Mates?

12

*Ash's POV* 

(Triggering elements later on in chapter.)

Sobs racked Winter's body. She curled up against me and I wrapped my arms around her. I had stopped crying now.

"Ash, I don't wanna die. Don't let me die." She begged.

I rocked her back and forth.

"You're not gonna die, Winter." I promised.

"When I die, will you take care of my pup? Please, promise me you will." Winter pleads while she wept.

"Winter, don't talk like that. You're not gonna die." I comforted, stroking her hair.

"Ash, please. I beg of you. Promise me." She cried.

"I promise, if you die, I will take care of your pup." 

"Thank you." She whispered before her body went limp.

She had either fallen asleep or passed out. I picked her body up and brushed her teeth to the best of my ability. After I had finished my attempt, I took her and laid her down on my bed. Truthfully, I'm terrified. I don't know how to take care of a wolf pup. I'm a vampire, I barely know anything about werewolves. 

I tucked her under the blankets and she started to roll around. She muttered words and it seemed she was having a nightmare. I lightly shook her and her eyes shot open. Winter's pained expression made me want to help her get over the nightmare.

Before I could speak, she shifted into her wolf form and curled up in a ball. I laughed lightly at her antics and stroked her fur lovingly. She was fast asleep again. I wondered what her nightmare was about and decided to ask her when she woke up. She had had a long day today.

I need to break the news to Declan, Joey, Cole, Alee, Dustin, and, sadly, the Alpha-Wolf father. First, I went to Declan, he is the closest to Winter, so he should know first. When I arrived at his door, I knocked softly, hesitant about my intentions.

"Yeah?" Declan asked with a hint of a smile through the cracked door.

"Something's wrong with Winter." I couldn't hold eye contact. 

"What?" His voice cracked.

"She's pregnant. With that Alpha's baby." I sighed. "She's pregnant and it's all my fault." 

As the realization hit me, new tears sprung to my eyes. I pushed them away and focused on getting information about this Alpha.

"When you were with her, did she ever mention the name of the Alpha she had slept with?" I inquired.

"Alpha Xavier from pack Wind-Leaf." He nodded.

"Thank you." My voice croaked.

I ran out of his room and into the dark forest. I couldn't care less about the rogues. I'm a big bad vampire, they know they won't faze me. I could only guess by Winter's faded scent and I used my super speed. It took me to an area that looks as though it had been burnt many years ago. 

I knew I had passed their pack line by now, but decided to follow her scent even more. I could've done this when she ran away, but I decided to let her come back by choice and not by force. I know what I've done is beyond wrong. I'm trying to make everything better, though.

I came upon a log cabin. How I haven't been caught at this point is beyond me. Their security really sucks. I haven't seen one guard the whole time. I walked up to the door and knocked as loud as I could. 

The door swung open and the scent of Alpha wolf and I could still smell Winter's arousal, even though it was faint. Oh god, she actually liked it. I almost gagged, but stayed on task instead.

"I'm assuming you are Winter's mate." The Alpha smirked. I gave him a confused look, as if asking how he knew. "You can't screw a Vamp's mate and expect no consequences. So, go ahead, kill me, and live up to your reputation." He taunted.

"Though tempting, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to inform you of some news I'm definitely not fond of." I sighed, making eye contact with him.

"Oh." His eyebrows furrowed and he gave me an interested look.

"Winter is carrying a child, made from your seed." I exhaled, giving him a sad look “All the female werewolves in her bloodline died after giving birth, so, as far as I know at the moment, she will die and the blood will be on your hands.”

His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll take care of it." He offered. I let out a laugh at his words. "I'm serious."

"I'm not laughing because I don't think you can take care of it. I'm laughing because you actually think you have a chance to. Winter and I are raising this baby and there is nothing you can do about it." I spoke with venom in my voice.

"What do you know about raising children?" Xavier scoffed.

"I worked in a nursery when I was younger." I lied. I did help with the pets though when we first obtained them.

"I basically raised Winter." He rolled his eyes, then realized his mistake.

He knew Winter before this?

"What? Winter is the only survivor from her pack." I said skeptically.

"Your sister knows exactly who I am." He smirked. "I'm the guy that faked his death instead of rejecting his vampiric mate." 

I picked him up by his neck and his smile widened.

"You better be glad I turned over a new leaf before this because I would kill you on the spot if I didn't, you stuck up prick." I insulted and threw him on the ground.

I ran away before I let my Vampire side out, which I hadn't done since Winter left. I had trouble running back. I hadn't drank blood since I bit Winter and I obviously hadn't had s*x, therefore I either needed to drink or get laid.

I obviously wasn't going to sleep with someone besides Winter, so I needed blood and I needed it now. I heard growling close to me. I smiled. Rogues are the perfect opportunity for fresh blood. I strolled over to where I heard them.

"N-No hurt m-me." A young girl begged.

Filthy rogues. They have a little girl. I hurriedly try to find them, sniffing the air occasionally to get a scent. Finally, I found them. I felt bile rise in my throat by what I saw. A man, probably in his thirties, trying to defile the girl I heard.

"Get off her you sick freak!" I hissed.

His head snapped up and he quickly made his getaway. Coward. The girl shuffled against a tree.

"N-No hurt me! I-I be good!" She spoke.

It's obvious she speaks broken English. I walked near her and she scooted away.

"I'm not going to hurt you, little one." I got on my knees in front of her, so I looked more her size. She was small, like she had been deprived of proper nutrition. "Do you know what just happened?" I questioned, knowing that some people who speak broken English haven't been taught essential information about the circle of life, or about anything really.

"N-No. I not know." She replied.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

"When two people love each other and they want to become closer, maybe even have children, they have s*x. Some people see others as objects they can use for this. That's what that man saw you as. Things like that are not okay, no matter what people tell you." I explained, hoping she understood.

"D-Do y-you…" her eyebrows knitted together, trying to finish her sentence. "me o-o-obj-ject?" She frowned, disappointed in herself. 

That was probably her first time saying object and she did well.

"No, I do not see you as an object. You did great with that word, though." I smiled.

She scooted closer to me and I saw her face clearly. Her dark brown hair came down to her elbows, but parts of it were matted. She had bright green eyes with a cute button nose. Bruises covered most her body. Her only piece of clothing, an oversized t-shirt was ripped and tattered.

"Why y-y-you he-help?" She questioned, suspicious of my motives.

"No one deserves a life like this. I want to take you to a better place, but I need your help." 

"M-Me? H-Help?"

"Yes. I need your blood to get us out of here. It won't hurt and I won't need much." I clarified.

"W-Why bl-bl-blood?" She started to freak out.

"Calm down, okay. I am a vampire. I drink blood to survive. I also need to have s*x to remain strong." 

"Me blood s-s-s-s" she attempted to say but gave up.

I hope she wasn't trying to say what I think.

"You bleed after s*x?" I forced myself to ask.

Please don't say yes. Please don't say yes. Please, do NOT say yes. She nodded her head and my heart dropped. Tears sprang to my eyes. My stomach did somersaults and I dove into a nearby bush to vomit out my stomach contents. Tears soaked my face.

She's too young, too innocent. I gagged at the thought of it, making more tears fall. I don't care what people think or say. This girl is coming with me and is staying with me. People can say I'm soft, weak, anything. Anything at all. As long as she isn't hurt ever again.

I wiped my mouth with the inside of my shirt, feeling drained of energy. There's no way I can run back tonight, and I can't communicate with any of the vampires. I'm too weak. I slumped against a nearby tree and motioned the girl over. She obliged and sat next to me.

"You w-want me se-se-se-se-" she huffed in frustration, still not being able to say the word.

"No. I wouldn't do that to you. What happened to you should never happen to anyone. I just need your blood." 

Before I could explain anything else, unconsciousness overcame me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blood. The tangy metallic taste filled my mouth, I almost moaned at the flavor. Whatever I was getting blood from, had amazing blood. The right texture, tang, and it felt smooth. I reached out for the object, pressing it harshly to my lips. 

I drank the blood greedily. When I finally pulled away for air, I opened my eyes to see a forest, illuminated by the sun in the morning sky. In front of me, sat the girl from the night before, wrist cut, staring at me. I grabbed her injured arm and inspected the wound.

"Why did you do this?" 

"Y-You n-need bl-bl-ood." 

I sighed, looking into her pretty green eyes. I smiled and she smiled back. I think she's beginning to trust me.

"Thank you." I grinned brightly.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No. Me th-th-th-an-ank you." She countered, grabbing my hands in hers. "You n-nice." 

I looked down at her arm, which was still bleeding. I started rubbing my wrist harshly against the rough tree bark, trying to get it to bleed enough to heal her wound. She grabbed my arms.

"No. That hurt you." She whined.

"It's okay. My blood can heal people." I explained.

"No. That hurt you." She repeated, this time firmer, making sure I got the message.

"Please. The smell of blood makes my vampire side want to come out and last time it did, I did things I'll regret forever." I admitted. She gave me a look as if to ask what it was. "I fell in love and I messed it up. She had s*x with someone else. Now she's pregnant with his child. She thinks she will die when she gives birth, which is a high possibility."

"You… se-se-se-" She grunted in frustration, giving up once more.

"No, we did not have s*x. I know now that love is much more than that." I answered.

She reluctantly let go of my hands and I started the tree rubbing thing with my wrist again.

"You… n-n-name?" She asked, trying to ignore what I was doing and look me in the eyes.

"My name is Ash. I rule a village of vampires. What's your name?" I smiled, hoping to finally have a title for her.

"Em-Em-Em-Em-Em-" She frowned, sad that she couldn't say it.

"It's okay. I can call you Em for now. Practice when you can and let me know when you can say it." I smiled, despite the pain in my arm. She nodded her head gratefully. I winced when I felt the wood finally cut through my skin. I hurriedly put my blood on her arm before I healed. She gasped when her wound healed completely and the blood seemingly disappeared. "How about I get us out of here?" I beamed, happy to finally be able to leave and go home, and to give Em a home as well.

*Dylan's POV* 

I had fallen asleep on my way to the infirmary and when I awoke again, I was still in my wolf form, laying on a hard bed. I moved a little and surprisingly, I felt no pain. Liam must've used his blood to heal me.

"Dylan, you're awake." Liam smiled. I nodded my wolf-like head at him. "I've never seen you in your wolf form. You're gorgeous." He complimented, stroking my fur. I gave a wolfy grin in response. That was the first time he's actually given me a genuine compliment.

I looked around the room, searching for Grant. I still found it insane that I had found my mate. I mean, I thought I had to be older to do that.

"I sent that guy back to where he came from. He seemed like a p*****t. I didn't like the way he looked at you." Liam scowled. I just nodded once more, so I didn't seem suspicious. "They said you can go home once you woke up. I think it would be best if you just rested for a few days. No cleaning. No cooking. Just relaxing." 

I wasn't sure how to react. He had never given me this opportunity before. I hopped out of the hospital bed and jumped on him. I made sure not to knock him over, even though I'm pretty sure I couldn't do that anyway. I licked his hands as a way of showing my appreciation.

"Awe. You're so cute, Dylan. Let's go home." 

I ran around in circles and yipped happily. I can't wait to sleep in and actually relax for once. I can even go to bed early! I don't have to stay up cleaning!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up burning hot. My skin felt scorched. I pushed the blanket to Liam's bed off of me. He had brought me home last night and we went to bed shortly after. He didn't even make me have s*x last night, which I am highly thankful for.

"What's wrong, Dylan?" Liam grumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"It's just a little warm in here, that's all." I dismissed, wishing he didn't think much of it and just that he would go back to sleep.

I am really hoping that I'm not sick because last time that happened I felt like I was dying and I ended up shifting into a wolf.

"No, baby, it's cold in here, are you sick?" He frowned, sitting up to check to make sure I was okay.

He placed a hand on my forehead and I felt the cold from his hand make my body relax. I let out a soft moan at the amazing feeling. I felt like I was doing something wrong, but I felt so much better at his touch.

"That feels good." I smiled, leaning into his touch.

"Oh wow, so you do moan?" He joked, referring to those times in bed where I stay completely silent. "Anyway, you definitely are running a fever and I'll tell Joey to come by. You need to rest. I don't wanna get you out of the house like this. Joey will take care of it." He smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock sounded at the door and Liam answered it quickly, already knowing who it was. I laid in his bed, yearning for sleep, and to cool down from my fever. Is that too much to ask? I heard muffled voices leading to the room, and sighed. Hopefully, we will know what is wrong with me. The bedroom door opened. 

"She woke up last night and it felt like she was on fire. I'm worried about her, considering what happened last night and her recent shift." Liam informed, walking in and sitting beside me on the bed.

Joey walked in, adorned with all of her pet-checking equipment. Someone else followed her in the room, and I immediately recognized him. It was Declan. I grinned from ear to ear, but quickly made an excuse.

"No way. I know you! You're Declan McKay! One of the youngest Werewolf medics! All the other pets talk about you." I exclaimed through my pain.

We exchanged a knowing look, subtly telling each other we identified one another. Liam gave me a glare but didn't dare say anything in front of Joey.

"That's me. I'm here to look you over to see what the problem is." He played along.

"He's also here to talk with Liam about an arrangement." Joey added.

"What arrangement?" Liam questioned warily.

"We will talk about it later, right now, Dylan's health is my number one priority." Declan smiled. Good thing Declan actually had some medical knowledge and he wasn't going into this blind. He used to help our mother with the patients in the infirmary at our old pack all the time. "Let me start by asking a few questions. Are you two alright with that?" 

"Of course." Liam responded.

"Okay, Dylan, have you had any suspicious foods lately?" 

"No." 

"Been bitten by any mosquitoes?"

"No."

"Liam, I know this may be a weird question to ask, but it can help solve the problem. Have you been using any sort of protection during certain activities?" Declan questioned, keeping a perfect poker face the whole time. I could tell he hated asking this, because I knew his tells. He was tapping 

Liam started laughing hysterically. Everyone gave him a weird look because of his sudden outburst. After he had calmed down, he smiled at me.

"Of course we do. We can't have her getting pregnant." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Dylan, do you recall meeting your mate?" Declan asked.

"No, of course not. Don't you have to be eighteen for that to happen anyway?" I inquired.

"Not always, if you or your mate has had your fate changed by magic, it won't matter the age of your new mate." Declan rationalized.

"Why is that even relevant as to why she's sick?!" Liam shouted jealously. "It won't matter if she has a mate because after she meets him I'm claiming her."

My heart dropped. I feel horrible for Grant. First, his fate is changed, now, his mate will be taken away again. It's not fair. 

"You never told me that." I whispered.

"I thought you would've known. There is no way after all the time and money I've spent on you are you leaving me." He grunted angrily.

I flinched at his fit of anger. I didn’t dare make eye contact with him. I just averted my eye contact somewhere else, which just happened to be Declan. I could see the fury in his eyes that he was trying to hide. I failed at suppressing the small smile that slipped onto my face from the thought of him protecting me.

“Why are you smiling at him?” Liam scoffed.

“Why does it matter? I’m going to be punished anyways!” I growled, glaring daggers at him.

Woah. My Wolf side had way too much control just now. I immediately cowered under his ruthless expression. He grabbed my chin roughly to make me look at him.

“I don’t know what has gotten into you but I definitely do not like it and it better be gone after you get better or you will definitely regret it.” He warned.

Declan cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I know what's wrong with her. She's in heat." Declan announced.