Chapter 31: The Chaos

Selena's POV

“Hide the children in the basement!” I command the elders to take the children.

“Miss Selena! The vampires are inside!” An old woman informed me.

I widened as I saw that man standing meters away from us, smirking with his fangs showing and red eyes flashing.

“You gotta move! Now!” I shouted.

The elderly people take the children out of the lobby and run to the right hallway. I turned around as I felt another person standing behind me, and that was the woman earlier. She was smiling at me like a lunatic.

There were three inside the mansion, surrounding me. My eyes flashed red and my fangs came out, making the woman gasp in surprise.

“I told you she's one of us!” She giggles. “Do you think her blood will make me a hybrid, too?” She slurped and added, “I like her blood…”

“She's not a food, Victoria. We will take her alive,” he replied.

I exposed my claws and my eyes glowed gold. “You have to kill me first before taking me to your master!”

She clapped in excitement, “Can we?”

“For the second time, we can't. Don't you hear what Atticus had said?” The young man answered impatiently.

She pouted, “You're so boring, David.”

The guy named David faced me. “You have to come with us because Lord Vladimir was expecting you.”

I scoffed, “Tell your master that I will never come to see him because I don't need his help, so you better leave before I could kill you!”

“Is that a threat? You know, Selena. Those are not working with us because nothing can scare us, especially since you are part of us. Aren't you real to know that you are half vampire and half werewolf?” She gasped again and continued, “Don't tell me that young man didn't know about you?”

I furrowed, “He doesn't need to know anything because I'm not the one of you. I am a werewolf, not a vampire.”

“You already have the signs. You got your fangs, you crave for blood, and your eyes blow red whenever you use your vampire abilities. Come with us,” the young man named Atticus extended his arm, inviting me.

I looked into his hand before diverting my attention to him and replied, “I'd rather die than come with you!”

Without hesitation, I shifted into my wolf form and jumped on Victoria.

Her eyes widened, fangs flashing as I slammed her to the ground. My claws tore through her arm, the scent of burning vampire flesh filling the air. She hissed, eyes glowing crimson. “You stupid mutt!”

I growled, snapping my jaws near her throat, but a strong force yanked me backward. Atticus—his grip like iron around my fur—hurled me across the room. I crashed into a wooden table, splinters flying.

“Selena, don’t make this harder!” David barked, stepping forward, his silver eyes sharp and unyielding. “Vladimir only wants to talk.”

“Talk?” I spat, shifting halfway back to human form, fur retreating as blood trickled down my lip. “You call kidnapping a conversation?”

Atticus smirked, wiping the blood Victoria had lost from his cheek. “You’re unpredictable. That’s why he’s interested.”

Before he could blink, I lunged again—faster this time. My claws raked across his chest, cutting deep through his coat. He snarled and swung, his backhand cracking against my jaw so hard stars burst in my vision.

I staggered but spun low, sweeping his legs. He hit the ground with a grunt, and I pinned him there, growling into his face. “Tell your master I’ll die before I follow him.”

A flash of red light blinded me. Victoria had recovered—her hand glowing as she hurled a blast of dark energy. It slammed into my side, sending me flying into the wall. The impact made the floorboards quake.

“Enough!” she screamed, blood dripping from her wrist. “You’re wasting our time, Selena. Come quietly or—”

“Or what?” I snarled, shifting again, my wolf eyes burning gold. “You’ll regret coming here.”

I leapt, slashing through the air. Our bodies collided, claws and fangs clashing. Her scream echoed as I bit into her shoulder, feeling the burn of her corrupted blood. She shrieked and drove her knee into my stomach, forcing me to release her.

Atticus was already up, his eyes glowing scarlet. “David—stop her before she kills Victoria!”

David lunged, grabbing my throat and slamming me into the wall. I clawed at his face, but his strength was unnatural, older than centuries. My feet dangled as he pressed me harder. “You have no idea who you’re defying,” he growled, his fangs inches from my face.

“I don’t care,” I rasped, glaring at him. “I’ll never be anyone’s puppet.”

Suddenly, I kicked off the wall, twisting midair, and landed a strike under his chin. He stumbled back, dazed. I seized the chance, shifting again, and tackled Victoria, driving her into the floor.

Her head hit the stone hard. “You’re not going anywhere,” I snarled.

But she laughed through the blood. “You really think you can stop us, half-breed?”

Her eyes flickered black—and in an instant, she vanished into a cloud of crimson smoke.

“Victoria!” Atticus shouted, spinning. The scent of sulfur and blood lingered.

I froze, chest heaving, scanning the room. My wolf senses caught movement below—wood creaked, a hatch slammed.

“She’s heading for the basement!” I growled, baring my teeth.

I left those two and headed to the basement. But the door was locked. Damnit! I use my head to break the door and it takes me three times before it finally breaks, making me stunned by the event before me. She was holding a kid who gave me flowers in the neck, and I can see from the kid's eyes how scared she was.

I shifted in my human form and shouted, “Let her go!”

She smirked and showed her wounded arm. “I need blood to recover and I will get it freshly from this kid.”

“No! I will come to you! I will meet your Lord just don't hurt the kid! Please, I'm begging you!”

But Victoria just smiled at me, annoying me like she's not going to let the kid go. My eyes diverted on the floor where I found one more child that is lifeless. The mark on her neck maybe realized that she dried her out.

“Victoria, I will do everything you want. Just let the kids go!”

She raised her eyebrow and answered, “You should think of that before making it hard for us.” Without thinking, she breaks the kid's neck and bites her.

“No!” I shifted to my wolf form and ran towards her, but before I could reach her location she disappeared and the kid fell. I returned in my human form to catch her on time.

“Ayesha!” A woman cried, crawled closer to us. “Ayesha! My daughter!”

My hands were trembling, watching her mourn her daughter. I clench my fist and promise, “I will make her pay… I will make her pay!”