Evelyn
My father stepped forward and told him politely we didn't want war or to fight against vampires. It would take nothing but losing people from both sides. We could talk and come to a few agreements which could be beneficial for both werewolves and vampires. We could speak with the king about arrangements.
But the vampire whose name was Jacob just laughed. "And why should we deal with animals when we know it's easy for us to defeat you? Our king is a very busy person. He doesn't waste his time talking to people, especially not a loser alpha like you."
Anger built inside me. I came forward despite my mother was holding me back, but I didn't stop because I couldn't stay still and let them threaten us.
"You can't do this." I said.
Jacob narrowed his eyes at me, but I wasn't backing off. "If you think we're scared of your king, then you're delusional because we—"
Before I could continue my sentence, the air suddenly shifted. The temperature dropped. Every vampire, including Jacob, stepped back, creating a path. My body shivered. Goosebumps rose all over my skin. My breath stilled. Eva became restless in my head.
Before I could understand anything, a voice cut through the silence.
"Oh really, young lady? So you're not scared of me?"
The voice was dominating, dangerously smooth, screaming danger. My heart skipped several beats. His strong scent invaded my nose, and then I heard those words I always wanted to hear, always dreamed of.
Eva screamed in my head. Mate. Mate. Mate. Like a chant. I turned around. My eyes collided with the person I wanted to see, since I turned eighteenth.
Blood red and darkness mixed in those beautiful eyes, the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. But reality hit me hard. He was a vampire. And my mate.
No. This couldn't be happening. The Moon Goddess couldn't do this. My mate couldn't be him, no please. The ruthless, bloodthirsty vampire king.
He came closer. The closer he came, the harder my heart beat. And fuck he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen. His appearance was devastating. Tall, dark hair, strong jawline. My heart beat faster. The mate bond slammed into me like a physical blow. But I forced myself to stay still and not to react. I was still staring at him in disbelief. Everyone was silent. He couldn't look away from me. Neither could I.
Jacob said something to him about my father's proposal, but the king didn't reply. Instead, he asked my name. Does he know I'm his mate? I hoped not. Before I could say anything, my father came in front of me and apologized to him. It angered me.
The king asked my name again, dangerously this time. He told my father that he asked me, not him.
I lifted my head and looked directly at him.
"That's none of your concern."
I told him rudely, but he just smiled but the smile was cold and unforgivable.
He shifted his eyes, and scanned the other werewolves with cold disinterest, then his red eyes fixed on my father.
"I heard you were making deals with my second in command. What is it?" His voice was dark, smooth, absolutely filled with authority.
I was still in disbelief. Eva, are you sure?
Yes, he is our mate. He smells heavenly, and the magnetic pull confirms it, she said grumpily.
I knew she wasn't happy about it either. Our mate was a vampire, and not just any vampire, but the king himself. Damn it.
I tried to control myself, not to gawk at him. Dad stepped forward.
"King Damian, we don't want war. We will come under the vampire regime."
Everyone gasped. Murmurs spread through the hall. The alphas looked at Dad in shock.
Dad continued, "But we will not be your slaves. We will not follow every order blindly. We'll do what benefits our packs, what keeps our people alive and strong. We'll acknowledge your rule, but we keep our dignity, our alpha authority within our territories."
Jacob laughed mockingly. "And why the hell would the king agree to that? We can just kill you all right now and take everything."
Before Jacob could say more, Damian raised one hand. Jacob stopped speaking immediately.
Damian, Eva purred at his name. I felt affected too, just thinking of his name.
Damian laughed, loud and cold. "Why should I accept that? I could kill everyone in this room before your next heartbeat."
"We can offer you a deal so we can avoid war," Dad said.
But Damian looked bored.
Dad tried again. "Can we please talk while we sit?"
But the so-called king just laughed. "I said no, Alpha, I don't want any agreement with you." Don't waste my time.
I couldn't stop myself. Even though the mate bond was burning through me, making my skin feel too hot and too tight, I had to speak.
"Why can't you hear us?" I said angrily.
His eyes finally landed on me. Everyone's eyes snapped to me. My mother tried to grab my arm, but I didn't stop. "You can't kill us all. Not without losses. Not without showing weakness. If the vampire king has to slaughter an entire gathering just to force submission, what does that say hmm? That you can't command respect without bloodshed? That you're so weak you can't accept a deal that benefits you?"
I took another step forward. My legs were shaking, but I didn't let it show.
"My father wants to talk to you, but you're too arrogant to see the advantage? Maybe the rumors about the vampire king are wrong. Maybe you're not a strategic king . Maybe you're just a brutal with power who doesn't know how to actually rule." I finished.
Dead silence.
Jacob looked like he wanted to rip me apart.
The other vampires hissed.
But Damian just stared at me. His eyes narrowed. Something flickered in them. Surprise? Interest? Anger? And then something else. Something darker. Something that made my stomach flip. I didn't know yet if he understood that I was his mate, but the way he was looking at me made me think he felt something.
Damian's voice dropped, dangerous but controlled. "You're brave. Or stupid. I haven't decided which."
He turned back to Dad, but his eyes kept flickering to me.
"No, I'm just reasonable," I said. My voice was steadier than I felt.
"Are you sure that if we fight, you won't get any losses? You'll lose your vampires too."
He stopped for a few moments. I could see him thinking, calculating. Then his eyes landed back on my father, he smirked.
"Fine. I'll hear your deal, Alpha Samuel. What exactly are you offering, and what do you want in return for keeping your so-called dignity?"
After that, his eyes flicked to me again, but I didn't look in his direction. I couldn't. The pull was too strong. If I looked at him, I didn't know what I'd do.
I can't believe the Moon Goddess did this to me.
My mate was supposed to be someone who understood me, someone from my world. Not a vampire. Not the king of the species that had hunted us, enslaved us, treated us like we were less than nothing.
But Eva was quiet now, just watching him through my eyes. And I knew, deep down, she didn't care that he was a vampire. She only cared that he was ours, the wolf could not deny the matebond no matter what.
Soon after we were seated, on the sofa across the center. Dad began speaking again, speaking our terms. I barely heard him. All I could feel was Damian's presence, like a weight pressing against my chest. His scent was everywhere now, filling the room, filling my lungs. It was intoxicating and terrifying at the same time.
I forced myself to focus. This wasn't about the mate bond. This was about survival. About my pack. About all the packs in this room who were looking to my father for leadership.
I couldn't let some bond, no matter how strong, distract me from that.
But when Damian's eyes found mine again across the room, I felt it. That pull. That undeniable, freaking unbreakable pull.
And I knew he felt it too.
I moved my eyes from him, but I could feel his eyes on me.
Oh Goddess help me!.