CHAPTER ONE

Vasilisa Dragomir sat on the old tattered recliner with a book balanced in her hands, her brother Andre sat at the kitchen counter talking with their father while their mother pampered herself in the bathroom. The Dragomir's had come to Yosemite National Park for a quiet weekend away from the hustle and bustle of their parent's busy lives. The National Park was under the protection of a pack of werewolves so their father thought it would be a safe place to relax. Vasilisa looked up from her book and out the window into the night. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, suddenly feeling tired.

Her mother emerged from the bathroom in her dressing gown with a towel wrapped around her hair, she walked over to her daughter and leaned down and kissed her forehead, "why don't you go and sleep?" she said, brushing her daughter's blond hair back from her forehead.

"I will soon, I just want to finish this chapter," Vasilisa showed her mother her book and went back to reading.

Andre looked over at his sister, "what are you reading anyway? This is vacation baby sister you're not meant to be buried in a book," he teased.

Vasilisa ignored him, she looked out the window again and saw a bright orb of light falling from the sky, her eyes widened in shock and she got up and walked over to the window. "Hey, what's that?" she waved her mother over. Everyone gathered around her and stared at the strange light falling until it disappeared amongst the trees. There was a loud boom and the cabin shook from an impact.

Her father opened his mouth to say something when they heard a blood-curling scream from the cabin next door, he instantly moved to the front door and flicked the lock into place. More screams filled the air and her mother pulled both her children protectively into her arms. "What's going on?" Vasilisa sobbed.

"I don't…" before her father could finish his sentence the door was kicked in so hard it was torn off it's hinges, Vasilisa screamed and hid her face in her mothers arm. "RUN!" her father shouted and she felt her mother shove her towards the bedrooms.

"Go, go!" she screamed at them, Andre grabbed Vasilisa and began dragging her towards on of the rooms, he called for their mother and father but she didn't hear them follow. All she heard was their screams.

And hissing.

She's seen the warning films, the documentaries.

Vampires. Or Blood Hunters as they are more commonly known as. Fierce and murderous monster that hunt in packs, killing anything in their path that has a pulse and leaving nothing but death in their wake. They were the thing of nightmares and she was stuck in the middle. Andre pushed her into the bedroom and locked the door behind them, but the moment the Blood Hunters caught their scent they knew that a measly wooden door would not stand in their way. Andre pushed Vasilisa towards the bedroom window. "We need to get out of here," he whispered to her.

"But mum and dad…"

"We can't do anything for them, Lissa." Andre was fighting back tears, he had to be brave for her.

He pushed open the window and leaned out to check if the coast was clear, the smell of death lingered in the air, he could heard woman and children screaming, begging for their lives, even the sound of gun fire as men tried effortlessly to defend their families. When he was sure the coast was clear and motioned Vasilisa to climb out the window, sobbing uncontrollably she did as she was instructed and he slowly lowered her to the ground. "Step back," he told her and stared climbing out after her but a dark figure appeared behind him.

Vasilisa screamed but it was to late, the Blood Hunter's pointed teeth sank into her brother's flesh, he cried out and was dragged from the window and disappeared into the dark room. Vasilisa screamed and called for her brother but to no avail. He along with the rest of her family was gone. Her life suddenly meaningless. Alone and afraid she crumpled to the ground and cried. Waiting for then to come and take her as well.

She heard a growl and turned to see a monstrous shadow appear from the tree line, blowing a cloud of mist from it's nostrils and she saw a flash of long white teeth. It was a wolf. But it towered over her like a bear, it's large brown eyes bore through her soul. It was a Werewolf. Had the pack finally arrived to drive away the Blood Hunters? For a moment she felt relief but the wolf was only glaring at her. And walking towards her. She stumbled back in horror as it stalked closer and closer until she was backed up against the cabin and she could feel it's hot breath on her face. As it's teeth lunged towards her, she screamed.

A large black wolf stepped out from between the trees and into a horror movie, Dimitri Belikov, looked around the campgrounds and sorrow washed over the powerful Alpha werewolf. They were to late, the Blood Hunters had gone and left no one alive. He looked back at the giant wolves that flanked close behind him and motioned for them to get to work. The wolves fanned out and went about searching the grounds for any possible survivors and remaining blood hunters. Or a clue as to what provoked the attack and brought the beasts to their land.

Dmitri's fierce reputation as alpha had prevented such unique attacks by Blood Hunters or any other packs from trespassing on his protected land, he stepped further into the camp grounds, looking down at the bloodless bodies at his feet. It had been holiday seasons and the campsite bustling with tourists. So many innocent lives lost. And all because they didn't get here soon enough. The guilt weight heavy on Dmitri's shoulders and he tried to avoid the victims faces. One man with a shotgun rested at his feet was draped across the railing of his holiday cabin, behind him a woman clutching a baby. Both pale with bit marks covering their bodies. But the baby wailed in her arms. One of Dimitri's pack members, who had shifted into his human skin, approached the woman and pried her arms away from the baby. He looked to Dimitri who nodded his large head and the man carried the child to safety and heading back to the pack. They would find the child's blood relatives and return it to them if not the child would remain in their pack and be turned once old enough.

"Dimitri!" The black wolf stopped and turned to see one of his best warriors, Christian Ozera approaching with a woman in his human arms. Her blond hair stained with blood, she wasn't pale like the rest and the serious bit wound to her arm was not inflicted by a Blood Hunter's teeth. But the jaws of a werewolf. This girl had been turned. "I found her behind one of the cabins. She's alive."

Dimitri sniffed the woman's warm body and crinkled his nose, "she was attacked by a werewolf," he said, "she's in transition." His voice laced with a Russian accent.

"What do we do with her?" he asked, looking down into the woman's face. He held her close to his chest.

"Follow Levi, take her back to the pack to be treated, the choice is hers once she awakens," Dimitri's reputation had men soil their pants in his presence but he would never force a newborn werewolf into his pack. The choice was theirs and theirs alone, it was the way his father had run things and his father before him.

"Boss!" Dimitri's large wolf head snapped around towards another pack member, Adrian Ivanshkov in his grey wolf pelt called to his alpha, hearing the alarm in Adrian's voice Dimitri immediately followed him. Adrian led his alpha into the forest behind the campgrounds. Dimitri didn't understand where he was being led and as they walked deeper and deeper in the forest he began to get frustrated.

"Where are you taking me, Ivanshkov!" Dimitri growled, his short temper was being tested. He should be back at the campground not being led off on a wild goose chase. But as he looked ahead he saw what Adrian was leading him too. A faint glow in the distance caught his attention. A pulsing light was visible in the dark forest and he quickly moved ahead to follow it, Adrian continued after him until they came across a small crater. The trees around it pushed over from the force of the impact. But it was what lay in the middle of the crater that caught his attention. It was a woman with flame red hair fanned around her head and wearing a long white gown. Dimitri shifted from his pelt and into his human skin. A slight breeze blew his long brown hair across his face, before Adrian could stop him he jumped into the crater and to the woman. He crouched down beside her and looked her over. She looked uninjured and the faint glowing that had lured them to her was pulsing from a pendant that resting from a chain on her neck. He reached out the brushed his fingers against the glowing stone wrapped in a pair of angel wings. He reached up and brushed her bright hair from her face, and he felt his heart stop. She was beautiful. Angelic.

Her eyes were closed but she had the face of an angel, with flawless skin and perfect full lips, the slow rise and fall of her chest was the only indication that she was alive. "Boss?" Adrian called.

Pulled out of his stupor, Dimitri picked the woman up and carefully carried her out of the crater, without saying a word he carried her back towards the campgrounds with Adrian close behind him, still in his wolf form. As they stepped into the clearing again he was immediately approached by two pack member, they looked at the woman in his arms, shocked. "What happened to her?" one asked.

Dimitri looked down into her beautiful face, "I'm not sure, but we must get her back to receive treatment as soon as possible," he murmured, he looked back up at them, "well?"

"Zeklos found one alive, a Vamp, we're waiting for you to interrogate it," one of them said, Dimitri nodded and turned to hand the flame haired woman to Adrian.

"Keep a close eye on her and stay in my sight," he ordered and followed the two men, Adrian followed as well but as they approached the Blood Hunter he kept his distance, the foul smelling creature was enough to make him sick to his stomach. It was forced to its knee's and surrounded by male werewolves. It was injured and half dead. The blood oozing from it's mouth showed that it had recently fed. Dimitri approached the creature, his eyes blazing with fury towards it. "Why did you attack here?" he said, getting right to the point. "Why did you come onto our land?"

It looked up at him and smirked, flashing rows of serrated shark like teeth, "may the death of these people lay heavy on your conscience," it laughed. Dimitri growled and pulled a small blade from the pocket of his pants, he lung forward and drove the blade into the Blood Hunter's chest, it screamed in pain as the silver burnt its flesh.

"Answer me or I will cut you limb from limb before ending your miserable life," he snarled, twisting the blade before removing it. He only laughed, so Dimitri swung out his arm and the silver blade sliced through the flesh on his cheek. "Why did you come here!"

The Blood Hunter panted, "we came for the bitch." He spat.

"WHO!" Dimitri roared. Pressing the blade against it's throat, it's skin sizzled against the silver.

"Her!" it screamed, it's eyes flicked to Adrian, "the Angel whore."

Dimitri looked back at the woman with the flame red hair in Adrian's arms, then back to the Blood Hunter, "Angel? Where is she from?"

"Where do you think she came from?" he looked up at the sky, "where they all come from eventually, it was our job to find her and bring her back to the master."

"Master?" he thought of the blonde girl Christian had found, "we found a girl attacked by a werewolf, were there werewolves here as well tonight?" Dimitri demanded.

It spat blood in Dimitri's face, "You'll have to kill me because I'll never tell you about the Master!" Dimitri growled, wiping his hand across his face before bringing his blade forward again and slicing open the monsters throat. It rolled onto it's back, gurgling blood and twitching on the ground. Dimitri wiped his face clean and then the blade of the knife before tucking it back into his pocket. He turned to Adrian and took her from his arms.

"We need to get her to safety." He told them and looked down at her face again, the pack began to move out and when he was sure no one was looking he pressed a quick kiss to her soft lips. "I will protect you now. My Roza."

TBC