Chapter 52
Daniel reluctantly left with Richard and Ben for Appletree, after they decided they needed to investigate the family histories of everyone in the pack and attempted to narrow down who could have a connection to the vampires. I was left with Maria and Miranda, no one had spoken since the boys left us. I didn’t want to be the one to speak first, but I had questions.
“So, what’s the deal with vampires? Why is everyone freaking out?” I asked Maria after over an hour of nothing but silence apart from the occasional offer of fresh coffee or pastries.
“They’re very secretive, no one knows anything about them. Even when a vampire finds a mate outside their species, they rarely accept that mate.” She explained, which shocked me.
“Wait, you can reject your mate? I thought it was fated or something?” I had even more questions after her admission, there was no way I could not find out more.
“Anyone can reject their mate, it’s painful, and it kills a piece of your soul, but you can do it. Vampires are the only ones that do it semi-regularly. Some believe it’s because they have no soul to destroy. But it is complicated, there’s a lot we don’t know about them.” Miranda said sounding bored.
“Okay, so explain it, I’m not stupid.” I snapped. “I’ll keep up.” I crossed my arms and scowled at her, I hated her attitude, I was doing my best. I couldn’t help that I didn’t know, how could I know anything about any of it when I had only learned there were races other than human a few days prior?
“When a male vampire mates with a female wolf they can sometimes complete the process, but it sometimes kills the female. A male wolf has never been able to survive the mating process with a female vampire. It’s complicated because vampires produce a toxin that can kill a wolf or turn a human into something else. They’re not quite human anymore, but not fully vampire either, also the humans can’t produce the toxin, they can’t reproduce either. Most of the time the vampire doesn’t even try, they reject their mates because they think the offspring will be inferior. Occasionally a vampire will have sex with a wolf but not complete the mating process, if a child is born from that union they are left with the wolves. Sometimes the vampires come back and may even have more children with the wolf, but they nearly always stay with their nest and don’t join the pack. I’ve only heard of one male vampire who mated a wolf, she survived the bite, and he joined her pack, but he couldn’t or wouldn’t tell the pack anything about his nest, where or how they lived, and he wasn’t easily trusted within the pack.” Maria explained as best she could, but I still had questions.
“So, why do the males always die, but the females only die sometimes?” I asked.
“That’s one of the things we don’t know, there are theories of course. Some believe the female vampire’s toxin is stronger, some believe the male vampires can control their toxin levels. No one really knows because the vampires don’t socialise, they also don’t like anyone knowing their secrets. Which is why they don’t leave their nests.” Miranda said, still sounding bored. I wanted to slap her across her face.
“So, the female vampires who get pregnant just drop the babies off with the father? You said the babies are raised by the wolves yeah? So, they just abandon their children?” I started getting worried, what if my father was a vampire and that’s why he left? What if my mother was his mate and that’s why she can’t move on but if he bit her, she wouldn’t be her anymore? Maria must have sensed my discomfort because she reached for my hand.
“You’re not part vampire.” She stated firmly.
“How do you know? How could anyone know?” I didn’t want to be a vampire, would I hurt Daniel if I bit him? Would I start craving blood if I explored whatever powers I had further?
“We know because vampires don’t have an aura and you do. So quit whining!” Miranda snapped at me.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Like that hippy shit? Wolves can see peoples' auras?” I asked snapping back; I was beyond tired of her.
“You don’t know!” Her eyes lit up as she stared at me almost manically. “You have no idea, do you?” She giggled sadistically. “She knows nothing!” Miranda cackled.
“What?” I asked Maria, I clearly wasn’t going to get an answer from Miranda.
“When you got angry, we could feel the power coming off you in waves, it was like nothing I have ever felt before. But it was powerful, kinda like Daniel’s Alpha aura... but not at the same time. That’s what we call it when he gives us a command and throws his power behind it. We can’t resist it, it gives him power over us, it’s hard to explain.” Maria was rambling.
“And I did something like that? How? What did I do exactly?” I asked getting worried.
“You made me want to submit, I’m not sure what it was like for Daniel. Ben was uncomfortable though; he was able to fight it, but it wasn’t easy for him.” She said quietly.
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea, I would never want to do that to anyone!” I said to her, and I meant it.
“I know, you were upset, it’s fine. Daniel has lost his temper once or twice and used his aura. It happened at Appletree before he took you to his office?” Maria smiled, accepting my apology.
“You mean when everyone bent their necks to him?” I asked a little horrified.
“Yes, it's a sign of submission.” She demonstrated for me.
“Does it hurt?” I asked, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“If I try to fight it, yeah, a little. But it’s mostly just a little uncomfortable, kinda like pressure. It’s like your body wants to do something no matter what your brain wants. If your brain is willing it’s fine, but if you don’t want to do what you’ve been ordered, then it can hurt.” Maria squeezed my hand gently.
“How do you know about what happened at Appletree?” I asked, as I attempted to remain calm, I knew Ben wasn’t there at the time.
“I know a few of the secretaries that were there... they were... concerned that it happened in front of humans,” Maria explained.
“I don’t want that kind of power over someone. I don’t want to make someone do anything they don’t want to do or cause them pain!” I was freaking out; I could tell but I couldn’t stop it.
“Oh for... tough! Grow up. Being Luna is power, you rule over everyone, so get used to it! Pathetic.” Miranda sneered.
“You know what? I’m done with this shit! You are a nasty, spiteful cold bitch and I have no idea how two men as sweet and kind and caring as Daniel and Ben came from you. But I do know this, they are the way they are in spite of you! So, leave, get out and don’t come back!” I snapped, I was completely overwhelmed, I had been given too much information in too short a period to deal with her too. Maria was openly smirking at my reaction.
“You heard your Luna, bye.” She said to Miranda and waved her fingers mockingly.
“You can’t kick me out! I’m wearing Louis Vuitton’s and Richard has the car keys!” Miranda protested.
“I don’t care, you have been a nightmare, all morning. You haven’t said one kind word. You have been rude and condescending and awful.” I groaned pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. “You haven’t once thought about how overwhelming and distressing all of this is to someone who was raised, human. And you’ve been absolutely horrid to Maria for no other reason than, what? She wasn’t born into the right family? Have you even once stopped to consider how it feels for her to always be seen as unworthy when she couldn’t control any of it? Do you think either of us chose to be mated to your sons? Or that they chose to be mated to us? Did you choose Richard? No, but none of that matters to you, because rather than seeing how happy we make your sons you just want to see the bad, in everything. And your negativity and spite has consumed you, to the point you’re not happy unless everyone around you is as miserable as you are! Well, I refuse to be around someone who only wants to drag people down. And if you had taken even a second to get to know Maria, or watched her with your son, you would realise all she does is build and hold people up. She loves him, is devoted to him, and supports him above all else. What kind of mother doesn’t want that for her child? Or would you have preferred he ripped a part of his soul away from himself rejecting her only to choose a mate as selfish as you?” I couldn’t stop myself; she had pushed me too far. I could tell I hit a nerve, she glared at me open-mouthed, speechless.
“I love my children, and I want what’s best for them. They are both destined to be great men, but their mates-"
“Were also chosen for them by destiny! Maybe because we can help them be those great men! So, what the hell is wrong with you that you can’t accept that?” I screamed.
“My family runs every pack in North America! I was meant to birth the child that finally unites every Lycan in the world and rules them all! That was my destiny, but instead, my sons’ mated women whom no Lycan would respect or follow!” She screamed back, tears in her eyes.
“What?” Maria and I asked in unison.
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