The forest air was thick with a mix of excitement and tension as Celeste and Viktor returned home. Isabella, in the midst of setting the dinner table with Ethan, glanced up at the duo. Her eyes widened with concern as she saw Celeste cradling her left arm, a trickle of blood staining her sleeve.
"What happened, Celeste?" Isabella's voice carried a blend of worry and urgency.
"I got a bit too close to a wolf, Mom," Celeste admitted with a half-smile. "But don't worry, I got it!"
Isabella's expression shifted from worry to admonishment. "Celeste, you are a young woman, you should be thinking of finding a good man and giving me grandchildren, not risking your life hunting beasts!"
But Celeste, undeterred by her mother's words, especially since she has heard them many times before, proudly declared, "I killed it, Mom! I'm a wolf hunter now, just like Dad!"
Ethan chimed in, a stern look on his face, "my sister, the wolf hunter. Congratulations, I am just going to pretend that the wolf attacked you and you had no other options."
"Yeah, yeah, you took down a wolf, big accomplishment," Marcus scoffed, his tone tinged with a hint of jealousy. He hadn't experienced the triumph of bringing down a wolf himself, and today presented the perfect chance. Regrettably, he abandoned the hunt too soon.
While Celeste reveled in her newfound title, Isabella continued to inspect the wound on her arm. "Viktor, you should have been watching over her more closely," Isabella scolded, her tone a mix of concern and frustration.
Viktor, silent until now, didn't offer a response. Instead, he turned on his heels and stepped outside, his jaw set with determination. The cool evening air greeted him as he set up a fire in the backyard, arranging the fruits of the day's hunt—including the lifeless body of the wolf Celeste had encountered.
Isabella, still tending to Celeste's wound, shot a disapproving look in Viktor's direction. "You can't keep putting her in harm's way, Viktor," she admonished, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken worries.
Viktor, engrossed in the task at hand, remained silent, the crackling flames casting flickering shadows on his stern expression. The air hung heavy with a mix of familial tension and the scent of a day's hunt, a delicate balance between the call of the wild and the responsibilities that echoed within the walls of the Duval household.
The moon hung low in the ink-black sky, casting an ethereal glow through the canopy of Thorne Blackwood's dreams. A surreal vision unfolded, vivid and haunting, as he slept in the quiet stillness of the night. In the dream, the ancient trees of Blackwood Forest bore witness to the dance of shadows, and Thorne found himself drawn into a realm where reality blurred with the mystical.
As Thorne's eyes snapped open, the remnants of the vision lingered, imprinted on his mind like a ghostly tapestry. The air in his chamber felt charged with an otherworldly energy, the remnants of the spiritual journey he undertook while asleep. He could almost taste the intensity of the transformative power he had witnessed—a power that could shape destinies and bring about a cascade of both creation and destruction.
Compelled by the urgency of his revelation, Thorne reached out to wake Aria, who was fast asleep on the bed next to his.
Her form stirred in the room as he gently shook her shoulder.
"Aria," he whispered urgently, "wake up."
Aria's eyes fluttered open, a haze of sleep lingering. "Master, what is it?" she murmured, her voice softened by the veil of dreams.
"I've had a vision, Aria," Thorne spoke, the gravity of his words cutting through the silence. "The Lupus Dei, the chosen one, will transform tomorrow night. I saw it, felt it—intensely. But there's something else... during the transformation, someone will be harmed. I need to act."
Aria, still caught between the realm of dreams and wakefulness, rubbed her eyes. "Master, tomorrow is not the full moon. The full moon, if my calculations are right, will be in the next three days. We still have time. Are you sure about your vision?"
Thorne's brow furrowed with uncertainty, torn between the conviction of his vision and the practicalities Aria presented. "I saw it, Aria. The energy was overwhelming. It felt real, and the consequences of inaction... I can't risk it."
Bathed in the ethereal glow of moonlight that spilled into the room, casting enigmatic shadows on the floor, Thorne grappled with the weight of his revelation. "As the first light graces the horizon, we must press on with our search. It's imperative that we avert this impending tragedy," Thorne declared with a resolute conviction.
_ ___ __ ______ ___ ___ ____ ____ ____
In the damp, dimly lit dungeon cell, the echoes of chains and muffled footsteps painted a haunting soundtrack to the forsaken atmosphere. Darius, a vampire of dark hair and Rubylike eyes, occupied the corner, shirtless, his intense gaze reflecting the glint of wrought iron bars that bound him. The air bore the scent of stale blood, a lingering testament to the tumult that unfolded within the shadowed confines.
The cell door groaned heavily, a harbinger of impending figures. Through the dimness emerged two significant personas—the formidable leader of the Council of Claws and Fangs, Seraphina, and Elena, the woman entwined in an on-and-off relationship with Darius. As the air thickened with tension, Darius met their gaze, features etched with unyielding defiance. Remorse did not tarnish his demeanor for the perceived "crime" he committed.
"Darius!" Seraphina called on to him, her tone resonating with authority. "Do you truly believe you can extinguish five of your own and escape without consequence?"
Darius arched an eyebrow, his countenance veiled in indifference. "It was necessary. They were nothing short of savages, all of them."
Seraphina paced gracefully in front of the cell, her gaze penetrating the shadows with unwavering intensity. "Your rebellious actions, Darius, have become a persistent thorn in our side. While your motivations may carry a hint of understanding, your defiance has not gone unnoticed. Though I empathize with the bond you formed with those humans, your actions are not aligned with the council's goals."
Elena, positioned steadfastly at Seraphina's side, released a sigh, her eyes revealing a blend of regret and comprehension. "You sought vengeance for a family you grew fond of—an act that breaches our laws. These humans, at best, are our pets, walking and breathing foods all of them. Your devotion seems misplaced, and your actions have consequences."
Darius's countenance twisted into one of irritation upon hearing his now mercilessly devoured best friends being equated to mere pets.
Seraphina rested against the chilled bars, her gaze unwaveringly meeting Darius's. "Let me lay it out for you, Darius. Thanks to Elena's impassioned plea, highlighting your status as one of the strongest and most skilled vampires among us, the council has spared you from the merciless fate of being cast into daylight without your sunlight ring, left to burn for your transgressions. However, there's a caveat—a prophecy, foretelling the arrival of an Alpha king, some call him the Lupus Dei , which is translated to mean the Wolf of God. Your ticket to freedom and redemption hinges on locating and delivering this boy to us. Consider this your sole chance at reclaiming both freedom and honor."
Darius's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "And what do you want to do with the boy?"
"That's none of your concern," Seraphina retorted, her tone carrying a commanding authority. "Cease with these senseless inquiries; your life hangs in the balance." Elena, who had remained silent until that moment, issued a warning to Darius.
As Seraphina laid out the terms, Darius's mind spun with intricate escape plans. He absorbed every detail attentively, strategically biding his time, recognizing that each word spoken was a thread in the chains he aspired to shatter. Despite the council having confiscated his sunlight ring, Darius, resourceful as ever, had secured an additional one through a sorceress he helped escape.
However, upon deeper reflection, a shift occurred in his considerations. While contemplating the consequences, he began to lean toward accepting the terms. The realization dawned that if he refused, someone else might seize this opportunity, potentially unleashing unforeseen dangers upon whoever this mysterious Lupus Dei was.
"Can I have some time to think about it?" Darius inquired cautiously. "You have until the break of dawn to decide, but bear in mind that a refusal is akin to signing your own death warrant," Seraphina replied with a steely gaze. With a subtle gesture to Elena, she signaled their departure from the dim confines of the dungeon, leaving Darius alone with the weight of an impending decision hanging in the air.