© 2014 SilverStream22. All Rights Reserved.
"Something is wrong." Alric's hushed tone woke me up, pulling me from my sleep.
His body was tensed, every muscle high strung- whereas Stark was laid back, caution lacing his movements just slightly as he walked across the cabin to the door.
It was still snowing.
"What's going on-"
"Alric, keep her quiet." Stark muttered, keeping his eyes trained out the window.
He moved swiftly, covering his hand over my mouth, "Please keep silent, Luna Katya. We can't let them know we're here."
Who?
My question was answered when the windows heavily laden with snow displaying veins of toxic purple dripping through the ice.
Only one creature had that poisonous blood.
Vampires.
"Shit!" I cursed after wrenching Alric's hand from my mouth. "There's a bloodsucker here? And you didn't tell me?"
They didn't answer me, instead Alric lifted me up, tossing me to Stark. "At least now we know who's making those snow storms. I'll distract them. You and Luna Katya should go through one of the windows higher up in the back. Use the trees."
"Wait," I grabbed his sleeve as he passed by to leave first. "Why can't we fight with you?"
He gave me a grim smile. "Vampires are ancient, almost twice as old as us Lycans. The deeper color of purple the blood, the stronger they are. Even us Lycans have no match against a vampire."
Then, just as Alric climbed out to face the vampires, I asked Stark a question I knew I was going to dread.
"What color was the blood?" I whispered, slamming my eyes shut as I pressed by face against his chest.
His grip on me tightening as he walked to the window, ready to climb out.
"Violet, Katya. A dark violet."
~
To see Alric put his life on the line for someone like me, who despised his race with every fiber of my being, had me breakdown into hysterics. I clawed at Stark, demanding him to put me down as we lunged into the trees. Alric's bloodied form, still heaving unsteady breathes, laid on the roof. Two vampires were by him. Their gold eyes shaking fear into the depths of my soul more so than a Lycan.
"Stop, please!" I choked on my own sobs, "We have to save him!"
"My priority is you, Katya. Alric will be fine." his tight response was anything but comforting.
I bashed my fist against his back. "How can you just leave him! He's your friend!"
"Enough. Silence yourself before they hear us, otherwise his sacrifice will be wast-" Stark jerked to a standstill, his body tensing.
I looked at his face to see a flickering smile as he loosened his stance, turning back slowly at the gory scene.
"Vampires aren't the only ones with affinities. Looks like Alric is going to live to see another dawn."
An auburn wolf burst from the trees, his body a dashing at the speed of light- faster than a vampire itself- and latched large jaws on the vampire's head, paws pushing down on the shoulders as the head was torn in one slick move. A piercing howl echoed in the forest, one raging of blood lust.
"That's my cue," Stark stated, setting me down. "Do not leave this spot, understood?"
I nodded, barely finishing the action before Stark shifted, the sound of bones crunching and snapping, molding into that a large wolf's. He lunged forward from the tree, guarding Alric's body from the other vampire who seemed keen on finishing the job.
Two more wolves appeared from the south.
The blond and black fur told me their identities. Jazz and Draver. So the wolf that saved Alric must've been...
Castor.
This wasn't exactly how I expected to meet him.
"Damn it, the other one got away." When I looked back the auburn wolf was no more. In its place was a tall man with ruffled hair in a similar style as Stark's, piercing silver eyes finding my own.
"Come down. We aren't going to hurt you." he called out, gesturing for me to leap down from my post.
With a hesitant glance at Stark's approving gaze, I lunged downward, finding balance easily once my feet hit the roof. Jazz and Draver bounded forth onto the roof, circling Alric with worried whines.
"Is he going to be okay?" I murmured.
The crease between Castor's brow deepened. "Hard to tell. That leech got a good hit on him-" he stiffened, as did the other Lycans.
"There are more coming." Draver hissed. I jerked my head to the side to see him human form, marred with lines of blood from scraping against trees.
"Where can we go?" Jazz muttered frustratingly, knotting his hand in his hair.
"Left." I gasped as the thought came to me. "Just left from Castor's cabin there's a shelter hide out. We can go there."
"I'll lead the way," Jazz offered, casting Alric's struggling body with one last glance before leaping off the roof- shifting halfway.
Draver looped his arm around Alric's wait, hauling him up. Castor joined him on the other side as they both jumped off.
"Guess that leaves you and I to bring up the rear." I whispered, cautiously taking a step forward on the edge of the roof.
I felt Stark graze his muzzle against my jeans. Shift.
And so I did.
~
"Crap." Draver gasped as we finally reached the entrance, dropping to his knees. "What the hell has Alric been eating?"
Castor frowned and dropped Alric's other shoulder, straightening up. "Apparently more than you."
Jazz shifted back into a human, holding the cellar doors open for us as we piled inside. The sharp wind was cut off the moment Jazz slammed the doors shut after he got in.
"Where's the light switch?" Draver muttered.
I reached out to the side, flicking on the light. 3 panels lit out in a warm orange glow, basking the room in the firery color. Four beds, two on either side, and a kitchen at the end of the hall. There were clothes inside the closet which I distributed to the very much naked Lycans after I clothed myself.
"Anyone up for soup?" I asked quietly while Draver guided Alric onto a bed that was closer to the kitchen on the right.
All the boys raised their hands, save Stark. He was still in his wolf form, padding around the roof to get the feel of the new terrirtory. Once he was done, he walked into the kitchen with me, keeping his distance.
"Why was I not informed of this place?"
"It didn't seem important." I said nonchalantly, placing a pan over the stove for I could fry the vienna sausages in the pantry.
"It is. Especially when we're in battle. It's pointless if I fight on unknown grounds."
"Either way, you'd win." I defended. "You're Lycans after all."
His hand latched onto my elbow, spinning me around as his siler eyes blazed. "Just because we Lycans does not mean that we are invincible."
"You sure seem to think that though." I hissed, yanking my arm back. "Now shut up and let me cook. You should be seeing if Alric's okay- and put on some damn clothes."
He narrowed his eyes, turning away.
Great. The Big Bad Lycan was mad.
The soup was done faster than I thought it would be- maybe because I had no distractions. I placed the bowls on the platter, walking back to the beds. A relieved sigh fell past my lips when I saw Alric sitting up.
I set down the platter on the side table, handing the bowls to everyone except Alric. I moved to his side, lifting up a spoon full and holding it to his mouth. Alric frowned and shook his head, moving back.
"Stop," I demanded softly. "You need to eat."
He let out a disbelieving laugh, looking away. "I'm surprised you came back for me."
"We didn't plan to." Stark muttered from the other corner of the room, his arms crossed.
"And that's all thanks to me, by the way." Castor smirked arrogantly, but when he looked down at his bloodied shoes he scowled. "Damn it! I can't believe it, these are new-"
Alric chuckled, wincing slightly. "What did I tell you, Luna Katya?"
I rolled my eyes and held up the spoon. "Alright, alright, just eat."
"So what exactly do you propose we do about the vampires?" Jazz pitched in from his spot on the opposite bed.
Stark shuffled across to me, grabbing the soup spoon. He pinched Alric's nose, causing him to gasp. He shoved the spoon in his mouth. "Just eat already. We'll be useless without your back up."
I lurched forward, snatching the spoon from his hand. "What is wrong with you?"
He growled at me, eyes flashing with a dark glint. "I am here to keep you safe, not babysit Alric. And you shouldn't either."
"It's my job as Luna!" I spluttered in disbelief, slamming the spoon in the bowl.
Canines dropped from his mouth. "Alric can handle himself. Your job is at my side, Katya. And I won't have it any other way, so stop acting like you care about us so called cold blooded killers."
I blinked back tears from his harsh words, but then a threatening thought emerged from the depths of my mind. "The- the rogue; the one that attacked Ryland and Ryker- he wasn't referring to me as the pack's Luna. He was asking for me as the Lycan's mate."
"What?" Draver lunged up from his place at the corner of the bed. "Shit. They're after you-"
"When were you going to tell us?" Jazz cut in smoothly. "Witholding that information put all of us at risk- if there's more then we need to hear it now."
"There's nothing. I heard it from Ryker after her woke up from his coma."
Stark slammed his fist against the wall, his body language feral. "You knew for that long?" he roared.
I flinched back, carefully choosing my words around this side of him. "I never got the chance to tell you-"
"You had plenty of chances, Katya." he snarled, pacing agaitatedly. "You just chose not to tell me."
"I didn't see it as important."
"Well it's fucking important to you brother when he's stuck having rogue and leeches coming after you. It's important to me, damn it! You're my mate, Katya. As much I don't want to- I know that I need you in my life. And if you die- I don't know what I'd do. I can't take that risk."
We all fell quiet. No one dared to speak. Apparently Stark having a mental breakdown was a rarity.
After a brief moment of utter silence, where not even the snow made itself known, Jazz piped up.
"The vampires and rogues are teaming up. The situations are too timely to be coincidental."
"We need to find a way to get them off our track. Eventually they'll find us." Draver muttered.
"How can we hide from them?" I exclaimed. "They'll just find us over and over again. And we can't risk going back to the pack so-"
Alric coughed, all eyes flickering on him to make sure he was okay. "I think I have an idea."
"This isn't going to be good." Castor muttered from the kitchen where he was scrubbing clean his shoes.
"Vampyres have a good sense of smell, like us, but they lose them easily once mixed with other scents. After all, we're the best trackers."
"So...?" I pressed, not getting the gist.
"The city. We should head to Toronto."