A/N: 05.04.20

Okay, so here's a real update 😂 Excited by the title of the chapter? Don't lie, I know you are ;)

And as for the cover, I ended up going back to the original one since the majority voted for it 😅 wow Hidee, you went through all that just to use the first cover. Okay, okay, I know, BUT I still want to thank everyone who participated.

My top 3 were (in random order):

This edit caught my eye (and all of the other ones made by this reader) because the colors worked so well together. I loved how the word "Vamp" stood out, and how simple yet eye-catching the edit is. And come on, the three men just look so badass. It made me think of Noah, Micka, and Astrid (if Astrid was a boy anyway).

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This? How could I not love this? The two characters reminded me of Aleksei and Noah, and the entire gothic/vamp was just 😔👌 and the words looked so fancy & beautiful... respect to the reader who edited this, it's absolutely gorgeous and goes with the plot so well.

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I loved this one because it matches the title of the story so well. And the colors worked perfectly together and I thought this edit was so aesthetically pleasing, like an art piece. It makes me want to hang it up in a museum and talk to strangers about vampires while sipping wine. And the quote on top had me go 😍😍

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These three were the ones that caught my eyes the most, but like I said, all of your edits were amazing!

Now, back to the story, shall we?

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It was Saturday morning and Noah had gotten up earlier than he normally would. He washed up and changed, heading downstairs to meet up with Micka who had gone to the hospital to check up on Astrid.

He thought about the conversation they had with Issa last night as we walked down the stairs.

"What?" Micka blurted blankly.

"Alpha blood," repeated Issa.

"Alpha as in... An Alpha werewolf?"

Issa nodded. "Roman told me that werewolves have amazing healing powers and that they can cure almost anything. If Astrid drinks Alpha blood, she'll get better within a few days."

"How in the world are we going to find an alpha?!"

Issa handed Micka a piece of paper and Noah craned his neck to see what was written on it.

112 Silverback street.

"Well, that answers my question," grumbled Micka.

"I doubt that they're going to willingly give us their blood," murmured Noah skeptically.

"What kind of werewolves are we talking about here?" Micka asked. "Big, scary ones? Or friend-zoned ones like Jacob?"

"I really don't know," Issa said. "But I'm going to put my bets on the first one."

Micka groaned.

"Thanks," Noah smiled. Issa pressed his lips together.

"Be careful, okay?" He murmured. "Supernatural creatures aren't always very friendly. Maybe you should ask Aleksei to go with you just in case. I asked Roman, but he said that he'd rather not leave my side for the time being."

Noah gave him an understanding nod. "Don't worry, we'll be fine by ourselves," he said. "We'll text you when we get back."

"And watch over Astrid for us, will you?" Micka asked, nudging Issa in the shoulder and almost making him trip. Issa rubbed his arm but looked at Micka with a small, reassuring smile.

"I will."

Noah walked out of the building and headed to the parking lot where Micka agreed to meet, but instead of seeing his best friend, Aleksei was leaning against the hood of his Porsche, his arms crossed over his broad chest. When he saw Noah, the stern look in his eyes softened, but his lips remained stern.

"What are you doing here?" Noah slowly asked.

"I thought you might need a hand," he answered. Noah raised a brow and Aleksei shrugged. "Vamps talk."

Roman, thought Noah to himself. He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his tousled hair.

"Micka and I can handle it."

"Going with that human boy does not reassure me the slightest."

"What does it matter to you anyway?" He demanded angrily.

"Everything about it matters."

Noah had enough of this push-and-pull. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"You need to leave," he ordered. Aleksei cocked a brow at Noah's attempt to impose authority. But in Noah's defense, it was hard to order around someone who was twice his height with a body thrice as strong as his. Aleksei's figure was defined by lean muscle and strength, and the intimidating glare in his eyes made Noah flinch.

"And let you to become a wolf's breakfast? I don't think so," he snorted.

"I'm done with this," Noah muttered, turning on his heel to leave. But Aleksei grabbed his wrist and pushed him against the car, placing his hands against the hood and trapping Noah in between in arms. Noah's eyed widened, leaning back as far as he could, but his nose was inches away from Aleksei's.

"Don't," murmured Aleksei. He leaned forward and for a second, Noah thought that he was going to kiss him. He secretly hated himself for not wanting to pull away from Aleksei, for secretly wanting the kiss.

But instead, Aleksei's forehead fell onto Noah's shoulder. He could hear Aleksei's soft, gentle breath tickle this collarbone, and shuddered. "Don't be done with me," Aleksei whispered in a raspy voice. "Just give me some more time Noah."

"Time for what?" Noah managed to say.

Aleksei raised his head and frowned, looking into the green hues in front of him.

"I've told you this before and I'll say it again. I don't care about your scary reputation," Noah said. "I don't care about your heritage or that you were once a king, I don't care if other people fear you, I don't care if you're the same gender as me and I definitely do not care if you're a vampire or not," he growled. "I've accepted you for who you are but you obviously can't do the same."

Noah gently pushed Aleksei away, finally deciding to set the boundaries he should have drawn the first day he got here. "You and I are enemies because your place is with Nyx and I mine is with the FBI. So please just leave."

Before Aleksei could answer, they heard someone shout.

"Noah!" Micka called, waving his hand as he joined them. He looked towards Aleksei and scowled. "What the frickle frackle is he doing here?"

"Nothing, he was just about to leave," Noah informed, giving Aleksei the cold shoulder.

"Oh, I see," Micka grumbled. "Anyway, we have a small problem. I went to the hospital to ask Astrid for her car keys but they've medicated her to sleep. How are we supposed to get there without a vehicle?"

His eyes slowly drifted towards Aleksei who smiled.

"Seems like I'm going after all," he said, glancing towards Noah who held back a groan. Micka could tell that Noah wasn't very fond of the idea of bringing Aleksei with them, but this wasn't the time to be choosing sides. Astrid was dying, and they needed to get a move on.

"I have the address," said Micka. Aleksei shrugged.

"I don't need it."

Vampires and werewolves had divided their territory centuries ago. The Northside, where Bran Prep High was located, belonged to Nyx. The East was ruled by the LeBlancs, Roman's family. And the Southside belonged to werewolves, a region that was itself divided among different packs. They were heading to the pack that owned the largest portion of the Southside.

They entered the car and Aleksei started driving, knowing exactly where he was heading. About an hour driving into the forest, they started hearing loud howls from outside.

"What are they saying?" Micka whispered, tightening his grip around the seatbelt.

"Do I look like I speak dog?" muttered Aleksei. Micka grimaced, turning his head towards Noah.

"Lovely friend you got here."

The ground suddenly started to tremble and Micka gulped. "Um, please tell me this is just a mini-earthquake."

But when he turned to the side and looked out the window, a curdling scream escaped his mouth as he jerked away from the door.

"What the hell is that?!"

Running alongside the car was an animal twice the size of a bear, each fall of its paws making the ground tremble. The brown werewolf shifted its terrifying gaze towards Micka who let out another scream.

Another werewolf with a silver coat appeared on Noah's side, trapping Aleksei's car in between the two beasts. The silver one let out a loud howl but Aleksei refused to listen, stepping on the pedal and only going faster.

"Aleksei, they don't seem very happy." Noah gulped.

"Hm? Oh, they're jumping with excitement."

"This isn't the time for your snarky sarcasm, man!" Shrieked Micka.

It wasn't until a third werewolf jumped from above the cliff, landing in front of their car that Aleksei slammed on the breaks. Noah and Micka's body pulled forward before being reeled back in by the seatbelts.

The three angry wolves circled around the car, snarling and hissing in a threatening way. Noah and Micka didn't need to speak their language to understand that they weren't welcomed. While they panicked, Aleksei remained calm, unlocking the doors and stepping out of the car.

"Are you crazy?! They're going to kill you if you go out there!" Micka cried.

"They're going to crush my car if we don't," Aleksei deadpanned. Micka turned towards Noah, pointing at Aleksei with a shaky finger.

"He's crazy. Please tell me that he's crazy."

"We need to save Astrid," said Noah, swallowing his fear and following Aleksei. Micka groaned, throwing his head back in despair.

"Right, okay fine, we're all crazy! We're all fucking crazy." He got out of the car and ran to Noah's side, sticking close to him.

"We come in peace," he stuttered, earning a loud snarl from the brown one. The three wolves started to approach Aleksei, Noah, and Micka until someone let out a loud whistle. A dark-skinned boy jumped out from the cliff above.

"Down boys," he ordered. The silver wolf snarled angrily.

"And girl," he quickly corrected himself, before turning his gaze towards the three intruders. He sniffed the air and scowled, glaring at Aleksei first.

"You're on werewolf territory, bloodsucker."

"We have business with the alpha," Aleksei informed curtly.

"He's busy."

"Tell him to clear his schedule."

"You think you can come here and bark orders at us?"

"Owen," said a voice. Another man jumped from the cliff above, pulling Owen away from them. "Watch it, you're talking to Aleksei Griffon."

Owen's eyes widened at the name.

"I'm surprised to see an old king wandering on our land," said Tig, his grey eyes shifting towards Aleksei who was well known in this region. "What brings you here?"

"We need to see your Alpha," Noah interrupted. "Please, it's urgent."

Tig sniffed the air and his brows furrowed as he identified their race.

"Humans?"

Tig studied the look on Noah's face before nodding at Owen.

"Take them to the den," he finally ordered.

"What?!" Owen cried in protest.

"But the vampire stays here," Tig ordered with authority.

"Deal!" Noah blurted, earning a glare from Aleksei.

"I'm going," he argued.

"No, you're staying," Noah corrected.

"Guys, this isn't the time to have a lover's quarrel," hissed Micka under his breath.

"Are you out of your mind?" Aleksei demanded, ignoring Micka and everyone else's existence, all of his attention focused on Noah. "You're going to get yourself killed if you walk in there by yourself."

"I'm not going by myself," said Noah, pulling Micka closer towards him and patting Micka's shoulder. "I'm going with Micka."

"The boy who screams like a girl?" Aleksei deplored. Micka gasped.

"I do not scream like a girl!"

Once again, he was ignored.

"You're not going in there without me," Aleksei snarled, but Noah refused to back down.

"Will you please trust me? Please?" Noah begged. "Just this once, believe in me."

Aleksei stared into Noah's soft green eyes that burned with determination and felt himself slowly giving in. He sighed heavily.

"Fuck, Noah," Aleksei hissed, running a hand through his dark hair before turning towards Owen. The look in his eyes immediately changed; not a single trace of warmth lingered in those blue eyes the second his eyes left Noah's. "I want him back in ten minutes."

"Thirty," Noah bargained beside him.

"Fifteen," Aleksei muttered darkly.

"Twenty?" Noah suggested.

"You heard him," Aleksei growled. Only Noah had some form of authority on Aleksei. Everyone else? They were nothing but specks of dust that he'd laugh upon. "Twenty minutes."

"Or else what?" snorted Owen confidently. But his smile slowly faded when he saw the menacing glare in Aleksei's eyes.

"Or else I'll slit your throats and burn this den down to flames."

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A/N: Please don't forget to leave a vote ♡

What's the weirdest dream you guys have had?