Blood Lust and Love
Chapter 7

DarkBeauty357

•••••

His eyes fluttered open. Confusion hit him like a brick until he remembered what happened. He laid in the grass as snowflakes fell from the cloudy grey sky. Even though the sky was grey, somehow the lighting was still perfect. He looked at his surroundings as he pieced together who he was and what happened, which didn't take long. An intricate snowflake fell gracefully from the sky and it was coming toward him. Being the little kid he was, Kai stuck out his tongue and caught the snowflake.

He sat up and continue to take in his surroundings. He was sitting in a thin layer of fluffy snow. A group of trees was over to his left. Even though it seemed like it was winter, all the trees were vibrant and full of leaves. They were completely healthy. He looked at all the flowers, trees, and small animals that seemed to roam around so freely. Everything seemed so beautiful and surreal.

Where was he?

Suddenly, Kai's eyes fixated on a dog that appeared in front of him. He was a white fluffy dog. As the dog sat there and stared at him with his tail wagging, Kai recognized him from the stories his mother told him about having a dog once.

"Logan?" Kai called to him in a questioning voice. The dog barked and happily approached him with his tail wagging like crazy.

Logan liked him in the face and jumped around with joy. Kai smiled and wrapped his arms around Logan. He's never meet Logan his whole life, but it felt like Kai has known him forever.

"Welcome, My child."

Kai's face snapped to the source of the voice. He found a beautiful woman with light, pretty blue eyes. She was extremely beautiful with her white hair and rosy pale skin. The white and blue lace dress she wore looked to be a million dollars. Kai had never seen anything like what was before him.

"Who are you and where am I?" Kai asked. Although, he already knew the answer to that question. He was with the moon goddess in the afterlife, but he just wanted to hear it out loud.

"Kai. Can you please come forward to me?" The moon goddess asked him.

Kai got up and dusted the snow off of him and approached her with caution. Yes, she was the moon goddess, but Kai was nervous and scared because he was in a foreign place. Plus, he just wanted to go home but he couldn't.

The moon goddess could understand the way Kai felt like this. After all, she could still remember the days when she was a werewolf living on earth. It would take time for him to adjust, and the moon goddess planned to help him every step of the way because he was one of her favorite creations.

The moon goddess held out her hand for Kai. Kai placed his hand in hers and she gave him a warm smile. He looked up at her taller frame and gave her a half-smile.

They walked toward the woods with Logan following alongside Kai.

"I am the moon goddess, but you can call me Sycamore." Sycamore glanced at Kai. "I've waited so long to finally meet you. You're one of my favorite creations."

"Really?" Kai doubtfully says.

"Yes! I love you and your family with all my heart." She admitted proudly.

"Even though you made me with autism?" Kai asks.

"I gave you a gift. Something that others didn't have- a different way of thinking. I know you and others might think it's a disability, but it's not. You are special and you're extremely gifted."

"Thank you. I'm sorry that I ever doubted your intentions." Kai apologizes.

"No need. No one is ever born without the capability to feel doubt in themselves or their choices. Anyway, what is your favorite thing to eat."

"Um, candy?" He says.

She chuckles, "We have plenty of that. I hope you are ready to see your eternal home. A place of paradise, truly. With no more pain or suffering. And endless amounts of paint and canvases."

Sycamore took him up to the cliff so Kai could look down into the valley. A valley with huge mansions, golden statues, endless food, and plenty of fun. There were plenty of woods and plains to run freely as a wolf.

Just as Kai looked at the valley the sun finally came through the clouds. It shined brightly across the valley of paradise, making everything sparkle in the eyes of Kai.

"Wow. That's incredible." Kai says.

•••••

Elizabeth paced back and forth fretting about the whole situation. Should she tell the Alpha and Luna? Since the attack on Charlie and Kai last night, Jade hasn't been seen since. She was supposed to go to meet up with her vampire mate, but she didn't come back to Elizabeth's house last night. Jade's disappearance might have something to do with the attack last night, but she sure hoped not. Elizabeth decided to wait another hour to see if Jade will return. Maybe Jade just stayed the night with her mate. Elizabeth hoped Jade would be here within that hour because she didn't want to blow her cover, but this was important.

It was early in the morning. Most families would be opening presents since it was Christmas Day, but today had turned into a sad day. As Kai's body was currently in the process of being prepared for a funeral, and the life and joy seemed to be just sucked out of the pack. No one had opened presents yet, especially Josie. She found out early in the morning and locked herself in her room. With the bracelet on her wrist that was gifted to her by Kai, she cried her heart out into the pillow. A new feeling of dull pain and heartache evaded her chest. To her, this Christmas was ruined, and she wasn't even able to give him his Christmas present.

An hour went by and there still wasn't any sign of Jade, so Elizabeth called Blaire and asked if she could come over for a second. Blaire was woken up by Elizabeth's call, and she washed her face quickly because it sounded urgent. Blaire looked at herself in the mirror. She was up last night crying, so her face was swollen and her eyes were closed shut by her tears.

After washing up, Blaire hurried in wolf form to Elizabeth's house. When Elizabeth opened the door she immediately sat clothes in her bathroom for Blaire.

The door opened and Blaire walked out of the bathroom. She saw Elizabeth sitting on the couch in her living room. She looked to be in deep thought because her fingers were over her mouth as in a "hushing" motion.

"Okay, so what's wrong? You sounded worried on the phone." Blaire asked as she sat down beside her.

Elizabeth had a perfect way to help Jade not get in trouble for the past couple of days of sneaking off with her mate. "Did Jade make it back to your house last night. I texted her and she hasn't gotten back to me yet."

"What?" Blaire asked confused.

"Last night Jade was at my house. She traveled back to your house last night. With the attacks and all, I fear that Jade might be in danger." Elizabeth replied.

"Oh my god. I have to go. I need to talk to my father because she didn't come home last night." Blaire sat up quickly and rushed out the door.

"Be safe!" Elizabeth yelled out the door.

At the house, Leah had not gotten out of bed yet. She was awake but she wasn't motivated to move.

Alec had a pack meeting first thing in the morning for war and he had returned home to Leah. He made her breakfast with a cup of hot chocolate. Alec knew that she loved hot chocolate in the mornings, but he wasn't expecting the reaction he received.

He brought the tray up and placed it beside her nightstand. She glanced at the tray and muttered, "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? You need to eat something. I even made you hot chocolate." Alec was trying to cheer her up.

She sat up immediately and looked at the cup of brown liquid. "Is this a joke?" She said angrily. She threw the glass cup of hot chocolate against the wall and it shattered. Having hot chocolate was a morning routine that she and Kai shared together. She didn't want any part of it anymore. Every little thing reminded her of him and it hurt too much.

"Okay. Well, I'll be downstairs. I've already had a meeting today for training. I just thought you'd like to know that since you're the Luna." Alec said.

Leah turned around, facing away from him. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger and then her expression went to sadness. More tears piled in her eyes. For a second she was surprised that she had any left. "I don't care." Her voice was shaky and Alec knew that she was crying.

To him, it didn't matter if Leah helped with the pack or not because he had done this all by himself before, but he thought that maybe she would at least want to be involved. "Your father and little brothers went home."

"I don't care. Please leave." Leah's voice cracked. She took in a deep breath to try and clear her nose.

"I do love you. I just want you to know that." Alec said before he left.

Not too long after Alec went downstairs, Blaire rushed into the house with bad news. "Dad!" She yelled.

"What?" Alec rushed out into the living room and observed everything- looking for signs of danger. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Jade?" Blaire questioned. Hopefully, her father would know.

"What do you mean. Isn't she with Elizabeth?" There was a certain edginess in his voice.

"She said that she traveled back to our house last night, but with the attack last night..." Blaire started to hyperventilate and panic. She paced back in forth and pulled at her hair. Her face turned red and she was on the verge of crying. She already lost one sibling and she didn't want to lose more.

Alec rushed to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Hold her still he said, "Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. I will replace her. I'll have the pack search for her on the land. Now that you're here, I need you to stay with your mother. Charlie will be here soon."

"Where are you going?" Blaire asked.

"It's my turn for a round of border patrol. I'll see if I can catch her scent. I'll alert the other's too." Alec was raging with anger at the thought of his daughter bring with Crow, but he knew he had to remain calm in order to think. He literally wanted to skin Crow alive and make him suffer. Nothing would satisfy Alec more than hearing him scream in pain.

"How are you so calm?" Blaire asks.

"Surely the schools teach you something about my past," Alec says.

"The war. I know about that, but we don't go into detail. Although, that still doesn't explain how you are not freaked out still." She replied.

"I'll let you in on a secret," Alec bent down and looked her in the eyes, "I'm terrified. Not for my safety, but because for the first time I have a family that I truly love. That's what Crow wants. He wants everyone to freak out and not be able to function. We are going to win this, but everyone needs to remain calm. I won't let anything else happen to you guys."

Blaire nodded, "I'm scared, daddy. I don't want you or anyone else to die."

"You won't. I promise. Alright, I have to leave now. Damon will be here too. He's already on his way."

On his way out Blaire yelled, "Be safe!"

Alec shifted and joined patrolling the border and searching his huge land for scents. That was the first process of trying to replace the enemy. While most of the pack members were training, a small group of wolves would guard the border so no strangers could evade their land. They were also in charge of replaceing foreign scents that could lead to anything else. Alec would help assist in everything and make sure things were going smoothly. Rem was responsible for training, and Damon took responsibility in helping plan out possible tactics and new techniques. Damon also sent out letters to Alphas in our area. Even though the war was declared last night, the news had already spread across the world already. Many Alpha's had offered support all ready to get on Alec's good side. Alec was a pretty busy man. As he was trotting along the forest, faded memories of the first war when he was sixteen came rushing back.

Blaire had told her mother about the possibility of Jade being kidnapped. Leah didn't take that news well at all. Leah wanted to help and do something, she did feel a little bad about not getting out and helping. Yet, she felt like she physically couldn't get out of bed. She felt hopeless already and unmotivated to do anything. The news of Jade only made it worse. It didn't make Peyton feel better either. He just stayed to himself in his room.

"Is she going to be okay?" Blaire addressed both Damon and Chris. "She didn't eat breakfast and she hasn't moved out of bed."

Leah's brother, Chris said, "She just needs time. I'll talk to her."

"Her and Alec both," Damon added. He felt so bad for the pain that they were both going through, and he was there for them all the way.

"Well, Dad hasn't had the time to grieve yet because he's too busy planning things that mom should be helping with."

"You don't understand, yet. You're not a parent." Chris replied.

"I may not be a parent, but I am a sister and I'll be damned if that doesn't mean something. She's not the only one that lost someone. I understand that she lost a son, but I lost a brother. The least she could do is get up and help my dad. He's suffering. I can see it in his eyes." Blaire spoke.

"He's just too prideful to accept the pain." Chris made a snarky remark.

"With all respect uncle, that makes no fucking sense. Clearly, you don't know my father. He's not too prideful, he just hasn't had the time to grieve."

"I agree with Blaire. On the not being prideful part. You don't understand the feeling of being an Alpha either, Chris. Yes, he does need to grieve, but he doesn't have time. Alec has the most pride in his pack and family, and he would do anything to protect them. He increased security and he is planning multiple things at once. Other members are afraid and scared, but Alec is handling this well so far. Alec doesn't open up very much, but he did mention to me once what the first war was like." Damon says.

"Oh please like you know the feeling of being an Alpha," Chris said to Damon.

Damon smirked, "Actually, I do. I have alpha blood in my veins."

There was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Blaire says and left the two men in a hurry. She opened the door and Liam stepped into the entryway. A small smile graced her face and a temporary feeling of happiness made her feel better. This was the first time that she saw Liam since the bad news. Liam did feel guilty about not seeing her sooner, but he was tied up with work because he took the opportunity of helping with training others since he was a good fighter. There were many veteran pack members that were skilled at fighting, but a few were new recruits.

"Liam." She pouted and they hugged each other tightly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see you sooner. I was helping out around the pack."

Blaire nodded, "I just need a hug. That's all."

Alec had just done telling all the pack members about the disappearance of Jade. Within a matter of time, the news had spread like a wildfire, and everyone searched for her. A couple of hours passed by and it was concluded that Jade was indeed kidnapped. Alec and the other guards and trackers searched the property trying to replace a scent. Alec was patrolling for hours. He didn't want to stop until his team found a lead. He couldn't sleep or eat until he found something related to Jade. He witnessed first hand of what Crow did to Alice, and he feared for the sanity and mental stability of his daughter. Crow was a very lustful person. Not only sexually, but he was also lustful for blood. He didn't care about the feelings of others. He only cared about the bloodshed and the violence he inflicted on his victims. He was a psychopath and completely insane, and when he had a target he never stopped until it was destroyed. He was a vengeful person, and he was all in it for the hunt.

Alec had thought that he killed him once, but he wasn't always completely sure. It wasn't until Leah's dog was killed, then he was positive that he wasn't dead. Ever since then, which was years ago, he had increased security and improved a lot of things in his pack to make it safer. He was always aware of his surroundings and he analyzed everything. He had to be cautious of everyone around him. He was paranoid every day that something like this would happen again.

Alec never felt completely safe.

Although, within the last two years, he had become more relaxed and he paid a price for it. He blamed himself for this, and now his mate did too.

Alec growled in his wolf form as he picked up the face of running around the perimeter to replace any clues. He wouldn't make any more mistakes again this time.

This time, he was going to make sure Crow was dead. He was going to make him suffer, then bury him in a six-foot hole right under his feet.

Later that night, Seth appeared at their designated meeting area. A short walking distance to the house he resided at with his coven. He looked at his watch, a frown formed on his face. Now he had an uneasy feeling.

Jade never showed up last night, and Seth thought maybe she forgot or perhaps something important came up.

Now that she hasn't shown up again, he felt there was something wrong. He wanted to go and replace her but he knew he couldn't cross into the Knine territory. After all, none of the wolves would believe him anyway if he said Jade was his mate. There was nothing that he could do to replace out where Jade was; all he could do was wait. He left with slight disappointment in not seeing his mate. He smiled when he thought about her. The word 'mate'. How quickly he adapted to her choice of words.

Now thinking about it, he wished he could have marked her to have a mental link with her, but that would be a dead giveaway. Jade wanted to take time in telling her family about him, and Seth respected that. He just hoped that Jade was okay. Hopefully, she would be there tomorrow night.

~🖤~