CHAPTER 380: THE VAMPIRES WILL HELP

Draven.

By the time we drove through the tall iron gates and into my estate, the weight of the day had already settled on my shoulders like a cloak of smoke.

The cars slowed to a halt before the grand steps of the estate. Meredith was the first to open her door. I followed, stepping out into the fading light.

The air was calm, too calm—the kind that made your instincts sharpen.

Dennis and Jeffery climbed out of the second car, both looking as though they had been waiting to ask me what I thought of the meeting, but I raised a hand before either of them could speak.

"Let’s take this inside," I said. "To my study. My wife has something to share."

They nodded immediately.

I reached for Meredith’s hand, and she didn’t hesitate. Her fingers slipped easily into mine, soft but firm, and together, we stepped inside the house.

Behind us, Dennis and Jeffery followed, their boots clicking in a steady rhythm on the marble floor.

Inside, the halls were quiet, lined with flickering sconces that cast long shadows across the walls.

The servants we passed bowed their heads, murmuring greetings, but my attention was fixed on Meredith’s calm, deliberate pace beside me.

She was quiet, but I could feel her tension pulsing through the bond. Whatever she had learned in Brackham’s mind was heavy, and I intended to know everything.

---

We entered my study. The scent of aged wood and fire greeted us. I gestured for them to sit, and we took our places in the sitting area—Meredith and I on one side, Dennis and Jeffery across from us.

Moments later, a knock sounded.

"Come in," I said.

Madam Beatrice entered, poised as ever, flanked by two servants balancing trays. She bowed her head slightly.

"Alpha, Luna," she greeted. "Beta, Mr. Oatrun."

The servants stepped forward, setting the trays down on the low table before beginning to serve warm tea, fruits, and small pastries.

"Thank you," I said, with a nod.

Madam Beatrice inclined her head again and withdrew with the servants, closing the door softly behind them.

Silence settled for a beat, broken only by the soft clink of porcelain as Dennis poured himself a cup of tea. His eyes flicked to me, expectant.

I leaned back slightly, my gaze moving to Meredith. "You can tell them now," I said, my voice low, controlled.

Meredith met my eyes briefly, then looked to Dennis and Jeffery. Her composure didn’t waver, but I could feel the current of anger still humming through her restrained, yet alive.

She drew a steady breath before speaking.

"While Brackham was talking near the end of the meeting, I went deeper into his thoughts. He was planning to go down to a lab right after we left—to have every one of the failed experiments put down."

The room fell silent. Even Dennis’s breathing stopped for a heartbeat.

Jeffery’s jaw tightened. "You’re sure he said that?"

"I didn’t hear the words, but his thoughts were clear," Meredith replied. "Images of doctors... metal tables... he called them prototypes. He didn’t even see them as people anymore."

Dennis muttered a curse under his breath. "So that’s what the bastard’s doing with our kind."

"He has done worse," I said. "On the drive back, I told Meredith what he really wants with the body of a vampire. That’s what he is planning next: experiments on something even more dangerous than the wolves he has already broken."

Meredith’s expression hardened. "You are right, that flimsy excuse he gave was all fake. What else would he need a breathing vampire for?"

The quiet that followed felt like a storm waiting for thunder.

Jeffery finally said, "If the failed ones, our people are already dying or being killed, then, there is nothing left to save."

"Exactly," I said. "Whatever those wolves once were, Brackham turned them into something unrecognizable. There is no rescuing that." My voice dropped lower. "What we do now isn’t about saving. It’s about ending."

Dennis leaned back, a dark smile cutting across his face. "Ending Brackham?"

"And every trace of his work," I replied. "When we find that lab, we don’t take prisoners—we burn it to the ground. Brackham, his scientists, his investors, anyone connected to that hell—they all go with it."

Meredith’s eyes flickered violet for a moment before dimming. "He deserves worse than fire."

"He will get it," I said simply. "But not yet. Not until we know where that place is."

Jeffery nodded once, his voice, flat and practical, "Then we focus on finding it. Carefully. Brackham’s too cautious to leave a blueprint lying around."

I let the silence sit long enough for them to feel its weight. Then I stood and crossed to the hearth, palms resting on the mantle as I turned back to look at them.

"Brackham has helped us," I said plainly.

They all looked up, their curiosity sharp as knives. Dennis barked a short laugh. "Helped us? Since when does that old man hand out favors?"

I smirked. "Since he asked us to capture a vampire and bring it to him."

A beat passed as the implication landed.

"What are you saying?" Jeffery asked slowly.

"What I’m saying is simple." I folded my hands and let my words fall, precise. "He wants a vampire body in his custody. He wants proof and a trophy. He thinks having one caged will cow the rest—keep them from returning. That gives us an opening."

Dennis’s eyes narrowed; Meredith’s fingers tightened on the arm of the sofa. I tossed the idea like a stone into still water and watched the ripples.

"We will give him what he asked for, but we won’t hand it to him and walk away. We will make sure the rest of the coven knows where their kin was taken. They will come looking."

I continued, "When they do, they will trace their brother to the Government House. In the chaos of that hunt, the trail to the lab will be exposed. We will follow it."

Meredith’s voice was small with surprise. "The vampires will help?"

I met her gaze and nodded once, cold and certain. "They are territorial and possessive. If one of their own is taken into a fortress of men, they won’t sit quietly. They will come hard, and they will leave a trail of blood and movement. And then, we will use their rage to reveal Brackham’s hiding places."