In The New Air

Walking to the waterfall, aside on a big rock, Frank sat down listening to both eagerly and calmly.

"Betty! We will listen to her first, okay." Frank said.

Looking at Martha, he nodded his head.

"Frank! Aside from what Douard is, I think babies are marked ones. They are hybrids like Alene but their blood and power are different and pure from us."

"Douard is a werewolf too, now. Don't judge him as some filthy animal." Betty exploded as she couldn't hear any ill-thought about Douard.

Her first love and her feelings, she didn't want to lose in any case.

"It's not what you think, Betty." Martha chips at her and continues.

"I think we can't go to the temple anymore."

"Why?" Frank asked.

"Because Alene…" Martha got cut off.

"She is now blessed with the deity's messenger wolf. If she enters the temple, priests and elders will never let her go away." Sam appears.

"Sam!" Frank exclaimed.

"I knew that while spying on your pack."

Frank nods his head.

Sam smiled gently and stood quiet.

"Not only that, babies are hybrids too…" Martha again got cut off.

"How do you know for sure? I didn't sense any vampire from them. They were perfectly fine werewolf." Frank raised his voice.

He wanted to know the real truth, not twisted stories and plots.

"Marks. That's what I am trying to clarify. These same marks were the cause of worldwide war between werewolf and vampire, millennia ago. And very same reasons were what caused Alene's parents to die and deepen the hatred and breaking of the pact."

In one whole swoop of breath, Martha poured all out.

She fell to her knees and gasped for air.

"So?"

'So! Only 'so'. Don't you know the matter's depth?' She thought as looked at him with disbelief at what she heard.

"So? You are saying Alene's babies will even fuel and stir up the war more. But I too didn't sense any vampire from them. Even if there are marks…"

Martha cut off in between.

"Yes! Those very marks are proof, they have vampires in them."

"So does Alene have."

"No! Alene is a different case. Her vampiric essence is absorbed by her baby but babies on other hand are fully able to use that power."

She looked at them still confused instead of being shocked.

'Sigh!'

She sighed as she couldn't make them feel the urgency of the emergence of imminent danger.

"They are our trump cards, Martha!" Frank and Betty said in unison.

They looked at each other and laughed.

Both thought the same thing.

'Huh?! Trump card. How? Ah!'

Martha thought for a moment and understood the direction of the situation moving in their favor and filled with confidence.

Her face brightened as soon as she grasped the plan of the future.

Turning towards the waterfall and breathing the fresh air and calming her badly aroused mood, she said,

"They are indeed trump cards,"

Sam looked joyed with how Martha brightened.

'Beautiful'

His heart swelled with unknown feelings today after those brazen hundreds of years of life being a vampire.

He clutched his heart and looked at her passionately.

Martha's eyes suddenly caught the state of Sam fixed on her.

"Sam!" she shouted.

Startling for a moment, Sam collected himself and blushed to what he thought and left.

"Why is he being awkward?" Martha said.

"Hahaha" Betty laughed.

"Maybe he liked your face when you were angry. It was inflated like a balloon with a pinkish aura in it." she added.

'Pinkish!' Martha felt awkward.

"Others look red and sweaty, but Martha looks funny when she is angry." Frank said, brimming to laugh.

"Whatever."

Martha looked the other way with a slight blush clinging to her face.

"Lets go and prepare the tents, It will be our night out in the woods party today." Frank said.

As soon as those words dropped, Martha turned into her wolf and growled.

"Oh she is hunting today. Don't bring only rabbits today okay. Haha" Betty mocked her.

With an intent gaze, she ran off across the shallow water and entered woods opposite to the tents. That area falls under the private hunting area of Fire Blood pack. Since it is isolated from the vampire region, it is also a werewolf training ground.

After a few moments later, while Frank and Douard haven't even finished setting up tents, a howl from afar rang out in the woods.

"Hoooooowl…"

"Looks like she is enjoying it." Frank said, hammering the tent holder onto the ground.

His sweat rolled off of his athletic body and campfire made it shine majestically.

"Finished here." Douard sat down on a log they cut from a tree nearby, cuddling with Betty.

"I don't think Martha is as strong as she was some years ago." Betty stated confidently.

" Well Betty, I think the news you wanted to say to me privately should be known to all here." Frank dug up the previous matter.

Betty and her joyous face sulked down and she began explaining.

*Flashback*

*A day ago, before Frank told her about Jake's betrayal*

"Jake!"

"Jake!"

"Where has he gone?"

'Stumble'

"Ouch!"

'Huh?!'

'Why is there a blood trail here?'

'Step'

'Step'

"W-what are you doing, Jake? How can.."

"Betty, wait I can explain. Hey. Aaargh."

Betty saw Jake hunting his own brothers and sucking blood of werewolf, which he himself was.

"I don't want to listen. I will report this to Frank and you will be exiled." Betty curled her lips and looked at him with utter disgust.

"How could you…? You are a traitor. How could you join sides with vampires?"

"It's not what you think." Jake said, trying to convince her.

Betty stomps the ground and walks ahead.

'The person whom I thought is my best friend and caretaker is actually the one against me and the pack.'

She could make anything out of it. Her mind turned blank with all those thoughts.

"I… I love you, Betty. I always loved you. Even though we haven't met our partner yet, please accept my love and me. I don't want to hurt you but this is the only way with which we will love each other for all eternity."

Jake threw an emotional trap to Betty. He always flirted with her but this gave him an absolute chance to trap Betty and turn her into a vampire wolf.

Betty on other hand, who had started to like him fell for this trap and agreed.

"But…"

" There are no buts,... only freedom and eternal life. Come with me to Citadel on this temple visit. And we will live our life with our own rules."

"Okay! I will. And Jake, ummm… I …."

Placing fingers onto her lips Jake stopped her.

"No, keep it secret until we are totally free."

Betty blushed a little.

'Bingo! It worked. I have a prey and a sacrifice for the next vampire ritual in the Citadel.'