Chapter Three

Freya Rose

I got out of bed and after having used the restroom, I had a strip wash and brushed my teeth. Once back in my bedroom, I made my way to the closet where I picked out a pair of gray jeans, black sneakers, and an off-the-shoulder black top. It was, casual enough to be ready for anything, but I would still look cute. I put on my underwear and clothes then headed over to my dressing table where I sat in front of the table-top mirror to straighten my hair before slicking it back into a ponytail. I didn't bother with makeup, there wasn't much time for it these days and to be honest I wasn't aging too badly, so the fresh-faced look was working for me so why clog my pores up with products?

I left my room and walked along the hallway and then down the stairs where I was expecting to see or hear Savanah, Marik and Traian, but they were nowhere to be seen. I went over to the front door and opened it up so I could see if their cars were gone. I looked around and they weren't there, all three of their vehicles were gone. I shut the door and made my way around the island and into the kitchen area. I loved how open-planned the place was. Switching on the coffee machine, I busied myself getting my mug and all the ingredients to make a cup of coffee. I wasn't that hungry though, so I just grabbed a cereal bar and put it on the side next to my mug. Once I'd made my coffee, I went out towards the pool. We had recently bought a large table and chairs so we didn't have to keep sitting on the loungers. So, I parked myself in one of the chairs and placed my cereal bar and coffee on the table.

The grounds were so peaceful. There was a slight breeze that cut through the heat of the sunlight and made it pleasantly cool. Along with the birds chirping their morning song, I could hear the pool water lapping against the sides. I hadn't felt that at peace in years and it made no sense to me. I should have been panicking about where everyone had gone. They could have been kidnapped by Azael or Selene, just like the rest of my pack. I also had no idea where Draco was and I should have given a shit because he'd only just lost his girlfriend yesterday, but for some reason, my mind wasn't bothered. I didn't know if it was because I had been through so much loss, heartache and pain in my life that I'd finally broken and my heart had shriveled up. Or maybe, I had just become numb to it all. I mean it wasn't like I didn't fully care, I still had empathy and compassion, but I just wasn't going to freak out about it. I'd wished for years that I could switch off and not worry about every little thing and now I think I'd finally come to that stage. What was the point in worrying about things I had no control over? I needed to be level-headed and think of rational ways to fix things. Finally, I was able to do that without the unnecessary panic. If that made me cold and harsh, then so be it. It was time for me to be the Luna they all deserved, one that put their safety and wellbeing before my own. Screw romantic relationships, they could happen when my pack was back home where they belonged and Azael and Selene were wiped from the face of the earth.

Hours past and I must have fallen asleep in my chair because I was awoken by the sound of car engines and tires kicking up the small stones on the driveway. I didn't bother to get up, I just sat up and picked up my cold coffee. I gulped down the cold coffee and by the time I’d placed the cup on the table, I heard the front door open and excited chatter from Savanah and a few other people. I recognized the voices immediately and rushed out of my chair and into the cabin. I stopped dead in my tacks when I saw all the people entering our home. There were two women, two men and a child. I think I also spotted a baby in one of the ladies' arms. Tears pricked my eyes and I was speechless. They all fanned out and I was amazed by what Savanah, Marik and Traian had done.

“Freya!” Cassie screamed out as she came hurling towards me.

She wrapped her arms around me and I rested my head on her shoulder, her long blonde hair covering my face while I began to sob. I didn't even know how long it had been since we last saw each other, but I knew it'd been far too long. Just as I began to pull myself together, I felt some arms wrap around me from behind and they squeezed me so hard I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.

“Stop!” was all I managed to shout before my air supply ran out.

I began to panic and I couldn't even smell who it was because I couldn't inhale. So, I did the only thing I could think of and that was to release my wings. As they ripped through my skin their weight and power threw whoever was behind me into the air. I inhaled deeply as soon as their arms released me and on exhale, I let out a furious howl. Spinning around as fast as I could I sprinted towards the guy who was still flying through the air. Being part vampire hybrid meant I could run faster than pretty much anyone on the planet. When I was at my fastest, it was like time slowed down and everything went in slow motion. I leapt into the air and grabbed the guy’s neck, then slammed him down onto the floor. The wooden floorboards cracked and spewed splinter and wood shards all over the living room. The guy let out a slight sigh before passing out.

I crouched over the guy with my hand still squeezing his throat and I could feel his pulse weakening with each passing second, but I didn't care. He had no right to grab me like that. He would pay with his life. People around me were screaming for me to let him go, but I could barely hear them. I was too focused on my prey and I was snarling so loud that it drowned out the panicked shrills. There was one voice I could hear clearly though and he was yelling at me to let go of his brother. I knew the voice, but I couldn't place who it was because I was so consumed with ripping this guy apart for having the audacity to touch me. Marik and Traian left me to it, they didn't say a word, not even telepathically and I could hear that they were holding people back for me. Savanah on the other hand, was trying to reason with me from a distance, calmly and soothingly she did with every situation. It wasn't working this time, because I think I was letting out all of my built-up rage. My pack was gone and for all I knew, this guy could have been a spy for Azael or Selene.

As I lowered my face towards his I had every intention of half-shifting and peeling the skin off of his face with my teeth and then eating it, but the closer I got, the more my nose began to twitch. I could hear the guy behind me snarling and growling at me, but I just shot my head around and hissed back at him, not even bothering to acknowledge what he looked like, he was of no concern to me. Marik and Traian had Cassie and the other guy well and truly under control. Everything was a blur and my vicious vampire side had definitely taken over. I turned back to my prey and lowered my face towards his again. I began to shift my face, and as my face distorted and stretched to form my muzzle a child's scream pierced through my ears. I kept my hand around the guy’s throat but used my other hand to cover my left ear, the one closest to the child. She was fast and quiet and I didn’t even hear her coming up behind me. I snapped my head around when she squealed,

“Let my uncle go, you monster!”

The little girl growled at me and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. It was a pathetic little noise really, but at the same time was incredibly adorable. My eyes scanned over her and I was trying to work out who she was and who her uncle could be. She had the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen and they blended perfectly with her porcelain skin and mousy brown hair. I'd guessed that she must have been around nine or ten years old, but I still had no clue who she was. I turned my focus back towards the man I had pinned to the floor and moved my face closer to his neck so I could take in his scent again. After a couple of deep sniffs, I began to calm down. As my heart rate dropped and my anger cooled, the fog that had engulfed me lifted and my grip on the man’s neck loosened, which in turn allowed his pulse to grow stronger. I let go of his throat entirely, then lifted my leg over his body so I could sit next to him on the floor.

“Tyler…” I said solemnly while placing my hand on his chest so I could feel his heartbeat. I turned to look up at Cassie and she had tears streaming down her face. “I am so sorry, Cass,” I said as sincerely as I could but she just shook her head while glaring at me.

She rushed over to Tyler and got down onto her knees beside him. She reached for his neck and checked his pulse then looked down at my hand. In a split second, she snatched my hand away from Tyler's chest and while throwing it back at me she said,

“Get away from him!” I sat back silently while she yelled at me. “What the hell is wrong with you, Freya?” She didn't pause for me to reply. “Why would you do that to him? Or anyone for that matter.” She placed one hand on Tyler's chest and the other rested on his cheek. “You've changed! And, Avery was right. You ARE a monster!”

I had no words for her. She was right. I had changed and to be honest I didn't blame them for seeing me as a monster. I was far from the person I used to be when they knew me. That Freya was a distant dream and she was long gone. I didn't really know who I was anymore, so much had happened in my life and I had definitely become a different person. My humanity was almost gone and I had been taken over by vampire, hunter and werewolf instincts and they made me do a lot of things that my human side would be ashamed of.

I didn't blame her or Avery for thinking I was an awful and scary person, because I thought exactly the same. I stood up and walked away from Tyler and Cassie and as I did, Avery ran over to Tyler and sat down beside him. I watched as she took his large had into her tiny one. I sighed while closing my eyes and shaking my head. I knew Tyler would be fine once he woke up, but I still felt guilty. Mainly for scaring the hell out of a poor child. So many children had been hurt and killed by Selene and now I was hurting children too. Maybe I AM just as bad as Selene, I thought as tears began to roll down my cheeks. While heading towards the yard I didn't even bother to look back to see who Marik and Traian had let out of their clutches. As soon as I'd worked out that it was Tyler I'd hurt, I guessed that the twins were holding back Tristan and I deserved everything he had planned for me. So, once I'd walked out and into the yard, I turned to face the cabin, ready to receive my punishment.

Tristan's eyes were black with rage and I could feel the electric energy of his body vibrating through the floor while he unsuccessfully attempted to shift. His wolf was refusing to come forward and I guessed that it was because he was protecting, Mina, his mate. He must have been incredibly strong to deny his hosts command to shift. Most wolves couldn't deny a regular order, let alone from and Alpha. But then again, Tristan was also the epitome of strength, because it was almost impossible to ignore a mate call from your wolf too. I on the other hand didn't have that same conundrum because Mina saw Marik as our one true mate, so the pull from Lachlan wasn't as extreme. She was replying to her mate screaming out for her, but it was all but a whisper.

Tristan charged at me and as soon as he did, Traian and Marik began to chase him down. I held my hand up, signaling to them to stop. They came to a screeching halt and allowed Tristan to reach me. He tackled me, wrapping his arms around me. The power of his body crashing into mine, sent us both flying and the next thing I knew, we were splashing into the pool. I didn't have time to take a breath before falling into the water so my mouth and nose quickly became filled with the chlorinated liquid. I was still wrapped up in Tristan's arms, and I struggled to break free, but panic set in when his grip became tighter. He wasn't going to let me go. He'd managed to take a deep breath before we plummeted into the pool, which meant he knew that we would end up in there.

I know I had thought about not retaliating when he attacked me, but I was thinking he would punch me a few times and get it out of his system, but the guy was trying to kill me. I suppose it made sense; I mean he didn't know who I was. Sure, he and his wolf knew I was their mate, but he didn't remember me or our past together. Squirming around in his murderous embrace, I tried my best to think of how I could free myself. It was better thinking about escaping than focusing on my depleting oxygen levels. I knew that Traian was on his way to save me because his voice was screaming in my head. He wanted to tear Tristan apart, but I demanded that he didn't harm him. It wasn't his fault. As far as he was concerned, I was some random woman who attacked and nearly killed his little brother. I wondered if there was a way to bring back his memory. I only knew that Selene could find a way to bring it back because she was the one who helped Sam not forget me.

The water was stinging my eyes because I hadn't realized that I'd kept them open since falling into the pool. Traian and Marik dove into the water and managed to untangle Tristan and I. Marik dragged Tristan away, while Traian yanked me up to the surface. After taking in an enormous gulp of air, I began to cough and splutter, as my body tried to expel the water that had been sucked into my lungs. Traian swam dragging me behind him and when reached the side, Savanah reached down and put her hands underneath my armpits. In one swift motion, she plucked me out of the water. Traian placed his hands on the side and pulled himself out for the water, quick enough to be able to scoop me up and into his arms.

I was still coughing as Traian laid me down on one of the loungers so I couldn't instruct Marik to leave Tristan alone. He'd managed to drag him kicking and screaming to the shallow end of the pool. Between coughs, I was able to see him lift Tristan above his head and with a deep grunt he launched him onto the grass, Tristan flew about four feet and rolled a few times after hitting the ground. I was shocked by the strength Marik had to be able to throw him that far. Tristan wasn't as big as Marik, but he was far from small. Marik walked casually up the pool steps, not one taking his eyes off Tristan. Water dripped from his body and his t-shirt clung to him, accentuating every rippling muscle he had.

“Shift you son of a bitch!” Marik commanded.

“Wait…” I tried to shout but my voice box had been damaged by the water and coughing, so it came out quieter than a whisper.

Tristan's body began cracking and he was writhing around in excruciating pain. I'd read that being forced to shift against your will was extremely painful, especially if you were trying to fight it. I guessed that because Marik was the First Alpha, refusing his command to shift would probably feel like his blood had turned to acid and was burning him alive from the inside out. I didn't know how to stop what was happening to him. My heart was pounding while I sat there helplessly watching someone I loved, go through the worst pain in the world.

Right there and then was when I realized that the love I felt for Tristan, Mason, Samael and the twins was equal. I didn't know how, but I loved every one of them the same. I couldn't separate them at all, they all held a piece of my heart and watching one of them hurt another was just ripping me apart. Tears rolled down my cheeks while I tried to figure out what to do. I gripped my shirt where my heart lay breaking underneath. The ache was unbearable and I was sure that I was feeling Tristan's pain. He was definitely my mate, but so was Marik because I could also feel his anger. I needed to stop them and quickly.