40
My heart was racing uncontrollably...
There was not only the fear of the raging thunderstorm that raged directly above us, but also the panic of the figure standing motionless in the distance in front of us.
The rain was lashing my face and when some bright flashes lit up the forest for a brief moment, I recognized it very well.
Those sharp fangs... that pale skin...
"Fuck, a vampire," I blurted out and I turned in the other direction in a flash, just on instinct to flee, but more figures appeared, making it impossible for us to escape.
"This could end really badly," I heard Juniper, who was standing back to back with me, shaking slightly just like me.
Very slowly we turned in a circle, ready to defend ourselves should these beings approach, but they didn't.
It seemed like they were just watching us, anxiously waiting to see what we would do.
"Aria?" Juniper whispered over her shoulder in my ear, and I held my breath for a moment, trying to somehow find my voice, which had been lost in panic.
"Yes?" I breathed, trembling, startled when the entire forest was lit up again by lightning.
"I wasn't being completely honest with you," I continued to listen to Juniper, but I could barely process what she was saying because I was so fixated on the vampire in front of me that it seemed like I was out of my mind.
"What do you mean by that?" I wanted to know anyway and felt at the same moment that she turned me around on my shoulder.
She looked at me intently with her green eyes and I eyed her wet, blond hair, which fell slightly in her face while the wind blew through it again and again.
"I didn't follow you because of my sister," she breathed and suddenly, without warning, pressed her lips firmly to mine, so that I tried to push her away from me, completely overwhelmed, but she wouldn't let me. On the contrary.
Her hands fixed my hips, pulling me even closer to her and I suddenly felt so much and yet somehow nothing at all. My mind seemed to be switched off, but I still took one thing very seriously. That sweet taste of her lips combined with the slightly salty taste of the rain.
My wolf seemed excited about the moment, but I didn't, so I quickly regained my sanity and carefully pushed Juniper away.
She gasped, as did I, and eyed me curiously, as if wanting to know what I was thinking, but I didn't know myself.
How crazy was that please? Weren't we surrounded by enemies and should we fight? Why then did such an absurd situation suddenly arise?!
"You're too human to notice, sweet Aria," she whispered into my face, smiling, letting go of my hips the next moment to pull two large knives from her designated belt. "And now get lost!"
"No," I contradicted her immediately and wanted to take her arm, but she growled menacingly and when our eyes met one last time, her irises had already fallen for the deep black of her wolf.
"Get lost!" she yelled at me and ran into the forest, where I was startled to see three figures immediately following her.
"Juniper!!!" I yelled after her desperately, feeling like my heart had been ripped out. It was all too much for one life. The closer I felt to Juniper, the further away Keno felt. How could I ever blame him for this inner turmoil?! I idiot!
"Juniper," I whispered, tearing myself out of my thoughts and about to run in the direction she had disappeared, but then I felt an ice-cold hand on the back of my neck, which pressed firmly and slowly turned me around.
I stared wide-eyed into the deep red of his irises as he smiled a disgusting grin and ran his thin fingers over my lips.
"So weak as a human being. You definitely don't deserve to walk the earth," he whispered his cold breath into my face and then opened his mouth wide to come dangerously close to me with his sharp teeth, but I quickly grabbed his throat and punched him with the other hand directly on his nose, which was so narrow that he moaned in pain and let go of me for a moment.
That gave me enough time to transform.
I stretched my arms slightly forward, closed my eyes and let my wolf take full control of me and my body. The wind blew into my face, which was shortly afterwards covered with dark fur and shortly afterwards I felt my paws hitting the forest floor with full force.
My thoughts vanished. Only shoots remained.
The vampire seemed both surprised and disgusted by me at the same time, and with his arrogant stare he only achieved one thing, and that was that I growled menacingly and wanted to attack him.
"So ugly and smelly," he joked about me and I wanted to ask him if he had ever looked in the mirror, but unfortunately that didn't work out as a wolf.
I tried to bite him a few more times, but this bastard dodged me, giggling each time, until suddenly, with lightning speed and way too much force, he smacked me right into my side and I fell sideways onto the wet, hard floor, howling.
Damn that hurt!
He slowly walked towards me and I, I could almost only see black, I felt so weak, but then I heard something that raised my hopes again in one fell swoop.
The quick footsteps of a wolf that made the ground vibrate slightly beneath me...
The vampire also noticed him and as soon as he took his eyes off me and turned around, a huge black wolf jumped straight at him and mercilessly tore his entire face apart.
It sounded so disgusting that I focused on the rain and getting back up while the vampire vanished into the afterlife in what must have been the most brutal of ways.
Are you okay? the wolf asked me via Mindlink and I widened my eyes in disbelief that it was Jamal.
What are you doing here? I demanded and he took a step closer to stop right in front of me as I watched the rain wash the blood from his mouth.
Keno called me... I never went back. I knew something like this could happen!
And Pasqua???
It's in the trunk, he laughed in my mind and I let out a low growl until Juniper came back to my mind.
We have to save her! I explained to Jamal, who didn't seem to want to hear anything because when I turned around and started to sprint, he suddenly sat down and just looked at me expectantly.
Did not you hear?!
Yes, I heard my alpha and I'm going to go find him!
Then do that!
you should come with me
No, I answered him and looked into the rainy forest. She's only in danger because of me. I have to find her.
I took one last look at Jamal and then sprinted off, chasing the smell of the vampire, hearing Jamal in my head blaming me over and over again.
Am I just doing the wrong thing? I was so confused.
