One of the biggest frustrations I ever felt was having many questions and finding no answers. 

Every time I asked, Jasper paused to think, looked to a side, and then answered all in the manner, "I don't know," "I don't have any news," and "Wolf Leaders haven't come in a while." 

I stared at Jasper, short of breath. He was standing next to the window, making his features glow before the city lights; his eyes were cold as a frozen lake, sending a cold shiver down my spine every time he spoke. 

"You will need to stay with Radleigh until someone from a pack picks you up, omega."

That answer didn't please me, so I lowered my gaze. The touch of the cold medallion on my skin was burning me. Jasper approached to place the Mask Collar on my palm and tight my fingers around the strap. There was a strange determination in his eyes. Perhaps he did want to convey some hope. 

"They come and go, the resistance. They can take you in; you only need to wait. You will be safe with Radleigh in the meantime. I will let them know you are here. Now leave."

Jasper let go of my hand. All of those words were uttered without looking at me. Now that he was close, I could smell his scent better; he was rough and aggressive, but there was a sweet tone beneath those layers. A frozen lake waiting for the spring to come. 

 I clenched the collar and nodded slowly, turning towards Radleigh. 

The vampire shrugged slowly, holding my shoulder to guide me towards the door. He only spoke to tease Jasper: "See, working with the resistance has turned you into a softie." After saying those words, he dodged another cushion thrown at him. Radleigh busted into laughter as he pushed me outside the apartment's door.

I remained silent throughout the hallway, but a question came to my lips once I inhaled the city's cold wind. "How do you know all of this?"

Radleigh blinked a couple of times and then gave me his usual smirk with a playful response:

"Can a vampire not have half-werewolves friends?"

"Radleigh!" I frowned, furious. My hand gripped the collar so tightly my fingers hurt. My body trembled with anger and frustration. "Nevermind, you are a vampire after all." 

He wouldn't answer. He wouldn't protect me or become my friend. Whatever his intentions were, they probably weren't good. 

The vampire remained silent for a while. We climbed down the stairs; the only sound between us was the metallic echo of each step. I followed Radleigh half-heartedly with my eyes fixed on the collar, more precisely on its number. "47-L" Was I just a number to them? 

"I helped Jasper... with his powers. You would be surprised how little help there is for half-breeds." Radleigh said as he stepped into a dusty alley. A siren crossed the street at full speed in the distance. "You could say we worked together."

"Not anymore?" I wondered, biting my lips.

"Paths cross and divert just the same." Radleigh looked around distractedly. I blinked, giving him time to elaborate. 

"My agenda is not messing up with the werewolves. I like them," He said without looking at me. "I would give them an open field to roll on the mud and bury bones."

"Does everything you say have to be comparing werewolves to dogs? Or a Stereotype?" I scoffed. I did like to roll on the grass, but that was beside the point. 

Surprisingly a smile curled my lips, and I became amazed at how Radleigh could make me feel at ease. Was he using any of his vampiric suggestions, or were my feelings real? 

"The Stereotypes I have about vampires are not fun." I said.

"And they shouldn't; vampires don't have a sense of humor."

I smiled again, and our gazes finally met. Radleigh seemed slightly embarrassed and pained to reach for the collar on my palm. 

"That's how we make you wear this. It is quite tacky…." He showed a sad smile but then grabbed the collar and wore it on his neck, modeling it with a grimace. "How do I look?"

"Ridiculous…" I responded, taking the collar away from him. As Jasper stated, it was really fake and easy to remove. After a long sigh, I finally wore it around my neck.

The click of the collar closing made a horrifying echo in my ears. That was another sound that would haunt me. I swallowed heavily, trying to convince myself this was the safest choice: "Well, I don't smell anything threatening about you. I suppose you are not lying."

"What's my scent like?" 

The city smells made me shrink my nose as I walked; it was difficult to answer at that moment. Another layer of scents was picked up by my nose; blood. I tried to distract myself with the beautiful windows, but my mind was clouded with fear. 

Now that we walked into the city around midnight, the place was bursting with activity and people, or more precisely, vampires. Radleigh walked next to me, pretending to be relaxed and casual, but I knew he was attentive to my steps and others. We both knew it was dangerous. 

Vampire voices were loud, and their fangs stood up when they spoke. The stench of blood was nauseating, and the sight of my kin being dragged around by chains and collars was also nerve-wracking. 

I instinctively drove my hand to my neck, feeling a shiver and my heart. I could finally answer Radleigh's question with a stutter: 

"Your scent is not like them." 

Radleigh scent was hard to detect, and the traits I could spot were sweet and calming. In fact, his arm near my shoulders prevented me from running down the streets. It was a cacophony of sounds, a dissonant echo of cries, the traffic, and those monsters' laughter. 

"Should I carry you?" Radleigh asked, holding my hand after noticing my uneven breathing. 

"Where are we going?" I asked. My ears twitched beneath my hat. A young wolf fell to the floor, "Someone needs help." 

I tried to step away, but Radleigh held my wrist to stop me. When he was about to answer my question, we were interrupted by a vampire wearing the uniform from their military corps; the red moon. 

Another three were behind him, scoffing. They all wore that uniform. It is difficult to see blood on black fabric, but there was no need; I could smell it. They just fed on that young pup that was now laying on the sidewalk. 

"You got yourself a pretty cute wolf, care to share? Brothers are hungry."

Radleigh embraced me, and I felt his body tensing with those words. His usual playful expression was replaced by utter disgust. 

"As if I would allow a junkie to touch my property," 

He answered, burying my face in his chest to keep me from looking at them. His hand also tried to scratch beneath my ears to soothe me, but there was no use. 

"I don't think you understand who I am..." the vampire said, taking a step towards Radleigh as flashes of lightning formed in his hand. 

"I am a sorcerer from the red moon's circle."

"Who can't afford his own werewolf, tsk. Things must not be going so well for the circle of vampires these days." Radleigh answered, not impressed in the slightest. 

Being closer to him, I could discern his posture better. He wasn't scared or worried, not even a little; he was just annoyed. Wasn't the circle of the red moon the equivalent of captains in the vampire ranks? That vampire had some level of importance. How could he not be afraid? 

The vampires cheered on their leader, who was about to attack Radleigh. I became concerned and tried to break our embrace, but I couldn't. Radleigh pulled me towards his body tightly, his palm pushing my head almost roughly. He didn't want me to look. 

"Do you know any wolf lullaby?" Radleigh whispered, "It would be good if you just close your eyes for a bit and sing…."

"What?!" I muttered, terrified. A flash lasted for a few seconds, followed by a gust of wind. I struggled a little, wishing to see what was happening, but Radleigh didn't let go. 

The vampires gasped and then groaned with annoyance. Did the vampire miss his shot or did Radleigh do something? 

"Just do it, Lior!" He was not one to shout or give commands. I gasped as well. I shut my eyes tightly and clenched to his jacket, ignoring all happening around us.

My lips trembled as I remembered the extract from an old legend. The Harvester of souls...

He sought eternity with no sorrow,

He sought to never feel down, 

He sought to hang his sickle,

As I sang, I heard screams. 

I couldn't see well even if I opened my eyes, so I tried to move my head and look through a nearby window's reflection.

The vampires wailed in pain, and something akin to branches were growing out of their mouths. Was that Radleigh doing? – His hands were still around me. He didn't move, nor did I feel any magic lingering in the air. 

I closed my eyes again. This time I didn't want to watch. Tears rolled down my eyes at the realization of the horrors unraveling around me, and I just happened to be in the arms of one of those monsters. 

Yet, with trembling lights, I continued to sing: 

Harvester, Harvester, 

Why are you sad? Why are you sad?

Don't you know, the beauty it's precious

Because it fades after a while?

I couldn't feel the other vampires moving. The people around were in shock, but nobody dared to approach. 

"You saw, huh?" Radleigh spoke, patting my back with long strokes. 'Told you not to…."

"Did you kill them?" I muttered, unsure if such news would make me glad or worse.

"Vampires regenerate their wounds during the night. After a few hours, they will be fine, not like they don't deserve death." He hissed with contempt, clicking his tongue and glancing over the bodies. "Addicts…"

I was still shivering, so I couldn't make sense of Radleigh's words. 

"I didn't want to carry you around, but it looks like I have to. You are just too irresistible" Radleigh carried me in his arms, and I didn't fight it due to my nervousness. "Come on, let's go home."