The Vampire and the Alpha's Son

Refusal

It didn’t take me long to get back to the gate that guarded our territory. Even in human form, I was already faster and stronger just by having my wolf present. My already inhuman senses were even stronger. I could feel the minds of my mother and father as I neared the gate. Before, I could only feel them when we were in the same room.

I passed through the gate and walked up to the packhouse, dripping with sweat from my run, as I should be, according to my alibi. My father was there in the entrance hall, waiting. He had smelled me coming and had sensed my wolf. However, as I got closer, his initial look of excitement darkened into a violent scowl. He rushed at me and shoved me up against a wall, pinning me with his arm across my chest.

“Why do you smell like that vampire wench?!” he snarled at me. He bared his fangs at me and let out a low growl.

“Don’t call her that,” I growled back, unfazed. I was the true Alpha now that I had my wolf, meaning he no longer held any power over me.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded of me, his anger growing.

“She’s my mate, dad,” I answered calmly, not that I had to answer him at all if I didn’t want to. But I wanted him to know. I was glad I no longer had to wait until my birthday and my Alpha ceremony.

“Then reject her!” he ordered, using his Alpha voice.

I looked him evenly in the eye and pushed him off me. “No.”

He stumbled back and looked at me with bewilderment. He was momentarily stunned into silence.

“I got my wolf today; I’m the Alpha now,” I reminded him sternly, “You can’t order me around anymore.”

“You’re not Alpha until your ceremony next week!” he screamed at me.

“That’s just a formality and you know it!” I yelled back even louder. I loved my father and it hurt me to talk with him like this, but not as much as it would hurt for me to deny my mate. Besides that, if the Moon Goddess meant for me to be with a vampire, who was I to say She was wrong?

“You can’t mate with a vampire!” he insisted, his voice now pleading instead of commanding.

“And why not?” I challenged. I lowered my voice, but I did not soften my tone.

“You know why!” he countered, “Vampires are evil, vile creatures who only know how to kill!”

“Liz isn’t like that,” I argued. I spoke calmly again as my lips uttered her name like a loving caress.

“You can’t possibly know that!” he spat, obviously disgusted with my apparent affection.

“And how would you know?” I returned vehemently, “Have you ever met one properly?”

“I don’t need to! They’re all the same: blood-sucking monsters who live too long.” I snarled at his cruel assessment, but he went on before I could say anything. “And if you insist on going through with this pairing, then you are no son of mine!”

I was taken aback by this sudden declaration. It stung heavily. I took a deep breath before replying in a low growl, “Then leave.”

“You may technically be the new Alpha, but this is still my pack, and I’m the one everyone will follow,” he argued indignantly, “If anyone will be doing any leaving, it’s you!”

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him evenly, but I didn’t have it in me to challenge him. If I chose to challenge him for control of the pack before I was eighteen, we would have to fight for it. He was a super strong Alpha wolf, but I was young and fresh, so there was no guarantee who would win. I didn’t really want to fight my father anyway. Though he was sometimes harsh and definitely archaic, he had still been a good father to me and I would never stop loving him.

I looked towards the doorway to the rest of the house, suddenly noticing we had an audience. My mother, Beatrix, and Bate stood there, looking on with matching expressions of shock and horror.

“David,” my mother whispered, pain in her voice.

I knew Beatrix would side with my father, but I didn’t want to put my mom and Bate in that position. So, I did the only sensible thing I could think to do at that moment: I turned on my heels and ran out the door. But where could I go? I couldn’t stay on the pack territory if the Alpha disowned me, so I exited out the front gate where I had just entered not long ago. I ran through the woods in the direction of town. There was only one place I could think of to go.

Liz’s POV

I’m not sure why I did it, but I decided to try to sleep after David left. A vampire’s only reason for sleeping is to pass the time, so I guess I was hoping to speed things up a bit until the next time I could see my David. It would at least bring me closer to my next activity and save me from pacing my room anxiously for another night.

Most vampires don’t dream, but the ones who do are considered very lucky. Except me. I rarely try to sleep, because the only dreams I ever have are nightmares. This time was no exception.

The year is eighteen sixty-eight. I’m in the front yard hanging up the washing when my husband comes home. He walks up the walkway, the setting sun shining behind his dark silhouette. He is drunk and angry, as he usually is, so I brace myself for impact. His face and his name are a blur, but the way he grabs my hair and pushes me to the ground is very clear.

“It’s all your fault, you barren wench!” he screams at me hatefully.

I say nothing, knowing that my silence is the only thing that will keep him from getting any worse. Instead, I focus all my energy on not crying. My tears only make him angrier.

He continues his verbal and physical assault, hurling slurs and insults between slaps and punches. I no longer hear the words he speaks and I look out to the horizon as it is flooded with red and orange and gold. My eyes are stinging with tears, despite my best efforts, and I try to imagine I am somewhere else.

Suddenly, in the fading light, there appears a pair of glowing red eyes and my breath seems to leave my body. The blood red eyes come closer, revealing a figure with a devilish grin that shows a pair of fangs. Though the figure doesn’t speak, my husband stops his barrage of fists and shrinks in fear as the figure comes even closer. His pale skin seems to glow in the evening light and I am frozen in terror.

As suddenly as those red eyes appeared, there comes a strong scent of wet grass and petrichor. The scent surrounds me, consumes me, and calms me. A low growl surrounds the air around us, causing both of the men to start looking around frantically like frightened mice.

I awoke with a start and tried to make those images go away. I took in a deep breath and realized David’s scent was not just a part of my dream. He was close by. I threw myself off the bed and rushed out into the hall, quickly and silently running out of the house. Sure enough, David was standing there, panting and dripping with sweat. His face was wrought with despair and sadness. I didn’t hesitate as I ran to him and threw my arms around him. He wrapped his arms around me in an embrace that would surely crush a human. He slumped over, leaned into my shoulder and began to cry.

“David, come inside,” I whispered to him.

He nodded and let me pull him inside, back up to my room. I sat him on the bed, then sat down next to him. He looked so forlorn, and I had an idea about what happened, but I wanted to hear it from him. Plus, sometimes it helps to talk about things.

“Now, tell me what happened,” I said softly. I waited patiently, knowing he would speak when he was ready.