The Vampire and the Alpha's Son

Run

Liz’s POV

The pain in my chest from Malachi’s nails is a dull ache compared to the scent of David’s freshly spilled blood. Rage and terror for his safety engulf me, rekindling my fighting spirit from decades past. My nails aren’t as sharp as they were during my fighting days, but I’m still able to behead my victims by pure strength and speed. These vampires that Malachi brought with him are young and weak compared to me.

Malachi is far faster and stronger, even more than I remember. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I trained, I had never been able to surpass him. Even now, it took all my strength and cunning just to be able to graze his neck. I can smell his vile blood before I can see it, and though I know the small wound has hardly injured him, I feel a cruel satisfaction knowing I was able to outwit him, even if only for the briefest of moments.

As I’m dealing with the weaklings, I feel a daunting chill ripple down my spine. Somehow, I can sense David’s sudden terror, and I whip my head around to see Malachi’s eyes glowing brighter than before as he is enraged by the wound I was able to inflict on him. At the same time, I can hear the swift approach of six more wolves from about a mile behind us, quickly crossing the distance.

It only takes a few minutes for them to arrive at the gruesome and bloody scene of the battle, where the other two wolves are still fighting bravely for their lives. They are injured and bleeding, but are otherwise faring well. Vampire flesh is highly susceptible to werewolf teeth, though at the same time, wolves are similarly affected by vampire fangs and venom. So far, the vampires have only been using their claws, until Malachi commands them otherwise. Either way, the now eight wolves would be much more evenly matched against Malachi and the three or four more vampires that remained.

I locked eyes with David’s wolf as the new arrivals had Malachi momentarily distracted. It didn’t make sense to me that I should know what he was thinking and planning, but somehow I did anyway. He knelt quietly, bringing his head to the ground, as I ran and leapt onto his back. I tightly grasped the fur of his neck as we ran off into the night, over the fields and through the trees until we reached the river. I felt horrible about leaving his friends and family behind, as I’m sure he did too, but still we ran.

We reached the banks and plunged into the wide river, his large, strong wolf's body easily keeping us above the water. I laid my head against his neck as his long, soft fur brushed gently against my face. My legs dangled in the river as the icy waves splashed my thighs, soaking my jeans and turning them a darker shade of blue.

We kept going in an eastward direction like this for a few hours. The longer we spent in the water the better. I didn’t doubt that Malachi would find a way to come after me again. Even against eight wolves, I was sure he would somehow manage to escape with his life. He was strong, ruthless, and cunning. Even the most proficient fighter was no match for one such as he.

The Yellowstone River is pretty massive in some areas, as far as fivers go, but after many long and tortuous hours, we finally came to a shallow place. David dragged his large, heavy paws up onto the stony shore to our right. The morning sun peeked over the horizon, glistening off of the wet rocks that lined the riverbed. I climbed off his back as he laid down in the shallow water that gently lapped against the shore, shifting back to his human form at last.

I sat next to him in the water, staring down sadly at his toned and naked body. There were scratches along his left arm and leg and, even though they had already started to heal, I felt a guilty pang, knowing that none of this would have happened if he had never met me. If it wasn’t for me, he would be safe in his packhouse, preparing for his momentous eighteenth birthday and subsequent ceremony.

He turned to me, and I could see the exhaustion in his dark eyes. He braced his hands against the ground and slowly began to push himself up into a sitting position. We sat in silence for a few minutes, facing each other in the growing morning light. The chilly morning air rippled across his naked flesh, causing goosebumps to rise. I wished I had some kind of clothing to give him, but I had to leave everything behind during the fight. I left my phone behind as well, so that Malachi would not be able to use it to track me again.

He saw the pain in my eyes and reached out to lightly touch the wound in my chest that had stopped bleeding hours ago.

“Does it hurt?” he asked with a furrowed brow and concern in his voice.

“It was just his nails, I’ll be fine,” I answered dismissively, then it was my turn to reach out and brush my fingers against the gashes in his arm. The water had washed the blood away, but it was still looking pretty raw. “What about you? Are you going to be alright?”

He looked down at his arm and leg as though he had only just now noticed his injury and answered, “Oh this? It’s just a scratch. It should heal pretty quick.”

I sighed with relief. Not being human had its benefits.

“You’re naked,” I stated flatly, flicking my eyes up and down his tan and muscled body.

His smoothly defined muscles and lean physique did not quite resemble that of a typical seventeen-year-old, but that was normal for a wolf. He was sitting cross-legged in the shallow water that was only a few inches deep, therefore it was hard for me to miss the fact that he was very well endowed. Even in our current dire situation, it was hard for me not to be at least a little turned on by that.

“Ah, yeah,” he replied shyly, looking down at himself after my blunt observation. He put his arms in front of his body, giving just enough cover to block my view.

“Are you cold? Shall I go get you some clothes or something?” I asked, standing quickly. I would have to resort to stealing for now, though I didn’t feel great about it. It would be easy for me, at least. When I wanted to be, I could be quick as lightning and quieter than a mouse.

“Wait, don’t go!” he gasped suddenly, grabbing my wrist. There was a slight panic in his voice and face, which was understandable after the intense ordeal we had just endured.

I paused and knelt back down for a moment, placing my hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

“You can’t stay like this, and you can’t go anywhere yourself until I find you something to wear,” I explained calmly, “I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.”

Reluctantly, he nodded his head and dropped his hand. I ran off into the chilly September morning before he could change his mind.