CHAPTER EIGHTEEN—Will this ever end?

Freya Rose I could hear people screaming all around me, and arms were grabbing at me trying to pull me away. Everything sounded slow and muffled like I was underwater or something. I felt more and more arms clutching at me and trying to tug at me. I blinked a few times and began to focus on my surroundings. I looked down and my eyes grew wide at the sight that beheld me. My hands were squeezed tight around Mason's neck. Time sped up instantly and the slow muffled screams became clear and incredibly loud.

“Freya, please let him go!” One voice screamed.

“He can't breathe, Freya. Please!” Another shouted out.

I released Mason's neck from my grip and relaxed my body, allowing the hands around me to pull me away from his lifeless body. I was dragged down the landing on my ass and held in place while I watched Finnley and Evan scramble to give Mason CPR. Finnley's counting filled the air, one, two, three, and so on until he screamed out for Evan to breathe, then Evan would breathe into Mason's mouth while pinching his nose closed.

I couldn't fathom out what had happened, I had no memory of going for Mason. I knew that I'd punched him, but after that, it all went blank. I sat there motionless staring at Evan and Finnley as they tried to bring Mason back, and I was just confused and numb. Selene knelt down in front of me, but I just moved my head to the side so that I could see around her. She roughly grabbed a hold of my face and shouted, “Freya, look at me!” I gradually lifted my eyes to meet hers and she gasped in horror. She rolled her own eyes and mumbled under her breath, “fucking, Azael!”

She stood up and ran over to Mason, pushing Finnley and Evan aside as she knelt beside Mason's body.

“What the fuck Selene!? We need to keep the CPR going or he's going to die!” Finnley cried out.

“We don't have time for that shit. I need you all to chain Freya up in the basement, she's infected,” she shouted out as she hovered her hands over Mason's chest.

“What do you mean infected?” Evan asked quietly while shooting me a suspecting look.

“Shhh, I need to concentrate. Please, just trust me and do as I say!” She snapped at him.

He got up off of the floor and exchanged looks with Finnley and the others in the pack. I could tell that none of them wanted to chain up their Luna. I on the other hand, trusted Selene, and I knew that killing my Fennid without any memory of it or control over myself, wasn't right. Whatever was wrong with me, I knew I was a danger to them all. I silently pulled myself up off the floor and made my way to the stairs, and my pack followed slowly behind me. I stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced over towards Mason. Selene's hands were pushing an ice blue light into his chest. I watched a little longer and as soon as he gasped for air, I made my way down the stairs and towards the basement.

Once in the basement, I made my way over to the iron chains that sat on the floor and were attached to the wall. I sat down and made myself as comfortable as possible, while holding my arms out for Evan to put the iron cuffs on me. I held out my legs and he put the other cuffs around my ankles. He stood back up and whispered, “I'm sorry, Freya.”

Savanah came running down the stairs carrying a duvet, a blanket and a pillow. You could barely see her beneath the bulk of padding. She rushed over to me and made me a little bed. I smiled softly at her and mouthed the words, 'Thank you.' She bowed her head, before making her way back upstairs. The only one's down in the basement with me were Finnley and Evan, I guessed that the rest of the pack didn't want to see their Luna chained up. I just hoped to God that whatever this was, Selene knew how to fix it. The thought of being able to kill my pack or loved ones without having any control, scared the crap out of me. She needed to fix it and fast.

I laid down on the makeshift bed that Savanah had laid out for me, closed my eyes and pretended to fall asleep. I was hoping it would make Finn and Evan leave, but it didn't. Instead, Finn sat at the bottom of my feet and Evan sat by my head stroking my hair. I couldn't fault their loyalty, but I didn't deserve it, not after what I'd just done. How can they be so kind to me? I'd just killed Mason and if Selene hadn’t had been there, he would have been dead for sure. What the fuck was wrong with me? Would it never end? There was always something new to deal with, something always going wrong. Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any worse, bam, something else came along to prove me wrong.

I laid there silently, waiting for Selene to come down and see us. I didn't have to wait long, I soon heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I opened my eyes and looked up, but Selene wasn't the one that greeted me.

“Mason?” I asked cautiously as he made his way down the stairs held up by Selene.

I immediately sat up, and Finn and Evan stood up and hurried over to Mason. They both took him from Selene, each one held an arm for him, guiding him over towards me.

“Why did you bring him down here?” Evan asked.

Selene shrugged and replied, “I didn't have a choice, he insisted on seeing, Freya.”

Evan turned back around and rolled his eyes as he continued to help Mason over to me. They both helped him down onto the duvet, and as soon as his knees hit the floor, he threw himself at me. He hugged me tight, then gripped my face and smothered it in tiny kisses.

“Freya, are you okay? I am so sorry,” he said as he stared into my eyes. I glanced down at his purple and blue bruised neck, and instantly turned away to close my eyes. The guilt at what I'd done was just so overwhelming, I couldn't face it, or him. “Freya, please forgive me,” he begged me while trying to pull my chin up to face him.

A rage overtook me, and before I knew it, I had pushed him away and he was sprawled out on the floor, trying to back away from me like I was a wild animal. I calmed myself back down and scrambled towards the corner of the wall. I placed myself in the corner and hid behind my knees.

“What's happening to her?” I heard Mason ask.

“This is why I didn't want you coming down here. She's infected, I suspect that Azael has been feeding her his blood over the last few years. Now that she's been cut off, she's going insane,” Selene replied.

“I don't remember him feeding me his blood.”

She walked over to me and gently took my chin into her hand. She lifted my head up and inspected my eyes.

“He probably did it while you were asleep. But I have no doubt that his blood is in your system. Your eyes look just like his, black with the bright white swirls.”

She moved to the side and held onto my chin so that the others could look at my eyes. Once they'd each looked, she let go of my face and I turned my head to the side and closed my eyes, shielding them from their view.

“How do we fix it?” Finnley asked bluntly.

“She needs to be drained completely. Then just before she dies, she will need to be turned by the first-born vampire. My son Traian. Her blood cells have already mutated, and if they are allowed to replenish themselves, the process will start all over again. Every few weeks, she'd have to be drained, the transfused,” she replied as she stood up and headed back over to the others.

“What!? You can't be serious?” Mason yelled out.

“I'm sorry Mason but it's the only way. I assure you if there was any other way, then I'd tell you, but there isn't,” she said firmly.

“What will happen if we don't do it?” Evan asked quietly.

I opened my eyes and watched as she ushered them up the stairs. I wasn't going to let her tell them, and not me, so I mind linked Cody, “Cody, I need you to get as close to Selene as possible, but don't make it obvious that you're listening. I need to know everything that she says. Do you understand?”

“Of course, Luna, they are in the living room, I'll head down and grab some beers,” he replied instantly.

Cody relayed everything that Selene said back to me, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had to get out of there, I couldn't let her do this, but I couldn't go back to him either. If I stayed, they'd all forget me. If I leave, he would find me. What am I going to do?

***

Mason Hart Selene ushered us all up the stairs and into the living room. Evan and Finnley helped me over to the couch and sat me down. Selene and the others then sat on the couch opposite. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and we all turned to see Cody, he took a few beers out of the fridge and headed back upstairs. The others didn't bother to watch him leave completely, and the stairs were behind them. I on the other hand, saw that Cody stopped at Selene and Evans bedroom and hid behind their door. I knew he was listening for Freya, and I was okay with that, so I didn't let on that I knew he was spying on us.

“So, what happens if, Freya isn't drained and turned? Like if we leave her infected,” I asked Selene bluntly.

“Straight to the point? Okay, well this is the first stage, her body is craving his blood, and as she can't get it, the rage is taking over. Eventually the longer she goes without it, the more and more the rage will build, until there is no Freya left at all. Left in her place will be a bloodthirsty creature, that will rip apart anyone in her path until she finds her master, Azael,” she said, with hardly any emotions at all.

I sat forwards and put my hands together as I asked, “Okay, can't we get his blood and keep topping her up?”

To my surprise, Selene burst out laughing. She then said between snorts, “And how do you suggest we do that? Walk up to him and say, 'hey Azael can we keep you chained up for eternity, so that we can keep feeding Freya your blood?”

She continued to laugh at my idea, and it tickled her so much that actual tears began streaming down her face. I shot out of my seat ready to give her a piece of my mind.

“Look, I was just asking, no need to laugh your head off like that. And anyway, haven't your boys got him beaten to a pulp right now? Can't they just tie him up somewhere and take his blood?”

As soon as I finished my rant I collapsed onto the floor with exhaustion. Finn ran to my side to help me back up onto the couch, then sat next to me. Selene had ceased her ridicule and sat forward on the chair.

“Look, I get where you're coming from, that does sound like a good plan Mason. But my boys are nowhere near as strong as, Azael. Together they can beat him up and keep him occupied, but they can't overpower him completely.” She sat back and continued, “Azael is an immortal, as am I. My boys, however, are not. They will live as long as their father and I, but only if they stay safe. Not many have the strength to kill Marik or Traian, but their father does. We did manage to capture him once before, and we kept the world safe from him for decades, but he is a smart man, and eventually he escaped. That is when he took over the hunter’s council.”

I sat back and focused on Selene completely. I had no idea that Azael was that strong, and I didn't know why I never realized that he was immortal, why wouldn't he be? Archangels are, so why would a fallen angel be any different? It was just the way Selene's sons attacked him like that, they made it look so easy to overpower him.

“We failed every other time we had tried to capture him. But that time we got lucky, we sealed him in a steel box, that was then encased in iron, set in concrete, then dropped him to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Somehow, he still managed to escape,” she paused and headed over to the kitchen and got some beers out of the fridge. She bought them over and handed us all a beer. She then sat down and continued, “I have seen many fall victim to Azael's blood. It's extremely potent and highly addictive. He uses it when he doesn't want to let someone go, and I know that he has used it on Kali too. Sam will soon have a psychopath on his hands, and I'm sure that news makes you happy, Mason.”

I furrowed my brow and tried to look as if the news didn't make me happy, but if I was honest with her, I would have said, that I hoped that the crazy bitch killed him. But I decided to stay silent and just took a sip of my beer instead of replying.

Her face grew serious, as she continued, “I have spoken to my boys, and he is beaten enough that it will take him a few days to recover. We have those few days to drain and turn Freya and cloak her. And I'm guessing Evan told you that when she is cloaked, any supernatural being that has slept with her, will no longer remember that she exists?” I nodded and she shot Evan an annoyed look. He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, and he knew he was in trouble. Selene huffed and then continued talking, “if we don't get it done in time, then he will find us, he will kill most of you, and he will take, Freya.”

I sat back and exhaled in defeat. I knew that we had no choice, and we had no time to find another way. Now that she needed turning too, we had to start right away.

“When do we start?”

“My sons are on their way here now. They should be here within the hour, and we will start as soon as they arrive,” she replied.

“Okay, well there might be a problem with that plan,” I replied while I pointed upstairs, towards Selene and Evan's bedroom. Selene and Evan turned around and looked up the stairs. “Cody, come out here, I know you're listening.”

Cody didn’t show himself, but when Selene shouted out in a deep and monstrous voice, “show yourself boy!” Cody immediately left the bedroom and began to walk down the stairs. He strolled over to Selene and nervously stood in front of her. Selene then sat forwards. “How much did Freya hear?”

Cody answered honestly and immediately.

“All of it!”

“Shit!” Selene replied as she jumped up from her seat and sprinted towards the basement.

Evan and Finnley helped me up and rushed me towards the basement too. When we reached the top of the stairs, we could hear Selene cursing and throwing things around the room. When we reached the bottom, Evan ran over to Selene to calm her down. But she pushed him out of the way and screamed into the air, “Freya!”

***

Freya Rose Once Cody relayed to me that they intended on draining me and having me turned into a vampire, I knew I had no choice but to leave. I'd seen what turning could do to someone. Kali was messed up and I didn't want that to happen to me too. I didn't know where I would go, or how I'd outrun Azael, but I knew that I didn't want to be turned. I mind linked all of the pack except Finnley and asked them to meet me at the back of the house.

There was a small window in the basement, and I mind linked Tana to climb through it to get to me. She did as ordered and then sat silently in front of me awaiting my next order. I asked her to focus her flame ability into her hands. Once she had managed that, I held out the old rusty chains that were attached to my handcuffs, and they popped apart. I got her to do the same with the chains that held my ankle cuffs together. Luckily, we managed to make as little sound as possible, but I still made her do it when the voices upstairs were raised.

Once my chains were disconnected, I wasted no time in running for the window, I knew we didn't have much time. I alerted the rest of the pack to start running, and Tana and I would catch them up. When Tana and I were through the window, we began running across the grass and towards the trees. When I shifted, the cuffs burst apart when my mega wolf body grew. Tana shifted behind me, and we ran as fast as we could to catch the others. As we caught up with the others, I could hear Selene screaming my name in the distance. I didn't know if what I was doing was the right thing, but I couldn't let another supernatural being turn me into someone else that I didn't recognize.

These last few years had taken their toll on me. I didn't think there is much of the old human Freya left. But I knew that any little shred of my old self would disappear the second Selene's son sank his fangs into my neck. I didn't know if it was because I had lost so many people already, that I wasn't willing to lose anyone else. Or if it was that the tiny bit of human Freya that was left, somehow still connected me to my mom. Either way I knew that I wasn't ready to become a vampire. I wasn't ready to let go of my humanity completely. We ran, and I had no clue which direction I was going. I had no idea where I was. I heard the pack questioning each other, asking one another where we were going and why. I had no answers for them, and I could tell that they were questioning my sanity. I heard Odin ask, “Where is Finnley, and Cody?”

Then Jax asked, “Where are we going?”

“I don't know. Freya just asked me to break her out, I have no idea what we're doing,” Tana replied to the boys.

“Well, I hope we are close to wherever we're running because I'm full of Chinese food and beer. I am not going to be able to make that far, eh!” Chase replied from the back of the pack.

The others began moaning and groaning, all agreeing with each other that they were exhausted and didn't want to be out running. I skidded to a halt and turned around. I lifted myself above the young group of mega wolves and howled into the air, before screaming at them through the mind link, “If you don't want to follow your Luna, then fucking leave!”

Most of them bowed down in submission but Chase being the dumb shit he was, decided to question me, “Why are we running, Luna?”

I don't even know what happened after he asked me that. But when I came to, I had the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. My packs cries and whimpers swam around in my ears, and a wolf's dead body laid beneath my paws.