Chapter 24

---Kale's POV---

"What do you mean 'She's a soul-shifter'? The Headquarters are tracking the last shifters alive as we speak!" I shouted out in disbelief. There was just no way that a shifter had survived the hunt and was living right under my nose.

Lucius stepped forwards, his eyes never straying from the twins while his features became sharper, more...animalistic. Before the change, he looked like a handsome businessman minding his own but now, he fitted the vampire look to the point.

"Explain." He ordered snappy, his pupil's dilating, making his silver irises fade into the background until they formed a small halo of silver around a sea of black.

I growled with annoyance, gritting my teeth when the vampires ignored me; I was a former ALPHA. I demanded respect from my subjects and here they were, blatantly ignoring ME! It infuriated me that I had no control over those leeches but Lucius was their so-called prince, so they only answered to him.

"What's there to tell?" I spat, interrupting the younger vampire when he was about to report. It earned me a venomous glare from him and his twin brother, who looked at me like he wanted to tear my throat out. "There's NO way that she's a soul-shifter; they have their own scent, it leaves a trace that can't be missed. She's-"

The bolder, cheeky twin that was standing in front of Lucius blurred out of view from the speed he was moving with. He stopped just in front of me, where we were standing nose to nose.

"She's a mix! That's why your inferior nose can't detect her scent, dog." He hissed, blowing his cooler breath over my face and I reacted on impulse; pulling the dagger out of my jacket, I carved it over the vampire's chest, slashing it open from hip to collarbone.

Only, the blade never made contact with him. Two cool hands trapped me from behind; one was crushing the wrist that held the blade, turning the bones to a pulp, while the other hand was firmly grasping my hair, yanking my head to the side to bare my neck.

I let out a barking laugh while I tried to block the pain. "What are you going to do, leech? Feed from me? Go ahead, I drank the blood of a Demon-Lord; one drop of my blood can kill you very slowly." The words rolled from between my clenched teeth and the vampire slightly loosened his hold.

A pinprick of fear spread through me when he moved his face closer to mine so I could feel his breath running over my bared neck. "Aren't you forgetting something, dog?" He murmured in a persuasive, velvet voice. I groaned in pain when his hand squeezed my shattered wrist harder.

His low, cold chuckle echoed from the walls. "How sad, the former Alpha-dog, who is now the leader of the infamous Hunters around these parts, has forgotten one simple fact." His brother laughed with him, a smirk stuck on his face.

I snarled again, "Stop your riddles and get to the point, blood-sucker." The expressions and eyes of the other vampires hardened while Lucius was spectating with an expression that I would call amused.

"Very well." The vampire breathed, moving my head more to the side. "It's true that a demon's blood can be poisonous for us, especially a high-ranking demon. But..." he trailed off, letting his brother finish.

"As much as demon blood is venomous for us, we can kill you very, very easily." The kid had the audacity to smirk at me while Lucius put in his own two cents.

"Did you really forget that a vampire's venom is lethal for a werewolf? Even for the likes of you, all it takes is one small nick and..." he trailed off, letting the power and meaning off his sentence hang in the air.

"Cary..." he reprimanded slightly when the vampire behind me was closing in on the veins that were pulsing on the beat of my heart. Lucius sighed slightly, "Why don't you and Cian go ahead and keep eyes on the shifter?"

Both of the twins nodded before Cary released me after a sharp yank on my wrist, causing me to hiss in pain before I cradled the wounded limb against my chest. The twins gave me a devilish smirk before they literally disappeared on the spot.

The sound of clapping hands caused me to look up; Lucius was leaning against the wall of my study, the other two vampires at his side with a mixed expression; amusement and hate were fighting for control.

"Bravo, Messer. You just managed to piss off every single vampire in the room, including me. Very impressive I might add." His eyes were cold, burning into mine before he looked at the others at his side, releasing me from his spell.

"So, we are going to retire to our rooms for the day, before my subjects do something... stupid." He drawled, nodding at the door to signal the two vampires out. When they both left, Lucius turned back to me.

"And now, you have peaked my interest sir. Why are you so interested in this girl, even before you knew she was a shifter?" His face was nothing but the epitome of pure, almost childlike, curiosity.

"I need her, she's part of the plan." I grounded out, relocating my hand as best as I could. "Without her, the pack loses its future Alpha female, I get to kill Jacob and as a bonus, I have a dog to warm my bed." A smirk covered my lips, pulling them up in a twisted way.

I glanced at the prince, feeling slightly nauseous before I added "And now, she'll be able to give me back my wolf." He nodded slightly, nothing more than tilting his head an inch in my direction before he walked out.

---Lucius' POV---

Dumb dog.

Stupid mutt.

Disgrace of super naturals.

Son of a b-

ENOUGH!

My authority was strong enough to force the others into submission; they chose my coven so they had to play with my rules. I groaned while I rubbed my temples; they should know better than to voice their thoughts to me, telepathically, all at once.

Focusing on the others, I dematerialized and reappeared in the darkened attic where they have made our rooms. Dumb dogs with their superstitions, I was royalty; I didn't need to fear the sun like the lesser vampires had too. Even the small clan that I brought with me was resistant to the sun, more or less.

Cary and Cian were pacing, moving synchronized alongside each other. They would only do that if they were bothered with something...

"Stupid mutt. To think that a shifter has lived under his nose, for all these months! And her parents are still on the run!" Cary shook his head angrily, his eyes black and his fangs drawn, piercing his lip while he hissed and cursed from between his fangs. He kept cursing while his pace quickened. His twin, on the other hand, stopped moving.

"Why are we giving the shifter to THEM?" Cian hissed, his muscles bulking up when he rolled his shoulders to ease the tension in them. "Forgive my rudeness..." he apologized before I could punish him for it. I slowly showed him my fangs, letting out a low hiss before I answered his question.

"Simple," I shrugged, "We don't." An identical smirk appeared on the twins faces, and the others were grinning as well. I lay down on a bed, dangling my feet over the edge in a careless manner before I explained further.

"You see, the hunters need a shifter to undo the curse that's placed upon them. They still think that my coven is supporting them while in fact, we just use their resources and by interacting with them, we learn how many hunters are alive."

The twins nodded while one of the more silent vampires spoke up. "Yes, you said that much when you dragged me and him," he gave a sharp nod with his head to the last vampire, who was casually leaning against the wall, "into this mission."

"Relax Nate." The vampire in question rolled his eyes at Nate, who growled slightly before he shoved him away.

"Shut your mouth Sean." He hissed, tensing his muscles into a fighting stance. Sean rolled his eyes again before he dropped himself on the nearest bed, "Chillax...Don't get stuck in the past, stay in the present." Sean looked at me with a tentative look before he smiled.

"Permission to go feed before this baboon," he pointed to Nate, who was getting angrier by the second, "decides to redecorate the house?" I sighed loudly before I waved them off.

"Too bad that the shifter isn't already here. Her blood will make a nice treat. Not to mention the fact that it sustains us longer than any other blood." Cian said, licking his lips with a dreamy expression.

I swallowed harshly, my throat instantly dry while the thirst started to burn. What Cian said was true; because of a shifter's nature, their powers were significantly larger than normal inhuman beings. Given some time and they could best a vampire in combat. Those powers would relay back to the blood, making it more...appetizing to feed from.

With a growl, the remaining three of us stood up and disappeared in different directions, trying to quench our thirst in the knowledge that soon enough, we would have that shifter in our hands.

---Alexis' POV---

My cheek was still hurting from that mean guy's smack. What did I do wrong? I gingerly touched the red blotch and winced.

"Ow!" I whined, gaining the immediate attention of Paige, who had ran back at me when she ran towards the house. We were now sitting in Jacob's room while Paige came out of the shower.

"Hey, hey, no need to cry Alex." She coed, wrapping me in her arms. I sniveled, burying my nose in her shirt. "I'm not." I sobbed, silently wiping my tears away. I could feel Paige's lips placing a soft kiss on my hair before I pulled back. Paige sighed slightly; her eyes became all cat-like while she looked at my cheek.

"Cool, do that again!" I yipped, leaning forwards while looking intently at her eyes. Paige frowned slightly, looking at me with a confused face before she smiled and changed her eyes again. They were a bright yellow now, a small pupil pulled in a slit.

I clapped my hands in glee, giggling before I turned serious. "Can I do that?" I pointed at my chest while I asked the question. Paige shook her head but before she could reply, my brother walked in.

"Jacob! Paige can change her eyes! Are those con... contuacts?" I asked, jumping in his arms. Jacob smiled at me, shaking his head in amusement. "Alex, it's contacts and no, it's because Paige is a shifter." I pouted, wrapping my arms over each other, saying "Stop correcting me, I know its contuacts!"

A knock on the door interrupted Jacob and we turned around to see one of those identical guys peeking his head in. "Zack wants to apologize." He murmured before he walked away. I looked back at Paige, who was growling slightly before she picked me up and walked out the door.

Zack, whoever you are... you better run because my new big sister is angry!

---Paige's POV---

I kept Alexis in my arms, not so much to keep her safe, more to make sure that I didn't smack Zack senseless. Jacob had tried to calm me down, but it didn't really work. His lame excuses that all males tend to explode at one point didn't really help. Although I had the suspicion that he actually wanted me to kick Zack's butt.

Still, to insinuate that abuse in any shape or form should be tolerated because its "a guy thing..." is simply absurd!

When Jacob, Alexis and I arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Luke stepped aside, revealing an agitated Zack along with a heavily disappointed Jackson.

"Easy." Jacob murmured in my ear when a growl rumbled through my chest. I stopped the growling but still bared my teeth at Zack, who was pointedly staring at his feet. I caught Jacob snarling at Zack too, making me smirk lightly.

"Easy." I teased him mentally, causing him to scowl before we both turned our attention back to the group that was standing in front of us.

Zack surprised everybody by slowly walking towards Alexis and kneeled down in front of her. He looked in her eyes, watching her for a moment before he shifted into his huge brown wolf, startling us all. Before I could jump in-between them, with Jacob close behind me, Zack did something that I never would have expected.

His huge, muscular, Alpha male wolf, lowered itself before Alexis, laying down in a submissive pose that was only used by the lowest ranking wolf in the pack. His creamy stomach was showing, with his tail between his legs, slowly wagging while he kept eye contact with Alexis.

Alexis stood there, her head slightly cocked to the side with a playful smile on her face. Slowly, she extended her hand, petting Zack on his throat and grasped his fur in her tiny little fingers. Suddenly, she yelped and jumped onto Zack with a giggle, who started wagging like an idiot.

I jumped up when Jacob growled loudly, stepping forwards while Luke and Jackson looked at each other with a small smile. I looked from Jacob, who was staring at Zack like he wanted to kill him, to the trio of Alpha's, who were staring at Alex and Zack with a loving look in their eyes before I looked at Alex and Zack. Then it clicked.

The way Zack had submitted himself to Alexis, how Alexis was laying over Zack's fur while he purred away; Zack was Alexis' mate!

"He heard her disrespectful comment before he saw her. His wolf took over, because it isn't wise to question an Alpha's status and abilities. The anger of Zack and his wolf combined made him spin around, unintentionally smacking Alex in the process." I glanced at Luke while he explained everything mentally, probably not wanting to disturb the little moment between Zack and Alex.

"And at his touch, he felt the connection between them..." I finished before I glanced at the brown wolf, which was now curled around Alex while she laid her red cheek against his fur. "Is that the reason why he seemed so...feral afterwards?"

Luke nodded, explaining that at that moment, both Zack and his wolf were so conflicted with what they had done; his instincts took over, leaving a mindless animal behind until he was calmed down.

I nodded again before I rubbed my temples. "I'm going to sleep." I muttered, slightly turning towards Jacob when he made a movement towards me, like he wanted to stop me. Smiling reassuringly at him, I waved a little. "I see you tomorrow at school Jacob."

----

Waking up Monday morning, I woke up with a huge grin. Not because school was starting, no. It was time for payback. I jumped out of bed and ran towards my closet while I opened the bond with my friends. All except Tyler.

"Hey guys! Wanna help me?" I asked happily while I picked some washed jeans and a shirt with cardigan out and dove in the bathroom, bouncing around whilst looking for a certain small box.

"Yeah, sure."

"What's up?"

"Who gave Paige coffee yesterday?"

I grinned at the triplets shout; as if I wanted to drink that bitter, gruesome drink. Sending the guys a mental image of me pouting, I said "Well, I just wanted to ask you guys if you wanted to help me with the prank I planned for Tyler..."

"Hell yeah!" The triplets shouted at the same time, while I heard a thump next door of Nick's feet hitting the ground when he rushed for the shower. A laugh bubbled out of me, flowing openly through the air while I felt all my friends getting ready for school.

"Okay, first of all, I need someone to get to school with Tyler and make sure he doesn't take his football gear with him." I said, while I found the box of itching powder that I bought online. Eric shouted out "Got it!" before he rushed towards Tyler's house.

"Amy, hon. I know you want to get Tyler back for his prank on you." I said while I walked to Nick, letting my mind link open for everybody in the plot. "So, I'm gonna send my brother over with a little gift. Go crazy on Tyler's boxers and gear, okay."

She whooped whilst I threw the box at a grinning Nick, who dashed out as soon as he could. I quickly followed him down the stairs and skidded to a halt to grab my bag before I dashed to Jacob's place.

"Jacob, I need a lift." I said while I waited at his car, while keeping an eye on my friends' activities. They were all getting ready for school while Eric had managed to pull Tyler towards school in a competition, leaving his stuff behind. Joshua and David waited until Amy was done with the powder before they brought his bag with them.

A few hours later, we were sitting on the bleachers, waiting for the end of the football-game. Amy and Grace kept nudging me with their elbows while nodding their heads towards Tyler, who was standing a little awkward.

The guys snorted into a laugh when Tyler moved his shorts around, obviously slightly irritated with the itch he was enduring. We were literally rolling in the dirt when Amy explained that she poured most of the itching powder into his crotch-cups, explaining the now savagely scratching Tyler.

"Paige, the game is nearly over." Jack said while biting his lip, his eyes dancing with amusement. I nodded before I turned towards the guys. "Okay, I need someone to snatch his clothes and towel away when he jumps into the shower." That gained me some cautious expressions while Jacob growled possessively.

"And what were you planning to do exactly?" he said, trying to contain his anger. I knew that his anger wasn't directed at me, it was his wolf trying to get reassurance from his mate that he was the only one. I searched in my bag before I pulled a camera out.

"Blackmailing." I stated with a grin, causing Amy and Grace to whoop while Emily laughed loudly. "If Tyler doesn't want to stop harassing all of us, I think that the triplets can find a way to hack into the displays and show some interesting pictures?" I questioned, causing an identical evil smirk to appear on Joshua, David and Eric's faces.

----

And like I said, Tyler nearly dove towards the showers when they won the match, leaving his team celebrating while he relieved his itching problem. Jacob was opposed of me seeing Tyler in his birthday suit, so he took the responsibility of taking a few pictures while me and the girls waited around the corner.

A soft snickering alerted me and I saw Joshua and David coming out of the bathroom with Tyler's clothes and towel. All of us smirked when we heard Tyler's startled yelp when he found out that his clothes were gone. The sound was quickly followed by a soaking wet Tyler, who was shielding his crotch with...

Jacob snapped the picture before we all roared into laughter; Tyler's choice of protection was a fuzzy, fluorescent pink and tiny towel. "Give me my clothes!" Tyler snapped, making the guys laugh even more.

"Not yet." I smirked before I walked beside Jacob and pointed to the camera in his hands. "You see Tyler, we are fed up with your constant pranking. So, I'd like to make a deal with you." Tyler flushed several shades of red when he noticed the presence of us girls before he swallowed harshly and nodded, signaling me to continue.

"You can choose; you stop harassing us or I'll give the okay for Eric over there," I waved at Eric, who waved from behind his laptop, "to spread these lovely pictures of you on the internet."

Tyler growled lowly, glancing between Eric and I before his eyes darted towards the camera in Jacob's hands.

"Fine!" he snarled, blushing bright red when Amy high-fived Grace with a whoop. Joshua tossed the clothes back to Tyler, who made a mad dash towards the safety of the showers. The rest of the group laughed before they stared at me.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side, Paige." Joshua smirked and I winked at him before I walked towards class. Finally some peace!

-----

Two days later, at the early evening of my birthday, I was feeling restless. I knew that the reason of this mating season was for me to find my mate, which I already had, but I had to accept him as well. All in all, I was weighing my options.

Did I really want to be connected with Jacob in more ways than one? Staying together for all eternity, even after what he did? I sighed while I started pacing again. I already knew the answer; I liked Jacob, a lot. But I was still getting to know him, and I wasn't near ready for us to mate yet.

I sat down on the bed, rubbing my hands over my face while I tried to find a solution. I liked him, but I wasn't about to jump into bed with him. Yet again, if he was willing to give me some time, I could get used to this whole mates-for-all-eternity kind of thing.

Making my decision, I stood up and shifted into my falcon form before jumping in the air. I was going to fly into Jacob's room and tell him my decision.

---Jacob' s POV---

A slight tapping sound woke me up. I groaned, reluctantly raising my head but I couldn't sense anyone outside my bedroom door.

Tap.

There it was again. I groaned again, slowly sitting up while I raised my arms, flexing the muscles of my back before I heard a small whoosh of air, followed by a meow. My head snapped towards the window and I was greeted with a pair of green eyes while Paige pawed at the glass.

As soon as I got out of bed and opened the window, Paige jumped in and shook her fur out. She was beautiful in her cat form, but I was wondering why she came here so ridiculously early. I noticed that she was looking at me, checking me out before she quickly turned her head and jumped on my bed, keeping her eyes averted from me.

"Pull your boxers up, yes?" she said when she had shifted back and I looked down. During my sleep, my boxers had dropped slightly, barely covering myself. I smirked at Paige's blush before I pulled them back up and for her sake, pulled some trousers on as well.

I sat down beside her while saying "So, mind telling me why you wanted to wake me up?" a yawn escaped my lips and Paige smiled before she glanced outside. The sky was already turning dark and the moon was slowly rising.

"I accept you."

My body went rigid, hoping that I heard her right while I sucked in a lungful of air to calm myself down. I looked at her while my heart skipped a beat, hope and love filling my eyes while I got of the bed and kneeled between Paige's legs.

"What?" I asked, barely keeping my wolf at bay. He wanted to ravage her with all our love and adoration but I needed to keep control. If Paige really accepted me, I didn't want to scare her away by doing something stupid.

Paige sighed before she placed the palm of her hand against my cheek, rubbing over the stubble that as left there. "I accept you as a mate, Jacob. The only thing I ask, is a little time to get to know you before we really go on with the mating."

I hollered with happiness, yanking Paige off the bed and spun her around while she grasped my shoulders to steady herself while a laugh escaped her lips. "You accept me? You really want to be my mate?" I asked, almost shouting. I pulled her to me and crashed her against my chest while I nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent to calm my inner wolf.

"Yes Jacob." Paige said laughingly before she shivered lightly when I breathed out on her neck, leaving goose bumps in its trail. She pulled back slightly to look at me. "I accept you as a mate but like I said, I need time to get to know you. I want to learn to trust you Jacob." She said with a soft smile.

I smiled happily before I placed a kiss on her forehead and sat her down on my bed. Both my wolf and I were bursting with happiness and pride. I lay down beside Paige while saying, "I just want to hold you, my wolf is urging me to mark you but I want to wait until you are ready."

She nodded and I pulled her flush against my chest, burying my face in her hair while my fingers gently traced patterns on her back. Not too long afterwards, Paige was soundly asleep. I kissed her forehead before I whispered, "I love you." and then followed her into a deep, dreamless slumber.

I woke up a few hours later; my wolf was growling at me to get up, something that he never had done before. Sighing, I pulled Paige closer to my body...only to flinch when I felt her skin.

The sheets flew through the air when I jumped up, looking at Paige; her teeth were chattering, her skin glowed slightly and her body was freezing.

"DAD!" I shouted out loud while I wrapped myself around my mate, trying to get her body temperature up. Dad stormed in, quickly followed by mom and Alpha Jackson. "She's freezing. Something's wrong." I said, my voice slightly wavering while I kept my eyes on Paige's face.

"What is she doing here anyway? Isn't she supposed to be at home?" dad asked in a curious tone. I rolled my eyes and explained, "She came to my room to tell me she had accepted me."

"Ah." Alpha Jackson said, nodding his head before his stance relaxed. "She's, like the witches call it, ascending. She's becoming a full soul shifter now that she has found and accepted her mate."

"What can I do?" I nearly shouted out, feeling helpless and utterly useless. I cupped her face with one hand while I kept my other arm wrapped around her waist. Jackson shrugged and replied casually, "Just hold her, comfort and warm her. Right now, she needs her mate."

Father sighed before he placed a hand on Paige's head, causing me to growl involuntarily. "Tomorrow, Paige will be a Purely Gifted Soul shifter."

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