Sabrina, the first daughter of Count Dracula. Out of her three siblings, she was the most feared by her people and followers—feared for her immense power, her ruthlessness, and her unyielding will to ensure that vampires remained supreme. She, her father, her siblings, and a select few others were the last pureblood vampires still in existence, as far as they knew.
As the firstborn, Sabrina had to endure various trials to prove herself worthy of being the next leader—trials she largely considered a waste of her time. During one of these trials, she encountered a small group of hunters: mere trainees who had gotten in way over their heads. That night, she slaughtered all fifteen hunters, not even bothering to feed or turn them, remarking that they simply hadn't excited her enough.
Soon, her reputation as the ruthless vampire princess reached even the ears of the werewolves, who had previously paid her no attention, deeming her unimportant. That was until word spread that she had slaughtered five of their men without even trying—all by herself.
Two Years Ago
"Sabrina, this has to stop," came the irritated, displeased voice of Antonio, Sabrina's personal guard. She had always questioned why she needed a guard, and especially why it had to be him. She found him endlessly annoying. "You can't keep just sending them out. Eventually, they all end up dying!"
"Antonio, whatever I do with my people is up to me, not you," she replied, refusing to look at him as she gazed out at the distant mountains.
"Your father left you in charge to protect this place while he's gone, but instead, you're sending people out to die!" he shouted, suddenly finding a burst of courage. Apparently, he had forgotten exactly who he was speaking to.
Those around them froze. Some shook with fear, while others simply wondered how one person could be so profoundly foolish. Antonio was strong, yes, but against Sabrina, he was nothing more than an ant she was itching to squash.
"You've forgotten your place, Antonio," she said. Her once-black eyes flashed red for a fraction of a second. She looked at him with sheer disgust and the sudden urge to destroy him. "Maybe I should remind you of just where you stand." She slowly rose from her seat.
"I will not just stand by and watch you send our people to die!" Antonio shouted, stepping forward to meet her gaze. By this point, most of the onlookers had scattered, unwilling to witness the fool's demise. Those who stayed did so out of spite, hoping to see him put down after growing tired of his constant overstepping.
He was about to make another smart remark when all the air vanished from his lungs. A second later, he was hurled five feet backward, crashing hard against the ground as he struggled to cling to consciousness. Groaning, he forced himself back to his feet, ready to retaliate against whoever had attacked him. His eyes shifted to a bright, angry shade of red. But the moment he prepared to charge his attacker, he froze.
His eyes reverted to normal, and his entire body shook with terror. Standing before him was no longer the arrogant girl he had just argued with; it was a pure predator radiating sheer hatred and bloodlust. Her blood-red eyes locked onto his. The longer he stared into them, the heavier the dread weighed on his chest. He desperately wanted to look away, but he couldn't.
As she slowly glided toward him, he wanted to run—to flee somewhere far away where she could never find him, somewhere he could simply continue living. But his body refused to obey. It was as though his limbs no longer belonged to him, but to another master. A master who had come to end his life.
When she finally reached him, she grabbed him by the throat, hoisting him effortlessly into the air.
"You forget whose presence you're in, Antonio. I should end your life right here and now. But no... I have something even better," she said, dropping him to the dirt. "Tell me, Antonio: vampires gain strength by feeding on blood, and we grow our numbers by turning humans. So why would I send our people into hunter territory without a good reason?" She stared down at him, her gaze unwavering.
"You say I'm doing nothing more than sending them to die. But out of all the ones I've sent so far... how many have returned?" she asked.
"All of them, Princess," he answered, keeping his eyes glued to the ground.
"Good. I'm glad you finally understand. So tell me... do you think you can do the same?" she asked, hiding a smirk.
"Without a single question," he answered quickly, still too terrified to look up.
Hearing this, her smirk widened. "A small group of hunters has been spotted getting too close to our turf. You and I are going to look into this matter. This assignment will determine whether I kill you or not," she said, turning on her heel. "Come, Antonio. We leave in two hours. And take nothing with you; this will be a true test of your own strength."
After she left, Antonio remained kneeling on the ground, completely unmoving. The reality of how dangerous and ruthless Sabrina truly was had finally set in. All this time, he had been drastically underestimating her. He resolved that whatever punishment awaited him next, he would face it.
Sabrina led Antonio to the edge of the hunters' encampment. With a wicked grin, she pointed down at the small camp from their perch high in the branches. In the moonlight, her smile looked entirely sinister.
"This is it, Antonio. You're going to go down there and kill every last one of them. Leave no survivors." The look in her eyes sent a deep, unsettling chill down his spine.
Not wanting to disappoint his future queen any further, he kept silent. Without needing a second prompt, he leaped from the canopy and slipped into the camp to begin his slaughter. He moved swiftly from tent to tent, cutting down every hunter he encountered before anyone could raise an alarm. But his speed only served to usher them into their graves faster.
While Antonio wiped out the hunters, Sabrina remained in the trees, watching. Her true objective was never for him to eradicate a few weak humans; they were far too pathetic to push him to his limits. She was betting on her suspicions: a pack of werewolves should be converging on this area soon.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a loud, echoing howl pierced the night air.
"Sabrina! Werewolves—they're here! We need to leave, we're vastly outnumbered!" Antonio stammered, scrambling back up into the trees. The stark panic in his voice brought her a quiet sense of satisfaction.
"I know they're here, Antonio. In fact, they are your real test. It looks like there are about ten or eleven down there," she said, a crazed gleam in her eyes.
"By myself? I can't—there are too many!" fear bleeding heavily into his voice.
"I don't remember asking if you thought you could handle it. What I said was to go back down there and remove them from this world. They are our enemies, and if you don't kill them, they will do far worse than just end your life. Now get down there and start killing!" she barked, kicking him straight out of the tree.
Knowing that disobedience meant facing Sabrina's unimaginably slow and agonizing torture—where even the brush of a feather would feel like a bullet—Antonio swallowed his terror. He decided that if he was going to die tonight, he would take as many beasts with him as he could.
He re-entered the camp, but the moment he did, a massive force blindsided him, sending him crashing hard into the base of Sabrina's tree. A frown touched her lips—not out of worry for him, but in disappointment at how easily he had been knocked down.
Rolling away just in time, Antonio narrowly dodged a devastating blow meant to crush his skull. The fully transformed werewolf's fist buried itself deep into the tree trunk, trapping it. Seizing the opening, Antonio hardened and elongated his nails, driving his hand straight through the beast's chest and into its heart.
Without wasting a second, he melted back into the shadows. Over the next fifteen minutes, he managed to pick off five more werewolves using stealth and ruthlessness. But the remaining five were entirely different. Taller, stronger, faster, and moving with calculated precision, they fought like seasoned warriors compared to the greenhorns he had just ambushed.
Panic clawing at his mind, Antonio desperately searched for an escape route. That was when he locked eyes with the leader—a beast noticeably larger than the rest, radiating an aura of lethal dominance. Realizing he couldn't outrun them, Antonio made a desperate gamble: if he took out the leader, perhaps the rest would scatter.
Without a second thought, he lunged straight for the alpha. To his utter confusion, the surrounding werewolves casually stepped out of his path. A split second later, he understood why. The leader met his charge with a cruel, mocking smirk—the exact same expression Antonio had come to associate with Sabrina.
Before Antonio could react, the massive beast casually reached out a furry, claw-tipped hand and wrapped it around his throat, choking off his momentum.
"I find it amusing how much you overestimate yourself," the alpha rumbled, his voice dripping with sadistic amusement. "To think that because you slaughtered a few newly turned pups, you could actually challenge one of the elite."
With a sickening crunch, the beast grabbed Antonio's left leg and ripped it straight from his body. A blood-curdling scream of pure agony tore from Antonio's throat. Not stopping there, the leader grabbed his right leg and repeatedly smashed him into the earth while the rest of the pack hooted and laughed. Growing bored of the toy, the alpha hurled his broken, bleeding body against a nearby tree. The brutal impact plunged Antonio into immediate unconsciousness.
With a look of utter contempt, the alpha tossed the severed leg onto Antonio's limp form. "Out of every vampire I've ever fought, he was by far the most disappointing."
"I agree. He was quite pathetic," Sabrina's smooth, malicious voice chimed in.
She stepped gracefully out of the shadows and into the moonlight. With her flawless pale skin, shining black eyes, perfect curves, narrow waist, and long raven hair cascading past her shoulders, she looked less like a monster and more like a dark goddess.
Without warning, another werewolf vaulted over a tent, attempting a blind sneak attack to take the vampire's head. Sabrina didn't even flinch. As the beast lunged, her hand whipped out with impossible speed, crushing its heart right inside its ribcage before it could even blink.
The remaining werewolves—save for the leader—tensed, weapons ready. Eager to test her capabilities, the alpha ordered his men to attack.
What followed was a massacre. Sabrina moved between her attackers like a phantom dancer. In the blink of an eye, she was standing behind them, her expression entirely serene. A second later, all of them collapsed to the earth, lifeless, with gaping, smoking holes where their hearts had just been.
Turning her cold gaze to the alpha, she tilted her head. "How does it make you feel to watch your elites fall without me even breaking a sweat?"
The alpha let out a harsh, booming laugh. "They might have been strong, but they weren't mine. They were merely the best of a local pack—nothing compared to the true elites I command."
Slowly, the massive beast began to shrink. His elongated snout, thick fur, and claws receded. Within moments, he shifted back into a five-foot-ten youth who looked roughly Sabrina's age. His dark brown eyes burned with wild, untamed fury. Raising his right hand, he watched as his fingernails slowly elongated into razor-sharp talons.
A thrill of excitement flashed across Sabrina's face, and her own nails lengthened in response.
"I suppose it's only fair I know the name of my executioner," Sabrina said, dropping into a low, ready stance.
"You likely won't survive the next few minutes, so keeping your peace of mind won't do you much good. But very well. The name given to me by my blood is Jason—future alpha of the werewolves," he answered with a sharp, feral grin.
Sabrina laughed, a melodic yet chilling sound. "Big words for a corpse. I am Sabrina, daughter of Count Dracula, Princess and future Queen of the vampires. Give me a real fight before you die."
Without another word, they collided.
Blow after blow rained down in a blur of motion. Spotting an opening, Jason delivered a vicious kick to her midsection, sending her skidding back. But she recovered instantly, lunging forward with blinding velocity. Before he could react, her hand drove straight into his chest. Enraged, Jason slashed wildly at her lower abdomen, tearing open a wound just as devastating as the one he had just suffered.
Stumbling backward, both combatants dropped heavily to their knees, gasping for breath.
"You're... not as weak as I thought," Jason rasped, clutching his bleeding chest.
"You're proving far more stubborn to kill than I expected," Sabrina replied, her voice tight with exertion, though her eyes shone with manic delight. "Which only makes this infinitely more fun."
Before either could strike again, loud shouting echoed from the surrounding treeline. Flashing lights flickered through the branches as search parties drew closer.
"It seems the hunters have just prolonged your life," Sabrina said smoothly, pushing herself smoothly to her feet. Aside from the ragged tear at her waist, her body was already knitting itself back together.
"Let's pray I don't see you again, Princess—for your sake," Jason muttered, pressing a hand to his chest as his own regeneration closed the worst of his wounds.
Without another word, they vanished into the dark woods, Sabrina effortlessly hoisting Antonio's unconscious, one-legged body over her shoulder as she retreated into the shadows.