The Vampire and the Alpha's Son

Alissa

The shimmer of hope quickly faded and we were all on edge as we entered the town and smelled the faint scent of werewolf. It was probably too faint to be from a pack, but David and Bate were rogues now and would have to be extra careful if we ever ran into anyone. A lot of werewolf packs were unfriendly to rogues, and even other rogues could be dangerous as well. At least they had me with them, because some vampires are quite fond of hunting lone rogues. I didn’t pick up any trace of vampires in this place, however, so that was a good sign. I would forevermore be suspicious of other vampires and their possible connections to Malachi.

We kept our guards up as we approached the town, the setting sun now beating down on the highway from behind us. The road turned south, leading us over a small stream and into the outskirts of town. We passed by a few random businesses and crested a brown, stony hill that led us to a particular business I never before thought I would be so happy to see: a gas station.

“Finally!” I exclaimed as we walked across the parking lot, “You boys wait out here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Wait, why can’t we come in too?” David asked, looking sad to be parted from me. Or maybe he just wanted to be included. Even though he was pretty easy to read, we had only met a few days ago, so I couldn't be too sure what he was feeling.

“Well, no offense, but by myself I’m a bit more…” I paused, looking for the right word, “Inconspicuous.”

“Works for me,” Bate shrugged, then went to go sit on the curb.

“Hang on,” David stopped me again, gently grabbing my arm, “How are you planning to buy anything?”

“There’s a little bit of money in this bag as well,” I answered simply, appearing unphased.

“I see,” he huffed, “I feel bad for the poor guy who lost his stuff.”

“He’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure him by reasoning with him, “That guy just lost his bag, while you lost everything.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he finally agreed, then went to join his friend on the curb, looking like a dejected puppy.

I went inside the gas station without another word, ashamed about misleading him. But I was even more ashamed to reveal to him what had really become of the lone, poor hiker who used to own the bag I carried. I wasn’t proud of it, but it was a reality of the secret world in which I lived.

The poor hiker who had been peacefully camping in the mountains that night had been unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. David had needed his clothes, and I had needed his blood. I hated the side of me that needed blood to survive, but it had been a very long while since the last time I had indulged. Because of this, my body had been weakened and I couldn’t heal as fast from the wound in my chest. If it hadn’t been so long, I probably wouldn’t have needed so much, and my anger at myself almost stopped me as I sunk my fangs into his neck and let the bloodlust take control.

I had tried to make his death look like an attack from a wild animal in order to cover our tracks, but his death would probably be suspicious anyway. These gruesome images flitted through my mind as I entered the gas station shop, digging through the backpack for the unfortunate soul’s wallet and the petty cash that was stuffed inside. There wasn’t much, but it should be enough for a map and some snacks while leaving me just enough to gamble with. I grabbed some jerky, a couple waters, and a map of the local cities. I brought the items to the tired-looking clerk, who rang me up silently.

She put all the items in a bag then said with a sigh, “That’ll be nineteen, twenty-eight.”

I gave her a small smile as I handed her two tens. She paused for a second as she finally met my eyes, furrowed her brow slightly, then merely shrugged as she took the money and gave me my change. I wondered if she somehow sensed something about me, some sort of innate fear of an unknown threat. Then I caught my reflection in the glass door as I was leaving and realized the real reason for her minute reaction: my hair and clothes were quite dusty and unkempt from our trek through the desert. I sighed, then turned in the direction of the bathroom instead. What I really needed was a shower and some clean clothes, but this would have to do for now.

I brushed my clothes off and ran wet fingers through my hair. Just that little bit helped a lot. I sighed again as I stood staring at my reflection, wondering why I suddenly cared so much about my appearance. I felt silly, like a giddy school girl trying to impress a boy she likes. It was understandable, however, when I realized that I had never before been truly loved, valued, or treasured. Nor had I ever loved anyone, meaning that David was truly my first love. It was kind of sad, considering how long I had been alive, but at the same time it felt right, and it made me feel young.

I left the shop with a smile on my face as I went out to be reunited with my sweet wolf boy. My smile quickly faltered, however, when I saw David standing out in the parking lot alone, looking off toward the direction of the town.

“David! Where’s Bate?” I asked in a panic, running over to him.

“Liz!” He turned to me, his eyes clouded with worry and frustration. “He said he smelled something and ran off.”

“You didn’t go after him?” I questioned, already knowing the answer.

“And leave you behind?” he replied with a raised brow.

I responded with a quick smile, then grabbed his hand and started leading him in the direction of Bate’s scent. “Come on, we should be able to catch up with him.”

Bate’s POV

I knew it was stupid to go running off by myself in an unknown place with possible threats, but I just couldn’t resist the pull of the most delectable, enticing scent I had ever smelled. I didn’t even give myself a moment to think or hope what it could mean, I simply let my nose guide my feet. I didn’t need a map or directions to find the source of the smell.

I left the gas station parking lot in a rush, ignoring David’s attempts to stop me, and turned right across the highway. The few cars that were slowly passing by honked at my sudden appearance, but I ignored them too. I followed along a big, white semi on the smaller, intersecting road, then cut behind it, jogging across a grassy pathway. The grass was rough and brown, still recovering from the summer’s drought, and the small, evenly spaced trees were nearly leafless.

The dark clouds came back over the sky, making the darkening evening seem darker still. I came to an empty playground and turned left as the overwhelming scent drove me onward. I reached the far side of the playground and turned right again as thunder rumbled somewhere overhead. This tiny street led me past a school, then to a chain link fence at the backside of an inn, with faux log cabin buildings on the other side. Raindrops began to slowly fall around me in this dimly lit area, and on the other side of the fence stood the most beautiful figure I had ever seen.

She wore her dark brown hair in a short afro that framed her perfect face. Her bright, hazel eyes stared out at me from her freckled, chocolate skin. She wore bright green eyeliner that made her eyes shine even brighter as she regarded me with a reserved hunger. My eyes led me down her face, down her beautifully flared nose to her full, glossy pink lips. I couldn’t stop myself from taking her in as my eyes lowered, admiring her perfectly full figure. She had one hand on her hip, and I noticed her sharp, manicured nails. She wore a loose, flowing green blouse and white skinny jeans that ended just above her ankles. My gaze kept going down to her feet, which adorned gold, strappy heels. My eyes flashed back up to her face as she spoke to me at last.

“Hello, mate,” she said, her voice warm and inviting, yet also teasing, “You finally found me.”

Her voice was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard. Hearing her confirm what I had not dared to let myself hope, I nearly fainted in ecstasy.