Chapter 6 6
Chapter 6 – Destiny
With the windows rolled down, I let the sea breeze fill the car as I continued to drive west. The sun was setting, and the golden hues painted the horizon. Nightfall would soon cloak everything in shadows, creating the perfect opportunity for a long run. My wolf needed to run.
The situation with Kazimir and his mate had Haze on edge. He needed to decide what to do with her and fast. She was capable of feeling something through the mate bond as we discovered today, but what we didn’t know, was if she could feel a mate pull to Kazimir. Wolves are highly sexual beasts and Alina didn’t seem to show any interest in him. Kuzma was already feeling the effects of being rejected.
This would change everything. I wondered if Kazimir would return to his pack, maybe with his mate. Or if his pack would accept a human as his mate. Kazimir is still part of the Alpha family, and the Russian pack wasn’t known for showing any weakness. Alina would be a weakness. If he mates with her, his wolf will want offspring. Offspring will likely lead to her death and losing a mate might drive Kazimir to insanity. “Fuck,” I shook my head, my grip on the steering wheel tightening. This will not end well.
My foot pressed down further on the accelerator, and I continued my drive. I mulled over the idea of going to Bulgaria for an upcoming fight event, but the stakes and bets were nowhere near as high as Russia. The fighting helped control my wolf who was more savage than most.
I reached a rural area on the outskirts of the Paphos forest, a place we knew well. Looking to the sky, I found the crescent moon and for a brief moment, the Moon Goddess came to mind. Selene, the mother of werewolves, and it seems the original cupid of shifter hearts. I continued trekking past the small waterfall to the large boulder I normally undressed at. I toed my shoes off first, followed by my clothes.
Adrenaline started pumping as I took off running in human form, jumping over a fallen tree and shifting into my wolf mid-jump. The heavy paws of my wolf thundered through the forest, full speed ahead. Haze was a smooth inky black color and blended with the shadows. The only spot of color came from his eyes as my brown eyes became an intense gold color in wolf form. I turned control over to Haze and allowed him to run freely.
Haze jumped over boulders, raced around trees, and dashed through the bushes like he owned the place. Hell, we practically did. Cyprus didn’t have any predators on the island. The biggest wild animal is the mouflon, which is a type of sheep. Hours later, Haze came to a sudden stop. He was alert and continued to sniff around.
“Is it a mouflon?” I asked.
“No,” he snarled. “Another Alpha,” he replied and continued sniffing.
We’ve never run into any other shifters before on this island. I looked around and didn’t recognize the area we were in. I was starting to wonder if we had crossed over to private property when I remembered Cyprus didn’t have wolf packs. They didn’t even have rogues. We sniffed again and I could pick up a faint hint of some kind of Alpha, but I was still unsure.
“We’re not alone.” Haze warned me just as a voice rang out behind me. “You’re a long way from home.”
I turned and faced a human-like creature but knew there was no way it was human. Its pale white skin seemed to illuminate where the moonlight touched. His black hair was slicked back, and the pupils of his eyes were big black orbs. Something felt unnatural about him, and Haze took another deep breath in. I could smell blood coming from him as I realized what he was. Haze was considering ripping off his head when he spoke again.
“I know what you are. I’ll wait for you to shift, Alpha.” He called out. His voice was almost musical. Growing up in the shifter world, I’d heard stories of his kind but never met one before. I was surprised he emanated such a strong aura.
I shifted on the spot, not wanting to lose sight of him and not caring about my nakedness. He was surprisingly well built for a creature of his kind and his aura intrigued me. It wasn’t his scent Haze had picked up earlier, but all thoughts of the other creature pushed to the back of my mind as I considered the vampire before me.
His head crooked to the side as he considered me. As if studying me or trying to place me from somewhere.
“I’ve never scented a vampire in Cyprus,” I said. “I’m just visiting an old friend.”
“Is your friend a werewolf?” I asked, recalling the Alpha scent.
“Not exactly,” his eyes scrutinized me. “He’s more of a recluse and prefers to stay that way. Everything north of here to the sea is private property.”
“And yet he prefers your company?” I asked, wondering if it was an elder werewolf who didn’t shift anymore. I was sure it was a wolf we had scented earlier, wasn’t it?
“I’m one of the oldest of my kind and strongest. I’ve existed for a long time and have made many friends along the way. Including your great- grandfather.”
“My great-grandfather?” His words sent a jolt through me.
“Aristotle Kappas…” he paused for a moment. “You look so much like him.”
“You knew my great-grandfather?” My words echoed in my mind, sounding like a damn parrot.
He nodded his head. “He was a great Alpha, one of the best Greece has ever seen. Your father… not so much.”
Despite myself, I laughed out loud at his assessment of my father. “For a creature who lives in the darkness of shadows and night, you’re well informed. Why would a vampire be connected to the shifter world?” I asked.
“We share the earth with humans and other creatures, it would be foolish not to know what is happening in all realms.” He gave me a knowing smile. “I assume you’ve been living on the southern side of the island. Tell me, Hades, how much longer are you going to hide out here before you return to Greece and claim what’s yours?”
“I don’t want to lead the pack. My father is still strong and has a few good decades left to lead.” My fists balled tighter. Haze was tense.
“Your father is a disgrace to the name Kappas and you know it. You’re a wolf, you know how it works. You can’t escape your destiny. The Moon Goddess always has a way of making it happen.” The corner of his lips curled into a slight smile.
“I don’t believe in destiny,” I nearly growled as I debated killing him. “A person often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.”
“Are you part of my destiny? Or am I yours? We both know I could kill you if I wanted to.” Haze was fighting to get to the surface.
“We don’t meet others by accident, Hades.”
Growing up I heard myths of vampires hypnotizing people. I wasn’t sure if it was a myth or not, but something was taking over me. My chest constricted and suddenly a burning flame pulsed through my veins. I tried to ignore it. I didn’t want to show weakness in front of the vampire. I swallowed hard and Haze released a howl in my mind that was nearly deafening. The vampire took a step forward and I bared my teeth, my canines growing longer. He raised his hands and made no move to step closer. The pain grew and my knees buckled as I clenched my chest.
“Haze?” I called to my wolf who seemed to be sharing the same pain radiating through us.
“Are you okay?” I heard the vampire ask.
My hand pressed to my chest and my breathing grew more shallow. I looked up and met the concerned face of the vampire looking down at me. He made no attempt to move closer. I swallowed and forced a few deep breaths, trying to regain control. It felt like something had snapped inside of me. Like something breaking. In my moment of agony, I realized what was happening.
“It’s… my father…” I managed to groan out.
“A family bond breaking,” he nodded in understanding.
Something had happened to my father. Werewolves shared family bonds and pack bonds. A bond was severed when someone died. I could feel the family bond break and Haze knew he was gone. Just like that, the life force of my father was gone from this world. A few minutes later, the pain subsided. I wasn’t as close to my father as most are to their parents, so my pain didn’t last long and wasn’t as intense as I’d witnessed others suffer. Since my father was the pack Alpha, everyone in the pack would also feel the bond break.
I wondered if his dirty mafia dealings finally caught up to him. If he was killed at the hands of human enemies or if he was killed in an attack on the pack. Haze seemed anxious at the thought of abandoning the pack without an Alpha to lead, but I wasn’t so sure I cared enough to return. Pulling myself back up to the standing position, I looked at the vampire who was still watching me with a concerned expression.
“Are you okay?” He asked again and I nodded. “I assume you have some important business to tend to and need to return home.”
I nodded again, my mind was racing.
“Don’t ignore it,” he said and took a step back. “You may not feel like the son of Eros Kappas, but you are still the great-grandson of Aristotle Kappas. Only you can decide which Alpha you prefer to be like.” He turned away and started to leave.
“Wait!” I managed to spit out. “Who are you?”
He turned to face me again. “I’m often called The Vampire King, but I prefer Ambrose.”
“And your friend in the north?”
“He is no enemy to you so long as you stay away from the north. Good luck, Hades.”
Ambrose disappeared in a flash, running north. I had no idea what kind of creature lived in the north, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to find out. I had more pressing issues to consider at the moment. I shifted back and allowed Haze to run back. Haze was an Alpha wolf, a natural-born leader, and the only heir to my father. He would want to return and take care of his pack. It was ingrained in him.
The drive back felt like a mindless blur. It was just under two hours, but we had managed to make record time. Thoughts of what Ambrose told me looped in my mind. He knew my great-grandfather and other wolves. He understood bonds breaking. I wondered if what he said was true, about the creature in the north not being an enemy, or if he was trying to keep me from disturbing an elder wolf who wanted to live in seclusion.
I suppose as an immortal, Ambrose has lived a long life already. No vampire would dare stand face to face with an Alpha, they may be fast, but wolves had brutal strength. I could have ripped him apart and burned his body, and yet he held no fear.
“He was the Vampire King,” Haze reminded me.
The Vampire King was believed to be the strongest of vampires because he was among the oldest vampires. The longer the vampire lived, the
stronger they became. His words about being like my great-grandfather or my father replayed over and over. I never wanted to be like my father and somehow, abandoning the pack and earning money through illegal activity made me feel more like him. Regret pulsed through every fiber of my being, wishing I was the one who had ended my father's miserable life. I would have enjoyed skinning him alive and letting Haze tear him to shreds.
The lights in the villa were all turned off when I arrived. It was just after sunrise. I moved to the office and took a seat at my computer. Aegean Air had a flight departing at nine in the morning. All the flights had a quick stop in Athens before departing to the Aktion airport, which was closer to pack territory in northern Greece. I booked a first-class seat and checked the time. I’d have to pack a few things and needed to leave. The office door pushed open and Kazimir stepped in.
“How’s your mate?” I asked.
“She tried to escape this evening. Didn’t even make it through the kitchen door.”
“She has no clothes, money, or documents. If she’s trying to escape, she may be trying to alert someone. Or worse, she may be feeling the mate bond pull to you and resisting it. If she gets away or you decide to set her free, Cyprus will no longer be safe for us,” I leaned back in my chair.
“She’s tied to my bed.”
“I’m going to be gone for a few days. Try to figure out what you’re doing with her and who she’s working for. Let’s make sure whoever sent her to target us, isn’t planning something worse.”
He considered what I said and nodded his head. “Where are you going?”
I told Kazimir about my encounter with the vampire and feeling the family bond break. My father had assets and resources I would need to deal with. I’d also need to spend a few days at the pack trying to figure out what I was going to do.
“Do you want us to come with you?” He offered.
“No. I doubt your mate will come willingly this time and she’s unpredictable. I also don’t want you around she-wolves who will throw themselves at you.”
“I can control myself,” he scoffed.
“Like hell you can! This might be the longest you’ve ever gone since I’ve known you.”
“Take Ninos with you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “The pack will be expecting me to return.
Hoping I’ll be their next Alpha.” “Will you?” He asked.
“Of course not.”