Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Keegan's POV

"This is unacceptable!" I shout as Joel finishes giving me his report. "We have had warriors searching since Saturday night. It's Wednesday now, and you are telling me that they are not only evading us in our town, but also the town on the other side of the college? How are they getting past them?"

Joel looks down at the floor in front of my desk. "I don't know, Alpha. Their scent is all over both towns now. They seem to be looking for something, but we still haven't even caught sight of them. They haven't really hurt anything though. No humans have been killed and they aren't drawing attention to themselves. Maybe another vampire is missing or something and they are just trying to locate them?"

"If that were the case, then why wouldn't they ask around? Why not come here and request assistance?" I ask.

He squirms a bit before raising his eyes to meet mine momentarily. "Maybe they aren't sure of the welcome they would receive. I mean your sister did kind of demolish an entire pack a few days ago... And if I remember correctly, the last time vampires came around here, it didn't end well for them."

"They attacked some of our wolves and we responded the only way that we could. Their lives were forfeit as soon as they decided to come after our pack. We have never shown any animosity towards their kind unless we were provoked. The same with that pack of wolves, we gave them countless chances to walk away but instead, they chose to take Ivy's mate, an act that no self-respecting wolf would abide." I explain.

Joel smirks at me. "I don't think it is the fact that the pack was eliminated that worries people, more like the fact that it only took one wolf. Granted she is an alpha, but she isn't 'The Alpha'."

"Yeah... Well, they will have to get over it. I want to know why they are here. I don't like knowing that they are this close to the pack." I say seriously.

"Should I send out extra wolves tonight then?" He asks.

I think about it for a moment. "No. I won't leave the pack unprotected unless there is no other option. Just tell the teams to be more vigilant. Oh, one more thing. This weekend I want you to begin working with Brock. He comes from beta blood, and I think he could have what it takes to be your replacement when you step down."

"Are you sure about that, Alpha? I mean he hasn't even finished his warrior training yet and he is a bit wild, don't you think?" He asks skeptically.

"He is still young, and right now he is newly mated. As far as the warrior training goes, he will complete that within the next month and I feel that under the right guidance he will do well. I've seen the way he interacts with the pack and he shows signs of leadership that I think will serve this pack well in the future."

"Very well, I will start his training this weekend."

"Good, now be sure to let me know as soon as you get word of any update on the status of our uninvited visitors." I say in dismissal.

Joel nods in understanding before excusing himself. I try to shake off my worry as I settle in to get my paperwork done, but I can't seem to move past the feeling that the vampires are after something.

'You should really tell Emily. I can tell she thinks that you don't trust her with pack business, and that is no way to treat our mate.' Aidan says grouchily.

'Of course I trust her.' I defend. 'I just don't want to worry her.'

Aidan snarls. 'She is our mate, you idiot. The one person created to help us carry our burdens. I will not let you cheat me or her out of what the Goddess has intended for us. Emily is strong, you know that as well as I do, and undermining her strength will only push her away from us. I won't have it. Tell her tonight, or I will.'

I scowl at his ultimatum before realizing that he is right. If I ever want Emily to truly trust me, I can't keep things from her. 'Fine, I will tell her. I wasn't trying to make either of you think that I don't appreciate her strength.'

'Good.' He grunts.

I get to work with hopes of finishing in time to take Emily to dinner tonight. I can't throw all of this on her during one of my short nightly visits. I finally finish at around 4 and quickly make my way to my room to have a shower and get dressed. When I'm ready I pull out my phone and scroll down to Emily's number before hitting call.

"Hey, you." She answers.

I smile at her fond tone. "Hey, baby. Would you be willing to have dinner with me tonight?"

"That sounds good. What time?"

"I can pick you up in about an hour. Is that alright?" I ask.

"Yes. See you then, my little gingersnap."

I chuckle. "Bye Schmoopy."

I end the call and then head out of my room. A smile comes to my face as I reach the living area. My parents are in the entryway wrapped up in a warm embrace. It's a beautiful thing to see that after so many years together, they are still completely and utterly in love. It makes me even happier knowing that I now have the beginnings of a love just like that. When they look over at me I just smile and wave before heading out of the house and to my truck.

I pull into the parking lot of Emily's dorm a few minutes early, so I send her a text letting her know that I am here when she is ready. I see her walking around the side of the building about 5 minutes later and feel a mixture of happiness and anxiety course through me. I am so glad to see her, but I'm also worried about how she will react to what I have to tell her.

I jump out of the truck and run around to the passenger's side before opening the door. Emily approached with a small smile, but as she gets closer I am finally able to get a good look at her. She looks exhausted. The past few nights she has looked tired, but I wrote it off because I always saw her at the end of the day when it was time for her to sleep.

"Hey baby, are you ok? You look like you are ready to drop." I say worriedly.

The reassuring smile she flashes at me is obviously forced. "Yeah. I'm fine. I've just been having some strange dreams and haven't slept well the past few days. Nothing to worry about."

I can tell that she doesn't fully believe what she is saying, but I don't push her. Not yet, anyway. Maybe once I tell her the things I've been keeping from her she will feel comfortable opening up to me. Feeling more determined to be completely honest with my mate, I help her up into the truck and laugh as she slaps at my hands when I try to buckle her seatbelt.

I raise my hands in surrender. "Fine. Fine." I chuckle before carefully closing her door and going back around to get in on my side. "How do you feel about Italian food?" I ask as I pull out of the lot and head towards the nearest town.

"I love it." She answers quickly.

"Me too." I say with a smile as I drive us towards Marcelini Brother's Cafe. When we arrive, I quickly park before jumping out and hurrying to Emily's door to help her out.

"You're being quite the gentleman tonight. Should I be concerned?" She asks teasingly as she takes my hand and steps out of the truck.

"What? No. I'm always a gentleman." I say defensively.

Emily scoffs. "Says the guy that keeps climbing in through my window every night."

"I thought you liked my visits." I almost whine.

Her soft laugh is a beautiful sound. "Of course I do, but it isn't exactly model behavior. It's a bit scandalous really. But don't worry, I don't mind. So, is there a special reason that you wanted to take me out tonight?"

I hesitate for a second before finally answering with the truth. "I have some things to tell you. That's why I chose this place, they have booths that will afford us a bit of privacy."

She only raises her brows at me in response as we enter the restaurant. The host greets us and I request one of the curtained booths. He grins mischeiviously, obviously misinterpreting our need for privacy. I ignore it and place a hand on Emily's back as we follow the man to our seat. He informs us that our waiter will be with us shortly and walks away.

Emily and I sit quietly until the waiter comes. We place our drink orders and study the menus until he returns with our drinks. We quickly place tell him what we want to eat and then continue to silently watch each other while we wait for our food. When he returns, he places a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me and then sits Emily's lasagna down before placing a basket of bread rolls between us. He walks away after making sure we don't need anything else.

Once he's gone, I pull the curtain closed and then turn to Emily. She is looking at me expectantly and I know my time has run out. I can only hope that she doesn't freak out once she hears what I have to say.

I take a deep breath and then jump straight in. "What do you know about vampires?"

A/N: Thanks for reading. Don't forget to comment and vote!