As dawn neared, Maika returned to the old mirror—the same one that had once whispered to her identity. Now, she didn’t need to ask who she was. She knew.She was Aster. Human-born, raised by witches and vampires. Wife to a Lycan Alpha. Mother to a child born of three worlds. And she would reclaim what was hers. She need to go to the witches den.A knock came at the chamber’s door. A messenger witch entered, bowing.“My Queen… Maika is here. She requests counsel.”Queen Vantessa nodded. “Bring her.”Moments later, Maika entered, her cloak tattered from travel, her eyes haunted. She bowed deeply, then met their gazes.“I need help,” she said. “I feel like I’m losing myself… or becoming someone else entirely.”Salem approached her slowly, studying her. The anklet was gone. Magic pulsed beneath Maika’s skin like a current barely restrained.“You’ve already begun,” Salem whispered.“Begun what?” Maika asked.“To awaken,” Vantessa said. “Come, Maika. Sit.”As Maika settled near the mo
The Abduction of CaveenThe moonlight barely penetrated the heavy mist cloaking the forest around Carl’s private estate. Inside the hidden sanctuary, protected by ancient Lycan wards and Vampire repellent glyphs, Caveen slept soundly in his bed, unaware that tonight would change his life forever.Caveen, a boy of four with distinguishing blue eyes and a wild mane of black hair, had always been unusual—too quiet for a Lycan pup, too curious for a vampire fledgling. His dual heritage had been a well-guarded secret, protected fiercely by Carl and the few trusted guards who knew of his existence. Only a handful in the world even knew the boy existed—and Carl intended to keep it that way.But secrets, no matter how well buried, always had a way of rising.Tonight, they came in silence.Shadowy figures crept past the perimeter ward. They moved with grace, their steps light as falling leaves—agents of the High Council, the supreme authority over supernatural order. They wore cloaks laced wit
The air in Santossa City hung heavy with the scent of rain and iron, the storm clouds smothering the moonlight. Maika stood outside the Lycan Embassy’s private wing, every muscle in her body tight with anticipation. Her palm was pressed to the security panel. The guards didn’t stop her this time.Maybe they knew better.Maybe they saw it in her eyes—what she had become.But she wasn’t here for fear or intimidation.She was here for the truth.The steel doors slid open with a hiss, revealing the long corridor to Carl Landon’s private quarters. Every step she took echoed with memories she hadn’t asked for—but could no longer forget.Carl had pretended. Acted like she was just another stranger.But she remembered everything now.The way his hands once cradled her body. The whispered promises in the dark. The way he had looked at her like she was the sun itself.And then… the fire.The screams.The pain of being torn from everything.She reached his door and didn’t knock. It opened at her
The Vampire Kingdom stood still beneath the twilight sky, its black spires silhouetted against the fading sun. A hush blanketed the courtyard as Carl, the Lycan Alpha, stepped through the ancient gates of Valus’s palace.Guards stiffened at the scent of wolf, their eyes narrowing. But none stopped him. He had been expected.In the great obsidian throne hall, Lord Valus sat upon his elevated seat, draped in crimson and shadow. His gaze pierced through the dim room, ancient and unyielding. A glass of dark elixir rested on the clawed arm of his throne, untouched.Carl strode forward, his leather coat damp with travel. He knelt—not out of obedience, but out of respect.“Lord Valus,” he said, voice steady, “I come not as an Alpha, but as a man. As a father.”Valus leaned back, eyes sharpening. “You’ve never knelt before, Carl. What truth weighs you down tonight?”Carl rose and met his gaze directly. “It’s time you heard everything. About me. About Maika. About Caveen.”A flicker passed thr
The dim, ethereal light of the moon filtered through towering stained glass windows etched with arcane runes and ancestral seals. At the heart of the chamber stood a black marble table—cold, smooth, and ancient—surrounded by eleven high-backed chairs where the Council of Arcane Balance convened. A twelfth chair stood empty, cracked through its center—a relic of a long-banished member who once dabbled in forbidden arts.At the table’s center sat a glowing crystal orb, rotating slowly above an enchanted pedestal. Seated around it were representatives of each magical race: vampires, witches, Lycans, elementals, seers, and the ancient Scribes of Balance. Tension hummed like a drawn bowstring.“Bring in the boy,” rasped High Scribe Venemar, his eyes pale as snow.The heavy iron doors creaked open as two silent guardians entered, flanking a hooded figure. Shackles imbued with anti-magic symbols clinked softly with each step. Caveen was pushed forward, his sharp golden eyes defiant, yet shad
The council chamber of Nor'Thalor fell into a heavy silence. The glowing orb, now dimmed and inert, sat like a sentinel over Caveen's suspended form. The boy, unconscious but alive, drifted gently inside a containment sphere. Whispers echoed like falling dust through the high-vaulted chamber.High Scribe Venemar stood, his gaze like winter steel. "We are now faced with a threat that cannot be ignored. The dark blood of the Carellos flows through this child. If left unchecked, he may become the next harbinger of ruin."Lorae, the witch councilor, rose next, her violet robes swaying like mist. "He is not a harbinger. He is a child. And the magic he possesses is dormant. No signs of corruption, no aggression. What we saw today was reflexive magic. A shield.""And when he becomes aware of it?" growled Jarak, Alpha emissary. "He is the child of a vampire prince's daughter and the Lycan Alpha. Already that is unstable. Add Carellos witch blood, and you breed catastrophe."Elva, the seer, le
Darkness stretched endlessly in the chamber where Caveen sat, strapped to a cold iron chair. The room smelled of old stone and burning herbs, laced with something far more ancient—magic. Faint runes etched into the floor pulsed with dull light, casting shadows that danced like spirits on the walls. Caveen’s wrists and ankles were bound with enchanted cuffs, not to restrain him physically—he could’ve broken those—but to bind the very essence of him, to suppress the confusion of energies swirling in his blood. He couldn’t tell how long he had been there. Time passed in odd ways. Sometimes the lights flickered and the room grew silent. Other times, the council members entered in a flurry of whispers, robes trailing behind them like smoke. They never spoke to him. They only observed, studied, prodded. They’d taken his blood. His hair. A piece of his broken necklace. He didn’t scream when the magic needles pierced his skin, but the truth was—he wanted to. Not from pain, but from fear.
The two moved silently down the slope, avoiding the perimeter wards by following a trail Cane had uncovered. The younger brother had intercepted the Council’s protective sigils and mapped out a narrow window for infiltration. It wouldn’t last more than an hour. Inside her boot, Maika carried a sealed bloodstone from Queen Vantessa. Should magic be needed, it would amplify her abilities for one burst. The Queen had said little when giving it to her—but her eyes had brimmed with something close to guilt. Carl, meanwhile, carried a pair of silver daggers—blessed by the old gods and sharpened to a whisper. No metal could match their lethality against magic-wielding enemies. The gates to the citadel loomed tall, but Cane had said the ancient aqueduct beneath the rear wall remained unguarded. “Here,” Maika whispered. She knelt by a moss-covered grate and tapped her knuckles against it. Hollow. She pressed harder—and the runes pulsed. Carl stepped in. “Let me.” With a grunt, he yanked
The two moved silently down the slope, avoiding the perimeter wards by following a trail Cane had uncovered. The younger brother had intercepted the Council’s protective sigils and mapped out a narrow window for infiltration. It wouldn’t last more than an hour. Inside her boot, Maika carried a sealed bloodstone from Queen Vantessa. Should magic be needed, it would amplify her abilities for one burst. The Queen had said little when giving it to her—but her eyes had brimmed with something close to guilt. Carl, meanwhile, carried a pair of silver daggers—blessed by the old gods and sharpened to a whisper. No metal could match their lethality against magic-wielding enemies. The gates to the citadel loomed tall, but Cane had said the ancient aqueduct beneath the rear wall remained unguarded. “Here,” Maika whispered. She knelt by a moss-covered grate and tapped her knuckles against it. Hollow. She pressed harder—and the runes pulsed. Carl stepped in. “Let me.” With a grunt, he yanked
Darkness stretched endlessly in the chamber where Caveen sat, strapped to a cold iron chair. The room smelled of old stone and burning herbs, laced with something far more ancient—magic. Faint runes etched into the floor pulsed with dull light, casting shadows that danced like spirits on the walls. Caveen’s wrists and ankles were bound with enchanted cuffs, not to restrain him physically—he could’ve broken those—but to bind the very essence of him, to suppress the confusion of energies swirling in his blood. He couldn’t tell how long he had been there. Time passed in odd ways. Sometimes the lights flickered and the room grew silent. Other times, the council members entered in a flurry of whispers, robes trailing behind them like smoke. They never spoke to him. They only observed, studied, prodded. They’d taken his blood. His hair. A piece of his broken necklace. He didn’t scream when the magic needles pierced his skin, but the truth was—he wanted to. Not from pain, but from fear.
The council chamber of Nor'Thalor fell into a heavy silence. The glowing orb, now dimmed and inert, sat like a sentinel over Caveen's suspended form. The boy, unconscious but alive, drifted gently inside a containment sphere. Whispers echoed like falling dust through the high-vaulted chamber.High Scribe Venemar stood, his gaze like winter steel. "We are now faced with a threat that cannot be ignored. The dark blood of the Carellos flows through this child. If left unchecked, he may become the next harbinger of ruin."Lorae, the witch councilor, rose next, her violet robes swaying like mist. "He is not a harbinger. He is a child. And the magic he possesses is dormant. No signs of corruption, no aggression. What we saw today was reflexive magic. A shield.""And when he becomes aware of it?" growled Jarak, Alpha emissary. "He is the child of a vampire prince's daughter and the Lycan Alpha. Already that is unstable. Add Carellos witch blood, and you breed catastrophe."Elva, the seer, le
The dim, ethereal light of the moon filtered through towering stained glass windows etched with arcane runes and ancestral seals. At the heart of the chamber stood a black marble table—cold, smooth, and ancient—surrounded by eleven high-backed chairs where the Council of Arcane Balance convened. A twelfth chair stood empty, cracked through its center—a relic of a long-banished member who once dabbled in forbidden arts.At the table’s center sat a glowing crystal orb, rotating slowly above an enchanted pedestal. Seated around it were representatives of each magical race: vampires, witches, Lycans, elementals, seers, and the ancient Scribes of Balance. Tension hummed like a drawn bowstring.“Bring in the boy,” rasped High Scribe Venemar, his eyes pale as snow.The heavy iron doors creaked open as two silent guardians entered, flanking a hooded figure. Shackles imbued with anti-magic symbols clinked softly with each step. Caveen was pushed forward, his sharp golden eyes defiant, yet shad
The Vampire Kingdom stood still beneath the twilight sky, its black spires silhouetted against the fading sun. A hush blanketed the courtyard as Carl, the Lycan Alpha, stepped through the ancient gates of Valus’s palace.Guards stiffened at the scent of wolf, their eyes narrowing. But none stopped him. He had been expected.In the great obsidian throne hall, Lord Valus sat upon his elevated seat, draped in crimson and shadow. His gaze pierced through the dim room, ancient and unyielding. A glass of dark elixir rested on the clawed arm of his throne, untouched.Carl strode forward, his leather coat damp with travel. He knelt—not out of obedience, but out of respect.“Lord Valus,” he said, voice steady, “I come not as an Alpha, but as a man. As a father.”Valus leaned back, eyes sharpening. “You’ve never knelt before, Carl. What truth weighs you down tonight?”Carl rose and met his gaze directly. “It’s time you heard everything. About me. About Maika. About Caveen.”A flicker passed thr
The air in Santossa City hung heavy with the scent of rain and iron, the storm clouds smothering the moonlight. Maika stood outside the Lycan Embassy’s private wing, every muscle in her body tight with anticipation. Her palm was pressed to the security panel. The guards didn’t stop her this time.Maybe they knew better.Maybe they saw it in her eyes—what she had become.But she wasn’t here for fear or intimidation.She was here for the truth.The steel doors slid open with a hiss, revealing the long corridor to Carl Landon’s private quarters. Every step she took echoed with memories she hadn’t asked for—but could no longer forget.Carl had pretended. Acted like she was just another stranger.But she remembered everything now.The way his hands once cradled her body. The whispered promises in the dark. The way he had looked at her like she was the sun itself.And then… the fire.The screams.The pain of being torn from everything.She reached his door and didn’t knock. It opened at her
The Abduction of CaveenThe moonlight barely penetrated the heavy mist cloaking the forest around Carl’s private estate. Inside the hidden sanctuary, protected by ancient Lycan wards and Vampire repellent glyphs, Caveen slept soundly in his bed, unaware that tonight would change his life forever.Caveen, a boy of four with distinguishing blue eyes and a wild mane of black hair, had always been unusual—too quiet for a Lycan pup, too curious for a vampire fledgling. His dual heritage had been a well-guarded secret, protected fiercely by Carl and the few trusted guards who knew of his existence. Only a handful in the world even knew the boy existed—and Carl intended to keep it that way.But secrets, no matter how well buried, always had a way of rising.Tonight, they came in silence.Shadowy figures crept past the perimeter ward. They moved with grace, their steps light as falling leaves—agents of the High Council, the supreme authority over supernatural order. They wore cloaks laced wit
As dawn neared, Maika returned to the old mirror—the same one that had once whispered to her identity. Now, she didn’t need to ask who she was. She knew.She was Aster. Human-born, raised by witches and vampires. Wife to a Lycan Alpha. Mother to a child born of three worlds. And she would reclaim what was hers. She need to go to the witches den.A knock came at the chamber’s door. A messenger witch entered, bowing.“My Queen… Maika is here. She requests counsel.”Queen Vantessa nodded. “Bring her.”Moments later, Maika entered, her cloak tattered from travel, her eyes haunted. She bowed deeply, then met their gazes.“I need help,” she said. “I feel like I’m losing myself… or becoming someone else entirely.”Salem approached her slowly, studying her. The anklet was gone. Magic pulsed beneath Maika’s skin like a current barely restrained.“You’ve already begun,” Salem whispered.“Begun what?” Maika asked.“To awaken,” Vantessa said. “Come, Maika. Sit.”As Maika settled near the mo
The grand hall of the vampire palace lay in solemn stillness, its silence broken only by the distant rustling of the wind against ancient stained glass. Lord Valus stood at the head of the long obsidian table, hands clasped behind his back, watching the horizon burn faintly gold with the rising sun. The castle, ancient and cold, seemed to shiver with anticipation. Behind him, the door creaked open. “Enter,” Valus said without turning. It was Marcus, his royal butler and the kingdom’s most brilliant mind. He stepped in, his expression unusually tense, a leather-bound file pressed tightly against his chest. “You look troubled,” Valus noted, finally facing him. “I am,” Marcus said. “This concerns Lady Maika.” At her name, Valus’s expression softened slightly—a rare flicker of paternal affection. “She’s been… different lately. Distant. I know something troubles her.” Marcus nodded. “She came to me two nights ago. Asked me to help her unlock sealed memories. She wanted the tr