CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR—Did we become archenemies?

Freya Rose My party was now in full swing, the pack were drinking, and the mood was electric. The guys were roughhousing, just acting the fools like usual, and the girls were dancing around to the music. The pack had welcomed Cassie and Tyler in with open arms, and I smiled as Cass waved at me from the group of dancing girls. I waved back with a soft smile, and she ushered with her hand for me to join them. I politely declined with a slight shake of my head, she shrugged in reply, and then carried on busting a move. I picked up a bottle of some summer fruit cider that was sitting on the dining table, and then headed outside. I was going to make my way over to the loungers but as I walked outside Traian asked, “Hey little rose. How you doing?”

I turned to face him, he was all dressed up in a black shirt, but the collar was gray, and he had his sleeves rolled up. I guess not wanting to get them dirty while he cooked on the BBQ. He flipped the meat on the grill and then picked up a towel to wipe his hands. He turned to approach me, and I couldn’t help myself, I burst out laughing, spitting my mouthful of drink all over the place. His face dropped when he looked down at himself. He shook his head, and when he looked back up, he was smirking.

“Mom said it was the only apron she could find, but I'm guessing she did this on purpose,” he said with a chuckle while pointing to the apron. On the front of the apron was a woman's body in lingerie, and it sat perfectly in place to make Traian look like he had a smoking hot new body. I wiped the drink from my face as I tried to stifle my giggles. “Hey, don't laugh. I think I'm pulling it off quite well. You saying you wouldn't want some of this?” He asked cheekily as he approached me and then began to tickle me.

“Ah, no, stop please!” I screamed out while still trying to hold on to my bottle of cider. And to my surprise, he stopped. I let out a few giggles and then looked up at him, and he was just staring at me. “What!? Do I have something on my face?” I asked while frantically wiping at my chin and mouth.

He didn't say a word. He just placed his hands on either side of my face and planted his lips onto mine. His lips were cold, but when they mixed with the heat from mine it was explosive. The kiss was soft and slow, like he wanted to savor every little touch. Butterflies swarmed around in my stomach and my entire body felt like it had turned to jelly. All I could hear was a faint boom of music, the laughter of my pack, and the deep lustful breaths of us both. I suddenly realized that I hadn't moved a muscle since his lips met mine, I must have seemed like I'd never kissed anyone before. But I didn't get a chance to respond to his kiss, because just as I went to lift my arms up, he pulled away.

“Shit, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't push you. This is your decision, and you need to be in control. Happy birthday my little rose,” he said with a soft smile.

And with that said, he turned on his heels and went back to the BBQ. I stood there in shock for a little while, as my thoughts ravaged my mind. Why did he just stop? Oh heck, was it because I didn't get into the kiss? Was it because I wasn't any good? As my thoughts and feelings of insecurity began to overwhelm me, a sweet voice said, “Hey, there you are, are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, I'm fine,” I replied with a stutter as I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to face Cassie.

I smiled at her and nodded my head towards the loungers, she nodded back in agreement, and we walked over to them. Cassie laid down on one lounger and I sat back on the one next to her. I began to drink my bottle of cider, but I couldn't help but keep looking over at Traian. That kiss had me completely messed an. I was all tied up in knots. I loved Mason, but after what he said, I didn't know where we stood. I mean I didn't blame him, I was a complete bitch, but I also couldn't stop the visions of him being back at the hunter's cabin laying in Imogen's arms. What if he has gone back to her? I hadn't been able to reach him on the phone, and he hadn't answered my texts, what if he had chosen her? I wouldn't blame him to be honest. She came along with a lot less baggage and probably wouldn't break his heart like I would.

But my heart was broken too, and that made me angry, I was abandoned by an Alpha, and now I'd been heartbroken by a Hunter. Maybe I had the right idea back at the mansion, maybe I should’ve stopped falling in love and just had some fun? But it was so difficult with all those hot men, who the hell wouldn't fall in love with those guys, they're like Greek fucking Gods. My head was a mess.

“Freya? What's up? You've been staring at that guy for like five minutes straight. I mean I don't blame you, he's freaking hot, but I thought you were with Marik. Oh, and not to mention, you know that guy’s a vampire, right?” Cassie asked as she sat up on her lounger.

“Huh? Oh, yeah I know he's a vampire,” I said with a chuckle.

“How comes no one's trying to rip him apart? I mean, I'm finding it so hard to resist that delicious fresh meat smell that he has going on,” she said as she looked over to him and licked her lips.

I laughed and slapped her arm.

“Look, there are a lot of things that aren't written down in your werewolf history books. Like the fact that vampires are related to werewolves.”

I didn't get to finish what I was saying because Cassie burst out laughing, and said, “Yeah alright, Freya. Related, ha! That's a good one, you had me going there for a minute. There is no way we are related to them bloodsuckers.”

I raised an eyebrow at her and smirked a little.

“You see that bloodsucker over there? Well, he is Marik's twin brother!”

I sat back a little and let my words sink in. She looked over to Traian, and as she was watching, Marik and Selene came out to check on the meat. Selene then put her arms around her boys and they both kissed her cheek. All three of them then turned around and stared at Cassie with huge smirks. Cassie leaned in close to me and whispered, “Can they fucking hear me?”

I chuckled and nodded, then watched as she looked back over to them, and they all waved at her. She gradually put her hand up and flimsily wiggled her fingers. Turning her head to face me again, her expression was a picture. She looked so shocked.

“Oh my God Cass, your face. Do you want me to fill you in on some wolf history?” I asked her as I sat up and placed my feet on the floor. She nodded and then made herself comfortable in front of me. “Right, well from what I have read, Selene was the first Lycan born on earth. She fell in love with an archangel called, Azael. Both of their families forbid their relationship, but they couldn't stay away from each other,” I began my history lesson.

“Aww, they sound like the supernatural version of Romeo and Juliet,” she said as she held her hands up to her chest.

“Yeah, I guess they do. So because they couldn’t stay away from each other, the archangels banished Azael from heaven, turning him into a fallen angel. Then, Selene's family begged the Greek Gods to take action. The Gods decided to banish Selene to the Moon Realm. But before they sent her away, Azael slept with Selene and impregnated her,” I paused for Cassie's reaction.

“Seriously, how cruel were their families? What did she do then?” She asked me.

“Well, she went through the pregnancy alone in the moon realm. She went into labor and brought Marik into the world. She didn't realize she was carrying twins, and then gave birth to Traian shortly after. As they grew, she knew they were special. Traian the first-born vampire and Marik the first-born werewolf,” I said, finishing off my story.

“Why is all of this not in our history books?” She asked me with confusion.

“Well, I guess because not many people get to ask Selene herself. You just get snippets relayed to you by hallucinating humans when they go through the turning process. I suppose if any of them did mention about vampires and werewolves being related, it would have gotten shrugged off as mad ramblings,” I explained to her.

“Yeah, I guess you're right. So how did we become archenemies?” She asked me.

“Well, that, I don't know. I think the twins had a feud that spread throughout both of their species. But that is something I'll have to ask them about,” I replied as I looked over to the twins.

They glanced at each other, then back at me with worried looks. I guess it wasn't something they wanted to talk about, but I was determined to find out. If I was truly going to be the ruler of them all, I needed to know their history, so that I could stop it from happening again in the future. I smiled at them both and they cautiously smiled back.

“So, are you like mated to both of them?” Cassie asked me with a huge grin on her face.

“No, and about that. I didn't want to correct you at the mall, but since being gone, I've been with Mason,” I replied, not knowing why I was confessing, I guess I could never lie to Cassie.

“What!? That douchebag that tried to kill Tristan? The guy you cheated on him with?” She asked me in shock, her voice getting louder with each question.

“Cassie, shh!” I whined as I looked around to see if anyone was listening. Luckily the twins had walked back inside, and it was just us. I turned back to Cassie and exhaled. “Yes, and he's not a douche, he's my Fennid,” I hissed while illuminating my eyes.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Cassie replied nervously as she held up her hands in defense. “So where is he now then? Surely he would want to spend your birthday with you, eh?” She asked me as she folded her arms across her chest and painted a smug look on her face.

I lowered my head and stared at the ground as I said scarcely louder than a whisper, “He left me.”

As soon as the words came out the flood gates opened, I couldn't control the emotions that were overwhelming me. I covered my face with my hands as I sobbed. Cassie immediately came over to me and sat next to me. She slid her arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer and embraced me. I'd missed her so much. I could just let myself be vulnerable with her. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed hanging out with the girls in my pack, but with Cassie, I could be my old self. I wasn't a Luna, a leader, I was just Freya.

“Aww, Freya. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. It's okay, it's his loss. You are amazing, and the strongest person I have ever met,” she said softly as she squeezed me tight.

My sobs became a sniffle as I tried to breathe through it. I then pulled away from her and said, “I really loved him Cass, but there is a future planned out for me, and for me to achieve my destiny, there are things I need to do that he doesn't agree with. And he shouldn't have to sit there and allow me to break his heart. I understand why he left, and I pushed for him to leave me, but I didn't expect it to hurt this damn much.”

She furrowed her brow slightly and asked, “What destiny? What have you got to do?”

I took in a deep breath, I didn't know how she was going to react, and now wasn't exactly the best time, but after being turned I wasn't sure that I'd ever see her again, so it was now or never.

“Azael who I mentioned earlier. He is trying to build an army of hybrids so that he can fight against the archangels. He kept me prisoner at the hunter's mansion and made me turn hunters into werewolf hybrids. That's what my pack is made up of,” I replied.

“Wait. Ah now that makes sense, I did wonder why your pack's scent was unlike any other packs that I'd smelled before. They're hybrids,” she said as she rolled her eyes in realization. I nodded at her and she then furrowed her brow. “Damn, I knew I'd heard that name before. Tristan said he was called to talk pack business by Alpha Quinn. Jeremy had said that there was a plan to rid the world of vampires. When he came back, he said that he walked into a mansion full of hunters. He thought they were going to kill him. It all turned out to be a lie though, and Tristan was attacked by a vampire there. He said he would never trust Alpha Quinn again, but he never mentioned that you where there, did you see him?”

I nodded at her question, and then asked, “I wonder why they needed Tristan?”

“I don't know, he never did manage to find out, but he guessed that something big was coming, and that Alpha Quinn and this Azael, were trying to get werewolf packs on side, so that we would fight with them. He said when he was leaving, he saw hunters marching hundreds of rogue wolves into the woods. They were all beaten and in shackles as they walked into the trees,” she replied with a worried look on her face.

“Shit, he must have hidden them, I did pick up the scent of lots of different wolves, but Azael said that it was a lingering scent of rogues that the hunters had hunted and then killed. I bet you he is building them up and training them to be his front line,” I said as I shook my head.

I'd met my fair share of rogues while training and hunting with the pack at the mansion, and I did wonder why they were all gravitating around the mansion. But Azael had told me it was the stronger scent of my mega wolves. I didn't really care so I just believed what he said, without question.

“So basically, they're his suicide squad?” Cassie asked.

“Yup, seems like it,” I said with a nod.

“And what's this destiny of yours anyway?” She asked me as she got up and sat back on her own lounger and faced me.

“Don't laugh, but I am going to be the ruler of all supernatural beings,” I said with an eyebrow raised, gauging her reaction. She sat there with a blank look on her face and then began to crease up. She bent over and let out a deep throated laugh. My brows knitted together while I watched her body jiggle around with laughter. “Hey, I said don't laugh,” I whined She tried to suck up her laughter and managed to spit out, “I'm sorry, Freya, but you almost had me going.”

I exhaled a huff, puffing out my cheeks as the air escaped me in frustration. I then snapped, “Look, don't believe me, whatever. But don't come running to me when the world is at war and you're crapping your pants.”

I stood up and began to storm away. Cassie quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“Wait, you're fucking serious? How do you know that you're going to be an Uber Luna?”

She stood there searching my eyes, she knew when I was lying, and her own eyes grew wide when she realized I was telling the truth.

“Selene has told me, and so has Savanah, she's an oracle,” I replied honestly.

“Fuck, how the hell did you get an oracle in your pack? Do you know how rare they are? Most of them hide away, because they get kidnapped and used to open up a direct link with Selene,” she said as she sat back down on the lounger and held her head.

“The hunter's council found her, and Azael had me turn her. I only found out recently that she's an oracle,” I replied as I sat back down onto my lounger.

“So it's true?” Cassie asked as she circled her fingers around her temples.

“What's true?” I asked in confusion.

“There is a prophecy book back at the pack house. It's locked away safe, and not many know about it. Tyler showed me, and I became engrossed in it, read the whole thing over and over again. It says about a Trybrid human, part angel, part wolf and part vampire. She will rise up and save the world from oblivion. If Azael manages to make his army and kills the archangels, heaven will fall, sending the earth into eternal darkness,” she said as she lifted her head to look into my eyes. “Freya, if that woman is you, you know you'll be turned into a vampire, right?” She asked with concern.

I nodded my head and her face dropped. I could see her expression changing into slight disgust already, and I had to nip it in the bud.

“You realize that Selene is a vampire too, right?” I said boldly.

“What? Are you sure? I couldn't smell it on her, but then again her smell is extremely unique, I haven't smelled anyone else like her before,” she said as she pulled her hair back and tied it up into a messy bun.

“Yeah, I'm sure. I didn't want to tell you that I was going to be turned, and it’s not a decision I took lightly. Azael poisoned me over the last two years, feeding me his blood while I slept. Without it, I am falling apart, and Selene says that I will turn into a bloodthirsty psychopath and run back to him. The only way to cure me is to drain my blood completely then turn me just as my heart stops beating,” I said softly as I fought to keep the tears at bay.

“Oh my God Freya, I am so sorry. What a complete mess. I can't believe so much has gone wrong for you since Tristan told you about us. I wish we could take it all back. I wish we could go back to how things were before,” Cassie said as she stood up and pulled me to my feet.

She threw her arms around me and buried her head into my neck. She then sobbed as I held her.

“It's okay, Cass. I'll be fine, I promise. I'm stronger than I look,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

She giggled into my neck and then raised her head up to look at me. Her eyes were puffy, and she had a little snot running from her nose, but in my eyes, she was still my beautiful Cassie.

“So, when are you going to be turned? I'm guessing its Selene or Traian that is going to be doing the turning?” She asked as she pulled away from me and sucked up her sobs.

“Traian will be doing it, and I think in two days, after the warlock gets here to do the cloaking spell,” I replied, and instantly rolled my eyes realizing I hadn't told her about the cloaking yet.

“A warlock? I thought they were a myth. I've never seen one before. And what cloaking spell?” She asked as she stood back to wait for my reply.

“Well, they do exist, and the cloaking spell will wipe me from the memories of anyone that has ever slept with me. That way Azael won't know that I ever existed,” I replied as I rubbed the back of my neck.

“What!? You slept with him too? Damn Freya, how many people have you slept with?” She asked with a little more judgement in her voice than I cared for.

“Five, and I know I'm a whore, just say it,” I snapped at her.

“Oh God Freya, no. I would never say or even think that. Your life is complicated I get that. If you had been born a werewolf, Tristan would have been your mate and would have been your one and only for life. You weren't to know that you were a hunter. Being a hunter brings along another mate, and then all the crap you've gone through over the last few years, I don't blame you at all for wanting to be close to someone,” she said with an understanding smile, then held her hands up. “No judgement here, I promise.”

“Thank you, Cass. That really means the world to me,” I said with relief as I pulled her in for a hug.

After chatting a little more, we decided to head back into the party. I was glad that Cassie knew everything, and I finally managed to get it all off my chest. I really did miss having her to talk to. She said that she would explain it all to Tyler and then the pack when they got back, she said it would be easier if the rest of the pack never mentioned me again, so Tristan wouldn't get confused when he had no clue who I was, or who they were talking about.

I wondered if getting Evan to do the same with the hunter's faction would be a good idea. I should probably ask Selene to mention it to him. And Samael, well he ran off with Kali, so, to be honest, I couldn't care a shit how Kali deals with him forgetting me. I took Selene aside and let her know what I was thinking, she said she had it all under control, she even had contacted Jeremy to speak to the hunter's council and tell them not to mention me when Azael forgets me. Turns out that the hunter's council had quite enough of Azael, they wanted an army to keep all of the wolf packs in line, but it was never their plan to go up against the archangels, they knew that was a suicide mission. So, they were happy to help us.

It seemed as though Selene had everything planned out and under control, she told me not to worry and to just enjoy my birthday party. So that is what I did. I drank way too much beer, ate far too much and laughed harder than I had in years. I danced like a maniac and enjoyed spending my birthday with my pack, my friends, hell they were my family. After partying long into the night and early hours of the morning, we all started to head to bed or pass out where we were. I began to fall asleep on the couch, with my head resting on Traian's chest. He had his arm around my shoulder and held me gently as I drifted off to sleep.