Joanne’s POV

I knew if Anthony found him here, he would kill us both. I knew I should report him, a vampire, for entering the werewolf territory. But my traitorous hands started to unbutton his shirt, wanting to assess his wounds more thoroughly.

Blood was seeping through his shirt, so I knew before seeing them that deep cuts were all over his body.

When I saw the claw marks and gunshot wound, my chest clenched. Before I could think better of it, I was already moving.

Being beaten my entire life by Alpha Anthony taught me to care for wounds of any type.

I already grabbed a bucket of water from the lake, along with a few old rags, earlier this morning. I had them prepared in case I were caught stealing food during today’s celebration.

I soaked some of the rags in the water before carefully pressing them to the wounds on his chest, trying to stop as much of the bleeding as I could.

As far as I could see from the gunshot wound, it was a clean shot. He was alive, which meant it didn’t hit anything too vital. I lifted him slightly so I could see his back, pulling up his shirt in the process, and saw that the bullet went straight through. I let out a breath, relieved that I wasn’t going to have to pull a bullet out of a body today.

I released him, letting him fall limply back to the ground as I assessed the rest of his wounds. I unbuttoned the last button on his shirt, pulling it off his body.

My breath got caught at the sight of his torso; I scanned each and every ab on his six-pack frame, and for a moment, my heart stuttered.

I don’t think I had ever seen anything quite as beautiful.

His skin was cold as marble under my fingers. Each time I dabbed at the blood, I expected him to shudder or lash out, to bare his fangs.

He didn’t.

He just lay there, motionless, as if the weight of the centuries had finally dragged him down.

“Why am I doing this?” I whispered into the silence. My own blood sounded loud in my ears. “You're the last thing I need right now…”

I knew if Anthony discovered that I was helping a vampire, we would both be done for. He’d kill this vampire right away… but me… he’d torture me until my dying breath.

I continued to dab at his wounds until his bleeding slowed, and I could see that his wounds really were deep.

He would need a couple of stitches.

I’ve only ever stitched myself, but I had to do what I could to help him, so I rushed back to the kitchen to grab the needed supplies.

The needles were already cleaned and ready for use.

When I returned to him, he was unmoved, much to my relief.

I knelt back to his side and peeked at his face before I started to stitch his wounds closed.

My stomach growled sharply and cruelly, but I ignored it; my only focus was on him.

I tied off the last stitch, dropping the needle to the ground in the process. I tore the hem of my ragged dress for bandages.

My eyes, once again, flickered to his face, bracing myself for any reaction, but I was only met with unnatural stillness.

I found myself momentarily lost in his beauty.

As if I was looking for something, I searched his face, the curve of his throat, the almost unnoticeable flicker of life beneath the surface.

When I finally sank back, my arms aching, I realized how close I’d gotten. My cheeks burned hot. I was staring at him at the way the moonlight caught on his lashes, at the shape of his mouth, as if beauty could be lethal.

Were all vampires like this?

I watched his steady breaths as the dizziness returned to me.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten.

My only chance at food today was ruined because I was caught. I put my hands on my belly, feeling the dull ache. I allowed myself to rest beside this vampire, my body too weak to keep going.

I told myself I would only close my eyes for a minute. But exhaustion and the deep hunger that weighed down my body had won.

His scent consumed me, lulling me to sleep.

It almost gave me the sense of security… like for the first time in my life, I was safe.

As I slept, it was dreamless.

It wasn’t consumed with the nightmares that I’d have every night. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept without having a nightmare.

Alpha Anthony usually occupied my thoughts, and because of him, the entire pack hated me.

It wasn’t just Alpha Anthony that I usually spent my nights healing from… it was everybody.

They all gave me sleepless nights.

When I opened my eyes next, the faint rays of the morning sun beamed on my face. I lifted my head, blinking open my groggy eyes. My belly still ached from lack of food, and I was still a bit dizzy, but the exhausted feeling I had felt the night before was gone.

I furrowed my brows, trying to remember the events of what had happened. I remembered being at Alpha Anthony’s celebration, intent on getting something to eat. But I was caught…and then I was beaten.

I reached for my side, where Anthony had kicked me multiple times, and I felt the slight bruising. It wasn’t the worst injury he had given me, so I wasn’t too worried about it.

I felt movement beside me, and my entire body stilled.

That was when I remembered the injured vampire I found in my cabin… the one I had stitched and bandaged.

With a racing heart, I slowly turned, my eyes finding his.

They were no longer closed, but staring at me.

His deep blue eyes were pouring into my grey ones.

I realized I was extremely close to him; my back was pressed to his front, his naked torso rubbing against me.

He was still wearing pants, but that did nothing to ease the heat in my cheeks.

I scrambled away from him before I could think better of it, my heart racing as I turned to face him fully. My eyes flickered down to his torso, and they widened when I saw that his injuries were mostly healed. The string I stitched him with was lying beside him on the ground.

How had he healed so quickly?

Before I knew what was happening, the man was moving. Suddenly, his body was pressed against mine, and I was pinned against the ground, the wind nearly knocked out of me.

Then, his deep voice sent a shudder through me as he asked, “Who the hell are you?”

Joanne's POV

His body caged me against the splintering floorboards. His breath ghosted over my ear, cold and making me shiver, yet I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

“Joanne,” I sputtered. “I live here.”

“Alone?”

I managed to nod.

His gaze scanned my face, probably trying to figure out if I was lying or not. His eyes traveled down to my neckline and then across my shoulders until they paused. I had bruises on my shoulders and arm from all the times that Alpha Anthony grabbed me. No doubt they caught his attention.

His hold on me weakened, though he still kept me pinned against the hard floor.

His nostrils flared for a moment.

Was he smelling me?

My question was answered almost immediately when he asked, “Why do you smell… different?”

“Different?” I asked, my voice coming out raspy as it grew drier.

“Not like a typical werewolf,” he answered, his brows pinching together slightly.

My cheeks grew even hotter.

I wondered how much I should tell him. If he knew I was wolfless, he would think of me as weak and useless… he would discard me right away. Despite not knowing who he was, I had a sense that he came from power—that he was stronger than anything I could ever comprehend.

My decision to tell him was out of my hands, because his eyes narrowed at my face.

“You’re a werewolf, and yet I smell no trace of wolf. Are you wolfless?”

The word “wolfless” burned.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“What pack is this?”

“The Long Lake Pack,” I replied, my tone shaking slightly. “My Alpha is Anthony.”

His brows furrowed as he assessed my face.

“Why would a packmate of Anthony save me?”

His question took me by surprise, but what surprised me the most was the answer that came out easily.

“Because I know what it’s like to be alone…” I whispered. “To have to care for yourself and do what you can to survive… even if it’s just for a night.”

He was quiet for a moment, his body moving slightly, releasing the tension on me. I realized at that moment that I was no longer pinned and could move freely, though my body wouldn’t allow me to move.

“Who gave you those injuries?” He asked, taking me by surprise.

I looked away, not wanting to answer for many reasons.

For one, it was too humiliating to tell him that my peers and Alpha abused me for years, resulting in these daily injuries. On the other hand, I didn’t want him to think of me as a weakling, someone he could easily hurt.

I felt his penetrating gaze, and I realized he was looking down at my torn, ragged dress.

His frown deepened as he lifted his gaze to meet mine.

“The truth, Joanne. Who hurt you?”

The way he spoke my name made warmth spread across my body.

I swallowed hard.

“My Alpha…” I replied. “Anthony.”

His blue eyes darkened until they were nearly black, making me suck in a sharp breath.

His mouth hardened.

“Werewolves are disgusting.”

The words landed like a slap. I swallowed them down. I had kept him alive. The bandages, the torn hem of my dress, the blood on my hands—mine and his—and still he would look at me like that.

Before I could reply, a fist pounded on the front door.

I felt my entire body freeze as Alpha Anthony’s voice echoed through the cabin.

“Open up, bane!” His voice boomed through the woods as he yelled, “Search the cabin!”

The Alpha was at my cabin? But why?

The vampire moved faster than I could blink.

Suddenly, he was in front of me, shielding me from the front door as if his body could be a wall.

“No!” I hissed, scrambling to my feet. “If he sees you, he’ll kill you. He’ll kill us both. Go, please.”

His eyes flickered to mine, and I knew that he wanted to argue. But something in my eyes must have stopped him because for a moment, his expression softened.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “For last night.”

Another pounding blow shook the door on its hinges, making my body tremble with fear. In all the years I’ve lived in this cabin, Anthony never came here himself. He would always send someone to retrieve me if he needed to see me for something.

A visit from the Alpha could only mean one thing… I was in deep shit.

“Please,” I whispered again, tears filling my eyes. “Go out the back window.”

The man turned to face me entirely, his eyes pouring into mine as he dipped his head.

“I will repay the debt. Anthony will pay for what he has done to you.”

For the briefest moment, the world around me had slowed. It felt as if we were the only two in the area, and Anthony was miles away.

The earnest expression that the vampire gave me caught me off guard.

“Who are you?” I asked too late, the question tearing out of me on a whisper.

But the space between where he stood was already empty.

A breath of cold air lifted the torn curtain by the back window. The room felt suddenly larger, the shadows deeper, as if he had never been here at all.

The front door exploded inward.

…….

Alexander’s POV

I reached the border to Eboncrest within seconds.

My ability to teleport worked faster than usual, but I didn’t have time to think about why.

I moved quickly, trying to get further away from the border so I could safely reach out to my subordinate. We needed a plan of attack… we needed justice.

We were ambushed last night.

Silver nets. Wolf-steal. Ward-smoke that clawed at the lungs.

My guards dropped one by one, and I now knew who was responsible. The Long Lake Alpha, Anthony.

I killed the gamma that tried to collar me, just before I felt a bullet pierce my chest, and it nearly took me down.

I was weak and tired, not to mention humiliated. I was a goddamn vampire prince, and lowly werewolves managed to take us by surprise. Take me by surprise.

I was never going to let something like that happen again.

After the attack, I was too weak to teleport far, so I used the last of my strength to take myself somewhere safe. Somewhere I could heal until I could return to my territory.

I ended up in some kind of abandoned cabin nearby, though “cabin” might be too strong a word to use for what it was.

It was more like a shack.

There was a sleeping bag in the corner of the room and a few belongings, along with a chest, but besides that, it wasn’t anything special.

I found it hard to believe anyone lived there.

However, the fresh scent in the cabin was alluring and drew me in.

I would spend the night healing and resting, and then I would take action tomorrow.

Though with how weak I was feeling and how quickly I was losing consciousness, there was a chance I wouldn’t survive the night.

I surprisingly woke the next morning from the scent of honeysuckle and fresh rain.

I opened my eyes, wincing at the slight pain in my torso. I looked down and saw that I was wrapped in old rags. When I untied the rags, letting them drop to the floor, I frowned when I saw the poorly done stitches, closing my wounds tight.

I pulled them out without much thought, watching as the last of my wounds healed on their own.

I could already feel my strength returning to me; stronger than it’s ever been before.

I was about to sit up and leave when I felt movement.

Then, there she was… Joanne.

The reason I survived the night.

She was a werewolf in blood, but wolfless by nature. She was dirty and wore ragged clothes; however, her scent… her scent was nothing like I had ever smelled before. It alone gave me strength, and at that moment, I knew it was she who healed me.

It made me wonder what would happen if I had a taste of her blood; would it make me even stronger?

I shook the thought out of my head as I reached higher ground, further away from the borders.

I drew a sigil in the air. Shadows pooled, glassed over, and my subordinate Jame’s face formed in the mirror-dark.

“You’re majesty?” He breathed. “We’ve been searching—”

“How long would it take to rally the troops and march to Long Lake?” I asked, cutting off his words.

His brows dipped.

“It would take about a day, Sire…” James started. “But—”

“Prepare the black lances,” I ordered, my tone final.

Understanding flickered in his eyes.

“Sire, the treaty with the werewolf realm—an incursion risks—”

“Anthony broke the pact,” I said. “He crossed our lines and butchered my men. This is not an incursion. It’s justice.”

Suddenly, my mind flashed to Joanne, the girl who smelled like honeysuckle and rain. The girl who saved me.

A sense of unease and dread fell over me.

She was in danger.

Joanne’s POV

The door exploded inward, and the hinges screamed.

I stumbled back as Alpha Anthony filled the frame like a storm.

“You dare ignore me?!” His voice cracked like a whip, making me flinch.

The backhand came before I could answer, and immediately, my mouth filled with blood. My entire body shook as Anthony stood tall, his aura darkening with each breath he took.

“Search everything,” he ordered the Gammas who had flooded into my cabin. “There’s one vampire still missing, and his blood trail ended nearby. He didn’t just vanish!”

They were searching for the vampire I had helped last night.

My pulse roared.

The gammas tore through my life in seconds. Crockery shattered. My bedding in the corner of the room ripped. The chest that held my personal belongings kicked open and spilled everything I owned onto the floor.

“Please…” I begged, tears burning my vision. “I… I didn’t do anything!”

Anthony’s hand fisted in my hair and yanked me upright.

“You reek of lies,” he seethed.

“I don’t know anything,” I gasped, hoping with everything I had in me that he didn’t smell the lies rolling off me in waves.

He shoved me down. The heel of his boot ground into my shoulder, making me whimper.

“There’s nothing here but useless garbage,” one of the gammas announced.

Anthony gave me a hard kick, forcing me further away from him. I could tell he was frustrated, but he backed off from me.

“Keep searching the forest,” he muttered to his men.

They turned to leave, but Anthony froze when he stepped on something, sharp and metallic.

When he lifted his foot, something slid out from the wreckage—an amulet.

My eyes widened as I caught sight of it.

I had never seen something like it before.

It was teardrop-shaped, dark silver, so tarnished it looked black. A blood-red garnet gleamed at its center, cracked faintly down the middle as if it had survived fire.

Strange markings crawled along the metal, symbols no wolf would know

Anthony bent, picking it up between two fingers.

The garnet caught the light and glowed like a coal washing Anthony’s face in red. His smile was sharp and cruel.

“So. My wolfless little rat keeps company with monsters.”

“No—” The kick knocked the air out of me.

Pain bloomed hot in my ribs.

“Bind her,” he said. “Let the pack see what becomes of traitors.”

They were on me before I could blink.

I was dragged through the pack, my arms and legs screaming from pain due to the tight skin-cutting bindings.

Spit hit my cheek. Someone threw a stone, slicing my cheek. Some packmates laughed while others cursed my name.

By the time they locked me in the dungeon, beneath the packhouse floors, my hands were shaking too hard to lift myself off the ground.

The smell of old blood made me gag; the mildew and mold that grew on the walls made me feel even sicker.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been locked away for; hours blurred.

Periodically, I would be met with a different gamma; they’d ask me questions I couldn’t answer, resulting in blows I couldn’t block.

I knew an entire day had passed by the time I saw Alpha Anthony again. His cruel smirk was all I could see.

“Drag her out,” he ordered his men. “The pack wants a show.”

Soon, hands were on me, yanking me to my feet. My legs wobbled as I moved. My eyes found Anthony again, a question on my lips, but no courage to ask it.

They marched me to the pack square at dusk, where there was already a large crowd gathered.

They screamed at me, threw things at me, and even spat at me.

I was chained, the cruel silver biting into my skin and making me hiss. My knees buckled, so they forced me to the ground. A rock cut into the bone of my knee, and blood trickled into the dirt.

Beta Ben stood in front of me, along with the head gamma, his blade large and ready to sear me to death.

I swallowed hard, my entire body shaking with fear.

Alpha Anthony stood beside me, that harsh smirk never leaving his face.

I lifted my gaze to his, my eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Why do you hate me so much?” I whispered. “I have done nothing to you. I am wolfless, and I pose no threat. Why do you want me dead so badly?”

Anthony let out a wild laugh, making a sound I had never heard before.

“Why wouldn’t I be cruel to the bane who shares my blood?” He hissed, his words making my heart stop.

Share his blood?

That didn’t make any sense. I was an orphan, found by the pack Gammas when I was a baby. Or at least that’s what I’ve always been told.

“What?” I asked, my voice coming out barely above a whisper.

Anthony looked away from me, as if the mere sight of me was unbearable.

The head Gamma came forward, grabbing my hair and dragging me to the center, where everybody could get a good viewing of my death.

I grunted as he threw me to the ground, my shoulder, already bruised, screaming in pain.

“Sad, pathetic, little wolfless,” the Gamma hissed, his face inches from my ear as he pressed the blade of his sword against my throat. I felt the sharp teeth of the blade digging into my flesh, and a warm trickle of blood went down my neck. “To have your own father order your execution.”

He let out a cruel laugh.

I closed my eyes, hating the stinging sensation behind my eyes as I struggled not to cry.

Was Alpha Anthony really my father?

The thought filled me with dread.

I let out a shuddering breath; perhaps this execution was a blessing.

No more hunger. No more pain.

No more being the pack's punching bag.

No more Alpha Anthony.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

Hoofbeats thundered over stone, and gasps echoed around the crowd.

“Alpha!” One of the Gammas yelled, rushing towards the center, a look of panic clear on his face. “The vampires have rallied; they are storming Long Lake!”

“The vampire prince is leading the army, Alpha! I recognized the crest on his armor,” another rushed out.

The sounds of a distant battle echoed through the lands.

The pack was under attack.

Black-cloaked riders rode into the square, crimson banners snapping in the fading light. Swords outstretched and dripping with fresh blood.

And at their head… it was him.

The vampire that I had helped, the one who vanished in front of my eyes.

He was here… and he looked pissed.

He stopped in front of Alpha Anthony, dismounting in a smooth motion.

His hand gripped the steel sword as he raised it to Alpha Anthony. For once, Anthony looked actually terrified. It would have been funny if the circumstances weren’t so dire.

“If you kill her,” he said, voice carrying like thunder, “You’ll lose your only bargaining chip, Alpha Anthony.”