"Al...pha," Kay and his n, who had hastened to his side upon his command, stood stunned at the sight before them. A child rested in Quinn’s arms, and their mouths parted in shock. It was an unfamiliar and altogether strange sight to behold, yet they suspected it had sothing to do with the urgent summons to the market square.
At first, questions surged through their minds as to what had transpired in their absence? But as their eyes swept over the scene, clarity soon settled upon them.
"Shush," Quinn murmured, pressing a finger to his lips. The simple gesture silenced them at once, their unspoken words swallowed as they stepped aside to make way.
"Is everyone gathered?" Belle asked, turning to Kay, who, for a brief mont, found himself staring at the unconscious man. Bewildernt flickered in his gaze. Had she truly subdued him on her own?
"Y-yes, they should all be there by now," he answered, quickly realigning his focus. Without wasting another mont, they quickened their pace toward the market square.
Upon their arrival, they found the villagers already assembled. Though the gathering was not as vast as Belle had anticipated, she knew well enough that not all would co—so, no doubt, preferred to avoid commotion and had chosen to remain in their hos.
"Is that not the village head?"
"What have they done to him?"
"Are they... vampires?"
The murmurs spread like wildfire the mont the villagers spotted their leader being dragged before them. Unease rippled through the crowd, and they instinctively inclined backward, their gazes shifting warily to Quinn and the others. At first, they had assud the village head himself had summoned them, as such gatherings were not uncommon. Yet now, it was clear that this was far from what they had expected.
"Release our village head, you vile bloodsuckers!" A man stepped forward with bold defiance, his fists clenched, as though prepared to fight if necessary.
"It wounds to be compared to such ugly creatures, but I shall overlook it," Quinn remarked, his voice calm but laced with amusent. The villagers frowned, uncertainty flickering in their expressions. Was he mocking them, or were they truly not vampires?
"What, then, are you?" The sa man demanded, his stance unyielding.
"We are werewolves from the werewolf kingdom," Quinn began, but before he could raise his voice further, Belle stepped forward, still gripping the village head and he continued. "We ca rely to gather provisions for our crew. Unfortunately, my wife finds it hard to mind her business and here I am, helping her not mind her business."
So among the villagers relaxed slightly, though suspicion still lingered in the air. What business was she minding that had nothing to do with her?
"And how are we to believe you?" A young woman from the crowd called out, earning murmurs of agreent.
"He shall make you believe," Belle answered coolly. Without another word, she dropped the village head’s leg and took a step closer. Then, without hesitation, she struck him across the face.
The man remained still.
She struck him a second ti, harder this ti, and at last, he gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.
"How dare you..." he began, fury rising in his voice, only to falter when his eyes landed upon the villagers standing before him.
"Village head, tell us what is happening! Why are these people here? Why did they knock you unconscious?" The man demanded, stepping closer.
"I..." The village head stamred, his throat tightening with sha. Words failed him, for he knew well that the villagers would never forgive him. Confession ant certain death and there was no escape from the fate that awaited him. Yet, he could still lie. The villagers trusted him more than they did these strangers. If he chose his words carefully, they would believe him.
"Go on," Belle urged, nudging him forward.
"I do not know them!" He cried, seizing the opportunity. "They wish to force to sell so of you to them, and they threatened to kill should I refuse!" Crawling forward, he spun his tale, feigning distress. A chorus of gasps rippled through the crowd.
"I knew it! They are vampires!" Soone among the villagers shouted, and at once, hostility flared in their eyes. Hands curled into fists, their bodies tensed, ready to strike.
"You liar!" Belle snapped, seizing a fistful of the man’s hair. "Tell them the truth!"
The village head, ever the deceiver, twisted the mont to his advantage. He cried out, his voice trembling with well-practiced fear. "She is forcing to deceive you! Please, help !" He squeezed his eyes shut, letting false tears spill, an act that only deepened the villagers’ sympathy.
"Attack!!" The man who had first stepped forward bellowed, and in an instant, the villagers surged forward.
Belle, too focused on forcing the truth from the village head, failed to notice the attack coming. A sudden blow sent her sprawling to the ground. Pain erupted through her side as she groaned, clutching her ribs.
"Aah!" She gasped, the force of the strike still coursing through her body.
Then, silence fell.
Furrowing her brows, Belle raised her head, uncertain of what had caused the abrupt stillness. Yet, when her gaze settled on the scene before her, she frowned, displeased by the turn of events.
"Would you have fulfill your belief that we are vampires?" Quinn’s voice rang through the square, dangerously calm. He stood, his hand wrapped tightly around the throat of the villager who had struck Belle, lifting him with ease. Though his words were posed as a question, they carried the weight of a threat.
"Everyone, stop!" The man who had ordered the attack monts ago now called out, his voice urgent. The villagers hesitated before retreating, panting from the brief chaos.
"We may look human, but we are of different origins," the man continued. "You cannot defeat us all. Release our village head, and we shall forget this ever happened." The man said but even a kid would sense the threat in his words.
A slow smile crept onto Quinn’s face.
"I do enjoy being threatened," he mused. "But, alas, my wife is insistent upon ddling in your affairs. If you truly wish to know why your pregnant won vanish, leaving their children behind, then I suggest you behave."
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances. How did a stranger know of such things? Their village head had sworn them to secrecy, warning that the knowledge must never leave their borders—lest their village beco a target. But now, as they pondered his words, they found themselves asking a question they had long ignored. A target... for what?
The man’s gaze flickered between Belle and the village head, uncertainty flashing in his eyes before vanishing once more.
"If you claim to be concerned for our welfare, then explain why he is in such a state," the man challenged, unwilling to be so easily swayed.
"Because he deserves to die," Belle declared, her voice unwavering. "For selling innocent babies to witches."
A collective gasp swept through the villagers, their eyes widening in horror.
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