Blood Of The Luna

Chapter 12

***

Life went back to normal pretty quickly. When I woke up the next morning, it was as if the entirety of yesterday hadn’t happened. Even though there was no way of me ignoring it, I chose to focus on everything else instead.

Damian’s scent still lingered at the back of my mind, and even though I tried not to think about him, it was extremely difficult not to. He had saved me last night, and just that little act was enough to make me feel slightly less hostile towards him. If he didn’t care about me even a little bit, then he wouldn’t have come to my rescue the way he did.

I was feeling much refreshed afterwards. Memories of the vision I had were already fading into the background. I could still remember the vampires, and the battle. But what I couldn’t remember was how exactly I was pulled out of it. I knew it had something to do with Damian, but I wasn’t exactly clear on what he did.

Could it be possible that he somehow found a way into my mind?

Probably not. I didn’t exactly know what he did, but I was grateful for it nonetheless.

Mom was sitting in the kitchen with dad when I walked in, and they were both whispering in hushed tones. They looked up when they heard me enter, and mom proceeded to smile in the way she always did when she was trying to deflect me from whatever they had been discussing.

“Hi sweetie,” she said. “I’ve made some pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice. Would you like some?”

I wasn’t falling for her tricks however. I could see the look on dad’s face, and I knew that meant something horrible happened. My immediate instinct was that a family member had died. But dad never really cared about them, and I couldn’t see how he could be this bothered

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why do you both look so terrified?”

“Honey, it’s nothing,” she said. “Have your breakfast and get to school. You’re going to be late.”

“Mom, I just want to know what’s going on,” I argued. “Both of you look like something terrible happened, and I just want to know what it was.”

She was about say something when dad placed his hand on her arm to stop her. He looked up at me then, and in a quiet voice he said, “There’s been an attack on the Bloodhound border. His son was badly injured, and now he thinks it was one of our own that did it.”

A sudden heat settled in my chest, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Damian had to be okay. He had to be. I just couldn’t imagine something happening to him. The man was untouchable, and surely he wouldn’t be dead.

“Is Damian…”

“It wasn’t Damian,” he said. “It was his other son, Henry. He’s the oldest, and the future Alpha of the Bloodhounds. They say he was wounded fatally, and he was burnt in several places that it doesn’t look likely that he’ll recover from this.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but relief flooded through my chest the moment he told me that he was okay. I still felt bad for his brother however, and I made a mental note to call him and offer my condolences.

“So now he thinks it had something to do with us?” I asked. “But that’s just be ridiculous. What could anyone from our pack possibly stand to gain by attacking his son?”

“Exactly what I pointed out when he spoke to me about it. I told him that no one from my pack would dare to attack his son, but he just wouldn’t agree to that. He’s going to make his case to the council, and we could be seeing some horrible repercussions.”

“But that’s absurd,” I said. “How twisted does his mind have to be for him to actually believe that we had anything to do with this? I guarantee you that most people don’t even know he has another son. Damian is the one people always talk about.”

“I wish I could make him see reason as well,” he said. “But the man is a ruthless and unforgiving person. He will not listen to common sense even when it’s staring him directly in the face.”

“And that’s the kind of man whose family you want my to marry into, right?” I asked sarcastically. I wasn’t even sure how it happened, but a little bit of resentment in me seeped out suddenly, and I just couldn’t hold back.

“Alyssa-Marie,” he thundered suddenly, “the last thing I need right now is any of your bullshit. Do you not understand the seriousness of this situation?”

“Don…,” mom tried to speak, placing a hand on his shoulder. “That’s enough. She’s…”

“She’s foolish and irrational, that’s what she is,” he spat. “Now get out of my sight before I do something I will end up regretting.”

Tears rushed to my eyes at his sudden outburst, and I stormed out of the kitchen without another word. I was trembling with rage, and all I really wanted to do was get away from him.

I grabbed my bag and headed off to school soon after, refusing to even have breakfast. I had a few energy bars in my locker, and I could always feast on those before lunchtime.

I didn’t even care about what he told me anymore. I didn’t care about Damian’s father and what the man was capable of. They could all go and rot in hell for all I cared.

When I walked into class, it was to find Ethel and Joaquin sitting at the back with their faces mushed up against each other. The sight made me chuckle despite myself, and I wondered if she realised that she was rubbing her lipstick all over his face.

When she finally came up for air and saw me, she immediately came to sit beside me.

“Joaquin told me what happened yesterday,” she said. “I knew Damian was always an asshole, but I didn’t realise he would do the same thing to you. I thought the two of you had reached an agreement of some sort.”

“It’s fine, Ethel,” I said. “To be honest, I don’t even remember what we were fighting over. But he came by to apologise last night, and I think I’m ready to forgive him.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “Joaquin told me how he grabbed you. He said he was hurting you, and he would probably have done something worse if there was no one there to protect you.”

“As much as I appreciate the fact that he was looking out for me, please tell him that I can take care of myself,” I said. “Damian is not as bad as you think he is. He has his problems of course, and his family might be f****d up, but don’t we all? I’m sure it was just a one time thing.”

Ethel didn’t seem convinced however. She was absolutely hellbent on making Damian a bad person in her mind, and she clearly wasn’t ready to listen to anything else. Her prejudice was nothing new to me. But in this case, she would have to ignore everything she had heard. What mattered to me was that Damian had apologised already, and he was willing to make an effort to try and fix things between us. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who held onto a grudge for decades. I was never able to hold a grudge for longer than a day, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to start now.

But if he gave me the same bullshit about his brother, then I might just have a few harsh words of my own for him.

“Allie, I’m not sure about this guy,” she said, biting her lip. “I saw the way he nearly strangled Jamie in the parking lot yesterday. Whatever issues he has, they are not something normal. And I think the best option for you is to stay away from him. What if he loses control and ends up strangling you?”

“Like that would ever happen,” Joaquin suddenly said above us, causing Ethel to jump.

“Excuse me, but I’m having a private moment with my best friend,” she snapped at him. “Go back to your seat and wait for me.”

“I got tired of waiting,” he said before turning his attention to me. “Listen, you don’t have to worry about Damian at all. If he ever tries to pull a stunt like this again, then I will handle him personally.”

“I appreciate it, Joaquin, but it’s not as serious as you think,” I said. “He’s actually a good person once you get to know him.”

“Ha!” he laughed, in a way that almost sounded like a bark. “Damian Lockheart is the farthest thing from good you will ever come across. Trust me, you don’t want to mess with him. And I know how complicated things are between the two of you, but the sooner you find a way to get yourself out of this mess, the better it will be for you.”

I was about to reply when an announcement came over the speakers, causing everyone to fall silent.

‘Good morning to you all, students of Blackburn High. This is your principal speaking, and I wish to inform you that registrations for the New Moon Dance committee are beginning this morning. Interested students should please apply with Mrs Carter after lunch today. Furthermore, nominations for the king and queen of the dance will begin this morning after first period, and your nominations may be submitted directly to my office or to Mr Arnold. Please note that only seniors and sophomores are allowed to participate in the dance this year. Freshmen will not be allowed to participate, unless they are escorted by a parent or a senior.’

The announcement sent the entire class into an immediate frenzy. Everyone began to whisper excitedly, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Stefanie Brownlee adjusting her hair with a dreamy look in her eyes. No doubt she was imagining herself standing on the stage and being declared the New Moon Queen.

While human schools had Homecoming dances, Blackburn High celebrated the New Moon dance as a means of letting our hair down and spending one night where we weren’t concerned with science or math or any other crap they shoved down our throats during school hours. It was a chance to relax and unwind, but the main highlight of the night was the crowning of the king and queen, who would be voted by the students. Every year since middle school, the New Moon crown had always gone to Stefanie Brownlee. It wasn’t even a surprise anymore, and everyone just kind of went with it. Some said it was because she was the principal’s daughter, while others said it was because her boyfriend Chad was always on the Dance committee, so he could rig the votes to make sure she always won.

Either way, I couldn’t give a s**t about a plastic crown or fancy dresses. I had better things to do with my evening than spending it with drunk teenagers while being restricted in a straitjacket which others might call a dress.

“I think you should run for Queen,” Joaquin said to Ethel.

“Don’t make me laugh,” she replied with a heavy blush on her cheeks. “You and I both know it’s a waste of time.”

“Not if I join the committee and make sure it’s not rigged,” he said. “Alyssa and I can both do that. With us supporting you, I’m sure that we can make sure there is no unfair cheating this year.”

“I’m flattered, but I think it’s a bad idea,” she said. “If any one of us should be thinking about contesting for the New Moon Queen, then I would suggest that that person should be Alyssa.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say that. My ears nearly fell off as I heard my name being mentioned in the same sentence as ‘New Moon Queen’. I looked at her like she had sprouted a second head on her shoulders, and yet she was smiling encouragingly at me.

“Absolutely not,” I said. “Why would I want to do something like that?”

“Because you never do fun stuff like this,” she replied. “Just imagine yourself as the New Moon Queen, and think of all the pompous bitches in this school who will have to accept that you are superior to them. You are beautiful, and I’m sure once people get past your cold exterior, they can see what a warm and loving person you really are. Once they do, then nobody will be able to resist you. Isn’t that right, babe?”

“Yeah,” he said sarcastically. “I’m sure you are a very warm and loving person on the inside, Alyssa. The problem is that it is almost impossible to c***k that cold and unforgiving exterior. I’ve been trying for years now, and yet you still see me as a dangerous person.”

“I don’t see you as a dangerous person,” I said defensively. “I just can’t start talking to you just because you are dating my best friend.”

“We were friends a long time ago, remember?” he said. “I want to know what changed between us.”

“What changed was the fact that I made a new friend,” I said , wrapping my arm around Ethel. “And we were friends in kindergarten, Joaquin, so let it go.”

“How am I supposed to compete with that?” he chuckled before turning to his girlfriend with a stern look and saying, “You stole my friend from me.”

Both of them were about to argue when Miss Riley stepped into the class. They fell silent immediately, and both returned to their seats. I smiled at my small victory, even though I kept thinking about what they had said. Would I really make a good Queen? Perhaps it was just the little fantasising child in me who was curious about what I would look like in a dress. But I could almost see myself standing on that stage, smiling and accepting the crown with my fingers shaking the same way Stefanie’s fingers always did. Why couldn’t I have nice things after all?

I was just about to pull out my book when I felt a light gap on my shoulder which prompted me to turn around. I saw Oliver McGinnis leaning towards me, with a strange look in his eyes. I was about to ask him what was the matter when he suddenly spoke in a very throaty voice.

“Don’t go to the dance,” he said. “There’s nothing there but doom and death.”

And with that, he returned to normal as if nothing had happened at all.

What in absolute hell was going on in this school today?

***