The Chief's Daughter

Two days since the attack, the three vampires were still living in Norfolk, disguised as one of the lycans. There was circulating rumours on the whereabouts of the Prince, the heir to the Vampire Kingdom and his mortality. Chief Han has been making discreet communication with the shadows, informing the king of his son's condition. The nightshade poison used by the rogues was almost lethal to Reed, but with Yeri and Lilo's quick action, he avoided his impending death. Nightshade plant was hard to find, and most of them were grown up in the hills, near the werewolves' territory. Any rogues who dared to venture out there had to be on high alert, as any lycans on patrol would have sniffed them. It was curious as to how the rogues obtained the poisonous plant in the first place, whether they received help from other creatures of the woods.

Count Gladstone was furious when he heard that his only son was targetted in the latest attack. He sent Abley to monitor the movement of the rogues and find out who was leading this guerilla movement against his kingdom. Similarly, Elder Montaigne was highly anxious as Killian was involved in Reed's disappearance. Killian was the eldest son in the Van Grievsen family and was expected to take over his father's position as the king's advisor, along with Reed's coronation. Damon's family held less prestigious title compared to his comrades, they were business owners in the shopping district of Allegra. However, they had a really important job of supplying blood and other consumables to the vampires living in Allegra, therefore they held to key to the livelihood of the vampires.

Meanwhile in Norfolk, Killian and Damon were taught how to farm by the villagers, so that the scent of the earth and manure masked their vampire's scent. The Oracle applied special ointment on their skins to allow them to work under the sun, making them temporary Daywalkers. For them who grew up in privileged families, manual labour was not their forte but they were quick learners and with their vampire strength, they easily kept up with the wolves. It was really intriguing to see vampires, the night children, working in the daylight along with the moon children. Killian and Damon had never really felt the warmth of the sun on their skin without burning them, thus they secretly enjoyed this experience. For the first time in their lives, they were able to do whatever they wanted without the restriction of time.

Some townfolk still gave them the eye, as they could still smell them in town. Other she-wolves were showing interest, as they had never frolicked outside of their own territory, so meeting a vampire would be a rare opportunity. Besides, nobody in the lycan tribe has ever bred with a vampire before, thus they did not even think it was possible for the two opposite clans to fall in love.

Reed stirred in his sleep. He was moved into a spare bedroom once his condition stabilised and the Oracle had given the green light to wake him up. Yeri walked into the bedroom with a glass of pig's blood, placing it on the bedside table and approached the bed. As soon as her hand stretched out to touch him, Reed's eyes opened and his swift reflex caught her hand, twisting her and locking her in martial arts move. Yeri squealed in surprise but her own instinct kicked in and she retaliated. As Reed was not aware of his surroundings yet, he was on self-defense mode and both of them ended up sparring against each other. Yeri tried to calm him down, but the effect of the remedy on Reed was still quite strong, he was agitated.

"Reed! Stop! Reed!"

Yeri shouted while blocking his punches and avoiding hurting him.

"I really don't wanna hurt you!!! Reed!!"

The Oracle and Chief Han were downstairs when they heard the commotion from above and hurriedly climed up the stairs to Reed's bedroom. Furnitures were upturned, feathers scattered on the floor and Reed was attacking Yeri in trance. Yeri was quick on her feet, dodging several of his attacks while judging his fighting skill. Chief Han wanted to intervene but the Oracle placed a hand in front of his chest, shook her head to let them fight. 

Yeri got really annoyed at the stubborn Reed who did not want to stop fighting and so she let out a loud growl, elongated her claws and in an instance, pushed him against the wall, her claws clasped him on both shoulder, pressing on his wound that made him groan in pain. With another roar, Reed's eyes returned back to its icy blue colour, the grey cloud that was consuming him dissipated. Both of them were out of breath, locking their eyes against each other and finally, Reed loosened up in Yeri's grips and so Yeri let go of him. Reed slid to the floor, unable to hold himself up.

"You should never put your claws on me again, wolf." Reed scoffed.

"I will do it again in a heartbeat, if you ever tried to attack me again, blood sucker." she retorted.

"Lucky I have no heartbeat." Reed snapped back. Yeri let out a low growl, annoyed.

"You should be thankful that you're still alive." she got up and turned to walk away, only to stop on her tracks once she realised her father and grandmother were there, watching them fight like old lovers.

"Grandma! Dad! What are you guys doing there?" Yeri was startled.

The Oracle held a knowing smile while the Chief looked at them in amusement.

"Looks like you kids are getting along well." Chief Han chuckled, seeing the frustration on Yeri's face.

"No way!" both of them exclaimed at the same time, then looked at each other, stunned before looking away, irritated.

"Now now..." Grandma (the Oracle) stepped in with her warm smile and offered a hand to Reed, to which he surprisingly accepted. He got back to his feet, wincing a little as he felt that weird pain on his shoulder. Reed looked over his right shoulder and found him bandaged.

"Did you..."

Grandma smiled and nodded, "You were dying, if Yeri had not found you in time, the poison would have paralysed you completely and you would be dead in less than an hour."

Yeri huffed, leaning against the door frame, pouting. Her attitude irked Reed, he was not used to having females acting that way. His vampire persona used to charm every female in Allegra, they would be bewitched by his charisma and let him do his bidding, no matter what it was. Strangely enough, Yeri was not affected by this. She was very strong headed and hard to crack. What fascinated Reed about Yeri was the fact that he could not penetrate her mind.

"You're not just a she-wolf, are you?" He scanned her from top to bottom. She clearly was build to fight, her athletic body and agility did not lie. Yeri had an attractive face, a pair of dimples on her cheeks and her black eyes had golden swirls in them. The Han family had asian characteristic, as they descended from the South Korean lycans. They looked distinctively different from the rest of the wolves in Norfolk, who looked more caucasians.

Yeri gave him a side-eye glance.

"Such a pain in the ass." she grunted before leaving them.

"Don't mind her, she would warm up to you in no time." Grandma chuckled, as she picked up some things off the floor and tidied up the room a little.

"I apologise for my poor conduct, thank you for looking after me." Reed remembered his manner and bowed his head with gratitude at the Oracle, who patted his back lovingly.

"Where's Killian and Damon?"

"Oh you would be surprised to see them now." Chief Han gestured for Reed to follow him downstairs. As they descended the stairs, Reed caught glimpses of the photos on the wall. Happy looking family, both parents with two little girls. One with a light brown hair and cheerful smile, the other looking aloof with black hair. It was an easy guess which one was Yeri. 'Ah, that's why she's cold to me, she's the chief's daughter. Tough cookie indeed.' Reed thought to himself.

Chief Han stepped outside, standing with his arms on his hips on the front porch. 

"Don't step out too far, Reed." he warned, as the sun was about to set and the orange sky looked very different from this side of town.

He stood at the threshold, leaning against the door frame, watching Killian and Damon pushing a cart filled with harvested vegetables. Reed's jaw dropped.

"They... do not burn."

Chief Han giggled, "Yes, Reed. They could walk in sunlight."

Reed took a step forward, but the sunray hit the skin of his foot and it sizzled a little. He pulled his foot back in pain, cursing under his breath while Chief Han laughed at his stupid move.

"They used a magical ointment, you on the other hand...."

"Yes, I understand that now." Reed sulked as he retreated back into the shades.

"REED!!!!"

Both Killian and Damon finally saw Reed standing there and both raced towards him. Killian threw an arm and Damon did the same. Both of them almost knocked Reed off his feet on impact.

"We were scared for you!!!"

Reed looked annoyed but at the same time thankful for his friends. 

"How does it feel, being a daywalker?" he sneered at them, inviting their laugh.

"You have no idea how good it is to be able to walk under the sun without being barbequed." Damon made a little twirl, showing how tanned his back became. Both of them looked like a different person, their pale skin turned bronze, a little bit of sun tan marks their shorts. Both took off their shirt, exposing their chiseled chest and abs. A few she-wolves in town were oogling over Killian, while Damon joined the boys in the hockey field. Reed appeared a tad jealous, but his strength has not fully recovered so he was rather home-bound.

"If you feel up to it, you can go and explore the village at night." Chief Han patted Reed's back, "But only if you got a wolf escort."

"Oh please dont tell me..." Reed looked petrified as Chief Han pointed at Yeri at a distance with his chin.

"I trust my daughter with your life, as I promised your father that once they captured the insurgence, you will be allowed to return to Allegra safely." his words were final as he left the boys to help his mother with dinner.

Reed sulked as he plonked himself down on the chair at the porch. Killian and Damon, both looked red and burnt, joined in on either side of Reed.

"That poison, nightshade.. i thought it was just urban legend." Killian spoke in a soft voice, "Someone must have been feeding the rogues with illicit herbs from other place."

"The question is, who would wanna kill the heir to the throne? Do you think the Zenons started this?" Damon chimed in, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

"My Father must be livid, he did not even let us return to Allegra." Reed stared far into the distance, where he could see the setting sun and its orange rays peeking out behind the mountains.

"The Oracle was the only person who could save you, you should stay till you regain your strength back." Damon reassured Reed, placing his hand on Reed's wounded shoulder lightly. Reed shows a sour smile.

"Thanks guys, for sticking by me."

"Anytime, my Prince." Killian grinned at Reed, "If you want to go for an adventure at night tho.... I think I can help us sneak out."

"Get away from that crazy she-wolf? Yes, please sign me up." Reed answered straight up. Damon suppressed his laughter.

"I'll see what I can do." Killian winked playfully before running off into the village.

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It was close to midnight when Killian threw pebbles at Reed's window, waking him up. He was a little groggy from drinking the medicinal drink, mixed in pig's blood. Reed rubbed his eyes lazily and staggered towards the window. He looked down and found Killian, Damon and an strange looking she-wolf waiting for him. Killian gestured for him to jump out of the window and sneak into the woods with them. Regardless of Chief Han's condition, Reed grabbed his white shirt and slipped into it as he leaped off the window sill.

"I was worried I couldn't wake you, the potion Grandma made was strong." Killian giggled as Reed joined the group. "This is Lizzy, she would be our tour guide this evening." Killian sent flirtatious glance at Lizzy who blushed a little.

"Let's be quite until we pass the patrol team." Lizzy led the group, stealthily avoiding the patrol team around the Chief's cabin and off they went into the woods. Half an hour into their journey, Lizzy craned her neck upwards, recognising the scent in the air.

"It's Rocco's patrol team, we gotta find a different route."

"Why? Can't we just sneak past them?" Damon asked.

"No way. Rocco is one of our finest warrior, he specialised in tracking. He would be able to smell you from miles away."

"Then... we're as good as caught now?" 

Reed looked around and suddenly launched himself upwards, climbing one of the highest tree. His shoulder was slightly tender from the exertion, but he was determined to not let his wound slow him down.

"Reed, what are you doing?" Killian hissed as they followed Reed, all of them perched on top two different trees.

"I see an opening near the cliff." he said, pointing towards the ocean on their right. "We may be able to evade them through the cliff."

"It's dangerous." Lizzy cut in, "There's a lot of wolfsbane planted around the cliff to deter wolves from entering our territory." she shivered at the thought of it.

"Wolfsbane?" Reed scrunched up his face in confusion.

"Everyone has a weakness, yours is nightshade, ours is wolfsbane." Lizzy explained.

"Man... why is it so hard just to get to the open water? I am dying for a swim right now." Killian groaned as he dangled on one of the branches.

"How to get Rocco away from the fence line?" asked Reed.

Before Lizzy could respond, she suddenly went rigid as in she was in deep thought. Someone had just talked to her through the wolf mind-link.

"I think someone might be able to help us." Lizzy said as she leaped off the branch she was sitting at and landed on the ground. They continued their way towards the fence line, when they saw a familiar figure talking to Rocco, and then sent his patrol team away. She then waved her hand at Lizzy, inviting them to come closer.

"Lilo!"

Lilo's face lit up as soon as Killian came into view. Lizzy and Damon emerged behind him, followed by Reed who was scanning the terrain out of habit.

"How did you know we're gonna be here?" Killian asked. 

Lilo laughed, "It's easy to guess your movement, especially when you're with a she-wolf." 

Lilo winked at Lizzy, "She's my best friend, she called to me for help."

They trotted down the slope towards the open waters, where a small fishing boat was moored at the jetty.

"It's my father's boat. We'll make sure it's returned to its rightful place by dawn." Lilo smirked as she tugged on the rope gently and gestured for everyone to come aboard. 

"We'll take you to our favourite hangout place. Don't be alarmed when you see a lot of young wolves there." Lilo switched the boat engine on and drove them away from the woods.

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The Irvine Falls stood 30 meters above the sea level, with beautiful scenery overlooking the Irvine Lake. A lot of young werewolves set up tents and camped at the area, threw parties and got drunk. Lilo anchored the boat off to the right side of the lake, where there was a walkway up towards the falls. Teen wolves were practicing their diving tricks from the top of the falls, plunging down into the lake. The atmosphere was lively and full of laughter.

While the trio vampires stood there admiring the scene presented to them, the two she-wolves had undressed themselves down to their underwear, ready to dive.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Lilo tugged on Killian's sleeve lightly before taking Lizzy's hand, jumping off the boat and running up the walkway. Damon and Killian hurriedly follow, chucking their shirts and shoes aside. Reed took his time, as he scanned the neighbouring woods, took a deep breath and tried to register every scent his senses could receive. He smiled to himself, feeling more relaxed to be in nature. Eventually he slipped out of his shirt and shoes, walking barefoot up the hill towards the edge of the waterfall. Some of the younger wolves looked apprehensive towards the vampires, but because Lilo was there, they gradually relaxed and started to welcome them as their own. A few of them started coaching Killian and Damon how to cliff dive, while Lizzy chatted away with some friends.

"Scared?" Lilo suddenly appeared and stood next to Reed, startling him.

"You wish." he flashed his devilish smile, one that attracted many females in the past.

Suddenly they heard commotion coming from the highest peak of the waterfall. As they looked up, a silhouette flew off the edge, did a triple somersault in the air, before straightening her body and did a beautiful dive into the lake as the wolves cheered and roared. Reed was completely mesmerised, he did not even realise that he had been holding his breath since she first took off. Reed rushed to the edge of the falls and gazed down, as she floated back into the surface, whipping her long black hair back from her face. She was exuding such vibrancy that blinded him, in that moment, Reed could not see anyone else around him but her. She swam back ashore and as soon as she stepped on land, Reed saw the dreamcatcher tattoo spanning her back. Reed snapped back into reality. He shook his head, trying to get rid of that fuzzy dizzying feeling that suddenly engulfed him.

"Yeah Yeri!!!!" Lilo shouted her name from the top of the waterfall, right next to where Reed stood. 

Reed froze; that scent.... the strangely familiar yet sickeningly sweet. His chest constricted as soon as he inhaled more of it. Reed looked down again, this time his eyes met Yeri's pair of black eyes.

It hit him. His mate bond was awaken. He was staring into the eyes of his mate - Han Yeri.