Chapter 3
His fangs ripped straight into his opponent's neck.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The whole hall erupted into chaos.
More of the low-level vampires, like wild animals who caught the scent of blood, had their eyes instantly turn crimson.
Someone's glass shattered on the floor.
Others lunged at the humans among them.
Screams exploded through the hall.
Isabella turned white as a sheet. "What the hell is happening?"
As she started to step back, one of the frenzied low-level vampires lunged at her.
But the very next second, there came a bang!
The vampire was instantly grabbed by the throat and lifted by Lucian.
The sound of bones breaking was clear and piercing.
Lucian's gaze was chilling and menacing.
"Pathetic," he spat. "Who gave you permission to starve tonight?"
The low-level vampire thrashed desperately, blood spilling from his mouth.
He murmured, "My Lord, the blood supply has been cut off. We haven't fed in three days."
Crack!
Lucian snapped his neck in one swift motion.
The corpse was hurled away with brutal force.
Blood streaked across the carpet.
The hall was plunged into utter silence.
Isabella stood frozen in place.
She had never seen Lucian like this before.
He was furious, unhinged, all traces of his noble bearing gone.
He was a far cry from the charming, elegant man she knew.
Lucian suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly regained his composure.
He wiped the blood from his hands and put on a charming smile.
"Apologies. It's a minor mishap," Lucian said lightly.
But no one in the hall could bring themselves to smile.
More and more people started to notice that something was off about the Blackthorne family.
The smell of blood coming from them was almost suffocating.
Some of the low-level vampires were already going feral from hunger.
At that moment, the castle doors were suddenly pushed open.
A procession of people in silver-embroidered robes slowly entered the hall.
Leading them was an envoy from the Council.
Everyone's face darkened.
The Council's envoys represented the will of the Wayne family.
The envoy swept his gaze across the room, then unfurled a scroll.
He announced, "By order of the Wayne Council.
"Effective immediately, the Blackthorne family is forbidden from entering Norpothia's main city.
"All underground trade rights are now frozen.
"Train access is revoked.
"The blood supply is cut off for good."
The hall went dead silent.
Isabella's fingers clenched tightly.
She knew what losing their protection meant.
But she never imagined I would be so ruthless.
Lucian's face darkened. "What the hell does the Wayne family think they're doing?"
The envoy spoke calmly, "By Prince Cedric's command, the Blackthorne family is no longer recognized as nobility."
A shockwave swept through the hall.
Many nobles began to retreat.
Some abandoned their drinks and left the hall.
It suddenly dawned on them.
The Wayne family wasn't angry.
They were purging.
A vein throbbed at Lucian's temple.
His crimson pupils contracted slightly.
But in the end, he held himself back from attacking the Council's envoy.
The Wayne family had ruled Norpothia for centuries.
No one in their right mind would dare to go up against me.
Isabella stood frozen in the middle of the crowd, a cold dread creeping through her veins.
All this time, she thought leaving me was trading one fiancé for another.
But only then did she realize she had walked away from the very core of power in Norpothia.
The ball had descended into chaos.
Screams, the stench of blood, and shouting all mixed.
Some people made a run for it, slipping out in the confusion.
Already, others were busy severing ties with the Blackthorne family.
Lucian suddenly smashed his glass against the floor.
"Shut up, all of you!" he snarled.
The hall fell silent for a heartbeat.
But no one was sucking up to him anymore.
Everyone could see what was happening.
The Wayne family was tightening the noose around the Blackthorne family's neck, bit by bit.
Isabella felt a sudden tightness in her chest, like the air had been sucked out of the room.
She turned and hurried out of the banquet hall, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere.
The corridor was icy and eerily quiet.
Outside, the blizzard howled, snow whipping furiously against the windows.
She pressed her hand against the wall for support, my words from that night replaying over and over in her mind.
"What I gave up was never just the blood bond," I'd told her.
Back then, she hadn't understood.
But now, she was beginning to understand.
The chaos within the Blackthorne family erupted sooner than I'd imagined.
It was late on the fifth night.
An underground nest in Norpothia's eastern district was consumed by holy fire.
Thirty-seven low-level vampires perished inside.
Their bodies were nailed to the stone walls with wooden stakes, the silver insignia of the Hunter Guild etched into their chests.
When the news reached Wayne Castle, I was in the council chamber, poring over a map of Norpothia.
An elder set the scroll down beside me.
"Your Highness, the hunters have entered Blackthorne territory," he said.
I glanced at the crime scene photos of the bodies.
The low-level vampires had hollow eyes, with dried blood crusted at the corners of their mouths.
It was clear that they'd been blood-starved for ages.
"What's the situation with the Blackthorne family?" I asked.
"Lucian's out there offering top dollar for blood. He's desperate to buy from anyone who'll sell."
The elder paused. "But nobody wants to do business with them now."
I gently closed the scroll.
It was not that people were afraid to sell to them.
It was just that nobody wanted to offend the Wayne family to help the Blackthornes.
The Wayne family had always maintained the underground order in Norpothia.
They decided who was allowed to trade.
They decided who could cross the border alive.
They decided who could evade the hunters.
The Council controlled everything.
Lucian used to think that if he could snatch Isabella, he'd be able to get his hands on the Chambers family's resources.
But he forgot that whether those resources could be moved out depended on who gave the nod.
Outside, the wind and snow kept getting stronger.
A raven swooped past the tower, letting out a piercing call.
I stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window.
In the distance, the city lights formed a glowing ribbon across the night.
And even farther out, at the edge of Norpothia, scattered flames could be seen flickering in the darkness.
The hunters had begun their hunt.
On the other side, Blackthorne territory was in chaos.
Seven underground nests were uncovered one after another.
Hunters were surrounding and slaughtering low-level vampires in droves.
Some of the low-level vampires, driven mad by hunger, started attacking their own kind.
Isabella finally saw firsthand how savage the nights in Norpothia could be.