Chapter 8 My Mate

• FUKAYNA
• “Don’t look back,” Neb Er Tcher ordered me. “I know you have the urge to do so, Kayna. Just don’t!”
• It was better to listen to him than to be sorry. I had already ruined the plan tonight, so I did not want to make it any worse than it already is.
• “Who is it? Do you know?” I asked my wolf, gauging my slim chance of escaping now that I was surrounded by these fierce sentinels. They moved as though in slow motion but were ready to attack any second now.
• “Alpha Zygmunt,” his short reply.
• He was right. I could scent the fresh pine needles, which meant he was so close.
• “Even if he sees you now, he won’t be able to recognize your face or your scent. Still, Relia’s spell is limited. We don’t know what will happen after this. She needs serious practice, though it’s not her duty to protect us,” Neb Er Tcher added and sighed.
• “Sadly, the spell is only applicable to my father’s immediate pack. They can’t see my real face and smell my scent, while others would think I’m a normal human being,” I said with regret.
• “As for Alpha Zygmunt, he’s another story. He seems to be ready to pursue you, Kayna. That means a liability,” my wolf explained.
• “So, what are we going to do now? I can’t let you shift, you know this,” I reminded him. “We can’t risk it if the potion’s magic falters since we’re still in my father’s territory.”
• “Fine! Just run!”
• I took a deep breath to see if my ribs and my wounds were much better now. Feeling okay, I watched as one of the black sentinels leapt to attack me. I quickly slid to the ground, rolled, and stood up. I evaded him, moving forward like the wind. One sentinel almost bit me on the heel, but I changed direction at the last second, which sent him tumbling down to a cliff. Pity him. But I knew he would survive that fall.
• Like a parkour, I moved from one tree to another. The sound of the sentinels’ furious growls reached me as they all pursued me once more. The trees thinned downhill. The rush of the wind was against my face and body. I could sense the boundary. I was so close to it. My heart was beating excitedly.
• “Just a few moments now, and we’ll be free!” I remarked, occasionally dodging the sentinels in my pathway.
• A sudden surge of electrifying sensation hit me when I finally crossed the boundary. My body glowed red for a moment. My heart seemed to sing, and I could feel my wolf rejoice at our freedom. Well, he was not so big about it, but he went along with my decision to leave the pack. He respected my wishes, although I had a foresight he would grumble about it in the future. After all, he was a wolf that needed his pack.
• I did not stop running. They continued to cross the boundary. It was about two miles away from my father’s palatial territory. Now, the sentinels seemed to get confused when a couple of screaming humans crossed my path. My eyes widened when I sensed vampires chasing them.
• Oh, God. This can’t be!
• When I looked over my shoulder, I saw a couple of sentinels facing vampires. Our natural enemies must have been caught off guard by the appearance of the two wolves; they were shredded into pieces in a matter of seconds. The metallic scent of blood drifted in my direction, making me almost gag. It was just too strong.
• I could hear more people running aimlessly in the forest, with the fast, almost inaudible movements of the vampires rushing for their prey.
• “Why are they here?” I wondered.
• “Beats me. Just run! More are coming!” my wolf advised.
• My feet automatically did as I was told. Three vampires were coming in my direction. I could just twitch my face with my bad luck, grinding my teeth.
• How dare they hunt around my father’s territory?
• But I knew I shouldn’t engage. They would perceive me as a human. It may be advantageous to me, but I wouldn’t know what the consequences would be afterwards. It was something I must try to avoid.
• I cursed when one of the vamps got hold of my hair, sending my back hard on the ground. I mewled as air was knocked out of my lungs. The same vampire dragged me by the hair to share me with his companions.
• Great. How generous of him.
• My scalp stung as though my hair was going to be pulled from the roots, and my eyes became teary. I endured it and twisted my body upward, hitting a kick in the back of his head. He was sent flying forward, crashing to the ground with a thud. Two vampires held each of my arms. One was quick to take a bite on my shoulder, while the other got me in the leg.
• I groaned as their sharp fangs broke my skin and sank into my flesh. Four of the sentinels sensed my human aura and came to my rescue. Two of them caught the first vamp who dragged me; one bit off his head, while the other chewed off his left leg. The other two sentinels took each one of the vamps that were feeding on me. I couldn’t move. Their venom must be in my bloodstream, making me weak. For normal people, it would be the opposite, which makes them high.
• I could only watch the two sentinels tearing off the vampires’ heads from their bodies. I lay on the ground, feeling weak. The wolves glanced in my direction, not knowing I was their Alpha King’s daughter. They moved on to hunt more vampires in the area, after seeing there were no adversaries close by.
• The vampire venom seemed to singe my blood and cells. I could feel it burning my insides.
• “Get up, Kayna!” Neb Er Tcher ordered. “It’s dangerous here.”
• The pain was slowly ebbing away, as my healing ability kicked in to take care of my injuries.
• “Just for a few minutes, let’s stay here, Neb Er Tcher,” I answered, groaning.
• “You must get up now! Someone’s coming!” he said.
• I slowly got up, my face contorting in pain. My eyes grew wider when another vampire appeared and stopped right next to me. As quickly as I could, I crawled away from him, but he was already on me, sniggering. I kicked him in the face, but he was stronger than I anticipated. Perhaps he was already old. I knew that the older they are, the stronger their powers are.
• The vampire’s mouth latched on my thigh and started to feed on me. My heart was weakening as seconds passed by. I mewled in pain, and I barely noticed someone coming until he was already behind the old vampire, who looked in his mid-thirties.
• The young human, about my age, raised a bloody stick in his hand and drove it into the vampire’s heart through the back. The vampire roared in pain and slumped lifeless on the ground. I was breathless, trying to move away from him.
• “Are you okay?” my savior asked.
• I looked into his greenish blue eyes as though mesmerized.
• “Your mate!” my wolf exclaimed.