NOVPUBImagine the surprise when standing face to face with the greatest traitor to your clan and alliance.
Yet the person who stands before you was the one you suspected the least.
Shock. Amusement. Bitterness.
Several words could explain the burning pain and twisting ache in his stomach right now, but the man across was someone his father and grandfather completely trusted.
And that made it worse.
Nikolai didn't speak.
He watched the man, with narrowed eyes, drowning in the rain, cold droplets sliding down his cheeks and dripping to the ground. His coat clung to his frame, soaked through, cold, heavy — but none of that reached him.
The man before him had aged, but not poorly. White streaks now lined his dark hair, and he wore a tailored black field coat buttoned up to the neck. Military posture. Calm. Distant.
But not apologetic.
"I didn't expect you to come in person," the man said.
"I didn't expect to find you," Nikolai replied.
No accusations.
Not yet.
They stood ten feet apart, boots sinking into the wet mud. The forest behind them breathed slow and shallow, like it too was watching.
"I gave your father this land," the man said, almost idly. "When the city tried to seize it after the zoning collapse."
Nikolai's jaw tensed. "And he never once forgot it."
"No," the man said. "That's the problem."
Lunaria didn't move, but she shifted her stance. Amphitrite placed a hand lightly on one of her thigh blades, but Nikolai raised a hand to stop them.
"Why?" he asked.
That was all.
No title. No anger.
Just the question.
The man looked at him. The eyes hadn't changed. Still calm. Still sharp.
"I was loyal to your grandfather," he said. "Not to this... alliance."
In that moment, something clicked, Nikolai realised that this wasn't a betrayal, this man just wished to save his grandfather, even if it meant betraying him and the alliance.
Nikolai stared at the man.
Not just an ally.
Not just a council seat.
Alaric Drago — the Third Seat of the Moonlight Alliance.
'Can you save him… no,' Nikolai thought, jaw tightening. 'What do you need to do, to save him?'
That was the real question.
He didn't blink when he asked it.
"What do you need to do," he said, voice low, "to save my grandfather?" 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Alaric's eyes narrowed slightly.
So he figured it out.
The rain between them grew louder. Louder than the breath in Nikolai's chest. Louder than the questions that still wanted to rise.
"I tried to stop them from taking him," Alaric said. "But I didn't have the votes. And your uncle refused to move. The alliance wasn't going to act."
"And you?"
"I made a deal. My seat… in exchange for his life."
"Don't lie to me... or do you mean to be their slave for live?"
Nikolai felt the weight shift inside him. He didn't move. Didn't raise a weapon. He just stood there.
Alaric spoke again, voice even.
"They wanted him alive. The Nosferatu don't kill without reason. They want to understand him. Use him."
"You let them have him," Nikolai said.
"I delayed them. Bought time."
"That's not what it looks like."
"I don't care what it looks like."
Lunaria shifted beside him, but stayed silent. Amphitrite's hand was still near her blade.
Nikolai raised his hand again. Not yet.
"I gave them old patrol routes," Alaric said. "Dead zones. Areas no one would look for months. I fed them pieces, just to buy weeks."
"And when they find out?"
"They'll kill me," Alaric said. "But if I can move him again before that, it won't matter."
His eyes locked on Nikolai's.
"You want to hate me, do it. You want to call me traitor, do it. But I'm the reason your grandfather is still alive."
The pain in Nikolai's chest wasn't rage.
It was clarity.
He stepped forward once, eyes narrowing.
"Where is he?"
Alaric didn't answer.
Instead, he turned his head slightly toward the tree line behind him.
And spoke just loud enough for them to hear.
"You followed the wrong trail."
Nikolai could feel that Alaric wanted to leave, but he couldn't stop it here, be it betraying the alliance or saving his grandfather. The roots of Nikolai in the Werewolf world were too shallow, finally meeting a family he had never known.
He wouldn't choose the alliance over his family.
"Wait, Alaric!"
The older man paused. His body tensed for a moment, but he didn't turn around.
The rain picked up again. Fat droplets streaked down Nikolai's coat, soaking through his boots. No one else moved. Lunaria watched with unblinking eyes. Amphitrite's grip on her weapon eased, but only slightly.
Nikolai stepped forward again, slow, deliberate.
"I won't ask again," he said. "Where is my grandfather?"
Alaric looked back over his shoulder. His face wasn't defiant. Just tired.
"Not far," he said. "They've moved him twice in the last month. Next time might be the last."
Nikolai's jaw tensed. His thoughts shifted, locking into place. Alliance, loyalty, trust—none of those words held meaning here. Not when it came to family.
He took a breath.
Then offered the one thing no one else would.
"Then make a deal with me."
Alaric blinked.
"You already have the alliance's trust," Nikolai said. "Now you'll have mine. But I don't want your loyalty."
He stepped closer, voice low.
"I want your survival."
Alaric didn't respond. So Nikolai continued.
"You'll become my double. You'll continue feeding them scraps. Misdirection. Lies. You'll play along. And in exchange, I'll help you save him."
Alaric frowned. "And when they find out?"
Nikolai stared him down. "They won't. Not if you stay alive."
The silence stretched between them.
Then Nikolai added, voice sharp—
"You cannot die. Or sacrifice yourself. That's the deal."
Alaric's gaze narrowed.
Nikolai didn't blink.
"I won't lose both of you."
His words hung in the air like a blade, point down. Not a plea. A condition.
"You're asking me to betray the Nosferatu."
"I'm asking you to finish what you started. And if you help me, truly help me—when this is over... you and your clan will never have to kneel to anyone again. Not to the humans. Not to the vampires. Not even to me."
Alaric looked away for the first time.
Then slowly, finally, he nodded.
"Alright."
Nikolai's shoulders loosened.
"Good," he said.
"Because it starts tonight."
Nikolai wiped the rain from his brow, exhaling slowly as Alaric stepped back into position.
"Are you sure about this?" Amphitrite asked, her voice low and tense.
Lunaria didn't ask, because she already understood how Nosferatu worked and also from watching Nikolai and his actions knew he wouldn't give up on his grandfather.
Nikolai turned his head slightly.
"He has to bring them something. And I have to make it believable."
"They'll think you're weak," she said.
He gave a half-smile. "Good."
Alaric cracked his neck.
"When I hit you, I won't hold back. If they're watching, they'll expect pain. Blood. Fury."
Nikolai rolled his shoulders. "Then don't disappoint."
Amphitrite hesitated. "You want us to stand down?"
"Just long enough," Nikolai said. "Then act like I forced you to retreat."
She clicked her tongue, but nodded.
Lunaria shifted her stance. "Let's make it quick."
Alaric moved first. No warning.
His fist shot forward and slammed into Nikolai's ribs, forcing the air from his lungs. Another came, heavy and deliberate, striking his jaw. The man's skin was like iron — his Draconic Resilience was fully active. Every blow landed like a warhammer.
Nikolai didn't block.
He let the hits come.
A gash split open above his eyebrow. His vision blurred, and blood poured freely.
That was what they wanted.
Another blow to his shoulder sent him stumbling back, boots skidding in the mud.
He caught himself, barely. His hand reached for his side, not to strike, but to tear open a deeper wound with his own fingers.
Blood soaked through his shirt, running down his side.
"That's enough," he rasped.
Alaric stood tall. Not gloating. Just breathing heavy, arms loose at his side.
"They're watching from the ridge," he said quietly. "Nosferatu agents. At least two. That should be enough for now."
Nikolai spat blood into the dirt. "What now?"
"They'll want proof you're out of control. That I can't be trusted. That I'm moving your grandfather to a more secure site, under their eyes."
Nikolai pulled a small silver vial from inside his jacket. The kind designed to hold aura-laced blood. He pressed a finger into the torn skin on his ribs, let it fill slow and heavy.
Then he sealed it, handed it over.
Alaric took it without a word.
"I'll leak the location once I'm in place," he said. "They'll come. But only after you've been publicly cornered."
Nikolai nodded.
"They want to meet me," he muttered. "Force me to bow. Take control before I solidify mine."
Alaric's face didn't change.
"They'll make you bleed before they offer the leash."
"Well... Then they'd better be ready to bleed twice as much."
