Why is his body not here? Where could his body be? Did the vampires tear him to pieces that there is nothing left of him? Is Theo dead? No, I don’t want to believe that. There is already the possibility that mom might be gone and now Theo. No, I can’t lose Theo. I can’t lose him. I need to find him, but where will I even start. I barely even know where I am. I come back from my thoughts when I hear a tree branch snap behind me. I quickly change back to wolf form and get ready to attack whoever it is.
I snarl my teeth at the vampire who steps out from behind the tree
“Hi, I mean no harm. I just brought you some clothes you could change into,” He rushes to say before I attack him. He has clothes in one of his hands.
The vampire looks are around the ages of mid or late twenties. He should not be more than 27. He has black hair with brown eyes. He looks pale and dead like all vampires do. I look at the brown-eyed man, confused and wondering why a vampire-like him would offer me clothes. He also did not take advantage of the fact that I was lost in my thoughts and attack me by surprise. He is behaving very weirdly for a vampire.
“I will stand behind the tree while you change,” He says and drops the clothes on the ground a few feet away from me.
I don’t let my guard down even as I watch him walk away from me. I don’t know if I should change into the clothes he brought for me. I think about the possibility of him wanting me to be in human form before he attacks me. I don’t think that’s why he brought me clothes to wear. I take a leap of faith that there might actually be a good vampire out there that does not kill a werewolf on the spot. I shift back to human form and put on the clothes.
“You can come out now,” I say, once I am fully dressed.
“I hope they fit. They used to be my mates,” He says, with a soft smile.
“Your mate used to be a werewolf,” I say, wide-eyed. The clothes smell like a werewolf wore them before. I can’t believe he claims the werewolf who wore them was his mate.
“Yes, she was. Come with me; we must hurry now if we want to get to my house in case they come back for you,” He says, leading the way.
“Wait,” I say, halting him in his tracks.
“I don’t mean it offensively but is something wrong with you,” I ask,
“Nothing is wrong with me,” He says, and I stare at him, wondering if he is okay or not. “Don’t worry, I will answer all your questions when we get to my house,” He says and continues walking in the direction from earlier. I follow him, hoping I am not walking into my own death.
The vampire and I walk in the woods for a few minutes before finally stopping in front of a beautiful cottage.
“You live in the woods?” I ask before the vampire enters the cottage.
“Yes, I do and don’t worry inside here. No vampire would come looking for you.”
“Please, somebody should pinch me. I think I am dreaming.”
“No, you are not,” He says, chuckling before entering inside the cottage.
“Who are you?” I ask as I follow him inside the cottage. We walk into a small and cozy living room.
“My name is Mason. I don’t think I need to tell you. You already know I am a vampire.”
“Why are you helping me that is a werewolf?”
“My dead mate used to be a werewolf?”
“You were not joking when you said that?” I wanted to assume he said it to lighten the mood earlier.
“No, I was not. My mate was a werewolf.”
“Wow, I never knew that was possible” If his mate was a werewolf, it would explain why he helped me. He must not hate my kind because of his mate.
“It’s very rare, but it happens.”
“Wow, I can’t believe it.”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but the fact that I didn’t attack you should help you believe me.”
“It explains why you helped me, but it’s still shocking to hear.”
“Yes, it is, but enough about me. You haven’t introduced yourself or told me what a werewolf-like you is doing in vampire territory.”
“My name is Anastasia. I came here to find my mom.”
“You are looking for your mother in vampire territory?”
“Yes”
“Why would you think your mother is in vampire territory?”
“A human said they saw her walking in here a few months ago.”
“A few months ago.”
“Yes,” I say, wondering if he knows or heard something relating to mom.
“Do you have a picture of her?”
“I do, but it’s in my phone. I must have lost it when I first shifted”
“I work in the palace, and a few months ago, a werewolf was brought in. I am not 100% sure she is your mom. A picture of her would have helped me know if it’s her or not.”
“You really think she might be the one?” I ask, hopeful
“The only way I could tell if it’s her or not would have been through a picture.”
“I will go and look for my phone right now,” I say, walking towards the door, but Mason stops me.
“I can understand that finding her is important, but right now is not the best time to go out and look for your phone. You can go in the morning. It would be safer for you. A lot of vampires won’t be out by then.”
“Alright,” I say, walking back to the living room.
I can’t believe if the werewolf he is talking about is actually mom. Oh, my, that would be wonderful. I will just have to wait till tomorrow to find out.
The following morning I woke up early and left the cottage to go and find my phone in the woods. Like you would have guessed, by the time the sun is setting and I am walking back. I am not able to find it. I step inside the cottage to find Mason getting ready to leave. He is about to go to work. He works in the kitchen in the vampire king’s castle. He sleeps during the day and works at night. He is a vampire, so I am not surprised.
“Hello Anastasia, were you able to find your phone?”
“No, I wasn’t, and I wanted to ask. Is there a way I could go in and check if she is the one been imprisoned in the dungeons?”
“I could get you a worker’s ID card so you can enter, but every vampire would smell the werewolf off you once you are inside the castle.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have it covered.”
“How,” He asks, and I think about telling him my gift of being able to mask my scent but decide not to. He might be helping me, but I am not 100% sure he is someone I can trust with my
secret.
“I just met you, so I can’t tell you how.”
“Can you mask your scent?” he asks, walking closer to me. He looks eager to know if I can or not.
“How do you know there is something like masking your scent?” I ask,
“I know because……………” he begins talking but stops. He continues after he realizes something, “What is your mother’s name.”
“Melanie Jones,” I say, wondering if he knows mom. I hope he does because if he knows her. He will know if she is the one in the cell or not.
“I can’t believe it’s you.”
“What about me?”
“You are the hybrid the king is looking for,” he says, surprised
“What!”
“You are the hybrid the king is looking for.”
“I don’t understand what you are saying. I am not a hybrid. I am a werewolf. I can’t be part vampire.”
“It’s expected of you not to know. My daughter also did not know.”
“Your daughter?” I ask, surprised he has a daughter. He lives alone, and he said his mate is dead. She must have given birth before she died.
“Yes, I have a daughter. She is a hybrid like you” His daughter can be a hybrid since his mate was a werewolf, but I don’t believe I am.
“Can you stop calling me a hybrid? I am not part vampire.”
“But you are”
“I am not, and I am starting to think you are crazy” I can’t believe what he is saying to me. I can’t be part vampire. That is ridiculous.
“I am not crazy. I am 100% sure you are a hybrid. Only hybrids are gifted with the ability to mask their werewolf scent. That way, you can be a vampire.”
“You are telling me the reason I can mask my scent is because I am a vampire?” I ask, unable to believe his words
“Yes”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s understandable for you not to believe me, but you are a vampire. I can even prove it to you.”
“Take my blood.”
“No, thank you.”
“You don’t have the craving, so you won’t want to take it. We can do the easiest test to prove that you are part vampire.”
“Which test” I don’t want to believe his words, but if he is right. It would explain why I am the only werewolf I know that can mask my scent.
“The sunlight test”
“I can walk in the sunlight without burning.”
“I know you can because you are part werewolf. You will need to walk in the sun while masking your scent. That way, you will see I am not lying when you watch your skin burn from it.
“Alright, we will go out during the day and see if you are telling the truth or not”
“Yes, we will.”