Chosen

If they found out I was a Chosen One, they weren't just going to lose their minds—they were going to grovel. I didn't flaunt my power, and my scent mask as a Hunter was clearly effective. I assumed their ambush meant they were simply doing what any organized supernatural creature should: investigating a perceived threat. Hunters don't attack without reason. Every creature has the right to know why they're being followed. But once the truth was out, the begging and apologies would start. They wouldn't need to, though. I knew what they were now, and the only thing I cared about was why I still couldn't leave her alone.

The moment they dragged me before him, her father's eyes locked onto mine. As I got closer, the change was instantaneous and startling: his eyes widened, the familiar blood-red draining away, replaced by a searing, brilliant yellow. He’d smelled my true essence.

In one swift motion, I was free. All of them—the guards, the father, and her—dropped to their knees. Heads bowed, apologies spewing out like a broken dam.

"I am not here to punish you," I stated, my voice echoing with an authority I rarely used. "You did what you had the right to do. I do, however, need the name of this coven and your names. I'm facing an issue that has no answers, and I need your help."

The fear on their faces shifted to confusion, and then to a strange relief. Her eyes, the daughter’s, glowed even brighter at my proposal.

They were the Raven Clan, I realized, named for their ancient, retired founder. Their current coven leader was Landis, and the girl—the bait—was Raven. The resemblance between father and daughter was impossible to miss.

"My name is..." I paused, and the girl's eyes flared again. Landis noticed the reaction this time.

"My office, now," Landis commanded, his voice tight. "We will discuss your questions and what happens next in private."

As we walked, I could hear Raven behind me. She was sniffing me, a slow, deliberate intake of breath that wasn't just detection—it was possessive. Like a wolf recognizing a mate.

And then it hit me. Mate.

A Chosen with a mate? It had never happened, never been recorded. This wasn't just a first; it was a cosmic anomaly. I had to know what Landis knew, and I had to know it immediately.

The Landis Revelation

We entered the office. The door clicked shut, the sound heavy and final. When I turned, Landis’s blood-red eyes were back, his fangs fully extended. He wouldn't dare attack, not when he knew who I was, but the raw aggression was alarming.

I sat, and he mirrored the motion. Raven stood motionless in the corner, staring not at me, but at her father. Her eyes were now a deep, shimmering purple, and she was fighting back tears. Seeing her pain sent a shockwave of protective violence through me. I wanted to hurt whatever was causing her distress.

Landis spoke, his voice barely a rasp. "It's good you feel that way. And yes, she is your mate."

The words hung there, devastating and euphoric.

"I can't help my reaction," he continued, a vampire warlord suddenly stripped bare. "I have no idea what this means for our coven, my daughter, or our future. But I need answers just as much as you. I ask that you stay here for tonight. Allow me to contact the Council so we can schedule a meeting and find out exactly what is going on."

I had no reason to argue. I’d been ready to commit murder for this woman an hour ago, and now she was my mate. I agreed instantly. I would do anything for her. I would protect her at all costs.

Tonight was supposed to be rest—yeah, right. Tomorrow, we get answers. The Council better have them. I’d searched for a mate for three millennia, only to find her now, a two-thousand-year-old vampire.

The questions were a roar in my mind: How is my mate a vampire? Why was the connection suppressed for two thousand years? And where the hell do we go from here?

I am meant to keep the peace between all species. How can I do that now without judgment, without playing favorites, when my soul-match is part of the biggest, most powerful coven on the planet?

A Flash of Light

As Raven led me to the guest room, I studied her. She radiated a cool temperature, yet there was a strange, subtle heat coming off her body—a heat she shouldn't possess. As we reached the door, she reached out and took my hand.

Sparks flew up my arm and through my head like a lightning strike. A blinding white light exploded behind my eyes, forcing a grunt from my chest. When I opened them, she was glowing all over. I could feel her emotions wash over me: confusion, fear, and a desperate, matching connection.

I also felt an immediate, primal urge to throw her onto the nearest surface and consume her until she was forced into oblivion. I didn't know if a vampire could be truly exhausted, but I was suddenly determined to find out.