Chapter 1
Hayley
An army of vampires was gathered at the border of our pack, Moon Walker, their dark tents stretching across the land like a sea. I was born into this war. My father and great-grandfather were also born into it. As far as I could remember, no one had a clear explanation of what started the war between werewolves and vampires.
All I knew was that from the moment I was born, I had been convinced to hate Vampires. I was taught that they were bloodsucking creatures who fed on the blood of our kind. That alone was enough to hate them.
"Bloodsuckers" was what my father called them. And my mother referred to them as creatures with no souls. Parents used stories about them to scare their children in bedtime tales.
I had been taught never to wander too far from the pack house, always to stay close to the fire when darkness came. My hatred for these creatures only grew worse when my sister was killed by them. I watched from afar as they fed on her, and I was unable to do anything.
To this day, I blame myself for not defending her. That was the reason I learned how to fight from my older brother. Even though I hadn't had my wolf yet, I could still fight with a sword.
"Go for the head, hearts, or they will rise when darkness comes," my brother would say.
They had killed nearly half of my pack. And though we were slowly losing this war, my father remained persistent in fighting. All he wanted was the head of the Vampire King, Rhain. He was the most ruthless vampire in history.
My father's decision to continue the fight stirred unease among the pack. Some wanted to fight, to meet their demise on the battlefield rather than submit to vampires. Others hesitated, wanting peace as they were too afraid to lose their husbands and sons to this war.
"Little sister?" My brother, Kieran, smirked as he returned his gaze to the vampire charging toward him. Grabbing the vampire's neck, I watched Kieran's hand turned into claws as he pulled the heart from the creature.
"You see?" He turned to me, squeezing the dark blood from the black heart. "This is how you kill a vampire."
"Brother, you've told me this more than a hundred times," I said, smiling.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Figured you might need a hand," I said.
"Does Father know you are here?" he asked.
"No."
"Why?" he asked.
"I was bored," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"Bored?" He scoffed. "And you think it was right to join me in battlefield? Have you forgotten what happened last night? How you were almost killed by one?"
As I started to speak, I caught sight of another vampire charging toward Kieran from behind him. I raised my sword, swiping it through the neck of the vampire and cutting his head off.
"You see," I said, flashing him a grin. "You need me here."
"You are not a warrior, Hayley," Kieran said. "Do you know what is in this battlefield? This place where Father forbade you from entering? There are a lot of vampires."
I looked around. "Why in the world would you be here alone? Where are the others?"
Kieran paused, letting out a long breath. "They're dead."
"What?" My eyes widened.
"They're dead," Kieran said. "The ones who survived turned into these creatures, and I had to kill them myself."
I tensed. "We need to return to the pack house for reinforcement."
Kieran shook his head. "I'm not leaving here until I kill as many as I can."
"Alone?"
"Why not return to the pack and inform Father that we need more warriors?" Kieran asked.
I hesitated for a moment, wanting to stay and fight with him.
"Go," he ordered.
I nodded, sheathing my sword and began racing into the woods.
The air changed, and I sniffed the air, smelling those bloodsuckers nearby. I looked around, wide-eyed, and saw about five of them staring at me.
The first vampire stepped forward, reaching for the hilt of his sword. I unsheathed my sword, allowing the vampire to charge at me before plunging the blade into his ribs. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the vampire's eyes darkened with rage. He staggered back, letting out a muffled grunt.
Kieran's words echoed in my head—go for the head or heart.
I went for the head because I didn't want their blood to stain me. I stepped backward, my foot landing on a rock, and I staggered, falling to the ground.
"Fuck!" I cursed as the vampire came for me again, and I plunged the sword deep into his chest. He made a loud cry before his veins started bulging and then turned dry. I tried to yank the sword from the vampire's chest, but it felt stuck.
I turned to the others who stood before me, putting more effort into pulling the sword out. Rising to my feet, I thrust the dagger into the other vampire's chest.
"Bastard," I cursed.
The other vampire advanced, catching me by surprise as it spun, aiming for my head. I narrowly dodged, but the sword sliced through the skin on my neck.
Pain exploded through my skin as I staggered back, steadying myself when the vampire came for me.
A rush of cold air passed through the trees, sending the leaves into a frenzy. The vampire who was about to strike was suddenly yanked backward.
Another vampire.
I caught a glimpse of the hard lines of the vampire's face as he swung the female vampire, impaling her on a tree with a stake in her heart.
Horror turned my skin to ice as I recognized the vampire as King Rhain.
Without warning, Rhain moved closer, standing in front of me. The King was without a doubt the most stunning man I'd ever seen. I'd seen beautiful men from my pack, but none could compare to the beauty of the Vampire King. Unlike my tan skin, vampires tend to have whiter skin. His skin was as white as snow falling from the sky.
His cheekbones were high and broad, with a long straight nose. He had the kind of face that looked like he'd walked out of a painting.
But there was coldness in his features as he stared down at me. I looked up at him into his eyes.
Red.
Eyes that could scare even the bravest in our pack, but I didn't feel scared at all.
"The vampire King," I whispered. Why would he kill one of his own?
"I know what you are thinking," he said. "I kill werewolves but not their offspring."
My eyes widened, and I shot him a glare, silently calling his life. But before I could react further, a strange sensation rushed through me. My stomach twisted as snow melted into my skin.
For a second, I thought I was feeling this way because I was standing in front of the King. My gut twisted, like all the butterflies that had been caged in my stomach were now free, swimming through my body. It drew me forward, toward the Vampire King.
How was this possible? How can the Vampire King be my mate?
I couldn't resist the urge that pulled me closer, even though I wanted to get as far away from him as possible.
He raised his hand, brushing the strands of hair from my face. "Mate."
"What?" I looked at him, with widened eyes.
He took a step forward, a deep frown forming on his face.
"The offspring of my enemy can never be my mate," he said. "And you are a little thing."
Little? Thing?
I was neither little nor a thing.
I started to speak when he cut me off.
"I reject you," he said.