6. Sacrifices

ARIA

I stood by the door while waiting on Jax and Kai.

"It was like slenderman, but more slender!" I hear Jax exclaims, his voice running through the hallway.

Remembering the look on Jax’s face when Kai was sucking the daylight out of me, his eyes sent a sting inside me. Like something was dying within me without knowing what it was.

The door slowly creaks open making me dash towards the bed and threw myself on the soft mattress, loads of dust flew in the air after I jumped on the bed.

"Doesn't Kai sleep here?"

"Who told you to play with my bed?" Kai’s voice strikes my ear, I quickly turn my back and met his eyes.

"No one, you already let me sit here awhile ago, so I assumed that I can lay here too?"

"Get out, I need to check on something." Kai walks passed me, and the cold trail hits my face. I could only sigh in frustration when I remember who puts Kai into a bad mood.

I stomped out of the room with a heavy feeling lingering inside me. Walking through the hallway, I can feel someone's gaze. I rolled my eyes and stopped in my tracks.

"Why'd you have to do that?" I turned around and saw Jax already standing behind me like the creep he was.

"Do what?" He asks innocently.

I believe that Jax is a vampire because I can already see the evidence that he is. But Jax? I can't picture him as a fierce wolf. Maybe a hairy dog, for sure.

"Kai and I decided to bring you back to your body since he is still healing from what you did, conclude that he is weak as dough."

I released a small laugh. "He needs healing for what? I'm human, my punches won't do anything to him."

Jax's eyes only remain on me. I stopped laughing because his serious gaze made me uncomfortable in return. "Yeah, that's why he's a weak-ass vampire." He mumbles quietly.

Since he is starting to act weird, I slowly walked back while he is still spacing out. Weird right?

"Aria, don't move."

My decision to sneak out vanished, looking straight into his eyes it seems like he is staring at something or someone. Jax looks terrified because of something standing behind me.

"Stop playing with me," I said, but doesn't have the guts to turn around.

"Walk," Jax instructs, he slowly lifts his hands with his eyes still locked on what's behind me.

"Why would I?" If I knew that Jax was dead serious I would've followed him.

The next thing I knew was, Jax, pulled me hard enough to make me stumble across the ground hard. I groaned in pain as I hit my head on a huge pot in the middle of the hallway. Sounds of grunts and growls came from the other side of the hallway.

Did Jax throw me on the other side of the hallway? I wondered.

Cupping my arms, I slowly stood up to walk over and check Jax.

"Jax?!"

Since the end of the hallway was dark it was hard for me to figure out what was happening. I continued limping until I reached where was Kai’s bedroom, which is unusually open.

"Kai!" I called out for him but no answer.

"Yes?" Kai suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway with a nonchalant expression on his face like nothing happened.

"Have you seen Jax?" I tilt my head.

Kai nods his head. "He's downstairs covering the broken wall."

I quickly dashed downstairs leaving Kai wondering what was happening. There's no way that nothing happened. Why would Jax throw me that far?

"Jax! Do you think this is funny?" My anger boils when I saw him calmly covering the wall, especially when he turned his head as if he did nothing. "What was that all about?" I asked as if I am crazy.

He jerked his shoulders in annoyance. "Why are you shouting like a mad woman?"

After finally covering the whole wall he places down the tools and walks passed me like nothing recently happened. I knew he was playing with me, he always does.

"Let's get you back to your body." Kai walked down the stairs in a fancy suit and his hair brushed up like a gentleman.

"You're attending Aria’s funeral not some fancy party," Jax commented in a sour tone, his irrelevance is getting deep through my nerves.

"What will happen if I'm back alive?" My voice sounded hopeful to get my old life back, being at the flower shop without the memory of Jax entering and meeting Kai would be fantastic.

"No, it doesn't work that way," Kai answered my thoughts, making Jax lift one brow.

"You can read her mind?" His tone sounded defeated but mostly angry.

Kai ignored Jax's question, he walks towards me and slowly wraps his arms around my waist leaving me flustered as he drowns me under his gaze.

He leans in close, now he is facing "Let's get you back to life, love." Kai pulls a small smirk revealing his fangs and left Jax a small wink before we dashed out without being to witness Jax's reaction.

Everything turns slow, the only thing I can see was blurry trees. Kai kept on running with his hands clutched on my side tightly.

───────

JAX

"What happened?" Theochris asks.

I recently got back to the pack, unfortunately, there will be no hunting tonight. Kaizel tricked Aria into his hands again, with that stupid vampire messing things up I would be dethroned in no time.

"I found her first!" I let out a scream, hitting all the things my hands can rest on.

"You found your last chance mate?!"

The excitement splashed across his face made me want to break the bad news to him, but knowing that he'll be hearing about what kind of breed my mate is so I'll just wait for the right time to break his heart.

"You're an alpha, what seems to be making you lose over your mate? I mean there's no reason for you to lose, right?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Even my wolf was quiet after that encounter with the shadow.

FLASHBACK

"Aria, don't move," I instructed her, her expression quickly changed from curiosity to relief. She's relieved, because?! If she turns around she'll probably lose all that cool.

The tall shadow that was standing outside was now behind Aria and it looks hungry.

I reached for Aria's hands but she still thinks that I am playing with her. My eyes widened when the Shadow's eyes started glowing. Without knowing what to do, I pulled Aria and used my strength to throw her at the end of the hallway. Far enough to buy her some time to run, but will she run?

I felt a strong set of fingers hug my throat. It started lifting me from the ground, choking me as it do so. "K-Kai..." I didn't know why I'd call for him, good thing it came out as a mumble.

I'd rather die than ask for help from that lousy vampire. "What do y-you want with Aria?!" I stutter the whole question out.

"Save." The shadow croaked out which had me confused. Why would it want to save a human? Did I understand that right?

"Kill."

After hearing what it whispers next, my claw immediately appeared and scratched its face, his grip loosened making me able to wiggle out.

Why doesn't Kai help me? It's impossible that he can't hear all this commotion. His ability to hear sucks. I thought as the shadow pins me down hard on the floor

"Save Aria, kill her."

Then, the shadow vanished leaving me confused about its last statement. Save Aria then kill her? Something doesn't add up.

I got up from the floor to break open Kai's room for not helping me, but my wolf stopped me.

"I know what the shadow meant."

I snicker at my wolf's sudden appearance, he was supposed to warn me about what will happen but he suddenly decided to disappear.

"Don't talk to me, where have you been?!"

"I understand your frustration, but it was not my fault. Something is blocking me inside this house, get out of this place so we can discuss what is happening." My wolf urged me to move but I didn't.

"If you have a problem with it, right now, I have a much bigger problem with our mate."

"That's the point. If she goes back to her body we can instantly mark her without Kai knowing. But for now, let's figure out of she's human or a hybrid."

END OF FLASHBACK

Thinking about what Dom said I have second guesses about Aria now. If she's human then she is not capable to be my Luna, but if she's a hybrid then that means I ought to curse myself for bonding with her.

"Theo, I'm in a situation where my destiny is already determined but I am still in denial about what's bound to happen." I sigh while ignoring the look on Theochris's face.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'll either be dethroned or cursed."