Protected By Vampires

Chapter 20

    

     Sam came back into the room followed by Mark and Brian. Brian sat down in the chair Sam had been sitting in while Sam and Mark whispered by the door. 

     "Mark and I are going to my private office to talk about security details, Brian is going to stay here with you to answer your questions." Sam told me, and waited until I nodded before leading Mark out of the door and closing it behind him. 

     Brian and I studied each other in silence for a bit. He was tall and looked like he could be a professional football player. His brown hair had a slight curl to it and his brown eyes were mesmerizing. He was very handsome in a rugged way.

      "So you're a wolf." I said, feeling a little stupid for pointing it out. 

     He smiled and revealed dimples on both of his cheeks. "Yep."

     I tried to sort through all the questions in my head. "Why are you helping the vampires?" 

     Brian sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Sam told you about the breeding directive?" I nodded. 

     "Like Travis, I was one of the kids that stayed with the humans. My dad is a wolf but he fell in love with my mom. So he left the pack, married my mom and they raised me together. When I was 14 the pack found us and wanted us to join them. They killed my mom as a warning to my dad when he refused to leave her. Instead of giving in to them, my dad tried to disappear with me." Brian was quiet, staring at nothing while thinking of the past. The sad look on his face made me want to hug him. 

     "They caught up to us and killed my dad in front of me. They took me back to the pack and kept me in a cell until the first full moon when the alpha forced me to shift. No one ever told me anything about what I am so I had no idea what was going on.

     "It was very traumatic and my dad was labeled a traitor. Because of this I spent the next few years being punished for his supposed crimes. I never fit in nor was accepted, so when I turned 18 they excommunicated me. I was dropped off in the middle of the city with nothing but the clothes I was wearing. 

     "After a few months of living on the street, Mark found me eating out of a dumpster. He introduced himself, offered me a job, and the rest is history."

     I gave Brian a small smile. "Travis found me eating out of a dumpster too. Why would Mark offer you a job? Aren't vampires and werewolves enemies?"

     Brian shrugged. "Not exactly but kinda. Weres are animals at heart, we are wild and most of us don't have a big enough influence from our human nature to be capable of things like compassion and empathy. Those of us who were raised with humans are usually considered weak for allowing ourselves to feel emotions. Vampires start out as humans, and with the exception of a few, their human nature, feelings, and everything that made them who they were as a human, stays intact."

     That made sense. "Do you have to shift on the full moon like in the stories? What about silver?"

     Brian shook his head. "We feel the pull of the full moon but we don't have to shift. It makes us stronger and excites our wolf so many weres let their wolves out simply because an excited wolf is annoying. The full moon is also usually when wolves plan any attacks because of the increased strength. Silver doesn't do anything to us, but the one thing the stories got right is wolfsbane. It can kill a human but it makes weres weak and unable to shift."

     "Are there other shifters? Like werebears or something?" I asked.

     Brian nodded. "There are a lot of different types of shifters. The weres who shift into predators are more animal than human, the ones who shift into prey, like weresheep, are more timid and fit in with humans much easier. They also don't have to have an alpha force the shift. The chimera shifters can change into anything. They're the only group without an alpha and most of them are loners."

     Weresheep? I almost started laughing. This entire situation seemed absurd. "So why do they have such a hair up their ass about my daughter?" I asked, knowing there was more to it than just her being a were. 

      "It's because of who her parents are." Brian said while studying my face. 

     "Sam said Travis is powerful." I said, thinking it had something to do with that. 

     Brian nodded. "Yes. 

     While I waited for him to continue, we had a staring contest. He shifted in his chair and sighed before continuing.

     "It's not just Travis. The weres have reason to believe that you have some hidden talents as well."

     "But I'm just a human." I stated, very confused. 

     Brian nodded. "Yes, but like I said, they have their reasons. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you, so ask me something else."

     "Do you know how Travis found out he's a wolf?" 

     "I don't know all the details. His mother tried to keep him hidden from the pack when she realized his wolf wouldn't make him insane. Alpha Roland somehow found out and waited until Travis had a business trip over a full moon. I do know he didn't take it very well."

     "All this explains why he wanted me to have an abortion. He knew I wouldn't just hand over my baby."

     "Yes, he was trying to protect you. He was supposed to break things off with you immediately so he could join the pack and be free to produce as many pups as possible. But he loves you so he refused until Alpha Roland made it an official order."

     "If you've been away from the pack since you've been 18, how do you know all of this?" I asked, suddenly suspicious that Brian might be a spy. 

     "My cousin who was raised in the pack still talks to me. He was the only one who ever truly accepted me. He knows I work with the vampires so he doesn't share everything, but he does tell me some things."

     It sounded plausible, but I was still suspicious. When it came to my daughter's safety I wasn't going to trust anyone but Sam. 

     "So this Alpha Roland somehow knows something about me that I don't, and combining that with Trav's power means that my daughter is supposed to be some kind of super wolf. Do you know what plans they have for my baby?"

     "They don't know that it's a girl, they're hoping it is a boy so they can train it to be a fighter, among other things. I'm guessing that they won't kill you unless they have to when they find out it's female. They'll want to hold you captive and breed you until they get a male. Females are second class citizens to wolves." 

     The thought of being imprisoned and raped until I produced a boy caused me to panic. I felt myself go pale and I started sweating. 

      "I'd rather be dead than have to go through that." I whispered. 

     Brian nodded. "I don't blame you. I know it doesn't make it any easier, but most likely they'd want Travis to father any future pups. Alpha Roland hasn't been able to have any kids but Travis has already proved to be very fertile."

     I felt my heart break with that implication. Despite knowing how much it would hurt, I wanted to know exactly what he meant by that. 

     "The woman I walked in on Trav fucking. She's pregnant." I stated. 

     "Yes, and she's a wolf." Brian said cautiously. "They were beyond happy that he could make purebred offspring. They've had him mate with three others who are pregnant now as well." 

     I felt like I was going to throw up. Despite not seeing Trav for so long, not to mention my attraction for Sam, I still loved Trav on some level. I suspected that a part of me would always love him. 

     Brian was quiet while I processed the information. I had so many more questions but I couldn't organize my thoughts enough to ask them. Everything kept coming back to Trav and the future I no longer had with him.