The Dawn of Blood [Sequal of The Rise of the Lycans]

Guilt

Laura's POV

A week passed since I had seen my mate, and I was so relieved that everyone was okay, but when I was told John passed away the following morning when they attacked the hideaway. I was heartbroken to hear we were too late to find and save him and the other vampires. That would explain why I didn't get the news straight from Nate. He must be more hurt and angry about everything.

What is going to happen to Nate when he comes back? I worry that he may distance himself from everyone, even me, his mate, and I was afraid that he might decide to drown his sorrows in alcohol. But I needed to wait until the afternoon.

"I can't believe he's gone..." Kelly murmured from across from me. I glanced at her; her mind was elsewhere while feeding Artemis her bottle. "I also joked with him about death, but I never thought it would happen to him," she said, turning her gaze over at me.

I lowered my gaze to Lucina, who was drinking her bottle, "I never knew him that long, but the time I had with him was amazing. He was cheerful, and he had a huge ego." I said, lifting my gaze to Kelly.

"What's going to happen now? Are you going to tell Nate you're now the moon goddess?" She asked.

I shook my head, "I don't think it's the right time; we must wait until everything is at ease." Before Nate left for his mission, he told me not to do anything against my grandmother, the moon goddess, until he returned. Still, I went against his wishes and challenged Luna. I killed my grandmother accidentally, and now I was a goddess, the moon goddess.

"Kelly, promise me you won't say a word to Nate and Sean about me being the moon goddess," I said, then lowered my gaze at my baby as she closed her eyes while enjoying her bottle. "I want to be the one to tell them, most importantly, Nate."

"Okay..." she muttered, and we stayed in silence, deep in our thoughts. I still felt terrible for killing my grandmother; that night, I kept repeating my head over and over again. As much as she did those things, she still had the right to live. Right?

Since that night, Thanatos, God of Death, had never returned, which meant he did his job, and that was to help me unlock my demi powers and take down my grandmother. I remember him telling me he did this because he wanted Luna, my grandmother, to get her freedom and be with the person she had lost. I wondered who was this person.

Then I wondered about what she wanted to warn me about. I don't know who she was trying to warn me about or if she was trying to scare me. But I don't know if I believed her; I don't know if I should take it to heart or shrug it away and continue my life as a goddess, ruling werewolves.

When Kelly and I realized that both girls were asleep, we quietly laid them on the curb they shared in the seating area of their parent's room. "I know you have a lot on your plate, but I can't up but notice how distant Hades is being," Kelly said as we moved over to the balcony to silence the twins even though they slept like nothing was happening around them.

"Kelly, there's nothing to worry about. Hades has been busy playing with his new friends, and it's normal for kids his age to be always away to play with their friends," I said, rolling my eyes. I was happy to know my baby was finally making friends and wasn't disappearing from servants' and guards' sights, and I was glad that he stopped that habit. But I was still on high guard just in case he decided to pull his trick again.

She shrugged, "Maybe you're right..." She said, then looked out to the view. "I'm just being a worried aunty, I guess..." I chuckled and nodded, then she rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Laura..."

*~*~*~*

Finally, it was afternoon, and my nerves were high, knowing Nate was coming home any time soon. I paced back and forth, biting my lower lip and my thoughts going back and forth on how Nate would be feeling when he saw me. I had the twins taken to their nursery, and nannies cared for them so Nate and I would be left alone.

I snapped out of my train of thought and stopped pacing when the door opened; I held my breath as it slowly opened and watched Nate as he entered. His head was down as he entered and closed the door behind him. He lifted his head in my way, and my eyes widened when I saw his face. He had a five-clock shadow on his face, bags under his dull green eyes and his dark hair was a mess.

I opened my mouth to say something but quickly closed it, realizing I had nothing to say to him. Then, suddenly, he stalked towards me and wrapped his arms tightly around me in a warm embrace. Shocked at first, I slowly wrapped my arms around him, and we stood there in each other's embrace, saying nothing but just taking in each other's embrace.

Suddenly, Nate began to shake. I wanted to pull away and see what was wrong, but he tightened his embrace, and I listened closely. Then I heard him... Sobbing. He buried his head in the crook of my neck, and I felt his tears slide on my exposed neck down to my collar; I didn't care. Instead, I tightened my embrace. "It's all my fault," he sobbed, and I shook my head as tears began to build up in my eyes. "Dead because I didn't find him soon enough. He's dead because I betrayed him, and now he's gone..." He sobbed.

"No, it's not your fault..." my voice cracked as a tear fell down my cheek. Our knees gave out, and we slowly went down into our knees, "I don't think John would like you blaming yourself. You did your best to find him. You even protected the remaining vampire covens." I took a deep breath, trying not to sob; I wanted to be strong for him. "At least he died knowing... You were there fighting for his people."

He sobbed loudly, and a quiet sob left my lips as we stayed in each other's embrace. No matter what happens, I was going to be there for Nate...

*~*~*~*

"What should we tell the children?" Alexandra muttered, blankly staring at the wine glass in front of her, filled with red wine. "Their parents were tortured and killed," she retorted, glaring at the wine. Maxim quietly took a sip of his vodka, staring ahead and keeping a cold face like he wasn't listening to Alexandra. She glanced at Maxim as red tears rolled down her cheeks, "Maxim! What should we tell them!" She yelled.

With his glass still lifted, he clenched his hand around the glass, causing it to crack, "we tell them the truth..." He said darkly, slowly lowering the cracked glass onto the bar counter. "We can't lie to them. After all, they are the vampire's future, and as long as the Doves are out there, we're all not safe, and they must know what's happening around them."

"Maxim, how could you be this cold?" She asked in shock, "They are still children!"

He snapped his gaze at her, "Children! Yes, they are. But didn't they witness their fellow vampires being shot down and killed before them like animals? They must know what awaits them as vampires, and we owe it to their parents that they are protected and safe!" His eyes turned blood red, and he hissed angrily at her.

More red tears fell down Alexandra's face, and she turned away from him, "Why are you cold?" She asked quietly, then lowered her head to her hands that lay on her lap. "What do you do about Isaac and the sea witches?"

Maxim turned his gaze away from her and quietly sighed, "They must pay for their crimes against vampires, and Isaac must die. They may pretend to be on our side, but nothing more than monsters like the Doves." He growled. "The whole reason we ended up in this mess was because they poisoned the blood supply, weakening the higher class only to lead to their kidnapping and suffering."

Alexandra was silent, thinking about his words, and then she finally lifted her wine glass and looked down at it and that of John. Suddenly, she remembered him as this cheerful and ego-filled vampire King. Even though his upbringing was not as perfect for a prince, he never let that stop him, and she wondered if it was human half. "For Vampire King John Theophiles."