The Alpha's Jewel

The rustling and fussing downstairs are what woke me from my bloodlust. I could have chosen to drown myself in my favorite bottle of wine instead of wasting my weekly blood supply. But it would not have been as fun that way. Bloodlust is a lot like getting drunk; the only difference being high on strength instead of self-pity. It was extremely frowned upon, but I run my life with three keywords: I, Don't, and Care. The other members of the clan already despised me, so I never bothered to follow the typical norm of a vampire. Well... unless the Council has anything to say about it. They are truly the only ones that could tell me what to and not to do. Luckily for me, they weren't here to stop me. Looking around, I noticed the old wooden floors, the slanted roofing, and the old equipment that no one had used since I had pushed them away into the far dark corner of the attic. The bloodlust left me feeling like royalty, as I stretched my body across my favorite divan couch. Though I'm sure I didn't look it, I felt empowering and beautiful. "Today" my voice echoed around the large attic, " we shall be restored." My eyes landed on the human skull on the small round table a few feet away from my feet. "Father." I was aware that my father could not speak, as I told many that thought me odd to even speak to his remains. But father had died of a very nasty flu that took his voice away. So, of course, he was not going to be able to respond. I sat up and stared at the army of ants that crawled from over his cracked head and through his nostrils. The glass of blood that sat on the table behind the couch caught my attention. There was not much left. Where had my manners gone? I got up from my favorite resting space, stretched my arms over my head, and grabbed the glass of blood from behind the couch. "Sorry father," I said as I strolled over to him. "You know how carried away I can get with my dinner." I slowly tipped the glass over his head, watching the lovely dark red liquid slide off the tip of the glass and onto his forehead. The blood ran rivers down his face, scattering the ants. "At least I saved some for you." I felt the vibration of footsteps come and go a couple of floors below my bare feet. Living in a castle has its perks. Well-protected grounds, fresh-killed blood guarantee, free wi-fi... who could ask for more? Me. I could ask for much more. My living corridors were a couple of floors below. But I didn't use them often. The stingy dusty attic of the castle was enough for me. Alone and away from everyone. The best part was that, unlike all the other windows in the castle, it was not heavily shaded with curtains. Next to all the other windows, my larger favorite one always caught the warm sun's gaze. For that reason alone, the others avoided the attic. They tried several times to cover the windows but I simply ripped off the blinds. I was immune to the sun's rays. The ants were now drinking from the sweet blood. I licked my lips, the smell caging my nose. Father's vacant look stared back. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please do not give me that look, father. Even I cannot help the craving at times." I walked to the wide window that overlooked the front yard. "But do not fret, there shall be more tonight." They were here. Their cars were pulling into the large round driveway as I spoke. I glanced over my shoulder at Father with surprise. "How could you forget?" His answer was silence. I glared at him. "If I must repeat myself to you, they are here on 'business' with our clan." My glare turned towards our guests. "Our oh-so-great Master had thought it be best to invite them over for dinner." I snickered to myself, "With my help, of course. The slamming of car doors reached my ears, alongside Father's silent echo. I sighed in frustration, "You already know this father! They took something very important from us and we must--" A rat skittered around his table. I rolled my eyes, "Fine! They took something from me and we must get it back. Tonight!" I marched over to the closet, the wine glass still in hand. I felt his hollow eyes on my back. I sighed at my father's lecture, "I do not care what they think. I do not care what all of them think." I threw the closet doors open with one hand, and the sound of them banging against the wood echoed across the room. "Time means nothing to me, it hasn't for a very long time." I stared at the beautiful and deadly black-laced dress. It was a slim dress with a cut down the side to show some leg, and a straight cut across the chest. It was eye-catching, and maybe a little too much for tonight, but that wouldn't prevent me from walking it down to our small gathering. "Don't make nothing of something, Father. For there is always something ahead, even if you and everything seem like nothing." I glanced over my shoulder at him, "But if you believe it so, then you are nothing." I felt his confused thoughts float around me, but was left with no response. Father had finished talking. Feeling pleased with myself about winning the argument, I set the empty glass on the floor. The dress was waiting for me. There was a part to play when being a vampire or a lycan. Dominance was everything. It signifies your position in the clan or pack. Whether you were important or not. It also stated who's words matter most. A game of power. In many ways, both rivals were very similar in their rise to power. The wolves had their strongest wolf become their leader, which was also known as the Alpha. The Bata was the second in command, and then you had the mid-ranking wolves. Kill the Alpha and you become Alpha. That simple. The clan was very much the same in some ways. Each clan had its Master. However, it was the age that gave you status. The older you are, the higher and stronger your rank means. There was less of a chance of becoming Master of your clan, than killing them. If you did somehow drastically manage to kill the master, then you just signed yourself to infinite torture under the hands of the Council. The vampire council had the say in our existence, just like the Wolf King had the say in their own. I wasn't stupid enough to involve myself with the Council or the Wolf King. No. I was stupid enough to make matters with the Alpha tonight. He was no threat to me. I looked at myself in the mirror. I did not bother with my hairstyle except for brushing the bedhead away. My black locks were long and framed my heart-shaped face. My eyes were covered in thick eyeliner and eyeshadow, while my lips were painted red. With my makeup set in place, and my dress hugging my slender but small curved frame, I was ready for the night. I was deadly gorgeous. At least to myself, that is. My clan thought of me as a demon of sorts, unnatural to what a vampire truly was, but I never bothered with their worries. Being able to stand in the sun, however, did raise some eyebrows that even the Council couldn't ignore. If I looked like some monster to them, then let them believe that. What mattered most was that gem. Just then, I felt the hollow feel of the missing gem. The image of a raging fire flashed through my mind, death in the air, blood clogging my throat and the sight of a hopeless little girl staring back at me with vacant eyes. These were all memories that my own mind had blocked to protect me. Past trauma that I can not remember. I stared at my red eyes, bloodlust still evident. The necklace was the only way to rewind everything. To restore what was lost. I could hear the little chatter of gossip downstairs. The wolves must be making their grand entrance. All the vampires of this clan were to attend the great hall to greet the wolves at the door. Under orders of our great Master Evander, of course. He also happened to mention that any who are unintended would be severely punished. Me currently late, slowly stood up from the vanity set, fixing my skirts as I listened in on the introductions downstairs. I intend to take my time. Beaty is time-consuming after all. I gave my father one last look before making my way down the stairs of the small attic and out the old wooden door. The blood that I had dropped onto his face earlier was gone. Walking down and past the heavy curtains that covered every window, I disappointedly noticed the empty halls that I took to get to the first floor. No one seemed to test Evander's words tonight. I'm sure there must be a few out and about. But as I walked further down the halls of great architecture and outstanding tapestries, not a man or woman passed me by. The clan truly all attended the great hall tonight. Meaning, that I was left to walk in alone. I just couldn't wait to see the look on Evander's face. The castle truly had its typical gothic theme that would scream vampire to anyone, but I and everyone else that resided in this palace was left feeling nostalgic. Nostalgic of the old days, when the world wasn't so big and threatening. With the new tech that humans were living with, it was safer to live in the outskirts of the city than to be in the center of a pool of beating hearts. Cameras were getting harder to spot and avoid. If one was to zero in on a man drinking from another's neck, it would mean disaster. As I spotted the door to the great hall, I could hear Evander's voice, speaking with the Alpha. Hear the heavy beating of the hearts that leads to all the Lycans. I felt the effects of my bloodlust come back to me. I was hungry but knew not to act on it. It was only because of the hours I had spent drinking blood that I felt this way. But not to worry, after an unnecessarily long introduction, there would be dinner. Though I'm sure if I annoyed Evander enough, I could make him rush things. I grinned at the thought. Let the game of power begin.