Council members rallied in their elevated ringlet discussing the trials for the day when someone mentioned the death of the Vampire King. With such unrealistic rumors going around it had sparked a debate leaving Vermont, the leader, hitting his head off the desk.
"Perhaps, we should be thankful of this girl, that King was a brutal murderer."
"True, he was untouchable."
Vermont rolled his eyes; a seventy-three years old man didn't have time for pointless gossip. Vermont prided himself on facts and truth, the death of the King certainly peaked his interest being from the vampire community himself. Unfortunately for him, this case would be a difficult one after Aiden had informed him the perpetrator had been injured. With the current postponement the usual cases were rather boring., so Vermont had little enthusiasm. He wanted to hear how this mysterious girl Aiden wouldn't share the name of, killed the most powerful vampire on earth. Vermont banged his baton on the desk causing the room to fall silent.
"We still have pressing matters to attend to so if you continue gossiping like school children, I'll remove your titles without a second thought. Am I understood?" Everyone nodded their lips zipped shut.
"Shame, I was enjoying all of your speculation." A man appeared from the shadows and Vermont's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Eli, you have no business here. Your brothers' trial isn't for another week." Vermont tried to sound stern, but his voice trembled in fear. Eli smiled and stood dead center of the room looking at the floor.
"So, this is where it all happened. You've cleaned the floors well, but I can still smell it." Eli inhaled then licked his lips. In the dark shrouded room with his eyes glowing red he looked like a maniac. Vermont couldn't understand what he meant and began getting agitated he could just waltz in like the law didn't apply to him.
"What are you talking about?" Vermont bellowed over the podium.
"Tell me about the wolf girl who stood the trials here." Vermont's face quickly saddened. What could he possibly want to know about Ally? Word hadn't reached the council that Ally was alive, so Vermont was still mourning her. It haunted him that day he watched as she pulled the trigger, he would even dream about it sometime, it had scarred him.
"The girl is deceased, there is no point telling you about her." Vermont spat his words bitterly. Council members began whispering after hearing her name, after all she was the girl who destroyed their formation in just a few words. Ally wasn't easy to forget. Eli had been re-tracing her steps over the past day or so trying to figure out what she was and why his brother turned her. Eli could tell when he saw her in the hospital that her and Dash shared the same gift. They could not be compelled by pure-bloods like everyone else, so this was a problem.
"Deceased you say? What about if I argued otherwise, what if I told you I'd seen her?" Eli had a taunting tone staring determinedly into Vermont's eyes. Vermont had a complicated look on his face, why would he say such a thing?
"Impossible, I watched her die with my very own eyes. If you continue talking such nonsense you will be arrested for treason." Vermont wanted to believe it but at the same time if even by the slightest chance she'd survived. Ally now had Eli to contend with.
"Eyes can be deceiving, I prefer to trust my gut. Right now, my gut is telling me to tear you apart and give this dull room a little color. Start talking." Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats, this was a warning they didn't want to heed. Vermont began thinking his head filled with questions, was Ally truly alive? He cleared his throat.
"Ally King was her name, she was born to Alpha Jackson King of the moonstone pack. Ally has a twin brother named Blake and a half sister name Leah." Eli began shaking his head, this was everything he already knew.
"Unnecessary, I want to know about her darkness, her past. I can tell when a person has struggled and that painful look in her eyes intrigued me." Eli began pacing back and forth impatiently while Vermont was at a stand-still. Eli was a lot of things but not a liar, he really had seen Ally. Council members were getting unsettled also catching on that the girl had survived.
"That information is private." Vermont stuttered. Eli began laughing.
"Why is everyone so f*cking protective over that girl. Everywhere I look people are fighting for her, tell me what's so special about her in your own words." Eli was getting angrier by the minute, he just wanted a simple answer, so he didn't have to dig anymore.
"I'm protective over that girl because out of the countless cases I witness everyday she is the only one who had ever touched my heart in testimony. In three sentences she disbanded an entire council and didn't rely on being likable to survive. Ally stood for what was right no matter the consequences, she is a strong girl and very admirable. That is why I protect her." Eli listened intently at the adoration in his voice. So, Ally had even won over the high council member, her allies although unknown too her were reputable. Eli was starting to realize that his brother wanted this girl for himself because Ally was one of a kind. Everything about her screamed originality, from her hybrid genes to her mind.
"I see." Vermont waited for him to ask something else but instead he walked from the courtroom without uttering another word. Releasing breaths soon filled the room and Vermont wiped the sweat from his brow. It was suffocating being in a room with such a dark presence, but he'd left Vermont with a lot of lingering questions. Eli had taken an unfortunate liking to Ally because she was unique, and he wanted to use her for his own gain. His surprise visit wasn't planned he just wanted to know where all of this started. From the minute he walked toward the council building, he could smell Ally's sweet scent still weakly present in the atmosphere. It smelled like sandalwood and hazelnut, completely intoxicating.
After careful consideration he'd realized that it didn't matter what Ally had faced in the past she would keep fighting until the life left her body, Vermont was right knowing of such things was pointless. His goal was to make her his whether she consented or not, he did thrive on breaking strong women after all…
-----------------------------------Lang Garden--------------------
Blake was pacing quickly with his phone to his ear while his mother waited, biting her lip in trepidation seeing worry pasted all over his face. Joseph had guided them to the private garden, so they could sort out their pack business, so far it had been successful, and they had carried out his orders happily. Roses and vine trees surrounded them, which were neatly trimmed and quite captivating. Blake had been making calls for about an hour giving everyone different duties in his absence until he was given information on a pack member which stopped him in his tracks.
"Could you give the family my condolences, I'm very regretful this happened. I will also transfer money into their accounts for the hospital fees, tell them not to worry and stay with him." Blake was full of sorrow. Helen could hear the distress in his voice as he kindly gave his thoughts.
"Thank-you for your time." Blake hung up and sighed at his mother.
"What is it?"
Blake, "Quinn Lamont, the fifteen-year-old boy from our pack. He's in hospital under supervision after a suicide attempt." He admitted painfully. Helen's green eyes widened, and she placed her hand over her mouth squeezing her eyes shut to stop herself from crying. Quinn was a smart and caring boy and would often come to Helen for advice if he was struggling, she adored him but noticed he hadn't been very active around the pack house lately. It really was a tragedy that he'd been pushed to that point.
"Quinn is Ally's friend, he was there when Lucian first made an appearance and she protected him. From my information there was another wolf there, a female from another pack which Quinn was close too. Sadly, she didn't survive." Blake closed his eyes. A fellow wolf losing her life because of a vampire was a story everyone heard much too often, the hostility between races would often lead to murder. Majority of vampire didn't respect the law because they deemed it unfair, if they didn't agree with it then the would do anything to break the pledge.
"We can't let her know, I know what she's like, she'll blame herself for this." Helen said reluctantly.
"Issue is if he really is suffering that much then maybe he needs her, they were both at that bar after all and he's always trusted her. The family are saying he's inconsolable, traumatized by his experience. Who else knows how to deal with trauma better than Ally." Blake didn't want Ally to leave here but it was her friend life on the line and if they concealed this from her. Blake dreaded to think of how furious she would be and leave on her own. Helen thought about it for a while and knew in her soul Blake was right, Ally was stubborn but also very understanding.
"Let's leave it for today it's far too late to be alarming her she's still healing after all. I'll inform her tomorrow." They both agreed and walked back into the mansion.
---------------------------Ally's private Lounge-----------------------
Aiden walked exhausted back in the room to see Isaac playing cards on the table near the bathroom. Isaac looked up and could see the pale face of his brother and knew what had happened.
"Do you feel any better?" Isaac said shuffling the cards.
"A little, blood bags don't really do the trick, but it's put me over for now." Aiden sat in the chair opposite and rested his head on the table. It annoyed him that he had to break away from Ally because of his impulses, if only he could live blood-lust free. They shared a very intimate moment for the first time since his brother had come back on the scene and Aiden couldn't get the image out of his head.
"Where's Ally?" he asked startled.
"Relax, she's having a bath. I asked to join her, but she punched me, so I guess it was a no." Isaac chuckled at the disgust in his brother eyes, he really did enjoy riling him up.
"Yeah I'd punch you too." Aiden snatched the cards from his brother hands and began to deal the cards. Isaac studied his brother skills as he shuffled without even looking. Aiden's behavior had changed drastically since he met Ally, he would now loose his tranquility quite often and Isaac had noticed this.
"How are you feeling after what happened?" Isaac said sympathetically, Aiden gripped the cards in his hands tightly causing them to bend. He had blocked out what that monster had done to Ally afraid he would lose control but if he didn't answer his brother would keep pushing.
"How are you feeling?" he bit back trying to avoid the question. Isaac frowned at him, he was always ignorant when it came to express how he felt.
Isaac, "Fine you want to push it aside then I'll tell you how I feel, maybe it will resonate with you. I feel incompatible and ill-suited to protect her because I wasn't there when she needed me most. Call it unworthiness or self-pity I don't really know anymore. What I do know is this feeling I have inside of me is like a ticking time-bomb only I know which wire can stop it completely because the way I feel about what he did to her. Hell wouldn't have nothing on me. So, before you try modestly to contain yourself remember that were in the same boat brother." Isaac had hit the nail on the head completely and Aiden nodded in agreement. They wanted to scrounge the earth until they found him, then they would take their time ripping him limb from limb.
"What about Ally? How do you think she feels?" Aiden asked innocently. Isaac started tapping his head in thought.
"Ally is a closed book and I can't really read her anymore, but she has a similar approach to you. Have you noticed it doesn't matter what it is she will take it upon herself? Blake getting struck by Harvey was unfortunate, but it was a distraction for her. If she doesn't think about it, she'll function and keep up her guard." Aiden listened at his evaluation and thought about it more deeply. When Ally was struggling with something she would fight, argue anything she really could to ignore what was going on inside her head. It was her own coping method and when she had nothing to keep her busy, she resorted to drinking or sleep.
"I hate to say it, but do you think this opening up business is just an act?" Aiden said sadly, Isaac chuckled at him.
"Nah, that's what she wants you to think. A family and friends that love her was something she always wanted but now it's here I think she's confused. We were arguing earlier, and she said something that bothered me." Isaac said furrowing his brows. Aiden leaned forward intrigued.
"She told me that her childhood was deprived of her, so she didn't know what it felt-like to be vulnerable and she didn't know how to make peace with what she was. It hurt me hearing that but now that we know, I want her to trust us with this sort of thing. You can only bottle so much water before it overflows. I know she trusts you and had probably shared similar thing but if she ever says anything about letting go promise me, you'll tell me." Isaac had tears in his eyes and Aiden realized he was deadly serious. Aiden didn't know much about Ally's past because he didn't want to ignite bad experiences but maybe that push to deal with what she felt was something she needed.
"Of course, brother I wouldn't keep that from you. How has she been with you?" Aiden asked sincerely. His brother may be his competitor, but he was curious to know if they're relationship was on the mend.
"We're working through it a little at a time. Both of us have changed quite a lot over this time so slowly I think we're working each other out. It will take some time." Isaac said genuinely. The way Ally spat out what was on her mind gave him that little jolt of understanding. Only he knew when Ally confided in you about how she felt you were honored.
"Let's nip it in the bud she'll kill us talking about her like this." Aiden smirked, and Isaac nodded in agreement. They didn't say much else both deep in thought while playing poker. Soon enough Helen walked in with Blake.
"Room for one more." Blake asked. The brothers pulled up a chair for him, so he could also play. Helen knocked on the bathroom door.
-----------------------------------Bathroom---------------------
Ally began to undress looking at herself in the mirror, after she'd taken her bandages off, she noticed that her healing still hadn't activated. It confused her and started speculating as to why. Before her transformation within hours her body would mend itself so why was now any different. Her ribs were badly bruised, and a red stitched line was stretched around her side. Carefully, she ran her fingers along her ribs rippled skin underneath them. Slightly she winced but shook the pain off.
After her talk with Isaac she felt a little better in herself, now she knew Isaac didn't leave her but was driven away by her father. Ally smiled at herself in the mirror admiring her mismatched eyes. Eli had no idea what she was planning to do with him, clearly words were ineffective against him, so she would have to resort to physical efforts to reach him. Ally wasn't a limited addition toy they could buy against other auctioneers she was a girl with an advanced brain, too clever to be owned by imbeciles. After going over her plan she unbuttoned her leather jeans and peeled them off. They weren't her usual style and she didn't know what Isaac was thinking putting her in such tight clothing. Then she remembered how perverted he was deep down and realized. Just as she was about to step into the steaming bath lifting her leg, she noticed the hand-print on her inner thigh and suddenly felt sick. Blocking out her encounter was something she was used to but being reminded so suddenly shocked her. Ally consoled herself swallowing her disgust when she heard a knock on the door. Ally quickly hopped into the bath and called out, moaning in pain as the hot water touched her side.
"If you think your coming in Isaac you must be deluded." She cried out in her discomfort.
"Ally sweetheart it's mom can I come in." Ally could hear the sadness in her mother's voice and began feeling worried.
"Sure."
Helen walked in and quietly closed the door behind her. Then she proceeded to sit on the toilet lid while she studied her, Ally felt a little uncomfortable but bypassed it. Obviously, her mother was just checking on her.
Helen, "How are you feeling?"
Ally, "I feel fine. My side still hurts but my fever's gone down." Helen looked at her with a complicated frown. Ally began pouring water over her head and rebelling in the relaxation.
"That's not what I meant. How do you feel within yourself, you can confide in me?" Helen said innocently. Ally looked at her with a frown, that venom once more on her tongue but she swallowed her pride and gave in.
"I don't really know how I feel and even if I did you know too well, I'm far too stubborn to admit it. There's one thing I'm wondering about though." Helen looked enlightened to see her daughter opening up, so she leaned forward in interest.
"Is it unfair for me to kiss two men?" Ally watched in amusement to see her mothers' eyes widen. In honesty this was the reaction she was looking for, boy trouble was the typical thing mother and daughter conversed about so Ally knew he mother would answer her.
"Aiden and Isaac? When?" Helen looked thrown off by this and didn't know what to say.
"Within ten minutes of each other, I never thought I'd been admitting such a thing, but I can confide in you right." Helen placed her fingers between her eyes.
"I can't really say I haven't done it myself, but I don't see the shame in it. You're a independent women you could kiss the whole colony and I wouldn't judge you." Helen chuckled.
"Does this mean you've forgiven him?" Helen was gesturing to both men, but Ally had forgiven Aiden the minute he said it was out of jealousy, she admired his honesty.
"Not by a long shot but I couldn't pull away meaning my heart differs from my mind. I'm in conflict."
Helen, "That's a usual dilemma when you love someone, for years my mind told me your father was no good, yet I still stayed with him because my heart desired so. It's a choice I regret but also admire because I got two beautiful children as a result." Helen smiled and Ally. Ally nodded with tears in her eyes.
"You're saying maybe my minds right but if I leave, I'll miss out on something I will never get again."
Helen, "Exactly, it's a struggle sweetheart but I can't tell you what to do. This is your life Ally, I'm just happy you're not locked away in your head anymore. Two weeks ago, I never believed I would be in the same room as you never mind talking in such depth and I'm grateful for that. "
Ally, "I made a mistake of punishing myself while disregarding those around me. All of you have suffered too and I don't ever want to put you all through that again. I'm sorry mom." Helen walked over and hugged Ally. Ally hugged her back until she realized she was still indisposed.
"Could you um… pass me the towel please." Helen started laughing and passed her the towel seeing her daughter red face. Ally dried herself off and got dressed, she was starving having not eaten a morsel for two days.
----------------------------Bedroom--------------------------
"Freedom and weep." Aiden said proudly collecting all the cards in. Isaac flicked a card off Blake's head, so Blake picked up a crumpled piece of paper and launched in at Isaac's head. They all began laughing to themselves. Ally and Helen exited the bathroom. Ally had a messy bun in and some causal clothing. Aiden and Isaac sniffed up at her scent which since the bath had intensified quite a bit. It was hazelnut and sandalwood, completely intoxicating.
"How do you feel about sitting with the clan while we eat?" Aiden said innocently clearly oblivious to Ally's previous encounter. Isaac was about to say that wasn't a good idea, but Ally interrupted him.
"That would be fine, should be fun." She said winking at Isaac with an evil smile. Isaac placed his hand on his head and gave Aiden a hopeless look.
"I don't think it would be a good idea my mother and I attending so we'll just eat out, but we'll be back." Blake said carelessly before Ally flicked his head.
"What part of an evil vampire on the loose with a vendetta against me do you not understand?" she said angrily. Blake quickly realized and understood.
"Sorry I wasn't thinking, we'll order and eat in here." Ally sighed and then smiled at him. She didn't want to be so suffocating, but her brother meant everything to him.
With that she kissed her mother and Blake and left to the dining hall.
-----------------------------Dining Hall----------------------------
Aiden and Isaac walked either side of her like bodyguards as she entered the dining room. Quickly, the vampires shifted in their seats to see her warning eyes scanning them once more. Jade was sitting at the far end and Isaac breathed a sigh of relief. One altercation was enough for today. Joseph sat near the brothers who were either side of Ally. Ally didn't pay much attention to the rest of the vampires around her and focused her attention on Joseph while he discussed the upcoming trial after it had been pushed back. Jade hadn't stop glaring her down since she entered seeing how close she was to Dash. Ally gave her a glance but jumped when Isaac held her hand distracting her from Jade's attention. They held hands under the table while the others bickered among themselves.
"I'm happy with my appeal but my only concern is if Eli decides to make an appearance I may struggle with composure. His proposition for me was that if I kept him entertained you all would be safe. "
Aiden, "You never mentioned that." he said worriedly.
"I was trying not to think about it. I'm not sure what extent he means but maybe that will be his first request. It would be unrealistic to think he would want me to be found guilty of Lucian murder, that would mean I wouldn't be available for his childish schemes."
Isaac, "Your right. We must make sure he doesn't make a scene otherwise if any of us lose our composure the council will destroy us. "Isaac said seriously.
Isaac began circling his fingers around Ally's hand which made her feel relaxed. Jade could see Ally looking quite happy with herself and decided to disturb the piece.
"So, King slayer." She said loudly causing the table to fall silent as Joseph was interrupted. Isaac breathed a sigh of annoyance and glared at her. Ally smiled at her waiting for her to continue.
"It's Ally but call me what you please." She said slyly. Jade lifted her hand up and revealed a blood bag. Ally almost burst into laughter at the childish act but held in her laughter.
"I wonder if you struggled with thirst, I was curious." Isaac went to stand to interject but Ally squeezed his hand telling his to stay put.
"Holding up a blood bag in a room full of vampires. How very brave of you. Either you're just that stupid enough to let jealousy rule you or you really have no value for your life. It doesn't bother me which but consider your friends in this room before you open that bag." All the vampires were once again in awe at Ally. Some had their mouths wide open watching the drama unfold. Jade's face darkened, and she slowly leaked the bag open. Everyone immediately covered their mouths, so they couldn't smell it and Ally felt sympathy for everyone in the room. Aiden and Isaac had erectly fed so weren't tempted by the smell. Ally sat smiling at Jade but just as Jade was about to admit defeat Isaac felt Ally's grip tighten in his hand.
Ally sat there will tears in her eyes, the smell had hit her, and it was the sweetest most desirable smell she'd ever experienced. The pain in her throat began contracting and her saliva glands began salivating. Jade began chuckling to see the struggle on Ally's face as she fought the urge. Aiden and Isaac looked completely dumbfounded, they didn't think Ally had those sorts of urges. Aiden began evaluating the situation and quickly realized Ally had never been near a human since her transition and even when she was. It was either if she was sick or unconscious, so the urges never took effect. Wolf blood wasn't appealing to vampires either so being around Blake and Helen didn't affect her.
"Hey, look at me." Aiden pulled her face away from the blood and looked into her eyes. Isaac could see Aiden's eyes widen and pulled her face around to him. Isaac looked and could see both of her eyes blood red as the vampire gene took over her.
"What's wrong King Slayer are you loosing control?" Jade said childishly. Aiden shot her a frightening look which stopped her dead. Ally began breathing heavily in a panic. Joseph stood up and ran over trying to dispose of the blood before Ally lost control.
"You're doing good just keep looking at me." Isaac said desperately. Ally closed her eyes battling her shaking body as she painfully fought off her instinct. Ally was technically a new born so Aiden and Isaac were surprised she had this sort of restraint, in fact they were mesmerized. Jade began feeling unsatisfied and even more enraged to see Dash's hands cradling her face. Therefore, as a last bout of anger she threw the bag across the table. It hit against the table and burst causing the blood to splatter across and hit Ally, Isaac and Aiden. Aiden covered his mouth while Isaac shielded Ally from majority of the blood, but a small amount hit her lip. Isaac quickly wiped It off, the events were so sudden Ally didn't have time to think but with Isaac holding her face she began to come around fighting the thirst.
"Jade your lucky I don't kill you where you stand how could you be so f*cking naive!" Aiden shouted across the table causing the disturbed room to go still once more. The clan had never heard Aiden curse in their lives so a few were in utter awe to hear such profanity coming from his mouth.
"Looks like you have both Lang brothers at your disposal." Jade said bitterly. Joseph wiped the blood from the table and exited the room, he was clearly flustered. Ally broke her eyes from Isaac and looked around the room to see all the opponents visible shaken fighting their blood-lust and felt a bout of anger take over. She shot up out of her seat and before the brother could catch her sprinted across the table pinning Jade against it by her throat. Jade was surprised at the lethal tight grip Ally had and tried to fight back but was useless against her.
"You must be one insecure broken slut to go to these lengths, does it make you happy watching others suffer? If so then consider this an act of kindness on behalf of the remaining members. "Ally picked up a nearby red wine bottle and smashed it against the table leaving a sharp strand of glass in her palm and without thinking she slashed it against Jade face leaving a large gash in her cheek.
"The next one goes in your neck and I'll make damn sure it doesn't heal. If you so much as look at either of them I don't care what the consequence, they can add another murder charge onto my trial. You thought what I did to Lucian was bad? You have no f*cking idea. You might be used to being the b*tch of this household, but you'll never match me. Not in strength, not in speed not in anything so think wisely the next time you put your heart before your head you f*cking idiot." Ally stabbed the glass bottle in the table an inch away from Jade's head and released her throat. Jade eyes were wide in trauma seeing the flames in Ally's eyes, she even stayed in the same place at her release to scared to move a muscle. Isaac and Aiden looked at Ally with worry seeing her lose it so quickly. Ally never used physical actions to make a point unless necessary, so it was clear the blood-lust was fogging her mind.
"As for the rest of you that was the second strike. One more and your all out, if you value even a scarp of your pathetic lives then you'll do well to stay out of my way." Ally ran out before saying anything else and Isaac and Aiden quickly sprinted after her.
----------------------------Kitchen------------------------
Aiden and Isaac both caught up and saw that Joseph was already calming her down. Joseph hadn't said much during the confrontation because he knew Ally would only take it up to a certain point and no further. It intrigued him more to see the control she had to bypass her blood-lust and re-direct it towards Jade in the form of anger. This was a skill only few vampires could do after perhaps six months of training, but Ally had done it in 15 seconds flat.
Ally was clearly struggling to calm down and was breathing heavily. Joseph was holding her shoulders down and looking her in the eyes. Both brothers walked up, and Ally didn't pay attention to them.
"I've never seen you lose it like that Ally. Are you alright?" Isaac asked innocently. To everyone's surprise Ally spun around and slapped him across the face.
"Anymore psychotic girlfriends of yours I'm going to have to contend with?" she said angrily. Isaac held his cheek and sighed in annoyance. Aiden couldn't help but smile at his brother's brutal karma.
"Nope, just the one." He said quietly.
"How did you do that?" Joseph asked happily. Ally just looked at him confused taking deep breaths to calm herself.
"I watched you. You bypassed the blood-lust and re-directed it. That takes months to perfect." Aiden also added, he'd also seen it.
"It didn't just affect me, it affected everyone so if I'd gave in then I might have hurt you both." She said honestly collecting her thoughts.
"Looks like you have an anchor, thank god or my whole dining room would have been a bloodbath." Joseph said humorously but Ally couldn't smile. It took very little to unhinge her, but the bloodlust had done just that. Aiden comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It won't go away, I can feel it in my throat." Ally admitted gripping her neck. Isaac looked at Joseph despairingly and knew what had to happen next.
"Come with us." Isaac said reluctantly, Ally could sense his sudden nervousness.
"Where?"
"If you don't feed, you'll slowly lose it. Once you've had the urge it doesn't go away." Isaac said despairingly, he knew that pain all too well.