A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries. Thoughts are in Italics.


Aspen knocks on my bedroom door.

"Damon, there's a girl that wants to talk to you. She says that it's pretty important."

It's probably Anna.

"I'll be there in a minute," I yell back.

I quickly put on a shirt and pants, and go to the living room. Anna is standing near the kitchen door talking to Natala and Aspen. I can hear her. She's telling them about our little deal.

"What did you find out," I ask Anna.

"You were right. Ayden's arrogance is going to get him and his pack killed."

"Did he figure out what you are?"

"No. He's a young wolf. He doesn't seem to know the full extent of his abilities," Anna answered. "Anyway, Ayden is planning to ambush you tonight."

"The pack or just me?"

"Just you, Damon. I overheard him talking to one the other members of his pack specifically about you."

"That's stupid," Natala commented with a snort.

"It's Ayden's choice not ours," I reminded her.

"That decision is one of the reasons he isn't a good leader. All he wants is revenge," Natala snarled. A while ago, Natala told me that Ayden reminded her of her father.

"There's tension between the two packs isn't there?" asked Anna.

"Oh yeah. We've known Ayden for a few years but the tension between packs started when the Light Shadow pack met us. Poor Ayden doesn't like his neighbors," Aspen explained with a fake pout face.

"Now I understand why Damon wanted me to watch them for him." Anna walked towards the door. "I've done my part. I'll keep you updated if I hear anything else."

She opened the door and stopped, looking down at her feet. There was an envelope on the porch. I walked over and picked it up, pulling out what was inside, a letter. It had my name on it.

"How many enemies do you have?" Anna asked sarcastically.

"There's no telling." I read the letter and all the blood drained from my face. Somebody knows what I am.

"What does it say, Damon?" Natala was concerned.

"I know what you truly are. And I know your weakness. Meet me tonight at midnight at the largest clearing in the woods or I will reveal what you are to everyone in Mystic Falls."

"It could be Ayden luring you out, a trap," guessed Natala, biting her nail, chipping the forest green nail polish.

"Or it could be someone else," Aspen suggested, shaking his head with a shrug.

"I'll take this as my cue to go," Anna said right before she scurried off.

"We have over thirteen hours before anything needs to be decided," I announced.

"You're going?!" Aspen exclaimed.

"Yes, Aspen, I'm considering it."

"But why?" Natala asked.

"I need to know who is making this threat and it's an alpha's duty to keep his pack safe. I need to look into this."


It's around five in the evening now, Aspen, Natala, and I still don't have clue about who sent the letter. We had theories but most of them were too farfetched. The only theory that makes sense was that whoever this person is overheard me with Aspen and Natala at the Founder's party. Anybody who's anybody was at that party and anyone could've been around.

"There isn't any reason somebody should know. We've been very careful about what we say," said Natala.

"It's not your fault Natala. This person is probably bluffing anyway."

"It could be a trap."

"It probably is a trap, but I'm still going."

Natala was trying to help figure out who sent the letter, but was as clueless as the rest of us. Aspen offered to go into town to see if anybody was talking. There were a few suspects we had in mind. Stefan was one mainly because of his suspicions about why Aspen and Natala are with me. Sheriff Forbes was another. She's been asking Zach about the animal attacks.

"All we can do is wait. Hopefully we'll hear something soon," I commented, getting worried. The last time I went to a meeting without any information, I was almost killed.

After a few minutes of silence, my phone rings. It's Aspen.

"Please tell me you found something."

"I did actually. I think I know who's threatening you," Aspen quickly answered.

"Who?"

"That reporter guy... I can't remember his name... I think it started with a L."

"Logan?"

"Yeah! That's him!"

Natala was standing next to me, leaning in close to the phone, trying to listen, her face pensive.

"Why do you think he's the one who sent the letter?"

"I heard him tell the sheriff that he'd take care of a 'problem' tonight in the woods."

"That's him. Thanks Aspen."

"No problem. I'll be back home in a couple of minutes." He hung up.

"So, you now know who sent the letter," Natala confirmed.

"Logan said that he'd take care if the problem. He's probably talking the vampire problem. So Stefan might be there as well. Ayden will be the unwanted guest that will cause problems."

"If Ayden shows up, you'll probably expose yourself."

"And that's the last thing I want to happen."

"Either way, tonight won't be a good night for anyone," Natala muttered.

"That's for sure."


When it got closer to midnight, things got more stressful. The patrols warned us that an unfamiliar wolf crossed our border. Ayden is really going through with this. Tonight is going to be disastrous, I can feel it.

"Let me make this crystal clear. Neither of you leave this house tonight. Got it?" I pointed at both of them, Aspen then Natala, firmly, to show how serious I was.

"We got it," Aspen and Natala said simultaneously, with a dull tone. They didn't argue as usual to go with.

"Good."

"We understand how serious this is," Aspen reassured me. "Natala and I will stay here and wait for you to call. You can call us if you need us."

We sat in silence for forty-five minutes then I had to leave. "I'm leaving now. I don't know when I'll be back."

"We'll be up waiting for you," said Natala. "Be careful, Damon."

"I will," I told her, with a small nod.

I walked out of the house and into the darkness of the woods. Whatever was out there was in for an interesting conversation.


Natala's point of view

"He'll be fine, Nat," Aspen assured me, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly.

"I know. It's just that there's a chance Stefan will find out about Damon's werewolf side tonight," she said, her eyebrows furrowed with worry for their fearless leader. He didn't want these problems.

"Damon will make sure that won't happen," Aspen reassured me. "You have feelings for him, don't you?"

"What?! No," I said, a little harsher than I wanted, throwing my arms up in disbelief that he'd ask that.

"Nat, you're lying. You're heartbeat sped up," Aspen continued. "Is your heart is telling you something that your brain won't accept?"

I sighed in defeat and took a seat on the couch.

"What if I do? How do I find a way to tell him? You're always around, and when I actually try to tell him, I don't because I don't think I should or some other stupid reason."

"You'll find a way."

"He doesn't feel the same. I can tell by the way he's been acting. I'm positive that he's not over Katherine," I sighed.

"I'm not good at relationships. If I was, I would give you advice, but I can't so I won't."

"That's ok, Asp. I'll figure it out."

Aspen left the foyer and sat on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. I followed shortly after and sunk into the couch beside him nearly shivering from the heat that emanated from the fireplace. Aspen opened his laptop, the conspiracy site still up on the screen.

"There are descriptions of the possible betas or what people think are wendigos."

"What are they?"

"It says Avery has brown curly hair with brown eyes and is about my height. Eden has bright red hair and green eyes and is around your height."

"At least we have some idea of what they look like."

"Yeah... Whoa... There's a possible description of the alpha."

"What does it say?" I leaned in close to read along.

"It says that the alpha has a pixie cut, green eyes, and is 5'7"... Wait..."

"The Crimson Heart alpha is female," I said, saying what I knew he was thinking.

"Damon is going to have a fit."

"Yeah," I agree.


Damon's point of view

It was easy finding the clearing. It was still here after all these years. When I got there, Stefan was here as well.

"Let me guess. You got a mysterious letter claiming that someone knows what you truly are and will expose you if you didn't come tonight," I said sarcastically, sneering.

"Someone wants us both dead if they sent one to you as well," Stefan guessed.

"We'll find out sooner or later if they do."

We both heard footsteps not that far off in the distance and they were getting closer. Please, don't let it be Ayden, I thought. The closer the person came, the more I could see and recognize him. It was Logan.

"Stefan and Damon, I'm glad you could make it."

"You didn't give us much of a choice," I snarled.

"I know you're both vampires. I also believe that you're the ones responsible for William Tanner's death and I plan to prove it."

"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't," I said coolly, shrugging. "I also know what you're planning right this very second and I don't think you've got it all that thought out."

"Okay, Damon, what am I planning to do?"

"You're planning on killing us."

"I am, actually."

"You didn't notice that there's two of us and one of you, did you?" Stefan pointed.

"A few wooden stakes can go a long way," Logan sneered.

"Not when we're faster than you," I commented, bending my knees ready to rip his throat out.

Logan didn't have any more comebacks. An intrusion interrupted him before he had a chance. It was Ayden. He walked toward Logan, the look on his face filled with fury. He's out for blood. I stepped back uneasily. With one swift movement, Ayden snapped Logan's neck with a quick twist of his head. Not a sound escaped from Logan's lips. He didn't have a chance to fight back. "We have business to attend to, Damon."

"Who is that?" Stefan asked warily.

"A thorn in my side," I gritted, feeling the muscles in my calves and thighs tighten.

"Damon, you think you're such a good leader. We're going to find out just how good of a leader you are," Ayden snarled, flinging Logan's limp body aside. It landed with a soft thud, his deadened eyes staring off into the distance.

"Stefan, leave. This pest is after me, not you."

"But, Damon..."

"Leave now!" Damon bellowed.

Stefan sighed and was gone in one step. I walked over to Ayden and easily broke his arm. "Listen here, Ayden. I am a better leader than you. I've seen things you will never see and no matter how hard you try you will never be a better leader than me. Do you understand me?"

Ayden winced in intense pain as I jerked him, inflicting more pain.

"Yes! I understand!"

I tightened my grip on his arm, feeling the bones crunch. "Never. Come. Back. To. My. Town."

I let go. He fell to the ground and scrambled backwards while holding his arm. Once he catches his breath, he runs in the direction of his land.

"Good riddance."


When I got back home, I found Aspen and Natala staring at the laptop intensely.

"I'm back in one piece." They didn't say anything or even move. It was like they were wax figures. "Hello?"

I walked over to them and looked over their shoulder to see what had their utmost attention.

"We found something you'll want to see," said Natala.

"What?"

"A possible description of the Crimson Heart alpha."

"Let me see," I say. I look at the description. "The description sounds-"

"The alpha is female," Aspen and Natala finished.

"I would've never guessed that."

Stefan didn't find out my secret tonight, but it got really close to him finding out. Hopefully, Ayden won't be a problem anymore, but that's being hopeful.