So let’s see, we’ve covered some very interesting topics so far. Don’t change in public; Don’t Growl at an Authority figure; Avoid People during a change; and Avoid sports with humans. I’ve given you some stories that contain some very sound advice. Now I am going to tell you a story about a mistake I made myself that nearly cost me my life. However, before we go into that I am going to reveal to you a secret that is necessary to understand what is going on in the following story: Vampires exist. They exist and are dangerous motherfuckers. I swear to you if you ever run into one you should turn tail and run. Run as fast as you can.

I was walking down the main street of San Tomas feeling miserable with myself. Nikola had graduated and had decided that it would be best for me, my pack and mostly him if he and I weren’t a thing. He broke it off suddenly. It had come from nowhere. So I decided I’d go to the local pub and enjoy a pint of ale. It wasn’t the best way to deal with my emotions since alcohol had almost no effect on lycans—our livers were too efficient to let the alcohol muddle our minds. It took forty times the amount of alcohol that it took to get a human drunk to get a lycan even close to tipsy. It was ungodly expensive. That wasn’t the reason I was going though, I was going in hopes that I would find a potential new mate.

I walked into the pub with my eyes peeled, scouting for anybody, anyone who would want what I could give them. Those who want it are quite obvious. I remembered my mother telling me when I was just entering puberty. I looked around hoping to find someone, anyone wearing a tail. It was a first step. Were they a furry? The tail was an obvious clue. It wasn’t always that easy. However, tonight it seemed would be fortuitous. I saw a young male, probably late teens early twenties sporting an extremely bushy yarn tail. I loped up behind him and looked him up and down. He was unnaturally pale, blonde, green-eyed, and skinny. He wasn’t that unhealthy, ribs-showing, type of skinny. He was built much like a swimmer, lean and efficient. Not typically my type, but still a gorgeous example of the human body. His clothing made me convinced he wanted it. He was wearing a T-shirt with a gigantic white wolf printed on the foreground with an ox-bow moon in the background. This had been established as a code by lycans as a symbol signaling: “I want to become a lycan.” I sniffed; his cologne was muted even with my intensified sense of smell. It was as if he was daring me to take a bigger whiff. These things should have set off alarm bells in my head, but I was too dead inside to care.

“Tell me, stranger: Would you like to live forever? Would you like to know the freedom of the wild?”

“Why I thought you’d never ask! Gabriel, right?” I nodded, “Thought so. I saw the news. You alright? That must have been a tough break up. You two made such a cute couple…”

“Well he fucking dumped me for his fucking career. The fucking prick!”

“Aww, come here, pup. Everything’ll be all right. Name’s Al, by the way. Short for Alucard, Alucard the Tenth,” Another alarm should have gone off in my head. It didn’t. I just scooted closer and enveloped the poor boy in my arms and cried.

“You wanted…the…bite, right?” I sniffled.

“Let’s take this somewhere else, okay?” Al said.

“Okay…” I said resigned. I led the boy to a back room the pub had for just such a purpose. It was expected that the people in the bar were there to pick up others for sex, and the bar didn’t discriminate.

We entered the back room and he immediately started to strip. I balked, “No, no…that’s not necessary. I’m not in the mood for that yet. That’ll come later…” I changed as I was saying this, completely ruining the clothes I was wearing. Al looked my body over and hummed.

“I must say, mutt, your kind’s bodies have always had a certain allure. However, I must apologize; I’ve been sort of leading you on.” He started changing as well. First the fingers elongated and then fur spread out over his entire body as it bulked up to twice his original build. The fingers continued to elongate as the webbing in between started to grow into a greyish, black membrane. By the end of it my tail was between my legs and I was trying to back out of the room. The problem was that the room’s door wasn’t large enough for my wolf, “Now, time for dinner!” The large bat said as he lunged at me. I was able to dodge. Barely. It was amazing how fast that creature was. I’d heard rumors that vampires were real. I’d even seen the drained husks of dead lykos to prove it, but this was beyond what I’d imagined. He was fast, but clumsy. He rammed head-on into the door.

“Too slow, bat. Too fucking slow.” I growled. I slashed at his flanks while he tried to remove himself from the hole in the door. He let out a high pitched squeak as I rent the skin on his flank. I backed away whining, using my forepaws to try and cover my ears.

“So the pup has teeth, does he?! Well fine!” He punctuated that last exclamation with a high-pitched screech as loud as any wolf howl. However, it was in the range of hearing that belonged solely to dogs and bats. I covered my ears again, backing away quickly. It hurt. I was quickly disoriented and was unable to move. The bat-creature walked up behind me about to take a bite.

Suddenly the screeching stopped and was punctuated by the musical twang of a bow. I looked up. “Ariana?” I asked the female hunter. I turned back to look at the Vampire and all I saw was a wooden stake in the midst of a pile of ash. A large pile of ash.

“Jawohl. I sought I’d find you hier. Vhat vur you sinking? Zat vuz wery stupid. Dummkopf.” Aryana replied as she jumped down.

“I wasn’t thinking. ¡Dios mío! Podía haber muerto. ¿Cómo supiste?”

“I haf a dewaiss zat tells me ven a wampair screeshes.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.”

It had been a week since the attack and I was reading the news. I was trying to find anything about the vampire—also referred to as werebat—but I couldn’t find anything. It seemed like what had happened was completely my imagination. I looked throughout the entirety of the paper. The Supernatural Weekly, then I moved on to the news channels. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. “Ni Gozi! What must I do to find this fucking beast?! I know I saw it! I’m not crazy. I can’t go crazy, I’m a purebred lycan!”

Just then there was a knock on my door. I went to answer it. It was my alpha. I looked at him and he glared back at me. “Are you going to let me in, amigo?”

“Of course, sir. Of course. Sorry, Javi. I’ve just been so distracted as of late.”

“Really I hadn’t noticed. Ariana told me what happened to you. Why the fuck did you try and turn a vamp? Are you that stupid?”

“I didn’t even realize that they were real. I’d never encountered them before. I just thought that they were myth and legend. You’re telling me that they are just as real as we are?”

“God, you’re dense. Your parents sheltered you something fierce didn’t they?”

“I guess. Why wouldn’t Mamá and Papá tell me about Vampires?”

“They didn’t think you’d ever encounter one. They were wrong. We’ve been working with the local Hunter Lodge and have been tracking a flock of the leeches that have been becoming bolder and bolder, lately. I wish you didn’t encounter them, but you have. You need to be elevated in the pack. I will not have a beta with this knowledge hanging around. Alpha you shall have to become if you are to keep this information. I won’t let you out of my sight. I know you and Nik broke up recently, which honestly is going to hurt you and him for a long time to come. He will be drawn to you for a long while yet. His wolf is still your wolf’s mate. That is going to take you both finding new mates for that connection to break. I wish he didn’t do such a rash thing.”

“Is this going somewhere, sir?” I asked him somewhat annoyed. I really shouldn’t be so brash with my alpha, but he and I are longtime friends. We’ve known each other since we were pups. The reason that he’s my alpha is that his parents were my parents’ alphas. It was that simple. Anyways, I waited for him to reply.

“Duh! That’s why I came over here. My mate died a few months back and I’m completely open to a new relationship. The idiot quarterback dumped you and so you’re available. Do you want to go out with me?”

“Holy fuck! Did I seriously get asked out by my alpha?!”

“Umm…yes?”

“Of course. I thought you’d never ask me. I’m a fucking beta. We are family friends, doesn’t that make it awkward?”

“No actually it makes it easier. I know you better than my own brother, Gabi. I think, to be honest, I’ve had a crush on you since middle school. I just never was single long enough, nor brave enough to ask you out.”

“You fucking alpha purebreds are so annoying, even when you’re that young you literally have human females and human males—who know their sexuality—literally hanging off of you without even trying. I just don’t get it. Never have, never will.”

“Heh…yeah. I don’t truly understand it myself. I think it’s something to do with our pheromone levels are higher than normal purebreds.” Javi replied, scratching the back of his neck.

“Well that makes sense. Just so you know, I’m known for being a bit slutty. I’m liable to try and drop you when I find a new guy I like.”

“Your wolf and you fight a lot, don’t you?”

“Only about love…” I replied. It was my turn to scratch my head now. “I am sort of afraid of commitment. He wants me to stay with a guy longer than a year.”

“After you date an alpha, that’s likely to change.”

“Hah! Tooting your own horn? That’s unlike you. You are really trying to sell this, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I’ve wanted to date you since middle school, Gabi. I’ve already said this. Every guy I’ve ever dated before this has been purely to keep up appearances. Or rather to satisfy them. I didn’t want to be a guy who was hard to get, but I also didn’t want to seem ‘easy’. I’m so tired of this. I as an alpha had to have a mate in order to satisfy the pack. You know this. Why did Gheric have to die? If we do this, I’ll accomplish something I wish that I would have done for nearly ten years, you’ll experience what actual love can be like. Also know that it will accomplish another couple of goals for me: It’ll satisfy the pack’s requirement; I’ll make sure that you don’t blab about Vamps; and I’ll keep you safe from vamps as well.”

“You make a logical argument. However, you and I both know that love isn’t about logic. Love is an illogical emotion. If you really want me, show me. Show me how much you want me.” I replied, my voice filled with seduction. I knew that I was striking a chord when he pulled me over and then pinned me to the couch.

Oh sorry did you want to hear about my alpha and I being intimate? This isn’t that kind of book, you pervert. I’m giving you advice, dammit. Pay attention.

It’s important to note that I’m very certain that had Javi and I not started dating the flock of Vamps that we were tracking would have likely killed me. Why are vamps such a bad idea? They complicate the fuck out of your life. I really must take the time here to thank the Hunters, Ariana, her mate Jakobus, and their leader, Jägermeister Johannes. I’d like to thank them for saving my life. They and their clan are the ones that I must thank because without them and their help I could not have started this project.

Vampires are really the secret that not even the highest level government official is willing to admit that they know exists. It’s something that the Order of Hunters doesn’t want to get out. It’s a necessary evil. For some reason, it’s alright with people that werewolves exist, but if vamps exist as well the whole world would be up in arms. Or so the order has told us.

Vampires are such a bad idea because you will be immediately on the watch list of the Order. It just isn’t a good idea to put a spotlight on yourself, so as much as possible, please avoid the Werebats!

Just to be clear, Javi and I dated for that summer before breaking up well. I still have to see him, so it’s good I didn’t completely ruin the relationship. He is and always will be a part of my life, because I’m not planning on leaving this pack that I’m in.

If that means I have to deal with one of my exes on a daily bases, so be it. I knew that we weren’t going to work from the start. It wasn’t for lack of trying though. He really is a sweet guy, he just wasn’t my type. He was also an Alpha! It’s not easy to date someone who thinks that they’re the king of the world. It’s ridiculous dealing with all that pride. I also think that for the most part he was trying to protect me from the prying eyes of the Order. However I cannot be sure. Goddamn why did I have to see a fucking Vampire?!?