Chapter 62: Get Ready for This…

Bella’s pov.

“Let’s get down to business,” I said to elder Elian as I took a seat behind my desk, “the ceremony, it’s in two weeks. I want us to have ten of our strongest warriors at the front, almost directly beside me. I don’t trust Garrett. I know he’s going to try something and I need to be prepared. I don’t know what exactly… but I can feel it, he’s ready for it too. And who knows how many people he’s gathered onto his side… and alpha Ethan? I still don’t even know what happened to him. He’s probably still not very happy about the challenge and losing.”

I paused, waiting for him to say something.

He nodded his head, urging me to continue.

I cleared my throat before looking out the window behind me, “I just want these connections to that man gone. Megan and I deserve so much more than that, the things he’s said, the things he’s done… I cannot wait to get this over with. I just can’t have anything jeopardize the rejection. It has to work… I know there’s more out there in life. I want to find my future, and Garrett won’t ruin it for me, for us. Besides the ten warriors at the front, where do you think we should place more? You know the lands more than I do, I need your opinions.”

“Well, I think having ten more at the back, and ten more dressed casually in the chairs with the rest of the members who attend… he won’t know we have that many warriors stationed with us and maybe he won’t have enough power with him. All we can do is try our best to have enough warriors present while we do the ceremony. I’m sure if the king is there as well nothing can happen to you,” he replied calmly, his words and voice calming me down slightly.

The way he said it, with ease. With confidence. It makes me wonder why I was so scared in the first place.

“Okay… I understand. All we can do is try to be as prepared as we can and hope nothing bad happens. I’m hoping the king still shows up, but I haven’t even talked to John in a week. Since he’s been gone it’s just been silence. I’ve been waiting for him to call or message but he hasn’t yet… I wanted him to reach out himself. I don’t know if he ever will though. Hopefully the king still shows up, with John. He said he’d be there, he promised he’d be there,” I whispered the last part, knowing deep down he would keep his promise, but that small part at the front of my mind kept telling me maybe he couldn’t make it, for a reason I wouldn’t know.

“Give him time,” elder Elian said softly, folding his hands in his lap, “he may be busy. I heard the kingdom has been under a lot of stress. Vampires have been seen helping rogues attack the villages. John is most likely helping them fight… don’t think about it too much. I’m sure he’s fine, it’s John, he’s stronger than anyone knows.”

“That definitely doesn’t help me feel any better!” I gasped, my eyes widening at the word vampire.

I’ve only ever come face to face with a vampire once…

I was young and stupid at the time, Tundra still hadn’t awoken yet, leaving me on my own.

He was handsome, kind and generous. Or so I had thought.

He took me to his home… where I thought I’d be safe.

When I had let my guard down he sank his teeth into my neck.

Drinking my blood greedily.

It didn’t last long as he had pulled away from me violently, puking up my blood.

It was black. Every last drop that had come out of him was black.

He shook violently as I stared at his body in shock.

My hands were clutched to my throat as I tried to stop the bleeding from the open wound he left behind.

As he shook and rolled around on the ground I took that as my chance to run out of there as quickly as I could.

That’s when I ran into Brooke for the first time.

She had saved me back then.

The only true person I had ever met.

She kept her word. Never disrespected me or my things. She kept her promises and never went back on anything she had said.

Including helping me get into college and getting a room with me.

If it wasn’t for her that night I don’t know where I would’ve been now.

“Earth to Bella?” Elder Elian’s voice rang in my head, making my eyes snap back up to his, “what happened? When I mentioned the vampires it was like you had a bad flashback?”

“It… it was nothing,” I mumbled, lying.

I didn’t want to get into that with him. With anyone.

It’s something I’ve always promised to keep to myself.

The only other ‘person’ who can relive that memory with me forever is Tundra.

And even she would like to keep that memory in the darkest parts of our mind.

“Very well,” he muttered, standing up from the chair he was sitting in, smiling a little before walking towards the door, “let’s speak again soon. I’ll try to prepare the warriors the best I can, okay?”

I nodded my head at him once before he walked out of the door.

I sighed while my mind drifted back to that vampire.

I had always wondered what really happened to him. Why my blood affected him that way and why it looked black.

Did he die? Did he live?

I guess I’ll never know.

‘One of these days, Bella… we will know. I can feel it, the vampires are getting greedy. They want to fight the wolves again. The kingdom is already affected. How many other packs as well until we’re next? We need to think about what to do, how to get everyone ready. Vampires are different, they aren’t as easy to kill… our blood might be the only way to affect them enough for our weaker members to kill them.’