Fangs vs Claws

by Rua Hasan

  She smirked when she said the last part. I growl. My wolf wanted to find every guy she’s ever dated and rip their heads from their body. She’s mine and only mine, no one could have her.

  “Are you a—”

  Before I could continue, my question she interrupted me.

  “A virgin? You really can’t expect a two-hundred-year-old vampire to be one.”

  Her answer made me shake with rage. Just thinking of someone touching her in any way made me furious. No one was supposed to touch her but me.

  I’m not mad at her for not saving herself for me because I didn’t wait either. My first time was years ago with some girl I met in the club. I’m mad at the bastard who dared to touch her. If he were still alive, I would find him and rip him to shreds.

  She put her hand over mine and said, “Are you okay? You’re shaking.” She sounded concerned.

  I tried to calm my wolf down. I didn’t want to scare Stella because of my wolf’s self-control. I felt myself calm down by her touch as I took in a deep breath.

  I nodded my head at her, reassuring her I was fine.

  

  It’s eight, and Stella and I were at the airport picking up my parents.

  “How do they look like?” Stella asked as she looked around the place.

  “Well, my dad is very tall and buff, while my mom is short and has brown hair that comes down to her shoulders,” I answered.

  Stella nodded her head as she looked around.

  “Is that them?” she asked as she pointed to a couple.

  I shook my head at her.

  “Nope,” I said then look around, trying to spot them.

  “What about them?” she asked.

  I turned my head to look at the direction she was pointing and saw my parents walking to us with big smiles on their faces.

  Once they got to us, I opened my arms to hug my mom, but she completely ignored me and gave Stella a bone-crushing hug.

  Well, I feel loved.

  “Oh, it’s wonderful to meet you, dear. How are you? Oh my god you’re so pretty. Aiden, you’ve got a beautiful mate. Tell me, dear, has he been treating you well,” my mom blabbed on.

  Before Stella could answer any of her questions, my dad pulled my mom away and said, “Coraline, slow down. You’re scaring the girl for Pete’s sake. Stop bombarding her with your questions.”

  Stella giggled at my parent’s attitude toward her.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And yes, Aiden has been treating me well,” she said.

  “Mom, Dad, it’s good to see you,” I said as I hugged them both.

  “It’s good to see you too, son—oh, and, hon, call me Coraline,” my mom said.

  She nodded her head then turned toward me, directing everyone’s attention to me.

  “We have a party starting in half an hour, so let’s get home,” I said.

  

  The party started an hour ago, and Stella still wasn’t out of her room. I was waiting downstairs in the living room, and it was packed with people who still hadn’t gone.

  I was wearing a suit while my parents were standing next to me. We were waiting for Stella so we can get going.

  I heard a couple of whispers and gasps. I turned my face to the side to see Stella coming down the stairs.

  My breath was caught in my throat the moment I laid eyes on her.

  She looked gorgeous, so stunning.

  She was wearing a red dress that hugged her body, showing off her curves. It came down to her mid-thigh as she wore those high heels.

  I was raking my eyes over her body, wanting to remember every single thing about her, when I noticed some of the unmated males looking at her for more than two seconds.

  I growled at them threateningly, and they turned their heads immediately. Once Stella was within arm’s length, I wrapped my arms around her waist possessively and brought her closer to my chest.

  This was going to be a difficult night, trying to keep the men away from her and trying to control my wolf.

  Chapter 13

  Stella

  It was ten o’clock, and the party was nowhere to an end. The place was filled with decorations and yummy food to eat. When Aiden and I went to pick up his parents, I was so nervous and anxious that they wouldn’t like me. But once I saw the look on their faces and the way his mom hugged me, I knew that they were good people. Ever since I came downstairs, Aiden hadn’t left my side. Even when I wanted to grab a snack. He insisted on coming with me, which annoyed me a lot, but I decided not to say anything.

  From all the juice I’d been drinking, I felt like my bladder was going to explode. I needed to go to the bathroom so bad. I took Aiden’s arm from around my waist and put it to his side. Before I could take one step forward, Aiden grabbed my wrist.

  “Where are you going?” Aiden asked.

  “To the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” I answered, rolling me eyes. Aiden looked like he wanted to refuse but didn’t say anything and nodded his head. I made my way to the bathroom and did my business.

  Once I got out of the stall, I washed my hands and made my way to open the door when it opened from the outside.

  A blonde appeared in front of me, wearing a black dress that was too revealing. It came right above her butt, and if she bent down, I bet it would be exposed.

  She looked at me up and down like I was some kind of dead rat with the plague. I hated her already.

  I mean, I’m not the kind of person to judge. I always make sure to get to know the person before I put any tags on them, but I could already feel such a bad vibe coming from her. I decided not to jump to conclusions and just ignored her as I walked out of the door, but something she said made me stop in my tracks.

  “You don’t deserve to be the Luna.”

  Excuse me?

  “I’m sorry what did you say?” I asked, clenching my fist into a ball.

  “You probably slept your way here, because I don’t see any reason why the Alpha would want to be with you,” she said as she put one of her hands on her hip.

  I looked her up and down as I scrunched my nose.

  “And how would you know that? What are you? The pack’s slut? Probably, which is why you might assume that, but let me tell you something—not everyone’s like you.”

  As I finished the last part, I lifted my head up high and turned around. But before clearly disappearing, I gave her the bird while she looked at me in shock and anger.

  I got back to where Aiden was, and once he saw me, he wrapped his arm around my waist, bringing me closer to his chest.

  “You took so long. Did something happen?” he asked, sounding concerned.

  I shook my head at him and shrugged my shoulders.

  I knew that sooner or later I would get a hater even if I was the Luna. I mean, there’s a first for everything right. Especially if I’m a vampire. Not everyone was going to like me.

  

  It had been hours, and the party was still going. I was getting really tired and sleepy. A bunch of people would come to me and greet me. I’m not sure how many names I heard and how many hands I shook.

  I covered my mouth as I yawned and leaned against Aiden’s chest for support. I felt my eyes closing through every passing second as sleep crept closer.

  “Are you sleepy? Come on, let’s go to bed,” Aiden said, and I looked up to him.

  “But what about the party? It’s not over yet,” I said.

  “It’s okay. I already told my parents I was leaving, and if they need anything, Liam is here,” he said as he walked us to the car.

  I don’t remember when, but somewhere in the ride, I dozed off.

  

  I woke up to find Aiden carrying me to our room. He walked in and set me on the bed, then he walked into the closet.

  I went to the bathroom, changed into my pajamas, and went straight to bed.

  As I closed my eyes, I felt the bed dip downward as Aiden got into the bed. He came closer to me and wrapped
his arms around me, bringing me to his chest. I would have resisted him, but I was too sleepy to complain. The last thing I heard before dozing off was Aiden’s steady breathing.

  

  The birds singing woke me up from my sleep. I opened my eyes and saw that the sun was out, and it was shining so bright. I looked at the time to see it was ten o’clock. I turned around to see Aiden’s spot empty. It was cold, telling me that he left a long time ago.

  I got up, made my way to the closet, and grabbed a floral dress. I made my way to the bathroom, took a cold shower, and shaved my legs. I wore the dress and braided my hair.

  As I made my way downstairs, I saw Marie in the kitchen eating cereal.

  “Hey, immo, looking good. What’s your plan for today?”

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “I don’t really know. I’m planning ongoing to the mall then visiting the orphanage,” I answered as Marie nodded her head. I was planning on buying Sarah and the children their presents and a couple of things for them to wear. They all deserved it. I could tell that I was becoming attached to Sarah. She was becoming like the little sister I’ve never had.

  I poured milk into my cereal and took a bite.

  “Do you know where’s Aiden?” I asked Marie.

  She nodded her head at me and said,

  “He has a meeting with the pack guards.”

  I nodded my head at her answer.

  Once I finished my breakfast, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. Of course, Scott was following me. I sighed in annoyance but decided to go with it.

  I swear sometimes they act as if I were the queen of England.

  I made it to the mall half an hour later with Scott following me not too far away. I went into the toys section and picked out a doll that Sarah would like. It had black hair that came down to its shoulders and was wearing jeans with a leather jacket. The other day, Sarah told me that she didn’t like the girly dolls. Instead, she liked the ones that were different from the rest. I bought a bunch of other dolls for the girls there and toy cars for the boys with the money Aiden let me borrow.

  After that, I went into the clothes aisle and picked out different dresses that had flowers on it and cute pink ballerina shoes for all the girls to wear. For the boys, I got hats and sports shoes for them to run and play in.

  Once I was done, I decided to grab some coffee from a cafe and have a seat as I waited for my order to be ready. Scott was standing a few steps away from me, seeming so serious.

  “Why don’t you have a seat,” I said as I pointed to the seat in front of me.

  Scott looked at me then shook his head, not saying anything. Geez, why so serious?

  I was starting to regret the stunt I did to get rid of Ian. At least, he wasn’t so serious. He would smile and make jokes. I wonder if it was because he was mateless.

  Once I got my coffee, I put all Sarah’s things into a separate bag and headed out the mall with Scott on my trail.

  By the time I made it to the orphanage, I was finished with my coffee, and it was around two pm.

  When I opened the door, I saw Emily looking at me with shock when she saw all the bags I was holding.

  “What are all these? Luna, you didn’t have to,” she said as she looked at me with a huge smile on her face.

  “What are you talking about, Emily? The kids need something to brighten up their day,” I said as I smiled back at her.

  She pulled me into a big bone-crushing hug and said thank you so many times.

  Once I made it to the back where all the children were playing, Emily called out to all of them to get their presents. They seemed so happy to open their toys and play with them. Not all girls took the dolls, some of them wanted the cars, which was fine with me. Seeing them smile made my day.

  I took Sarah’s separate bag and started to look for her. I found her sitting behind a tree reading a beginner’s book. I crept behind her, wanting to surprise her.

  “Surprise!” I yelled as I came in front of her and hugged her. She seemed happy to see me, but when she saw the bags in my hands, she looked confused.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Why don’t you find out?” I said as I handed her the bags.

  She took it from me and opened them. At first, she looked shocked, but that was soon replaced with happiness.

  “Are these for me?” she asked excitedly.

  I nodded my head, and she smiled widely at me. She jumped into my arms as I twirled her around.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Stel!” she said.

  I put her down, and we both sat down behind the tree.

  “What were you reading?” I asked.

  “Green Eggs and Ham! It’s my favorite,” she answered.

  I leaned my head against the tree and said, “Want to read it to me?”

  She nodded her head excitedly as she turned to the first page.

  Chapter 14

  We drove past trees dancing in the wind. We could hear the birds sing. It was a really warm day, winter was finally over, and the sun was out. It was a beautiful day—too beautiful for my liking.

  In cartoons, graveyard or funeral scenes are usually dark and rainy. Crows would fill the haunted place. As a child, I was scared of graveyards, because when I saw them on TV or read about them in books, they reminded me of death.

  On this day, though, the graveyard where Alice was buried was anything but gloomy. It almost seemed cheerful.

  But how can I be happy when this day haunts me every year?

  My thoughts were broken when Jimmy parked the car in front of the floral shop we bought flowers from every year.

  We walked in and bought the usual then got out.

  Jimmy had been down lately because of his mother’s death. He had two siblings, and he was the oldest. He was now in his mid-twenties. Jamie’s death had been difficult for us. But at least, she was now with her mother again.

  It took half an hour for us to get there. We got out of the car and headed to Mason’s and Alice’s graves.

  “Stella, do you think Grandma is happy?” Jimmy asked as we sat next to the graves.

  I smiled at him sadly. Jimmy and Alice were really close. He was closer to his grandmother than all his other siblings.

  “Of course, she is, as long as she’s with Mason,” I answered as I put the flowers on their graves.

  “She was always happier with Mason,” I whispered more to myself.

  Jimmy looked at me.

  “Do you think you’ll ever find your mate?” he questioned.

  What he said hit me by surprise. I didn’t always think about finding my mate because it’s quite rare. I shrugged.

  “I have no idea. Maybe when the time comes,” I said.

  Is having a mate really that important? I mean, sometimes I think that having a mate lifts off a weight from your shoulders. But how can you spend the rest of your life with a person you don’t even know? What if they’re a psychopath or a serial killer?

  But seeing Alice happy with Mason made me realize that there’s more to that.

  But how could I know? I mean, I don’t even have one.

  I don’t know if I want one.

  Is there actually somebody out there is willing to do anything for me and will love me despite my flaws?

  I might never know.

  

  I was feeling hot—even sweating.

  I opened my eyes and saw Aiden almost on top of me, hugging me so close to his chest. I tried to get him off me, but he was too strong.

  I groaned. I needed a really cold shower.

  “Aiden! Aiden, get up.”

  I tried to wake him up, but he only mumbled in his sleep.

  I turned my head and looked for a glass of water to pour on him. But there was nothing. I sighed.

  I had only one thing to do.

  I inhaled deeply and counted to three.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  “Aaahhhhhhh,” I scream
ed as loud as I could, making sure my mouth was right next to his ear.

  Aiden got up immediately and looked around the room.

  I could hear his heart beating so fast. I bet I scared the crap out of him. Again. I laughed so hard.

  He turned to me and asked, “What the hell was that?”

  I laughed harder until I remembered why I did that. I needed to take a cold shower.

  “It’s really hot today, and you were on top of me,” I said as I got off the bed and made my way to the bathroom.

  “And I need my personal space.”

  “But you really had to do that?” he asked.

  I nodded my head.

  “Yeah, you wouldn’t get up. You’re a really heavy sleeper,” I answered.

  He groaned as I got into the bathroom.

  I stripped out of my clothes and got into the relaxing, cold water.

  Twenty minutes later, I got out of the bathroom and found Marie examining something on the bed.

  “What are you doing?” I asked her.

  She turned to face me and smiled.

  “Today we are going to the beach, and we need to find you a perfect bikini.”

  I walked over to her and saw several bikinis lying on the bed. They were all too revealing for me.

  “Nope, I’m not wearing any of those. I’ll just wear a one-piece,” I said.

  Marie shook her head.

  “Not going to happen, immo. You are wearing one of these. Don’t you want Aiden to be drooling when he sees you?” she said and grinned.

  I raised an eyebrow, but I felt myself blush.

  “You do realize that when he sees me in this, he won’t let me leave,” I spoke.

  She grinned.

  “Don’t worry, immo. That’s not going to happen. Now pick one,” she said.

  I sighed in annoyances.

  Marie was a really stubborn girl.

  I looked at all the pieces and picked a black bikini that was the least revealing.

  “Who’s coming with us?” I asked.

  “Liam and Aiden. We are going to the beach near the pack, so there will be pack members and humans,” she answered.