His Lover, My Mate

Ten: Vampire

*Aletha*

Fire burned behind her. It burned and threatened to consume her if she didn't go soon. So her feet pounded hard against the uneven ground littered with dismembered limbs and bloody remains of her brethren's flesh. She tried not to think too hard. She tried to ignore the savagery brought upon her pack.

Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to leave the swallowing fire. She couldn't get engulfed by it. She needed to live on and pass on the red fur of her back. She needed to rebuild and reclaim. Now that the Alpha of the Crimson Pack had passed with his Luna, any member of the pack was vital for the resurgence of the pack.

"Go child, go!" her mother's voice screamed in her ears. "Live on and give our blood honor!"

Her legs screamed but she went far from the fire. She ran on and on until she couldn't see any more fire or smell its ashes. All there was, was darkness. It was the growing night, and it was very quiet. She could only hear her panting and coughing and crying. She didn't know if her parents survived. She didn't know if her friends survived. All she knew was that she was the only one in this dark place, and easy prey.

And prey she was.

The moon shone down on her, lighting her hair crimson. Her fears grew as she walked, and soon, she'd heard rustling in the forest. Gleaming yellow eyes found her and snatched her away someplace deep into the forest.

"Look at this young female," a raspy male voice drawled. She felt a hand on the skin of her back, slowly caressing her. "So pretty...so pure."

She started to shriek, and he'd covered her mouth, pressing a blade to her face.

"If you don't shut up, I'll really hurt you," he snarled. Then he held he head down as she struggled against his hold. "You can't go anywhere, little girl. You're shackled. You belong to me." A dark laughter. His blade dug into her back and she started screaming. "You're mine."

No!

Aletha saw darkness crawling back into her vision, and the rogue was gone. Now she heard a voice. It was deeper, smoother, more gentle.

"Aletha, love, come on. Wake up," he said. "Your time is almost up. I don't want to turn you, not yet at least. Come on...wake up."

"She's not waking up, Alpha," another voice came. It sounded more leveled. "You have to turn her before she dies."

"Don't you think I know that?" the first voice snarled. He was angry now, angry and impatient. "I just want what is best for her."

"This is best for her, Alpha. If you want her to live, that is."

There was a long moment of silence before she heard a breath being released. Then she heard breathing very close to her ears. Someone was touching her on her neck, and before she knew it, she felt teeth sinking into her neck, the place where she was freshly marked.

Blinding pain suddenly hit her hard on the neck where she was being bitten. She felt something release from within her, and she couldn't move. She could only feel her losing control over her body in the darkness. Then she felt her life being sucked out of her.

She tried screaming. Her lungs burned for air, for anything that could make her breathe again. But she couldn't breathe. She was dying. She was fading into the darkness.

But something told her to fight this. Something told her to fight her death. This wasn't her time. There was still life left inside of her. She couldn't end like this.

Never give up, Lucien's voice echoed inside of her. Never succumb. Always fight back. Always live on.

Aletha ripped open her eyes, finding that there were candles surrounding her. Then she saw the Alpha on her neck and she let out a scream when she felt him drinking her blood. "What are you doing?" she demanded, yanking him away from her neck. Her pulse throbbed as she scrambled away from him to the edge of the bed. Her eyes were wide as she regarded him.