The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 73

"I almost beat you this time!" Darian exclaimed once he shifted out of his werewolf form. He stopped to catch his breath while shaking his head at Blade. "How are you so fast?" Blade chuckled and smiled. He hadn't even broken a sweat. "Vampires are naturally fast. It's going to be hard for you to beat that. You can keep trying all you want, old man." "Who are you calling 'old man?' I still am as spritely as ever," Darian said, finally getting his breath under control.

I bit my lip to hide my smile. While Darian was still a great warrior, his age still showed, especially when I could practically hear his bones creak.

It had been a week since Caulder was taken, and the three of us had made a habit of going for a daily run. It helped shed the frustration I felt after my training sessions with Ginger didn't go well. Everything we had tried so far didn't work to trigger my visions, and each day that passed, the more desperate I felt. I wanted to use the power to make sure Caulder would be okay.

Even though magic was flowing freely in my body now, it was also overwhelming. It didn't always do what I wanted it to, and I often felt out of control, which was why the runs with Blade and Darian were helpful. It helped me feel like I had some semblance of control.

I felt comfortable in my wolf skin. It felt natural, and I could control it just the way I wanted to. Plus, Darian and Blade made me laugh with how they were constantly challenging each other to see who could do a different activity better. It was a playfully competitive side to Darian that I didn't know existed.

"Just wait. Tomorrow we'll have a rematch, and I'll win," Darian said, pointing his finger at Blade.

"Just give up. You've got nothing on me," Blade chuckled. "I've been going easy on you."

Darian narrowed his eyes. "Why you little..." He lunged forward, grabbing Blade and putting him in a headlock. He gave Blade a nuggie and held tightly onto the vampire, despite Blade wiggling like crazy to get free.

I rolled my eyes. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were just two normal teenage boys. "Next thing you know, the two of you will be rolling around on the ground, wrestling each other."

Darian released Blade from the nuggie. "Nah, it wouldn't be fair to challenge a child to a wrestling match. He may have a leg up on me with speed, but he'll never beat me when it comes to strength."

"Wanna bet? I'm sure I could take you," Blade said, looking Darian up and down.

"Be careful," I warned. "Darian is one of the strongest werewolves I know." I had fought him in training plenty of times, and I had never even come close to matching Darian in his strength. Caulder had come close once, but he still lost.

"If you think you can beat me, why don't we arm wrestle?" Darian suggested, a smug look filling his face. He knew his own strength, and I'm sure he was ready to show it off, especially after losing to Blade repeatedly for a week.

"You're on," Blade eagerly agreed.

I shook my head, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop them. "I'm going to check out the area around us," I said, but I was sure the two of them didn't hear me.

I started moving in between the trees, memorizing the area around me. With all of the runs we had been on, it made me realize that I didn't know our territory as well as I thought. I had taken plenty of runs through the woods before, but this past week was different. I could hear every bird chirpping, every squirrel running up a tree. I was hyper aware of the environment around me, and it made everything seem so alive.

I wasn't sure what accounted for the change. My best guess was the awakening of the magic. It was like my energy was reaching out to the world around me, feeling every crevice, and it made me want to learn more. I wanted to see every inch of our territory and then so much more after that.

The breeze shifted slightly, and my nose picked up a new yet familiar scent. It was subtle, but it was enough that it made the hair on my neck rise.

"Darian, someone is here," I quickly linked. I stilled my body, focusing on where the scent was coming from. It was coming from the north, which was the direction of the closest border. There was a chance that whoever was carrying the scent wasn't even on the territory, but my gut was telling me something was off about the situation.

I inhaled deeply through my nose, trying to get a sense of how close the person was, but the breeze shifted, and I no longer smelled anything.

"He's still here," Raven said in my head.

"Do you know who?"

"No, but it's not good."

I stayed still a moment longer before joining Blade and Darian again. Darian was in his wolf form, ready to attack if anything happened, and Blade was on edge, his nails extended, ready to lunge.

"We should go back to the pack house," I said. Part of me wanted to know who was lingering on the border of our territory, but it was only the three of us. We had already been through too much, and it wasn't worth the risk of taking on an unknown force, especially when my wolf was telling me it was a dangerous situation.

Blade nodded in agreement. "I'll lead the way. Darian, you take the rear."

Darian grunted in agreement. I knew they were positioning themselves in a way where I would be protected if we were attacked from the front or back. I didn't argue with them, knowing it would be a waste of time.

I shifted into my wolf form, and then the three of us ran back to the pack house. Nothing happened on the run back, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

-

The pack house was quiet this morning. Most of the students had returned to school, since they couldn't wait around forever. There was more security placed around the school to ensure the safety of the students per the parents' request. I was also not allowed to return to school and had to do all of my work from the pack house. I wasn't sure if this was a request from the parents of the pack or my own parents.

I was the highest risk in the pack right now, and everyone knew it. The creature was clearly targeting me, so just by being around me, the other students were automatically at risk. I didn't mind skipping school, though. It felt too menial to care about these days. I even put minimal effort into the work I was sent home by the teachers. Calculus and chemistry felt pointless compared to learning how to control my powers and figuring out how to break the prophecy.

Harper also wasn't allowed to go to school. I was sure that was just because Beta Rie and Mason had grown extra protective because of her involvement with Caulder and myself. Harper had been nearly attacked too many times, and they wanted to be extra cautious with her.

I found myself wandering the pack house, looking for Harper. I needed a break from studying. Blade was busy with a training class, and I wanted to check on her. I knew she didn't feel the mate bond yet, but she and Caulder had always been close, even before they started dating. They had only grown closer since.

I ended up replaceing her in the training room. She was practicing her punches on a dummy. She was shouting with each hit, and I could feel her frustration pouring out of her.

"Need a sparring partner?" I asked, not wanting to linger for too long without her knowledge.

She jumped when my voice hit her ears. She dropped her fists and turned to me. Her chest was heavy up and down, and she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "No, I should probably take a break."

I grabbed a towel off the shelf near me and tossed it to her. She easily caught it and used it to wipe the rest of the sweat off of her face. I walked over to the bench at the side of the room, and she followed me. Now that she was closer, I could see the dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she was sleeping just as much as me, which wasn't a lot.

"Would it be silly to ask you if you are okay?" I asked. I already knew she wasn't okay. I wasn't either. But I didn't know how else to bring up the subject.

She took a sip of her water and let out a puff of air. "Yeah, I guess so, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"He'll be okay," I said. I knew I didn't have to say Caulder's name. He was on everyone's mind.

"I know," she said, but she sounded defeated. I wondered how many people had told her the exact same thing. "But what if he's not?"

That was the question that had been on my mind, and I didn't know the answer. "I don't know. I wish I knew. I wish he hadn't agreed to go."

Harper bit her lip and looked down. "If I hadn't been with him, he wouldn't have had to go. He only went to protect me. Winslow threatened my life, but part of me wishes that Caulder had just fought against him anyway. Everyone would be happier if he was here instead of me."

"Harper," my voice trailed off as I choked on the next words. I looked at her, but she was avoiding my gaze. "No one is thinking that. You are just as important."

Harper raised her eyebrows. "No one would say it to my face, but Caulder is the alpha's son. The entire pack knows that his life is more important."

"No," I said sternly. In a lot of ways, Harper was the closest thing I had to a sister. I couldn't imagine a world without her. "And anyone who thinks that has problems. We are a pack, which means we have to protect everyone equally. I would be a mess if you had been killed. At least Caulder is still alive. And he definitely didn't think you were worth any less."

She pulled her lips into a smile, but it still felt fake. "I just wish I could have done something. If I was stronger, then Caulder wouldn't have had to protect me." That explained the intense training session.

"If I was stronger, maybe I could have stopped Winslow," I said. "There's always going to be someone stronger than us or someone more skilled. All we can do is keep training and working hard to get better. We can't give up."

"You sound like Caulder," Harper laughed. "He asked me to watch over you-to make sure you were okay. I want to be strong for him, like he asked me to, but I feel like I'm on the verge of falling apart. I keep thinking about what I could have done differently. If only I had-"

"No. Don't let yourself go down that road. It's dangerous and can be difficult to come back from. All we can do is keep moving forward, and you will never be alone," I said. "Together we'll figure this out. We have to." Harper was quiet for a moment. "You're right. Moping isn't going to change anything."

"And neither will over-training yourself." I stood up and offered her my hand. "Come on. Let's take a real break and get something to eat. We should be celebrating that we don't have to go to school right now." She laughed at this, and the air around her seemed to lighten. "You're right. Let's have some fun."