Chapter 15

Lia~

8 days

It's been a total of 8 days since I've seen Lucas. He wasn't at school all week last week so I phoned his house and the voice message said they went away to visit his father in Russia, witch and warlock territory last time I heard. I inwardly roll my eyes. Witches, I can't stand them, always so pretentious and the warlocks are even worse, always so cocky, almost as bad as the vampires... well not all of them. Memories flash by one by one, memories of my time training with the vampire clan of the west. Almost all the vamps my age hated training with me because of my strength and some even resented me because of how close I had been with the vampire queen. When news of her mysterious death spread I immediately knew it had something to do with her beloved, the king. The sick bastard that he is. None of the vampires would train me because of that resentment, none except for Jackson. He was the strongest male in the coven, a few years older than me and also the most handsome, yet another reason for the females to resent me. He sparred with me, trained me, and taught me everything I know about being a vampire, or at least part vampire. I find myself sketching him, his glowing red eyes, midnight blue-ish black hair, and ruggedly handsome smile that brought out the dimple in his left cheek. Jackson was my first love, my first kiss, my first real taste of freedom after learning what I was... but we both somehow knew we couldn't be mates although it didn't stop us from hoping, heck I didn't even think I had a mate out there but we all know how that turned out.

Last I heard the covens were all located up north, although it could've changed with everything that happened between the witches and the vampires. The Vampire King is ruthless, unforgiving and apparently he wants a new string of clans further up North. Unfortunately for him though, he has to get through the queen of witches, Lumeria, first.

I've been sitting in class, staring at the clock on the wall, waiting for the bell to ring. Every single day is tedious without him and Raeya is even more affected than me because she can feel the bond weakening. I feel horrible for lying to him and I've become weak, I'm still stronger than most but with the possibility of being rejected my wolf has been depressed and it's affecting me.

Suddenly Raeya perks up and I have to fight her off so she doesn't take control. I can feel her excitement and happiness "he's back" I stop for a second, "Who?" but she doesn't answer me. Instead, she wags her tail and starts running wild in my head. I get up and gather my things, stuff them in my bag and walk out the door. The hallways are pretty busy. Everyone is rushing to either get somewhere or to get away from somewhere else. I walk through the crowd and the werewolves all subtly bow their heads in respect, some even addressing me by my title. I don't see them though, I don't see anything. I don't see the rows of countless red lockers or the uncombed mops of hair. I block out everyone and everything and I can tell the wolves can sense my distress. I decided to walk today instead of taking my car so I left it at home and walked to school to clear my head. I turn down the alley and start walking in the direction of my house, still in a daze.

In fact, I'm so distracted that I don't notice the person sneaking behind me until it's too late.

I notice the shadow a moment before it snakes its arm around me. I turn around in its arms, ready to rip its head off when my top rides up and his hand touches my bare skin. I freeze. My eyes adjust to the darkness but the sparks were enough to tell me even before I looked into those gorgeous green eyes, "Lucas? "

He smiles at me, "In the flesh, baby" I throw my arms around him and he squeezes me close. Raeya howls in pleasure and I can feel myself and the bond growing stronger.

"I missed you so much" a sudden thought hits me and I pull back, out of his arms, "Are you here to reject me?" my voice is timid and weak, nothing like the confident girl I portray. The truth is I'd rather show my weakness than lose my mate. I wrap my arms around my waist and turn away from him. I don't want him to see my face if he does reject me.

He looks at me confused, "What? Why would I-" his expression morphs into one of realization, "oh, you think this is about that day." I nod my head, yes, not trusting my own voice to be steady. Tears threaten to spill over but I don't let them. I will not be weak, I'm stronger than this. "Lia, I never meant to be away for this long. I wanted to come to see you the next day but I couldn't because we had to leave early that morning and there's no cell service for some reason. Okay, yes, I was hurt that you didn't trust me with your secret but I now understand why you did it. " he pulls me close and kisses me softly. The kiss is sweet and short, over just as quickly as it began, "I love you, Lia, I am not losing you, and just so you know I think your wolf is breathtaking."

Raeya takes manages to take control of my body, "Well thank you, you're pretty handsome yourself." my voice is deeper, much huskier and I can tell Lucas is affected by it. His eyes grow dark and for a second they go pitch black before returning to green. It must have been my imagination, there's no way his eyes changed that quickly.

" Was that your wolf?" I regain control and look into his eyes but they are their normal green color. With Raeya taking control I didn't have a good look but I could've sworn that I saw his eyes change color. Raeya stiffens inside me but she doesn't say a word.

"Yes, her name is Raeya and she's an alpha wolf, that's why she's so big. I've actually only had her for a few weeks." I bite my lip before continuing, "Do you remember the night of the masquerade ball?" he nods his head and stares into my eyes while playing with my hair. We walk back through the alley towards the main roads to where his car is parked near the sidewalk. "Well that night I ran into the woods and realized that it was a blood moon, that's when it happened, I shifted for the first time and it was probably the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life but if I'm being honest Henry's face made it all worth it." I start laughing at the memory and link my arm with his but I can feel his tension and predict his next words without even reading his mind.

" Henry knows what you are?" it's my turn to tense up. I don't think I'm ready for this conversation yet. How do I tell my mate about my engagement to the one guy we both love to loathe especially after telling him that mates are meant to be together forever. I stay silent for a while, longer than needed but he's not letting up anytime soon. "Amelia, does Henry know what you are?" he used my real name. Lucas never uses my real name unless... actually I can't remember the last time he used it, in fact, no one does. I'm just Lia.

I look up at him and take a deep breath. "Yes, Henry does know but only because I'm not the only werewolf in the school. I'm one of many and Henry is one of them, one of the more powerful ones, he's an alpha." Lucas looks shocked and I almost don't continue but I know I have to, he needs to know," Henry is also my fiancé, he-"

" HE'S YOUR WHAT?!"

I wince at the sound of him yelling right next to my ear. Being a supernatural has its perks and I used to think enhanced senses were one of them but not now, definitely not with Lucas a few inches away from me. I can see him growing angry and Raeya whines at how we made our mate upset. She suddenly stiffens and a scent hits us both like a cement truck, driving us wild. The scent is familiar and intoxicating yet foreign at the same time. It lasts for a second before it's gone and it leaves both Reaya and me more confused than ever.

Luc's arm around me tightens and I feel the anger radiating off of him. I stand on the tips of my toes and give him a kiss on the cheek, feeling him calm down slightly at my touch. "It's not by choice, Luc, our parents made the alliance more than a decade ago and neither Henry nor I are happy about it. We both want to rule with our mates by our side and I want-"

"But I don't understand why they'd mate you with an alpha. Doesn't he get to choose whoever he wants? Why you?" I can hear the anger in his voice, asking another question I really don't want to answer but unfortunately I have no choice.

"Well, it's because even though Henry is a future alpha, I still outrank him." here goes everything, "I'm the future werewolf queen, Luc. I will one day rule the entire species." he stares at me, wide-eyed and unblinking. It would've been funny if I weren't panicking inside. A minute passes and then another. I hesitate before speaking softly, "Luc?"

That's when all hell breaks loose, "What do you mean the next queen? How is that even possible? So you're a princess? Does that make me a prince because I'm our mate? I'm not ready to rule a country! Is that even how it works? What about the-" I smash my lips against his, silencing his every word. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer, kissing me back with the same intensity. I moan into the kiss. I missed this, the feeling of his lips against mine and the taste of his tongue exploring my mouth. I'm lifted off the ground and my legs involuntarily wrap around his waist before I'm pushed up against the side of the building. The brick scrapes against my back and my head hits the wall but I barely notice it. I get lost in Luc's taste, my fingers threading through his hair, pulling slightly, making him groan and kiss me so hard it feels like a punishment. I growl into the kiss and I can hear his heartbeat pick up. Maybe it's not a punishment, maybe he's trying to state his claim, making sure I know who I belong to.

"Hmm strange, after 2 years I never thought thís would be how I'd see you for the first time," an amused voice says close to us. The voice sounds oddly familiar but I don't pay much attention to it, not until I catch the scent and my eyes fly open. I jump out of Luc's arms. Sandlewood and river rocks...

I stare into the eyes of the one person I never thought I'd see again," Jackson?"