Wrong love

Chapter Thirty-One: The Wrong Family

Nathan Ryder didn't like unanswered questions.

Which was exactly why he was leaving the house at midnight.

Victoria stood by the doorway.

Watching him button his coat.

"You think it's the demon?"

Nathan nodded.

"Wolves are turning up dead."

"How many?"

"Too many."

His expression darkened.

"The bodies are torn apart."

Victoria folded her arms.

"You think it's hunting again."

"I know it is."

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Nathan stepped forward and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back."

Victoria smiled softly.

"You always say that."

"And I'm always right."

With that—

Nathan disappeared into the night.

---

Hours later...

Max Ryder walked alone.

His hands shoved into his pockets.

His thoughts were ugly.

The image of Elara's wound still haunted him.

The guilt.

The anger.

The confusion.

Everything mixed together.

His jaw tightened.

"I hate this."

The night remained silent.

Then—

A voice appeared behind him.

"Good."

Max stopped walking.

Immediately.

Because that voice wasn't familiar.

But it was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Slowly he turned.

A tall man stood there.

Dark clothes.

Cold eyes.

A relaxed smile.

Orion Vale.

Max recognized him instantly.

And beside him—

Seraphina.

Arms folded.

Looking even less friendly.

"Well."

Max sighed.

"This should be fun."

"No."

Orion's smile disappeared.

"It won't."

Before Max could react—

Seraphina moved.

BOOM.

A punch slammed directly into his face.

Max went flying.

Straight through a tree.

Wood exploded.

The tree lost.

Badly.

Max hit the ground.

Stunned.

"What the—"

Then Orion appeared.

A kick struck his ribs.

CRACK.

Several ribs shattered instantly.

Max coughed blood.

His eyes widened.

That wasn't normal.

Not even close.

These weren't ordinary vampires.

Not even remotely.

Max staggered upright.

Growling.

Then attacked.

The fight lasted exactly thirty seconds.

Thirty very painful seconds.

Orion caught his punch.

Effortlessly.

Then threw him through another tree.

Seraphina appeared beside him.

Her knee collided with his stomach.

Max folded instantly.

Air vanished from his lungs.

Pain exploded through his body.

For the first time in years...

he felt genuinely outmatched.

"Get up."

Seraphina's voice was cold.

"You stabbed my sister."

Max forced himself upright.

Spitting blood.

"She survived."

Wrong thing to say.

Very wrong.

Seraphina punched him again.

The ground cracked beneath him.

"Try that answer again."

Max decided silence was healthier.

---

Meanwhile...

Jace was asleep.

Until he felt it.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

A familiar scent drifted through the air.

Blood.

Wolf blood.

Max.

Jace shot upright.

"No."

He was already moving.

Already running.

Already shifting.

The forest blurred around him.

Then he reached the clearing.

And froze.

Max was on one knee.

Bruised.

Bleeding.

Barely standing.

Across from him stood Orion and Seraphina.

Neither looked injured.

At all.

Jace stared.

"What the hell happened?"

Max actually looked relieved.

Which was terrifying.

"Run."

Jace blinked.

"What?"

"RUN."

Too late.

Seraphina turned.

Silver-red eyes locking onto him.

"Oh."

She smiled.

"The brother."

Jace immediately attacked.

Because he wasn't stupid.

Talking wasn't going to solve this.

Unfortunately—

Neither was fighting.

Orion caught him.

Midair.

One hand.

One.

Hand.

Jace's eyes widened.

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

Then Orion slammed him into the ground.

BOOM.

The earth shook.

Pain exploded through his body.

Before he could recover—

Seraphina kicked him.

Hard.

Very hard.

Jace flew.

Several meters.

Rolling through dirt and rocks.

Everything hurt.

Everything.

He pushed himself upright.

Growling.

And attacked again.

The result was somehow worse.

Orion sidestepped.

Grabbed him.

Then casually tossed him into Max.

The two brothers crashed together.

A very undignified pile of wolves.

Seraphina laughed.

"Oh, that's embarrassing."

Max looked furious.

Jace looked offended.

Neither enjoyed this.

Not one bit.

Orion slowly approached.

Calm.

Relaxed.

Dangerous.

The kind of dangerous that didn't need to prove itself.

Then Jace finally understood.

This wasn't strength.

Not normal strength.

It was experience.

Age.

Power accumulated over centuries.

Maybe longer.

A lot longer.

And suddenly...

the stories about Orion made much more sense.

Seraphina cracked her knuckles.

"You boys done yet?"

"No."

Max stood.

Immediately got punched back down.

"Okay maybe a little."

Jace groaned from the ground.

"Traitor."

"You're the one who joined."

"You needed help."

"I clearly still need help."

Orion actually laughed.

A real laugh.

Then his expression hardened again.

He looked at Max.

"You stabbed my sister."

Max didn't answer.

Because there wasn't a good answer.

Seraphina stepped forward.

"If Elara wasn't who she is..."

Her voice dropped.

"You would've died for that."

Silence followed.

Then Orion nodded.

"You got lucky."

The message was clear.

Very clear.

This wasn't revenge.

This was a warning.

And both Ryder brothers understood it.

Perfectly.

A few moments later, the siblings disappeared into the darkness.

Leaving Jace and Max sprawled across the clearing.

Covered in dirt.

Covered in bruises.

Covered in humiliation.

For a long time neither spoke.

Then—

Jace looked at Max.

"You got us beat up."

Max glared.

"You joined halfway through."

"You still got us beat up."

"I hate you."

"I know."

Silence.

Then both groaned in pain.

Because for the first time in their lives...

they'd encountered vampires stronger than they were.

And somehow...

that realization hurt almost as much as the beating itself.