Negotiating

George stepped out of his chambers, heading towards the dungeon when he bumped into an agitated Rose.

"We need to talk," she said firmly, her voice carrying a hint of toughness that surprised even herself.

George raised an eyebrow, a playful glow in his eyes. "Happy to see you too, little sis. You seem in a haste for someone still healing... "

Rose rolled her eyes. "I am serious, George."

George dismissed the two guards who were tailing him with a wave of his hand.

The duo walked towards the garden, the moonlight bathing them in an ethereal glow. George stood under the moonlight, his raven black hair catching the light, making him look even more stunningly handsome. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked, his playful demeanor fading, replaced by a more serious tone.

"Rose met George's gaze, her eyes hardening. 'It is about Jack,' she said, her voice low and dangerous.

He raised an eyebrow. 'You mean the one in the dungeon?' he asked coldly.

'How did you…?' Rose began, but George cut her off.

'I made my diggings,' he said, a chilling smile playing on his lips. 'What about him?' he asked abruptly, his tone hardening.

Rose narrowed her gaze at her brother, suspicion coiling in her gut. 'Okay, firstly, what is he doing here? And secondly, what really happened that night in the woods…? Because I can't remember.'

George folded his arms across his chest, a dangerous glint in his eyes. 'Two nights ago, our pack was attacked,' he began, his voice low and menacing.

Rose gasped. 'Vampires?'

'Yes,' he confirmed. 'Led by Vlad himself. Although it was the Blood Moon, they were still able to subdue us.'

Rose's face paled. "That's impossible… How were they able to defeat us, even in the night of the Blood Moon?" she inquired, her voice trembling.

"They had help from Selene, the most powerful witch in the Tyrax Coven. She enchanted them with a wolf immunity spell." George paused, the weight of the news heavy in the air. "Dad… Dad was killed…"

The news hit Rose like a physical blow. "What?" she gasped, her voice filled with disbelief.

George didn't flinch. "That same night, you were attacked…" He exhaled, the memory clearly still haunting him. "I had someone follow on you, that was how I knew you were in trouble."

Rose raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Follow on me? Really?"

"It was for your own good, I... I couldn't handle you moving into an unknown place with no guards or… I was keeping you safe! " he said, his voice rising.

"I can handle myself, George!" she exclaimed, her anger rising.

He ignored her outbursts. "We came to find you in the woods, just to meet a huge beast, hovering over you." He fell silent, the memory clearly still haunting him. "I thought maybe the beast had done something to you, so we launched an attack. Although we outnumbered the beast, we were no match for it… but then you… you…" he stammered, his voice trailing off.

He tried to remember the events of that night, but the memory was fragmented, a chaotic blur of violence and fear. All he knew was that there was a loud scream, and then everything went dark. When he regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by unconscious bodies, including the beast.

He still suspected that Rose had somehow intervened, though he couldn't quite grasp how. He shrugged off his own confused thoughts and said, "And—to answer your question, the boy is here because he is the Kinsmir."

"And how do you know that?" Rose demanded.

He scoffed. "You remember the prophecy, right?"

"Well, there are two prophecies concerning the Kinsmir," Rose countered, a plan already forming in her mind.

Walking out of the garden, he continued, "Maybe you can tell that to the Elders in the council meeting tomorrow."

Rose looked at her brother with a puzzled expression "Council meeting? For what?"

George stopped in front of the garden entrance, his face grim. "To decide whether to keep him or exile him," he said coldly. With that he walked out of the garden.

Rose knew that his brother did not like the idea of keeping Jack here. She had to find a way to prevent Jack from being terminated. Unlike the vampires, the werewolves were very ruthless in their decisions.

…

On the day of the council meeting, the four elders of the four packs were present, along with the Alphas, Betas and other pack members. Shortly after they all assembled, the meeting commenced. Suddenly, the discussion turned into an argument between the two siblings.

Inside the room, everyone was quiet, the ambiance thick with tension.