One

M O N G R E L

🌷

1888

"The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation. When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed."

It was the dark stormy night when black swallowed everything. There was no source of light, except the round golden moon. A gust of wind carried the flavour of smoke and blood across the village. 

It wasn't like any other night for the villagers who lived in between Venetia, the sovereignty of Vampires and Elamite, the tyranny of werewolves. Each empire had their own villages and towns after the treaty of Merlin, it was the most important of the peace treaties that brought war to an end. The Treaty ended the state of war between Vampires and Werewolves. But the conflict between the two states never ended and after a long time it caused bloodshed on the land of Merlin. It was this specific piece of land which does not belong to any community and works as the border between Venetia and Elamite Empires. 

Lamps and lanterns weren't lit as usual but were broken and were hanging around their small houses, while the forest had turned dark after dusk. Under one of the trees, a little new born girl was sleeping peacefully in the beautifully decorated basket.

"You will live, princess." Her mother stated, panic in her voice.

The little girl was now awake and smiling towards her mother with pure innocence. Her mother looked scared as she kept looking behind the tree.

"Goodbye honey, mama love you," her mother said, bending down to meet the little girl's eye, "Remember papa and mama will always love you. Take care, my child." She said as a pool of tears formed in her eyes, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, she left.

After a few moments, the shrill cry of her mother echoed in the forest and the little girl started shedding tears. 

"Do you hear that cry?" A man said to her wife.

"Yes, I heard that. Ronald, we need to hurry up and save the child." Ronald's wife whispered to her husband.

"Of course, Katherine. Maybe the child is there behind that tree. I can sense fear from that particular tree." He pointed towards the tree where the little girl was placed by her mother.

"Let's go!"

Before Ronald and his wife could reach the little girl, there was standing a vampire. Licking his lips, he stalked the girl in front of him with a crazed smile. His bright red eyes shone with excitement while thinking about the fresh prey that laid in front of him now.

"A new born as a piece of treat for a vampire," the man said and he could lunge for her, the sound of snap in the air and a thud on the ground echoed.

Ronald and Katherine stared at each other, one with a scared expression while the other out of curiosity, eyeing the little girl in the basket. When Katherine took one step forward, the little girl started smiling between her crying. 

"She's so cute, Ronald. Isn't she?" She whispered while looking at the newborn. Hearing this, the man cocked his head sidewards.

"She is." He said, his eyes transfixed on her admiring the small beauty in front of him. At the same moment, a black haired man appeared in an armed suit. 

"Alpha, there is no trace of any vampires on our land now, everything is in control. Beta Ion has already headed out to catch up with the hostages," the man reported and Ronald gave a curt nod.

"What about humans? Did anyone survive?" He asked his soldier. He shook her head in disappointment, "Very few, sir. All of them who were living near the Merlin land have been drained out of blood."

"This is what happens when a human trusts a vampire. Breaking the law as they please, killing innocent men and women with no mercy," Ronald said with a cold tone. "If only that idiot of a king had decided sooner it would have saved unnecessary bloodshed and work."

"Weren't the King of humas at our side?" The man asked him.

"Either the king is at our side or not. He's always pleased with the money transferred to him, if it even at the cost of his community's lives. Sargent, get this place cleaned up and bodies buried. And ask beta Ion to meet me once he's done with his current assignment."

"Yes, alpha," Sargent replied with a nod and left.

His eyes then shifted to the little girl, "What are we going to do with her, Ronald?" Katherine asked her husband. Poor thing, she thought, her family was wiped away and there was no human in the surrounding who could claim her.

"I don't know," he answered with a sigh.

Katherine made her way towards the little girl and carried her in her arms. But something caught her eye, it was a wooden box kept hidden under the sheets in which the little girl was covered. "I found this lying with the girl in the basket," she handed the secretive wooden box to her husband. 

She saw him trying to open the box, but heard him murmur, "This isn't opening," and as he scanned it one of his brows raised up, "Did you find anything else in the basket?" He asked. This was no ordinary box, he thought to himself, the content inside it was can be a highly classified information. 

"No, that's all." She said and continued, "Hold her, let me try," she handed the little girl to him and tried to open the box but failed in the end.

"It's alright little one, you're safe," Ronald said looking at the girl. A sob left her lips and she buried herself in Ronald's arms, crying softly.

Katherine felt her eyes pop out in surprise at Alpha's gesture towards the girl. She was his mate and had grown up knowing him, but 

the Alpha of the Elamite empire had never shown such sentiments or gestures towards anyone, even his own pup. 

She always knew that Alpha Ronald Elamite was the form of coconut, hard and tough from outside and very soft, loving from inside. Moreover, it was a human. He always helped humans from the wrath of their king and vampires. On the top of it, he had the audacity to allow humans to live under the canopy of the Elamite empire.

"She'll stay with us from now on," Ronald decided, making Katherine snap her head towards him. "Once we know what she is, we can send her to a respective household."

"I guess so," Katherine replied. "And there will be no harm to her in Elamite." If they leave her in the forest, she might get killed by some vampire.

"What will be her name?" Ronald asked in an authoritative tone with his hard gaze on the little girl.

"You're scaring the poor girl hun asking like that. Smile," Katherine said making Ronald throw a glare towards her. Softening his gaze he tried putting a smile on his face which earned him a snicker from his wife.

"You call that a smile?" Katherine asked him.

"Fine you handle her!" He snapped at her and handed the small smiling girl to his wife.

"Hi baby, I'm your mother Katherine and that was your not so angry father," she introduced with a gentle smile.

"She's not our daughter, Katherine." Ronald said in a very serious tone.

"Yes, she is Ronald. Weren't we responsible for her security?" She said and continued before Ronald could make his point, "No! She's our daughter and you will treat her like she's our own. Okay?" She asked in the luna tone.

"Okay," he answered with a sigh and continued, "You know, you still look cute with that luna tone of yours." He chuckled, earning a glare from his wife.

"What do we call her sweetheart?" Katherine asked in a curious tone.

After a moment, "Arianna Merlin Elamite," Ronald said and walked a little closer to her wife and daughter, "Because, Arianna is an expression of 'holy' , and we found her on the land of Merlin."

"Arianna Merlin Elamite," Katherine repeated her daughter's name, earning a heart warming smile from her husband standing in front of her.