Children of the Goddesses (completed)

She needs to go

 Ethan’s POV 

            “Alpha Eldridge, Betts said you were looking for me,” I stated as I entered our Alpha’s office. 

            We were a small pack on the edge of the Gardner Lake, close to the border with Canada, and most of us made a living from fishing. Despite our small size, we played an important role during the Battle at Wallace Bay two years ago. Not only did we provide scouts to the Alliance Army to venture up north into Canada, we were also essential in arranging the transport of the Alliance Army to Wallace Bay with our trawlers. Even before the birth of the Union, our pack had always been honorable and at some points in history, we had even served as a pitstop for witches fleeing north, which is why I was puzzled and disappointed by our Alpha’s attitude towards the female vampire that we had found at sea two months ago. 

            “Yes, I wanted to talk to you about the vampire. She can’t stay here, Ethan. It’s too dangerous for us and we should send her away while she’s still unconscious. It’d be better for her too, to go westwards,” said Alpha Eldridge sternly as he stared out of the window. 

            I couldn’t see his face but the concern in his voice was evident and I knew that it had something to do with the recent events in the news. Even though the official news outlets had tried to downplay the violent clashes between vampires, humans and werewolves as isolated events fueled by alcohol, the frequency of such clashes appearing on the news planted seeds of doubts in everyone’s minds. The videos circulating on social media also didn’t help and I knew before long, things would get out of hand and the last thing we needed was a vampire in our own pack. 

            How dare you think that, you fool! That vampire is our mate! The growl of my wolf gave me a headache and I tried to ignore him as I answered my Alpha. “She has woken up, Alpha, and she doesn’t look very well. I don’t think it’s the honorable thing to do, to kick a man when he’s down, let alone a helpless female vampire.” 

            My Alpha turned to me and his eyes darkened. I shifted uncomfortably and dropped my head as a sign of submission. It was bold of me to question my Alpha’s decision and I wished that I was better with words. Luckily for me, Alpha Eldridge was like a father to me, having watched me grow up from a little pup and taking me in after the death of my parents. His aura calmed down and though his tone was harsh, it wasn’t unkind. 

            “You’re the Gamma of the pack now, Ethan. Watch your words and don’t be so blunt. Think before you speak, boy,” he warned. I nodded sheepishly as my Alpha continued. “The Representatives of the Union just passed a law this morning requiring all vampires to register with their State’s Supernatural Office. Any vampires refusing to do so would be deemed as an enemy of the Union and all registered vampires will receive official papers which they’d have to present during checks, including when they want to cross state borders. We’re a small pack, Ethan. We can’t afford to be involved in this upcoming storm and it’s better for that girl anyway to go to the West. The political climate there is better for vampires, especially for one like her. I don’t know who she is or what happened to her, but she’s different.” 

            I frowned and looked at my Alpha inquisitively, and his next question finally helped me to put my finger on what had been bothering me for the past two months. “Have you ever seen a vampire that looks like her? A vampire who isn’t deathly pale? A vampire with blonde hair instead of pitch black hair?”

            I don’t care if mate has four arms and five legs! Who cares if she looks different?! She’s ours!! 

            My wolf’s protests were giving me a serious headache now but I knew better than to challenge the decision of my Alpha. His heart was in the right place, if I looked at things from our pack’s perspective but in the grand scheme of things, I couldn’t help but disagree with his reasoning. Protecting our pack and respecting the right of other supernatural beings to be treated equally shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, even if the supernatural being in question was a vampire. 

            “I know what you’re thinking, Ethan but the world is complicated and not everything is black and white. She needs to go, and as we have always done in the past, we will guarantee safe passage to those in need. I want you to escort the vampire to the Tahoe Coven. They’re famed for helping vampires integrate into our world and starting a new life. You will leave at dusk tonight and travel via Canada to avoid the interstate border checks. Bring a few warriors with you, just in case, and let Betti go with you. It’d be more convenient to have a female companion along the way for the vampire, especially if she isn’t well.” 

            Despite my misgivings about not taking a stand against the curtailment of the rights of vampires, part of me knew that my Alpha was right. The Northern States had always been prone to vampire attacks, especially during the long winter nights and it’d be naive to assume that werewolf packs in our State would take kindly to having a vampire among us, especially in light of the recent events. 

            Fine! Then we stay with mate at the Tahoe Coven! I can live with that. I rolled my eyes in my mind at my naive wolf after excusing myself from my Alpha’s office to make the arrangements for tonight’s journey. 

            Ever since the fishermen in our pack had brought back this vampire, my wolf had been behaving like a love-sick puppy and I couldn’t blame him. She was exquisite and when she finally opened her eyes this afternoon, I allowed myself to get lost in the depths of those dark blue eyes for a few seconds. Her skin was soft and warm, and those plum red lips looked so delicious that I couldn’t stop wondering what they would taste like. It didn’t help that my wolf was egging me on the entire time and only when Betts came into the room, did I regain control of myself. 

            No, no, no! We don’t need self-control! We need mate! 

            Shut it, Gower! Betts is our mate! Don’t you want a wolf for yourself? Well, guess what? Vampires don’t have a wolf. 

            I don’t need a wolf to love! I need mate! The one that the Goddess herself made for us! And don’t you dare talk to me like I’m five! 

            I will talk to you like you’re three if you keep this charade up! Our Goddess didn’t create vampires, in case you didn’t already know that. I don’t know what sorcery this is but that vampire cannot be our mate! So stop thinking about her!

            Okay, I’ll stop thinking about her when you do.

            The annoying snickering of my wolf wore down the last bit of patience that I had and I threw up a block so that I could prepare for our journey in peace. I gathered seven warriors and briefed them on our mission for the next few days. It was going to be a long drive since we had to take the longer route via Canada, not to mention travelling during daylight hours would be tricky due to the vampire. 

            “We have one SUV with tinted windows,” suggested Dillon, one of the warriors that I had selected for the mission.

            “And I’m sure the windshield is tinted too,” smirked Corin, Dillon’s older brother. 

            “We could transport her in a coffin? Isn’t that how vampires are transported?” Dillon’s suggestion was outrageous enough to completely break down the block that I had put up between my wolf and myself. Before I could rein him in, Gower growled out his warning to Dillon. Everyone bowed their heads in submission and I cursed at Gower silently for his impulsiveness. I despised werewolves who resorted to using their rank to lead and command respect, and right now, my love-sick puppy was turning me into exactly the kind of werewolf that I despised. 

            I cleared my throat and broke the silence as naturally as I could. “Sorry, Gower is a little on edge today. The mission isn’t going to be easy and we need to keep a low profile while travelling. If we get caught by any of the Union’s bureaucrats, they could charge us with breaking the new laws passed this morning. The last thing we need is to be accused of harboring vampires who refuse to register with the Supernatural Office and helping them to evade interstate border checks. We’ll travel only at night for the safety of our passenger. Corin, you’re in charge of planning the route. Dillon, you’re in charge of supplies. I’m going to inform our passenger and Betts of our plans now. We’ll meet at 9pm sharp at the garage.”