AN: You guys are effing awesome.

I wake up in the next morning hurt and slightly angry. To make the feelings go away, I decide to go for a run.

Eric calls me as soon as I make it back to my room but I ignore it as I head to shower.

After getting dressed I decide to go get some lunch before the Student Counsel meeting. As I'm walking out the door I almost run into Beth.

"What the-" I backtrack quickly to avoid our collision while Beth looks mildly flustered.

"Oh hey! Umm- fancy bumping into you here." She prattles.

"I live here Beth." I deadpan inform the witch.

"Really? I didn't notice." Her smile is big and awkward. Her eyes shift around nervously and I almost feel bad for her.

Instead of saying anything, I cross my arms and stare, waiting for her to get to the point of showing up here.

"I wanted to stop by and say thank you for watching over us last night. It made me feel safer knowing that a friend was out there watching my back. I'm also on my way to the cafeteria, maybe you'd like to join me?" Beth's words are fast flowing but I understand them just fine.

"Verena dragged me out to be perfectly frank and sure." I shrug. 

"Oh! I thought it was the other way around." Beth states as we walk side by side.

"You think Verena would allow anyone to take her somewhere she didn't want to be?" I laugh out loud at the thought.

"Well, you guys seem so close and I just assumed that...." Beth's voice trails off as embarrassment takes hold of her.

"She and I have an odd understanding, nothing more."

"I wish I had someone to understand." Beth utters in jealousy.

Looking down at the witch, I easily get annoyed. Why are her words making me feel bad when I've done nothing wrong?

"Aren't you the leader of your coven? The other witches must flock to you." I add dumbly.

"I told you already, everyone is afraid of me." Beth snaps back, suddenly finding her voice again. "And aren't you a female Alpha, do your people flock to you?"

"I'm sorry, I thought covens worked differently from packs." I apologize understanding the comparison.

"The power dynamic is the same no matter what you call it. They either want your power or stay at a safe distance in case you implode." She sighs out sadly.

As we walk into the cafeteria, I spot Verena immediately in a fluffy bright blue contraption. The bottoms are pants but the top has a high collar, deep cut in the front like a suit jacket, and finishes with long lapels in the back.

She's surrounded by vampires and just as I'm about to look away, our eyes meet.

Without warning, Verena pushes through the vampires like they're nothing and walks up to us.

"Wolfie! We're going out tonight." The fanged smile has me dreading whatever her mind has come up with.

"Want to come Beth?" I ask out of obligation. There's no way I can listen to her talk about her loneliness and not dish out the invitation.

Verena eyebrow raises slightly in my direction but she stays silent as she waits for Beth's response. Her bedazzled baby blue heeled foot starts to tap and I know her attention span is running out.

"I'm not sure I'm welcome..."

"Nonsense! You will join us witch and we will have a grand time! The blood of others will be shed but I'll try to warn you before that happens."

With our plans solidified, Verena and I nod farewell. She then turns on her heel and pushes her way back into the crowd of vampires and continues on like nothing happened.

"An understanding indeed.." Beh mutters with a smile on her face as we get in a random food line.

~~~

I make it to Verena's door at the agreed upon time only to hear her and someone else's voiced raised behind the thick door. Before I can step away, the entrance opens to an annoyed looking Verena.

"Finally someone with sense." She huffs and pulls me into her overly decorated room. I look at her quickly and avert my eyes when I see nothing on her but lavender colored lingerie.

The walls are white paisley styled with orange undertones and the carpet is a thick beige rug that was definitely installed when she moved in. Every surface is littered with various weapons and from the coloring alone I can tell that they come from different time periods. It's a wonder that she has so many sharp objects but you never see them on her person.

I stop short when see Rob laying on Verena's mustard yellow quilted king bed.

"I speak for both Bex and I when I say we will not be doing that again." The seriousness of the conversation dawns on me as Verena says my name.

I want to tell them to leave me out of this but I did have to spend my night watching over some witches.

A vicious growl rips free from Rob's throat even as his body looks completely relaxed in its position.

"You will go whenever I ask you to Verena."

"Fool. Drop the witch and find a suitable consort. This infatuation has already gone too far." She doesn't even bother to look at him as she glides into her walk in closet.

Feeling uncomfortable, I decide to sit at her teak wood desk opposite her bed.

"Why do you demand this of me V?" He asks while starring at the white ceiling. He's so wrapped up in the argument I doubt he realizes I'm here.

"This mistake is only going to hurt you in the long run, have you even thought about how the eligible vampires will feel about your choice?" Her voice is clear even with her submerged in the closet.

"Of course I'm thinking about them, but I cant stop myself from thinking about her more."

My eyes widen as I slowly begin to understand.

"Have you thought about Elizebeth in terms of decades? We are vampir Roberto, we will not age but she will. And what of her wants, have you thought of those?"

Verena walks out in a tight bronze dress that makes her dark skin shine but she shakes her head at the outfit when she looks in the mirror. Promptly spinning, she goes back in.

"Why do you call him Roberto?" I ask when it becomes obvious that he won't offer Verena a rebuttal.

"Names hold a lot of weight to them, therefore I regard him by the name he died with instead of the short human sounding name he wants to be recognized by." She comes out again but this time in a floor length gown that a deep ruby color.

Same as before, Verena shakes her head but this time turns towards us.

"Why can't you just be content to what we are Roberto?" She asks.

"Because we don't feel anything and I want to feel again V! When did it become acceptable to rot into a walking corpse? We do nothing, give nothing, we're wasting away from holding ourselves back in living our second lives." He swiftly stands up and gets right in Verena's face.

"Have you not learned anything in all these years? We are on a different path than them because our existence spans so much farther! They feel deeply because that moment is all they have. We feel Roberto, it's just not at a rushed pace."

"Maybe I want to be in the moment." They lock eyes and the tension reaches it's climax.

"And when the moment is gone? What then? ....I'll tell you. Those supercharged feelings of yours will eat at you and the pain of them will tear at your soul. She will be dust but you will still taste her on your tongue as if she just left. It's. Not. Worth. It."

"How can you be so against this when you are no better?" Rob's shoulders sag against the weight of her words.

"Don't you dare compare us Roberto. I may have dalliances with the rest but it is never with the intention of a permanent connection. If they get amorous feelings, that is through no prompting on my part. You intend to keep her." They break eye contact at the same time and Verena goes back into her closet.

"I can make her the happiest woman alive."

"That is not what I'm against! Of course you can make her happy, I have no doubt in that. But how will she respond when you admit to not knowing the amount of lives you've taken?"

The silence that answers her is so thick I'm afraid to breathe.

"And what of your hunger Roberto? Will she be alright with you feeding from another's neck? Or will you undignify yourself and finally drink from a cup? What about when you slip up and let the darkness take you?"

"I will be better for her. Stronger."

"A better what, Roberto? A better man? Because you haven't been a man in decades."

"....You never defend the rules."

"Sometimes, like now, I can understand them and appreciate their protection. Most of them I ignore, of course, but I've always understood why they'd warn us away from mortals. We have the rules in place for a reason, they're so that we can avoid lapse of judgement like this."

My presence being relatively ignored by Robert is blown out the window when he glances at me to ask, "What of you Bex? Do you think I'm a fool too?"

Shit.

I open my mouth only to close it because either way I shouldn't be here. My silence won't be tolerated as he's holding still as if time can wait until I come up with something.

Shit.

"It's none of my business." I diplomatically hiss hoping to avoid this.

The question itself isn't a problem but I'll have to search my being for my truth. Right now I'm at odds with who I was and who I am, there is no correlation between us. What do I believe now versus what I believed then. Is it the same? I can no longer trust my previous beliefs as the past had everything and I must remind myself at times of what little remains.

"But I've asked you a question. And I'll even add one more, do you think the species should ever intermingle?" His tone of voice changes at his question, it's deeper and sounds just like the Counsel when I was in their court room.

Shit.

"What I think doesn't matter, you'll do as you see fit." I snap angry at just how much this question bothers me.

Do I really believe in such a thing?

"But even as a temporary member of the Student Counsel, you're opinions need to be stated on any and all matters. If you dissent, just say so."

The problem I have is that I don't dissent, not entirely. What shakes my core is that a younger me would have argued completely against intermingling. Never once listening to another's opinion.

I look into his eyes and voice my thoughts.

"I agree with Verena, screwing around is one thing but bonding is another. Wolves have mates for a reason, to further the bloodline. Now if one loses their other half then there's no harm in seeking out others, especially since it's rare to find another mateless would that didn't die from the shattered bond. But I can see why the other supernaturals intermingle. You all have no predetermined mate and have to walk the world blind." 

I turn to look at Verena and notice that she's leaning against her closet doorway watching us. The top she's wearing is a thick strapless lace that cups her upper torso tight enough to make sure there's no slipping, while the attached bottom hugs her slight curves to the flare out at the bottom. The white lace jumpsuit she has on makes her look holy and now I know that's what she was looking for.

The vampire is looking to be worshipped tonight, not just lusted over.

"There's also a reason why we hardly ever hear of half breeds amongst supernaturals, they just don't live or happen. We were never meant to copulate with each other and that's what keeps the couplings rare. If you and Beth accept that there will never be children in between you two, fine. But.." I trail off because for once I agree with my past.

Roberts eyes have an odd sheen to them as he watches me but his eyes get sharp as I stay quiet.

"Well, go on now." Verena prompts as she sways over to her beauty mirror to accentuate her face.

"But I truly think it dumb on Beth's part to get with a being that will easily outlive her. She may never know it but a dark part of her will always question if you ever truly loved her or if you were just passing the time. I could never do that to myself and thankfully, I won't have to." I try to soften my voice so that they don't hear my relief. It's truly rare that I'm grateful for being somewhat a wolf instead of angry at not maturing into my full birthright.

Mate or no mate, I wasn't made to deal with an immortal.

"You don't think we deserve love?" Robert slightly shakes with rage but I don't fear him.

"I think you are all on a different playing field than the rest of us. Vampires, zombies, and fae are the only ones that can live forever given that no one comes to kill them and they have proper nourishment. The only reason ghosts are excluded is because they can't touch or be touched. The rest of our life spans vary but we can never last as long even if one lead a perfect, drama free existence." I explain.

"So say you have a mate in the top three, you'd reject them?" Robs eyes don't leave my face.

"I gave up on finding my mate a lifetime ago." My tone is perfect, no tremors or inflictions.

"Aww, she's so good at it." Verena coos while stepping next to Rob who's serious facade has cracked.
Her face makeup is sharp lines and captivating eyes. Her dark skin glows with a slight gold shimmer and her fuchsia lips invite all who dare. Jealousy forms because if I could be that beautiful, there's no way I'd be thinking myself inadequate enough to not be blessed with a mate.

"It's almost good enough for her to believe." He responds not mentioning that I didn't at all answer his question.

A knock sounds at the door and Rob is there before Beth can tap another time. Instead of letting her in, he just stares.

The plunging dress that Beth has on burns any thoughts of a previous innocence. She holds herself still only shifting slightly while keeping her blind eyes focused on Rob.

The connection between the two thrums so hard, it hurts. Verena may not feel what I do, but from a glance at her I know that she understands that this is far deeper than longing or lust. We were both wrong to assume but who could account for something this unyielding, this primal?

Rob's hand lightly traces Beth's exposed cleavage up to her collarbone. He then tightly grasps the back of her neck to shift her head up.

Without saying a word, she tilts her head to the ceiling giving a blood sucker easy access to her pale throat.

Rob leans into the crook of her neck and nips slightly before inhaling. His body shakes slightly and I don't know if he's holding back or giving in.

Without moving from Beth, Rob speaks.

"Either I come with or you stay here." His voice holds no other options.

Although Beth's position looks like that of a sacrificial lamb, her voice comes out strong and of one with power.

"Tonight is supposed to be a girls night." She then pushes Robert away as if he was a gnat.

Walking into Verena's room, Beth gazes around as if she can see everything.

"Elizabeth-" He starts and his voice turning dangerous from the door.

"Roberto can come. The more the merrier." Verena interrupts while walking over to me.

In her hands she holds some of the same products she's used on herself and I can't hide my excitement. I want to look just as ethereal as she does, even if only for a night.

I want to feel beautiful like I did on my 16th birthday. There's no doubt that this is because of my dream but the longing to feel that again is too deep to ignore.

"But this was supposed to be just us girls." Beth argues, her face pinched in anger.

"Don't worry, Roberto knows not to ruin our fun. I must admit that the extra security is welcome since I don't want to be dealing with your admirers all night." Her compliment doesn't embarrass the witch who knows her worth.

"I can handle any unwanted attention." Beth huffs.

"Yes and the attention you want will be given at your earliest whim, right Roberto?" 

Everyone in the room waits for his response but the vampire's eyes are still locked on Beth.

Verena's quick with her tools and soon she's standing back admiring her work.

Her fanged smile scares most but I'm sure the one I give back is no better.