The Vampire Twins' Breeder

Trouble Finds Me

Chapter 14

Aurelia's POV

The sight of the dead wolf made the world tilt. I felt a cold, oily slick of sweat break out across my forehead.

Seeing him lying there, half-human and half-beast, with his throat torn open by vampire fangs, made me feel like I was the one who couldn't breathe.

I took a sharp step back, my heels clicking against the stone. I tried to put distance between myself and the corpse, but the circle of vampires was too tight.

They were watching me. Every single one of them had eyes like glowing eyes all focused on my face.

That's when I realized that I was the one who gasped the loudest.

"You're shaking," Draven said. His voice was right in my ear. I hadn't even heard him move. He leaned in, his eyes narrowing as he studied my expression. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Aurelia. Or maybe just an old friend?"

"I... I don't know him," I whispered. My voice sounded fake even to my own ears. I clutched the front of my robe, my knuckles white. "I've never seen him before. It's just... the blood. It’s a lot of blood."

Draven didn't look convinced. He circled me slowly, like a shark. "Is that right? Because you turned white the second you saw his fur. Usually, humans just scream and faint. You looked guilty."

"I told you, I don't know him!" I snapped, my voice rising in a pitch of nervous energy. I needed them to believe me.

If they found out I was a werewolf, or even that I was connected to the pack that was currently banging on their doors, they would kill me. Or worse, they would hand me back to Kael.

One of the night guard leaders, a tall vampire with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward.

He kicked the dead wolf’s arm with his boot. "This filth didn't come alone. He was scouting the lower city. We caught him trying to slip past the western wall. We hunted him for three miles before he finally went down."

"Did he say anything?" Caelum asked. He was standing a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest.

He looked worried, but his eyes were fixed on the guard, not me.

"He was rambling," the guard leader spat. "Before I ripped his throat out, he kept gasping about a 'runaway.' He said the pack was here to retrieve what was stolen. He said the Silver Fang doesn't leave their property in the hands of leeches."

The word property almost hit me like a physical blow. That was exactly what my father called me. I wasn't just his daughter, I was his property, he'd told me too many times.

A murmur went through the crowd as I kept silent and the vampires started looking at me again, but this time, the curiosity was gone.

It was replaced by looks of suspicion.

"A runaway?" a female vampire shouted from the back of the crowd. She stepped forward, her eyes flashing. "We haven't taken any werewolves. The only new thing in this castle is her." She pointed a long, pale finger at me.

"She’s a human from the town!" another one yelled. "What trouble did you bring us, girl? The wolves have kept their distance for over fifty years. Now they’re at our gates for a servant?"

"Are you really human?" the guard leader asked, stepping into my personal space.

He leaned down, sniffing the air around my neck. I froze, my heart hammering so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.

"You smell... different. Tell the truth, girl. Did you run away from the Silver Fang? Are you the reason my men almost died tonight?"

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like it was full of glass. "I... I'm just a girl. I lived in the human village. I don't know anything about wolves or runaways. Please, I just want to go inside."

"She’s lying!" the woman screamed. "Look at her eyes! She’s terrified because she knows they’re coming for her!"

I felt like I was back in the pit, waiting for the wolves to tear me apart, or rather, the vampires. But just as the guard leader reached out to grab my arm, a hand clamped onto his wrist.

"Back off," Draven growled.

His voice was loud enough that it made the entire courtyard go silent. He didn't look at the crowd.

"She is human," Draven stated, his voice flat and cold. "And she is far too weak to be of any value to a werewolf pack. Look at her. She can barely stand. Do you really think a pack of Alphas would start a war over a girl who faints at the sight of a scratch?"

The guard leader hesitated, looking at Draven’s deadly scowl. He slowly pulled his arm back.

Caelum stepped in then, moving to my side and putting a protective arm around my shoulders.

He pulled me against him, and for once, I didn't try to push him away. I was shaking so hard I needed him to keep me upright.

"My brother is right," Caelum announced, his voice booming across the courtyard. "Aurelia is my breeder. She was found in the mud, abandoned by her own kind and in the forest. She's human. If the wolves are using her as an excuse to break the peace, then that is their mistake, not hers. She is under the protection of the Selum line now."

He looked at the guard leader with a gaze that could have frozen the sun. “You should take accountability and protect this castle rather than blame a poor weak human for a wolf attack. I'm disgusted."

The man bowed and apologized.

Caelum scoffed and turned away. "Burn the body. I want nothing left of this filth by morning. And if I hear anyone accuse my breeder of treason again, I’ll personally show you why my family has ruled this court for a thousand years. Is that understood?"

The vampires bowed their heads quickly. They didn't like it, but they weren't going to argue with both Princes.

"Move!" Caelum commanded.

The crowd parted like a sea and Caelum didn't wait. He practically lifted me off my feet, ushering me toward the main doors of the palace.

Draven followed a few paces behind, his hand on the hilt of his sword, watching the shadows as if he expected another wolf to jump out of the stones.

We didn't stop until we were deep inside the Royal Wing. Caelum led me into a small, private sitting room and sat me down on a plush velvet chair.

He stayed close, his hands on my shoulders.

"You're safe," he whispered, though he looked anything but calm. "Aurelia, look at me. You’re safe."

I couldn't look at him. I just stared at my hands, which were still trembling in my lap.

The image of the dead wolf wouldn't leave my mind. They knew. The pack knew I was here. My father was coming, and he wasn't going to stop until he saw me dead or back in chains.

"I need to go to the wall," Caelum said, turning to Draven. "The scout was just the beginning. If the Silver Fang is moving, they’ll hit the southern gate by midnight."

"Go," Draven said, leaning against the doorframe. He looked at me wickedly. "I'll stay here and take care of our people. And also make sure the 'pet' doesn't wander off again."