3. Selene
Chapter 3
Selene
I clutch the metal spike, my knuckles white, heart pounding like a drum in my chest.
The guy in front of me is a damn giant. He has to be at least 6' 4", as his tall frame towers over the parking lot.
He has anger etched on his face and claws peeking out of his hands. Another damn wolf!
And I just survived a wolf attack.
What the fucking hell is this?
I am not even going to hazard reasoning with him. He looks pissed.
I can’t risk it again.
I eye him cautiously, recognizing the guy from the bar, with the gray eyes.
He is the one I had bumped into earlier. The same person who had almost driven me crazy with blood lust. He looks at me and then the corpse beside me.
Then he zeroes in on the metal spike in my hand.
I thought he was hot, his gray eyes peering down at me, but by the looks of it, I might be in serious danger. Even his stance is scary. This is not the incompetence of Mia’s pack.
This guy might actually kill me.
Life has a twisted sense of humor.
He snarls angrily, “Why did you kill the wolf?”
I glance at the spike, then at him. I can’t drop it. I picked it up when I thought the other wolves would attack, but all they did was glare murderously at me before getting on their motorbikes and fleeing.
I wanted to leave but my limbs still felt too heavy.
I should have dropped the spike and fled too.
I know that now.
He takes a step forward. I can still hear the steady thrum of the blood in his veins, but out here, in the cool, chilly air, I can smell something else. Something like garlic.
What?
I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “Look, I already took out one of you. I am not afraid to defend myself again.”
He squares his shoulders as he takes another step forward. “Let’s try that again. Why did you attack the wolf? I won’t ask a third time.”
His white teeth are gleaming in the night. I can feel my legs begin to shake.
I can’t die like this.
Fuck!
“Mia attacked me, okay? I was minding my business when she and her pack decided to target me. I am the innocent one here.”
“A vampire? Innocent?” he scoffs. “All I see is a dead wolf. You have breached the treaty, and vampires are not welcome here. So, you better start talking before I rip your head off.”
There is so much venom in the threat. I don’t doubt his sincerity.
For a fleeting moment, my older brother’s words come to mind. I should have stayed with my family, my coven. They would have protected me.
If I die here tonight, no one will ever know what happened to me.
My eyes are locked with his piercing gray eyes as he takes another step. His intense stare is unnerving.
My fingers flex around the metal pipe before I slowly crouch to the ground, putting it down. Maybe if he sees that I am no longer a threat, he will relax just enough for me to get away.
But the snarl on his face tells me that I’ve just made a mistake. I am now unarmed and facing someone who is going to kill me.
I stand, running a hand through my matted hair. My hands are covered in blood, and I try my best to ignore that fact.
“Listen, man, let me go. I’ll leave your territory.”
“I can’t let you do that. You have to face the council to answer for this murder.”
Fuck no!
The council is the one thing I fear more than the wolf’s bite. Its members are biased and made entirely of creatures that want my kind to be wiped off the face of the earth.
If I stood before them, the only option I would be facing is death.
I am not dying at their hands, not like my parents did. Oh, hell no!
He moves forward another step towards me when there is a sudden commotion inside the bar.
Then, there is the cacophony of voices and merriment as the humans begin exiting the bar.
It’s that split second of his distraction that saves my life.
His eyes are focused on the bar’s exit, and I take the opportunity to bolt.
I can hear him muttering curses behind me, and for a couple of seconds, I am actually afraid that he’ll come after me.
Thankfully, he doesn’t.
I reach my car and, with shaky hands, fiddle with my car keys.
There are several people getting into their cars, too, but they seem pretty wasted and too involved in their own businesses to notice the woman covered in blood.
My whole body aches as I open the car door, fingers fumbling with the keys.
Something about him unnerves me.
I can’t believe I came so close to becoming a victim… twice.
Even from here, I can feel his eyes burning holes into me.
C’mon Selene. Go, go, go.
The engine sputters to life as I grip the steering wheel with trembling hands.
Mia’s blood, warm and sticky, clings to my skin. I glance in the rearview mirror, and my eyes meet with the reflection of a girl I hardly recognize.
The neon lights from the club flicker, casting an eerie glow on the scene unfolding before me.
The crowd continues to spill out, laughter and chatter blending with the distant thump of bass.
And there he is, that man, lifting Mia’s lifeless wolf body, like a sack of potatoes.
My stomach churns, and I can’t tear my eyes away.
The blood’s metallic scent lingers in the air, mixing with the adrenaline that’s still coursing through my veins. I wipe my hands on my jeans, but the red stains only smear. I can’t erase the pictures in my mind of the fight, the pipe, the blood, and Mia’s lifeless eyes.
I killed someone.
I press down on the gas pedal, the car jerking forward. The city lights are hazy as tears blur my vision. I never thought I’d find myself in a situation like this. My breaths are shallow, and my knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel.
Although it was in self-defense, I can’t escape the guilt.
I pull up at a red light, and my gaze drifts back to the club behind me. The crowd is thinning, and I see that the man has disappeared into the shadows with Mia.
The radio hums softly, a distant background noise to my chaotic thoughts. Now, there’s the image of Mia’s lifeless form being carried away. What does that man want with her?
Why did she attack me?
Panic sets in, and I slam my foot on the gas pedal when the light turns green. I’ve got to get out of these clothes. I need to get home, clean up, and figure out what the hell to do next.
The silence in the car is deafening, broken only by the rhythmic thud of my heart. I can’t believe I killed someone. The rational part of me says I had no choice, but the regret and fear of the consequences claw at my conscience. She was the vampire’s nemesis—a werewolf—and she would have killed me, but still, she died at my hands.
I left home to avoid situations like this!
The city lights start to fade as I approach my apartment building. I park the car haphazardly, not bothering with finesse. Every nerve in my body is on edge, and I need to get inside, away from any prying eyes.
I stumble up the stairs to my apartment. As I step into the dimly lit space, the familiar scent of home offers no comfort tonight.
I head straight to the bathroom, stripping off my blood-soaked clothes.
The hot water from the shower stings against my skin, and I scrub vigorously, trying to wash away the memory. My hands tremble as I reach for the soap, dropping it twice before finally gripping it firmly.
I close my eyes, trying to shut out the vision of Mia’s lifeless eyes.
As I step out of the shower, I catch a glimpse of myself in the foggy bathroom mirror. The bruises from the struggle, the haunted look in my eyes –the person staring back at me seems like a stranger.
My phone buzzes on the counter, and I grab it, hoping for some distraction, but it is just a text from my roommate Annie, telling me she will be late because she has to work late.
She works as a nurse at the local hospital. I like living with her because she is rarely in my space.
I slide into my bed, blinking back tears.
If that man tells the council, and word gets out about the death of a werewolf, the secret of my whereabouts would be at risk. Any hint of my location, and Levi would hunt me down and drag me back to the mansion on the hill.
I have worked so hard to start over, and now it feels like everything is coming down around me.
I contemplate ordering dinner from Mariya’s , a restaurant that Annie introduced me to late one night. They have a wide variety of soups, and I have found that they sometimes help with the blood cravings. But I decide against ordering out.
I should not be around people. Who knows what I might do to the delivery person when they arrive?
I cover my head with a pillow, trying to push away the thought of blood and Mia’s lifeless body.
I need to get myself together before Annie gets home, or I could put her life in danger, too.
The adrenaline of it all is pushing me to feed.
Fuck! I cannot give in to it. I just cannot.