Chapter 4 On my face

VINCENT

I roll in bed next to my mate, open my eyes, and shrug. It's morning already. Time flies real fast when you become an alpha. The responsibility weighs you down, but at the same time, it's a thing of honor. I feel my mate brush her hair against my chest.

"Awake?" she asks as she smiles at me.

"Yes, my Lord," I laugh at her statement.

"And what's with the cheeky line? Did you sleep well?"

"I did, but judging by the fact that you're grinning first thing in the morning, I guess you didn't get a lot of sleep."

"You know me so well. I'm worried about our son, Arthur." At the mention of Arthur, she sits up and looks at me.

"Come on, Vincent, we talked about this. Arthur can't be Alpha. You and I know well how this would end if he becomes the ruler."

"I know, love, but I can't help but pity him. It's like we are robbing him of his birthright. Besides, you gave him 3 full moons. How sure are you that he wouldn't find her?"

Her expression saddens for a while, then she leans in for a hug.

"He couldn't find her for 2 decades. What makes it so sure he would find her in 3 full moons? It's not like they'll just bump into each other. As much as it hurts me to watch my son suffer without a mate, making him alpha would only worsen the situation of things."

LAURA

On getting home, I walk into my room, ignoring mum's rants and fusses over me jogging out early.

I've killed a lot more than I can recall. I never knew they aren't human. I always found them strange. Some had claws, others fangs, but mostly I always got them in their weak state until I met that stranger who explained wolves and vampires. I didn't really believe they existed until she explained it all.

I strip and walk into the shower. I turn it on and trace the tattoo on my body. Suddenly, I get goosebumps, and whenever I do it for no other reason, it's to notify me that it's time for another kill.

I squint my eyes, narrowing them as the sun gets in my eyes. I yawn lazily as I put on my sunglasses. It's been an hour on the school grounds.

Freshers are being addressed. I can't help but feel bored. I stretch like a stranded sea turtle, and suddenly the school grounds become filled with noise.

Everyone seems to go insane as a boy walks to the podium. I take off my sunglasses, strain my eyes wanting to know who this person is. At first, I see him faintly, but gradually I see him.

A blonde guy about five feet tall, he's not skinny but not huge, somehow in the middle. He has curly brown hair, the right amount of biceps complementing his gorgeous body, and a pretty face to top it all.

"Who is this guy?" I ask myself, and just like in queue, he grabs the microphone to introduce himself, and everywhere becomes silent.

"Hello, guys, I'm the school's baseball captain. Previous students know me, but for you freshers, I'm William. I hope we get along pretty well."

Just on cue again, everyone claps, shouts, and I could hear some "I love yous" in the background.

"Damn, this guy is freaking hot." And then the sudden realization hits me. Is everyone in this town cute? The memory from earlier this morning floods in, the cutie crying into my arms. I smile at the memory.

I can't believe some random guy made me blush this hard. I turn to move away from the crowd, trying to find a place to sit. My skin brushes past another's, and I feel the goosebumps again.

I turn to look at the person she's looking at, just like a normal human, backpack strapped to her shoulder, standing, listening to whoever is speaking on the podium, but I bet my brother that she's not human. I walk towards her with the brightest smile ever.

"Hi, I saw you from a distance, and you looked too gorgeous to ignore." She looked at me for a while, unsure of where this conversation might be leading to.

"Hello, and thanks for the compliment, but how may I help you?"

I think fast for an excuse, anything to get her alone. The urge to drive a stake or shoot an arrow through her becomes stronger by the minute. She looks at me intensely. Any mistake or wrong word would end it all.

"I like you," I blurted out senselessly. If anything at all, it should be the fact that my hatred for her is rising by the second.

"You sure are brave for a fresher. What's your name? I'm Edna." I shook hands with her, suppressing the urge to twist it.

"I'm Laura. Aren't you a fresher?" I ask.

"I know I look small and all, but no, I'm a senior, third year actually. I like you too, not that I noticed you from afar, but you walking up to me full of courage makes me think you are adorable."

"Thanks. It was hard walking up to you and being this way."

I hide the true meaning of my sentence. I take two steps away from her. I feel a greater urge to kill her right now, but I can't. I'm not so stupid to do such in public.

She gives me a coy smile, a smile that turns my tummy inside out. She takes four steps closer, leaning in on me. She brushes my hair and tucks them behind her ears. She holds my hand and rubs on my knuckles. I hold her back, tightening the grip.

"Wanna hang out tonight?"

She says into my ears. I nod like an agamma, feeling so irritated. The need to puke becomes higher with each second passing by.

"There's a party downtown. A friend of mine is hosting the mayor's son. Would you come around?" I nod yet again. She hasn't stopped rubbing my knuckles nor moved away a little.

"Can I have your digits? I'll text you the address."

I move away from her, taking possible steps away from her. At once, I reach for my phone and stretch it towards her, not wanting to move closer. She calls her number and winks at me.

"I'll see you tonight then." I nod my head again, making a total fool of myself. I smile as she walks away.

"Tonight it is then," I say to myself with a wide grin.

Arthur

I sit down looking gloomy. I watch silently as William introduces himself. I hear noises, cheers, and claps from the crowd. All my life, and I've never felt this jealous. The fact that he's right before me and I can't have him hurts me a lot.

I watch him smile and introduce himself. I've never felt this insecure. He has always been charming, lovely, popular, handsome, and has always been swarmed by girls, but none of it ever bothered me because I knew he was mine. None mattered to him other than I. Now everything is different. I know he loves me, but judging by his attitude up there, I can tell he's ready to move on without me.

"Still sulking?"

I turn to see Callie, her face a few inches away from mine, her huge green eyes staring at me. I snort at her question. She really suits my brother well. The moon goddess made them mates for a reason.

"Where's your mate?" She twists her mouth to a side, raising both of her eyebrows.

"Watch your words, Arthur. We are at school. Anyone can hear you." A smile forms at the corner of my mouth.

"And what's with this dress of yours? Isn't it a little too revealing? I guarantee Asher won't be pleased." I watch with satisfaction as her expression changes from taunting to worry.

"Common, Arthur, what's wrong with my clothing? Don't be so grumpy." I look at her from head to toe, trying to pick out my first complaint.

I must say my brother is one lucky bastard. His mate can be classified as a 10 out of 10. She's pretty, has curves, and is smart.

Most wolves in our pack still ogle at her, knowing well that she has a mate. I look at her once more. She's dressed in a strapless mini gown.

"I'm sorry. I guess there's nothing wrong with 'your clothing.' How about we leave it for Asher to decide?"

"You won't snitch on me, right?"

I laugh at her childish question. She's not going to run off home and change, right?

"What's there to snitch about? He's right behind you."

She looks back to see an angry Asher, I must say she got a possessive mate, stands and proceeds to take my leave, walk past her, and stop a few feet away.

"Common, quit sulking. I guess you both can handle it without causing a ruckus." With that, I move away from them with a smirk plastered on my face.