Daughter of the Earth- Stary Writing Academy III

Chapter 9: Something Big is Coming

Serafina

As I finally tore my eyes away from my tail, I looked at Castor, only to notice he wasn’t there. In his place was a majestic-looking red wolf. He was a head taller than my wolf's form, and his fur was a beautiful deep auburn color. His gold eyes looked as if they were peering into my soul, and the howl he unleashed was powerful enough to rattle my brain. Delfine joined the call, our joint song shaking the forest leaves and scattering any animals that might have been in our vicinity.

My mate, Lorenzo. He looks amazing.

I could hear the pride and awe in Delfine’s voice, and I hummed my agreement. Lorenzo walked toward us and headbutted us gently, and then started loping deeper into the forest. We followed, quickly catching up. Lorenzo led us all throughout the territory, showing different landmarks that defined the area under his influence. Eventually, I could see a building in the distance and hoped it was somewhere we could rest. I was emotionally and physically drained and would love nothing more than a hot shower and a warm bed. As we neared, I noticed that it was a house. Well, house is a bit of an understatement. This was a mansion, a huge place with four floors. We followed Lorenzo, who had made a beeline for the garage. I was a little apprehensive because I would hate it if the people that owned this gigantic property came out and shot the scary demon wolf.

Hey! I’ve been nice to you, haven’t I? Why the name-calling?

I apologize, Delfine, but you have to admit, we are a little scary looking.

I know, right?

I huffed in exasperation. This wolf was something else. While we stood outside deliberating, Castor appeared wearing some sweatpants and holding some clothes.

“You can come in, you know. This is your home now too.”

***

I, after having shifted and changed into the clothes Castor brought me, was standing in the foyer of the great mansion Castor claimed was my home. He had explained that the first floor was open to new members of the pack, as well as guests that may be visiting for a conference or meeting or something along those lines. The second floor belongs to the gamma who I hadn't met yet, the third to his beta, Gabriel. Becks, as the Alpha’s sister and an unmated wolf, slept on the fourth floor, but ordinarily, the top floor was reserved for the Alpha and his future family. Which now included his new mate....me. I followed my nose to the kitchen, where Castor was busy fixing us a meal. I was unsure of what he was making, but it damn sure had me drooling.

“Hey there gorgeous. Food will be ready in a few. I hope you like Parmesan Chicken.”

I laughed softly. “Gourmet food for me is home-boiled ramen noodles without styrofoam. Vampire hunters aren’t in one place long enough to enjoy gourmet meals often. I’m super appreciative of the effort alone.”

Castor looked over at me with an indecipherable look in his eyes.

“Yeah, I noticed that you had some pretty slick moves when you killed that bloodsucker. But wow. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a vamp hunter. Especially since you have this faint smell of v--”

Before Castor could tell me what I smelled like, we were interrupted by Gabriel crashing through the foyer.

“Castor! Why is your block up?! I have been trying to reach you!”

Castor’s eyes snapped to Gabriel’s, his normally brown eyes flashing gold.

“What is it, Gabe?”

When I glanced from Castor to Gabriel, I saw that both their eyes had fogged over and were unfocused. Once their eyes began to clear, Castor rushed from the stove and raced up the stairs. I stared at Gabe, who shrugged at me nervously, making sure to avoid my gaze. I looked back to the stove, where what looked to be a good meal was on the verge of burning.

After rescuing the Parmesan chicken and finishing its preparation, I recognized the massive amount of food that was before me. Placing all the food on the table, I settled down to eat. Gabe continued to stand awkwardly, so I motioned to a nearby chair.

"Take a load off Gabe, pull up a seat,” I said, smiling broadly.

He looked at me strangely and gingerly pulled out a chair. He then smiled and grabbed a nearby paper plate and started filling it up. That was before I put my bowie knife through it.

“Now, I don’t remember inviting you to grab something to eat there buddy.”

Gabe looked at the knife in horror.

“What the heck, Serafina?!”

“You and Castor just spoke about something without speaking. Did it concern me?”

Gabe looked away and said nervously, “n-no Serafina..”

“Gabe, Gabe, Gabriel.....you’re many things. But a good liar isn’t one of them. Now tell me, and you can eat. It tastes divine,” I said, savoring the piece I had cut minutes prior.

Gabe whined, his hunger all too apparent.

“W-well, Castor has some business he has to take care of before everything is perfect.”

“Like what, Gabriel?”

Gabriel shook his head and avoided my eyes.

“Well, tell me where he is, so I can ask him.”

Gabriel shook his head.

“Can’t do that. Not until he tells me it's all clear.”

I growled, feeling Delfine push herself forward.

“Tell me.”

The power with which Delfine spoke was palpable, its rage clearly communicating Delfine’s feelings. Gabriel bared his neck and whimpered.

“He’s in his office, Luna.”

***

Castor

“Melina. You aren’t listening. I’ve found my mate. Not to mention I haven’t touched you except for that one-time mistake.”

The obstinate she-wolf in front of me plastered on a fake smile and grabbed both my hands.

“Castor, darling. You’ve been working so much that you just don’t see it yet. Sometimes the mate bonds can take longer than usual to react. But I know, I know, you belong to me.”

“Do you know who I should cut first?”

“Oh s**t. Delfine this isn’t what it looks like. Actually, it is. If you came in when I was talking, I mean.”

I looked over into the blood-red irises and realized I was rambling. Was I nervous about my mate? No, but I was nervous about Enzo’s mate, Delfine. She has absolutely no chill. And no stop button.

I can’t wait to see how that plays out in the bedroom, heh.

Not the time, Enzo. We may not make it to that point if you haven’t noticed.

Suddenly, I saw Delfine’s eyes cloud over, and when they cleared they had a malicious glint.

“Just her then!”

“Castor, who the f**k is this b***h talking about?! Is this some vamp skank that thinks she has a chance with you? Get rid of her, she stinks. It makes me want to---hrrck!”

I had snatched Melina by her throat. Enzo and I had both decided we had enough of her disrespecting our mate.

“If you EVER fix that mouth of yours to disrespect my mate, YOUR LUNA, again I will let her decide and carry out your punishment. And just so you have a clear picture, the only limitation is that she can’t kill you.”

We dropped her, watching her collapse and grab her throat. We hadn’t squeezed hard enough to injure her, we weren’t cruel. In the doorway, Delfine was playing with her bowie knife, staring at us intently, her eyes turning sultry in an instant.

“That was kind of hot. Hmm.”

She leaned down and bared her canines at Melina, growling deep in her throat. For the second time, I felt my power pass through the mate bond. She could already use my power for intimidation? This girl who didn’t even know werewolves were a thing until tonight? Man...she was amazing. Melina hurriedly scurried out of the room, sobbing hysterically.

“Serafina wants control back. She won’t tell you but, she thinks you're hot as fuck.”

She then winked at me playfully. “Hey Enzo,” she sang, before Serafina’s eye color returned to a warm brown. She immediately averted her gaze, scratching the back of her neck.

“Delfine is a pain in the ass.”

I nodded my head, overwhelmed that Enzo was in my head howling in celebration.

Yes! Mate wants us! You didn’t mess it up!

Could you celebrate a little more quietly? It’s hard to pay attention to our mate.

Sorry. I’ll quiet down, but can you blame me?

I quickly put up my mental block so that Enzo wouldn’t get me in any more trouble than I already was.

“Hey, Castor. I’m sorry I barged in and threatened you and that girl. Delfine was just very upset when Gabe told us you were up here with a girl. She pushed me to the back of our minds and took control. She had poor Gabe convinced she was going to take a hand from him.”

I walked over to her, enjoying this more reserved Serafina.

“Was Delfine the only one upset?”

I leaned in towards her ear and asked, watching as shock and embarrassment registered on her face.

“I-I mean I technically just met you. I can’t get mad at you for having to talk to that pathetic waste of flesh.”

She snarled, but I noticed her eyes didn’t change. Hmm...Serafina felt the same as Delfine.

“ OK, maybe I just wanted to come up and see how serious this girlfriend situation was, because if we are mates I hate to break it to you, but I’m not a sharer. At all.”

I chuckled low in my throat. My mate was feisty. I liked it a lot.

“I can assure you, we had a one-night stand four months ago, while I was wallowing in the misery that I could possibly never find my mate. She came to me in my moment of weakness and has convinced herself that she is my true mate. The only woman I want is standing before me right now.”

She looked up at me, her eyes making my blood run hot with promises of pleasure and love. She smiled and began to lean into me when suddenly she swayed, and her eyes fluttered. I caught her as she collapsed in my arms.

“Falling for me already, huh?”

I chuckled softly but quickly panicked when she didn’t get up.

'Gabriel! Get the pack doctor in my office now!'

'Done Alpha!'

I was an i***t. Cracking a joke as my mate possibly lay dying. If something happened to her, I wouldn’t make it. And as soon as she wakes up, I will show her how much she means to me. How serious this mate s**t is.

***

Serafina

I woke up to trees and an ink-black sky, dotted here and there with stars. I got up quickly, calling Castor and Delfine, getting no response. At the snapping of a twig somewhere to my left, I quickly assessed myself, looking for weapons and wounds. Finding none of either, I quickly scoured the forest floor for possible weapons. Finding a heavy branch, I snapped it off to make a sharp point. I may go down tonight, but damn it, they won’t just walk away. I’d make sure they crawled. As I heard the rustling get closer, I backed myself against a tree, trying to minimize the ways in which I could get attacked. I first needed to figure out the enemy before I planned on how to survive. But the person that stepped into view was the last person I would or could expect.

“Man. I wish I could take a picture of your face right now and show it to you. It’s absolutely hilarious.”

It was me. This me had blood-red eyes and fangs and reeked of death. This me...was a vampire. This was dangerous. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew this was dangerous. Did the vamps now have a witch under their employ? Did they do something to Delfine? As if reading my thoughts, vamp-me laughed.

“I should have expected that horny mutt wouldn’t have gotten around to explaining things.”

Suddenly I heard growling to my right, and suddenly Delfine stalked into view.

“Watch your mouth bloodsucker. I had to make sure she didn’t miss out on our mate first. Not to mention you would have killed me if we hadn’t shifted. So my priorities were a little different than yours.”

I began to look from the vampire to Delfine, confusion clear on my face.

“I need answers now. How do you two know each other? Delfine, how is it that I hear you out loud and not just in my head as usual? And how is our wolf form separate from our human one?”

I gripped the stick tighter, worried about what was going on and whether or not Castor was concerned about me and where I was. Why was I even thinking about him at a time like this?

“Because he is our mate, Serafina. He completes us. We need him.”

Just as I was about to respond, vamp-me held up her hand.

“I get this is confusing, but we don’t have time for this. Something big is coming Serafina. And you need to be ready.”

***

Dimitri

“So, has Devin heard anything back from that shithead?” I had just woken up and was already in a foul mood. Florence’s unwelcome presence in my chambers only made it worse. I quickly moved to put on a shirt, as she made no effort to hide the lust-filled gaze that roamed every inch of my body. After clothing myself, I turned back to face her, arms folded. She finally forced her red eyes up to mine, the gleam of lust gone from them.

“Yes. Serafina is in Rivermoon pack territory, under the care of their Alpha. We don’t know the extent of his involvement yet but it’s safe to say, especially after we saw them talking at the ball, that they are allies. What do you think we should do?”

My jaw clenched as I looked off into space. I really didn’t want to have to go up against a pack of mutts for this. The biggest problem would be the Alpha and Beta. But if I could convince them that they had nothing to gain from sheltering the girl, just maybe I could pull this off with no bloodshed.

“I will go talk to them. I will get them to understand they have nothing to gain by harboring the Chosen One. That their pack might not withstand the full might of the neighboring vampires, and war could all be avoided by handing over a vamp half-blood.”

“What if they refuse? What if the father, or even the girl, is important to them?”

“The one thing I have to give the mutts is, their loyalty is unwavering. Everything is for the good of the pack. The only thing that would outweigh the pack loyalty would be a mate bond. And there’s no way that muddled-blood whelp could be a wolf’s mate. There’s no fuckin’ way.”