Chapter 10: The Blood That Shouldn’t Be

The dream had not left him.

Even in waking, Ethan felt the echo of her presence, the scent of fog and moonlight in her hair, the sound of her voice saying his name.

Elara.

He rose before the others stirred, sweat clinging to his skin despite the cold. Around him, the camp remained quiet, save for the steady breath of sleeping wolves. But Rufik was already awake, crouched near the embers of the fire. His yellow eyes watched Ethan with the wary patience of an alpha who had seen omens take form before.

"You saw her," Rufik said, not a question.

Ethan nodded slowly, running a hand through his dark hair. "She was in the dream. Not just a vision. Real. She knew things… said my name. And she spoke of him."

"The blood speaks," Rufik murmured. "Even across distance. Especially when the Call has begun."

Ethan exhaled hard and lifted his head to the dark canopy above. A bloated moon still hung in the sky, waning now but watching, always watching. He let instinct take over and raised his voice in a long, powerful howl — one that rolled over the forest like thunder across mountains.

The wolves around him stirred. Then answered.

From far beyond the ravine, the other packs would hear it — the summons of the Half-Born.

They would gather.

They had to.

"This can't wait," Ethan said, already tightening the straps of his gear. "We need to leave the woods. The veil between worlds is thinning. I can feel it."

Rufik grunted. "You're not wrong. Even the youngest feel it in their bones,like rot spreading through the marrow."

Ethan looked at him. "We'll meet in Tagavishta. Old grounds. Shielded. Neutral."

Rufik nodded. "The city of the veiled flame. Yes. The others will follow."

Without another word, the pack began to move, shedding their resting forms and shifting into swift-footed wolves. Ethan remained in his human form, his gait already fast enough to match them. But the quiet weight in his chest deepened with every step.

The girl. The seal. The name Izolda.

And the thing he feared more than all of it, destiny.

They moved through the forest like shadow rivers, weaving through trees and ravines. Ethan took point beside Rufik. The others fanned out, sniffing the wind, ears pricked.

But something was wrong.

The wind shifted.

And so did the scent.

"Stop," Rufik growled.

All wolves skidded to a halt, hackles raised, breath steaming. Ethan's nostrils flared.

Rot and iron.

Vampire.

Fast.

Too fast.

Then,from the thickets ahead, a blur of motion. A pale figure launched from the trees, blade flashing in the moonlight.

The pack exploded into movement. Wolves lunged, teeth bared, snarls filling the night. Rufik transformed mid-leap, massive fur bursting forth like a wildfire. The others followed,all except one.

The beta, younger and slower, hesitated.

And that second was all it took.

The vampire was ruthless. With one quick twist, he drove a silver dagger deep into the beta's shoulder. The wolf cried out, a horrifying, human-animal sound that stopped Ethan in his tracks.

Something inside Ethan snapped.

He did not think.

He became.

Half-turned,claws bursting from his hands, fangs pressing from his gums, bones shifting but not fully,he vanished in a streak of wind and blur, faster than even Rufik could see.

In the time it took the vampire to blink, Ethan was there.

With one hand, he grabbed the vampire's wrist. With the other, claws long and blackened,he reached into the vampire's chest and tore out the heart in a single, fluid motion.

The vampire gave a strangled cry and crumpled to the dirt, blood steaming.

Silence followed.

Only the sound of the beta's ragged breathing remained, and the drip of silver-tainted blood.

Rufik stepped forward, shifting back to his human form. His face was ashen. "You moved like smoke."

Ethan didn't answer. He crouched beside the beta and pulled the silver from his flesh.

"Hold," Ethan whispered.

As the silver left the wound, the wolf shuddered. Then — slowly,the gash began to close.

"We move now," Ethan said without looking up. "There will be more."

---

By the time they reached the outer hills, the city of Tagavishta glimmered in the distance, torchlight and shadow clustered within ancient walls. Built atop forgotten ruins, it had once been a crossroads for witches, wolves, and seers.

Now, it would be a meeting ground again.

Ethan stood at the crest of the slope, overlooking the valley below. The moon had sunk lower, but its glow still clung to him, silvering the tips of his dark hair.

Rufik joined him. "You saved the beta."

"I only did what was needed."

"You didn't hesitate."

"I can't afford to." Ethan's voice was low.

"You fight like one of his sons."

Ethan's jaw tightened. He stepped a few paces away, as if the air near the alpha had become too thick.

Then, without turning, he asked, "Why do they call me the thing with two hearts?"

Rufik was silent for a time.

Then, softly, "Because you are."

Ethan's shoulders slumped.

He took a long breath.

"Vahriun was once part of Dracula's court" he began— one of his Major Generals. A sorcerer. A war tactician. A killer. But when Dracula's thirst became too deep, when he crossed the line between god and monster, Vahriun rebelled."

"And lived?" Rufik asked in disbelief.

Ethan nodded. "For a time. He was strong,as strong as his father. Yes, Vahriun was Dracula's son, but he hated the shadow of it. He studied old magic, older than the first seals. He gathered others who believed in limits, in balance. But Dracula found them."

"And brought Hell."

"Exactly," Ethan whispered. "Legions rose. Cities burned. But Vahriun survived. He vanished. And in the silence after, he met a woman of the Old Blood. A wolf whose line traced back to the first Howlers. She was exiled. Their love was forbidden. But they didn't care."

"Your mother."

Ethan nodded. "She gave birth to me. A thing with two hearts. Two hungers. Born of lineages that should never mix."

Rufik placed a hand on his shoulder. "But you did not choose your blood."

"No," Ethan said bitterly. "But now everyone thinks I must choose what to do with it."

"Because you are the only one fast enough. Strong enough."

"I'm not him," Ethan snapped. "Not Vahriun. And I'm not Dracula."

"No," Rufik said. "You're something else."

They stood in silence as the torches of Tagavishta flickered.

Below, wolves gathered. Packs from far lands. Old ones. New bloods. Even witches.

The Call had shaken them all.

And somewhere out there, beneath the stars and fog, Dracula was stirring.