The day of their return had finally come. Alice's fate was about to be sealed, and every passing hour felt heavier on her shoulders.
On the other side of the city, Crowell watched every detail unfold, her plan already set in motion.
In the dim hall of her mansion, lit only by candles, she stood before the three vampires most loyal to her — Margot, Linda, and Alba.
"You know what you must do," Crowell said with a cold smile.
"You don't have to kill them… yet. Just delay them. Make sure they don't arrive on time. I'll handle the rest myself."
The three nodded silently and disappeared into the stormy night like shadows.
Alice and Kara walked side by side down the wet forest road that led to the council's meeting point, the same place where the last verdict had been given.
The wind was sharp, the rain relentless, and the sound of water hitting the pavement created an uneasy rhythm.
"Are you ready?" Alice asked, glancing at her.
"Ready isn't the right word." Kara kept her eyes forward.
"But I'm not running."
Alice nodded, fully aware that there was no room for hesitation now.
It was then that they felt it, a presence. No, three.
From the shadows, three figures stepped out. Margot, Linda, and Kate surrounded them, their eyes glowing red in the darkness.
"The council won't be waiting for you," Margot said, taking the lead.
"We'll make sure of that."
They attacked instantly.
The fight was brutal, fast, a blur of claws, kicks, teeth, and rain. Kara tried to keep up, but the blows always sought Alice. Gashes split skin, teeth snapped through the air, and the storm washed blood into the mud.
Still not understanding the real reason behind the ambush, Alice fought with everything she had. She managed to drive an improvised stake straight into Kate's heart, dropping her to the ground with a strangled scream.
Linda fell next, decapitated with a clean, lethal strike — though not before slashing Alice's arm open.
Margot was the last to go, falling after a vicious exchange that ended with Alice pinning her to a tree, her body going limp.
But victory came with a cost.
During the fight, Margot had stabbed her with a piece of enchanted oak, lodging it deep in her abdomen.
The wood's poison burned like fire, draining her strength with every heartbeat.
Staggering, Alice dropped to her knees, gasping. Rain mixed with the blood pouring from her wound.
Kara ran to her, panic rising in her voice.
"Alice! Stay with me!" she cried, pressing her hands over the wound.
Alice's hands trembled as she pulled out her phone and dialed Rose.
The voice on the other end answered instantly.
"Alice? What happened?"
"Rose…" Alice whispered, barely able to speak.
"I need you… now…"
She sent her location before the phone slipped from her hand.
Meanwhile, the council waited.
Time passed.
No sign of Alice.
"They're late," Benjamin muttered. "Their absence is proof enough."
"Then let the hunt begin," Talia declared.
Crowell rose, slowly, gracefully… satisfied.
"Allow me to go personally. It'll be… faster this way."
Vlad and the council nodded.
"But bring her back alive for judgment."
Out on the road, Alice struggled to stay conscious. The oak poison spread like wildfire, making her weaker by the second. Kara tried to hold her up, but then—
A shadow appeared through the curtain of rain.
Crowell.
Her golden eyes gleamed with wicked delight when she saw them.
"Just as I expected… you didn't make it," she said, walking toward them.
"The council has already made its decision, Alice. Your sentence is sealed."
Alice tried to stand, but her body betrayed her.
And Kara — Kara stepped in front of her, trying to shield her.
"Don't… touch her…" she breathed, her voice trembling.
Crowell's smile sharpened like a blade.
In a flash, she grabbed Kara by the hair.
"Unfortunately for you, little human, you're not part of this game."
Then it happened too fast to stop.
Crowell seized Kara by the throat.
Alice screamed, but couldn't move.
And Crowell sank her fangs deep into Kara's neck, drinking every last drop.
The sound of blood draining mixed with thunder.
"I… love… you…" Kara whispered with her last breath.
Crowell snapped her neck like brittle glass and tossed her limp body into Alice's arms.
"Now suffer," she whispered, vanishing into the storm.
Alice collapsed, holding Kara tightly.
For the first time in years, tears streamed down her face — thick, dark, bloody tears.
She tried desperately to feed Kara her own blood, to turn her, to save her, but…
It was too late.
No life remained.
"Kara… no… don't leave me…" her voice cracked, shattering with her heart.
She lifted her head to the sky, and her scream echoed through the storm.
"I swear… on your life… I'll end every last one of them."
That was when Rose arrived, running, her black cloak whipping through the wind.
She froze at the sight — Alice kneeling in the rain, soaked in blood, cradling Kara like a fallen angel.
"Oh my God…" Rose whispered, hand over her mouth.
Alice looked up at her.
And in her eyes wasn't just grief.
It was hatred.
A fire of vengeance hotter than anything she'd ever felt.
Outside, the storm raged as Crowell made her way back to the fortress, her red cloak dragging through the mud, stained with Kara's blood. A smug satisfaction tainted her expression.
Inside the council chamber, the torches flickered against stone walls. Tension buzzed in the air. Everyone knew something had happened.
Vlad's head lifted when the doors opened.
Crowell entered with steady steps, her face cold, duty completed.
"It's done," she announced.
"The human was killed by accident. And Alice… escaped, but she won't get far."
A ripple of shock moved through the room.
Vlad shot to his feet, fury blazing in his eyes.
"You acted without the council's decision?!" he roared.
"We were still deliberating!"
Crowell stared back, unfazed.
"Deliberation doesn't win wars, Vlad. Decisions do. I saw weakness in that vampire, a weakness that would slow all of us down. I cut out the root of the problem. Now there are no distractions."
Vlad slammed his fist against his stone throne, cracking it.
"You crossed the line. This… will cost you dearly."
Crowell didn't flinch.
"No, Vlad. This act brought us closer to what matters. Alice is broken now. She won't stand a chance once the hunt begins. It was the right choice."
The chamber fell silent, some elders disturbed, others quietly pleased.
Vlad exhaled slowly, fists tight at his sides.
"May the gods have mercy on you, Crowell," he said darkly,
"because your actions will be judged soon enough."
Crowell only smiled slightly and bowed her head, accepting the threat like it meant nothing, before leaving the hall with the scent of blood trailing behind her.
Outside, thunder crashed again.
And somewhere in the storm, Alice screamed once more, Kara's cold body in her arms, mourning and fury blending into something terrifying.