CHAPTER 7

The silence inside the abandoned building didn’t last long. It broke the moment Dorian cursed under his breath.“Damn it,” he muttered, pacing. “They’re still out there.”Thalia’s head snapped toward the door.“You can hear them?” she asked quickly.Damon nodded once. “Faint… but yeah. They didn’t leave.”Her stomach dropped again.“So they’re just… waiting?”Dracula leaned against the wall, arms folded. His expression hadn’t changed since they got inside. Cold. Unreadable.“They’re not random hunters,” he said. “They’re organized.”Thalia looked between the three of them.“Then explain it to me,” she said, her voice rising. “Because I don’t understand anything right now.”No one answered immediately.That alone made her chest tighten.“You guys know something,” she added. “Don’t act like you don’t.”Dorian stopped pacing and looked at her.“We know enough to say this isn’t normal,” he said bluntly. “That’s it.”“That’s not enough!”Her voice echoed slightly in the empty room.“I was almost killed out there,” she continued. “Someone told me I’m not a hybrid, now a group of… whatever those things are… are chasing me, and you’re telling me you don’t know anything?”Damon frowned. “Someone told you that?”Thalia hesitated.She didn’t plan to mention the man.But at this point… what was the point of hiding it?“Yes,” she said finally.Dorian’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ve never seen him before.”“What did he look like?” Damon asked.“Tall… dressed in black. His eyes were…” she paused, trying to find the right word. “Different.”Dracula’s gaze sharpened.“Different how?”“Not like yours,” she said, glancing at them. “Not like a normal wolf either.”Dorian exchanged a quick look with his brothers.Thalia noticed.“What?” she demanded. “What is that look for?”“Nothing,” Dorian said too quickly.“Don’t lie to me!”Her patience was gone. Completely gone.Damon stepped in before things could escalate.“What did he tell you?” he asked calmly.Thalia swallowed.“He said… my real mother is alive.”The room went still.Even the air felt heavier.Dorian’s jaw tightened. Damon’s expression shifted slightly.But Dracula—Dracula didn’t react at all.At least… not on the surface.“That’s impossible,” Dorian said flatly.“That’s what I said,” Thalia snapped. “But he sounded so sure.”“And you believed him?”“I didn’t say that.”“Then why are you bringing it up?”“Because nothing makes sense!” she shot back.Her hands were shaking now.“I don’t know what’s real anymore,” she admitted, quieter this time. “That woman at school… the way she looked at me… it didn’t feel fake.”Damon softened a little.“People lie all the time, Thalia,” he said. “Especially to confuse you.”“Yeah?” she replied bitterly. “Then what about the people chasing me? Is that fake too?”No one answered.Because they couldn’t.A loud noise suddenly echoed outside.All four of them froze.Footsteps.Closer this time.Dorian moved toward the door, listening carefully.“They’re spreading out,” he whispered.Damon joined him. “They’re trying to surround the place.”Thalia’s heart started racing again.“So what do we do?” she asked.Dorian looked back at her.“We fight if we have to.”Her eyes widened. “Fight? I can’t fight them!”“We know,” he said.The way he said it… annoyed her.“Then don’t say it like that,” she snapped.He raised a brow. “Like what?”“Like I’m useless.”“You are, in this situation.”“Dorian.” Damon warned.“What?” Dorian shrugged. “Am I wrong?”Thalia stepped forward, anger flashing in her eyes.“You think I don’t know that?” she said. “You think I enjoy being the weakest person in every room?”Dorian didn’t respond immediately.For a second… just a second… something flickered in his eyes.But it disappeared quickly.“Stay behind us,” he said instead.Thalia scoffed. “I don’t take orders from you.”“Tonight, you do.”Their eyes locked.Tension filled the room.Dracula pushed himself off the wall.“Enough,” he said calmly. “This isn’t the time.”They both went quiet.Not because they wanted to.Because of the tone in his voice.Another noise.This time… right outside the door.A shadow passed under the crack.Thalia’s breath caught.“They’re here…” she whispered.Damon moved slightly in front of her.“Stay close,” he said.The handle of the door moved.Slowly.A soft click followed.The door creaked open.And a man stepped in.He wasn’t like the others.You could tell immediately.His presence alone felt heavier.Stronger.His eyes scanned the room before landing on Thalia.And then—He smiled.“There you are.”Thalia’s stomach dropped.Dorian stepped forward instantly, blocking her.“Wrong place,” he said coldly. “Leave.”The man chuckled.“Move.”“No.”The smile faded.“I wasn’t talking to you,” the man replied.Damon shifted slightly, his body tense.“You’re outnumbered,” he said.The man tilted his head.“Am I?”Before anyone could react—Two more figures appeared at the door.Then another.And another.Thalia’s heart sank.They weren’t outnumbered.Not even close.“Give us the girl,” the man said calmly.“No,” Dorian replied immediately.“Don’t make this difficult.”“You’re already making it difficult.”The man sighed like he was bored.“Fine.”Everything happened too fast after that.The attackers moved.Dorian shifted first.Then Damon.Dracula followed without hesitation.The room exploded into chaos.Growls. Crashes. Splintering wood.Thalia backed away, her heart pounding violently in her chest.She had nowhere to go.Nowhere to hide.A body slammed into the wall beside her.She flinched.Dorian was fighting two at once. Damon took on another. Dracula—Dracula was fast. Too fast.But there were too many of them.Way too many.“Stay down!” Damon shouted at her.She crouched instinctively, covering her head as something shattered above her.Her ears rang.Her chest tightened.This was bad.Very bad.A hand suddenly grabbed her arm.Thalia screamed.“Let go of me!”She struggled, kicking wildly.The man holding her barely moved.“You’re coming with us,” he said coldly.“No!”She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.Pain shot through her arm.“Dorian!” she shouted.Dorian turned sharply.His eyes flashed with rage.“Let her go!”He lunged forward—But someone blocked him.Then another.Thalia’s breathing became frantic.“No… no…”The man started dragging her toward the door.“Stop!” she cried.Her heart pounded harder.Faster.Louder.Something inside her twisted.Sharp. Painful.Like it was waking up.“Don’t touch her.”The voice cut through everything.Cold. Deadly.Familiar.The man holding her paused.Slowly… he turned.So did everyone else.The room went still.Because standing at the doorway…Was the man from before.The one in black.His eyes glowed faintly in the dark.Dangerous.“You were warned,” he said quietly.The leader frowned. “This doesn’t concern you.”“It does,” he replied.“Walk away.”“No.”Silence.Heavy.ThenThe man holding Thalia suddenly let go.Like he didn’t want to be near her anymore.Thalia stumbled back, confused.“What’s going on?” she whispered.No one answered.Because something had changed.The air itself felt different.Thicker.Darker.The man in black stepped forward slowly.And for the first time—The others looked… unsure.Thalia’s heart raced as she stared at him.Who was he?Why were they afraid of him?And why did she feel…Safe?That scared her the most.