Chapter 4: Angel

7 Years Ago

Over the last few years, Jude stayed true to his word. He sent us a burner phone after the first 6 months and kept us informed of what was happening in the pack, and the on-going hunt for us. Over time, the hunting efforts for us waned, but never completely ended.

We were careful, we kept a low profile, but we were happy. Mom continued my education at home, using the surrounding words as my classroom. Dad continued my training. Being a Guardian, I was getting stronger more quickly than others my age. At 16, I could defeat my father in training as often as he defeated me.

It was a beautiful spring afternoon when the call that changed my life came in. Mom and I were walking back from the forest, having collected some plants and bulbs that we would use to create salves and tonics my father thought best for helping Alessia grow and strengthen.

Dad came rushing out of the house, a bag slung over his shoulder. “They found us. We have to go, NOW!”

Mom and I dropped everything and shifted. Dad tossed the bag to me. I caught it in my mouth as he shifted and we took off running.

We have lived here long enough to have learned the lines of the pack lands in our surrounding area. My father leads the way as we skirt along those lines and head north, going deeper into the forest. We’ve been running for an hour or more when we hear the howl. They caught our trail.

We push harder, running through streams, swimming through lakes as we find them, or ducking under waterfalls. Anything to slow them down or get them off our trail. It’s well into the night when my mother begins to slow.  My father finds a place for us to stop, tucking us into a cave to rest after checking to make sure it was clear.

“Angel, stay here and guard your mother.” He mind links me. “I’m going to look around and make sure it’s safe.”

It isn’t long before I get a frantic mind link from my father. “Angel, get your mother and run. Run now. We’re in the middle of a nest of vampires! Go!”

I turn to look at my mother and see that my father had opened the mind link to both of us. She’s up and moving at the same time I am.

I sniff the air before leaving the cave, catching a whiff of something sickly sweet. I turn in the opposite direction and begin running, my mother on my heels. We haven’t run more than a mile when I catch the same sweet scent again, but much closer. I stop, trying to figure out what direction it’s coming from before turning and running off in a different direction.

We haven’t gone far when I smell it again, stronger. I hear my mother whimper behind me. She’s caught the scent now too. I turn around in a circle trying to find an area where the scent is weak. When I find it, I begin running, my mother trusting my enhanced Guardian senses.

I stop once again when I realize we’re surrounded. I don’t know how many there are, but they are faster than we are and have us trapped. I stand in front of my mother as I see a vampire walk out from behind some trees.

“Well, well, well.” He says casually walking towards us. I give him a threatening growl, and he stops. “What do we have here? You must be related to the other mutt we found.”

I watch horrified as two other vampires drag my bloodied and beaten father into the clearing and toss him on the ground at their feet. He has shifted back to his human form. I can hear his heart rate, so I know he’s alive, but only barely. My mother makes a move to go to him, but I cut her off. “Mom, don’t move.” I mind link her.

The vampire looks at my mother then back at me. “So, one of you is the mutt’s mate, and the other is…” He drags out the words as if I am going to answer him. He looks over the body of my wolf. “Let’s assume pup.”

“It’s too bad we don’t like the filthy taste of your blood. I do so love them young.” The lead vampire says.

”Kill them.”

In a split second, my father’s head is ripped from his body. The moment of shock is all it takes for another to stand in front of my mother, his hands gripping her wolf’s head, ready to decapitate her as well. I turn, grabbing hold of his arm and ripping it from his body. I see the shock on his face an instant before I swipe my claws across his throat, slicing his head off.

My mother is in shock, her high keening howl ripping at my already raw heart for the loss of her mate. But I don’t have time to hurt. My mother is in no position to fight, having just lost her mate. So, I begin taking down the vampires.

My father has trained me well, but I’ve never fought against vampires. While werewolves are the stronger breed, vampires are much faster. Being a Guardian gives me an advantage and Alessia is tearing through the vampires, ripping off heads and clawing out hearts as fast as she can, but it’s not fast enough.

“WOLF!” The lead vampire yells. I turn to see that he has my mother. She has shifted back, her eyes blank in her grief. I know she won’t survive without my father. Most werewolves can’t survive the death of their mate. But I don’t want her to die at the hands of this leech.

He has my mother standing in front of him, his hand wrapped around her neck. He is looking at me over her shoulder. “Little wolf. If you don’t stop killing my brethren, I will have to kill your mother.”

I snarl at him. He’s already said he is going to kill all of us anyway, so I may as well take out as many as I can on the way.

He gives me a vicious smile. “You’re right, I am going to kill her anyway. But,” He holds up a hand to me as I start to bunch my legs, ready to attack him. “If you stop attacking my brothers, I won’t give her to Lennix here.” He points to one of the other vampires that is slowly surrounding me.

“Lennix has a bit of a deviant nature. While most of us prefer to fuck our food while we’re eating, he doesn’t seem to care where he puts his dick, as long as they are screaming in pain while he’s using them.” My stomach turns and I have to fight the urge to vomit. “Sometimes if they aren’t loud enough, he finds ways to hurt them so he can enjoy himself more.” The vampire Lennix is licking his lips, looking at my mother lasciviously.

The leader rubs his nose against my mother’s ear. “You wouldn’t want to watch as he makes this sweet little female here scream in pain, begging for death, would you?”

‘Alessia?’ I ask, already knowing the answer.

‘There are too many. I can’t take them all.’

I shift back, knowing it’s my only possible option to save my mother. I watch as her eyes gain some clarity as she sees me shift. She tries to shake her head no, but the vampire’s hold is too strong.

“Good choice.” He says as he rips my mother head from her body. I scream as I watch her body slump to the ground. I crumble to my knees. My parents are dead. I have nothing and no one in this world. I am about to die, alone.

The leader walks slowly toward me. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t kill her. I said I wouldn’t let Lennix have her, and I didn’t. I am a vampire of my word.” He stops in front of me, gently sliding his fingers in my hair before grabbing it roughly and yanking my head up to look at him.

“Now, what are you?” He snarls at me.

I look at him like he’s crazy. He’s just watched me shift from a wolf to a human. He must know I’m a werewolf.

He leans down, sniffing my neck before jerking back, looking at me more closely. He pulls my hand to his face, slicing my finger with his fang. When he tastes my blood, the look on his face makes me sick again. It’s pure ecstasy. “Custos regni.” He says reverently.

He snaps his fingers and one of the vampires bring him handcuffs. He binds my wrists with silver before lifting me to my feet. “You will be a gift to my prince. He will reward me handsomely for bringing you in.”

He binds my ankles in silver, and I’m thrown over the leader’s shoulder. As he walks away, I take one last look at my parents’ lifeless bodies, lying broken on the forest floor.