Eight

"Damon.."

an echoed voice forced his eyes to open quickly. With a swift movement, he sat up sleepily, unaware of what this uneasy feeling was.

A heavy weight landed on his chest and he soon began to feel utter sadness. Damon stumbled out of the bed and to the window of his room. The moon was high in the middle of the sky as he stared into a silent night.

After a few moments of peace, he suddenly heard that voice again.

"Damon.."

clenching his fists, he instantly flashed out of the room and into the woods, buttoning the shirt as he quickly headed for the shadow moon pack territory once more.

What is going? He thought to himself. This emotional state he was in made him worried about Nadia. That voice was far too familiar for him miss, but the connectivity between them was strong enough to telepathically signal him in such a way. It was abnormal.

Damon reached the boundary of the pack and quickly whisked his way into the bunk house.

"Nadia." He spoke softly, as if hoping she would hear him. Her scent was gone, the things in her room were perfectly placed as if they were untouched. Nobody was in the bunk house.

The uneasy feeling turned into fear. Fear that something did happen to her. Damon visited the outer territory for weeks after Nadias injury. He knew she was healing well, but now it was almost like she had disappeared. Her scent was faint, even her blood.

With a deep inhale, Damon walked over to the bed she slept in. He touched it and a memory entered his mind—a nice trick vampires have and Damons mastered it over the years. He could see her lips against his as he remembered the moment he returned her. It was vivid, bringing back the emotions he felt.

He struggled with annoyance and care for the girl but the memories of her near him overwhelmed him. Clouded by the memory, Damon was unaware of the individual standing in the doorway behind him.

With a loud thump, Damon was tackled to the floor. Memories dissipated quickly as he struggled with the strength against him.

"Get off me!" Damon snarled, eyes intensifying in a red hue, fangs drawn. The darkened black veins underneath the skin became noticeable on his face, turning into a terrifying monster with rage.

All he could hear was a growl emanating from a person ontop of him that quickly turned into a nonhuman creature.

Silk black fur, an unearthed thickness that was coarse. The large body towered over him and hunched over with its teeth revealed. A hot breath blew in Damon's face with a stench of drool dripping onto his skin.

The growl grew louder as a pair of caramel canine eyes locked its gaze on him.

"Vampire." The wolf spoke loudly, echoing against the walls of the room as if speaking into a microphone.

"Who are you?" The wolf spoke again but Damon didn't answer.

"Are you the one who went after Nadia?!" It sneered, licking its chops as it spoke.

Damon widened his eyes at the mention of her name, but quickly shook away the thoughts to focus.

"As the alpha of this pack, you are in my territory! I should kill you now!" He bellowed and let out a curdling howl as he slammed the paws of his feet onto Damon's shoulders.

Damon gritted his teeth and wrapped his fingers around the area above the paws and flipped the wolf off him with supernatural strength. He quickly stood up as the wolf whimpered from the blow. Picture frames fell to the floor with a crash and glass shattered.

The wolf recuperated instantaneously as Damon flashed his way out of the bunk house but became in pursuit of the vampire.

Damon was fast, but this wolf was just as fast to keep up with him.

Another howl rolled out that took Damon off guard when he abruptly halted to a stop. Five other wolves surrounded him in a circle.

"Six against one." He hissed then smirked. "Hardly a fair fight."

Dakotas deep voice rose from behind him, had shifted back to human form.

"You're fast." He stated, folding his arms across his chest. "But this is as far as you go until you answer my questions."

Damon raised his brows. "I don't know what you're talking about. Can't a vampire take a stroll through the woods?" He spoke sarcastically.

Clenched fists, "Not when one of our own was attacked by your filthy kind. You're coming with us." He spat.

With a sigh, Damon glanced at the other wolves then back to Dakota. "I like sugar in my tea." He begins to walk towards him, hands risen in surrender.

Dakota rolled his eyes and grabs Damon by the arm.

"Just so you know." Damon continues. "You don't smell that good either."

Dakota shoved Damon into the chair planted in the middle of the office at the head quarters.

"Easy Wolf King." Damon taunted.

"Alpha Dakota." He growled.

Damon raised a brow as Aspen walked in and stood next to Dakota. As if he was about to be interrogated, he laughs.

"Is this good cop, bad cop?"

Aspen choked on laughter. "This is a vampire?"

Dakota shot him a glare, mind linking a 'shut up' statement.

Damon couldn't help throwing a grin over his shoulder. "Oh yes. And I'm getting quite…thirsty." Widening his eyes as he smirked at the pair.

"That's enough." Dakota ordered, walking around to face him.

"Why are you here?"

Damon pursed his lips, contemplating on his next move.

"Isn't it obvious?" He finally spoke.

Dakota became irritated by this time. He closed his eyes with a sigh. "Enough games." He opened his eyes.

"Are you here to finish off the girl you attacked?"

The absolutely true accusation punctured Damon emotionally because he knew that he had hurt Nadia but that wasn't why he was there.

In an attempt to brush off and hide his emotions, "where is she anyway?" Damon questioned, hoping he'd get to see her.

"She's not here." Aspen chimed in.

Dakota quickly looked over at him. "Shut your mouth."

Damon cocked his head to the side, swallowing a hard lump down his throat. He cleared it, "what do you mean she's not here?" Defending back a fit of rage, his eyes grew in color.

"That's none of your business."

"It is my business!" Damon roared, standing up from the chair and kicking it back with such force that it blew into the wall.

Aspen stiffened his posture and settled into position, glancing over to Dakota who was watching like a hawk.

"Watch yourself vamp." Dakota sneered, letting out a deep growl.

Damon's shoulders rose and fell with his breathing. He knew there was a reason he needed to come here. Putting his differences aside, he spoke. "We need to get her."

Dakota rolled his eyes. "None of your concern. She's perfectly safe and away from any blood suckers."

"That's the thing." Damon breathed out heavily. "I know for a fact she's not."

"What the hell do you mean?" Dakota stepped towards him. "Did you do something?!"

Both Damon and Dakota stood in the middle of the office, inches from each other as they took on to stare each other down.

Dakota wanted to tear this vampire a part limb from limb. How dare he come back to the bunk house to find Nadia. Something about this was all too strange.

"What do you know." Dakota spoke through gritted teeth. He couldn't trust anything this vampire did.

Damon furrowed his brows together, reluctant to say a thing or admit his potential, unacceptable feelings for the coyote.

"Just trust me." His eyes dimmed, and facial expressions softened.

"I don't trust you." Dakota said quickly. "But it's for Nadia."

Damon didn't say anything in response but nodded in agreement.

Dakota shot a glance over to Aspen. "Get a group together and the SUVs."

Aspen quickly went out the door and soon did Dakota.

Damon followed behind, stepping down the stones stairs out front.

Dakota ran his hand through his hair, clicking his tongue against his teeth as if he was lost in thought. He knew the council could be cruel, but could this vampire be right? Could she be in danger there?

Dakota looked at Damon with a serious expression. "You better be right, or I will kill you immediately."

Aspen trotted back over to the two and directed them to the SUVs.

"What a peach, huh?" Damon directed his remarks to Aspen as he was referencing to Dakota.

Dakota slammed the driver door shut and sped out of the gates.