Teru felt Kieran give a slight tug on his hand, trying to guide him away. Perhaps Kieran didn't want him to see the act of a human being turned, thinking it would stress him out.

He stayed firm. I don't want to leave, the pack leader growled quietly so only Kieran could hear. It would take an army to make him go, even though Teru knew watching might send him into shock. His inner dominant omega was persistent, emitting a steady amount of its flowery scent to let the others know it was still present.

Kieran sighed and hugged him close.

Everyone intently observed as Blaise hovered over Zander's wolf, eyeing the damage up close. One of his eyebrows twitched at the increasing rotting smell. A few crows cawed above, circling to find the carcass responsible for an odor that was delectable to them.

He isn't dead, Teru snarled to himself, wanting to bite those birds' heads off.

Blaise sat on his knees, gaze resting on the dying canine's throat. Zander slowly opened his tired eyes, staring up at the blonde vampire. Despite his rut, there was no fight left to even growl at the presence of another alpha near him during his season. If anything, Zander was relieved. They stared at each other briefly before he closed his eyes for the final time.

Blaise pressed two fingers against his neck, thinking and muttering, "Pulse is weak. Probably a minute left."

Upon hearing this, Tae-soo paced frantically. The pack wanted him to hurry.

"Don't rush me," Blaise snapped, baring his fangs at the anxious wolves. "This procedure cannot be fucked up in the slightest, or he'll suffer more." Teru glanced at Lucas. His friend carefully monitored everything Blaise did.

Ever so gingerly, Blaise slipped one arm under Zander's torso. The other held onto his large head, fingers gripping the rustic-colored fur. He lifted him with ease, disturbing the wounds and seeping inner body parts from his back end. Kieran shielded Teru's sight from the gruesome scene. Given the squelching sounds, more organs had prolapsed. He removed his hand when it was over.

Zander let out a piercing wail.

The pack, including Teru, snarled. It was an automatic response when someone of their own kind was in danger or injured gravely. Teru covered his mouth with his hand, snuffing out the aggressive tone.

"Sorry, sorry. I don't bite prey-I mean, people-when they're on the ground. It's...unsanitary."

...Teru leaned to the side and vomited. His mate brushed his hair from getting dirty in his mouth.

He smelled decay. Faint, but enough to trigger his nausea. It didn't come from Zander, either.

Alarm bells rang in his head. Their connection sent a warning to Humility.

Done puking, Teru used Kieran's offered handkerchief to wipe the remnants off his face.

This stench...It's Pride. I forgot that I can smell a hint of it, too, through Kieran.

It was his turn to hug Kieran closely, to calm Pride that was brewing within. That was his purpose. Blaise must've been feeling a strong sense of Kieran's deadly sin. In other words, what Blaise had said was a lie. It wasn't because of sanitary conditions. Rather, the youngest prince refused to eat on the dirt like a pauper, too good for that.

His mate glowered at Blaise, making a tight fist to reign in not only his alpha but Pride, too.

Teru was overwhelmed. The responsibilities of being the pack leader, a virtue, and a soon-to-be mother were heavy on his shoulders. Later, after Zander was all taken care of, he'd have to rely on Kieran for comfort because this was draining for anyone, even for the most mentally sound minds.

Zander was deadweight when Blaise cradled him, tipping his head back so the sweet spot over the artery stretched to the max. He opened his mouth wide, perfectly white fangs moving closer...

...and bit, teeth effortlessly sinking into fur and flesh to reach the artery. Unlike what Teru thought, there were no gushing and moist noises as he did this; apparently, Teru was just a messy eater compared to these immortals who had centuries of experience.

Zander's eyes went wide open, instincts wanting to flee from the predator that was consuming his blood. His front paws twitched. Blaise squeezed Zander tighter to prevent him from moving, nails poking into his snout.

GULP.

GULP.

GULP.

He stopped moving altogether, tongue rolling out of his mouth. Teru noticed that Lucas had moved from his spot under the treeline, now halfway to Blaise. Lucas was clearly uneasy about this, whether it was the intensity of having every drop of blood sucked out of you or something else.

It was likely 'something else.'

Blaise's pupils were cat-like and his aura was more sinister, similar to the night before when Lust was a demon-

Shit. There was no way Lust should come out. Not here. Not now, with a practically dead werewolf in his claws. The other three beasts circled around them, showing their deadly rows of teeth.

"Hey," Lucas whispered gently, getting on his knees to not look intimidating to the emerging deadly sin. A spot of red bled through the gauze on his wrapped neck. Talking was straining his infected wound. "Just...finish this first. This...was why I said you...shouldn't get involved. It didn't...feel right to me." He crawled closer at a snail's pace; don't startle an overstimulated animal or it'll attack.

Blaise stared ahead and retracted his crimson-colored fangs. A thick blood drop fell down his chin. "This one is disgustingly innocent, like that little knocked-up omega over there." His voice was dark.

"Okay, now what's next-"

"This dog recently became a born-again virgin. That's rare in these times. Interesting."

Lucas snapped his fingers to get Lust to concentrate. "Listen. To. Me. What do you need to do next?"

"...Give him my blood to replace his."

"Good, then do it."

"It's better to move farther," Kieran said quietly to Teru, making them go to the foot of the forest. The leaves shaded them.

Blaise lifted his arm and cut his own wrist with his fangs, slicing a deep, clean line straight across.

Teru clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to see the squirting river. "Why there?"

"A vampire can transfuse from anywhere, but the radial artery has blood straight from the heart. It's the best quality compared to any spot."

Hesitating, Teru squinted to watch again. Blaise had Zander's jaw wide open with his wrist over his gaping mouth, letting a stream of blood fall into it. It kept coming...and coming...and coming out without stopping. A few minutes passed. His complexion was deathly pale, veins white instead of blue. Did he intend to die of blood loss?!

"We won't die of blood loss," Kieran told him, sensing his worry. "But Lucas will have his hands full with a hungry vampire afterward. Your other friends will have an even more difficult time with-"

Zander convulsed, having a seizure.

"Done." Blaise dropped him on the grassy bed, stumbling up. His virtue went to his aid.

They were speechless when Blaise roughly grabbed Lucas by his coat collar and kissed him, pressing their lips together. Lucas gawked. Lust broke the kiss, lips brushing against his as he said, "Mr. Chastity, I'm finished. I was a good boy. Now, fuck me and let me drink from you. You can come inside as I fill you up with my pheromone venom. Hehehe," the horny vamp cackled, eyes red from blood deprivation.

"S-stop...just...follow me. Now," he panicked, gripping Lust by the nape.

As Lucas steered him from the group to disappear for the night, Kieran wanted to do the same and leave. "A small creek is nearby. I'll move the Jeep there for the evening. Staying next to the road is risky since we don't know who still uses it."

"But Zander, he's hurting. He needs me." Teru took a step towards the wolf, who was trembling violently. Amazingly, his tail had grown back with long fur beautifully dangling from it, a characteristic the others didn't have. His hips were no longer crumbled in pieces. Becoming a vampire seemed to work, but Teru felt that he had to watch over him, weirdly overprotective of the struggling alpha.

"Little one, it was successful. This is a normal reaction for humans who received a sufficient amount of vampire blood and are undying. I need you to acknowledge your instincts. Is Zander the only one you want to protect right now?"

He considered it, thinking of Kieran, the pack, Lucas, and even Blaise who had wormed his way into their circle. "No."

"Do you feel this way about everyone important to you? To mother them?"

Ah, I think I see what he means. His cheeks warmed with embarrassment and nodded. "I guess it's my body, huh?"

Kieran stroked his head. "It's not a bad thing. I'd say it's good because you'll protect the pups well after they're born. Now that you know, be mindful of yourself-"

His alpha looked up abruptly, zooming in front of Teru before he could finish blinking. There was a deafening crash. Instead of seeing another fight, it was already over when he turned around. Several crackles boomed. An old, tall tree fell from its base where the two had smashed through. Multiple lengths away was Kieran pinning a huge wolf with red eyes under him.

Zander. He was healed. He was alive, and he looked better than ever. The only giveaway he was ever injured was the crusty blood on his fur.

Kieran's knuckles were white as he choked him, not that it would harm Zander in the slightest. Newborn vampire/werewolf hybrids were stronger than most could handle. His knee dug into the beast's flank. Tae-soo, Jacky, and Lila growled, but not at the vampire prince.

They were growling at Zander, a baby bloodsucker who didn't know how to survive as an immortal. Life had a new lens, never the same as a human. Everything was food, a dog-eat-dog world. Consume. Eat. Fulfill the thirst.

Back down. Back down. Back down, the pack barked.

Musky pheromones went to war with each other, establishing dominance. Kieran's emerald green clashed with whatever color Zander's was.

Of course, a dominant alpha would always be supreme.

The top dog of the pack.

The head alpha and leader's mate.

Kieran roared and hissed, spewing spit everywhere like a rabid animal. At first, Zander snarled before quieting, seeing Teru from afar. When Kieran followed his line of sight to the last mortal omega, his nose scrunched in rage.

"He," Kieran growled, "is not a meal to feast on. He is not yours. Do you fucking hear me?" He pushed Zander's neck further into the soil to get the point across. "The other human isn't available either. Don't piss off the one who helped you. Leave with the other werewolves and do not come near us as you are now. Until then, my mate will expect you to get your shit together. You wanted this. You better not make my brother regret giving you his blood. If you try to do what you just did, I will kill you. It's my only warning. Understand?"

After tense seconds, Zander went limp, giving up. His musky pheromones vanished. He decided to listen to Teru's mate, the infamous Pride. Zander was the first of the wolves to accept him as the lead alpha.

Satisfied, Kieran let go and stood. He was wary that Zander would attempt to get to Teru's blood again.

The conquered werewolf immediately scrambled up and rushed into the depths of the forest, Lila and Jacky going after him at full speed.

Tae-soo approached the pack leader and lowered his head to match Teru's level.

He grazed his hand along the soft, dark gray fur. Don't go too far, Teru said in their language.

We won't, he yipped, but far enough that Zander won't be a danger to you. He has to be trained. If you need the pack, call us. We will follow you.

Teru furrowed his eyebrows and spoke aloud, "Our next destination is catching a flight, though."

A flight? Where are you flying to?

"Do you know a city called Los Angeles?"

...I do. Are you aware of who they are?

"Mhm. So, I think it's best for you guys to get a head start and meet us there."

That's not an easy journey.

"How long will it take for you?"

Well, if we start now and run most of the way...five days. But Zander is a baby. He needs to learn how to feed and control his monster. I'd say seven or eight days.

"That's actually perfect." Teru pressed his forehead to Tae-soo's, bonding as leader and second-in-command. "See you later. Be careful"

And you be careful. Don't strain yourself too much. Let your alpha take care of you. I don't trust him fully, but he's competent.

With that, Tae-soo left and fled. Teru had an achy pain in the pit of his stomach once he was out of sight. The pack was gone, feeling like he had lost an important part of himself. More alone, he could say. The destined pair were by themselves. The crows from earlier landed on Zander's bed, pecking at the organs that had fallen out of his ruined body when dying.

Don't worry, it's only temporary. Focus on Kieran. Focus on me. Focus on the pups. Focus on finding safety.

GURRGGLLEE.

It was his stomach, protesting for nourishment. Teru scratched his ears. They were human-shaped again. The dominant omega went into hiding, too. Its job was done for today. "Uh, I'm, uh, kinda..."

Kieran lifted and carried him to the car. "Which one sounds better to you: the boar I can smell nearby or my blood?"

His mouth watered at the options. He was sure the three tiny beans were dancing with joy to finally eat. "Both. Both are good."

The omega who had the universe crushing him earlier nuzzled his face into his alpha's chest. Even with them gone, I'm never alone.