Red Thread

The air surrounding them seemed to stand still as both looked into each other's eyes in silence. Millions of thoughts crossed their minds, how their mind and body tried to reject the gravitational pull of the mate bond, tugging at their hearts. 

"You knew?" Reed fixed his blue eyes at her dark eyes. The gold swirls darted around.

"I didn't think you knew, either." Yeri did not look away. She took in the sight of him in front of her, the one man whom she waited all her life, one that she did not expect to be of a different species.

"Is this even possible? For a vampire and a wolf to be mated?" Reed turned away, he took a deep breath which strangely burnt his lungs.

"I have no idea. I've never seen such pairing in Norfolk," Yeri poured herself a cup of tea and held the cup with both hands, warming herself up.

"Could it be just a fluke? Like in the heat of a moment... we felt something that wasn't truly there." Reed still tried to deny it, even though his heart wished that there was some truth in destiny.

"I don't think mate bond is something to be taken lightly." Yeri responded, as she stared emptily at the flickering flames in the fire place.

"The question is, do you want to be mated... to a vampire?"

Reed turned to look at her, catching the sight of her shocked expression.

"You seemed to hate our kind, or at least hate me."

"Reed..."

He stood up and took a few steps closer to Yeri. She flinched and stepped backwards, but the kitchen island blocked her path to escape. Trapped between Reed and the island, Yeri casted her glance away but Reed's big hand cupped her cheeks and turned her towards him again. He was standing so close, towering over her. She could make out the little mole on his left cheek, and the deep dimple on his right cheek when he talked... or smiled.

"Tell me, Yeri, do you hate me?" 

She could feel his breath tickling her, his handsome face clenched tight in anticipation. Never had she ever seen such beautiful blue eyes like Reed's.

"No." she mumbled, her breath got caught in her throat as Reed leaned down and sniffed her scent.

"Me neither. Do you like me?" he whispered into her ears, sending shivers down her spine.

"That's a hard question." Yeri snapped.

"It's such an easy question." he clapped back.

"At this stage, I barely know you. I still don't know if I can trust you." Yeri's eyes glistened differently, as if showing her determination to not be swayed by Reed's cassanova's charm.

Reed pulled away and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Fair enough."

Reed walked away, he headed for the armchair next to the bed and threw himself on it.

"I'm exhausted, I'll take a nap."

Reed threw his legs up on the bed, leaning back in his chair and closed his eyes. Yeri quietly sipped on her tea, trying to tidy up her thoughts but to no avail. Few minutes later, she heard Reed's steady breathing. She tiptoed over, watched his handsome sleeping face and grabbed a knitted blanket. She draped it over Reed, as he stirred slightly in his sleep. Yeri smiled to herself as she climbed onto the bed again, buried herself under the blanket and lied there staring at Reed, until she eventually joined him and fell asleep.

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In the other side of the ocean, Morgan jerked awake from her little afternoon nap. She was lying atop some bear skin as her bed, inside the Cave of Lucia. Another young witch was playing with her homemade corn doll next to her.

"Did you have a bad dream sister?" she asked with her cute little voice.

Morgan forced a smile.

"It's nothing." 

"A witch's dream is never just nothing." the girl tidied up her doll and got up to walk towards her.

"Mum taught me that every witch's dream has a secret meaning."

Morgan pondered for a moment, twidling her thumbs as the little girl approached her and offered her a tiny hand.

"Let's talk to mother."

Morgan smiled and took the little girl's hand as she guided her to another chamber of the cave, where Mother Giulia and another younger lady were grounding some herbs.

"Mama." said the little girl as soon as she saw that lady, who returned her greeting with a smile.

"Yes, Lilith?" her warm motherly smile made Morgan smile too, as the Lilith ran towards her mother's embrace. Shauna took her daughter into her arms and gave her a loving squeeze that made the little girl giggled.

"Morgan, you look a little bit pale. Are you okay?" Mother Giulia, the matriach of the witches sensed something was bothering Morgan as she stepped into the chamber.

"I had a dream, Mother Giulia." her breath got stuck in her throat as she recalled the dream, which was still vividly etched in her mind.

"Tell me." Mother Giulia beckoned her over, offering her to sit on the bench next to the cauldron, as she continued to stir her brewing potion.

"It may sound weird but I have been having this repetitive dream recently. It's all about the same... person and the same red thread that I could not seem to severe." Morgan looked perplexed.

"Is it about someone you know?"  Shauna asked while rocking little Lilith on her lap.

"It's more than that." Morgan inhaled deeply before finally spitting out the name, "It's Prince Reed."

Mother Giulia stopped on her tracks as her prying eyes examined Morgan's face, her hazel eyes penetrated any defense she had as if she just peered into her soul. Morgan shivered just a little.

"What about the Prince of Darkness?" Shauna asked again.

"He... we... we were standing atop Mount Verius, hand in hand, and this red thread... it was tying our hands together that I could not let go. As if it wanted us to stay together."

"Is it possible? Is that the mate bond?" Shauna's eyes widened hearing Morgan's words.

"No, a mate bond does not manifest in the form of a binding red thread." Mother Giulia begun stirring her potion in the cauldron again, her face grim.

"Then?"

"Didn't you say that you're half-witch, half-mortal?" she asked Morgan with a serious tone.

"Yes, Mother. I have only ever lived with my father since my mother died when I was young." Morgan replied, seemingly confused with the question.

"Could it be that your father isn't who you think he is?" Mother Giulia's sharp words hit Morgan like lightning. She never had a good relationship with her dad, as if he was repulsed by her presence ever since her mother died. Since then Morgan has been living rough, thankfully she got scholarships throughout her life that allowed her to finish her basic education as a mortal. Her grandmother, however, told her one secret that stayed with her until now - the fact that her mother was a witch.

"I have never been told anything else about my father. He was an ordinary mining worker, working for a mining company for years who barely paid him enough."

"In our world, sometimes the most ordinary job holds the most discreet truth that was obscured for our own protection. Could it be that your father was protecting you?" Shauna asked her with a cautious tone.

Morgan shook her head, "I don't know, but I have always been a human, that I know for sure until the Prince of Darkness showed up and told me otherwise. I would never have known I was a witch if he did not tell me."

"Renophilus Gladstone would not appear in front of any mortal in distress without a good reason." Mother Giulia chimed in.

"If such dream happen again, let me know. Please try to remember the details."

After that, Mother Giulia left the kitchen with her freshly brewed potion while Morgan tried to rack her brain, thinking of the details of her dream. 

Shauna approached her with a cup of warm milk, "Come and have some milk. You will feel better."

"Thanks." she forced a smile as she took the cup from Shauna. Lilith played with her doll next to Morgan, when another young witch entered the kitchen, panic in her eyes.

"Lucy? Are you okay?" Shauna caught Lucy in her arms as her body grew limp.

"The-the forest.... it moved." she stuttered in fear.

"What are you talking about?" Morgan stood up, alarmed by Lucy's statement.

"The trees.... they are usually still but it was dancing but yet there was no wind..." Lucy tried to explain, her voice was full of urgency, "Mother Giulia has to know..."

A split second later, chaos broke out at the front entrance to the Cave of Lucia. Witches screamed and shrieked, they quickly scattered away from the intruders. Morgan grabbed the silver axe next to the pile of firewood in the kitchen.

"Get back!" she shouted as she pulled Lilith up and instructed Shauna to take Lucy and Lilith out through the back door. More witches came running into the chamber, all with terrified looks in their eyes. One of the elder, Kia came rushing, pushing more witches into the safety of the inner chamber.

"Kia!!" Morgan called out, as Kia looked up and gestured her to follow.

"What's happening?"

"Rogues. A horde of rogue vampires made it out of the forest and started attacking our fishermen in the lagoon. Young witches saw the event and ran back to report to us, but one of the rogue killed a little girl and they started a fight."

Kia explained quickly as they sprinted out of the cave, towards the battle zone. Dozens of witches fought against twenty rogue vampires, trying to block their attempt from accessing the cave. Morgan and Kia went into battle mode as they started launching attacks, punches, kicks while dodging the rogues' claws and bites.

"That's the girl!"

One of the rogue pointed at Morgan as she did a tumble to get away from another rogue.

"Get her alive!" one of the rogue leader barked orders at the others and they started focusing their attacks on Morgan. Kia noticed the shift in attack patterns and when she looked over, Morgan was surrounded.

"Morgan!!! Duck!"

As soon as she heard Kia, she ducked and Kia threw a basket full of flour at the rogues, blinding them for a second. Morgan used it to make her escape, although of them managed to scratch her forearm , leaving a large cut.

"They're targetting you! GO! LEAVE NOW!"

Kia shouted as more witches banded together to shield the wounded Morgan and another young witch pulled Morgan away from the battlefield.

"Mother Giulia told me to give you this locket, take this and use the northern passage into the vast clearing, continue to travel north, you'll find a little village and ask for refuge. They'll know what to do."

The girl shoved Morgan into a small nook in the corner as another rogue slipped past the defense in pursuit. 

"GO!"

Morgan did not hesitate, she picked up the pace and ran through the tunnel, until she finally reached a small room with locked bars. She looked for a big stone and smashed it against the lock, cracked it open and dashed out. The dark night sky hung above her, the stars twinkled guiding her steps towards the northern star. She could still hear footsteps in the distance, the rustling of leaves gave her goosebumps as she advanced through the dark forest.

On the other hand, Reed opened his eyes in panic. His icy blue eyes turned into a light shade of grey. His chest rose and fell in a quick pace as his eyes darted around the room. Yeri was sleeping soundly on the bed under the covers, her peaceful face was facing his direction. HIs heart felt a gentle tug whenever he saw her, but then the vision that he had was bothering the heck out of him.

"Morgan."

He whispered her name as her face popped up into his mind, the same one he saw in his dream was being attacked by dozens of rogues, barely escaping the Cave of Lucia and then the vision went dark. He got up from the armchair, tousled his messy hair and went into the kitchen and splashed some water on his face. He glanced at the sleeping Yeri, walked on his tip toe and sneaked out of the cabin. He stepped out, stood under the moonlight and took in a deep breath of the evening air. He felt uneasy after that short dream of Morgan, the girl whom he saved from the rogues at Mt. Verius. His feet brought him to the shed, where Killian and Damon were chatting happily around the mini campfire beside it. They saw Reed coming and greeted him happily.

"Hey man! How are you feeling now?" Killian put his arm over Reed's shoulder.

Reed replied with a little smile and took his place in front of the mini fire.

"You alright, mate?" Damon examined his face, "Something's bothering you?"

"I had a weird dream." Reed spoke, "It was different, it felt almost real... like a vision."

"Can vampires do that?" Killian raised one of his eyebrow.

"I can. My mother was a witch afterall." Reed propped his jaw on his palm as he sat on a rock.

"There was this... weird connection with that girl from Mt. Verius."

"What? Like a mate bond?" Killian asked. Reed shook his head, "Different."

"Speaking of which, have you found your mate?" Damon's question hit Reed in the head.

"Why?"

"Your eyes, they glowed differently for a split second when you were in the cabin, I thought..."

"No. There's no way. " Reed curtly cut him off. "I have not found my mate."

Killian and Damon looked at each other and shrugged.

At that moment, the door of the shed smacked open, Lilo rushed out with Sir Varkey, whose wolf form was already awaken.

"Disturbance at the North Gate."

At Lilo's words, Sir Varkey zoomed past them northbound. Lilo followed on his tail, shifting into her wolf form mid-air.

"Let's go!"

Reed pulled Killian and Damon up and they started running in the same direction as the wolves. They could hear more wolves howling SOS deep within the jungle. Reed sniffed the air and smelled that distint pungent smell of rotten flesh.

"New fledlings." he murmured to himself as he picked up the pace and finally matched Sir Varkey's wolf heading towards the northern side of Norfolk. Sir Varkey growled at some rogues who tried to cross into the Norfolk Lycan territory. A small figure dashed past the shadow, hid itself behind a huge rock under a massive oak tree. The vast clearing in front of them were stained red, as some wolves were fighting rogues who infiltrated through the other side of the woods. Reed took a step forward, revealing himself under the moonlight.

"The Prince is alive!" one of them shouted at the rest, pointing his finger at Reed as sheer horror flashed across their faces.

"Abort."

As soon as they saw Reed among the wolves, the rogues hissed in frustration before retreating back into the shadows and disappeared. Sir Varkey returned into his normal human form, draping loose cloth over his waist, exposing his scarred chiseled torso.

"Looks like the babies still recognised their leader. They were afraid of you." he said to Reed as they descended together, towards the oak tree where the figure hid.

"I'm not sure that's what they mean. They probably thought I was dead from the nightshade poison."

"Well, sorry to ruin their fun, you're alive and well." he put a hand on Reed's shoulder, his warm spread through his cold body. Reed smiled faintly.

"Sir Varkey, we found a girl in the drop hole." Rocco came to inform them. As they walked closer, Reed could make out a figure of a girl inside the drop hole.

"Morgan." he called out to her, all the wolves around them looked at him in suspicion.

Morgan crawled out of the hole, her face covered in dirt, her arm was still bleeding, she tore a piece of her own shirt to make a bandage which was soaked in blood. Reed twitched a little at the metallic scent of her blood, as his stomach started to grumble. Killian and Damon joined them not long after, both of them hissed as they could smell the distinct stench of human blood.

"Reed..."

"Morgan, what the hell are you doing here?"

Reed tried to ignore his urge to feed, as he reached out to her and pulled her limp body from the hole.

"Did you run all the way here?" he noticed brusies and cuts all over her body.

"Yes, I had to. They were attacking the witches' cavern." she replied with a shaky voice. Her body trembled as Reed's cold hand touched hers. Rocco stepped forward and draped his large shirt over her shivering body.

"Sorry, Reed. I think she's gonna need some heat." Rocco pulled her into an embrace, transferring his wolf body heat, calming her a little. Reed pulled her wounded arm towards him and took a deep breath.

"Rogues. I could smell their trace on your wound."

"How did you know?" Morgan looked at him in awe.

"I am the Prince for a reason, you know. " Reed chuckled slightly, "I was born different."

"We need to take her to the oracle, I think that wound is infected and she is currently in shock." Rocco examined her wounds and realised that she was burning up. "I think she's gone septic."

"To the chief, quickly."

Rocco lifted Morgan easily and dashed through the forest back towards the chief's house, while everyone else moved in packs back to Sir Varkey's house. The commotion woke Yeri, and for a moment she was furious the fact that everyone left her there, unguarded in such a vulnerable state. She was standing at the doorway, watching the shadows moving in the forest, until the shadows turned into their friends.

"Sister! You're awake?" Lilo was the first to notice Yeri, followed by the rest of them.

"For a while now, wondering have you guys gone to." she sulked.

"Sorry, completely forgot you're wounded. We should've had someone looking after you." Lilo looked apologetic as she peered at Yeri's bandaged shoulder.

"We did put someone in charge, but he left with us." Sir Varkey gave Reed a playful side-eye glance, while Reed rolled his eyes, avoiding Yeri's gaze.

"C'mon, she's a grown woman, a warrior. She doesn't need me." Reed looked away, as Yeri's stare bore a hole thru his back.

"What a responsible gentleman you are." Yeri replied. 'mate bond my ass' she thought in her mind.

"What was that all about?" she asked, as they filed into the cabin for warmth.

"A human, chased by rogues. Not just any human, she was a half-breed, a witch." Lilo summarised the event of the night while Killian started a pot of water to make everyone some herbal tea.

"Reed knew the girl." Damon chirped in, all eyes on Reed as he stood silently next to the window.

"I had a vision of her attack. Didn't think she would end up here." he confessed.

"I had this strangely vivid dream of her being attacked, it happened at the Cave of Lucia and we once saved her from the rogues before. We sent her there after we learnt of her identity."

"Half-human, half-witch?" Yeri spoke, Reed nodded.

"It felt different from any visions or dreams I had before, this felt really connected. Like a thread..."

"Your mate?" Damon asked. Reed shook his head, "No, something even closer. I did not feel it before, but after she learned to use her magical skill, witchcraft, the connection started and it got stronger."

"Is it possible that you could have two... mated pairs?" Killian threw the question out there.

Yeri felt a little pang in her chest, she has not accepted, nor rejected Reed's mate bond. She was not sure of her own feelings towards Reed, and the possibly of cross-species mating. She was also not sure if anyone else realised that she was Reed's mate.

"IF so, who would you choose?" again, Killian broke the silence.

Reed bit his lip, his eyes wandered towards Yeri, trying to read her glum expression.

"I don't know, but I will find out."

Soon after finishing his sentence, Reed took off running into the night, towards the chief's house to check on Morgan, while Lilo followed him closely. Yeri watched until Reed disappeared from sight before turning around and closing her eyes.