I scold at Aiden's back as he thanked my dad for letting him and his pack stay a day longer on our territory.
We haven't spoken since last night and honestly, I never imagined that when I met my mate, I'd be friend-zoned and jealous.
"And thanks again for the book, Mr. Blackwood," Aiden said gratefully to my father as he gestured to the book in his hands.
"No problem at all, son. Just be sure to bring it back next time you visit," My dad patted him on the back.
Son?
When they even get time to bond? I haven't even been able to have more than two proper conversations with him.
"I will," Aiden assured him before heading towards the plane.
My parents' attention landed on me and I could see the tears welling up in my mom's eyes as she pulled me into her arms, "Make sure and call and let us know you got there safely."
Dad joined in and squished me between them both, "And call every day after that. Also, don't forget to come back home for Christmas."
I bit back my laugh and revelled in their warm embrace one last time until who knows when.
"I'll try my best," I said as I pulled away and gave them a watery smile. "Tell everyone I'll miss them," I squeezed my mom's hand and she nodded as she brushed away some tears.
I hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to Emery and Thane since they snuck off to start their honeymoon early and it was ten in the morning. I'm pretty sure they weren't leaving their new house anytime soon anyways.
"You take care of yourself okay and remember if your chest-"
"I know mom, I got it handled," I assured her before giving her a kiss on the cheek and turning away before I ran back into the car and floored it back to the packhouse to hide from Aiden.
His eyes followed my every movement as I walked to the plane.
"Are you alright?" He asked in a gruff tone.
I nodded, "Just peachy."
He narrowed his eyes at me but didn't say much else as he stepped aside for me to walk up the ramp to the plane.
Inside I noted three other pack members from Aiden's pack sitting in the designated passenger seats that ran across both sides of the plane. Two other wolves from my own pack were upfront in the cockpit.
The three from Aiden's pack was sitting to the left, so I opted to sit across from. Unluckily for me, Aiden took the seat beside me.
As I buckled in, I realized that Aiden hadn't taken the opportunity to introduce me to his pack, so I shot them all a smile.
"Hey, I'm Tate, sorry I haven't introduced myself yet."
From the three of them, there were two guys and a girl. One of the guys had a sharp edge to him as if he was ready to bite off the head of anyone who breathed too close to him.
And of course, he was the first to address me as he assessed me with calculating eyes, "Oh, we know exactly who you are Luna."
He might as well have held up a sign saying 'I don't like you' because judging by his tone and expression, he certainly didn't.
When he turned away, Aiden growled at him, "Paul, shut up before I kick you off the plan and make you run back home."
Paul shrunk back in his seat after Aiden made his threat crystal clear.
"It's okay," I shrugged but neither of them looked at me.
"It isn't," Aiden persisted as he started fastening his belt. "Tate is to be treated with respect as Luna. Is that clear?"
The three of them nodded and I shifted awkwardly in my seat from embarrassment. It felt like a teacher calling out your bullies in front of the entire class and you know deep down it's only going to get worst.
I reluctantly looked back up at them and while Paul was simmering in his seat, the woman and the other guy, both gave me welcoming smiles.
Relief flooded through me knowing that at least these two liked me. Unlike Paul and his Alpha.
As the plane ascended into the sky and levelled out, I turned to Aiden and saw his nose deep in the book he borrowed from my pack's library.
He didn't look up as he concentrated intently at what he was reading, and I took the moment to study him.
You can't tell from far, but he had tiny freckles littered across his cheeks. His smooth skin was pulled against high cheekbones and then dipped into cheeks that held dimples. Eyebrows furrowed and lips pulled thin, he looked about ready to go enter the gates of Olympus or wage a war.
Catastrophically beautiful but carrying the wrath of a thousand men. A potent combination.
"Luna," Someone called, and my head snapped to the other side of the plane just as Aiden looked up from his pages.
A blush coated my cheeks as I felt Aiden's eyes on me, but I ignored him as I nodded at the other guy from Aiden's pack.
"Please, call me Tate," I told him.
"Well, Tate, it's nice to officially meet you. Name's Kai," He grinned as he unbuckled himself and got up to shake my hand.
I shook Kai's hand grateful for his kindness.
Aiden growled lowly as he looked at our handshake, "Hands Kai."
"Don't worry Alpha, you know you're more my type than she is," He winked at me as Aiden let out a grumble and kept quiet.
"I won't let Matt hear you say that if I were you," The girl said as Kai took his seat again. "Hey, I'm Loly."
"Nice to meet you both," I said as a genuine smile graced my face. "But who's Matt?"
"My mate, who's back home," Kai informed me. "He's been excited about meeting our Luna ever since I told him Aiden found you."
I chuckled nervously as I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, "To be honest, I'm quite nervous to meet the pack."
"What? Don't be," Loly waved. "They'll love you. And Alpha Aiden who will probably kill anyone who crosses you," She threw in with a mischievous wink.
"Loly," Aiden warned.
She simply shrugged as she and Kai started talking about their pack back home.
But then Kai said something that threw me off.
"You'll love the sand-"
"The what?" I looked at him in confusion. "Do you have a sandpit in the middle of the Oaks Forest?" I joked.
He gave me a baffled expression and even Paul turned around with a dumbfounded look.
"What are you on about?" Paul asked.
I raised a brow, "Kai said sand but you all live in the forest..."
"You haven't told her?" Paul turned to Aiden whose knuckles were white from the tight grip he had on the book in his hands.
"Haven't gotten around to it," He muttered under his breath.
"Tell me what? Aiden?"
When he didn't answer Paul spoke up, "You need to-"
"Leave it," Aiden growled at him.
"But Alpha-"
"I said leave it, Paul," Aiden snapped at him.
"No, no, you go on Paul. I'd like to know what's going on," I urged.
Aiden shook his head at me as his eyes flickered to the two members of my pack flying the plane, "It's not up for debate."
I narrowed my eyes at him, "The hell it is. I want to know."
He turned back to his back and simply said, "Not now Tate."
Everyone went deadly silent as I fumed at his dismissive behaviour. What the hell was he playing at and why did Kai say 'sand'.
Most importantly, why was Aiden's reaction hostile? As far as I'm aware a pack doesn't leave their ancestral land and marked territory on a whim. And even if they did, why was it a secret?
My eyes shifted between Loly and Kai, but they didn't offer up anything more.
I briefly wondered if when I became Luna, if they'd still keep me out. Like an outsider.
Roughly five hours later we landed on the airstrip and everyone helped me haul my luggage into the boot of the rented car. I could only pack up so much of my life into a few suitcases but most of it was pictures and memorabilia. Hopefully, wherever this pack was located, I could get new clothes.
When we were loaded up, Aiden got into the driver's seat with Paul riding shotgun while Kai, Loly, and I sat in the backseat. No one had spoken since Aiden made it clear that his pack's location was an almighty secret.
Well, no one spoke verbally or to me, but I could sense them mind linking each other. If it's going to be like this back at their pack, I might end up talking to the trees just to keep myself entertained.
We were about a few hours into our drive when dusk began to consume the daylight outside of the car. Wherever their pack was, it was too far away as the overwhelmingly long day began to catch up to me.
"It won't be much longer," Aiden said as his eyes found mine in the rear-view mirror.
I nodded before closing my eyes and laying my head back. I really should have brought snacks for this journey. Maybe some chocolate cake to bribe Aiden with?
I don't know how long I was out for, but I was startled awake to the sound of something very heavy landing on the roof of our car.
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes just as Aiden hit the brake. The tires of the car squealed to a stop as we were all hurled forward and something rolled off the car and onto the road.
"What the hell was that?" I sat upright.
But no one answered as the streetlight illuminated the object rising from the ground.
Ice filled my veins as I stared at the person standing before the car as if they didn't just get launched off a vehicle.
Everyone began opening their doors and I caught the most gut-wrenching and pungent scent of rotting flesh.
It was as if death was bottled up and sprayed in the air.
Aiden flung open his door but turned to me with rock-solid expression, "Stay in the car Tate, I mean it."
I didn't have time to ask any more or say anything because he got out and everyone closed their doors behind them.
"What the hell guys?" I yelled as I tried opening the door. It didn't budge and I moved to the opposite door, only to realize they engaged the child lock.
My eyes shifted to the front of the car as two wolves attacked the person. It easily defended itself as shifted abnormally fast.
What the actual flying...
It leaped unto the hood of the car gracefully as its eyes lifted to stare straight at me. Gleaming silver eyes illuminated against the dead features of the man who slowly smirked my way.
It wasn't a wolf.
It wasn't a demon.
It wasn't some crazed superhuman.
It was a vampire.
Horror gripped me as I saw the tell-tale sign of fangs protruding from its mouth right before a wolf gripped its head from behind.
I felt my heart lurch from my chest as it began beating one hundred miles per hour. A sickening slam rocked the back of the car and I turned in time to see a wolf grip a human body in its jaws and hurled it against the trunk of the car.
Hurrying, I crawled over the centre console and onto the front seat.
And my first struck of luck blessed me as the door opened and I leaped out of the car and straight into wolf form.
Just I tried to catch my bearings, the vampire from the back of the car ran straight towards me, faster than I imagined it would.
It took about as long as a hummingbird takes to flap its wing once for the vampire to get to me knock me to asphalt with its porcelain hands.
I growled in anger as I wrapped my tail around its leg and pulled it down before I leaped up and grabbed its foot in my jaw.
It was like biting into an ice block. When I got a firm grip, I felt its hand curl around the fur on my head and yanked me off.
My body hit the car and as it sneered at me, I realized just how much I underestimated their power.
Not like I had any knowledge to go off of since they were supposedly extinct.
The filthy bloodsucker smirked at me as a rumble escaped me. I pounced on him and used all my force to push him flat on his back.
I sunk my canines into his neck as his hand grabbed my fur and started to yank harshly. Suppressing a whimper, I tried to tear into him, but he moved his hand from fur and towards my front paw.
With a shift shove, on my paw, he dislocated my shoulder.
A whine escaped me as I backed off and heard the angry growl of an Alpha in front of the door.
I didn't dare turn away to watch where Aiden was as the vampire stood back up and sniffed the air.
"I smell O negative. My favourite," He smirked.
He was too cocky because before he could touch me, a wolf grabbed onto his head. Kai ran towards the vampire in human form and drove a wooden stake through its heart.
I watched in amazement as the body disintegrated into ashes.
Holy shit.
Aiden and Paul rounded the front of the car in shorts and splattered in blood. My mate didn't look too pleased to see me on the ground as he rushed to my aid.
"Tate," He scolded. "When I said stay in the car, I meant stay in the damn car."
I bared my canines to him in anger as the pain of my shoulder made my entire arm feel as if it was on fire.
"I think she dislocated her shoulder," Kai said just as Loly returned, dressed.
"Guys move. Once she shifts, we can pop her arm back," Loly said and they cleared out as she handed me a t-shirt and shorts.
I howled in agonizing pain as my bones shifted back into my human form which only aggravated the pain in my arm.
"Just breathe," Loly instructed as she helped me pull on the shorts and laid the t-shirt over my torso since I couldn't pull my hand the arms.
As I was covered, the boys returned, and Aiden wasted no time as he knelt beside me and I noticed a jagged slash running from the top of his shoulder blade to his elbow.
"You're hurt," I grumbled through clenched teeth.
"You don't look so good yourself, Cupcake," He said as he took my hand in his. "Now you need to relax your arm, you're too tense for me to help."
"How am I supposed to relax when my arm is literally on fire?"
"Well you won't need to if you stayed in the car," He seethed.
"Not to rush or anything Alpha, but we need to get out of here soon," Paul cut in.
Aiden nodded before taking my other hand and placing it on his chest.
"Ugh, I don't think now's a good time to feel you up," I coughed out as he rolled his eyes.
"Just feel my skin and breath in the scent of the t-shirt you're wearing," He instructed.
I reluctantly did as he asked, and I realized the t-shirt was his. The warmth of his skin combined with his heady scent worked it magic as I felt the tension in my arm relax.
And with a shift of my arm, Aiden popped my shoulder back into its socket.
"Mother fudging applesauce!" I cursed as the other all looked at me oddly.
"Did you just say-"
"No time guys, get her in the car," Kai rushed us.
Aiden scooped me up in his arms, despite his injury, and crawled into the backseat.
Paul got in behind the wheel with Kai upfront with him and Loly and Aiden at my sides.
"Floor it," Aiden growled from the backseat.
Paul didn't waste a second as he stepped on the gas and we step down the asphalt.
I shimmered into the t-shirt and realized that my shoulder was sore but thankfully not in any more pain.
I turned to Loly and noticed an already healing cut on her neck. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Luna," She smiled appreciatively.
"Do you have any more extra t-shirts?" I asked her and she passed me one from a duffel bad without question.
I began tearing it to shreds before turning to Aiden's gnarly cut that would take longer to heal because of its depth.
"So, when exactly were you going to tell me that vampires exist?" I questioned.
"You should've already known that they exist."
I glared at him, "Aiden-"
"I'll explain everything later," He sighed.
"Yeah well I'm not holding my breath on that one, now give me your arm," I held out my hand and he looked to me with confusion swirling in his eyes. "You're bleeding over the car, which I'm pretty sure you can't return now anyways. Honestly, why'd you even get a fancy electric car if you knew something like this was going to happen?"
He begrudgingly placed his arm in my open palms as I looked at the deep wound.
"I didn't know it was going to happen."
"Clearly you did, seeing as you locked me in the car."
"For good reason to seeing as you almost got yourself killed," He snapped at me.
"As if you're better off," I pointed out by tying the cloth on his wound tight enough to stop the bleeding.
"That's not the point."
"I'd say it is."
"You're not trained to fight them. They aren't your regular rogue wolves Tate, they're stronger, faster and bloodier. So, when I say you're safer in the car, I mean it. You can't take one down on your own, not without training," He enunciated.
"Maybe if you'd told me that before, I wouldn't have jumped out of the car," I said sighed as I let go of his arm and turned to Kai was had a gash on arm.
As I began helping Kai, who gave me a grateful smile, I heard Aiden sigh behind me.
"I know they haven't been around for centuries," He started. "But they've always been around, just in hiding. Werewolves aren't the only species that managed to survive this long, we've just maintained a decent population because of our pack mentality."
As I finished patching Kai up, I sat and turned to Aiden, "You're not making this up, are you?"
"He isn't," Kai said from the front seat. "Did you catch any scent when they attacked?"
"Death," I whispered.
"That something to be mindful of to know when they're close. Besides that, they sneak up pretty easily and quickly," Kai informed.
This was huge, massive, exponential. Vampires and werewolves have coexisted in the past according to my history lessons. But about a century ago they started dying out and in turn, they started attacking wolves to diminish our species. From all the text that I read, they had all died. One by one they dropped off the face of the earth.
"If the vampires are back then why haven't you informing the other packs? Why didn't you tell me this prior to jumping on a god damn plane?" I asked my mate.
"I didn't because they aren't going to attack any other pack. They don't want to kill wolves," His voice took on a dangerously low tone but kept his answer vague.
"And how exactly do you know what they want?"
"Because if they try to attack a pack, they risk wiping out their already small population," He said matter of fact.
Before I could rebut, Paul cleared his throat, "Alpha, we're here."
I watched out the window as we continued driving and Aiden sighed next to me.
"Here where?" I asked suspiciously.
"The thing is," Aiden started. "We don't live in the Oaks forest. We live on the beach."
As he said that, we broached through the thick trees lining the sides of the road and I saw a lighthouse in the distance casting its light beam to navigate sailors and show me the crashing waves rolling in.
And right next to it, sat a magnificent castle perched on the cliff.
"Holy..." I whispered as I perched across Aiden's lap and pressed my face up against the car window.
A/N
NEXT UPDATE: Friday
Bloodsuckers. Who saw that one coming?🧛♀️
The only vamps we stan are the Cullens 😂
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