Vampire Luna

Nova I could feel my jaw starting to hurt from how hard I was clenching it. I looked at my mother, whose dark black hair, the same color as mine, was tied into a nice braid. She looked at me with sad eyes, but she didn't dare make eye contact for too long.       "Nova! Did you hear me!" I jumped at the pierce in my fathers voice. I met eyes with his dark red ones, that felt like they were trying to burn a hole in me.      Once my fear died down, I rolled my eyes and said "That I'm basically going to be forced into a loveless marriage in order to take the throne, and that you specifically chose Xavier because you think he has what it takes to rule, and you think I don't. So not only do I not really get to rule, but I'm going to spend eternity miserable, and you really couldn't care less."     My father hissed at my sarcasm, "It is not just me wanting to do this on my own Nova. It is a rule set in place for thousands of years, a female is not fit to rule the coven alone. This is the only way to at least make sure our family name stays as royalty."  I saw my father glance at my mother with slight anger. He wasn’t saying it but I could tell that he was thinking about how she gave him me, instead of another son. Once a Vampire King has ruled for 500 years he is to give up the throne to his next of kin. My father was on his 500th year, and it was about to end in 3 months. It was supposed to be my brother Nicolai who would take the throne, but he died tragically three years ago. My father was devastated, not only at the loss of his only son, but because since his 500th year was coming up, he didn’t have time to have another son. So the only way to keep the family name going was for me to accept the throne, but in order to do that I would have to be married. At age 15 I was told I would be the next Vampire Queen, and only had three years to prepare. I was going to be the only next of kin in our coven’s history to not at least be 25, which is when a vampire stops aging. I was also going to be the first in thousands of years to be female, which is why I had to follow that stupid rule, that meant I could not “take the throne” unless I had a King. But it wasn’t even like I would be ruling, everybody knew that the Vampire Queen was only there to please the King and raise their children as babies. I loved my mother, but she only married my father because she was a human who was obsessed with vampires, and wanted to become one, while my father wanted another child, and his current wife had already hit 26 so she couldn’t have another kid. So he divorced his first wife, married my mother. Made her have me, tried many times for another kid, once he realized she couldn’t he just turned her, and felt like Nicolai would be enough. But I guess he was wrong. Instead he was stuck with me, and now here I was, trying everything to not be forced to marry Xavier. “Dad, it’s not the 1600’s anymore, isn’t it time we remove that stupid rule.” I said, and instantly regretted it.  My father slammed his hands on his throne armrests, and stood up, “Get rid of it! So the elders can have not only my head, but the rest of our family. That would mean that anyone who dared say the Constatine family name would be put to death as well. Is that what you want!” His voice practically shook the whole palace. I quickly shook my head, losing all sense of confidence. “No father...I...I’m sorry.” He sat down, as my mother rubbed his back for comfort. He sighed and sat up straight in his chair. “Xavier is set to be here in three hours. Get one of the maids and go get ready. I want you to look good tonight. Exactly like a Vampire Queen should look.” He turned to my mother, “Raven, make sure of this before she leaves her room.” I knew the only reason he said that to her was to make sure I listened. If I knew that my mother would also get in trouble if I didn’t listen, I would do anything he asked. Even Though she only had me to please my father, I knew my mother loved me with every fiber in her bones. Vampires didn’t have hearts beating, but my mother made me question that.  I nodded at my parents, and turned around out the door, up the stairs to the fourth floor, and into my room. I threw myself on my bed, and screamed into my pillow. A few moments later I heard a knock at the door.  “Nova? It’s Gale, can I come in?” I heard a soft voice say from behind the door. I lifted my head from my pillow, “Yes you can.” I saw the door c***k open and in walked a pale faced red head, with freckles, and soft green eyes. Gale gave me a small pity smile. She most likely heard about the engagement, after all news travels fast around here, and as my chambermaid, Gale usually does everything she can to know about any rumors or gossip going around about me. She doesn’t do it to be nosey, Gale is actually also my best friend. My father doesn’t like the idea of my chambermaid being my best friend, he’d prefer it to be someone with higher standings in our coven, but Gale has become like a sister to me. That’s why she probably knew she had to rush over here as soon as she found out. She saw the tears that were coming out of my eyes, as she ran over to my bed I sat up and she wrapped her arms around me. “Oh Nova, I’m so sorry. I know this isn’t what you wanted.” I leaned into her hug. “It doesn’t even matter. It’s what my father wants and that’s what’s going to happen, because that’s his plan. Can you help me get ready? He’ll be here in a couple hours, and apparently I have to be Vampire Queen ready.  Gale smiled and nodded. “Actually your mom said she had a new gown for you, let me go get it from her. In the meantime, try and clean your face. Just take a deep breath, it’ll be okay.” She gave me one last hug, and left to get the gown. I took her advice and went into my bathroom. I grabbed a face towel, and wet it to clean my face a bit. I took deep breaths. Vampires don’t actually need to really breathe, but sometimes just the action of taking in a deep breath can still calm me down, which Gale knew. Gale came into my room with a huge dress that had black in the middle and red on the sides. The arms were flared at the ends. It was beautiful, it really was. But I just hated the circumstances. She laid the dress on the bed. “Why don’t we start with hair and makeup?” I nodded and sat over at my vanity. Gale got all the makeup, and products that she wanted to use, and started to help me get ready for the marriage announcement that I never wanted.    Jett Connor clasped my shoulders as he stood next to me. He was smiling brightly as Garrett started to list all the activities and food they were ordering for my birthday in two months. I knew Conner was excited to become the new Beta, once I became Alpha, but I knew him well, and I knew he was mostly excited for my birthday party, not my Alpha ceremony which would be one week after the party.  “So it’s gonna be like a buffet right? All sorts of food?” He asked eagerly. Garrett rolled his eyes, “Yeah so far that’s what we’re looking at.” “Dessert table?” Connor questioned. Garrett shook his head, “No we don’t have that.” Connor gasped and took his hands off me to step closer to Garrett. “What! How can we not! It’s Jett’s big day. After all he’s turning 17 the age he can find his mate, AND going to become Alpha after. That’s a big deal.” I couldn’t help but get a little sad. I knew Connor was trying to be spirited, but I couldn’t help but think about how my father was ill. He was ambushed by a group of hunters a couple of days ago, and was very weak. He decided it was time I took over the title as Alpha. He said he realized how he wasn’t the same as he used to be, and thought it would be better for me to take over. He said he knew I could do it, and I’m doing everything I can to prove to him that I can. I had a hunch that I knew exactly who hired those hunters. It was the vampire coven a few miles out. I couldn’t prove it, but I knew that if I could, then that would also prove that they broke the treaty we had in place. It might seem like a bad thing, but ever since I saw a vampire feeding on a helpless human, I knew I was just waiting for the day that I could kill a vampire. My first step was to find a way to prove my theory, so I could make sure that those disgusting vampires pay for what they did. My father may not have died, but he was still recovering in the infirmary, even with Alpha blood he hadn’t healed quickly. He assured me it was only because he knew my time was coming, and his Alpha powers were leaving him, but even if it was the case, those vampires deserved payback.  I wanted to do it even before my Alpha ceremony, because once both a new Alpha, and a new Vampire King was crowned we would have to renew the treaty, which I didn’t want to do. So I want to be able to take them out before they can try and renew, or before the treaty ends, and they come for us.  I knew that the Constantine Coven may have stayed true to our treaty for years, but they were also known for killing off a whole pack that was one state over. They were vicious, if we didn’t get to them first they could get to us, and I wouldn’t let that happen.  All vampires are disgusting, selfish, blinded creatures. Not a single one of them deserved to live. If they even are “living.” Once Connor was done with Garrett, I would tell him about my plan. To get rid of the entire Constantine Coven, every single one of them.  Nova I looked in the mirror. My long black hair was curled. My pale face was covered in foundation, with a little contour to show off my naturally high cheekbones. There was black shadow around my red eyes to make them pop. Red lipstick was put on my full lips. Gale was fixing the ends of my dress, as we heard a voice. “You look beautiful” I turned around to see my mother. She was looking at me smiling. She walked in further as she continued, “You really do look just like a Vampire Queen.” I knew my mother well, and just like Gale, behind her smile she was hurting for me. She knew that this was not what I wanted. Still I smiled at her, “Thank you mother.” “I came to tell you that he’s here sweetheart. Your father wants you and Xavier to meet in your fathers office before you make an appearance. I was sent up here to make sure you’re ready.”  Of course that’s what he wanted. He wanted my mother to see that I was behaving, and that I would act good, right before I met Xavier. It was my duty, I knew that. But I couldn’t help but want to scream. It was all so fast. My mother sensed my hesitation, she placed a hand under my chin, and told me, “Just hold your head up high my little bat. You were born to persevere through anything. This may seem bad now, but I know it’ll get better, and you’ll become the best Vampire Queen this coven has seen.” She gave me a kiss on my forehead, and held out her hand to help me up. I took it and stood up. Gale walked behind my mother and I as we went over to my fathers office. My father stood outside the door with another man who I recognized as Xavier’s dad. My father looked at me and nodded in approval, while Xavier’s dad smiled at me and said, “Princess Nova, it is good to see you. I am so happy to see you becoming my daughter in law.” I  wanted to laugh. Of course he was. He didn’t care about me, he cared that his son was going to become Vampire King. He couldn’t care less that it was me he was marrying.  Still I followed our coven customs, I held out my hand, and he took it and kissed it. I was still higher rank than him, but he also was about to become my father in law, so he didn’t need to bow to me, he still needed to kiss my hand though. I smiled through the pain and said, “Thank you sir, me too.” My father spoke and my attention snapped to him, “Nova, Xavier is waiting for you. There will be a guard outside the door to escort you both to the ballroom to announce your arrivals. Take no more than an hour.” I nodded and bowed my head, “Yes father.”  I saw the smile on his face, and I could tell he was happy I wasn’t being as difficult as before, especially in front of guests.  He opened the door, and as soon as he walked in, he closed it. I looked around the room, and in the right corner by my fathers book case stood Xavier. His raven hair was pulled back into a pompadour. His red eyes were small and looked me up and down. I almost threw up at how hungry he looked at me. “Princess Nova, aren’t you very very easy on the eyes. I wasn’t looking forward to the night after the wedding at first, but after seeing you up close, I truly can’t wait.” Okay, no I did throw up in my mouth.   “Um, excuse me, do you not have, I don’t know, manners.” I said.  He scoffed, “I didn’t think I’d need ‘manners’ to talk to my future wife.” “Um, wife that's going to make you a Vampire King, so I think you should at least watch the way you talk to me.” He walked closer to me, practically towering over me, “Exactly,” he started, “which means, as Vampire Queen you will need to listen to me, and do whatever I need you to.” he placed his hand on my hip and moved it toward my butt as he added, “no matter what.” I jumped back and pushed him. His leg hit the corner of my fathers desk. “Hey don’t touch me!” I yelled. Without hesitation he lunged toward me and pushed me against the wall. “Or what!?” he started to scream, “You’re going to tell your dad? You mean the one who hand picked me? The one who told me that I was allowed to do whatever I wanted with you. The one who said that you have no power over me, and that he will train me to become a powerful Vampire King. Or do you mean the father that said the quicker I bedded you and got you pregnant with a male heir the better. And if you dared produce any female, then we’d kill them, and if after five years you couldn’t give us male heirs, then I could choose another wife as Vampire Queen if I chose. The father who said I had an hour in here with you to get a jump start on trying for a male heir.” I heard his words in my head running. “Did he really say that?” I whispered. Xavier loosened his grip on my abdomen, and laughed. “What do you think?” I thought he was right. I knew my father. I knew how cruel he could be. I knew all the times that he had starved me because I spoke against him, or all the times he hit my mother because he blamed my disobedience on her. My father was truly a monster, and I knew that every word Xavier said was true.  My father would never see me for who I was. Xavier gripped my head and lifted it as he forced a kiss on my lips. I instinctively stomped on his foot, and pushed him as hard as I could. As he fell back on the desk, I saw his eyes narrow at me with anger. I panicked and ran out the door. The guard that was there called out my name. But one thing that many people didn’t really know about me, was that I was the fastest vampire in the coven. The guard and Xavier had no chance to catch up to me. So they didn’t even know where I had gone once I turned a corner, opened a window, and jumped down from the second story ledge. I kept running. I jumped over the castle gates where no one saw me, I ran into the woods as I cried and cried. Finally my vampire instincts were so clouded by my sorrow, that I somehow tripped on branches in the ground. As I hit the floor I sobbed even more.  I cried into my dress, and saw the black eyeshadow was all over my face. Finally I said out loud what I wanted to say all along, but could never, “Please just let me die. I don’t want this anymore. Please!”  Maybe the universe heard my cries, because suddenly I heard a sound, and immediately picked up the smell of a wet dog. I wasn’t alone in the woods.