Chapter 83
Draven.
The drive back to the estate was quiet.
Dennis leaned back in the passenger seat, holding his throat, trying to play tough, but I could still hear the rasp in his breathing.
The smudge of blood was like a warning smeared across his collarbone.
I gripped the wheel tighter than necessary. The gravel under the tires cracked and spat as the gates of the estate came into view, half-open as if expecting us.
Two guards stood there, faces alert under the glare of our headlights. They greeted us before I drove into the compound proper.
I pulled the SUV to a smooth stop outside the main house and turned off the engine.
Dennis sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “That was insane.”
I didn’t answer. A lot of disturbing thoughts were still going through my head at the moment.
We stepped out into the night. Before we made it up the steps, the front door opened and Jeffery stepped out.
He was always waiting when I didn’t ask.
“Alpha, you are back,” he said, scanning us both. His gaze lingered on Dennis, definitely guessing that something was wrong.
“Inside,” I said curtly, already leading the way.
He didn’t argue.
Since Dennis said he didn’t need my help, I let him struggle behind me.
We stepped into the sitting room off the entryway. The lights were dimmed, and the smell of wood polish and pine still lingered from the morning cleaning.
Dennis collapsed into the nearest armchair like he had just returned from war.
I remained standing, arms folded across my chest, still wired from the hunt.
Jeffery’s tone was neutral, but I heard the tension under it. “What happened, Alpha? You look disturbed, and Dennis definitely doesn’t look good.”
“There is something in the woods,” I said. “We picked up a blood scent on our way home. And we decided to check it out.”
Dennis scoffed. “Yeah, and I nearly lost my life.”
Jeffery looked between us again. “You were attacked?” He asked, finally understanding how Dennis got injured.
Dennis lifted his shirt collar slightly, exposing the bruising under his throat. “You could say that.”
Jeffery turned to me for explanation.
“He was fast,” I said. “Too fast for any rogue. Even faster than me. He was pale, paler than our mother and Meredith. He was beautiful in a strange way. Blood on his hands. Red eyes.”
Jeffery’s expression shifted. Disbelief mixed with something else. “No.”
“Yes.”
His voice dropped. “Vampire?”
I nodded “That’s exactly what I think it was.”
Dennis sat up straighter. “He could have taken me because he was definitely going to do that. But then he smelled something… said I smelled like ’one of them’ .”
Jeffery blinked. “One of them?”
I nodded once. “He let him go when I got there. Ran before I could catch him.”
Jeffery absorbed that silently, his lips drawn thin. “If you’re right…”
“I’m right,” I cut in. “And it means they’ve been here for a while. Watching us. Picking their moments.”
Jeffery looked down, jaw clenched.
He was definitely thinking of something which I didn’t think I was ready to hear if it had nothing to do with a solution.
“Double the patrols tonight,” I ordered. “No one outside the gates without my permission. And bring the hunters in.”
He nodded. “Immediately.”
Dennis groaned softly from the chair. “And maybe don’t stab me while you are at it. I’ve had enough for one night.”
I gave him a look. “Try not to let anyone pin you to a tree next time.”
He rolled his eyes before asking, “And what the hell did that crazy guy mean by I was with one of them? Did another vampire pass me by in the forest or perhaps, did I run into one when I went into town earlier today?”
“Maybe you should ask him when next you meet,” I replied in a serious tone.
I had no answers to that question, so I resorted to teasing him.
“What a wonderful brother you are,” Dennis huffed.
I tapped his shoulder gently. “Yes, I know.”
I stepped closer to the window, staring into the thick darkness beyond the courtyard.
The Vampires are real. This was not some rumour or folklore.
They were out there. And now they had our scent.
After Jeffery left the room to carry out my orders, and Dennis had finally gone upstairs to rest, I remained alone.
The sitting room was quiet. Too quiet. Even the air felt heavy, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath.
I leaned against the window frame, arms crossed, eyes on the distant treeline. There was nothing but shadows now, yet I couldn’t unsee that man’s crimson eyes—or the way he looked at Dennis like prey that almost got away.
He had spoken so casually. So calmly. He wasn’t just passing through.
He was hunting.
And it wasn’t just wolves dying out there. It wasn’t random. These kills were strategic—heartless, literally and figuratively.
My jaw tightened.
This wasn’t the kind of threat I could share openly with the entire pack just yet. Panic would spread faster than infection, and suspicion would follow. And with Meredith here—vulnerable, marked, surrounded by wolves who still questioned her place—rumours could become lethal.
I needed facts.
And silence.
I moved away from the window and left for my office. I crossed the room to my desk. Unlocking the top drawer, I pulled out an old black leather folder—one I hadn’t touched in years. It was given to me by my father.
I flipped through worn pages until I found what I needed: a thin file labelled “EXTINCT.”
Not anymore, apparently.
I turned to the map tucked beneath the documents and traced the edges of Duskmoor’s borders, then the red pins we’d placed where every heartless corpse had been found. The pattern was too clean. They were closing in.
I heard Rhovan stir in the back of my mind.
“The vampires… It was the one in the woods on our journey to Duskmoor,” he said quietly. “And our mate had sensed it. Remember?”
“Yes, I do,” I replied, my gaze thoughtful.
“They’re not just hunting,” he added. “They’re studying.”
“I know. And they are testing boundaries”
I shut the folder and locked it again.
A knock sounded at the door.
Jeffery entered, quiet as always. “The outer sentries are doubled. Hunters have been summoned. I handpicked them myself.”
“Good.”
He paused, reading the room like he always did. “Do you want the council informed?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. We need proof. We need a body.”
Jeffery hesitated. “You are planning something.”
“I always am.”
He nodded, then turned to leave.
But I stopped him. “Tell the kitchen staff no early breakfasts for the next three days. No one moves before sunrise unless I give the order.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
He left without another word.
I exhaled slowly and turned back to the window.
If vampires had truly returned, then this estate wasn’t just in danger. It might be the bait.
They had I and Dennis’ scent.
And if that red-eyed monster stepped into my woods—I would be ready.