Chapter twenty three

“The blood moon would be up in a few minutes,” Genevieve said as she unzipped her dress and let it fall on her feet. She looked up at the man with her and licked her lips seductively, her eyes flickering red with her desire. “But I don’t care if it’s even rising now.”

Edward watched her, he knew when she led him away that this was what she had in mind and if he was honest with himself, throughout the tour she was giving him and he was perceiving her arousal, he had actually been waiting for this moment but right now, seeing her naked, he doesn’t know what was wrong with him again but he knew he definitely don’t feel like cuddling up with her again. “You have to,” he said, “you will finally be meeting him.”

Genevieve smiled and in a blink of an eye, she was already in front of him in her naked glory. She reached up and caressed his smooth flawless cheek, “what do you think tonight hold for us, Edward?” she whispered. “I have missed you, I have missed us. Whatever that happens, even if we can’t find them, let’s mark each other.”

Edward glanced at her in shock, “do you realize what you just said?”

“Yes,” she nodded, “I know what I said. We have been searching for so long Edward. You have been searching for two thousand years and I? I have been searching for a thousand and two hundred. Why does it take us long to find our own mates? The damned Night Howlers starts mating from the age of sixteen but a Nightwalker can only start looking forward to finding his or her mate from one hundred years which is not even guaranteed as they may end up finding them at three hundred or five hundred years or some severe cases like ours, thousand years.”

“We live longer than them. If we start reproducing like them then soon they won’t be enough humans or animals to feed us. It’s the balance of nature. We need blood to survive, if we become over populated then they won’t be enough blood to sustain us and we will all die off.”

Genevieve nodded, “I understand,” she smiled, “and that is why you are the prince and the Original, you understand us more.”

Edward smiled.

“But, haven’t you searched long enough? Aren’t you tired of longing?” She asked.

“Genevieve….”

“Let’s mark ourselves after tonight. We would hold a grand party for it. Imagine how strong our children will be, the child of an Original and a second generation, they would even be stronger than I am,” she smiled. “They would be the strongest beings, not even the demons or the witches would match up to them. Think about it, I am the only second generation without a mate and you are the only Original without a mate, trust me, everyone is expecting us to do this.”

A certain blue eyes snow white wolf flashed in Edward’s mind and he sighed, “I will think about it.”

Genevieve smiled and pressed her body on his. “I have really missed you,” she stood on her tiptoes and placed her face on his neck, inhaling his scent. Her eyes flashed red and her fangs elongated, she moaned and placed her fangs on his neck but right before she marked him, Edward moved away. She sighed, “Edward, the blood moon is up already.”

“I said I will think about it,” he said.

“Why think when we can just do it?”

“Give it tonight, if you don’t find him and I don’t find her, then we can consider this.”

Genevieve exhaled and nodded, retracting her fangs. “Fine then, but you are still staying with me tonight.”

“I don’t think your mate would like the idea of you being with someone right before you found him.”

“What are you saying?” she asked with a frown.

“You know what I am saying Genevieve, you are not a child.”

“But, I thought you wanted it.”

“You said yourself that the blood moon is up already, I don’t think any of our mates would forgive us for defiling them while knowing we would find them in a few seconds.”

Genevieve shook her head with a low chuckle. “You think you would find her.”

“Don’t you think you will find him?” he raised an eyebrow.

“All I know is that you agreed that after the blood moon, we would be marking each other.”

“I said I will think about it.”

Genevieve smiled and within a nanosecond, she was all dressed and looking as flawless as ever. She knew that when Edward said no, nothing would change his mind and the last thing she wants is to just stand naked in front of him.  “Fine then, you will think about it. I have a lot of years to wait.” She licked her lips and making sure that nothing was out of place, she sighed. “Let’s go, I’m sure everyone is waiting for us. The blood moon is in the sky a…” she paused and sniffed, “do you smell that?”

Edward took a sniff and shook his head, “smell what?”

“That scent,” she sniffled again and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were burning red and she sighed in contentment, “it smells…heavenly, better than any human blood I have ever smelt.”

Edward knew immediately what was happening and sighed, guess he won’t be thinking about her plan after all. “Why don’t you go find it?”

“That’s a good idea, let us go,” she said and was at the door immediately. Edward sighed and followed her.

There were still making their way to the podium when a young nightwalker which Edward could sense was only eight hundred years old came up to her and they both stood staring at each other. Edward couldn’t believe he was witnessing yet another nightwalkers mating just like he witnessed his men and he still hasn’t found his.

“The scent is coming from you,” Genevieve whispered.

“Mate,” the young nightwalker said and Genevieve took a step back immediately.

“No, it cannot be, it cannot be,” she murmured and turned to Edward, “it was supposed to be you.”

Edward exhaled deeply and smiled, “I will give you two some space to catch up.”

“No, My Prince no,” Genevieve was shouting but Edward was already gone.

When he stopped running, he realized he had moved far away from the party and sighed. It was better anyway, if she was there, he could have sniffed her out just like Genevieve did. He glanced up at the blood red sky, “do you hate me so much?” he yelled to the sky. If it ended up like this then what was it with the feeling of tonight when he was thinking he would find her? He had been feeling it deep in his bones right from morning that he would find her, then why? Why at the end he didn’t?

He glared at the red moon wishing he could release all his power at it but he can’t even touch it. No matter how fast he can run, he can never run up to it. No matter how strong he is, he can never hold it. But why, why does it hate him so? How many years? How many blood moons have he witnessed and yet nothing? He sighed and closed his eyes. He could still hear the party going on and the excited voices of walkers finding their mates. He could sense the joy swarming around him and he realized that he wasn’t supposed to be there, he is not suppose to be there and be the one to sour their happy moods. Thinking about that, he turned and ran into the woods without a destination in mind.

***

“So, it’s the blood moon and here we are,” the Black Wind Pack boy said as he strolled around with Aliyah.

“Yep and we are the only ones not running to the woods and howling to the moon,” she replied.

He shook his head, “this is my second mating season.”

“Second?” Aliyah asked and he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

“I know,” he chuckled, “it’s not expected.”

“Oh,” Aliyah nodded, “it’s my fourth.”

The boy looked at her in shock. “Fourth? Wait how old are you?”

“I’m nineteen.”

“Whoa,” he exclaimed, “I’m…”

“Seventeen, I know now,” she smiled sadly.

The boy smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck again. “If we had happened to be mates, would you have rejected me?”

“Why would I do that? What is age but a number?” she asked.

He smiled then, showing pearly white teeth, “I like you.”

“We should hang out sometimes, if you are free that is.”

“Of course I’m free,” he smiled and then sighed when two wolves ran past them. “They are all going to the woods. I actually thought I would too with someone tonight.”

“Ha, to be honest I’m not surprised I ended up without a mate.”

“Why would you say so?”

“When you are disappointed a lot of times, you get used to disappointments,” she shrugged.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she smiled, “you did no…” she paused and sniffled, “hey, do you smell that?”

The boy looked around and shook his head, “no, what does it smell like?”

Aliyah took a long sniff and sighed, “it smells…” she paused and then started walking towards the woods.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“The smell, it’s coming from there,” she answered and continued making her way to the woods.

“Hey, if people see us going into the woods together, they would think we have mated,” he chuckled, running after her.

“You can stay here then, I wouldn’t want to ruin your future chances with her,” Aliyah replied without looking back.

“Nah,” he shook his head after catching up with her, “she is not here and besides, I would really want to know what smells so good that it’s pulling you…” he gasped suddenly and turned to her, “do you think…”

Aliyah has gotten his idea as well and shook her head, looking back at the training ground. “There is no wolf there and every wolf in the woods is mated.”

The boy nodded and licked his lips, “then what do you think it is? What if it’s a wounded wolf that was just passing by?”

“I don’t know, but I must find out. I have never smelled anything so …sweet,” she looked at him and then turned to the woods again, going deeper.

“If it’s what we are thinking then I think I should stay away, I wouldn’t want him thinking I want to take his mate from him.” He said but then ran after her again, “but on a second thought, what if it’s just trap, you know, with all these things with the rogues.”

The deeper they went into the woods, the denser it became and the tenser the boy became. “Hey, we are too far from the other wolves already, don’t you think we should turn back?”

“You can go back Gerald, I will continue,” Aliyah said.

“No, a male wolf never leaves a she-wolf behind,” he insisted.

Aliyah stopped and looked at him, “I’m older, Gerald.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean…”

“And I’m stronger,” a voice said and they both turned around but there was no one with them. “Way much stronger,” the voice repeated and that was when they noticed a shadow walking out from the fog. “Too strong that I am already killing you,” he added when he stepped out in front of them.

Aliyah gasped when she saw him, he came, he said he would and he did.

“Night-Night-,” Gerald stammered.

“Nightwalker,” Edward finished for the scared boy.

“Nightwalker,” Gerald repeated with a gasp and immediately changed into fighting mode, pushing Aliyah behind him and getting ready to transform.

Aliyah couldn’t help thinking about that night in the demon woods. “Be aware that you would take your last breath on the night of the blood moon” he has really come to do that.

“Stay back, I’m warning you,” Gerald was saying and Aliyah remembered what Catherine had said as well, the one thing that has plagued her mind all day. ‘I really hope you find your mate but be aware that as long as that thing’s mark is sitting on your neck, it will never allow you to belong to someone else.’

Fear gripped her and not just for her sake but for the young wolf trying to protect her. She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her, she was stronger after all. “Let him go, I’m the one you want.”

Edward glanced behind her at the terrified wolf that was trying to be strong. He had been surprised when he saw himself in these woods and he hated it but right before he could run away again, he was gripped by this tantalizing scent that kept pulling him towards the Night Howlers gate. He knew he shouldn’t be there but he just couldn’t get his mind to cooperate as the scent kept pulling him close and then he heard her voice and then another’s voice, a male’s voice and he couldn’t understand the sudden anger that gripped him and the only thing he could think of was ripping his head out of his body. Now watching her protect him did nothing but annoy him the more. “You did find him,” he whispered as his eyes turned red and in a blink of an eye, he was strangling the young wolf.