Prologue
October 26, 1990

Peter Whitlock POV

12:39 AM

I check my watch for the seventh time in the last nine minutes and glance at the door, hearing the bass of the music pumping through the walls. I eagerly keep my eyes on the door, knowing that she's done her shift and she should be exiting the club any minute now. My nerves are pretty much going ragged as they have been all day, and I take the pack of cigarettes out of my pocket. Obviously, since we're technically dead, the smoke won't harm our lungs, but I just like the taste and the smooth feeling I get after. Especially smoking after a hunt, but now I'm just doing it to pass time and calm my nerves. Placing one in my mouth, I light it with my zippo and shakily exhale. I don't even remember a time when I was this nervous. I think back to the past week and how much my lonely life has changed. I now have a glimmer of something that I haven't felt in a while.

Hope.

Hope for the future, hope for my Mate, hope for not being lonely anymore. It's been too long since I've had someone to talk to, to care about, and with my brother changing into a 'robot', I can't talk to him anymore. It seems like I'm not worthy of his precious and valuable time anymore with that wife and family of his. The notorious Cullens.

Ugh, Mystic Meg and her band of fur munchers.

All vampires seem to know the Cullens, because of their 'vegetarian' diet, and their smarmy attitudes. Those goddamn vampires are so far up on their moral high horse, I'm not even sure they can see civilization anymore. Sanctimonious dicks. All of them, well, except Emmett. He's an alright guy, and his Mate is one tough bitch, but the others have some problems. Like Edward, I swear that he should either end it or just get laid. All this brooding shit must get old.

Dr. C and Esme are okay, and they have a noble idea going to raise their coven as a 'family', but I think you could run into some problems in the future if everyone wants to think that they're the leader. With the Cullens, it seems that Edward and Alice are the leaders since that's who they all listen to. Just because of their gifts. Dr. C needs to step up and knock Mystic Meg and Emoward down a couple of pegs.

I'm pulled from my veggie bashing as the door to the club opens, crude shouts from the patrons sound through the open door and I roll my eyes. I can't help but smile as my lovely Mate steps out and turns towards the bouncer. Shit, she looks gorgeous. My beauty is wearing ripped jeans, cowboy boots, and her normal leather jacket. Her blonde hair is pulled up into a messy bun high on her head with her bangs falling in her eyes. "See ya, Lou."

I haven't actually gone inside the club watch her, knowing that I'd probably go on a massacre, killing all the humans who dare look at her. I understand why she's stripping; it's a hard world out here and there aren't many jobs available. You know, girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and all that shit. Doesn't mean that I have to like it. In fact, I hate it, which is why I need to set in course the inevitable.

"Have a good night, Honey." he responds and she walk down the street towards her car. I flick my cigarette away and follow her at a good pace, placing my hands in my pocket in an attempt to act casual. She has her duffel bag over her shoulder, reaching inside of her purse. She places her bag on the ground and reaches inside her purse, while I duck into an alley like a chicken shit. Shit, maybe I should just wait another day, or something. That would be alright, if my dick wasn't screaming at me to stop being such a bitch. My inner beast is even yelling at me, telling me to man up and go get my woman.

My woman.

I glance over to the side as I hear some crunching as a homeless man falls over. From here, I can smell the alcohol that he's ingested, and it would be enough to get me buzzed if I drank from him. That's something I do miss about being human. I can remember clearly getting drunk and how fun that was. Maybe I'll make a meal out of him after I talk to my Mate. I haven't hunted in a couple of days. I turn my attention back to my beauty, seeing her still at her car.

She gets her keys out of her purse and I realize that I'm running out of time. I smack my head against the wall of the building I'm leaning against, cracking a couple of the bricks. It's been quite a while since I've done this, approaching a member of the opposite sex for more than, well, sex. I admit that have no idea what I'm doing right now. Usually, as vampires, we just see each other, know that we need to get laid, and jump each other's bones for some release, before parting ways. But, this isn't just some little fling, this is the real deal. This is me trying to build up some courage, and figure out what I'm going to say to my human Mate. I can't fuck this up.

I'm such a fucking pussy.

Back when I was a human, I was from a time where dates with a girl was chaperoned by their brothers. Time's sure have changed, and this is a vampire/human situation. God dammit. What the hell should I do? Should I just walk up to her and say,

Oh, hi, my name's Peter and I'm a vampire. By the way, you're my intended Soul Mate. Would you let me buy you a cup of coffee?

Yeah, that'll go over well as she runs away screaming bloody murder. Fuck, fuck, fuck! How the hell am I going to do this? How the hell am I going to explain the red eyes, too? I didn't wear my glasses because I'd rather not be an asshole who wears his sunglasses at night. That would look a little weird.

Oh, why are my eyes blood red? Don't worry, it's a just a medical condition I have.

Yeah, right. I'm in deep shit.

I glance back over to my beautiful Mate, and my eyes widen at what I see, my anger rising. "Oh, no fucking way." I mutter as I see a hooded man grab her by her hair and covering her mouth with his hand to keep her from screaming. He drags her back into the alleyway near her parked car at vampire speed. I'm confident in my abilities to fight. Hell, I was taught by the best! I've had to fight a couple of nomad vampires who needed to be put in their place, and I win. I always win. That's all my sire, my brother, taught me. To win.

My Mating instincts are kicking in as all I see is another male vampire trying to take what is mine. That shit will not fly with me. Vampires - male vampires, especially - are incredibly protective and possessive of their Mate. During the first few years of Mating, we barely tolerate any men even looking at our Mate, let alone touching her. It does get better after a while, and hell, some Mates actually let each other have sex with other people. How? I have no fucking idea, because I can't imagine her being with someone else.

MINE!

I snarl and follow them into the alley, where I find the fucker already drinking from my Mate. God dammit! I was too distracted by what I was going to say to her, and I failed to keep her safe. The ugly fucker glances up to me and snarls, as I am intruding on his meal time. I see red...much like the color of the blood flowing from my Mate's neck. Pure anger is coursing through my dead veins, and I know my eyes are now completely black. I've never felt like this - this angry - before. I've never felt this protective over someone either. The only person that's been on my give-a-shit list is Jasper, though in recent years he's been fading and fading off it. I've only worried about myself in these past years, but now, my Mate is on there, and she's at the top.

The dead man walking - pun intended - gets into a crouch, and I roar, "Mine!" as I run at him, lowering my shoulder and throwing him away from my Mate. I then crouch down in front of mine, protecting her as the rogue vampire shakes himself off, growls and charges me, fueling my anger.

Fucking inexperienced toddler.

I have no problem as I dodge his attack, grabbing his head by his hair and twisting his neck. The satisfying metallic noise sounds in the air as his head tears from his neck, his body dropping to the ground with a thud. I throw his head into the dumpster and then rip him apart, piece by piece, throwing all of the remains in after the head. I take out my lighter and reach in, the venom catching fire and lighting the fucker into ash.

I relish in the smell of burning vampire, watching the purple smoke rise as my inner beast roars. I haven't killed a vampire in a while, and that pleasure of saving my Mate from that sicker fucker grows, just like the fire. I'm pulled from my gratification, by a pained whimper and I snap my head to the right. Shit, how could I forget about her? I quickly flit over to my injured girl, who's choking on her own blood. Her neck is bleeding from his bite, but it was a feeding bite, not a turning bite so there's no venom, and I'm glad.

No venom will run through her veins except mine!

I've heard before that you become bonded Mates that way, and I've heard that it's stronger than regular Mates. If you're lucky enough for your Mate to be your sire, than your relationship runs deeper than anything else. Of course, this is just what I heard, but it sounds pretty fucking awesome and I believe it.

I sigh at the bittersweet situation, since I didn't want to change her now, but it seems that I have no choice in the matter. I wanted to introduce myself to her, get to know her, take things slow, and then ask if she wants me to turn her or not. I would oblige to her wish if she chose to stay human, no matter how much it would pain me. I know I'm taking her choice away, but I'm just too damn selfish to just let her die. The thought of her death literally sickens me.

As I cradle my beauty's face between my hands, she opens her half lidded blue eyes, connecting to mine for the first time. I feel like my heart is racing a mile a minute, which is impossible since it's been long dead. Though, I beg it to stay still so I can fully focus. My Mate's usually tan skin is growing paler and paler with blood loss and I can already hear her heartbeat slowing. I gently brush some hair away from her face, and she seems to lean into my touch, despite the pain I know she's feeling at the moment.

She recognizes me as her Mate!

"I'm sorry, beautiful, but I cannot let you die." I murmur as her eyes stare into mine. I lean down towards her slender neck and place a kiss at the pulse point, feeling the slowing beat under my cold lips, before biting into her neck, injecting as much of my venom as I can. I then move to her wrists, doing the same thing. Her blood registers in my mind, and though it is delicious, I need her more than it. She has become my world this past week, and I'm not giving that up just because I want some blood. She lets out a scream and I sigh in relief, knowing that the venom is flowing and the change has begun. My Mate whimpers a couple of times and I wince as I remember the pain. The burning agony. The persistent fire. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. The pain is only temporary and I promise that it'll be worth it. Just hang in there, gorgeous. It'll all be over soon."

A/N: This is AU. Charlotte wasn't alive during the Southern Vampire Wars. Jasper helped Peter escape, and then escaped himself. You'll see how Bella ties into all of this in a little bit. This is a Bella/Jasper fanfiction, with a little Peter/Char on the side.

- Wonderland xo Writing -