Avenging Luna
Chapter 123: My Mate’s A Vampire (II)

Chapter 123: My Mate’s A Vampire (II)

Leila’s POV:

The adrenaline from the fight still surged through my veins, leaving my body trembling and my senses heightened. My muscles ached from the effort, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. The rogue vampire lay lifeless on the ground at my feet, but my mind was far from the battle. My eyes were fixed on Chase.

It was like everything had shifted, and now I could see him clearly for what he was. The vampire who had been trailing me, the one who had annoyed the hell out of me, the one who had stalked me through my life with that impossible persistence—he was my mate. He was mine.

And I was his.

My wolf had known it before I had. The moment I laid eyes on him in the alley, something deep inside me had flared to life, pulling at me, drawing me toward him. But I hadn’t understood it at the time. I hadn’t put the pieces together. I didn’t understand what I was feeling. Now, it was all so clear, but it was too much to take in at once.

I had half-shifted during the fight. My instincts had taken over, and I hadn’t been able to stop them, but now, I was back in my human form, my body recovering from the rush of power. The transition felt... wrong. I had felt the wolf within me, clawing at the surface, but now it was silent, subdued. Maybe it was waiting for me to process this new truth.

His eyes never left me. They glowed faintly in the moonlight, an eerie, cold light that didn’t belong to the warmth of a human, but to something far older, darker. A vampire. A creature of the night. And he was my mate. How the hell was that possible? My wolf didn’t care. She knew. She could feel the bond between us, feel the tug in the back of my mind as though something in me had just clicked into place.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat. I couldn’t ask what I wanted to. The questions I had, the confusion, the shock, it all swirled around in my head like a storm. I was supposed to hate him, wasn’t I? A vampire. My enemies. My pack’s enemies. I was supposed to despise him, to run from him, not... feel this pull.

His gaze softened slightly, and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw something like regret in his eyes. He knew what I was thinking. He knew what I was feeling. It wasn’t just me seeing him for the first time in this light—it was him, too. But he wasn’t running from me. He wasn’t scared. No, he was waiting for me to accept the reality of what he was. What we were.

"What are you?" I asked quietly, my voice barely a whisper as it escaped from my lips.

He didn’t answer right away, and I hated that. I wanted to understand. I needed to know the truth, the whole truth. Everything I’d learned about vampires up to this point had been from stories, from myths. But this... this was real. He was real. And I didn’t know if I could deal with that.

Chase took a step toward me, but I held up my hand, instinctively taking a step back. No, don’t get any closer. I needed space. I needed time to process this. I needed to think. There was so much I didn’t know, so much that had been kept from me, and now I was standing in the middle of a goddamn supernatural storm. A vampire. My mate. I was connected to him in ways that I didn’t even fully understand yet, and that terrified me.

"I know this is a lot," he said softly, his voice low and almost apologetic. "But I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not here to force anything on you."

His words were sincere, but they felt so out of place. How could he say that so casually, knowing what I was? Knowing what he was? My wolf was still alive in me, and she was raging, but there was also a part of me that knew. She knew we were meant to be together, but that didn’t make this easier.

I swallowed hard, struggling to keep my composure as my eyes locked with his. "You’re a vampire," I spat out. The words felt foreign on my tongue, a bitter taste in my mouth as I said them. "How can I be—" I stopped myself. The bond. My wolf had recognized it before my mind had. She had known, instinctively. But I was human right now. I didn’t have the luxury of letting instinct guide me. Not yet.

"I didn’t choose this," Chase said, his voice tight, his jaw clenched. "I didn’t choose you. But you’re mine, Leila. And I’m yours. The Moon Goddess made us this way, and I can’t change it any more than you can."

His words were both reassuring and horrifying. We were fated. Destined. But that didn’t make it easier to swallow. I wasn’t just standing here in front of a stranger. I was standing in front of a predator, a killer, someone who had spent his life in the shadows, taking out rogues and maybe humans. Someone who could tear me apart if he wanted to. And he was my mate.

There was no part of me that wanted to accept that. Not now, not yet. The idea of spending the rest of my life with him, bound by this thing that neither of us had asked for, was overwhelming.

I felt my wolf stir again, stronger this time. She was raging. She wanted to fight it, but also... something else. Something deeper. My wolf recognized him. She wanted him, and in the darkest corners of my mind, I knew that I wanted him too. But I couldn’t shake the fear, the uncertainty. Could I trust him? Could I trust myself?

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, the words coming out more desperate than I meant them to.

"I don’t know," he replied, his eyes intense, searching mine. "But I’m not leaving. Not until you’ve figured it out. Until you’ve decided what you want. I won’t force you into anything, Leila. I promise."

I didn’t respond immediately. My heart was still racing, my thoughts still tangled in a mess of confusion. My wolf wanted him. But I needed to think. I needed space. I needed to make sense of this.

My gaze flickered to the lifeless body of the rogue vampire lying a few feet away, a grim reminder of what kind of world we were living in. This world that was now mine, whether I liked it or not. And that terrified me.

"Just... stay away from me for now," I said, my voice trembling. "I need time."

Chase nodded, his expression unreadable. He didn’t protest. He didn’t try to reach out. He just stood there, watching me, his eyes soft with something that almost looked like regret.

I turned and walked away, but every step felt like I was walking deeper into a world I didn’t belong to. I had no idea what was going to happen now. I had no idea how I was supposed to reconcile the truth with the life I had lived before.

But one thing was clear—I was never going back. Not now. Not after tonight.

I just didn’t know where to go from here.

I was done. Done with this so-called "mate" nonsense. Done with wolves, vampires, and every supernatural complication in between. All I wanted was a quiet life for me and Ash—a place where no one could find us, where I could raise my son without constant chaos. My heart had taken all it could. Chase might be my mate, but I wasn’t going to let that bind me. I wasn’t going to let my heart break all over again.

Stepping away from him back in that alley, I’d made my decision. As I walked back toward the café, I was trembling, though I told myself it was just the adrenaline from the fight. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just that. It was everything. The truth of who Chase was, the mate bond pulling at me even when I didn’t want it, the lingering danger that came with his world—and mine.

When I entered the café, I spotted Lucy sitting at one of the tables with Ash in her lap. His tiny giggles and the soft cooing sounds Lucy made brought a pang to my chest. This little boy was my everything. I had to keep him safe, no matter the cost.

Lucy looked up as I approached, her brow furrowing. "Leila, are you okay? You’re shaking."

I forced a weak smile, but my hands betrayed me, trembling as they reached for Ash. "I’m fine," I lied, my voice barely steady. "Just... tired, I guess."

Lucy didn’t look convinced, but she handed Ash to me anyway, her warm smile never wavering. "If you’re tired, you should rest. I can handle things here for a while."

I shook my head. Rest wasn’t what I needed. What I needed was to leave. To pack my things and get as far away from this place—and Chase—as possible. But I couldn’t tell Lucy that. Not yet.

"I’ll be fine," I insisted, holding Ash close to my chest. His small, warm body grounded me, gave me the strength I needed to push through the growing anxiety. "Thanks, Lucy."

She nodded, still watching me closely as I made my way to the back of the café. My boss was there, sorting through some receipts, and I approached him with as much calm as I could muster.

"I’m not feeling well," I told him, my voice as steady as I could manage. "Do you think someone could cover my shift?"

He glanced up, frowning. "You don’t look great, Leila. Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll have Jess cover for you."

"Thank you," I said, relief washing over me.

I grabbed my things and headed back to the front of the café. Lucy was already getting her purse, ready to walk with me back to the house. As we stepped outside, Ash babbled happily in my arms, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside me.

"You sure you’re okay?" Lucy asked again as we walked.

"I’m fine," I lied once more. But even as I said it, I knew the truth. I couldn’t stay here another day. My time in this town had been too long already, and the danger that Chase brought—whether intentional or not—was too much.

Lucy didn’t press me further, thankfully. She filled the silence with her usual chatter, talking about the café, the neighbors, and the town gossip. I barely registered her words, my mind racing as I formulated my plan.

We reached the house, and I thanked Lucy for walking with me before heading inside my room leaving her at the kitchen. The moment the door to my room closed behind me, I exhaled sharply, my knees almost buckling. I set Ash down in his little crib, brushing a soft kiss against his forehead.

"It’s just you and me, little guy," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "I’ll keep you safe. No matter what."

I moved quickly after that. I grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and started packing. I didn’t have much—just a few changes of clothes for me and Ash, some diapers, and his formula. My savings weren’t much either, but they’d have to do. I’d start over somewhere new. Somewhere far away where no one knew us.

As I packed, Layla stirred uneasily.

You’re running again, she said, her voice soft but firm.

"Of course, I’m running," I muttered under my breath. "What else am I supposed to do?"

He’s our mate.

"No," I snapped, my voice low but angry. "He’s a vampire. And I’m done with mates."

Layla fell silent after that, but I could feel her unease. She didn’t agree with my decision, but she wouldn’t fight me on it. Not this time.

Once I finished packing, I took a deep breath and sat down on the bed, Ash cradled in my arms. He was fast asleep, his tiny face peaceful and unbothered. For a moment, I envied him.