Chapter 14: Chapter ☾ XIV ☽

I opened my front door and one of the Martin brothers walked in quickly without saying a word to me. It just who I wasn't expecting, and I wasn't too happy about that.

I whisper yelled. “Where’s Ty?-”

“You get what you get.” Brendan whispered back with the same attitude. My jaw dropped at his not-so-subtle irritation. “You can’t be picky-”

“You’re literally going to sneak into bed with my dad-”

“Hey!” He hissed at me, coming down to eye level to glare at me. “I did you a favor by coming here instead of Cina.”

That was an easy trap to fall for.

“Where’s Ty?” I asked again.

“Chasing vampires with the others.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, frowning angrily because this is not what I asked for. Brendan just walked by me without saying anything, going towards the stairs.

He didn’t address my comment from before. “It’d be better if we go to the basement. I feel like you’ll go into heat the closer you are to my dad-”

I flinched when it looked like he was going to hit me. If he did, it would hurt just as bad as getting shot. I can already feel it. Lucky for me, Brendan only snapped to scare me though it worked.

“Everyone needs to stop making jokes.” He grumbled.

“You weren’t particularly that nice to Ty when he got his moment.” I walked by him to go to the other stairs that led down into the basement.

“Whatever.” he grumbled behind me as we both walked down the steps.

I turned on one of the lamps so I could see but the light wasn’t that bright. That wasn’t my main concern considering that I was being watched a while ago. There was this lingering creepy aura that would not go away. I ended up going towards the door to look outside.

Waking up to someone watching in the forest isn’t exactly a good feeling.

Brendan was shuffling around in the bed, I could hear the bed creaking under his weight. When I turned back, I saw him laying there comfortably without a care in the world.

I shouldn't be surprised, but he was here for a specific reason.

“I thought you’re supposed to be watching?” I said.

The reason why he’s here is to protect me.

“I drank three Monster’s before I came here.” He said calmly. “I’m not going to sleep anytime soon.” Though, he did look more than comfortable in the bed.

I didn’t say anything as I looked outside again.

There was nothing there from what I could tell. For now I shouldn’t be so worried.

I turned away from the window and walked over to the bed. Now that I wasn’t scared, the sudden feeling of fatigue came back and I just wanted to go back to sleep. The only thing was that I didn’t want to leave Brendan here by himself, although I know he’s capable of staying by himself. I wasn’t scared to be alone, but maybe things would be better if I had someone to stay with. So I got into bed.

There was space between us.

I laid flat on my back with my hands folded over my stomach. I was staring up at the ceiling but my eyes soon closed.

“Do you think I’m dumb for being sympathetic of a vampire?” I asked since the question was on my mind for the day.

“That blond guy, right?”

“Henri.”

Brendan was quiet for a moment. I began to think he fell asleep. “You’re the type of person to want to be friends with everything that moves.” he finally said after a while.

“There’s nothing wrong with being friendly.”

He did not like my comment. “I wouldn’t be over here right now if you were a little more picky with who you talk to.” He wasn’t nice about how he said that.

I didn’t respond to what he said, not because he hurt my feelings, but because he was technically right. If I hadn’t talked to Henri, I wouldn’t have been involved the way that I am. No one would be watching me. I wouldn't be worrying about his brothers to the point that I'm scared the vampires might kill them. So Brendan was definitely right. As much as I wanted to take what he said to heart, I didn't. I just sighed quietly to myself, though I think that made him more irritated than before. Brendan shifted in the bed. When I turned my head against the pillow, I saw that he moved on his side to face me. Now it seemed like he was fully awake to have a conversation about what was going on.

He’s never interested in anything. He complains about things, but even then he has this mood like he won’t care in the next minute or so. Was he going to argue with me?

I was enthusiastic to hear him complain because it seemed like he had a lot to get off his chest tonight.

I turned over to face him as well and leaned my head on to my hand, smiling. “I’ve never done this before.”

“What? Cheat on your boyfriend?” He asked.

I frowned immediately. “You’re no better than Cina.”

“Cina doesn’t understand boundaries.” He emphasized on physical since it was a key word in this. “I just have a habit of making rude comments.”

“You definitely don’t have to tell me that.”

He took a breath, almost hesitant. I saw his dark eyes staring at the bed, a little confused. “Can I ask you something?” He looked at me again.

I wasn’t going to tell him no.

“Tell me honestly, how would you feel if something were to happen to one of us?” He made it sound like he was just curious.

My gut told me it was more than that. Is he worried that someone doesn’t care about him or wouldn’t be worried if something happens?

“Remember when you got tranquilized and knocked out every time they tried to wake you up?” I asked. He nodded at my question though he didn’t get the point of it. “I asked Ty how you were doing every day because I was worried.” I said to him.

And it was true, too.

I was worried.

“I’d be devastated if something were to happen to any of you.” I meant it. “So don’t try to play the hero.” I added.

He scoffed. “It’s not that.” He smiled a bit, but his eyes were far away. “It’s like I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that we have this dumb shit to deal with. I mean, who actually thought vampires were real?”

“After I found out I wasn’t crazy and you and your brothers were actually werewolves, I honestly could not be surprised by anything.” I laughed.

“That’s such a lie.” He grinned widely. “You’re so gullible and naive.”

“No, I’m just really friendly and want to get to know people.” I corrected him. I had this feeling like he wasn’t exactly fond of how I could talk to anyone.

He sighed and made a sound, almost a defeated groan. I don’t know what he’s expecting from me, but he’s not going to get it. I’m still going to be friendly to people. Though I can’t say I didn’t learn my lesson. Should I be more careful?

Well, all I can say was that my parents had a hard time teaching me not to talk to strangers when I was little.

So Brendan can’t be surprised.

He was looking at me, a sort of calmness in his gaze. “How’s your ear?”

“Still sore.” I thought about touching it but stopped. “My dad found out about it and almost popped a blood vessel.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, it was the same day you shook his hand and wouldn’t let go.” I laughed a bit more though he frowned. “I don’t see why you’re so mad.”

“It’s not what you think it is.” He said, getting irritated again.

“Then tell me what it’s like.” I was really curious.

I wanted to know how he felt, not to just make fun of him -although, it is entertaining to make him upset because he does blush- but I almost wanted to get inside his head a bit. He says it’s not what I think it is, and I sort of figured that for some reason, but what does it feel like to him?

He mashed his lips together and looked down at the bed again, trying to figure out how he wanted to phrase his words. I could tell he was thinking hard by the way his eyes calmed again like the way he looked at me before. They were gentler.

“I...” He was staring off, but what I noticed was the small smile that was curving on his lips. “Think of it...like loyalty.” He said, though he wasn’t fully focused on me. “I have this urge to devote everything I have to...”

So it’s not love. Well, not in the sense that I would think. I can’t say I’m surprised. There’s a reason why the saying is “a dog is a man’s best friend”. There’s a sense of fidelity that he has, something that he can’t break.

I wanted to know more about it.

Brendan probably won’t say anymore so I’d have to ask Ty.

“Channing said it’s harmless but the truth is what I feel is actually worse than what Ty could suffer.”

That sadness returned to his eyes. I didn’t know what was the worst scenario I could think of, but deep down I knew if something were to happen to my dad, Brendan would feel it.

“It sucks.” He sighed, laying back on the bed.

Well, I don’t know much about it so I can’t make him feel better. Though, I could try to not let him think so hard about something that’s supposed to be sweet. “It’s like your soul wants to merge with his-”

“I hate you.” He brought his hands up to cover his face.

I laughed harder when he groaned again. I couldn’t help but find it funny. Though it was incredibly sweet how quickly his eyes turn soft at the idea of being loyal to my dad. This was a side of Brendan I haven’t seen before. Sure I only got a glimpse of it, but it was enough to know that there was something he could care about.

Just as I took a breath, there was a distant howl that came from far away. Yet it brought chills up my spine. My smile quickly dropped and I was left with a lingering sense of fear. Brendan had sat up quickly in response, almost like instinct.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Another howl.

“Shit.” He hissed sharply as he got out of bed. “He’s warning them.”

“Who-”

Brendan shushed me and listened to the silence. He walked closer to the glass windows, pressing up against it as he stared outside. Was he listening for another howl?

Another one ripped through the air, this one closer and more chilling.

“They’re close.” Brendan rushed to turn off the lamp so it was dark in the room. I was about to say something, but he covered my mouth.

My hands grabbed his wrist, but he clamped down harder over my face and shushed me. Whatever he saw, whatever he thought was going on, it was beginning to scare me. I tried to keep quiet, mostly because he told me to and right now is the best time to listen.

There was another howl in the night. My hairs were standing on ends because I was getting more frightened by the second. I could hear animals outside, and as much as I should be relieved that the wolves were nearby, I don’t think it was a good thing considering that they’re chasing vampires.

“There’s no where to run.” Brendan whispered. Why would we need to run? He looked towards the glass windows, watching the figures outside.

I could see the wolves, and they weren’t alone.

Brendan looked at me sharply. “Close your eyes.” I didn’t listen. There were three groups of vampires that showed themselves, their dark figures surrounding the wolves. I didn’t know what was happening, and as much as I should look away, I couldn’t.

I was terrified but I couldn’t look away.

“Gabriel!” Brendan got my attention again, his fingers pressing harder into my face. I slightly jerked from how rough he was with me.

But I closed my eyes right before I could see anything happen. I heard it though. The fighting, the muffled shrills, the whines from being wounded. It persisted for half a minute.

And then...it was quiet.

I didn’t open my eyes. My breathing became more shaky but I didn’t open my eyes to see what the silence meant. Brendan was slow to move his hand from my mouth.

“Go to your room and stay there.” Brendan said quietly to me. I opened my eyes to look at him, though my gaze wanted to get a glimpse of outside. He moved so I wouldn’t. “We’re going to be around tonight, so don’t worry.”

I wanted to ask what happened, what he didn’t want me to see, but Brendan wouldn’t answer me. He didn’t want me to ask. I nodded obediently.

I had to go up to my room and stay there.

I should feel better that the wolves were going to stay with me tonight. It’s a good thing. Though, I couldn’t help but feel a little frightened just because I don’t know what happened. I got up to my room and I was looking outside to see three wolves laying on the ground. It seemed like they were fine and that was the only thing that let me sleep tonight.

At sunrise, I woke up earlier than usual, especially for a Sunday. The sun was just rising, and I had that feeling like it was chilly outside because it’s been dark for so long. I decided to start my day early mostly because I wanted to go outside and check on something. The wolves weren’t in the backyard.

So I walked outside the front door quietly to find five of them laying on the lawn. They barely shifted to glance at me. All of them were calmly laying in the grass, two of them barely awake, and one only kept their interest on me.

I went over to the white wolf and sat down against him, leaning back to feel his warmth. The air was humid, but it was still cold enough that I’d want to be close. I could feel the thick fur against my skin. When I leaned my head back, I could feel the fur brush against my cheek. There was a quiet whine that came from his chest but he didn’t move.

I didn’t say anything.

I was calm enough that I could doze off.

Something was poking my shoulder. “...Gabriel...Gabriel!” I jolted away and found my dad leaning over me. “You have to stop feeding the animals.” He gestured to the other wolves that were sleeping nearby.

I shifted against the white wolf but I just wanted to get more comfortable. My dad was heading off to work, and that’s when I realized I had been outside for an hour. “They’re nice...” I mumbled tiredly.

“I’m so tired of seeing this.” He turned away, but stopped abruptly when he saw one of the wolves in his way.

The pale pink wolf was walking around him slowly, almost in a stalking behavior and my dad did not like that.

“You can tell him to sit. He’ll listen-”

“Like a trained animal?”

“Yes, Dad. Like a trained animal.”

Would he humor Brendan a bit? It looked like he was considering it. My dad doesn’t like pets, or any kind of animal for that matter. He turned to the wolf who had stopped walking around.

“Sit.” He said.

And like the good boy that wolf was, he sat down when my dad told him to.

There was a genuine shock to his face when he looked back at me. He got one of the wolves to listen to him, and he had no idea it would be that easy. I can’t burst his bubble and say that he was playing around with a werewolf, as in an animal that is part human.

“You can pet him.”

“I think I shouldn’t.” He wasn’t going to go that far. “Next thing I know, they never leave.” He still stood in front of the wolf.

I wasn’t surprised to see this loving look in the animal’s eyes. He seemed so happy to be so close. It made me laugh. My dad paused for a second, but he lifted his hand slowly and touched behind the wolf’s ear. At that point, there was this excitement that I could literally from him. He was so happy. My dad continued to rub his fur, and the wolf relaxed more, his jaw opening and his tongue hanging out as he panted.

“Can we keep him?” I asked eagerly.

“Stop messing with the animals, Gabriel.” He sighed at my comment, yet he was still rubbing the wolf. “They better not be here when I get back.”

“Okay.” It’s not like I control them, but if it makes my dad happy to know I can get rid of them then so be it.

He finally let go so he could get to his car. Despite not liking animals, he seemed pretty content at the moment. I was more focused on the wolf that fell on the ground without a care in the world. He does that a lot.

He seemed happy though. I sighed quietly to myself.

They’re all so adorable.

I have giant beast size wolves that are sleeping in my front yard.

I heard shuffling by the trees, and a dark grey wolf appeared. He trotted slowly over to us, something in his mouth. I hadn’t gotten a good view of it when the wolf took a detour and just went somewhere else. I thought it was Leo at first, but he has brown streaks in his fur. It’s not Baron because he’s coal colored.

“What?...” I wanted to go see what that wolf was doing but I didn’t get up.

Just as I realized who it was, a large animal jumped out in front of me, making me jolt and almost scream. I know that wolf, and this feeling definitely reminded me of the absolute fear I have of him. Jackie is a complete psychopath. Behind me, Ty was waking up, but that didn’t help with the fact that I saw Jackie drop an arm to the ground in front of me.

He made it seem like he just fetched a toy.

I wasn’t going to throw it.

The arm started to wither away into ash. I had this horrified expression as I watched. The wolf made a sound like...he was snickering, like he was amused with my behavior.

That’s definitely Jackie.

I sat back against the white wolf and tried to calm myself down a bit. My heart was still beating hard in my chest, but it got better once Jackie walked away from me.

He wasn’t as large as his older brothers, but he was definitely larger than other animals. He laid down in the grass next to Brendan and that was that.

With all the wolves here, it made me think of a pet sanctuary. I should keep them around, though my dad won’t let me. I have a feeling Channing won’t appreciate it either. His girlfriend tried to put a collar on him and it did not work out too well.

As I thought about Channing, he showed himself in the trees, coming from where Jackie was before. There was a body part in his mouth, and at least this time I wasn’t surprised by it. Like usual, he got close enough so I would be able to see him, but not so close that he would have to deal with the others around him. He dropped the leg and he sat there quietly, poised like a statue, and he just looked around among the others.

It’s threatening when he does that.

I stared up at the sky and just listened to the silence. It was early in the morning and only a few people were starting their day right now. I’m glad that I could have one day to myself. The past couple days have been an absolute nightmare.

One of the wolves perked up immediately, looking towards the trees. The black wolf barely shifted like the others began to, but his ear did move. Behind me, the white wolf was tensing up and it made me think something was happening.

A person stepped out from behind the trees and that’s when the wolves were up, growling and snarling loudly at the mysterious person that showed themselves. The white wolf was already guarding me, I could barely see pass his fur. My hand brushed up against his leg, and I could feel him shaking. I’m not sure if it was from fear or anger but there was something wrong. That person by the trees has to be a vampire. They wouldn’t act like this towards a random person.

A few more began to show themselves.

I did my best to shield myself behind the animals. If the vampires were here to hurt me to spite the wolves, I might as well do my best to stay hidden. The others were growling and roaring loudly, enough to make my heart race in an unsettling way.

The wolves will take care of it.

I whispered that to myself over and over again as I closed my eyes.

.

Yet, I had this feeling something was coming too close to me, probably because of the way Ty had tensed and growled viciously behind me. I wasn’t looking because I was scared, because I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt.

There was this rush of wind that passed me. I wasn’t standing, but I was upright and something was holding me at my waist. My eyes opened, more out of fear than surprise because it felt like was holding me.

There was bright blond hair in my view. I caught the profile of Henri’s face.

He was holding me behind him, and there were wolves facing a group of others that tried to get by.

“What are you doing!-”

“I said you were my friend, didn’t I?” Henri looked back at me and smiled, that same bright expression he always had.

But I remembered my ear piercing and I looked down at his arm, his skin turning bright red from being burned. It just looked like he didn’t care. He was enduring the pain to help me.

I was stunned.

Our last conversation wasn’t so pleasant. And I thought he would’ve been on the same side as the others who were like him.

“It looks like the dogs will distract them.” He said as he looked around quickly. “We’re going to hide.”

“Wait-”

But it was too late. Before I knew it, he was taking me somewhere else, and we were moving fast. The trees passed by us at a blinding speed. It’s like I could blink and we were somewhere else.

In just another second, I was on my feet again, and Henri was holding on to me again, keeping me from hitting a tree. I was in a daze, my head was spinning, and it took me a few seconds to realize we stopped moving. I could barely stand on my own.

“Okay...” I really tried to regain my balance. “Don’t do this again.” I wobbled a bit when he let go of me so he held on to me like before.

He hissed quietly when he touched me again because of the pain.

“If you didn’t have that jewelry hidden on you, I could make the feeling go away.” He tempted me, but the last thing I was going to let happen was my piercing closing because I took it out to get a moment of relief.

“You could’ve warned me that you were going to just take me-”

“It was kind of life or death a moment ago, Gabriel.” He laughed dryly.

That wasn’t something I was going to forget. There were six other vampires that the wolves were probably fighting right now and I wasn’t there to see. Even if I don’t have to witness it, my heart was racing in an unsettling way.

I planted my feet in the ground and caught my balance. If I could get a few seconds to stop the spinning, that would be great.

There were things I had to ask him.

Like...

I was finally able to hold a conversation. “So...you literally gave me a whole threat about picking sides-”

“I know.” He cut me off. “I know what I said, and I’m sorry.” He apologized to me. “I was trying to protect myself, and in the end it just made me feel like crap.” He explained.

I didn’t know what to tell him. I’ve been finding myself in that position a lot with him. He surprises me. All the time.

“I should’ve stayed true to what I said before.” He looked at me, the kind of passion in his eyes I hadn’t seen in a while. “You’re my friend. So if that puts a target on my back then so be it.”

I sucked in air sharply through my teeth and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Henri.” I groaned. “I literally have no idea how to respond to you anymore.”

He’s crazy.

He wants everyone to kill him.

“What you said to me actually hurt.” I told him truthfully. I could still remember the panic attack I had. The feeling was so terrible and I hope no one ever goes through that. “And you were right, but it still hurt.”

Putting the blame on me...I know I don’t have as much of a say that he thinks I do, but to say that I don’t matter would be a lie. I’d be a fool to think Channing would completely disregard how I feel. Not for me, but for Ty. Family means everything to him, so that means he’ll put up with everything Ty does, even dropping everything to protect me. So Henri wasn’t wrong when he said I had some control, because I do.

“The vampires are coming after you to piss those dogs off.” He said. “But to say you’re the only one they’re focused on would be a lie.” He admitted, a sad glow in his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

He looked away, mashing his lips together when he hesitated to answer. “They’re just having fun now, hunting humans like it’s a game.” He shook his head. “I just...it’s never been like that before, but once the dogs started killing more vampires, they got aggravated.”

There was a genuine fear in his eyes.

Henri always said he would stay neutral, and now I finally saw why. He’s scared. There was no way for him to hide that kind of fear. It was the first time I’ve seen him look like that.

“We’ll...the wolves will take care of it.” I believed in them.

But Henri wasn’t that hopeful. He sighed my name, shaking his head again. He doesn’t think the wolves can handle it. He didn’t add anymore to the doubt I could already see, but I knew he wanted to tell me more, to get it in my head that the outcome of this will be bad.

I have to believe that the Martin brothers will protect us. Who will if they can’t?

“Because I have just outcasted myself, there’s a strong chance they will also try to kill me, too. So...” Henri laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of my neck. “I didn’t plan for this.”

“Kind of hard to.” I was sympathetic for him. He made the decision to protect me even after everything he said. That take a lot. “I want to help, so if you need anything, I’ll do my best.”

He stared at me for a moment. He didn’t say anything, though it looked like I surprised him. He surprised me too. But then he smiled widely, almost triumphantly.

It was like he was back to normal, in a way, like when I first met him. He was all bright...like the sun. It made me smile, too.

I was thankful that he was there to save me. He has a lot going on, but he still decided to help me out of harm’s way. I don’t know how long this peace will last, but I have a feeling that I don’t have to worry about him.

“Oh...” He turned slowly, his smile fading. “One of them is coming.”

“Who?”

“Your dog-”

“Ty?”

I began to panic, not for my sake, but for Henri's. Ty will kill him, even if Henri was just trying to help.

I heard the faint noise in the forest, like an animal running towards us. I didn’t know from where, but he was getting closer. Henri was just standing there, but as the seconds passed, he started to crouch down a bit as if he was preparing to fight. That made my heart sink into my stomach.

Henri saved me.

The least I could do was stop a war from happening here.

A blur of white came into view. I didn’t have a chance to think about what to do. He was coming fast and the only thing that happened was my feet moving.

I didn’t know what came over me.

Next thing I know, I’m in front of Henri, my arms wide open so Ty would understand not to pass me. There was a rage in his eyes as he looked at the vampire behind me. He wanted to fight. He wanted to get revenge. It looked like he wasn’t going to stop, maybe he was just so angry that he couldn’t see me. I had to yell at him, hoping that he wouldn’t try to hurt me just to get to Henri. It was a quick second that everything happened. I watched as Ty lunged for him, but once I got in front of him, he stopped.

I stared into his eyes. There was a bit of a break in his heart, I could feel it. Ty would never think I would defend Henri.

“He saved me.” I said quietly towards the white wolf. “Please, don’t hurt him.” I begged him.

It was a lot to ask for, I could see it in his eyes. But Henri helped me. He helped , so for right now, I hope that Ty could understand. It hurt to know I had to do this, I know Ty wants to protect me, and he will do anything for me. He doesn’t trust the vampires and rightfully so because of everything that’s happening.

And maybe there’s some biological factor that makes them enemies for life.

But Henri did save me.

The wolf began to lower himself to the ground, whining sadly. I didn’t mean to make him upset. Screaming at him wasn’t a good thing either. I’ve never had to yell at him before. I went over to him and let my hands move in his fur.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized, though he whined again like he was wounded. “Henri wants to help us.”

I don’t know whether Ty will actually trust him. And I understand if he doesn’t. It’s a lot to ask for. But Ty calmed down even more, resting his head on his paws as he let me touch him. There’s a chance he’s going to listen because I ask him to. It’s cruel for me to use that power I have over him, but right now I can’t stand to watch another fight. We’re dealing with a lot right now and I don’t want to make it worse.

“Good to know we’re on the same side.” Henri said casually.

“Please don’t make him angry.” I turned back towards him because his comment before was rather cheeky. “I want you two to get along so this whole thing gets settled.”

“I’m not the one quick to anger.” Henri made it a point to say. “But, I’ll be cooperative.” He added when I frowned at him. “I’ll be around, Gabriel.” He nodded towards me.

And then he was gone.

So it was just me and Ty.

“Henri’s actually really friendly.” I said to Ty once I got back to rubbing his fur. “But I already know you won’t talk to him so it’s fine.” Ty’s not too keen on making new friends or getting close to anyone.

He let out a breath sharply.

I figured he was thinking some smart response to what I said.

I was just glad that he wasn’t upset.

There were things we were going to have to deal with. But I definitely think it’s a good thing that Henri wants to be on our side.