said dramatically, bowing down mockingly and held out a hand.


    I scoffed and got up by myself, ignoring his mocking hands and picked up my now wrinkled book that was in tow. Before I left the room, I turned around and smirked, ¡°You¡¯ve just been rejected.¡±

 Chapter 2

    ¡°You better start running, Alexia,¡± he warned but I knew his strategies as well as my own. I sidestepped his deadly bear hug and kicked his man junk harder than I had meant to. He winced before crumbling to the ground, gasping. Iughed but stopped abruptly from the entrance of my dad.


    It was obvious when he entered because he had a big presence that makes other people cower with fear and listen. His broad shoulders and high cheek bones gave a don¡¯t-mess-with-me vibe that Zane had also inherited. The only difference they seemed to have was that while Zane had the clearest blue eyes, inherited from my mom, my dad had dark ck eyes that bore into you when you did something wrong. His physical appearance was definitely an advantage when it came to y his duty as the Alpha. As for me, I had the same blue eyes, simr to Zane but I had straight dark ck hair thanks to dad.


    ¡°Enough with this nonsense. Our guests are near. Only three minutes before they arrive,¡± he said strictly. His werewolf senses told him when the guest¡¯s arrival would be. Zane and I also sensed it but that didn¡¯t stop him from his yful remarks. He was such a kid sometimes.


    ¡°Alexia started it,¡± Zane smiled smugly, sticking his tongue at me when dad wasn¡¯t looking.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true you idiot!¡± I yelled and jumped onto his back, attempting to pull him down but it was hard with the heavy book in my hands. Okay, so I was childish to but I was the youngest.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Lying is not eptable little princess,¡± my brother smirked, grabbing me from his back and knuckled my head, messing my hair again. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Tarzan. Aren¡¯t you pretty today,¡± heughed.


    ¡°Let go of me,¡± I kicked but he covered his man junk so my feet wouldn¡¯t have a chance. ¡°You¡¯re mean you know that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I¡¯m your brother,¡± he grinned. I was about to say something unintelligent but dad beat me to the chase.


    ¡°They¡¯re here. Act civilized!¡± he hissed, looking at Zane especially. Zane instantly let go of me and I fell to the ground. I gave him a death stare in which he returned with a smirk but he still helped me back up to my feet. ¡°Marie, they¡¯re here,¡± dad said more loudly so mom would hear.


    My mom came out of the kitchen, her dirty blonde hair in delicate waves and a ck dress draped over her curvy body and an apron to top it off. Mine wasn¡¯t as curvy as hers and my straight ck hair was as dull as can be. ¡°Oh Alexia, your hair,¡± she tsked, trying to manage my heap of clumped hair.


    ¡°It was Zane.¡± I narrowed my eyes at my brother but he just gave me a sweet, innocent smile.


    ¡°Why would I do that to my lovely little sis?¡± He continued to smile and I had to fight the urge to jump on him again.


    ¡°Children,¡± dad chided and went to open the door.


    ¡°There you go. All nice and pretty,¡± mom said. She had miraculously tamed my messy nest of hair in record time.


    ¡°No thanks to him,¡± I stuck my tongue but he hugged me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alexia,¡± he said, giving me a pitiful puppy dog face. ¡°You know I love you.¡± He then gave me his full smile, putting his arms over my shoulderszily.


    ¡°What a creep,¡± I rolled my eyes butughed. ¡°Love you too bro.¡±


    ¡°¡­This way to the dining room,¡± my dad¡¯s voice trailed in the hallway.


    Zane jabbed me on my side, trying to get my attention. ¡°Dad has his nice guy voice on,¡± he smirked.


    I jabbed him back, scowling at him. We had to be on our best behavior or else we¡¯d get a mouthful from dadter and I didn¡¯t want to be the receiving end of his lecturing.


    I heard three pairs of footstepsing towards us and I suddenly got nervous. My palms got sweaty so I put my hands behind my back, rubbing it on my top. Since when did I get nervous? I shook the thought out of my mind. No need to keep dwelling on my feelings. I faced the hallway, expecting our new guests.

 Chapter 3

    Dad appeared with two other men walking closely behind him.


    The man closest to my dad had dark grey eyes that resembled the color and hardness of a rock. His face had chiseled features, his cheekbones raised high. If he smiled for a second he might actually look friendly and cute but he kept a straight face that could ruin anyone¡¯s day instantly. His body was well toned and his ck hair cascaded in a shaggy haircut,ing down to his eyes. The other man had beady ck eyes but they weren¡¯t hostile like the first man. Instead he had a nice smiling face and winked at me when I was caught for staring. His blonde hair didn¡¯t really match his dark eyes perfectly but he still seemed friendly enough and had a nice toned body too. Hey, it¡¯s hard not to notice.


    ¡°Marie, only these two gentlemen will be seated with us tonight. Alpha de didn¡¯t think two packs in one room would be a wise decision. They are also staying for the next few nights so make sure the guest rooms are ready¡± dad said.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± mom bowed formally, to the waist down and hurried into the kitchen. We didn¡¯t have a maid to do all the chores so mom did everything around the house. Even though we had plenty of money to hire a chief and a housemaid, mom always insisted her doing it because she enjoyed it. Typical housewife if you ask me.


    ¡°Children, say hello.¡± We said our ¡®hellos¡¯ and dad introduced everyone. The man closest to my dad was named Lucas de or the Alpha of the pack and the second man was Jace Kyler, Alpha de¡¯s assistant and closest friend. Zane and I each took turns bowing, mimicking mom.


    When I looked up and got a better close up at them, I realized that they were incredibly young. Young enough to be in theirte teenage years or early twenties. I looked at Zane and he gave me the same curious look. Alphas were usually older because they would have more wisdom and a better understanding. These two looked like college kids maybe even Zane¡¯s age who was at the ripe age of neen.


    ¡°Dinner should be ready now. Shall we gentlemen?¡± my dad gestured to the dining room. The Alpha didn¡¯t give us much more than a nce before following dad to the dining room but the guy named Jace smiled at both of us and kindly said ¡®hello.¡¯


    Dinner was served and it was practically the most boring meal I¡¯ve ever had. Dad and the Alpha were talking about business and Jace contributed at times but mostly kept quiet, looking around his surroundings.


    Zane kicked me from under the table and I nced up, thinking there was a problem. He was eating his food as if everything in the world was fine. I resumed eating, slowly this time and watchful. The kick from under the table was harder this time, making me wince when it hit my ankle that I had injured many years ago. This time Zane couldn¡¯t hold his snicker.


    I rolled my eyes and kicked him across the table without getting noticed. Dad was too sucked into the conversation between the three men. Mom looked at us suspiciously though which ended our little battle at the dining table but Zane¡¯s wink told me that it wasn¡¯t over yet. I gave him my best smirk.


    After the endless dinner without being able to mess around a bit with Zane, we were free from our good behavior. The guests were led to dad¡¯s office and we were about to sneak off upstairs when mom stopped us.


    ¡°I want you two to get the guest rooms ready,¡± she said, crossing her arms. Caught.


    ¡°But mom¡­¡± I whined but she tsked, shaking her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you two at the dining table. Now scat,¡± she said sternly but yfully, hitting us with her dishtowel.


    ¡°Come on Alexia, it won¡¯t be that bad,¡± Zane said, taking my hand and ran up the stairs, dragging me like a ragdoll. We finally reached the guest wing and made sure the bed sheets were fresh and the room looked decent. ¡°What do you think about them?¡± Zane suddenly asked, catching me off guard while I was fluffing a pillow.


    ¡°They look really young,¡± I observed.


    ¡°Ew, don¡¯t tell me you have a crush on them,¡± he said with a disgusted face.


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± I threw the pillow at him, hitting him straight in the face. Bulls eyes.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± He sounded hurt but he was the master at emotions so I wasn¡¯t too worried.


    ¡°I was checking to see if the pillow had enough fluff. Guess it did,¡± I shrugged. Seconds afterwards, a full st of a pillow fight erupted, white pillows flying everywhere across the room. Within a few minutes, the floor becameyered with pillows and things were getting pretty messy.


    ¡°Eat this,¡± Zane grinned and shoved a pillow in my face. I yelled but the sound of my voice was lost into the pillow.


    ¡°You suck,¡± I spat once I was released.


    A knock came from the door and it opened, revealing the Alpha and Jace. All four of us stood in shock. We were in a shitload of trouble.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°Well this is nice,¡± Jace mused, breaking the silence that seemed to drone on forever. Alpha de didn¡¯t seem to be too amused, more like pissed and annoyed. ¡°Come on Lucas. You¡¯ve alwaysined that you didn¡¯t have enough pillows to support your back. Now you¡¯ve got what you wanted,¡± Jace joked.


    ¡°Thiswill beall picked up when I get back showering,¡± he grumbled and left. What a jerk. I wanted to go after him and give him a piece of my mind but I didn¡¯t see a great conclusion if I did.


    ¡°Well, that went better than I had thought,¡± Jace said, plopping himself on the pillow-less bed. At least someone feltfortable.


    ¡°We¡¯re very sorry Mr. Kyler,¡± Zane apologized.


    ¡°No need,¡± he waved his hands, ¡°but you should start picking those up before Mr. Grouchyes back.¡±


    We quickly picked up all the pillows and to my surprise, we didn¡¯t even trade rude remarks for once in our life. I noticed Zane looked really nervous and concentrated on the task at hand which was another surprise for me. He was never serious or at least in front of me. He was always happy and carefree. When the tiring task was finished I asked if Jace needed anything else.


    ¡°Calling me by my first name? I like it,¡± he mused. ¡°I¡¯d like a ss of water if you would be so kind,¡± he smiled politely and we left.


    ¡°Dang, we are so screwed when dad finds out,¡± Zane said when we were back in the hallway.


    ¡°No dip, Sherlock,¡± I groaned. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the water,¡± I volunteered, already making my way downstairs.


    Zane rubbed his neck and groaned, ¡°I think you injured me with those pillows.¡±


    ¡°It was a pillow, Zane, not a bowling ball,¡± I rolled my eyes. He could get so dramatic at times.


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a puss. I won the pillow fight anyways,¡± Zane said, leaning on the handrail, looking down at me with one of his wicked smiles that made his eyes bluer than blue itself. If that was even possible.


    ¡°You¡¯re so immature,¡± Iughed.


    ¡°Might I say the same to you sis,¡± he smiled and saluted mockingly as I continued my way to the kitchen.


    Thankfully my mom wasn¡¯t there when I entered. I didn¡¯t want to be scolded if she had already heard about our eventful incident. I quickly grabbed a clean ss and filled it with ice cold water ran upstairs, trying to avoid getting caught.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I knocked on the door and Jace¡¯s voice told me to e hither.¡¯ He was definitely one of the weird guys I¡¯ve ever met. I came in with the water in hand when suddenly a loud yell erupted inside the room.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you let her in?¡± I heard Alpha de¡¯s voice just before I saw him¡­Half naked. Only a thin towel was wrapped around his waist, his upper body well-toned with a nice eight pack. Jaceughed hysterically and I looked away blushing. I quickly handed Jace his ss, regretting I had never asked him if he needed anything.


    ¡°You can look if you want,¡± Jace said, stillughing. ¡°I¡¯m too used to it because he always strips in front of me. It¡¯s quite disturbing but he can¡¯t help himself,¡± Jace joked.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± I said, keeping my eyes only on Jace and away from the Alpha.


    ¡°Shut up, Jace. Of all the people, you shouldn¡¯t be talking,¡± the Alpha teased. He went in the closet and came back with pants and a shirt.


    ¡°So you are attending the party tomorrow?¡± the Alpha said, keeping a nice polite conversation although I could tell he didn¡¯t really want to talk to me.


    ¡°Ah yeah,¡± I said, totally forgetting about the party my parents were throwing. I didn¡¯t even want to go because it was always filled with mate-less girls who only went to try and find their mate. Most of the girls trailed behind my brother, asking him to dance even when they knew he wasn¡¯t their mate.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be seeing you tomorrow,¡± Jace winked. Alpha de rolled his eyes at his friend but I finally saw a hint of a curved smile, making him look less frightening and hotter. Ew, Zane would kill me.


    ¡°Wow, you smile,¡± I suddenly blurted out. I had no idea where that came from.


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± he said abruptly, his smile faltered and his mouth grew limp into the same old boring expression.


    Jaceughed. ¡°You, my friend, need to chill for once. She¡¯s just a girl, you can let go of the huge ego you have to act out.¡±


    ¡°What ego?¡± he said darkly.


    ¡°Aw,e on. You¡¯re so dull when you¡¯re like this,¡± Jace said but gave up. ¡°I¡¯m out of here. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Luce.¡± Alpha de growled, not liking the nickname. ¡°Kidding, kidding. I¡¯m leaving, sheesh. I¡¯ll lead Alexia out.¡± Jace gave the Alpha a flirty wave which made him growl again but he rolled his eyes and again I saw a small hint of amusement in his eyes.


    Jace walked me out and we stopped by his guest room. ¡°It was very nice meeting you tonight, Alexia. I¡¯m gonna go down to the store to run some errands for Lucas before we leave town but don¡¯t tell anyone. I don¡¯t want anyone to stay up waiting for me.¡± he said, a smile back on his face.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯ll see youter.¡± He winked onest time and left. Jace was more charming than Alpha de, I thought as I heard the door softly close.

 Chapter 5

    The next day was a hectic day for sure. My mom had gotten up early trying to get ready for the party. Thankfully she had help that day. My dad thought it was too much work for my mom to do so many things so he hired some people to do the chores and cook the food for her. She tried to do things but they wouldn¡¯t allow her to and said that my dad had ordered them to not let her do any work. When I found her that morning, she was pouting.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Geez, they won¡¯t let me help at all!¡± she whined at me as I entered the kitchen. Three people were already at work making something I couldn¡¯t quite make out. ¡°Please, let me do something!¡±


    ¡°Mom, you should enjoy your free day,¡± Iughed. I loved my mom but sometimes she put too much stress on herself. She really deserved the free day.


    ¡°But I need to do something!¡± she said again, throwing her hands in the air like a maniac.


    ¡°Woah there,¡± Zane said, avoiding mom¡¯s arms. ¡°Don¡¯t want to kill your favorite son,¡± he gave mom a morning hug.


    ¡°You¡¯re her only son,¡± Imented, rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Oh, I thought you were her son to. My bad,¡± he grinned at me,ing up to me with his famous hugs that would give anyone daggered looks from girls.


    ¡°Go away,¡± I said, brushing him off but he wouldn¡¯t let go of me. ¡°Ugh, get off Zane.¡±


    ¡°Make me,¡± heughed.


    ¡°Mom, he asked for it,¡± I warned mom beforeunching into one of our many fake fights. I hate to say it, but as usual he won. He had his arms around me by the throat at the end of it, chocking me but not too tightly.


    ¡°Please, children. Out of the kitchen,¡± dad said,ing into the kitchen. ¡°You too Marie. You should go shopping for a dress or anything that will keep your mind off until this evening.¡±


    ¡°ric, you know I don¡¯t to go shopping unless it¡¯s necessary,¡± she grumbled but she left the kitchen, obeying him. Zane and I walked slowly towards the door, hoping he still hadn¡¯t heard about our incident but I guess we tried too hard to escape from his grasp. He grabbed us by the cor of our shirt which was easy for him with his macho arms. He used to swing me on his arms when I was little but now that arm was like a death threat.


    ¡°Zane Elijah Maxilum, Alexia Grace Maxilum, where do you think you¡¯re running off to?¡± he boomed, making us and the three workers jump in surprise. Aw shit, he used our full names.


    ¡°Yes, dad?¡± I said in my sweetest voice.


    ¡°I¡¯d like an exnation why there were pillows all over the floor when Alpha de retreated to his guest room,¡± he raged at us. Ugh, I betted it was the Alpha who told dad. At that moment, I hated him with a burning passion.


    ¡°Sorry father. It was my fault,¡± Zane said apologizing.


    Dad sighed. ¡°Just please promise me that there won¡¯t be any silliness today at the party. It¡¯s important that we leave on a good word with Alpha de.¡±


    ¡°Why dad?¡± I asked, curiously.


    ¡°You¡¯ll knowter today during the party but now I need you children to be on your best behavior and stay out of trouble,¡± he said, ring at us one by one.


    ¡°Yes father,¡± we both said in monotone.


    We eagerly went back to the game room andid on the couch for a while. ¡°I¡¯m betting that it was that Alpha,¡± I said bitterly.


    ¡°Aw,e on Alexia. Forget about it,¡± he said, getting up from the couch. ¡°We should be excited about today¡¯s party. Don¡¯t dance with too many guys though,¡± he growled at the thought of hisst statement.


    ¡°Why? Too afraid I¡¯ll find my mate before yours?¡± I teased. Werewolves only knew for sure that someone was their mate if they physically touch each other, even if it¡¯s intended or not. That¡¯s why we had these parties. I, on the other hand, didn¡¯t really like to dance and have been usually avoiding all the guys, even if they did give me interested looks.


    ¡°Nah, just want to keep my little sis safe,¡± he said, cheerfully. ¡°But seriously, don¡¯t dance with too many of them.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t really be talking,¡± Iughed. My brother was such a flirt.


    ¡°Is little Alexia jealous?¡± he teased,ughing at such a thought.


    ¡°Why of course I am,¡± I said sarcastically. I ran up to his couch and sat on him. ¡°I¡¯ll be so jealous,¡± I said again, squeezing the living life out of him and quite enjoying it to.


    ¡°You gained a lot of weight,¡± he gasped pretending.


    ¡°You¡¯re mean,¡± I punched him,ying on the big couch next to him and tried to take up as much space as possible. He easily messed up my hair from the angle that we wereying. We stayed quiet after that, just hearing the muffled sound of the vacuum cleaner from the first floor and soon we both fell asleep on the couch.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you two cute?¡± I heard my mother¡¯s voice before I saw the camera she was holding. ¡°My two babies sleeping together. I haven¡¯t seen that since you two were little kids,¡± she said then a sh blinded me for a couple of seconds.


    ¡°Mom,¡± we both groaned at the same time.


    ¡°Just for a keepsake,¡± she winked at both of us. ¡°Anyways, the real reason I came here was to wake you two up. The party is about to start in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Aw, shit,¡± Zane mumbled getting up. The whole couch shifted by his enormous weight. That fatty.


    ¡°Language, Zane,¡± mom warned.


    ¡°Sorry mom. I¡¯ll get ready,¡± he said and left us girls.


    ¡°You better get ready to Alexia. I already put a dress on your bed for you,¡± my mom said and then left me.


    Exactly ten minutester, the first guests arrived. Then more came a few minutes afterwards with everyone dressed in their best clothes. I was also in my best. I wore a strapless blue coral dress that fit nicely on my slim body and brought out my blue eyes. I noticed a lot of guys staring and looked the other way, hoping to ignore any invitations for a dance.


    I spotted Zane dancing with a girl and other girls giving the her a deadly look. Poor Zane, poor girl. She would be bullied by the other girls afterwards.


    ¡°Wow, you clean up very nicely. Your hair doesn¡¯t seem all that messed up,¡± I heard a voice behind me. Jace. I turned to face him and was a little taken back. He had cleaned upverynicely too. He had a tux and everything, his hair spiked up, his eyes full of life and color.


    Alpha de was next to him and he nodded at me with acknowledgement. My mouth almost dropped when I saw him. He also had a tux but there was something about him that made him stand out of all the guys. I figured it was his sharp features and those dark ck eyes that looked as if it was searching much deeper than your outer shell. To any girls he would¡¯ve looked hot but to me I had to admit, I was a little frightened but then I remembered that he was the one who had gotten me in trouble. The thought of being frightened vanished immediately.


    ¡°You too,¡± I said politely, hoping to avoid the Alpha¡¯s stare.


    ¡°Well I need to do something so why don¡¯t you folks dance for the crowd,¡± Jace winked and left. What crowd? I thought. I turned around to receive a lot of daggers from all the girls in the room. Damn.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Alpha de said, offering me his arm. I couldn¡¯t really go back now so I took his arm and he led me to the dance floor.


    He put one hand around my waist and held out the other for my hand. I put my hand on his shoulder and met his waiting hand with my other. Instantly, a shock traveled through both our bodies and we flinched, instantly letting each other go.


    He was my mate.


    The tingling sensation still ran through me even when we backed off each other. Shock read all over his face and I didn¡¯t me him because I was mortified too. Just when I thought nothing else could get any worse, it did. Suddenly there was a loud explosion and all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 6

    There was no time for any questions because the explosion set everyone screaming and running. I didn¡¯t think much of it then, thinking that it was some stupid teens that usually pulled pranks but I was wrong.


    The ceiling started to copse and that was when the smell hit me. The smell of smoke snaked in first and then the hungry mes rolled in, eating everything in its path. I must¡¯ve been standing there like an idiot because Alpha de pulled me.


    ¡°What are you doing? We need to get out of here,¡± he yelled through the loud noise of everyone in the room. Our bodies tingled again when he grabbed me and I couldn¡¯t help but shudder despite the hot mes.


    ¡°Mom! Dad! Zane!¡± I yelled as I was being dragged out by the crowd and Alpha de. I had forgotten about them and tried to push my way back to see if I could find them.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably out by now,¡± he said loud enough for me to hear and this time I agreed with him because I was unable to spot them in the crowd. I let him pull me safely out of the burning house and into the dark streets which was now full of people trying to find their families. I desperately looked around, trying to find where my parents and Zane were but I didn¡¯t see them anywhere.


    ¡°I can¡¯t find them!¡± I panicked. ¡°They¡¯re probably stuck in the house. I¡¯ve got to go find them!¡± I said and ran towards the house. I didn¡¯t get much further because Alpha de had me by the waist, pulling me away.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± he said tly.


    ¡°No, let go of me. I have to find them,¡± I gasped from the stupid tingly sensation. Everything was all too overwhelming and happening too fast.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a better chance to find them¡­but on one condition.¡± I hated him but he probably did have a better chance of finding them than me.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I hissed and stared at his grey, smoky eyes. Big mistake. His eyes were so alluring, no thanks to the mysterious sparkle that were added by the reflection of the mes.


    mes. I shook my heading back to reality. ¡°Save them now,¡± I said again, stubbornly, before I could get even more mesmerized by his stupid eyes.


    ¡°You will be my mate no matter how much you hate me,¡± he said so simply that I almostughed. He had to be kidding. I didn¡¯t want to be mated to a guy like him but I had to make sure my family was OK, and then dad would take care of this mess that we got ourselves tangled in.


    ¡°Fine, just go!¡± I yelled, pushing him.


    ¡°The bite will have toeter,¡± he said so seriously without any emotions that it sent shivers down my spine. What was with him? He rarely smiled and had no emotions but anger. Nevertheless, I saw him keep his promise and disappear into the mes.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Lucas?¡± Jace¡¯s voice said behind me. He was slightly sweating but otherwise he didn¡¯t seem hurt.


    ¡°He went back inside to find my family,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Ugh, that idiot,¡± he mumbled under his breath. I turned my attention back at the burning house. It held lots of great memories and I was saddened by it burning but the only thing I¡¯ve been dying to know was any news of my family. ¡°I called 911 so they should be here soon,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said absentmindedly, too focused on the house. I was tempted more than once to run inside and find them on my own but my instincts told me it was better to stay.


    Suddenly, I noticed two figures froming out of the house. One was limping and holding onto the other one. It was Alpha de and Zane.


    I immediately ran up to them and hugged Zane who was the one limping. The smell of the smoke on him was intoxicating and made me cough but I was d he was OK. His face was ck from smoke and he looked like an awful mess from head to toe.


    ¡°Where¡¯s mom and dad?¡± I asked Alpha de but he looked at me sadly with pity. No. This couldn¡¯t be happening. ¡°I SAID WHERE ARE THEY?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alexia, I tried but it was toote,¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°No no no,¡± I sobbed. I thought if I went back that maybe they woulde back just for me. The only thing in my mind was that I had to go find them. I ran for the house but the firefighters came, pulling me away from the burning house. I tried fighting the firefighters, scratching, screaming, yelling, but it was no use. They held me back as they started to hose the house, attempting to tame the mes. I sobbed the whole time, fighting my way but it was no use. To anyone I would¡¯ve looked like a crazy maniac but I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Alexia,¡± I heard Alpha de¡¯s voice behind me and he held me, ordering the firefighter who was keeping me from running back inside to do his job. The firefighter dly stepped back and left me to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I tried,¡± he said again. Ugh, the sound of his voice sickened me.


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t! You promised and you let them die!¡± I said punching him with all the anger I had. He stood still, allowing me to punch him until I couldn¡¯t take it anymore and broke down, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around me, stroking my hair.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Zane?¡± I croaked, after I had the chance to breathe.


    ¡°He¡¯s in one of the ambnce,¡± Alpha de replied.


    ¡°The medics can¡¯t find out that he¡¯s-¡±All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We have a specialist who knows about us,¡± he exined.


    ¡°I need to see Zane.¡± Only he would understand what I was going through since he was also involved in this tragedy. I needed Zane¡¯sforting arms around me, not Alpha de. Alpha de led me to the back of the ambnce where Zane was being evaluated by a medic.


    ¡°He¡¯s all patched up, Lucas,¡± the medic said. She was a tall woman in her thirties with beautiful tinum blonde hair that brought out her light blue eyes.


    ¡°Thank you, Phoebe,¡± Alpha de said gratefully.


    ¡°Zane,¡± I said jumping onto the back of the ambnce when I saw him and hugged him which made him lose his bnce.


    ¡°Woah, easy there,¡± Phoebe warned, helping Zane gain back his bnce.


    ¡°Are you okay Zane?¡± I asked but he didn¡¯t respond. His eyes were puffed red and his lips were caked with blood. ¡°Zane?¡± I said again.


    ¡°Mom and dad,¡± he whispered quietly and then we sobbed all over again in each other¡¯s arms. He held me close, his arms around me and we cried for our parents, our salty tears mixing together. When we stopped crying, I felt him go slump so Iid him back down on the bed. He must¡¯ve been knocked out by the painkillers so I sat next to the makeshift bed in the ambnce when I heard voices from outside.


    ¡°It was no ident, Lucas,¡± I heard a voice, near the ambnce. Phoebe.


    ¡°How do they know for sure? It was probably some stupid kids pulling a prank,¡± Alpha de¡¯s voice whispered.


    ¡°They found ten gallons of gasoline. This wasn¡¯t a pathetic prank,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°We think the ¡®ident¡¯ was nned to murder ric and Marie Maxilum. We found their bodies incinerated and locked in their rooms upstairs. Someone murdered them and almost murdered Zane.¡±


    ¡°Who and why would they have done it?¡± Alpha de growled. ¡°Were they trying to frame me?¡±


    ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t be the culprit because you were dancing with Alexia. Everyone saw that,¡± Phoebe pointed out.


    ¡°I want you to find out more and then get back to me as soon as possible,¡± Alpha de said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Phoebe said quietly. Then I heard quiet footstepse back towards the ambnce.


    Someone had killed my parents. I had no idea why they would want to kill my parents but I promised that when I found the culprit, I would make them pay.

 Chapter 7

    Alpha de had taken me to his house after the frenzy of the people¡¯s reactions had finally started to die down. Many of the guests I have barely knownforted me but I was in no state to acknowledge their condolences. Soon all the people left, bowing respectfully to Alpha de before exiting.


    Zane was put in a bedroom where he would be able to heal but I was in the grand living room where it had been filled with grieving people just a while ago. I had tried not to let any tears get the best of me but hadn¡¯t been very sessful. I felt a big hand on my back, soothing me, trying tofort but I didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°You need to get some rest Alexia,¡± Alpha de¡¯s voiced broke through my quiet sob. When I didn¡¯t answer, he sighed and picked me up, gathering my legs with one arm and supporting my back with the other. He climbed the stairs and opened a door to the right, revealing a well-furnished room with a king sized bed smacked in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Please, try and sleep,¡± he said again, gently cing me on the right side of the bed. He tucked in the covers and I hated to admit but my snot started to smear on the rich fabric of the bed lining.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t sleep,¡± I said, but I had already felt sleep ovee me and without another mutter of a word, I slept, relieving my sorrow and lost for the next day.


    ****************************


    When I got up the next morning, two things happened. My eyes opened to an unfamiliar room and when I stretched my arms in opposite directions, attempting to stretch, I hit something¡­ or someone.


    I turned to look at my left side wondering what it was and screamed. I jumped out of bed when I found Alpha de sleeping next to me. He stirred by my loud disturbance and looked confused for a second until his eyes met mine. The sorrow in his eyes made me remember everything that had happened the night before. My parents.


    ¡°Alexia, please,¡± he said softly and got out of bed with only a light t-shirt and boxers. I backed up, calcting how fast I could get out of the room and make my escape. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he warned right when I made my attempt to escape but it was impossible when an Alpha with his huge ass muscles blocks you from running.


    ¡°Let me go,¡± I spat. I didn¡¯t know why I was acting that way. He was the one who had taken me and Zanest night but maybe I just didn¡¯t like the fact that he was my mate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let go if you¡¯ll cooperate with me.¡± I tried recalcting any other escape routes but seeing that I didn¡¯t know any of the house floorings, I gave up and retraced my steps back to the bed.


    ¡°This sucks,¡± I finally said after a minute of silence.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± he said, ignoring myment. When I looked at him, he looked like he would rather die than to be in the room with me. I scowled. Why didn¡¯t he just leave me and Zane with a pack member? I¡¯m sure that would¡¯ve been better for the both of us. ¡°It¡¯s ugly to scowl especially with that pretty face of yours. I¡¯ll get one of the maids to bring you a set of clothes for you to change and then you can meet me downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Was it just me or did you try topliment me?¡± Iughed bitterly at hisment about my face.


    ¡°I was simply telling you not to scowl like that. It¡¯s not proper,¡± he said, his arms crossed, looking bored wishing he was elsewhere but here. He seriously needed an attitude change.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I¡¯ll like, thank you,¡± I said stubbornly.


    ¡°You will learn one of these days but for now I¡¯ll let it pass,¡± he said coolly.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be another day. Do you really expect me to stay here?¡± I scoffed. He wasn¡¯t serious, was he?


    ¡°Of course you must stay. We are mated and we had a deal, did we not?¡± he said taken aback as if I had pped him. ¡°You have to keep your word.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t save them,¡± I said quietly and choked on a big lump in my throat.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t make the deal, your brother would have been good as dead,¡± he said a little too harshly. I flinched at the thought. I had done it for Zane and I knew I couldn¡¯t hold back on my word.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to be bitten yet,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not ready.¡± Alpha de sighed. His eyes appeared to have dark circles from stress.


    ¡°Fine. But I can¡¯t wait forever,¡± he said more softly. He looked at me with kindness andpassion that for a second, I thought he would say something nice but when he noticed me starting, he instantly went dropped back to his emotionless face. ¡°I will expect you to be down soon,¡± he said and left me in the room alone.

 Chapter 8

    The maid, who introduced herself as Cynthia, brought me fresh new clothes that consisted of only light dresses and short skirts. I asked her for some jeans and t-shirts but she said that they were the only ones she could find. I asked her what she meant by ¡°only the ones she could find¡± but she shook her head telling me never to ask that question in this household and left, muttering something to herself. And I thought Alpha de was weird.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    I found that the clothes fit me perfectly and decided to wear a breezy sundress and noticed its soft blue color was slightly faded. It seemed that someone had worn them before. I would have to ask about it when I saw the Alpha. A knock on the door had caught me off the guard but it was only Jace that came in.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± he asked, worried. He looked dead tired, dark circles highlighting his face like Alpha de¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said honestly. There was just too many things that had happen in such a short time, it was too hard to digest everything.


    ¡°I came here to let you know that Zane is awake and is asking for you.¡± Those words lit up the moment and I ran to the door, pestering Jace to lead me there. He seemed tough at my desperation but nevertheless led me to a room several doors down from where I slept and opened it wide. When I saw Zane¡¯s figure on the bed, I ran up to him and hugged him.


    ¡°Geez, Alexia, you¡¯re getting too strong for me,¡± he gasped. I apologized a thousand times and let him go but I couldn¡¯t erase that grin on my face. ¡°You look creepy, stop it,¡± he said and managed to grin although it was a forced one. He didn¡¯t look as bad as he did the day before though. All the cuts were treated and the bruises were already starting to heal but he still looked tired.


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡± I asked, hating to see him lifeless and beaten up. I had never seen Zane beaten up nor have anything small as a bruise or a cut. It seemed out of order to see him like that.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dead, Alexia,¡± he said bit his lips when he realized what he said. A gloomy silence prated the atmosphere but as usual Jace broke it.


    ¡°Both of you have to join Lucas for brunch,¡± Jace interrupted, gesturing us out of the room. The deadly silence disappeared as I tried to help Zane get up to his feet but he wouldn¡¯t allow me to touch him at all. He said I shouldn¡¯t be babying him and walked stiffly in front of me while Jace led our little band to what must¡¯ve been the dining room. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I should call it the dining room because it was way too big and spacious to such a name like that.


    The dining table itself was made of expensive mahogany and the chairs were well cushioned for support. The furnishings were rich and decorative, beckoning anyone to sit down for a meal.


    Alpha de was working on something and looked up at us, gesturing us to take a seat anywhere. He removed his work and examined Zane from head to toe.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking quite better,¡± hemented.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± Zane said. ¡°Why are we even here with you?¡±


    ¡°Well as the Alpha of both towns, it¡¯s my duty to make sure everyone in my pack is safe,¡± he said simply but it wasn¡¯t simple at all.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± I yelled, making poor Cynthia jump when she came in with our food. She hurriedly ced it down on the table and left, noticing that it was a bad time to interrupt.


    ¡°Did your dad not tell you?¡± Alpha de said but he waved his hands. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What matter is that you two are now in my care.¡± That was what dad was trying to tell me and Zane that morning in the kitchen. He had told us that he would further exin itter that night.


    ¡°We can live somewhere else. I¡¯m old enough,¡± Zane growled, standing up from the table.


    ¡°You can leave if you want but your sister has to stay here. We are, after all mated,¡± Alpha de stated. He seemed willing to let Zane go.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± Zane yelled. Cynthia hade in the room again, thinking the matter had died down and jumped, spilling water from the cups she was pouring into. She gave up and left the empty cups and the water pitcher for us to help ourselves.


    ¡°You heard me correctly,¡± Alpha de said.


    ¡°When was this Alexia?¡± Zane turned to me with wide eyes, staring at me usingly. He was hurt that I wasn¡¯t the one to tell him.


    ¡°It happened right before that explosion,¡± I said quietly.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard this before either, Lucas,¡± Jace said, frowning at his friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you had sensed it,¡± Alpha de said, shrugging.


    ¡°Not with that fucking explosion,¡± Jace scowled. We were getting off topic and I needed to be nice so he would be kind and let me off on this stupid promise that we made. I couldn¡¯t possibly be his mate. A part of me liked the idea of a strong, handsome Alpha to be my mate, but knowing that the Alpha was Lucas de had kind of crushed my dreams.


    ¡°Alpha de, please let me and my brother go. We won¡¯t do you any harm,¡± I begged in my best well-mannered voice.


    ¡°You must keep your word Alexia. We had a deal,¡± he growled. Yeah, a deal with the devil.


    ¡°What deal?¡± Zane interrupted. Just as I was trying to ease our way out of the mess, Zane, being himself, was trying act as the older brother.


    ¡°If I saved her family then I would have the invitation to bite her and make her my Alpha female,¡± Alpha de exined, getting irritated by the moment.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t save them all,¡± I pointed out, angrily.


    ¡°Then maybe we shouldn¡¯t letanyof your family to live at all,¡± he hissed and had Zane by the throat in a millisecond. His grip wasn¡¯t strong enough to hurt a werewolf like Zane, but he still held him in ce.


    ¡°Stop it Lucas!¡± I screamed and jumped. I didn¡¯t know why the hell I called him by his first name but I despised the name as soon as it had left my mouth. Jace stopped me, pinning my arms together before I could w out the Alpha¡¯s face.


    ¡°Sorry, Alexia but I have to do what Lucas says, even if I don¡¯t fully agree with it,¡± Jace said apologetically. I tried to get him off but he held me tighter, forcing me to look at the Alpha.


    ¡°You will be my Alpha female,¡± he growled low, the werewolf side of him almost at the surface. Zane looked petrified and tortured, trying to save oxygen but he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold it any longer.


    ¡°Let him go!¡± I yelled again but he ignored me.


    ¡°Say it,¡± he warned with a tighter lock on Zane. I felt the Alpha¡¯s anger and although Zane was really tall, the Alpha was way taller and stronger. Zane was losing conscious, his eyes slowly rolling to the back of his head. Tears stained my vision. I wouldn¡¯t be able to bear losing Zane too.


    ¡°Fine. Just let him go,¡± I sobbed and the Alpha let Zane go.


    I blindly went to Zane, crying and leaving snot all over him. He was alive and conscious but barely. His breathing was fast andbored as he tried to inhale as much oxygen as possible. When I had wiped my tears that had fogged up my vision, I noticed that the Alpha had left the room, leaving the door broken into splinters.

 Chapter 9

    Lucas¡¯ POV


    I barged out of the room before I changed into my wolf form. The door was broken from my escape but it could be easily recedter. The anger and frustration had gotten the best of me that I ripped my nice clothes during my untimely change. If I stayed for another second, I certainly would have killed her brother. I hadn¡¯t meant to hurt her brother but she didn¡¯t keep her promise.


    I had to bite her and mark her mine but it was bing harder than I thought. She was infatuating, driving me insane but at the same time, I was in awe of her quirkiness. Her sharp attitude and her dislike towards me have driven me crazy. How can such a girl refuse to an once-in-a-lifetime chance of bing Alpha female? Damn. She wasn¡¯t like most girls.


    Even though she made me want to shoot myself at times, figuratively speaking, I somehow liked that about her. She was quick with words and knew how to talk back. I admired her. Other girls would bat their eyes at me and try to ¡°win me over.¡± It would be absolutely disgusting if it wasn¡¯t so hrious but Alexia was definitely not that type.


    She reminded me of my older sister, Lexi, who was just as good with words as Alexia. Just thinking about Lexi made me howl in sorrow. The blue dress Alexia had been wearing was one of Lexi¡¯s old clothing, one that she wore often and seeing Alexia wear it had opened a wound in my heart. They both had the same ck hair and simr personality. Alexia and Zane¡¯s sibling rtionship was so dead on to what Lexi¡¯s and my rtionship was. We had always joked around and pulled silly pranks on each other growing up and we were closer than anything in the world. Nothing could keep us apart¡­except death.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I tried to run away from that wretched mansion that had held all the painful memories but the memory of the past haunted me. Running away wouldn¡¯t make me forget what happened.


    I lost Lexi and my parents three years ago when a werewolf hunter crashed a party, killing a third of the pack. I was forced to stay home since it was an ¡°adult¡¯s¡± party. I remembered my seventeen year old self begging my parents to take me. The party, as I found outter, was an ambush that killed almost everyone. Few made it out alive and many others were hurt but my parents and Lexi were the unlucky ones. They had been assassinated by the werewolf hunter, each shot exactly once through the heart with a silver bullet, instantly killing them.


    When one of the elder pack members visited me that night and told me of the tragic news, I was in aplete wreck. Being an immature boy I was, I let myself get drunk and do things I would scowl at if it happened today but I knew my pack needed me since I had be the next Alpha. At first the fa?ade of holding off any emotions was hard to pull on but now, after three years, I could put on a straight face. But recently, Alexia had made it hard to pull it off.


    I kept running in any direction hoping to let out the thousand conflicting feelings that went through me. I hated showing emotions because it was a sign of weakness but when I was with her, my well-rehearsed emotions would falter. Her image invaded my head and no matter how far I ran, she was still there. I growled. I was the Alpha. I couldn¡¯t get blinded by what people thought of as love. Love was for the weak.


    The only reason I was trying to bite her and make her mine was so that I wouldn¡¯t be a shame in the society of our pack. If people found out I haven¡¯t bitten her yet, it would be a disgrace and people would start to question if it was right for me to be the Alpha. Rumor already spread that I couldn¡¯t control her and that she was reckless and never listened to what I said, which was true, but the rumor was embarrassing on my part.


    I soon reached the far end of the woods away from the house when I smelled someone new. I would always have been able to smell someone and knew who it was before I saw them but this scent was entirely new. I followed the scent, letting my instincts guide me to find this intruder. The scent was moving quickly to the mansion.


    I sped up, my hind legs pushing itself powerfully to move faster. I couldn¡¯t let anyone get hurt, especially Alexia or else the society would surely have me by the head. I stopped at the edge of the woods that surrounded the mansion. I was in the backyard when I spotted Alexia and Zane walking together, barefoot on the soft grasswn. It wasn¡¯t their scent I smelled but someone else. I scanned the perimeter of the area until I spotted the intruder.

 Chapter 10

    The human was well hidden behind the bushes but I picked him up quite easily. He was hiding stealthily and observed Alexia and Zane from a distance. I waited, hoping the stupid human would turn and leave, but he suddenly took something out and aimed at them. It was a weapon.


    My reflexes kicked in and in a split second, I was on the other side ofwn, pinning the human down on the ground before he had a chance to attack. Alexia and Zane shouted my name when I zoomed past them clearly confused but I was too preupied. I was still in my wolf form, my teeth vibrating from the deep snarl, ready to rip the human¡¯s head.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alexia said to me, horrified. She came up to me and tried to push me off the human but of course I wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°He can¡¯t breathe!¡± she shouted and I noticed he was turning into different shades of red so I let go of the human. I changed back to my human form but pinned him down just in case he would escape.


    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Alexia said to the human but he looked at her as if he had just seen a ghost. He tried to pull out his weapon but I kicked his hand before he had a chance and took his human weapon. The human screamed in pain and Alexia scolded me again. Zane put his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down and she instantly rxed at the touch of her brother. Anger shot through me, surprising me. Was it jealousy? I was officially crazy.


    ¡°Do you even know what this is?¡± I yelled at her, holding the gun in front of her face. It wasn¡¯t just a gun. It was a special gun that held silver bullets, one of the few things that can injure us and possibly kill us if it hits a vital organ. ¡°He¡¯s a werewolf hunter,¡± I spat out the word, disgusted. I should¡¯ve been more responsible and took him out sooner so Alexia wouldn¡¯t have to be involved in this.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡± Alexia said, ignoring my outburst.


    ¡°No one,¡± he grunted and tried to look unafraid but I saw through his mask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me kid. Answer her,¡± I growled even though he wasn¡¯t a kid at all. He looked somewhere between Alexia¡¯s and my age with dirty brown hairing down his face probably from days of traveling. If he came traveling this far and to this specific house, then had a reason to be here. To kill me.


    ¡°Do whatever you want. I¡¯m not going to say anything else,¡± he said harshly at me but continued to stare at Alexia the whole time. What was his problem? She wasmymate. Again the jealously was driving me crazy. I didn¡¯t like this new feeling I seemed to have.


    ¡°Just take him prisoner Luce,¡± Jace said,ing up behind me. I barely noticed himing up behind me. He held a smirk on his face and looked very interested. ¡°I¡¯ll take him to the dungeon downstairs. It hasn¡¯t been used since the old days. How fun would that be,¡± Jace thought out loud and winked at Alexia. When his mind was set on something, he definitely never let it go. It was probably wise to put the human there until we got more information from him anyways so I agreed with Jace.


    ¡°Take him, Jace,¡± I said, letting the human enough space to get up but not enough to make a clear escape. He seemed to have figured it out too because he got up without running but continued to stare at Alexia. She looked a little frightened and shocked but she didn¡¯t dare look away. Zane also seemed interested in our newfound prisoner.


    Jace took him by the arms and dragged him away. All the way to the house, he continued to stare. Alexia and Zane looked like they had just seen a ghost. I saw them holding each other¡¯s hand tightly as if sending a secret message that was only meant for them.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with you two?¡± I asked confused.


    ¡°T-T-Travis,¡± Alexia whispered.

 Chapter 11

    ¡°What?¡± Lucas asked, unable to hide his confusion. Many things were going through my head too.


    Travis was the son of dad¡¯s human friend who had been killed by a werewolf. One of the werewolves that were new in town didn¡¯t know the peaceful rules we had with humans and had gotten angry at my dad¡¯s human friend. They had a bar fight and in the end, Travis¡¯ dad died.


    Travis, Zane, and I were closer than acquaintances but not enough to be remembered as a friend. Thest I¡¯ve heard of him, he moved to live with his aunt several states away. I had no idea what he was doing here, no less with a gun full of silver bullets.


    ¡°Maybe we should take this inside,¡± Zane breathed, still trying to take in everything that had happened,


    Lucas nodded and led us to his living room, making us sit on the couches and exin everything. Zane gave me a nervous look but I didn¡¯t see any harm in telling Lucas so I told him the whole story of our rtion with Travis. When I was done with my long speech of our history, he gave us a nk face without saying anything which probably meant he was thinking.


    I smiled to myself. I was getting better at reading his face and his actions. He had been careful not to let anyone know his true emotions, always hiding behind a fa?ade but sometimes, just sometimes I would see it falter and I would be able to get through his thick skin.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this werewolf hunter is a friend of yours?¡± he finally said, not hiding his disgust. It was very unlikely for a werewolf to have any human friends but dad liked to stretch out his resources and so he attempted to mingle with humans.


    ¡°Not a friend, just someone we knew back then,¡± I answered, absentmindedly. I was too busy thinking about what his purpose toe back to town was.


    ¡°I need to see him,¡± I said, standing up from the plushy couch. ¡°Which way?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s kept as a prisoner, not as a little toy you can y with whenever you want,¡± Lucas said rather annoyed than angry.


    ¡°Well, first of all, he¡¯s not a toy, and if you want definite answers then we¡¯re probably your best shot,¡± I smirked, knowing that my reason would spark an interest in Lucas.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Werewolf hunters don¡¯t tell you anything. That¡¯s how they¡¯re still in existence. If they did tell us anything about their society, we would¡¯ve already wiped them out by now. He¡¯s not going to tell you anything.¡±


    I gave him a stern look, boring into his eyes, a brave thing to do considering how his eyes were so dark and intimidating. His eyes dropped for a second and he stood up. I had won.


    When he stood up, he easily towered over me. He swerved his way past me, our bodies missing by an inch. I hated the tingly feeling that I felt when he was close. Stupid mate crap.


    ¡°This way,¡± he guided.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Zane asked seriously that it was hard to tell if he was really my brother or not.


    ¡°Of course I want to! Don¡¯t you want to know why he¡¯s here or are you too scared?¡± I smirked at him.


    He smiled a little, nudging me. ¡°Me scared? Nah, but maybe a little curious,¡± he said but his smile dropped. We both didn¡¯t have a good feeling about Travis. If he was back in town with silver bullets, it wasn¡¯t to cuddle with werewolves.

 Chapter 12

    Lucas finally stopped at an old doorway at the end of a hallway and opened it. It led to a set of stairs leading downwards and he resumed descending the stairs.


    ¡°He¡¯s a stubborn one,¡± Jace groaned, rubbing his stomach when we had reached the bottom. The so called dungeon wasn¡¯t as dark and mysterious as I had thought. It was a in room with bare walls and a small cell that looked oddly out of ce. A little too modern to be called a dungeon. ¡°That bastard,¡± he whispered, narrowing his eyes in Travis¡¯ direction who was now in a cell.


    ¡°I may not have sensitive hearing like you werewolves but even I can hear that,¡± Travis spat.


    ¡°Maybe it was meant to be heard,¡± Jace hissed back.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Lucas boomed, silencing both of them. He then nodded to me, encouraging me to question Travis for a clear view of his motives.


    ¡°Can you two leave?¡± I said pointing to Lucas and Jace. They both gave me hesitant looks but they followed out my request.


    When they left, I made my way over to Travis examining him. He had a tired look on his face, full of dark circles and bruises. I noticed he still had the same wavy brown hair, now matted with dirt that came willingly down to his eyebrow unlike my untamable hair. He stared at me as if I was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. I frowned.


    ¡°Travis¡­¡± I started to say but stopped. The hostility on his face scared me to silence. I stupidly stared at him, observing how he had changed over the course of time and I had to say time had done him well. His short stubby legs grew long and muscr and his broad shoulders were well defined, but the most change he went through was his newfound hatred he had on werewolves.


    ¡°You two of all people are werewolves,¡± he exasperated.


    ¡°Watch your attitude,¡± Zane growled. This really wasn¡¯t like Zane even if he had turned on his brotherly role. I took his hand hoping to calm him and he did, backing away from the spotlight for me.


    ¡°And you¡¯re a werewolf hunter,¡± I said, crossing my arms, making sure we made eye contact. The most important thing when you want to pry information from someone, my dad once told me.


    ¡°They killed my dad,¡± Travis said bluntly.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Lucas and Jace,¡± I eximed. I didn¡¯t know why I was protecting them but it wouldn¡¯t even fit if they were the ones who attacked his dad. They were a little older than Travis who was eleven at the time so the timeframe was off. ¡°Why did youe here of all ces?¡± I asked when he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to know,¡± he shrugged and sat down on the makeshift bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a freaking cell and we¡¯re the only ones who can help you so if there¡¯s anything you want to tell us, I advise you start now,¡± Zane said, cutting to the chase. I was going for a slower approach but Zane had quickened the pace a little faster than I had nned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell and I don¡¯t n to but I should warn you that it isn¡¯t wise to ally with them,¡± Travis gritted his teeth, unable to hold the hatred he had against them.


    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing else you want to tell us, then I guess we¡¯ll just leave you in your pathetic cell,¡± Zane said leading us up the stairs.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Travis said, quietly. We stopped by the doorframe, waiting. ¡°That Alpha¡¯s father was the one who killed my father that night.¡±

 Chapter 13

    My world collided, so many conflicting feelingsing at once but confusion beat them all. How the heck was it possible? But I thought closer and it began to fit. Lucas wasn¡¯t from my town so his father being the ¡®newbie¡¯ in town made perfect sense for his reckless action but then again, it could¡¯ve been anyone. Where was the proof?


    ¡°What evidence do you have to even make this absurd conclusion?¡± Zane said, reading my thoughts.


    ¡°The information was passed down to me directly from your father who happened to be there that night,¡± Travis exined.


    ¡°And why would dad tell you?¡± I mumbled more to myself.


    ¡°He told me before I left because he took pity on me,¡± Travis said. What I didn¡¯t understand was why on earth would dad tell a fifteen year old human boy? It was nearly two years ago. ¡°Now let me get out so I can avenge my father¡¯s death.¡± That was going to be harder than he thought since that person happened to be my mate.


    ¡°We can¡¯t help you. He¡¯s our Alpha,¡± Zane gritted his teeth, trying to keep everything neutral as possible. If he wasn¡¯t able to control his emotions, he would go under the change right in front of a human.


    ¡°Your Alpha?¡± Travis said, genuinely confused. Of course, he didn¡¯t know. Zane and I stood there, not saying anything to the confused Travis.


    ¡°Their father has passed away from a tragic fire,¡± Jace said, opening the door. Had he heard everything through the door? He was right behind me and nted a hand on my shoulder attempting to soothe me. ¡°I think we should all stop here for today because apparently I need to feed this prisoner. I advised not to but Lucas had pestered me that we still need him alive,¡± Jace sighed, a bored expression yed on his face but I knew he was interested in our conversation.


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be sleeping down here in a cell,¡± I frowned. I had a weird sense for the need to protect him. Maybe because dad had also had grown pity on him but I had to remember that he could easily kill me even if I wasn¡¯t exactly a werewolf yet.


    ¡°He¡¯d kill Lucas and whoever else if we even let him out. Believe me we¡¯re all safe with him safely in there,¡± Jace said, pointing. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Alexia but I don¡¯t really feel like dying today,¡± he said sarcastically.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°If we were to let you stay overnight would you kill Lucas and run away?¡± I said, ignoring Jace and looking directly to Travis.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he scoffed. I didn¡¯t know why I even bothered asking.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry. Good night,¡± I said quickly and climbed the rest of the stairs and out of the dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Zane mumbled once we had walked back to the living room. Lucas was nowhere in sight so I assumed he had other business to take care of.


    ¡°Me either,¡± I yawned. I was a tab bit overwhelmed at everything today.


    ¡°We should both get some sleep. It¡¯s already dark outside,¡± Zane observed. The moon had made its nightly routine, setting itself smack in the middle of the sky.


    ¡°I think you guys should hear this first,¡± Jace saiding up from the dark hallway. ¡°It¡¯s just so whatever happened in there wouldn¡¯t make you two have different views of Lucas and his family.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, surprise me,¡± I scoffed. I doubt that Jace could ever make me pity Lucas. I mean I know it wasn¡¯t Lucas¡¯ fault that Travis¡¯ dad was killed and I agree Travis¡¯ intention of killing Lucas was wrong but I didn¡¯t think I would be able to look at Lucas the same way.


    ¡°Travis¡¯ dad might¡¯ve initiated the fight but it was your dad was the one who actually killed him in the end. Of course byplete ident,¡± Jace said.

 Chapter 14

    ¡°Travis¡¯ dad might¡¯ve initiated the fight but it was your dad was the one who actually killed him in the end. Of course byplete ident,¡± Jace said.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What the hell? How on earth would you know?¡± I said offended by his usation. Zane frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I happened to be there,¡± Jace said simply.


    ¡°That was six years ago at a bar dimwit. You wouldn¡¯t have been allowed in anyways,¡± Iughed harshly. I had caught him there.


    ¡°How old do you take me for?¡± Jace mused, a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Too young to go off and hanging around in a bar six years ago,¡± I spat harshly.


    ¡°Gee, thanks but I¡¯m twenty-seven for your information,¡± he smirked. My jaws dropped. There was no way he was that old. I knew he was older than Lucas but I thought he was at least in his early twenties. He smirked at my reaction. ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be mated by now?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. Usually werewolves found each other¡¯s mate when they were really young around my age. It was weird to see that Jace still didn¡¯t have a mate.


    Jace¡¯s mused face fell and he looked tortured. ¡°My mate was Lexi, Lucas¡¯ sister,¡± he said through his teeth. He looked like he was the verge of tears, his whole body stiffened. My mind metaphorically exploded from all the new information that had attacked me.


    ¡°Lucas has a sister? You were mated?¡± I asked more to myself, confused at his use of past tense.


    ¡°She was killed along with Lucas¡¯ parents at a party that was ambushed by the werewolf hunters sent by that fucking human,¡± Jace cursed openly, referring to the ¡®human¡¯ as Travis.


    ¡°And how would you know?¡± I said coolly but I started to realize that it was most likely Travis.


    ¡°We were all there except Lucas since he was underage and when the werewolf hunters came in they shouted for Lucas¡¯ dad saying that they wouldn¡¯t harm anyone who led them to him,¡± Jace said with his eyes closed, thinking about the painful memory.


    ¡°It was hectic and when no one cooperated, they started a killing rampage. Some of us were able to take down a few dozen hunters but they just kept rolling in one after another. Fucking werewolf hunters killed them all. Killed Lexi,¡± he whispered when he said her name. No wonder Lucas always seemed so secluded and emotionless. His mood and abrupt anger must¡¯ve been caused by the loss of his parents and sister. The mass murder was only two years ago.


    I also knew what Jace was going through. Even though it was his mate who he lost, I still shared themon connection of losing someone close to you. In instinct, I put my arms around him and tried to soothe him. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± I said, meaning it with my heart.


    ¡°Thanks, kiddo,¡± he gave a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too for bringing up all the past. I thought it would be good for you to not get confused with anything and make your own opinion based on it but Lucas, I assure you, isn¡¯t a bad person.¡±


    Zane led me upstairs and when we reached my door, he spoke. ¡°Alexia, is there, by any ridiculous chance, that dad might¡¯ve told Travis who killed his dad because he was hoping that Travis would eventually kill Lucas¡¯ dad and that way he could take up both packs?¡± he frowned, not liking his theory. He was waiting for me to counter back and prove him wrong and I wanted to prove him wrong but dad did have a motive but there was still one thing that was off.


    ¡°Then he would¡¯ve had to wait until Travis was old enough to take out his revenge,¡± I countered, hoping my argument would please both of us.


    ¡°When Travis moved, dad knew he would find the werewolf hunters and in turn they came to town to ambush the party Lucas¡¯ parents and sister were attending,¡± Zane said, looking like he was going to be sick.


    ¡°And when dad found out Lucas became the next Alpha, he still had the backup n that one day Travis woulde back and finish Lucas off for the revenge of his father,¡± I finished. All these years I thought of dad as a respectable man but he was a killer. I never would¡¯ve thought of him like this.


    ¡°Alexia, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Zane said, hugging me. I hadn¡¯t noticed but I had started to cry. So many events happened today that it was hard to keep all the emotions in. I let Zane hold me until I was able topose myself again. I was d that I still had Zane.


    ¡°We have each other,¡± I said, a tired smile creeping on my face.


    ¡°Yeah, we do,¡± he whispered. ¡°I really hate how Lucas thinks he can just barge in and take you like a conquered piece ofnd,¡± he said angrily but quietly so he wouldn¡¯t be overheard.


    ¡°We have to deal with it and hey, it¡¯s what mom and dad would¡¯ve wanted,¡± I replied quietly. ¡°I mean what they would¡¯ve wanted me and my mate,¡± I said, forgetting how dad didn¡¯t want Lucas alive.


    ¡°But they wouldn¡¯t want you to be forced into it,¡± he said, suddenly letting me go. ¡°I hate seeing you with him.¡±


    ¡°I made the deal and I know it was worth it. Worth seeing you alive and well,¡± I smiled, ruffling his hair.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my job,¡± heughed but ended up sighing. ¡°I just hope we can get through all this.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± I whispered and tiptoed to give him a kiss on the cheek. He ruffled my hair and retired to his room.


    I hesitated before opening the door to my room. Lucas¡¯ room. With my new knowledge, I was a little more than nervous to see him.

 Chapter 15

    ¡°It¡¯s about time you came back,¡± Lucas said, no trace of emotion on his face or his voice. He had juste out of the bathroom shirtless with only ck sweatpants on. His stomach was finely lined with muscles and his pecks were also well defined and muscr. God, I was going insane!


    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± I mumbled, ripping my gaze at his body, mentally pping myself.


    ¡°What did you find out?¡± he asked heading right into business.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°He thinks your dad killed his dad so he came to seek revenge,¡± I said awkwardly. It wasn¡¯t really my business even though my dad had a big y in this. I knew he knew that my dad was the killer because he just nodded along with what I said.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair enough for him to live,¡± Lucas said thinking.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t really going to kill him, were you?¡± I asked nervously. It was sometimes scary to even imagine what Lucas might be thinking.


    ¡°That would be thest resort but if he obeys then he¡¯ll be spared,¡± he said with authority. ¡°Now, about that deal,¡± he said,ing closer to me. Not now. Not now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your family,¡± I blurted out, hoping that it would distract him from the deal. It worked because Lucas lost his straight face. He frowned and stepped back, sighing.


    ¡°Jace told you I¡¯m guessing?¡± he said sadly, looking the other way.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said quietly. I touched his arms trying to make him meet my eyes but the tingling feeling was overwhelming for the both of us. The shock both made us catch each other¡¯s eyes. His usual stormy grey eyes were now milky and soft. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered. He just nodded.


    ¡°This still doesn¡¯t let you get away with your deal,¡± he said, huskily. My heart raced. I wasn¡¯t ready yet. I barely knew him and he was trying to mark me through force.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we make another deal?¡± I asked, backing away towards the door but something made me want to go closer to him, wanted to feel the tingly sensation again. I was in such a mess. One foot took a step forward without my permission and the other foot seemed to listen to me and tried to back away. He seemed to notice my dilemma and he used it against me.


    ¡°It¡¯s better for both of us this way,¡± he said darkly. ¡°You can¡¯t deny that even if you hate me, you still have that urge deep inside of you. Face it, we¡¯re both mated so why notplete what fate has for us?¡±


    He came closer, closing the space between us ridiculously fast. I could feel his breath on my skin as he tilted my chin. My goodness his eyes were so beautiful.


    I did feel that pull, the attraction towards him that I couldn¡¯t help. I backed away from his hand that held my chin but my head hit the wall. Before I could react he closed the space between uspletely.


    That bastard, I thought, feeling his lips into mine. I tried to break it but my body seemed to feel all light and tingly with excitement. It was an internal battle for sure. It seemed my body both wanted to p him and let go of him but the other side wanted to return the kiss.


    Eventually, I lost myself and started to kiss him back. Our bodies mingled and soon he broke off the kiss and trailed down to my jawbone and down my neck. He kissed my neck, his hot breath on my skin and about to bite¡­


    And then it hit me. Was it time? Was it time to finally ept my ce and listen to what fate had in store for me?

 Chapter 16

    *Alexia¡¯s POV*


    His breath stayed steady on my skin, inhaling my scent and I found myself doing the same. Although my senses weren¡¯t as heightened as a werewolf, I still smelled a hint of Armani Code cologne, not too strong but soft and lingering. I was definitely going crazy.


    I snapped back and pushed him away, avoiding his stretched canines that revealed his set of werewolf fangs, catching him by surprise.


    ¡°Alexia,¡± he growled and I ran for the bed since he blocked the door, the only escape route.


    ¡°Why do you even want to mark me?¡± I said angrily. Confusion and fear consumed my head. Did he have any feelings for me at all?


    ¡°Because we have to,¡± he said. He stayed where he was, his eyes hiding everything. The kiss obviously didn¡¯t mean anything to him and I tried to shake the disappointment out of my head. I gained a new level of hatred towards him but I had to keep the wretched deal.


    ¡°Give me a week,¡± I offered.


    He grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s way too long. I¡¯ll give you three,¡± he said, crossing his arms. When I didn¡¯t agree, he said more harshly, ¡°Consider it as my act of kindness. I could have easily gotten it done right here, right now since you¡¯re stuck in this room.¡±


    I was on the verge of tears not because I was scared but of frustration but I didn¡¯t dare show it. How could he do this to me? I know I had to keep my end of the bargain but what did he want me for? There was no use if he marked me or not but at least he was giving me more time. I wished I asked for a month instead. ¡°Fine,¡± I finally said. ¡°Three days.¡±


    He retracted his canines back and eyed me suspiciously. He moved away from the door and took something out of his closet. ¡°Here¡¯s your pajama,¡± he said, throwing a thin silky dress at me hard but I was still able to catch it midair. God, he was bi-pr. One second he kisses me and the next he overreacts and yells.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said in a mockingly sweet voice.


    *Lucas¡¯ POV*


    My God, was she confusing to understand. I know it was stupid of me to kiss her. Heck, I don¡¯t even know why I did it. It was as if something was pulling me towards her that I couldn¡¯t stop myself. My weakness was showing and I hated it. I had to show her who was in charge around here and that I needed to collect our unfinished deal.


    I threw the pajamas at her maybe a little harder than I had meant to but she listened and went inside the bathroom, shutting herself in there. I didn¡¯t even know if she had any other feelings besides hatred towards me. She did kiss me back but then it was probably from the pulling feeling we had for being mated and all but it was sad how she didn¡¯t think I had any feelings towards her but was she wrong on so many levels.


    Geez, I would get in huge trouble if I don¡¯t mark her soon. She was anyone¡¯s game in the open field and I tried to seclude myself and the house until I knew she would be safe with my marking on her. I couldn¡¯t let someone like Damon smooth talk her into whatever trouble she might get herself into. That Damon knew how to make things messy. He was the trouble maker of my pack and the most hard to control. What an embarrassment that would turn out to be.


    I sighed,ying on the bed. I kept my sweatpants on since I didn¡¯t think Alexia would like the idea of me sleeping with my boxers. Man, did she drive me insane! I never had girls disobeying me but she was apletely different case. She knew how to act her mind¡­except for that kiss.


    Shit, I was growing as crazy as mom and dad were when they were in love. I promised I would never be like that because that was the only time I saw my dad¡¯s weakness, when his strong appearance faltered.


    That was one mistake I wasn¡¯t going to make so why was I already failing?N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Was it possible to hate and love at the same time?


    *Alexia¡¯s POV*


    ¡°I told you I need more time!¡± Lucas¡¯ muffled voice was loud enough to wake me. Whew, when I checked my neck, I was still alive and unmarked.


    ¡°The Elders areing tomorrow. You can¡¯t expect me to dy everything!¡± Jace¡¯s voice rang through the walls. I got up from the bed and regretting to do so. The blood rushed through my head and it was hard to make out what they were saying. When everything returned to normal, I was able to hear.


    ¡°¡­have to,¡± Lucas snapped. ¡°She¡¯s so stubborn.¡± I instantly knew they were talking about me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lucas. Just get it done and over with,¡± a muffled familiar female voice said. It was Phoebe. I crept to the door to get a better hearing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it that she fulfills her deal,¡± Lucas mumbled.


    ¡°Do you even like her, Lucas? You can¡¯t just mark her when you don¡¯t even feel anything for her,¡± Jace chided. There was a pause.


    ¡°Oh my gosh,¡± Phoebe eximed.


    ¡°Never expected that from you, bro,¡± Jace said,ughing.


    What on earth were they talking about? It was a shame I couldn¡¯t see for myself. I was tempted to sneak a peek but the possibility of me getting caught was too risky.


    ¡°Did you find anything else Phoebe?¡± Lucas said, seemingly ignoring his two friend¡¯sments.


    ¡°No, the fire consumed any evidence,¡± Phoebe said frustrated. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still working on it.¡±


    ¡°Is she holding up alright?¡± Jace asked worriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You guys know how I¡¯m not good with rtionship stuff. You can¡¯t expect me to this perfect guy everyone tries to make of me,¡± Lucasined, groaning. That was one thing we could both agree on.


    ¡°All the girls are attached to you whenever you attend a party or even step outside a sidewalk on a busy day,¡± Phoebeughed. ¡°It¡¯s quite hrious actually.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t fall for him?¡± Jace smirked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known him through all this multi stages of his life. Those images disorientate what he is now,¡± Phoebe joked.


    ¡°Please Phoebe, you can¡¯t resist that face,¡± Jace joked.


    ¡°Will you guys stop acting so foolishly,¡± Lucas cut in but I could hear theughter in his voice.


    ¡°Come on, Lucas. You aren¡¯t fun like you used to be,¡± Phoebe smirked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Alpha, it¡¯s my job to be this boring,¡± he joked. I had never heard of Lucas joking andughing like he did now. It was¡­different and odd but I felt a smile creep up on my face.


    ¡°We have to go out partying like we all used to,¡± Jace mused.


    Before the conversation could go on, I heard a cellphone interrupt their conversation. ¡°This is Phoebe Malones. Yeah. You did? Okay, I¡¯ll be right there. See you,¡± she said and hung up. ¡°I have to get back to work. They might¡¯ve found something. I¡¯ll text you if I find anything useful,¡± she said and then I heard the door close and a car crank to life.


    ¡°I need you to try and persuade them toe a dayte,¡± Lucas said, going back to the main point.


    ¡°I will but it¡¯s not guaranteed,¡± Jace warned.


    ¡°Of course, but try your best,¡± Lucas said.


    The footsteps that came louder and closer told me that their conversation was officially over and I quietly ran back to bed as soon as Lucas opened the door.


    ¡°So you¡¯re finally awake,¡± he said in a neutral tone.


    ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± I replied, getting up from bed as if I had just woken up.


    ¡°Do you want to go somewhere today?¡± he asked suddenly that it had caught me off guard. He sat on the bed and looked at me for an answer. I sat there stupidly mesmerized by his eyes. Damn, screw his eyes.


    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± I asked, unable to tear my gaze at him. When I did, he lifted my chin back up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go,¡± he said and then drew his hands back to himself, surprised of what he had just did. ¡°Uh, I was thinking of the mall. Maybe get you some new clothes.¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± I said quietly. I didn¡¯t have anything else to do and it had been a while since I had actually gone outside.


    ¡°Okay? Cool, I¡¯ll be waiting downstairs,¡± he said. He got up from the bed and messed with my hair. I gave him a narrowed look that I always gave Zane when he did that and Lucasughed. He actuallyughed and I could tell it was genuine. I could get used to that.


    When he left, I quickly got ready and I found myself taking longer time than I usually did. I found another nice summer dress alreadyid out for me and brushed my hair. It was in a mess since I hadn¡¯t really given it a thought for the past days. Why was I spending so much on my appearance? I never really cared for it. Something was definitely wrong with me.


    I did a final take on my appearance despite the fact I hated myself for doing so and closed the bedroom door behind me only to bump into Zane. I was crushed into his bear hug. So much for the perfected hair and the smooth, crisp dress.


    ¡°Where are you heading off to sis? You look all dressy,¡± he observed.


    ¡°Ah, let me go, Zane. Can¡¯t. Breath,¡± I said with myst breath of oxygen. Heughed and messed my hair that was in perfect condition just a few second ago. When he finally let me go, I punched him in the arms.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the asion?¡± he backed off but he still had the mischievous grin that meant the torture wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°Lucas is taking me to the mall,¡± I answered a little hesitantly. He instantly stopped grinning.


    ¡°When did you start calling him by his first name,¡± he frowned. ¡°And why on earth would he take you to the mall?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when actually,¡± I said honestly. I guess it just happened. ¡°But I do need new clothes since I don¡¯t think he¡¯d want me to ruin his sister¡¯s clothing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t n to get me anything?¡± he asked, pointing to his hand-me-down and pouting.


    ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re sucha kid. I¡¯ll ask Lucas,¡± Iughed and headed downstairs. I didn¡¯t want to keep Lucas waiting or else who knew what he would do.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to leave me all alone?¡± he said, putting on a sad face.


    ¡°Yes, grow up,¡± I stuck my tongue out at him and continued down the stairs.


    *Zane¡¯s POV*


    I sighed in relief when Alexia finally exited downstairs. Her presence had taken me by surprise. I tried to act my normal self but it was getting harder these days. Thankfully, Alexia hadn¡¯t noticed yet. Mom and dad¡¯s death made me realize that I needed get my childish act together and act more mature.


    Dad lectured me a couple thousand times about taking up his job as Alpha but I thought I had time before my dad would give the responsibility of the pack to me. Knowing that he nned to give the pack to Lucas de made me angry but now I epted it pretty well but I still can¡¯t look at Lucas for a second without loathing him.


    I know my actions weren¡¯t really fair because he had been kind to me so far. He was the one who saved me from the fire.


    Everything was hazy but I did remember dancing with a beautiful girl with amazing blonde curls. She led me out of the ballroom and into a random room. I thought we were going to have some fun but I cked out before we were able to do anything. The next thing I knew it, Lucas was shaking me back to conscious and the mes were eating away everything. I didn¡¯t tell Alexia because I knew it would scare her and worry her which was thest thing I wanted to do since she also had so many things going on.


    Lucas had also visited me several times but yesterday¡¯s visit was the most surprising. He asked my own opinion on how to get Alexia to stop hating him. Iughed out loud but when he looked at me seriously, I gave him my honest opinion.


    I told him to spend time with her and get to know her before he went all ¡®I-need-to-mark-her¡¯ mode that he was always in. He seemed like a nice guy except the time he almost killed me but I understood his frustration but I still made sure I was a safe distance away from him. He must¡¯ve been under a lot of stress but then it wasn¡¯t right for him to threaten to kill me. I shuddered at the thought of death. Come on, I was still too young to die.


    I walked down the stairs once it was obviously the two left. Yesterday¡¯s conversation had left me confused and I had a favor to ask.


    As soon as I descended from the stairs, Travis stood up, rattling the bars. ¡°You better let me go!¡± he growled. When he realized it was me, he instantly cooled off. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just you.¡±


    ¡°I can leave if you want,¡± I offered.


    His eyes widened. ¡°Help me get out of here,¡± Travis pleaded. He looked like a pretty pathetic werewolf hunter.


    ¡°You¡¯d kill Lucas. I can¡¯t let you do that,¡± I shrugged. We both knew his intentions.


    ¡°Why are you so protective over him? Even if he¡¯s your Alpha, you know you should have been the next Alpha for your dad¡¯s pack. Kill him and be done with it. Then you¡¯ll be in charge of two packs,¡± he suggested. He thought he could tempt me but I knew I could never take that huge of a responsibility.


    I found a chair and sat down next to the cell. I sighed. ¡°You humans are so simple minded. Honestly, I¡¯m not that responsible nor do I want that kind of responsibility and second, Alexia is mated with him.¡±


    ¡°What the hell? I don¡¯t see any marked symbol on her,¡± he said, genuinely surprised. Usually werewolves would get marked as soon as they find their mates. I guess Alexia didn¡¯t think she was ready and personally, I agreed. Getting marked at sixteen was pretty fast in the werewolf world.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mark her yet,¡± I said annoyed. This wasn¡¯t why I came down here. I tried refocusing my true intentions. ¡°Hey, I know you and my dad were pretty close so I came here to ask you for your help,¡± I said, avoiding the fact that my dad was actually the one who killed his dad, whether it was intentional or not.


    ¡°I can¡¯t exactly help you if I¡¯m stuck here,¡± he frowned.


    ¡°If I get you out, will you help?¡± I asked. A sudden interest sparked in Travis¡¯ eyes when I bribed him with freedom.


    ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°The werewolf hunters always take notes on werewolf activities, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he said slowly.


    ¡°I need you to go through their documents and find anything about my parent¡¯s death and who the murderer is.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    We entered the mall just in time for the hectic afternoon schedule. People were bustling around, hitting as many stores as they could and it was hard to get around without bumping into them.


    ¡°Take my hand,¡± Lucas said and grabbed it before I could protest. Even with therge, bustling crowd, I still received long, hostile res at all the women that passed by. Their heads turned around, still staring daggers at me while trying to get an extra nce at Lucas. Maybe it was a big mistake toe.


    I instantly let go of his hand, hoping it would stop the ring but it didn¡¯t stop. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯ll get lost in this hectic ce,¡± he said, taking my hand again. I decided to look down, hoping it would solve the intimidation I felt from the women. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± he asked, worriedly.


    ¡°Just trying to keep the res off of me,¡± I said through my teeth, hoping no one would think I was talking to him. Otherwise, I would earn more res.


    ¡°What are you talking about Alexia?¡± He must¡¯ve been an idiot for not noticing the obvious death res I¡¯ve been receiving.


    ¡°You don¡¯t notice all the women looking at you as if you¡¯re a god and then scorning me as if I¡¯m trash?¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°You¡¯re scared of them?¡± he smirked. He tilted my chin upwards, his fingertips warm, sending a rush of heat to my cheeks. I received icy res at various women who passed by and I darted my eyes anywhere but them. Heughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny,¡± I frowned, hating how he enjoyed tormenting me.


    ¡°They¡¯re just jealous, rx,¡± he said in a light voice.


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± I mumbled.


    He ignored myment. ¡°Where to first?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Surprise me,¡± I said since I didn¡¯t know any good stores. Abercrombie was OK except the nude pictures that decorated the walls. I always felt awkward shopping in a store that could most likely pass as a porn shop.


    ¡°You asked for it,¡± he grinned. I didn¡¯t know if I should regret it or not but really, I had no choice now.


    He led me to a store with a name I wasn¡¯t very familiar with. At least it wasn¡¯t the porn shop.


    As soon as we walked in, beautiful clothing were disyed everywhere, starting with casual clothing to amazing gowns that were to die for. Lucas must¡¯ve noticed my awed face because heughed.


    ¡°You can get whatever you want,¡± he smiled. I didn¡¯t know what his weekly paycheck or how much he had on his bank ount but this was way too much.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do this,¡± I said feeling guilty. I know he did so much for me when he saved Zane and me but getting expensive clothes shouldn¡¯t have been on the list.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick it out for you then,¡± he mused and rummaged around the store until he came back with a big pile of clothes. ¡°Try these,¡± he ordered and shoved me in a dressing room with the clothes he had picked. Geez, when did he be so obsessed with clothes?


    I changed one outfit after another with Lucas observing me. I didn¡¯t open the dressing room door on purpose but Lucas threatened me so I had to oblige. I was on thest outfit he picked when he gave me some dresses to try on.


    ¡°Are you crazy? I don¡¯t do dresses,¡± I said, crossing my arms.


    ¡°Well you wore it at the party,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°That was a party, I don¡¯t really like wearing dresses other than special asions,¡± I argued.


    ¡°Well you¡¯ll be attending more parties in the future so might as well shop for them while we¡¯re here.¡± I was going to protest but Lucas didn¡¯t take no for an answer. He really had a way with words.


    One of the dresses he picked out was a teal blue that didn¡¯t look too scandalous but it did look nice on my slim body, showing off some skin. It hugged my waist and my stomach in a nicefortable way and the dress came down to the floor in a majestically. It probably cost hundreds of dors.


    ¡°Are you done in there?¡± Lucas asked. I hesitantly opened the door and awkwardly waited there for him to asset me but he didn¡¯t say anything. I looked up at him and saw him astonished and in awe, his emotions were very clear then and it was easily etched in his face. He caught me looking at him and he cleared his voice. ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± I was disappointed by hisck of positive feedback but I shook my head. Who cared what he thought?


    After the end of the shopping fantasia, I remembered that I had promised Zane to get him some new clothes. ¡°Lucas¡­Zane needs some clothes to,¡± I said, feeling awful for asking more when he just bought me everything a girl could dream of.


    ¡°Ah, of course, always caring for your sibling,¡± he sighed, smiling to himself. He must have been thinking about Lexi. ¡°We¡¯ll both see what we can find,¡± he said kindly, shaking his head from the fond memory of his sister.


    In one hour, we found a good number of outfits for Zane and Lucas paid for everything with his tinum credit card. The cashier who checked out the items was a tall brte with flirtatious eyes. The clothes weren¡¯t the only things she was checking out. She nced lustfully every so often that it almost made me want to bolt out of there and throw up.


    ¡°Is this your younger sister?¡± she asked, barely giving me a second look. Sheesh, how could this woman even think we were siblings? We looked nothing alike except for the ck hair.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s my fianc¨¦e,¡± he said, wrapping his hand around my waist. Was he drunk? Or was he abducted by aliens and reced by a psychopath? I didn¡¯t blush at all. I just stood there stunned like the cashier.


    The cashier¡¯s smile faltered but she still kept the flirting on. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that sad. Here¡¯s my number in case you get bored,¡± she winked, writing down her number quickly on his receipt. Anger coursed through me or was it jealousy? I know I shouldn¡¯t have cared but man, that girl was irritating.


    Lucas took the bags and ignored the receipt. ¡°You forgot your receipt,¡± the cashier said, waving it at him desperately.


    ¡°You can keep it, I got what I need here,¡± he said kissing my cheeks. I flinched but the cashier didn¡¯t notice because she was too busy pouting at Lucas. What the hell was wrong with him today?


    When we headed outside, he made sure we were linking arms like actual couples. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I scoffed, trying to pull away.


    ¡°We have to act like couples since this ce is crowded with werewolves,¡± he whispered but made it pretend like he was whispering something seductively in my ear.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t marked me yet? What about your ¡®reputation¡¯ and pride as being the Alpha?¡± I said harshly. Apparently it was embarrassing for an Alpha to be mated but had not marked their mate.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to sacrifice my dignity for your happiness,¡± I said in my ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that happy when people are giving me dirty looks everywhere I look,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°We can go to the Starbucks around the corner and hide ourselves in the back,¡± he offered. I mumbled something unintelligent, very much annoyed with the looks I¡¯ve been getting.


    When we entered Starbucks, he ordered me a caramel frappe and a in ck coffee for himself. ¡°You have to try this, I heard it tastes amazing,¡± he said handing me the frappe. I trusted him and found it to be delicious. The sweet taste filled my mouth, making me reenergized and happier.


    ¡°Thanks, I needed that,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Was this shopping experience terrible?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It was fun while itsted but the looks from those people kind of killed it,¡± I said honestly. There was no need to make him feel better by lying. He already knew the answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. They shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s OK as long as they don¡¯t attack me. I swear they wanted to pounce on me and see me die,¡± I shuddered, my mind reying all those blood thirsty looks.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get out of here,¡± he smiled, lending a hand to help me up but I didn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re trying to be nice but I¡¯m not buying it,¡± I made sure my statement was clear. That came out harsher than I thought but I couldn¡¯t take back my words once they were out. Everything was confusing and I wasn¡¯t sure of his true feelings for me. Was he nice because he needs me marked to salvage his reputation or did he really have an interest in me?


    ¡°Alexia, did you ever think that I might just straight out like you?¡±


    ¡°Highly unlikely,¡± I lied.


    ¡°You drive me insane,¡± he said, honestly.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I have that affect.¡±


    Lucas sighed. ¡°You¡¯re impossible, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fully aware.¡±


    Lucas grinned. ¡°I like that about you. You¡¯re so blunt and straightforward.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± I narrowed my eyes. He justughed and messed around with my hair which earned him a re.


    Despite our small bicker, we were able to get back to the house earlier than we both had thought. We were just in time for dinner. Cynthia greeted us and told us to wash up for dinner. Lucas gave me Zane¡¯s bag of clothes to give to him.


    I knocked politely on his door but there was no answer and when I opened it, he wasn¡¯t in there so I left the bag on his bed. I quickly washed my hands in the hallway sink and rushed downstairs for dinner. When I entered, Inded in the middle of a heated conversation between Lucas, Zane, and Jace.


    ¡°You can¡¯t let him out, are you out of your mind kid?¡± Jace practically yelled, waving his hands to emphasize the craziness.


    ¡°But he¡¯s the only way to actually finding the real murderer. They have resources everywhere and they most likely excavated the scene, detailing everything in their documents. That¡¯s how they work,¡± Zane argued back. Who was thishethey were talking about?


    ¡°But Phoebe is doing the best she can and we don¡¯t need the human to cause any more deaths in this house. The only thing we can do is keep the human and wait for any news from Phoebe,¡± Jace argued back.


    ¡°He promised he won¡¯t hurt Lucas. He even agreed to blood promising,¡± Zane spat at Jace.


    Lucas raised his eyebrow. ¡°Blood promising. That¡¯s somewhat tipping the scale to this request,¡± he said thoughtfully. Blood promise was the most sacred promise anyone can make. It was done by both sides letting their blood flow and touching together so that it will mix and bind them of their promise. It was even more serious that a human would promise such thing.


    That was it. It was Travis they were arguing about.


    ¡°Let¡¯s act like real men and eat properly without any more bickering. We shouldn¡¯t be acting irrationally when we have ady present,¡± Lucas said, noticing myte arrival.


    Jace and Zane both looked in my direction. I gave Zane a look but he shook his head and put on an easy smile but I knew it was fake. I couldn¡¯t believe Zane wasn¡¯t telling me anything but I trusted that he wouldter. Fortunately, it was the subject of the dinner topic. Cynthia ced the food on the table nervously, hoping there wouldn¡¯t be any major bickering tonight.


    ¡°Please, think on this Lucas. A blood promise will bind him not to cause any harm. He¡¯s agreed to it,¡± Zane said as soon as he could.


    ¡°No, think rationally. You don¡¯t want any trouble to ur. Phoebe is finding out everything she can. It¡¯s best to stay safe and to keep him where he is now,¡± Jace argued back.


    ¡°What is your intake on this Alexia?¡± Lucas asked me. I didn¡¯t even want to be pulled into this conversation.


    I was torn between the two decisions. I wanted to side with Zane because I promised to avenge my parent¡¯s murderers but on the other hand, Lucas was my mate and no matter where we stood at this point, I still couldn¡¯t let him be in a situation where he might lose his life for my own selfish reason.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t get me involved,¡± I said. My food started to look good and I tried to break the tension by eating. The others followed my move and it became silent for some time.


    ¡°Zane,¡± Lucas spoke after the long silence. ¡°I give you my trust and permission to do as you wish. The blood promise will happen after our dinner.¡± There was a ng of the utensils hitting the table hard.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Jace yelled, his fork pierced the table and it hung there. ¡°You¡¯re risking your life!¡±


    ¡°I trust the human will do no harm but what I¡¯m worried is what his fellow hunters would do if hees back without fulfilling his mission and then caught looking through their documents,¡± Lucas said choosing his words carefully.


    ¡°Simple. He can tell the truth. That you captured him and took pity and let him go if he agreed to the blood promise,¡± Zane said with wisdom and determination that I had never seen in him before.


    ¡°Well said,¡± Lucasplimented, ¡°you may do what you want after dinner.¡±


    Jace¡¯s face sulked from his lost case. ¡°You stupid bastard,¡± he said under his breath, shaking his head.


    ¡°Language Jace,¡± Lucas warned, making a point with his fork.


    Once dinner was finished, we were led down to the ¡®dungeon¡¯ where Travisid idly, probably bored out of his mind. As soon as we entered he jerked his head in our direction and scowled but when he saw Zane, a curious and hopeful look spread across his face.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Little human, I¡¯ve kindly agreed to your deal but the blood promise must bepleted,¡± Lucas said with power, taking his words seriously. I knew he wasn¡¯t really like this because I saw his kind, generous side today but I had to say, he was really good with creating a scary atmosphere.


    He had two masks. One as a strict,manding face with authority and power but it was all a fa?ade. His real side was a kind and caring person who, maybe didn¡¯t like me too much but was a figure who cared and loved for his family. I respected him for that and understood why he had the fa?ade he put up with.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s waste no time,¡± Travis said.

 Chapter 18

    The tension in the room made our senses heighten and our bodies cringe. Lucas was amused by our reaction and Travis seemed to be fully awake and aware, his eyes darting between everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Jace, open the door,¡± Lucas ordered. Jace gave him a regretful look.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Lucas,¡± Jace said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this isn¡¯t the best n you¡¯ve ever made.¡±


    ¡°Follow my orders,¡± Lucas growled. I flinched at the roughness of his voice.


    Jace gave Lucas another regretful look but this time he obliged to hismand. He opened the cell door and grabbed Travis making sure he wouldn¡¯t run away. There was no need for handcuffs since Travis¡¯ human strength would never match up with Jace¡¯s werewolf strength.


    Once Jace had a good grip on Travis, Lucas cut it straight to the chase. He produced a switchde from his pocket that I had never noticed before and skillfully made a long thin cut on his forearm. A thin line of red began to appear and then it started to flow heavily but he didn¡¯t shout or even grimace.


    Lucas took Travis¡¯ willing arm and repeated the same thing. Travis winced but didn¡¯t fight back or make any sound. He put on a brave face and nodded at Lucas to continue. Lucas took both their arms, wrapping them together, blood touching blood and the blood promise began.


    ¡°Do you promise, Travis Trevino, to help Zane and Alexia with the murder case and to ept your failure to your mission for the return of your freedom?¡± Lucas asked Travis in a loud,manding voice.


    ¡°Yes, I promise,¡± Travis said, standing tall and the look of determination on his face. ¡°And do you, Lucas de, in turn let me go and not will not bother to chase after me once I am free?¡± Travis said confidently, his light eyes turned dark, filled with determination.


    ¡°I promise to thee,¡± Lucas said, searching Travis¡¯ eyes for any false intentions that might have been lurking. ¡°It is done,¡± Lucas said calmly and let go, rubbing his bloody arm on his clean shirt. The scar on their forearms would be a reminder of the promise they had both made.


    They were both bound by the promise.


    The blood promise wasplete.


    Both their arms were smeared with blood and the sight of it made me queasy. ¡°You can stay in the guest room for the night and prepare to go back to your people tomorrow. Jace will help you settle in,¡± Lucas instructed, giving Jace a ¡®don¡¯t-hurt-him¡¯ look. Jace groaned but he knew he had to listen to Lucas. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte so I instruct everyone to get a restful sleep. The Elders areing tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°The Elders?!¡± Travis eximed. He sounded like he knew them but I had no idea what they were talking about. Zane looked surprised too as if he knew who they were.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked in the midst of all the surprise faces that were exchanged. It seemed like I was the only one who was constantly out of the loop.


    ¡°They¡¯re the supreme werewolf leaders in the werewolf society,¡± Lucas exined. ¡°I¡¯m surprised your dad hadn¡¯t taught you this yet.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s was too young right to get involved,¡± Zane said, protecting dad and my pride.


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said, brushing it aside. ¡°The Elders areing tomorrow to make sure everything is orderly since the fire ident and to see if I am capable of two packs so I have to hold a formal party tomorrow and I expect everyone on their best behavior.¡± Lucas took the time to look at each one of us especially Zane and me. When his eyesnded on mine, I couldn¡¯t help but blush. I remembered the pillow fight I had with Zane that made dad furious and Lucas scold us.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Jace spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m retreating back to my room. Come on human, I¡¯ll show you to your room,¡± he said bitterly.


    One by one, everyone left the ¡®dungeon¡¯ and went back to thefort of their room. Zane gave me ast look of worry but I shook my head hoping he¡¯d get the message that I was OK and that he didn¡¯t need to worry.


    Lucas held my shoulders and opened the door to our room. I followed him inside and for the first time, I didn¡¯t feel like a ve locked up in this room. Maybe he wasn¡¯t as bad as I first thought. He had, after all, took care of me and been nice to me recently and even bought me and Zane the necessity of clothes.


    I looked through my new set of clothes that were set on the bed and rummaged for a pajama that I picked out when suddenly Lucas touched my hand. I looked at him and backed off but his eyes were swirling with emotions and I got lost in those beautiful grey eyes of his.


    ¡°It has to happen tonight,¡± Lucas said smoothly. I knew what ¡®it¡¯ was.


    ¡°You promised me three days,¡± I argued but I was thinking maybe it was time. Maybe I was ready. Was I? My conflicting feelings were dying down and the part of me who wanted him started to engulf the other side who wanted to hate him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but if the Elders still see you as unmarked then who knows what might happen?¡± Lucas sighed, ruffling through his silky ck hair, trying to relieve stress.


    ¡°And why would it matter?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m the Alpha and me not marking you show that I¡¯m weak or in other words incapable of leading two packs. You¡¯re lucky enough that I haven¡¯t forced you!¡± He rubbed his temple and groaned.


    ¡°Well, next time keep a promise you can keep!¡± I yelled, going for the bed since he was sassing me. I knew if I tried to run out the door, he would probably block it before I had any chance of escaping.


    ¡°Ditto for you!¡± he yelled back. I groaned in frustration and tucked the covers over my head so it would block out any insults he would have thrown.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pull your covers up on me!¡± he yelled and I felt a heavy concave shape in the space next to me. He pulled off the covers, his eyes growing stormy as it usually was when he was irritated. ¡°Get this over with and everyone¡¯s happy,¡± he said through his gritted teeth. I hadn¡¯t expected my sweet moment of getting marked to be something that would be taken from me by force.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll just scream for someone,¡± I threatened him, trying to pull back the covers but he threw them across the room.


    ¡°Zane is probably with Travis and Jace is most likely with them discussing about tomorrow¡¯s schedule and Jace wouldn¡¯t interfere in the first ce,¡± Lucas growled, making me shudder. Crap, I was kind of screwed.


    ¡°You know, you are the most unpleasant person?¡± I spat as he took hold of my arms and legs, pinning them down to the bed. He was hovering just a couple inches in front of me, the smell of his cologne intoxicating me.


    ¡°I know but you know you can¡¯t resist the desire of having me near you, me touching you,¡± he said slyly, trailing soft kisses on my neck. I shuddered at how close he was to his goal but he turned towards the direction of my ear, gently exploring behind my ear with his tongue. I moaned at the sensation, unable to stop myself. He was right. I couldn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°Shh, my Alexia,¡± he whispered before continuing. He licked the edges of my ear with the tip of my tongue and began to suck the tiny part of my earlobe making me moan even more. ¡°Shhhh,¡± he continued to say between kisses. He had trailed his lips skillfully down to my neck again, avoiding my lips, as if teasing me. I swore I could hear my own heart beat so irregrly.


    I noticed how close our bodies were, his body hovering over my own, creating heat between us. He kissed my neck gently as if caressing it with his lips but suddenly his teeth grazed my soft skin. I shuddered again and I heard a low chuckle in his voice. His tongue massaged my neck gently and I felt his canines slowly appearing from his teeth.


    He kissed my neck with gentleness that I never knew he had and then he bit me. I gave the slightest gasp of surprise and pain. He pierced my skin but the pain subsided and was reced by the feeling of pleasure. I moaned more loudly, everything that mattered in the world disappeared that moment.


    The only thing I felt was him, his emotions. His pain of his parents¡¯ and Lexi¡¯s death still lingered with him, the happiness he felt when he saw me happy and satisfied, the wonderment he had of me whenever I snapped back at him with my attitude.


    I didn¡¯t know if he felt any of my emotions but both of our breaths quickened as the transformation happened and I was finally marked his. It was a blissful moment that i cherished and for the first time, I feltplete.


    Lucas¡¯ POV


    ¡°Alexia,¡± I whispered,pletely overwhelmed by the emotions I sensed from her. She was as confused as I was about where we stood. She was in awe of me as I was in her but I was more fascinated by her. I felt like I finally understood what mom and dad had been feeling about being marked and mated. God, it felt so wonderful.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she spoke softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing,¡± I said whispering it in her hair, her scent, now a mixture of my own.She reached for neck and shuddered from the bite mark I had made.¡°I¡¯m sorry. It must hurt a lot,¡± I sympathized, wishing I could take whatever pain away.


    ¡°No,¡± she mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die.¡± We both winced at the mention of death. It wasn¡¯t the best subject for either one of us. ¡°Lucas?¡± she said, hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really love me,¡± she said more like a statement than a question. Did I love her? I adored her and admired her but I wasn¡¯t sure if I knew the word ¡®love¡¯ yet. It was a new territory that I had recently started to experience.


    ¡°Do you love me?¡± I asked in turn. She hesitated. Just as I thought. We were both still inexperienced about this thing called ¡®love.¡¯ The only thing close to this ¡®love¡¯ I¡¯ve gotten to was girls in my bed but I knew now that love was much greater than lust.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said honestly. It all grew silent as weid there and cuddled. I had to tell Cynthia to turn down the AC once in a while but maybe the coldness was benefitting me, seeing that Alexia is letting me cuddle with her. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯vepleted your mission,¡± she said gloomily and turned her back on me. I was speechless yet awed.


    It was weird to take a rejection because I never gotten one from any of the other girls I had been with. Although I had done other things besides marking, their reaction was always pleasure and lust but with Alexia it was different.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Yes, I knew we both couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that we enjoyed what just happened between us but it was different from the lust that enticed me and my past rtionships. It was bliss. The sweet feeling of love although we both won¡¯t admit it but I was d to be able to share it with her.

 Chapter 19

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was my sore neck. I rubbed it, hoping the feeling would pass but instead I felt a bite mark.


    Right, he had marked me.


    Looking at the empty space beside me, I fought the feeling of loneliness. Lucas had already taken the advantage of starting the day early and that had left me sad and well, lonely. I was crazy to want him near. Last night had supported my thoughts. He didn¡¯t love me yet but then again, I didn¡¯t even know if I loved him back. I definitely liked him but I still didn¡¯t understand the true meaning of what love was.


    Love was something new.


    The guys that I¡¯ve gone out with soon turned into jerks and in the end I was the broken hearted one and each breakup my heart have been on a defensive stand which was why it was hard letting Lucas in. I knew he meant well but I couldn¡¯t let myself get any hurt because that¡¯s what all the guys did.


    They were nice to me and easily earned my trust but as soon as I gave in, they would be jerks. It was only Zane who helped me through all the mess I put myself into. Zane was always on the protective side whenever guys approached me which was understandable considering how much trouble I caused myself and even if Lucas was our Alpha, it didn¡¯t stop him from protecting me.


    A knock made me snap my head up and I hesitantly let the person in, hoping it wasn¡¯t Lucas since I needed to stop what I thought was my obsession towards him. I can be independent if I wanted to. Thankfully it was only Cynthia who came in.


    ¡°Miss Alexia, I have orders from Alpha de to aid you for tonight¡¯s party.¡± It was only morning. Did he really expect me to get ready all day? Hell, no.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be needing your help until evening so I¡¯ll be sure to call you up then,¡± I said politely, hoping it was a good enough answer for her to leave. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like her, I just needed some time to myself before slipping into the responsibility of Alpha Female.


    ¡°Of course Miss Alexia,¡± she bowed and excused herself out.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I called out and she turned.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked patiently. She looked like she would do anything at mymand and I felt how Lucas would feel around people who he ordered around.


    ¡°Did Travis leave yet?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He left on the break of dawn I believe,¡± she said and I thanked her. She bowed and left.


    Once she was gone, I quickly went through my shopping bag of new clothes and pulled out a random shirt. I ran out of the room and went straight to Zane¡¯s room, hoping he was there. When I knocked, there was no answer so I let myself in.


    A bump underneath the covers told me he was still in bed. I smiled at myself as I walked over to his side. He was sleeping so peacefully that I almost felt guilty for what I was about to do next. I stood back, hesitant at first but carried out my n and jumped on his bed,nding on his back.


    He jerked awake in surprise but our eyes met and he grinned devilishly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± he said haughtily and attacked me with his famous bear hugs, crushing me in the process.


    ¡°Argh, Zane,¡± Iined but I couldn¡¯t helpughing. It was as if everything was back to normal.


    Zane suddenly stopped and sniffed me. ¡°You¡¯re¡­marked,¡± he growled, letting me go.


    ¡°I¡­Uh, yeah,¡± I said awkwardly and was hurt on how he brushed me off as if I carried a disease.


    ¡°You¡¯re all grown up,¡± he sighed.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I snapped. I hadn¡¯t mean to be snappy but I didn¡¯t want another thing to worry about. When I was with Zane, I felt as if everything was OK and normal but now it would be definitely different.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing. So what brings you here?¡± he asked, getting up from bed. It was now getting ufortable seeing him half naked. It used to be fine and we¡¯d joke around about how he has abs when he didn¡¯t even work out much but now, it felt as if I was somehow cheating on Lucas. That was crazy, I told myself, giving myself a mental p to wake me up. He grabbed a shirt from the shopping bag I had given him and put it on.


    ¡°I was asking if you saw Travis leave but seeing how you were sleeping, I guess you missed him too,¡± I said, getting up from his bed.


    ¡°Actually, I saw him go. It was so early so I figured I should sleep again,¡± he said pulling the shirt over his head. ¡°Where¡¯s Lucas?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just woke up and he wasn¡¯t around,¡± I said. ¡°Want to hang out?¡± I asked, hoping we could fix our rtionship.


    ¡°I¡­yeah, sure,¡± he hesitated.


    I frowned. ¡°I mean if you don¡¯t want then we don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Hey, of course I want to hang with my little sis,¡± he grinned, messing with my hair like he used to but it didn¡¯t seem to have the same effect although I tried to make the best of it.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go catch a movie,¡± he smiled, taking my hand, dragging me out of the house. Lucas and Jace weren¡¯t home so it was easier to sneak out without being noticed, even by Cynthia who was busy for the party.


    ¡°So, how do we get to the movie theater when we don¡¯t even have a car,¡± I realized when we were in the driving lot.


    ¡°You can change now can¡¯t you?¡± he said both curious and interested. There were no more cold shoulders about me being marked and I was d of his eptance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± I said honestly. How on earth do you change into a wolf? I definitely wanted to know. ¡°You teach me.¡±


    ¡°Well, usually your mate is supposed to be there for you during the first step but for now, why don¡¯t you get ride my back?¡± he suggested. I was mumbling about how we could walk but he began to take off his clothes in front of me.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t strip in front of me,¡± I cried out, shielding my eyes before he took off his boxers. Suddenly, soft fur brushed my hand, tickling it. I opened my eyes to find arge wolf with midnight ck fur that glowed darkly. Zane¡¯s wolf.


    Climb on my back.


    ¡°What?¡± I shouted out loud, particrly to no one. I had no idea where the voice hade from.


    You idiot. Get on my back.


    ¡°Zane?¡± I realized.


    Yes, you Einstein.He rolled his wolf eyes at me.


    I flinched. ¡°How can you do that?¡± I never knew that werewolves were able to connect but I mentally smacked myself. Of course they could. How else would they be able tomunicate without even talking?


    Good, job. You figured out yourself.He gave me a look that would have been a smirk on his pretty boyish face.


    You heard that?I thought in my head.


    Yeah. You do have a lot to learn but right now, let¡¯s just go catch a movie.


    I grinned at Zane and he lowered himself so I could get on his back. It was harder than it seemed.


    You ready?He asked as soon as I got situated.


    ¡°I think,¡± I said aloud but my words were lost in the wind when he jumped and started a fast run. The forest that surrounded the estate seemed to blur together forever and I had to hold onto his fur with tight hands so I wouldn¡¯t be fling off.


    You¡¯re stronger than you look little sis. You¡¯re going to leave me with some bald spots.


    Iughed at the thought. He growled but continued on until he slowed down and then fully stopped.


    We have to walk the rest of the way. I¡¯m pretty sure humans would think it weird for a girl whoes to a movie theater on a wolf.


    True,I grinned. ¡°Here are your clothes.¡± I handed his clothes back to him and turned around, giving him enough privacy to change. I received a nice big grizzly bear hug from him that made me lose my bnce. ¡°Ugh, Zane,¡± Iughed as he helped me back up.


    ¡°And to think you were strong,¡± he mused. ¡°I guess I was wrong after all.¡±


    ¡°You caught me by surprise, idiot,¡± I punched him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Damn, Alexia,¡± he said, massaging his shoulder, ¡°forget what I said before.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re probablyte for the movies now,¡± Imented when we entered the deserted theater. There were only a scatter of people but otherwise, we were the only ones.


    ¡°Who cares? At least I¡¯m here with you,¡± he said, giving me a wicked grin. He tugged me along to get the tickets and we entered the theater to find two seats left, next to each other. ¡°How convenient,¡± Zane whispered and we both sat down for the movie.


    Lucas¡¯ POV


    ¡°Congrats, you finally marked her,¡± Jace mused. ¡°I knew you could do it before the Elders arrived. There¡¯s nothing in the world you can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be congratted about,¡± I said, hating how everyone will know that we¡¯re marked. It was what I wanted, to unt how I¡¯ve finally found my mate and how she¡¯s mine but now I think about it, that idea seemed more animal-like than the new feeling of ¡®love¡¯ I¡¯ve been exploring the night before. I wanted our signs of our feelings to be kept between us but once you get marked it¡¯s hard to hide it from the rest of the society.


    ¡°You had sex yet?¡± Jace smirked and thenughed when he saw my look of surprise and horror. ¡°The man finally shows some kind of emotion.¡±


    ¡°Jace, I¡¯m serious about her. She isn¡¯t like the other women I¡¯ve been with.¡± No she wasn¡¯t like any of those whores who would try to get me to sleep with them. I remembered after my parents¡¯ and Lexi¡¯s death I was too drunk to notice how many girls I¡¯ve slept with. It was the dark past that I hoped to leave behind and never touch Alexia¡¯s mind. Who knows what she would think of me if she found out. I wasn¡¯t proud of it and I definitely didn¡¯t want to even think about it.


    ¡°You mean slept with,¡± Jace said. God, sometimes he knew how to tick me off.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the past that I want to mingle with right now. Let¡¯s forget about it,¡± I said hotly, my voice growing hostile.


    ¡°I¡¯m just ying,¡± he said, holding his hands up in surrender. ¡°You guys need to start a family sooner orter anyways,¡± he trailed.


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? She¡¯s sixteen!¡± I yelled. I never even thought about having sex with her or even starting a family. Jace was totally losing his head.


    ¡°And your only twenty years old which is what? Four years apart? That¡¯s not the end of the world,¡± he reasoned.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m ready for this,¡± I countered.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just saying. I wish Lexi and I were mated long enough that we had a child,¡± Jace said sadly. He had been with my sister for only two years and she said she wasn¡¯t ready to start a family yet. It drove Jace crazy but he loved her so much that he obliged.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair for her. I¡¯m not exactly the best person in this world,¡± I admitted, feeling guilty just thinking about her and my past.


    ¡°Sheesh, ever since you met her, your emotions just been out of control,¡± Jace said, his eyebrows furrowing in worry but there was an amused tone etched in them.


    I ignored hisment. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡± her voice trailed in the hallway. Before seeing her, I smelled her lightvender scent that was now mixed with my own.


    ¡°Where were you?¡± I began to say but I saw Zane by her side and dropped it. I promised him that he could take Alexia anywhere she wanted and had forgotten about it. It was only this morning after we saw Travis off that we agreed to it and it had been an absolutely long day. I noticed everyone tensed, wondering if I would break Zane¡¯s neck. Gosh, it was only that one time that I blew up and now everybody was giving each other nervous nces.


    I pped my hands hoping the tension I had created would cease. ¡°We should all get ready for the party. The Elders and the guests should be arriving shortly in an hour¡¯s time.¡±


    Cynthia then came in the room with her apron on, the smell of food lingered on her clothes. ¡°Alpha, the first guest has arrived early. He said he wanted to see Alexia before the party,¡± she said hesitantly. She wiped her sweaty hands on her apron. Why was she nervous?


    ¡°Who¡¯s our early guest?¡± I asked, eyeing her carefully, trying to send a wave offort to her but she was too stiff to even notice.


    ¡°I-i-It¡¯s Amos, sir. Amos Awbrey.


    Awbrey? What did an Elder want to do with Alexia?

 Chapter 20

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    ¡°Amos?¡± I said, surprised at the mention of his name. He was a close friend of my family and visited often.


    ¡°Yes, dear, I¡¯m right here,¡± his deep voice said in my ear.


    Iughed. He had a tendency to appear out of thin air. That was his special ability as a werewolf. Special abilities were passed down from the family of the original werewolves which consisted of five families but each of them had different abilities. That much I knew but I didn¡¯t know in depth.


    ¡°Uncle Amos,¡± I greeted him with a hug. He hugged me back tightly, chuckling to himself. He wasn¡¯t really my uncle but he was as close as family as anyone could get. He knew my parents way back before Zane was even born.


    ¡°You have grown a lot,¡± he observed, letting me go.


    ¡°Hardly,¡± I said, blushing by hispliment. I noticed Lucas, Jace, and Cynthia hung their heads low in respect and waited patiently. It was certainly different to see Lucas bow since people usually bowed to him.


    ¡°Ah, Zane, you¡¯ve grown into a fine young man,¡± Amos said, greeting my brother with a firm handshake.


    ¡°Hi, Uncle Amos,¡± Zane grinned, eagerly taking his hand. We both had missed him a lot and it was great to see a familiar face.


    Amos smiled at both of us and then turned to the other three in the room who looked like they were about to pee in their pants. Well, except Lucas, of course, whose face was hardened and emotionless. ¡°Hello Lucas. Jace. Cynthia,¡± he said their names, giving them each a nod in turn.


    ¡°Elder Amos, it¡¯s a wee to have you although a shock to have you arrive so early,¡± Lucas said as politely as he could.


    ¡°Yes, but I had to see Zane and Alexia beforehand and see how they were. And actually I need to talk to Alexia in private if I am entrusted with her. It¡¯s been a while since I have seen them,¡± Amos said simply.


    ¡°And you¡¯re their uncle?¡± Jace asked curiously but kept the politeness in his voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s not really our uncle,¡± Zane exined vaguely.


    Amos appeared right next to Zane and grabbed him with his arms around his neck yfully. ¡°Ow, that hurts Zane. After all those times I¡¯ve helped you diaper train and ride that bike, you¡¯d at least want to consider me your uncle,¡± Amos sighed but kept the amused look on his face.


    Lucas sighed in what? Relief?


    ¡°No need to sigh in relief Lucas. You¡¯re still my favorite cousin,¡± Amos winked.


    ¡°Cousin?¡± I choked. Was it even possible with the age gap between them? I knew Amos was in histe thirties but he looked extremely young since werewolves slowed down their aging process by the time they were in their mid-twenties.


    One benefit of being a werewolf.


    Amos still had his charms though which probably made him look even younger. He was very tall and had a graceful build with prominent cheekbones. His hair was thick with slight curls that reminded me of a cascading waterfall. They were better fit to be called uncle and nephew even if they looked like they were the same age.


    ¡°Yes cousins,¡± Amos repeated, entertained by my reaction. Apparently he found it amusing when people where utterly confused. ¡°I¡¯m not that old,¡± Amos countered, acting like he was offended.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you in your forties, old man?¡± I smirked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that to an Elder!¡± Jace said, surprised at how informally I talked to Amos.


    ¡°Elder?¡± I asked in surprise. I could never imagine Amos of all people to be one of the top werewolf leaders in the whole society.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m part of the Council of Elders,¡± he replied casually as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°And Jace, it is absolutely fine for my dear Alexia to speak to me however she wishes.¡± He winked at me and I smiled. It was really nice to see him again. He was like a second father.


    ¡°My goodness, why aren¡¯t any of you dressed up? It¡¯s only a while until the rest of the Elderse and you, Lucas, want to leave a good impression on them for the sake of your recently erged pack and for a seat on the Council of Elders for the future. Your gift, your special ability is magnificent and can beverybeneficial to the Elders. Now go on up and thene back here. I¡¯d like a few words with you on certain matters,¡± Amos said, giving Lucas a knowing look.


    Huh, I didn¡¯t know Lucas had a special ability. That meant he was part of the original family.


    ¡°Yes, Amos. We¡¯ll get ready. Make yourself at home while I go ahead and get ready,¡± Lucas bowed politely and everyone left.


    ¡°Alpha, should I help thedy now?¡± Cynthia asked when we left the room. I looked at him begging through my eyes, hoping he¡¯d understand.


    ¡°No, Cynthia. We can get ready ourselves but I want you to recheck that everything is in order for this evening,¡± he said. She bowed once more and left us to do her task.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I mumbled, grabbing a in ck dress that seemed suitable enough for the asion.


    ¡°No, wear this one,¡± he suggested, holding out the teal dress he had me wear in the store.


    ¡°Um, OK,¡± I shrugged, taking out the teal one instead. I stood there awkwardly with my dress in hand wondering if I should excuse myself to the bathroom. It was until he started to strip in front of me that I looked away. He took his shirt off and finally noticed me and my horrified face.


    Heughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you feel ufortable.¡± He didn¡¯t seem sorry at all. He just stood there without his shirt. Damn, his stomach and arms were defined into fine, toned muscles and showed very obviously. He pulled on a dress shirt and started to button up, still a smirk on his face.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll use the bathroom,¡± I said, taking the dress in tow with me. He chuckled, shing his pants, striping them too.Bi-pr.


    I heard that, Lucas¡¯ voice said in my head. I rolled my eyes in exaggeration but deep inside, it felt nice that we got along at times like these.


    I locked myself in the bathroom and put on the beautiful dress which I felt imposturous for wearing. I reached for the zipper but it only went halfway before I couldn¡¯t pull it up anymore. I tied my hair back to give me a better visual in the mirror but no matter how hard I tried I couldn¡¯t pull it up.


    It was just my luck.


    ¡°Are you done, Alexia?¡± Lucas called out, knocking on the door.


    ¡°Can you help me with something?¡± I asked, hating how I was dependent on him.


    ¡°Yes,e out,¡± he said already knowing what I was going to ask. That stupid mind link between us made it easier for him to ess my thoughts.


    I opened the door of the bathroom and couldn¡¯t help but gasp. He looked fresh and neat with his suit and I had to admit, he looked hot.


    Although there wasn¡¯t much change in him, his suit looked perfect on him as if they were made just for him which knowing Lucas, it probably was. His hair was hastily brushed but it didn¡¯t matter, he still looked good and there was a touch of mischief especially with those gray eyes of his. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± he asked yfully.


    ¡°Can you help me with my zipper?¡± I asked forcefully.


    He smirked. ¡°Of course I can but can you say ¡®please?''¡± he mused, giving me a devil smile that made my heart skip a beat. Damn, I¡¯m officially crazy.


    ¡°Please,¡± I gritted my teeth in defeat. I had to swallow my pride. He kept on smirking but zipped my dress slowly. He bent down and nuzzled my neck, cing a soft kiss on the ce where he marked me. I stood still, mesmerized and frightened what would happen next.


    I snapped out of the trance. No, there would be no waiting. I backed off, leaving him stunned but only for a millisecond.


    ¡°Hmmm, sorry,¡± he mumbled, confused by his own actions. ¡°We should get down there.¡±


    I nodded, hoping that the weird moment had passed. There was a knock on the door but the person let himself in before an answer replied.


    ¡°Lucas, the guests are here and Amos wants to talk to you. He¡¯s still in the same room,¡± Jace said in a huff. He was in his own suit and he too looked like the suit was made to fit him.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been ten minutes and people have already arrived? Geez, what¡¯s with the early attendance?¡± he said mostly to himself. ¡°We should hurry.¡± He took my hand and went down the stairs where the guests were waiting for their host. ¡°Jace, will they be OK and entertained while I go talk with Amos?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course, bro. Just make it quick. You don¡¯t want to deal with Elders by arguing with them,¡± Jace warned as if he knew what the topic of the discussion would be.


    ¡°OK, thanks,¡± he said to his friend. ¡°And Alexia, be on a good behavior especially when Zane gets down here.¡±


    ¡°Why would you say that?¡± I smiled sweetly but he gave me a warning look and left it at that.


    ¡°Come on Alexia,¡± Jace smiled, taking my hand. ¡°Just look straight ahead and smile,¡± he instructed before leading me to the ballroom. It was magnificent. The whole area wasrge and spacious but it was already filled with anxious guests. Lots of heads turned as I entered and quickly grouped themselves into whispers. It was intimidating but I tried to ignore them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry much about the gossipers, they won¡¯t cause any harm,¡± Jace reassured me.


    ¡°Hello, Alexia,¡± an unfamiliar voice said behind me. I turned around and was sucked into a pair of intense brown eyes. When I looked away from his eyes in embarrassment, I saw able to get a glimpse of his full stature. He was as tall as Lucas with high cheekbones and sun-kissed skin. A guy probably around Lucas¡¯ age.


    ¡°Get a life Damon,¡± Jace sneered at the guy.


    ¡°I¡¯m just being friendly unlike someone,¡± Damon said innocently, shing me a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Damon,¡± he winked.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I got it,¡± I nodded, uninterested but tried to be polite which made Jaceugh.


    ¡°The girl has no interest and if you didn¡¯t know, she¡¯s taken,¡± Jace grinned, loving Damon¡¯s disappointed face.


    ¡°By whom may I ask?¡± Damon smirked.


    ¡°By me, Damon,¡± Lucas interrupted, sliding his hands around my waist. I had to force myself not to flinch and keep a neutral face. I still wasn¡¯t used to his touch but it did the trick because Damon instantly frowned, staring at where Lucas¡¯ arms were.


    ¡°Aw, cuz, you got yourself a cute mate,¡± Damon winked. Another cousin? This day just had so many surprises.


    ¡°Back off Damon and go find yourself another girl,¡± Lucas threatened, his eyes narrowing.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join me since you¡¯re so good at it,¡± Damon smirked. What did he mean by that?


    ¡°Don¡¯t go there Damon,¡± Lucas warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get drunk and end up sleeping with a hot girl? Come on, don¡¯t you remember those days?¡± Damon mused.


    ¡°What?¡± I scoffed, very much surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to excuse myself. This is not my battle nor do I want to be in the middle of it,¡± Jace mumbled quickly and left.


    ¡°Lucas,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t know why I was cornering him. It was his past and I shouldn¡¯t be all obsessive over his past rtionships but it didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t leave a scar and I felt my defensive sidee up.


    ¡°It¡¯s all the past and I¡¯m not proud of it so don¡¯t bring it up again Damon or else you¡¯re really going to get it,¡± Lucas threatened, making his point straight by stepping closer to him and looking him in the eye. Anyone would¡¯ve flinched or cowered back in fear but Damon held on to his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re pathetic Lucas,¡± Damon smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Alexia, you¡¯ll be seeing me more in the future,¡± he winked and left.


    ¡°That bastard,¡± Lucas said under his breath.


    ¡°Manners, Lucas,¡± Amos said appearing out of thin air. I flinched by his quick appearance.


    ¡°You frightened me Uncle Amos,¡± I breathed, my heart beating irregrly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sweetheart,¡± Amos said sweetly and turned to Lucas, ¡°Lucas you must know how to calm yourself and control those emotions of yours. It was well in control thest time we saw you and I¡¯m sorry to say, some of the Elders have been watching you,¡± Amos chided.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Lucas sighed, rummaging his finger through his hair.


    ¡°Language, Lucas. Hell, I sound like a parent. Am I really getting to be that old?¡± Amos sighed.


    ¡°Yes, Amos, you are getting old,¡± a deep voice mused.


    ¡°Ah, Elder Grayson Whitlock,¡± Amos nodded in acknowledgement and I saw Lucas bow low. I mimicked him when I recognized how Amos called him by the title ¡®Elder.¡¯


    ¡°Hmm, hello to you to, Amos,¡± the Elder said. His deep voice made me tremble with fear and his broad, muscled body seemed like he was a body builder. ¡°You may rise Lucas and Alexia,¡± he said in amanding voice that I looked up involuntarily. ¡°No need to be afraid young Alexia, I won¡¯t bite.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes sir,¡± I said hastily and nervously.


    Heughed at my politeness. ¡°Such a kind, beautiful soul. You¡¯re a lucky fellow, Lucas, to have her mated and marked with you,¡± Elder Grayson said but it sounded like it had a double meaning, as if he wasn¡¯t enough for me. It was more like the opposite way. I knew Lucas was way too good for someone like me.


    ¡°I agreepletely,¡± Lucas said smiling amiably, ¡°although she has a stubborn nature.¡±


    ¡°A stubborn nature in a woman shows their independence and strong character,¡± Elder Grayson chided but Lucas nodded along. ¡°I¡¯d also like to speak with you about some business stuff along with the other three Elders so if we could move right along,¡± Elder Grayson motioned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there Grayson. I just need to talk to Alexia for a moment,¡± Amos said and a look of understanding passed through their eyes.


    Elder Grayson nodded. ¡°I see. Go do as you will,¡± he said simply. Lucas gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he left with Elder Grayson.What a weird guy, I thought, now amused by Lucas¡¯ bi-pr issue.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Zane?¡± Amos asked. ¡°I actually need to speak with the two of you.¡±


    ¡°I see him right over there,¡± I pointed out through the huge crowd of girls were flocking around Zane but he seemed to ignore them. Typical.


    He was talking with Phoebe instead who wore a long silver gown that made her eyes shine brighter and her hair fairer. I didn¡¯t know Zane was going for older girls and I smirked at the sudden thought but I caught the look of his face and it was all business and grim. I didn¡¯t know exactly what they were talking about but I knew it was serious.


    ¡°I have to go,¡± I said quickly to Amos and shoved through the crowd towards Zane. I didn¡¯t like his expression and it bothered me. I knew something was going wrong and Amos¡¯ urge to speak to the two of us was the least of my worries.


    ¡°Wait, Alexia. I need to talk to you,¡± Amos shouted out through the mist of all the people.


    Then, out of nowhere, a crackling sound bellowed through the walls, the same time something whizzed passed through the crowd. Zane¡¯s face became rigid and tormented, his lips parted to the shape of my name, looking straight at me with an urgent look right before he hit the ground.

 Chapter 21

    Alexia¡¯s POVThis is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Zane!¡± I screamed but my shouts were droned by the panicked screams of others who were running around. It all reminded me of the fire and how disorganized it was with people, mostly the girls, screaming and trying to escape.


    ¡°Alexia, get out of here. It¡¯s the werewolf hunters,¡± Amos said quickly, pushing me with the crowd.


    ¡°Zane,¡± I kept crying out. He was my only focus. I didn¡¯t care if I got shot. I just needed to get to Zane and everything would eventually be better. It had to.


    More shots were fired and even my own instincts made me duck in fear like everyone else. When I looked around, I saw many people changed into their wolf form, mostly guys, poised to attack any second they saw another threat.


    I began to crawl my way through the crowd when another shower of bullets was fired. I lost Amos in the crowd of people but willed myself to go towards Zane¡¯s body.


    All the women screamed but the males were ready to attack. The problem was that they couldn¡¯t tell where the attack came from. It seemed like it came from every side of the room.


    ¡°We will not hurt you but we will if you don¡¯t help us. We ask for your cooperation and the surrendering of Lucas de,¡± a loud voice boomed that seemed like it came from nowhere in particr. What did they want with Lucas? I didn¡¯t give a damn. I just needed to go to Zane.


    Alexia, where are you?a voice shot in my head. Lucas.


    Help, Zane¡¯s hurt. He got shot.I thought back urgently as I made my way to Zane. I tried to make a fast observation to check for the entry of the wound of the silver bullet. It was hard to check through all the tears that seemed to stroll down my cheeks. Through my misty eyes I could tell he wasn¡¯t moving or conscious and he looked extremely pale. If not treated properly, he would die in a matter of seconds.


    I¡¯ll be right there. Amos will find you.Lucas replied abruptly. Suddenly, dozens of shadows appeared from a small tform that stuck out at the top of the spacious ceiling. It wasn¡¯t meant for anyone to stand on but there they were: the werewolf hunters.


    They looked more frightening than Travis had been and even he was pretty intimidating. They each wore dark, sleek clothing that blended well with the shadows. Who knew how long they were waiting for us, let alone how they even entered the estate?


    ¡°Where is Lucas de?¡± a tall man boomed. He was at least a head taller than everyone else in the shadow and he had the presence of authority. He must¡¯ve been the leader of the werewolf hunters.


    ¡°I am he,¡± Lucas answered, equaling the tall man¡¯s presence. He was twenty yards away from me but I heard him loud and clear and felt the tension in the room. Everything was quiet, everyone looking up at the ceiling in horror and some in anger. More people changed their forms, fueled by their anger.


    ¡°Lucas de, you¡¯ll be a nice collection to the werewolf heads I have in my home,¡± the leader said beforeunching his army down.


    The werewolves were ready for it. They pounced at the exact same time. It would have been a graceful sight if it wasn¡¯t so bloody.


    All the women yelled, escaping the ballroom from all sides of the doors. I saw some of the werewolf hunters blocking the exit and executing the women who tried to escape. One by one, they were shot with silver bullets, their bodies flinching from the impact before they crumpled to the floor.


    ¡°Alexia, quickly,¡± Amos¡¯ voice snapped me back to where I was. My tears were now dried, making my skin feel like it was being stretched. I looked down at Zane¡¯s body before me and I saw where the bullet hit him.


    It hit him straight in the chest.


    The bloody wound seeped through his suit, the white dress shirt underneath soaked with blood.


    ¡°I need to get you out of here safely. He¡¯s dead, Alexia.¡± Amos said the inevitable. There was no way he was dead. Amos tore me from Zane¡¯s lifeless body.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave until you take his body out of here,¡± I said, fighting his tight grasp.


    ¡°Fine. Go, I¡¯ll be right behind you,¡± Amos said, gathering Zane in his arms.


    I ran towards a door that wasn¡¯t blocked by a werewolf hunter but a hand grabbed me, jerking my body back. Then I was pulled to the ground, losing my bnce but the grasp loosened enough for me to regain my bnce.


    I turned around to see a werewolf hunter unconscious on the ground with a nasty sh on his back. I saw how Amos¡¯ shoe was bloody. He had a hidden knife on the tip of his shoe that was now covered in thick blood. He tapped his shoe on the ground and the knife was again safely hidden, as if nothing happened.


    ¡°Go, Alexia!¡± he shouted and I obeyed. The front door had already been opened by the few escaped victims and I sped out of the mansion. No werewolf hunters were lurking outside since their only purpose was to kill Lucas who would never back out in a battle.


    Amosid Zane¡¯s body down on the same ground we stood talking on the day we met Travis snooping around. I copsed next to him and began to cry.


    ¡°Alexia, I need to take you out of the estate,¡± Amos said soothingly but with urgency.


    I couldn¡¯t leave Zane. Never. I would die here if I had to. I began to feel faint and everything seemed to swoon in front of me.


    ¡°Alexia¡­are you OK?¡± Amos said, touching my shoulder.


    ¡°LET GO.¡± I jerked my shoulder, away from his touch and Amos let go willingly, looking at me with horrid face.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± he whispered. ¡°Your eyes.¡±


    I turned my attention back to Zane when that feeling of swooning overcame me again but I tried to pull myself together. My shaking hands grazed over Zane¡¯s pale body, lingering over his chest. I couldn¡¯t feel a heartbeat and tears started to well up again, missing the rhythmic beat of his heart. My hands began to move by themselves, cing it on Zane¡¯s chest in the way you would perform CPR.


    Suddenly, through my tear-filled eyes, I saw something glow softly from where my hand touched his chest and the golden light seemed to work its way all over his body. I brushed my tears with my other hand hastily as I tried to make out the source of the luminous light.


    My clear eyes saw everything and I gasped.


    The liquid golden light was pouring out from my hand into his body. My own body felt light and a wave of unease and darkness swept over me, chilling me but it was quickly reced by the warm feeling of the light.


    The gold light swam throughout Zane¡¯s body until it began to dim and then, there was no more. The whole experience was crazy and frightening, leaving me half dazed and dizzy.


    I looked at Amos in confusion hoping he¡¯d exin what the hell just happened but he looked back at me like a reflection.


    I heard stirring noise and a groan but it didn¡¯te from Amos or me. Amos¡¯ eyes widened in shock and amazement. ¡°Holy shit,¡± he whispered. I turned around to see what he was cursing about and saw Zane propping himself up to a seated position.


    ¡°Ugh, what happened?¡±

 Chapter 22

    Zane¡¯s POV


    ¡°Ugh, what happened?¡± I asked, groaning from the unimaginable pain and the soreness that spread throughout my entire body. To sum it up, I basically felt like shit.


    Alexia and Uncle Amos looked at me as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked suspiciously. Thest thing I remembered was talking to Phoebe for any new information about the fire ident. What did she say? I didn¡¯t remember and the harder I tried, the worse my headache became.


    ¡°Zane?¡± Alexia said confused but in a split second, she came running to hug me, knocking me down which made my headache go from ¡®feels like shit¡¯ to ¡®in hell,¡¯ but it was worth it to have Alexia hug the living daylights out of me. I was shocked when I felt warm tears spill from her pretty face. Why was she crying? It wasn¡¯t like I was dead or something.


    ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡± I asked confused. Why were we even outside anyways? Infinite questions roamed through my head.


    ¡°You died,¡± Alexia said rather bluntly, still not letting me go. Oh. Not really the answer I hoped to hear.


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t I be in hell?¡± I joked, still not getting it. Come on, I was alive, not dead.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to joke,¡± Amos said, looking both troubled and hopeful. ¡°Alexia has a special ability. Something I haven¡¯t seen in age.¡±


    ¡°Special ability?¡± Alexia asked, confused. I reflected her confusion but now wasn¡¯t the time to ask questions. Amos stood still, his face told him he was somewhere else.


    ¡°Grayson is calling me for backup. I need to get back in,¡± Amos said after staying still for a minute. Elder Grayson must¡¯ve been talking to the Elders in their mind connection. Amos looked at the two of us as if he had something more to say.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. It seemed like I had passed out longer than I had thought.


    ¡°You were shot by werewolf hunters, you died, we escaped with your dead body, Alexia brought you back to life, and now there¡¯s a huge battle inside, very much simr to the one that happened exactly three years ago. People and their timing, sheesh,¡± Amos said, annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. You guys go on ahead and hide where it¡¯s safe.¡±


    Well, the way he told me that I had basically died and came back to life out of the blue was very blunt and simple.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ming with you,¡± I said, standing up. My head swooned but I did my best to show him that I was capable of fighting.


    ¡°What about your sister? Are you just going to leave her to fend for herself?¡± Amos growled. ¡°You need get out of here withher.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like I¡¯m not here. I¡¯m helping to,¡± Alexia butted in.


    ¡°NO,¡± Amos and I shouted at the same time. At least we had onemon view.


    ¡°Well, watch me,¡± she said stubbornly and ran back towards the house. Sometimes her stubbornness got her into too much trouble.


    I need all the backup we have. The humans brought their whole fucking army.It was Lucas¡¯ voice that rang in my head. Well it was amplified even louder because of that stupid headache.


    ¡°Lucas is asking for backup so I¡¯m up,¡± I said, running inside. I caught up with Alexia and stopped her before she could venture any further.


    ¡°Stop being a psychotic idiot and get out of here,¡± I said, mming her into the wall. I felt bad for being so forceful but she had to know that she could die in there and I was too selfish to let that happen.


    ¡°I can heal, Zane. Didn¡¯t you hear Amos?¡± Alexia said, annoyed. Her eyes kept eyeing the door into the ballroom. I mmed my arm and hit the wall, concealing the ballroom. That got her attention. ¡°I can probably save a whole lot of people in there and then we¡¯ll have a better chance!¡± Alexia reasoned in a calmer voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯tyousee? You¡¯re one of a kind. You die then we¡¯re all screwed,¡± I said irritated.


    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t have me out there you¡¯re already screwed,¡± she spat back. Well we weren¡¯t totally screwed but I guess we would have a way better chance with her. I was pretty sure Lucas, the Elders, and I could hold up the hunters before the do any serious damage. Then Alexia would be safe but if she joined, she¡¯ll just be a distraction to Lucas and me since we would constantly have to watch her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you get hurt. I¡¯ll be too distracted on protecting you,¡± I said, frustrated. Why can¡¯t she understand how valuable she is?


    In the corner of my peripheral vision, I saw one of the werewolf hunters. I quickly ran over to him and strangled him by the neck, ready to break his spinal cord which would end his life when I noticed who it was.


    Travis.


    That¡¯s when it all hit me.


    How on earth would the hunters know that there would be a big party with Lucas de and the Elders and at the same time able to contact the hunters?


    Travis.


    That bastard.


    ¡°Let go of me,¡± he said in a choked, forceful voice.


    ¡°You bastard. You told them!¡± I yelled. I know I should¡¯ve taken it a notch down but my werewolf instincts kept telling me to kill him. He was lucky to still be alive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­how they¡­¡­found¡­out¡­Blood promise,¡± he said, his voice choked by my strong hold.


    ¡°Zane, let him go,¡± Alexia yelled, shoving me aside, making me lose my hold.


    Travis backed up against the wall, trying to be far away from me as possible. ¡°I took that blood promise. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell them,¡± Travis hissed, rubbing his neck.


    ¡°All you promised was to help us with the murder case and ept your failed mission. You gave away our location,¡± I snarled. Lucas should¡¯ve made the promise clearer or else none of this would have happened in the first ce. Jace¡¯s idea of killing Travis when we had a chance now seemed like a good idea.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m done dealing with them. I was too busy in the hunter¡¯s library researching and I found some interesting things you probably want to see¡± Alexia and I nced at each other. He had both caught our attention.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Alexia asked, closing in on him. I did the same, feeling like an investigator.


    Travis¡¯ eyes widened with rm. ¡°Watch out!¡± he said, pulling out his gun and shot a hunter who was just about to shoot us.


    ¡°You killed your own men,¡± I said, unable to mask my shock. That had got to be the most disgraceful thing anyone could do.


    ¡°And I told you, I¡¯m done dealing with them. I found some stuff about myself to like how your father killed my father but oh wait, you already knew that,¡± Travis spat bitterly.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Shit. I know dad did wrong but Travis¡¯ harsh usation was annoying the crap out of me. I was about to remark something rude when Alexia held my arm and talked instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Travis we didn¡¯t know until recently to and for that, we¡¯re in your debt but we¡¯re really on a tight schedule so I think we should kill ourmon enemies and then w each other¡¯s eyes,¡± Alexia interrupted. It was a good thing she spoke because what I had in mind would probably start a huge fight.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Travis grumbled, pushing us through. He looked back, seeing how we weren¡¯t following him. ¡°What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s kick ass.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    The three of us walked into the ballroom and I had to say, we were the weirdestbination. Travis, the werewolf hunter and his badass gun, Zane who was now in wolf form, and me, the weird girl with the weird healing abilities.


    We were quite the three musketeers.


    One by one, we did our task like a construction line. Travis and Zane passed around angry hunters among themselves, taking advantage of having another person to work and rely with. Zane would hold them off until Travis shot them or stabbed them. They took care of the dirty job while I snooped behind their backs, reviving the wolves that had fallen in battle.


    The more I healed, the more it was affecting my body, weakening it but fortunately I was on my own adrenaline high from all the actions that I was able to ignore my body¡¯s warning and did a decent amount of work.


    The wolves that I healed were shocked to see me looming over their heads but once they observed the scene, they snapped back into action.


    The routine went on forever until there were no more werewolf hunters alive.


    Good job team. Lucas said in everyone¡¯s head.


    ¡°That went well,¡± a random person said, pping his hand on Lucas¡¯ back. By the way he carried himself as if he owned the room, I could tell he was on Elder. No one would ever dare act that way towards Lucas.


    ¡°Yes, it seems like no one was too badly injured,¡± Lucas observed, d but confused how everyone looked like they could go for another round of hunters. Actually no one was injured at all, thanks to me. I hid myself behind Travis and Zane, hoping Lucas wouldn¡¯t notice I joined the battle. If he did, my head would be on the tter.


    ¡°Uh, about that,¡± Amos said but it was toote.


    He saw me.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°ALEXIA!¡± he boomed, carrying himself swiftly across the room in a graceful but deadly way.


    ¡°Hey, let it go. She¡¯s the-¡± Zane started to say but got cut off.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t butt in. She could¡¯ve gotten herself killed,¡± Lucas growled, looking at Zane in disgust. ¡°As for you. Out. Now.¡± He pointed towards the door and when I didn¡¯t budge, he dragged me out of the room. He didn¡¯t even notice Travis.


    When we were out of the ballroom and out on the veranda of the mansion, he grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back against the brick wall. Pain shot through me but none of that mattered anymore. My own anger fueled me to ignore the pain. I helped so much; probably even outweighed our victory but he couldn¡¯t even give a little thanks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever do that again,¡± he growled, having a hard time keeping his canines in ce. He was frustrated and annoyed, unable to keep one emotion.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your little puppet. I don¡¯t listen to what you tell me,¡± I smirked. I know I shouldn¡¯t have acted all bitchy but my temper got the best of me.


    ¡°Yes, you do,¡± he scowled before nting a kiss straight on my mouth. I tried to push him off but found myself engulfed in the kiss that was only meant for me and no one else.


    My hands were now intertwined in his hair, tugging them. He licked the bottom of my lips and I invited him in my mouth. Our tongues tangled as was our bodies that were pressed tightly behind the brick wall. It was the first time we actually kissed and his kiss waspassionate but hungry at the same time. I pulled away, forgetting to breath and gasped for oxygen. Apparently, I was less experienced with kissing than Lucas.


    ¡°Alexia, I was so worried,¡± he sighed, hugging me in his warm body. It felt like hugging a teddy bear¡­a tall, muscled teddy bear but the fact that his hug made me feel much better made the metaphor fit in my mind.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be. I¡¯m not going to be some dependent girl who always needs a guy by her side,¡± I argued. I really didn¡¯t n my life to be mated with a powerful guy who thought I needed protection. I wanted to grow into my own person, not someone who wants to shape and mold the way they want me to be.


    ¡°Just please don¡¯t put yourself out there again because then I would be too distracted on protecting you than actually fighting,¡± Lucas muttered in my ear, putting his arms around me, his chin in my hair.


    That¡¯s exactly what Zane had said.


    ¡°Hey, um, the Elders want a meeting. They¡¯re in your office along with Jace and Travis,¡± Zane cleared his voice. His eyes were clouded and his teeth were set to grind but he didn¡¯t say anything. He tried to look neutral and happy when he caught me staring at him.


    You can¡¯t fool me Zane. What¡¯s wrong? I said, directing my thoughts only to him, our own private conversation.


    It¡¯s you with him. I don¡¯t like it. Do you really feel happy with him? he asked, notpletely sure.


    Yes, I think so. I answered.


    I just don¡¯t want to see you get hurt. I heard he was a heartbreaker.


    Keyword is was, Zane. And I¡¯ll break his heart before he does mine so don¡¯t worry so much.


    A grin passed the two of us and we received a confused look from Lucas but he realized what we were doing.


    ¡°The traitor is back?¡± Lucas cleared his voice, asking Zane directly.


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s exactly a traitor. He did help us kill his own kind and told us he had news about the murder case,¡± Zane answered stiffly when he said ¡®murder case.¡¯


    ¡°We should still be on guard. Come on, the Elders are very impatient,¡± Lucas said knowingly.

 Chapter 24

    I had never been in Lucas¡¯ office but it was what I imagined it to be.


    The spacious room covered in expensive furnishings of mahogany, made the office seem more like a CEO¡¯s office. It wasn¡¯t surprising Lucas had the best furniture since he lived the expensive life.


    ¡°Please, sit down,¡± Lucas said politely, gesturing to the couches. The five Elders sat down, looking all business and serious. They were all unscathed, their young faces unfitting for such grim faces but they were beautiful in their own way.


    I noticed Amos and Grayson in the faces of the five. Amos gave me a smile but he looked tired out, probably from using his ability too much. I knew I was tired.


    The other three strangers could have been easily in their thirties but it was hard to tell with werewolves aging slowly. The one on the far left of the couch next to Amos was a guy with mysterious green eyes like a cat that seemed like he could peer into anything you¡¯re thinking about although his spiked up hair seemed to resemble wolverine. His sandy brown hair and his paleness seemed unique and fascinating but what set him different from the others was a long, thin scar on his perfect porcin skin that started from the end of his right eye and trailed down to the end of his cheekbone. It didn¡¯t make him look ugly but more warrior-like than any of the other four. He didn¡¯t seem to hide it but showed it with confidence which made the scar actually look attractive.


    Amos¡¯ right side was upied by Grayson whose dark hair ruffled messily from all the action that he had been through. His face was purely tanned and his ck eyes seemed to light up like ck diamonds although his arched eyebrow made him look deceiving.


    On Grayson¡¯s right sat two guys who looked simr in face structure, both cheekbones well angled and nose leveled to perfection. The one directly next to Grayson had dark brown eyes that could swoon any girl. His dirty blonde hair and slight sign of stubs on his chin made him more attractive. Thest guy had the same stubby chin but his eyes were clear blue crystals and his ck hair was styled into a short hairstyle.


    There was no point in denying. These guys looked absolutely amazing and looked as if they walked out of a magazine cover.


    ¡°Let us start,¡± Lucas suggested, leading his team which included Zane, Jace, and me to the remaining couches. Travis lingered back but I pulled him along to the couches. Amos looked at me confused, knowing I had my reasons for Travis to be here but the remanding members of the Elders were not pleased.


    ¡°What is a human, above all, a werewolf hunter doing here?¡± Amos asked confused, trying to understand why I was with him.


    ¡°That¡¯splicated,¡± Zane interrupted, ¡°but if we all sit down and listen I¡¯m sure he can exin everything.¡± Zane gave Travis a look and he nodded in agreement.


    The Elders shifted in their seat, all of them openly giving Travis a hostile look, except Amos. He seemed distraught but too interested.


    For the next ten minutes Travis exined everything up to the point he left. ¡°When I came back to the hunter¡¯s base, I told the leaders that I failed the mission and I gave up and they left me at that saying that they had something bigger in n. I eavesdropped on their meeting and found out they were nning to attack this mansion because it was rumored that the five Elders were all attending Lucas¡¯ party and since the hunter¡¯smunity has been flourishing with new members, they decided to attack directly this time. When they were gathering all the people I asked if I could join to fulfill my failed mission but I was nning to warn you guys instead. The leaders were suspicious and although they let me go, they kept a watchful eye that I was with them the whole time so my n ultimately failed. When the battle actually started, I fought on your side and met up with Zane and Alexia afterwards and together we managed to kill good bunch of them.¡± When Travis stopped, silence hung in the air as everyone sat there and consumed everything he had said.


    ¡°You said you promised to find more inside information about the murder case of ric and Marie Maxilum. What have you found anything?¡± Grayson asked. Everyone immediately tensed when we heard the mention of our parents¡¯ name.


    ¡°Yes, I have,¡± Travis replied confidently. ¡°There was a hunter who was outside of the Maxilum¡¯s estate. You know how hunters look for stupid reasons to kill your race. He was probably looking for any excuses to attack and when he saw the fire he called it in to headquarters. By the time one of the squads got there, there was no sign of him. He¡¯s been MIA ever since.¡±


    ¡°And your point?¡± the guy with the intense brown eyes asked impatiently.


    ¡°Logan, patience,¡± Grayson chided. ¡°Please, continue.¡± Logan rolled his eyes, crossed his arms as if bored but he waited for Travis to continue.


    ¡°The man said that he saw the person who started to fire. He was about to tell us his description but then the connection was cut off,¡± Travis finished.


    ¡°That makes things different,¡± Amos muttered, getting up from the couch. He paced around, thinking about something that distracted him.


    ¡°Amos, something¡¯s on your mind. You might as well speak it now since we¡¯re all gathered here in one room,¡± advised the guy with the cat¡¯s eye.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Wyatt,¡± Amos replied, ¡°but I guess we need to exin Alexia¡¯s presence in the battle.¡±


    ¡°You were the mastermind of this mess? Why did you even let her in battle? Her blood would have been in your hands!¡± Lucas spat out the questions, getting ready to through himself at Amos but I caught his hand before he flung himself which instantly made him back down a bit but he was still insanely angry.


    ¡°How dare you speak to an Elder like that? You would be punished if this was all under normal circumstances,¡± Grayson boomed, his deep voice vibrating in the room with energy. Lucas sat there engulfed in his anger but he knew he couldn¡¯t do anything. They would all take him down before he could cause any damage.


    ¡°I told you I can take care of myself,¡± I said sternly to Lucas. ¡°Uncle Amos?¡± I looked up at Amos, pleading him to forget about Lucas¡¯ outburst and go on with what he had to say.


    ¡°Yes, dear. Well, Alexia,¡± Amos said, turning around addressing to the people on the couches, ¡°has the special gift of healing.¡±


    ¡°sphemy!¡± Logan scoffed. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been one since the beginning of time.¡±


    ¡°Well, she did bring Zane back to life after the silver bullet shot his back and killed him,¡± Amos said a little too unsympathetic. ¡°And as you can see, Zane is with us here today all full and alive,¡± he pointed at Zane who didn¡¯t like the curious stares he received.


    ¡°That¡¯s beyond her level considering that it was her first time healing anyone without even knowing she had those powers,¡± the blue eyed guy eximed.


    ¡°What Aiden said is true,¡± Grayson said, thinking thoughtfully. I thought I could see the gears turning inside his head.


    ¡°She¡¯s a Maxilum. They aren¡¯t originals,¡± Lucas said, confused.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At that, everyone stopped their thinking and looked between Amos and me.


    ¡°Yes, I was meaning to tell Alexia and Zane earlier but¡­things have been not going ording to n,¡± Amos said slowly. ¡°But you see, Alexia isn¡¯t a Maxilum nor is she Zane¡¯s sister. She was adopted.¡±

 Chapter 25

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    I think I choked on my own spit because I went on a coughing fit but no one seemed to notice since the whole room erupted into loud arguments.


    Everyone spoke all at once and I found myself dumbstruck. Zane had also paled, trying to take everything in. It seemed like the world was spinning around a little too fast without me.


    The bickering and the questioning went on for a while until Amos had enough.


    ¡°QUIET!¡± Amos shouted over all themotion. ¡°Stop acting like a bunch of immature kids and let¡¯s think it through one at a time.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right but Amos, why didn¡¯t you say anything for sixteen years? Care to borate?¡± Lucas asked, very disturbed.


    ¡°It was a blood promise between Maxilum¡¯s household and me. They found her on their doorstep sixteen years ago and called someone who they could trust and had authority. I happened to be in town that night so they contacted me as soon as they found her. They wanted to throw her to an adoption shelter but there was a piece of paper stuck in her basket. It was the prophecy. We decided it was best if we let her live with them and made the blood promise not to tell but since they¡¯re¡­dead I¡¯m free from that promise,¡± Amos recalled. He looked like he was digging through an old memory that didn¡¯t want to be found. It pained him to even think of everything that took ce sixteen years ago.


    ¡°I saw my mom pregnant with Alexia. She can¡¯t be adopted. I saw everything with my own eyes,¡± Zane spoke confidently but he was only three years old when it happened so I wasn¡¯t sure if I could exactly trust his statement.


    ¡°Your mom faked the whole pregnancy. Alexia stayed with me until Marie was ¡®due¡¯ to have Alexia and then she hid herself from the society for a few years so there wouldn¡¯t be any suspicion on how Alexia aged so quickly. Only your dad and I knew about the truth. She wanted to protect Alexia from people who might treat her differently including you, Zane,¡± Amos exined. He sighed, ¡°She always had a kind soul and always cared for others.¡±


    I felt a wave of guilt for taking all that time from mom when she wasn¡¯t even my mom to start with. All those times when mom gave me more attention than Zane made me feeling like I needed to repay him for the lost time. Guilt consumed my thoughts but Zane took a hold of my hand.


    Hey, don¡¯t think like that. I still love you Alexia.Zane squeezed my hand once more and I felt a little more at ease but it didn¡¯tpletely take away the guilt. A sudden thought broke through everything.


    What prophecy were they talking about? I looked at Lucas for help but he was pale. His eyes didn¡¯t deceive the surprise and horror he had on his face. His face told me he knew well of the prophecy.


    ¡°Wait, what is this prophecy?¡± I asked. Everyone was surprise I had taken everything fine so far. They were all unease but Zane and I were utterly confused.


    All along I thought I was part of his family because of our simr appearance but I guess it was all just a coincidence. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know why I wasn¡¯t freaking out. I guess it didn¡¯t make much of a difference. They were still my mom and dad and Zane was still my brother.


    ¡°The prophecy is quite interesting since I am now looking at the Healer,¡± Wyatt said thoughtfully, examining me with interest but I felt his intimidation.


    ¡°Back off,¡± Lucas growled.


    ¡°Mind your manners little one,¡± Wyatt growled back with a warning tone.


    ¡°It sure is though,¡± Amos said calmly, breaking the hostile moment. ¡°And to think you were in front of me all these years.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Amos, what are exactly the Healer and this prophecy?¡± I decided to ask directly since no one else bothered to answer my desperate question.


    ¡°Dear, it¡¯s something you might want to hear for another time,¡± Amos said soothingly but I didn¡¯t want to take any of his crap. I knew he meant good but I wasn¡¯t a baby anymore. It sucked to grow up quickly but it had to happen sometime.


    ¡°Amos, she needs to know her own future,¡± Grayson intervened. Amos gave Grayson an unknowing nce and I decided it was my time to make my advancement


    ¡°Yes, enlighten me,¡± I challenged him, sitting there crossed arms while everyone in the room seemed to tense again. Lucas who sat next to me, held my hands.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well the prophecy states that a Healer will be born again after thest one,¡± Amos said, choosing his words carefully.


    ¡°Thest one?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Tragic ident,¡± Grayson muttered impatiently, ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, as you know by now, you are a Healer and it was prophesized that a Healer wille from the extinct original family and will avenge their parent¡¯s death, delivering death instead of life,¡± Amos said cautiously.


    ¡°Tell me the exact words of this ¡®prophesy,''¡± I asked, wanting to hear the full prophecy for myself. Travis seemed interested while Zane looked ufortable. He seemed detached from me now and I hated the sheer thought of him leaving me.


    ¡°From an extinct family the Healer is born. Avenging the blood of both parents is sworn. Delivering death and destruction, the Healer¡¯s revenge. No life will be spared in this tragic revenge. The darkness which was once concealed. Will find its way to the Healer¡¯s shield. Intertwining with the Healer¡¯s decisions. The darkness will once again rule its visions. Hope of mankind and every creature defeated. The Healer¡¯s own power is always seeded,¡± Amos recited as if he had always had it in the back of his mind which he probably did. Honestly, it was the silliest thing I¡¯ve heard in my life.


    ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t actually be serious that I can kill anyone,¡± Iughed but no one joined in. The Elders all sat in their seat, except Amos who stood, and stared at me grimly, their youthful face looking much older. They were dead serious.


    ¡°Of course she can¡¯t. She doesn¡¯t have the capability,¡± Amos said to the Elders. ¡°This prophecy doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± Amos said confidently but even I could hear the uncertainty in his voice.


    The Elders looked distraught. All of them looked with disbelief and doubt.


    If this so called ¡®prophecy¡¯ was true, did they mean my real parents?


    ¡°Do they mean my real parents?¡± I asked suddenly, speaking my own thoughts. The prophesy must¡¯ve been made before I was born so it should mean my birth parents but the thing was, I had no idea if they were even alive or dead nor did I had any interest in getting to know them.


    ¡°Yes, dear,¡± Amos answered, doing all the talking. Everyone sat there, staring elsewhere but every once in a while they stole nces at me. They all seemed to be preupied and lost in their own thoughts.


    ¡°Are my parent¡¯s alive?¡± I asked, this time more hesitantly.


    ¡°No, dear. For that, I am truly sorry,¡± Amos said. I think he thought I would react in some violent way but I honestly didn¡¯t feel sad and angry or in need to kill anyone.


    ¡°How did they die?¡± It was worth asking. I had the right to know and it wasn¡¯t like I was going to go on a killing rampage because of the knowledge.


    I noticed how even Amos hesitated. The atmosphere was dark and dangerous, no one was sure if it was wise to tell me. It was all so ridiculous.


    ¡°I have the right to know,¡± I said, trying to summon enough confidence.


    ¡°They were executed by order,¡± Grayson answered when Amos didn¡¯t say anymore. ¡°They were convicted with the highest crime of all history.¡±


    Well, that wasn¡¯t what I had expected but at least I knew now. I didn¡¯t have some mind blowing reaction or anything. I simply took it in and stored it in my memory. It didn¡¯t matter anyways. They were the ones who chose to abandon me and for that, no one could really me me for not categorizing them as ¡®family¡¯. That was when I realized something.


    If my birth parents were executed by order, the only group with that much power to do so was the Elders. They were the ones who sentenced my parents to death which means, ording to the damn prophecy, I would kill them all. No wonder they gave me narrowed, uneasy looks. They didn¡¯t mean any hatred but they were cautious and alert.


    ¡°Which is what?¡± I asked, not really sounding like I cared which was what I was aiming for.


    ¡°They turned. Turned to vampires,¡± Amos said sadly as if he knew them personally.


    ¡°Nowthat¡¯sthe most hrious thing I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Iughed but made a fool out of myself instead. They all looked at me as if I was crazy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything ¡®hrious¡¯ to it,¡± Grayson said, keeping an eye on me as if I would jump at him any second.


    ¡°Vampires. Seriously?¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°If we¡¯re real why can¡¯t vampires be?¡± Amos questioned, finally able to speak for himself.


    ¡°Bute on. Werewolves are¡­well¡­us but vampires is some stupid legend people make for petty excuses,¡± I reasoned.


    ¡°We¡¯re also from legends yet look where we exist. We¡¯re actual real living creatures and that goes for vampires as well and no matter how much you deny it, they¡¯re still going to exist.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any vampires so how can you expect me to believe any of this?¡± I know I was probably being stubborn but really,e on! We¡¯re talking about folklore vampires. It was already pretty hard to acknowledge me being a Healer no less a vampire¡¯s existence.


    ¡°Well, maybeyouhaven¡¯t but I¡¯vemingled with them business-wise and they are intelligent creatures like us. We are simr just like humans except the blood and sun part but who are we to judge when we¡¯re ves under the full moon?¡± Amos shrugged. Damn, he made a good point but still, I wasn¡¯t sure about my parents turning into a vampire. How did that even work? I was about to ask when Lucas spoke.


    ¡°Amos,¡± Lucas said uneasily. He didn¡¯t seem entirely surprised about the vampire part but something else seemed to loom over his head, bothering him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make Alexia half werewolf, half vampire?¡±

 Chapter 26

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    Everyone in the room looked up at Amos for the answer since he¡¯s been the one providing all the information. I myself was on the verge of bawling. I know that¡¯s very immature but hey, I¡¯m just a sixteen year old kid who just found out her parents is a disgraced family that turned into vampires. Heck, I didn¡¯t even know vampires even existed.


    This was way too much to handle and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it without Zane and Lucas. They held each one of my hand, soothing me with warmments in my head. Thank God for telepathy.


    ¡°You can put it that way but the correct terminology is Bloodwolf. A very stupid, idiotic name but that¡¯s what it¡¯s called although there haven¡¯t been a Bloodwolf before until sixteen years ago,¡± Amos exined, giving me a look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink blood Uncle Amos. I only feel my werewolf side. There is none of this vampire crap in me,¡± I scoffed unbelieving his ridiculous statement.


    ¡°You¡¯re vampire side hasn¡¯t fully appeared to the surface but since your werewolf side isplete, your vampire side will surely emerge very soon,¡± Amos warned.


    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Grayson said aghast. ¡°She cannot be the daughter from the Klyce household.¡±


    ¡°But at the same time you wonder how pale she is,¡± Wyatt replied, rubbing his temple but continued to study me. I hated the way he stared at me. It reminded me of a sneaky cat who takes in every small detail. Very creepy indeed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± Grayson growled.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get back to the point,¡± Aiden interrupted before Grayson could go any further. ¡°We should just kill her now shouldn¡¯t we?¡± My heart stopped. Would they really go that far?


    ¡°You fucking bastard. No one touches her,¡± Zane growled as he got up from the couch and plunged himself at Aiden.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if my sister isn¡¯t my sister but I still loved her all the same. Even with her imperfections,¡± Zane growled, ready to throw a punch.


    Uncle Amos appeared right in front of Zane and took him easily off of Aiden and pinned him to the ground. I yelled for Zane, jumping from my seat and everyone stood up in alert, poised to attack the opposite teams.


    It was the Elders against and the odd group of misfits although Lucas had a good road ahead of him to be an Elder.


    ¡°Zane, stop,¡± Amos growled at him. I don¡¯t think Zane noticed how he was thrashing on the ground, trying to break free. He just seemed so angry all of a sudden, on a huge defensive mode. Even Lucas wouldn¡¯t have acted like that and I knew he was doing it because he was my ¡®brother¡¯ but he went a little too far. Was there a deeper reason why he was going through all this just because of a crudement? No. He¡¯s my stupid brother. Nothing can change that. The thought made meugh inside despite my heavy situation but I quickly dissolved into my sober self.


    ¡°Uncle Amos, stop it,¡± I said terrified and tried to remove Amos away from Zane. Grayson instantly took a hold of me, taking me by my arms and pinning them together to my back and I got to say, it was not the most pleasant feeling.


    I screamed in pain which only made Zane thrash even more. Lucas finally took action and punched Grayson right in the jaw, making him loosen his grip on my arms enough for me to escape his strong hold.


    ¡°That was not wise, de,¡± Grayson said with deadly fire dancing in his eyes.


    ¡°She¡¯s my mate Whitlock. I don¡¯t need a seat in the Elders if I¡¯m given a choice between the Elders and Alexia.¡± Zane had stopped thrashing around and Amos finally let go of him and he got up slowly, his body obviously aching by the way he was standing.


    ¡°She¡¯s a monster. A half breed of both dangerous creatures of the day and night. That is the most disgraceful thing in the world,¡± Grayson replied, a new edge of de in his voice. So much for his earlierpliment.


    ¡°Stop it Grayson. Her parents were the disgraceful one. She didn¡¯t choose this path for herself,¡± Amos said calmly. I was thankful that Uncle Amos was still on our side and I hope he was right. It wasn¡¯t my fault I was this Bloodwolf creature. I wasn¡¯t given a damn choice. Sudden anger consumed me and I had to use my willpower to block out the anger. Was the darkness already getting to me?


    Lucas looked at me with worry. I think he knew what was going through my head without the use of scourging through my thoughts. He was that good at reading emotions.


    Zane too looked at me with worry but there were no signs that he knew of my sudden anger that still burned inside of me. Jace just seemed to look at me with curiosity and wonderment nodding his head once in a while when Amos talked. No matter how much they worried about me, it didn¡¯t stop me from the anger that was slowly building up again.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to terminate the Elders nor did I choose this path for myself!¡± I yelled, making them all flinch. ¡°I would never kill Uncle Amos, you of all people would know that,¡± I said directly at Amos and he smiled a little giving me reassurance that he was still with me. That made some of the anger fade away but there was still more where that came from.


    ¡°Yes, dear, of course I know. But a prophecy is a prophecy which means we should take precaution,¡± Amos said as caringly as he could. It seemed like he was on both sides, taking a neutral stand but not in a way that would harm me.


    Amos was still pacing around, thinking of some brilliant solution like he always did. It looked like Zane was holding back and wanted to voice his opinion but we both knew his opinion wouldn¡¯t be heard. He wasn¡¯t an original.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know my parents. I didn¡¯t ask to be born into some disgraced, mutant family. Heck, I don¡¯t even acknowledge them as my family. I had a family and now I have a new one here,¡± I exined in a softer tone, meaning our small group of four. Finally the anger was gone but I knew it still lingered deep inside my body, just waiting for another chance and that had scared me the most.


    ¡°Aw, Alexia that¡¯s nice of you to consider us as family,¡± Jace mused, trying to end the tension but he was terrible at it. It wasn¡¯t the time to crack up any jokes.


    ¡°Yes, Alexia has nothing to do with the past and the future always changes, don¡¯t they? The prophecy is sixteen years old. I¡¯m sure her future has changed within that time period,¡± Lucas said, trying to erase the stupid move Jace had yed.


    ¡°That is true,¡± Amos agreed. ¡°Elders what is your verdict?¡±


    What? I didn¡¯t know this was basically a trial. Everything was happening too fast. I was surprised how I was still intact and not going crazy like I thought I would have.


    The Elders sat there quietly like emotionless gods. Even Amos stopped pacing. They were all talking amongst themselves inside their head I realized.


    Hey, how are you holding up?Lucas asked in my head. Just the sound of his voice instantly made everything better. Of all people, I could trust Lucas to get us out of this sticky situation and I cherished the warmth in his voice.


    Well, finding that my real family is some disgraced, hated family and the fact that they were executed doesn¡¯t really make it all that great and this doesn¡¯t even dip into how we were attacked by the hunters today, my weird healing ability, and the stupid prophecy.I said sarcastically in my head but once those thoughts were out, Lucas, Zane, and Jace frowned at me.


    We¡¯ll make it out of this,Lucas soothed.


    Yeah, I hope so, I thought out. I felt disturbed and sad that Zane didn¡¯t say anything but I had to understand where he wasing from. He found out his parents lied to him his entire life and that I¡¯m not his true sister. Even though he was protective for me and still called me sister, I would give him the time he needed because I sure needed to.


    ¡°We reached a lenient solution,¡± Grayson dered, capturing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We concluded that Alexia willnotbe executed but will be under watch at all times by Amos. We will see how this works out in a week from now and decide further then.¡± He didn¡¯t look particrly too happy but content with the verdict.


    Those words were the most weing words I¡¯ve ever heard. Although now I wouldn¡¯t have much privacy, at least it was with someone I loved. Like for instance, if they wanted to torture me, they would¡¯ve set me up with Wyatt and his green cat eyes or Grayson who seemed to lose any respect he had for me before. Wyatt stared at me as if he knew what I had just said about him and Grayson. Geez, his eyes were intimidating and his emotionless face didn¡¯t make things any better.


    ¡°So everything is settled,¡± Aiden stretched from the couch, yawning. ¡°Oh, and Lucas one more thing. We need a ce to stay tonight because of all the ruckus that urred tonight. We¡¯re here to help you solve all themotion that wille up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You are always weed to stay,¡± Lucas said matching the Elders emotionless face. It seemed like hiding your emotions was a big thing when you were an Elder. If I didn¡¯t know Lucas, I would¡¯ve thought he was an Elder too.


    ¡°Thank you Lucas,¡± Grayson said, standing up first. Everyone else followed after Grayson.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Cynthia came into the room, her apron still on. She probably had a lot to clean up after all the battle. ¡°You called, Alpha Lucas?¡± she asked, bowing individually to everyone in the room. He must¡¯ve signaled his thoughts only to her.


    ¡°Yes, will you ever be so kind and show our guests where they will be spending for the night? I will clean up the mess in the ballroom myself,¡± Lucas ordered Cynthia and she bowed before leading the Elders out.


    ¡°Remember what I said before in the living room, de,¡± Amos warned, appearing next to Lucas then disappearing after Cynthia. What did that mean?


    ¡°You all should get some rest,¡± Lucas said once the Elders all left. ¡°Travis, you can stay in the dungeon until the Elders leave. You proved yourself tonight but I know the Elders would never allow you being upstairs tonight.¡±


    ¡°What about Amos? He¡¯s staying here at least for this week,¡± I said, feeling guilty since it was my fault Travis had to stay in the horrid cell again.


    ¡°I can convince Amos but for tonight, stay well locked up like a good doggy,¡± Lucas said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to clean up the ballroom now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯recallingmethe dog?¡± Travis scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re pretty funny.¡±


    ¡°Not trying to be,¡± Lucas said but he couldn¡¯t help a small smile at his idental pun.


    ¡°The emotionless finally shows emotion,¡± I eximed in mock surprise. Lucas rolled his eyes at me but broke out in augh full-heartedly; one that I haven¡¯t seen since our encounter with the Elders.


    ¡°I really need to get going and clean up the ballroom now,¡± Lucas said, his smile instantly fading. Was something wrong? I didn¡¯t think what I said offended him if heughed. There must¡¯ve been something else bothering him.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ll lead the human to the dungeon. D¨¦j¨¤ vu, hm?¡± Jace said amused but led Travis downstairs.


    ¡°Will you be okay, Alexia?¡± Zane said, once we three were alone. He didn¡¯t even care if Lucas was still with us.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be alright. One day at a time,¡± I answered, hoping I could ease his tension and stress. He just sighed and ruffled his hair and I noticed the dark bags under his eyes. After today¡¯s fight, everyone was tired especially Zane who basically came back from the dead.


    He gave up and leaned down on my head, nting a light kiss. ¡°Good night, Alexia,¡± he murmured, ¡°Love you.¡± Lucas didn¡¯t show any jealousy at all which made me feel happy that at least one thing in my life was still intact. Once Zane turned to retire to his bedroom, Lucas cleared his voice.


    ¡°Do you wante to the ballroom with me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°To clean up with you?¡± I asked. At least there would be privacy to talk. After everything that happened tonight, I wanted to talk to Lucas.


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 27

    Lucas let my arms wrap around his strong ones and led me towards the ballroom. I couldn¡¯t help but feel my heart tingle at the feeling of his warm, steady arm.


    We halted when we entered the ballroom. Only one corner of the ballroom was cleaned by Cynthia but the rest of the ce was filled with ss, debris, and dead hunters. All of our people weren¡¯t dead thanks to my ability but I merely healed them. It wasn¡¯t like I brought them back to life. I only brought back Zane which was already taking a toll on my body from his resurrection.


    Lucas stepped two steps in front of me. ¡°You ready?¡± Lucas looked back at me. What was he doing? I didn¡¯t get to think any farther because all those thoughts simply went away when Lucas flicked his arms in the air and the ss shards and debris scattered on the floor flew towards one direction.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Lucas.


    The debris of ss and other debris heeled around Lucas¡¯ arms, following at the slightest movement of his hand.


    No wonder the Elders wanted him on their Council so badly. He had the ability to levitate anything at will and seeing how he controlled the dangerous shards of ss made him look deadly. I would be scared if I didn¡¯t know him any better.


    Lucas grabbed a trash bag that was already filled by Cynthia and with one hand, directed the fragments and debris into the trash bag. Once thest shard was in the bag, he tied it tightly. He then gently levitated the hunters¡¯ bodies and put them in the back of the woods outside. Once he seemed pleased with his work, he wiped his hands as if he got dirty which of course he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°So what do you think?¡± Lucas asked, looking a little tired. I noticed small beads of sweat appeared on his face. He must¡¯ve used too much of his ability during the battle but I hadn¡¯t noticed since I was upied myself.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive,¡± I grinned when he smiled back at me with pride. ¡°The Elders would definitely want you in their Council no matter what the circumstances.¡± Meaning me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore as long as I have you,¡± he smiled. ¡°Now I think about it, we never got to dance to one song together.¡± Before I could tell him how I abhorred dancing, he produced an iPod. ¡°May I?¡± he asked, holding out one of the earpiece.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like dancing. I¡¯m quite clumsy,¡± I said, blushing.


    ¡°Do you not trust me Alexia?¡± he asked in a sexy tone and raised an eyebrow. God, he was so intriguing.


    I eventually let him put the earpiece in my ear and a soft melody came from the iPod. I recognized the piece fast. Mom always put it on when Zane and I were kids. It was Last Carnival, a soft but mysterious song. The piano part started off with the violining in gracefully afterwards.


    Lucas put his hands on my hips and sped the other with my hand. At the same time, I ced my free hand on his broad shoulders and we both glided across the clean floor of the ballroom in unison. We were both in sync, both matching each other like a perfect mirror.


    I felt like we could go on forever in this moment, dancing together. It seemed funny to think how much I loathed him just a week ago but we¡¯ve gone through so much it seemed like years had passed. We both knew each other¡¯s strength, weaknesses, and shared a sad past of our loved one¡¯s death. He may have not shown much of what he felt towards everything but I felt it through the bond we had. Sadness, confusion, and happiness all into one.


    It felt like we danced with the iPod forever until the mysterious but sad ending came along and ended with onest chord. We both held each other¡¯s eyes until reality settled in. I let go of our gaze and he cleared his voice.


    ¡°Thank you for the dance,¡± he said, bowing. His suit was still crisp and clean despite the attack. My dress was salvageable with just a small cut alongside my thigh area where a thin dark red line of dried blood scarred my leg. I shrugged it off. It would heal. It wasn¡¯t the end of the world.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied, curtsying back. He smiled and tugged me into a small embrace.


    ¡°Come on, Alexia. I think what you need is a nice long sleep. You¡¯re probably shocked from everything,¡± Lucas whispered. He was right. I was dead tired and a little dizzy.


    It¡¯s kind of hard to act normal with everything that had happened tonight. I was scared and a little afraid that tomorrow I wouldn¡¯t be the same Alexia but a monster like what the Elders thought. Now the Elders treat me with contempt, wanting to kill me but at the same time they need me for healing purposes. Gosh, my life was screwed up. Just thinking about everything had made me feel lightheaded and the small headache that annoyed me started to reveal itself in the most unimaginable painful way.


    That was when the dark shes of broken visions entered my head. I couldn¡¯t make out anything but darkness swarming inside my head. I could tell I was in some kind of room and someone yelling at me to stop. Stop what? I looked around but the darkness kept whispering, tugging at me for attention.Do it. Finish what needs to be done.


    ¡°Alexia! Are you OK?¡± Lucas yelled, snapping me out of the vision.


    I could make out his worried face with wrinkles forming on his perfect tanned skin. How much I learned to love and trust it.


    Then the world tilted and then everything went dark.

 Chapter 28

    Lucas¡¯ POV


    ¡°Alexia!¡± I kept yelling but she had already fainted. Her eyes had be all misty and hazel as if she was in a trance. I had to yell her name at least a dozen times before she showed any reaction to her name and then she fainted. I had just enough time to grab her before she could fall.


    Was this fulfilling the dark prophecy? Was she already having some kind of visions? I sighed, full of stress. This problem was going to be a hell of a ride.


    I carried Alexia up to our room andid her on the bed, making sure she wasfortable and warm but when I touched her forehead, it was ice cold. I instantly pulled away, flinching by her cold skin. She started to look pale and her lips looked chapped. Was this the vampire side of her that was appearing? No, I¡¯m pretty sure she was pale before or maybe it was because she had just fainted. I shook my doubt-filled head but another voice entered.


    Kill the Healer. Kill the Healer.My dad¡¯s voice haunted inside of me.


    Lucas¡¯ Memory (sixteen years ago)


    ¡°Father? You look stressed. What¡¯s wrong?¡± The little boy of four years knew so much. Grew up a little too fast but that¡¯s what his father wanted. The father looked at his son proudly. His son was already able to pick up the most subtle, hidden emotion.


    ¡°Yes, Lucas, I am greatly stressed.¡± There was no need to fake in front of the child. He knew when something was up. He knew how to understand.


    ¡°What is it, father?¡± the young boy asked. He approached his dad who was seated on his mahogany desk. The young boy always looked up to his father in respect and awe because he was the Alpha and an important member of the Elders.


    ¡°Your generation is cursed by a grim prophecy, my boy.¡± The father buried his face with his mighty hands. The little boy wanted to hug his father but he knew soft emotions would have no impact, no use.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, father. What is this prophecy you speak of?¡± the young boy asked.


    ¡°Another Healer is born,¡± his father replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great news father!¡± the boy eximed but held confusion in his eyes.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But son, the Healer will destroy the Council of Elders,¡± his father said grimly. ¡°You are destined to be an Elder but there will be a change of ns. I cannot let you be killed by some Healer.¡±


    ¡°I will be an Elder just so I can destroy this Healer before it destroys us,¡± the young boy replied confidently. The father chuckled softly, proud of his boy for his bravery.


    ¡°I cannot stop you from bing an Elder but if you ask for my wisdom, I advise you to blend in with society. Don¡¯t join the Elders. Instead, look and observe from a distance and when you have found this cursed Healer, attack it and kill it. Show no mercy, son.¡± The father knew it was a heavy topic on his young boy. Who could ever do this to a boy of only four years of age?No. He needed this. It will only make him stronger,his father concluded.


    ¡°Of course, father. I will never fail you,¡± the son replied.


    ¡°Remember son and remember clearly. Kill the Healer.¡±


    Lucas¡¯ POV


    I shook my head in disgust. Even though it was so many years ago, I still remembered it clear as day. Father had made me the mature little boy. It was because of that I didn¡¯t have many friends. Parents adored my maturity but kids loathed how much attention I had drawn from the adults.


    The memory of father¡¯s instructions burned inside my head. I knew what I had to do but who knew that exact person would be my mate?


    In frustration, I tore off my stupid suit and stripped down to my boxers and a light tank. What would father think if he saw me now? The person who he wanted to kill was sleeping in my bed but she was also the most important person in my life.


    This love thing was too contradicting. Alexia showed me what this feeling of love was like and my father had always encouraged me about loving my mate but he also wanted to kill my mate, the Healer from the prophecy.


    ¡°Father, what now?¡± I whispered, distressed by my situation.


    Kill the Healer. Kill the Healer.


    I shook my head. I did not need another look of my past. This was the present and there will always be a future and I¡¯m in charge of it. Not father.


    ¡°No father. I can¡¯t do it. I love her too much.¡±

 Chapter 29

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    The most annoying thing is to wake up feeling all groggily and nasty. Today was one of those days.


    I was still in my ripped dress and my body was still weak and sore. I tried stretching my body to get my blood up and running but I felt something on my thigh.


    ¡°Hey, shhh. Hold still,¡± I heard Lucas¡¯ voice before I saw him. I opened my eyes and saw him tending the small wound I got from yesterday.


    He had a small pack of Neosporin and was applying it on my thigh. I thought the wound would¡¯ve healed by now but I guess it was worse than I thought.


    He worked quickly and efficiently on my thigh, making sure the wound was neatly covered in Neosporin. When he finished, he wiped the remains of the medicine on his designer jeans. I squinted at how much that must¡¯ve cost.


    Even before, I had enough money to spend on anything but I was raised better and had to earn money through chores like any other kid. Obviously Lucas hadn¡¯t learned those etiquettes. Judging from his maturity, he probably learned how to do business as soon as he could talk.


    ¡°Feel better?¡± Lucas asked but his eyes seemed to be worlds away, distracted.


    ¡°Yes, a lot better, thanks,¡± I replied, thanking him.


    ¡°The Elders just left town to do some business and making sure the werewolves have all calmed down,¡± Lucas said, briefing me on everything.


    ¡°Oh, I though Amos was supposed to be with me twenty-four, seven,¡± I said, getting up from bed. Although my thigh didn¡¯t seem to hurt as much, I still felt that morning grogginess. I felt a little thirsty too.


    ¡°Well, he trusts us unlike the other Elders so he¡¯s being more lenient.¡± That was nice for a change. I hated how the Elders were all up in my case yesterday.


    ¡°So what kind of adventure do we have for today?¡± I asked, mildly cheerful.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re getting out of this mess,¡± Lucas soothed, brushing my messy hair aside. I don¡¯t think I believed his words. How can you run away from a prophecy? He sighed, unable to trust his own words. We sat there in bitter silence thinking about how our problems went from trying to get me marked and mated to end of the world destruction. Suddenly, a realization hit me.


    ¡°Crap, I fainted didn¡¯t I?¡± I asked, forgetting all about yesterday¡¯s incident. Something dark stirred in me as if reliving what happened yesterday. Anger filled me and I had an urge to push Lucas and start a fight. If he never hade in the first ce, I wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. It was aftering to his house that all these problems emerged. These thoughts yed out in my head and I acted on anger by pushing Lucas hard and by the surprise in his eyes, he didn¡¯t know I was capable in that much strength.


    He lost his bnce but he was a quick and deadly. He quickly recoiled my attack and looked at me in confusion. ¡°What was that, Alexia?¡±


    What was that? I also had a hard time understanding what had happened. The anger still lingered in my thoughts but now the feeling of guilt overwhelmed me. What have I done?


    ¡°P-please, stay away,¡± I quivered, trying to get as far away from him as possible. I didn¡¯t want to harm him.


    ¡°Alexia-¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± I curled up on the bed, my back stered to the backboard in the attempt to stay far away from him. There was so much panic and urgency in my voice that made me even more scared than I already was.Kill. Kill. Kill.The voice taunted me and if it had a face, it would have been smirking at me.


    ¡°NO!¡± I yelled, burying my face between my legs. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. The voice wasing from somewhere inside my head and I wanted to destroy it.


    ¡°Alexia, calm down. You can do this,¡± Lucas whispered. Somehow through all the voices, I didn¡¯t notice Lucas holding me on the bed. ¡°Shhh, think about something happy. Cast out any dark feelings and rebuke the darkness,¡± he instructed while stroking my hair.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I tried to do what he told me to and thought of something I was surprised to even think of. My mind went back to the time when Zane and I fell asleep on the couch and mom took a picture of us while we were sleeping. It had happened before the party, before the fire, before everything in my world turned upside down.


    It was a blissful memory and the feelings I had: happiness, love,passion casted out my feelings of anger that held me. Slowly I felt the anger melt away and the only thing I could think of was how mom looked with her one sided grin and Zane¡¯sughing face.


    Feeling all those mixed emotions at once had concluded with me crying. I had let the darkness ovee me even if it was for a minute and the memory of my mom and the cheerful face of Zane had tug my heart into forming lumps in my throat.


    ¡°Alexia, you¡¯re OK now. It¡¯s over.¡± Lucas continued to soothe me, putting encouraging words in my ear until I had stopped crying. I was breathing heavily and shaking but it could¡¯ve been worse if Lucas hadn¡¯t been there.


    He held me between his legs, my back to his stomach and he gently ced his head on my shoulder. It was quiet moments like these that I treasured and cherished with Lucas. Ever since our lives met together, it was all hate and fighting but it was nice to just take one step back from everything and share something nice like this.


    ¡°I wish we can be stuck in moments like these,¡± Lucas sighed, lifting his head and nting a kiss on my cheek. It seems like he didn¡¯t need to go scourging my head to know what I was thinking about. We were in sync with each other.


    ¡°Hm,¡± I sighed in agreement. My skin tingled from the lightest brush of his lips on my skin.


    I turned my head around just in time to catch his next kiss. He was taken aback at first but he recovered, taking charge as usual. My whole body turned so we were facing each other and he deepened the kiss, gently tilting my head with his hand for a better angle. He gently pushed me to my back with him on top of me and continued to kiss me. As our kiss continued, I tugged on his shirt, attempting to pull it off but I was experienced. Heck, I was still a virgin but that feeling of loneliness wanted something more. Someone to love me.


    He chuckled probably reading my thoughts and helped me take his shirt off. His body never ceased to take my breath away and I felt my heartbeat skyrocket.


    Lucas didn¡¯t waste any time. He found the zipper of my tattered dress and eagerly took it off leaving me in my bra and underwear. I didn¡¯t know what was supposed to happen next. Not only have I never been in a bed with a guy but I never exactly kissed one too.


    Lucas saw my hesitation and immediately stopped. His head snapped up and he rolled off of me and out of bed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. Suddenly, I noticed how little clothing I had on and felt embarrassed and ashamed. Stupid me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have treated you that way,¡± Lucas said, gritting his teeth, angry at himself. He looked the other way, ashamed of what he had done.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked, confused. It felt¡­good.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t treat you with respect. I treated you like I treated with every other slut I¡¯ve been with in the past,¡± he said honestly. He continued to beat himself mentally and I felt that in his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡± At that he turned to me confused. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do this again,¡± I said, getting up from bed and grabbing afortable t-shirt and jeans from my bag of clothes. I think I created an awkward atmosphere but I didn¡¯t want us to be in an ufortable situation that might damage whatever rtionship we were in. Geez, way to start a morning.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± he said. I think his short reply surprised me more than his previous shock.


    I felt a little pain in my heart because he agreed so easily but I simply nodded and we left it at that but I couldn¡¯t shake the pain in my heart away.

 Chapter 30

    After I put on my attire for the day consisting of a n ck t-shirt, jeans, and converse, I went downstairs first as if nothing happened. On my way to the kitchen to grab some breakfast, Zane pulled me aside to a corner of the kitchen where it was harder to see if anyone came in.


    ¡°Hey, Alexia,¡± he said. I couldn¡¯t help but notice how he didn¡¯t call me ¡®sis¡¯ and it shouldn¡¯t have bothered me since I should have never had the title in the first ce.


    ¡°Uh, hey, Zane,¡± I said ufortably and I hated myself for feeling that way. ¡°Why are we in a corner?¡± He ignored my questioning and went straight to the point.


    ¡°I hope your still into this but Travis found something we might be interested in.¡± I raised my eyebrow at that. He got me full attention.


    ¡°Keep talking,¡± I urged him to continue.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me specifics yet but he promised more information and he¡¯s waiting for us in the public library in town. He says it¡¯s too dangerous,¡± he said in a low voice.


    ¡°Come on, Zane, just because she isn¡¯t your sister doesn¡¯t mean you can go off hiding in a corner with her and the lights turned off.¡± The kitchen light flooded and Jace walked into the kitchen, grinning. Zane instantly turned to go grab something in the refrigerator, pretending to be busy. ¡°So what¡¯s too dangerous?¡± Jace asked, smirking when neither of us said anything.


    ¡°Ah, for her to stay out of her usual trouble,¡± Zane replied a beat too quickly.


    ¡°And somehow I¡¯m not buying that,¡± Jace tsked. ¡°I¡¯d hate to report everything back to Lucas,¡± he threatened in a sing song voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay out of trouble,¡± I said, rolling my eyes at Jace and he winked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you and your ¡®destroying the world problem,''¡± Jace smirked, grabbing himself a cup of coffee. ¡°I meant Zane¡¯s interest in women is shifting.¡±


    ¡°Stay out of my privacy Jace,¡± Zane said annoyed.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t say that she¡¯s your sister anymore, can you?¡± Jace challenged.


    ¡°Urgh, I gottago,¡± Zane said, eyeing me to get out when I can. He made his own exit with a yogurt and a spoon in hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s it to ya?¡± I asked when Zane was gone. What was Jace trying to get to?


    ¡°I¡¯m just stating out the facts and possibilities my friend,¡± Jace shrugged, sipping his coffee.


    ¡°Which is what? That he suddenly likes me because it wouldn¡¯t be incest?¡± Iughed out loud.


    Jace raised his eyebrow and winked. ¡°d you¡¯re catching up.¡±


    ¡°You pervert,¡± I scoffed. Jace raised his hand in mock surrender.


    ¡°Whatever you say, captain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out,¡± I said, rolling my eyes which seemed like the thousandth time when Lucas strolled into the kitchen. Jaceughed which made Lucas perk up with interest.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny Jace?¡± Lucas asked, suspicious. I gave Jace a hostile look to shut up.


    ¡°Oh, nothing, my friend. We¡¯re just having a nice conversation, right Alexia?¡± Jace gave me a friendly smile.


    ¡°Hardly,¡± I stuck my tongue at him and grabbed a yogurt and spoon just as Zane had. I was about to leave the kitchen but Lucas stood in the way.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± he said yfully.


    ¡°Well, like they say, curiosity killed the cat,¡± I smirked and punched him yfully then ducked my head, away from his grasp.


    ¡°Hey, where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± he called out. ¡°I thought our goal was to put you away from any trouble.¡±


    ¡°I might hit some books in the library,¡± I answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t gone out much so I thought it would be a good opportunity.¡± To think of it, I haven¡¯t picked up a book since Zane yfully took it from me. That was also the first day I met Lucas. Geez, time flies pretty fast. It felt like it was years ago when really it was at least a few weeks ago.


    ¡°OK, just steer out of trouble,¡± Lucas said. ¡°And also, we have another party today.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I stopped and turned back towards him. ¡°We were just under attack yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Well, not really a party but a gathering. Werewolves like to take it fancy and live it up,¡± he said but sighed when I gave him my ¡®are-you-serious-face.¡¯ ¡°They want to be reassured that there aren¡¯t any more threats but for obvious security reasons, we can¡¯t do it in this house anymore so we¡¯re having it in a hotel.¡±


    ¡°A hotel?¡± I raised my eyebrow. ¡°That sounds sketchy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fancy hotelso wear something nice. If you go in those t-shirts and jeans of yours, you¡¯re going to give me a heart attack,¡± he said wide-eyed. I grinned and he gave me his special smiles.


    ¡°I might just go like this just for you,¡± I joked and received a pat on my head that messed up my hair. Ugh.


    ¡°Juste home at four since the party is at six,¡± Lucas instructed.


    ¡°Yes captain,¡± I said, mocking a salute.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my line!¡± I heard Jace¡¯s voice from somewhere in the kitchen.


    Lucas rolled his eyes butughed. ¡°See you,¡± he smiled.


    ********


    When Zane and I had entered the library, we spotted Travis right away with aptop in tow. Where he got theptop no one knew but hunters were clever enough to steal one without anyone noticing.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Zane asked, cutting to the chase, almost jogging up to Travis. Way to be inconspicuous.


    ¡°We should sit down Zane. We don¡¯t want to draw in too much attention,¡± I said, tugging on his sleeve until he sat down on a chair. Our rushed entrance and Zane¡¯s loud outside voice already attracted enough attention.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°OK, so this morning I tried hacking the hunter¡¯s online database system and I found an important file that I hadn¡¯t gone through,¡± Travis said excitedly. He probably had a bad image of our parents¡­Zane¡¯s parents but he still loved a good mystery and he had promised to help.


    ¡°Which is?¡± I asked, hardly able to contain my excitement. This might be it. We could be one step closer to finding the murderer.


    ¡°It¡¯s a file containing everything from a current address and personal information to the investigation of everything that happened to Charles DiGetto, the hunter who went MIA the night of the murder.¡±


    Bingo.


    ¡°Great! Where does he live?¡± Zane asked, ready to go that instant. ¡°We can get there before the party starts.¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses. If you go, the first thing he¡¯ll do is try and kill you. If not, call headquarters which is equally bad news,¡± Travis said. Zane looked nkly. He was too focused on action that he didn¡¯t think further onto the effects of what his actions would cause.


    ¡°OK, so what¡¯s the n then?¡± I asked Travis. He looked at me intelligently and I slowly saw a n forming in his head.

 Chapter 31

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    After our brief meeting with Travis, we had a lot of time to kill and decided best to separate so we wouldn¡¯t cause too much attention. There were many werewolves in town and strolling along with a hunter would cause amotion for sure. Hunters were able to walk into werewolfmunities as long as they didn¡¯t butt into werewolf business but they did if werewolves caused a problem that affected the humans.


    ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡± Zane asked. We had four hours to kill and it was time for lunch. My stomach growled to prove it. Zaneughed. ¡°OK, lunch it is.¡±


    We walked to a nice, fancy little bakery around the corner of the library called Shi and ordered small pastries, coffee, and a small but delicious looking fruit cake.


    ¡°What¡¯s the cake for?¡± I asked, amused by his choice of food.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know what today is?¡± Zaneughed at my confusion. ¡°Goodness Alexia. It¡¯s your birthday!¡±


    My birthday. I totally forgot.


    Today I was officially seventeen.


    With everything going on I hadn¡¯t realized that it was even my birthday. I guess I would never know my true birthday since they faked my pregnancy but this one still counted and I was d that Zane still remembered.


    ¡°Make a wish,¡± Zane smiled as soon as he lit all seventeen candles. He lit them up so fast I hadn¡¯t even noticed them. If there was an ability for lighting up candles the fastest, it would be him. I smiled at the candles that shone brightly on my cake and I could smell the extinguished fire the match had left to linger.


    I giggled, excited and nervous as I closed my eyes, thinking for a wish.I wish that Zane and I will always stick together till the very endI thought before I blew out the candles in one blow.


    ¡°I heard that,¡± he grinned, waving away the fumes from the candles.


    ¡°I hope that still counts as a wish since you¡¯re not supposed to tell anyone.¡± I forgot to shield my thoughts away from everyone which I tended to do a lot.


    ¡°You didn¡¯ttellme you thought it but you thought it out so loud I¡¯m pretty sure even Lucas and Jace heard it,¡± Zaneughed.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± I punched him in the arms yfully. I stuck out my tongue, making a face. ¡°I get to cut the cake.¡±


    The cake Zane had got was just right enough to fill only two people so it was awfully hard to cut it precisely without ruining the cake. In the end, Zane had to take over and cut it evenly for the both of us.


    ¡°This has been one heck of a day,¡± I said, eating a piece of the fluffy cake topped with strawberries and blueberries. It melted in my mouth like heavenly goods.


    ¡°Hopefully, luck will be on our side and Travis¡¯ n will work.¡± Zane gave me an encouraging smile to let me know that things will be alright. I wanted to believe him but things like that just didn¡¯t work in reality anymore.


    ¡°Hopefully,¡± I repeated, staring off to space.


    ¡°Excuse me, may I take this chair?¡± The voice snapped me back. I looked up to a guy holding an extra chair that belonged to our table.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, sure,¡± I stammered. I couldn¡¯t help but notice his electric green eyes that had a ssh of gold in them, making it look like a jewel. His sandy blonde hair was styled upwards, gelled to perfection and his pale skin made him look skinny but still he had a nice build which oddly cancelled the two descriptions. He had his designer boots that looked like they were some type of fashionable army boots and wore jeans with a shirt that was fit for his body type. He topped his outfit with a nice green scarf that brought out his eyes if it hadn¡¯t already.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he smiled and I noticed a slight British ent. I could tell he had been trying to tame his tongue to sound American but his British ent also made a part of him unique.


    ¡°No problem,¡± I replied.


    ¡°My name is Derek by the way,¡± he said in a friendly tone. ¡°Derek Hainsworth.¡±


    ¡°Well, nice to meet you Derek. I¡¯m Alexia and this is,¡± I hesitated, about to say brother, ¡°Zane.¡±


    He held out his hand to me and I took it. He had a weird approach but he was friendly and charming enough. Derek frowned but his usual friendly smile came back on and he shook hands with Zane too.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well, nice to meet you Alexia and Zane. Thank you again for the chair,¡± he nodded with thanks before leaving with our chair in tow to a table full of humans. He had the chair out for a girl who smiled lustfully, begging him if they could go back to his ce. Ugh. I hated those types of girls. Even from this distance you didn¡¯t need werewolf senses to hear the annoyingints she was making.


    The Derek guy whispered something in her ear and she immediately perked up and sat down with the rest of the humans as if her previousints were nothing.


    ¡°Why are you still staring at him?¡± Zane asked and I tore my gaze off of the couple.


    ¡°I feel like something¡¯s weird.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if it was the couple or just the whole change I was going through. I think I was now epting the fact of being a Bloodwolf but it did make things physically and mentally easier. ¡°Hey, I think I need a drink. Can you buy me a bottle of water?¡± I asked Zane.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Zane got up in line and waited.


    I sat there by myself, my thirst now seemed unbearable. I tried drinking more of my coffee but I finished it all. I looked around, panicking on how much I needed water. My throat seemed like it was on fire and it affected my breathing. To anyone, I probably look like a crazy hyperventting girl.


    Zane was in line, looking at the pastries that were on the stand and had his back to me. I spotted a bathroom nearby. The sink would do to quench my thirst.


    I got up and ran to the dark hallway that was closed off from the bakery by the walls. The dimly lit lights weren¡¯t a problem finding the sign with a girl on it. I dly took off in that direction when someone grabbed my arm.


    ¡°Is everything OK?¡± Derek asked. He didn¡¯t show any concern and his face looked tight again as he touched my shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯m just thirsty and Zane¡¯s taking a while buying water so I was going to use the sink instead,¡± I said the best I could, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my throat. I didn¡¯t need a human to ask what was wrong with me. Hell, everything was wrong with me.


    ¡°Water isn¡¯t going to satisfy you.¡± That was all Derek said before he pinned me against the wall. No one from the bakery could see us now since the wall covered our existence. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth before the sound escaped my lips. The bakery was way too loud for anyone to hear my muffled scream.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I yelled through my muffled mouth. My throat burned the more I tried talking. Every small movement was like needles pricking my throat.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Bloodwolf,¡± Derek stated. I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking by the tone of his voice.


    How had he known? What was he? He definitely wasn¡¯t a werewolf.


    Derek smiled a little at my confusion, showing his fangs. ¡°I¡¯m a vampire, little Bloodwolf.¡±


    A vampire.

 Chapter 32

    Zane! Help!I screamed in my head. It was the only solution I could think of. I tried thrashing around so I could get Zane some time before he could find me.


    ¡°Hold still,¡± Derek said irritated. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯m trying to help.¡± With one hand holding me to the wall, he took the other free hand and bit himself on his wrist, drawing enough blood to make me queasy. ¡°Here, drink.¡± He let go of my mouth but before I could scream again and pushed his bloody wrist up my mouth. An explosion of blood entered my thirsty mouth like a refreshing waterfall.


    The instant blood trailed down my throat, the thirst quickly vanished. My body finally rxed and I began to suck his wrist, consuming as much blood I could. It tasted a bit rusty but it was sweet and amazing at the same time. The bittersweet taste filled my whole body, making me feel alive and awake.


    ¡°Woah, there. You don¡¯t want to drink too much of a vampire¡¯s blood. That¡¯s not good for you,¡± Derek chuckled, pulling his wrist back, scared to wipe it on his fashionable clothes. Instead, he pulled out a handkerchief in his pocket and wiped away the blood as if it was normal.


    Suddenly the dark corner didn¡¯t seem so dark anymore. Everything was clear and bright, my senses on full alert. Then the guilt of what I had done filled me up.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± I stammered, my legs copsing. Derek caught me before I fell.


    ¡°You did what you were supposed to do. Drink blood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a monster,¡± I whispered, the words of the Elders echoing in my head.


    ¡°Ouch, I¡¯m offended. A life of a vampire isn¡¯t as terrible as you think,¡± Derek said thoughtfully. ¡°The sun might get annoying if you stay out too long but as long as you try to stay indoors or in a shade, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Alexia?¡± Zane stood looking over us. His eyes darted from me to Derek and then back to me. Then he caught the blood that dribbled down my mouth. ¡°What the hell, Alexia?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t very supporting of you. You knew she had to drink blood sometime,¡± Derek looked at Zane. ¡°I advise you to take her back to the person you call Lucas.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I feel much better, thank you, Derek. I don¡¯t need to be taken back to Lucas,¡± I said. Then my wheels in my head started turning. ¡°Wait, how do you know Lucas?¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies. It isn¡¯t only the werewolves who have special abilities. I too have an ability. I can touch someone and instantly know everything about them and sometimes hear thoughts if I put enough effort into it.¡± Derek said shrugging as if it was no big deal.


    We need to get out of here,Zane thought out to me.He¡¯s dangerous.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to eavesdrop but I¡¯m certainly not dangerous. I can help Alexia with her vampire side and how to control it. You don¡¯t see much vampires who are offering you their help. We are quite¡­selfish,¡± Derek said. Wow, he could even hear into our telepathy. I really did want his help and I trusted him since he was the one who had saved me.


    ¡°Zane, he could help me. Maybe I can block out my vampire side,¡± I pleaded but Zane looked at me with unease. I couldn¡¯t exactly me him when my mouth was covered in blood. I wiped it hard with my sleeve hoping it would please Zane.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only my decision that counts. I think Lucas and Uncle Amos will need to have a say in this,¡± Zane said but I could tell he meant no.


    ¡°Ah, you know Amos Awbrey?¡± Derek asked. ¡°Of course. He¡¯s the Elder. No worries. I will talk to him about the situation today and I¡¯m sure I can persuade Amos,¡± Derek smiled at me.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll be keeping in touch then,¡± Zane said. I couldn¡¯t help catch the small bitterness and untrusting in his voice.


    ¡°Derek, where are you?¡± the annoying girl from before called out. She stopped when she saw all three of us. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, freely sending daggers at me. ¡°Everyone left.¡±


    ¡°Finishing up business,¡± Derek answered. ¡°I guess you will be seeing more of me Zane Maxilum. Now, excuse me again. I need to take the unnamed girl home for my dinner,¡± he winked and led the girl out of the bakery.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like him,¡± Zane said finally. ¡°He¡¯s going to suck the life out of her.¡±


    ¡°He helped me and I¡¯m d he was here or else I would¡¯ve died,¡± I said coolly. His blunt statement offended me. That¡¯s exactly what I was kind of doing with Derek. The reminder of the delicious taste of blood made me shudder. I wouldn¡¯t let that happen again.


    ¡°OK, points for you. I¡¯m just d you¡¯re safe,¡± Zane said, pulling me into a hug. ¡°You gave me a scare when I turned around and you weren¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was on my way to the bathroom when Derek pulled me aside,¡± I said as nicely as I could.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°As long as you didn¡¯t get hurt,¡± Zane said slowly, hoping I¡¯d give him the details.


    ¡°No, I think I was the one who hurt him,¡± I said, feeling disturbed.


    ¡°You do what you need to do,¡± Zane assured me. ¡°We should get back. I didn¡¯t know time passed so fast.¡± Zane helped me out of the bakery and we made our way back to the mansion.

 Chapter 33

    When Zane and I got back to the huge estate, Lucas was on the veranda, swinging on the porch swing and reading a ssic novel. He almost didn¡¯t look that deadly but we all knew what he was capable of.


    ¡°You guys are five minuteste,¡± he said, shaking his head. He put down the book and crossed his arms like a mom angry at her child who broke curfew.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Well, we ran into some trouble,¡± Zane said before he thought through it. Whoops.


    ¡°What?!¡± Lucas exploded. ¡°What happened?¡± He threw himself off the veranda and faced Zane.


    I pushed Lucas off and made sure the two had space. ¡°I met a vampire and he kindly helped me. No scratch that. He saved me,¡± I said, thinking about how I would¡¯ve died with that burning feeling if Derek hadn¡¯t saved me.


    ¡°Whathappened,¡± Lucas pressed. He wanted to know the full story.


    ¡°We were at a bakery and I was thirsty. I didn¡¯t know it was blood that I needed and Derek helped me.¡± I tried to make it in and simple and I guess looking back on my words, it did seem all that simple but Lucas was still cautious.


    Lucas sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t scare me like that again,¡± he said, giving up on the subject.


    ¡°Apparently, I scare everyone,¡± I sighed exasperatingly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t scareme, dear,¡± Amos appeared right next to me. When Lucas didn¡¯t look all that happy, Amos knew something was up. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She befriended a vampire and he helped her by giving her blood when she was thirsty,¡± Lucas exined, unhappily. Come on, couldn¡¯t I exin? How Lucas said it made me look like I was a naughty little kid stealing from the cookie jar.


    ¡°Well, it saved her and that¡¯s all that matters, correct?¡± Amos asked. It looked like he was disciplining a child.


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t like how vampires are now roaming the city as if they rule it,¡± Lucas muttered angrily.


    ¡°We live in coexistence. That¡¯s how your town is running smoothly. We work together and we all get benefits from it,¡± Amos chided.


    ¡°We clean up their mess when they leave bloody bodies around the city,¡± Lucas argued.


    ¡°And they clean up for us when we lose control during the full moon,¡± Amos replied back. Lucas quieted at that. His argument was stronger than Lucas¡¯.


    I remembered the full moon. I wasn¡¯t marked yet so I didn¡¯t go through the change in the full moon but I certainly saw mom, dad, and Zane go through it. Watching them suffer was already painful enough.


    During the full moon, they would turn into werewolves without a choice but they turned slowly so each movement of the bone, each different cement of their bone structure would cause them pain. When werewolves changed without the full moon, the transformation is so fast that they barely feel the pain. Just an annoying ache of the bone but nothing like how it is under the full moon but that wasn¡¯t the only thing.


    The next process was that they wouldn¡¯t be able to control their bloodlust. The full moon would control them and they would kill anything in their sight that wasn¡¯t a werewolf. That was our curse.


    Every full moon, every werewolf has to be locked up in their dungeon usually under the basement. Lucas¡¯ was just a nicer looking dungeon that doesn¡¯t even deserve that title.


    The dungeons were always equipped with chains and cells made out of silver to insure that the person inside would be weakened when the transformation happened. I had to make sure the cell was properly locked and they would yell at me to go upstairs with a gun loaded with silver bullets in case things didn¡¯t go well.


    Don¡¯t be afraid to use it Alexia. You need to protect yourself first,my dad had said but as soon as the screaming and the cracking of bones urred, I would hug my knees in a corner with the gun in hand, staring at the door that led itself to the dungeon.


    Every full moon felt like one step to insanity. I couldn¡¯t bear their screaming and that was one of the reasons why my parents bought me an iPod. Technology was a lifesaver.


    ¡°We should get ready for the party,¡± Lucas cleared his voice. I stared at him dumbfounded. In the event of my bloodsucking experience, I had forgotten about the party.


    ¡°Ah, yes, we¡¯ll runte if we keep talking and arguing. The rest of the Elders n to meet us there and sent me back to escort everyone there,¡± Amos said, leading us like a flock of sheep back into the pen¡­I mean house.


    Amos was already in his formal clothes, ck suit and tie with polished ck shoes to go with it so he made up hurry up and change while we hurried upstairs. If I was correct, it was the same shoe that held the dangerous knife from thest battle.


    In the room, Lucas brought out a beautiful ck cocktail dress. Something I would never dream of wearing. It was way too girly for me to wear.


    ¡°This was Lexi¡¯s but I think it¡¯ll fit you,¡± Lucas said, stumbling over his sister¡¯s name.


    ¡°No, Lucas¡­I can¡¯t,¡± I whispered. It was too precious for him to loan it for me even if I didn¡¯t have any other formal dresses to wear. I was sure a summer dress would¡¯ve been fine. Underdressed but eptable.


    ¡°No, Alexia. Iwantyou to wear it. It was her favorite and I want you to have it. She¡¯s gone and this dress needs a new owner,¡± Lucas smiled sadly. ¡°Hold up, I got something,¡± he said, handing me the dress and then went back into his closet for something else.


    Since he was too upied finding something in the closet, I quickly took the opportunity to change since we were short on time and his back was turned.


    I seriously thought I would have enough time to slip on the dress and zip it but he caught me again with my troubles with the zipper.


    ¡°Having trouble again, are we?¡± he smirked. He gently zipped it up. No kisses, nothing. He had meant it when he didn¡¯t want anything physical.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to change.¡± He looked like he was about to say something more but he just swallowed and smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be right down.¡±


    I closed the door, leaving Lucas to his own privacy when I bumped into Zane. Gosh, if we weren¡¯t siblings, we should¡¯ve been twins. We always thought too much alike to bump into each other all the time.


    ¡°Hey, wow, never seen you look that girly before,¡± he wrinkled his nose, not really sure how to take my appearance.


    ¡°Thanks, you don¡¯t look so bad yourself,¡± I said jokingly.


    ¡°Ah, my two favorite people in the world,¡± Jace called out from his bedroom. ¡°I see them together again.Alone,¡± he emphasized.


    ¡°What you trying to get at Jace?¡± I asked. Wow, I never used formality on him anymore. How strange.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing,¡± he winked. Ugh, sicko. He didn¡¯t need formalities. I can be informal all I want, I decided.


    ¡°The party,¡± Lucas cleared his voice behind us. He didn¡¯t seem particrly pleased at our conversation but ushered us to quickly move downstairs.


    Amos smiled at our arrival and we quickly filed in the car to the hotel down town. When we entered, the party was already in full progress. I spotted the Elders doing their work by mingling with the people, saying soothing words that everything was taken care of.


    Zane held my hand tight and I remembered back to Travis¡¯ n. I looked at him and he nodded.


    The n was now set into action.

 Chapter 34

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    Zane and I went separate ways to avoid any type of attention but we kept close tabs in each other¡¯s head.


    Travis will be here any minute with Charles DiGetto so be ready on your toes but for now act good in front of the Elders and the society. Mingle with the people and stick with Lucas.


    That was our simple n. Since Zane and I would give Charles a heart attack if we went with Travis, Travis was leading Charles to the hotel. We asked Travis how he was going to lure Charles but he told us not to worry. He probably had some hunter persuasive skills or something because heter told us that Charles agreed.


    We decided to meet in a restaurant/bar that was also part of the hotel so Zane and I could sneak out of the party unnoticed but able to quickly enter before people thought we were missing. It was better than not attending the party at all and corner Charles. That would have led to a disaster.


    It wasn¡¯t a dangerous n. We just couldn¡¯t get caught or else who knows what would happen to my future? If I went missing, the Elders will just make up an excuse that I¡¯m up to no good and destroy me. They were too superstitious about the prophecy. Just the thought of the prophecy made something dark in me twirl.


    ¡°Hi Lucas,¡± a bright voice broke through my thoughts.Mingle with the people and stick with Lucas.


    I tried to do just that but Phoebe seemed totch onto Lucas. That was a side I haven¡¯t seen but I saw the alcoholic beverage in her hand and she smelled like she had one too many.


    ¡°Phoebe, you¡¯re drunk,¡± Lucas said, matter-of-factly but I could tell the disappointment in his voice. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Too much stress. Ugh, I need to have a little fun. Shouldn¡¯t you?¡± she slurred, smiling. ¡°You¡¯re always stressed. You need to let go like you used to. You were more fun.¡± Lucas cleared his voice, clearly ufortable. Then it struck me. His past life. The life when he partied and hooked up with girls.


    ¡°Phoebe, that¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t drink anymore. The alcohol will pass in a couple minutes,¡± Lucas said, sighed. He held Phoebe¡¯s small waist and her shoulder since she couldn¡¯t stand on her own. The crowd seemed to have too much fun to care and notice Phoebe¡¯s notorious action. All but one person.


    ¡°Ah, well. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d give into my words so quickly,¡± Damon came towards us with a sly smile on his face. ¡°Just like old times, huh? You and Phoebe.¡±


    Lucas and Phoebe? They had to be at least ten years apart! I knew Lucas looked older and mature for his age and Phoebe looked very young for her age but that didn¡¯t close in the huge age gap. I knew he had a really bad past, but a sexual rtionship with Phoebe? I shuddered at the thought.


    ¡°Go, to hell, Damon,¡± Lucas sneered. He still had Phoebe¡¯s weight in his arms and he let her arms go around him so she was propped up better.


    ¡°I¡¯d told you we would be seeing each other more in the future,¡± Damon winked at me. I rolled my eyes at him in annoyance.


    Alexia, he¡¯s here. Meet me by the entrance.Zane¡¯s voice rang in my head. Perfect opportunity to excuse myself. They would think I was excusing myself because of the topic. I guess it would be both.


    ¡°I¡­uh need to go now. Excuse me,¡± I said, looking at the ground. I couldn¡¯t bear to look at Lucas or Damon right now.


    ¡°See, Lucas? She left you. Now have some fun,¡± Damon said, hisughter carrying across the room. Ugh, so obnoxious. It was good if Lucas and I split for now. We both weren¡¯t exactly in the best situation even before Phoebe and Zane¡¯s calling.


    I¡¯ming Zane. Hold up.I answered in my head, acknowledging that I got the message.


    I weaved through the crowd until I bumped into a familiar figure. Derek.


    Ah, shoot. I did not need another problem. I had too much on my list already.


    ¡°Oh, there you are little Bloodwolf,¡± Derek smiled pleasantly as if he had every right to be there.


    ¡°Shh!¡± I shouted. Most people didn¡¯t know what the term ¡®Bloodwolf¡¯ meant and I didn¡¯t need anyone to know what I was. Hell, most of the people here didn¡¯t even know vampires existed but it was best to keep a low profile. ¡°What are you doing here? Did you not get the memo that this is a werewolf party? No blood included in the beverages.¡±


    Derekughed melodically, touching my arm. ¡°Little wolf, you make such funny jokes. I¡¯m here to see my good friend Amos. Do you know where I can find him?¡± Derek asked, looking around the crowd.


    ¡°No, but you need to get out before people start noticing you weren¡¯t invited,¡± I hissed at my stubborn savior. With all themotion that happened in thest few minutes, a headache started to make its attack on me.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to meet someone,¡± Derek said interested, digging deeper into my thoughts. I pulled away from his touch. ¡°Someone you shouldn¡¯t be dealing with. Oh, I¡¯m interested. Count me in.¡± He smiled excitedly like a little kid on their birthday. He seemed rather bored to be cooped up in a room full of werewolves. I tried so hard to conceal that thought but he was good at picking up even the smallest of thoughts. Stupid ability of his.


    ¡°If it means you¡¯lle out and stay quiet, then why not,¡± I gave up. I didn¡¯t have time for this and his ability might actuallye in handy.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± he said, returning back to his normal self. I groaned. He was also a really good actor.


    ¡°OK, try not to touch anyone,¡± I said. We didn¡¯t need any more problems of him blurting out anyone¡¯s thoughts and secrets.


    ¡°Don¡¯t baby me, little wolf. I¡¯m older than you think,¡± Derek said bitterly but he seemed intrigued by how I babied him. What can I say? I suck at guessing ages.


    ¡°Juste,¡± I said cautiously before taking his hand and leading him out.


    Once we swerved through the crowd and out the door, I saw Zane waiting impatiently. He caught my eye and raised his eyebrow in confusion when he saw Derek in tow.


    ¡°What is he doing in there?¡± Zane asked his eyebrow now furrowing into anger.


    ¡°He was looking for Amos and thought it would be funny to reveal himself,¡± I said hastily. We really didn¡¯t have time for this.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to object. I was kidding on revealing myself but I didn¡¯t see any harm in finding my good friend,¡± Derek interrupted.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, Alexia,¡± Zane said irritated, ignoring Derek at the moment.


    ¡°You¡¯re right and he can help. He can touch someone and know everything we need, remember?¡± I said, begging. Zane sighed in defeat.


    ¡°And you expect me to help you?¡± Derek said, giving it a thought.


    ¡°Will you?¡± I asked in my best persuasive voice.


    ¡°Anything for my little wolf,¡± he smiled.


    ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s go,¡± Zane said quickly, ushering us to the restaurant that was up ahead. We entered the fancy restaurant after telling the waiter a thousand times that we were meeting someone.


    ¡°Waiter, they¡¯re with me,¡± Travis¡¯ voice spoke loudly, signaling us to sit with him. A short, nervous man sat next to Travis. I didn¡¯t know what Travis said to make hime all the way out here but there he was. The answer to all our problems.


    ¡°Hey, Travis. Mr. DiGetto,¡± Zane nodded at them each in turn. We all sat down in thefy chairs and waited until the waiter left. When he did, Travis looked at Derek and tried to guess his presence.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here? And most importantly, who is he?¡± Travis asked, still observing Derek. Derek was about to answer but I interrupted before he had a chance to blow it up.


    ¡°Just another friend. Someone we can trust,¡± I said, trying to send a message that we would exin everythingter. First thing was first.


    ¡°So Mr. DiGetto, do you know why you are here?¡± Zane asked, sounding official.


    ¡°I told Mr. Trevino here before but I don¡¯t remember anything about the night of the fire. I know I called it in but everything was so blurry.¡± Mr. DiGetto seemed genuine enough. Crap. I thought we would¡¯ve been closer to figuring everything out.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you bring him here if you knew he knew nothing?¡± Zane questioned Travis.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably lying. I thought it was at least a good shot for you guys to pry something out of him,¡± Travis said, taking a sip out of his champagne, keeping the disguise that we were just having a regr dinner conversation.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not hiding anything and I would like it if I can leave now,¡± Mr. DiGetto said angrily now, getting up from his seat. Derek stood up to face the short man, their height, a huge difference.


    ¡°It was nice to have this conversation with you, sir,¡± Derek said politely. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason to call the hunter¡¯s headquarters or else you¡¯ll probably receive a special visit from the werewolves and other creatures that might be prowling around.¡± Derek held out his hand in agreement, longing for a handshake. Travis looked like he was about to burst but Zane and I both kicked him under the table at the same time to shut him up.


    ¡°As long as I get to live my life peacefully,¡± Mr. DiGetto grumbled and shook Derek¡¯s hand and left.


    ¡°What was that for?!¡± Travis yelled but I put my hand over his mouth. Apparently, we captivated the customer¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s alright. Sorry,¡± I said, looking apologetically. I gave them a nice smile and they resumed eating. I sighed and looked at Travis. ¡°Derek¡¯s a vampire. His ability is that he can touch anyone and know everything about them,¡± I exined quickly. We didn¡¯t have much time to spare before Lucas and the Elders would question where I was.


    ¡°What did you find out?¡± Zane asked. Derek, for once, seemed speechless, or more confused.


    ¡°It felt so weird,¡± he said, trying to animate the situation with his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt anything like it before. It was like there was a mental wall and a haze in his memory. I only caught a glimpse of a guy and a girl and that¡¯s not even for sure since I was judging from their figure and body size.¡±


    ¡°Well, that helps,¡± Travis mumbled.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°It¡¯s the most we¡¯ll get out of that guy,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you Derek for helping when you didn¡¯t need to.¡±


    ¡°Anything for my little wolf,¡± Derek smiled. ¡°Ah, I think your presence will be missed at the party soon. Your Lucas is getting worried.¡± Then Derek smirked. ¡°He thinks you ran away because of this Phoebe girl.¡±


    Ugh, crap. I did not want to go back to that drama but it had to happen sooner orter. ¡°We need to go before they bring on a whole search team on me. Will you be OK, Travis?¡± I asked. He barely talked through it all and mostly listened. I was worried for him. He had gone through as much as I did and probably even more. He snapped out of his mind and looked at me.


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead. I¡¯m going to hack in headquarters again and see what else I can dig up. I¡¯ll see you guys back at the estate,¡± Travis said distantly. We all said our good-byes and got up to go back to the party.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s such a good idea that you go back in there,¡± I warned Derek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just a quick word with Amos and I¡¯ll be out of your hair,¡± Derek promised. I sighed and tried to merge back into the crowd of people.


    ¡°Alexia! I¡¯ve been looking all over for you-¡± Amos cried in relief but his words were cut short by his surprised reaction. ¡°Derek,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°Ah, Amos. It certainly has been quite some time since thest time we met. You barely look a year older,¡± Derekplimented.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t look a minute older,¡± Amosmented back. The two gave each other a firm handshake and a pat on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while although for you it must seem like only a few months,¡± Amosughed.


    ¡°As, it¡¯s been seven years,¡± Derekughed. Zane and I just stared, intrigued by their friendliness towards each other despite their major differences. For one, Derek was a bloodthirsty vampire and Amos was a high ranking werewolf leader. Very different.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Time flies especially when you¡¯re immortal,¡± Amos joked but he was confused by his presence. ¡°Why are you even here? You do this realize this is a werewolf party.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I was here to be a moral support for Alexia.¡± Derek patted my hair which got messy by his touch. Geez, people and my hair. I patted it down, hoping it wouldn¡¯t stick up like it usually did when people touched it too much.


    ¡°Ah! You were the vampire who fed Alexia blood,¡± Amos said quietly so others wouldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Who else could it be? Only a purebred¡¯s blood could replenish this little wolf,¡± Derek said, patting my hair. Again, with the hair. He only chuckled at my reaction. He probably knew it was my pet peeve. ¡°But it¡¯s interesting she¡¯s a Bloodwolf. I¡¯ve only heard of them,¡± Derek said in curiosity to know more.


    ¡°Well, what else can we tell you? You probably read Alexia¡¯s mind so you know what we know,¡± Amos sighed.


    ¡°Yes, and you, my friend, is looking for someone to help her with this transition and I was wondering if I could apply to this ¡®special¡¯ job,¡± Derek said.


    ¡°Ugh, I hate it when you do that,¡± Amos said mildly annoyed but he was grateful for his friend to lend him a hand. ¡°But we might actually need your help,¡± Amos admitted.


    ¡°My support in this will tip the scale of the Elders¡¯ decision,¡± Derek said, with authority and confidence. ¡°Alexia will be safe with me standing by her side.¡±


    ¡°And when did you decisions matter the most?¡± Zane asked, not liking Derek¡¯s cockiness but he didn¡¯t seem boastful at all. He seemed like he was saying it in the most modest way, really believing in his words.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure if you¡¯re the original vampire king, you have some powers, even in the werewolf society,¡± Derek winked.


    No way. Him? I stood there speechless. I thought Derek was at least twenty but then again, vampires were immortal.


    ¡°What?¡± Zane said nervously this time. Derek liked the reaction he was getting.


    ¡°Yes, yes. The immature Derek is indeed the king of the vampire society,¡± Amos smiled, also satisfied with our reaction. ¡°I think you should be more formal and respectable towards Derek, Zane.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sorry¡­King Derek,¡± Zane apologized, hesitantly.


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t call me by that title,¡± Derek winced. ¡°Just Derek is fine. Anyways back to my generous offer, I would-¡±


    His sentence got caught off by a big explosion. Again.


    Here in the hotel?! It was human territory and I didn¡¯t see us doing anything that would harm humans. This could only mean one thing. Something that hasn¡¯t happened in history since World War I.


    This meant the hunters were finally pulling a war on the werewolves to annihte us.

 Chapter 35

    Travis¡¯ POV (before the explosion)


    I saw them leave and stood up to make my exit. There was definitely a lot of work that needed to be done before I headed back to the estate.


    ¡°Hello Travis,¡± a voice called out. I stood still, frozen in fear. Why? Why now?! I slowly turned to the voice, gritting my teeth. I held myself together by grabbing the side of the table in anger which resulted in white knuckles that shook in anger.


    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise to see you, Kent,¡± I said coolly, keeping my distance but he casually sat on one of the chairs as if he had every reason to be there.


    ¡°I can say the same for you, Travis. I wasn¡¯t aware of your change of sides,¡± Kent narrowed his eyes but it turned into a smirk. ¡°A traitor just like your father. Always helping the Maxilums. But father like son,¡± he shrugged. Kent yawned, looking at his watch for the time. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we got rid of Tom,¡± Kent said annoyed. ¡°Your dad slowed us down.¡±


    Confusion was engulfed by the anger that overtook me quickly. ¡°What?¡± I practically shouted. I know I wasn¡¯t supposed to attract attention but that could waitter. ¡°It was you!¡± It wasn¡¯t Alexia¡¯s dad at all. It had been Kent the entire time and he said it as if he didn¡¯t care at all.


    ¡°Of course. ming the werewolves only helped recruiting you a lot easier and look how much you proved yourself to be!¡± Kentughed harshly.


    ¡°You bastard. You tricked me,¡± I growled, grabbing him by the neck. ¡°Why are you even here?¡±


    ¡°Just here to shake up the werewolf society,¡± Kent smiled, giving me a devilish look. I wanted to punch him there and then and maybe strike a few stabs for murdering my dad but I needed to know more.


    ¡°Like the explosion from thest party?¡± I spat. ¡°They thought I set it up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, something very simr.¡± He gave me another one of his dangerous smile. ¡°Do you know how World War I started?¡± Of course I did. I wasn¡¯t an idiot.


    ¡°Yeah that Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, got shot and killed with his wife when they were visiting Bosnia, right?¡± I was a little rusty on my history but that much I knew.


    ¡°Yes, but it was a little moreplicated. Austria-Hungary and Serbia didn¡¯t really have the best rtionship. Although it was the humans who started the war, it was by both hunter and werewolf influence that really started it,¡± Kent exined. My grip on him loosened and he took the time to jerk himself away and sat down in a chair. ¡°If you want to hear more, all you have to do is sit.¡±


    Kent pointed to my chair and I sat down, trying to hold in my anger. I had to let go of my dad for now and focus on the present. ¡°Talk,¡± I said, hiding my emotions. Kent looked pleased at my self-control.


    ¡°Well, the hunters tried to influence Serbia to assassinate the Archduke who was one of the Elders in the werewolf society. Of course, no human knew except the hunters and we were tired of them killing our people. They were vicious and full of evil and they needed to be gone,¡± Kent said bitterly. He seemed to be holding a personal grudge.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t all evil,¡± I countered, needing to defend some of the werewolves I met.


    ¡°They will deceive you when the timees,¡± Kent spat. ¡°They¡¯ll throw you out once they don¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ.¡± Although we might¡¯ve started on the wrong foot, I had actually grown close to Lucas and his pack. He came to me one night and apologized for everything he had done and had beenpletely fair as far as he could go.


    ¡°Your opinion is different and I¡¯ll let it slide this time. Going back to the story, World War I gave a reason for werewolves and hunters to fight and it was a violent fight alright but now it¡¯s a new age and we¡¯ve developed stronger, more effective weapons. It¡¯s time we advanced the attack but we¡¯ll get them all one pack at a time,¡± Kent bbered on. I was beginning to worry if he was going insane or not. It was all ridiculous.


    ¡°OK, well it was great talking with you,¡± I said standing up and left the table. I had to get back to the party.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have to kill you now, Travis,¡± Kent said looking at me with pity. ¡°I can¡¯t let you side with the werewolves. Guards!¡± Suddenly, a heavy pair of arms jerked me back and grabbed me. Even though I was way over six feet and had a pretty big build, it was still hard to take on the man grabbing onto me. ¡°Hm, what to do with you,¡± Kent said thoughtfully.


    I could see the dark, sinister ns forming in his mind and I was about to scream more profanity but I was cut off by an explosion. Alexia. Zane.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± I screamed, punching the guard which made his arms loosen around me and I took it to my advantage by punching and kicking him again unconscious. One thing they did teach me was self-defense and I was d for it in a time like this.


    ¡°Travis!¡± Kent¡¯s voice boomed behind me. Just then, I was reminded of Frankenstein. Created by Kent but now I was escaping for good. Away towards freedom which also meant siding with who I thought was my enemy most of my life.


    I turned the corner until I saw the smoke itself and the door opened to hundreds of people screaming out. I pushed my way in until I saw a blur of humans and transformed werewolves fighting each other. I noticed some females who had the guts to transform and attack alongside their mates.


    At the corner of my eye, I saw Alexia being well protected by Lucas, Zane, Amos, and the vampire dude but she was busy herself, healing fallen werewolves. She looked like she was about to faint and was struggling to keep her healing up.


    Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hunter no one noticed realized what Alexia was doing and went in for a kill. This all took ce in once second and by instinct, Iunched myself at the hunter with my silver dagger poised. Even if it was specially made for werewolves, a dagger was still a dagger.


    The hunter was better than I thought, dodging my offensive attack and putting me in a defensive mode.


    We traded swaps until he made a mistake by giving me an opening for half a second but that was all I needed. I went in and stabbed him in the same way you would for a werewolf.


    His body jerked from the force that it took to drive it through his heart. He gave me one look of betrayal before the life in his eyes faded. He was about my age, maybe younger and the way he looked at me sadly, it made a twinge in my heart. I gently put him down, wondering what I had gotten myself into. A big load of trouble for sure.


    ¡°Travis!¡± Alexia yelled my name to snap me back out of my thoughts. More and more hunters were stilling in, all ready to battle to their death as long as it was to help kill the werewolves. Crazy hunters. I was so blinded before but it was because Kent had lied about everything and he probably lied to many others.


    Alexia was doing her work well but I could see the effect of the power on her. She looked like she was about to faint, swaying but pulling herself together. I couldn¡¯t keep track of her afterwards because I got too upied by the flooding amounts of hunters with their guns and stake but just as they had recement to fill in, we had Alexia¡¯s healing to keep our number going.


    Finally, the hunters began to retreat, seeing how Alexia¡¯s abilities were far too great from risking the war to go on much longer. I knew it was just the beginning but to know that wested the first surprise attack was good news itself.


    I scanned the room to see if there were any more hunters until I spotted one. The werewolves finally changed into their forms with their appropriate clothing but we couldn¡¯t rx until this one was finished.


    I grabbed the hunter, catching her by surprise but she didn¡¯t seem to put on a fight. She copsed in my arm, crying and terrified but she still held onto me. I recognized her as Jessabelle, the quiet and shy girl who was recruited when her parents were killed by drunken werewolves messing around. She had no ce to stay so the organization dly took another recruit even if she was weak.


    I was about to finish her off but the terrified look on her face made me hesitate. Was it worth killing her? She wasn¡¯t even much of a threat.


    ¡°Please, if you¡¯re going to kill me, just kill me fast and get it over with,¡± she stammered but she had the guts to say it. I still had her in my arms, deciding what I should do when Amos materialized next to me.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing her?¡± he asked questioningly and suspiciously. He thought I was weak and I would betray them.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a danger. I can¡¯t kill her,¡± I sighed, finding it way too hard.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to see what Lucas¡¯ decision is,¡± Amos muttered disapprovingly but he knew his saying wouldn¡¯t matter in this case. Even if he was an Elder, the responsibility of the packid on the Alpha¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Just kill me. Kill me Travis,¡± she begged, whispering only my name. I shuddered. I knew I was well known back in the organization but when she uttered my name, it sent involuntary shivers up my body.


    A sudden voice zapped me back and reminded me that I was still in a hotel full of werewolves.


    ¡°Alexia?!¡± Zane yelled. I turned towards the voice and was just in time to see Alexia drop to the ground.


    Lucas¡¯ POV


    I saw Alexia fall before Zane yelled for her. I ran quickly but it felt like time slowed down. She couldn¡¯t leave me. I cared for her too much and if she didn¡¯t make it through this one then there would be an empty part of my soul forever.


    ¡°Alexia?¡± I kneeled down, picking her small frail body but sheid still, unmoving.


    I felt a hand on my shoulder attempting tofort me but nothing could stop me from the heartache it was causing me. Was this how it felt like to lose your mate?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t lose her yet. Have faith,rade,¡± Derek¡¯s voice came in the mist of all the devastation. I turned to him, hope suddenly bursting inside of me. ¡°She¡¯s at least conscious. That I¡¯m sure of. I can still read her mind but it¡¯s a little harder than usual. She¡¯s either having a nightmare or a vision.¡±


    Everyone looked uneasy at hisst word. A vision meant the darkness had somehow found its way inside of her again. I wasn¡¯t really educated on the matter of this darkness but my dad had taught me it was something uncontroble and undefeatable. No one survived the wrath of darkness and they were quickly consumed by it, resulting in the darkness getting only stronger and stronger.


    I couldn¡¯t let that happen to Alexia. I stood up with her body limp in my arms. At least she was still alive. I finally felt her breathing and her lips were slightly parted and I had to control myself not to kiss her right then and there.


    ¡°Lucas, you look like you want to eat her. Stop staring at her like that,¡± Damon smirked and patted my back. ¡°I know she¡¯s a cute girl and all but let¡¯s get back to business here since she¡¯s not dead. Your human boy seems to be having trouble over there.¡± Damon pointed to Travis who seemed to be fending off some of the other werewolves. I saw a small girl who looked around Alexia¡¯s age, terrified written all over her face. What now? There was too much to deal with.


    ¡°Hey. Marcus. Thomas. Scat. He¡¯s with me,¡± I ordered and the two werewolves instantly backed away. They were still cautious but they still followed my orders. I turned back to my main attention. Travis and that human girl. ¡°What are you doing with the human girl? She¡¯s a hunter,¡± I growled low which made the girl flinch.


    ¡°She¡¯s not harmful at all. She was recruited by the organization because they adopted her when werewolves killed both of her parents,¡± Travis exined. Somehow he made it seem like taking her in would be the least thing I could do. I narrowed my eyes, giving him a ¡®no¡¯ but he didn¡¯t seem to understand. ¡°Please, I¡¯ll be responsible for whatever she does. She doesn¡¯t have a ce to live since they beat hunters to death if they ditch the fight and get back to base.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I guess that¡¯s her mistake.¡± I cocked my head to one side, observing her. She was pretty short with long curly brown hair that came to her waist. She reminded me of the Barbie dolls Lexi used to be obsessed over. She did look like the most innocent creature but it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was a hunter. Looks were deceiving.


    ¡°No,¡± I answered shortly.


    Travis was about to argue more when the small girl interrupted. ¡°I see that your mate is having a vision. I might be able to dip into her vision.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a human. You don¡¯t have abilities,¡± I said, bluntly.


    ¡°I used to tell fortunes for fun. Some humans can dip into the spirit stuff,¡± the small girl quipped, ¡°but I ask you not to kill me.¡±


    ¡°And let her stay at the estate,¡± Travis added. I looked at him suspiciously. I wasn¡¯t going to open my house up as a hotel for humans. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a ce to stay,¡± he argued and I finally sighed. I didn¡¯t have time for this and I guess if the girl was going to help Alexia, might as well agree to it.


    ¡°Fine, but we need to go back to the estate since the police and firefighters will be here in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°And I advise now,¡± Amos called, looking out the window, ¡°because the police are already here.¡±


    ¡°Everyone file out through the back door,¡± I ordered and to my surprise, even the Elders listened.


    ***************


    Once we were all situated in my office back at the estate, Iid Alexia on the couches while the small girl, who went by Jessabelle, got ready to do her spirit stuff. Alexia looked sickly pale and her lips weren¡¯t its usual soft vibrant pink.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Jessabelle said, nodding her heads to me, looking determined and focused. Her big green eyes showed nervousness but she held herself in a way that seemed confident.


    I moved aside, standing up so Jessabelle could upy the space to do her thing.


    ¡°You know the human might be lying,¡± Derek said lowly so no one could hear except us.


    ¡°But I saw you touch her and you didn¡¯t say anything so I¡¯m going to go with your instincts.¡± I considered Derek¡¯s thoughts before and I trusted him if Amos did too.


    ¡°d you¡¯re catching on,¡± Derek said, ¡°but people can learn to shield their thoughts exactly for this purpose and since she¡¯s a hunter, who knows how much she¡¯s trained.¡± I never given that a thought. I just hoped Travis knew what he was doing by trusting her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait and see,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t the vampire king,¡± Grayson smirked,ing towards us. We all took different rides back to the estate so they hadn¡¯t noticed Derek yet. ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed you until now.¡± If it was an insult it didn¡¯t seem to bother Derek. He looked at Grayson as if he was a little boy and he probably waspared to Derek who was immortal.


    ¡°Hello, Grayson,¡± Derek said, kind of in a way where a parent would chide a kid. ¡°It¡¯s certainly been a while.¡±


    ¡°It certainly has,¡± Grayson said slowly, trying to figure Derek out. ¡°May I ask why you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°That is something I¡¯d like to discuss actually,¡± Derek smiled.


    ¡°Still trying to make everything mboyant, Derek,¡± Logan said in annoyance. ¡°For a vampire who was here since the beginning of time, you sure are immature.¡±


    ¡°Those are dangerous words you speak of,¡± Derek said appearing before Logan with his vampire speed. ¡°I can easily kill you with just one bite so I would hold your tongue the next time you want to talk little boy.¡± His deadly threat made Logan shut up. Aiden held a secret smile at his friend who was getting bullied by a vampire. When Derek turned around, walking back to where he was next to me, Logan punched Aiden in anger and embarrassment. For being Elders they sure were immature. I knew Logan and Aiden were the youngest out of the Elders but they were still older than me.


    ¡°Now, as I was saying. I think it would be best if I¡¯m here for Alexia and teach her how to control the vampire side of her,¡± he said,ying out his ns so open without giving proper introductions about it.


    ¡°You know that she¡¯s a Bloodwolf,¡± Grayson said it more of a statement than a question.


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Derek answered anyways. ¡°I also fed her blood,¡± he said matter-of-factly.


    Grayson looked like he was going to explode in some kind of anger but instead a bright red me engulfed my antique wooden table that was a little too close to Derek. ¡°What?¡± he growled, barely able to keep himself situated. I flinched at the fragile antique as it was consumed by mes. It had been expensive and hard to get.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to repeat myself,¡± Derek said, looking at the fire with interest. He looked back at Grayson, his eyes ying a bored expression. ¡°You might want to extinguish that or else we all would die,¡± Derek said calmly.


    Grayson¡¯s eyes were zing with anger but he smothered the fire till it was all out. The once expensive wooden furniture was now charred to ck ash. I groaned in my head. That was such a hard antique to obtain.


    ¡°Derek. You might want to exin everything,¡± Amos suggested to his friend.


    ¡°Well, for the sake of everyone getting on the same page, we met at a bakery. You know because Zane and Alexia were celebrating her birthday.¡± This was a surprise for me. I didn¡¯t know it was her birthday and for that, I mentally punched myself. I was probably the worst mate in the world. ¡°And I asked nicely for a chair. I shook their hands introducing myself and saw everything through their eyes so I decided to keep close tabs. When I saw her in the hallway of the bathroom, she was weak and thirsty without blood in her system. I think she would¡¯ve died like a regr vampire if I didn¡¯t give her my blood.¡±


    ¡°And that equally could¡¯ve killed her. The original vampire king¡¯s blood is fatal to any vampires,¡± Logan interrupted. ¡°What would you have done then?¡± Derek looked at him nkly as if thinking why Logan was still talking. Logan was walking on dangerous waters but Derek didn¡¯t take any action this time.


    ¡°She¡¯s only a half vampire so I thought I could gamble,¡± Derek shrugged. ¡°If it didn¡¯t work then I would¡¯ve sucked my blood out of her system.¡±


    ¡°But you still took the risk?¡± Aiden spoke up.


    ¡°Yes, I did but let¡¯s look at the fact that Isavedher,¡± Derek said, obviously annoyed at now the conversation seemed to have shifted to a different topic.


    ¡°Yes, we should.¡± Amos looked at every one of his fellowrades.


    ¡°Such big decisions,¡± Wyatt mumbled, absentmindedly. ¡°But why are you so interested in helping Alexia? Even if she is part vampire, she is still part werewolf.¡± Wyatt¡¯s quick eyes never failed to catch every detail.


    ¡°Because I care for her,¡± Derek answered shortly.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing? She¡¯ll always have the thirst for blood,¡± Wyatt said. Everyone by this point was shocked to see Wyatt talking this much. He barely utters a word unless someone asks him a question and even then it¡¯s not often he answers.


    ¡°But she¡¯ll be more civil about it. She can go hunt with me or I can easily just feed her blood bags from the local hospital. The possibilities are endless,¡± Derek exined. His proposition was pretty darn good but Grayson didn¡¯t look fully convinced.


    ¡°Wyatt, what are your thoughts?¡± Grayson asked, looking at him with respect. Wyatt was neither older than Amos and Grayson nor younger Logan and Aiden. He was right smack in the middle. He also was one of those rare few who knew how to read people¡¯s feelings and auras. He was also quiet and reserved, never really arguing so both Grayson and Amos took a liking to him. It was just those two who always fought but in the end, they were still best friends.


    Wyatt looked at Derek intensely, his famous green cat-like eyes narrowing on him. ¡°His intensions are true,¡± Wyatt answered, smirking for the first time. ¡°You really care for Alexia.¡±


    Derek simply blinked at him, but he covered it with an easy smile. ¡°Yes, of course I care for her.¡±


    ¡°Fine, who agrees say ¡®aye,''¡± Grayson asked his fellow Elders. Everyone said ¡®aye¡¯ although Logan wasn¡¯t so sure about it but it was done. I guess I needed another guest room ready. My house was already beginning to get upied by random people. First a hunter now a vampire. What would father say if he knew? Surely, he would give meshes on my back like the old days. The scars proved how much it hurt.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled,¡± Amos smiled. ¡°Good job, my friend.¡±


    ¡°AH!¡± someone screamed. We all flinched and turned to the voice but it was only Jessabelle.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked Travis but he looked just as confused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Jessabelle¡¯s still in Alexia¡¯s vision so we can¡¯t do anything.¡± Travis looked distraught and for the first time, I felt bad for him. I could obviously tell that he liked this Jessabelle girl by the way he looked at her with longing and the fact that he couldn¡¯t put himself to kill her.


    Derek came forward and ced his hand on Alexia but he flinched as if he touched hot water. ¡°The dream is clouded in darkness and it doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed,¡± Derek hissed, rubbing his hand.


    ¡°Take Jessabelle away from Alexia. If it¡¯s dangerous for Derek, it¡¯s too dangerous for a human girl,¡± I ordered Travis, and without anyint, he took Jessabelle and tried to rip her off of Alexia. Jessabelle didn¡¯t seem to want to let go of Alexia because she kept hanging onto Alexia as if her life depended on it.


    Derek helped Jessabelle off of Alexia who immediately snapped back into our world. Her face showed horror and fear.


    ¡°What happened?¡± It was Travis who spoke.


    ¡°The darkness,¡± she said, looking at him with wide eyes, shivering from what she had just witnessed. ¡°It¡¯s eating away her humanity.¡±

 Chapter 36

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    The darkness whirled around me, tempting me.


    Don¡¯t you want to be with Lucas? Kill the Elders and you¡¯ll get your wish. I¡¯ll leave you be if you obey this one task.


    It was so tempting and several times I was wavering over my choices. I loved Uncle Amos and I didn¡¯t want to kill him but I didn¡¯t want to deal with this darkness anymore. It seemed like every day the darkness was chipping away my self-control.


    Obey, little one and I¡¯ll make everything your heart desiree true.


    The darkness danced around me. When I tried to wave it away, it wrapped itself around me even more, binding me in its dark embrace. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw a small figure of a girl but the darkness kept blocking me from seeing who it was. Everything was dark but she seemed to be the only one clothed in white.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I called out but the darkness hissed in anger.


    Kill her. Kill her and I¡¯ll leave you be. For now.


    The darkness untangled itself from me and I was able to see who it was. She didn¡¯t look familiar but the way she stood and the way she carried herself with confidence gave me an idea that she was a hunter.


    ¡°Alexia.¡± She called me by name. Who was she?


    Kill her now.


    A gun produced itself in my hands from dark matter and without thinking, my arms moved up and pointed at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m a friend and I¡¯m here to help you. Fight the darkness because I know you¡¯re not like this,¡± she said calmly but I felt her fear. Something in me made me smirk. I was intimidating her and I felt power over her.


    She doesn¡¯t know who you are. She doesn¡¯t know what you¡¯re going through.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am!¡± I shouted, anger building up on me. No one knew how I felt. No one could even feel what I felt. The pain, confusion, and anger that I felt alone.


    ¡°You¡¯re Alexia. You¡¯re Travis¡¯ friend and Lucas¡¯ mate,¡± she said again but this time her voice wavered. The mention of Lucas stopped me cold. What would he think of this if he was here now in my own little personal Hell?


    She¡¯s using you to get to your soft part. You are strong and independent. Nothing can stop you.


    I found my anger and bitterness again and this time my finger wrapped around the trigger.


    ¡°Alexia. Don¡¯t-¡± she said but was cut off by the noise of the gun. I fired it but she disappeared before it hit her. Where¡¯d she go? My frustration got the best of me but the darkness soothed me.


    You did well. You can get her next time.


    And next time I won¡¯t fail. The darknessughed, lingering onto me.


    Yes, yes. You won¡¯t fail.


    The darkness¡¯ughter filled my ears to the point it was ear breaking and I fainted from the sound, the warmth of the darkness still embracing me with greedy arms.


    I woke up to find myself on a couch and realized I was back in the mansion in Lucas¡¯ office. What happened?


    Last time I remembered there was another attack in the hotel and I healed so much to the point where I thought my head would explode. Then I was down into the darkness. I couldn¡¯t exactly remember what happened inside my nightmare but I knew the darkness was up to no good.


    I saw a small girl who looked vaguely familiar and as soon as I saw her, a sudden wave of anger came crashing down like a me. My body reacted on my own, jumping off the couch and towards her but Lucas caught me and pinned me down before I could get any closer to her.


    ¡°Alexia!¡± he yelled desperately, trying to get my attention but all I could see was the girl. ¡°Please Alexia. Listen to me.¡± The hurt in his voice made me melt and my anger subsided.


    ¡°Lucas,¡± I breathed. Getting my head straight was pretty hard when so many emotions kept surging through me. And to think Lucas was the bi-pr one.


    ¡°Are you OK?¡± he said caringly. His eyes showed how much it hurt him to see me like this and that got me erupting in tears. What had I done? I lost control back there and I didn¡¯t even know the girl. I really was turning into a monster. ¡°Alexia, it¡¯s over. It¡¯s over,¡± Lucas continued to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I said, looking up at the girl and she nodded stiffly.


    ¡°It¡¯s OK,¡± she barely whispered. Travis held her hands and I had a growing suspicion about those two.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be in close contact with you but we have many other things we must attend to,¡± Grayson spoke and the Elders began to leave except Amos. The two nodded at each other, an understanding passing between them.


    After half an hour, I felt back to normal with a cup of water in my hand, sitting on the couch. The remainder of us sat down, figuring what to do next.


    ¡°What about Jesse?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky we didn¡¯t press her presence,¡± Amos said. ¡°Verylucky.¡±


    ¡°She needs a ce to stay,¡± Travis said, directly at Lucas now.


    Lucas sighed. ¡°Jessabelle can stay but she¡¯ll be sharing a room with you or safety reasons,¡± he gave up but we all knew it was because he didn¡¯t fully trust her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jessabelle replied.


    ¡°Travis, did you hack into the system again?¡± Zane spoke up. He didn¡¯t say anything to me the entire time and I felt sorrow. Another emotion I¡¯ve learned to feel.


    ¡°I would have if a war didn¡¯t blow up in my face,¡± Travis said bitterly but not towards Zane. He seemed to have a personal bitterness towards someone else.


    ¡°You saw Kent didn¡¯t you?¡± Jessabelle guessed, growing worried.


    ¡°Yeah, and he lied to me all this time,¡± Travis said looking up at Zane and I. ¡°It was him who killed my dad not yours. He was Kent¡¯s best man but he sided with the werewolves so Kent devised a n to kill him and me it on your dad so I would give myself up to Kent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said softly and I went up to him, making everyone tense. ¡°You¡¯ll get your revenge on Kent,¡± I said suddenly. I didn¡¯t know where that came from but something inside me made it sure that he would find his revenge.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I can feel it,¡± I said shivering.


    ¡°Alexia,¡± Lucas called and I went back to him on the couch, letting him hold my hand. I felt like a vulnerable little puppy, not sure about the world and what it had in store for me. ¡°Travis, will you be able to hack the database again and find whatever you need?¡± Lucas asked, taking control.


    ¡°Yeah, I can,¡± he said, his face revived with new determination.


    ¡°I have something to say,¡± Jessabelle interrupted but her voice was barely audible.


    ¡°Speak up, Jesse,¡± Travis encouraged her.


    ¡°Well, Travis filled me on everything with Charles Digetto and I think you want to hear this,¡± she started and cleared her voice. ¡°I was there throughout the investigation in the background and he remembered almost everything. He said there was a normal couple but they took something out of the trunk he couldn¡¯t see. He said ording to their figure, it was a man and a woman. He couldn¡¯t tell what was in the bags they carried but he knew it looked fishy.¡± She stopped there, not knowing how to finish the story.


    ¡°Keep going¡­¡± Zane said, on the edge of his seat. His eyes grew bright with determination and he looked at her in awe. I was jealous of how he looked at her, the way his eyes were dancing in happiness.


    ¡°I¡­In the investigation room there was a power outage and everyone was panicking. There was so much noise and confusion but when the lights came back on, some people were unconscious but everything seemed alright. When the unconscious people were questioned, they said they bumped into each other¡¯s head,¡± Jessabelle said, confusion crossing her face. ¡°And when we continued the investigation with Charles, he said he didn¡¯t know what we were talking about and he didn¡¯t remember anything else.¡±


    ¡°That was definitely not written in the investigation notes,¡± Travis mumbled.


    ¡°They were too embarrassed about what happened so they left everything out and said Charles didn¡¯t remember which was reasonable considering he was an old man and about to retire,¡± Jessabelle exined.


    ¡°None of this makes sense,¡± Zane exasperated. ¡°There has to be something more.¡± He said it desperately, trying to wish it to happen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Zane. I¡¯ll go back inside the database and see what else I can pull up. I¡¯m sure I missed something,¡± Travis said, getting up. ¡°I¡¯m going downstairs now.¡± He excused himself and Jessabelle followed behind him, thanking Lucas again for his hospitality.


    ¡°I think I need an Aspirin,¡± Zane mumbled and excused himself but he seemed more troubled than pained.


    ¡°Well, that was indeed interesting,¡± Jace spoke up. He didn¡¯t contribute into any of this but listened quietly. ¡°We know it was someone who came to the party that night. Do you know the guest list, Alexia?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It was just my dad¡¯s pack and you two. I don¡¯t think anyone from my pack would murder them,¡± I said, not quite understanding.


    ¡°Maybe they did,¡± Jace said. ¡°Lucas has a lot of enemies that are from his own pack.¡± I gave it a thought. Did someone have a grudge against my family? I couldn¡¯t even imagine it. Everyone in the pack was like a family.


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust anyone. We need to start looking there,¡± Lucas finished. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for Travis¡¯ research until tomorrow before we decide further.¡±


    ¡°For now, I guess all we can do is wait,¡± Jace yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to head upstairs. Yo, vampire. Do you need to find your guest room?¡± Jace asked Derek. Derek scowled at his informalnguage.


    ¡°Mind your tongue little boy. You might need it one day,¡± Derek hissed. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a drink and then I¡¯ll be back,¡± Derek said it more to Lucas.


    ¡°Your guest room will be on the far right next to Jace¡¯s room,¡± Lucas instructed.


    ¡°Oh, goody,¡± Derek smiled at Jace with his fangs. ¡°You better watch your neck tonight.¡± With thest threat, he winked at me and left. ¡°Bye, my little wolf.¡±


    ¡°Geez, that vampire has some nerves,¡± Jace scoffed.


    ¡°Jace, be a little more mature next time. Thatisthe vampire king,¡± Lucasughed.


    ¡°And a cranky king at that,¡± Jace pointed. ¡°Gosh, I¡¯m beat. See you guys in the morning,¡± he yawned one more time before he made his grand exit.


    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°I guess I am. A lot of stuff happened today,¡± I said sighing. Zane won¡¯t even talk to me now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Zane,¡± he said reading my thoughts. ¡°He¡¯lle around. He still loves you.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that.¡± I was on the verge of tears but I sucked it back up. I wasn¡¯t going to show Lucas my weak side.


    ¡°I know so,¡± he reassured me. ¡°Now let¡¯s go back to the room.¡±


    I felt a lot better once I showered and I was now infortable clothes. Baggy shirt and shorts was the best thing in the world. Behind me Lucasughed.


    ¡°You seem morefortable now, don¡¯t you?¡± he smirked. I sighed, letting his smell fill my nose. He smelled wonderful. A weird smell, unlike his usual cologne but I like it.


    ¡°You got that right,¡± I grinned. I jumped in bed next to him but he left out a groaned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, worried.


    ¡°Argh, my shoulder,¡± he said in ragged breathes. ¡°Crap, I think I hurt it.¡± He took off his shirt to get a better look at it and that¡¯s when the scent I smelled from him hit me hard. His shoulder was wounded by a silver bullet that probably skinned him. There wasn¡¯t much blood but it was enough to have me staring at it.


    ¡°Ah, crap,¡± he sighed, looking more annoyed than hurt at his wound. He caught my lingering eyes and stiffed. ¡°Alexia,¡± he said calmly, knowing the situation.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m trying,¡± I shook involuntarily. It was so hard to ignore the sweet delicious smell. It sounded disgusting but when you smelled it, it wasn¡¯t something entirely different and I couldn¡¯t let it go.


    ¡°Alexia, it¡¯s OK. Come here,¡± he waved me over but I backed away.


    ¡°N-n-no,¡± I whimpered. I won¡¯t hurt him again. Never.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help it and I want to help you,¡± Lucas said,ing closer to me. The smell was so weing that I couldn¡¯t help but take one step in the bed closer to him. He took me in his embrace and ced his hand on my head, guiding me towards his wound. ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s OK,¡± he whispered to me.


    ¡°P-please,¡± I whimpered but I slowly began to draw blood from him, the sweet tangy taste filling my mouth and everything seemed clearer again. I gasped at how detailed everything around me was. The heat of his body, the feel of fabric of the bed sheet, the way Lucas was breathing steadily.


    When I had my fill, I let go, gasping at how pinpoint and exact everything was.


    ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Lucas asked, rubbing at his wound.


    ¡°Yeah, I do. That was¡­weird,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I would do anything for you,¡± he murmured in my ear.


    ¡°You don¡¯t hate me. Why?¡± I asked. It would be so much easier to disown me and get on with his high life in society.


    ¡°How can I hate the one I love?¡± he whispered and kissed me tenderly.


    Travis¡¯ POV


    I looked back at Jesse sleeping soundly on the bed. Unfortunately¡­maybe fortunately, there was only one bed but I didn¡¯t n on sleeping.


    Looking back at the screen, I found myself inside the system. I hacked through some of the files and started rummaging through them when my screen went nk. I cursed at the screen, trying to get back on but when the screen turned on, I was face to face with the person I hated the most. Kent.


    ¡°Hello, Travis,¡± Kent said pleasantly, as if our video chat was all nned. And knowing him, it probably was. Crap, I was caught.


    ¡°Hello, Kent,¡± I said mockingly, stering on a ¡®I-don¡¯t-care¡¯ face.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re interested in who murdered the Maxilums,¡± Kent said, an evil smirk crossing his face.


    ¡°Tell me what I want to know and I won¡¯t hack into the systems anymore.¡± I crossed my arms, ring at him with hatred.


    Kent chuckled. ¡°Do you really think I take that as a threat? We traced you hacking ages ago. I was just having fun with you.¡±


    ¡°How do you even know who the murderer is? I know whatreallyhappened during the investigation,¡± I growled. He couldn¡¯t lie to me.


    ¡°Ah, did Jessabelle tell you?¡± Kent guessed. ¡°That traitor. I can¡¯t really trust any innocent looking people, can I?¡± he sighed. ¡°Jessabelle came in the middle of the investigation. He already told us what we needed but this was her test of alliances and obviously we both know where she stands,¡± he said taking note.


    I red at Kent. ¡°Tell me the murderer,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re grasping the fact that I am in control of the ys,¡± Kent said simply. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll tell you who exactly the murderer is if you give me your alliance and help me terminate these werewolves. They aren¡¯t even your friends. They¡¯re just using you and they won¡¯t be afraid to throw you away once your job is done,¡± Kent reasoned. ¡°You tell them who the murderer is so you¡¯re free of the blood promise, and then help me terminate them. Afterwards, you can live normally out of my life and I will dly never bother you or Jessabelle ever again.¡±


    I weighed the two decisions. Kent¡¯s offer was an easier way to get out of the situation I got myself into but I hated Kent. I hated what he did but his n was so simple. A loophole I¡¯ve been waiting for. Yeah, I liked Alexia and Zane but my destiny wasn¡¯t here, getting tangled up in werewolf issues every day.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    All I wanted was to be a regr human boy. Maybe finish high school and go to college sometime. This wasn¡¯t even my fight to begin with. It ended with my dad making a stupid choice and I wasn¡¯t going to ruin my life.


    ¡°Deal.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Zane¡¯s POV


    I woke up with a knock on my door. Half asleep, I got up and forced myself to open but I was caught in a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Phoebe,¡± I grinned. ¡°It¡¯s certainly been awhile.¡±


    We befriended each other during the first party Lucas held and got¡­wellveryintimate and close. I was a little confused about my feelings towards Alexia. She was my freaking sister for goodness sake but now since those boundaries were broken, I kept noticing things and feeling things that I shouldn¡¯t have been feeling. The way Alexia smiles, the way she carries herself like a young fierce warrior but at the same time, ady, and the way she cares for others despite the darkness. I loved her too much and it was wrong. I had to get my mind off of her and Phoebe seemed to be my distraction.


    ¡°Do you have a sec?¡± she said leaning on my door. I then noticed what she was wearing. A flowery print dress that was way past the appropriate mark. It barely covered her skinny little butt and she let me know it too. I felt too tired around Alexia and thanks to Jace, it was even harder to have one normal conversation with her. I couldn¡¯t get my feelings wrapped up inside me all the time and I needed to let loose, even if it was in the wrong person. I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I have more than just a second,¡± I said, trying to take my mind off of Alexia. She closed the door behind her, concealing what would happen inside.


    Lucas¡¯ POV


    I looked at her as she slept peacefully as if there was nothing wrong with the world. Iid next to her, watching her closely. The way her chest rose and fell, the way her eyshes were long and curved to perfection, the way her lips were slightly parted. Everything I saw in her was perfection. I know we all have ws but looking at Alexia, she was the mostplex, unique woman I¡¯ve ever met.


    She stirred in her sleep but I kept watching her as she slowly lifted her eyes, greeting the world. She started to smile but she grimaced. Instead of smiling again, she sat up from bed and turned away from me.


    ¡°Alexia, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, softly, afraid if I spoke too loud, I would ruin the magical moment it felt when I was with Alexia. She stood still, her head still turned away from me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± it was barely a whisper but I still heard it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t what?¡± I tried to move towards her but she got off the bed, walking away from me. She stopped, standing still for a moment and turned around, guilt and determination written on her face.


    ¡°I hate seeing people that I love getting hurt around me,¡± Alexia said but her voice was wavering. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you anymore,¡± she finished, barely in a whisper. How can she think that she was hurting me? She was the most important person in my life and I didn¡¯t want her to suffer.


    I got off bed and walked over to her, embracing her with the newfound love that I felt. It felt so foreign but at the same time, it felt so right. It was what she taught me.


    ¡°Alexia, don¡¯t ever say that. I care for you and if I didn¡¯t help you, I would never be able to live with myself seeing you suffer.¡± Those words escaped my lips before I was able to think it through. It was the first time I¡¯ve spoken so openly about how I truly felt and I smiled at how I was beginning to change. My father would probably look at me with disgust. I made very different choices than he would have but I felt confident in my decisions and I was d that I was shaping into my own figure, not my father¡¯s.


    ¡°Lucas, I drank your blood from your wound. You know how horrible and gory that sounds?¡± she said bitterly and I had to look into her eyes to get the message clear.


    ¡°I will never leave you nor forsake you.¡±


    Travis¡¯ POV


    I couldn¡¯t sleep all throughout the night. When Kent told me who exactly was involved in the murder, I was left in utter shock. I had the urge to tell Lucas right after the video chat but it was way too dangerous now that I knew.


    When Jessabelle woke up, I told her everything including my deal with Kent.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Have you gone crazy?¡± she exploded and I had to cover her mouth before anyone else in the house heard. When I knew she wasn¡¯t going to st out again I let go. ¡°You crazy asshole. You know Kent is just using you,¡± she hissed. I flinched at the word ¡®asshole.¡¯ Not exactly the word you want to hear from the girl you saved and the girl you were slowly falling for.


    ¡°I know but it¡¯s not our battle Jesse. We don¡¯t have to get into this mess,¡± I said to her, tugging her body closer to me. I gave her the keys to the car I got from town and put my finger to my lips to silence her questions. I brought out myptop and typed her the instructions. ¡®Take the car and get away from here. I have to fight alongside with my friends.¡¯


    Jesse gave me a big smile but she put down the keys as if to say ¡®I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡¯ I begged her with my eyes but there was always something about women and their stubbornness. I rolled my eyes but nodded, finally giving up. She grinned happily and nted a kiss on my lips. My heart stopped as we both realized what just happened, blushing in our own embarrassment. She took my hand and we left the dungeon. I just wished that luck was on our side.


    When we walked up the stairs and opened the door, I was met face to face with no other than Kent.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I hissed. This was not looking so well already. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. Behind him I saw other hunters searching the house quietly.


    ¡°Deals off. I changed my alliances,¡± Kent said before he kicked me down the stairs with Jesse tumbling after me, her screaming drowning my ear before everything went ck.

 Chapter 38

    Alexia¡¯s POV


    We were cuddling in the bed, enjoying each other¡¯s presence in silence when a scream made us jump from bed.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I said, already going towards the door. It was a female screaming so it could only be Jessabelle. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll go check.¡± Lucas said giving me a look that meant I wasn¡¯t allowed toe out and I didn¡¯t know if it was my instinct or not but I felt like I should stay inside. Something was definitely wrong.


    Lucas came back in a few second with Jace following closely behind him. They didn¡¯t look pleased at all.


    ¡°What happened? Is Jessabelle OK?¡± I asked but they didn¡¯t answer me.


    ¡°Take her away somewhere far and safe from here,¡± Lucas said, getting into his Alpha mode. I called the pack so they should be here any minute. Where the heck is Amos?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to guard her every waking hour?¡± Jace questioned. ¡°Ugh,e on Alexia,¡± he ushered me. I didn¡¯t want to leave Lucas. I didn¡¯t even know what was going on.


    ¡°Can anyone tell me what¡¯s happening?¡± I said, hating how I was left out in the cold.


    ¡°The hunters are invading the house. Stupid humans. When will they learn?¡± Jace said, annoyed.


    ¡°You guys need to gonow,¡± Lucas pushed me to Jace. ¡°I¡¯ll make a conversion, and then you two go to the garage and get the fastest vehicle and hit it. Go south to the safe house by the beach and wait for me there.¡±


    ¡°What about Zane?¡± Where the heck was he?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Zane. We got to go Alexia,¡± Jace said urgently. ¡°I can hear theming up now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find him and we¡¯ll go get you but for now, please go with Jace.¡± Lucas kissed my head quickly and gave onest nod to Jace. He then opened the door as soon as the hunter was about to open the knob.


    Lucas levitated the guy and used him as a body shield just before a round of silver bullets was fired. I screamed but Jace covered his hand over my mouth, dragging me to the window. He kicked it, scattering broken ss but he hastily brushed it off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first and I¡¯ll catch you,¡± he said quickly before he jumped the two story house. I didn¡¯t know how he managed to stand up after that but there he was, signaling me to do the same. I took a leap of faith and shifted my weight on the windowsill and let go, closing my eyes as the ground rushed beneath me.


    ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± I did as Jace said and found myself in his arms. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have much time.¡± He put me down gently and we made a run for the garage. A car suddenly swerved in front of us and the driver¡¯s window pulled down.


    ¡°Hey, get in.¡± It was Phoebe who was in the car as well as Zane but he seemed to be asleep. I was pushed into the backseat with Zane and Jace quickly took his seat next to Phoebe.


    ¡°What¡¯s Zane doing here?¡± If Jace had Zane in the car then why didn¡¯t he tell Lucas?


    ¡°I found him while I was getting a car. He was so tired he could barely hold himself up. I had him sleep and it¡¯s a good thing he listened,¡± she said, looking worried.


    Zane looked alright and I was going to wake him up but Phoebe said he was tired so I let him be. The car ride took so long that it was hard not to think of Lucas. Was he alright? Where the heck were Travis and Jessabelle? Where was Amos? There were so many unanswered questions.


    I sighed. The only thing I could do now was hope. Since Phoebe and Jace seemed too busy looking on the road, I watched the scenery roll by the passenger window. We passed a sign indicating that we were heading north.


    ¡°Jace, I thought the safe house was south?¡± I shifted ufortably in my seat as he slowly turned to me.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to any safe house,¡± he said coldly.


    ¡°Jace, where are we going?¡± I asked, growing more irritated. How will Lucas know where we are?


    ¡°Somewhere far from the estate. That¡¯s what Lucas wanted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he said there was a safe house south.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alexia,¡± Jace said and turned back to the front. What did he mean sorry?


    ¡°Jace. What¡¯s going on?¡± I slightly nudged Zane, trying to get him to wake but he I noticed he was unconscious. He was barely breathing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Zane? He won¡¯t move. I think he¡¯s unconscious.¡±All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re being kidnapped idiot. Your brother was just another tagalong,¡± Phoebe exploded. ¡°Geez, you ask so many questions.¡± Her abrupt coldness towards me made me speechless. She was so nice the first time I met her, helping my brother with his injury and all but her snappy attitude was something I would never have thoughting out of Phoebe¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to her like that,¡± Jace snapped back at Phoebe. Phoebe scowled but didn¡¯t say anything back.


    ¡°What are you talking about ¡®kidnapped?¡¯ I demanded. ¡°We need to go back for Lucas.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t let that be your life,¡± Jace said genuinely. ¡°You¡¯re too valuable and you have a greater task to serve. I brought you out of those chains and now you¡¯re free.¡± Was he crazy or was it just me?


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying? Kidnapping me isn¡¯t going to make me free. What do you even want with me?¡± I spat. ¡°How can you even betray Lucas.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Bloodwolf. You weren¡¯t meant to be stuck in either one of those societies and some things are more important than some pity friendship.¡± I could hardly believe that it was Jace talking. The same Jace who was so kind and polite, who was best friends as well as brother-inw with Lucas. Those things sounded like poison now in my mouth. Jace doesn¡¯t deserve any of it.


    ¡°You filthy bastard. How can you even do that? Lexi¡¯s own brother!¡± The mention of his mate made him flinch. He turned back again, this time with pain and anger reflecting his dark eyes.


    ¡°Do not talk of her! I have to do this. I promised.¡±


    ¡°You promised someone you¡¯d kidnap me?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Some hero you are.¡±


    ¡°You better watch your mouth before I make sure it stays shut forever,¡± Phoebe threatened. ¡°Can¡¯t we kill her now?¡± I gasped, feeling all sickly inside which made her grin even further.


    ¡°Not now. We have to go to their grave first,¡± Jace said, eyeing Phoebe to shut up.


    ¡°Where are you exactly taking me?!¡± I said. Suddenly, I felt like the whole car was closing in on me. I would die soon. Heck, I wasn¡¯t even an adult yet. I reached for Zane who was still knocked out and began to shake him, willing for him to wake up.


    I began to close my eyes, trying to bring the power to heal whatever was wrong with him. It was hard to concentrate with the fact that I would die soon dangling over my head.


    ¡°She¡¯s healing him, stop her,¡± Phoebe yelled at Jace and I felt hands grabbing me away from Zane, but I seeded.


    Zane coughed, slowly opening his eyes, scanning his surrounding and snapped wide awake when he saw me strangled by Jace.


    ¡°Get away from her,¡± he growled and leaped into action. It was a tight space considering that it was a modest grey Camry but Zane tried his best.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move or else she¡¯ll get it,¡± Jace said and I felt the cold metal of the gun. I struggled more but he cocked the gun which made me sit still. I made some sort of a whimper, attempting to try and get some distance away from me and the gun.


    Zane raised his hand and stayed where he was in defeat. He turned to Phoebe in dismay, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be part of this and I was stupid not to notice.¡±


    ¡°Indeed you are an idiot, Zane,¡± Phoebe said while keeping her eyes on the road. ¡°It¡¯s too bad we couldn¡¯t have a real rtionship. You are a cutie and you do well in bed.¡±


    Zane growled at herment and I had just enough oxygen to choke. Jace loosened up for me to recover but he still held me, his stomach pressed to my back and the gun near his side in case. Zane had been sleeping with Phoebe all this time? She had to be kidding. I looked at Zane with a mixture of betrayal and disgust but his eyes were vacant. Worn out and tired.


    The silence drowned on for a good hour and I was still held tightly by Jace. Phoebe finally spoke after what seemed to be ages. ¡°We¡¯re almost here,¡± she said to Jace.


    ¡°Yeah, I can feel it. Turn right after this signal,¡± Jace instructed and Phoebe did so. I looked through the window and saw rows and rows of gravestones. The deeper we went the fewer graves there were and finally the car stopped to a private section of the graveyard.


    It had an eerie feeling like what a graveyard would be like on Halloween. Phoebe opened the door for Jace and then she pointed the gun at Zane. Jace dragged me out of the car and had my hands tied tightly behind my back and my mouth securely gagged.


    ¡°Get out of the car Zane,¡± Phoebe instructed him with the gun dangerously pointed at him. I tried to say something but the gag had me pretty good.


    Lucas! I need you. Please,I thought out to him but our connection was too weak for me to try and find him. I just hoped he was alright.


    The four of us walked through the privatend, each tombstone borately decorated. What were we doing inside a graveyard? The further we walked the fog started to settle in stronger. Jace finally stopped at two graves that were identical and standing side by side. It was hard to see whose grave it was from the fog but once I caught a glimpse of the words and it stuck to me forever.


    Dimitri Klyce and Jamie Klyce. My real parents.


    But the real question was. Why were we here?


    Jace pulled the gag off and let it dangle on my neck. ¡°What are we doing here?¡± I spat. I didn¡¯t struggle anymore because I knew it didn¡¯t do me any good and if I was to die soon, it was better to save my energy. Maybe if a miracle happened, I might have a slight chance of escaping.


    ¡°Do you know where we are?¡± Jace asked amused.


    ¡°In a graveyard dimwit.¡± He threw me on the ground for myment and I couldn¡¯t do anything to slow down the fall since my hands were useless. Phoebe instructed Zane to go next to me and he dly did, trying to untie the ropes but Phoebe kicked him. ¡°Stop!¡± I yelled, kneeling next to him to see if he was alright but he waved me off.


    ¡°Alexia, attention over here please,¡± Jace said enjoying the power that he had. ¡°Do you know whose graves these are?¡± He put one hand over the gravestone of Jamie Klyce and closed his eyes as if he was in a memory no one else could see.


    Ask him who killed your parents.The darkness began to swirl inside of me but this was the first time I openly agreed with the darkness. I had a feeling he knew and it was time to get real answers.


    ¡°Tell me who killed my parents,¡± I repeated, keeping my ground.


    ¡°The Elders killed your parents,¡± Jace said, still entranced by the two gravestones.


    ¡°I meant my adoptive family.¡± Jace snapped back into reality and turned towards me.


    ¡°You want to know who killed Zane¡¯s parents? You really want to? It was me and Phoebe. We killed them in their own rooms and then burned up the ce to cover any evidence,¡± Jace said, a smirk setting on his face. Zane and I flinched from hisck of sensitivity of his words. ¡°Are you happy now, Alexia? Are you content, finally solving the big mysterious of the day?¡±


    ¡°You murderer. Both of you.¡± My eyes zed with anger and the deep anger building inside of me was emerging.


    ¡°How could you? You befriended us only to betray us,¡± Zane said to both of them, hate overflowing out of him. I didn¡¯t notice it before but I could see the dark angering out of him and it only fueled my own even more.


    ¡°Why did you? They never did anything to you!¡±


    ¡°They took you away from your real family. Your real family would¡¯ve raised you well and everything would have been perfect!¡± he spat. Why the hell did he care?


    ¡°Yeah, because I would¡¯ve been killed if I lived with them. The Elders finished their family line.¡±


    ¡°They were the ones who bore you into this world.¡± Jace was fueled up,ing towards me every time he finished his sentence.


    ¡°They lost their humanity when they chose to be Bloodwolf. I didn¡¯t have a choice because of them,¡± I said bitterly.


    ¡°They bore you. Doesn¡¯t that show you that they had enough humanity to have a child?¡± He took another step closer to me.


    ¡°But they chose to side with the darkness who made them the half creatures they were.¡± I couldn¡¯t imagine what they looked like. Whenever I started to remember parts of my broken memories of my childhood, I dismissed them away.


    An excitement passed through Jace. ¡°You see. That¡¯s why the darkness is so interested in you. You¡¯re the work that it made. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so easy for it to control you.¡±


    ¡°NO! I¡¯m a Maxilum not a Klyce. My surname died along with my parents.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Alexia,¡± Jace smiled secretively.


    ¡°Why do you want to bring up the past? Why did you drag us toe here today? What¡¯syourintentions?¡± I braved enough to ask the big questions. ¡°Why? You didn¡¯t even know me back then and I didn¡¯t know my real parents yet you bring me to their grave!¡±


    ¡°Alexia, oh Alexia,¡± Jace chuckled, bending down to me so that our faces were only an inch apart. ¡°I knew you since the day you were born.¡± My body felt cold as if all the blood rushed out of me. No, it wasn¡¯t possible. ¡°Zane isn¡¯t your true brother. I am.¡±

 Chapter 39

    Lucas¡¯ POV


    The instant Alexia¡¯s presence left me, I knew something was wrong. The safe house was only an hour away but she was way off my radar which spread out for about a good fifty miles.


    The battle was still raging on even after an hour. The hunters wouldn¡¯t stop attacking and without Alexia by our side, I was losing a lot of my numbers. The house was aplete ruin too, with broken furniture all over the room or fragmented with bullets.


    I found Amos a while ago, spotting him in my peripheral vision. He was trying to get to me, so I made my way towards him. Since we weren¡¯t in the same pack, we didn¡¯t have the convenient mind sharing I had with the rest of my pack.


    ¡°Lucas, where¡¯s Travis?¡± he asked through his teeth as he tackled on two hunters at once. I had forgotten all about him. If he wasn¡¯t out here, he might be still in the dungeon.


    ¡°I have to get down to the dungeon. Watch my back,¡± I said, taking down a hunter and then made my way through the battle with Amos closely behind my back.


    I found the door that led down and opened it to find Travis and Jessabelle on the floor at the end of the stairs. They must¡¯ve fallen because above Travis¡¯s head was a pool of blood.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Derek said behind me.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked but I forgot that he stayed for the night. I didn¡¯t notice him through all themotion.


    ¡°I was fighting your battle while you¡¯re here looking at the poor humans. Come on,¡± Derek urged as he brushed past me and practically jumped the whole way down.


    He checked each body quickly and examined their wounds before I got to the bottom of the stairs. His quick speed was a total advantage.


    ¡°Jessabelle is conscious but Travis doesn¡¯t look so well. His head wound his pretty bad but it won¡¯t kill him,¡± Derek said, giving the verdict. ¡°I¡¯ll ce Travis in that bed and prop Jessabelle next to wall. Travis needs the bed more than she does.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going crazy over his blood.¡± It felt a little immature to point it out but I always thought vampires craved blood.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lived eternity. I can fight off those temptations easily,¡± Derek answered. ¡°I¡¯m going to treat Travis¡¯ wound. Where¡¯s Alexia?¡± He said it like he didn¡¯t even think about it until now.


    ¡°She¡¯s with Jace but she¡¯s off my radar. I can¡¯t sense her anywhere,¡± I said a little worried. I trusted Jace and I knew he would keep her safe but I began to have my doubts.


    ¡°Do you have a piece of her clothing or something I can smell? I¡¯m sure I can track her. Although I¡¯m not a tracker vampire, I can still do a pretty decent job,¡± Derek suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s upstairs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish tending his head quickly and I¡¯ll meet you out in the woods,¡± Derek said and I ran up the stairs back into the fight.


    I did exactly what he said, grabbing one of Alexia¡¯s t-shirt and running out into the woods while avoiding hunters. I only waited ten seconds before Derek appeared besides me.


    ¡°Jessabelle is fully conscious now and Travis seemed to be able to groan before I left him in Jessabelle¡¯s care which means he¡¯s finally gaining conscious,¡± he reported. He eyed Alexia¡¯s shirt and smelled for a good minute. I changed to my wolf form, leaving my pants and shirt to Derek. ¡°I¡¯m getting her scent. Come on,¡± he waved and in a sh, we were running together relying only on the shirt and Derek¡¯s tracking skills.


    I¡¯ming for you Alexia. I promised that I will never leave you. I¡¯ming.


    We¡¯ve been running for a good half an hour and there was nothing but a long stretch of a highway and the woods that it was surrounded by. Suddenly, I felt a jolt of panic through the bond. It was Alexia and Zane.


    Lucas! I need you. Please, her voice rang in my head.


    Alexia!I called out but I could feel how weak and vulnerable she was. If she was in that condition there was no way I could contact her. I tried Zane but I couldn¡¯t get through him either. I felt their presence at the next right and Derek seemed to notice too.


    We both took a sharp right turn and came upon a graveyard that seemed to stretch on for ages. While still being concealed in the woods, I quickly changed back and put on my clothes. Such a pain to do if you ask me.


    ¡°There. A little deeper into the graveyard over there,¡± Derek pointed to the never ending road.


    ¡°Yeah, I feel them and I feel Jace but he¡¯s blocking his mind from me,¡± I said in confusion. What the hell was going on? Alexia and Zane¡¯s fear was creating a mental block from me too. A sudden burst of hurt and surprise came through the bond from Alexia and Zane. What the hell was going on?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Derek said before we were on the run again. Even if I was back to my human form, I was still a fast runner but Derek had to slow down for me.


    Derek stopped when we reached the private section of the graveyard and we cautiously went in, scanning through the ce while we walked. They were so close, I could smell them.


    I noticed Jace and Phoebe¡¯s head bobbing out. I walked closer to them and saw Alexia and Zane on the ground with Phoebe¡¯s arm stretching out to them with a gun.


    ¡°Jace! Phoebe!¡± I growled and ran towards them but Phoebe¡¯s gun went instantly to me. I froze and noticed the slight breeze behind my back. Derek used his vampire speed to hide. At least we had one advantage for now. An elemental surprise but I wasn¡¯t sure how we could use it in this situation.


    ¡°Phoebe, what are you doing?¡± I asked calmly, taking small steps towards her. I didn¡¯t know anything that was going on except the gun being pointed at me.


    ¡°Hello Lucas,¡± Jace said. He didn¡¯t look pleased but he tried to put on a good face. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise for you to find us. I thought you had other business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I said, my voice growing deep and dangerous.


    ¡°Something I¡¯ve been destined to do since the death of my parents,¡± he said darkly. What was he talking about? I knew his parents were dead. He told me they were killed and they were looking for him to. That was how we found him half dead and took him in. I remembered my dad getting angry, telling us we had to call the Elders but I didn¡¯t remember anything after that. My dad suddenly felt pity and we took him in where he met Lexi and they found each other.


    ¡°Jace, you aren¡¯t making any sense.¡± I had to keep him talking to buy time although the truth would be nice too.


    ¡°Alexia, my darling, why don¡¯t you tell Lucas about us,¡± he smiled at Alexia and I had growl to get his attention back to me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her,¡± I said darkly. Jace smiled smugly and walked over to Alexia, forcing her to stand up. She tried to struggle but he was too strong. I tried to make my way over to her but Phoebe cocked the gun.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± she said but her voice failed her. She held the gun but I knew she wouldn¡¯t shoot me so I continued my way to Alexia. That was when Jace took out his own gun and pointed it at Alexia head.


    ¡°I advise you to stop, Lucas,¡± he warned. I stopped dead in my tracks. Zane was already badly beaten up and was fighting just to stay conscious. I saw a dark red stain on his leg. They shot him. I turned towards Jace, concealing my face to what I truly felt. Horror and confusion.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked again, hoping he would borate this time.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Alexia, tell him,¡± Jacemanded, ignoring my question.


    ¡°H-h-he¡¯s my brother,¡± she stammered but she stood her ground, looking unafraid. ¡°Lucas, save yourself while you can.¡± She pleaded with her eyes but I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. The news took me by surprise but it didn¡¯t change my decision of leaving her. What did it matter. What I found disturbing was how her own brother could point a gun to her head.


    ¡°Jace, you need to exin everything,¡± I said calmly. Jace scowled at the unresponsive look I had.


    ¡°Do you know the story of The Bloodwolf¡¯s Revenge?¡± Jace asked. Sure I knew. It was a myth although not many knew of the story because it included Bloodwolves. It was about how a Bloodwolf died but came back alive by a Healer. Healers were only known for curing werewolves and it would kill Bloodwolves if they ever tried healing one. In the story, the Healer was captured by a witch who created a spell to resurrect the Bloodwolf. In order to do so, she needed the Healer¡¯s soul and the blood of another Bloodwolf to make it happen. The spell worked and the Healer¡¯s soul was consumed by the resurrected Bloodwolf. A scary myth but obviously fake.


    ¡°Yes, I know of it,¡± I answered. I wasn¡¯t stupid to know where it was all going. Jace and Phoebe thought that they could sacrifice Alexia but who were they trying to resurrect? Then it struck me. Jace and Alexia¡¯s parents. With them resurrected, both societies were in danger of an uncontroble species. Alexia was the Healer and Jace was the other Bloodwolf.


    ¡°Well then, you know where I¡¯m going with this,¡± Jace said, forcing Alexia next to the grave. He made hery on top of the tombstone and turned back to me. ¡°We¡¯ll finally have something inmon,¡± he grinned evilly. ¡°A dead mate.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I shouted. ¡°What does Phoebe have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s only fueled by her own jealousy,¡± Jace said, making Phoebe grimace.


    ¡°Stop it Jace. Make it all stop,¡± Phoebe said to Jace. ¡°Erase my memory, please.¡± She began to sob but still had the gun pointed at me.


    ¡°Erase your memory? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jace said, giving Phoebe his deathly look. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t go on anymore until you erase it. It hurts too much for him to see me like this and for him to reject me all these times,¡± she spat harshly.


    All the pieces seemed to fit perfectly in ce like a solved puzzle. The reason why during the investigation there was a power outage and everyone seemed to forget and have mixed memories. It wasn¡¯t just their confusion, it was Jace¡¯s doing. When I couldn¡¯t remember why father was mad at Jace and suddenly father took pity, it was all Jace¡¯s doing too. Father knew who Jace was and that¡¯s why he wanted to call the Elders but Jace erased our memory before father could act.


    ¡°It was all you!¡± I said, finally giving him the look of surprise.


    ¡°Lucas de cracks the mystery,¡± Jace smirked. ¡°Now continuing on with today¡¯s events.¡± He quickly took out a silver dagger and poised it at Alexia, his smile turning into a frown. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you sister but two Bloodwolf is better than one in this world,¡± he said before he plunged it at Alexia.


    Just as it was about to enter her heart, Derek finally came out of his hiding spot and took a hold of the dagger.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Jace said his frown turning to anger. ¡°Derek,¡± he guessed. Jace quickly recovered and took out his gun instead and held it out in front of Derek. ¡°A little toote to y hero, don¡¯t you think?¡± Jace said darkly.


    Alexia began to scream trying to take the attention off of Derek and she seeded. ¡°I¡¯ll just finish you off first.¡± I instantly reacted when I should¡¯ve done so long ago. Alexia¡¯s life was more valuable than mine and I knew Derek would be able to finish them off with myst conversion.


    As soon as Jace¡¯s fingers coiled around the gun and triggered, I threw myself over Alexia letting the silver bullet take me instead. The impact of the bullet made me crush Alexia under me and my world started to fade as I saw of Derek on the move. With Derek on the move, at least I knew Alexia was in good hands.


    Alexia¡¯s POV


    Everything seemed to happen so fast. I wasn¡¯t afraid of death anymore and I chose to face it but as soon as Jace pulled the trigger, Lucas appeared. The bullet mmed into him and the impact took us both.


    As soon as it happened, Derek kicked into action and took Jace to the ground but I swore I would kill the person who murdered my parents. He caused too much hurt.


    With strength I didn¡¯t know I had, I ripped the rope and sprang to Jace with the gun that he dropped. I took it and walked where Derek and Jace were on the ground throwing punches and aimed the gun for Jace and shot.


    This all seemed to happen in a matter of seconds but that one gunshot was what ended everything. Ended everything that began from the day I was born.


    Derek turned to me but everything was in slow motion. He let go of Jace¡¯s body whichnded with athudto the ground and ran up to me, taking the gun away from my hand.


    Jace turned his head slowly to me although I could tell it took him hisst bit of energy he had.


    ¡°I really did care for you Alexia,¡± he said softly and then his head when limp leaving his eyes open and one single trail of tear.


    You killed him. I knew you were capable. Good start, my darling. Good start. You will be much greater use than your brother.


    I screamed in anger and frustration at the sound of the darkness. It made me kill Jace. It was the darkness. It was slowly making me into a monster.


    ¡°Alexia!¡± Derek said grabbing me with both arms. I knew he felt what I felt as soon as he touched me but he didn¡¯t let go of me. ¡°Alexia, focus! Lucas got shot in the chest.¡±


    His name was the only reason how I snapped out of my own little world. Lucas was hurt and possibly dead. I knew the toll of raising someone from the dead was just inviting more of the darkness but at this point, Lucas was my only focus.


    ¡°He¡¯s bleeding both front and back. There¡¯s an entry wound and an exit wound. He¡¯s dead,¡± Zane proimed. Somehow Zane had managed to take out Phoebe and do a fast check up on Lucas. No way was he dead on my watch.


    I went over to him and ced each of my hands the front and backside of the wound. His blood flowed freely in my hands and I had to use my willpower to control the bloodlust. Since I already fed from him, his blood seemed more weing but there was no time for any foolish things.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you. Fight it,¡± Derek warned. I took a deep breath, letting Derek¡¯s words sink in. I wouldn¡¯t let it get to me.


    Closing my eyes I began to draw the energy that I felt the night I healed Zane. It didn¡¯t feel anything like healing a small injury but it felt like it was draining my own life source and pushing it in Lucas, giving him a part of my life, part of my soul.


    I heard Derek gasp in surprise which encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. My head bent back and I inhaled every bit of oxygen I could and snapped my head forward, pouring my life source into Lucas. The light was so bright that I was forced to open my eyes and see for myself and I gasped at the golden light that surrounded me and Lucas.


    The light quickly vanished as it did when I healed Zane and then everything went back to normal, but it wasn¡¯t normal anymore. Lucas¡¯ pale face began to regain its natural color and I could feel the warmth starting to radiate from him. Then finally he gasped like how you would wake up from a bad dream but this was no bad dream. This was finally reality. My Lucas was alive.


    ¡°Alexia?¡± he breathed heavily. He looked at me andid his head back on the ground in defeat. ¡°I¡¯m dying, aren¡¯t I?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No silly. You¡¯re alive,¡± I smiled and kissed him with everything I had.

 Chapter 40

    Zane¡¯s POV


    The next few days were chaotic. When we went back to Lucas¡¯ mansion, it was a total wreck. And when I say wreck, I meant the house was totally inhabitable, even to rodents. Thankfully Derek was kind enough to house us at his own home which was equally big, if not bigger, than Lucas¡¯.


    In the end, the werewolves won only because Travis killed Kent. The other hunters were too shocked to find their boss dead that they all retreated, leaving the werewolves victorious.


    Uncle Amos fought bravely with all the other werewolves and came out with barely a scratch. He also helped organize everyone and made sure they were alive and OK. We lost a lot of werewolves that night. When Alexia heard she wanted to heal everyone but we knew the darkness had an advantage over her when she brought them back to life so Lucas had no choice but to lock her in her room just in case she had any n of sneaking out.


    As for Jace and Phoebe, we buried them in the graveyard. Jace nowy with his parents and Phoebe was carried to a different part of the graveyard. Although I had some guilt of killing Phoebe, it was kind of done by ident. She tripped while trying to attack me and fell on the knife I held in my hands. The worse thing was I didn¡¯t feel bad, I just pitied her. She idently killed herself fired up by her jealousy.


    After three days, we were still at Derek¡¯s ce but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. He was feeding himself through blood bags since he couldn¡¯t exactly bring his ¡®meal¡¯ home anymore. How awkward that would be.


    For three days straight I¡¯ve been lounging out on the front porch which thankfully had a porch swing. The afternoon went by so quickly that it felt like it was always evening. The sun was quickly setting, turning the sky into a pink hue. It¡¯s been a while since I had taken time to observe the sky. Usually Alexia and I would have carried out a nket outside to our backyard at home and watched the sunset until the stars came out. I missed the old times and I had to take a deep breath to try and forget that things will never be the same again.


    ¡°Daydreaming again, Zane?¡± Uncle Amos said next to me.


    ¡°No, just thinking about things,¡± I said absent-mindedly. I didn¡¯t even notice Amos sitting on the swing with me.


    ¡°You tend to think too hard on too many things,¡± Amos chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°I just miss the old days when things were a lot easier,¡± I sighed. It didn¡¯t hurt to tell Uncle Amos what was on my mind.


    ¡°Nothing will evere to you easily from now on,¡± Amos said mysteriously. ¡°Things will get harder but you have to push through to seek what you want.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re talking in code,¡± I mumbled, not quite getting where he¡¯s going at.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get what I mean in a future time. I just felt like I needed to share that with you. You have a long journey ahead of you.¡± Uncle Amos stood up and said his farewell, disappearing before I had a chance to question him further. As soon as Uncle Amos disappeared to who knows where, a door opened and closed.


    ¡°Thought I find you here,¡± Travis saiding up to me. He looked at me but I didn¡¯t reply so he sat on the swings next to me where Uncle Amos sat just a few second ago. ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡± he asked. Alexia healed my leg although I told her not to but she could be demanding at times and didn¡¯t leave me any choice.


    ¡°It¡¯s healing. How¡¯s your head?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± he smiled. ¡°Hey, you said you¡¯d do anything to help Alexia, right?¡± he asked suddenly.


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± I said slowly, getting suspicious.


    ¡°What if I told you I might know a way to get rid of the darkness controlling Alexia?¡± Travis asked. I snapped my head to him, looking to see if he thought it was a joke but he looked dead serious.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I said slowly, narrowing my eyes on him. Was it even possible?


    ¡°It¡¯s not much to go onto but it¡¯s a start,¡± Travis said, making sure I didn¡¯t put my hopes too high. ¡°You know the prophecy for Alexia? Well, there¡¯s more to it.¡±


    ¡°And how would you know?¡± I challenged.


    ¡°Funny you should ask. Amos told me the rest of the prophecy. It doesn¡¯t seem like a prophecy but more like a quest so that¡¯s why Amos said he needed to tell me the rest after other things were dealt with,¡± Travis exined. ¡°Anyways, the rest of the prophecy might help you in some way. Thest part of the prophecy is


    To help the Healer the cursed stone you must scout,?In order to rid the darkness, take that different route.?After the stone is obtained from the heart of the country,?One must trap the darkness in the stone although it will be bloody.?Only then will the darkness be in,?Until another tale will this prophecy be raised again.¡±


    I stared at Travis as if he was crazy. What on earth did it mean? What cursed stone? Where¡¯s the heart of the country? Did it mean literally or metaphorically?


    ¡°Thest two lines don¡¯t rhyme.¡± That was the only thing that came out of my mouth at that point. Travis gave me an ¡®are-you-kidding¡¯ look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the point,¡± Travis said. ¡°All we really need to do is find the cursed stone from the heart of the country and somehow trap the darkness.¡± Even as he said it with enthusiasm and ease, we both knew how little the chance was for us to find it.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, piecing the information together. ¡°Isn¡¯t the heart of the country in Washington D. C? That¡¯s the heart of the government and the government is the heart of the country, right?¡± I said, getting excited.


    ¡°Yeah and there might be someone I know who might be able to crack the rest of the prophecy!¡± Travis said excitedly. Finally we were getting somewhere.


    ¡°Do you know where he is?¡± I asked. We had to go find him now. Time was ticking.


    ¡°Actually shehas no way ofmunication but I know where she lives so we can visit her,¡± Travis said, getting up. ¡°We should leave tomorrow. Will that be enough time to say bye to Alexia?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell her about our n or else the darkness will know too.¡± I didn¡¯t want to leave her but I promised myself it would be only a little while until I find what we need to heal her. ¡°But why are you helping?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I only like certain werewolves.¡± I smiled at that. Travis is one human I could get used to in my life.


    ¡°Then I guess we¡¯re heading out tomorrow,¡± I returned the smile and Travis nodded. ¡°Thanks for everything,¡± I said and he stood up to leave.


    Just as Travis turned back towards the house and opened the door, Alexia stepped outside. ¡°Hey, Travis. Is your head better?¡± she asked, politely.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± he said but he sounded urgent, as if he needed to do something. Therewasa lot to prepare for tomorrow.


    ¡°Oh, are you busy? I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized, hearing his urgency.


    ¡°Haha, sorry Alexia,¡± he apologized. Travis gave onest grin to Alexia and a side nce to me before he left.


    ¡°Alexia,¡± I acknowledged her when she sat on the swings with me.


    ¡°Zane,¡± she said nodding. If we saw how we were right now a month ago, we would¡¯veughed and thought it was crazy but here we were, sitting awkwardly next to each other as if we didn¡¯t even know each other anymore.


    ¡°Zane, thank you for everything,¡± she said so suddenly that it took me by surprise.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She had nothing to thank me for.


    ¡°You stuck with me through all this time. Every day I was scared that you would leave me but every day you never left.¡± Her voice was soft as she said it and it left me a little heartbroken. I would have to break that streak tomorrow.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Iughed happily. ¡°Even if I leave, you should never be sad or scared. You have Lucas, Uncle Amos, and even Derek.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re still my brother. You know the prophecy really dide true,¡± she said and I looked up at her in confusion.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°¡®Avenging the blood of both parents is sworn?¡¯ That didn¡¯t mean my biological parents, Zane. It meantourparents,¡± she exined and suddenly everything seemed to make since.


    ¡°You killed Jace,¡± I said, grasping the facts. Jace was the murderer.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she winced. I knew it took a lot for Alexia to kill her biological, psychopathic brother. Even before we knew of it, Jace was always kind to Alexia. ¡°And the darkness was kind of concealed but since I brought Lucas back, it did find me and this time it¡¯s affecting my decisions and choices that I face much harder this time.¡±


    My fist clenched at that. The darkness was making her suffer. It was the right decision to leave right away tomorrow. I would have gone out right now but we had to leave subtly and quietly without being noticed until we were far gone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Alexia. We¡¯ll make out of it, I promise,¡± I said softly, stroking her hair and this time, she didn¡¯t protest.


    ¡°Together,¡± she sighed and got up. ¡°I should get back inside. I promised Lucas we would make dinner together.¡± Since Derek doesn¡¯t eat food, we each went around buying and making food for everyone each meal.


    ¡°OK then. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it!¡± I gave her my best smile and she went back inside.


    I released the fake smile and sighed. I swung the porch swing several times, soaking in thest bit of sun which was now seeping into the horizon and I couldn¡¯t help but feel a small twinge of guilt for leaving her behind but I kept telling myself it was for the best.


    Alexia¡¯s POV


    I went back inside after talking with Zane and bumped into Derek.


    ¡°Hello my little wolf,¡± he bowed formally. Iughed, taking my chance to mess with his hair. He scowled but he couldn¡¯t hide his smile. ¡°I think you¡¯re getting a little toofortable with me, little wolf. Iamthe vampire king. You should be bowing down at my feet and kissing up to me,¡± he joked, adding a wink.


    ¡°Well, Mr. Cocky, I don¡¯t think you can control this little girl,¡± I grinned.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be too sure about that,¡± he said before he picked me up and spun me around. Iughed as started to mess with my hair.


    ¡°You know I hate it when people do that,¡± I tried saying it bitterly but it was half-hearted. Who can ever get mad at Derek Hainsworth?


    ¡°Which is exactly why I like doing so. I take joy in tormenting you little wolf,¡± he gave a half smirk.


    ¡°I would absolutely love to prove to you how much I can stand your wittyebacks but I should really get Lucas downstairs so we can cook dinner.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Then you should be on your way. You don¡¯t want to keep your mate waiting. That little one really loves you, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Derek smiled and there was something else in his voice. Admiration?


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think he loves me yet,¡± I said honestly, thinking about our private conversations. He made it clear he only ¡®liked¡¯ me for right now.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Derek trailed on. ¡°But the question is do you love him?¡±


    Love was something greater and harder to understand but I was beginning to know what it was to love. Love is selfless. I sacrificed a part of my life source to save Lucas. That action wasn¡¯t because I ¡®liked¡¯ him¡­it was because I loved him.


    I gasped. ¡°I¡­I love him,¡± I said but came out in barely a whisper.


    ¡°Well, little wolf, if you¡¯re still here then I should be telling you this: Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. They confess,¡± he chuckled and then I sprinted upstairs with this new realization.


    I knocked on the door of the room we were staying in and opened it before I got an answer. I saw Lucas pulling his head through the shirt hole, changing at the moment but I ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug I could.


    ¡°Alexia?¡± he said surprised and taken aback but he chuckled. ¡°Are you OK?¡± He brushed a random piece of my hair back behind my ear and looked at me with his beautiful grey eyes which shined like two moons.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m-¡± I paused and started again. ¡°Lucas de, I think I¡¯m in love with you.¡± As soon as I said it, I bit my lips, afraid of what he would say.


    ¡°Alexia, I longed forever for you to say those words to me,¡± he said softly, looking deep into my eyes. ¡°Alexia Maxilum,¡± he said, touching my cheeks, affection written all over his eyes and I couldn¡¯t help but feel a small shiver go up me as he said my full name in his husky voice. ¡°I love you with all my heart,¡± he finished before kissing me with everything he had. The kiss felt like two old soul finally finding each other anding together as one for the first time. The kiss wasn¡¯t fueled by lust or hunger but it was driven withplete love and reliance on one another. We were the other half of our souls. True mates.


    I always thought back to the first time we met. It was funny and unfortunate that we met on a bad start. He didn¡¯t even notice or acknowledge me when he first came over for dinner and I didn¡¯t really care for him either. He was just another one of my dad¡¯s business people but after everything we¡¯ve been through with the hunter attacks, the darkness and the prophecy, and even him dying, I knew we could ovee anything together. It really is funny how love starts.

 Chapter 41: Epilogue

    The next morning, Travis, Jessabelle, and I woke up before the sun rose. I didn¡¯t have much to pack except a small backpack full of clothes. There was nothing else I owned. We all met in the huge living room downstairs until we were all ready to go.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving.¡± The voice caused all three of us to jump. Uncle Amos appeared on the couch in a position that looked like he sat there for a long time but I knew he appeared just then.


    ¡°Yes, Uncle Amos. You said there was a long journey ahead of me,¡± I said remembering his weird speech on the porch swings. ¡°I have to save Alexia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Travis told you the rest of the prophecy,¡± Uncle Amos said nodding approvingly.


    ¡°Yeah, he did but why me?¡± I asked looking up as Uncle Amos stood up.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the one who would most likely leave her.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? I love her!¡± I hissed. It was the loudest I could get without having to wake up anyone.


    ¡°Yes, but she suspected it from the beginning. She thought you would leave her anyways,¡± Uncle Amos said sadly. He grabbed my shoulders and held me in a tight grasp. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zane. You¡¯ll see her again. Do you want to stay here and watch her slowly die away? She won¡¯t be the Alexia you know now if you let the darkness grow.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I whispered. I knew what I had to do. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°My boy, I know you¡¯lle back.¡± Uncle Amos said, smiling confidently. We left Uncle Amos back at the house and we slowly drove off from the driveway and out of the estate.


    ¡°What will you do next?¡± I asked Travis when we were all in the car.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Jessabelle and I are going to look for other people like us who were deceived by the hunters and with their help I¡¯m going to take down Kent¡¯s empire. That¡¯s the least I can do for my dad.¡± An understanding passed between the two of us. We both understood what we had to do.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going separate ways after you lead me to your friend,¡± I sighed. It was going to be one lonely trip.


    ¡°I feel like we¡¯ll be seeing each other again soon,¡± Travis humored.


    ¡°Oh, so you have special abilities too?¡± Jessabelle asked, grinning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say they¡¯re human instincts.¡± Travis gave Jessabelle a secret grin. ¡°Hey,¡± Travis said, turning to me in the backseat. ¡°Did you leave a letter for Alexia?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± I said quietly. The humor that hung in the car seemed to vanish.


    ¡°What exactly did the letter say?¡± Jessabelle asked, worried. ¡°Everything she knows, the darkness will know.¡±


    ¡°I wrote her that I needed some time and space.¡± It hurt me to write her a letter and not exin the real reason why I was leaving.


    ¡°Good and Lucas knows the real n?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°Yeah. He and Derek knows.¡± Lucas thought it was suicide but Derek read my mind and he knew that my heart was set on this quest and persuaded Lucas to go agree with the n since he was still my Alpha. Lucas didn¡¯t like it but he finally gave me permission.


    I told him I also needed to cut myself away from the pack since it was a quest I had to do alone. We could risk letting my thoughts linger out there for anyone to grab like Alexia, otherwise the darkness would know. It was painful for the mental bond to be broken but it was done. I was now a lone wolf without any pack but in the end when I thought about my motive and the reason I was doing it, it was all worth it.


    I looked back Derek¡¯s house, imagining Alexia waking up to find my letter. It¡¯ll definitely tear some part of me in her heart but it was for the best. I had to leave. I had to steal this stone the prophecy was talking about and I had to bring it back for Alexia in order to rid the darkness that was eating away her humanity. With this in thought, I started the longest, hardest journey in my life.


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