Elena’s POV
We settled around the kitchen table, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Damien grabbed two more beers, one for himself and one for , but deliberately ignored Tessa completely. His eyes never even flickered in her direction.
I couldn’t really bla him. She had been his mate, his destined partner, and she had thrown it all away for a vampire. That kind of rejection would crush any Alpha’s pride. But fate had given him a second chance with , and I was determined to prove I was worth it.
Dante leaned forward, his expression grim. "So you’ve encountered the first vampire’s offspring."
"Unfortunately, yes," I replied, my stomach churning at the mory.
"Tell exactly what you’ve seen," he demanded. I pulled out my phone and showed them the photograph of that horrific creature from Marcus’s basent. Dante’s face went pale, and I could see the disbelief drain away as reality hit him.
"A pack of these monsters attacked us yesterday. They murdered Elena’s mother," Damien said, his voice tight with controlled rage.
"How many were there?" Dante’s voice was barely above a whisper.
"Too many to count. At least several dozen," Damien answered.
Dante’s hands trembled slightly as he set down his beer. "You need to evacuate this entire pack imdiately. If they’ve targeted you here, they’ll return. These creatures don’t attack randomly. They always have a purpose."
"We know exactly what they want," I said, my voice hardening. "And they won’t stop until they get it. Which ans we have to destroy every single one of them."
Julian shook his head frantically. "That’s impossible. They cannot be killed."
"Elena killed one last night," Damien stated flatly. The room fell into stunned silence, all eyes turning to with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"How is that possible?" Julian stamred.
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "We’re the ones asking questions here. Start talking. What exactly are these things?"
Dante and Julian exchanged aningful glances before Dante began. "They’re abominations. The direct result of being bitten by the original vampire himself. When regular vampires bite humans, those new vampires evolve and adapt over ti. But these creatures, the ones bitten directly by the first vampire, they remain frozen in their monstrous state forever."
"Is the original vampire still alive?" I pressed.
"We believe so, though no one knows his location," Julian replied. "If he’s alive, these creatures serve as his personal army. If he’s dead, they continue operating as a unified pack, following their last instructions."
"Where would he establish his base?" I asked, my mind already working through possibilities.
Dante hesitated. "He originated in Italy, but over the centuries there have been sightings across Europe and South Arica. London, Madrid, Buenos Aires."
"Where was he last seen?" Damien demanded, his Alpha authority bleeding into his voice.
The brothers looked uncomfortable. "It was a very long ti ago," Dante mumbled.
"That wasn’t the question," I snapped.
Finally, Julian answered. "Chicago."
My blood ran cold. "Are you telling this monster has been in our region and you never bothered to ntion it?"
"The sighting was two hundred years ago!" Dante protested.
Damien and I locked eyes, and he began mind-linking about my ability to kill these creatures and my promise to find more ways to destroy them. I felt hesitant about sharing too much. We would need more test subjects if I was going to experint with different killing thods.
"What are you two not telling us?" Julian asked suspiciously.
"You ntioned Elena killed one of them," Tessa interjected. Damien still refused to acknowledge her presence.
"That’s correct. I did," I confird.
"But how?" Julian persisted.
I glanced at Damien again, seeking reassurance. "Are we certain we can trust them?"
"I honestly don’t know," Damien said aloud this ti. "They sent you here to kill Marcus because they thought he was responsible for the human deaths."
"Wait, he isn’t?" Julian’s eyes widened.
"No. These creatures are the killers. Which ans they’re operating sowhere nearby," I explained.
"They move with supernatural speed. They could be anywhere within a hundred-mile radius," Dante warned.
"I’m aware. Sa as vampires," I replied curtly.
"Tell us how you killed that creature," Julian demanded.
I took a deep breath. "I bit it."
They stared at in complete bewildernt, trying to process this impossible information.
"Werewolves and vampires have attempted to destroy them for centuries," Dante said slowly. "Every conceivable weapon has been used against them. They’ve been bitten countless tis by various supernatural beings. Nothing has ever worked."
"My mother told sothing before she died," I said, my voice growing quiet. "This wasn’t their first attempt to capture . They ca for when I was a child too. She claid she didn’t understand why, but there’s sothing about that draws them. And sohow, when I bit that monster, it died."
The room fell into stunned silence.
"Having important etings in my packhouse without now?" Marcus’s voice cut through the tension as he entered the kitchen.
"You threw a tantrum and stord off to sulk," I shot back. "I figured you needed so alone ti to work through your feelings."
"This is critical information. Maybe you should have inford that you killed one of those things. I have one captured in my basent. Why are you keeping secrets from ?"
"Simple. I despise you," I stated matter-of-factly.
Damien had to hide his smile behind his beer bottle, and I noticed the others turning away to conceal their amusent.
"This is still my territory," Marcus insisted.
"Don’t think I won’t end you, especially after your stunt this morning," I threatened.
"That warrior got what he deserved," Marcus replied coldly.
"Keep telling yourself that fairy tale," I said, standing up to grab another beer from the refrigerator.
When I returned to the table, Damien took control of the conversation. "We need a strategy. We have to locate their hideout and figure out how to capture one or two without triggering a full assault from the others."
"That sounds incredibly dangerous," Tessa observed.
"I’ve successfully captured one before. I can do it again," Marcus said, taking a seat.
"Are you sure that wasn’t just dumb luck?" I challenged.
"Absolutely certain. I used one of my pack mbers as bait," he said casually.
I slamd my beer bottle down so hard the table shook, causing everyone to jump.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" I snarled.
"It was the only effective thod. The pack mber remained safe," he defended.
"Pack mber? Who exactly?" I demanded.
"A five-year-old from the pack," he answered.
I shot up so violently that my chair crashed backward to the floor. I was ready to tear Marcus apart when Damien jumped up and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding back as I lunged forward.
Marcus scrambled away from the table and pressed himself against the wall, genuine fear flickering in his eyes.
"Easy, calm down," Damien murmured in my ear.
"I don’t want to calm down! I want to rip his throat out!" I scread.
"I know, but not right now. We might still need him alive," Damien reasoned.
I forced myself to relax slightly and stepped back, though Damien kept his protective arm around in case I decided to attack again.
"Fine. But this ti, I’m the bait," I declared firmly.
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