44 Epilogue:

〰 Zelina 〰

"The council? That's a good cover to keep him alive." Someone said from behind me as I pulled out my gun and pointed it at him. The man with long brown hair and wise eyes stared at me like he knew exactly what my intentions were while I unclipped my gun off safety.

I noticed that the man looked vaguely similar to the other seer that appeared when Hrudra had died and came back to life. Just like Nylah, he must be a seer like her. That made a lot of sense, but what didn't is why he was here and talking to me about the vampire.

"What are you talking about?" I snarl, feeling my wolf rise from within me. The man stood up from his seat and gingerly walked over to me with a large, creepy smile. I felt my finger tremble on the trigger, not wanting to look weak in his presence and wishing that I could use my Alpha authority on people who weren't in my pack.

This man seemed to have a powerful aura that made me sense that he was older than anyone around here, other than Hrudra of course. Hrudra was well over two millenniums old. Though I still felt like the woman was well in her hundreds rather than her thousands.

"The rogue vampire in your basement. The council wants nothing to do with him and you know that. Yet. You lied to Hrudra and everyone here." The man said, trying to take the gun from me as I backed away from him and narrowed my eyes at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Gu-"

"Call the guards and you risk everyone knowing your little secret." The man says shutting me up. I turned to see him picking up a pencil off my desk as I cocked my gun higher and aimed for his face.

Something about the man didn't rub me in the right ways. I couldn't help but really want to shot him but at the same time, I couldn't be seen losing my composure like this. I was an Alpha not a lowly little girl anymore.

Who the fuck is this man anyway?

"My advice is to either save him." He leaned in closer for a dramatic pause. "Or kill him. Which will you do? What will you do? I'll be interested to see your future, Alpha." The man backed away and left my office causing me to suck in a breath. I shakily set my gun on the desk and leaned against it while trying to regain my control.

It was hard to take in breath due to the fact that I knew that he was right. I couldn't keep lying to save his life. I knew that this would only end terribly with everyone involved with him.

Hrudra wanted him dead. Proximo wanted him dead. Even the other rogue vampires wanted him dead.

What was I to do with a man who acted like a ticking time bomb? Did I do something to earn this kind of misery?

Why... Why did the gods do this to me?

I felt another sharp pain go through me as I gasped and held onto my gut. It felt like my stomach was burning alive and that my sight was growing worse with every second I was away from him.

I knew it was slowly coming. Heat hit woman wolves harder than anyone expected it did, sometimes heat never affected some women if they were lucky enough. Though I've never been the lucky one and I've had horribly heat phases all my life. Heat especially hurts more if the woman wolf has never had sex before.

Yep. So very lucky.

The blood moon was starting to affect me even worse since the vampire was here. I knew tomorrow would be horrible and there would be nothing for me to do other than indulge in my pure instincts to take what was mine.

My wolf was growing more restless and I knew there was nothing to do other than take him in. If I didn't, my wolf would take control and do it for me.

What would I do?

No one other than Nylah and I knew about who the vampire was to me yet that man seemed to know exactly what game I was playing at. So I had to conclude that he was the seer the others were talking about. The others locked away for causing Hrudra to face her death and rebirth.

She had told me that it may be best to watch him closely to see if he improved over a series of days, but he hasn't. His blood lust only grows greater every time I evaluate him. I couldn't help but think about what it'd feel like to have him bite me.

The very thought made me disgusted that I was lusting over him, but I could imagine how pleasurable his fangs piercing my skin and how his hands would tighten around my wrists. The thought nearly caused me to have a nose bleed but I controlled myself and pushed away those thoughts.

How could an Alpha like me want to be overpowered in such a way?! And by a vampire?!

I groaned, falling down on the ground with my back against my desk while I set my gun down beside me. My wolf was growling at me, pleading for me to go see him and the thoughts of having sex with him weren't helping at all.

I couldn't handle the need to be with him. It was getting harder to refuse him and it was causing me to become more irritable. My pack seemed to have taken notice on my moods recently but they've been too fearful to question me or my authority.

They've seen examples of me proving my strength. I killed my brother for this spot as Alpha and I am not afraid to exert that power again.

My brother didn't deserve this pack. Neither did my father. None of them deserve this pack after the shit they put these people through. I couldn't blame these people for wanting to overturn me out of the Alpha position.

I cried out in pain again, feeling the searing burning within me before I heard a roar rattle through the packhouse. The second I heard it, I knew exactly who caused that roar and I wanted nothing more than to ignore it.

But my wolf was pleading for me to go see him. To go and let him settle my needs. The heat was going to end up killing me if I didn't do anything. Normally I would settle the needs on my own, but the thought of having the vampire do it for me compelled me enough to stand up.

I slowly stood off the ground and held onto my stomach with a pained expression. It took more energy to stand up than I expected, but I was grateful that I did since I hadn't locked my door. If someone walked in to see me in such a position... They'd use my weakness to throw me off the Alpha rank.

And I would never allow that to happen.

Collecting my composure, I walked over the office door and opened it. Thankfully no one was outside and I was able to hurry down the hallway towards the dungeons. I was more than happy to have chosen my office to be on the first floor and close to the entrance of the dungeon.

It was clever and at the same time resourceful. When my father was locked away, I was able to sneak away at night to torture him. It was both therapeutic and calming. Especially when I slaughter his son in front of him.

"Zelina!" The vampire roared as I rubbed my head and quickly went to his cell door. I hated that the other inmates were more than interested in the drama that was going on. Thankfully, no one knew my nickname like Nylah and the vampire did.

He only knew because Nylah had called me this in front of him.

"Quiet! I am here. Damn." I opened the door and saw the vampire tied up in the chair. His red eyes stared at me when I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.

The exhaustion and burning need within me battled, trying to sway me from right or wrong. I opened my eyes and saw the dirty blonde haired man staring at me. His glorious darker skin ripped through his tattered clothes only riling me up more.

His red eyes seemed to see me for the villain I was rather than the hero I am. I couldn't help but allow myself to take a look over at what the gods have given me.

"Come here." He growls making me scoff with a smile and reach up at the blinds for the two-sided mirror. I covered the mirror not wanting anyone to see us talking before I sat down in the seat across from him.

If anyone saw us, they'd think something wrong since I had told everyone to stay away from his cell. I lied about the council coming for him, but that didn't mean they wanted him alive. I was sentenced to kill him, but I couldn't bring myself to do the deed quite yet.

Which was confusing considering I'd slaughtered my brother and father in a heartbeat.

"You don't get to boss me around. Last time I checked, you were tied up and I wasn't." I point out making him bare his fangs at me angrily. The sight forced me to remember the fact that he was a vampire and I was a wolf.

Why was I so attracted to the vampire?! I shouldn't be!

"I need you now. You're my bride. You're the only one who can take me from this madness." He snapped when my wolf pleaded for me to touch him though I felt disgusted to even be this near him. I thought back to Nylah words and forced myself to remain sitting down when I displeased frown settled on my face.

"No. You don't need anything. You can be grateful for me coming to see you." I growl back causing us to glare at each other. I could feel the hatred between us.

He was the leader of the rogue vampires and I was the leader of the wolves here. There shouldn't be a reason why we were supposed to be together. No reason for me to be punished.

"I can easily break from these bonds. You know that." He points out, tugging on the ropes to test his theory while I leaned back and smiled at him. His smirk seemed to rile something from within me as my smile widened even large.

I think I enjoyed having him tied up to my dispense. I was utterly in control of his future and the thought was heating my body up.

"Of course you can. Go ahead. Try it. I'd like to see you fail-"

He tore through the ropes before throwing me down on the ground and holding my arms down. I growled at him, trying to get him off of me when he leaned down and sniffed my neck. The action shouldn't have made me groan in pleasure, but I felt like I was going to cry out for more.

"You smell lovely, Bride. It's clear you came to do something." He comments, running his fangs against my neck as I bite my lip trying not to show that I was loving this. I couldn't like this! I was a wolf and he was my sworn enemy!

Damn you, hormones!

"Let me g-" My voice got caught in my throat when he bit down on my neck and let my arms go to grab a handful of my hair. He tore my hair out of the tight nipped bun it was in forcing waves of dark brown to fall onto the ground.

I grasped his head, groaning out loud and holding his head against my neck. This shouldn't be happening, I shouldn't be wanting this so badly but I was in pure ecstasy and the feeling was driving me wild.

"Oh. God." I cried out, feeling him pull my head to the side so he had more access to my neck. It felt like my vision was starting to waver but I couldn't help but indulge in the feeling of the bite more.

I could feel the burns of heat slowly disappear as he pulled away and stared down at me with a grin. My chest heaved in heavy pants while my face burned with what had happened and how I reacted.

His grin looked wicked in the fog of lust while his red eyes flashed brighter than before. My hands were still in his blonde hair when he leaned forward again and in my face this time.

"You enjoyed that, Bride. Admit it." He growls.

I struggled to speak, feeling dizzy from what'd happen as I closed my eyes and squeezed them to concentrate. It was growing more difficult to remain awake before I felt myself drifting off into oblivion.