23. Shadow In Daylight.

Caleb’s POV

The ashes on my hands hadn’t even dried before I burst into Wolfe Enterprises.

The automatic doors whooshed open, and the scent of polished marble and cologne hit me, too clean compared to the stench of burnt vampire flesh still clinging to my clothes. My pulse pounded in my ears, matching my footsteps as I strode across the grand lobby. Humans stared, wide-eyed, but no one dared speak ... not with my aura snapping like lightning around me.

The elevator ride felt too slow. I could see my reflection in the mirrored walls: eyes glowing faintly gold, shirt torn at the sleeve, streaks of blood near my collar. Not mine. His. The vampire’s.

Daylight, I thought, my heart still refusing to settle. That bastard walked in daylight.

The elevator pinged. I didn’t wait for it to open fully before stepping out. Adrian’s office was at the end of the long glass corridor, and with every step, I replayed what happened ... the blinding sun above, the sound of bones cracking, the vampire’s hiss as his skin smoked but didn’t burn. He’d looked straight at me, grinning even as the light touched him.

“You think the sun is yours, wolf?” he’d said. “Wait till it bows to us.”

And then he lunged.

If I hadn’t torn through him when I did, he might’ve walked away.

The memory made my jaw tighten as I reached Adrian’s door. I didn’t knock. I shoved it open so hard it slammed against the wall.

“Adrian!”

My Alpha looked up from behind his desk. He was dressed like he always was ... crisp black shirt, rolled sleeves, calm as stone. But I saw his muscles tense the second he saw my face.

“Caleb,” he said slowly, setting aside the tablet in his hand. “You look like death came for you and gave up.”

“Close,” I muttered, stepping forward. “Death came in daylight. And it smiled.”

His eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. “We got a report near the docks ... a scent trail, faint but strong enough. I followed it with two trackers. Expected a night kill, maybe a leftover feeding. But when we got there, the sun was still up. I saw him ....standing right there under the damn light.”

Adrian leaned back slightly, arms crossed. “You’re saying— is that why you smell like....”

“I’m saying a vampire, a vampire .... general was walking around in the sun!” I snapped. “He wasn’t burning to ashes, Adrian. Not instantly. Just a few blisters, smoke, but he was moving ... fighting ...alive.”

The silence that followed was thick. Only the faint hum of the air conditioning filled the room. Then Adrian stood, slow and deliberate, like someone who had just been handed a weapon and bad news at once.

“That’s not possible,” he said finally.

“Yeah?” I shot back. “Well, I thought so too until one tried to rip my throat out in broad daylight.”

Adrian’s golden eyes glimmered faintly — his wolf reacting beneath the surface. “What happened?”

“I tore through him,” I said. “It wasn’t easy. His strength .... it wasn’t normal. He fought like he’d been fed royal blood.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“Some humans caught glimpses. I erased what I could, said it was a gas explosion. But Adrian…” I hesitated, my tone dropping. “He said something before he died.”

“What did he say?”

I met his gaze. “He said, ‘The sun will bow to us.’ Then he laughed ...right before I crushed his spine.”

Adrian’s jaw flexed. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he turned toward the large window overlooking the city skyline. His reflection was calm, but his eyes told a different story.

“The Eclipse,” he murmured. “It’s closer than we thought.”

I frowned. “You think this has to do with that prophecy again?”

“I know it does,” he said. “The lunar energy has been unstable for months. The vampires must’ve found a way to tap into it. If they can walk under the sun, they’re no longer bound by night.”

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. “You mean to tell me they’ve been experimenting on themselves?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” His voice was quiet but sharp as a blade. “They’ve been silent too long, waiting for something. If this isn’t coincidence, it’s preparation.”

My pulse kicked up again. “For what?”

Adrian turned, his expression unreadable. “For the Eclipse War.”

--

Adrian’s POV

Caleb’s words echoed in my mind long after the silence settled.

A vampire in daylight.

That wasn’t supposed to be possible. The sun was nature’s boundary line, the one advantage wolves had over them. It kept the night monsters contained. If that line was gone… then so was the balance.

I walked around the desk slowly, mind calculating a hundred things at once ...the packs, the council, the humans, the Eclipse. Everything shifted in that single piece of information.

“Who else knows?” I asked.

“Just me,” Caleb said. “And the two trackers I sent home. I ordered them to keep quiet.”

“Good,” I said. “This doesn’t leave the room.”

Caleb frowned. “You think the Council shouldn’t know?”

“I think panic is what the vampires want,” I replied coldly. “They move best in chaos. If word spreads that they’re immune to the sun, half the packs will start a hunt they can’t finish.”

He nodded reluctantly. “Then what do we do?”

I paused for a moment, staring out at the skyline. The morning light was beginning to edge over the horizon ...golden, innocent, unaware that it might not be ours anymore.

“Matthew,” I said finally. “We go to him.”

Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “The old man? You think he’ll know what’s going on?”

“If anyone does, it’s him,” I said. “He’s studied vampire alchemy longer than anyone in the Council. If the witches have found a way to bend sunlight, he’ll know how.”

Caleb gave a low whistle. “Then we better not waste time.”

---

The drive out of the city was quiet. Too quiet.

Caleb sat beside me, restless energy radiating off him. Every few minutes, he’d shift, crack his knuckles, glance at the sky like it might suddenly spit fire. I understood. He’d seen something that shouldn’t exist. We both had reasons to be on edge.

The car cut through the highway, city lights fading behind us. Ahead, the forest thickened, the air shifting from metal to pine. Out here, it was easier to breathe ... and harder to ignore the pull of the moon, even when it wasn’t full.

Caleb broke the silence first. “Do you think this is connected to the Eclipse?”

I kept my eyes on the road. “Everything is connected to the Eclipse.”

“Yeah, but… vampires evolving? That’s different.”

I glanced at him briefly. “Nothing about them has ever been natural. You know that.”

He leaned back in his seat, exhaling. “Still. Daylight, Adrian. That changes everything. Imagine a world where vampires can walk beside humans and no one knows the difference.”

“They’ve always tried to blend in,” I said. “But this time, it’s more than blending. It’s infiltration.”

Caleb turned to me sharply. “You think they’re planning something on Earth?”

“I think they already have.” My voice hardened. “You heard what the vampire said. ‘The sun will bow.’ That means they’re not hiding anymore. They’re building.”

He was silent for a while after that. Then, almost quietly, he said, “We’re not ready for this war.”

“We will be,” I answered, though the certainty in my tone felt forced.

Because deep down, I wasn’t sure.

---

Caleb’s POV

Adrian was too calm. That’s how I knew he was worried.

The quieter he got, the louder the storm in his head.

I stared out the window as the car rolled through the woods, the trees blurring past like dark ghosts. My hand still tingled with the memory of the vampire’s blood. It had burned colder than usual — as if the sun itself hadn’t touched it.

That wasn’t evolution. That was magic.

“Do you think the vampire witches are back?” I asked after a moment.

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “They never left.”

I looked at him. “You think this was their doing?”

“I know it was. The vampires never had the power to resist nature on their own. Only the dark arts could make that possible.”

“Then we’re not just fighting vampires,” I muttered. “We’re fighting cursed science.”

He gave a low grunt. “Something like that.”

The trees began to thin, and the silhouette of the mountains loomed ahead. Somewhere beyond them, Matthew’s estate stood hidden ....old, fortified, ancient enough to have survived three species wars. The thought of seeing him again after years made my stomach twist. He wasn’t just a mentor to Adrian. He was the man who had trained both of us when we were barely old enough to shift.

And if he couldn’t explain this, then no one could.

I adjusted my seatbelt. “You ever think we’re running in circles? One prophecy after another, one Eclipse after the next?”

Adrian’s gaze stayed on the road. “Prophecies repeat themselves until someone breaks them.”

I smirked slightly. “You plan to be that someone?”

“I don’t plan to die trying,” he replied flatly.

---

Adrian’s POV

The manor came into view as the sun slid behind the clouds ...a fortress of stone and silence nestled in the heart of the mountains.

The energy here was different .. heavy, charged, old.

The closer we got, the more the air thickened with enchantments. Even the wolves that guarded the outer gates bowed as we passed. Their glowing eyes followed us but said nothing. They knew their Alpha.

Caleb exhaled lowly beside me. “Forgot how creepy this place feels.”

“Matthew keeps it that way on purpose,” I said.

“Yeah, well, it’s working.”

The gates opened without a word, metal grinding softly. I parked the car at the front steps, the engine’s hum dying in the hush of wind. For a moment, I just sat there, feeling the pulse of ancient magic beneath the earth. It was stronger than before ...like the ground itself knew something was coming.

Caleb stepped out first, scanning the surroundings. His wolf senses were sharp, but here, even they seemed muffled by the enchantments. “He definitely knows we’re here,” he muttered.

“I’m counting on it.”

We climbed the stone steps. The manor doors opened before we reached them.

And there he was.

Matthew stood at the entrance, framed by the torchlight ... tall, still broad-shouldered despite his age, silver hair tied back, eyes glowing faintly blue. His expression didn’t change when he saw us, but the faint furrow between his brows told me he already knew something was wrong.

“Adrian. Caleb.” His voice was steady, quiet, but it carried that same old weight that demanded respect. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

I met his gaze evenly. “You’ll understand why soon enough.”

Caleb crossed his arms. “We’ve got a problem. A big one.”

Matthew’s eyes flickered, sharp and knowing. “Then come in.”

He stepped aside, the doors opening wider, and the scent of old books and cedar filled the air.

We followed him inside.

And for the first time since the vampire’s death, I felt the full weight of what was coming.