His Mate: Vampire Prince: Read Chapters 1-5

More than two thousand years ago, two kingdoms had been at war for years. The armies led by the crowned prince of each kingdom.

The war lasted for years that travelers were afraid to pass through their kingdoms. It got to the extent that their food supplies ran dry, their rivers stopped flowing and their citizens had no choice but to flee the kingdoms to the neighboring ones to begin their life anew. Those who stayed behind either were killed in the war or starved to death.

The soldiers started dropping one after the other, not because of the intense of the fight but because there was no food, no water and no healers to tend to their wounded bodies.

When each kingdom had only both five soldiers with the princes included left, they were too weak to even lift up their swords and shields.

They were both at the mercies of others but no one could take the win.

Days passed by with them lying on the battlefield without an ounce of strength to finish what they started. At the end, they went their separate ways, the hatred still lurking in their hearts but there was nothing to do about it.

A prince led his remaining men through the woods, while the other led his men through the desert.

The men journeyed for days, searching for food or water. The prince and his men in the woods kept walking, believing there was a better tomorrow but had no idea that they were been trailed by a monstrous beast that had awoken from his slumber and was in killing rampage.

It challenged them and with the strength they had gathered within the days, they managed to kill it but it was already too late.

Their prince had suffered a bite from it and although they thought him dead and had buried him, he rose and bit them one after the other, turning them into the beast he had become.

The other prince and his men journeyed through the desert, searching for anything to eat or drink but there was nothing, not even a tree in sight.

Until one day, they came upon what looked like a dying tree. There were no leaves and the branches looked broken.

The bark was black rather than brown but the men didn’t care about these tiny details, they were overjoyed that they saw a tree and quickly cut out a few barks to drink the sap or whatever liquid it holds.

But as they fed on the liquid, they noticed something was different, it tasted different. The prince stopped his hunger to inspect what he and his men have been feeding on and only discovered that the tree was bleeding blood.

He stopped them, thinking he was protecting them, but it was already too late as something started happening to them, their bodies started burning in pain that has never been felt before.

It was so painful that they each collapsed from it. When they opened their eyes, everything has changed, they noticed the difference with them and their hunger for the very same blood they had ran away from.

The men stayed around the trunk, feeding on it when hungry and learning their new abilities until one day, they woke up and the tree was gone. The prince knew it was time for them to continue on their journey and so with their heightened speed and sense of smell and fast healing bodies, their journey wasn’t treacherous anymore and they fed on anything with blood to satisfy their hunger.

As fate would have it, the two nemeses met again.

Reborn as they were, their hatred for one another still burned deep and so their unfinished war started again.

They fought for years, day and night, with one part looking like wolves and the other part, looking like humans but with added speed and agility that no man could muster.

They fought, and fought, and fought until they realized they were of equal strength and no one was going to win the war.

The two princes came to an agreement, to each take his men and go, set up their own home and avoid the other.

And so, the treaty was signed, the treaty that states they are not to engage in a fight upon meeting each other and to try to live peacefully. Although they honored the not engaging in a fight part, it was difficult to live peacefully and so whenever they crossed parts, they snarl and growl until the distance consumes them.

They all went into the human kingdoms, making kinds like them, the men mated and produced off springs.

They were so different that the humans noticed and so to protect their offspring, they moved far, far away from the human kingdoms where only ones like them were bred.

As the years rolled by, they picked up names for themselves, since the other kingdom turns into wolves whenever they want and howls at full moons, they were called the Night Howlers and as the other kingdom prefers moving at night and feeds on mostly blood, they were called the Night Walkers.

With the passing of the years, new things were learnt about them.

It turned out the Night Howlers can grow old and die while outliving the normal life span of humans but the Night Walkers, not so much. And so when the first Night Howlers all died off, the First Night Walkers, fondly called the Originals, decided to do the same but nothing can kill them and so they went in search of the tree that made them what they were and by instinct, tried killing themselves with a sharpened edge bark and so it worked, they killed themselves. All the soldiers, except their Prince.

The Prince had watched each and every one of them find someone they loved and bred their off spring, except him.

He had bedded a lot of females, both humans and his kind, but none could give him a child and then he knew that he could only put a woman with child if he loves her. Not ready to leave the world without experiencing that feeling, the Prince injured himself so that he would be in slumber and wait through the years for that one that would be his.

With an emotion as strong as his, he was determined to wake up when the one for him would be born.

And so, the legend said.

“Aliyah, where do you think you are going?” A boy asked the younger girl trying to sneak out of the gigantic gates in front of them. He crossed his arms on his chest as he raised an eyebrow, “sneaking out again?”

Aliyah sighed and pouted before walking back to him; she tucked her deep brown hair behind her ear and fixed her beautiful blue eyes on him. “Why do you have to act like this every night?”

“Because I am trying to protect you,” he sighed and ran his fingers through his brown hair. “Aliyah, you do this every night and we both know it’s prohibited. I mean, what is it with you with breaking the rules?”

Aliyah grinned. “It’s who I am, rules are not for me Sean, and you know that.”

Sean shook his head at her, his deep brown eyes glancing around them to make sure that no one was watching or eavesdropping on them. “What makes you think you will find him outside? It’s not common for a wolf to find his mate outside his park, you know that.”

“It’s not common doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Catherine was mated into our park, remember?”

“And that was more than thirty years ago. Besides, where did you hear that the male follows the female home? Even if you mate with him, you will belong to his park, not here anymore.”

“Not when I tell him he can be an alpha, he would rush to follow me, don’t worry,” she grinned.

Sean pinched the bridge of his nose. “Aliyah…”

“You know, you were my first choice,” she interrupted and he rolled his eyes. “I’m serious,” she continued. “When we went through two seasons without finding our mates, I was already thinking about telling you about it, but then you had to find Monica,” she rolled her eyes.

“Even if there was no Monica, we can never be like that, you are like a sister to me.”

“But I’m not.”

“Yes, but you are like one. Besides, we both know you don’t feel that way for me.”

Aliyah sighed, “you are right, but in all the wolves here, you are better choice to me than any of them.”

Sean chuckled, “just hurry and be back and please, be careful.”

“Don’t worry, no Night Walker can handle this much of me,” she winked before running to the gates. “Hey,” she turned back to him, “try to keep dad from noticing my absent will you?”

“I am running out of excuses Ali,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“Come on, as the future Beta, how can that be such a big deal?” she giggled and snuck out of the gate.

Sean sighed, “the one that is going to get into trouble for covering for you every night,” he blew out a deep breath and glanced around. The dark areas weren’t a big deal to his sight and when he was sure no one heard them, he turned and went back to his room.

***

‘Edward…Edward’ a low growl sounded. ‘Edward…Edward’ the voice came again and he opened his eyes. He was shrouded in darkness and he tried to move but he realized he had no strength. He took three heavy breathing and finally pushed away the heavy lid that was covering him. Everywhere became bright immediately as he noticed the strange lightings on the walls that gave the room a golden glow. He glanced at his bony rusty hands and noticed every part of him was like that.

He climbed out of the box he was lying in, his bony legs wobbled a little but after a few seconds, he stood straight. There was a big looking glass and he couldn’t remember having that there before. He walked towards it and when he saw the reflection in the mirror, he was almost scared himself, —almost—. The creature staring back at him was a bony rusted skeleton with glowing red eyes. He took a deep breath and caught the scent, there was someone with him, someone like him but healthier.

He glanced around him, it was his room, obviously, but there were new things he couldn’t remember putting or have seen before and it made him wonder how long he had slept. He could remember he looked so much better when he went to sleep and if he was this rusty then it means a hundred or so years had gone by. He glanced at his bony fingers that looked like they would break off with any little forced movement and sighed. He heard faint footsteps and knew someone was coming but he needed not worry because by how light the person was moving, he knew it was his kind.

The door was pushed open and a ginger color haired man entered, he gasped on seeing the creature standing in the middle of the room and soon, a huge smile spread across his face. “My Prince, finally, you have awakened.”

The creature tried to speak but words failed it, it lasted only for three seconds as he asked in a distorted voice, “who are you?”

The man bowed. “I am Rasmus, my Prince, third generation of Knight Gustav. I have stumbled upon your castle five hundred years ago and have looked after it for you, awaiting for the day you shall awake again.”

“Five hundred years?” the creature asked.

“Aye my Prince,” he nodded.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Eight hundred years, my Prince.”

“Eight hundred,” he scoffed, “and I thought only a hundred or so had passed.”

“I can understand my Prince. Is there anything I can help you with?” Rasmus asked.

“I am thirsty.”

Rasmus smiled, “then t’s good I have thought ahead my prince. You have started growling in your sleep for seven days now and I knew you shall awake soon so I started gathering food for you. If you can come with me to the cellar my Prince,” he bowed again.

The creature said nothing and just followed him out of the room. As they walked through the long hallway, he noticed how shiny and beautiful everywhere looked. He had expected to wake up in a dusty palace, filled with cobwebs with each step he took. “You have done well, Rasmus, I feel like a king waking up in such a beautified place.”

“Oh but you are the king, my Prince, you are the only Original alive and I wish to serve you like my grandfather did,” Rasmus replied respectfully.

“Mm,” the creature answered as they walked down the stairs that would lead them to the cellar. They were still a few steps from the door but he had already perceived the tantalizing scents. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, when he opened them, they glowed redder and his fangs elongated. Before Rasmus could say a word, he had already barged into the cellar, the doors broken out of its hinges. Rasmus smiled and followed slowly and silently as horrifying screams soon filled the once quiet place.

He stood by the door and watched the creature drain the blood from each and every human that was locked in the cellar. In short ten minutes, the room looked like a massacre had happened, with blood coating the walls and floor that was filled with dead bodies. He glanced up at the creature that was now standing in the center of the room, unfazed by the sight he had just witnessed. He watched as flesh started covering the bony body of the creature and soon, it wasn’t a creature anymore but a man with fair and smooth skin. He stood in the center in his naked glory, his face turned up with his eyes closed. “Are you satisfied my Prince?”

“Very much Rasmus,” he answered in the most soothing velvet voice he had ever heard that he was almost drawn to him. “You have done well,” he looked at him then and his eyes were deep blue. His midnight black hair looking so silky and soft on his head and Rasmus wondered how the man didn’t need a haircut after eight hundred years and then he remembered, he was already dead and so were his cells so nothing about him would change from what it was when he was still alive. He studied the man’s body, his broad chest and his defined abs, down to his slim waist, thick thighs and strong legs. When his eyes went back to his face, he took note of his midnight black eyebrows, long lashes, deep blue eyes and pointed nose. His sexy thin lips, his chiseled jaw and his midnight black beards, he needed no one to tell him that he was staring at a god.

“If you have looked your fill, then you can give me a cloak Rasmus,” the man said and Rasmus snapped out of his reverie and quickly rushed to the table where readied clothes were waiting. He had thought about everything beforehand. He handed the clothes to the man and he took them and put them on right in his presence. When done, he frowned at what he was wearing, “what have you given me Rasmus?”

Rasmus smiled, “this is what we wear now, my prince.” He had given him black pants with a blue shirt.

The man’s frowned deepened, “I will prefer a top with darker color and a long cloak please.”

“We don’t use cloak anymore, or the humans don’t anymore and we must change with them in order to blend in. But do not worry, I have a long coat you would like, it’s just like a cloak but more beautiful. We can go shopping and you can choose what you would love to be wearing.”

The man nodded and they left the cellar. Getting to his bedroom they had left earlier, Rasmus opened the wardrobe and fetched out a round-neck black T-shirt with a grey long coat and handed them to him.

The prince took them and changed, when he glanced at the looking glass, he smiled, “now this is much better.”

“Indeed,” Rasmus nodded, admiring the man and he wondered how women can be able to resist him if he was also attracted to the man’s beauty. He snapped out of his reverie and did a low bow and then said, “Welcome back, Prince Edward.”

“What time did you get home last night?” Sean asked as he fell into steps with Aliyah on their way to school.

Aliyah shrugged, “well, I threw a couple of stones at your window but how could you hear it when Monica was screaming so loud?”

Sean blushed and brushed into her with his shoulders, “you came back that late, when did you get to sleep?”

“Oh I don’t need much sleeping,” she smacked her lips, “I’m pretty good without much sleep.”

“Yeah, because you sleep away in class,” he rolled his eyes but before Aliyah could respond, three girls walked up to them and he hissed.

“Hey Ali, what’s up?” a blonde haired girl that was leading the other two asked with a smile.

“What do you think, Natasha, don’t I look okay?” Aliyah asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms on her chest.

“Oh you know, I just want to know, you know, with the blood moon coming soon and the fact it’s going to be your fourth mating ceremony. I don’t know, do you think you would find him this time or is it going to be another ‘aww, better luck next time’ kind of day?” she laughed with her girls. “But anyways, just know that I will be praying for you that you will find him, you know. After all, the fate of the Blue Moon pack depends on it. Oh, I forgot,” she covered her mouth for a second and then smiled, “if you don’t have a mate and your father dies, the high table would just appoint another Alpha and that would be the end of the Alpha power in your bloodline.”

“Wow, thank you for teaching us the history we already know,” Aliyah clapped, “but too bad, no matter who would be chosen, it won’t be your Mate nor your brother, how sad.”

“You don’t know for sure,” Natasha said, “Eric is the best wolf in the back for now and no one is going to take his place anytime soon,” she bragged with a smile. “I know it must hurt that I ended up being his mate when everyone rumored it would be you, plus the fate that he is your ex, how sad,” she made a sad face.

Aliyah scoffed, “well, too bad that you haven’t seen through this, no matter how good you think you are, you will always be my copycat. Picking up the things I dumped.”

Natasha growled furiously at her words and furs started appearing on her face in her quest to transform. “Girls,” a voice called and they all turned to the man standing by the tree, “it’s school premises,” he reminded.

“We are sorry, Beta Aton,” they apologized immediately.

Aton nodded towards the school at them and they turned to leave, “not you Sean,” he added and Sean stopped, winking at Aliyah who glanced at him before she walked off.

“Dad,” Sean greeted, walking up to him.

“Did Aliyah leave the clan last night?”

Sean felt his heart miss a beat but he reined his fear in immediately, “no.”

Aton sighed and placed his hand on his shoulder, “son, I know that you care about her but as the future Beta of this clan, the betterment of the pack should be your first priority. There is a reason going out at night is forbidden, don’t forget your role son in order to make your friend happy. You know the consequences if the alpha is to find out.”

Sean didn’t say anything and Aton sighed, turned and left. He watched his father’s back as he left, ever since he was a boy, he had been surrounded with the praises of how good his father is at his job and how he was the best Beta Blue Moon pack had ever had. He could still remember how he had wished to be like him and he still does but if his father should remind him of his duties, it means he is not doing it well. He blew out a deep breath while running his fingers through his deep brown hair. Another sigh left his lips and he stumped his foot before going after Aliyah.

***

“What are these things?” Edward asked, glancing around at his well furnished living room.

“Oh,” Rasmus smiled, “with each passing century, the humans develops new things, new gadgets. Like this, this is a television,” he took the remote and turned it on.

“There are tiny humans in it, is it an easier way to find someone to feed on?” Edward asked.

Rasmus laughed, “no, your highness, if you break that screen now, you will see nothing but wires. It’s a faster way the humans communicate with the world at large. It’s a transmitter, it transmits visual images and sound and they use it to broadcast programs like entertainment, information and education. Here,” he brought out his phone from his pocket, “this is called a cell-phone, it is just like the television but more portable. But this one comes with a plus, I can pass message to you no matter the distance and you will receive it in seconds. I can even call you, and no matter where you are, we can talk and hear each other’s voices.”

Edward listened with less interest, “I see,” he replied, glancing away from the gadgets and taking in the differences in his house, “it’s strange but okay. I guess I can leave with it.”

Rasmus smiled, “let me show you around your highness. Wait till you see their mode of transportation,” he chuckled and went to a drawer to get the car key of a Maybach and turned to show the key to Edward with a proud smile. “I had acquired it in your name. I stumbled upon your treasure room and changed a few gold bars into cash. It was how I was able to get all these things,” he glanced around the whole living room. “Two or three gold bars are a lot of money now. I hope you don’t mind me touching your treasures without your consent your highness?”

Edward waved him off, “I have no use for those gold bars anyway. Your forefather and his mates helped me to acquire them back when we were still in action. We just store them since we have no use for them,” he shrugged, “let’s go, I’m interested to see this ‘transportation’ of yours,” he stood up.

Rasmus smiled, “of course my Prince, please follow me,” he did a curt bow and then led the way outside. Edward squint his eyes when he came in contact with the sun, but right after he had gotten used to the light, he took a good look of the scenery surrounding him. He had built his castle on a mountain but everything has changed now. It was still on the mountain no doubt, but the scenery had changed and he had no doubt it had to do with Rasmus, the man was making him like him more with each passing second. He turned behind him to talk to him only to see that the man was still standing in the shadows of the house, “what is the problem?”

“This is the one thing we envy the originals for, the ability to walk in bright sunlight. Only the direct descendant of the originals can walk in the sun but even they would be wary in walking in such a bright sun,” Rasmus explained.

“I know of the decrease in power with each new birth, but I didn’t think it would stop you from going into the sun at all. We naturally prefer moving at night because our senses are heightened by then, I guess that’s why I never took notice of the changes in the newer generations,” Edward said.

“You have been asleep for a long time my Prince, a lot of new discoveries has been done about us but it all points to the fact that we can never be like you, ‘the original’. Your senses are sharper than ours and you are ten times stronger than we can ever be. Without you in the picture, the strongest of our kind is the direct descendants because your blood is stronger in them than the rest of us that comes after. They are the rulers of our kind now, they are known as the high council and they govern over every Night Walker council in the whole world.”

Edward nodded, “I see, a lot of changes have been made.”

“Indeed my Prince,” Rasmus concurred, “in my quest to show you the new world, I have forgotten the time. If my Prince could be patient enough for a few more hours to go by, as the third generation, I can walk under the evening sun without the fear of being burnt, I can show my Prince around by then.”

“Very well Rasmus, but I would like to take a little run, my powers haven’t fully returned but I have missed running in these woods.”

“Of course my Prince, while you are away, I will take the time to send news to the high council that you have awakened.”

“Not now, Rasmus, not now,” Edward said.

“But my Prince…” Rasmus was saying when the whooshing of the wind stopped him, telling him that the man was long gone. He sighed, staring at the spot he was standing only but a second ago before he turned and went into the house.

“This is called a car, but this is an S class, it’s model name is ‘Maybach,’ there are a lot of cars but different models and the better the model you choose, the higher the price,” Rasmus explained proudly to the nonchalant Edward that was standing in front of a sleek black Maybach. “I got this one for you because I know you would love it.”

Edward ran his slender fingers on the car, a little bit of interest revealed in his midnight blue eyes when he opened the door and saw the car interior and he could say he liked it more because of its dark color. “How is the speed?”

“Perfect,” Rasmus bragged.

“Can it go faster than me?” Edward asked as he sat behind the wheel.

“Well, we can only find out, my Prince.”

“How do you move it?” Edward asked, running his fingers on the wheel before turning it left and right. When nothing happened, he glanced at Rasmus with a raised eyebrow.

“First of all, you will start it,” Rasmus demonstrated by starting the car, “and you control the tires with this wheel. But before that, you will change your gear, R means reverse, D means drive, P means park and N means Neutral. The L1 and L2 means low gear, you can choose to set the gear on low and you will be able to use engine brake. But that’s not necessary because you won’t need it,” he shrugged. “Um…my Prince, if you can let me drive today and then tomorrow we can take lessons if you like it.”

“Why can’t I drive it now, you have shown me how it works.”

“It doesn’t work that way, at most, you will damage the car.”

“Then I will get another one.”

“Um,” Rasmus sighed, he was at lost for words but he definitely knew that the man cannot operate the machine without seeing him do it first. “I promise you, your highness, tomorrow or maybe later tonight, we can practice and then when you have learnt it, we will get a new one. Trust me, this machine is complicated and you will definitely not want to drive into the human town with a damaged car.”

Edward sighed, “fine, if it’s not faster than I am I won’t be needing it anyway,” he said getting out of the car for Rasmus to enter and he was in the passenger’s seat in a blink of an eye.

“Thank you, my Prince,” Rasmus said and put the car in motion. Throughout their ride into town, Edward paid more attention to the car than the tour he was giving him. At the end, they stopped in front of a mall to get him some clothes. As they climbed out of the car, all eyes were on them. They looked so striking and beautiful walking into the mall together: one black haired and one ginger haired, stealing the hearts of women without even trying.

“Do you want to go home now or do you want to go to a nice place the humans often hang out?” Rasmus asked when they got into the car again after their shopping. He didn’t want to talk about the man’s choice of clothing, everything he picked was black and he picked a lot of long coats with no single bright color other than gray, black, nude, beige and different shades of brown. He sighed, glancing at the man, noticing that he still looked dashing even with the dull colors. The man had refused to change from what he was wearing earlier, and he wondered if it would be nice to take him to a club with him wearing a long coat.

“What are we Rasmus?” Edward asked.

Rasmus smiled, “Nightwalkers.”

“And when do we move around?”

Rasmus chuckled, “at night,” he started the car and pulled out of the mall, “oh yes, the humans have a cooler name for us now. They call us vampires.”

“I see, and the Night Howlers?”

“They call them werewolves.”

Edward smiled, “interesting.”

***

“Please don’t tell me you are sneaking out again tonight,” Sean sighed, watching Aliyah who was making sure there was no one watching.

“Don’t be a grandma with dementia, you know I would,” Aliyah replied without looking at him.

“Have you ever wondered what would happen when your dad finds out?”

“At most, I would be caned, what else? Trust me, I can handle a few beating.”

“Aliyah, this is wrong, breaking the rules every night is wrong, and the worst is that you are dragging me into it. I don’t like this.”

Aliyah turned to him then, “what has come over you? You have been acting strange since morning.”

Sean scoffed, “listen, I can’t do this anymore, okay? As the future Beta of this pack, I should be protecting it, not indulging you in your recklessness.”

Aliyah stared at him dumbfounded, “what has come over you?” she repeated in the end.

“Nothing has come over me, I have just decided to uphold my duties and I am telling you that you are not going anywhere tonight.”

Aliyah scoffed, “try and stop me,” she hissed.

Sean sighed, “Ali, please, don’t make this difficult for the both of us.”

“Try and stop me Sean,” she repeated, her anger reeking from her body.

“Ali, don’t force me. I’m stronger than you.”

“I will like to see you try Sean,” she said, backing away towards the gate, “try and stop me.”

“Ali,” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner, “listen, I won’t fight you okay, come on.”

Aliyah sighed, “I’m going to the human town.”

“What?” Sean was shocked, “no Ali, no, for goodness sake, how can you protect yourself should one of them figure out what you are? Come on, think, everyone knows the Nightwalkers mixes with them, what would you do when you bump into one or two, or even three?”

“Listen I can protect myself okay, I am not a weak wolf. I am the Alpha’s daughter, I know I will not be the alpha but some of the powers are passed down in me through birth. I’m not the average wolf females, you know that.”

Sean scratched his head in a frustrated manner, “for goodness sake Aliyah, go to any wolf clan but please, not the human realm. Nightwalkers feed on them and so they are mostly there, please, Aliyah, this is for your own good. Also, we both know that the punishment of going to human realm is quite dire. Why do you want to punish yourself like this?”

“You are not stopping me Sean, so you either take it or leave it.”

“You are not going to listen to me right?”

“I have gone to every neighboring clan Sean, maybe he is like me, maybe he is searching for me too or who knows, maybe he went to the human realm as well. Maybe we will meet each other there, you never can tell.”

“The only thing you are meeting there is nightwalkers, lots and lots of them. How good is your fighting skill?”

“Very good, you know that,” she smiled proudly. “Hey, I know you are worried about me, but don’t be, I will be in and out of their world before you know it. Trust me on this and if there is any Nightwalker, I will slit his throat before he could say a word.”

“Why don’t I trust you then?” Sean asked.

Aliyah chuckled, went up to him and kissed his cheek, “hey, I will be back before you know it and I promise you that I will come back unscathed.”

Sean sighed, “Ali…”

“Please Sean, please.”

Sean stared deep into her eyes and sighed in resignation, “please be careful.”

“I will, thank you,” she kissed his cheek once more and jumped over the fence before he could say another word. He scratched his hair, hoping his father won’t know of what just happened and left the place.

Aliyah hid behind a tree and undressed, tying up her clothes with a thread she often wears on her wrist. She dropped the tied up clothes in front of her and then shifted, the crackling of bones resounded around her as her body reset, taking the form of a snow white wolf with piercing blue eyes. She grabbed her cloth with her mouth and ran into the woods, keeping her mind blank so that her father won’t find her through the mind link.

When she approached the human town, she stopped and shifted back into her human form, putting on her clothes and walking out of the forest. She has been to the human realm only twice but she had gone those times with Sean and that was when he hasn’t found his mate and often joins her in her adventures with the hope of finding his mate as well. Now standing in the town, a wave of fear washed through her. She knew Sean was right, the Nightwalkers often dominates the human world at night, searching for a prey to feed on, she took a deep breath but there was no dead scent in the area and she knew she was safe for now.

The humans smell blank and the nightwalkers come with additional scent, like a dead plant or dead cell, it was how they always know when one was close by. Seeing that she was surrounded by only humans, she regained her cool and started walking through the streets. Sean had taken her to a club the first time they came there and if she wants to find an eligible wolf to make a mate, it would be best to start with the fun places since that is the only thing that would bring their kind to the human realm.

The club wasn’t hard to find, Aliyah could see the humans hanging around and some waiting in line to get into the club. She saw the men that Sean called the bouncers and knew they would want to see her ID before she would be let into the club but she didn’t come with that and then she remembered the trick Sean had used the last time they were there. Being a wolf, she can be very stealth, so creating a little distraction; she slipped into the club without the bouncers noticing. She chuckled at how smart she was and followed the music till she got to the open room where sweaty bodies were dancing against each other.

The music was louder than she could remember and it wasn’t helping if her wolf senses made the music louder than necessary. She felt her wolf was distressed with the music but there was nothing she could do; after all, she was the one that made her come to the human realm in the first place. She walked over to the bartender and flashed him a smile, she had forgotten to come with money and really hoped someone would buy her a drink. She felt her wolf reject the idea but she rolled her eyes at that, there was no way she would be refusing a free drink.

She didn’t have to wait for a long when someone whispered in her ear, “hey there beautiful,” she smiled; she had sensed the human coming and didn’t mind the approach. She turned to him and flashed him her most beautiful smile. He wasn’t that handsome, but he could be considered good looking with his sandy brown hair and gray eyes. “Mind if I buy you a drink?” he leaned in to whisper and she wished he knew he didn’t have to. If Sean was there, she could still hear him from across the room without him raising his voice but then she has to remind herself that he is human and doesn’t share in her abilities.

“Of course not,” she raised her voice for him to hear.

The man grinned, “great,” he said and turned to the bartender, ordering a shot of tequila for her. Aliyah wished for his sake that he shouldn’t try to drug her because one, the drug would be slow to work on her and two, it can only affect her for some minutes which mean she could kill him before it takes effect on her and she would be able to walk home safe and sound in the minutes that comes after.

Before the drink can be served, she felt her wolf suddenly giddy about something, she frowned, it was hard for something to interest her wolf and she turned around to know the reason for her excitement. She glanced around but there was nothing out of the ordinary until her eyes set on him. He was sitting on the sofa in the other end of the room and was listening to what the handsome ginger haired man with him was saying. The more she looked at him, the giddier her wolf became. The strangeness of it all intrigued and excited her. Her wolf has never reacted like that over a man, not even to Eric when they were dating. At most, she often resigned on her own whenever she was with Eric but this man was able to excite her. Who is he? She wondered and then he looked up and their eyes met and she was held spellbound by his midnight blue eyes and so was her wolf.

***

The moment they stepped into the club, Edward had disliked it but for some reason, he had chosen to stay. He felt compelled to the place but yet he hated it. The extra loud music and the sweaty smell of the dancing humans only but made it worse. He would prefer being able to perceive their scented blood than the purging scent of the alcohol and the sweat that was covering their natural sweet scent. He wasn’t thirsty but he would like to surround himself with that natural sweetening scent.

“Right here, you will meet different types of humans but I won’t advise feeding on them when they are intoxicated. You won’t like the taste of it in their blood, trust me, I know,” Rasmus shuddered. “But, here, you can be able to find the extra sweet ones, hmm, like the one I had last week,” he closed his eyes, relishing on the memory.

Edward had stopped paying attention to what he was saying when he felt a pull to look up, he did and was met with a pair of blue eyes. She appeared different from the rest of the women in the room and with one look, he could tell she was quite young, very young. He had caught her looking at him but she didn’t shy away neither did she invite him with her eyes like most of the women he had caught staring at him in the room did.

She didn’t move though, she just stood there, holding his gaze and then he saw the man beside her handing her a drink. Are they together? He wondered, his gaze shifting briefly to access the man. He was just an average looking man and he noticed something amiss, there was something about her, something that tells him she could end the man’s life with just a flick of her finger. But why, isn’t she a human like him? He tried to get her scent but the heavily coated intoxicated scents that surrounded them made it hard for him.

Without thinking, he stood up, wanting to go closer to get a better scent of her. “My Prince,” Rasmus stood up as well, “is everything okay?” he whispered but Edward heard him loud and clear.

“Stay here,” he said and began making his way through the dancing bodies.

Aliyah turned around immediately, chanting ‘he is coming over’ in her mind and her wolf became restless again, wanting her to turn around and keep looking at him. She took the drink from the man with her and sipped from it, hoping it would keep her calm, as well as her wolf as she wondered why a human man could captivate her interest so badly. His blue eyes flashed in her mind and her wolf shivered in pleasure. The man with her was saying something but she couldn’t hear that anymore as she concentrated her mind to hear the sound of his feet in order to know when he was close.

But a shocking thing happened then. No matter how hard she listened, she couldn’t hear the sound of his feet. At first, she thought he wasn’t coming again and turned to check but she saw him walking up to her in ever slow and steady movement and she still couldn’t hear him. A sudden scent wafted into her nostrils then and she froze. It was a dead plant scent, a scent she had been made to learn through school to be wary off but there was something else in his scent, something like a sweetener, pulling her in.

She didn’t need to think again to know who he was or rather what he was. She glanced up at him, her horror making way to her face and she noticed he had stopped moving as well, his eyes locked on her as she saw the realization in his eyes. He had figured out what she is, probably had perceived her scent too. The place wasn’t safe anymore, not when a nightwalker was staring at her. she finished her drink in a gulp and passed the shot to the man, tendering apologizes but not staying to know whether he had accepted as she made her way to the exist.

Edward had been drawn to the woman but the closer he got to her, he was able to perceive her scent, a scent he knows all too well. Rusty smell that reeks off those damned Night howlers. He had been frozen in shock, not expecting to bump into a howler or even to be attracted to her. He was still cursing himself in his mind when he saw her going towards the exit and without thinking, followed her. There was no way he was letting her escape tonight especially now that he knows of her origin.

Since he can’t have her because of what she is, then there is no need for her to still be alive. He knew he would be breaking the treaty by killing an innocent howler, but then again, no one would know. Furthermore, it’s been a long time he had been in a fight and he would love to have one, except that she doesn’t look like she could survive a single strike from him. But that’s okay, he would be easy on her to let her live a little longer before killing her.

Getting outside the club, he saw her running down the streets and scoffed before giving a hot pursuit.