Chapter 10 Traces Of The Past

Night fell like ink on a fading page, swallowing the last light of the city in quiet surrender. Rain sat curled in the corner of an abandoned phone booth near the edge of the market square, knees drawn to her chest, her chin resting against her arms. Her coat, damp from the earlier drizzle, clung to her skin like second breath. The cold didn't bother her as much anymore-she'd grown used to it, used to the ache that came with being forgotten.

Somewhere nearby, a streetlamp flickered like a dying heartbeat.

Across the world, in a place hidden far from the knowing eyes of men, the vampire clan stirred in the ancient halls beneath the Syrix Mountains. Their walls were carved from obsidian and echo-root, absorbing light and humming with ancestral power. In a vaulted chamber thick with the scent of pine, old parchment, and blood, three cloaked figures knelt before an obsidian throne. A woman with white eyes sat upon it, her voice as ancient as the stones.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, My Queen," answered the eldest of the three. "Our diviners have confirmed it. The child bears her scent. The blood runs strong."

The queen's pale fingers tightened on the armrest. "After all this time... Althaea's bloodline still breathes."

A shiver passed through the room, though no wind stirred it. The name hadn't been spoken aloud in centuries-not since Princess Althaea vanished after turning her back on the clan and breaking the sacred bond with the royal line.

"Find her," the queen commanded, her voice like frost against steel. "Find the child, but do not alert the wolves. The last thing we need is a territorial clash."

Back in the human world, Rain pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She hadn't eaten all day. The vending machine at the corner shop hadn't paid her much attention, but the owner had watched her like a hawk, hand hovering near the phone. She couldn't risk it. One wrong move, and she'd be dragged into a system she'd learned to avoid-foster homes, questions, and more eyes watching.

She hated eyes.

Especially the ones that seemed to be everywhere lately.

She had started noticing things.

The same black car parked across different blocks.

The same woman in a tan coat showing up near the alley-too clean to be from the streets, too quiet to be a bystander.

And that morning at the soup line, when she dropped the ladle and turned around, she could've sworn she saw a man watching her from the corner. But when she looked again, he was gone. It was like chasing shadows. And yet something in her chest knew better.

She wasn't imagining things.

She curled tighter into herself and tried to calm her breath, but a deep ache buzzed behind her ribs. Like something ancient stirring.

Elsewhere, within the ForWolves Parc, a scout landed silently at the edge of the inner sanctuary. The council had gathered again, this time with maps, records, and scent samples stored in jars wrapped in protective linen.

"Still no trace of the Austins," the scout reported. "We've searched the last recorded perimeter and found only remnants. It's possible they crossed into the Northern Blightlands."

Malik stood tall beside Rick, both cloaked in midnight furs. Rick's jaw was tight. "They wouldn't run. Not unless they were protecting something."

A murmur passed through the room.

The council leader stepped forward, his eyes cold and commanding. "Then find out what they were protecting. We cannot waste more time. Double the squads. No mistakes."

Back in the city, Rain finally left the phone booth, her limbs stiff and heavy. The world felt too quiet, too still.

She didn't know that at that very moment, both vampire and wolf forces were setting new paths toward the same question. And though their missions started with others-Althaea, Mister Austin-they were both closing in on her.

Rain, the child no one knew, was about to become the secret everyone needed. A fight for who she belongs to would soon ensure

But tonight, she was just a girl in an oversized coat, walking beneath a sky full of forgotten stars.

Still hungry.

Still alone.

Still breathing.

.