Chapter 12

DAMIAN'S POV

"What are you doing?" Matilda asked, dodging a tree branch on the path.

"I'm trying to contact Avery."

She turned briefly to meet my gaze. The seconds were gold and I wished I could stop time for it to remain that way.

"You're bonded with her too." She said.

She had a lot to learn about our psychic bond. Ours was eternal even in death.

"Yes," I replied.

A loud explosion shook the forest suddenly and judging from the golden glow that I could see from a distance, I could tell it was Avery. She had shown us their location.

"Go over there." I nudged Matilda.

She sent me a "I know" look and turned in that direction. The others followed suit and we were getting closer to Avery. The mindlink was getting stronger.

The blood moon was now in its full intensity and I prayed to whatever god there was that Avery was not dead.

We reacher a clearing and I sighted vampires. They didn't look friendly and they were here to stall is for Victor to finish the job.

The faebloods wasted no time in drawing their weapons. A hue of several colors glinting in their eyes. I let out a low growl as I channeled my beast.

My fangs extended and my eyesight became more clear.

Charge!

The battle was fierce but the amateur vampires were no match for the faebloods. I noticed Matilda was the fiercest of them all. To top that, she was throwing...fireballs. it was a first sight for me. Faebloods were part fae, part human and could not channel their full potentials. Her eyes were filled with bloodlust which each strike she threw at the opponents. Reaching to her mind, all I could feel was pure rage.

I had no time to dabble on why my soulmate was a killer machine. My duty was to maneuver when the faebloods distracted the vampires and find Avery or Henry.

I ran for a cabin. I cautiously reached out for the door which creaked as it opened. My enhanced senses could detect serious heart pounding and muffled breathing. It was definitely Henry.

He relaxed when he saw it was me. Avery wasn't present and it worried me more. I reached out for Henry's gag and ripped it off.

"Where's Avery?"

"They took-her-i-i don't kno-ow where."

Fuck! I cursed and glanced around.

The room was marked. Werewolf ran extinct a long time ago but seeing the pack symbol reminded me how much a risk Avery was in presently. Victor was the one who orchestrated the virus that wiped half of the shifters population.

I freed Henry from his ropes and warned him to remain in the cabin but I knew fully well he was going to disobey me. The kids of the twenty-first century didn't know rules.

It was foolish the vampires thought their link with Avery could be severed on the blood moon. It even intensified on this very night. After all, it was the night they were cursed. Once the sword went into Avery's heart, they would all fall.

AVERY'S POV

Victor was the first to rise and walk up to me. The red moon cast a crimson red light over him giving him a more sinister look. The sword cast a wicked glow similar to the moon's lighting.

If I could do it before, I could do it again. They failed me, o tried once more but my powers seemed to be exhausted.

Victor was only a meter away from me now.

"What did you think? That somehow you'll alert whoever is around and they'll save you. No one can.

His vile words were getting to me and it kept me wondering why he always seemed to have his way. The dagger was now sending cold shivers down my spine as Victor gently glided it from my abdomen to my heart, a smirk to his face.

"Help!" I screamed, praying someone would hear my wails.

"No one can save you now." He sneered and brought the dagger down.

I closed my eyes and expected death when the unimaginable happened.

A sphere of bright light blasted Victor away from me. I turned to see my saviour.

It was unexpected to see a faeblood coming to my rescue. Her streak of pink and black hair covering half of her face.

Victor stood up from the ground in anguish and threw the dagger right for the woman. His target was precise and she would have been dead if she hadn't deflected it with a fireball or whatever she was shooting.

"I hate bluebloods." Victor spat and picked a random weapon lying on the floor to jab at her.

A huge hand covered my mouth and I knew I was being moved. The vampire put a finger to his lip to shush me. I bit into his fingers drawing blood but he did not seem to care less. He carried me while the faebloods battled with the Vampires and Victor.

I could see a truck in the distance and God! Tears were welling in my eyes.

"Damian, where are you?" I sent.

We were in the truck already and I was already discouraged that anybody would come to my rescue. I was doomed.

The car ignited and slowly started moving but it was stopped by someone who blocked its path.

It was Damian.

"And where do you think you are going? The party is that way."

The man stepped out of the vehicle and charged for Damian while I tried to find anything that could help rid me of the awful ropes used to tie me. I found a bottle of alcohol and shattered it, picking up a sharp shard of the broken glass, I got to work.

Damian was an even match for the vampires and I could tell it would not be long before I was free and could help him or he got rid of the pest.

Turns out it was the latter. Damian pinned the man to the floor and prepared to propel just hand deep into the man's left chest and take out his heart. The man stopped struggling and smiled. I turned to the direction he was smiling at and I saw another vampire hold Henry's throat threatening to tear out his bobbing Adam apple if we tried what we intended.

Damian let go of the vampire he pinned down. My ropes finally gave way and exposed red flesh. It had bitter deep into my hands. It began to heal but slowly since my skin had absorbed a little vervain.

The vampire was expected to free Henry as a part of our quick bargain but he and other plans. Looking into his eyes, I could tell he had something wicked in mind.

His fingers dug deep into Henry's throat and I could see crimson liquid seep out. A cracking sound followed and the job was done. I ran out of the vehicle, wailing. I caught Henry before he fell to the ground. He wanted to speak but with the absence of his voicebox, nothing came out.

"I love you."

Those were his last words before death.

I closed my eyes feeling something different. It wasn't pain, it wasn't anger, it was power.

My eyes opened and saw the shock of Damian and the rogue Vampires. It wasn't just me who felt it.

A quick run at the vampires who took Henry's life and screaming ensued. They were covered in their own blood. Organs spewed over the earth and I turned my bloodied face to see Damian's twisted face.

What was wrong? He wanted me to accept my legacy all his life. This was it, I was now the monster everyone wanted me to be. I was now a Shepherd.

KALIM'S POV

The vampires stopped fighting. My sword was painted red. They all seemed to be in a trance.

Others also noticed this and stopped to discuss what was going on. The air seemed different. The vampires turned east still in a trance-like state. We joined them and saw Avery and Damian walking towards us. Avery seemed to be carrying something. Now close, I saw she was carrying a blue Henry.

WTF happened to him? I rushed to them and checked Henry. His throat was torn open and the only thing there was blood, dried blood. My stomach tightened and I looked at Avery. She was the one. She was covered in blood and could somehow now control the vampires. The rage that she could have done this out of hunger reached overdrive. I drew my sword and pointed it right in her face.

"What did you do?"

Her eyes turned cherry red in response to my threat. That was different and she showed her fangs as she spoke.

"Ask your kind."

Her gaze then went over to Victor who had the bloodstone dagger in his hands.

It was him. My sword glowed more intensely even almost dazing me. The man charged for Avery like a crazy bozo. I was quicker however and went on his way. He went right through my sword. He looked at my eyes in shock as he fell to the ground putting his mouth as he breathes his last. The hands slowly removed and I could meet his smile. It was psychotic. He actually looked like the joker thanks to his bloody mouth.

What was going to happen now?

The elderly ones moved in to discuss with Avery and I could make out that they wanted a truce. My mind was only on Henry, my best friend. I blamed myself. I blamed Avery. He was too fragile for this world. My father joined me.

"What am I going to tell his mom?" I wondered.

My father paused then spoke, effortless coating his words.

" She will have to forgive him. The cleaners will do that."

I let out a heavy sigh having to imagine that Henry's mom would be living in a lie soon. I had one last thing to do however, I would bury him.

UNKNOWN POV

I hoped what the seer said was true. I had kept my eyes closed and watched him put himself in constant trouble numerous times. I walked up to the exact spot the seer said he would be.

Armed with a shovel, I started digging. When I was deep enough. I started using my hands. My wolf yearned to be released on this blessed night but that was a risk I was not willing to take. I felt the body and I dusted the dirt and residue off it. I brought it out of its shallow grave. The wolf had a bloodied neck and I cursed whoever did this to my son. It would all be over though. There was something peculiar about the living moon. I placed the wolf under the red moon and watched it work its magic.

Soon, it was a young boy who laid on the ground. I hadn't expected the resurrection so quick like this.

"Praise the moon goddess."

His eyes opened. The bright yellow irises telling me his transformation was complete.

At last, the day I was hoping for had finally arrived. He looked at me in confusion and I could feel his plight.

"Mother," Henry called on me, still confused.

"Yes, son."

Screw that! He wasn't my son anymore. He was now a man. He was an alpha.