Chapter 76
Kael
The room fell into a suffocating silence as no one spoke. Not Bastian, not the informant and certainly not even I.
The only sound that remained was the crackling of the fireplace beside my desk.
I stared at the informant, studying every detail of his face. Sweat glistened across his brow despite the cool morning air drifting through the slightly opened window. His bruises were fresh, and his clothes were still covered in dust from the road.
He wasn’t exaggerating. He wasn’t trying to impress me. He was obviously terrified.
Beta Bastian was the first to break the silence.
"You said..." he began slowly, almost as though he couldn’t believe the words himself. "You said they were vampires."
The informant nodded firmly. "Yes, Beta."
Beta Bastian folded his arms tightly. "Are you certain?"
"I’ve never been more certain of anything, Beta."
"You didn’t mistake pale northerners for vampires?" Beta Bastian went on to ask.
"No."
"What about travelers from another region?"
The man shook his head immediately. "They weren’t travelers, they weren’t merchants, they weren’t soldiers."
His breathing became heavier as he remembered what he’d seen. "They are different! Their skin wasn’t merely pale. It looked... lifeless."
He swallowed. "And their eyes..." A shiver visibly ran through him. "I’ve never seen eyes like that. It looks like they were watching everything... they barely blinked and I knew immediately they weren’t werewolves."
I remained silent. Truthfully... his report only confirmed what my instincts had already begun piecing together.
Everything suddenly made sense. Several weeks ago, reports had reached Blackbourne that vampires had been sighted within Nightbane territory.
Most Alphas dismissed them as rumors. I hadn’t so I’d ordered preparations immediately.
Extra patrols... Weapon inspections, food reserves and emergency signaling.
If the vampires invaded unexpectedly, Blackbourne wouldn’t be caught unprepared. Or so I had believed.
Yet despite every precaution... They had still managed to surprise me again.
I slowly leaned back in my chair. That was one advantage vampires consistently held over werewolves. Strategic intelligence!
They rarely struck blindly. Instead, they observed, they infiltrated and they waited.
By the time anyone realized what they were planning... Half the battle had already been won.
Beta Bastian finally looked toward me. "My Alpha." I met his eyes. "We should send a reconnaissance team."
I remained quiet as he added, "They’ll confirm whether vampires truly occupy the manor."
I slowly shook my head. "No."
Beta Bastian frowned. "My Alpha?"
"There is no need."
"But—"
"No werewolf mistakes a vampire." I firmly uttered.
The informant immediately lowered his head in agreement as I added, "I trust what he saw."
Beta Bastian considered my words before nodding. "Then what are your orders?"
I stood before speaking, "Double the number of spies around Kavanagh Manor."
He straightened.
"I don’t merely want the manor watched! I want every road, every hidden trail, every stable and every gate. If a bird flies out of that Manor... I want to know!"
"It will be done." Beta Bastian uttered. Then he and the informant bowed once more before quietly excusing themselves.
As the door shut behind them, I walked toward the study window.
Outside, servants hurried across the courtyard while guests continued preparing for departure.
Everything appeared ordinary and normal. Yet somewhere inside my own territory... Vampires were hiding beneath our noses.
I clenched my jaw as that thought alone was enough to sour my stomach.
Without another word, I reached out through the mindlink to Captain Garrick.
His response came immediately. ’My Alpha.’
’Meet me in the courtroom at once.’ I ordered before mindlinking Kieren next.
’Yes, Alpha.’
’Come to the Courtroom." The responses barely faded before I left my study.
As I walked through the castle corridors, I caught sight of a familiar carriage rolling toward the castle gates.
Councilman Cedric... his meeting here had concluded. The councilman’s carriage slowly disappeared beyond the outer gates.
I watched it for a moment as his final question echoed faintly inside my mind.
"Is Alpha William’s daughter your mate?"
I hadn’t answered him. Not because I didn’t know but because answering that question would change everything.
It would no longer remain my secret nor Selena’s.
The thought lingered only briefly until Beta Bastian’s mindlink had interrupted my thoughts and helped me escape the question.
I snapped out of my thoughts and quickened my pace. A few minutes later, the three of us occupied the large courtroom.
Captain Garrick stood near the map table with his arms folded tightly while Kieren paced restlessly across the floor.
I briefly explained what the informant had discovered and neither Garrick nor Kieren spoke for several seconds as they tried to comprehend my words.
"Vampires?" Kieren stopped pacing. "Inside Blackbourne?" His disbelief was obvious.
Captain Garrick rubbed a hand across his beard. "If that’s true..."
"It is." I interrupted. "There is no reason for the informant to fabricate this."
The captain slowly nodded. "Then we’re already behind."
Kieren immediately stepped forward. "We shouldn’t waste another second."
"What do you suggest?" I asked with creased brows.
His answer came instantly. "Surround Kavanagh Manor." He pointed toward the map. "A full battalion of soldiers. No one enters, no one leaves and If vampires are inside..."
I considered it but before I could answer, he continued. "We’ll finally have the advantage."
I slowly shook my head. "No."
Kieren blinked. "My Alpha?"
"I prefer discretion."
He frowned. "With respect, Alpha... there is no room for discretion."
I folded my arms as I spoke. "If we march an army across Blackbourne, every noble will know. Every merchant, every servant, every spy and eventually... the vampires."
Kieren refused to yield. "If we don’t act openly, they’ll spread. They’ll infiltrate villages. They’ll disappear into forests and they’ll do whatever they came here to do."
His voice became firmer. "Chaos will follow."
I couldn’t deny his reasoning because he wasn’t wrong. That was precisely the dilemma.
Too much secrecy gave the enemy freedom. Too much force warned the enemy we had discovered them.
Before I could respond, hurried footsteps echoed outside as Beta Bastian returned. "My Alpha."
"What is it?"
"The spies have been deployed and Alpha William still hasn’t left Blackbourne."
That caught everyone’s attention as Kieren frowned. "Why would he remain?"
Beta Bastian answered before I could. "I believe he’s waiting."
"For what?"
He looked directly at me. "The vampire’s command."
Silence settled over the room again. If Alpha William truly waited for their command... Then matters had become even worse than I’d imagined.
I found myself staring at the enormous map covering the courtroom wall.
Roads, villages, trade routes, forests and somewhere among them... The enemy was already moving.
"What now?" Garrick finally asked.
For the first time in a long while... I didn’t have an immediate answer.
Kieren began arguing again. "We strike first."
Beta Bastian immediately disagreed. "We observe first."
"If we wait," Kieren snapped, "we lose."
"If we rush," Beta Bastian countered, "we expose ourselves."
Captain Garrick joined them. "Neither of you are considering civilian casualties."
"Then what’s your suggestion?" Kieren demanded.
The discussion grew louder as their voices overlapped. Their strategies collided and each man defended his own reasoning.
Ordinarily, I would’ve stepped in immediately. Instead... I allowed them to continue.
I turned them out... closed my eyes and was left with my thoughts.
I wasn’t thinking about what they were saying. Instead, I was thinking about what the vampires would expect us to do.
If I were them... I’d anticipate soldiers. I’d anticipate panic. I’d anticipate every obvious move.
Which meant... The obvious move was exactly what I shouldn’t make.
My eyes slowly opened. "I have it."
The room fell silent instantly as all three men looked toward me.
"We need two things." They waited as I continued. "An infiltrator and a nobleman."
The three exchanged confused looks then Beta Bastian frowned as he asked, "A nobleman?"
"Yes." I turned to him. "Draw up a list of every noble who regularly conducts business with Lord Kavanagh."
His eyebrows lifted as I continued. "I want those who visit his manor often and the ones whose presence wouldn’t raise suspicion."
Understanding slowly spread across his face. "I’ll have the list immediately." He hurried from the courtroom.
I turned toward Garrick. "Your job is to increase patrols. Specifically, the roads leading to Kavanagh Manor and I also want merchant activity slowed."
He looked surprised as he asked, "Blocked?"
"If possible, let it be done quietly! No unnecessary attention."
He struck his fist against his chest. "It’ll be done."
Without another word, Garrick left to carry out the orders while Kieren remained standing beside me.
He looked thoughtful. "My Alpha."
"Speak."
"I understand the infiltrator but..." He tilted his head. "Why do you need a noble?"
I looked back toward the map. "Because soldiers don’t belong inside Lord Kavanagh’s dining hall."
Understanding dawned slowly across his face as he spoke out. "We need someone welcomed into the manor."
"Exactly." I tapped the map with one finger. "I need to know everything about the manor entrances, the exits, the hidden passages and where exactly the vampires are hiding in his manor."
I looked him directly in the eyes. "And most importantly... Why they are inside my pack!"
The courtroom doors opened again as Beta Bastian returned carrying several parchment sheets. "I have the list."
He handed them to me as I quickly scanned the names of merchants, lords and trade partners.
Then Beta Bastian pointed toward one particular name. "My Alpha; Lord Black..."
"What about him?" I asked with raised eyebrows.
"He visited Kavanagh Manor two days before the ball."
My eyes settled on the name once more then a slow smile crossed my face.
This is Perfect!
I handed the parchment back to Beta Bastian. "Fetch Lord Black immediately!"