Where could his body be? Did the vampires tear him to pieces so that there's nothing left of him? Is Nate dead? No, I don't want to believe that. There is already the possibility that Mom might be gone and now Nate. No, I can't lose Nate. I can't lose him.

I need to find him, but where will I even start. I barely know where I am. I hear a tree branch snap behind me. I quickly change back to wolf form and get ready to attack.

I snarl at the vampire who steps out from behind the tree

"Hi, I mean no harm. I just brought you some clothes to change into," he rushes to say before I attack him. He has clothes in one of his hands.

The vampire looks are around his mid or late twenties, no more than twenty-seven. He has black hair with brown eyes and looks pale and dead like all vampires do. I look at the brown-eyed man, confused, and wondering why a vampire would offer me clothes. He didn't take advantage when I was lost in my thoughts and attack me by surprise. He's behaving very unusual for a vampire.

"I'll stand behind the tree while you change," he says and drops the clothes on the ground a few feet away from me.

I don't let my guard down as I watch him walk away. I don't know if I should change into the clothes he brought for me. It's possible he wants me to be in human form before he attacks. I don't think that's why he brought me clothes, though. I take a leap of faith that there might be a good vampire out there that doesn't kill werewolves on the spot. I shift to human form and put on the clothes.

"You can come out now," I say, once I'm fully dressed.

"I hope they fit. They used to be my mates," he says, with a soft smile.

"Your mate used to be a werewolf?" I ask, wide-eyed. The clothes smell like a werewolf wore them. I can't believe he's claiming the werewolf who wore them was his mate.

"Yes, she was. Come with me; we must hurry now if we want to get to my house in case they come back for you," he says, leading the way.

"Wait," I say, halting him. "I don't mean it offensively but is something wrong with you?" I ask,

"Nothing is wrong with me," he says, and I stare at him, wondering if he's okay or not. "Don't worry, I'll answer all your questions when we get to my house," he says and continues walking. I follow him, hoping I'm not walking to my own death.

The vampire and I walk in the woods before finally stopping in front of a beautiful cottage.

"You live in the woods?" I ask him before he enters the cottage.

"Yes, I do. Don't worry inside here. No vampire would come looking for you."

"Please, somebody should pinch me. I think I'm dreaming."

"No, you're not," he says, chuckling before going in the cottage.

"Who are you?" I ask as I follow him. We walk into a small and cozy living room. 

"My name is Mason. I don't think I need to tell you I'm a vampire."

"Why are you helping a werewolf?"

"My dead mate used to be a werewolf."

"You weren't joking when you said that?" I wanted to assume he said it to put me at ease.

"No, I wasn't. My mate was a werewolf."

"Wow. I never knew that was possible." If his mate was a werewolf, it'd explain why he helped me. He must not hate my kind.

"It's very rare, but it happens."

"I can't believe it."

"I know it's hard to believe, but that I didn't attack you should help you believe me."

"It does explain why you helped me, but it's still shocking to hear."

"Enough about me. You haven't introduced yourself or told me what a werewolf like you is doing in vampire territory."

"My name is Elizabeth. I came here to find my Mom."

"You're looking for your mother in vampire territory?"

"Yes."

"Why would you think your mother is here?"

"A human said they saw her walking in this direction a few months ago."

"A few months ago?"

"Yes," I say, wondering if he knows or heard something relating to Mom.

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"I do, but it's in my phone. I must've lost it when I first shifted."

"I work in the palace, and a few months ago, a werewolf was brought in. I'm not one hundred percent sure she's your Mom. A picture of her would've helped me know if it was her or not."

"You really think she might be the one?" I ask, hopeful.

"The only way I could tell if it's her or not would've been through a picture."

"I'll go and look for my phone right now," I say, walking toward the door, but Mason stops me.

"I can understand that finding her is important, but right now isn't the best time to go out and look for your phone. You can go in the morning. It'll be safer for you. A lot of vampires won't be out then."

"Alright," I say, walking back to the living room.

If the werewolf he's talking about is actually Mom, that would be wonderful. I'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out.

***

The following morning, I woke up early and left the cottage to find my phone in the woods. Like you would've guessed, I have no luck and must return to the cottage at the end of the day. I step inside the cottage to find Mason getting ready to leave. He's about to go to work in the kitchen at the vampire king's castle. He sleeps during the day and works at night.

"Hello Elizabeth, were you able to find your phone?"

"No, I wasn't. Is there a way I can go in and check if she's the one imprisoned in the dungeons?"

"I could get you a worker's ID card so you can enter, but every vampire would smell the werewolf off you once you're inside the castle."

"Don't worry about that. I have it covered."

"How?" he asks. I think about telling him my gift of being able to mask my scent but decide not to. He might be helping me, but I'm not fully sure he's someone I can trust with my secret.

"I just met you, so I can't tell you how."

"Can you mask your scent?" he asks, walking closer to me. He looks eager to know.

"How do you know there's something like scent masking?" I ask.

"I know because—" he begins talking but stops. He continues after he realizes something, "What is your mother's name?"

"Melanie Jones," I say, wondering if he knows Mom. I hope he does because if he knows her, he'll know if she's imprisoned at the castle.

"I can't believe it's you."

"Me?"

"You're the hybrid the king is looking for," he says, surprised.

"What!"

"You're the hybrid the king is looking for."

"I don't understand what you're saying. I'm not a hybrid. I'm a werewolf. I'm not part vampire."

"It's expected you wouldn't know. My daughter also didn't know."

"Your daughter?" I ask, surprised he has a daughter. He lives alone, and he said his mate is dead. She must've given birth before she died.

"Yes, I have a daughter. She's a hybrid like you." His daughter can be a hybrid since his mate was a werewolf, but I don't believe I am.

"Can you stop calling me a hybrid? I'm not part vampire."

"But you are."

"I'm not. I'm starting to think you're crazy." I can't believe what he's saying to me. I can't be part vampire. That is ridiculous.

"I'm not crazy. I'm one hundred percent sure you're a hybrid. Only hybrids are gifted with the ability to mask their werewolf scent. That way, you can be a vampire."

"You're telling me the reason I can mask my scent is because I'm a vampire?" I ask.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you. I don't want to believe you!"

"It's understandable for you not to believe me, but you're a vampire. I can even prove it to you. Take my blood."

"No, thank you," I say in disgust. 

"You don't have the craving, so you don't want to take it. We can do the easiest test to prove that you're part vampire."

"Which is?" I don't want to believe him, but if he's right, it'd explain why I'm the only werewolf I know who can mask their scent.

"The sunlight test."

"I can walk in the sunlight without burning."

"I know you can because you're part werewolf. You'll need to walk in the sun while masking your scent. That way, your skin will feel like it's burning and you'll see I'm not lying."

"Alright, we'll go out during the day and see if you're telling the truth or not."

"Yes, we will."