I immediately complied to the voice that whispered inside me, and pushed the self proclaimed vampire, running away. I didn't let myself get shocked by how he flew and his body crashed right into one of the tallest trees when I pushed him. I didn't let myself get shocked at how fast I was running, faster than Usain Bolt could ever manage. The trees were blurring around me yet my vision was still sharp, and I could see clearly where I was going in the dark.
I let my body guide me, taking random turns in, jumping over springs, loving the feel of the breeze caressing my skin and my hair flying behind me. It was refreshing, overpowering and overwhelming, yet I enjoyed the hyper giddiness that the adrenaline and the unfamiliar electricity brought inside me. I was enjoying it too much to remember why exactly I was running, but then I could make out a scent - a sweet scent of forest earth, blending in well with the surroundings. There was another thing about that scent, though, that calmed me down to an extent, the fog of fear clearing away from my brain, just a little.
*Follow the scent.*
I sniffed, trying to sense the direction of the smell. Once I caught it, I ran in that direction, the exhilaration in me calming down as I neared it. I didn't know why I was following and obeying the voice that kept on whispering inside me. Right now, that voice was the only thing I could trust, because my human brain was still clouded with fear induced haze.
I hid behind a broad tree when I sensed that the source of the smell was merely five feet away. It was a woman, young, breathtakingly beautiful, and meditating - or maybe not - right in the middle of a circle of trees. Her pale features enhanced in the moonlight and her eyes opened, looking straight at me.
"Who are you?" She asked, standing up with a frown on her face.
The sense of calm that spread inside me was overwhelming. It was as if I could breathe properly, think properly and I no longer feared anything. Was it the scent? Or was it because I saw someone who, according to my instincts, could help me?
*Trust her. She will help you.*
There were two voices this time. I ignored the feeling that was starting to creep me out and jogged towards the woman.
"Help me." I said frantically and her frown deepened.
Her eyes widened when she sniffed the air and her eyes zeroed in on mine. She was concentrating hard, as if trying to search something, but I didn't have time for that.
"Please, I don't have time. I have always been a human for the past twenty three years of my life and suddenly this man who claims to be a vampire forcefully brought me here, which according to him is beyond the MoonLine, and all of a sudden, I'm running faster than Usain Bolt. I don't know what's happening to me," and a sob escaped me, making me realise that my human emotions were still there. "Please, help me."
She thought for a moment, regarding me curiously, then nodded and said, "We need to get to the Were territory first. It's two miles away."
She took my hand and we started running where she was leading. I didn't ask anything because I knew this wasn't the time to be curious. At some point, I ran faster than her and overtook her, running more than half a mile ahead of her.
Damn, I really was faster than her.
I went back to her because for some unknown reason, I felt safe with her.
And also because I didn't know the way back.
*It is because she is a warrior and she can defend you.*
Oh.
*Ask her to climb on your back. You have enough strength to carry her and still run fast.*
"You are fast, damn." She panted and I hurried next to her, crouching down with my back facing her.
"Climb on my back, fast!" I said and she did so. She was surprisingly light, almost feather-light, and I rushed past the trees like a breeze, running with all my might. I wasn't breathless yet, and that was what surprised me the most. Though the question was, how would I know if I'm going in the right direction?
"Trust your instincts, love. They'll guide you the right way." Well, wasn't it already guiding me all this time?
I was running, my ears picking up rustling sounds of the leaves and distinct howls. I slowly felt my strength increasing, as if someone or something else was combining their energy with mine.
"It's mine. I'm radiating my energy to you." She suddenly said.
I scoffed, something I had no idea how I managed to do even after all this running, "Do you know that reading someone's mind is really creepy?" I shouted.
I felt her shrug, "I wasn't. I was just explaining to you what I was doing so you didn't freak out. You have been living with humans, after all." She shouted back.
I rolled my eyes, and looked ahead to see that I had to run in between two trees. One moment, I was getting ready to take a nice leap to avoid tripping, and the other moment I felt a force on my chest, so strong that it stopped me midway through my leap and I was pushed backwards forcefully. The woman jumped off my back in time to break the momentum the push gave, and I fell right there, instead of squashing myself against a tree.
Phew! Crashing against a tree didn't sound good at all.
I got up, groaning, and shakily stood to my feet, my head still dizzy with the fall. The woman had already taken a protective stance in front of me, glaring at the man who stepped out of the darkness and stood right in between two other vampires.
I could smell the metallic scent of blood on him, and also the smell of something rotten. It was disgusting and my nose scrunched up immediately. The scent was, somehow, familiar to me, and I looked carefully, only to find Lazarus smirking at the both of us.
"Leave her alone, leech, and we wolves would spare all your lice." The woman growled gesturing towards the little team lice that were sneering at us.
It was creepy, their whole bodies were pale, completely white, and it looked like they were chiselled out of ice, cold and hard, yet not melting at all. A shiver ran through my body, and I shuffled closer to the woman, soaking in the warmth she radiated. I looked around again, watching their canines glint dangerously in the moonlight, their eyes completely black. The scent of blood and something rotten suffocated me, but the warmth that the woman radiated was enough to keep me from fleeing the place.
Lazarus raised his brow and smirked, "Well, well, it's nice to meet you too, Luna Liana."
Luna Liana? As in the female pack leader of wolves?
*Yes.*
My, my, life is turning into such a drama. It sounded like all the werewolf novels I had obsessed over since I was a teenager. At that time, it sounded appealing, really, having someone made just for you, in love with you, protective and possessive just over you.
But now, here? I didn't find it so appealing anymore.
"But, " He frowned, mocking a thinking gesture, "Whom will you call? Your lovely, handsome mate? The one from whom you have been running away since the past whole decade?"
She was running from her mate? Really? And she was a Luna. Oh holy Moses!
She was running from an Alpha!
*Probably, yes.*
I had no idea reading werewolf romances would prove to be so useful one day. Things were getting clearer and clearer by the second. Adrian had used the word mate, which meant he was a werewolf and he had a mate. And his mate was pregnant too.
Then why the fuck did it hurt me so much? And why was I drooling over him like that?
"I am not running away from anyone!" She growled, "You are going to leave the girl alone! She has no use for you!"
"And how do you know that?" He stepped closer to us and then looked at me, a cold smirk carving his chiseled features, "Moon, sweetheart, didn't you tell your lovely friend about what you are. Tell her about what happened when you met Adrian."
My eyes widened. He was there. And he knew all along. He became my friend just so that he could trap me, like he did today.
"Adrian? Alpha King Adrian?" Liana asked, her whole form tensing. It was silent for a moment, but she soon changed her stance, standing even more protectively in front of me. She now looked even more feral, the calmness she was radiating replaced with something more fierce and raging.
Alpha King Adrian? Damn, fuck my life!
"So you tell me, Liana. Would I be so stupid as to let the opportunity of having the unprotected mates of the highest ranking werewolves all to myself slide just like that? Two Lunas, Liana. That's precious! Well..."
"No." I protested, "I'm not his mate." His mate is pregnant with his child!
Lazarus chuckled, "Oh, Moon, what were you doing in the human world? Do you even know how much worth you are? Not only are you the Luna Queen of Werewolves, the only real mate of Adrian, but you are also the last living PureBlood on Earth."
Liana gasped loudly and turned to look at me, sniffing the air again as if she couldn't believe her ears and eyes. On the other hand I couldn't understand a word of what he said. Liana's eyes widened and her sniffing stopped. She turned around and snarled at Lazarus, who didn't seem affected at all.
Lazarus came closer to me ignoring Liana completely and grabbed my arm, "Now that you have been surprised and all, it would be better if you hand me the thing in your pocket."
I looked down to find the open can of pepper spray in my pocket I had slipped in my pocket when he had been driving, for precautionary measures. Did pepper sprays have any effect on vampires? I hoped they did. I held in my victorious emotions, and took out the can slowly and reluctantly. In one quick movement, I sprayed it all over his face, and rushed to Liana, picking her and throwing her over my shoulder like a sack.
It was fun, and I let out a giggle when she shrieked. She stayed silent the entire time I ran, keeping my ears alert for sounds. I heard snapping of twigs and branches, whizzing sounds but I ignored them. I couldn't risk turning back to see what made the sounds, so I kept running, letting myself free. At some point of time, my running slowed down as I felt a sudden sense of safety and comfort. It felt like home, something I didn't feel back at my own place. The sense of belongingness increased as I kept running, albeit slowly than before and then I heard Liana mumbled something.
"You can stop now!" I heard her shout and jerked to a stop, letting her down slowly. She stumbled a bit and held onto me for dear life, narrowing her eyes at me.
"Give a woman a warning before you throw her over your shoulder and run like that." I nodded at her sheepishly, feeling breathless, but not in the tired kind of way. Liana looked around, "And yeah, we have entered the wolf territory, where the vampires wouldn't dare to enter."
Yeah, fuck my life.
Well, that was all I could think when I saw two pairs of golden eyes glinting in the dark.