Chapter 3. Mate

"We want to help mom," Layla said, and I nodded in her support.

"Don't argue with me, Layla," she shouted, pushing us towards the pack house. "Take care of others inside," she told us, and Layla nodded timidly. We were about to go inside when I realized that Beth was not with us.

"Wait, where is Beth?" I looked around frantically.

"Shit, where did she go? Damn," Layla cursed, "Addy, go to the safe house and check if Beth is there or not. I will search for her outside" I nodded and ran inside the safe house. All the wolves who cannot fight are in the safe house, the pups are scared, and those who are wounded are trying their best to help in any way, while I can also spot a few warriors in case someone enters the safe house.

I looked all over the safe house, and when I couldn't find Beth, I ran outside. Everyone is running here and there, a few are running towards the safe house, a few towards the borders, and a few are taking the wounded towards the infirmary. Suddenly a message popped on my phone. I took my mobile and found Layla's message that she found Beth in the arsenal. I stuffed my phone in my pocket and ran towards the arsenal. The door was already ajar. I was about to run inside when I heard a chilling voice.

"You should not roam here and there when you are under attack, sweethearts." A man is standing with his back towards the door. He is lean but muscular and has a dark aura around him. "Now tell me which one of you wants to die first." I finally saw Layla and Beth in front of him. Layla is standing in front of Beth protectively, but she is also looking scared.

"Answer me, ladies," he said coldly. Suddenly, he extended his hand and grabbed Layla's throat. "Mind linking, are we?" he said in an amusing tone. "Let's see how easy it would be to snap the neck of a gamma," Beth screamed and pleaded with him to let Layla go. Layla is struggling in his hold, but I can see that her struggles are slowing down, and her face is turning blue due to the lack of blood supply.

 My mind is blank. I didn't know what to do, so, without thinking, I did what came to mind first. I picked up the sword from the ground and charged with full force onto his arm, from which he was grabbing Layla's throat. In a single strike, his arm is on the floor, and he is screaming with pain and rage. He looked at me with fury, and that's when I found out what he was: His blood-red eyes are telling his identity. He is a vampire. Without giving him time to do something, I charged another strike, and this time, Beth screamed in horror as the vampire's head fell on the ground with a thud and his body fell to another side.

I looked around the arsenal for any more threats and found everything alright. I looked at Beth, who was looking at me in horror, but I could see that she was relieved. Layla is unconscious on the ground.

 "Beth, take Layla with you; I will cover both of you. We have to reach the safe house fast. I don't think we can fight them off on our own” I did not expect that, but she instantly did the same as I said without a single question. I went towards the drawer, took the pouch of silver powder from it, and applied it all over my body.

 Vampires and werewolves both have the same weakness, and that is silver; when they touch it, their skin burns. I am a human, but putting silver on my body irritates my skin, maybe because I have werewolf blood. Right now, I am glad that I am a human. I took the sword and looked at Beth, who was observing my actions very carefully.

 "Listen, Beth, don't touch me; this silver will burn your skin. You have to run inside the safe house as soon as we reach there, understood?" I asked her, and she nodded. I badly wanted Layla to see that Beth is seriously listening to me, but that bitch is unconscious. My bad luck

I exited the arsenal cautiously, and the sight made my blood boil. Many rogues are trying to overpower our warriors, and I can smell the metallic smell of blood in the air. We started moving towards the pack house without getting noticed. We were about to enter when a rogue came in front of us, blocking the entry of the pack house. His brown coat was covered in blood and he snarled at us. I looked at Beth and gestured to get inside as soon as she got the chance. She was terrified but nodded. I took a step towards the wolf, and he lunged at me with his left paw on my right hand, in which I was holding the sword. I landed on the ground with a thud and felt the air knocked out of my lungs.

I screamed in pain as I felt his claws digging in my wrists, but suddenly he backed away while howling in pain because of the silver on my body. Before he could handle himself, I lunged at him with the tip of the sword towards him and dug it deep into his chest. He howled loudly, I don't know what had the most impact on him, the sword or the silver on my body, but he died within a few minutes.

My heart is beating wildly in my chest due to all the action. I tried to pull the sword out, but it is now struck into his dead body. Finally, I gave up and was about to go to the safe house when another wolf lunged at me and bit my foot. I don't know which one of us first shouted in pain, but I know one thing... both of us are suffering. He burned all his mouth when he bit my leg because of silver.

Matt's grey wolf came towards us and lunged at the rogue. He tore his throat in one snap. He looked in every direction for any threat, and when he was sure there was no one, he came towards me.

"Don't come close, matty. I am covered in silver," I said to him while groaning in pain. He looked at me in panic and ran towards the woods. I looked at myself and found myself covered in blood from head to toe. Obviously, it's not my blood, but Matt doesn't know this, does he? After a few minutes, he came running towards me in his human form while clutching a wide cloth in his hands. He covered me in the fabric and took me in his arms carefully.

I looked around. All the males are now in their human forms and are wearing shorts, while all the females are wearing long t-shirts. Everyone is covered in blood, but all of them have already recovered because of their enhanced healing capabilities. I can see many corpses of rogues littering all around but could not point to a single vampire's body.

Matt took me to the infirmary, and a doctor came rushing toward me. "She is covered in silver," he warned her, and she stopped instantly.

"Come with me," she said, and we followed her. She took us to the bathroom. "You should clean yourself fast so I can see your wound," she told me, and Matt slowly put me on the floor.

"I will get something for you to change in," he told me and ran outside. I took a bath and cleaned myself thoroughly. Matt knocked on the door a few minutes later and handed me the clothes. I wore them and came outside. As soon as I came out, Matt took me in his arms and carefully put me on the bed, and the doctor started treating my wound.

It would be a lie if I said that I was alright. My leg is numb from the pain, my wrists are clawed, my back is hurting like a bitch, and the bruise that Ethan gifted me yesterday is not helping me much but still, I am feeling strong.

The doctor started treating my wounds, and my mind played a flashback of the past few hours. When I remembered about that vampire and how I beheaded him, I felt like someone had poured a bucket full of ice on me. I don't know what got into me, but at that time, protecting Layla and Beth is the only thing that was in my mind. For the first time in my life, I am feeling proud of myself.

"If I were you, I would not have been smiling in the condition you were in," the doctor commented while dressing my wound, making me smile more widely, but suddenly a thought occurred in my mind, and my smile faded away.

 I looked at Matt, who was looking everywhere but me. He is a ruthless warrior for everyone, but when someone who is dear to him gets hurt, he can't even look at their wounds due to fear. He is only with me here because he doesn't want me to feel alone.

 "Matty," I called him, and he carefully looked at me, desperately trying his best not to look at my wound. "Are there any casualties?" I asked him, and he sadly nodded.

 "We lost five warriors," he said and continued, “a few are wounded, but with the doctor's assistance and their wolf's healing capabilities, they will be fine by tomorrow."

 "Did you check on Layla and Beth?" As soon as I asked, this black family entered the room with panicked faces, and at the same time, the doctor finished the dressing. Layla came running towards me and hugged me tightly.

 "What were you thinking, bitch?" she shouted at me while hugging me tightly.

 "I have to do something. He was about to kill you," I told her, and she let me go while glaring at me. My eyes automatically landed on her neck, where he was gripping her throat. His fingerprints are still visible but are fading away slowly.

"I don't understand why vampires are attacking us," I asked no one in particular, and everyone except Beth and Layla looked as if I had grown two heads.

 "Vampires," Matt said in confusion. "As per my information, there are fifty rogues, but no one has said anything about vampires," he told me, and Mr. Black and Mrs. Back also nodded at his information.

 "Yes, Aadhya, Matt is right. We are attacked only by a group of rogues," Mr. Black said, supporting him.

 "You are wrong, dad," to everyone's surprise, Beth contradicted him. "Aadhya is telling the truth. I was scared when you went away, but I also wanted to fight. Mom, Layla, and Aadhya started helping everyone around, and I sneaked into the arsenal. I was about to come towards the eastern borders when Layla stopped me and told me to go to a safe house with her. She was about to drag me outside the arsenal when a vampire came inside and blocked our way." When she said this, Mrs. Black gasped. "He was about to kill Layla when Addy came and beheaded him," Beth said and gulped, and now everyone is looking at me.

 Everyone was silent for a few minutes when suddenly Layla shrieked in happiness and again engulfed me in a hug. "That was badass, Addy," she said while Matt shook his head.

 "We should inform Aiden," Mr. Black said to Mrs.Black, and she nodded. "Matt, take the girls home. Doctor, I don't think Aadhya has to stay here," he said to the doctor.

 "I have to check her. After that, you can take her home," doctor said and others went outside. Matt and Layla helped me and took me to Layla's house, while Beth ignored me and went to her room.

 No matter how much we love to sleep, all the adventures that just happened are not letting our brains relax enough to sleep. I tried to lie down on my side when I winced in pain, and Matt and Layla were on my side in a second.

 "What happened, Addy?" Matt asked me in concern while Layla clenched her jaw.

 "That was the bruise that Ethan gave her yesterday," she told him, and Matt also clenched his jaw.

 "Forget it, guys. We all know he hates me," I told them.

"Alpha Aiden is mad at him," Matt informed us, and we looked at him with a questioning gaze. "He went somewhere with Stella before the attack. His mind link was blocked, and he was not answering his calls either," he told us, and a wave of rage passed through me. He is the to-be alpha of our pack, and instead of protecting his pack, he is whoring around. What if something has happened to Matt or Layla? Layla changed the topic as she sensed my building anger, which I am really grateful for.

*********

 In the morning, when we were having lunch, Mr. Black informed me that I had to meet Ethan and give him the details about the vampire. When I asked him why I couldn't give these details to alpha Aiden directly; he informed me that Alpha Aiden is already very busy and stressed about the situation, so Ethan is handling this matter to make amends for his absence. So, now I am sitting in Alpha Aiden's office, which is in the pack house, waiting for Ethan.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and someone entered the office. I already knew it was Ethan, so I did not turn toward him.

"Start speaking," I heard his voice. I am still feeling rage towards him.

"What do you want me to say, Ethan?" I asked him.

"I am your alpha" he growled.

"Then act like one" before I can even understand what I said. I was lifted in the air and pushed on the wall harshly, which knocked the air out of my lungs. I closed my eyes due to the pain and felt Ethan's hand on my throat. I waited for the blow or his painful words, but when I didn't receive anything for a minute, I finally opened my eyes and found him looking at me with weird expressions. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded, and the alpha's office seemed to be spinning around me, but I clearly remembered the word before I lost consciousness... 'MATE'