Continued from previous scene...

"And what did you answer Damien?" John asks, his eyes once flicking to Adam. "Who did you say you are?"

“That I am Diane Winters, just the normal and plain Diane Winters.” I utter the words quietly as my eyes train on Adam. His red-black gaze is hooded. He watches me with the same intensity as the wall behind him. It’s goading me to no end.

“What could Damien mean?” John muses, breaking my chain of thoughts. “What did he want to know about Danny?”

“He must have smelt the wolf in her.” Adam answers calmly removing his eyes from me.

“But that is supposed to be obvious, right? Her living with us is proof enough. I think he was onto something else.”

“What else could it be, father? If not a common wolf, he must be intrigued by the first wolf smell. It’s not like we have many left around and it’s natural for a vampire to get curious.”

“Hmm…” John rubs his chin. “So you think that is it?”

“Of course that is it. What else could it be? It’s not like she has a lot of magical blood or even some power. She is barely a wolf, that’s about it. There is nothing special, I am sure Damien must be thinking the same as we speak.”

He gives me a disparaging look. I stare astounded.

His words sting. They make my eyes sting. My face flushes a deep red as it turns downwards, to my lap, where I have clutched my shaking fingers. It’s weird to hear myself discussed in such dry, practical terms. Seems like I’m quite a worthless creature in Adam’s book. He probably has made a list of my pros and cons. Obviously, the con side is full of negative items. On the plus side, there must be just one point - that I am Rey Armstrong’s granddaughter.

“So you think it’s nothing to do with the rogue trouble? They too seem to be looking for…”

“They are looking for that witch, Mrs Bates.” Adam snaps, shooting me a withering glance. “It’s nothing to do with Danny here, except for the fact that Mrs. Bates arrived with them. I wish she hadn’t! Already we have enough problems, and now I have to deal with this.”

“Adam! There is no need to be rude!!” John looks mortified.

I push my chair with a loud screech and stand up. I have had enough.

“If you have finished discussing me, John, I have something to say.”

John gives Adam a blistering look, then turns to me. “Danny, please don’t mind Adam. I am sure he didn’t mean any of it.”

“I know he meant every word of it, John. And you know it too. The funny thing is I don’t give a damn. I too have similar observations about him.”

“You have?” John asks in surprise.

“Yes. I think your son is a jumped up, arrogant, chauvinist who thinks he is too good for anyone else. There have been two attacks just in the past week since I came, which just shows how bad he is at his job. Olly was hurt and I nearly died. Our life is in danger while we live here, all because of your Beta’s incompetence. I think he is wholly unsuitable for this job and must be removed with immediate effect.”

“Danny! I think it’s a little…”

“Harsh? Of course it is. But as Rey Armstrong’s granddaughter, I have every right to my opinion. And you have an obligation to listen to me. Your Beta is a conceited, vain person who has no right to hold the position. He only got there because he is your son. If I were you, John, I’d do the right thing and kick him out before it’s too late. There are many others who’d do a better job.”

“Really! Looks like the vampire has affected your brain, Danny. How quickly you have forgotten I saved your life twice!” This is from Adam. He is red with fury as I give him a caustic smile.

“You saved me because you endangered me in the first place. The rogue attacked this territory under your surveillance and the vampire attacked me in this house, right under your nose. It just proves my point. So, thanks, but no thanks. I would rather not be in such situations again. And yes, next time please do not bother to help me. I would hate to be obliged to you in any way.”

I leave them flabbergasted and come out. Outside it’s sunny with a mild autumn breeze. I inhale the scent as an inexplicably light feeling swamps me. A smile blooms my lips. Revenge is sweet. So sweet I’d have it every day for dessert.

*****

The mid-morning sun warms my face as I near the field. Olly is training again, rolling in the mud, doing the kind of commando training that military officers do. Today Myra too has joined her in the field. They both look determined, focussed on the task. Both are trying hard to ignore the other group just a few meters away.

Jeff has brought a couple of new girls to the field and Billy too has decided to join them. The four of them are giggling, flirting, doing everything but training. It’s clear it’s a show for Myra, who is determined to keep a smiling face.

My heart goes out to her. I give her a little smile and she waves at me with an even bigger one. The next I glare at Billy for defecting to the enemy side.

Can’t help, he shrugs as I pass the group.

The girls giggle loudly, one jumping Jeff to straddle his waist.

“Having a good time I see.” I say sarcastically.

Jeff grins. “Of course, weakling. As you can see, I have no dearth of girls.”

Turning to the girl, he starts snogging her. I roll my eyes.

Asshole!

I turn my head and walk forward to Gabe who’s taking in the scene. He exhales as I near.

“My idea backfired, isn’t it? Poor Myra.”

“It may be my fault. I kind of told him to stay off Olly. So, he got these new girls today.”

Gabe shakes his head. “Whatever. This can’t go on forever. Not when I talk to Mother.”

My mind wanders to the study again, to the talk of Phyllis and John. Today I have seen another side of their relationship. I never knew mates could be like this. My YA novels had always painted a rosy picture, turbo-charged with emotions, fuelled with wild sex marathons. Finding a mate felt like the only thing wolves ever lived for. But with these two, all my preconceptions are falling apart.

I shake my head, exhaling loudly to wrench myself back out of that study.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“So what are we doing today? Same as the last time?” I start warming up in place when Gabe gives me a look.

“Not today, Danny. Today you deserve rest. Let’s do something else.”

*****

An hour later we are on a hilltop in the middle of nowhere. Around us is a vast meadow that stretches to the horizon. Dots of white and yellow wildflowers adorn the landscape. In the distance are the dark, shadowy mountains that we came from.

Behind us, on the top of the hill, stands a lone Oak. It’s tall and majestic, with golden leaves dazzling in the afternoon sun.

“This is beautiful.” I say, sweeping my eyes on the landscape.

Gabe smiles. “This is my respite. This is where I come when I want to be alone.”

I turn to him, raising my eyebrow. “Then why am I here?”

“Because today I want to share my solitude with you.”

His words resonate somewhere deep. We stand on the rustling grass as the wild wind weaves its music through it. Gabe gazes at me with such intensity, I feel my heart warming. After Adam’s cruel words, Gabe’s gentleness is like a soothing balm. I cannot understand how the two brothers could be so different.

He comes closer to hold my hands and I realize his sombre eyes. The moss green of them looks muddled today, gone is the sprightly green that I have come to love.

“What’s the matter?”

“I want to apologise Danny. I wasn’t there for you yesterday. I haven’t been able to fathom how I let you down every time.”

“Don’t be silly.” I scoff in surprise. “You could not have known. There is no need to apologise for something that is not your fault.”

The fact that it was someone else’s fault and I have just given them a piece of my mind makes me so happy. I am so proud of myself.

“Forget about that.” I crack a wide grin. “So tell me what are we doing here? What’s the plan?”

“Well…the plan is…” His eyes drop to my lips.

Oh, right. That’s what he meant by ‘rest’. My face heats.

“I mean the plan for the day. Surely we can’t…”

“Surely we can, Danny.” He holds my hand to pull me close. “We can do this all day long. And again and again…”

“Gabe!” I scoff blushing furiously to push him away. “I am serious.”

“I’m serious too, Danny. What better way to relax and rejuvenate and know each other better? I really miss you.”

He pulls me close for a deep kiss. His soft lips caress me like cherishing something precious. My eyes sting for no reason. Today for some reason, I cannot relax. My wounded pride refuses to settle.

I detach from him gently. “So you come here to be alone. But why do you need to be alone?”

His face turns wistful. “That’s the fate of second sons, isn’t it? Adam has always been the responsible one, Mother and Father expect a lot from him, and he always strives to stand up to their expectations. The twins are always together, no one can separate them. And the girls… they have their own world. I have my pack duties but whenever I need a breath, I come here. This lonely Oak keeps me company.”

I do not know what to say. When I first came here, I had envied the large family. But you can be alone even in the middle of your loved ones. I know it better than anyone else.

“Ok ok, Oh Great Lonely One! Please grant me a wish. I have a request for you.” I smile and wiggle my eyebrows.

Luckily, his mood lightens. “Alright. What is it?”

“Tell me about that vampire. Please. I am dying to know more.”

“Urgh! I would rather not, Danny. Vampires are curious creatures. The more you think of them, the more they prey on your mind. It’s better to just forget them.”

“Please Gabe!” I pull him to a flat grass mound just near the oak to sit on it. “I want to know more. And who can I ask if not you?”

To tell the truth, I am tired of listening to the doors. Neither can I bring myself to go to that library anytime soon. Yes, I can understand Gabe’s warning and fully agree with it, but I need to know more about the threat to survive it.

“John said Damien was a high elf. What are high elves?”

He sighs.

“High elves, Danny, were the most ancient creatures to dwell on this planet. They were magical, powerful, insanely rich and cruel. As it happens with any ancient race, they dwindled down, mostly because of their own stupidity. Now there are barely any left and Damien is one of them.”

“But how did he turn into a vampire?”

Gabe shrugs. “The same way as others. They say the young Damien was adventurous. He loved to travel, and on one such travel, he met someone sketchy. It was more than a thousand years ago, Danny. It was the eve of the new world. The rogue wars were taking toll, and elves had begun to succumb. Many were killed. Some chose to fade away while they had the choice. Some like Damien stayed on only because they ‘mingled’ with other races, so to speak. Damien chose his vampire friends over his dying race. And today he is one of the most powerful among them.”

I remember the man with hazel eyes. Sleek, tall, with his deep haunting voice. Luckily, Arome’s shield is firmly in place. I have his potion in my pocket, that I keep sipping every few hours.

“The most unfortunate thing for us is that he is Tammy’s mate. No one had seen it coming. It’s a blight we have had to bear for the last two years, since that fated day when the moon goddess decided to play her trick.”

“But surely, she can reject him? I mean who would want to be with such a person?”

Gabe smiles. “It’s not that easy, Danny. Every action has consequence in our world and the act of rejection is considered the vilest one.”

I raise a quizzical eyebrow. What is vile in rejecting a vile creature?

“Fated mates are not like chosen mates. When fate binds two people, they share more than just an attraction. The bond affects their strengths, weaknesses, their minds. A rejection can cause insanity, even death.”

This reminds me of grandpa. He too suffered the same fate. On the other side, grandma got on just fine. Maybe because she was an ordinary human. Or just Adele Winters. Hmph! That figures.

“But isn’t it the obvious solution in this case, if Tammy just rejects Damien?”

“The problem is that Damien would not die. He is an ancient, he has seen too much to wither away quietly. He would come back to avenge himself. The Nightwatchers are our allies, we rely on their money and strength to wage our war against the rogues. We cannot antagonise them.”

“But why are you at war with the rogues all the time?? And if you are such a powerful pack, as John told me the other day, surely you should have no trouble taking on them?”

“Our power ended with Rey Armstrong, Danny.” Gabe says exhaling. “That’s one of the many reasons why Mother hates your grandpa. He was the last barrier between us and ruin. With him gone, we are exposed to the elements like any other pack.”

“If only he had accepted his chosen mate, he would be alive today. And we would have someone to look up to. That’s why she wants Jeff to accept Myra. For her it’s a no-brainer.”

Right. I can understand that logic. But by the same reasoning, I would not be here today, neither would be Olly.

I exhale and turn my eyes away. Things are so twisted. It feels like we really have caused a havoc by arriving here. Grandma was really a sly one, first rejecting a wolf mate, and then sending us to his pack to pick up the slack.

The noon slides to the west. Gabe gets a pack of sandwiches out of his backpack. We eat as the wind whistles around the hilltop, as if searching some long-lost love. Its forlorn tune makes my heart ache.

My eyes stare at the purple horizon that divides the earth from the azure sky. A sickle moon soon rises on the still blue horizon, promising another clear night.

“The mate bond could be a curious thing Danny. If two people are mates, it does not mean they are the best fit for each other. It just means they have the best chance to make it through. Look at my parents. Their bond has dried long ago. And my brother. He failed to save his mate from a burning fire. And now he chooses to bear those scars to the end of his days.”

I listen with a detachment. The fact that Adam already had a mate barely registers. It answers some of my questions but it doesn’t really matter anymore.

I hug myself from the chilly air as I gaze at the moon. Standing in the sinking sun, alone in the dusky meadow, my skin shivers.

“How do you know you have found your mate?” The question involuntarily slips my lips.

Gabe’s arm goes round my shoulder, pulling me into his side.

“You know it when you find them.”

“That’s hardly an answer!”

He smiles.

“You have to believe me on this Danny. It’s like that love-at-first-sight concept of your romance novels, only a hundred times intense. You get attracted to a person seemingly for no reason. You think about them for all hours. It’s like a bee stuck in your bonnet that you cannot get out. It’s both annoying and soothing. And yes, for us wolves, there is one more thing that makes your mate special. We can heal them.”

I am so engrossed in his words that it takes a moment to appreciate the last sentence. And when it does, my brain fades.

“You can heal them?”

“Yes. As I said, most wolves are ordinary. Only some are born with special powers and some like Arome are healers that can heal anyone. However, the mate bond grant you the power to heal your mate. That’s why rejection hurts both ways.”

"And how do you know you are rejected?"

He shrugs. "You know. That is also an intuition. Sometimes it's explicit, like in-your-face. Sometimes it's subtle, like they never come forward to claim you, in the hope the bond will die in its own accord. It's underhand and leaves the other person feeling quite wretched, but at least it saves them from insanity or death which is always the case for explicit rejection."

An hour later, we are home. I am suddenly feeling ill. Gabe is worried but I fob him off with some excuse. I rush to my room and fall into the bed like the utter failure that I am, and wish I never wake up.

***** *****