Werewolf and Vampire Mate [Book 1 Complete]

chapter eleven.

Orson

The fresh and brutal pain of the loss of my father and so many members of my pack is eased with April in my arms.

We sit in a dark crevice of the cave, huddled together. She shivers closer to me; there's a bite in the air. I think night has fallen, though it's hard to tell.

I run my fingers carefully over every bruise and cut on her delicate skin.

"I'm ok, Reed," she whispers and I press a kiss to her temple.

I'm not, I think. But there's no time for grief at the moment. There are more pressing matters.

"Do you think the Council of Elders will come to our aid if they hear what's happened?" She asks me.

"I'm not entirely convinced they aren't working with this lunatic," I mutter in response. It is natural for me to be distrustful towards vampires, now more than ever.

But April shakes her head. "They want peace. Nik said that the Council can't control every vampire and some–"

"Nik?" I interrupt her, pulling back to meet her eyes more thoroughly. "What does he have to do with this?" Just hearing his name makes my blood boil.

She hesitates, looking uncomfortable. "It's–It's just something he said to me, that's all."

It must have been a while ago, maybe when they were in New York.

"I understand the Council of Elders can't control all vampires. I can see that now. Negotiating peace with them to protect my pack..." I raise a hand and pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a burn in my eyes. "Fuck, April, it was all for nothing. My pack is..."

"Still here," she says, gripping my hand tightly and tugging until I look at her. "There's so many still left to protect, Reed. Look." She turns her head toward my remaining pack members. They are huddled together across the other side of the cave, comforting one another.

It's difficult not to dwell on those we've lost, but my mate is right. There's still a lot left to protect.

I need to get them out of here alive.

Whatever it takes.

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April

A few hours pass, where I get some rest leaning against Reed's broad, bare chest and listening to his heartbeat.

Then, abruptly, the boulder covering the hole in the roof of the cave begins to move. Reed and I shoot to our feet.

"Get the children back!" He commands and the other werewolves make a protective circle around the youngest members of the pack.

Nightcrawlers begin to flood the cave. The children shriek and cry, Reed shoves me behind him as they descend down, like a hundred spiders prowling toward us.

I grip my mate's arm tightly, pressing myself flat to his back.

Wickham's booming voice floats down from above us. "Bring up the Alpha and his mate."

The Nightcrawlers swarm at us, hands grabbing me. Reed growls and tears one's head off—a brief shock of flames and heat from the burning of his body—but there's so many of them.

Arms wrap around me, the feral glint of red eyes terrifying and haunting all at once. Held by the vampire, I am launched up, out of the hole in the roof and into the passageway above.

Reed leaps up behind me, the rest of the Nightcrawlers following behind. He lunges at Wickham as the boulder is pushed back over the entrance to the cave below, where the rest of the pack remains trapped.

Before Reed can even touch Wickham though, he is shoved back roughly by a dozen different vampires.

"Let's all be civil, shall we?" Wickham says with a mildly irritated tone. "Come along."

He turns on his heel, white dress shoes glinting against the darkness of the cave, and leads us back out into the main cavern.

"Reed." I reach back for him and he takes my hand, tangling our fingers together.

Although I can't see every Nightcrawler hidden in the shadows, I can feel their heavy gazes on me. I know they can smell my blood and are probably hungry...it's a horrifying thought.

But Reed's hand moves up my arm, resting on the back of my shoulder and it steadies me, reassures me.

When we come to a stop in the center of the large cavern, Reed demands with the authority of a king, "Tell us why you've brought us here today."

Wickham spreads his arms. "Why, of course! I want the exact same thing you want, Alpha."

My eyebrows furrow. What does that mean?

"Really?" Reed questions distrustfully. "And what's that?"

"For you to complete the mating ceremony with your stunning mate," Wickham says. "The moon will be full tomorrow night. Perfect time for a joining of love, don't you agree?"

Reed and I exchange a confused glance. "Why would you care about that?" I ask quietly, my voice small in comparison to theirs.

Wickham only smirks in response. "There is one tiny amendment I'd like to make to the ceremony."

Reed becomes defensive, inching closer to me. "What are you talking about?"

"Bring him out," Wickham says and I look over my shoulder to see Nik being dragged out from another channel. One of the Nightcrawlers yanks out a wooden stake from his stomach and he groans. His shirt is drenched with blood, like he has been stabbed with a stake over and over again.

"Nik!" I gasp, lunging toward him, but Reed holds onto my arm, keeping me pinned to his side. I slowly turn my head and meet his gaze.

"What is he doing here, April?" he demands in a low voice, meant only for me.

I swallow. "I needed help, Reed. You were gone and I couldn't find you!"

"So you went to him? You ran back to him again?" The hurt on his face breaks my heart.

"I didn't have a choice," I breathe. But maybe I did. Maybe I should've waited for North to heal or gone straight to the Council of Elders. All I know is when everything went to hell, I wanted Nik. I needed him. And he was there for me. "I'm sorry," I tell Reed.

"This is all very touching," Wickham says with a bored expression. "But let's stay focused."

Across the cavern, Nik is beginning to heal, color returning to his face as he straightens up.

"Focused on what, Wickham? Please, tell us your master plan so that when I rip your head off, I at least know why I'm doing it," Nik quips, swaying a little on his feet despite his confident words.

"We were just discussing that April and the Alpha are set to be mated tomorrow night during the full moon," Wickham explains.

"Brilliant," Nik mutters.

"But there's going to be a slight difference during this ceremony..."

Nik's eyes narrow and the hair on the back of my neck stands up.

Wickham's face glints with glee. "Tomorrow, April will become Orson Reed's mate. But she will also become your Kindred—you will feed from her and mark her. By the end of the night, she will belong to both of you."

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