ログイン“See? I told you. Nobody’s here. You’re getting paranoid.”One of the male vampires stepped into the room and casually looked around.Hidden behind the curtain, Carlisle barely dared to breathe. Through a narrow gap in the fabric, he watched the vampire’s movements closely. For one terrifying moment, the creature’s gaze drifted toward his side of the room.Carlisle immediately tensed.The vampire seemed to linger there a little longer than necessary, and Carlisle could feel his heartbeat quicken.Fortunately, the room was dim, much like the rest of the castle. Vampires had little love for bright light, so most chambers remained cloaked in shadow. More importantly, Carlisle’s enchanted cloak was still doing its job. The concealment enchantment blurred his presence and dulled the awareness of anyone searching for him.Without it, he was certain he would have already been caught.The second vampire entered a moment later and smacked his companion across the back of the head.“Don’t even
Lowering his head slightly, he took a deep breath drawing in a scent which drifted through the tunnels. As a werewolf, Carlisle’s sense of smell far surpassed that of most creatures. His nose could pick up details that ordinary people would never notice. Vampires didn’t sweat the way humans and werewolves did, but that didn’t mean they lacked a scent. Far from it. Every vampire carried a distinct odor. The lower-ranking vampires were especially easy to identify. Most of them smelled awful. The scent of blood clung stubbornly to their bodies. Many rarely bothered with proper hygiene, and the result was impossible to miss. Old blood. Stale urine. Rotting stains. The smell practically announced their presence long before they appeared. Werewolves generally kept themselves clean. Lower-ranking vampires, on the other hand, often lacked that discipline. The nobles were different. Those vampires drenched themselves in perfumes, scented oils, and expensive fragrances. Their natu
The moment Carlisle ripped the sewer gate open, a piercing screech tore through the night. The sound was so sharp and powerful that it seemed to cut through the battlefield itself. It echoed across the fortress grounds and rolled through the surrounding lands like a storm. High within the tallest tower, the vampire lord had finally awakened. The constant explosions shaking the battlefield had dragged him from his sleep, and judging by that furious scream, he was not pleased. The bombardment had been loud enough to overwhelm even his supernatural senses. A painful ringing filled his ears, briefly dulling his hearing. Under normal circumstances, there wasn’t much that happened around the fortress without him noticing it. For the moment, however, his senses were in disarray. The ringing would fade soon enough, but those few moments of weakness were enough to leave even the vampire lord irritated and disoriented. His screech swept across the battlefield. The reaction was immediate.
There was a reason Carlisle had separated from the others.If Marcus encountered resistance, a group would have a much better chance of surviving than a lone warrior.Carlisle, meanwhile, needed speed and flexibility.Extra companions would only slow him down.Previous infiltration teams had failed repeatedly, but none of those attempts had included an Alpha.And certainly not one like Carlisle.He possessed enough strength to battle five vampires simultaneously without surrendering ground.If circumstances became impossible, he could simply retreat.There would be no companions to protect. No wounded allies to carry and ultimately, no hesitation.The palace interior represented the most dangerous part of the mission, and Carlisle refused to gamble with the lives of his warriors.The others disliked the arrangement.Several openly protested when they learned he intended to enter alone.Their objections ended the moment Carlisle issued a direct Alpha command.None of them had a choice
The Dark Forest worked in Carlisle’s favor.Its thick shadows swallowed light so completely that he and his team seemed to vanish into them. They moved swiftly beneath the blackened canopy, using both their speed and the unnatural darkness to remain hidden. Carlisle’s midnight-black fur blended perfectly with his surroundings, making him nearly impossible to spot. More than once, vampires passed close enough that they should have noticed him, yet none of them saw anything.Even so, the journey was far from simple.Carlisle could not afford a single mistake.As they advanced through the forest, he constantly divided his attention between multiple threats. One eye remained on the battlefield in the distance, tracking the progress of the fighting. The other stayed fixed on the fortress, searching for any sign that a vampire had noticed their absence or picked up on their movements.Only after they had put enough distance between themselves and the battle did Carlisle signal for the group
However, his grief and fury were amusing as a female vampire hovering in the air, looked down at the enraged Alpha and laughed. The sound carried easily across the battlefield and soon other vampires joined her. Cruel laughter echoed through the sky as they circled overhead, searching for another victim to torment. This time, however, the werewolves were prepared. Several warriors launched themselves upward the moment the vampires descended. Their claws flashed through the air. A female vampire shrieked when a werewolf tore open her stomach. Blood sprayed across the clearing. Pain twisted her expression. Any person who believed vampires remained beautiful during battle would have been horrified by the sight. Low-ranking vampires became monsters once they fully transformed. Bulging green and purple veins spread beneath their skin like diseased roots. Their eyes turned completely black. Their jaws extended unnaturally, exposing rows upon rows of jagged teeth that re
Marcus's POV I had already thought this through more than once. If Carlisle chose Raquel over Victoria, the outcome was clear to me. There was no real debate. Raquel was the Alpha King’s only daughter. With her came influence, protection, and resources we had not seen in years. That kind of backin
The situation weighed heavily on Carlisle, pressing down on him in ways he could not fully name. While all of his attention remained locked on Raquel and her condition, something else was unfolding across the pack without his knowledge. Word of what had supposedly happened spread quickly through t
Victoria's POV Raquel stepped in close before I could steady myself.Her arm slid around me as if she meant to support me, guiding my weight so I would not fall again. From a distance, anyone would have thought she was helping. Her face even carried that soft, shaken expression that made her look
Victoria’s POVWith a flick of his hand, he signaled one of the others.A moment later, a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped over my bloodied form, shocking me back to consciousness. I gasped, my body trembling violently from the chill and pain. My head barely lifted beforeCrack!Another lash tor







