"It's a good thing you stopped there," Luke said, wincing slightly as he stood up and carefully closed the cut on his right hand. "Any more blood loss and I wouldn't have been able to move a muscle."
Selene's icy gaze sharpened, and after a tense pause, she finally asked the question that had been circling in her mind since their escape. "Who are you?"
Luke met her eyes steadily. "Name's Luke Haken. Race? Human," he replied plainly, as if that explained everything.
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line. "Do you know why the Lycans are after this human?" Her voice was calm, almost casual, but there was a clear edge of seriousness beneath it.
Unlike earlier in the car, when she had her gun trained on him and demanded answers, now she seemed willing to listen. He had saved her—it earned him at least that much trust.
Luke nodded slowly. "Somewhat. It's a long story."
Selene relaxed slightly, leaning back in, crossing her arms. "I have the time and patience," she said quietly.
With Michael—the man the Lycans were hunting—right there in the same room, there was no rush. But she was determined to learn more about Luke. Who was this human who knew so much about their world? and many other strange things.
"Okay," Luke said, sinking down onto the sofa, rubbing the back of his neck.
"But before I start, you have to promise me one thing. Whatever I tell you—it's all true. I know it'll sound unbelievable, maybe even make you want to kill me, but it's the truth. So you have to give me your word—you won't attack me."
Selene couldn't really pose a threat to him anymore—he'd hidden her guns early on, stripping away her main advantage.
Now, she was just a woman sitting here. But she was still Selene—the Death Dealer, a vampire who had lived for centuries. That meant he couldn't be careless.
What he was about to say was sensitive. It could easily get under her skin, spark her temper or make her shut down completely.
He needed to be cautious, measured with his words. One wrong move, and this uneasy truce could turn into a fight—something neither of them wanted right now.
Luke wasn't sharing all of this out of charity. Every word he spoke was calculated, chosen because it would benefit him in more ways than one.
Selene's voice broke his thoughts. "Okay, I promise."
Luke closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.
He didn't remember every name or detail perfectly, but the bigger picture was becoming clearer the more he thought about it.
This was the history of vampires and Lycans—the endless war, the secrets, the betrayals. He was about to reveal it all.
"Then," Luke began, leaning back slightly as if preparing her for a long tale, "let me tell you a story. Not just any story—one that started a thousand years ago, maybe more. Somewhere in the old Hungarian lands, there was a village… a quiet, simple place. Then a plague struck. It tore through the village like a scythe through wheat. Every man, woman, and child… gone. Except for one."
He held up a single finger for emphasis.
"This one survivor didn't make it through by luck. He carried something rare—a genetic mutation that let his body adapt to the virus, not fight it off like normal, but… change. Instead of dying, he became something new. The first Immortal."
Selene's eyes narrowed slightly, her mind processing the words. Luke continued.
"His name? Honestly… can't remember. But he lived. And over time, he had two sons. Both inherited that immortality and that same mutation. Then fate—or bad luck—intervened. One son was bitten by a bat… the other, by a wolf. That… was the birth of first Vampire and Lycan."
He let the weight of that sink in. Selene's expression stayed unreadable, though a tiny flicker of recognition passed through her eyes.
"I know you've heard a version of this before," Luke added, his tone calm but pointed. "But the history you've been told isn't the full truth."
Selene's thoughts drifted briefly—Viktor. In her world, he was the first vampire. This… contradicted everything she had been taught. Her instinct was to question him, but Luke raised a hand.
"I know you have doubts. Keep them for later—let me finish."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering. "There was another human son , a descendant of the first immortal. This one didn't inherit the full mutation, but the trait was still there—dormant, hidden deep in the bloodline. And the man over there—" Luke nodded toward Michael— "is the descendant of that human."
Selene's eyes flicked to Michael, studying him with a colder gaze than before.
"His blood," Luke continued, "is pure—untouched by transformation. But it carries the dormant virus that could grant immortality and do many wonders. That's why the Lycans want him. They believe they can use his blood to merge both Vampire and Lycan traits into one… creating something stronger than either race. A weapon that could wipe out vampires completely."
"That's impossible," Selene said sharply. "No one can survive both infections."
"Nope," Luke said flatly. "Normally they can't. But he's the exception. And if the Lycans get their hands on him… they'll make it happen."
Selene's gaze lingered on Michael, her mind flashing with a thought she didn't like—kill him before the Lycans could take him. It would be logical.
Unlike in the original chain of events, there was no affection for Michael in Selene's eyes—none at all. Because of one particular man from who messed up all the things.
So if killing this human now meant avoiding greater trouble later, she would have no trouble doing it.