Carmilla
Alya shrieked as she took in Carmilla's burgundy hair. "You're actually going through with this, aren't you?"
Carmilla handed her the scissors, her expression resolute. "Just below the shoulders, please."
Alya grinned as she began to trim Carmilla's hair. "I'd rate your disguise a 10. I almost didn't recognize you." She stepped back to examine her handiwork. "You know, you should consider a career in theater."
Carmilla ran her hands over her newly dyed curls, a small smile playing on her lips. "My name is Aeilen, and I'm looking for work as a maid," she recited, testing her cover story.
Alya's grin faltered, "Not convincing enough, Milla. You need to show some vulnerability. Remember, you're supposed to be a desperate, starving orphan." She brushed Carmilla's hair, "We need tears, Milla. We need heartbreak."
"I still can't believe you're doing this, Milla," Alya continued. "You're a vampire, for crying out loud. What if someone discovers your true nature and decides to dust you with garlic powder?"
Carmilla's eyes snapped open, and she glared at Alya. "Hey, that's not funny. I'm trying to be serious here."
Alya chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. But seriously, Milla, what's the plan? Are you just going to waltz into the palace and be like, 'Hey, I'm a gamma wolf, can I have a job'?"
"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous. But yes, that's basically the plan."
"Okay, so let's go over the 'plan' one more time. You're going to pose as a gamma wolf, Aeilen, and apply for a maid position at the palace."
I nodded, reciting the plan from memory. "I'll arrive at the palace, ask to speak to the head housekeeper, and apply for the position. Once I'm hired, I'll start gathering information and looking for any signs of...unusual activity."
Alya nodded, "And what about the royal family? What's the plan for dealing with them?"
I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. I had been so focused on getting into the palace that I hadn't really thought about how I would interact with the royals. "I'll...play it by ear, I suppose. Try to blend in and avoid drawing attention to myself."
Alya raised an eyebrow. "That's not exactly a solid plan, Milla. What if you're assigned to serve one of the princes? Particularly the Zeta. What then?"
"The Zeta prince," I spat. "I'll make sure to give him a special welcome. One that he'll never forget."
Alya's eyes darkened. "Milla, be careful. The Zeta prince is not someone to be underestimated. He's ruthless, cunning, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants."
I smiled. "That's exactly what I'm counting on, Alya. His arrogance will be his downfall. And I'll be the one to bring him down."
Alya said as she dragged a pink shirt over her head. "I wonder what he looks like. The almighty Zeta, the Gladius Mortis..."
Carmilla bit down on her lip as she eyed the coffee and pancakes. "Alpha Thane's right hand man, his assassin. Yea yea we know what he is."
"But we don't know who he is," Alya mumbled as she shrugged into matching pants. "I hope he's as terrifying as his reputation suggests."
Carmilla laughed into her cup of coffee "I mean who wouldn't be intimidated by a faceless, nameless assassin?"
Alya smirked as she bit into her pancake, "I can barely contain my trembling."
Lucian
Lucian stepped out of the shower, warm water dripping down his skin, washing away the sweat of the training session. His mind was elsewhere, occupied with thoughts of her. He wanted to find her more than anything.
He shook his head, snapping back to reality. As he sheathed a dagger in his boot, a knock at the door interrupted him.
"For crying out loud," he muttered,
The door swung open, and Viktor and Miguel strolled in, grinning.
"Hey Lu lu, we heard you're looking for a new hobby," Viktor said, chuckling. "Vampire hunting I presume. "
Miguel snickered. "I heard it's all the rage this season."
He rolled his eyes. "You two are hilarious. I'm dying over here."
"Seriously, though, Lucian. We're with you. We'll help you find her."
Just then, another knock at the door cut them off.
"Enter," Lucian called out.
The guard bowed. "Prince Lucian, your presence is required by the king."
He growled. "Of course it is. Because my day wasn't going terribly already."
Viktor raised an eyebrow. "Trouble Lu lu?"
Miguel chimed in, "Ooh, do we get to come too?"
He shot them a dry look. "You're not helping."
Viktor and Miguel fell into step beside him as he followed the guard out of the room.
"This should be interesting," Viktor murmured.
Miguel snorted. "Yeah, let's go see what kind of trouble Lucian's gotten himself into this time."
Lucian squared his shoulders as he entered the king's chambers. "Your Highness, Uncle. Good day."
Viktor's dad smiled warmly at him. "Zeta, wonderful day," he replied, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Alpha Thane quietly set his pen down, cleared his throat, and said, "Lucian, perhaps you need a crash course on your job as my Zeta. Perhaps a reminder that you have duties "
Lucian remained quiet, his expression neutral, as he forced a smile onto his face showing a little more teeth than necessary.
Alpha Thane continued, "There have been two more vampire attacks. I expect you to take care of this situation, Lucian. I expect results."
Lucian's mask of indifference slipped for a moment, revealing a flash of anger. He locked his gaze with his fathers'.
His voice was even, but his eyes still burned with anger. "I wasn't aware of this," he said, his tone neutral.
Alpha Thane thundered, "You are slacking, my boy! You need to stay on top of these attacks, not wait for me to tell you about them."
Viktor's dad, Athens, intervened, his voice calm. "Lucian, did you find anything about the last attack?"
Lucian shook his head, his expression grim. "No, Uncle. It was a dead end."
Alpha Thane scowled, his face darkening. "Unacceptable, Lucian. You need to do better than that. I expect results, not excuses."
Lucian's jaw clenched, his anger simmering just below the surface. But he kept his tone neutral, his expression impassive. "I'll do better, Father," he said, his voice even.
He bowed his head slightly and turned to leave, Viktor and Miguel following closely behind. As they walked out of the king's chambers, Viktor spoke up, "Damn, two more attacks, Luke. Maybe your dad's right."
Lucian scoffed, "I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that, Vik."
Miguel chimed in, "Well, you haven't exactly been paying attention, have you?"
Lucian stopped walking. "Viktor, gather information about the location of the murders. Prepare your horse, we're going vampire hunting."
Miguel's eyes lit up. "Can I join you, Luke?"
Lucian's expression turned cold. "Go back to Daddy Dearest, Miguel. This isn't a game."
Miguel's face fell, and he muttered under his breath as Lucian stalked off to his room.
Viktor chuckled and clapped Miguel on the back. "Hey don't take it personally, Mikey. He's just stressed."
Miguel grumbled, "Yeah, stressed or just plain crazy."
Viktor laughed. "Maybe a little bit of both. But we'll get the info and meet him at the stables. Let's go meet my daddy dearest."
Miguel snorted. "Good luck with that."
Viktor smirked, "I'll need it. You can come along if you don't have to braid your dolls hair right now."
Miguel shot back, "Yeah, because I'm just sitting around twiddling my thumbs, waiting for you guys to get yourselves killed."
Viktor chuckled. "I'm sure you're busy with something incredibly important, Mikey."
Miguel smirked. "You have no idea. I'm busy perfecting my 'concerned expression' for when you're about to get yourself skewered."
Viktor laughed. "I'm sure it'll be a bestseller."
As they made their way back to the king's chambers, they spotted Miguel's father, Athens, exiting. Miguel called out, "Uncle Athens"
Athens smiled warmly. "Hey, Miguel, Viktor."
Viktor replied, "Hey, Dad. We were coming to ask for information on the latest murders."
Athens nodded. "Ah, yes. Let's discuss this further."
As they walked, Athens explained, "Both attacks occurred close to the last one, which insinuates that the vampire hides around there."
Miguel led them to the war strategy chambers and asked a maid to bring some tea. "But aren't patrols swarming around that area?" he asked, pushing the doors open.
Viktor frowned. "Vamps are elusive, Luke's right. They might be hiding in plain sight."
Athens nodded thoughtfully. "I'll pull out the maps and see if we can pinpoint any patterns."
Athens drew out the attack points on a map and spread it on the table. "Dig in, see if you can find anything, boys."
Lucian
Lucian slammed the door behind him and began to change into his usual attire - black running boots, black shirt and black pants, and a black leather jacket. He looked at his reflection, as he ran his hand through his hair. He sheathed all 7 of his daggers and headed out to find Viktor.
He called out to a maid passing by in the hallway. "You. Have you seen Viktor?"
The maid curtsied hastily, her eyes downcast. "Y-yes, Your Highness. I served tea to Viktor and Prince Miguel in the war strategy chambers."
Lucian's expression remained impassive, his voice detached. "Good. That's all."
The maid curtsied again and quickly moved away, her eyes still averted. Lucian watched her go without a change in his expression, then turned to head towards the war strategy chambers.
As he entered the room, he said dryly, "Looks like the tea party's over. Time for business."
Viktor and Miguel looked up from the map spread out before them. Athens handed Lucian the map. "These are the locations of the last attack. See if you can find any patterns."
Lucian's eyes scanned the map, his focus solely on the task at hand. After studying the map, he looked at Miguel and said, "Where do you think you're going?"
Miguel's expression turned icy. "Don't bullshit me Lucian. You might be the Zeta, but I'm the King's Beta, and I can pull my own weight."
Viktor intervened, his voice calm. "Hey, Luke come on. Let Mikey come with us. He's got skills."
Lucian's gaze lingered on Miguel, then he nodded curtly. "Fine. But stay out of my way."
Miguel scoffed. "I'll do my job, Lucian. Don't worry about it."
"Fine, let's go hunting boys."