The White Tiger

Chapter 27

 I stared in shock at Jeff and Kiera, as did Jay, Alec, and the two fairies above me. I could see Alec looked a little protective of his sister, but I could also see a hint of jealousy and disappointment.

 "My name is Jeff. I am a warrior to this pack." Jeff said gently.

 "I'm Kiera..." Kiera said, giving him a small, shy smile.

 I glanced down at Jay, who seemed to be smirking. It honestly looked funny in wolf form. I quickly went to the car and brought out a pair of pants, so Jay could shift back. He took them in his mouth gratefully before running off behind a tree nearby. It wasn't long until Jay returned. He stood next to me, his arm around me. He was smirking at Jeff, who was completely smitten with his mate.

 "If you will excuse us, Warrior Jeff, my sister and I must leave." Alec spoke up, taking Kiera's hand. Jeff glared at him before giving a low growl. "We do not belong here with your kind, warrior. I'm sorry."

 "Will we ever meet again?" I asked, frowning. I felt bad for Jeff. He looked longingly at Kiera, who was now looking down, avoiding his gaze.

 "Perhaps someday. But a vampire and werewolf cannot be together. They are too different. Not many wolves know we exist. Those who do, hate us and think us to be evil. Some vampires are, I will agree. But some are not. We are a proud, dangerous race. We do not wish to harm others, therefore, we stay in hiding." Alec spoke. He looked at Kiera, giving her a sad look. "Sister, we must go..."

 "Alec, I don't want to leave him..." Kiera looked at him, sounding heartbroken. "We live alone. We have no one but each other. I get lonely sometimes, brother...Don't you? Aren't you tired of living alone with no friends?"

 "Yes. I am. But this is how it must be, Kiera. We are vampires. We can't have friends. We can't have lovers. What if they get hurt?!"

 "I know you're scared, Alec! I know we can be powerful and dangerous! But that doesn't mean we have to live alone all our lives! I'm sick of being alone! I love you, brother, I really do. But I want to experience the things I've never had. Friends, a mate who loves me, a family of my own....Please, brother, let us stay..."

 "You are supposed to be the older and wiser twin, Kiera! How can you not see this is not possible!?" Alec yelled at her.

 Jeff stood in front of Kiera protectively and growled at Alec. "I know you are frustrated and scared, Alec. But I will not allow you to yell at my mate. Your sister."

 Alec's eyes narrowed in anger. He then took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. "If you want to stay with this man, Kiera, then you can stay. But I cannot stay with you."

 "Alec...." Kiera's eyes were wide, tears forming in her red eyes.

 Alec turned to me and bowed. "It was an honor to protect you, Princess Elena, Gamma Jay." he then looked at Jeff. "It was an honor to protect the mate of my sister. I trust you to watch over and protect her with your life."

 "I will." the Australian warrior spoke quietly. "But you really don't have to leave....You can stay with us..."

 Alec shook his head sadly. "No. I can't. I'm sorry. Goodbye, sister. I love you..." With that, Alec ran off, becoming nothing but a blur that was soon, out of sight.

 "Alec!" Kiera screamed, reaching for him as she cried bitterly. Jeff took her in his arms and comforted her. 

 My heart broke for Kiera and Alec. They must be really close. I don't know how long they've been living alone together, but I assume it was a while. 

 I looked over at Jay, who gave me a reassuring smile. He then walked over the Kiera and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." he said gently. "If it makes you feel better, I am sure our Alpha and Luna will welcome you into the pack. I give you my warm welcome, Miss Kiera, and I thank you for staying here with Jeff. He is a good friend to me and I know he's been waiting a long time to find his mate."

 Kiera smiled at Jay, wiping her eyes. "Thank you, Gamma..." 

 "I will introduce you to Alpha Joseph and Luna Janie now, if you'd like, love." Jeff said, looking at Kiera.

 "Alright...Thank you.." Kiera replied quietly, blushing at Jeff's nickname.

 "Alright, then. We'll see you all later." Jeff replied, turning to face the rest of us. "Oh, and Jay,"

 "Yea?"

 "Thanks, mate, for being so warm and welcoming to Kiera." 

 "Of course, Jeff." Jay smiled at him. "I'll see you later." Jeff nodded, smiling, before leading Kiera away towards the pack house. Jay walked over and stood next to me. "Well, that was very unexpected. I heard rumors that vampires were real. I just was never sure if they were true. I guess they were somewhat true."

 "I guess so." I said quietly.

 "I cannot believe what I just saw." Rose spoke up from behind us. Jay and I looked up at the two fairies. "Can you believe it, Ash?! Vampires! Real live vampires!" I couldn't help but chuckle a little at Rose's excited voice.

 "I know...." Ash said, looking shocked and bewildered.

 "Let's go tell Kallan and Elanor!" Rose exclaimed eagerly.

 "Well, Joseph did say the attack has ended...." Jay replied. "Let's go." 

 Rose nodded quickly and dashed inside. Ash stared at her retreating figure before hurrying after her. "Rosalie, wait for me!"

 Jay and I laughed, as we walked inside the building. "You know, beauty, when we get back, we're going to have to have a discussion about why you left the car after I told you not to." Jay looked at me.

 I sighed, looking up at him firmly. "Jay, if I hadn't left the car, you and Jeff might've been killed. There were too many rogues for you to handle on your own. You're lucky I joined in! Ash, Rose, Alec, and Kiera all joined the fight because they heard my roar."

 Jay stopped walking and turned me to face him, his hands on my shoulders. "You're right, Elena...I'm sorry. I am grateful to you for helping Jeff and I. And I'm sure Jeff is too. If you hadn't come, he probably wouldn't have found his mate. But I just wanted to keep you safe. It's my duty to protect you, Elena. I can't lose you like I did my family."

 My gaze softened. I gave him a small, sad smile. "And I can't lose you either, Jay...I've already lost mom and daddy...Losing you would shatter my heart...I want to protect and keep you safe. Mates help each other. They protect and keep one another safe. And I am going to do just that." I hugged him tightly, smiling as I felt him hug me back. "You will never lose me, Jay....I will always be with you in your heart..." 

 I flashed back to when mom and dad were packing my things. When I left. My mom said they'd always be with me....I could feel tears forming in my eyes as I held Jay. I do feel them with me...And I'm grateful for the time I had with them...My parents meant a lot to me. What gives me comfort, is knowing one day, I'll see them again. And, knowing they are always with me in my heart, gives me comfort.