In A Country, hidden behind layers of snow and ancient secrets, the Vampire Lord had awakened—and now demanded answers.
"Tell me everything that happened while we were in hibernation," Valus Vellaria commanded, his voice cold as winter frost.
Across from him stood Arron Marcus—the head of the Marcus family, the coven's most trusted butler lineage. Time hadn't dulled Arron's efficiency. Even now, his gloved hands slid a thick folder across the obsidian desk without hesitation.
"Sir, the company remains number one globally," Arron began, his tone crisp. "But the Landon family from Santossa in C Country… they've grown. They're our closest rivals and have gained massive ground over the past twenty-five years."
Valus's crimson eyes narrowed. "The Lycans are rising again… Is Merca still their leader?"
"No, my lord. She stepped down long ago. Leadership passed to her nephew—Carl Landon."
The name hit like a dagger.
"Carl…" Valus muttered. "Tell me everything about him."
Arron paused, as if gauging how much the king could handle.
"He's… a genius, sir. Everything he touches turns to gold. At only 31, he's already dismantled the Werewolf Covenant—alone. The Lycans now bow to him. Some even call him the 'Iron Alpha.' Ruthless. Strategic. Unstoppable."
A flicker of unease stirred in Valus's chest. Not fear—but something close. "Keep him under surveillance," he said. "He's dangerous."
But Valus's worry didn't stem solely from business rivalry.
It was deeper.
Older.
And buried in the cold earth of memory.
His eyes drifted toward the grand window of the chateau. Snow fell in a slow, eerie hush. Just like it had twenty-eight years ago.
The night their world collapsed.
---
Flashback – 28 Years Ago
"No! No, no, no—Maika!!" Merrine's scream echoed through the chateau halls as she cradled her daughter's lifeless body.
Maika's skin was ice. Her heart… silent.
The curse had claimed her.
The Curse of the Twin Blood.
A punishment woven into the bloodline centuries ago—when a vampire ancestor slaughtered a starving witch family on sacred grounds. They had murdered the parents. Then, the twin children. Their grandmother, a powerful black witch, arrived too late… but not powerless.
She didn't seek revenge.
She gave it.
A curse.
Any vampire born of twins… would lose the more powerful child on their eighteenth birthday.
The curse lingered for generations.
Hidden.
Feared.
Until it came for Maika.
"Please, gods—someone help her!" Merrine wept, her cries shattering hearts. "She's only a child!"
Then came the storm.
Wind whipped through the castle like a living thing. And with it—her.
Lady Vienna.
Queen Vantessa's sister.
A witch of near-legendary power, draped in deep indigo and silver runes, her presence alone shifted the air.
"I can save her," Vienna declared, kneeling by Maika. "But the price is steep."
"Anything," Valus said, gripping his wife's hand. "We'll do anything."
Vienna's eyes glowed. "I can suppress her vampire nature… by turning her into a human."
"What?" Merrine whispered. "But—"
"She'll be reborn," Vienna continued. "Marked with a sigil behind her ear. Her powers will sleep, and she'll grow as a normal girl. When she turns eighteen… on the third day after… I'll bring her back. But until she dies as a human, the curse cannot break. And all of you—her bloodline—must hibernate. You must vanish from this world… until the curse is done."
Valus and Merrine didn't hesitate. "Do it."
---
Present Day
"Sir?" Arron's voice pulled Valus out of his daze.
"I'm sorry… continue."
"Should I resume the report on Carl Landon?"
"Yes," Valus said, masking the pain. "I need to know everything."
"He's a widower. His wife died three years ago. Rumor has it the werewolves tried to erase the Landon line. They failed—his son survived. But his wife… didn't."
Valus nodded slowly, brows furrowed. A widower with a son...
"He's grown colder since then," Arron added. "A workaholic. Obsessed with securing power. Wealth. Status. Some say he's planning something big."
Valus leaned back, hands steepled. "Keep watching him. I want every move he makes tracked."
"Yes, sir."
"And… Merca?" Valus asked quietly.
Arron's lips thinned. "She's in S Country. Living as a human. Happy, I believe."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Valus placed a hand on Arron's shoulder. "I'm sorry, old friend. I know what she meant to you."
Arron didn't speak. He couldn't.
Decades ago, he and Merca had loved each other under the shadows of duty. A forbidden romance between a vampire butler and a Lycan heiress—destined to fail.
They sacrificed everything… for the sake of loyalty.
Their story, like so many others, was just another page in the blood-stained history of the coven.
But now…
Now, a storm was coming.
And Valus knew—
The past was not done with them yet.