Bloodbound [Alpha-series (II)]

Chapter 6

The Council sat in a chair beside the bed, the iPad he always carried with him in his lap. I didn’t like talking to him while lying down, so I rose and leaned my back against the mountain of pillows that were stacked against the head of the bed. Being at eye level with him gave my confidence – that was basically nonexistent at this point – a little boost.
From this day, you are not a member of my pack anymore. I hereby ban you from my territory.
The memories of what had happened at our pack’s border came flooding back. Had Caleb really banned me? And then this strange, sudden appearance of the Council … Not to forget this weird dream. Trying to make sense of it all gave me a headache. I rubbed my aching forehead, but when I lowered my hand again, I spotted a small, dark dot on my right wrist. When wiping it away with my thumb didn’t work, I examined it closer. To my shock, the “dot” turned out to be a red drop. My heart stopped a beat. No! This couldn’t be what I thought it was, it just couldn’t!
“Your eyes do not deceive you”, the Council disagreed, as if he had read my mind. “You have indeed the mark of a blood mate on your wrist.”
Just like wolves, vampires could have a mate as well. But while our partner was predestined from birth, vampires were free too chose a mate to their liking. It could be a fellow vampire or a human. Most chose the latter. Once they had chosen, however, the bond couldn’t be undone.
“H-How …?”, I stuttered, my gaze still fixed on the small red drop.
“Your veins got flooded with wolfsbane until you were fully human”, the vampire replied, his tone infuriatingly calm and collected. It held not the slightest note of remorse, of a guilty conscience. What he described was usually an incredibly painful process with a high mortality rate. It was one of the cruelest punishments an Alpha could inflict upon one of his pack members and thus scarcely executed. I only knew of one case in our pack, and that had been at the time Caleb’s father had still been Alpha. “Afterwards, a blood exchange was conducted between us, and I spoke the ritual binding words to claim you as my consort.”
Even though somewhere deep down I knew he spoke the truth, I tried calling upon my wolf, but nothing happened. My senses didn’t heighten, my skin didn’t tingle, my pulse didn’t race.
“No!”, I screamed, unable to accept this horrible abuse of my body and soul. It was a sound of pure despair. I ferociously clawed at the mark, tried to rip it out, but then my wrists were shackled by two strong, cold hands.
“Let me go!”, I yelled, desperately fighting against his iron grip. “Let me go!”
The cold hands didn’t budge.
My vision became blurred as a wave of tears welled up in my eyes. Still, I raised my head and locked gaze with the monster in front of me.
“You are upset and confused, that is understandable. I won’t expect you to take up your duties as my consort right away”, the Council let me know. He made it sound like he was doing me a grand favor, like he was being magnanimous, which stoked my rage even more.
“Let me go!”, I demanded again, trying my best to sound composed. The icy fury that shot through my veins cleared my mind and helped me focus.
Finally, my wrists were freed.
“You might have forced this mark on me”, I barked, holding up my right hand, “but I will never be your mate! Whatever you expect me to do, you better prepare to be sourly disappointed!”
I got out of bed and stormed towards the door, glad my feet had enough strength to carry me – and I didn’t stumble over the hem of the long, white nightgown that had been forced on me.
“They won’t take you back”, the vampire coolly stated, no doubt in his tone.
“We will see about that!”, I snapped.
Whatever shady trick the Council had used to force my Alpha’s hand, together we would find a way out of this mess. We couldn’t allow that arrogant vampire to toy with us as he pleased!
Without warning, the Council appeared right before me.
“Caleb banned you from the pack in exchange for my knowledge of the Alpha king’s newest scheme. I delivered, and we both know Caleb is a man of his word.”
I didn’t reply, didn’t want to hear any of it. Instead, I continued walking, but with a quick step to the side, the vampire blocked my way once more.
“You are mine now, Maya”, he declared, stalking towards me.
I swallowed, shook my head, and with every slow, predatory step he took forward, I took a step back. I belonged to John and no one else! His death didn’t change that fact. I would always belong to my beloved mate and him alone.
“The bond that binds us is as holy to us vampires as the mate bond is to wolves. Once tied, it lasts forever. There is no going back – for neither of us.”
When I took another step, I felt the bed behind me. Clever bastard. Reluctantly, I slumped down on the mattress.
“Rest. We will continue our talk when you have calmed yourself.”
He stepped aside just as the door to the room opened.
“This is June, your Maidservant”, the Council introduced the young woman who entered. She looked no older than sixteen or seventeen and wore a formal, old-fashioned maid uniform consisting of a black flared ankle-length dress and a white apron. Her blonde hair was neatly pinned up, adorned with a white frilly headdress. June curtseyed, a reserved smile on her face.
“My lady, I am at your service.” Her voice was as sweet as her appearance.
Vampire. Even though I couldn’t use my wolf senses anymore, I knew she was one of them. Her almost ethereal movements and her unblemished pale skin, not to forget those fairy-like features of hers… Vampire, definitely!
“June will tend to all your needs. Then, I’ll excuse myself.”
With that, he turned around and left, leaving me alone with the young maid.
“The kitchen is preparing a light soup for you, my lady. It should be ready soon.”
“Thanks, but I … I am not hungry.”
How was I supposed to eat in this situation?
“Could you … could you get me a phone?”
“Of course. I will get one right away”, June replied to my surprise and was gone in the next moment. I expected the Council wouldn’t allow any contact with the outside world, but apparently, I was wrong.
Seconds later, the young maid returned and handed me a smartphone. It took me a little to figure out how to make a call, but I got there eventually. I punched in Caleb’s number. Good thing he had me learn it by heart when we stayed in Paris. After five beeps, someone picked up.
“Identify yourself”, Caleb brusquely demanded.
Relief washed over me. I remembered the number correctly.
“I-It’s me, Maya.”
There was so much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to ask, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t leave my mouth.
“Don’t call this number again”, he growled.
It was weird, hearing the anger in my Alpha’s voice but not … not feeling it. Nothing inside of me flinched in the face of his anger, nothing urged me to make it up to him, to show absolute obedience. It was as if I heard some tape recording rather than an actual reply. Our bond … was it truly gone for good?
“You are no longer a wolf, you belong to the vampires now. You are dead to us.”
With that curt, brutal statement, the call was ended.
You are dead to us.
The sentence echoed through my head over and over again.
You are dead to us.
You are dead to us.
You are dead to us.
…
In the end, only one word stuck with me.
Dead.
Without really knowing how I got there, I suddenly found myself on top of one of the castle’s many towers, the smartphone still tightly clutched in my hand. As if being trapped in a trance, I stepped on a merlon and looked down. The tower was high, but I wasn’t scared. Just one more step. One tiny step and everything would finally be over.
Promise me you’ll live.
I tried. I tried so hard, I did! But there was only so much a person could take.
I lost my mate. I lost my pup. I lost my wolf and my pack. For all intents and purposes, the Maya that had made that promise was already dead. There was nothing keeping me here except for this body of mine.
I closed my eyes – and jumped.