The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 109

BLADE

We ran around the pack territory, inspecting all of the borders. Mason led the way, pointing out specific areas that I assumed the vampires tended to gather, but I wasn't a part of their linking, so I didn't know for sure. Even as we inspected the borders, I saw several red eyes disappear into the forest. They were always watching, and it made my skin crawl.

It reminded me of when I was still in the coven. Draven always had someone following me, so he knew my every move. Even after I left the coven, there was a brief time I spent in the city, watching the coven to try to figure out how to stop them, but they were the ones watching me. It wasn't until I left the city that I finally felt free from the red eyes always watching.

Having them back here, watching every little movement unsettled me. It was only a matter of time before Draven struck. If that happened, we would be at a disadvantage. I knew we had to strike first. He wouldn't see it coming. He always thought I was weak, and I was sure he looked down on these werewolves, too. If we found out where his base of operation was, then maybe we could strike when he was least expecting it and stop him before he took any more lives.

After circling around the entire border, we stopped at one of the watch points on the outer edge of the territory. Several warriors were stationed here, ready to fight if a vampire attack suddenly occurred.

The others shifted back to their human form before we entered the small building. There was security camera footage plastered on a wall of TVs, and two werewolves were watching it closely, scanning the screens. It was an impressive set up, and I imagined it was newly set up after Darian fell to his sudden demise.

"I see what you mean," Caulder said, looking over the screens. "They feel calm as they are watching us. I didn't feel any aggressive intentions from them as we passed by, and they made no motion to attack us. It's like they are studying our every movement." "Exactly," Mason said. "I think they want to learn everything about us, including how we survey the territory, the different patrol shifts, everything. If this vampire attacks, he wants to know every little detail." "Draven doesn't like to fail," I added. "If he does something, he likes to do it right the first time. He's patient, too, in a dangerous way. He'll take as long as he can to make sure every little detail is accounted for."

Caulder clasped his hands behind his back. Even though he was only eighteen, he looked mature as he talked to the older leaders. He seemed confident and in his place. He held his chin up high and didn't hesitate to give his opinion. He was a natural leader, even if he didn't see it himself.

"Then we have to keep him on his toes. We have to change up our patterns and strategies, so he won't know what to expect from us," Caulder said.

"That's a great strategy, young man," Alpha Reyland said, patting Caulder on the back. He was older than the other two, and his age had shown while we were on patrol. He was a little slower than the other two, but it never stopped him from pushing himself. "Thanks, Grandpa," Caulder said, his face tightening a little. It looked like he wanted to smile, but he was holding himself back.

"We should get back to the pack house soon," Mason said. "I'm sure you want to wish Harper a happy birthday the moment she's awake."

Caulder's face broke into a smile, no holding back this time. He was truly a man in love, and today was supposed to be a special day with Harper and him. Remy explained to me that werewolf bonds fully kicked in when both werewolves were eighteen and they met with each other. It was supposed to be one of the most powerful bonds in existence, and she warned me that Caulder and Harper would be even more all over each other once their mate bond was fully realized.

It was hard for me to imagine them being even more touchy, because they were always cuddling and holding hands as is. I didn't even want to think about the next level for them. Part of it was also because I was a little jealous. Remy and I were at a stand still, afraid to move forward with our relationship. I wanted to more than anything, but we still didn't know enough about this prophecy, and we both agreed that it wasn't worth the risk until we knew for sure what it would mean for us.

I just feared we would never know what the prophecy ever truly meant. She was convinced that the prophecy was supposed to be a good thing, and I wanted to trust her. However, I was still unsure. As much as I wanted to be with her, I didn't want to do it at the risk of the rest of the world.

"Before you leave, there's something I need to show you, Mason," one of the guards said.

"What is it?" Mason asked, turning his attention to the guard.

The guard pressed a couple of keys, flipping one of the screens to a recording. "We caught this last night. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but I wanted to at least bring it to your attention."

He pressed the play button, and at first, the recording only showed the woods and nothing else. After a moment, an image of a blurry person appeared on the screen. The camera glitched immediately after, and then the person was gone.

"That looked like a woman," Caulder said, stepping closer to the screen.

"That's what I thought." The guard rewinded the video and paused on the brief image of the person. "It happened in such a flash that the guard last night thought it was just a glitch. She told me about it this morning, and for a moment I thought the same thing. I figured it was better to report it just in case."

"You did well, Hunter. Please report it immediately to Alpha Mark or myself if you see something like this again," Mason said.

"Of course," Hunter said.

Mason turned and stepped out of the building, with Caulder, Alpha Reyland, and myself following after him. Once we cleared the building, he stopped and looked at Alpha Reyland.

"What are you thinking?" Alpha Reyland asked.

"I'm not sure," Mason admitted.

"That was definitely a girl, but I couldn't recognize who it was," Caulder said. "I'm not even sure if she was a werewolf."

"I don't think it was just a glitch," Mason said.

"There's something you should know," Caulder said. The other two looked at him, waiting for him to say more. His eyes glazed over, and I knew he was linking the two of them about this information. At first I thought it was because he didn't trust me, but when he finished linking, he mouthed to me, "I'll tell you later." It wasn't me he didn't trust. It was everyone else around us. Something weird must have been going on in the pack.

-

REMY

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was just how empty my bed felt. I turned on my side and confirmed that Blade wasn't in my room. I sat up quickly, and I immediately regretted it. My head was still swimming, and I had to take a moment to breathe through it. Once that passed, I felt significantly better than the night before, but the wolfsbane was surely still in my system.

I slowly swung my legs to the side of my bed, and that was when I noticed the note next to my bed. I grabbed it and immediately scanned it.

Went out for a little bit. If you wake up before I get back, meet me in the gazebo in the forest nearby. I have a surprise waiting for you there. -Love Blade

There was a little heart next to his name, and I pulled the note against my chest, instantly smiling. Blade hadn't left a note like that before, and it made my heart flutter. I was eager to see what this surprise was, so I got out of bed as fast as I could without making my head spin. I got dressed, picking a nicer dress than I was used to. I wanted to look nice since Blade had taken the time to plan a surprise for me.

I made my way through the pack house, and it was busier than I had expected, even though it was still early. With Reyland's pack temporarily staying at the pack house, there was rarely a calm moment. I was sure a lot of these people were here to visit my mom while she was in the medical wing or see Caulder now that he was back.

I ignored as many people as possible, knowing my head was still a little too cloudy to want to socialize with anyone who wasn't close to me. As I made it to the entryway of the pack house, I caught sight of Harper and immediately went over to her. "Happy birthday," I said excitedly. I pulled her into a big hug. "I'm surprised to see you out and about now."

"Thank you," Harper said with a smile. "And what do you mean?"

"Well, your mate bond is emerging today. I half expected you to be locked up in your room with Caulder all day," I giggled.

Harper turned bright red at my comment, and she started twisting her hair in between her fingers. "Caulder wasn't there when I woke up." The disappointment was evident in her voice.

I checked my phone and saw it was still before seven in the morning. "I'm sure he's getting you flowers or something. It's a little early, and normally you're not up this early when you don't have to be."

"I couldn't sleep from excitement," she said, biting her lip. Most werewolves were eager to discover their mate bond, and Harper was lucky enough to know that her mate was already in the pack.

"I don't blame you," I said. I didn't know if I would have been able to sleep at all if I was in her position.

"Where are you going? You look really nice," Harper said, changing the subject.

"Blade wasn't there when I woke up either, but he left me a note to meet him for a surprise. I can stick around if you want some company for breakfast, though," I said.

"Don't be ridiculous. Go meet your boyfriend. I'm sure Caulder will be back any moment, and I want to have breakfast with him," Harper said.

"Are you sure?" I wanted to rush to see Blade, but I felt bad. Harper was still one of my best friends, and it was her birthday. If she asked me to stay, I would in a heartbeat.

"Go on. I'm fine. Don't leave him waiting for too long!" she insisted.

I chuckled at her eagerness. "If you insist." I waved bye to her before stepping outside. The morning was still cool, and there was dew covering the grass. It felt like the perfect morning, and I couldn't wait to spend it with my mate.