Aurelia's POV...

It looks like a blood transport box. So do they know about my research too? If yes, then how? There is no logical explanation for this. Do they have a premonition?

I opened the lid to see two blood samples. A long cylindrical tube with the label fae blood and another with the label Mer on it. I stood there in shock. How do they know I will need it? I was contemplating ways to acquire this before I joined the lab.

Now, I have a were sample and a fae sample, as well as a mer sample that I did not know existed. Mermaids or Mer people, as Aiden said. Mermaids was a human term. That was what Aiden said.

If I could just have a vampire blood sample, things would be easier. Wait. May be I have. That day, when we went to the house, in Red deer.

My mind drifts as I remember the incidents that happened when I fought the vampire. Blood was splashed on my clothes as a result.

Not to raise any suspicion in the lab, Aiden and Adrian had dropped me at the house to change before dropping me back at the lab. They were in the laundry bin in my room. Hopefully, Grandma has not washed it. If she has washed it that means I have to go in a round about way. No. Please Moon goddess. Don;t let grandma wash it. Please.

I chant the word please as I run towards it. Uggh the bin is full. I reach into it and start throwing the clothes away all over the room. My anxiousness grows as i go deep into the bin.

There it is! The Jacket!

I take it out and assess it and a smile graces my lips as I see blood splattered across its collar, which is still bright red. DNA can exist for up to five weeks.

Even though the sample is exposed, it's supernatural blood. It won't be contaminated. I just need to use a different method for DNA extraction.

I initially jump in joy but then control myself. I need to wait. My heart fills with anticipation. It's ten in the evening. Just a few more hours and I will be in the lab.

Only a few hours more and I can analyze the results. With these thoughts in mind, I start cleaning the remaining room almost reflexively.

After finishing my chores, I bend my knees, jump on the bed, cover myself with the quilt, and slip into the world of dreams.

..................

Finally, I am done with extracting DNA from the samples. It was tedious but soothing at the same time. My beast was content today. No suppression shot. However, I did have a backup in my bag.

Switching on the computer, I download the DNA sequences. Now all I need to do is extract homologous DNA from each sample and compare them. I glance at the time in my computer. It is almost time for Henry's arrival. But I just need a few minutes more.

If I were a human, I would have needed at least an hour. It's a long process but my heightened senses and fast responses help. My left foot taps on the ground as I skim through the sequences, download the required part into another file linked to my personal account and store it there.

I am just about to compare them when I hear the sound of a door opening. SHit. Henry is here. I can't compare the data now. Maybe tomorrow.

"Hi Aurelia. How's the work?" Henry comes to stand beside me, leaning on my table and glancing at my screen.

I smile in response and shift, covering the screen. "Ah, the usual, thanks." I reply.

He gives me a nod, grinning at me before turning and walking towards his station. He takes out a few registers and starts scrawling in them and glancing at his computer. However, I see him glancing at me from time to time. Too risky. I can't do the comparison before him. It will raise suspicions.

Internally groaning, I switch to the work account and delete the data on the server. Getting back to the work research, I quickly did today's assignment.

Nothing challenging, though. Same old things, just twisting a new research problem. Not so innovative, though. Yet important. It was regarding cancer treatment and is highly confidential.

It's soon time for me to leave the lab. I quickly move my cursor to the taskbar and click on the shut-down icon, powering off my computer.

Twenty-four hours more. Even less if I could have access to the NGS platform in the evening. But a designer dress is cheaper than the laboratory equipment. I may be well off but not that well off.

Sighing, I pack my things in a trance. I am counting seconds for tomorrow's shift. I just chuckled at myself for my childish excitement.

I am walking out the door of the laboratory when I am mind-linked. My steps falter. I feel Adrain and Aiden's presence in my mind.

'Aurelia, come to the forest behind your home. ASAP. Near the lake,' Aiden orders through the link.

'It's quite urgent, Aurelia,' Adrain offers in a more kinder tone.

Then the link goes off. Apparently, my happiness is short-lived. More excitement awaits me.

However, despite the annoyance I feel, I recognize the urgency in their voices. Must be very important. My beast agrees with me, growling in my mind. She feels angry at whatever causes the Alpha King distress.

I then take off towards the car and quickly inject myself with the suppression shot. My beast growls in annoyance but calms down.

................

Soon, I will be near the lake behind my house. I smell the air. Vampire scent permeates the area. I quicken my steps as leaves crunch beneath my feet.

I smelled Adrian and Aiden. My eyes then take note of the scene at the lake. Several weres stand surrounding the lake. Aiden and Adrian stand close to the lake bank. A few guards stand close to them. Their backs face me.

I get out of the forest and on to the lake bank and everyone's eyes focus on me. A few sniff the air, taking in my scent. But then their heads snap towards Aiden as his growling echoes through the forest.

He is more Alpha in this movement than ever. Even yesterday, he was holding back. Rage coming off of him crashes into me. My knees almost buckled. With my wolf suppressed, I am more weak. Vulnerable.

I try to compose myself. He purses his lips while Adrian beckons me forward. I realize they are not his bodyguards but Henry and Ethan, who had earlier accompanied Aiden when the vampire was found.

I take a quick glance at the surroundings. No corpses were in sight. I lower my gaze and walk toward Aiden.

As I approach him, Henry and Ethan move aside. Adrian, however, remains by his side.

I bow to Aiden. I have to maintain the protocol in the presence of so many weres or else it would be disrespectful. He may be my friend but he is the Alpha King first.

"King."

"Raise," he murmurs, his tone a bit soft.

He then moves towards me, briefly hugs me and then steps back. Adrian, too, hugs me. I am surprised by their actions.

"Are you alright, Be–Aurelia?" Aiden asks. I nod at him but confusion must be evident on my face. He jerks his hand and Henry steps up beside me. His hands are in white gloves and a piece of paper lies in his palms.

Henry then holds the paper in front of me, between Aiden and me. Aiden nods toward the paper. Brows scrunched I take a look at the paper. It has drops of blood on it. Vampire blood by the smell of it.

The blood mafia symbol is printed on the top, followed by my address. I look at the paper, stunned. What does the Blood Mafia have to do with my home?

Henry then steps back, his face a mask of stone, as he assesses me. No doubt, he is curious like me.

"This is why I called. Did anyone break into your home? I could have asked Nana but our suspicion is that someone is keeping an eye on your home."

"What?" I exclaim, anger bursting in my veins. My beast let's out a howl in the back of my mind, concerned about my grandma. I am both angry and afraid.

Aiden steps forward and puts a calming hand on my left shoulder, squeezing it.

"Don't worry, Abigail is with Nana on the pretense of shopping."

My anger again turns into confusion. Shopping and Grandma. Grandma hates going to a place full of humans. Abigail must have really convinced her if she agreed. The only shopping my grandma tolerates is the kind to buy vegetables and spices at the supermarket, where she handpicks the items.

"Shopping?" I say, raising a brow. He just shrugs in response, before stepping back, freeing his grip. His fingers brush against my arm and my wolf whimpers.

My beast sure does behave strangely when she is in the presence of Aiden.

"That was my idea," Adrian says, stretching up behind Aiden's shoulders. Aiden rolls his eyes in response.

"Makes sense. What do you want me to do, king?"

"We don't want to raise any suspicions; with the treaty signed a few days ago, things were looking good. I don't want to cause panic. Please just drive back to your home. We will accompany you. Just Adrian and me. It will be like we are just hanging out. Once inside, we'll search for any signs of intruders."

Oh oh. This is going to be a problem. My suppression shots. Scent masking spray. They can't know about it. If they find them, it will just mean more questions.

I have no other option. I'll have to fabricate a lie. It won't be easy.

I purse my lips and nod at him. What other options do I have?

.....................

Soon we are at my home. Aiden and Adrian now stand behind me as I start unlocking the door with one hand while my other hand tightly grasps onto the strap of my backpack hung over my shoulder.

Soon the lock clicks open and I push the door wide, letting them in. One by one, they enter behind me while taking huge lungfuls of air, no doubt sniffing and searching for any odd scents.

I too sniff but don't smell anything unusual. Apparently unable to detect any scents, Aiden and Adrian exchange puzzled looks with one another.

"I will scout the surroundings," Adrian says and he walks towards the back door that leads to the backyard just in front of the forest.

Aiden turns to look at me and says, "Maybe we should start from your room, as you were there when we caught the vampire. Maybe they are targeting you because of that."

Oh great. Just the perfect start. Internally groaning, I nod my head while my beast is uneasy. Moving around my brain. She really acts strange whenever Aiden is near.

"Lead the way," he says. Sighing at him, I climb the stairs beside the kitchen that lead to my bedroom.

I gently push the door open and think that this is the first time a boy-man has entered my room, not considering my uncle, of course. I feel shy and not meet Aiden's gaze as I let him in.

It might not be a big thing for many but even though he's just looking for clues, he'll still notice my room. And I feel our rooms are a reflection of our personalities. Thankfully, it is clean and not a mess. But I have to hide a few things.

Wringing my hands, I enter the room and Aiden steps in behind me and stands next to me.

"Wow, your room is not girly." He says this, looking around the room.

This makes me let out a laugh. I glance at him and ask, "Is girly even a word?"

He just shrugs in response but his mood turns serious as he says, "There are no traces of smell. However, we need to see if anything is missing."

I nod my head in agreement and stay back. He moves around the place, sniffing. His movements are rough and from what I can sense, his beast is close to the surface, aiding him in the search.

I stay silent till he reaches the cupboard. Oh no. That is where I keep my shots. I can't let him search before I hide them. As he moves his arm to open it, I run and stand in front of him, blocking him.

He looks at me now, perplexed. Most probably because I am stopping him.

"What?"

"This is my cupboard," I say. It's better to pretend I don't want him to see my undergarments than for him to find the secrets. It's a good cover. And even if there were no secrets, I would never let him see them.

"Look, Aurelia, I do not want to hurt you but you are a weresap; you can't focus your senses as much as I can," he says and walks forward, prying my arm away from the door of my cupboard.

"Still, I can't let you search," I say adamantly, refusing to budge.

Now annoyed, Aiden shouts, "It's as if you are hiding something." and then he grips my arms hard. "What are you hiding?" he breathes out, his face close to mine.

He's breathing heavily in anger and a whimper almost comes out of my mouth. But I take a breath and gather my courage.

"I won't let you see my undergarments!" I shout back.

This causes him to move a step back. He now looks ashamed. Not meeting my eyes, his gaze shifts on either side of me. A slight pink tinge in his cheeks.

"Sorry," he says, not meeting my eyes.

"Wait for a moment while I collect them and place them somewhere out of the way."

Nodding, he turns around, giving me some space and privacy. Sighing out a breath of relief, I quickly grab a laundry bag and making sure the shots are out of his sight, I place them inside a laundry bag and cover them with my undergarments.

Pheww. That was close.

"You can turn around now," I say, closing the bag.

He slowly turns around. Not looking at me, he pushes me out of the way and searches the cupboard.

"Did you notice anything missing?" He asks.

"Nothing. It's the same."

"Shit. I have no clue why they were looking for your address," he growls out.

He is clenching his fists and glaring at everything in the room. He purses his lips as his nostrils flare in anger.

Even though I am relieved that my secret is safe, I am annoyed too. Annoyed as well as confused. Why are they targeting me? I mean, between Aiden, Adrian and me, they are more dangerous than me.

I am a researcher and an aspiring scientist. What do I have that they are after? Or are they after my grandmother? But if it is so, why her? Nothing makes sense.

I stare at Aiden and his gaze softens but we hear the sound of footsteps from the stairs. Someone is jumping two steps at a time. Could it be someone from the Blood Mafia?

I glance at him now, alert, before returning my gaze towards the door. Aiden is alert too, as he shushes me, signaling me to stay silent by placing a finger on his lips.

I nod at him as he takes a run towards the door and places himself against the wall beside the door, ready to pounce at the intruder. I, too, brace myself mentally, ready for the fight. The door flies open and...

...................................

Word count: 2569

Who was it? Someone from the Blood Mafia may be?

Well, her house's backdoor was open and a forest surrounded it. It could be anyone! The king can't keep guards posted in the entire forest, can he?

How was the chapter? Any imputs?

I know this is a surprise update!!! I was just in the mood to update an extra chapter!

I know I always ask for votes and comments but today, I just want to thank you guys for reading my book. It means alot.