Picture Perfect Love

Chapter 21- Overly Cautious

Since Lucian had somehow managed to break his shackles, Xander had called over a few of his most skillful coven members to assist in restraining him, should they need it. He could most likely take the alpha in a fight; but it wasn't a fight he was looking for. He needed to talk to Lucian, get him to understand the severity of the situation. If his mate died, he would be worthless as an alpha and an ally- that's the last thing Xander wanted right now.

Though Lucian wanted nothing more than to decimate everyone standing between himself and Kennedy, he was slowly gaining logical reasoning. His wolf didn't care if they lost the fight, he had to try regardless; but his human side recognized the coven only wanted to help and he fought for control.

"Alpha," Xander addressed, "I need you to keep it together. We will all begin looking for your mate shortly, but there are a few things we need to discuss first."

"You don't understand," Lucian ground out between clenched teeth. "I can't feel her anymore. It's like she's just gone!"

Xander muttered a curse under his breath, hoping the alpha hadn't heard but knew he would have. The twins slowly made their way from the corner they had retreated to, curious to hear what this meant for everyone, especially Lucian.

"What? What does that mean?!" Lucian frantically asked as his eyes flashed.

"Calm down. If she were dead, you would know it. The fact that you are still standing shows she is still alive. You know that, Lucian."

Xander took a deep breath before he continued on, "I have every reason to believe your mate was bitten by the vampire that got away from our coven. From what we have learned about this manic infestation, if you will, is that it isn't contagious; not like that anyways. Your mate is still alive and presumably not infected with whatever this anomaly is going around, but that's not to say she is safe."

"You think I don't know that?! The longer we wait, the more danger she is in! Why are we sitting around doing nothing?" Lucian angrily questioned.

It took everything Lucian had not to shift on the spot and take his chances at breaking through the group of men in front of him. His body shook with pent up rage and fear.

"Because even if your mate isn't infected with this going around, she has been infected with our venom," Xander explained.

"Wait! Hold on a minute. What is that supposed to mean?" Benjamin broke in, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"It means," Xander began, "your Luna probably isn't going to be the woman you all knew. The longer we wait, the more the venom spreads and the higher her chances are of being turned."

Lucian's canines extracted and nails elongated at the thought of her being turned into a creature of the night against her will. The neighboring packs would never accept a vampire as his mate and would be constantly attacking, trying to eliminate them. Out of all the trouble he had imagined coming between them, becoming a vampire never crossed his mind.

"Then what are we waiting for?! We need to go, now!" he insisted, making his way to the door leading outside.

Xander's hand shot out, faster than even Lucian's eyes could see to stop him. It was meant as a simple friendly request, but the grip his hand had on Lucian's shoulder was like stone; unrelenting.

"There's one more thing, Alpha. I promise you, you have my men and I on your side with this. We will find your mate, but hear me out once more. I know she is your mate and your wolf needs her close, but now that she has been bitten, I cannot promise you she will feel the same. If the connection is severed, she may not even know who you are. Worst of all, you will need to make a choice. Assuming we find her in time, you need to decide whether or not to let the process take hold. The only way to have a chance of fighting the venom in her bloodstream is to initiate The Change. With your blood in her system, the wolf and vampire genes will fight for dominance. Whichever wins is what she will become."