29. Blood

Alex's POV

After 3 months, I still wasn't considering going home. Everyone here was just so nice, and it seemed like a nice place to have my now seven months old babies. Both Tay and Bailey had made sure that I felt comfortable here, and I was really enjoying not being in charge 24/7. Life had slowed down significantly even though I missed Ash, but that was the least of my worries.

"Hey, Alex. We have training in 10. Feel free to join us!" Tay announced from my bedroom door before leaving. It was a warm May morning, but I was happy to join them on the tiny track. I dressed in sweatpants and a jumper before jogging down to the field. I had been given a little bit less work so that I didn't harm the children, but I wasn't treated super differently. The people here didn't act like I was defenseless just because I was carrying a child, and I really appreciated that. I'm sure that if someone were to attack, I would be protected by these people, but they didn't make me feel that way. I feel safe but free at the same time, and I really enjoy this sensation.

"Alright, warm up with 5 laps." We all set off on our run, and I loved the burn in my legs. I missed the schedule of being a subject of training, and this really made me feel better.

"Pair up for sparring!"

I stood in front of a boy a little bit younger than me, and I put my fists up. When we fought, we weren't exactly going to attempt to hurt each other. My only goal was to sharpen my fighting skills a little bit. At least everyone remembered not to aim for my stomach, so I didn't have that anxiety.

Eventually we were all sweaty from the training regime, and I set off for my room to get a nice, warm shower. I felt discomfort in my chest while I was getting in, but this time I chose not to ignore it. I let Ash's feelings flood my mind, and it almost knocked my feet from under me. The pure depression I was getting made me seriously regret my decision to stay here, yet I had to be a little bit selfish. I wanted to give birth to our children in a totally safe environment, and Half Moon didn't qualify. I love my pack, but my life is a little bit crazy.

"Alex!" Bailey squealed when she saw me. "Are you alright? Tay isn't working you too hard, right?"

"No harder than everyone else. I'm doing just fine, Bails."

"I'm glad. Hey, did you want to join me for lunch? Tay has a tendency to make me way too much food, and I don't think I can finish it all."

"I would like that. The babies are constantly wanting more." I didn't mention the nightly escapades I made to get my growing vampire children blood, but I didn't think that anyone notices. None of these people knew that my mate is a vampire, and I was too much of a pussy to tell them. I was afraid of being kicked out.

"That's what I've heard from other parents."

I followed Bailey into the fancy dining room, and I got the sense that this is what I'm missing from my home because I liked the quiet of not having 500 plus people where we ate. There was a huge pile of food on the dining table, and I looked at the behemoth in front of my eyes. "She actually expects you to eat that much?"

"I think Tay assumes I'm a fat ass. Which I kind of am, but not to this extent."

One of my children kicked at my stomach, and I rubbed the bump with a lingering smile. Well, that is until the bloodlust surfaced. Thanks a lot, baby. This whole blood thing might be one of my least favorite parts about myself, but growing kids are gonna want food.

I ate a little bit of food, but once I was craving blood, I was unable to shake the need. "Are you okay, Alex? You seem a little bit off."

"I'm fine, Bailey. Don't worry about me."

"You know I do. I just want to make sure that you're as comfortable as possible."

"I'll be fine. I don't want to freak you out."

"You know that I don't scare easily... Spill. You pretend like the guards don't notice you leave at night."

My eyes went wide, and I stared down at my lap. "My soulmate... He's..."

"Even if it's super bad, I won't tell on you to Tay. You can trust me."

"For some reason, my family is heavily mixed with vampires. My father, my brother, and I are all have interspecies soulmates. Uh... I'm actually half vampire, and my children are probably full blooded. I sneak away to make the bloodlust disappear."

"As creepy as that may seem, I don't think I mind. The moon goddess has a plan for you, and of you're supposed to run with vampires, so be it. I still think you're pretty cool even if you sneak away at night to prey on animals. At least I assume that it's animals you're drinking from."

"Of course. Even my soulmate was raised that preying on humans is bad. As far as I know, the only time he's ever hurt a human is when the uncontrollable cravings hit him since he grew up as a rogue vampire."

"You never told me what pack you came from or what your last name is."

"Pack is totally unimportant. My last name is Demonte. I was born and raised to be a warrior."

"Oh, I was kind of worried. This pack in Georgia is looking for a boy named Alexander Canfield, and I was kind of hoping that it wasn't you. You're pretty cool, but it would be kind of creepy if you turned out to be some huge Alpha. You just don't seem the type to lead."

"Yeah. I don't think I could do that for a long time without going insane."

"Oh, and don't worry about the whole vampire thing. Tay shouldn't know; she's always had a thing against them after the Harsin Coven murdered her parents."

"I understand. That sounds pretty rough."

"It was. Wait, since you're a half breed, does that mean that you have teeth?"

"They aren't as long as a normal vampire, but I do have some."

"Show me!"

I allowed my puny fangs to slide out of my upper gums, and once they were to the longest that could be, I opened my mouth so Bailey could see. "Woah!"

"What are you two doing?" Tay asked from the doorway. It did probably look really weird from her angle since her soulmate was so close to my mouth, but I still slammed my jaw closed.

"Alex though he had a piece of fish stuck between his teeth, and I was just making sure that he didn't."

"Alexander you open your mouth right this second!"

I was worried that my teeth were still showing, but she had used her alpha tone. It would have been suspicious for me to ignore the command. Tay stalked forward, and when she got right up in my face, she snarled, "There isn't any fish in your teeth. Go to your room."

I slunk out of the room, but instead of going to my bedroom, I went to go satisfy my thirst. Don't worry, babies. Daddy's gonna get you some nutrition.