Nightmares of Beauty

Chapter 8

Scott

I stopped by a streetlamp, looking into Rose's house. I was so focused on her, with some other guy, that I didn't notice Jaydn until she stalked up behind me and growled in warning. "Stay away from her," Jaydn spat, her voice slightly raspy from the effort of not shifting. "She is Daniel's, and she is my ward. We defend her jealously, vampire."

I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, she continued, "Tread carefully." In the yellow light, her eyes were gold, but as she controlled herself, they returned to their normal color. I again attempted to speak, but she whipped around and went back into the house before I said a word. With a sigh, I walked to my house and locked the door behind me.

Jaydn

I loved being near Rose. She was certainly not a normal human, and vampires wanted her blood, and werewolves died for her, without her ever knowing what was going on. I knew that someday, I would make a mistake and be forced to reveal to her our world, but I knew Rose. She would not want me to risk myself for her, but I am sworn to.

Rose never knew her mother, but my father had. Rose and her mother, Lily, had shared this odd quality, so the pack here, around this town, had always been dedicated to their protection. The alpha, whoever that was, lived and died with their charge. It passed down from mother to daughter, this quality, so the protection of those who had the quality passed from parent to child, as well. I was expected to have a child to become alpha in my place and protect Rose's daughter, but I had no mate with which to produce a pup, not to mention that I was not nearly old enough for that, in human years, at least.

I lay awake at night, worrying about the possibility that our bloodlines may not continue because of how aggressive the vampires had become. The pack needed to grow, we needed more wolves, to cover every base of protection, but there were no pups. My generation was too young to have them, and it would be years before the eldest of us, a junior at the high school, was mature enough for a litter.

That got me to thinking. There was no male in the pack that did not want to be the alpha, but I could not share the leadership, and for a reason. I needed a male that would not accept the alpha male position if he became my mate. I really, really hoped we could find a couple lone wolves, and soon.