H Is For Human (Garlic Is For Vampires, Book 3)

Chapter 15: The Pack

Days of recovering left me a lot of free time. I decided to take a gap year until I could resolve the trouble with the vampires. But Mason still suggested I actually talk to the pack leader he had mentioned to me. I still couldn't forgive him for that little snippet he said of trying to marry me into the pack. But I heard him out and finally decided that I was really running out of options and I needed to move. Fast.

"Okay," I said. "I agree to meet with the pack leader. But no deals behind my back. Understood?"

"Yes," Mason said, already whipping out a phone to talk to the pack leader. I rolled my eyes and once arrangements were made, the pack member decided to meet me at the warehouse. I agreed during nighttime, just in case any vampires were doing funny business. We settled at 8:00 p.m. From the way he sounded on the phone, I could tell Alpha Smith was just as excited as I was.

Brendon eventually stopped by to see how I was doing. I was sitting on the couch talking to Mason. Brendon smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Sorry, I shouldn't interrupt," he said. "But I was wondering if you and I could talk, Bree?"

"Sure," I said. Mason dismissed himself and Brendon replaced him on the couch. I moved my legs. My body was still mending but now I could walk, except I was easily winded from walking for too long. My ribs were still healing. But I was fine with talking to him. It seemed a conversation was long overdue.

"You saved me," he said. "You should be dead but you saved me. And after I treated you so coldly-why did you even save me? Why didn't you just let me die?"

He seemed just as twisted about the idea as I did. But I simply remained silent. I held his gaze and then I started talking again. "Because I never meant to hurt you. I only ever wanted to protect you in this situation. It was for your own good, Brendon. Just because you hate me doesn't mean I hate you."

He exhaled and searched my eyes for some sign of hesitation. But I smiled sincerely. He returned it and hugged me. I hugged him back, cradling the back of his head. He was careful when wrapping his arms around me, but after our embrace he leaned back.

"Matt's scent is all over you," he said. My cheeks bloomed but he raised his hands.

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad he's been here to look after you when I should've been doing that. You're my best friend, Bree. I shouldn't have gotten so mad, but I was. I still am. But we need to move past it for the sake of the future."

"Agreed," I said, shaking his hand.

Then came my meeting with the pack member. Brendon drove Mason, Matt, and I to the warehouse. We were all on high alert, and I could've sworn Brendon's ears were perked up like a wolf's. I looked out my window and saw wolves running towards the warehouse. They swarmed around the warehouse doors and Brendon stopped in front. Mason opened the door and I got out of the car as well. We all walked up to the doors and I opened them. The wolves waited until we were all inside before they followed. However, I noticed one wolf that was bigger than the others. He had thick black fur and walked towards us, standing in front of the others. He suddenly rose onto his hind legs and transformed into a man. A naked man, for that matter.

I didn't pay any attention, but I saw his eyes changed from red to brown. He walked towards me and offered his hand.

"Peter Smith," he said. "You're Bree Hawk."

"Yes," I said. "Pleasure to meet you, Peter."

"Dylan's clan of vampires has been murdering other packs," he started. "The only reason he hasn't attacked mine is because we've been hiding. Only a few know where we live, and when they've been cornered by vampires, they kill themselves to save our secret. Never before have I had to do that. Times have changed, Bree. You know that."

"I do," I replied. "That's why I want to make an alliance with you. I want to finish off these vampires. I want to kill Dylan, for everything he's done to us." I said it with conviction so he knew I wasn't messing around. In fact, his eyes widened at my seriousness, like he couldn't quite comprehend what a nineteen-year-old was doing when she said she wanted to kill a vampire. But he listened to my proposals and Matt even came in to talk about his cure. Peter seemed suspicious about the cure, but when we gave him the offer of watching the cure in action, he relaxed and agreed to send a pack member to serve as witness.

"Peter," I said. "These have been long months for me. I may act like a cat who has nine lives, but I've come far too close every time to death. If something happens to me, you need to finish the job. You need to carry on my dreams."

He nodded. "Then you have to promise to not let me down either if I don't survive. This is war on vampires. You need to be ready to watch friends die. You need to be ready to sacrifice anything."

I swallowed thickly before nodding once. We shook on it and his wolves began to move around in a circle around us. The others watched as the pack moved and began to create wind which flung my hair across my face. Once the wind had died down Peter was a wolf again, standing in front of me. He growled and then ran through the crowd of wolves who began to follow him in a line that went around me before moving outside. I watched as they took off into the night, my breaths coming in sharp. This was finally war.

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Matt was preparing another serum for the presentation. A pack member was coming by today and I was worried about the cure suddenly not working and losing Peter's trust. We were too dependent on each other. Or at least I was.

"You don't need to worry," Matt said. "Things are going to be okay."

"I know," I replied. "But it makes you think-your cure will make you famous in the supernatural world. You'll have enemies and allies. You'll be a legend."

"No more of a legend then you, Bree." He finally prepared the syringe and I heard the warehouse doors open. Brendon came in with a werewolf following him. They seemed to be talking to one another, but telepathically. They shared deep, meaningful glances that I was curious about, but I left that to them. They were werewolves-it was just one of their things.

"His name is Patrick," Brendon said, introducing me to the werewolf. He nodded his head, his ears flicking to the side just once. Then he focused on Matt who was waiting. Matt snapped into action, bringing out the vampire he and Brendon caught together. He was thrashing and spitting words in a language I didn't recognize.

"Let's keep the chit-chat short," Brendon said to the vampire. He roared but Matt quickly injected him with the serum and we watched for the next few minutes as he struggled and coughed up blood, blinking it out of his eyes as well. I glanced nervously at the werewolf who observed silently, but his body shook and I could've sworn he was laughing. It was a little frightening, I'll admit. But luckily the process was over and there was a dead vampire.

The werewolf leaned in to smell him, took quick notes of everything, and then turned to Brendon. I waited anxiously while they communicated with one another and then Brendon had the verdict.

"He likes what he sees," he said. "He'll head back to Peter and tell him everything that happened."

"Good," I breathed. "Thank you, Patrick."

He flicked his tail and then made his way back down the stairs. Matt whooped in victory and I leaned against the railing.

"That was worse than falling off a building," I said.

"Well the worst is over," Brendon said. "We just have to hear back from Peter and then we can move forward-"

It seemed Brendon spoke too soon just as he stopped mid-sentence and a howl of pain could be heard outside. Brendon suddenly sprang into action and leapt over the railing. I followed him down the stairs and Matt grabbed a weapon behind me. Brendon was outside in a nanosecond and when I arrived my heart started going.

Patrick laid on his side, a silver knife buried in his ribs, blood staining his coat and the ground underneath him. He whimpered and breathed in through his nose, his tongue lolling out. I crouched down beside him because I saw something attached to the knife. I pulled it out and he yelped but licked my palm in gratitude.

It was a bloodied rose on the silver knife. In the still air I could hear Dylan's menacing laugh. My skin broke out in a sweat. He knew our plans. He was preparing for war as well.