Nightfall cloaked Lake Blacksea in a veil of eerie stillness.
The air was sharp, cold enough to sting the skin, and the streets were empty too empty. Shadows stretched long beneath the faint glow of street lamps, and not a single sound stirred except the crunch of gravel beneath the pack's boots.
Wrapped in dark jackets Bella's idea the six of them moved like silent sentinels through the deserted town. The wind whistled low, teasing loose strands of Bella's hair, making them shimmer beneath the pale moonlight.
"The night is so peaceful," she whispered, her breath misting.
"It is," Jasper replied, hugging his jacket tighter. "And freezing."
They turned down a narrow road, heading for the lake that gave the town its name. The waters were rumored to glow and to claim lives.
"We'll start at the lake," Sophia said, her voice steady. "That's where most of the killings have happened."
"What if we catch this vampire?" Tyler asked beside her.
"We end it," she replied without hesitation.
James gave a quiet chuckle. "Too bad Lake Blacksea won't know who saved them."
"That doesn't matter," Henry said firmly. "As long as they're safe."
They continued their march, every step echoing in the stillness until sharp flashlight beams cut through the dark.
"Hey! Stop there!" a sheriff called out, his torchlight blinding.
The pack halted.
"It's past curfew," another officer added. "What are you kids doing out this late?"
"We're going to the lake," Henry said smoothly. "To catch the glowing light of Blacksea."
"It's not safe," the sheriff warned. "People are dying out here, and we still don't know who or what's behind it."
Sophia stepped forward, scratching her chin. "We're sorry, sheriff… but we really need to do this. It's urgent."
"A mission? At this hour? Are you crazy?" the officer snapped. "You must be new in town."
But even as they argued, Tyler's expression changed. His nostrils flared.
He touched James and Sophia. "Vampire nearby."
James nodded. "I smell it too."
"We really have to go," Bella said, tense.
Then, in a blink, Tyler dashed past the startled officers, heading straight for the dark outline of the forest beyond. One after another, the pack followed boots pounding the pavement until the shadows swallowed them whole.
In the heart of the woods, it happened.
A pulse of energy. A shimmer of fur and bone.
Tyler shifted first, body snapping into the powerful form of his wolf. Then Sophia. Bella. James. Jasper. Henry.
One by one, six wolves emerged from the darkness sleek, powerful, and ready.
The forest stood silent, but danger was near.
They ran deep into the forest, paws thudding against the earth, hearts pounding in sync. The cold air howled past them, tangling through the trees like ghosts watching silently from above.
Tyler came to a sudden stop before a jagged, moss-covered rock. The others skidded to a halt behind him, their flanks rising and falling with steady breath. He sniffed the air, nostrils flaring.
Something moved.
A rustle in the brush. Then a blur. A vampire bolted through the undergrowth, leaping from tree to tree with desperate speed.
The pack surged forward.
It was a chase. A brutal one.
The vampire's movements were frantic, ducking low branches, bounding over fallen logs but it wasn't enough. The pack was faster. Smarter.
Sophia lunged.
A flash of claws, a sharp snarl, and the vampire hit the ground with a thud. The vampire crushed beneath her.
"Great job," Bella said through the mind channel, her tone calm but proud.
But Tyler didn't relax. His nose twitched again. "There are still more here," he warned.
Above them, crouched on a thick tree branch, a second vampire revealed himself. He dropped down lightly, landing with feline grace.
His long velvet hair shimmered in the moonlight, and his smile curled with quiet menace.
"Wolves… what a surprise," he said, his voice smooth and taunting.
His eyes gleamed a terrifying hue of refined gold, cold and ancient. Something primal stirred in the air.
"Guys…" Bella whispered in the mind link, "his battle spirit is very high."
The vampire cracked his neck. "I've killed many wolves in my time," he said. "This won't be any different."
He slid into a battle stance, poised and ready.
The forest fell quiet. Tension coiled in the shadows.
"Let's get started."
The pack braced themselves, eyes locked on the lone vampire.
Tyler lunged first, Henry and the others right beside him.
With a flick of his wrist, the vampire tore a massive boulder from the earth and hurled it their way. The pack split, the rock smashing into the ground with a deafening boom.
In the same heartbeat, his boot connected with Bella's chest. She was thrown through the air, crashing into a tree with a painful grunt.
Energy gathered in his hands condensing into a razor-sharp, darting arrow. It struck Henry and James before they could react, sending both tumbling into the dirt.
Tyler, Sophia, and Jasper closed in from three sides.
A swirling void of shadow erupted before them. In an instant, Tyler and Sophia were sucked into its pull, colliding hard before rolling apart. Jasper was flung aside, hitting the ground with a bone-jarring thud.
The vampire chuckled, his fangs gleaming in the pale moonlight.
"Call me Capel," he said, voice dripping with mockery. "One of the Twelve Kings of the Vampire Hierarchy… under the great Lord Susun. And I hate when wolves meddle with my meals."
He began to pace, eyes glinting. "To rise higher, I need more blood."
The pack forced themselves back to their feet. They charged from every angle.
Capel's body flared with a violent, crimson aura. The explosion of power blasted them apart, the shockwave rattling the trees.
Too strong… Jasper's voice echoed through the mind link.
Tyler staggered upright, claws bared, and sprinted for Capel.
But the vampire vanished. A blur of speed then a crushing strike to Tyler's back.
He was sent crashing into the dirt, the impact forcing the air from his lungs.
Tyler! Sophia's voice screamed through the mind link.
Capel's laugh rolled through the forest, low and haunting, carrying the promise of death.