Violet

I waited in my tent as Beta Eric delivered my message to the Beta's of Clawthaw, WhiteFang and IronThorn packs. I sat behind my desk and the only sound to be heard was the drumming of my fingers on it's surface as I stared off into the distance.

Du dum..du dum.. du dum

1..2, 1..2, 1..2

Have you ever been so vexed that you had to stay quiet, because if you allowed that anger to overflow you would have no idea how to control it?

For the first time in my entire life, I feared myself.

What I was capable of and to what level my anger would take me to if I so much as removed its lid even a fraction. That was all it would take for me to explode and kill anything within my path. I felt the light surging within me like I had swallowed a nest of wasps. My stomach buzzed with it, the need for justice and revenge.

A buzz for power.

I had not even scratched the surface of my ability during training but I now understood why the Goddess gave me this power. Why it was so attached to my emotions. A Luna held a pack together but she was also bound to it herself. Each emotion her pack members felt, she would feel tenfold. My emotions meant I had the power to feel. It's what separated me from the beast, keeping me grounded, but those very same emotions were also overwhelming and I knew I had not yet even opened my mind to the rest of my pack in RedFang.

What would I feel when I did?

I feared what I would feel, what I would see and what I would do.

My hand which rested upon the oak desk began to shake slightly of it's own accord and I watched my eyes zone in on it. The familiar buzz crept from my stomach all the way up to my chest before it wrapped itself along my arm like a snake, before long it reached it's target. As I opened my palm I watched the violet light form within the centre and slowly expand. My eyes widened as I began to enjoy the feel of it, it was intoxicating.

"Violet!"

With the calling of my name I was snapped out of the trance the power had placed me in. I looked towards the intruder and scowled, not liking that they had disturbed me.

"Can I speak with you"? They said firmly.

My eyes softened.

"Of course"

I motioned opposite me and watched Brie sink into the chair. She remained quiet for quite a long time which interested me. She appeared to be watching my movements, and I had an idea why. She had witnessed the light a few moments ago but she didnt seem scared of it like the others did.

"You have to control it, before it controls you".

It was a warning and It was extremely hard to mistake her meaning.

"I have control" I protested.

"No, you dont"

Her tone was matter of fact and I sat back in my seat and tilted my head to asses her. She did the same and mirrored me, I smiled. We were two women on an equal footing and as much as I hated it I knew I needed her input, so honesty was the best policy.

"You're right, I have no control over it. It only shows itself when it believes I am in danger or others are". I said.

"The light side of it does, yes. But the darker side is only waiting for you to start enjoying it. Once you do, it will suck you in and consume you".

She continued..

"There is a reason why white wolves were hunted. Their power, in some cases became uncontrollable. You know the rest".

I grinned.

"Sounds a little ominous"

"I have lived far too many years and seen far too many others who thought exactly as you do now. You cannot run from it and you know exactly what I mean. I just witnessed it"

I looked down towards my open palm which was now power free.

"I am under no illusion that it will control me eventually. I only need to use it tomorrow and then I'll never have need of It again".

She gave me a stern look.

"You plan on sacrificing yourself" it was a statement not a question.

"Your mate is the only connection you have to the light. You will need him eventually".

I snorted.

I made no attempt to answer her and her eyes became stormy.

"He's in love with you"

I sighed, knowing she was referring to Alec.

"I know, but you have no need to fear. He's your mate and he will eventually come around to the idea. I mean, it's not like you dont have time on your hands to sit and wait, being immortal and all".

I sent her a small smirk and she returned it before her face took on a serious note.

"When you killed that young man, did you feel good about yourself"?

"James"?

She nodded.

I thought it through for a moment..

"No, I felt no happiness or satisfaction from taking his life".

She looked relieved.

"Then you have a chance to suppress that darkness inside of you. It will not be easy but you must try. It's the only way to win".

I nodded.

"Is it true he was your friends mate"?

I grinned widely

"I think she'll get over him".

She chuckled.

"I dare say she will. He seemed like a real piece of work".

...

Sobering, I rose slowly and walked over to the chest of drawers next to my bed. I opened the top drawer and took out a box before walking back to the desk. Placing the box on the desk I slid it over to her. She opened it up and waited for my explanation.

"It's my father's apparently. This dagger is made of silver, it was dipped into wolfesbane which you know is lethal to a werewolf. Once the dagger makes contact with its target the wolfesbane erodeds the silver away, however, in its hilt is a secret compartment that punctures as soon as the wolfesbane eats away at the silver. The contents will spill out into the bloodstream of the enemy and kill them quicker".

I took the dagger and opened the top of the hilt to show her the compartment was empty.

"What goes into it"? She asked

"Vampire blood"

Her eyes widened.

"That's why I asked for your help. Vampire blood works twice as fast as Wolfesbane. In a battle, I cannot wait for the 'Rogue King' to die for up to an hour. I need his death to be imminent.

Without pause Brie voluntarily bit into her own wrist and squeezed droplets of her blood into the opening of the sword. She closed the top and placed it back into the velvet box for me and closed it.

"I had heard from Luna skylar what had happened. So I give this to you willingly".

"Thank you" I said.

I was in a little shock that it didn't take much encouragement from her.

"Kill only those who are evil Violet. Your heart is pure and you have a strong need to protect the weak. But once you stain your heart with the blood of an innocent, you will never forgive yourself".

"Do you speak from experience then"? I asked.

She looked solemn as she appeared to be recalling a bad memory. Placing my hand upon her shoulder to offer her comfort I said..

"You need to forgive yourself".

She gave me a hint of a smile which did not quite reach her eyes.

"This 'King' will try to break you and remove all the goodness you possess. Dont let him, make sure you survive and come back to him".

She rose.

"To who"?

She went to walk out of the tent and I repeated myself. She stopped and turned towards me. The anguish on her face was heart wrenching.

"Sometimes loving someone means having to let them go. You and Alec are a good match for one another and I have a massive price on my head. I could only offer him a life on the run with no fixed home or a pack to call his own".

"He had that, a pack and a home and he was still unhappy. With you, he will be happy I'm sure of it. The Moon Goddess told me that everything has purpose. There is always a reason behind the path we must walk. You just have to wait for him to see it himself".

She smiled and went to turn away again..

"Will you not go back....?

...

will you not claim what is rightfully yours"? I asked.

Her shoulders rolled back and her eyes turned hard as she faced me again.

"Brienna Alexandria Cobec is dead"

With that... she left.

********

As I walked out of the tent I hit a brick wall.

Or..

I thought it was a wall until I looked up into the eyes of an irritated werewolf.

Not just any werewolf mind you.

My mate.

"What did you say to her"?

I craned my neck to look up at him. He sounded bored as he asked and he even had the nerve to look over my head towards Violet's tent behind me.

Completely ignoring me.

"I wished her all the best in her battle"

I went to side step but he caught my upper arm in a firm grip before looking down towards me as if I were an ant beneath his shoe.

"Did you threaten her"?

His tone was accusatory and my hackles rose.

"Over you"? My eyes mocking as he looked surprised with my fowardness.

"Please"!..I huffed as I snatched my arm back. He looked hurt for a moment by my actions as I stormed away from him. I heard him persue me from behind but I ignored it.

"Where are you going"?!

He raised his voice and continued to walk behind me seemingly bored with my attitude towards him. He seemed to find my behaviour amusing for some strange reason as he laughed.

The audacity.

"I asked you a question vampire".

I stopped and stood still. Like I was carved from stone. It took him a few seconds to stop following as he waited for me to turn around and look at him. But I refused to turn, I kept my back to him.

"I have a name, you will use it when you address me or we will not speak at all"

He put as much sarcasm as he could behind his next words...

"Of course your royal highness"

I flinched but still refused to turn.

"Where are you going"?

I carried on walking ...

"BRIE"! He shouted.

I paused and turned to face him.

It was the first time he had said my name. In anger, yes, but it was still nice to hear him say it.

His face turned serious and then showed signs of pity..

"I can never love you, you must know that".

My stomach dropped.

"I won't reject you but you need to understand that this could never work between us".

"I understood that from the moment you saved my life"

His brow furrowed

"Your kind walk in the light and mine are forced to live in darkness. I really do wish you every happiness Alec, despite what you think of me, and I hope you'll be happy".

His mouth dropped when I said his name and he struggled to look into my eyes for a moment.

I motioned with my head to the tent behind him.

"Take care of her".

I manage to choke out the words and as I turned away from him a rebel tear fell. I batted it away and began on the path towards the camps entrance.

I had stayed here far too long already and it was time to leave.

My parents were right anyway, mates were only a weakness!

********

Waiting for Brie outside of Violet's tent I overheard a snippet of their conversation..

Brie spoke first..

"Sometimes loving someone means having to let them go. You and Alec are a good match for one another and I have a massive price on my head. I could only offer him a life on the run with no fixed home or a pack to call his own".

Then Violet replied with..

"He had that, a pack and a home and he was still unhappy. With you, he will be happy I'm sure of it. The Moon Goddess told me that everything has purpose. There is always a reason behind the path we must walk. You just have to wait for him to see it".

I spent a few moments absorbing their words. How they spoke about me and decided upon my future between themselves was hilarious. It angered me that neither one of them had bothered to asked for my own opinion yet. Violet was now pregnant with Dimitri's child and had already practically exiled me from the pack and Brie was going around trying to match make me with Violet when it was not her place to do so.

After all.. we didn't even really know one another.

I was so lost in my own thoughts I had not realised that my eavesdropping was no longer a secret until Brie came storming out of Violet's tent and bumped into me. I was so annoyed with myself that I had spaced out and missed the latter half of their conversation and now I had no idea why Brie looked so angry. They must have fought.

"What did you say to her" I demanded

"I wished her all the best in her battle"

Lies...

I'm sure of it!

I caught her arm firmly when she moved away from me

"Did you threaten her"? I asked.

Her eyes mocked me...

"Over you?.... please!"

She huffed as she dismissed me entirely.

All thought of speaking to Violet quickly evaporated as I followed the one woman who consistantly seemed to get under my skin without doing anything at all. I followed her as she stomped away with an unwarranted amount of fury which all seemed directed at me.

What was she even angry for?

"Where are you going"? I demanded

Since we got to the camp all she did was walk away from me. After I had unwillingly given her my blood earlier she barely made eye contact with me and it was starting to piss me off. It was like she used me or something and now I was no longer of use to her. Surplus to requirements it would seem.

All vampires were just like that.

Cold.

I saw a cloud of red smoke as I watched her shimmy away from me in that sexy walk of hers. She totally ignored my question so I decided to say something a little more forceful.

"I asked you a question Vampire!".

That got her attention and I grinned cockily.

She stopped walking so I could catch up to her but as I got closer I realised that she was shaking with restrained anger. It was subtle but I noticed it.

"I have a name, you will use it when you address me or we will not speak at all"

Putting as much sarcasm behind my words as I could I said ..

"ofcourse your royal highness"

As if she can issue orders to me like I am some servant.

It was ludicrous!

I saw her flinch and sighed.

Great!

I thought, now she really was angry with me. This was silly. Why were we even fighting?

"Where are you going"? I asked again.

When she started to walk away from me, I had reached my breaking point with her.

"BRIE"! I shouted.

I shocked myself with how angry and desperate I sounded. I hope she didnt read too much into that. As a Beta I was not used to anyone disrespecting me least of all showing me their back like she did.

She slowly turned towards me and when I saw her eyes I almost caved. She looked upset and I think it's because of me. Because I called her a Vampire instead of using her real name. I realised then that it was the first time I had actually said her name.

It was a pretty name too.

I quickly shook that thought away..

When I saw the longing in her eyes I decided I should be cruel to be kind and put the poor women out of her misery. After all, all we did was ignore each other or fight, not a great start for any relationship. Trying not to look like too much of an asshole I softened my eyes.

"I can never love you, you must know that". I said.

My wolf whined but I ignored him. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them when I saw how her eyes dimmed. I rushed to try and make the situation better for her.

"I won't reject you but you need to understand that this could never work between us".

"I understood that from the moment you saved my life" she said

I frowned

"Your kind walk in the light and mine are forced to live in darkness. I really do wish you every happiness Alec, despite what you think of me I hope you'll be happy".

I missed most of what she said after she called my name. I could have listened to it all day.

What on earth does she mean by that?

Does she believe she is damned then?

What is it about that woman that can make me so hot headed one minute and then make me want to forget about it all the next? I really wished she didn't have this affect on me, but she did. She walked away quickly after that, but I didn't have the guts to chase her this time. There was far too much happening in my world to enter hers just yet. Thats if I even wanted to. I was still on the fence about this whole mate thing.

Besides, I had a duty to fulfill so I'll try and patch things up with her when I can.

Right now, Violet needed me.

*********

Violet

I sat down behind my desk again when Brie left. My thoughts drifted towards my father and brother. Were they safe? If they were being held captive, were they being tortured?

I scoffed.

"What about him"?

"Are you for real? I think you've been cooped up in there for too long Layla if you think that's a good idea". I spat.

"I can protect myself"

Cares enough to make me believe he is having a child with another woman and treating me like nothing more than a common whore. Is that what you want in a mate Layla"?

She remained silent and I stood up from my chair and paced.

Holding my hand in the air I raised a digit for each flaw.

"He's cold, stubborn, arrogant, conceited....

"Strong, smart, courageous, good looking...."

"Stop it"! I shouted.

"Yes he is all of those thing's but he hurt me Layla".

She remained quiet as another pang of pain shot through my right shoulder blade and straight down my arm.

"He's in pain.. and you know he is... we can feel it"

I sighed.

I was on the verge of tears but trying to hold it in.

I won't cry!

I refuse to cry.

I pouted childishly...

"He's not THAT good looking" I lied.

"The lady doth protest too much"!

"UGHHHH! When I get a hold of that man I'll strangle him myself. He better live through this because I want the enjoyment of beating him to a pulp"!

She said.

My anger slowly ebbed away as I held my shoulder. The reality of him being in pain upset me. What were they doing to him? When I find him.. he better be safe and well otherwise I have no idea what I would do.

My hand automatically went to my stomach. What would 'WE' do without him?

Someone removed the flap to my tent and entered.

"Luna, the Beta's are here".

I turned towards Trevor.

"Let them in".