CHAPTER 12
The Prisoner Who Still Had a Name
The chamber beneath the vampire world was older than most of its laws.
Stone walls curved inward like a throat. Symbols were carved deep into the floor, glowing faintly red, not alive but remembering. Chains hung from the ceiling, thick and cruel, etched with runes meant to suppress everything a creature was.
Marcus stood at the center of it.
Barefoot. Shirt torn. Wrists bound in iron and magic both. His head was bowed, not from weakness, but from exhaustion that had lasted years.
Every punishment followed a pattern.
Pain. Silence. Waiting.
This time felt different.
The air was heavier.
Above him, footsteps echoed.
Measured. Confident.
Lord Malvex entered the chamber like he owned it.
He wore dark robes today, formal ones. The kind worn when decisions were meant to echo beyond a single night. His expression was calm, almost bored, but his eyes were sharp with purpose.
"Still breathing," Malvex said lightly. "You were always stubborn, Marcus."
Marcus lifted his head slowly. His eyes burned gold for a second, then faded again.
"You don't come down here to talk," Marcus said hoarsely. "Say what you came to say."
Malvex smiled. "Straight to the point. I've missed that about you."
He stepped closer, stopping just outside the circle.
"You know why I'm here," Malvex continued. "The balance is shaking. Wolves grow restless. Vampires question old rules. And your daughter…"
Marcus stiffened.
Malvex noticed.
"…still lives," Malvex finished softly.
The chains reacted. Glowed brighter. Marcus gritted his teeth but did not scream.
"You don't get to say her name," Marcus growled.
Malvex raised his hands in mock surrender. "Of course. Forgive me."
Then his tone shifted.
"But Elena is dead. The packs are turning on themselves. And Luna Everhart is standing at the center of it all without knowing why."
Marcus laughed once. It came out broken. "You always talk like you're saving the world. But all you do is burn it."
Malvex's smile thinned.
"That's why I'm going to King Vaelor," he said. "Today."
Marcus's heart sank.
---
Above, in the High Hall
The vampire High Hall was alive with quiet tension while all the remaining members roam widely with the hall murmuring.
Elders stood in small clusters. Chiefs from old bloodlines lined the outer ring. The air smelled of cold stone and restrained power.
King Vaelor sat on his throne, still and watchful.
Malvex stood before him.
"My king," Malvex said smoothly, bowing just enough to be respectful. "We have delayed long enough."
Vaelor's eyes narrowed slightly. "Speak clearly."
"The prisoner," Malvex said. "Marcus Everhart."
A low murmur spread through the hall.
"He is a fracture point," Malvex continued. "A living reminder of forbidden blood. His existence alone weakens the Blood Bound Law which is not supposed to be and we all know the consequencesy lord."
One elder stepped forward. "He has already suffered."
"And yet the consequences continue," Malvex replied. "His mate is dead. His daughter walks free, awakening powers tied to him. Wolves and vampires circle each other again."
Another chief shook his head. "You want to make him a symbol."
"Yes," Malvex said simply. "A necessary one."
Vaelor leaned back slightly. "You are suggesting the ritual."
The word fell heavy.
Several elders stiffened except from those on the bad sides.
"The Consuming Bind," Malvex said. "Not execution. Not mercy. A reminder. His power sealed permanently. His identity stripped. A warning to all hybrids who might dare follow."
"That ritual has not been used in centuries," one elder argued. "It destroys the subject slowly."
Malvex's gaze slid toward him. "War destroys faster."
Silence.
Vaelor did not answer immediately.
Some chiefs nodded slowly.
Others looked away.
"This will provoke the wolves," an elder said. "They already doubt our restraint."
Malvex inclined his head. "Then they will learn fear again."
Vaelor's fingers tightened on the arm of his throne.
"At dawn," the king said finally, "I will decide."
Malvex bowed.
Satisfied.
---
Below, Where Light Barely Reached
The guard shift changed.
Chains rattled softly as Marcus slumped against the stone.
Time passed strangely down here. Pain blurred hours into minutes.
Then someone stopped.
Not a guard.
A servant.
Young. Thin. Eyes downcast. Carrying water.
He hesitated.
Marcus sensed it before he saw it.
"You don't belong down here," Marcus said quietly.
The servant flinched.
"I… I bring the water," he said. His voice shook.
Marcus studied him through swollen eyes. "You're afraid."
The servant swallowed. "Of them. Not of you."
That earned a weak smile from Marcus.
The servant set the bowl down carefully, closer than usual.
"They say they will perform the ritual," he whispered. "Soon."
Marcus closed his eyes. "Then let them."
The servant's hands clenched. "Your daughter," he blurted out. "She's alive and are you willing to leave her just alone like that and give up?."
Marcus's eyes flew open.
The chains reacted violently.
"Speak," Marcus demanded.
"She lives above the human line," the servant said quickly. "Her name is whispered even here. Luna."
Marcus's breath broke. "Elena?"
The servant shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry."
Marcus sagged.
Then his voice hardened. "Why are you telling me this."
The servant met his eyes for the first time.
"Because my sister was human," he said. "And the laws did not save her."
Marcus stared at him.
"They use rules to justify cruelty," the servant continued. "But you… you are punished for loving."
Silence stretched as Marcus felt weak deep inside and hearth broken.
"I will watch over her," the servant said suddenly. "Your daughter. I wont also still want what happened to my beloved sister happen to the hybrid again (LÙÑÄ)."
Marcus laughed bitterly. "You are a slave."
The servant straightened. "Then I am invisible. And that is power."
Marcus studied him carefully now.
"Why risk this," Marcus asked.
The servant hesitated. "Because if Luna learns the truth the wrong way… the war will not wait."
Marcus closed his eyes again.
"For her sake," he whispered, "be careful."
The servant nodded.
Then, quieter, "There may be a way. Not now. But soon."
Hope was dangerous.
Marcus still let it breathe as he found out that night he have to do something about what is happening outside the hall about the orphanage hybrid.
But still there thinking of his beloved spouse...as fire rose up in him gradually gradually.
---
Night Above, Storm Below
Elsewhere, Malvex stood alone on a balcony overlooking the dark city.
He watched the lights flicker.
He smiled.
"The king will choose fear," he murmured. "They always do."
Behind him, the world shifted.
Not yet broken.
But bending.
---
At Luna's Window
Far away, Luna woke suddenly.
No dream.
Just a sharp ache in her chest.
She pressed her hand there, breathing slowly.
The diary lay closed.
Silent.
But heavy.
She did not know why tears came.
Only that something old was being pulled tighter.
And somewhere deep beneath stone and blood, a father whispered her name into chains.