VAMPIRE’S SIN: THE PRICE HE PAYS.

Chapter: 2

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TALON:

 

  Nine.

  At the age of nine, I ran out of the blood that sustained me. For a year, I struggled silently, unwilling to reveal how deeply it affected me. I tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy without it, but my efforts only led to restlessness, unconsciousness, and sleepless nights. The cold crept in, the bed felt foreign. Who could I confide in? Who would listen to the plea of a vampire boy thrust into a family where he never belonged? The memory of that fateful day still haunts me.

  How could I have mercilessly attacked Dirk? I couldn't explain the overwhelming impulse that drove me. The desire to connect with what he possessed consumed me. Did that make me insane? Powerless? A maniac, perhaps. I endured the consequences, tormenting myself night after night.

  I yearned to reverse time, but it was an irreversible deed. I had to bear the burden for the rest of my days. I had committed a shameful act, sowing seeds of hatred in the hearts of those who professed to love me. My uncle distanced himself, fearing I posed a threat to him and his child. Even after the birth, his visits dwindled until they ceased entirely, replaced by distant inquiries through my bedroom door.

  By eleven, the absence of the boys who once showed me kindness weighed heavily. I longed for their antics, their boisterousness, their concern. Yet, they were no longer part of my life. Perhaps they, too, harbored resentment towards me. That notion persisted until the day the little girl arrived, escorted by Storm and Kylo. They stood outside my door, engaging me in conversation while I sat, back pressed against the wood, listening intently.

  "Why won't he come out?" the little girl inquired.

  Since the night Luna Caleb brought me here when I revealed my blood shortage, I've pondered the same question. It soon became clear that I was confined to my room; leaving was not an option. Luna Caleb provided little comfort, merely inquiring about my well-being. I confessed my need for blood, admitting that a part of me withered each day without it. He escorted me to my room, issuing a directive that sounded more like a warning.

  "If you care about this household, you will isolate yourself until you can control your impulses."

  Those were his final words that night, and thereafter, he only appeared to deliver food, most of which I found unappetizing. Isolated and forgotten, I no longer attended Pack school. I was forbidden, kept apart, and forsaken.

  An enforced destiny.

  "Do you see that barrier over his door, Bryn?" Kylo's voice filtered through. The little girl murmured a soft affirmative. "We can't enter because of it, and he can't leave either..." Kylo elucidated, revealing that not only was I kept away, but I was also imprisoned in my own bedroom.

  They had orchestrated a life for me that I couldn't comprehend.

  None of this made sense. How could I learn to control something I couldn't fathom? If anything, my cravings intensified. I sensed their heartbeats, felt the blood coursing through their veins, and perceived the warmth, yet it wasn't their blood I yearned for.

  It was HIS.

  Luna Caleb misjudged me. I harbored no ill will towards anyone in the household, for it wasn't their blood I craved.

  Although the reasons eluded me, I vowed to uncover the truth.

  "But it's his birthday today," Bryn lamented from beyond the door, and a smile graced my lips.

  It was my birthday; a fact I had forgotten. They still remembered, crafting cakes that Luna Caleb would personally deliver to me. He forbade entry to all but himself, tending to me like a dedicated servant, protecting the Pack's Castle from the monster within.

  I resented Dirk for subjecting me to shame and degradation. Had he abandoned me, my upbringing might have been different, free from this torment. They claimed they aimed to assist me, but in truth, they sought to protect themselves. I was chased and bitten. I hadn't invited this suffering upon myself. It was the wolf who pursued and tormented me that they should have aided, not me.

  After Bryn and the boys departed, I found myself once again in solitary confinement. Each year following that birthday, I would hear the little girl's cheerful rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the other side of the closed door. The boys never accompanied her thereafter. She was a brave little fox, and I sensed a potential advantage in her presence, a notion that would prove true in the future.

  And so, for the ensuing years, I endured. I suffered. Alone and forsaken.

  Amidst the ensuing solitude, I finally found sleep after a prolonged struggle. In my slumber, the recurring dream revisited me, haunting me with its relentless pursuit and the fateful bite. That night, however, held a peculiar difference. Upon awakening from the nightmare, I saw the shadows of a white wolf adorning my bedroom walls. Initially gripped by fear, I mustered the courage to approach the wall where the shadow lingered, resembling a hastily painted image. In a voice that resonated within me, the wolf uttered a single word.

  "Vale."

  The utterance felt oddly familiar, and before I could inquire further, the wolf vanished. Collapsing to my knees, my gaze fixed upon the spot where the apparition had stood moments before, a searing pain welled up from within me. Familiar yet excruciating, this pain surfaced frequently, particularly on days like this.

  My Birthday.

  Overwhelmed by agony, I crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down my face. "Vale" — the name seemed to hold the promise of relief, a balm for my suffering. Summoning strength from the depths of despair, I whispered the name.

  "Vale."

  With those uttered syllables, I acknowledged that the name belonged to the wolf who had marked me, the one who had divulged his identity to me. Why had he done so? Out of pity? To aid me? Uncertain of his motives, one thing remained clear: I needed to invoke that name, to seek assistance.

  "Help me, Vale," I implored once more, sensing his presence drawing near. He recognized the name, responding to my plea. I had to leave. I had to seek him out.

  Then, the melodic voice from beyond my door reached my ears, and a plan began to form. I had to utilize her. I had to exploit her presence.

  "I'm sorry, Bryn," I whispered before instructing her to dispel the spell on my door. As a descendant of Leonardo, she holds in her blood the strength to unlock the spell. Initially silent, she eventually untied the String Of Bond, granting me the freedom to exit. Opening the door, I saw the girl for the first time, her beauty and cheerfulness radiating as she met my gaze with a smile. Returning the gesture, I sought to escape unnoticed.

  Silently slipping away, I found myself in the vast expanse of the outside world, the sun's harsh rays scorching my skin. Unable to leave immediately, I bided my time, waiting for dusk to cloak the land in darkness, enabling me to venture to the woods and seek Vale's aid in breaking the curse he had imposed upon me. In my heart, I sensed his presence, the scent of seawater permeating my being, guiding me towards him. The anticipation was arduous, impatience gnawing at me as I felt his imminent desire to leave. I had to act fast.

  Unsure of my appearance, I hadn't seen my reflection since succumbing to the blood's allure. Something within me had shifted since that pivotal moment, a change irreversibly altering me. Perhaps I truly embodied the essence of a monster.

  As Vale prepared to leave, retreating to the safety of the pack, I stumbled upon his location, and then I saw him.

  A Boy.

  He was but a boy, a stark contrast to my aging self. Despite my desire to retreat into the shadows of my personal hell, to not cause him any harm, the overwhelming pain obscured my vision. I perceived the fear in his eyes and demeanor, bravery underscored by fear as he cautiously introduced himself. He had asked who I was but when I didn't answer, he made to leave.

  An all-encompassing terror gripped me, a fear that he would leave once more, leaving me bereft of answers and doomed to endure the curse that had plagued me for countless years. Perhaps he held the key to my salvation.

  "Vale," I called out once more, witnessing the anguish reflected in his gaze as he sank to his knees. The pain mirrored my own, a familiar ache that had haunted me through the passing years. It was him — the wolf who had inflicted the curse upon me, even worse, he is the child of my uncle. The one whose presence had lured me to bite into Dirk's belly.

  Enveloped in a haze of crimson fury, all rational thought abandoned me. Fueled by an unbridled rage, I lashed out without restraint. The memory of sinking my teeth into his wrist lingered fleetingly before darkness consumed me.

  Moments later, I was violently wrenched away from him and cast into the abyss of the ocean's depths. Despite believing I had been confined to darkness in the preceding years, the profound obscurity that enveloped me as I descended deeper into the unforgiving waters eclipsed any previous confinement.

  It was the end, the culmination of all my suffering. I welcomed the impending embrace of death, for, in that moment, the release from existence appeared preferable to the continued burden of life.