- I suppose it’s envy in you, because no one gives you bodily consolation. - Her tone was full of sarcasm and she instantly felt the suffocating aura that was escaping from Raphael.

Thanks to the fact that she was a friend of Thea, now a large amount of feigned courage has accumulated in her veins. She was sure that he would not touch her as long as she did not overstep the bounds of what was allowed.

/ A few days ago/

A pack of werewolves ran through strong currents of freezing wind, noticing the lights of Norland in the distance. Everyone’s soul immediately warmed from the long-awaited feeling that you experience when you find yourself at home.

But this feeling was spoiled by one unexpected guest who broke into their lands unceremoniously and cynically, leaving behind traces with the smell of blood.

Marcel immediately tensed, feeling the pain of his wolves, as well as the presence of an outsider. He caught this familiar smell as soon as his paws stepped into the city limits and it made him grin and growl, calling his squad to stop.

He went on by himself. It was his order.

But the further he went to the enemy’s scent, the more clearly he realized that his paws were being carried to his own home.

Bursting with the most terrible feelings he was capable of, he violently threw himself at the door of his own house, forcing it to fly off its hinges.

His mouth bared, claws dug into the floor, scratching the floor covering, and his eyes burned with the desire to tear apart the man who was now passively sitting on his couch.

- And here is the owner.

Raphael squinted at Marcel’s wolf and whistled, but at the same moment the werewolf rushed at him, pushing him over the back of the sofa.

The vampire expected this and could have dodged, but did not do it, giving Marcel the first step, and then with all his strength wrapped his arms and legs around him so that the wolf screamed in sharp pain.

He writhed and gnawed at his skin, which eventually allowed him to free himself from the vampire’s tight grip.

The skin on Raphael’s hands began to actively bubble and hiss, corroded by the werewolf’s venom. For an ordinary vampire, it would be unbearably painful and ultimately fatal. Even one bite of a werewolf is enough to kill a vampire, but Raphael was immortal, so such tricks did not work on him, but it was worth noting that he still felt pain acutely, although he rejected it due to his indifference.

Marcel, who was now at a sufficient distance from the vampire, let out a loud growl again, flashing angry amber eyes, and then in an instant acquired a human form.

- You’d cover yourself up for decency’s sake. - Raphael chuckled, getting up from the floor where the werewolf had just pinned him.

- What kind of decency are you talking about when you dare to break into my house? And the house would be fine, who gave you the right to appear in the northern lands at all? - his voice was full of contempt.

- Just like that, I came to check on you, fuzzies. - he shrugged his shoulders. – I wanted to chat with you about life, like in the good old days. You know, right? Almost everyone in my castle suddenly died and now I have no one to conduct dialogues with.

- I dare to imagine what caused their death. - Marcel hissed. - The shadow of death always follows you.

- What can I do, I’m attractive to everyone. - Raphael chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

- What have you done to my people? - his gaze was still filled with murderous thirst, but he couldn’t do anything with the immortal, and therefore, with the last of his strength, he tried to control himself.

Marcel had dealt with Raphael more than once in the old days, so he clearly knew that only peace negotiations took place with him. That’s exactly what happened about ten years ago when he became an Alpha.

It was thanks to him that his pack was able to live for so long without seeing blood-sucking creatures on its territory. And those who did enter their lands were subjected to a cruel death and Raphael did not interfere in this. This was their agreement that both races keep their distance.

But ordinary vampires were not a particular threat to werewolves, rather they were annoying flies, fast and strong, but still not the ones to be afraid of and run to hide for cover. Raphael was another matter.

There were no ways to defeat him, because in any case, the outcome for his opponents was equally sad. Therefore, the appearance of Raphael here made Marcel tense and alert, right up to the moment when he felt the blood of his people, whose smell was in the air.

- Nothing. - he dusted off his raincoat and took his place on the sofa again, throwing his legs on it. – Alive, but not quite healthy. I threw them into the basement because they were making too much noise. But you know, even so I can hear them clearly and it annoys me. Why are they moaning like wench?

Marcel didn’t answer and walked past, going down to the basement. At least three dozen of his friends and comrades were lying on the floor there. Everyone was maimed and bloodied to varying degrees, but, fortunately, not fatally.

Rafael prudently tied up all the werewolves, so they could not do anything because they were immobilized and only lowered their heads dejectedly, as they felt a sense of shame in front of their Alpha.

Marcel noisily sniffed the air and went upstairs to his room, where he hastily pulled on trousers and a loose shirt. When he went out into the living room, he noticed that besides Raphael, Klaus was also there now, whose face did not express anything at all.

This madly angered Marcel, because he could not expect such a betrayal from him and immediately rushed at him with his fists, but Raphael was immediately interrupted by their not yet begun duel, standing between them.

- He wasn’t involved in this. - Raphael said calmly, keeping his hand on Marcel’s shoulder. - Your werewolves were the first to attack, and I was just defending myself. Didn’t you see for yourself that unfortunately no one could even die?

His face twisted in annoyance, but immediately brightened when he smiled. That’s just from the side of his smile caused goosebumps, and not the desire to smile back.

- Do you think that forgetting about our agreement, you will be welcome here? Maybe I should roll out the red carpet for you? I’m sorry, I was late, otherwise I would have rolled it out. - Marcel spat out, shaking off Raphael’s hand.

- As always, you are thrown from one extreme to the other. – the vampire replied, folding his lips into a thin line and pulling them out with a "duck". – But I really missed you, my furry friend. Look how you’ve grown since we haven’t seen each other.

Raphael defiantly held his hands in the air, assessing the tall mature body of the werewolf.

- First I will help my people and only then we will talk. In private. - Marcel said ultimatum and the vampire just clicked his tongue.

- You chose the wrong tactics, I told you. - Klaus said after the Alpha hurried to get his people out of the basement.

- There is no right or wrong with it. He just needs to be pushed against the wall and then he will have no choice but to follow my requirements.

- Why not try to establish contact peacefully, because it would solve a lot of problems? – Klaus frowned, completely not understanding why these unnecessary bloodshed.

Raphael slowly turned his head in his direction and snorted noisily, completely ignoring his question. There was a burning desire in his blood to teach a lesson to these werewolves who had allowed themselves to challenge him, but some rudiments of enlightenment in his mind were actively fighting this desire. This forced him to hold back or retreat at the last moment.

Klaus arrived at the moment when Raphael had already regained consciousness and stopped in his desire to mutilate as many werewolves as possible who attacked him in an attempt to protect their families and their homes.

That’s the only reason why everyone who was present at this attack did not hold anger at Klaus, although everyone thought about whether he would have stood up for them or not, because he is not a werewolf, but a bliar.

The werewolves came out of the basement one by one and cast different glances at Raphael, someone looked at him with contempt, someone with a desire for revenge, and someone with fear, but there were only a few of the latter. Basically, everyone harbored the idea of revenge.

Klaus helped Marcel take out those who were most injured and soon returned, noticing that Raphael was actively looking for something in the kitchen.

- What are you looking for? - he asked.

- I would like to find someone’s blood here, but it’s surprisingly empty. - he replied ironically and slammed the refrigerator door with a bang.

- That’s strange... - Klaus drawled.

- What exactly? - a brief glance fell on him.

- I thought you were going to ask me about Thea. Not only that, I thought you’d be furious to see me. - he was wary.

Raphael abandoned his attempts to find at least some meat food in this empty house and walked up to Klaus in a measured manner, stopping only tens of centimeters away from him.

His gaze was sharp, and the tension suddenly became so dense that it could be safely cut with a knife. In an instant, Raphael grabbed Klaus by the neck with lightning speed, lifting him into the air so that he could only flutter his legs and woo the vampire’s hands.

- You’re right. I’m furious. – he said through clenched teeth, exposing protruding fangs. - You’re supposed to protect her, and you’re here, while she’s out there alone, in this fuking witch’s bedbug.

Klaus’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. It was like an electric shock. He couldn’t figure out how Raphael knew? When did he find out? But he couldn’t ask, because his throat was tightly squeezed by a strong vampire hand.