Freddy
I stare into the woods while feeling like the biggest scumbag on the face of the earth.
I thought I could be good for Tess; more than anything, I wanted to make her happy. If I could be half as good and perfect as she has been to me, I thought it would be acceptable for me to be with her.
But now it turns out that I’m a blood junkie. I’m addicted to human blood, and without even realizing it, I’ve killed plenty of humans due to my stupid thirst. The worst part is that I can hardly remember anything from it. I blacked out due to my hunger, and that scares me.
What if I, on some unfortunate day, blackout and attack Tess?
She is the most important person in my life. Her laughter and smile is the only thing able to make me feel like an actual person, and it kills me to realize that while I want to protect her, I might be the most dangerous person in her life.
Frustration runs through my veins, and I turn around to walk back to my car. But I don’t make it very far before I hear rustling leaves. The whole place stinks like werewolf fur, and I’m not too surprised when I turn around and see Lucas. He is in his werewolf form but quickly shape-shifts into a human upon making eye contact with me.
“Good evening,” I say in a half-teasing tone, a bit confused because he is out of breath. “Wow, did you become weaker after your accident—”
My eyes widen when he swings his fist at me, but when I see the fire in his eyes, I freeze and let him punch me in the face. He must have a good reason for wanting to beat me up, which is confirmed in his next sentence.
“That’s for being a fucking idiot!” he growls at me. “I didn’t give up on Tess so that you could leave her the second things get tough. What the hell were you thinking? Do you even realize the danger she is in now?!”
“Danger?” I ask. “Wait, hold on. Is Tess in danger?”
“Yes!” Lucas looks about ready to murder me. His face is even more angry than usual, and every muscle on his huge body is tense as if anticipating a fight.
Yet, despite this, I don’t feel scared of him. I am, however, very worried about Tess.
“How is she in danger?” I ask and narrow my eyes. “Wesley didn’t give her shit for dating me, did he?” I would strangle that guy myself if he locked her up in a room again.
“You don’t know?”
Is he an idiot?
“Would I be asking about it if I knew what has happened?!” I snap. I seldom get angry. It’s not in my nature to lose my temper, but Lucas must be mentally challenged for not telling me what I need to know.
“Fair enough...” He huffs. “The Safir pack kidnapped Tess from the inn the second you left her to fend for herself, and no one knows where she is. Wesley has sent out countless search parties for her, and I’m supposed to be looking for her too, but then I picked up on your scent and decided I better beat you up while I’m at it.”
“I just left her behind to protect her,” I run my hands through my hair and pace while panic swells inside my chest. “Fuck-fuck-fuck! I didn’t even think of the Safir pack when I left her. Why didn’t I do that? I should have stayed. Tess didn’t want me to leave her, but I didn’t see any better way to protect her. I thought I was a danger to her—I am dangerous to her—but I completely forgot about that wicked pack!”
“Get it together!” Lucas shocks me by slapping my face again, and he is heaving when I look at him. “I’m VERY mad at you right now. It’s taking every ounce of my self-control not to beat you into a bloody pulp, but I’m not stupid enough not to realize you might be the only one who can save Tess. And that’s the only reason why you’re still standing!”
I frown. “What makes me special? I’m going to look for her, but you make it sound like it will be easy to find her when she could be anywhere!”
“You and Wesley both have whimsy portal magic, but your mind is linked to Tess, right? You can swoop in and save her from wherever the Safir pack brought her.”
I pause. I promised Tess not to enter her mind, but now that her life is in danger, she couldn’t possibly get mad at me for slipping inside her head.
“You’re right,” I say in a calmer tone and close my eyes, already in the midst of finding her. “I’m going to enter her mind and teleport to her. You inform Wesley and the others that the Safir pack soon won’t be a threat because I intend on killing them all,” a smirk spreads over my lips. “And it’s not going to be pretty. It’s going to be a bloody massacre because no one, and I mean NO ONE, touches the girl I like—it’s time to let the hybrid come out and play.”
Before Lucas can say anything, a portal made of shadows opens beneath my feet. It eats me up alive, and seconds later, I reappear inside the basement of a mansion.
“Hmm...so this is where they took her,” I mutter to myself while walking through a hallway.
This place doesn’t look familiar to me, and I have a feeling it might be where Alpha Asher lives—leader of the Saifr pack. I’ve never met him, but this place looks luxurious enough to belong to him.
I also know that Tess is here. I can feel her presence while her thoughts echo inside my head. She is scared and in pain. Images of blood trickling down her arms and legs enter my mind, and it takes everything in me not to scream. I can feel her pain as if it’s my own, and my fangs elongate.
I take a deep breath and push my anger aside. I need to stay focused, or else I won’t be able to save her.
Suddenly, two werewolf guards come running after me with anger in their eyes. One of the poor misguided souls shape-shifts into a wolf while the other one digs his eyes into mine. Really? Do they really think they stand a chance of beating me? Ha, don’t make me laugh…
“Stop! You are not allowed to be here!”
I don’t reply and swiftly break their necks with a single move before wiping my hands on my pants. Are all werewolves that weak? I snort to myself and continue searching for Tess. More guards run toward me, and I kill them without thinking too much about it. My mind is on Tess, not the blood spilling onto the floor.
One body.
Two bodies.
Four…
Seven…
Ten.
Fifteen.
Here comes the backup…
Is there an end to these werewolves?!
Jesus fucking Christ, how many of the guys will I have to kill? Who cares—I have more important things to think about! Tess will probably be angry with me when I find her, but I don’t care. No force on this earth is powerful enough to make me turn around. She is in danger, and I’m incredibly mad at myself for leaving her. I thought I was protecting her, but now I realize I was an idiot for leaving her.
How could I be so naive?!
Will she be able to forgive me?
With each step I take, my determination to find her grows bigger and bigger. I slash my way through more guards. There is blood under my shoes, leaving a trail behind me as I make my way through the mansion.
Where is Tess?!
I’m close to losing my goddamn mind before my eyes land on a metal door. It’s locked, but I’m in no mood to search for the key—I easily kick it down with my inhuman strength and stroll inside.
“Tess?”
The scent of blood hits my senses the second I enter the room. Tess is lying on top of a table, drenched in her own blood, while trying to break free from her chains. Countless scars cover her delicate little body, and I stumble forward, about to lose it to my own freaking bloodthirst.
“Freddy?” she sounds weak and tormented, like she hasn’t had anything to drink or eat for days. It was less than twenty-four hours since I left her, but a lot can happen in that time.
“You could tell it was me breaking down that door?” I ask in a whisper, scared of speaking louder because the scent of her blood makes me light-headed.
Despite her pain, she giggles. “I don’t know anyone else strong enough to kick down a door made of metal...”
“Good point,” I say and groan when my dizziness turns into a full-fledged headache. Tess is right before me, but I can’t walk closer to her. My head is throbbing, and I cover my eyes with my hand. “Fuck...not now...this isn’t the time for this...”
“Freddy?” she sounds scared. “Is everything okay? Are you...going to take me home? Please tell me we can leave this place. I don’t want to stay here. Dimitri’s brother will come back and hurt us both.”
The fear in her voice just about kills me. I want to tell her she is safe while wrapping my strong arms around her. I long to kiss her pretty little face and make her feel safe. But I can’t. It would also be a lie if I told her everything is fine because nothing is fine right now!
Goddamn it. How do I prevent myself from drinking from Tess and killing the girl I like? I don’t think I will be conscious for very long. My self-control is already slipping, and suddenly, everything goes black.