Hey, everyone! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!


"Try to stay calm, okay?" Alvin called back at his pack as they made their way to Brittany's house. He pulled at his collar and patted his hair, making sure each strand was in place.

Steven snickered, "You're the one freaking out."

"Because you get to see Brittany!" Allison shouted in a sing-song voice.

Alvin scoffed, "I wouldn't get excited about that. I'm excited to finally have some good food."

Of course, Alvin was lying. He was overly ecstatic to see Brittany again, even though he had seen her only hours ago. Alvin had spent his time thinking up tons of conversation starters to ensure there was no lull between them. He had already instructed his pack to stay out of his and Brittany's conversation if at all possible.

Allison, smiling, said, "I'm so excited to eat. I bet Brittany's good at cooking."

Steven turned a curious eye towards Allison, "Why do you think that?"

Allison responded, "If she spends as much time on her looks as she spends on cooking, then I think we're in for a good meal."

Everyone chuckled. Alvin glanced back at everyone, making sure they all looked nice. He didn't want them to embarrass him in front of Brittany.

Steven, catching Alvin checking on them, laughed, "Alvin, calm down. Brittany probably doesn't care about how we look. Just focus on having fun tonight."

"Not too much fun," Simon added in. "We have things to clear up."

Alvin nodded, sighing. He looked forward once again. He knew, sadly, that tonight wouldn't just be for fun.

From behind him, Alvin heard Allison say, "It looks like it's going to rain. Should we ask Brittany if we can borrow an umbrella?"

Alvin waved her off, "Nah. We'll be fine."

They began nearing Brittany's house when they noticed all of the curious eyes. All around them, the townspeople were lined up, watching the Seville pack make their way to Brittany's home. A few people stared at them from windows. They saw two woman hanging up laundry on lines keeping their eyes on Alvin's pack. Even a baby held in his mother's arms was watching them closely.

Alvin rolled his shoulders back and held his head up. He began walking at an even pace. The actions made him look much larger and were intended to threaten the onlookers, but they continued staring. The rest of his pack imitated his actions, but to still no avail.

Alvin led his pack all the way to Brittany's house. Stopping everyone in front of the house, Alvin made one last check as rain began to lightly sprinkle down on them from above.

He smiled at everyone, "Remember your manners, and don't eat too much like animals."

After a responding lighthearted chuckle sounded from the pack, Alvin carefully stepped up the stairs leading to the front door. He knocked upon the wooden door and waited patiently for it to open.

The door opened, and not by Brittany as he had been expecting, but by Callisto. Callisto's fake smile and cheery greeting irritated Alvin, but he let it slide. Alvin was going to see Brittany, so he didn't need to be in a grumpy mood.

"Come on in," Callisto said, with a hint of annoyance playing in his eyes.

Alvin smirked and nodded. He led everyone inside Brittany's home. Alvin gazed around the living room and was surprised by how beautiful the home was; it looked very different during the day. The fireplace illuminated the glass vases sitting atop small tables located next to fluffy-looking couches throughout the room, which in turn caused flickering spots to be reflected around the room. The decorated carpet beneath their feet was gorgeous with its twisting and twirling patterns. A recent family photo, which hadn't been there when Alvin and a few of his pack members broke in, was hanging above the fireplace. Brittany was the center of the photo. Alvin didn't pay much attention to the rest of her family members in the picture.

"Is that them?" Alvin heard Brittany's voice ask from a separate room.

"Yes," Callisto responded, not too happily.

Brittany entered the living room from the left entryway. She had changed from her outfit earlier that day into something different. It was a black sleeveless dress with a white collar that reached down towards her knees, which suited Brittany very nicely. Her auburn hair had been pulled up into a bun, but pieces still fell out of the intricate bun and into her face. A blue apron was wrapped around Brittany and a large wooden spoon was held in one of her hands.

Brittany smiled brightly at her guests, "Hey, guys."

Alvin smiled back at her, "Hi, Brittany."

She smiled back at him, "We're almost done making dinner. Do you guys mind waiting in here until dinner's ready?"

Alvin waved his hand, "It's no problem."

Brittany once again smiled. She walked over to Alvin quickly. Tiptoeing so she could reach his ear, Brittany whispered to him, "Hey, sit next to me, if you can. Or across from me. Either way works."

Alvin, feeling his cheeks warm up a bit, adjusted his collar, "Sure."

Brittany grinned and hurried back into the kitchen to finish dinner. Alvin watched her leave and then nonchalantly turned back towards his pack. He was greeted by many smirking faces. Allison made a kissy face at him. Alvin rolled his eyes.

Alvin gestured for everyone to sit down on the couches and wait for dinner to be prepared. Alvin, sitting in between Steven and Alex, took notice of Alex wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.

"Dad, calm down," Alvin mumbled.

Alex whispered in a panicked voice, "I'm trying. I'm nervous to see Bridget."

Steven cut in, "It's not Bridget."

"Right," quickly agreed Alex.

They sat in silence for only a minute before the front door opened, revealing a young teenage boy carrying a table. He was focused on trying to maneuver the table through the doorway.

Steven mumbled to Alvin, "Hey, that's the guy who burst into the diner and told everyone that the mayor's house was broken into."

Alvin observed the boy before recognizing his face. Alvin quickly turned his attention to Callisto, who was leaning against the wall. Callisto was already looking at Alvin, a fake smile plastered on his face.

Alvin, looking away from Callisto, mumbled to Steven, "Something is going on here."

Steven nodded in agreement. He turned his attention to the door. Alvin saw Steven's face visibly turned pale. Steven appeared full of panic and quickly looked at Alvin. Alvin, confused, shifted his eyes toward the door before he saw why Steven was freaking out.

Carrying another table into the house was the male that attacked them when they broke into the mayor's house. He easily entered through the door with the table. He dragged the table into the living room, not once glancing at Alvin or his pack.

The two boys added the new tables to the dining room table to make it even longer to accommodate for all of their guests.

"Thank you, boys!"

It was a female voice that had called out those words of thanks from the kitchen. Alvin easily recognized that it was not Brittany who said that. Alvin felt Alex tense up next to him.

Steven mumbled across Alvin, who was separating himself and Alex, to Alex, "It's not her."

Alex nodded quickly, staring down at his hands.

Brittany poked her head out of the kitchen. With a triumphant smile upon her face, she said, "Dinner's ready. You all should make your way to the table."

The pack, heeding her words, entered the dining room. Once they walked in, they saw that Brittany's family was seated in a line on one side of the table. The two boys who had carried in the tables sat next to each other with another little boy seated next to the male who had attacked the Seville pack. Callisto had left a three seats in between himself and the little boy. Alvin and his pack slowly took their seats across from them.

Brittany was in and out of the kitchen with different platters of food. She moved quickly, trying to finish carrying the dishes so that they could all begin eating. Each item of food looked delicious. Alvin felt his mouth watering a bit, so he looked down as she carried out the food.

Another woman came out of the kitchen, holding a dish in her hands. She looked very similar to Brittany, and Alvin figured that she was Brittany's mother. Her eyes were dark blue, and her hair was a reddish-brown color. Brittany and the woman had very similar faces.

Alex, catching sight of the woman, stared. His eyes widened, and he quietly stuttered to himself. The woman, glancing around at the guests, caught Alex watching her. She smiled politely at him before walking back into the kitchen.

Steven mumbled to Alex once again, "See? It's not her."

Alex didn't respond to Steven's comment.

The woman and Brittany finished carrying the food into the dining room. The woman took her seat. She looked at Brittany and said, "Brittany, dear, can you go grab your father?"

Brittany, who was about to take her seat across from Alvin, nodded and left the room.

The woman looked at her guests and smiled welcomingly, "Well, it's nice to finally meet you all. I'm Hannah."

Alex looked downcast.

Hannah continued, gesturing to the three boys, "These are my sons."

She pointed at the young teenage boy, "That's Colton. The little one over there is Brad. And the last boy, my oldest son, is Cyrus."

The three boys nodded in greeting at the Sevilles. Alvin closely watched the male that had attacked them, who had just been identified as Cyrus.

Cyrus, looking at Alvin for the first time that day, nodded his head in greeting. Alvin noticed a dangerous look deep in the eyes of Cyrus.

The sound of heels clicking against the wooden floor indicated that Brittany was walking back to the dining room. She walked in and smiled at everyone. Following behind Brittany was a large man. A cold air passed through the room as he entered. Alvin, narrowing his eyes at the man, grabbed the knife he was supposed to eat with. This man, he was dangerous. Alvin felt it. He gripped the knife tightly in his hand as Brittany began naming each person in Alvin's "family" as she called them. The man didn't look at Alvin's pack. His eyes stayed glued on Brittany. Alvin suppressed a growl in his throat as he watched the other man gazing at Brittany.

Brittany took the seat across from Alvin. Smiling at everyone, she gestured to the man, "Everyone, this is my dad, Brandon Miller. He's the mayor of the town."

Everyone quietly greeted him. Alvin slowly placed the knife back upon the table. Brandon took the last empty seat, which was set in between Brittany and Cyrus.

Brittany watched her father sit. Once he looked comfortable, she looked towards Alvin and his pack. She gestured to the food, smiling, "You guys can start eating."

The Sevilles didn't wait a single second. They grabbed at the food and piled their plates high with juicy meat, creamy mashed potatoes, soft bread rolls, a variety of colorful vegetables, and many other things. The Millers didn't make a move to grab food at all until Alvin's pack had finished creating their plates. Alvin noticed the way the Millers made their plates was quite strange. Hannah, in a similar way to the Sevilles, snatched large hunks of meat, as did Cyrus. Colton and Brad barely grabbed any food, and when they did, it was mostly meat. Brittany seemed to be a fan of the salad and vegetables, while Brandon didn't eat anything at all. Callisto appeared to be the only one at the table eating like a normal person.

Brittany looked directly across the table at Alvin. "How's the food?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

Alvin, who was unprepared to hold conversation with all types of food stuffed in his mouth, nodded his head in approval with a smile upon his lips.

Brittany grinned, "I'm glad you like it."

Allison waved her hand at Brittany and cheered out, "It's really, really good!"

Brittany laughed, "Thanks, Allison."

Brandon said in a monotone voice, "You and your mother did a good job."

The level of cheer that Brittany had been exuding seemed to diminish a bit. She nodded her head, a weaker smile upon her lips, "Thank you, dad."

Alvin raised an eyebrow at the interaction. Brandon hadn't even touched the food. What was he doing? Was he teasing her?

Everyone had begun to converse quietly. Brittany returned her attention to Alvin. She asked, "So, Alvin, how long do you guys plan on staying in town?"

Alvin shrugged, setting his fork down. "I don't really know," he said. "We've been enjoying our stay so far, so I think we might stay for a while."

A relieved look crossed Brittany's face. Alvin noticed the expression, which confused him, but he decided not to ask about it.

Alvin watched Brittany finish her salad, "Britt, what were you doing this whole time my friends and I were in town? I thought I had met everyone living here, but you just showed up randomly."

Hannah glanced in their direction. Alvin didn't know if Hannah was watching them because he called Brittany "Britt" or because he asked about something she didn't want him to know. Brittany set her utensils down. She shook her head, scowling, "I was sick, so I was in bed when you guys first arrived."

Hannah's tensed shoulders dropped and her slightly squinted eyes returned to their pleasant expression. Alvin glanced in Hannah's direction. Whatever happened, it seemed like Brittany apparently said the right thing.

There was a loud clank to Alvin's right. Alvin looked towards the noise. He saw Simon, an irritated expression etched into his features. Simon looked directly at Brandon, "Sir, may I ask a few questions about the town?"

The Millers all turned their heads to Brandon. Brandon didn't look at Simon. He kept his eyes on his empty plate as he pondered the thought. After a moment of silence, Brandon slowly looked at Simon. He responded in an emotionless voice, "Fine."

Simon opened his mouth to begin his interrogation, but was interrupted by Brandon putting a hand up which told Simon to cease in his action.

Brandon turned his head to Brittany. He said, "Go to your room."

Alvin looked on in disbelief, "Why?"

Neither Brandon, nor Brittany gave Alvin's question any attention. A frown was quickly placed on Brittany's face. She resisted, "Dad, I want to talk with everyone."

He stated simply, "Go."

Brittany frowned, "But, Dad."

Brandon narrowed his eyes at Brittany, "Are you disobeying me?"

Brittany didn't respond. Instead, she and Brandon glared into each other's eyes. No one in the dining room uttered a single word. No one even moved.

Brittany, after the long period of silence, sighed in defeat. She slowly pushed her chair out and stood. Alvin opened his mouth to protest Brittany's being forced to leave, but he was interrupted by Brandon.

Brandon, returning his gaze to his plate, said, "Miranda."

Someone caught Alvin's eyes. A person was standing in the corner of the room. He hadn't even noticed her presence until now. Alvin wondered how long she had been there.

The woman walked away from the corner. Alvin, eyes widening in complete shock, recognized her as the woman that attacked them while they broke into mayor's house. He glanced between the woman identified as Miranda and Cyrus, trying to fathom why they were here at all.

Steven opened his mouth to say something to her. He had his hands placed on the table, preparing to jump to his feet and say something, but Alvin quickly elbowed Steven's side. Steven looked at Alvin. Alvin shook his head. Steven sighed in defeat and leaned back in his chair.

The black-haired woman took a hold of Brittany's arm. Brittany glanced back at Alvin with a disappointed expression upon her face. Alvin gave her a small, sympathetic smile. Miranda led an upset Brittany out of the room.

The entire dining room remained in a blanket of silence. Throughout the house, there was a loud noise of scraping metal heard. After what sounded like a large door slamming, Miranda returned to the dining room, without Brittany. She returned to the corner she had appeared in. Miranda nodded her head to Brandon.

Brandon's eyes slid over to Simon. "What?" he hissed.

Simon, folding his napkin, said simply, "I've discovered the secret of Shroudsville."

Alvin had prepared for alerted expressions or the sound of the Millers dropping their utensils in shock, but he was not prepared for them to burst out laughing. The Millers cackled at Simon's statement, each almost falling out of their seats. Even Brandon had a smile upon his face. Simon's face turned red, he patiently waited for their laughter to cease.

Callisto placed his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. Chuckling, he questioned Simon, "What do you think Shroudsville's secret is?"

Simon, after a deep breath to regain his composure, looked at Callisto. His pushed his glasses up on his nose and leaned forward. Simon said confidently, "Shroudsville is made of the human descendants of those vampires, wolves, and humans involved in the war. After intermingling and breeding, vampires and wolves have been bred out of the local gene pool, though the humans occupying the area do exude wolfish or vampire-like qualities. Qualities that are common among the residents of Shroudsville, such as paleness, sharper teeth, staring to show dominance, closeness to one's pack, the celebration of meat, and extreme strength, are all the result of mating between the groups."

The Millers didn't utter a word. They watched Simon as he spoke.

Simon continued, "If you need an example, just take a look at Miranda or Cyrus. Miranda bears pale skin and extreme strength. Cyrus stares to indicate that he is more dominant than those around him, he wolfs down meat, and he also is shown to have extreme strength."

Brandon, neither confirming nor denying the claims, looked directly into Simon's eyes, "When have Miranda or Cyrus been shown to have this 'extreme strength'?"

Simon looked to Alvin. Alvin, who was still shock over what Simon was saying, took a moment to register Simon's worried expression. Alvin, once he had calmed, looked at Brandon. "We're the ones who broke into your home," Alvin said simply. Brandon should know that those words indicated they had seen the power of Cyrus and Miranda.

Brandon shifted his eyes toward Miranda. Miranda gave him short nod, confirming Alvin's statement. Brandon stayed silent, thinking over the information. After a moment, he looked towards Alex. Instead of continuing his conversation with Alvin, Brandon said to Alex, "You are very talented in your ability to create illusions."

Alex nodded in thanks, eyes turned towards Hannah instead of Brandon.

Alvin cut into the conversation, "Sorry to get off track, but is what Simon said true?"

Brandon pondered over the question. Hannah placed a light hand on his shoulder. Brandon's tense shoulders relaxed. He looked directly at Alvin and stated simply, "No."

A furious Simon growled out, "How am I wrong? I've looked at this from all angles."

Callisto snickered, "Apparently not every angle."

Simon shot him a look. "Explain," he commanded.

Callisto chuckled and said, "We just gave you all fake information and such. You know, a red herring. We wanted you to come to a conclusion like that."

Simon frowned in confusion, "If the town was so successful in derailing us from the correct answer, then why are you telling us the truth now?"

Sighing, Callisto responded, "Sadly, the number of wolves everywhere is decreasing rapidly. We weren't going to tell you all of this information about Shroudsville, but now-"

Cutting in, Alvin smirked, "You need us."

Callisto sent a glare in Alvin's direction.

Alex ignored the looks between the two of them and continued with the main issue. "You knew about our pack?" he asked.

Callisto, looking away from Alvin and to Alex, said, "Yeah. Hannah knew about you guys."

Alex looked towards Hannah quickly. Hannah understood he was going to ask how she knew. Instead of waiting for him to ask the unbearable question, she quickly answered, "I'm Bridget."

Alex froze. His breath caught in his throat. He gripped onto the tablecloth.

Bridget, ignoring the expression upon Alex's face, looked towards Alvin. She said, "Look, Alvin. Your pack has three Alpha wolves, which is the largest number of Alphas we've seen within a single pack in such a long time. And in these desperate times, we need strong wolves, like you and your pack members."

Alvin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "We only have two Alpha wolves. Me and my dad."

Callisto pointed a lazy finger towards Allison, who was trying to reach for the white frosting-covered cake placed in the center of the table. She looked at Callisto, "Hm?"

Alvin raised an eyebrow, "Allison is definitely not an Alpha."

Bridget entered the conversation, "No, she is. Alex himself is an Alpha, and Violet, your mother, was a distant descendent of a series of Alphas. It's a sure thing that Alex and Violet bore more than one Alpha child."

"How do you even know it's her? It could be any one of my other siblings," Alvin said.

Bridget responded, "Miranda knows it's her. She's been following you and your pack ever since you entered the forest surrounding Shroudsville."

All eyes turned towards Miranda. She seemed to be more interested in the ceiling than the conversation. Miranda stated dryly, "You can tell just by watching that Allison is an Alpha. She just hasn't grown into her abilities yet."

Alvin, feeling irritated, asked Bridget, "Why has she been following us?"

Callisto rolled his eyes, "It was for basic information, Alvin. We couldn't allow some random wolves to wander around in our territory. You could been a threat."

Allison frowned. She entered the conversation quietly, "How was Miranda following us without us noticing?"

Callisto said to her, "Miranda is a very stealthy vampire."

Alvin heard Steven whisper in a shocked voice, "Vampire?"

Simon cut in, a curious expression on his face, "Wait, that still doesn't make sense. I'm sure if she kept a certain distance, we wouldn't be able to feel the cold air that vampires produce. I'm also sure she could probably make her way around us without making a single sound, but what I'm definitely sure about is that Allison should have been able to smell Miranda near us."

The Millers all became silent. Miranda looked in a different direction. Brandon squeezed his hands into fists. A worried expression crossed Callisto's face.

Bridget sighed, "They'll need to know if they're going to help us."

Callisto agreed sadly. He stated, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's not necessarily that Miranda doesn't carry a smell."

"What is it then?" asked Alvin, his eyebrows knitting together.

Bridget scratched the skin behind her ear. She said, "It's going to be a little tricky for you to wrap your head around, but just try to understand, okay?"

The Sevilles nodded and watched her patiently.

Bridget looked at Alvin as she explained, "I'm a wolf. Brandon, my mate, is a vampire."

Alex glanced downward. Alvin was not amused. "So?" Alvin asked Bridget.

Bridget repeated, stressing the words, "We're mates."

Simon, realization dawning on his face, gasped as he quickly glanced between Cyrus, Colton, and Brad. His eyes were wide, and Alvin could tell Simon was preparing to ask a barrage of questions if someone didn't stop him.

Alvin turned his eyes towards Bridget. She was waiting expectantly for Alvin to understand her words. The secrets and long pauses of this dinner were beginning to irritate Alvin. He turned his attention towards Simon. He snapped, "Simon, what the hell does that mean?"

"Don't you get it, Alvin?" Simon asked, appearing excited.

"No," Alvin spat out.

"Alvin," Simon grinned, "Bridget's and Brandon's children are mixed."

Alvin still felt confused. He looked at Cyrus, Colton, and Brad, trying to understand the concept.

Steven chuckled, "This is a nice joke, but vampires can't have children. The only way they can multiply is by biting humans."

Brandon responded, "Vampires who were previously human can bear children. Vampires born from two humans-turned-vampire cannot reproduce. I was a human before becoming a vampire."

Simon, a fearful realization dawning on his face, cut into the conversation, "Wait a second. What does this really make your children?" He looked at Bridget, eyes worried. Did Brandon and Bridget create monsters? From his previous experience with Cyrus, the answer to that question would be yes.

Bridget sighed out, "The children of vampires and wolves are complicated. They are rarely born as a definitively defined creature."

Alvin, still irritated, said, "Try explaining it."

Bridget glanced at Alvin, taking notice of the fury growing in his eyes. She nodded her head and said, "I'll try. It's difficult."

Bridget looked over her sons. Colton, a somewhat skinnier and weaker young man, seemed like the easiest to explain at the moment. She gestured to Colton, "Okay, so Colton is what you could consider a superior wolf-minor vampire mix, which just means that he's more of a wolf, but he carries vampire qualities. Colton can shift into a wolf. He can drink blood, but he doesn't carry the poison that vampires have in their fangs. He also does not share the speed that vampires possess."

Pointing to the little boy, who carried a similar emotionless expression to Brandon upon his face, Bridget continued, "Brad is a superior vampire-minor wolf mix. He can't shift into a wolf, but he craves meat almost as much as a wolf. His instincts are sharper than an average vampire, which leans more toward his wolf side. Brad still consumes blood, and he carries poison in his fangs."

Bridget paused, glancing at everyone to make sure they understood. Seeing that everyone seemed to know what she was saying, Bridget continued with Cyrus, "Cyrus is a little bit different. Cyrus is a pure mix. That means that his vampire side and wolf side are equal, and they have combined together perfectly. Cyrus carries all the aspects of both wolf and vampire."

Everyone seemed to understand. It was crazy that creatures like Cyrus, Colton, and Brad even existed, but here they were, sitting right in front them.

A thought suddenly came to Alvin. His golden eyes glowed with wonder. He was extremely curious, "Bridget, what about Brittany? What kind of mix is she?"

Bridget sighed and glanced at her very silent family. Their faces seemed downcast. They weren't watching her speak to the Sevilles anymore, but were instead looking anywhere else. Bridget turned her attention back to Alvin reluctantly. Bridget bit her lip for a moment before sighing once again in defeat. Alvin watched her every movement. He was more curious than angry now. He wanted to know. Bridget opened her mouth to speak.

"Brittany is a human."


I was actually going to continue this chapter, but eh. I thought a cliffhanger would be a little better. Also, I was too tired to write anymore, haha.

Anyway, the next chapter is almost completely plotted since I divided this chapter in half. I just need to add a few things to the end of it and then I can write it, which shouldn't take super long.

By the way, my updates for this story are going to have some time between them soon because my life is about to be super busy. Sorry!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Please R&R!