The Alpha's Mutt
Hugo

After Farris and I briefed the Vrebras family on all the information that we had managed to gather thus far. Relic seemed to focus in on one detail in particular.

“You have a vampire here? Alive?” He queried, appearing lost in thought.

“Yes. He was captured after being badly injured in the attack on Bristlecone.” Farris confirmed.

“Is there any way…that I could speak with him?” Relic questioned, taking us by surprise.

That had not really been what I was expecting. Why would he want to talk to the vampire? What good could that possibly do?

“Yes, I supposed that could be arranged.” Farris agreed, likely also curious as to why this is necessary.

“Good. The sooner the better.”

“We could go right now. I don’t see any reason why we need to wait.” I spoke up with a shrug of my shoulders.

If Relic really felt that it would be beneficial to meet with the vamp, then I did not see any reason to delay the meeting.

“Excellent. Let us go then.”

Relic jumped up from the seat that he had taken during our discussion and began to head towards the door. He did not want his children in the dungeon with the vampire, which I understood. They may have been grown, but they were still his pups, so I was grateful when Jamari offered to give them a tour of the pack grounds instead. While Farris who had been neglecting some pack business, stayed behind to catch up on a few things. I gave him a quick kiss goodbye and then I walked with Relic, guiding him to the basement dungeon to replace the vampire.

I had instructed that the vamp be kept in one of the larger cells so that he had access to a bed and toilet. He had been receiving regular feedings from when the hunters returned with a fresh kill. He had even healed quite well from all of his injuries. Though, he was missing a few teeth from when Farris had worked him over, as he was unable to regenerate those. But all in all, he was being kept in very good condition for a prisoner of war.

“Hello, Hugo.” Relic announced as soon as we came in sight of the vamp within his cell.

I was taken aback by this for a moment. Did they know each other? Had they met before? Were they working together? Was Relic one of the witches that the vampire had mentioned? Would he really turn on his own family in such a horrific way?

But my fears were quickly quieted by the look of confusion present on the vampire’s face. He showed no sense of recognition that I could detect.

“How do you know my name?” The vampire demanded.

“It was simple enough. I merely read your mind.” Relic shrugged.

“You can read minds?” I asked, wide-eyed, this was something that I had not known about witches.

“Not with everyone and not all of the time.” Relic explained. “It is actually a very draining skill to utilize. Vampires are a bit easier to work with though as their minds are less disciplined than that of wolves.”

The vampire, Hugo, scoffed, but neither of us paid him any attention.

“Wolves utilize mindlink amongst pack members. Because of this they very quickly develop mental blocks, so that they can control the hundreds of voices that would otherwise be in their heads or to keep from spilling their own secrets. Vampires have no such reason to practice this kind of mental discipline. Some vamps possess minor skills in hypnotism, but those vampires are much older and much higher ranked than Hugo here.”

“Fascinating.” I stated, sincerely.

I was learning so much about witches, vamps, and even wolves today.

“I apologize. But I will likely be fairly quiet over the next several minutes or so. I’m going to delve into Hugo’s mind to see if there is any further information that could be of use to us.” Relic informed me.

I nodded my head in understanding before he turned to face the vampire, Relic’s hands outstretched towards him, and his eyes closed. The vampire looked worried, but there was no suffering in his eyes. Relic’s probing was, ultimately, harmless. After watching in silence for, roughly, ten minutes, Relic dropped his hands and opened his eyes.

“Alpha, I believe that I have all that I need for the moment. Would you please walk with me?” Relic requested.

“Of course.” I nodded.

We turned to exit the basement dungeon when Relic suddenly paused and turned back towards the vamp.

“Good night, Hugo.” He offered.

The vampire’s face seemed surprised for a moment, but he recovered quickly.

“Good night.” The vamp responded.

Now it was my turn to be surprised again.

After leaving the basement we ended up outside. We began to stroll around the pack house at a slow pace. I waited patiently for Relic to begin speaking. I was dying to know what he had discovered by searching through the vampire’s mind. It was a much easier way to get your information than the interrogation that Farris and I had done previously.

“Hugo is fairly young by vampire standards, just barely over one hundred years old.” Relic finally began. “Until recently, he had been the lowest possible rank within his clan, akin to an Omega in wolf terms. However, he was promoted when the virus was released, and the master of his clan officially declared that the war on the wolves had begun. He became a warrior, and from what I gathered, received very little training. They were so confident in the effectiveness of the sickness that they had not concerned themselves with ensuring the abilities of their soldiers.”

“That is good to know. If they are not well trained. Our warriors, when healthy and not vastly outnumbered, as they had been at Bristlecone, should put their soldiers to shame.”

“Yes, I believe so as well.” Relic agreed. “Though they do have a number of witches on their side that have apparently been turned into vampires. They have developed a powerful casting circle. They may be assisting them in battle, enhancing their strength or offering protection. If this is so, we will need a few more witches on our side so that we can counteract whatever effect they may be having on their side. With your permission, I will leave my children here while I travel quickly to my former coven. I am certain that the witches there would be more than happy to offer assistance. Our coven has always had a good relationship with the wolves.”

“That would be fantastic! If you think there is a chance that they will help us, then it seems silly not to try.” I exclaimed.

The more witches that we had on our side the better. We needed all of the points in our favor that we could get.

“Also, one more thing Alpha…” Relic continued. “You were correct in your assessment. The vamp had not been lying when he said that he was not certain where to replace Master Belial. He has some vague ideas, but the clan is apparently spread out over a fairly large area. They do not really function as a normal clan does. Master Belial is extremely secretive, and he trusts very few. Despite swearing allegiance to his clan and his cause, most of the vamps have no idea where he is actually located. However, I think that we can replace him, but just knowing his name is not going to be enough in this case. We will need something of his. Something personal.”

“Where are we going to get that? We have no idea where he is, how can we get anything from him?” I pressed, frustrated.

This was quickly becoming a fruitless endeavor. We needed a personal item to replace him, but we would have to replace him in order to retrieve a personal item. This was beginning to sound more and more impossible.

“Well, I do have an idea.” Relic revealed, much to my relief. “When a vampire joins a clan, they often drink a sip of the leader’s blood from a chalice as part of their pledge. This means that Hugo has Master Belial’s blood running through his veins. If we could get a few drops of Hugo’s blood, we should be able to use it to track down Master Belial. There is one catch though…”

“What is it?”

“I am sworn to only practice light magic which means that I cannot do any kind of harm in order to perform a ritual. It would be damaging to my soul. Blood magic is considered a dark magic…unless…the blood is given of the being’s free will. If the blood is given freely, then you are given a pass on its use.”

“So, what are you saying? That we need the vamp’s blood, and it has to be his choice to give it to us?”

“That is exactly what I am saying.”

“That is going to impossible. He would never give us his blood willingly knowing that we would use it to take down his master and his clan. Plus, he hates wolves, he would never help us.”

“I would not be so sure about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hugo did not join the clan out of his own choosing. His older brother had joined, and he felt compelled to do so as well. His hatred is learned. It is not a part of who he is at his core. His brother disappeared on a scouting mission not long ago. I believe that he would be open to the idea of distancing himself from this cause, if given the opportunity.”

“What are you saying?” I questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

“I am saying that we need to be kind to him. Show him that the wolves are not as he believes. Perhaps even give him a chance to learn about the packs that you have living here. They are different sides of the same coin, yet you have found harmony. Show him how the wolves all work together. What kind of beings that you truly are.”

“Are you really suggesting –…“ I began before quickly being interrupted.

“Yes. Befriend the vampire.”

That night, as I lay in bed wracking my brain for how I was possibly going to turn the vamp to our side. I reached over to my nightstand and grasped the vial of glowing blue liquid. I broke the wax seal and popped off the cork. I gave it a quick sniff and was surprised to replace that the scent was not at all unpleasant.

“You certain about this?” Farris questioned from beside me in the bed.

I glanced over towards him and found that his eyes were trained on me and the vial in my hand.

“Absolutely.” I assured him. “If I can somehow make myself stronger and we can use that to help us survive this, then I am happy to do it.”

“Alright.” Farris nodded, trusting my instincts. “I just wanted to know that you were certain. I am always going to be worried when it comes to your safety. But if you are feeling confident then so am I. Just know that whatever happens tonight, I will be right by your side. Don’t hesitate to wake me if you need me, for ANY reason.”

“I will.” I promised.

Then without another moment of consideration, I held the vial to my lips and tossed the contents down my throat. The taste really was awful, and it caused me to cough. I grabbed the glass of orange juice that I had brought to bed with me for this reason and quickly swallowed it down. It did not completely erase the taste of the potion from my tongue, but it certainly helped make it more bearable. I was grateful that Relic had warned me ahead of time.

I kissed Farris goodnight and then laid down in an attempt to sleep. Rest came difficulty that night. My mind was full of thoughts about befriending vampires. And I could feel the potion beginning to work its way through my system, an unusual vibrating sensation running through my veins. I finally fell asleep despite the uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring.