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chapter Two

Enzo

“ Kill the vamp,” my wolf growls inside my head.

“Trust me, I want to,” I reply.

I watch as they walk out of the meeting hall. The urge to kill them both and paint these walls with their blood is strong. The moment the door closes on the pair, I turn to Chayton.

“I can’t believe you allowed them to stay.”

Chayton’s eyes narrow. I try to reel some of my hostility back in.

“You heard what Ashara said, the vampires mean us no harm.”

“I don’t give a fuck if they wanted to braid my hair and sing kumbaya. I want them out of here.”

Once again, Chayton takes in my aggression. His gaze narrows as he watches me. I’ve never spoken to my Alpha this way.

“What’s your issue with vampires? I mean, I don’t like them either, but you seem off.”

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. He does not know why I have so much hostility toward the leeches. Now isn’t the time to tell him.

“Have you forgotten why your sister is without a mate?” I ask bringing up Phaedra.

Chayton’s lips tighten as he remembers how Torak’s father died.

“Of course I haven’t,” he snarls. “I’m just curious about why you didn’t put up this same fight when the White Wolf asked to join.”

I wave off his comment. “The white wolf is only half vampire. His wolf blood drowns out the other half. It’s different.”

I couldn’t explain it, but Alarick felt more like us. Even though he’s part vampire, he smells like a wolf and was raised as a wolf. I trust him.

“Look.” He runs a hand through his dark hair. “I understand your reluctance, but what did you want me to do? Toss my mate’s best friend out on her ass without just cause?”

“Yes,” I growl through clenched teeth.

“Fine,” Chayton says, folding his arms over his chest. “You go tell your Luna that the one woman that has been by her side since she was fifteen can’t stay with her when said friend needs her help.”

Ugh! He had me there. Luna doesn’t ask for much. She’s sacrificed a lot for us. I can’t take this away from her.

“She will get over it. Kill the vamps,” my wolf argues.

Ignoring my other half, I relax my shoulders. “I don’t trust them.”

“Neither do I,” he admits. “But my Luna swears by this one.”

“We can’t just have them roaming around freely.”

“I agree,” Chayton rubs his chin. “You can keep an eye on them.”

“Wait, what?”

“Come on, Enzo. We both know that vampires can never follow the rules. The moment she messes up, we have an excuse to kick her out. I need someone I trust to watch them. Someone that won’t kill them.”

He might think too highly of me on that. Just knowing they are close by irks me.

“I put them in that cabin for a reason. Not only is it far enough from everyone else’s, there is only one more cabin near it and it’s vacant. You can be their neighbor.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Being that close to the vampires may make me snap. I can already see their lifeless bodies lying before me.

“We need to work together on this. The faster we can witness her fuck up, the faster I can get her off my land and away from my mate.”

Now I understand his dilemma. Not only is a vampire on his property, but it has its claws in his mate. Luna is at risk, and she needs to see vamps for what they really are.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” To protect my Luna, I will refrain from killing the vampires until they give me a good reason. Honestly, it doesn’t even have to be a good one.

Chayton pats me on the back. “Thank you. Just keep an eye on her. I don’t want to alert Elizabeth of anything until we have solid proof.”

“I got you,” I reluctantly agree.

Chayton and I leave the meeting hall and go our separate ways. Instead of going to get my things from the unmated male tent I was using, I check on the one person I know that’s having the hardest time with this new arrangement.

Rapping my knuckles against the back of the door, I wait for someone to answer. Suddenly, the barrier swings open and standing in front of me is Torak.

“Where’s your mother?” I ask.

He tosses his head behind him, the scowl on his face representative of how we are all feeling. I make my way inside the small cabin, shutting the door behind me. I find Phaedra sitting on her couch, crying. Torak goes to her side, taking a seat. He cradles his mother in his arms.

Taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her, I let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t believe they’re here. Those creatures deserve whatever happens to them.”

“Don’t say that, mother. No woman deserves to be abused.”

Phaedra shakes her head. “Those monsters killed your father. They slaughtered him in cold blood. There’s no such thing as a good vampire.”

“Chayton feels the same way, but his hands are tied,” I try to explain. “Luna does not know of our world. She doesn’t understand how vampires work.”

Phaedra scoffs. “Can you imagine that creature prying on our Luna for years? Poor Elizabeth has no idea what she’s befriended. I feel so bad for her.”

It’s true, Luna doesn’t even realize how close she’s been to evil all this time. That’s why my job now is so important.

“I’ll make sure nothing happens to Luna. Don’t you worry.”

“What if she’s been feeding off her all this time?”

A growl rips from deep within me. My wolf slips out, causing my snout to grow. I have to tamp it back down.

“Don’t put that image in my head,” I say to Phaedra as I shut my eyes to chase away the visual. If I found any clues of that leech feeding off Elizabeth, I wouldn’t even wait for Chayton’s permission to kill it.

“I want you all to stay as far away from those things as possible,” I tell them.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Phaedra adds. “I have no plans of being near them.”

“Good, I just wanted to check on you.” I stand to my feet, preparing myself for what I need to do.

Phaedra grabs my arm before I can walk away. I look down at her.

“How are you? I know this brings up memories of—”

“I’m fine.” The lump in my throat is a stark reminder that I’m indeed not fine.

She nods before releasing her hold on me. “We will get through this. Eventually, those vampires will show their true colors, and we will get rid of them.”

On that, she and I agreed.

I left Phaedra’s home and headed to my tent to pack my things. I wasn’t worried about packing too much. I doubt the leeches will be here longer than two days before they mess up and I can kick their asses out.