That same night...

Percival had just stepped into the house with a smile still lingering on his face. He had just returned from seeing Aliyah.

The door shut behind him, and then he paused as his nose twitched for a second. "...?"

He sniffed again. "...Uncle Melvin?"

One of the Arcorys wolves sitting in the living room glanced up. "Yeah. He came in not too long ago. He’s upstairs."

Percival nodded and started toward the stairs.

But just before heading to his father’s study, he stopped and turned to another corner of the hallway. Towards the direction of Hayley’s room.

He sighed and walked towards it, stopping in front of her door and giving a knock.

"...Hayley?" He called out, but there was no response, so he pushed the door open.

Inside, the room was quiet. Phoebe lay asleep on the bed, while Hayley curled up behind her, holding their younger sister close with an arm wrapped around her.

Percival stood there for a moment, then exhaled lightly and stepped back, closing the door to let then have their sleep

The moment the door clicked shut, Hayley’s eyes opened.

She actually hadn’t been asleep, and the expression on her face was this uncomfortable form of frustration.

Her hand slipped beneath the pillow as she pulled out her phone. Her grip tightened around it, and for a moment it looked like she was about to type.

Instead, she flung it across the room. It landed on the seat with a dull thud, and Hayley shut her eyes again, clenching her jaw.

"Urgh!"

She was fighting the urge to text Ethan.

—

Percival, on the other hand, already moved on towards his father’s study. He knocked once, and pushed the door open.

"Where’s Uncle Melv—"

He stepped in mid-sentence, sensing the atmosphere in the room was... off. Melvin sat on one of the couches, while Marvin stood in front of him, with his arms crossed.

They had definitely been in the middle of something serious.

Melvin turned. "Hey, man."

Marvin followed with a slight glance. "Percival, Give us a minute. This is important."

Percival nodded slowly. "Oh—oh. Yeah." Then he returned the greetings. "Hey, Uncle."

He then turned and was about to leave, but stopped as a new scent hit him.

The scent of Blood.

Percival’s expression changed instantly as he turned his focus back to his father and uncle, eyes narrowing.

He stepped forward, and began moving towards Melvin’s side.

Marvin shifted slightly, stepping forward as though to intercept. "Percy, maybe you should—"

"Wait, father." He interrupted, but then right he had seen it. And it Blood seeping through the bandage.

"...What the hell happened?" He asked, with widened eyes.

Marvin sighed and looked away. His twin as well offered no reply.

Percival frowned. "Why are you avoiding it? What’s going on?"

Melvin glanced at Marvin for a moment, as though considering whether to tell him or not.

"Father," Percival pressed again. "Uncle...What’s going on?"

Marvin exhaled slowly.

"I was abducted," Melvin said.

Percival looked shocked. "...What? By who?"

Melvin continued, "Vampires from the main families, with wolves too."

Percival’s brows pulled together instantly. "That makes no sense. Wolves too? Why would—"

"Tone it down." Marvin reprimanded.

Percival straightened immediately. "...Sorry. Father."

Marvin nodded, then gestured toward Melvin who continued. "The only wolf I could recognize amongst them... was a Le Gris."

"That speed... No other wolf moves like that."," Melvin added.

Among the wolf families, the Le Gris were infamous for their speed. It was their family’s trait.

Melvin leaned back slightly. "I was surrounded and couldn’t do anything. Each of them were strong in their own right."

Percival’s expression darkened. "What did they want?"

Melvin let out a short breath. "I don’t know. I was knocked out for days, and when I woke up..."

He bared his fangs to show Percival a gap in it. One of his fangs had been taken out; It was still fresh and bleeding.

Percival’s face twisted slightly as he turned his head away for a second. "That’s going to take time to regenerate."

Melvin nodded. "The rest of my fangs are drained some of my venom too."

His gaze lowered briefly. "The wounds are healing... but slowly."

Percival looked back at him. "How did you get out?"

Melvin shrugged faintly. "I didn’t. I just woke up somewhere in the middle of nowhere then I came here. Haven’t even spoken to my boys yet."

Percival looked thoughtful. "This is strange," he muttered. "The Le Gris hate vampires, alot more than we do, so why would they team up with them?"

He shook his head. "None of this makes sense."

"It will when I get to the bottom of it," Marvin said coldly. "Someone is going to answer for this."

Percival nodded in agreement

⸻

The Next Morning

Ethan was seated in his study at the guild. He had come in early today because he wanted to meet Hayley.

But she hadn’t shown up. Neither had Percival.

Though in Percival’s case, he already knew why. Percival had sent him a text earlier that morning, saying something about going out with his father.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, staring at nothing for a moment.

Then sighed, picked up his phone and typed.

Me: Did Hayley go with you?

A few minutes passed and a reply came

Perc🐺: No. She’s at home, I think.

Ethan stared at the screen for a second, then exhaled. He considered calling her as his thumb hovered over her contact, then he shook his head.

"No," he muttered, then grabbed his keys, deciding he’ll just go see her instead.

But in that moment, he felt a faint sting at the edge of his senses. Someone powerful had just stepped into his guild’s lounge.

He rose immediately from his chair and walked out to the upper level railing, looking down.

And there she was, Lady Audrey... with Esmeray standing quietly beside her.

Ethan sighed.

A moment later, they were in his study.

⸻

Ethan sat behind his desk, looking composed, while Audrey sat on the opposite side, with Esmeray standing behind her.

His gaze lingered on her for a second before he spoke. "How did you know I was here?"

Audrey answered. "I had Esmeray call your company to set this meeting up, but the man who answered mentioned you hadn’t come in yet."