A vampire's Choice
Chapter 18

Vanessa's nerves were fried as she stood next to Mark, his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her body into his. The excitement of seeing Roger again, with the puzzle of his mate in tow, is the most excitement the pack has had in a while. Since their wedding actually.

"Promise you will behave this time.” Lovingly looking up at her mate, Mark glanced down, meeting her blue gaze.

"But of course, my love. I will not deny I despise his kind, but since he means something to you, I shall respect your wishes."

Glad about his words, Vanessa snuggled into Mark's chest, taking a deep whiff of his scent. As a witch, she had had powers that could change the world, but Vanessa did not miss it since being a wolf. The mate bond had eased that loss until only love was left. And a love it was.

Mark softly growled next to her ear as his hand bit deeper into her soft flesh. "Keep that up, and we will not be able to welcome our guest.” His husky voice purred, sending heat down south.

Vanessa bit back a moan as lust washed over her, a sudden need to have him inside her, overriding all other needs. "A few minutes won't do any harm."

The hand on her waist lowered as Mark gave a playfully smack on her bottom before his fingers dug into her soft body, pressing her into him. A louder moan escaped her lungs as his rigid member brushed against her heated gore, a wave of liquid preparing her. A warm breath caressed her ear as Mark bend down, "As much as I would love to sink hard and deep into your core..." Vanessa grasps his shirt tightly, trying to keep herself standing, his words making her feel weak. "But we have guests."

The heat of his body suddenly disappeared as Mark shifted away to turn towards a car that just stopped outside. Taking a deep breath, Vanessa willed her body to return to normal, her blue eyes replacing the black. With their heightened senses, she could hear a car door opening and feet hitting the ground. Moving quickly, Vanessa opened the front door but not before whispering, "I will get you for this." under her breath at Mark. He chuckled behind her as she stepped outside into the sunlight.

The first thing she noticed was Roger clad in his usual white suit; only something seemed different. Usually, he had a scowl plastered on his face and his eyes void of all emotions, except for a wave of lingering anger. But today, a glimmer shone from his gaze. Not just in his eyes but his whole being. Vanessa wondered what it could be when another figure descended from a car. Seeing one of her closest friends again had wiped the reason for him being here, but as she lay her gaze on the woman, it all rushed back. His mate.

Slowly her eyes traveled from the feet that just touched the ground, standing next to Roger. Making her way up, Vanessa noticed the woman's curves and, deep down, became a little jealous. She has always loved herself, even more now as a wolf, but something about a woman with meat in the right places made her love it and wish she had more. In her perceivement, Vanessa noticed their body language. Her eyes paused momentarily on the pale hand wrapped around the woman's waist, the way their bodies molded together as if made for each other. That would explain the sudden glow and more evidence that the human is the vampire's mate.

Reaching the end of her inspection, Vanessa finally looked at her face, and a deep growl escaped her chest. "Murderer,” she hissed.

Roger acted as soon as he felt the air shift. Pushing Lisa behind him, he used his body to hide her from sight as he watched Vanessa's eyes turn black while regular teeth now pointed sharp and bared in a growl at him. The shift in his wife's mood was too fast for Mark to noticed, and he acted too slow. Vanessa jumped at Roger, her claws aimed for his neck, ready to kill. A blur flashed between the two as Vanessa's body changed course. One second she was mid-air as the next, she landed roughly against Mark's chest as he stopped her fall, landing on his back. The breath rushed from his lungs when her elbow poked his stomach. The momentary action did not stop her path as she pushed her husband aside to resume her attack. Mark was confused, but he knew he had to stop her, or more like the demand in his head.

Get a hold of your mate, the Alpha commanded.

Roger stood in defense mode, still keeping Lisa behind him, her head poking out from his shoulder as she tried to watch what was happening. The dark-haired woman was entangled with an equally dark-haired man, their fighting bodies brushing the dirt around them, cover them with dust. It had happened so fast. One moment the clear blue eyes were examining her, the same as she had done, but when their eyes had met, the crystal clear blue had suddenly shifted to black. What happened next had been too fast for her human gaze to pick up. The only thing she had caught was a blur moving between them and the angered woman.

"What in the Moon Goddess is happening here?" The authority in his words pulled all eyes to him as everyone froze, not daring even to breathe.

Roger straightened himself, keeping Lisa behind him, but she had other plans. Before he could stop her, she stepped out from behind him and paused next to him. He knew she was a curious one, but to willingly expose herself to the ones that just tried to kill her is insane, even for a mortal.

The words of her new Alpha calmed Vanessa, and she reigned in her anger, feeling the sharp claws morph back to her usual fingers. Mark jumped up, pulling her body straight. Then, in a defiant act, she zoned in on the blond woman, ignoring her Alpha as he stood to her left, while Mark dusted them off before he nodded to his Alpha.

Roland took a small step forward, an action to draw his newest pack member's attention. He could feel the anger turning in her as she watched the human. Then, with a vibrating growl from deep in his chest, the warning brushed over all the wolves, forcing their heads to lower, Vanessa's included. "Now that I have everyone's attention. Can someone please explain what happened?" Roland directed the question to his pack while his gaze swept over his Beta and mate to stop on the vampire. He had hoped he would never see this creature again, but alas, fate has other plans.

Roger lifted his hands as a sign of respect before clearing his throat to speak. "It is a simple case of mistaken identity."

Still, under the influence of her Alpha, Vanessa diverted her gaze from the ground and look up at her friend. The one who would betray her. "I know exactly who that woman is. How could you bring her here, to our family?"

Roger looked to Vanessa. "She is not who you think she is. You know how I feel about her. I have spent almost a week with Lisa, and I can contest that they are not the same."

Once again, Vanessa stared at Lisa, taking in all the details. This woman has the same blond hair, high cheekbones, and most similar, yet impossible, one blue eye and one green eye. "Do not lie to me. This is impossible. I should know. I have been on this earth for many years. The looks are..."

"Enough. I still want to know what happened." Roland demanded.

Lisa looked away from the hateful glare of the she-wolf to the man at her right. Being human and new to supernatural knowledge, she still does not know plenty of things, but what she knew instantly was this man is important. An invisible aura around him demanded respect. His green gaze was fixed on Roger, so she snuck a few glances at him. He was tall, the green shirt hugging his broad shoulder and emphasizing the toned and muscular body hidden beneath the material. The dirty blond hair framed his face, giving him a look of a Greek statue. Words were spoken around her, but this man enthralled her, making the word vanish as she watched him. The color of his eyes reminded her of her own, the deep emeralds glistering in the sun, begging her to reach out and touch them. Her fingers twitched, palms lifting ever so lightly to explore when his gaze pierced her own—the intensity choking the air in her throat. A light nudge on her arm grabbed her attention, and she turned to look at Roger. "Sorry, what?"

Roger looked down, concerned at Lisa, her reaction strange, but he ignored it. "The Alpha would like to introduce himself."

A blush crept over her, and Lisa gave a nervous laugh as she looked back to the man, his hand extended to her. His limbs were just as tall as he, so she had to take only a few steps to reach him. Copying his position, Lisa stretched her hand and grasped his hand, shaking it. "My name is Lisa Boon."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Roland Catch, and I am the Alpha of The Full Moon Pack."

A De Ja Vu washed over the room, especially Roger, as they all sat around the table, nursing untouched beer. Months before, he had seated around this same table with almost the same people, only this time his mate was the topic of conversation, and he the one trying to defend her, just like Vanessa had protected him. A short smile pursed his lips as the irony became clear. For now, he had to defend the human against Vanessa, his closest and dearest friend.

"Before we start, I think it is best introductions are made since there is a new person amongst us.” Roland spoke.

Mark agreed and spoke up first. "My name is Mark, and I am the Beta.” He looked to Lisa as he talked, "And this fine creature next to me," wrapping an arm around her, Mark pulled his mate closer to him, sending calming waves over her. "Is my true mate, Vanessa."

Lisa smiled at Mark as he spoke, genuinely happy to meet these people: or rather creatures. As Vanessa's name was spoken, her blue eyes shot to Lisa, an angered look on her. Roger noticed the gaze and shifted closer to her. The need to protect his mate overwhelming, even from friends.

Clapping his hands, all once again focused on Roland. Then, resting his palms on the table and quickly looking at everyone, he focused on the vampire. "Vanessa briefly explained why you are here. And the fact that a God appeared mere hours ago cannot be a coincidence. Please tell me what happened."

Roger let out a deep breath before explaining the first night he stumbled upon Lisa being attacked. In great detail, he described the monster, a picture coming together in everyone's head, especially Lisa. Roger's hand rested on his leg under the table, and Lisa grabbed it, squeezing lightly as she listened, the nightmare returning. Roger kept a straight face as he explained the following days, all while comforting his mate. Soft sparks crawled up his flesh where she held onto him, so he brushed his thumb over her smooth skin, drawing the fear from her, never breaking from the tale.

"And so, I called Vanessa to try and help. At which time she explained about Nix appearing before you, demanding we meet up."

Roland leaned back in his seat, shocked by what he had just heard. Having one mate is a blessing, but two is not correct. Something seemed off about this whole situation as a voice whispered in his head. With a glance at the human girl and the vampire, he could confirm the mate bond. Minor signs are always visible to the observant one. The way Roger is half blocking her body and the way she would look at him every couple of seconds. Both had their hands underneath the table and away from his view, but he could tell they were clinging to each other. Another detail out of place is that she is a human. It is rare for vampires to mate with humans, but not unheard of.

"Who is the wolf that attacked her?" Mark questioned.

Shifting his gaze from the girl back to Roger, Roland also wondered. The way the vampire had described the man could only be the monster. A demon is mentioned in packs around the world—the boogyman of their kind.

"Have you ever seen something like him before?" Roland followed up on Mark's question.

Looking from Mark and Vanessa back to Roland, Roger answered. "No, I have never seen a creature like him. He possessed a few traits from a werewolf, but the rest seemed wrong. He was double the size, and he did not shift completely. As if stuck between the human body and the wolf body."

"How?" Vanessa intervened, a genuinely shocking look on her face. Gone were the thoughts of Lisa and in its place this new foe.

Roger wanted to answer he does not know, but Roland replied first. "As packs, we usually protect our own from other packs, only mingling for work or necessity. However, when a truly heinous act is brought onto our kind, the Alpha's of the werewolf community ban together to face it, knowing the need to protect our species is more important than the fighting between us."

"But what does that have to do with Lisa?" Roger asked.

Turning to look at the vampire, Roland replied, "Years ago, a threat reached our kind. The beast had destroyed a smaller pack with a weaker Alpha. The members were torn to pieces, human and wolf forms. The worst part was even the children were murdered, babies in their cots."

Lisa let out a gasp while he spoke, the images flashing before her eyes. Only a true monster could do that to children. "Why? Who would do that?" she whispered.

Roland looked at her, "I think it was the same monster that attacked you. When we reached the pack, only death could be smelled as it clung to the ground that had soaked up their blood. But deep beneath the rot and decay, a familiar scent lay. None of the other Alpha's smelled it, only me. I could smell a wolf, but no one from their pack."

"Why do you think they are the same?" Mark wondered.

Glancing down at his finger as they intertwined, Roland replied, "You see, as the other Alpha's tried to find the killer, I followed my instincts. The beast had not just attacked a pack but also humans. The others did not care about them, but I saw a pattern: so, I followed it. And it let me to the belly of the beast. The monster you are describing is the murderer I had come across. You see, for years, I had thought rogues were responsible for the death of my family, but it was him. The reason I had picked up his scent so easily was that I had smelled it on their bodies."

"But you said rogues..." Mark began but stopped as Roland lifted his palm.

"I know what I said, but the truth was more absurd. I had tracked down this demon from hell. We fought, and I had nearly lost my life. He, on the other hand, had fallen from a cliff. The fall would kill anyone, even one as strong as him, but clearly I was wrong."

"You are right. He is alive. Back in the shop, I had ripped his heart from his chest, a clean cut. Of course, all creatures would die from a wound like that, but I know he survived, and he is after Lisa."

"Maybe we should give her to him?" Vanessa murmured under her breath.

Roger shot up, his eyes turning black as he flashed his fangs at Vanessa. "You can try,” he spat at her.

Mark grabbed Vanessa's arm as she was about to shoot up and pulled her back. Then, struggling to free herself from her mate, she looked at Roger. “You are blinded once more by beauty. Rebecca has come back to torture you, and you would allow it?"

"She is not Rebecca." Roger raised his voice as his claws pierced the wood, the table creaking beneath his tight grip.

Roland jumped into action, slamming his fists on the surface. "Enough. We will convene for the night and meet up early in the morning to discuss moving forward."

"But.." Vanessa said. Roland slammed down once again, the defiance angering him.

"I said it is done. Mark, please escort your mate outside to calm down. The children inside can hear your anger which I will not allow in my pack."

Mark nodded as he dragged an unwilling Vanessa away. She kept her eyes glued on Roger as she left the room and vanished behind the corner. As soon as she was gone, Roger calmed down, retracting his nails from the wood, four holes visible. His chest rose and fell hard as he composed himself, all anger vanishing when Lisa wrapped her hand around his upper arm. Reaching out with his other hand, he covered hers as he looked down at her. "I will not let her hurt you."

"No, she will not." Roland began, "She is new to this pack and the species. Not yet learned to control her heightened emotions. So please forgive her and know that she does not mean it."

Swerving his head to Roland, Roger looked him straight in the eyes, "I have known her for a long time, and believe me when I say, she is capable of it."

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.