Life's Sweeter with Revenge

Her wolf. That was who Danyelle needed right now, she needed to be with her werewolf boyfriend.

“Aiden.” Saying his name out loud made the pain inside of her chest intensify even more. He had been gone for a whole week on pack business and even though he called every five hours the pain she felt from his absents didn’t lessen. In fact, hearing the sound of his voice through the phone made him seem even further away from her. She clenched her hand on the shirt she was wearing to bed. Aiden had given her this shirt the day he had left saying that it was a reminder to her that he would always be there in some way or another.
She remembered later that night sleeping with it by her side like a blanket. The husky smell of Aiden had still clung to the fabric so it was easy for her to fall asleep that night; however, the smell had faded by the neck night and now she was left with just a memento.

She curled herself up in a tight ball and listened vaguely to Vanessa and Victor in the bathroom arguing. Neither of them was big on arguing but hearing it to night didn’t seem that odd to her either. Victor, like Danyelle, had been under a lot of stress in the last few days. Her brother hadn’t been sleeping very well because he’d been having nightmares about the car accident. Danyelle pulled her knees to her chest. She hadn’t witnessed the entire accident so she wasn’t as traumatized about it as Victor was.

Danyelle had always suspected that Victor had been hiding something about what happened that night and with his nightmares being so horrific she knew that she was right. Questions like ‘Did her parents really died in the car crash?’ or ‘Was the crash and Vic’s turning connected?’ had always haunted her mind. Those questions were still left unanswered.

Danyelle dug her unpolished nails into her knees. She still couldn’t handle the fact that her parents were dead even though it had been two years since their passing. Just thinking about her mother’s loving smile and her dad’s dorky quirks made her body shake with sadness. She was still trembling underneath her covers when her phone vibrated on the night stand causing her to jump at the sudden sound.

Who’s calling me this late? She wondered as she answered her phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby,” His voice was as smooth and calming as warm water against her skin. There was only one person who was allowed to call her ‘baby’ and that was Aiden.

“Hi Aiden.” She tried to make her voice sound like her normal cheerful self but it wasn’t working. She could already hear the desperation in her voice, asking him to come over, telling him that she needed him to hold her.

“How are you holding up?” He asked.

She cuddled deeper into her covers and pretended that the warmth she was feeling was from him. “The same, are you back home yet?”

There was a long pause and Danyelle knew the answer. “No I’m not. Sorry I had to make a stop first.”

Her chest felt heavy when he confirmed her feeling. “I understand.”

She leaned her head back down against her pillow and tried to hold back the tears that she had been fighting all week. To the best of her ability she tried to keep them back. He had promised her that he would be back by tomorrow so that they could pay their respects to her parents’ grave. Just one more day. She thought, Just one more day and then I can cry all I want to.

“Hey Danyelle.”

Her voice cracked. “Y-Yeah.”

Her bedroom door creaked open slowly. She tossed the covers around to see the tall dark figure looming in her doorway. A shiver ran up her spin as she scooted back on her bed. The figure took a step forward walking into the moonlight that was shining through her window.

“It’s okay to cry Danyelle.” As soon as she saw Aiden’s face she leapt off of her bed and ran straight into his strong lean chest. She tucked her arms under his and held onto him crying mercilessly into his grey shirt.

He’s here. He’s really here. She thought as his dark long arms held her close to him. She was so caught up in the fact that he was finally home that she didn’t even realized it when he picked her up off the ground and laid down with her on her bed.

He ran his hard hand through her black hair as her tears wetted his shirt. Aiden had felt absolutely horrible for leaving her alone so close to the anniversary of her parent’s death but he had to resolve a problem with another Alpha. The Alpha and his pack had claimed that one of Aiden’s pack members had attacked one of their females. Even the thought of it made his hackles rise. His pack was respectful and strong; they would never do anything to disrespect their Alpha or their fellow pack mates. The other pack was dead set on their ways though, they wanted retribution. Obviously the matter couldn’t have been ignored but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t wanted to be by Danyelle’s side. Every night he would call to check in on her. Through their many calls he could hear how much his absents had affected her.

Her sobs became more violent against his chest. Aiden leaned down and kissed the top of her head before whispering comforting words into her ear. It took him a few minutes but eventually she calmed down and drifted off to sleep. It was an Alpha’s duty to protect his pack as well as his mate so seeing her this way hurt him deeply. He pushed her away from his chest once she was sound asleep and looked down at her wet cheeks. His delicate mate was in so much pain and all he could do was hold her. Aiden ran his thumb over her cheeks, pushing the tears away, and then pressed his lips to her sweet mouth before pulling her back into his embrace.

His phone went off in his back pocket. Odds were that it was his mother calling to see how things went with the other pack. Even though she had stepped down from being the Alpha three years ago she still liked to stick her nose in Alpha business. He could understand how difficult it was for her to cope with not being the Alpha anymore. She had leaded the pack for twenty years waiting until the day he was strong enough to take over.

Aiden ignored her calling and instead pulled up the blanket on Danyelle’s bed covering them. Right now she needed him and he would rather die than leave his mate in this condition. He made sure that she was comfortable before falling asleep with her in his arms.





I placed my hand on the top of their gravestone. The granite was smooth underneath the touch of my palm but it was the coldness of it that drew me in, as cold and still as death itself. I felt Vanessa’s hand tighten against mine telling me that she was here with me. My thumb rubbed against the outside of her delicate hand, I know.

I knew that she would always be with me but for just this moment I wished she wasn’t. Everything inside of me screaming for me to do different things, I wanted to fall down to my knees and scream at the injustices of it all, to cry until there was nothing left of me, to go off and kill every single vampire, but all I did was stand there and stare. Vanessa was the only thing keeping me sane enough to nothing else but that. I couldn’t scream about it to the heavens because it would do me no good, I couldn’t cry because it would upset Danyelle even more, and I defiantly couldn’t kill every single vampire because that would include Vanessa.

Looking more closely at the gravestone I began to etch out their names. With each letter a different memory would flash in my head. When dad had showed me his favorite movie, when we had gone to California, the day dad had taught me everything to know about my mustang, when I had caught mom putting a quarter underneath my pillow after I lost my first tooth, and even when she had tried to give me the sex talk.

My back went ridged when Danyelle started crying again. I looked back at my little sister to see that she was in the exact same place she had been for the past few hours. Her face was concealed against Aiden’s chest but I could still see her back jerk up as she heaved out another cry. I understood the pain that she was feeling better than anyone else but I wasn’t what she had needed. Aiden’s arms were wrapped around her protectively as she wetted her grey shirt.

His face was a sickly pale color as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Danyelle’s forehead. There were a lot of things that were still unclear to me about werewolves but I knew one thing for sure about Aiden and that was that he cared deeply for my sister. He brought his arm around her and hugged her to his chest. Worry as well as protectiveness riddled every inch of his face. The man looked worn out with dark circles under his dull eyes and I imagined that I didn’t look that much better.

Aiden suddenly looked up in my direction, for a moment I thought he was looking at me so I inclined my head with a slight jerk he didn’t respond back. I realized after that he wasn’t looking at me but rather something behind me. I turned and saw Jason and Reece weaving their way through the endless amount of gravestones. Like the rest of us they were dressed in dark attire which was to be expected but in Jason’s hands was a bottle.

“Sorry we were late we had to go pick up something.” Reece spoke quietly while carrying a two shot glasses. As soon as her eyes caught Danyelle’s wet face she instantly reached out and hugged her. “How you holding up?”

Danyelle laughed into her shoulder. “Horribly can’t you tell?”

Reece pulled away from my sister smiling. “Not one bit.”

Danyelle smiled back.

“Why are you carrying a bottle of tequila?” Vanessa asked Jason.

Jason smiled sadly as he popped open the bottle and pour a shot. “We have this tradition in my family where everyone tells a funny story about the person who has passed. We do this to remind ourselves that even though they are gone they can still make us smile with the memories we made together. When the story is done you drink the shot then pass it on.”

He handed the glass to Danyelle. “I think you should go first.”

Danyelle hesitated for a moment but then took the glass from his hand. “I remember the last Christmas we all shared together as a family. I had been fifteen at the time and still really confused about what you would get your parents for Christmas. It had never even occurred to me to just ask the two so I would always turn to Vic for answers. Normally he gave me some pretty good ideas but that year he seemed to have dried up. So I was left to do the only other thing I could, watch TV until I found a present. I had found this one channel that was all about food so of course I made one of them. I gave it to them on Christmas morning. All of you have experienced my cooking at one point or another but well back then it was even worse. The thing I had created was so nasty that they both ended up getting sick.”

I busted out laughing at the memory and everyone else followed suit. Our parents had looked at that gift in pure disgust but because Danyelle had made it they sucked it up and ate every last bit.

Danyelle tossed back the drink her face instantly puckered at the strong liquor. She let Jason fill up the shot then passed it to Aiden.

“What if we didn’t know them?” He asked Jason.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. “We’ve never had to deal with something like that before so I guess you can just tell us a funny story.”

Aiden did just that and after he was finished he passed it to Vanessa. She told us a funny story and when she was done she just passed the filled glass to me without even drinking it. I looked at her questionable but didn’t say anything and took the shot. The tequila burned the back of my throat as soon as it touched it then slowly lit a trial down into my stomach. While I was still distracted by the liquid fire Jason poured me another shot then waited patiently for my story.

“One day my mom was making pudding for no apparent reason. Obviously the pudding was meant for my dad because nobody else in the family liked the chocolate flavor. It was that instant kind that takes like three minutes to make, you pour the powder, add milk, and stir. There is no way you can mess something like that up, right? So my dad comes in and automatically he’s digging into it. Well around the third scoop he finds a long blonde hair dangling from his spoon. My dad has been traumatized ever since.”

The memory of my dad gaging and mom’s surprised face made me smile while everyone else laughed softly. Now that I knew what to expect from the shot it wasn’t so bad going down the second time. After that I passed it to Reece who then gave it to Jason when she was done. Jason closed the bottle and put the shot glasses on top. We all then stood around the grave silently giving them our respect and gratitude. A few minutes passed before people started to leave. Aiden, Jason, Danyelle, and Reece were all going to head back to my house ahead of Vanessa and I. Truthfully I wasn’t up for a big get-together at my place but then I thought about Vanessa and how worried she had been about me last night. It would do her some good to be around friends for a little bit.

“You ready to go?” I asked Vanessa who had been staring at the gravestone.

She glanced over at me with a weak smile. “Not really but I don’t want to keep the other waiting.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind.”

She shook her head at me. “No it’s okay. Do you mind pulling the car around?”

I leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead. “Sure.”

When I finished pulling the car around I noticed Vanessa kneeling down at my parents’ grave. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap and she was smiling as she chatted away. I couldn’t pick up what she was saying with my engine roaring but whatever it was it was making her smile. My chest squeezed painfully with love as I watched lips move. She would make up an excuse to get me to leave so she could be alone with them. If my parents were alive today and I had somehow managed to meet Vanessa some other way, I’m positive that they would have fallen in love with her just as I had.

She looked over my way and her smile grew. It was nearly impossible for me not to smile back at her. God how I loved this woman. She picked herself up off the ground and got into the car.

“What did you tell them?”

She leaned over and smacked a kiss against my mouth then clicked on her seatbelt. “I think that is between me and your parents.”

I rolled my eyes and started to drive. I really did love her.



When we got back home we found everyone in our kitchen. An awkward silence hung in the air as they all looked over at us walking in. For a moment that was all did they did. Stare. In the end it was Jason who finally broke the silence.

“Not to be disrespectful or anything but how exactly did your parents die?” Jason had directed the question to me and it was then that I knew why they had all been so quiet. Danyelle had probably told them that she didn’t remember anything herself about that day and that I had been the one to fill her in partly. So of course with the day of my turning and their suspicious minds they knew that something was missing.

Vanessa’s hand tightened around mine as she waited for my reaction. I pulled her into my side then wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “It no big deal Jason,” I was about to give him the same answer I had given everyone else who asked but then Danyelle interrupted.

“Vic,” I turned to look at her leaning against Aiden. Her eyes that were red from the tears she had shed earlier were now serious. “Tell us the whole story.”

My body stiffened her request, it wasn’t like I hadn’t been expecting her to ask me that but I had thought that I would have had more time to rehearse how I was going to tell her it. I’ve had two years already. Guess times up. Gradually I forced my body to relax and nodded over to my sister. “Alright.”

I hide nothing for them and spilled every gory detail from Danyelle being thrown out of the car, to stabbing the vampire in the heart with the silver metal. When I was finished I down casted my gaze not wanting to see their expression. Danyelle forced me to look up when she took a step towards me. Her face had slightly greyed during the course of the story but other than that she was stone faced.

“Thank you Vic.” Her voice had become monotone.

Aiden reached out a shaky hand to her shoulder and turned her around to face him. His face was drawn together as if he was having a headache. “Wait, wait so you were thrown out of the car?”

Danyelle turned slowly and gently placed her hand over his. “It was a long time ago Aiden. There is no need to worry about it now I’m perfectly fine.”

“No, that’s not it.” His forehead had taken on a layer on sweat as he looked over at me. “The moon, had it been full?”

Jason took a step towards his Alpha with hard expression. “Aiden…”

This seemed like a rather important detail for him so I tried my best to remember. I recalled seeing my way through the dark forest because of the moonlight but for the life of me I couldn’t remember actually looking up. Then the image flashed in my head; the full moon reflecting in my mother’s blood.

“Yeah it was.” I answered tightly.

Danyelle grabbed a fist full of Aiden’s shirt and shook him gently. “Aiden what does that have to do with anything?”

Aiden grabbed her forearms suddenly and his eyes were filled with worry. “That’s where I remember you from.”

Danyelle’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“Your scent it. It was different no, stronger then because you were covered in blood and dirt.”

“Aiden.” Danyelle’s voice was nothing more than a whisper.

Aiden jerked his head over to my direction. “I was running in the woods when I smelt something. The smell was like nothing I had smelled before and I had gotten an ominous feeling from it because it was a real irony smell. I had to go check it out because whatever it was it was in my territory. When I got there the smell of blood was strong but I could still sniff out the gasoline. There were three bloody bodies at the scene and one more standing amongst them. We both stood our ground waiting to see which one would face off first. The thing got a good sniff of me and hightailed it out of there. I just assumed that it was all a horrible car accident and that the person who ran away was the cause of it or something.”

My body was shaking it was so tense. “Aiden what are you saying-

“In the distances I smelled another person but this one wasn’t as torn up. I found the other person. It was a girl with a bad cut on the back of her head but she was still breathing. I remember picking her up with my hands and sniffing out where she lived. I laid her sleeping body down on the porch and then peed on a tree to ward of that creature that had caused the accident.” Aiden’s breathing was labored by the time he finished his speech. His body was trembling because his muscles were so coiled. The rest of us stood there for a moment trying to sort through what Aiden had just told us.

“Aiden,” Danyelle reached out to him touching her fingertips to his cheek. He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his face.

“Don’t you understand Danyelle? I’m the one that brought you home that night.” His voice broke softly as he looked into her eyes.

Something inside of me snapped. “Hold on now. You’re telling me that the bastard who killed my parents is still alive?” I yelled at Aiden.

He didn’t even glance in my direct when he answered. “Yeah,”

“But I stabbed that bastard in the heart-

Vanessa grabbed my shoulder and turned me around to face her. The look she was giving me made me shut my mouth instantly. “Think about it Victor. Out of all of the things I have taught you about vampires over the last year. There are only two ways to kill a vampire, either by beheading or tearing out their heart.”

My chest tightened at what she was telling me. After all of this time I had thought that I had killed my parents’ murderer but the truth was that I hadn’t done anything. The pit of my stomach dropped at the thought. The bastard was still alive. Automatically I wanted to put the blame on someone else. I growled over at Aiden,

“You could have killed him! Why did you let him get away?”

Jason stepped in front of his Alpha in a protective matter. “Will you cool down and think things through rational? During the night of a full moon werewolves are forced embrace their animal half. It’s a miracle that he could even remember the whole ordeal let alone change into a human long enough to save your sister.”

Jason’s words hadn’t registered in my brain passed the first sentence. Another growl worked its way up through my chest. He wanted me to cool down? Was he insane? The bastard that had killed my parents was still alive and he wanted me to cool down? The muscles in my body tightened together readying themselves to attack. Vanessa was quick though. She grabbed my hand and literally dragged me out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Vanessa's POV

Once I had Victor away from the rest of the group I pushed him down to the couch. Ever sense Victor had told me the full details of what had happened the night his parents were killed. I had had my suspicions and now with the help of Aiden’s story everything had been brought into the light, even some things that could have stayed hidden.

“Victor-

“Why did you pull me away?” He shot up off the couch and took a threatening step towards me. “You had no right. No right!”

I could feel my stomach turn at his upset tone. I knew the he wasn’t really mad at me and that he was just transferring his anger to me because he was pissed at himself but hearing him yelling…

I shoved him back onto the couch and then stood firmly in front of him. “Don’t take that tone with me because you’re pissed at yourself!”

His eyes widened at my sudden outburst but I couldn’t let him recover. “After all the training I have put you through you should have realize that stabbing it through the heart with metal wasn’t enough to kill it. Besides you got the damn legend wrong anyway! It was a wooden stake that was supposed to be jammed through the heart not a silver piece of metal. Silver is for werewolves you dumbass.”

His eyes fired back up when I said dumbass and I realized that I had gone too far. Before I could say another word Victor hauled me up over his shoulder and traveled up the stairs to his room. My clenched fists slammed against the lower part of his back and my banish screams filled the air as he carried me up the stairs. It was ironic really. I hated being carried up the stairs like a disobedient child and yet I was screaming just like one.

When we reached his room and kicked the door shut with the back of his foot. The loud crack of it made me jump against his shoulder. Before I could start back up my tantrum again he tossed me onto the bed. The force of the toss made me pause my screaming just long enough to see him turn and start to pace around the room.

It took me a second to jumpstart my brain and when I did I sat up on the bed with a worried expression. The last time he had paced like this was when I had told him something that he hadn’t liked to hear. Instinctively I placed my hand over the lower half of my stomach.

“It’s not fair.” I jumped at the sound of him yelling again. “Why did my parents have to die? The least that bastard could have done was die with them.”

His cold eyes turned to me and slowly I slid my hand away. “Victor-

“That monster should be dead! He has to pay for what he’s done.”

“But Victor-

He stood firmly in front of me with his arms folded across his chest. “He killed my parents, almost killed Danyelle, and turned me into a vampire. I want his blood Vanessa.”

My back stiffed at his steel cold expression and hard eyes. Just last week those eyes had been overflowing with love and kindness. Just last week he had whispered sweet nothings into my ear as we slept in each other’s arms. It had been just last week that he would have soon filled my body with bliss than yell at me. It one week this wrathful person had replaced my Victor.

Unable to look in his eyes anymore I lowered them down to my lap. Our story of hatred and vengeance should have ended with Winden but somehow they resurfaced. I could feel a tears slice down my cheek like a blade. Why couldn’t I just get my happily ever after with Victor?

Victor placed his hand under my chin and gently forced it up until I was staring into his eyes. They still held his rage and pain inside of them but under that was the vampire I loved. I felt myself whimper. He was still there.

“Vanessa,” His voice was gentler now but was still firm. “I need you to stand by me on this. I can’t do this without your support.”

Another tears slide down my cheek and I shook my head back and forth. “Victor I don’t want you to be consumed by this. This rage and hate…it’s not you anymore.”

His eyes softened a little bit at my tears. He rubbed away what remained of them then framed my face with his hands. “As long as that bastard is still breathing I will always be filled with rage and hatred.”

I clasped one of my hands over his. “I can’t let you. Victor what if you get hurt….what if you die-
My voice cracked at the thought of him dying and tears trickled down my face.

He leaned over onto the bed and pressed my face into his shoulder. “Shhhhhh…..Vanessa I promised you I wasn’t going to leave you. Right?” I nodded against him. “That’s right I did. I will never you leave you Vanessa. I love you too damn much.”

He pressed his lips against my temple. “Please don’t cry. I have to do this. I have too for my family.”

I pressed my face closer to his body and inhaled his scent. It helped to calm down my raging hormones but I still couldn’t loosen my grip on his shirt. He trailed kisses down the side of my neck and already I could feel my heart racing. “Victor.”

“Please Vanessa. I can’t do this if you’re not by my side.” His warm breath hit the center of my chest. “Please.”

Warmth pooled in the center of my stomach and it was then that I knew. I had no choice. One last tear slid out of the corner of my eyes.

“Alright Victor.”

I could feel his smile grow as he kissed my stomach then reached up for the back of my dress and slowly started to unbutton it. “You know I don’t hate him for turning me anymore.”

“Hmmm?” I was so lost in my growing desires for him that his voice was blocked out by my racing heart.

“Because I was turned I got to meet you. I was able to fall in love with an amazing woman.”

“Stopping flattering me you already won.”

He pulled his shirt off of his body and then braced his hands on either side of my head. “But it’s true. When this is all over I have something very important to ask you.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Oh? Can’t you just tell me now?”

He smiled wickedly showing off his fangs. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Well then if we are playing that way. When this is all over I have something to tell you.”

Now he looked down at me with concerned eyes. “What is it?”

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to meet my lips. “Where’s the fun in telling you now?”

He growled slightly at the remark before he slammed his lips against mine. For tonight we could both get lost in this moment because by tomorrow we would both start a new mission. A mission for revenge.