3. Silas - Arrival in Seattle
1575 Words
ARRIVAL — SEATTLE, 4:07 A.M.
The damp cold of Seattle hits me the second the airport doors slide open. It’s a different kind of cold than Vegas—wet, green, alive. And it wakes something inside me.
A black SUV waits at the curb, engine quietly humming. A man steps out—broad-shouldered, trim, maybe 5'10", with dark blond hair brushed neatly back and a scar slicing across his chin like a permanent reminder of a past battle.
He inclines his head respectfully.
“Your Majesty. Lord Andreas.”
His voice is steady, respectful without being fearful.
“And you must be Ethan Collins,” Andreas replies, shaking his hand.
“The Evergreen Emerald Pack welcomes you both to Washington. Alpha Daniel asked me to escort you personally.” Ethan gestures to the SUV. Ethan drives the SUV, while Andreas takes the front seat with me comfortably and royally in the back. Ethan continues the conversation by providing more information on our stay - “We’ve prepared the Alpha floor suite for you. Blackout curtains, reinforced windows, and… a private nutrition fridge.” He clears his throat awkwardly. “For the blood packs, of course.”
Andreas grins. “Excellent. Our needs are simple.”
“Speak for yourself,” I mutter.
Ethan pretends not to hear. “We also have the Alpha’s daughter’s twenty-first birthday celebration tonight. Alpha Daniel extends his warm invitation.”
At the phrase Alpha’s daughter, something tightens inside me—sharp, fluttering, wrong, right—something I can’t name.
A flicker. A heartbeat out of rhythm.
I ignore it. Mostly.
We ride through the sleeping city, the skyline dripping with fog and early dawn light. My senses are sharper than usual. Restless. Expectant.
As if the air itself is holding its breath.
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REDMOND RIDGE — THE PACK HOUSE
The SUV turns down a long winding road bordered by towering cedars. And then I see it.
A massive wooden mansion, dark mahogany and warm amber lights glowing through vast windows. A wraparound porch spills into a manicured lawn that looks almost unreal in the early dawn light. Behind it, the forest of Mount Rainier stretches endlessly — wild, ancient, sacred.
“This is… impressive,” Andreas whistles.
“Fifty-seven rooms,” Ethan says proudly, as he parks. “Built to withstand full-pack transformations. And with direct access to the forest. Alpha prefers his wolves to run free whenever needed.”
The front gates open. And Alpha Daniel Blackthorn steps out.
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ALPHA DANIEL - He is exactly what a leader should look like—6'2", muscular, a presence that weighs on the air without trying. His hair is short, military-styled, but his eyes—those warm, kind eyes—carry thin laugh lines at the corners.
A man who has known both war and joy.
He clasps my forearm firmly. “King Silas. Lord Andreas. Welcome.”
“Thank you for hosting us Alpha Daniel” I reply.
“It’s our honor. Especially with the situation escalating.” His expression darkens. “We’ve had increased rogue activities lately, both Wolves… and vampires.”
Ethan steps forward. “Eight incidents in the last two weeks. Five in city limits, likely vampires. Three near Mount Rainier—definitely wolves testing our borders.”
Alpha Daniel continues, “Humans are starting to notice. We can’t allow that. Not again.” There is pain in the “again” he doesn’t elaborate on. “You must be tired from your travel and sun is just about to come out, let me show you your rooms.” He leads us inside.
The interior is a blend of modern steel and warm forest wood, everything glowing gold and amber. It feels alive.
He escorts us to the top floor—our suite.
The door opens into a spacious sitting area—soft leather couches, a stone fireplace, shelves lined with books, and the comforting scent of cedar. Two bedrooms sit on each side—a proper apartment, not just guest rooms. It gives us the privacy and safety. My respect for Alpha Daniel increased.
“Make yourselves at home,” Alpha says. “We’ll meet again in the evening. I have preparations for Mira’s celebration.”
There it is again. That name - Mira.
It hits me like a pulse of heat. I mask my reaction instantly. But I cannot hide things from my best friend, Andreas. He waits until Alpha Daniel is gone before turning to me with raised brows.
“So,” I say casually, hands behind my back, eyes on the window overlooking the forest, “Alpha’s daughter. She’s… twenty-one?”
Andreas snorts. “You heard that loud and clear.”
“Just curious,” I say too quickly.
He sits on the couch, stretching his legs. “Mira Blackthorn isn’t his biological daughter. Daniel is thirty-five.”
I turn to him. “Explain.”
He sighs. “It’s tragic, really. When Daniel was young, he loved a wolf girl named Amanda. They planned a future. One day she left, saying she had found her mate.”
“She disappeared for nine years. Then suddenly she contacted him, begging for refuge. She had an eight-year-old girl — Mira. Amanda died soon after.” Andreas’s voice softens. “No one knows what happened to her.”
My chest tightened, and my heart went for little scarred Mira.
“Mira grew up here,” Andreas continues. “Daniel raised her as his own. The pack adores her. From what I hear, she’s… special.”
Special. My pulse stutters.
Andreas notices. “Silas. Why the sudden interest?”
I don’t answer. Because I don’t know. Because something is wrong with me. Because the dreams—those eyes—have been sharper lately. Closer. Because, since we landed in Seattle and now in Pack house, the scent of Mogra and Petrichor has been clinging to my senses more frequently.
Because today… I feel her. Everywhere.
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THE DREAM — SHIFTED
Morning approaches, the sky bruised purple. At some point, I lay down to rest. And the dream returns.
Those eyes—deep, dark, drowning. For twenty-one years they’ve grown, aged, changed. But tonight, for the first time, the surrounding blur sharpens. A face begins to form. An outline. A soft oval. A whisper of a smile.
She feels so close today that it feels like if I just reached out I could catch her. I wake with a sharp inhale.
Andreas is already dressed. “You’re sweating again. Something new?”
I swallowed. “Yes. The first outline of her face. Almost real." Then I whispered to myself, "But, why now?"
Andreas doesn’t answer. Because he doesn’t know. No one does.
MEETING WITH ALPHA DANIEL & CASSIAN NOCTURNE
We descend to the conference room where Alpha Daniel waits with Beta Ethan and standing beside them is Cassian Nocturne, the Vampire Lord of Washington and a dear friend of mine. A gentleman vampire with a voice like velvet. He runs an underground jazz club where time seems to stand still. Charming yet dangerous, he uses music and illusion to hypnotize his prey before feeding.
“Your Majesty,” Cassian greets, bowing with a flourish. “A pleasure to see you outside the neon lights of my domain.”
“Cassian.” I pat him on the back. “Let’s begin.”
Ethan brings up a digital map of Seattle.
Alpha Daniel starts, “Rogue vampires have attacked humans inside the city — downtown, Capitol Hill, even near Pike Place.”
“They appear to be newly turned,” Cassian explains, tone dark. “Unstable. No control over their bloodlust and it seems like no one to guide them either. They can’t digest human food at all yet, so hunger drives them mad.”
“And the wolves?” Andreas asks.
Daniel’s jaw tightens. “Rogue wolves. But what's different is that they are not lone wolves. They are roaming in small packs. I think they are testing our territory. Chasing hikers near the mountain. But there are signs of corrupted magic also.”
Ethan zooms in on blinking red dots. “The patterns do not overlap right now. They’re not hunting in similar areas currently, so it’s not certain yet if these attacks are connected.”
A chill slithers down my spine.
Cassian continues, “Someone turned those new vampires recently. Someone powerful. Someone who knows how to hide their trail.”
I lean forward. “You are correct, we need the sire. We capture one of the new vampires alive, and then we track their creator.”
Daniel nods. “My wolves can assist you by tracking them with their scent."
I nod gratefully “That would be of great help. We also need to know who is manipulating the rouge wolves. I have a feeling that these incidents with Rouge Vampires and Rouge wolves are connected somehow.”
Daniel nods. “True, then we need whoever is manipulating my wolves also.”
A silence settles. Heavy and fateful.
“We will work together, to eliminate both the threats from your territory,” I say firmly.
The plan is set. But something tugs at my senses. A scent—soft, floral, heartbreaking.
Mogra. Rain. Warmth. Faint, drifting through the air vents. My body goes still.
Cassian notices the shift. “Silas? You alright?”
No.
Yes.
I don’t know.
- Writer
