Keno;
"We're never going to get in there," Jamal warned me, walking perfectly close behind me with his eyes fixed on the castle as we meandered through the dense trees.
I knew he was right, I just didn't want to see it. Added to this was this bitter realization that Aria's aunt was apparently the queen of vampires.
How much misfortune should actually happen to us?
"I know that myself, but we still have to try," I growled at my beta and stayed hidden behind a tree, from which I had a direct view of the wide staircase and the entrance above.
If we went up there, we certainly wouldn't get out alive...
"Let's get Aymo and the rest of the pack together!" Jamal raised his voice again, because he had suggested this to me several times in the last few hours...
What stopped me was the thought that this would mean I wouldn't be around Aria for a few days, and what if something happened right then? I couldn't reconcile that with my conscience, after all I blamed myself for this whole situation. I should never have allowed her to leave our safe home because now we were in this big mess. Instead, we could lie in our beds and watch old movies.
It was crazy!
"We'll stay and come up with something better!" I replied to Jamal, even more irritated, and just as he took another breath and was about to say something, I quickly turned around and gave him a warning look.
Apparently he immediately noticed that my patience had reached its limit and raised his hands in surrender until we suddenly heard something rustling in the forest next to us and we quickly hid behind the trees.
"What do you dirty bloodsuckers want from me!", I heard Juniper's shrill voice and watched a short time later with Jamal how she was carried by two slightly larger vampires on hands and feet to the castle.
From the way she protested and lashed out, you could assume it wasn't a voluntary or friendly visit, and I briefly considered helping her before I remembered what she had actually done to me and Aria.
"What should we do?" Jamal whispered over to me, watching with suspense as I did as the vampires disappeared up the stairs with Juniper.
"Nothing. It's not important," I explained in a dark voice and at the same time felt that someone was behind us...
"But she is important to me!"
I turned around with Jamal and looked straight into Yasha's green eyes, which I immediately grabbed by her neck to push her against the thick tree trunk behind her.
"What do they want from your sister!" I demanded, tensing every muscle in my body with anger. She was partly to blame for this situation and even if I reacted reasonably composed, my wolf mentally tore her to shreds.
Nobody should dare to fool an Alpha!
"I don't know!", she gasped and put her hand on my arms, which immediately surrounded me with a warm feeling that even my heart that was racing with anger immediately calmed down.
witchcraft!
"They just took her with them!" she explained to herself and when I finally let go of her again, she gasped violently and looked past me at Jamal, causing her green irises to glow. "Hello, who are you?" she spoke seductively as if there were no other problems at all, but I immediately took a step to the side and stood right between the two of them, breaking their eye contact in an instant.
What did she actually think we are? Her guinea pigs for her sick magical games?
Annoyed, almost stubborn at my reaction, she pouted with her arms crossed and looked up at me as if I had just stolen her favorite toy and I was just longing for my home and quiet times with Aria...
"Tell me right now why she-"
"I really don't know!" she repeated, rolling her eyes at the same time. "You babbled something about vampire rules."
I looked at Jamal, completely confused, but he just shrugged his shoulders, until we suddenly heard such loud screams from the lock that they ripped through my bones...
I didn't even think about what was right or wrong anymore. Didn't even think about dying or living anymore. I just started walking towards the castle and feared the worst.
_____
Shortly before that Aria;
I had challenged the vampires and now, for the first time, my big mouth would be my undoing.
So while I was standing on the table under high tension and just waiting for these four bloodsuckers to attack me, they suddenly started laughing out loud and didn't seem to be taking me seriously at all.
"You should dance, little mouse," the creep said and licked his lower lip provocatively, which almost made me choke again. "So swing your sweet little feet and show us some more skin!"
"Damn me!" I snarled back angrily and was grabbed by his leg so quickly I couldn't even react and scared myself to death as I lost my footing and landed squarely on my butt.
With wide eyes I looked at the people sitting in front of me and started to tremble when their eyes suddenly seemed to wander over my entire body. It was just disgusting to feel so exposed.
When I finally wanted to get up again, the creep got up and positioned himself in front of the table in such a way that he took a seat between my legs and then pulled my hips towards him.
"The hard way then," he grinned, but before he could even put a finger on me, I kicked my foot in his face with full force, sending him flying backwards a few meters while I gasped in shock and also immediately felt the hands of the others on my arms and legs, which placed me on the table like a willing animal.
"You disgusting-!"
I didn't get any further, the door opened in front of me and I immediately looked at Sandrino and Gloria with a racing heart, who seemed to tell the others with their looks alone that they should let go of me, which they did.
"You must have had fun," Gloria concluded, glancing at the vampire next to her, who was still sitting on the ground from my kick.
He didn't say anything, just seemed annoyed, and while he found his way back to his feet, I nervously scooted to the edge of the table and stood up again.
"Well," Sandrino began, stepping sideways so that I immediately recognized Juniper standing right behind him with an angry expression. "You have 10 minutes to part ways and discuss your departure. However, we will be present at the execution."
He turned away from me, as did Gloria and the others, and then the moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Hello, Juniper..."