The Only Blood.

She's here.

Of all the places, where I thought I would find her, she met me where I hadn't expected in the least.

Of all the times, when I thought I'd finally find her and make her mine, she's here and I didn't know what to do.

This was supposed to be a boring meeting; something for the sake of keeping up appearances. I had never thought that my entire world would turn upside down today.

For fuck's sake, I've waited for years for her to come to me, where she belonged. I waited for fate to intervene every time I lost hopes of ever finding the one destined for me.

And I find her here, with humans.

She looked just like every man's wet dream, her tight fitting dress was clinging to her curves, making my fists clench beside me. Her delectable body could bring every sane man to his knees, and those eyes - those sparkling, warm eyes - held a flare of desire that sent tingles straight to my hardening coçk. She could see my lingering gaze on her breasts, and I could see how her peaks pebbled in response. My gaze traveled down to the slim waist and then to the flare of her hips, longing to feel my fingers digging into her soft flesh while I pounded into her like the animal I was.

And then she parted her lips, softly gasping out a greeting, "Welcome, Mr. Wolfe."

I struggled to maintain my composure.

Right there and then, I wanted to ravish her mouth and bruise her lips with wild kisses. Her scent was teasing my nostrils, her arousal and something else.

It smelt like she had been in her heat - the after-scent made it difficult to keep myself in control around her colleagues. I wondered what I'd have done had we met while alone. I was fortunate enough that her heat had ended and not begun, because no amount of people could have stopped me from taking her on the conference table if that had been the case.

My coçk hardened more at the vulgar images that ran through my mind, the things I'd have done to her, if there hadn't been so many humans around us.

She stood there, looking as beautiful and as innocent as a doe, with her eyes wide and lips parted. Her cheeks were flushed with obvious lust that was coursing through her for me, and I wondered if she was feeling just as out of control as I was.

Fucking hell!

My trousers wouldn't be able to hide my arousal if someone were to glance down even for a moment, which she did.

Her hand was outstretched for a handshake and she bit her lip, the action sending sparks straight to my crotch. I took her hand and shook it firmly, relishing the electricity sparking the tension between us and in the air surrounding us.

Only she could make me feel this way. No one ever had, and I knew no one ever would make me feel the same.

She was the only one made for me.

She heaved in a deep breath, as she felt the same, and I could see she was surprised with herself. I was used to such reactions from females around me and paid no heed to them, but this woman's attention was more than welcome.

It was more than a 'love at first sight' for me.

But I couldn't curse her enough for her timing. I shook my head, wanting to focus on the meeting and not drool over the woman who would make me embarrass myself if she kept staring at me like that.

The entire meeting was a torture - I could fucking read her eyes as if I had known her for my entire lifetime. I could see the subtle movements whenever she clenched her thighs together, and then glancing at the table as if fantasizing me fucking her on it. It made me harder than I had ever been, and I had barely touched her.

If that was not all, her scent was making my mind go wild. Her arousal overpowered her natural scent, making it difficult for me to decipher her true form.

Our gazes connected, and a silent exchange promised nights of wet dreams which would star only her.

Moon Winters.

That woman was killing me. But I had to remind myself to stay in control.

She was late; had she come in my life years earlier, it would have been a piece of cake to make her mine and ravish her in the way I wanted to.

But now I had responsibilities; I had made decisions which would result in chaos if she ever stepped into my world.

She was safe here, wasn't she? Innocent and unknowing, living among humans for Goddess knows how long. Reminding me of the Goddess, I wondered what she had in mind when she decided for my way to through such a huge curveball in my now stable life.

No, this wasn't right. Did she even know what she was destined for? Perhaps not; if she did, she'd have stepped out of human bounds long ago.

It was for the best, leaving her here and letting her life be. This way, she wouldn't create a chaos in my world, and my world wouldn't make a chaos out of her life.

My heart sank in my gut, making a part of me twist with pain at the thought of leaving her here, alone, when she was destined to be by my side forever; the part that was already deeply and irrevocably in love with her. I wanted to yell at the world, scream at my fate for bringing me to a point when the thing I wanted the most since I was a child was right in front of me yet I couldn't fucking do anything but push her away.

Mate. She was my mate.

She was mine.

But I wish I could say the same about myself for her. The part of me longed to be hers and hers completely, to have her in my arms, my bed, my palace and my throne.

I wanted to give her the world that she deserved.

But I had already given mine to another, and now I couldn't leave her for Moon.

My life was going to turn into my worst nightmare.

I clearly remember the day I first saw him.

The whole office was in a hustle, people scampering here and there, collecting files, copying pages, barking orders to the cafeteria, carrying refreshments and oh, the self-proclaimed queen sprained her ankle and broke her stilettos. It was a business meeting, as usual, but the only thing that was not so usual about it was the man who was going to lead it.

Adrian Wolfe, the enigmatic and secretive CEO of the country's largest chain of hospitals: powerful, ruthless and what not.

However, unlike the men you found in cliché romantic novels, he was not a womanizer - what a surprise. There were speculations that he was gay because he was never seen around women, business clients excepted. The paps had been hounding his ass just in case they caught him lurking around with one woman, even if she was just a friend but they never found any. But then, I wasn't going to judge him on the basis of that, because I myself had maintained a platonic relationship with all the men in my life. No one particularly interested me to take a step further.

There were men who managed to attract me to some extent, but it was never enough for me to go ahead and pursue them.

I sighed, looking at the mess my workplace had become. Mr. Wolfe was going to arrive in an hour or so and these people were still working their asses off, when instead all of it could have been done a lot before. I wished I could help them but I myself had to set up the conference room for the meeting. I knew my boss would be here soon and organize the mess the others had made here. The conference room, at the other hand, was only my responsibility.

I didn't remember much of that morning; it was the second day of my period and all the pain down there had most of my attention. I was working mechanically the whole time, at least till the meeting, because once that man came into my view, it was as if I lost the world around me.

I worked for a company manufacturing biomedical equipment, and this was the first time that we were dealing with the Alpha Hospital chain. Just like its name, this hospital chain was the largest and consisted of the best hospitals in the world. They had the best of doctors, and it was like miracles happened there every day - nothing like people coming back from the dead, but they had the cure for the most impossible ailments. I knew the ambiance of that hospital; warm, welcoming and vibrant, contrary to the usual white and sterile surroundings of the hospitals. It wasn't white all around, and didn't smell of medications or death. I had been there when granny was dying of cancer. They had a special staff, kept specially for cheering people up.

Everything was set up to utmost perfection and we, as in me, my boss and my other colleagues from my department waited for the arrival of the oh-so-powerful CEO of the largest chain of hospitals across the world. It was an amazing opportunity for us to be helping them.

Mr. Singh, my boss, was cross checking if we had covered all the equipment in our presentation when we were alerted by the commotion outside the conference room. Adrian Wolfe was here, it seemed, but before he entered the conference hall, an enticing scent tickled my nostrils, and I found myself closing my eyes inhaling deeply.

Oh my God...

The scent was growing stronger, as if the source was coming nearer. I thought I was going crazy; just a scent – perhaps a perfume – and I was going crazy like they showed in those logic-less advertisements. I discreetly licked my lips; my brain had forgotten everything the moment the scent became too overpowering for my senses. My body hummed with awareness, and I wanted to reach out and follow wherever that scent was coming from. I felt dizzy – my blood was all rushing south to my core which was now begging for attention.

Fuck, I was wet already and it was just a fucking scent. It could be a woman for all I knew.

My body was still buzzing when Mr. Wolfe entered the room, and I was desperately trying to gather my wits and focus on this important meeting. Even though I just had to sit still and look pretty, it would cost my job if I did something out of line.

That was when I knew who exactly the source of that heavenly fragrance was. His piercing midnight black eyes bore into mine when his eyes fell on me, and my breath hitched.

Beautiful, Dark, Mysterious and above all, his eyes were enticing, wanting to drown me in their depths. I had never been so attracted to a man in my entire life. There was no doubt that this man was Adrian Wolfe, and a part of me was scared that I would ruin everything by behaving like a harpy.

This was so not me! I felt the desire, thick and hot, fogging my senses as I stared at him. He slowly made his way towards me, stopping to shake hands with all my colleagues. All the time, his eyes were piercing mine, his gaze burning up my body to an impossible temperature, as if he felt the same. I was giddy; felt the sweat covering my palms and my forehead, as he came nearer and nearer and stopped right in front of me.

I was barely breathing. I didn't even know when my lips parted to greet him.

The air surrounding us crackled, and sparked, or it was just me who could feel the fireworks. Damn, he was handsome and hot. He had those oh-so-perfect features luring me to trace them all with my fingers and my lips. His muscle hugging suit left absolutely nothing for imagination, those thick sinewy muscles turned me on, and I bit my lip when my eyes fell on the thick bulge that his black trousers hid.

I never felt so wanton before. I could practically feel his aura, the power, the energy that he radiated, and it didn't fail to attract me to him even more. When I caught his eyes roaming all over my body, lingering on my breasts, and then looking right into my eyes again, I couldn't help but want his skin against mine, bodies rubbing and grinding against each other. I wanted to be dirty, just for him, and my mind conjured up erotic images, me beneath him, writhing and screaming his name.

Desperately wanting to be touched, I held out my hand, and he kept staring at me for a while. When he finally clasped my hand, I held in a moan and he stiffened. Sparks and tingles - the hot and flaming ones - traveled up my arm, igniting my whole body in its wake.

I was aching and throbbing and I needed him. Badly.

He pulled his hand away soon, and I felt disappointment settle in my gut. He walked away and settled in the chair at the head of the table, with his jaw and fists clenched. He wasn't looking at me, purposely not making eye contact with me, yet I yearned to have those eyes on mine, running along every inch of my body. He could have me on this table and I knew I wouldn't care about who saw us.

The meeting proceeded with me sitting a seat away from him, yet he didn't glance at me at all - just once and that was enough to give me wet dreams for a lifetime. I was thankful that I wasn't the one delivering the presentation, because the way I was ogling him and the way I was feeling would have ended up making my presentation a disaster.

I was thankful for my period, or else the chair I was sitting on would've been soaking wet right now. Throughout the meeting, I kept staring at him, sometimes even licking and biting my lips just to get his attention, somehow. Yet, he didn't even look at me and that only caused the heat to burn up more in me, the frustration growing to no limits.

Thankfully, the presentation had ended and I somehow remembered my manners, excusing myself to go to the washroom. I weighed my options to get rid of the frustration. I couldn't relieve myself to save my life, because my fingers were never expert enough to bring me over the edge. So that was out of option. I did what I could, washing my face with cold water and cleaning myself up. Luckily, I had a change of sanitary pads with me.

I was wiping my flushed face with the tissues and turned around when the teasing fragrance surrounded me once again and in the next moment I found myself caged into the arms of none other than Adrian Wolfe. I melted, and caught onto his biceps, keeping my legs straight, afraid either they would buckle under my weight or would spread out for him.

He growled and I moaned loudly when the tingles heated up my body, not caring that anyone could hear us all the way outside the building. His eyes were hard on mine, his gaze darkening and I found myself matching his gaze, my heart fluttering violently in my chest. All my insides felt like noodles, even my limbs and my spine felt like jelly.

Our breaths were mixing as he kept looking at me, not uttering a word. He suddenly pulled me, flush against him, and my eyes nearly rolled in the back of my head as I felt all the hard muscles digging into my skin, especially his erection.

So. Damn. Sexy.

I never felt so wanted. I wanted him inside me, I wanted to kiss him madly, and I just wanted to give myself to him, all of myself. He felt the same, it seemed, as he buried his face into my neck, breathing in deeply, his erection big and hard against my lower abdomen, his large hand covering my entire behind, squeezing it, and his tongue all over the crook of my neck.

I moaned again, loudly.

My fingers had his strong biceps in a death grip, the scent overpowering and clouding all other senses. I let my hands roam over his torso, loving the feel of his delicious muscles under my touch.

All of a sudden, he pushed me away and my hips collided with the edge of the counter, a searing pain running throughout my body. Even though my hips were the ones that were supposed to be aching, it seemed like another part of my body was affected. My chest was in so much pain that I could barely breathe. I heaved, trying my best to take in large amounts of breaths but failed miserably.

I hurt when he pushed me away like that.

His arms came around me once again, bringing my breaths back. He still maintained a distance, and deep inside it pained me that he didn't want me like I wanted him. I knew he could see the hurt and the pain in my eyes, just the way I could see how he was struggling to restrain himself, yet he made no move to comfort me.

"Listen to me, Ms. Winters. I do not want you, you get that?" It looked as if he was telling himself, not me. "I waited for you too long, but you were here, hiding in here for goddess knows how long. I am mated with someone else now, and am going to be a father too."

And with that, all the air seemed to leave my lungs, my heart, body and soul shattering with such a force my knees buckled, and I slid down to the ground. Adrian made no move to help me up, and just watched me shuddering on the restroom floor. I didn't understand why I was feeling so fucking heartbroken, when I barely knew that man. Yet, I couldn't get over the heaviness and the grief that had settled over my heart.

"You are going to stay in the human world, do you understand? And you are not, at any cost, going to cross the MoonLine. Do you understand?" He gritted. When I nodded, he walked out of the restroom, without looking behind at me.

I frowned, because I couldn't understand a bit of what he had said to me. My ears were ringing, my eyes were stinging and my brain was pounding. I felt like I could faint anytime soon and yet here he was, sprouting things unintelligible for a mortal human like me.

I didn't know what he thought of himself. Mated? Bloody MoonLine? What the fuck was he talking about? And about me hiding? I had no idea that I was even hiding from anyone, let alone hiding from the most renowned and philanthropic CEO. And he was waiting for me? The fuck was going on in his mind!

I was slowly becoming aware of the world around me and with that, I became aware of the embarrassment and disgust that I felt for myself. I couldn't believe what had happened to me, I had forgotten everything that existed around me. It was as if only Adrian Wolfe crowded my senses, refusing to let me think about anything else.

I behaved so desperate and needy, so much worse than a whore. I couldn't understand how, all of a sudden I became so fucking horny, my dripping core proving as evidence. I was a quivering mess on the floor, my whole body aching internally in a weird way, like never before.

I had never been attracted to a man in my entire life. I wanted to date someone, but nobody ever intrigued me, not even the cutest boys of my school. Yet, this lunatic guy came in and affected me in such an overwhelming way that I couldn't see anything but him.

I was PMSing, perhaps.

I sighed and got up, clutching my handbag to myself and gripping the edge of the sink to steady my trembling legs. I could still feel his scent lingering in the air, teasing my senses. I ignored it, my thoughts running on how I now had to face the world, as well as the embarrassment that came with it.

Maybe I had overworked myself and needed a break.

*******************

Suffice to say, no one had paid much attention to my unusual behavior in the conference room, and so, work continued normally for the rest of the week. I tried my best to forget him, the unmentionable CEO. Till that day, I had no idea what he was talking about, and I couldn't even remember half of it.

I had become a zombie, honestly, because I hadn't slept a wink the whole of last week. He was constantly on my mind, and work wasn't an effective distraction too.

The only thing that was different was that I had acquired a new...friend, quite reluctantly, to be honest. Logan was just another guy from my department, who used to, kind of, ignore my existence until now. He, all of a sudden, became so friendly, always tagging along wherever I wanted to go and I couldn't just ignore him, he practically worked with me.

I wasn't interested in him at all, sure he was attractive and stuff, and was quite a ladies' man, but there was something that was off about him. His smiles never reached his eyes, and his grins were as fake as my enthusiasm.

I walked down the hallways of the hospital, in my formal shirt and trouser attire because skirts had gotten tighter on me. No, it wasn't that I was getting fat, but I was becoming more voluptuous and curvaceous. I had thought that the days of my puberty had ended a few years ago, but just yesterday morning I found that my bra cups needed an increase in their size. And my ass? It barely fit in my pencil skirts anymore. I had somehow managed to squeeze my derriere into the trousers without tearing them apart, only because they were already loose, but my jeans and my pencil skirts refused to cooperate.

It wasn't just my body structure that had changed, but my skin, my features and my persona seemed to change too. My skin was much smoother and toned now, my features sharper than ever. I felt a unique confidence and power flowing through my veins, yet I somehow felt lost.

It felt like I was missing a part of myself.

It was that unfortunate moment when I entered the office, trying to locate Mr. Singh but got caught in Adrian's gaze instead. I had expected it, honestly, since I could actually smell him before entering the room. I still wondered what cologne he used, which could be smelt from such a distance. Could everyone smell him like that, or was it just me?

Was I the only female who got so desperate and horny at the mere sight of him, or was he used to women throwing them at him?

This time, I did feel those intense emotions, but I didn't feel the lust that had overwhelmed me a week ago. Maybe I was getting over him, or maybe the effects of PMS were actually wearing off.

I ignored him, but I couldn't ignore the heated gaze I felt on me when I went over to hand Mr. Singh the file and he smiled at me. I somehow managed to give him a tight lipped smile, and turned around, walking out of the room slowly, my hips swinging in a seductive manner, as I enjoyed the feeling of his eyes on my behind.

Just a few moments later, I was grabbed by my elbow and turned around roughly, my back slamming against the wall. I winced and looked up only to find a pair of familiar midnight black eyes staring down at me, breathing harshly.

"You. Are. Supposed. To. Stay. Away. From. Me." He growled at me and each staccato sent different jabs to my heart, my chest aching once again. But this time, I wasn't going to succumb to it and remain completely clueless about everything that was happening.

"And why is that so?" I raised a brow at him, despite the tears that threatened to leak out.

"Because it is better that way. The closer we are, the more are the possibilities of us ending up doing something we both would regret. Look, you won't understand, you are a human, but I already have a ma-girlfriend, okay? I just cannot cheat on her."

I gave him an incredulous look, "I apologize for behaving so unprofessionally that day, I have no idea what had come over me, but I assure you that it will never happen again, if that's what you mean by saying that we are going to stay away from each other. Unfortunately, our companies are working together and it means we are going to be seeing each other a lot. Sadly, it is unavoidable."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while I kept staring at him. A moment later, he looked at me, pining me with his gaze alone, which roamed over my face, my breasts, my abdomen and my legs that now fitted snugly in the trousers. His eyes darkened in appreciation as he raked his gaze back up and stared at my breasts for a moment longer.

I expected him to lose his control any moment, but I had to give it to him, he had an amazing self control.

It seemed like he really loved his girlfriend.

And somehow that thought left me more heartbroken than before.

It had been a month since I met the crazy CEO, Adrian Wolfe, yet he never ceased to plague my mind. He was constantly in there, my thoughts starting and ending with him, and all my nocturnal wet dreams starring him, with him touching me intimately, pressing his hard body into mine. I kept on wondering, what he meant at that time, and the weird terminologies he used to describe. Mate. I had been familiar with that word only when it came to animals, not humans. MoonLine.

Now what the fuck was that?

A lot had changed since the past whole month, and I couldn't get asked more about where I got my boob job from. They had become big and were still perky, and the girls had started grabbing a lot of attention. I had to replace my entire wardrobe with loose clothes, because let's just say, even my loosened trousers couldn't fit my ass in anymore.

I was becoming fuller and more beautiful. I had never had that much confidence in myself, regarding my own body. I had started wearing sexy lingerie, something I had never even tried before. My waist was becoming thinner, but that was definitely due to how I was overworking and overtraining myself.

If men hadn't noticed me before, they definitely started noticing me now. I got random pieces of paper, with phone numbers written on them and CALL ME written boldly. Though, no one dared to show their faces when I openly asked who was the sender of the chit.

My life had always been sorely lacking - first it was my parents - I never knew them. I didn't even have their pictures, had never heard their names. There was only one woman who had been a constant till now, and that was my Grandma, who died just recently. Then, later on I had ease in making friends, being the school's sweetheart and all, but I didn't have close friends whose thinking was as advanced as mine.

We moved places once or twice, and we left people behind. There were times, when I grew up, that I realised that I was not...satisfied. There was something lacking in everything that I did and somehow that feeling didn't ever go away.

I had everything even then, mind you. I had been every parent's dream daughter and I had made my Grandma proud many times. But for me, either those things were never enough, or there was something else that I really wanted.

Something I didn't know about.

I had confided in Grandma about these feelings, and she never said anything else but, "One day, everything will be alright. Till then, you will have to do your best."

As I pondered over my life now, since the past week, I felt as if there was something I didn't know about - something that I needed to know about.

And a part of me was afraid to step out of my comfortable life.

***********************************

If anyone would have thought that my friendship with Logan would have flourished, then they couldn't be more wrong. He couldn't get more annoying, following me everywhere and hounding me for just one date. I had finally decided to give him just one date and then he would go about his own way and I would stay away from him.

So here I was, getting ready for the so-called date, trying my best to ignore the sinking feeling in my gut. I always felt that way around him, put off and uneasy, yet this feeling just didn't go away.

This date is a bad idea.

I didn't put in much effort to get ready, just jeans, a baggy T-shirt and sneakers. I tied my thick hair into a ponytail, and took my phone to check for texts. I had one from him, which said that he was just five minutes away.

Exactly five minutes later, a horn brought me out of my thoughts and I took my purse, ready to head out. I had two cans of pepper spray stowed inside the purse in case things went out of hand. Were they enough?

I headed outside and walked lazily, giving him a small fake smile as I got inside the car.

"Hey, Moon." He smiled, yet it never reached his eyes.

"Hi, Logan." I greeted him back.

That was all we said as he drove off to some unknown destination. He wanted the place to be a surprise and I couldn't feel more uneasy. I felt the worst when I glanced at him and saw a smirk on his face, not the perverted or mischievous one, but the kind of smirk that is bound to chill you to the bone. Nothing seemed right. I studied his features that looked hard, and sharp, and something else I couldn't point out. His eyes seemed glazed, yet he was still concentrating on the road, his speed going about...what? I looked out of the window and everything seemed blurry. Nothing was visible properly, he was driving that fast. My eyes widened and I shivered, letting out a shrill scream.

"What are you doing Logan!? Slow down!" I shrieked, curling up in my seat.

"We would take ages to reach the place I have in mind for the date without this speed, love. We'll be fine, don't worry." He said slowly, but I could hear it, the demonic edge to his voice.

I was so fucking scared.

Don't worry? Was he freaking kidding me?

"Stop the car. Let me get down, Logan. I don't feel good anymore." I said, wanting to get out of the car somehow. I didn't care if I was miles away from home. I knew I would somehow find my way back, but I couldn't sit in this car anymore.

"No." What?

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

With that, he stopped the car, but I wasn't keen to climb out of it, anymore. Because all I could see around me were trees, tall, thick trees and forests, just forests. This did not seem like an ideal place for a date and I could understand how the girls in novels felt when they asked their dates if they were going to murder them and bury them somewhere in a secret place.

I had no one. No one would come to find me even if I died.

In a blur, Logan got out of his seat and opened my passenger door, and I literally meant it when I said in a blur. I couldn't even see when he moved around and my eyes widened as fear gripped me. How could he do that? Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was it my fear that was getting to my head?

I refused to get out of the car, as he held his door open, and I looked at him, my breath getting lodged in my throat when I saw his glinting form in the moonlight.

His canines: they were long, and completely unnatural for a human. I was scared to the deepest pits of my guts and I shivered, not having a slightest idea what to do. He looked like a vampire, but I knew he was no Edward Cullen. He wasn't here to make Bella turn into mush with his protectiveness and self control. No, he wanted something from me.

Maybe my blood.

"Come, Moon." He said, his voice still having the demonic edge.

I closed my eyes tightly, hoping, just like a child, that this was just a nightmare or maybe I was just going crazy thinking about Adrian. Never in my wildest nightmares did I think something like this would happen to me someday, and never did I think that giving in to Lazarus's demands would make me end up here, like this.

So fucking, helpless.

He grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me out of the car, making my skin burn where he touched me. It was painful and I looked at my arm when he released me, to find his handprints. It did look like my skin was burnt there, and I frowned. He had touched me many times, but never did it burn.

I was still shivering as I looked back into his black, completely black, eyes, because it was way too cold here and I was way too afraid to think straight.

The thing that immediately made me stiffen was how I felt when my feet touched the ground. It felt like something was sucked in or out of me, probably my soul, because this bloodsucker was already smiling at me, albeit, too evilly for my liking.

"What are you?" I whispered, keeping my eyes on him, yet, trying to wrap my mind around the energy that seemed to swirl inside me, taut, waiting to be released. It was like some electricity was running through my veins, filling me in with the much needed adrenaline.

"You must have already guessed it, sweetheart." I cringed at his voice. "Bloodsucker. Dracula. Vampire. Name, Lazarus Vamp." He sneered and bared his fangs to me.

I backed away a few steps, still feeling the weird overwhelming sensations of some strange energy bubbling inside my body. It was heady and unfamiliar, and I looked up at him dizzily. He didn't seem to notice the changes I was feeling inside me, which meant that I was looking completely normal from outside.

"Where are we?" I whispered, once again, but this time, I was getting the swirling inside me in control. It was like a sudden burst of fearlessness and courage in me once I got the control and I could feel the confidence radiating in my aura. I felt stronger, the way that I could easily stand up and defeat the bloodsucker.

"Beyond the MoonLine." Was what he said, and that's when I remembered how Adrian warned me to never come beyond the MoonLine.

Oh boy, he really wasn't crazy, was he?

Run.

I immediately complied to the voice that whispered inside me, and pushed the self proclaimed vampire, running away. I didn't let myself get shocked by how he flew and his body crashed right into one of the tallest trees when I pushed him. I didn't let myself get shocked at how fast I was running, faster than Usain Bolt could ever manage. The trees were blurring around me yet my vision was still sharp, and I could see clearly where I was going in the dark.

I let my body guide me, taking random turns in, jumping over springs, loving the feel of the breeze caressing my skin and my hair flying behind me. It was refreshing, overpowering and overwhelming, yet I enjoyed the hyper giddiness that the adrenaline and the unfamiliar electricity brought inside me. I was enjoying it too much to remember why exactly I was running, but then I could make out a scent - a sweet scent of forest earth, blending in well with the surroundings. There was another thing about that scent, though, that calmed me down to an extent, the fog of fear clearing away from my brain, just a little.

Follow the scent.

I sniffed, trying to sense the direction of the smell. Once I caught it, I ran in that direction, the exhilaration in me calming down as I neared it. I didn't know why I was following and obeying the voice that kept on whispering inside me. Right now, that voice was the only thing I could trust, because my human brain was still clouded with fear induced haze.

I hid behind a broad tree when I sensed that the source of the smell was merely five feet away. It was a woman, young, breathtakingly beautiful, and meditating - or maybe not - right in the middle of a circle of trees. Her pale features enhanced in the moonlight and her eyes opened, looking straight at me.

"Who are you?" She asked, standing up with a frown on her face.

The sense of calm that spread inside me was overwhelming. It was as if I could breathe properly, think properly and I no longer feared anything. Was it the scent? Or was it because I saw someone who, according to my instincts, could help me?

Trust her. She will help you.

There were two voices this time. I ignored the feeling that was starting to creep me out and jogged towards the woman.

"Help me." I said frantically and her frown deepened.

Her eyes widened when she sniffed the air and her eyes zeroed in on mine. She was concentrating hard, as if trying to search something, but I didn't have time for that.

"Please, I don't have time. I have always been a human for the past twenty three years of my life and suddenly this man who claims to be a vampire forcefully brought me here, which according to him is beyond the MoonLine, and all of a sudden, I'm running faster than Usain Bolt. I don't know what's happening to me," and a sob escaped me, making me realise that my human emotions were still there. "Please, help me."

She thought for a moment, regarding me curiously, then nodded and said, "We need to get to the Were territory first. It's two miles away."

She took my hand and we started running where she was leading. I didn't ask anything because I knew this wasn't the time to be curious. At some point, I ran faster than her and overtook her, running more than half a mile ahead of her.

Damn, I really was faster than her.

I went back to her because for some unknown reason, I felt safe with her.

And also because I didn't know the way back.

It is because she is a warrior and she can defend you.

Oh.

Ask her to climb on your back. You have enough strength to carry her and still run fast.

"You are fast, damn." She panted and I hurried next to her, crouching down with my back facing her.

"Climb on my back, fast!" I said and she did so. She was surprisingly light, almost feather-light, and I rushed past the trees like a breeze, running with all my might. I wasn't breathless yet, and that was what surprised me the most. Though the question was, how would I know if I'm going in the right direction?

"Trust your instincts, love. They'll guide you the right way." Well, wasn't it already guiding me all this time?

I was running, my ears picking up rustling sounds of the leaves and distinct howls. I slowly felt my strength increasing, as if someone or something else was combining their energy with mine.

"It's mine. I'm radiating my energy to you." She suddenly said.

I scoffed, something I had no idea how I managed to do even after all this running, "Do you know that reading someone's mind is really creepy?" I shouted.

I felt her shrug, "I wasn't. I was just explaining to you what I was doing so you didn't freak out. You have been living with humans, after all." She shouted back.

I rolled my eyes, and looked ahead to see that I had to run in between two trees. One moment, I was getting ready to take a nice leap to avoid tripping, and the other moment I felt a force on my chest, so strong that it stopped me midway through my leap and I was pushed backwards forcefully. The woman jumped off my back in time to break the momentum the push gave, and I fell right there, instead of squashing myself against a tree.

Phew! Crashing against a tree didn't sound good at all.

I got up, groaning, and shakily stood to my feet, my head still dizzy with the fall. The woman had already taken a protective stance in front of me, glaring at the man who stepped out of the darkness and stood right in between two other vampires.

I could smell the metallic scent of blood on him, and also the smell of something rotten. It was disgusting and my nose scrunched up immediately. The scent was, somehow, familiar to me, and I looked carefully, only to find Lazarus smirking at the both of us.

"Leave her alone, leech, and we wolves would spare all your lice." The woman growled gesturing towards the little team lice that were sneering at us.

It was creepy, their whole bodies were pale, completely white, and it looked like they were chiselled out of ice, cold and hard, yet not melting at all. A shiver ran through my body, and I shuffled closer to the woman, soaking in the warmth she radiated. I looked around again, watching their canines glint dangerously in the moonlight, their eyes completely black. The scent of blood and something rotten suffocated me, but the warmth that the woman radiated was enough to keep me from fleeing the place.

Lazarus raised his brow and smirked, "Well, well, it's nice to meet you too, Luna Liana."

Luna Liana? As in the female pack leader of wolves?

Yes.

My, my, life is turning into such a drama. It sounded like all the werewolf novels I had obsessed over since I was a teenager. At that time, it sounded appealing, really, having someone made just for you, in love with you, protective and possessive just over you.

But now, here? I didn't find it so appealing anymore.

"But, " He frowned, mocking a thinking gesture, "Whom will you call? Your lovely, handsome mate? The one from whom you have been running away since the past whole decade?"

She was running from her mate? Really? And she was a Luna. Oh holy Moses!

She was running from an Alpha!

Probably, yes.

I had no idea reading werewolf romances would prove to be so useful one day. Things were getting clearer and clearer by the second. Adrian had used the word mate, which meant he was a werewolf and he had a mate. And his mate was pregnant too.

Then why the fuck did it hurt me so much? And why was I drooling over him like that?

"I am not running away from anyone!" She growled, "You are going to leave the girl alone! She has no use for you!"

"And how do you know that?" He stepped closer to us and then looked at me, a cold smirk carving his chiseled features, "Moon, sweetheart, didn't you tell your lovely friend about what you are. Tell her about what happened when you met Adrian."

My eyes widened. He was there. And he knew all along. He became my friend just so that he could trap me, like he did today.

"Adrian? Alpha King Adrian?" Liana asked, her whole form tensing. It was silent for a moment, but she soon changed her stance, standing even more protectively in front of me. She now looked even more feral, the calmness she was radiating replaced with something more fierce and raging.

Alpha King Adrian? Damn, fuck my life!

"So you tell me, Liana. Would I be so stupid as to let the opportunity of having the unprotected mates of the highest ranking werewolves all to myself slide just like that? Two Lunas, Liana. That's precious! Well..."

"No." I protested, "I'm not his mate." His mate is pregnant with his child!

Lazarus chuckled, "Oh, Moon, what were you doing in the human world? Do you even know how much worth you are? Not only are you the Luna Queen of Werewolves, the only real mate of Adrian, but you are also the last living PureBlood on Earth."

Liana gasped loudly and turned to look at me, sniffing the air again as if she couldn't believe her ears and eyes. On the other hand I couldn't understand a word of what he said. Liana's eyes widened and her sniffing stopped. She turned around and snarled at Lazarus, who didn't seem affected at all.

Lazarus came closer to me ignoring Liana completely and grabbed my arm, "Now that you have been surprised and all, it would be better if you hand me the thing in your pocket."

I looked down to find the open can of pepper spray in my pocket I had slipped in my pocket when he had been driving, for precautionary measures. Did pepper sprays have any effect on vampires? I hoped they did. I held in my victorious emotions, and took out the can slowly and reluctantly. In one quick movement, I sprayed it all over his face, and rushed to Liana, picking her and throwing her over my shoulder like a sack.

It was fun, and I let out a giggle when she shrieked. She stayed silent the entire time I ran, keeping my ears alert for sounds. I heard snapping of twigs and branches, whizzing sounds but I ignored them. I couldn't risk turning back to see what made the sounds, so I kept running, letting myself free. At some point of time, my running slowed down as I felt a sudden sense of safety and comfort. It felt like home, something I didn't feel back at my own place. The sense of belongingness increased as I kept running, albeit slowly than before and then I heard Liana mumbled something.

"You can stop now!" I heard her shout and jerked to a stop, letting her down slowly. She stumbled a bit and held onto me for dear life, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Give a woman a warning before you throw her over your shoulder and run like that." I nodded at her sheepishly, feeling breathless, but not in the tired kind of way. Liana looked around, "And yeah, we have entered the wolf territory, where the vampires wouldn't dare to enter."

Yeah, fuck my life.

Well, that was all I could think when I saw two pairs of golden eyes glinting in the dark.