34. Juli

Iwake up early the next day, deciding to get in touch with my family. I open my notebook and the messenger app to contact one of them. I know Dante is going to talk to Charlie today, so I want to give them some privacy. Before I can reach out to Liam, a new window pops up.

Finally, you switched on the notebook, the message says. I'm Dalila.

Oh, Dalila! Sorry, I didn't know you were waiting.

Waiting is the wrong word ^_^ I just had a signal appear once you switched it on so I can contact you immediately.

So, you hacked the notebook?

Yes, that way we can chat without anyone tracing us. I will archive what we talk about, but everything will be deleted on your side after ten minutes. Alpha Liam is giving me all the information I need. It's safer for you to talk to me instead of the others.

How do I know it's really you?

Good question. That's why you are a beta. I watch her typing. Ask me anything.

What are you doing on Wednesdays?

Grab a coffee with Luna Janice, then go to the weekly luna meetings with her. Evening is my date night with Tony.

Okay, but anyone might know that if they spied on her. Who is your mom?

I have two moms. One is a werecat, one's a whole different entity.

What happened when we first met?

Oh, I stumbled and fell, like usual. Then you went with me to the bathroom to help me freshen up, and I joked about first impressions. You then told me how you met the luna for the first time… by stealing her sandwich in school.

Okay, yes, it has to be her. I haven't told that story to many people. I was so hungry because my pack didn't feed me properly. Annie knew I took it, and from the next day on she always brought two sandwiches to school.

Got it. It's you. Sorry. I respond.

Nope, don't be. Better to be safe! How are things with the vampires?

They aren't doing much. They make sure I feel like a guest. Aloysius needs something from me, which is why he wants to lure me to feel safe. I play along because I need him too.

You don't know yet if he is Charlie's dad?

No, he didn't slip up in any way. I do think he believes he is, but he isn't certain either. And he wants to know from me whose child she is. Something feels a bit off here, though.

What do you mean?

I think not all of his men here are really standing behind Aloysius. It seems Silas leaving did put a rift between some of the coven members and Aloysius. From what I heard, Silas was a very fair leader who watched out for his people. They miss his more sensitive side. Aloysius himself looks more abusive to me.

Interesting. I will try to find out more about that from Silas. If I hear anything from Liam, I will contact you.

Thanks Dalila.

You and Ari watch out for yourselves, will you?

Sure, don't worry.

I watch her leave the chat, and after a few minutes, true to her words, the whole chat is deleted. Nice to have a friend and ally like Dalila. I put the notebook aside and freshen up in the bathroom. When I return, Aryanna is awake, too, and we both make plans to stroll through the castle and snoop around. As if on cue, Julianus knocks at the door with our breakfast.

"Man." Aryanna chuckles. "You look groggy, Juli."

Julianus sighs. "I'm alright. Here is your—"

"You are not alright," Aryanna says. "Come on in and have breakfast with us. You look like you need it."

"Had one too many drinks yesterday?" I ask, glad that Ari takes the lead. She is an easygoing person and people naturally trust her and chat with her.

Julianus frowns. "And whose fault was that?"

I perk up at his slightly annoyed tone and his pout. He is letting his guard down slowly. "Ari is right. Come and have some ham and eggs with us."

"Or would you rather have some fresh wolf blood?" Aryanna teases.

Julianus flushes. "No way, I couldn't do that with one of you!"

"Oh, so it's something intimate?" I ask, patting the space next to me at the small table in the room.

Julianus sits down and accepts a cup of coffee. "Yes and no. I would only feed directly on a person I deeply care for or on my beloved. It's a very intimate thing to do. But we have regular blood supplies too that get delivered in packages."

"I see." Aryanna chuckles. "Sipping out of a plastic bag certainly isn't romantic."

"Thanks for the weird image, Ari," I groan.

"For real," Julianus mutters.

"Don't be so sensitive, you two," Aryanna says. "Just imagine it… just you and a plastic bag full of blood."

"Please shut up." I laugh.

"Is all the talk about blood making you hungry, Juli?" she teases him.

He chuckles, and for the first time that I met him, he actually smiles. "You two are so weird," he says. "No, I just need blood once a month."

I decide to take the risk. "A hybrid like my niece too?" I ask casually.

"It depends on how strong her genes are," he answers thoughtfully. "For her, it might be enough to feed all two or even three months; maybe she can take even longer pauses. Her werewolf genes are going to be dominant, though. Normally that's how it is."

"That makes it easier," I say with a smile.

"Then she can go to school and do her sports classes without any issues," Ari adds.

I nod, deciding to tell Julianus more about her to make him realize that she is a person and not just a disposable object. "She is very active," I tell him. "Loves sports. And she is a little warrior already. Punched a bunch of older teenagers."

"I wish I could have seen it," Aryanna laughs. "It must have been great to see her kick that bully."

"What happened?" Julianus asks curiously.

I jump onto the opportunity and tell him how a guy tried to trick Charlie and how she and her friend fought back and made him the laughingstock instead. Julianus chuckles once I'm finished. "She sounds like quite the challenge."

"She is a great kid," I say. "Talking about… I don't see many kids here."

"That's because us vampires aren't as family-oriented as werewolves," he admits. "It takes a while for us to choose a beloved, and we tend to build our families later."

"Your life span is a bit longer than ours, so it makes sense," I muse.

"But Ella has a point," Aryanna says. "It's not just that there aren't many kids… there are basically none here."

"We had very few in this coven a couple of years ago," he says. "But recently no one has planned their family."

"How come?"

"I think the atmosphere isn't perfect," he explains. "At least that's my guess."

"You mentioned that before already," I say, trying to look somber. "When your master's brother left, the nurturing side of his coven disappeared too."

Julianus looks down at his plate. "Yes," he says quietly. "I think this is probably the reason."

"Are there many vampire hybrids?" Aryanna asks.

"Oh, no. It's very unusual," Julianus explains. "We don't mingle much with other species, but it can happen."

"He is right," I muse. "I haven't heard of a mating between a werewolf and vampire up until now."

"You are missing out," Aryanna tells him with a grin. "We have a lot of stamina."

"Oh, vampires are quite the skilled lovers too," he says with a smirk. "We are said to be very creative."

"Makes it even worse that we don't have any mates with vampires," I say. "I think a hybrid could have so much potential!"

"You think so?" he asks surprised. "Aloy—" He clears his voice. "I meant to say vampires believe that hybrids never reach their full potential."

"I don't know about that," Aryanna says. "My mate is part witch, and she is a kickass wolf. She just has these extra gifts on top of that."

"Or Finn's mate, Freya," I say. "Our friend is mated to a siren hybrid. She is amazing."

"Or Alpha Celine—"

"Oh, I've heard about her," he says. "I didn't know she was a hybrid."

"Part witch," I say. "I think the issue is that you see it all from a vampire's perspective. You see your gifts and your talents, and maybe it's true, and a hybrid won't have all that, but they will have new talents, different gifts, and a whole new perspective."

"I have never thought about it that way," he says. "Well, now with your niece we have a hybrid around. We could learn a lot about her, I assume."

It's interesting that he says that. I thought they were out to kill Charlie in case she was Aloysius's child. Either he is just a great actor or completely oblivious to his master's cruelty or ignorant.

"Julianus," I say earnestly. "What's Aloysius going to do if Charlie is his child?" Julianus winces at my question, his face all serious again. He wants to get up, but I grab his arm. I make sure not to grab him forcefully; instead, I just hold his hand. "This child is everything I have," I say. "She is the last one of my family who is alive. Why is it so important to find out if he is her father?"

Julianus balls his hand into a fist. "I don't know," he says. "I… I don't know what he truly plans to do."

"I have heard rumors that he wants to clean his bloodline," Aryanna pushes.

"But that doesn't mean he is going to harm her," Julianus blurts out.

"Julianus," I say with emphasis. "Someone who murders an innocent child… what kind of person does that make them?"

He rubs over his face with his free hand. "I don't know," he mutters. "I don't know."

"You don't want to know," Aryanna says. "But just because you look away doesn't mean it won't still be happening. Isn't that the reason why your other lord left?"

"Lord Silas?" he turns to look at us, his eyes wide. "Is he… Do you know something about him? Is he still alive? Is he well?"

His question surprises me. "Why don't you sit down again," I offer. "Let's talk a bit more."

A noise from my notebook momentarily distracts me, and while Aryanna makes sure that Julianus sits down, I hurry to the notebook. A message from Dalila appears.

Charlie found a letter from her mom. She sent it to me. I will forward it to you in a minute.