Vamp, Wolf, or Shifter 2: The Prophecy

Where My Luna Leads, I Follow

Marie’s POV

They asked me to join them, of course.

I’ve become something of a second-in-command to Quinn over the years. It’s funny, really, given how much I used to hate her—still hate her, in some ways, though I know that those ways are by no real fault of her own. Can you help being gorgeous, powerful, and adored by all the men around you? If you could, I’d probably do a bit more of it.

In spite of my obvious jealousy regarding my unrequited true mate’s deep-rooted feelings for her, I care very deeply for Quinn as my Luna, my guardian, and my friend. She’s an incredible woman, full of love and a desperate desire to protect the people around her. It didn’t take long after the Luna ceremony for me to notice that Dean was so busy focusing on the safety of his pack, he couldn’t devote enough attention to the safety of his own wife. So I volunteered, and they both accepted.

Until now, it was mostly just a theoretical job. I kept my eyes and ears out, I escorted her to any non-public places she needed to go to, and I did a little digging into the movements of enemies like Alaina Hayworth and the Jax Pack.

Apparently not enough digging, though. Props to Finn on that one.

I don’t want to join them. I don’t want to go back to the Estate—formerly known as the Roswell Estate. I didn’t spend all that much time there when Cooper and I were together, because Cooper and I weren’t together for very long, but I still hate the thought of going back there.

We may not have been together long—may not have kissed that many times—may never even have taken things to the next level, thanks to his lack of interest—but it was long enough to hurt.

And now I’m going back.

I couldn’t say no, obviously. Where my Luna leads, I follow. Not to mention, my Alpha is also going there.

You’d better believe I put some thought into my outfit, though.

Not that there was time for much. We agreed to meet at the parking lot in fifteen minutes, which gave me exactly enough time to fish out a push-up bra, a tiny, black leather top that I vaguely recall Cooper gawking at a time or two back in the day, and a pair of tight jeans. I pull my long, dark hair into a high ponytail, knowing it’s the best I can do without having time to brush it, and run a mascara brush over my lashes before my timer goes off.

I glance heavily in the mirror, fearing the worst.

It isn’t the worst. Already, I’ve put more into my appearance than I previously had in years. Still, I look so different from the girl he knew back then—the one who always had a full face of makeup, glossy, perfectly styled hair, and a killer outfit. I was curvier then, too; I've been training much more heavily since I got my pseudo-Beta position with Quinn, and it morphed me from my Marilyn Monroe curves to... well, I don't know, Xena: Warrior Princess or something.

I don't look bad, exactly. I just look sort of sad.

Which, I guess, is what happens when a wolf goes without her true mate for long enough.

Technically, I could reject him—or maybe try and convince him to reject me. It would hurt quite a bit, but I could take it. And then, eventually, I might get a shot at real love—you know, the kind that doesn’t prefer your Luna to you.

I can’t bring myself to do it, though. I’ve lived with this unrequited love for so long, I’m not even sure who I’d be without it.

I’ll pretend, I decide as I march to the parking lot. I’ll pretend I rejected him on my own, without even telling him. I doubt he knows that he technically would have to accept my rejection for it to work properly. He’s a vamp; he never needed to learn our ways.

Dean offered to take all of us in his Jeep, but it would have been a tight squeeze, and anyway, I prefer to ride ahead on the off chance there’s trouble at the Estate. So I head for my Audi while Dean, Quinn, Finn, and Maddy head to the Jeep.

Jason, I notice, follows me.

Jason and I aren’t even close to an item, but we have been known to hook up on more than one (usually drunken) occasion. Unlike some of the dogs in the pack, he was decent enough not to sleep with me before I turned seventeen (the paranormal age of maturity), which was good since he’s seven or eight years older than me.

Jason is a handsome wolf—not as handsome as Dean, but certainly not hard on the eyes. I’ve known him a long time, and I know that he’s a good guy, even if he’s got a bit of a “spare” complex (think Prince Harry) regarding his two-steps-from-the-top position in the pack. Still, he’s a catch, he’s decent in bed, and he’s single.

Would he be my second-chance mate if I found a way to reject Cooper?

I shake that absurd thought away as I start up my Audi and pull onto the main road.

“You look good,” he says as we drive. “Different.”

Like I said, I haven’t put effort into my appearance in a long time. Before Cooper and I became an item, I dealt with my feelings for him by trying to seduce everyone around me—including Dean. Back then, I always looked like a million bucks. After things fell apart with Cooper, I lost the ability to care. I still drowned my sorrows in alcohol and lonely men from time to time, but I didn’t do anything to impress them ahead of time.

“Thanks,” I say shortly.

“You gonna be okay?” he asks me. “Seeing him again, I mean.”

I stiffen. Jason and I don’t talk about our feelings—never have. Of course, he knows about my feelings for Cooper; everyone in the pack knows. But that doesn’t mean I want to talk about them.

“Sorry,” he says, seeming to sense my discomfort. “Just… know that I’m here for you.”

That’s weird. He sounds almost… tender. Since when was Jason so concerned about my well-being? Since when did he want anything more from me than a good lay?

I push these questions away as I turn onto the road the Estate lives on. My heart starts to wrench in pain, and by the time the Estate comes into view, it’s in knots.

This is it. I’m finally going to see him again. After two and a half years of complete and utter avoidance—to the point where I Instacart my groceries to the compound and refuse to go into town unless absolutely necessary—I’m finally going to see him.

I hate that I’m excited. I really do.

My car is ahead of Dean’s, which means I’m greeted with the task of speaking to the vamp who’s standing guard at the front gate.

I know that vamp. His name’s Clive. We used to play Super Smash Bros together at the Estate.

“Marie,” he greets in surprise when I roll down my window. “Good to see you! What are you doing here?”

I glance self-consciously at Jason, who looks surprised that this guy remembers me. I didn’t exactly spend enough time here to become a regular, after all. “Couple of us from the Pewter Pack came to speak with Cooper.”

“Right.” Clive frowns, glancing past me to Jason, then back at the Jeep behind me. “Did you call ahead?”

“No, but he’ll want to see us. Tell him it’s important.”

Clive hesitates, then pulls out his cell phone to make a call. He takes a few steps away from my car, but I’m still able to make out what he’s saying: “Sorry, boss, but I wasn’t sure what you’d want here. Some wolves from the Pewter Pack are here at the gate.” Pause. “Yeah—they’re in the second car.” Pause. He glances back at me. “Yeah—she’s the one I’m talking to.”

It must be Cooper on the phone. He’s the only one who would ask about me.

There’s a long pause—long enough that I start to question whether Cooper will even allow me onto his property.

I swear to the Moon God, I’ll kick his ass if he doesn’t.

Finally, Clive nods to me, says goodbye to his boss, hangs up, and buzzes us in.

“Good to see you, Marie,” he says as I put my car in gear.

I give him a forced, uncomfortable smile as I pull forward.

A couple of vamps pop out of the front door as we park in front of the house, but not Cooper. I recognize one or two of them from the time I spent here with Cooper, and a few more from the fight against Aidan and Alaina, but not many. The coven has gotten bigger, I can tell—not because they’ve been turning humans into vamps, but because word has spread that they’re a refugee coven who will accept outsiders. They watch us warily as we step out of our cars and head for the front door, but ultimately they let us inside.

And there he is. Cooper Roswell. My highly unfortunate true mate.

I wish I could say the years haven’t been kind to him, but that would be silly, given that vamps don’t age. No, sadly Cooper looks as handsome as ever—piercing blue eyes; short, dark hair that’s always impeccably cropped; sharp, handsome features and tight, swoon-inducing muscles.

If I’m not mistaken, he’s sizing me up in a very similar way.

Why is he looking at me and not his beloved Quinn?

Before I can gauge the answer to my question, or what he even makes of my appearance, I catch his gaze wander left of me—to Jason.

Is he… jealous?

He kind of looks jealous.

“Coop,” says Quinn, rescuing me from my insane train of thought as she steps over to him for an awkward hug. (I shouldn’t be glad it looks awkward, but I am.) “Thanks for letting us in.”

“Of course.” He smiles one of those devastating, easy smiles of his. “You’re always welcome here—you know that.”

Is it just me, or did his gaze trail back to me when he said that?

“What we came to discuss… It’s serious, Coop. And it’s time-sensitive. Should we go somewhere private, or…?”

She’s worried about the half-dozen or so vamps that are scattered about the foyer, I can tell. She doesn't know any of them; the only vamps in the Refugee Coven she knows are Max and Cooper.

Max, of course, still hates us for what happened to Julia.

“I trust everyone here,” Cooper assures her. “That being said, it would probably be hospitable of me to offer you a place to sit.”

I hate that he’s funny. I hate that he’s handsome and funny and nice and…

Ugh.

I try to push back my thoughts as we follow him into the disgustingly lavish living room. I then try to push back the memories that flood through me as I eye the big, sectional couch on which we attempted to watch Warm Bodies and instead made out almost the entire time. Thankfully, he seats us at the round table, instead.

Quinn and Dean don’t wait a moment longer. They launch immediately into the saga of the news Finn brought them, and Cooper listens with rapt and concerned attention.

Only… he doesn’t just listen. He keeps looking at me.

Why does he keep looking at me?

When they’re finished, he pauses for a moment, as if taking it all in.

“Well?” Dean asks impatiently. He never was very polite to Cooper. Typical jealous Alpha. “Will you help us, or not?”

Cooper doesn’t so much as acknowledge that Dean said a word. Instead, he brings his gaze to mine again.

What do I have to do with any of this?

“Marie,” he says. “Can we have a moment alone?”

Guess I’m about to find out.