Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

'This is fucked up…' In the novel, it was never mentioned that the people of the Steelhound were not humans. And he never knew that the vampire shown amongst the ten champions was a member of the Steelhound.

And now he was caged inside a house that was filled with such beings who suck blood and remain sleepless.

'No wonder why they are so infamous for their wild hunting style.' Alex heaved a sigh as he stretched his body after a few hours of sleep.

*Knock*

Hearing the knock, he draped a shirt over his naked form, and while wearing shorts on his lower half, he went to open the door.

"Yes?" There stood a mesmerizing woman with black hair and violet eyes. She was holding a tray of tea and some snacks, as she asked,

"Can I come in?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, sure."

He hurriedly put away the bags and offered a chair to the lady, "Sorry for making a mess."

"No, it's okay. Rather, for a teenager, you are still too well-mannered. When Eric was of your age, he used a curse before and after each sentence."

Alex was surprised since the man he had met previously was quite well-mannered and poised.

The lady rested the tray on the table as the duo sat around the table.

"Please have some."

Alex didn't shy away and picked a few cookies and began to munch on them as he heard her say,

"My name is Veronica, I am Rebecca and Eric's mother."

He somehow expected her to be the mother since the vampire's age very slowly.

"You must have already figured out that we are vampires…something we were supposed to keep hidden from everyone. That's why we never took any interns before, and in this mansion, only the four of us live."

Alex nodded, "Understandable…but why me? Why break the rules?"

Veronica sighed, "Well, my dear husband took interest in you after you killed that guy…what was his name?"

"Abeth?"

"Yeah….I heard he was a pervert?"

Alex nodded.

The lady crossed her arms on her magnificent assets, as she said, "Well, that's the reason why my husband got interested in you and made this exception. Although Your Majesty warned him that you might discern our true identity, Anvil insisted."

"And now is he regretting?" Alex asked as he sipped on the tea. It was too damn good.

"No, not at all. In the first place, it was Rebecca's fault that our identity was revealed. And not like you are going to openly advertise it."

Alex shrugged, "I have no such tendency. I am here for the internship, and it doesn't matter whether the one teaching me is a human or a vampire."

Veronica grinned, as she softly caressed his cheek, "Good boy you are."

Alex was somehow reminded of Sarah. She was, in a way, similar to this woman. Or maybe she behaves like this since she is a mother?

Regardless, she soon realized her mistake and apologized, "Ah, I am sorry…it's just, it has been ages since I met a child, and my motherly side couldn't resist."

"Nothing to be worried about…then, can I ask you something?"

Veronica nodded before Alex asked, "Why do you live here and not in your realm? Answer only if you don't mind."

Veronica rested her hands on her thighs and looked at the table with a nostalgic gaze.

After a moment of pause, she revealed, "The situation of the place where we used to belong is quite bad. It's the inhabitant of brain-dead people." Looking up at him, Veronica added,

"Vampires don't age for a long time, and having offspring is nearly a miracle back on the land. As such, the old generation, with time, lose their sanity and start doing mindless things…experimentations to be precise."

Alex frowned, "So the smuggling of humans and elves is not just a rumour?"

Veronica heaved a sigh, "I cannot say it for sure, but yes, they used to practice interracial copulation by forcibly abducting people."

Alex wasn't surprised. An empty mind is a home to evil. And vampires have a lot of time on them to do such things.

After taking a pause and calming herself down, the lady added, "That's why when Anvil and I got together, we decided to leave that realm, and through our connections, we landed here. And now, for the past century, we have become an integral part of the Kingdom."

There was a sense of pride in her voice when she said that, and Alex could understand the reason. After all, there was profound distrust among different races. Because of some idiots, like the ones Veronica mentioned, people from different races don't trust each other, at all.

And in such circumstances, to change their residence and become a part of one of the three major human settlements, was a big deal.

"I heard from Eric, that Rebecca forced a bond on you?"

Alex nodded, a weary exhale escaping his lips, "I don't know why and how, but she was convinced that it should be me?" Looking at the lady, he asked, "Is she whimsical?"

Veronica giggled, "Well, on most occasions she is…but, not when deciding her bond."

Alex frowned, he was confused.

Veronica revealed the reason behind her action, "She was there, with her father, when the assessment happened. She saw you fight and was quite attracted to you."

Alex scratched his head, 'No wonder I felt someone watching me constantly…'

The older one continued, "Then you went ahead and killed the man we chose as her partner."

Alex's eyes widened but before he could ask, about whom she was talking, a name popped up in his mind,

"Luke Greyhart…" He knew that the emblem he wore on his chest belonged to one of the leading clans in trade and harvest.

So…he was the chosen partner?

"Yes, he was the one we chose. However, fate has its own game, and guess what, the boy we chose for Rebecca was killed by the boy she chose for herself."

Alex was genuinely shocked here. He could have never expected the events to take such a strange turn that an already infatuated girl would become insanely attracted to him just because he wanted to earn some quick cash.

Veronica got up from the seat and assured him, "Although now she is your mate, it's not necessary for you to accept her, since it's a fact that she forced herself on you."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Heaving a sigh that made her shoulders relax, she added, "But as a mother, I request you to please give my daughter a chance."

Alex also got up and said, "I will try." Although he said that, he just didn't want to stress the lady who welcomed him so warmly.

Veronica smiled at him and raised her hand to ruffle his hair, only to halt once she realized her mistake, "Old habits die hard."

Alex smiled, as he bid farewell to the lady of the house and returned to his room.

Looking around, he decided to first clean the room and get changed since midnight was approaching, and Eric said they would be leaving to hunt at that time.

It didn't take much time for him to arrange his clothes in the wardrobe and hide the money he brought along. Once he was done, he checked the bathroom, and dear lord, it was huge.

A huge pool was built on the other side of the bathroom, inside which there were options for warm and cold baths.

Alex quickly chose the warm option, finding his fatigued body in desperate need of some relaxation.

While he soaked in, he looked at the ceiling and wondered things about the other realms.

It has been almost a month since he came here, and only four months before the prophecy arrived regarding the tournament.

After that, the government from each realm would send their champions to compete in a tournament to decide who could become a warrior to participate in the ascension trials.

Naturally, they filtered out the weak so Alex needs to keep showing his potential unless he wants to get into a feud with the government.

'Haah, let's get out…' He was feeling a little sad leaving such a comfortable place but staying there any more means he would be late for his internship just on the first day.

Alex tied a towel after briefly wiping his body and made his way out of the bathroom…only to freeze up when he found a person sitting on his bed.

"What are you doing here?" Alex frowned as he found the young lady of the family casually waiting for him.

Rebecca grinned as her eyes went from his face to his well-toned body. She bit her lips sensually while she eyed him as she subconsciously muttered,

"The dinner looks appetizing."

Alex frowned, ready to take out his sword. However, Rebecca soon chuckled and after hopping off the bed she said,

"Come with me. Eric is waiting for you."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.