The Vampire and the Alpha's Son

Into the Fire

Liz’s POV

I grabbed David’s hand and pulled him along behind me, through the bedroom door, down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the building. There hadn’t been anyone at the front desk at this hour, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I made a mental note to wire them the money for the room sometime later. I didn’t have time to worry about that right now.

Jasper had sent me the text about Malachi not long ago, so there was a possibility that the bastard would be far away yet. However, I knew better than to take that chance. Malachi was almost a hundred years older than me, meaning he was faster, stronger, and had keener senses than I did. He was not to be underestimated. I had also seen first hand how he handles those who would oppose him, and leaving the coven the way I had done was a major offense. 

I knew he would never let me go so easily, hence why I had been running all this time. I ran a winding path across the states, crossing as many rivers as I could and never staying in one place too long. As much as I had tried to escape, I guess a part of me always knew that I would eventually have to face Malachi. It depressed me that it would have to happen so soon after meeting David; we had barely had the chance to be together and get to know each other.

We left the bed and breakfast behind as we ran swiftly to the edge of town. As soon as we cleared the village, I took us in a southeast direction, toward the Yellowstone River. Running nonstop at a werewolf’s pace, we should be able to reach it within a couple of hours. I only hoped we would be able to make it in time. If Malachi hadn’t left Oregon until around the time Jasper texted me, then we should have at least a day or two head start. But now that I was fighting for more than just my own life, I would take every precaution.

Running southward may be the quickest route, but it unfortunately took us through a wide expanse of open fields. My eyes dart nervously in every direction, and I can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching us. Panic grips me as I hear a faint rustling that is definitely not from animals. The rustling has spread into a circle around us within a few milliseconds. The unwanted presence is accompanied by the ominous scent of dried blood. I stop dead in my tracks, hissing and baring my fangs. My body is braced for a fight, and I’m hoping I look much more menacing than I feel.

Directly in front of us, a pair of glowing red eyes appear, and my horror intensifies. All I can do is stand in my fighting stance and keep a desperately strong hold onto David’s hot hand. My grip is tight enough to break bones in a human hand, and I have a second to be thankful that the object of my affections is at least a strong werewolf, rather than a frail human.

The red-eyed figure calmly steps forward out of the shroud of darkness, revealing a man with pale skin and long, black hair that clings to his neck and shoulders. His blood-red eyes stared into mine with a deathly glare, contrasting his wide, sinister grin. He extended his arms toward me, open palms facing up a gesture of feigned civility. He had unnaturally long fingers that were tipped with razor-sharp fingernails.

“My dear Midnight, I’ve found you at last,” he greeted me in his all too familiar voice, like barbed wire wrapped in velvet. He still had his unique accent that hinted at British, but with heavy American influence. 

“How did you find me?” I asked defensively, my voice thick with anguish, “Did Jasper tell you?”

“You mean Neo?” he asked with a short, humorless laugh, “No, you somehow made a loyal subject out of that little whelp. He wouldn’t say a word no matter what I did to him.”

“Then how? What did you do to him?” I struggled to keep my voice even as I felt a boiling rage rise within me.

“Well, he wouldn’t give me what I wanted, so I killed him,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug, “Then I used his phone to track your location.”

I let out an inarticulate scream, my fury beyond words. He murdered my only friend for his personal gain. I was outraged, even though I had witnessed similar acts from him countless times over the years. This felt different, however. This was personal.

Just then, I felt David’s strong, warm arms wrap around my waist, holding me close to him. I was instantly calmed, enough to keep a level head for the moment. I could feel him shaking minutely, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or from anger. Probably both.

“Oh, but what do we have here? You’ve brought along a little puppy, how precious,” he stated condescendingly. He moved closer to us with smooth, fluid-like steps. 

“You leave him out of this,” I hissed, trying to shield David with my body. I’m not very successful, since his body is a bit bigger than mine.

“Oh, no, have you grown attached to it? How sad,” he commented, clearly mocking me, “I thought you were so much better than this, Midnight.”

“I don’t go by that name anymore,” I growled at him, sidestepping his little jab. I knew he was only trying to get me riled up, and I was making a huge effort not to take the bait.

“Oh, no, my mistake. You now prefer your filthy human name, don't you?” he sneered, “I rescued you from that life, from that sorry excuse of a husband. I accepted you into my family and even offered to make you my queen, and this is how you repay me?”

“I never asked for any of that!” I screamed at him, fury momentarily overcoming my fear, “Why would I ever want to be queen to a tyrant like you?”

“You wound me, my dear,” he said, though his voice and face remained stoic, “If you hated me so much, then why did you stay for so long?”

“You should know the answer to that,” I seethed. He ruled his coven with force and fear. Anyone who went against him would be either tortured or killed, or both. Though he had always been particularly fond of me, I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy me if he felt he needed to.

A wicked grin spread across his face and breath felt caught in my throat. “Whatever could you mean, my pet?”

He took a few more steps toward me, fangs bared and eyes aglow with a murderous fire. He wouldn’t try to attack me yet, I was sure. I knew him well enough to realize he would first try to do everything he could to convince me to come with him. If that didn’t work, then he would strike. However, David didn’t know him like I did. As Malachi came closer, David let out a warning growl and tried to step out from behind me. Thankfully, I was the stronger one, so I was able to hold him in place behind me. 

“Leave my Liz alone!” he howled in a deep, booming voice. It was the voice of an Alpha, and if we were in an entirely different situation, the force and authority behind it would have turned me on.

“‘Your Liz?’” Malachi balked with an incredulous laugh, “You foolish mutt, she belonged to me over a hundred years before you were even born! She and I will remain for hundreds of years after you die. You are small and insignificant.”

After his pointed speech, he seemed to be steeling himself for an attack, in order to prove his point. Everything that followed happened so fast, I felt like I was in some sort of noxious fever dream.

I was instantly prepared to defend my would-be lover, but before I could move a muscle, I felt his body ripple behind me. There was a sound of cracking bones that made me cringe and I whipped my head around to see his body shifting and contorting. His face and his body stretched and grew fur; his arms and legs grew as his hands and feet turned into paws. He howled in pain as the process seemed to rip his body apart and my heart broke. I knew the first time was usually painful for them, but I had never witnessed it first-hand. It was even worse watching it happen to someone I loved.

I stood and stared with a horrified expression, completely enraptured in a process that took seconds, though it felt as though we had been momentarily frozen in time. When it was finished, I was gazing up at a large, dark gray wolf with a white muzzle and black paws. His large brown eyes shimmered with flecks of ruby, and they were fixed on Malachi, who was still poised for an attack. David’s wolf snarled menacingly in the fiend’s direction. 

I would have been ecstatic to finally meet Caldus, but the moment was clouded by my unabated fear. Even like this, David was no match for a seasoned vampire who had plenty of experience fighting wolves.