His Lover, My Mate

Thirty-One: Changing Fate

*Rush*

It was the next night when there was a small feast at the Night Castle. Rush and Maddox had been gone all day, training Maddox's men while Rush disclosed the plans for the following week his mother was going to stay. He told the Death army that Vicera was unpredictable and that her stay could be a few days or even over a week, depending on her mood. And her mood swings were terrifying.

There hadn't been many complaints, and Maddox and his commanders got to work with training for the rest of the day. Rush's warriors were in the barracks, away from the sunlight, and they'd also been strategizing ways to weaken the pureblood vampire soldiers. There was word of how some of them were just like the vampire queen, with a body without a soul. Their souls were kept somewhere else so that if they got mutilated or burned, they would still be able to regenerate back to their original forms.

Not that Rush's warriors couldn't do that either. They could. And they would.

The problem was, allocating one's soul was a risky matter. What if the enemy found out where the souls were kept hidden? On top of that, it was rather unnecessary for any of his men to even move their souls around. It would do them nothing, because the only way their souls could be pierced was if they were burned to the bone until only ashes remained. That was almost impossible for vampires since they regenerated so quickly.

When all the plans of how the next week would go had already been established, it was time for the warriors to go home for the night and prepare for the next couple of days for the vampire queen's arrival. Rush, on the other hand, headed back to his castle for the feast that would be held at the dining hall. All the wolves that counseled him, which included his Beta, his Gamma, their respective families, all of his male and female warriors that served as commanders, their families, and whomever the Death Alpha chose to accompany him along with his Luna.

Which meant a lot of people.

Rush didn't have a problem with it. Over the centuries, he had learned to become social. But he knew Aletha would feel uncomfortable. She tended to close herself off from the rest of the world. She had been alone for so long that being by herself was comforting. Being in the presence of others, not so much.

When he stepped into the hall, he saw his castle maids scurrying away as people strolled in and began to create an air of light chatter.

No one was specially dressed. Well, most of the males and female soldiers in his army were in black leather battle gear, just like him. Most of the families, however, weren't. They liked to wear nicer clothes with no grime and dirt. Especially the females. They dressed extravagantly, baring their necks and exposing their breasts in hopes that he'd notice and ask for their blood.

He could smell the hot meals prepared already around the table. He could also smell blood. Lots of it. He suddenly felt his throat become dry. This wasn't just animal blood either. This was blood from those in his pack. There were many times pack members voluntary gave blood out of gratitude for him, even though Rush tired persuading them not to do it. Although it wasn't really risky, Rush felt as if they were blood offerings. Blood sacrifices.

His control diminished. He'd fed from his Beta a few days ago, but his body craved his mate's. He needed her blood to stop this bloodlust. Rush swallowed, finally pouring himself a glass of the thick red liquid and downing it hard. Shit, it tasted good. It smelled good too. And he wanted more...

"Rush," a familiar female's voice called. He froze, turning to meet the Death Luna's sinister black eyes. She took the glass from his hand and set it back on the table. "No more drinking. It'll get you addicted to blood. That's the last thing you want, sweetheart."