Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 • The Price Of Losing A Mate

The cloud was covered in mist, and it was raining heavily. After some hours, it slowed to a drizzle; the air was chilly in the village of Felin. The dogs barked continuously, chained and held by their owners, as the six men spread around, flashing their lights and observing the area to make sure it's safe and also watch for any rogue arrivals. 

Caitlin quickly walked and sneaked past the men and walked toward her destination. She stood in front of a huge palace, grabbed the round handle in the door, and knocked with it, making a loud sound. She heard footsteps coming toward the door, the door was unlocked and she stepped back a little.

The door opened revealing a tall, average man, with black hair, deep red eyes, and a black cloak wrapped around him, his facial features were like Caitlin's. He came forward holding and raising a lamp torch with his right arm, close to her face. 

Caitlin drew back her cap a little to show her swollen, reddish face to the man, with cold breath coming out from her mouth and nostrils because of the cold weather.

"You!" He was astonished to see her, he wondered what brought her here to his front door, especially on this rainy, cold night. He heard the cries of a pup, and he gazed at her arms to see that she was holding her pup in her arms. 

"Help me!" Caitlin said, with a shiver in her voice while she was slightly rocking Raizel in her arms, to calm him down. 

"Come in, hurry!" He moved aside to let her go inside. She passed by him, and he closed the door, locked it, and then followed her inside. 

Caitlin changed Raizel's clothes and wrapped him in a blanket, to prevent him from catching a cold as his duvet was wet and she had to let it dry. She came out of the room and walked to the living room, holding Raizel in her arms. There she saw two chairs facing each other and a small table in the middle, with the fire burning to keep the room warm and a cradle near the fireplace. She smiled, knowing that Jasper must have kept it for her. She went and sat on the right chair and breastfed Raizel while gently rocking him to sleep. Afterwards, she put him inside the cradle, to keep him even warmer. 

Jasper came into the living room, with a smile on his face and a tray in his hands. He kept the tray on the table in front of Caitlin…

Jasper Berry was Caitlin's vampire long lost brother whom no one ever knew about except Caitlin, not even their father. Jasper looked exactly like her, as some will say they were like identical twins. 

Jasper had two children. He had fallen for a wolf and they had had a set of twin pups. Unfortunately, she died while giving birth to them, and since then, Jasper had been a single father. 

"You must be hungry!" He brought a bowl of soup and two cups of blood tea. 

Jasper sat on the other chair, crossed his legs and picked up a cup of tea from the table, then he took a sip. Caitlin picked the hot weird-looking soup in the bowl, used the spoon to scoop the soup, and took it to her mouth. She chewed it and swallowed it; it tasted good, and she felt like she hadn't eaten for ages. She took another scoop quickly, filling her mouth without swallowing the one in her mouth. 

Jasper stared at his sister, he was shocked and startled by her behavior, especially how she showed up in the middle of this cold night alone with her pup. He had never seen her like this. She looked pale and gloomy, and her face was swollen and reddish like she had been crying for hours. She looked like a homeless woman in need of help, and this bothered him a lot. He wondered what could've happened to put her in such situation. So many questions were roaming through his mind, and they could only be answered by Caitlin herself. 

Caitlin caught a glimpse of her brother staring at her and she felt embarrassed. She slowly put down her spoon and slowed her eating.

"Sorry." She lowered her face as shame swept across her features while Jasper chuckled. 

"It's okay! If you want more, I'll get you another." 

"No! No, I'm good with this one." Caitlin said to him. She finished eating the soup and drank the tea on the table. 

"May I ask, if you don't mind?" He said to her, Caitlin looked at him and kept the cup from her mouth. She knew he was going to ask her why she came here all of a sudden.

"Sure!" She said.

"Where is Caddel?" He asked her. She gazed at him, and tears pooled in her eyes in sadness. It dripped down her face but she immediately wiped it away, so as to prevent Jasper from noticing that she was crying. He had already seen the tears in her eyes and grasped that something serious must've happened. 

"Heyyy, why are you crying?" He dropped his cup back on the table and looked tense on seeing his little sister with tears in her eyes. 

Caitlin stood up from the chair without saying a word, she went and stood near the window, crossed her hands, and looked outside at the patter of rain on the window. 

Jasper came to her and stood beside her with his hands inside his pockets, she glanced at him and turned to the window, it was a silent moment for both of them, 

"How much does it hurt…? Losing your mate?" Caitlin asked. She remembered that Jasper had loved his mate dearly, but she left him and he felt like his world had ended. Somehow, he managed to stay strong for his precious pups, as he had promised his mate that he'll take good care of them. 

"It feels like an eternity, the pain will never go away. With each passing day, your mind will remember the moments you spent with your mate. It feels like your heart is shattered, and can't ever be put together again." Caitlin looked at Jasper, she saw the pain in his eyes as he stared out the window…