I stood there for some minutes, pondering what just happened with my eyes fixed on the exact spot he left from. I could still feel and hear the thumping of my heart, still accelerating real quick, as the image of his face was all that filled my mind like a dark cloud before rainfall.
This was the first time I met a vampire, and it was still so hard to accept that he was one of them. Why was he tender to me? Why didn't he harm me or even allow anyone to hurt me? The young man literally saved me from being raped by those disgusting perverts.
How possible is it that a vampire, our biggest enemy and rival, was the one who rescued me from my own people who tried to harm me. This is really ridiculous and doesn't seem real.
The sun had set, and night was fast approaching. I mean, it was already dark, and if I don't get home in less than a minute, it is very likely that my absence will be noticed because once nightfalls, the next thing is to take me to the dungeon, where I will stay and await the taming torture.
It is truly disheartening and unfair that I was going through such pain to be tamed when I wasn't a monster that kills people. Maybe I was, actually. After what I did on my birthday, I can't tell who I was, or what I could be capable of doing in the future. I was even afraid of myself, and all the blame goes to the vampire clan that destroyed my mother.
"Except that man who saved us." My wolf muttered under her breath, and I swallowed hard, wondering if he was the only one different or if it could even be that he had evil thoughts.
"Selene, can we leave here now? It is getting darker!" She exclaimed, and with all my strength and speed, I bolted off, jumping over the dead, mangled bodies of those boys that almost raped me. Gosh, their deaths weren't any better. That vampire really tore them apart mercilessly.
I put my hood over my head and ran back without caring for anything else. There were no excuses to give that would save me from a severe punishment if the Alpha realized that I broke his rule, and it would get worse when they found out about the dead bodies of these boys, which show they were killed by a vampire.
Since I was the only one with a vampire gene, I would instantly be the killer.
"Take caution! We are close to where the few guards are. If you keep running like this, we will be noticed!" My wolf warned in fright, but the urge to get back into the packhouse was so strong, and the adrenaline rushing through my veins wouldn't allow me to slow down even a little bit.
"Selene, you are endangering our....." Her voice choked in her throat as we both caught sight of the bodyguards who were guarding the emergency path. We were scared that they would sense our movement and get hold of us, but what we saw was shocking.
Five of them were lying dead on the ground in the pool of their blood, their chests seared open as blood gushed, forming a crimson ground around them.
It gave us a free pass to the backdoor, where we would sneak back in, but I couldn't get that image out of my head. There was only one person who could do that, and that was the vampire I met.
Did he kill those guards for me?
What the hell is going on?
"Selene, he killed them so they wouldn't catch us. He did it!" My wolf shrieked in a mix of happiness and confusion, which was how I felt too. It was really unbelievable, but what we were concerned about was going unnoticed until we got into our room, and, luckily, the moon goddess decided to intervene. No one saw us.
Jaden's POV
"Where had you been, buddy?!" My best friend Jake's voice slipped into my lost world, startling me back to reality.
"Huh?" I swiveled my head around to face him, blinking as his tall and muscular body, like mine, walked closer to me, his dirty brown tousled hair bouncing at each step as his hazel eyes filled with confusion peered into mine.
He was my only friend since childhood; we met in kindergarten, and he was closest to me. The guy to be my right-hand man when I sit on that throne in replacement of my father. His parents were warriors until they died four years ago. Since he was my only friend, my parents took him in to stay in the royal castle.
I knew I was in for questions after keeping him worried by staying so long in the enemy's land.
The moment I walked through the gate into this place, I knew everyone must have been really troubled about where I had been. The bodyguards were scanning me with their eyes, but none had the courage to ask me anything, and that fear that brings silence has been a lifesaver to many because I have this anger issue I'm fighting to control.
"Bro, you stayed back in that pack for up to three hours! What have you been doing since we left? You said you would leave soonest after enjoying the so-called beautiful river." He frowned, his eyes trailing my body yet again to check if I was really fine without any scratches.
"I decided to stay longer. Don't I have the right to do what I want? Or are you going to start questioning me?" I raised my brows, pursing my lips as I dipped both hands inside my pockets.
"You left everyone worried. We thought something bad had happened, and even your father had arranged for our warriors to attack....
"As you can see, I'm back and fine. Go tell that old man to stop treating me like a daddy boy. I'm not a kid that can get trapped or kidnapped by those weak, disgusting werewolves!" I snapped curtly and was about to head to the porch when he called me back.
"Jaden!"
"We are friends, right? I understand how cold and reserved you have been since that trauma happened. You've faced a lot that only the strong can survive, and that's why I'm here. To support you and....
"Hey, you think I need support too? You, like others, think I'm still weak despite my unimaginable strengths and powerful abilities?" I chuckled, spinning to face him.
"Tell me what happened in the Wolf Pack." Why did you stay this long? What was holding you there? We all know that you hate your father for forcing you to join us in spying on them. Jaden, you hate going to the werewolf pack, but today you...."
"Can't I choose to change anytime I want? Bro, I decided to stay longer today. Besides, no one can recognize me there by scent or appearance. I'm just like a normal being when around those wolves!" I interrupted sharply, but just as I spoke those words, I remembered clearly that I was lying this time.
For real, there was someone there who could recognize me with my scent even when they were hidden from the wolves senses with magic. That strange wolf girl who appeared from nowhere. I don't even know how she traced that abandoned river. She was able to fish out my vampire scent so easily.
Gosh! I don't want to think about her!
"Jaden!" Jake's voice called out again, and I flinched the second time, returning to reality like someone who had been in a trance.
"Now you're lost again. Is there something you're hiding?" He queried, placing his hand on my left shoulder.
"What do you think I could be hiding?" I smiled, and he smiled back.
"Now you are back with those tricky smiles. Who did you meet at that river?" He asked, and I found myself shuddering as I pulled back a bit, squinting my eyes at him as I tried to find out if there was something he already knew.
"Well, I met some werewolves, and guess what? Their bodies are in 100 pieces now, adding manure to the soil." I laughed, and he joined, patting my shoulder.
"So what caused their death? You are cruel and heartless, but you don't kill anyone without a reason." He asked amidst laughter, and I felt like punching him in the face at that moment.
"I think I have to start staying away from you." I sighed, shaking my head sideways as I watched the guy who had studied me intently like a course in school. I can easily hide secrets from anyone in this world, but not this guy here.
"We couldn't stay away from each other for almost 20 years, so you have no place to run to. What was your reason for killing those werwolves. It should be a tangible reason because we aren't ready to go to war yet, so we can't go on killing their members for nothing." He said, his voice barely above whispers as he drew his lips close to my face.
"I didn't kill them for nothing. Those assholes were rapists!"
My hands balled into fists, and my face felt hot with rage. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me as those words burst out of my mouth.
I didn't realize my voice rose in volume and I was yelling, feeling the pent-up energy coursing through my body, making my movements jerky and agitated. I could feel the veins on my neck bulging as I struggled to contain my anger, my eyes burning with fury.
The scene was replaying in my head, and I could hear all the sh*t they said to her while attempting to rape her. She warned them not to touch her, begging helplessly, yet those morons swept her off her feet and were actually going to force themselves on her. If I hadn't stay back, they were going to rape such an innocent girl.
I heard them call her a slave while she said something about being a werwolf like them. She told them she was only out to taste a little freedom, and that really touched my heart. Instead of pitying her, those men were going to take advantage of her pathetic condition to rape her.
Gosh!
"Wow...wow...wow...now I see..." Jake hollered, clapping and grinning from ear to ear.
"What?" I grimaced and he pulled me into a hug immediately.
"Listen, I don't care whether she is a werewolf or a vampire; love can snatch our hearts anywhere and with anyone. Don't stress yourself. Go for her. Make her yours. It was fate that made you save her from those rapists, and I'm sure you both spent time together. I'm very happy for you." He whispered into my ear, and with force, I pushed him away.
"You are out of your mind! Yuck!" I scoffed and walked away, hissing while trying to push what he said out of my mind. How stupid can he be to say something like this?