-Stefan-I failed again. Ever since I lost Angeline, nothing in my life went right. It was as if I was being punished for everything that I did to Angeline and being the reason for my child to lose his mother. I know that it’s low of me to assume, how I was given another chance through Angelica. But it seemed as though I was just lying to myself. I can’t forget the haunted look in Angelica’s eyes and the sound of her scream when I was about to carry her out of the room. I don’t really know what happened, she had been a fighter and was always on alert and does not fear as death nears. But at that moment, something in her changed. And I wish I knew what it was, I wish I knew how to make her feel better, I wish it was me that she allowed to take care of her. I wish it was me she found comfort with.I wish it was me who is with her now. Taking care of her, comforting her, as I make sure that she has everything she ever needs. Even though I don’t have the right to be that person, I j
-Stefan-I stare worriedly at Angeline’s sleeping body and the haunted look she had when Stefan tried to get her. The last time I saw her like that was when the vampires chased her in the Dark Forest, where she could have died if we had come a minute late. I looked at the cold soup on my bedside table, untouched by her. I guess seeing the way that Rebecca was about to attack her and seeing what happened to Elias when he defended her has triggered something in her that I can’t really explain and yet I seemed to understand.I can still hear the fear in her voice when she screams and asks Stefan to leave her alone. And yet when she chose me to stay with her, I couldn’t help but feel happy because it made me feel important to her and that I mattered. A sigh escaped my lips as my arrogance became clear to me. Who the hell am I kidding?I don’t just feel happy, I feel like I won the fucking lottery. For the first time, I felt like I won against Stefan. I’m not saying this in a bad way a
-Angeline-Where the hell am I?I looked around in the shadows afraid to take a step. Afraid to see what was waiting for me behind the fog. I felt my feet glued to the ground, unable to move. But the truth was, I couldn’t move. Because I was too afraid to see what was waiting for me on the other side of the fog even though I knew that I couldn’t stay there for long.I looked around once again and a memory kicked in. I looked down at myself and found that I was wearing those tattered clothes once again. The clothes that I wore when they threw me here. Here, my head snapped back and I found myself in the same place where I almost died. The place where they left me to die. The Dark Forest.I started to run as I remembered what would happen next with only one thought in my head, I need to find Ethan. Ethan would save me. He would make sure that I was alive. Only Ethan would care enough to be here and find me. Ethan would save me. I run and run even though my feet hurt. I felt sharp
-Ethan-Angeline is finally awake but it feels like she is not here. I watch her in silence as she tries to eat the breakfast in front of her while mindlessly playing with the food on her plate. I can still hear the sound of her scream as she calls for me. The fear in her voice made me shiver. I am glad that she calls for me but at the same time, I never want her to call me that way, with so much fear.If I had a choice I would want her to call me when she’s happy, or when she’s excited to see me, or when she wants no one else but me. But I know that it won’t happen because she made it extra clear that what she wanted is very different from what she needed. “You know that food is supposed to go to your mouth, right?” I asked teasingly, trying to lighten up the mood. Angeline turned her focus and looked at me, eyes sad and tired. She looked away and turned her focus on her plate as she took a bite of bacon slowly chewing as she cut a piece of the scrambled eggs and pancake. It was
-Ethan-“What happened?” Lucas asked when Angeline and Raja were out of the room. “Angeline was tranced,” I replied. “Tranced?” Lucas asked unbelieving. “Is that even possible? Didn’t we have this under alliance that any vampire who places a human or werewolf under trance is subject to…” Lucas trailed off the moment he realized the person we were talking about. “Death,” I finished for him. This is a very big deal because we have maintained a good relationship with the vampires for the longest of times and I’m afraid that if this was not handled smoothly, the alliance would end and we would go on an all-out war. “This is a big deal,” Lucas said as he began pacing. “We can’t go to war with them. Our numbers are way lower than theirs.” I can hear the panic in his voice because I know exactly what he meant. Especially with all of the attacks that we are experiencing with the newborns. Werewolves are born not created with a single bite, unlike vampires. But even that was against our
-Ethan-“This better be worth it,” Kristoff said as he sat on the couch in front of Stefan and me. Unlike Rebecca, Kristoff went in alone, leaving his son, just outside the border to make sure that we know he comes in peace. “Alright, out with it,” Kristoff added as he crossed his leg on top of the other. “We don’t really know how to start,” I admitted, “But I am hoping that you would let us finish before you say anything.” “You’re scaring me with that statement, my dear friend,” Kristoff replied. “But just like you said, I am trusting you as a friend and not as the Alpha I am in alliance with.”“Thank you,” I replied and nodded to Stefan to begin. “Before anything else, I want to thank you for coming in peace with us,” Stefan began, “I just also wanted to ask something, I hope you don’t mind.” “I thought that you would be telling me what happened, why do I have to answer your questions?” Kristoff asked, with an eyebrow up and I knew that he was getting suspicious in the wrong wa
-Stefan-I can’t help but feel envious of the fact that Angelica went to Ethan rather than to me. I am her Alpha, shouldn’t she trust me more than Ethan?But then again, she was placed in a trance and we don’t really know what Rebecca made her see to make her feel like that towards me. I felt so defeated because there was nothing I could do but wait. I know that I should have done this with Angeline while she was alive, and it was a regret that I’ll always carry with me all my life. I know that there is nothing I can do about it. If only I could turn the hands of time I would. But I can’t. No one can.I just hope that meeting Angelica was a sign from the moon goddess and Angeline that they are giving me another chance. Another chance to be a better man for someone that he loves. Love…It is one of the easiest words to say but also one of the hardest words to define. How can you say that you love someone?Is it through the dedication? Service? Loyalty? Words? Looking back I though
-Stefan-Before we walked down the dungeons, Kristoff once again discussed our plan. His son hated his idea but would follow it as long as we tweaked one part of the plan. His son, Sebastian, looks exactly like him except that he is half werewolf and half vampire. Kristoff explained that his son was a miracle that he and his wife didn’t expect to come.He was born a pup who shifted into his human form when he turned one year old. Kristoff said that Sebastian’s growth was fast. That he aged every week, instead of every year, and only stopped aging the moment that he reached what seems to be the age of twenty-six in human form.When I asked about his wife, Kristoff said that she passed after Sebastian looked like a seven-year-old. I was amazed at the way he talks about his wife despite her passing. Every word that came out of his mouth was filled with love and admiration. Even though he was just reminiscing I can say that they had a lot of memories together. I wish I could do the sam
-Stefan-As the war erupted, I made sure I didn’t lose sight of Angeline. I watched how she fought on her own, without using our son’s power.The first wave of newborns came and as much as it pains me to see all the lives that had been lost, I know for a fact that killing them would give them the peace that they long for. Angeline continued her trek toward the source of all this bloodshed and none of the newborns dared touch her. It was as if she was wearing an invisible shield all around her. Unfortunately for the newborns, such a shield does not save them from her. She continued to slice everyone who comes to her even those who don’t directly do. She cut the heads of those trying to kill our people and kept as many of them as safe as she could. She was ruthless as she was passionate and I know that when the clock struck 12, I would lose the most important person in my life. ‘Don’t do this,’ once again I begged the love of my life to reconsider the decision she made. Her eyes went
-Angeline-I don’t know what happened or when it started. Or when Elias slipped out of the room as Stefan and I started to bicker about something I felt was already decided.After what seemed to be an hour of non-stop shouting because we thought it would make a difference or that what we were saying could be heard, we both looked at each other as we both slumped on the floor. “I can’t Angeline,” he said as his voice cracked and pain was painted on his face. “I just can’t lose you again.”“You won’t,” I replied but didn’t promise as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to fulfill it. “You won’t know the outcome,” Stefan cried as he leaned his head back against the wall. “Baby we can’t just let them die,” I pointed out. “As leaders of this pack, we need to make sacrifices to make people safe.” Even if those sacrifices meant that we were destined to be together. “Haven’t we sacrificed enough?” Stefan asked. “This is too much.”“Stefan, this is our only hope, and I am not just doing this f
-Stefan-There was a way out of this mess and yet I don’t want it. Angeline, my son, and I already spoke over the phone regarding it but I couldn’t for the life of me agree with the plan. But what I hated more than the plan was being stuck in this cottage feeling powerless. I hated the fact that I was once again leaving my wife, my Luna, and my Mate in danger. I am the Alpha of this pack and yet I haven’t done anything good to her. The only time that I saved her, or I think I did was also the time that I brought her to face so many hardships and pain alone. Isn’t there a way that I would be the sacrifice instead of her?Goddess, why can’t it be me?A commotion outside of the room pulled me out of my negativity as I stood and opened the door to check on it. “What the hell is—,” I wasn’t able to finish my sentence as I saw the reason for the commotion standing in front of me. “Angeline,” I breathed, as I was taken aback by her beauty. It’s been a while since I saw her face, her or
-Angeline-As my son and I were trying to figure out what had happened, a person appeared before us, and it was the last person I expected to see. “Hello child,” she said in a voice so melodic, that it made me want to fall asleep. “Grandma?” My son asks, taking me by surprise once again. “You know her?” I asked, even though it was pretty obvious. But still, he replied to answer me. “Yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “She showed up the moment I found out that I was different.” “Does your father know?” I asked, not sure if I could handle another betrayal. But he shook his head no and I found some comfort in the fact that there are things that my son and I only share.“I know you have so many questions but we don’t have enough time,” she said in a hurry. “There is a chance for you to win this war with fewer casualties but there is a sacrifice needed to be made,” she said. “What sacrifice?” I asked and immediately added, “And don’t tell me that I would need to sacrifi
-Ethan-As I reach the border where Sebastian and his surviving people where I can’t help but be afraid. Stefan had warned me about what had happened to Claire and the reason why he was quarantined. “Ethan,” Sebastian said as he looked at me with tired eyes. “Apologies for the precaution that I’m taking,” I replied as we kept the gates closed.“I understand,” Sebastian replied. “What do I need to do to prove my loyalty to you?” He asked. “Tell me what happened,” I asked. “Honestly, I don’t know,” He replied running a hand through his messed-up hair. “We were all minding our business. I was at the back of the clan checking on our people who chose to live alone or far from the city when one of our guards called me about the attack and told me not to go to the city and save as many people as I could.” I nodded. “We didn’t stop running since then,” Sebastian said as he gestured to the people behind him. Ethan looked at Sebastian and he knew that the kid wouldn’t lie to him. He als
-Angeline-I gathered the black warriors, and as usual, we made sure we had warriors that would assist people in the safe place. We decided that Martha, Lina, and I would remain outside, while the rest would manage the people inside the safe place. I look at my son worriedly because as a mother I wanted him to be safe. But instead of doing that, he wanted to stay by my side. ‘Stop worrying, Mom,’ he said through a mind link. ‘Worse case scenario I will be protecting you.’It’s hard to shrug my worries away, but just as what my son and Stefan asked of me, I need to trust them both that we would be okay. With just the two of us, my son turned to face me as he asked, “Does my Aunt have any powers?”“Not that I remember,” I replied. “As far as I remember none of her children also have any powers. How did you know you have powers?”“Dad,” he replied. “He sensed and saw it. And when he realized that I could understand him already, he started making me play with Uncle Elias to learn some
-Angeline-I am nursing a very painful headache as I watch my son act like his age.After hearing his explanation, a part of me still can’t believe that it was true. He had been very patient with me as he watched his own mother get more and more confused about everything that he was trying to explain. “Ethan is here,” Mrs. Smith announced as she entered the room. “I will meet him at Stefan’s office,” I replied. My son turned and looked at me, reminding me of the plan that he and his father had come up with. “You want to come along with me?” I asked almost forgetting that I was supposed to talk to him like he was a child. “I don’t think that he should go,” Mrs. Smith said disapprovingly.I turned to her and said, “I don’t want him far away from me. And if god forbid something happens to Stefan we both know that he would be taking that place. As much as I want to protect him, war is coming and it is best that he learns a thing or two about it, even though all I wanted is for him to
-Angeline-I don’t know what surprised me more. The fact that Stefan was now quarantined because of the possibility that he might become a newborn, or the fact that my son was someone I never knew he was.“Talk,” I said to Stefan, unable to confirm what I felt towards him. I was mixed with anger, confusion, fear, betrayal, and on top of all of those things, I had so many questions. “Before you get angry, Angel please hear me out,” Stefan pleaded and by the sound of his voice I can guess that he was now walking back and forth from where he was. “You have one minute before I decide not to talk to you ever again,” I threatened. “Angel,” he said almost crying out. “50 seconds,” I replied. “I didn’t know that his mind grew faster than his body until he was three years old, which is why I was so overprotective of him. I always knew that our son was special, but I didn’t know that he was more than the word,” Stefan started to explain. “He aside from his matured mind, our son has the ab
-Angeline- “I’m afraid, that there’s a possibility that our time will once again be cut short,” Stefan started to say, “We are being quarantined because there might be a possibility, just a small one, that I might become a newborn.”My body shook as I heard what he just said. “Angel?” I heard Stefan’s panicked voice but I was lost for words. “Baby, breathe,” he said soothingly. “I can’t run to you right now and that frustrates me so much. Please, talk to me.” I could hear him begging but it felt like I was in limbo frozen from where I stood.“Momma?” The voice I loved so much called. “Why are you crying?” He asked. He was getting better with his words. And just like that my head turned and I saw the reason why I was still alive. The reason why I fought so hard. I kneeled in front of him and pulled him to me. How do I tell my son about his father? How do I say to him that once again his family might fall apart?“There you are—,” Mrs. Smith said finding my son but stopped the momen