139

Ian’s POV

I stepped into the portal that would take me back to the vampire realm, my mind spinning with the weight of what we had just learned. The attack on the castle was worse than any of us could have anticipated. I had known the realm was in danger, but seeing the full extent of the destruction still caught me off guard. The weight of responsibility, of protecting not just Sophia and our unborn child but also my kingdom, pressed down on me like a suffocating fog.

The moment I stepped out into the realm, I could feel it. The air was heavy with the scent of blood and smoke, the remnants of a battle that had clearly left its mark. The sky above was dark, streaked with angry clouds that blocked out the usual silver glow of the moon. The castle stood in the distance, but it was no longer the majestic fortress it once was. Parts of it were crumbling, sections blackened from fire. The walls, usually pristine and guarded, were now riddled with holes and shattered stone.

I clenched my jaw, taking in the sight. The attack had been calculated, brutal, and intended to send a message.

I made my way toward the council chamber, passing vampires who were still trying to clear the wreckage. Some of them were injured, their pale skin marred by burns and deep cuts. They didn’t speak as I walked by, their faces hollow with exhaustion and grief. They simply bowed their heads, acknowledging my presence. It was a somber greeting, one that reminded me just how precarious our position had become.

The council room was just as damaged as the rest of the castle. The once grand doors were barely hanging on their hinges, and as I stepped inside, I was greeted by the sight of scattered debris and broken furniture. Only a handful of council members had made it back, and even they looked shaken. Their usually composed and haughty expressions were replaced with grimness and fear.

Aldric, was pacing back and forth in front of the shattered windows. His long silver hair was unkempt, and his robes were burnt, but it was his face that caught my attention. His eyes, usually filled with cold calculation, were filled with uncertainty. The attack had rattled him—rattled all of them.

“Ian,” he said as soon as he saw me, his voice strained. “I’m glad you’ve returned.”

“What the hell happened here?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended. I was angry, furious that this attack had even been possible, and even more furious that I hadn’t been here to stop it.

Aldric shook his head, his brows furrowed deeply. “We don’t know. It came out of nowhere. One moment everything was as it should be, and the next…”

He gestured around the room, as if the destruction itself could explain what words couldn’t.

“We were caught off guard,” another council member, Maris, added. She was seated on what remained of her chair, her normally pristine appearance disheveled. “We didn’t have enough time to prepare. They attacked from multiple fronts—werewolves, witches… possibly even some rogue vampires. It was chaos.”

I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to punch something. The realm had been under threat for some time, but for an attack of this magnitude to happen… it meant someone had betrayed us. Someone had let them in.

“And the other council members?” I asked, my gaze sweeping over the room. It felt emptier than usual, and the absence of certain key figures wasn’t lost on me.

Aldric’s expression darkened. “We don’t know where they are. Some of them managed to escape, but we’ve lost contact. We don’t know who’s alive and who’s dead.”

The pit in my stomach deepened. The council, for all its flaws, was the backbone of vampire governance. If we lost more of them, it would destabilize everything. And if they were being hunted down, then it meant this attack wasn’t just about taking out the realm—it was about dismantling our leadership.

I turned toward the shattered windows, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “This was coordinated,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Someone gave them the information they needed. Someone betrayed us.”

Aldric and Maris exchanged a glance but said nothing. It was clear they had their suspicions, but no one wanted to voice them just yet. The idea of a traitor among us—one who had been working to bring about our downfall—was a bitter pill to swallow.

“We need to find out who was behind this,” I said, my voice hardening. “And when we do, they’ll pay.”

Aldric nodded, though there was a shadow of doubt in his eyes. “We’ve already started investigating, but it’s slow. Most of our forces are either dead or scattered.”

“What about the werewolves? Do we know if they’re planning another attack?” I asked.

“They’ve retreated for now,” Maris replied. “But we can’t afford to assume it’s over. This could have just been a test, a way to weaken us before they strike again.”

I nodded grimly. It made sense. If they had wanted to destroy the realm completely, they would have stayed and finished the job. This attack had been about sending a message—and it had worked.

“We’ll rebuild,” I said, my voice solemn. “But we need to be smarter. We need to find out who’s behind this and eliminate them before they can strike again.”

“And what about Sophia?” Maris asked cautiously, her eyes flicking to me. “I assume she’s still in the human world?”

I stiffened slightly at the mention of her name. The council had didn’t like Sophia, I knew that. But now, with the pregnancy, things were even more complicated. I couldn’t risk bringing her back to the realm until I was sure it was safe.

“She’s safe,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. “And she’ll stay that way.”

Aldric raised an eyebrow. “You can’t keep her hidden forever, Ian. Sooner or later, the council will want answers as to why you’re hiding her from us.”

“They’ll get their answers when I’m damn well ready to give them,” I snapped. “I’m not hiding her, by the way. She just doesn’t want to be here.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Sophia didn’t like this place.

There was a tense silence, but I didn’t care. The council could press me all they wanted, but Sophia’s safety—and the safety of our child—came first. I wasn’t going to risk bringing her back into a war zone just to satisfy their curiosity.

“We need to regroup,” I said, shifting the focus back to the immediate crisis. “Start by securing the realm. Find the missing council members, and tighten security. I want every entrance guarded, every perimeter secured.”

Aldric and Maris nodded in agreement, their faces looking determined with the new purpose I had given them.

As I turned to leave, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of my stomach. The realm was in chaos, and the more I learned, the more I realized just how vulnerable we were. Whoever had orchestrated this attack wasn’t done yet—and if they thought they could use Sophia or our child to weaken me, they were sorely mistaken.

I would burn this realm to the ground before I let that happen.