The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 34

CAULDER

\tAs I saw that vampire trying to sink his teeth into Remy's neck, my vision went red. I was ready to rip his throat out. I didn't know how or when he found my sister, but I would make sure he wouldn't live to see another day. I lunged through the air, and the only thing I could focus on was this strange man touching Remy.

\tThe moment he saw me dashing towards him, he shoved Remy out of the way, which made it so he didn't have enough time to escape. My teeth sank into his arm. I could hear Remy's screams, and I knew she must have been terrified at the attack happening. Vampires weren't supposed to be on our territory, and she likely didn't know this man was from the coven who was trying to force her prophecy to come true.

\tHe had to be from that coven. There was no way it was a coincidence that this vampire showed up when Winslow asked our pack to keep an eye on a vampire coven who was trying to release this dark creature. The way he was about to sink his animalistic teeth into her neck told me everything I needed to know. His presence only meant harm to Remy, and I was ready to tear him limb from limb.

\tA blunt force hit my side, causing me to let go of his arm as I flew to the side. The vampire moved towards Remy, and I quickly got back on my feet. I couldn't let him touch her. I couldn't let him take her. I jumped forward, aiming for the vampire's throat this time, but before I reached him, Remy stepped in between me and this vampire scum. I barely had time to stop the attack so I didn't hit Remy instead.

\tHer eyes were wide with panic, and her hand flung up. "Stop!"

It-

\tREMY

\tThis couldn't be happening. Caulder shouldn't be here. He must have followed me, and, of course, he arrived when Blade was helping me train. Then when I saw the blood, I lost it. I didn't know how to fix it other than stand in front of Blade and beg Caulder to stop.

\tCaulder growled, and I barely recognized his eyes. They were focused on Blade, and they were filled with hate. He would kill Blade if he had the chance, and that thought made me sick.

\t"Remy, run!" Blade said, touching my shoulder to try to pull me out of the way.

\tCaulder's growl became more ferocious when Blade touched me. I dug my heels in and refused to move. I wasn't about to let Blade and my brother fight it out, especially knowing they would just be trying to protect me from one another. \t"I'm not going anywhere," I said firmly. "Blade, you should go."

\t"I'm not leaving you with this crazed wolf," Blade said.

\t"He's my brother. I'll be fine. I can't guarantee you will be though. Please just go." My voice cracked with desperation. Caulder's feral side had been released, and I knew it would be hard to get him to see reason. As much as I didn't want Blade to leave, I needed him gone if I was going to get Caulder to calm down.

\tl could feel Blade's hesitation, and I didn't blame him. Caulder hadn't stopped growling, and salvia was flying from his mouth as his anger filled the air. He looked like a rabid animal, and it was a horrifying sight. If I didn't know he was my brother, I would have been scared out of my mind.

\t"Please go. I'll be fine. I promise," I begged. I needed to keep a straight head to untangle this situation, but deep down I was terrified. I wasn't sure who would win in a fight: Blade or Caulder. However, I couldn't stand the idea of them fighting each other and either one getting hurt.

\t"Okay," Blade said in a whisper. I felt the air around me shift, and I knew Blade was leaving.

\tCaulder stepped to chase after Blade, but I countered his move, staying in between Caulder and Blade. Caulder snapped at me, and I knew he was frustrated by my actions. He didn't understand why I had protected Blade, but I needed to make sure he understood, and I needed him to keep Blade's presence a secret. If our parents found out a vampire was lurking on our territory without their knowledge, they would surely lose it, probably worse than Caulder.

\t"Caulder, I need you to calm down. I'm fine," I tried to soothe.

\t"You were being attacked!" Caulder linked. That was a good sign. It meant he was taking back control of himself enough to think again.

\t"He wasn't. He's not dangerous." I took a step towards Caulder cautiously. I knew he was still hyped on adrenaline, and that could blur a werewolf's reasoning in the moment. \t"He's a vampire! Of course he's dangerous."

\t"Caulder, I need you to listen to me. I can vouch for Blade. He would never hurt me." Even though I hadn't known Blade for very long, I believed those words with my whole heart. When Blade saw Caulder lunging towards him, he pushed me out of the way to make sure I was safe, which led to him getting hurt. I knew with his reflexes Blade could have easily avoided Caulder's attack if he had been trying, but instead he put his complete focus on protecting me.

\tCaulder was still emitting a low growl, and he wasn't relaxing. His eyes kept darting around, and I knew he was expecting Blade to come back and attack.

\tl knelt down and put my hands on Caulder's face. He tried to jerk back, but I didn't let him go. "You know me, Cauldy, and I need you to trust me right now. Please just calm down. I will explain everything to you, but not like this. Calm down and change back into your human form." Caulder didn't move. He didn't want to change out of his wolf form, leaving him vulnerable for a moment, but he was conflicted. He wanted to trust me. I could feel it. But he also wanted to protect me.

\t"Please," I begged. My voice was broken and desperate. I had been afraid of getting caught sneaking out, but I hadn't expected anyone to follow me and discover Blade. I had been naive, and if I didn't fix this, Blade could end up in danger. If that happened, it would be my fault.

\tCaulder's body relaxed beneath my touch, and he nodded. I let go of him and gave him space to change back into his human form.

\tThe moment he could, Caulder started lashing out at me. "This had better be good, Remy, because if that creature attacks us-"

\t"Before you berate me, maybe you could actually stop to listen to me," I snapped. It wasn't fair for Caulder to just attack me like that. I knew the situation was tense, but I deserved better than that from him. \tCaulder paused, and his body stiffened. He kept his mouth shut, and I knew it was probably because he didn't trust himself to not say something stupid.

\tl took a deep breath, trying to get my hands to stop shaking before I spoke. It didn't work. "Blade is not dangerous. He's been helping me." \t"Blade?" Caulder scoffed. "That's his name?"

\tl glared at him and pursed my lips. I wasn't going to talk if Caulder was just going to talk right over me. Caulder threw his hands up and rolled his eyes. He was pissed at me. I could feel it in my bones, and it made my skin itch. He had been mad at me before, but never like this.

\t"Blade is not dangerous," I repeated. I hoped if I said it enough, Caulder would finally understand and believe me. "He came to this town, chasing after that dark creature who attacked me. He's trying to stop the vampires who want to release that thing onto this world. He's on our side. He wants to protect me."

\t"You know about the vampires?" Caulder asked. His face went pale at my question, which told me two things. He already knew about the vampire coven that Daniel was researching, and he had been told to keep it a secret from me.

\t"You know about the vampires?" I countered, rage filling my core. Every time I was reminded how much everyone was keeping from me, my anger returned, and it felt worse than the last time. "How could you not tell me something like that?" \t"Because I promised I wouldn't." Caulder pressed his fingers into his temple and started massaging the area.

\t"Don't you think I deserve to know something like that?" There was acid in my voice, and I could feel it melting my patience. Caulder and I didn't keep secrets from each other-at least that used to be the case.

\t"Don't you think I deserved to know about you meeting up with a vampire?" Caulder spat back. He was right. I was keeping secrets, too, but it was only because he was keeping them first. I didn't understand what was happening to us. We have never been so distant with each other.

\t"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you were going to react exactly as you did! You attacked him. You bit his arm." I knew this wasn't fair. If I had seen Caulder fighting some stranger, I would assume the worst, but my anger and fear were controlling my words right now.

\t"He was about to bite your neck. I wasn't about to stop and ask questions. I was trying to protect you." Caulder sounded exasperated. "I wasn't about to lose you."

\t"He wasn't trying to bite me. He was training me. He wants me to be ready in case those vampires attack the pack. He's trying to prepare me for what's to come while everyone is trying to hide everything from me. You can't keep treating me like a weak child. I can protect myself, and I can protect the pack."

\tAs I stared into Caulder's eyes, anger filling my bones, I felt the shift in Caulder's demeanor. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes were weary. As he stood in front of me, I no longer saw him as my controlling brother keeping secrets from me. I saw him as my best friend who was exhausted and terrified by everything that was happening.