Chapter Four – Blood, Bargains, and the Hale Family
The rain had stopped, leaving the night sharp and chilled. The Hale estate lay in uneasy quiet, punctuated by the faint rustle of leaves and the distant drip of water from the eaves. Ten members of the Hale family were gathered in the yard, tense and alert: Peter pacing like a caged wolf, Derek and Laura instinctively close, Cora and the younger siblings wide-eyed and rigid. Every eye flicked between the shadows and the figure moving with absolute purpose.
Alaric Vlad emerged from the darkness like a storm made flesh. His coat clung wetly to his shoulders, eyes glowing faint crimson. In his grip, Kate Argent struggled, taut with helpless fury, while Adrian Harris lay collapsed behind him—drained, lifeless, a warning in the aftermath of his unrelenting power. Alaric's expression was unreadable, cold, predatory calm carved into every feature.
"Pathetic," he murmured, crouching over Harris. "And your blood… tastes like shit."
The Hale family stiffened, though no one stepped forward. Laura gripped Derek's arm, Peter's jaw tightened, and even the elders froze, witnessing a predator that could annihilate them all without effort.
From the forest edge came shouts, the creak of weapons, the low murmur of Argent hunters alerted by Kate's muffled screams. Gerald Argent and his line of hunters approached, crossbows ready, teeth gritted, eyes burning with fury and disbelief.
Alaric's gaze snapped toward them, and the night seemed to tighten around his presence. "Gerald," he said, voice smooth, low, carrying power that pressed like iron. "Step closer, and every hunter here dies before your eyes. Your daughter—your leverage—remains alive because I choose it. Make the wrong move, and she dies. The Hale family is under my protection. They will not be touched. You, however… you will learn the cost of disobedience."
Gerald's fingers tightened on his crossbow. Rage surged, but reason flickered in his mind. "Step away from her, Vlad! Or you'll answer to the Argent family and every hunter here!"
Alaric's crimson eyes flared. "I will allow your pack to withdraw without incident. Kate stays with me. Her life, your daughter, is the only reason you live tonight. Test me… and there will be nothing left to mourn."
Kate's cries cut the yard, sharp and frantic. Alaric ignored them, yet the weight of his presence pressed upon every hunter like a physical force, freezing their rage into trembling calculation.
"You want answers? Retribution? Protection for your legacy?" Alaric continued, voice rolling like thunder over wet grass. "Then leave. Step back. The Hale family remains untouched. Kate's life depends on your obedience. Cross me, and you'll witness how easily a progenitor extinguishes a hunter's pride, honor, and life."
The Argent line hesitated, the tension almost unbearable. Finally, Gerald lowered his crossbow, jaw tight, pride clashing with survival instinct.
"We… we'll withdraw," he growled, voice brittle. "This isn't over, Vlad."
"Of course not," Alaric said smoothly, crimson eyes glinting. "But tonight… it ends. Warn every hunter: the Hale family is protected. Cross them, and you face me alone."
One by one, the hunters melted into the shadows, leaving the estate in uneasy quiet. Alaric's control over Kate remained absolute—her muffled pleas a warning to any who would underestimate him.
Inside the Hale House, the family had gathered, ten bodies tense and alert. Peter paced, Derek, Cora, and Laura close together, eyes fixed on Talia. The air smelled of damp wood, fire, and residual rain.
"Mom," Derek began, voice tight with disbelief, "who… who is Alaric Vlad?"
Laura narrowed her eyes. "Seriously. Who is this guy—kills Harris, drags Kate around, and suddenly protects us?"
Talia stood at the center, Alpha presence radiating calm authority. She met each gaze, letting them feel the weight of her decision.
"He's… complicated," she said, voice firm but threaded with unspoken history. "Alaric Vlad is someone I knew a long time ago. A very long time ago. He's… not human. He has powers we can't fully comprehend, and tonight, he acted to protect every one of you."
Derek's eyes narrowed, frustration and confusion warring. "Not human?"
"No," Talia replied, meeting Peter's skeptical gaze. "He's older than anything we've faced. A progenitor vampire. He follows his own rules… his own sense of justice. Tonight, he protected us from those who sought to destroy us."
Laura's voice rose. "Protected us… by killing Harris? And taking Kate? Mom…"
Talia's hands rested on her hips, firm, steady. "Yes. And yes. But understand this: Alaric's decisions are his alone. He acts outside our laws, outside our pack's reach. For tonight, we obey. Kate lives because he allows it. And if the Argent family intervenes, he will ensure they learn what it means to cross a progenitor."
Peter's ears twitched, instincts flaring. "So… we just let him handle her?"
"Yes," Talia said, tone cutting through fear. "Tonight, we trust him to keep the family safe. That is enough."
Derek exhaled sharply. "And you trust him? After everything?"
Talia's eyes softened just slightly, the ghost of memory flickering. "I trust him to keep my family alive tonight. Beyond that… we survive and learn. That is all we can do."
Outside, Alaric's control over Kate remained absolute. Her cries, muffled and terrified, carried through the yard. The progenitor was a wall of crimson eyes and lethal authority, standing between the Hale family and every hunter in Beacon Hills.
From the far treeline, movement flickered—something fast, deliberate, unseen. Alaric's gaze shifted, sharp, predatory. Even with Kate kneeling at his side, his awareness spanned the darkness, every threat accounted for.
Kate's heart pounded as Alaric's lips curved faintly—not cruel, not kind, simply certain.
"Stay," he whispered, voice low, almost a caress of power, "and witness what it means to underestimate me."
The treeline stilled, the first hint of a new threat revealed—but not yet engaged.
For the Hale family, the night stretched, tense and silent, the knowledge settling in: with Alaric Vlad between them and the hunters, their lives were safe. But the storm outside… and beyond… had only begun.