[Terishia\'s POV]

I closed my eyes, waiting for death to take hold next . . .

The release from the pain was all I thought as my consciousness faded when suddenly . . .

In my half-consciousness state, all my hairs stood from my skin, and my wolf stirred in my head though she was still severally beaten, and I couldn\'t shift. I was just glad that she was alive, at least.

My nostrils flared, inhaling that distinct scent that I knew didn\'t belong to any of us.

The Beta let go of my neck, and his head spun in the direction where my eyes were trying to focus. He no longer spared me a glance because now . . . there was much a greater threat.

Meters from us stood a tall, lean man, but his luxurious fitted vest told of muscles cut in perfection. He wore a cape and a hat while his pale handsome face was like the most precious of diamonds chiseled to form a face that would surely cause the hearts of many to throb, men and women alike. Young and old, it didn\'t matter. His charms would surely captivate them all.

Ah . . . another handsome guy that I couldn\'t bang. I lamented even on the brink of death.

Dying a virgin sucks!

My heart was throbbing alright but in the wrong direction. Especially when his eyes turned crimson, which sent shivers down my spine.

He radiated with nothing but grace and calmness, but there was something feral and deadly about him. I thought the Beta was intimidating, but shit . . . he made the Beta look like a kitten compared to him.

A vampire.

And not just any vampire.

A pureblood.

He only gave me a curious glance before looking over at the Beta. And with a no-nonsense face, he asked with a serene voice like he didn\'t care about us one bit.

"Sorry to barge in on your little fight, but I\'m looking for someone. Male, red hair, brown eyes, and a goofy cute smile."

I thought he was joking, but the seriousness on his face told of a different story.

I didn\'t know if I should breathe easy, knowing that I didn\'t sense any killing intent in him. He seemed to be passing by in search of this guy, and based on his tone of voice, he was fond of him.

Was he looking for his pet?

I heard that vampires like to collect pets from all sorts of beings.

But oddly enough, his description matched Colm. Except for the cute part. His goofy smile was far from being cute. That goofy smile of his meant a mischievous plot was concocting in his head.

"I caught his scent in this pack, but I couldn\'t find him anywhere," the vampire continued with his deep soothing voice. It was like a gentle rustle like a wind passing a series of trees. And I was sure as hell that he was looking for Colm!

But why, though?

Did Colm do something to him?

That couldn\'t be since there was no hostility from the vampire. Instead, he was rather impatient for answers while an occasional crack appeared in his hard eyes whenever he spoke about him.

The Beta shifted into his skin. It seemed like he also didn\'t want to agitate the pureblood since he retreated into his non-hostile form.

The Beta was big and black and bulky, and his skin was littered with scars while his voice was rough as he spoke, "You won\'t find him here, that\'s for sure."

He then directed his burning eyes at me while his leg pressed my head on the ground. "Now . . . if you\'ll excuse us."

Not good.

I didn\'t know what the vampire wanted with Colm, but he was my only ticket out from death.

It might be my only chance.

Unfortunately, my throat was broken, and all I managed was a gurgle of blood from my mouth. I tried to struggle, but I was too weak to even lift a finger. It already took all my willpower to stay awake amidst the numbing hold of pain and death.

The Beta\'s feet turned like boulders as he put weight on my head, aiming to smash my skull. There was a hurry in his actions, and I knew it was because of the new threat.

I tried hard to find my voice, but it was hopeless. I was losing blood fast, and I thought I was going to die from blood loss before the Beta could even squeeze my brain out from my head.

And before he could, the vampire spoke again.

"I think that woman knew whom I\'m looking for."

Was my rolling of eyes worked? I think so since the vampire\'s focus was on me now. His crimson eyes turned to dot, and I shuddered under his gaze.

The Beta clicked his tongue and pushed his foot on my head. I closed my eyes tight when I felt that heavy pressure that was about to smash my skull.

And then it was gone.

I saw the Beta was sent flying away from me in my blurry vision. He landed on his one knee on the ground and spouted a mouthful of blood as he held his chest. He must have broken some bones as his chest caved in.

I didn\'t know what happened next, but a beautiful sexy woman was in front of me with curls of raven hair and blood-red lips. Before I could even blink, she was in front of the Beta while the latter retreated at lightning speed, avoiding a deadly nail swipe that almost detached his head from his neck.

The Beta\'s face turned grim. He shifted his gaze between the three of us. He lingered his dilated eyes at me and clicked his tongue in annoyance before he retreated.

The vampress was about to go after him when the pureblood stopped her.

"Leave him."

I felt my blood emptying my veins when my heart thumped loudly and forcefully when the pureblood appeared before me. He squatted and poked my cheek. His playful actions didn\'t match his serious expression.

"Do you know who I\'m looking for?" he asked, eyes turning into a dot. "Hmm . . . you can\'t speak. I guess I have no choice, then."

I didn\'t even have the energy to be surprised when he bit my neck out of nowhere. I didn\'t feel any pain, though, just a sensation that was enough to make me forget everything. It was a weird sensation where I was lulled into peace. A state of blankness and just pure . . . bliss.

Then the sensation was gone, and a hard groan vibrated in my chest.

"I guess I\'m in the right place after all." He smirked, wiping my blood off from his lips with the pad of his thumb. I didn\'t know why I found the action so sexy even though he was a vampire. Even though he was a sworn enemy of us werewolves.

If I wasn\'t so injured to the point of death, I might have taken him in as my pet instead, even if I had to force him. That\'s how attractive he was.

Or maybe because he was a pureblood?

Or maybe because he had bitten me?

I never find vampires appealing before. When I see one, I usually tore their neck in an instant –– until him, that is.

I heard him chuckle. He must have found my expression amusing. I must be drooling based on the warm sensation trickling out from my lips and into my chin. I just hope I still looked beautiful while doing it.

I didn\'t know what he had done, but I guess he found his answer based on the glee in his voice.

"I was going to leave you for dead, but it seemed like my dearest mate held you as one of his family."

. . . Mate?

What was he talking about?

Then the strangest thing happened when my blood that was spilling from my wounds . . . back flowed? The rushing of that hot liquid filled me, sipping in every vein of my body.

It was a weird sensation that I couldn\'t describe, and it weirded me out.

"I returned your blood and stopped it from leaking. Now it\'s up to you how fast you can close your wounds," he said.

What was he talking about?

He was weird, and I got to say that I kinda like it in a man. I just hope that he wasn\'t crazy. The only crazy I tolerated was in bed.

Anyway, I think the sensation was making me think weird stuff, and being at death\'s door a while ago made me think of things that I didn\'t usually think.

I was not making any sense at all, and I blamed the vampire for it. He was making me lose my mind . . . or was it the sudden surge of blood into my brain?

I wanted to process what he said, but my brain was like an old bulb constantly flickering between consciousness before it stopped and everything went dark.

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A/N

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