▪︎ Chapter 143 ▪︎ “I am paying attention.”

Chloe yawned, stretching lazily across the couch until her white ears flattened against her head. 

Her enormous white tail shifted over the cushions, brushing against Mia's leg before settling comfortably beside her. 

Across from them, Ava watched her Alpha with an expression of steadily diminishing patience, her dark hair falling over one shoulder as her black ears twitched.

"So," Ava began, crossing her arms, "what exactly are we planning to do about this?"

Chloe blinked at her. "About what?"

"The vampires, Chloe."

"Oh." Chloe glanced toward the television, where a reporter was discussing the death of Ethan Vale and the extraordinary gathering of vampires that had subsequently appeared throughout Oakridge. 

She considered the broadcast for a moment, watching the footage of crimson-eyed women descending onto rooftops, then yawned again.

Ava closed her eyes in exasperation, while Mia gently patted Chloe's back. "Chloe, maybe you should sit up properly. You're practically melting into the couch."

"But I'm comfortable," Chloe complained, shifting until her head rested more securely against a cushion. "It's a good couch."

"At least pretend you're paying attention," Mia replied with a smile.

"I am paying attention!"

"Then what did Ava just ask?"

Chloe glanced toward Ava, who raised an eyebrow expectantly. After a moment, Chloe sighed. "What we're going to do about the vampires."

"Good," Ava said. "And?"

"And I don't know." The answer came so readily that Ava's expression became even more exasperated. Chloe rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, spreading her arms across the cushions. 

"Honestly, I never wanted to lead anyone in the first place. Becoming an Alpha was bad enough, but now I'm a Royal werewolf too? Seriously? Who did I wrong to deserve this? What terrible thing did I do in my previous life?"

Ava snorted. "You're twenty."

"Exactly! I'm too young to have accumulated enough bad karma for this!"

Mia laughed softly, earning an offended look from Chloe. "Don't laugh. I'm suffering."

"You look very comfortable for someone who's suffering," Mia observed.

"That's only because I'm suffering internally."

Ava shook her head. "Then perhaps you should explain what you intend to do."

Chloe's smile faded slightly as she turned her attention toward the television. 

The broadcast had returned to footage of Lavinia standing outside the hotel, surrounded by vampires. 

Most of the recording had been taken from a considerable distance, but the gathering was unmistakable. 

Dozens of crimson-eyed women occupied the streets, others stood upon rooftops, and more continued arriving from the night sky.

"I brought our pack here to help fight the Tide," Chloe said after a moment. "We fought alongside the humans, and the vampires helped too. After all that, people still think vampires are monsters."

"Not everyone," Mia reminded her gently.

"I know. But enough of them." Chloe rolled onto her side, resting her cheek against the cushions as her golden-green eyes settled upon Ava. 

"Anyway, I don't care what happens. It has nothing to do with me. I'll just watch."

For several seconds, Ava simply stared at her. Then she leaned forward, caught Chloe's cheeks between her hands, and squeezed them gently.

Chloe blinked, her lips puckering slightly. "Mm?"

"You're a Royal Werewolf," Ava told her. "Just like how the vampires have started gathering around Lavinia, werewolves are eventually going to start coming to you. And when they do, you're going to have to lead them."

Chloe attempted to turn her head, but Ava held her in place. "I'm only twenty!"

"That isn't an excuse."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because I'm not a Royal werewolf."

"Then Mia! She's nicer than you!"

Mia laughed, though Ava's ears twitched in irritation. "You're being lazy for the sake of being lazy," Ava accused.

"I don't think that's entirely fair," Mia interjected, giving Ava a gentle shake of her head. 

"It's a lot of responsibility. Chloe didn't ask to become a Royal Alpha, and she doesn't have much experience leading anyone beyond our pack."

"Thank you!" Chloe exclaimed, although the words came out somewhat distorted beneath Ava's fingers.

Ava sighed and released her cheeks, allowing Chloe to sit up and rub them indignantly. "Abuse," Chloe muttered.

"That was not abuse."

"Royal abuse."

"Chloe."

"Fine, fine." Chloe drew her knees toward her chest, her enormous white tail curling around her side. For a moment, her expression became considerably more thoughtful. "Lavinia is probably a Royal Vampire."

Ava nodded. "That seems likely."

"More than likely. She's practically the walking embodiment of the vampire species now." 

Chloe gestured toward the television, where Lavinia was speaking with several unfamiliar vampires. 

"Think about it. She has to consider vampires in everything she does now. Not just the ones she knows, either. All of them, whether she wants to or not."

Mia tilted her head, listening as Chloe continued.

"Before, Lavinia could just decide what she wanted to do. She could help someone, ignore someone, or go somewhere else if she didn't feel like dealing with a problem. But now every vampire who comes to her is going to expect something. Protection, shelter, food, answers, whatever they need." 

Chloe sighed, her white ears lowering slightly. "And if something happens to them, she'll feel responsible."

"Just like you would," Mia observed.

"Exactly. She's unlucky."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Unlucky? She's one of the most powerful vampires in existence."

"And now she's responsible for a ridiculous number of people." Chloe pointed toward herself with a distinctly unimpressed expression. "Sound familiar?"

Mia smiled, while Ava regarded their Alpha thoughtfully. "Would you rather follow someone else?" Ava asked. "Instead of leading, would you rather have another Royal Werewolf making the decisions?"

Chloe opened her mouth, only to stop before answering. For once, she didn't have an immediate response, and her gaze wandered toward the television before settling upon her hands.

"I don't know," she admitted eventually. "I've never really led anyone before."

"You led us during the defense of Oakridge."

"That's different!"

"How?"

"Because we were fighting something!" Chloe spread her hands, looking at Ava as though the distinction should have been obvious. 

"There was a giant problem, we knew where it was, and everyone understood that we needed to stop it. That's easy."

Mia laughed softly. "Most people wouldn't call that easy."

"Well, compared to this!" Chloe gestured vaguely toward the television. "Politics? Negotiations? Figuring out where thousands of werewolves are supposed to live? Making sure nobody starts a war? I'm twenty! When was I supposed to learn any of that?"

Ava's expression softened slightly. "You don't have to know everything immediately."

"That's reassuring."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Chloe leaned back against the couch, her expression growing thoughtful again. "If humans decide to fight vampires, we're going to have to choose a side."

"Not necessarily," Ava replied. "We could remain neutral."

"For how long?"

"That depends." Ava considered the question before continuing. "We could potentially side with the humans. At least here in the Unified Sovereignties, there hasn't been nearly as much friction between humans and werewolves."

Mia nodded in agreement, but Chloe shook her head almost immediately.

"No. If it becomes an actual war between humans and the supernatural species, we'd have to side with the supernaturals."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because if the humans win, we'll be next."

The certainty in Chloe's voice made Ava fall quiet. Chloe glanced between her companions before continuing, her expression unusually serious.

"Think about it. Humans are scared of vampires because they're stronger. They're scared of witches because they can use magic, and they're scared of elves because they're fast and strong, and because nobody really understands what they can do yet." 

She pointed toward her own ears. "And we're werewolves. Right now, humans mostly like us because we haven't caused too much trouble. But if vampires, witches, and elves were gone, what would stop them from deciding that we're dangerous too?"

Mia's smile faded slightly, while Ava remained silent.

"Humans outnumber us by a ridiculous amount," Chloe continued. "If they managed to defeat every other supernatural species, we'd be the last ones left. And we wouldn't win a world where it was just werewolves against humanity."

A faint smile appeared on Ava's lips. "There it is."

Chloe blinked. "What?"

"You're naturally suited to lead." Ava leaned forward, resting her elbows against her knees. 

"Siding with humans might be beneficial in the short term. We'd avoid conflict, preserve our current relationships, and perhaps even receive protection from the government. But in the long term, we'd risk becoming no different from the others."

"Exactly," Chloe agreed, nodding emphatically.

"And you understood that without anyone explaining it to you."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Don't start."

"I'm complimenting you."

"I know. That's suspicious."

Mia giggled, earning a helpless shake of the head from Ava. Chloe merely smiled before stretching again, extending her arms above her head while her tail swished lazily across the couch.

"Besides, it's not like I want to fight humans," Chloe continued. "I don't even particularly care about what Lavinia did."

"About killing Ethan?" Ava asked.

"Mm-hmm." Chloe shrugged. "Defamation exists. People can ruin someone's life without ever touching them, and that guy certainly did his share of encouraging people to hate vampires. Was killing him live a good way to make humans like vampires? Obviously not. But how long are the supernatural species supposed to keep yielding?"

Her ears twitched as she glanced toward the television again.

"Every time humans get scared, we're supposed to reassure them. Every time someone accuses us of something, we're supposed to prove we didn't do it. Every time someone tries to hurt us, we're supposed to show restraint because we're stronger." Chloe frowned. 

"Eventually, humans are going to figure out how to deal with us. They'll develop weapons, restraints, and countermeasures designed specifically for each species, and then they'll say everything is fair because they can fight us on equal terms."

She gave a humorless little laugh.

"But once the field is level, who has the advantage?"

"Humanity," Ava answered.

"Exactly. They have more people, more infrastructure, more weapons, and governments that have existed for centuries. We barely understand what we've become."

Mia looked thoughtful. "That doesn't mean humans will necessarily use those advantages against us."

"I know," Chloe admitted. "But I'd rather not wait until they can."

Ava nodded slowly, considering everything Chloe had said. "So what will you do?"

Chloe looked at her for a moment before stretching one leg across the couch and attempting to kick Ava lightly in the side. 

Ava caught her ankle without difficulty, earning an indignant pout from the white-haired Alpha.

"I don't want to lead," Chloe complained.

"We've established that."

"But if the vampires and the others manage to do something useful, maybe I'll join them. For a while, anyway." 

Chloe tugged at her captured foot until Ava released it, then drew her legs back beneath her. 

"I don't want to start gathering every werewolf in the world just because I can. Once I do that, I won't be able to stop halfway."

She looked toward the window, where the distant lights of Oakridge illuminated the night.

"I'd become a target, too."

"Like Lavinia," Mia said.

"Yeah. Although she did kill someone, so I suppose she's made herself a bigger target than I would."

For a moment, the room fell quiet. 

Chloe could feel the werewolves scattered throughout the world, their presences glimmering within the strange awareness that had accompanied her awakening as a Royal Alpha. 

The connection wasn't as intimate as the one vampires appeared to share, but it was unmistakable.

Some were frightened, others excited, and many were simply trying to understand what their new lives meant.

Chloe didn't particularly want responsibility for them, but she couldn't honestly claim to feel nothing toward them either.

They were her kind.

Even those she'd never met were familiar to her in a way ordinary humans weren't. 

Their presence stirred something protective within her, and although she would have preferred to spend her days lounging around with Mia and Ava, she knew she couldn't simply ignore them forever.

Mia seemed to understand what she was thinking. She moved closer and gently wrapped an arm around Chloe's shoulders, drawing her into a warm embrace.

"You'll do wonderfully," Mia said with a smile. "You led us during the defense of Oakridge, and you'll continue leading us. Our pack, and anyone else who decides to follow you."

Chloe glanced toward her, looking faintly embarrassed.

"You don't have to be perfect," Mia continued. "You just have to care about them, and you already do. I'm sure you'll lead everyone toward a better tomorrow."

Chloe's ears shot upright.

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing a pillow from behind her and hurling it at Mia. "Aren't you embarrassed saying something that cheesy?!"

Mia caught the pillow effortlessly, her warm smile never fading. "Not at all."

Chloe groaned and buried her face against her knees while Ava laughed at her expense. 

For the moment, the Royal Alpha was permitted to remain exactly where she wanted to be, comfortably settled on her couch, surrounded by her pack, and pretending she had absolutely no intention of leading anyone.

───

Lavinia took a deep breath, looking over the increasingly agitated vampires gathered outside the hotel.

What had begun as a cheerful gathering had transformed into a crowd of angry women, their crimson eyes fixed upon phones displaying photographs and documents that none of them particularly wanted to believe. 

Some were speaking quietly among themselves, while others were openly demanding answers.

A few had already begun suggesting that they should find the people responsible immediately, and Lavinia could feel their emotions sharpening through the Blood Sea.

"Everyone, settle down!" Lavinia called, raising her voice above the overlapping conversations.

The effect was immediate. Conversations stopped, heads turned, and countless pairs of crimson eyes settled upon her. 

Lavinia looked over the gathering, feeling their anger and concern as clearly as she could distinguish their individual scents. 

Not every vampire was equally furious, but the distress beneath their reactions was nearly universal.

Someone like them had been restrained, hurt, and experimented upon, and the people responsible had apparently believed they were entitled to do it.

"I know you're angry," Lavinia began, sighing softly. "But we don't know who authorized any of this. We don't know exactly what happened, and we don't even know whether the people in those photographs are still being held there."

A vampire near the front frowned. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"First, we need to figure that out." Lavinia glanced toward the phones still being held throughout the crowd. 

"We can't just storm the Institute, at least not yet. If there are still people being held inside, attacking the place without knowing what we're doing could get them hurt, or even killed."

Several vampires looked disappointed, though most seemed to understand her reasoning. 

Lavinia folded her arms and continued, "I don't particularly care whether the people responsible are frightened of us. But I do care whether the captives survive."

A vampire with extraordinarily long purple hair stepped forward, her pointed ears trembling with anger. 

Her hair nearly trailed against the pavement, and she stomped one foot indignantly before raising her voice.

"But humans shouldn't be torturing one of us! We're not monsters!"

Several vampires immediately voiced their agreement, some insisting that they hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment, while others demanded to know how humans could possibly justify what had happened.

"They'd probably do it even if they knew we weren't monsters," another vampire remarked, crossing her arms.

The purple-haired woman turned toward her. "What?"

"That's just how humans are."

A few vampires nodded grimly, although others looked uncomfortable with the generalization. 

Lavinia watched the exchange thoughtfully, finding that she couldn't entirely dismiss the sentiment. 

Someone had apparently decided that supernatural beings were suitable subjects for experiments they would never willingly undergo, and the people responsible had continued despite the suffering they caused.

Of course, Lavinia also knew that plenty of humans would find those experiments horrifying. 

The difficulty was determining which humans had permitted them, which had participated, and which might actually help put an end to them.

She turned toward Violetta, who had been standing beside Adelaide while examining the documents on her own phone.

"What do you think?"

Violetta looked up. "About the Institute?"

"Yeah. Is there anything we can actually do about this?"

Violetta crossed her arms, considering the question for a moment before answering. 

"Legally, the situation should be fairly straightforward. Detaining someone without lawful justification is illegal, and deliberately inflicting injuries upon unwilling subjects is another matter entirely. If these records accurately describe what happened, there are serious violations involved."

A vampire near the back raised her hand tentatively. "Even if we're vampires?"

"Yes," Violetta replied, turning toward her. "Being a vampire doesn't automatically strip you of legal protections."

The woman brightened considerably, though Violetta's expression remained serious.

"Of course, proving those violations and ensuring the responsible parties are held accountable are two different things. Especially when we don't yet know who authorized the experiments or what justification they might attempt to use."

Lavinia nodded. "That's what I was worried about."

Before Violetta could elaborate, a vampire near the front suddenly raised her hand and began bouncing excitedly. 

Each flex of her feet sent her several feet into the air, and the vampires around her stepped aside as she repeatedly rose above their heads.

"Me! Me! I can help!"

Lavinia blinked at the enthusiastic display. "You can?"

"I'm a lawyer!" the vampire announced, landing briefly before bouncing again. "Seriously! Whatever flimsy excuses they try to use, I can fight them!"

Several vampires laughed, while Violetta raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of law do you practice?"

"Civil litigation!" The vampire landed again, grinning broadly. "Well, practiced. I haven't exactly been working much since becoming a vampire, but I still know what I'm doing!"

Rosaline laughed softly. "Understandable."

Violetta smiled faintly. "Then your assistance may be valuable. We could certainly use someone familiar with the legal process."

The vampire looked delighted, and Lavinia couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. 

Apparently, having more than a hundred vampires gathered around her meant having access to considerably more than a hundred different personalities. 

Some had been students, others had worked ordinary jobs, and a few possessed specialized knowledge that might become extraordinarily useful.

They hadn't stopped being people simply because they'd become vampires. Their experiences, interests, and abilities were all still there, even if their circumstances had changed dramatically.

A woman near the front looked toward Lavinia, her expression considerably more serious than the lawyer's.

"Princess? Are you going to do something about this?"

The question drew immediate attention, and Lavinia found herself facing another sea of expectant crimson eyes. She considered the gathering for a moment before tilting her head.

"What would you like me to do?"

Several vampires exchanged glances before answering. 

One wanted to find the people responsible, another insisted that the captives should be released immediately, and a third suggested that they should arrange somewhere safe for the rescued supernaturals to stay.

Then a vampire with long, messy greenish-blue hair pushed her way toward the front.

Her grin was wild.

"I think we should go kill everyone."

The surrounding vampires went quiet for a moment before several began protesting. 

One exclaimed that it was too much, while another pointed out that they didn't even know who was responsible.

The green-haired vampire looked around, seemingly unbothered by their reactions. "Why not?"

"Because we can't just kill everyone!" the purple-haired vampire exclaimed, her extraordinarily long hair swaying as she turned toward her.

The green-haired woman tilted her head. "Really?"

She held up her phone, displaying a photograph of a restrained supernatural subject.

"If you were the one lying there, getting cut open over and over again, would you still be so merciful?" she asked, looking directly at the purple-haired vampire. 

"If someone kept hurting you, calling it research, and then doing it again after you healed, would you really care whether they deserved forgiveness?"

The purple-haired vampire hesitated, her expression tightening as she looked at the photograph. Several others fell quiet as well, and a few looked away from the screen.

Lavinia watched the exchange thoughtfully.

It was a fair point. Not necessarily a good argument for killing everyone, but a fair point nonetheless. 

It was easy to advocate forgiveness when you weren't the person being wronged, just as it was easy to insist upon mercy when someone else had endured the suffering.

She lowered her gaze toward her own phone, where the photograph of the blue-haired vampire remained visible.

Lavinia remembered the scene the Thing in the Darkness had shown them. The white room, the silver restraints, and the vampire curled against the wall with her knees drawn tightly against her chest.

At the time, Lavinia hadn't known where the scene had taken place or why she'd been shown it. 

She'd only known that somewhere, someone like her was suffering. 

Now, looking at the photographs and documents circulating online, she wondered whether they had finally discovered the answer.

She wasn't the only one who remembered, either. 

Valerie, Gwendolyn, Adelaide, Rosaline, and Violetta had all witnessed that same scene, along with the other who'd been present when the Thing in the Darkness revealed how precarious peace was.

Lavinia sighed and looked toward the green-haired vampire.

"I understand why you're angry, but killing everyone isn't going to help the captives. If we find out who did this, and if they're still holding people against their will, then we'll deal with them." 

She glanced over the crowd before continuing. "But I'm not going to start killing people just because they happen to work in the same building."

Several vampires nodded in agreement, while the green-haired woman considered her words for a moment.

"Fine," she said eventually, shrugging. Her grin returned almost immediately. "But if they try to hurt us?"

Lavinia smiled faintly. "Then that's a different matter."

The vampire laughed. "Good enough!"

Valerie leaned toward Lavinia, nudging her gently with an elbow. "That went better than I expected."

Lavinia snorted. "Did you expect me to agree with her?"

"Well, you've been full of surprises tonight."

Lavinia gave her a look, earning an innocent smile from the orange-haired vampire. 

She couldn't exactly argue with Valerie's observation, considering what had happened earlier that evening, but she wasn't particularly interested in discussing it in front of everyone.

Gwendolyn, meanwhile, had been speaking with several vampires who were particularly concerned about the captives. 

She approached Lavinia with a troubled expression, her long white hair shifting gently behind her.

"Do you think we can really help them?" Gwendolyn asked.

"I think so," Lavinia replied. "We just need to figure out where they are."

Adelaide approached from the other side, holding her phone. "Some of the documents have names and locations. Maybe we can figure out which ones are useful, especially if we compare them with the other information that's been released."

Violetta nodded. "That's where we should start. We need to establish what can be verified before deciding how to proceed."

Rosaline folded her arms, looking considerably less optimistic. "And if the humans responsible decide to pretend none of this happened?"

Lavinia glanced toward her. "Then I suppose we'll have another problem."

Rosaline smiled faintly. "That's what I thought."

Lavinia returned her attention to the gathering, considering the situation. There was still so much they didn't know. 

The documents might be genuine, but that didn't mean every detail could be trusted, and whoever had released them might have their own reasons for doing so. 

Even if the captives were still inside the Institute, rushing to rescue them without preparation could make everything worse.

She needed information, and she needed to know who was responsible. More importantly, she needed to make certain that anyone still being held could be brought out safely.

The thought made her sigh.

Being a Princess was already proving considerably more complicated than she'd expected. 

She'd barely finished meeting the vampires who answered her call, and now they were looking toward her for answers to something she hadn't even known existed until the information began spreading.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Apparently, becoming something important came with a rather inconvenient number of responsibilities.

Then Lavinia heard engines approaching.

Her ears twitched, and she turned toward the street, where several police cars were coming down the road. 

Their headlights illuminated the pavement ahead, sweeping across the gathered vampires as the vehicles slowed.

A vampire near the front noticed them almost immediately, her expression darkening.

"The police," she muttered.

Another vampire turned toward the approaching vehicles. "Why are they here?"

The first woman narrowed her crimson eyes. "They're here to arrest the Princess."

The reaction was immediate. Several vampires turned toward the approaching police cars, their expressions becoming distinctly unfriendly. 

A few stepped closer to Lavinia, while others shifted their attention toward the officers visible through the windshields.

Lavinia could feel their emotions sharpening through the Blood Sea. 

Suspicion, protectiveness, and anger spread throughout the gathering, although nobody made any attempt to approach the vehicles.

Valerie nudged her gently.

"Hey," she murmured, smiling when Lavinia looked toward her. "We're all here. Nothing's going to happen to you."

For a moment, Lavinia simply looked at her girlfriend. Then she smiled faintly, reaching over to give Valerie's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I know."

The first police car came to a stop, followed by the second and third. 

Their doors opened, and uniformed officers stepped onto the pavement, their expressions difficult to read as they looked toward the extraordinary gathering surrounding the hotel.

More than a hundred crimson-eyed vampires watched them in silence. Some smiled curiously, others regarded them with open suspicion, and a few seemed almost amused by the situation.

At the center of the gathering stood Lavinia, her golden hair shifting gently in the night breeze.

She watched the officers approach, her expression calm despite the attention directed toward her. 

Whatever they had come to say, she intended to hear it, and she wasn't particularly worried about what might happen afterward.

After all, she had never been standing alone.