CHAPTER THREE

I hadn't won a fight with a vampire before. The last time I fought with a vampire, the result was regrettable for me. 

I remembered how it flung me against the trees and choked me, dangling me in the air effortlessly, and I trembled. 

I recalled feeling pains in my spine, my ribs, and everywhere else for days. The vampire's bites and scratches left scars on my body to this day. 

And it was only one that had inflicted those things on me that day, but, now, I had two vampires plodding over to me with determination. 

I have been avoiding the open arms death offered to me all these years, but now I think it's time to walk into it. 

However, I wasn't one to give up without a fight. I knew there were zero probabilities of me winning, but there was no harm in giving it a try. So, I let them capture me. 

I watched as one of them grabbed my hands and pulled them together behind me, and the other held my throat in a tight grip, digging his claws into the skin there. 

I was choking and pulling away from gravity, but I let him do it. I had my mother's emblem—one of those things that had kept me breathing till this day. It was a totem made to protect me from creatures like this, and I used it when the need arose, just like today. 

The vampire threw himself to the ground, and I pretended to be unconscious, watching them stalk away from me. I made sure their attention was away from me then; I was jerking up and darting in the direction of home. My home, Aurora's home Whatever. 

I increased my pace when I realized the vampires were already hot on my trail with their supernatural speed. 

I was planning to lure them, then I would run home to get Matthew and Jake. And it worked. I wasn't expecting it to, but it did. 

I lured them to a part of the forest with a lot of hiding places; if I hadn't been vigilant when Aurora and I were passing, I wouldn't have noticed it; the place was confusing, and they were four similar bamboo trees. very tall and wide. I hid behind one, and they got confused—they didn't know which one I had run to hide into—and while they searched the other bamboo trees, backing me, I sneaked behind them and ran for the opposite end. 

They didn't see me. They probably hadn't noticed that I wasn't hiding behind any of the trees by the time I got home. 

Of course, I couldn't recall the route back home, but again, bless the Moon Goddess for giving us a fresh and brilliant memory as a werewolf. 

Matthew was the first I saw when I hauled my feet to a stop at the wooden house. 

His face twitched in confusion when he saw my state, and he was approaching me before I made it to him. 

"What happened?"  He demanded, sternly. 

"Aurora, they-they took her…"

I led them to the position I had left Aurora in, with the vampire guy hot on her neck. The vampires that chased me were probably heading back to their Lord, but I was ready to fight them. 

I knew the chances I would knock them down were thin, but my confidence rose when I realized I had Matthew and Jake.

And, when I explained to Matthew who they were, I was expecting him to pull a frightened face, but he looked determined and furious. Really furious.  That alone skyrocketed my confidence. 

Stopping at the spot where I left them, I scooped low to gather my breath. I never knew we had walked that far. I guess I was too distracted with watching out for any attack that I didn't notice. 

However, my heart sank in its depth when we met the scene, which was empty. Like, nobody was ever there. There was no trail of the vampires or of me and Aurora being there, and Matthew and Jake could have easily thought I was lying. 

They actually did. Their gazes were hot on me, burning holes in my face. 

My breath hitched. Did we wait that long that those vampires had time to return and take Aurora away? 

"It was here. I s-swear."  I stuttered.  sweat prickling my face. 

Matthew let out a growl and, in a swift motion, grabbed my throat with full force. 

I didn't see it coming, and even if I had, I wouldn't have sidestepped him. I just put myself on a suspect list for Aurora's disappearance. God, what was I thinking? 

I should have stayed. I should have allowed them to take us both or bruised me and taken her. And if I had appeared to Matthew and Jake with bruises, they'd believe me, not choking me and knocking breath out of my lungs like he is right now. 

I gasped for breath, fighting and clutching at his hand wrapped around my neck for freedom. 

He was so strong. like a fucking Alpha to a pack. Oh, right.  He is a hybrid—half wolf, half vampire. 

"Pl-please-" 

My plea was weak. Dribbled by the choking

Then Jake was approaching us with something in his hand. 

"Matt!"  He called for Matthew's attention, and Matthew was releasing his grip and dropping me to the floor. I tried to catch my breath as I watched Jake hand a familiar red bracelet to Matthew, and his eyes grew wider as he accessed it. 

"The vampires were here. "And they probably took Aura like Freya said."

Matthew's gaze darted to me, and he clutched the bracelet tight in his fist, his knuckles stretching and turning white. 

Matthew got up, and Jake followed right behind him as they headed deeper into the woods. 

I quickly scurried up and followed after them. I tried to catch up with them, but they were too fast. I leaned against a tree and decided to take a rest there as I watched them stop in a place far ahead of me and search the spot with a sniff of their nostrils. 

So much had unfolded this night. I was choked. Twice.  Almost died.  I saw my life flashing before my very eyes.

I touched the spot in my neck when I got strangled and felt liquid on my fingers as I brushed the spot. When I pulled my fingers back to look at what it was, it was blood. 

I took a deep, exhausting breath. Maybe I should return home and rest. NO.  I had to prove my loyalty to Matthew and Jake by joining in the search. 

Matthew was already suspecting that I was a snitch, and I'd be adding to that suspicion by going home to sleep when I knew Aurora's life was in danger somewhere. I needed to clear my name. 

When a shadow loomed over me from behind, I froze. I knew it was the vampires. That scent couldn't have been mistaken. They were back. 

A sharp dagger was pulled gently to my throat, threatening to slit the area if I made any move. So, I didn't. I stayed glued to my spot. Though I was a wolf, if that dagger should cut off my head, it would, and my wolf would be helpless. 

The shadow moved closer as I watched Matthew and Jake cluelessly search the area with determination. 

My mouth opened to let out a yelp when the hand reached out and knocked me hard on my shoulder, and I was blacking out.