The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 75

BLADE

The mood of all of the werewolves around me was solemn at best. They had lost an important figure in the pack, and I could only imagine how deeply that hurt everyone. I had known Darian for such a short time, especially compared to everyone else, and he was one of my favorite werewolves.

I was angry, knowing I wouldn't be able to challenge him again. He pushed me to get faster in a way I didn't even realize was happening. He was training me, and it wasn't until almost a week in that I realized I had gotten faster and stronger. The entire time, he had made it feel like a fun game. Now that was all over, and I knew who was at fault.

I sprinted around the forest in Pack Aphelion's territory, picking up on the scents of the vampires that had attacked. Most of them I didn't recognize, but there was one scent that stung my nose. Draven had definitely been here. I knew several of the vampires had been killed, but I hadn't had a chance to look at their bodies yet. Chances of him being killed off so easily were slim, but I still had to make sure. I would ask Alpha Mark if that was something I could do before they burned the bodies.

I hyper-fixated on Draven's scent, and I followed it as best as I could, but it was coming from all different directions, making it difficult to actually follow. He must have known I would try to follow his scent, so he purposely moved in a way that would make it a struggle to follow.

There were several werewolves following me as I moved through the forest. I didn't slow my pace for them, but they were able to easily keep up with how many times I had to stop to make sure I was going in the right direction.

When I came across the smell of blood, I stopped. Even in the dark, it was easy to see where the blood pooled in the ground. Blood was the easiest way to draw a vampire somewhere, because our bodies craved the taste. I slowed my steps as I approached, keeping my body calm. I had stopped indulging in human blood when I left the coven, but it didn't make it any less appetizing to me.

Werewolf blood had never been an issue, since they were our natural enemy, but the blood soaked into the ground here wasn't from a werewolf, like I originally thought. When I reached the puddle of blood, I knelt down and wiped it with my finger. I smelled the blood, and sure enough it was human.

I stood up and looked at the werewolves nearby. "Do any humans reside in this territory?" I asked.

One of the werewolves shook his head.

"I need to speak to Alpha Mark. Can you ask him to come?" I said.

The presence of human blood concerned me more than the attack. If there were no humans in the territory, it meant that the vampires specifically brought the human blood here, and there was only one reason I could think of as to why they would do that. "Keep your guard up," I warned the werewolves. This was planted here for me to replace, but I still wasn't sure why yet. There was a chance that this was a trap for me, and I didn't want the werewolves to get caught off guard.

While waiting for Alpha Mark, I searched the immediate area, looking for something else. I was sure that the blood wasn't the only clue that was here. He left the blood for me to replace, because I was the only one who would care if it was human blood versus werewolf blood. He wanted me to replace this area, so I was sure there was a reason why.

I knew Draven well enough to know that he was crafty. If there was a message he wanted to send me, he would do it in a way that I would be the only one able to replace his message. I moved around, looking for anything out of place. My eyes landed on a nearby tree, and I found myself gravitating to those marks.

I had seen them before, and now they were buried deep in my memory. My fingers brushed against them, and I knew this came from Draven specifically. He had carved the same markings into my body before as he threatened me. I pushed past the tree and continued looking around. There were three other sets of markings, each splattered with blood. The final markings were next to a tree with a hole in it.

Reaching my hand inside, I felt a small piece of paper and pulled it out. I unrolled it and stared at the writing, which was also written in blood-this time it was definitely werewolf blood.

"Do you like my gift to you? The werewolf's body was just a friendly reminder of what happens when you lie to me, Brother. I know who your girlfriend really is. I saw her using magic. Did you really think you could keep this a secret from me? Meet me under the full moon where father showed us his plan, or the next gift will be your girlfriend's body. And come alone or else."

My jaw clenched as I read the words. Draven had been watching us for a while, and he wanted me to know that.

"What did you replace?" Alpha Mark asked, approaching me.

I thought about crumpling up the little piece of paper and hiding it. What would he think of Draven's note? It would be better if I followed Draven's instructions. I didn't want to know what his "what else" meant, especially if he thought killing Darian was a gift to me. If Alpha Mark found out the truth, would he tell me I had to leave, blaming me for his friend's death?

I handed over the paper to Alpha Mark. No more secrets. I saw what happened to Remy and her family with all of the secrets they had kept from each other, and I didn't want to be a part of that. This pack had already shown me more kindness than my own family ever did, and I wasn't going to mess that up now, even if there was a chance that it got me kicked out.

Alpha Mark took the paper and read the note. He read it a second time before turning his attention back to me.

"This is from Draven, isn't it?" he asked. His voice was steady and showed no signs of anger towards me, but I wasn't going to assume anything just yet. He was probably in shock.

"Yes," I answered. "The blood nearby-that's human blood. He planted it here to get my attention. He knew I would notice the difference and replace the note." I decided to stick to what I had figured out right now, hoping if I shared enough information he wouldn't blame me like I was blaming myself.

If I hadn't stayed here, Darian would still be alive. He wouldn't be a victim of Draven's games.

"This wasn't about attacking the pack. This was all to get a message to you," Alpha Mark concluded.

I held my breath, waiting for him to speak again. I was fully prepared for him to tell me that I needed to leave for the safety of the pack. My presence here was a threat to his family and his pack. I wouldn't blame him for telling me to leave. I just hoped he would give me a chance to tell Remy goodbye.

"Well, we're just going to have to show him that he doesn't control us," he said to my surprise.

"Wait, you're not kicking me out?" I asked. This wasn't the reaction I was expecting.

Alpha Mark chuckled. "Of course not. I know that you were the one being targeted, but that doesn't mean this is your fault. Besides, how do you think Remy would react if I asked you to leave? She would be devastated or run away with you, which I can't have. You're with us now, and we stick together. That's what being part of a pack is like."

"That's not what being part of a coven is like," I said, thinking about the way the coven acted when I was a part of the Bloodfall Coven. It was all about the good of the leader, and everyone else was expendable.

Alpha Mark placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "When I said I was giving you my trust, I meant it, and you have shown that I have made the right decision repeatedly. As long as you continue to show I made the right choice, I will continue to treat you as part of this pack."

Was this what it was like to be a part of a family? My heart was beating like crazy. Remy was the first one to show me real kindness, but it didn't stop there. Her brother and father had extended this kindness, and it made me want to stay here permanently. I didn't want to go back to the toxic world I knew as a vampire. I didn't know if all covens were like Draven's, but I wasn't interested in replaceing out when I had a place like this to stay.

"About Darian," I started to say, but I quickly lost my words. I didn't know how to comfort him. "I'm sorry. He didn't deserve that."

Alpha Mark's face grew somber again. "He didn't, but there's nothing for you to apologize for."

"I'm still sorry."

"Me too. Come on. We should get back. We captured one of the vampires, and I plan to interrogate him. If you want, you can join me. Who knows, maybe it's someone you recognize," he said.