A/N: Thoughts are in Italics.


Damon's point of view

It was early in the morning when I decided to call off the search for now. I wasn't able to find any sign of them except for a few faint scent trails. Those didn't lead anywhere. No one else knows that they were kidnapped. I'm keeping that to myself so there won't be that much panic in the pack.

Depressed, I walked back to the house. It was exactly the same when I left it. There weren't any new scents around it. I walk inside and I realize that this house will never be the same unless I find Aspen and Natala.

I slowly walk to my bedroom and close the door. I lean against the door and slide to the floor. I don't hold back the tears. "Not this time... Not again..." I sob. "Every time I find a pack, something bad happens... Nothing good ever happens to me!" I yell as I punch the floor.

I just sit there, reminiscing about the past. "They don't deserve this... They're going to end up getting seriously injured, or worse, killed," I choked out. "I don't deserve them..."

I manage to gather myself long enough to walk into Natala's room. It felt empty without her here. I miss her so much. Her scent always lingers around the house and it calms me down but this time, it brought back my tears.

I sit on her bed thinking about what might be happening to her. Aspen would probably protect her if he had the chance. He knows what would happen if she died. I immediately got that thought out of my head. I lay on Natala's bed, letting her scent consume and calm me.

I eventually fall asleep on Natala's bed. I only sleep for an hour. I get up and head towards the door when I notice something. A letter with my name written on it in Natala's handwriting. "I wonder what this is," I whisper to myself. I opened it. There were a lot of eraser marks on the paper even though it was written in pen and some words were either blurred or unreadable for some reason.

Dear Damon,

Wow. This is going to be hard. I never thought that I would be writing this in a letter. I wanted to say this in person but I just can't bring myself to do it. So hopefully I can find the right words. Well, here goes nothing.

Damon, ever since you saved me that night, I knew deep down that you'd always be there for me. When you offered to start a pack with me, I knew that I'd never be homeless again. You said we'd always be family, no matter what. We've always had each other's backs.

I can't figure out how to tell you and besides I don't know how you'll react. But recently, things have changed. I've noticed this and Aspen has too. You've been acting even kinder to me lately. At first I thought that you were making up for killing that guy but then you kept acting like that.

I guess I can say that I've always had some feelings towards you. It was a small crush at first but I've been falling in love with you, Damon. I've fallen in love with every aspect of you. When I'm with you, I feel whole again.

"Oh Natala," I whisper. This changes everything. "I will find you. I have to now."


I was up for a few hours after I found the letter. I decided that I needed to get some rest so people wouldn't notice that something's wrong. It was late in the afternoon when I was woken up by the sound of someone urgently knocking on the front door. I quickly got up and ran to the front door. It was a young girl knocking. "Where's the fire, Anna?" I ask as I let her in.

"You said Ayden killed Logan, right? And why is there a message written in blood outside?"

"Someone took Aspen and Natala. Ayden did kill Logan. By breaking his neck, actually."

"And you haven't found them yet?" She asks.

"There aren't any signs of them. Why did you bring up Logan anyway?"

"He isn't dead! I saw him a few hours ago!"

"That's impossible unless some idiotic vampire gave him blood," I say while I begin to pace.

"That's the only explanation I can think of. I also heard him saying that he had to find shelter before the sun came up."

"He's definitely a vampire."

"He's probably the person that took Aspen and Natala."

"Considering our last meeting, it wouldn't surprise me if he did it. Where did you see him, anyway?" I asked.

"At an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town. There was an overwhelming scent of blood there."

I stop pacing and I look at Anna. "That settles it. When sundown comes, I'm going to that warehouse alone and getting Aspen and Natala back."

"I know when it's not your battle, you need to stay out of it so I'm not going to argue with your decision," she comments.

"Good. I wasn't going to listen to you anyway."

Anna sighs and leaves without saying another word. I start to plan my attack on the warehouse. Only a few more hours, Nat.


Natala's point of view

When I came to, I noticed that I was tied to a pole in some building. It was large and open. The ropes were digging into my skin. I couldn't escape them so I gave up.

Aspen is here, too. He isn't tied up but he's in worse shape than me. He's unconscious and laying in a pool of blood. He's barely alive. He's not going to last much longer.

There is a pile of bodies in the middle of the building. They are all drained of blood. The only thing that could cause that much damage is a vampire. There's a voice coming from somewhere in the building. I assumed it was my captor.

With every passing minute, Aspen's and my chances of surviving are getting smaller. I hope Damon finds us soon.


Damon's point of view

The sun has finally set and it's time to find Aspen and Natala. I know exactly where the warehouse is. It was the one place I didn't look last night.

It didn't take long to get to the warehouse. I decided to take my car in case either one of them was seriously injured. I parked it halfway down the road that led to the warehouse and walked the rest of the way.

I kept hearing some noises come from the nearby woods. I ignored them since they were probably a few minutes of walking, the warehouse finally came into view. It's time to get my family back.

When I got close to the warehouse, I thought that it would be useless to yell for Aspen and Natala. "Logan! Get out here now!"

A figure walked out of the warehouse. It was Logan and he had Natala. She looked dazed. "Natala!"

"Damon," she choked out.

"Well. Well. We meet again Damon," said Logan.

"You're already on my bad side for threatening me and you're going to die for kidnapping my family," I growled.

"I've already died once!"

"Who brought you back?!"

"A girl who looked exactly like someone I know, but acted the complete opposite of her," Logan answered.

"Figures. It makes sense."

"Do you know something?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

Logan was quickly getting agitated. "There more to you than meets the eyes, isn't there? Hidden reasons to why you're protective of this girl and the other one."

"There are reasons. Reasons that you'll never know."

Logan pulled out a gun and pointed it at Natala. She gave out a little yelp. "Give me answers or she'll die!"

"You want answers? I'll give them to you."

Nat? Can you hear me?

Barely, she answered.

We'll only have one chance at this. When I say one, use all of your strength and get to the ground. I'll take care of the rest. He doesn't know his strength yet.

Got it.

Do you still trust me? I ask.

I've always trusted you.

"Do you know who turned me?" Logan asked.

"Yes, her name is Katherine. I don't know why Elena looks like her."

Three.

"Why are you protective over these two kids?"

"They're my closest friends and part of my pack."

"Pack? What does that even mean?!"

"Packs are what groups of wolves are called."

"Wolves? That's what the police thought was the cause of the recent deaths but everyone knows that there aren't any wild wolves miles of here," said Logan.

Two.

"What exactly are you?"

"I am half vampire and half werewolf. A hybrid. I'm possibly the only one that exists. Those kids are my betas, they help me keep order in my pack, the Fading Echo pack. We have around thirty members. The guy that killed you is also a werewolf and he wants revenge for not being allowed to join."

"That's impossible! You just made that up!"

"I didn't."

"Prove it then!" Logan yelled.

"I'm more than glad to do so."

Logan lowered the gun. That was a huge mistake. I took a moment to center and prepare myself before I gave the signal.

One.

Natala was able to get out Logan's grasp and feel a few feet away from us. Logan was shocked by Natala's actions. I took advantage of that and shifted while he was watching Natala.

I growled to get his attention. He immediately backed up when he saw me. He was terrified.

"I-impossible... Th-this can't be happening," Logan stuttered.

I lunged at him and clenched onto his neck. Logan fell to the ground from the force of the impact. I kept biting and tearing into his neck until it was completely severed from the body.

I jumped of the body to make sure he was really dead. I shifted back into my human form to check on Natala.

"Natala, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she whispered.

When I helped her up, my feelings got the best of me and I kissed her. It caught her off guard but she warmed up to it. It felt like time had stopped during the kiss. I was the one to break it off.

"What was that for?" Natala whispered.

"I found the letter, Nat."

"You weren't supposed to see that!" She was starting to tear up.

"It's ok, sweetie. I feel the same the way," I assured her.

"You do?"

"I do. I one-hundred percent do. Nat, you gave me a reason to start living again," I told her as I embraced her in a hug.

"I don't know what to say, Damon," she whispered.

"You don't have to say anything."

I comforted her until she mentioned something very important.

"Damon! Aspen is in terrible shape! He was barely breathing a few hours ago but I don't know how he's doing now!"

"Stay here. I'll go check on him," I told her as I ran into the warehouse.


Third person point of view

Someone else was also hunting Logan that night, but for different reasons. This hunter wasn't as good as Damon when it comes to being quiet but he wasn't given a second look.

When the hunter got to the edge of the woods surrounding the warehouse he saw two people arguing and a girl standing near them.

Logan pulled out a gun. "Give me answers or she'll die!"

"You want answers? I'll give them to you," the guy standing opposite to Logan replied.

The guy told Logan about the person that turned him into a vampire. The second question was about the girl Logan was holding on to. The guy mentioned the word "pack" in that answer. Packs? As in wolf packs? The hunter thought to himself. Now I'm curious.

When the guy said that he was a vampire/werewolf hybrid, the hunter became skeptical. That's impossible. The girl got away from Logan but didn't very far. The guy did prove that he was a hybrid by turning into a jet black wolf and killed Logan. Less work for me. The guy, whose name is Damon, then turned back into a human and confessed his love to the girl, Natala.

Damon ran into the warehouse to check on someone named Aspen. Natala acted like she could barely stand. I started walking towards her in case she passed out. I was halfway towards her, she noticed me. She bared her fans and her eyes started glowing. She's a werewolf. I continued to walk towards her.

I made the right choice because a few seconds after she tried to intimidate me, she passed out. I caught her before she hit the ground. Everything was quiet after that. That is until Damon walked out of the warehouse.


Damon's point of view

Natala was right. Aspen was in terrible shape. When I got to him, I panicked because I couldn't hear a heartbeat but I focused and I could hear a very faint one. He's still alive. That counts for something.

I bit my wrist so I could give Aspen some of my blood. A few seconds after I gave him some blood, he started coughing. "Damon?" He whispered.

"I'm right here."

"I did everything I could to protect her."

"I know you did. You did a good job. Everything's going to be ok. We'll get through this together," I reassured him.

He smiled and started coughing. "I'll tell Nat that you're somewhat awake."

I walked out and I saw an unconscious Natala on the ground next to a guy I haven't seen before. He had dark brown hair and looked middle aged. "Who are you?" I partially growled.

"I'm Alaric Saltzman. I came here to kill Logan but you beat me to it," he explained as he stood up.

"You're a hunter, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I watched you kill him. You proved that you're not like the others I've hunted."

"How am I different from the others?"

"You had a valid reason to kill him. You can Natala were able to coordinate the attack. You must really care about those two."

"As I said before, they're my betas, they're a part of my pack."

"I thought werewolves were extinct."

"Mostly, but there's a few packs here and there," I said while crouching next to Nat. "As long as you don't hunt the others in my pack, we were have a problem."

"I only hunt vampires so your pack won't be a problem for me."

I sat in silence, thinking about the next move. "I need to get these two home somehow. Aspen is going to need more attention than Natala."

"I know this isn't my business but I could watch them while you find transportation," Alaric suggested.

"If something happens to Aspen and I'm not here, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." I thought real hard about my choice of words. "Can I trust you?"

"Yes. I wouldn't hurt them."

"There's a car halfway down the road and I need it here," I told Alaric as I handed him my keys.

"I'll get it."

Alaric started to walk down the road. I made sure Natala was still breathing and I moved her closer to the warehouse then I went to check on Aspen. When I walked in he was holding onto a pole and trying to stand. "You don't need to be standing. We're about to leave," I told him.

"I know," he choked out. He was definitely in pain.

"Come on. I'll help you outside."

Aspen was favoring his right leg. He'll need a few days to recover. I guided him to one of the walls and he saw Natala. "She didn't sleep at all. She was scared of what might happen when she wasn't alert," he explained.

"Sounds like Natala."

Alaric pulled up near us and I got a blanket out of the trunk for Aspen. He accepted it and got in the passenger seat. I picked up Natala and got the back with her.

"Where do you live?" Asked Alaric.

"Other side of town. Aspen can tell you," I answered.

The rest of the ride was silent. Aspen was able to tell Alaric where we lived and we didn't get lost. Alaric helped Aspen inside and I carried Natala inside.

"I think I'll leave now," Alaric said.

"I'll be able to take care of things now here."

Alaric left and I started tending to Aspen. I got his wounds bandaged because they weren't healing. Natala woke up a few times but went back to sleep. I moved her to her room. Aspen fell asleep on the couch. After everything was taken care of, I decided to head to head to my room. Everything went better than expected.