Page 48 of The Alpha's Baby Girl

“I was buried by my people as the last one of us,” the vampire continued. “I was instructed to avenge my fallen kin whenever I awoke. That was their last mandate to me.

“I was terribly confused when I woke up. Everything was so different from when I had gone under, and I wondered how long I had been asleep for. And then I realized that there weren’t any of my people left in the town. The wolves had solidified themselves and overrun the whole town.”

Juniper noticed the snarl when he saidwolves. It was the first time his voice had changed cadence. There was something here. She felt worried but restrained from asking questions. Still, she felt a cold jab of fear.

“Moonwood is a wolf town now, it seems,” he said coldly. “Their species used to be a small group, huddled together under the cover of trees, roaming and hiding, without territory. Not anymore. There are so many of them, I can smell them no matter where I go.

“That’s all well and good. There couldn’t have been a better time for me to carry out my revenge for what their ancestors did to my kind. I’ve bided my time, I’ve gathered my strength, and I’ve made necessary preparations. I’ve not been idle, my dear. I am stronger than I have ever been. Stronger than you can ever imagine.”

He shone ridiculously white teeth at Juniper, curdling her blood. She could see the hatred he felt. Could taste it. She knew deep in her heart that he meant everything he had said. He planned a mass extinction of Moonwood, and she couldn’t see anything stopping him.

There was only one problem. “What do you want to do with me? Why have you brought me here? What do you need me for?”

“Your powers,” he said almost immediately. “Your powers are impressive. You’re a very strong witch, I have to admit. I was surprised when I found out that I could not enter the town anymore. I realized that there was a witch about.

“You are as powerful as the witches of old. I believe that you can be a great asset and ally. You know how old I am, don’t you? I assume you have an idea. I know so many secrets of your kind. Secrets that have been hidden from them for centuries. I could make you the most powerful witch in the world.

“More so, we have too much in common. Both our kinds were hunted by humans. Chased from one corner of the world to the other, like vermin. I wonder how many witches are left in the world right now.” He said the last part as if it was a question and looked at her for a reply.

“Not a lot,” she replied shakily.

“So I thought. We need each other. We were hunted and chased to the edge of society, to live on the frontier of this world. Don’t you see? This is our chance to get revenge on every last one of them. This is our chance to hunt those who hunted and terrorized us.

“Do you realize how powerful I can make you? I will teach you spells of old. I will teach you how to use your powers. How to harness your anger, how to increase your mana reserves. I could take you to a level you could never attain on your own. Don’t you see?”

Juniper was listening to him speak so intently that she didn’t realize he had gotten off his perch atop the rock and had crossed the clearing toward her. Now, he stood only a few yards away from her.

There was a manic look on his face, a gleam in his eyes. His voice had a lilting quality to it. He sounded so persuasive, so convincing, as if he wasn’t speaking about the destruction of everything she had ever known and loved growing up.

Her mind was reeling from all he had said. She had to be very careful with what she said or did. He seemed to be right on the edge, and one wrong move could send him flying into a murderous streak.

She wanted to placate him, but couldn’t think of anything suitable to say. This was a millennium-old hatred. She doubted there was anything she could say to steer him off the path of destruction, but she had to try. Even worse, she had suspicions that he wasn’t completely sane.

She wished, like the wolves, she had access to their precious mindlink. She would have warned Rowan and the entire pack of the danger. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to warn her people.

She needed to try something. Anything.

One thing was certain—the vampire had no plans of killing her. That gave her a little confidence. She firmed her resolve and hardened her voice.

“You’ve been away for a very long time,” she said, holding out her hands placatingly. “So many things have changed since the time you speak about. All those people who hurt you? They are all gone. The world is so different now.

“Even your kind, the vampires, they have built their own societies. We have all found a way to live together. We have learned to put away old differences and coexist. It’s not been the easiest thing in the world to do, but somehow we have tried to make it work.

“We have learned to live in plain sight, right under the noses of the humans. I believe that you could too. I—we—can help you.”

He set his jaw and his countenance turned hateful. “I should have known. All I hear from you is weakness and people who have forgotten who they are. Both my kind, and the filthy humans. Your kind. The wolves. Everyone seems to have forgotten who they are.”

Juniper took a step back, terrified. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her, mere inches away. He reached out and took her wrist in his hand. “What do you say? Will you fight with me?”

She looked at him with wide eyes as cold seeped into her from his grip around her wrist. He watched her expectantly for a reply, but all she could do was stare at him wordlessly. Her mind raced for a reply, but nothing she thought about made any sense to her.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes at her. She shriveled under the scrutiny. He looked down at her stomach and she covered herself reflexively in horror. Knowing how he felt about the wolves, she was afraid of what he would do to her unborn child.

A look of realization settled on his face. “You’re carrying a wolf child in your womb…” His voice sounded as soft as the wind rustling through leaves, barely a whisper.

He let go of her wrist and took two steps back. He looked hurt and upset. “How could you? How could you allow your womb to be tainted by wolves?” And then, his eyes turned as cold as ice and his voice hardened. “I will wipe them all out. I will start with Moonwood, and then I will wipe every last one from the Starlight Valley and wider.”

Juniper started to plead but he just walked backward, with a look of cold resolution on his face. Without another word, he turned around and sped off into the woods, heading toward the town.

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