Alpha's Embrace

Revelations

Alysslin met Tovias' hard glare. She knew he had a right to know what he had gotten himself into. She knew he only wanted to protect his pack. She sighed heavily. She wasn't ready to reveal her secret. She didn't want him thinking any less of her. "You remember when i said i didn't want to go back to New Hope?"

He leaned forward. "I remember."

“My father, Vularak, is the king of the Daywalkers.” He arched a brow. “I suppose you could say Daywalkers are similar to vampires.”

“I see.” Was all he said.

Alysslin sighed. She couldn’t read his facial expression. His normally gentle, mesmerizing golden eyes were blank. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking. She had a feeling he is going to ask her to leave his pack territory. She didn't want him to hate her. The last thing she wanted was to have him angry with her. “Daywalkers are very different from how vampires are portrayed in books and movies of long ago.”

He was intrigued by what she is telling him. He was angry because this could be bad news for his pack. “How so?” He asked. His voice seemed flat to her ears and she visibly winced.

“For example, crucifixes and the sun have no effect on us. Not sure about a stake in the heart...I am not about to test that one.” A corner of his lips lifted in a small smile. “Obviously, we don’t sleep in coffins.” This time the smile reached his eyes, but it vanished faster than it appeared.

“What about blood?” He asked, crossing his arms across his massive chest. She was afraid he would ask that. This was getting harder and harder.

“We do need to feed on blood. However, we can go days without blood, but not having it does weaken us.” She began rubbing her temples. “At our compound we do have a supply of synthetic blood. However, fresh blood is usually preferred, especially if we are injured. It quickens the healing time.” She could see his mind working as he was regarding her. She wanted so much to know what he was thinking.

"You have been here for a couple of days, and no telling how long you were out in the forest before we found you.” Tovias said gruffly. He paused as she swallowed hard, not meeting his eyes. “So, in my calculations, you need to feed.”

"Don’t worry, I am not going to attack anyone. We do not just attack people to get blood.” Alysslin answered, disgruntled.

“I never said you were going to.” He snapped and she flinched. He cursed. “How do I feed you blood then? I don’t want you growing weaker by the day. Especially if Zirf comes looking for you.” That gave her some hope that he wouldn't throw her out or take her back to New Hope. He raked a hand through his beautiful black hair and all she could think about was running her own hands through it. “I definitely know now you can take care of yourself. If you don’t feed, you won’t be in any condition to fight."

“We can feed off of anyone willing to let us feed on them. Whoever we feed on cannot be turned into a Daywalker. You have to be born one. The person we feed off will get sick.” She paused. She didn't like talking about this. She sighed, then continued. “It is different for everyone. Some just complain of a headache while others may be laid out for a few days. As long as we don’t drain the person, they won’t die.” He only nodded. She really wished she knew what he was thinking. Now she had to finish. She wasn’t sure how he would take the next part, but it was just as much a part of who she was.

“There is more, isn’t there?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

Alysslin couldn’t tell what he was thinking. However, she knew she needed to continue even though this was the hardest part. She took a deep breath before she answered him. “My mother was not a Daywalker.” He arched a brow surprised at that. “She was part of a powerful coven...The New Crestwell Coven. She was a witch.” He stared at her not sure what to say. My mother was Sylvinna. She was the head countess of the coven.”

“I have heard that name before.” He stated more to himself than to her.

She nodded. “There are not many people who don’t know who she was.” She hated this part of the story. She always felt a tremendous ache in her heart every time she thought of her mother. “My mother met my father at one of the committee meetings back in New Cresthill. My father seemed to have swept my mother off her feet. Then I was born. A half-breed between the two species.”

From what I have heard, Sylvinna was the most powerful witch. So, any offspring of hers would be just as powerful if not more so.”

“And imagine if that offspring was both a witch and a Daywalker.” He whistled. “Exactly. When I turned 16 my mother was killed.”

He frowned. “I heard of her death. I am sorry.” She only nodded. “Does her coven know who is responsible?”

“They have their suspicions.” She said softly, breaking eye contact.

“Have...so I take it they haven’t acted on those suspicions?”

“No, they haven’t. They suspect a traitor among the committee members. A high-ranking member. They are still trying to gather the proof they need.”

“You know who killed your mother, don’t you?” He asked softly.

“My suspicions were the same as theirs. My mother’s best friend and her right-hand Celeste told me what her coven thought. They all treated me as theirs. So, when she was killed, they tried to take me under their wing.”

He raised a brow. “Tried?”

Alysslin began rubbing her temples more frequently and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and make all her pain go away, but he knew this was something she needed to do. “You see, when I turned 16 the powers that I inherited from my mother would be in full bloom. Everyone in my mother’s coven stated my powers would rival hers. There were whispers among the committee.”

“What kind of whispers?” He heard himself ask.

“That the coven would have more control over me. I was the apple of my mother’s eye, and everyone knew she would hold influence over me.”

“I am getting the picture now. So, someone had her killed to prevent that.”

Her green eyes frosted with coldness. “Not just someone...my father.”

Tovias stared at her for a moment before he found his voice. “Why would he? Didn’t he love her at all...and did he even think of you?”

“I had realized along with my mother’s coven that my father never loved her. He only wanted her position and power. He knew better than anyone that I would have listened to her rather than him. He was not a loving father. He is a cold-hearted man who does things for the sake of himself and his coven. Trust me, I am not included in that.”

“Why do you say that, Alysslin?”

“To my father I was only property. He didn’t treat me like any loving father would. I think honestly, he loathed the sight of me.” She sighed heavily. “I resemble my mother. Anyway, my father was planning on marrying me off to his right-hand man, Brock.” She saw his eyes turned fierce. Her heart soared at his reaction. “I know they both want the marriage to happen.”

“Because Vularak can keep control over you.” He guessed not liking either man at the moment. His wolf wants to rip them apart.

“Yes, and Brock is just as cold-hearted as my father. He is very power hungry. They think if I married Brock, then Brock could control me and Brock did whatever my father says.

“So, Brock controls you and your father controls Brock. Which explains why you ran away and why you refuse to go back.”

She felt like a big weight had been lifted off her chest as she sighed with relief. However, she also knew that she was putting his entire pack in danger. “I understand if you want me to leave. I don’t want anyone put in danger because of me. I know my father will send people looking for me. He cannot risk me not being under his control.”

Without warning, he was standing in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands. Her hands instinctively clutched his biceps and met his unwavering gaze. “You are not going anywhere. My pack can take care of themselves. We are trained for it. I am not going to allow you to walk out of my pack territory if there is a chance your father is looking for you.”

Her eyes searched his. “Are you sure?” She asked, wanting to make sure he knew what he was doing.

Without warning, he kissed her. Her lips immediately parted, welcoming his. Tovias pulled back and when her green eyes met his golden gaze. His eyes spoke volumes. Her heart skipped a beat. “I am positively sure.”

She smiled up at him. “Good, I didn’t want to leave.” He returned her smile. His wolf was howling inside. He kissed her. This time he deepened it.