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Ep7

Rhys

I gasped for air as I collapsed on the grass beside the River.

Kaden stood over me laughing as he propped his sword against his thigh.

"What's the wrong Pup?" Kaden taunted "I thought you were the best? You are the Alpha? Aren't you?"

"I never said I was the best" I growled and jumped back up "My third is the best at anything that has to do with weapons or combat. She'd take you down in two seconds flat"

He raised an eyebrow "She?"

I nodded "Yeah. She's the girl still sleeping in the infirmary"

"That little thing?" he asked incredulously "She looks like one of my daughter's dolls"

I laughed "Yeah, she might look like one but trust me, she's no doll. Or Princess. Or Anything Girly"

"And I'm guessing that boy next to her is her Mate?"

I nodded "Shawn. He's human and they've been best friends since he was adopted by an older couple in my Pack. He was bullied a lot, because of what he is, but that never stopped Everly from becoming his friend. Eventually, when they turned 16, it was a shock to everyone that they turned out to be Mates. Not because there wasn't chemistry, because trust me, there was, but because the daughter of one of the strongest wolves in our Pack, and my father's Beta, was Mated to a Human. Something no one thought possible"

"Why did everyone think it wasn't possible?" Kaden frowned "It's 100% possible. Hell, I'm Married and Mated to a Human"

I chuckled "No offense Alpha Kaden but over here, things don't work the same as in Cali. It's not like my pack hates Humans. Quite the opposite. It's the fact that we haven't had a Human/Wolf Mating in over two centuries in our Pack"

"How is that possible? You would have to have had at least..."

I shook my head "Nope. Not one. Many of our Pack members leave the Pack temporarily if they haven't found their Mate by their 16th birthday. Think of it like a spiritual journey but instead of finding inner peace and solace, you find your significant other" I grinned "Once they leave and enter a New Pack's territory, state, or country, they end up meeting their Wolfy Mate"

"But, you never went on this spiritual thingy? Why?"

"I don't know. Something was telling me not to go. At the time, I shook it off because I was the Alpha's Son and my duty was to stay here and help my Dad but then I realized that it wasn't the case" I sighed "Funny enough, a lot of people thought Everly and I would end up as Mates because our parents were Alpha and Beta but fortunately that wasn't the case"

Kaden laughed "Harsh much?"

"Nah, Everly is a pain and needs someone with much more patience than I have. Shawn is exactly that person. He has the patience of a Saint" I chuckled "You don't know how badly we were praying to the Moon Goddess to not make us Mates. Every crazy ritual there was, we tried. I'm pretty sure we almost summoned a demon after one particular ritual" STORY CONTINUES BELOW

I laughed and Alpha Kaden joined in

"So you never asked why you never met your Mate before now? I know if it was me, I would have gone crazy"

"Oh trust me, I did. I wondered every day why this freaky thing happened to me. I went to go talk to the Pack Elders but they didn't understand it either" I got in fighting position "Now are we gonna talk or are we gonna fight?"

Kaden smirked before attacking me.

I blocked his attack and his smirk widened before I felt a sting in my rib cage. I looked down and saw yet another bloodstain.

I glared at him before lifting up my shirt and watching the slice disappear before my eyes. What remained was a pink puckered line.

Kaden attacked me again "So what does being Mated to a Royal mean?"

I countered his attack before lunging for him "I don't know"

"She has the ability to control all the wolves in the world," Kaden said "You must be able to do something"

I shrugged and blocked "I don't know and I really don't care if I can do anything special. All I want is my Mate. Powers are damned"

Kaden laughed and moved quickly toward me. I barely had time to raise my weapons and block his attack.

"You know how many Wolves would kill to have her as a Mate?"

I growled and raised my weapons to strike.

He smirked and sliced my side again.

"Focus Pup," He said sternly "When you fight, one of the dirtiest things an opponent could do is mention your Mate. You have to be able to block him out and focus on the fight at hand, or else you'll get a sword to the Heart"

I growled and used both weapons to strike.

He blocked both my attacks with his sword and a claw.

For the umpteenth time, he smirked.

"Well, you suck at weapons training. Want to do hand-to-hand?"

I grinned and dropped my weapon "Hell yeah! About time"

I went for his legs, specifically the weaker leg with the long scar. He went down with a huge 'Thump' and I grinned wider.

Now this, I was definitely the best at. I may have sucked royally at Weapons defense but I excelled in Hand-to-hand combat.

My Grandpa made sure that I knew all the tricks and trades of combat before he died.

"It doesn't take skill to stab or shoot someone. Anyone could do it. However, it does take brains to diffuse a situation without resorting to a casualty" he used to say whenever I whined about not being able to use the swords or shotguns.

Now, I understand what he means and I silently thank him for everything he taught me.

I twisted Kaden's leg until I heard a pop and a muffled "Ugh"

He kicked out and I had to release him to avoid a boot to the face.

He took that opportunity to grab my arm into an arm-bar.

"So, how are you gonna convince your Mate she's a Wolf"

I gritted my teeth at the pain "Uh...I don't really know. Have any suggestions?"

He frowned and put more pressure on my arm "Tell her the truth"

I intentionally dislocated my shoulder and used the momentum to through him off me. The move caught him off guard and he scrambled to get up.

I popped my shoulder back in as I got up and we started circling each other.

He was breathing heavily and I smirked "What's wrong old man? Too much Cardio for your old heart?"

He glared and we continued to circle each other.

Footsteps approached and we stopped our circling.

"This isn't over" he warned

I yawned "Yeah, just come and find me whenever you feel like losing. I should be available to kick your a..."

"Kaden!" Luna Matthews burst through the trees "They're up! All of them!"

"What?" We straightened "How do you know?"

"Your mother called me" She looked at him before turning her attention to you "I was there when your Pack Members opened their eyes. They're asking for you"

I thanked her before making my way back to the Pack House. When I reached the infirmary, I saw a sight I never thought I would see.

Everly crying.

"Ever?" I stepped forward "What's wrong?"

Shawn looked at me in concern. He was incredibly pale and there were huge dark circles under his eyes but other than that, he looked somewhat okay

"Rhys" Shawn said "We have a problem"

Everly sobbed harder

"What is it?"

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

"I need you to round up all of the Protectors," he said seriously "Quickly"

"What? Why?" I asked in shock because he couldn't possibly know about the Protectors since he was in a coma.

"She's gonna die" Everly sobbed "She's gonna die"

My blood ran cold "What did you say?"

"Rhys" Shawn had tears in his eyes "We need the last two Protectors here ASAP"

"Why!" I demanded "What's going on"

"Kassi's going to die" he grimaced "During the Wolf Moon"

"What!" I exclaimed

"And there's nothing we can do about it"

Rhys

"What the Hell is a Wolf Moon?" I asked the couple

"I don't know" Everly sniffled "But just as I was waking up, a voice kept whispering that over and over to me"

"Me too" Shawn nodded at me "I was thinking, maybe you knew what this Wolf Moon was"

I heard the door open behind me and turned to see Alpha Matthews on the phone.

"Yes Mom," He said "No, I don't know"

"He's talking to his mother" Luna Sky caught my eye "Actually, he's trying to convince her to fly the twins out here. She's freaking out that he would suggest such a thing after what they've been through"

"Mom," Alpha Kaden said in frustration "I need the twins to fly out here the moment they feel better. I'll explain later, please just trust me"

He paused

"Taylor? Yeah, Like I was telling Mom, I need you two here as soon as possible. I'll explain everything when you get here" He shook his head "Wolf Moon? What's that?"

I tensed

"She said something about a Wolf Moon" he looked at me "Do you know what that is?"

"No" I replied "But Everly and Shawn just informed me about what's going to happen during the Wolf Moon"

"Well? What is it? What's going to happen?"

I gritted my teeth

"I don't know what it is specifically but from what Shawn and Everly just told me, My mate is going to... going to..."

Luna Matthews gasped before tears started filling her eyes

"Going to what?" Kaden asked in confusion, looking back and forth between me and his wife "What is going to happen?"

"Leave it alone Kaden," she said with tears in her eyes "Just leave it alone"

"But..." he said more, but I stalked out of the room, too upset to talk about the subject

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Everly asked as she tied my tie

"Yes" I looked at her "I haven't been to school in 3 days and since you guys are still recovering, I figured I might as well explain our precarious situation to Principal Roberts"

"You could call him and explain what happened over the phone" she suggested "He is, after all, in your Pack"

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

"I don't think this conversation should be held over the phone"

"But..." she searched for words

"Ever," I gave her a soft smile "What's wrong? You're not normally this worrisome over me"

She looked away

"Ever" I prompted "We've been friends since we were in diapers. I know when something's bothering you"

"I just don't want you to go to school today" her eyes teared up as she looked at me "After what you heard yesterday, I'm afraid your Wolf won't be able to handle it and you'll snap"

"Ever..." I started to say something but she cut me off

"It took you so long to find her and when you finally do this happens! How freaking cruel is that! And on top of that, that girl is really sweet and funny, and just the right girl for you. She doesn't deserve this and you definitely don't deserve this!"

"Everly..."

"And what the Hell is this Wolf Moon? What does it involve? What does it include? Is it like a cult thing? What..."

"EVERLY MAY!" I laughed as I shook her "Slow down, you're having another one of your rants"

She punched me

"Ow! What the Heck!" I rubbed my arm "What was that for?"

"You know I hate my Middle name! Why the Hell would you bring it up?" she punched me again

"That's the only way we can get you to stop ranting" I snickered

"Don't do that" she said softly

"What?" I laughed harder

"Don't pretend everything's going to be alright" she punched me for the third time "I hate it when you do that"

My laughter died immediately

"I'm not trying to do that," I said softly "I'm just trying to deal with the hand I was dealt with"

"You don't have to deal with it alone Rhys" she hugged me "Shawn, Matt, Mia, and I are always here for you. We'll always be here for you"

"I know"

"No, you don't Rhys" She leaned back and grabbed my tie, making me look into her eyes "We're not here for you because you're our Alpha. We're here for you because you're our Best-Friend. We all love you and will do everything in our power to protect both you and our Luna"

I smiled slightly and was about to say something when a knock sounded on the door frame

We turned and saw Shawn standing there with an encouraging look on his face, telling me that he heard our entire conversation.

"Hey Alpha, Sorry to bother but I need to borrow Ever"

"Of course," I said before pushing Everly toward him "She is your Mate after all"

She glared at me before hooking her arm through Shawn's and leaving me behind.

"She's right you know," a somber voice said from behind me

I turned in surprise and found my Uncle grinning at me from my desk.

"What the Hell are you doing here?"

"What? Not happy to see your Uncle?"

I looked at the door "Yeah, I am but right now I'm hosting an Alpha family from another state and I don't think they'll appreciate a Vampire so close to their children"

He put a hand to his chest "Stake right through the heart"

"Seriously Uncle Xander" I rolled my eyes "What are you doing here?"

"Well..." he looked through some papers "My ungrateful Godson forgot to mention something very important to his Godfather"

I looked at him in shock "How did you know?"

"So it is true!" He snapped at me "You've met your Mate!"

"How did you know?" I asked again

"I heard rumors floating around through school and the Vamp community," he said sheepishly.

I looked at him in shock, not only because of the fact that he knew I had a Mate but also because he was in school, something he was too old to be in.

"School? What School?" I asked "Why are you going to school? You're over 200 years old"

He looked away, and I saw his cheeks tint pink.

"I may have met someone" he mumbled before straightening up "Anyway, it's not about me. It's about you and your little Wolf Princess"

"How the hell do you know everything about my Mate" I snapped "I barely know anything about her"

"If you haven't already noticed by now Vampires are extremely nosy. They like to poke their fangs into everything"

"I know that," I said in frustration "But I barely just found her a couple of days ago. They wouldn't have had enough time to figure it out all by themselves"

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

He hesitated

"What?" I asked "I know that face. What aren't you telling me?"

"There is another rumor going around" he stood "And you know how rumors are"

"I sense a 'However' in that sentence somewhere" I tensed

He nodded "However, I don't think this particular rumor is false"

"What is it?" I clenched my teeth "What are you hearing?"

He hesitated again, and right there I knew whatever he was about to say was something worth listening too.

"Please Uncle Xander" I pleaded "I need to know"

"Something huge is about to happen" He whispered "I heard some whispers when I traveled through different Vampire dens. I tried to gather some information, especially when I heard your Pack's name, but every time I would ask or get close enough to finding the source of the rumor people would either stop talking or disappear completely"

"What did you find out?"

"I found out that some Wolf Pack's are taking orders from the Hunter's Association. Witches too. There's talk that some Vamp Dens are holding or going to hold onto something very important"

My mind was reeling

"Vampire, Witches, Wolves, and Hunter's are working together" My mind analyzed everything "What no Pixies or Faeries too? Damn I was really looking forward to squaring off with Tinkerbell"

He laughed

Something clicked in my head and I stood straighter

"How many Vampire dens are involved in this," I asked

"I don't know" he scratched his head "6, Maybe more. Why?"

"They have something" I paced "Something very important. That's why there are so many Vampires involved. They're constantly moving it between the dens so that no one can pinpoint where or what it is exactly"

"Okay, I get that but why the Witches? We don't exactly get along with them. You know, ever since we nearly wiped them out years ago"

I continued to pace the room, trying to piece all the information together

"Vampires and Witches don't have to get along," I said after something else clicked in my mind "I remember, about a couple of years ago, my dad talking about a Coven contracted to a Vampire. You don't need more than 2 Witches to cast a powerful cloaking spell in one area"

"What if they're not in one area" My Uncle sat up straighter "A Coven consists of 13 Witches. just the right amount of Witches for 6 Vampire dens. 2 per each Den plus a backup"

"The Witches are cloaking the Vampire Dens so they can constantly relocate whatever they are hiding"

"Question is..." My Uncle rubbed his temples "What are they hiding?"

I was about to list off some suggestions when there was a knock at my door.

Mia stuck her head in and gave me a worried look.

"What is it?"

"Dr. Simon just called from the Hospital. Apparently, a human boy is showing signs of shifting soon"

I waved her off "You know what to do. Just request a meeting from the parents and answer any questions or concerns they have"

She bit her lip "I would but this boy is...special...to you"

"Who is it?"

"Ares Dimitriou, Kassi's brother"

~~~~~~

Kassi ?

I hate hospitals

I really do

Not only are they depressing and a little scary, but it takes FOREVER to discharge a patient.

I should know.

We've been here for an hour after the Doctor cleared Ares.

"Excuse me," I asked a Nurse "Can you tell me what is taking so long to discharge my brother? The Doctor cleared us about an hour ago and when our Nurse went to get the discharge papers, she suddenly vanished"

The Nurse looked at me before glancing at my brother and walking to the computer.

She typed a few things before looking at me again.

"I'm sorry Miss but the Doctor just ordered another blood test"

"What!" I exclaimed, "But he said we could go home!"

"Then something must have just come up regarding his levels" she glanced at my brother "The Doctor wouldn't have ordered this test if he didn't see something unusual"

"Fine" I grumbled "But can you please find both my Doctor and Nurse. I would really like to know why he ordered this test"

She nodded before leaving the room

"Sissy" Ares grumbled before crossing his arms and wincing at the IV "I want to go home"

"You and me both" I muttered under my breath before pulling my chair closer to his bed

"I'll make you a promise buddy" I whispered

"What?" he leaned in with a conspiratorial grin

"If they don't finish the test in an hour, I'm busting you out of this place as I did with Taylor and Ethan's Nanny" 187

Ares giggled and I smiled at the memory

When I was fifteen, my Mom surprised me with a round trip ticket to California to see my two best friends. It was the best weekend of my life because not only did I get to hang out with my friends, but we also broke their grandmother out of her retirement home.

Nanny Matthews was a wild woman with a sailor's mouth and on more than one occasion, we almost got arrested because of her mouth.

A knock sounded on the door, bringing me out of my memories.

When I turned, I was surprised to see who was standing at the door.

"Rhys?"

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

He smiled at me "May I come in?"

"Sure" I nodded "Ares, this is Rhys. He goes to my school. Rhys, this is my baby brother Ares"

Ares raised an eyebrow "I'm not a baby Sissy"

I rolled my eyes "Okay, buddy. I'm sorry"

Ares looked satisfied with my answer before he turned to Rhys with raised eyebrows "You like my sister" he stated nonchalantly.

I choked on air "ARES!!!"

"What?" Ares pouted "He looks at you like I look at Chocolate Cake. I love Chocolate Cake and he Loves you," he said simply.

I cleared my throat and ignored my baby brother

"What are you doing here Rhys?"

"My Mom works here and I was just dropping her off some lunch"

"How sweet" I cooed

He blushed and looked at my brother "Ares, right?"

Ares nodded

"Named after the God of War?" Rhys grinned and looked at me "Cool"

Ares beamed and I rolled my eyes

"Of course you would think it's cool. They aren't your names"

"No, I really think they are cool" he smiled "Unique, actually"

"Sure..." I drawled out "Anyways, I don't think you really want to talk about names with me. Why did you really come here?"

"I told you..." he started but I cut him off

"Your mother may work here but there's no reason how you knew we were here, so that leads me to believe that you have some ulterior motive here"

"Uh...." he stammered "Would it be alright if we talked outside?"

I raised a brow and walked to the door.

"Ares, I'll be right outside. Yell if you need me"

I opened the door and ran into a brick wall.

Correction

I ran into a person built like a brick wall

"Ow!! What the Hell!"

The person turned and I'm pretty sure we both had a look of surprise on our face

"Kaden?"

"Little Kass?" he asked in shock

I squealed and jumped in his arms "IT IS YOU!!!"

"Oomph" he took a step back and laughed before wrapping his arms around me and swinging me side to side.

After a couple of minutes, he let go and I started jumping up and down like the girly girl I wasn't.

"What are you doing here?" we both asked at the same time

We laughed

"My mom moved us here to live with my Grandfather" I answered first "What about you?"

His eyes flickered for a second behind me before returning to my own "My family's vacationing here and we decided to stay with mutual friends, Rhys family."

"Taylor and Ethan are here too!" I said in glee "And your wife and kids?"

He nodded slowly

"How do you two know each other exactly?" Rhys's voice floated to us

I spun and smiled at him "His siblings are my best friends. I used to spend every waking moment at their house when we were little"

"She was like my second brother" Kaden laughed "She used to pick fights with me all the time. Quite the little tomboy, might I add. Never wanted to play Barbies or Waitress with Taylor. Always wanted to wrestle or shoot Nerf guns with Ethan or Me"

"Barbies were boring" I whined "Giving you black eyes were so much better"

Kaden and Rhys laughed

"So what are you doing at the hospital? In front of my brother's room?"

"Ares is here?" Kaden beamed "I haven't seen the little guy in person yet"

And with that, Kaden Matthews entered my brother's room, leaving me alone with Rhys.

I looked at Rhys "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted to know if Ares was okay?" he shuffled his feet awkwardly

"He's fine" I answered "We don't know what's wrong yet but he's better than when we first came here"

Awkward Silence

"So..." I said "If there's nothing else..."

"Wait!" he grabbed my arm and a little shock zinged through my body, "I think I may know what's wrong"

"What?" I exclaimed