Sorin was on a tree branch near what it used to be Daciana's room. The tree in which he had jumped to the night he had helped her make her escape from Penelope. His hands were clenched into fists and his brows tied in a frown. He felt terribly lied to.
-"What's with the long face, boy?"- he heard someone call out to him.
Sorin clicked his tongue and looked away.
-"You knew about it too, didn't you? You're just another good actor"- Sorin was unable to hold back his disgust towards the situation.
-"I know my apologies won't ever be enough, but if you found out about it, what would have happened to the girl?"- the voice said once again.
Sorin's features softened. Daciana's safety had been his priority all this time...If he had known about it, Daciana would have been in more danger at some point, but maybe things would've ended more quickly.
-"You've always been good at covering her up, weren't you?"- said Sorin with half a smile on his face.
Now there was only mere silence. Sorin looked up at the room and sighed.
{Flashback}
Dorin Bucur, a day or two after taking little Sorin to safety, rushed to the scene left by Penelope. He walked around carefully, trying not to step on any corpse. He felt horrible for leaving his wife's corpse behind and he wanted to give her a proper burial. What he didn't know was that his wife would be nowhere around the place. His eyes grew wide when he couldn't find her.
-"Daci...? Daci!"- he cried er name as loud as he could.
He knew she wouldn't hear him since she was...you know...dead. His eyes were getting watery and his hands began shaking uncontrollably. They hadn't been married for that long and their only son was even taken away from them.
-"What are you doing here?"- he heard someone call out to him.
He slowly turned around and found Vlad standing in a corner looking at him quite astonished. Vlad looked at him for a while before speaking again.
-"You saved Sorin's life, didn't you?"-said Vlad. "You're that wolf that always hung around with her...Dorin, was it? Her husband?"
Dorin didn't know whether to attack him or stay put. His emotions were all over the place. His breathing was getting heavier and he wasn't even sure if he would be able to control his upcoming transformation. He could feel it...His eyes turned blue.
-"Hold it up, wolf boy"- said Vlad. "I know where Dacia is"
Dorin's eyes are now focused in the vampire before him.
-"There seems to be some unexpected events going here...I think you should tag along and look at her yourself"
Vlad turned around and began walking away. Dorin had no other choice, so he followed him.
{Present}
-"You look so much like him"- said Dacia as soon as she spotted Silviu standing guard in front of Daciana's chambers.
Silviu slightly frowned.
-"I look like who?"- he asked folding his arms across his chest. "That bloodsucker and I aren't alike"
Dacia rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.
-"You look so much like my husband"- she stated. "Is she inside?"
Silviu looked at her without dropping his guard and nodded. Stubborn like herself...It would only mean that the rumors were true. Vlad had stated that there was a new alpha in the pack and that it was her granddaughter.
-"I'm sure, Sorin's keeping watch by the tree. Would you mind having a chat with me? I have so many things to explain to all of you, but I think you might be able to explain it to those two better that I would"- said Dacia.
Silviu sighed as if giving up and gestured her to follow him. They headed to the library. There they sat down on a small table and looked at each other sternly. Dacia knew that he wasn't someone who would simply listen in silence.
-"How should I start..."- said Dacia while scratching her head awkwardly.
-"I'll do the questioning, you just answer"- Silviu retorted. "I bet you know very well what that vampire was talking about earlier. I've heard rumors that he was there when...you allegedly died. I'm assuming he was a vampire at that time. By what I saw today...It doesn't look like it. Explain"
Dacia blinked a couple of times shocked with the bomberding given by Silviu.
-"He was a human boy... I bet you all know Vlad. He was in charge of the Gheata clan and had offered to cure his mother's illness. The only option was turning her into a vampire. I thought it was a cruel thing ever...you know...to force a kid to watch someone die. My--"-Dacia stopped.
She averted her gaze as she said the words "My sister" almost in a whisper. And then explained that he had been forced to drink from her blood despite not being a vampire. She had no idea why he was a vampire whatsoever.
-"Even after he death she disgusts me"- said Silviu massaging her temples.
Dacia looked up at him with round eyes.
-"Death?! Whose death?!"- she said almost cried out.
-"P-Penelope. No one told you she died some time ago?"- said Silviu.
Dacia sat down again and let her arms drop while her eyes simply focused on an empty space near Silviu. Despite the horrible things Penelope Lupu had done to her and the rest of the famiy, no matte how insane thy could've been, she was still her older sister. Dacia just sat there in silence trying to digest it all. She had come back home with the intentions of ruling over her sister and taking back her place, but she never thought that her sister had already died.
-"I can't believe she's really gone..."- said Dacia unconsciously.
That would've explained why the portrait of herself was still hanging visibly in the mansion. Dacia laid he head on the table and tried sighed.
-"Was she buried?"- she asked.
-"I guess so...I could ask Sam about it. He was in charge of that since Daciana, after finding out, didn't even want to see the corpse"- explained Silviu while scratching her head. "I think that girl cried for a night or two, for what Lucian told me. Its not like she truly hated her for life."
Dacia looked up at Silviu who was looking out the window with such kind eyes. He reminded her of a young Dorin, but she could sense that he wasn't the girl's mate.
-"What about the girl's mother? I bet she was brought here as well"- asked Dacia, but the answers she got just made her even more shattered inside.
-"Her mother had become a vampire when she was younger. Daciana was forced to kill her own mother on the spot. Right now...you're like the only relative she has"- he answered.
Dacia stood up and walked away. Silviu quickly followed her. Dacia began knocking on the girl's door.
-"Daciana, open up!"- Dacia demanded.
There was just silence. Dacia rolled her eyes and opened the door. Daciana was sitting in a corner of her room with years streaming down her face. Dacia simply rushed over her and hugged her. Daciana blinked a couple of times confused. It was simply a very emotional moment for both of them. Suddenly, Dacia pulls away.
-"Oh God, you stink even more from up close"- said Dacia while covering her nose.
-"At the end of the day you're just a vampire now."- said Daciana. "If you came here to reclaim your alpha post, is better to give up now"
Dacia frowned.
-"I was trying to be empathic with you, but you are one stubborn wolf-girl, aren't you? Don't you dare me, missy"-said Dacia. "I'll just decided whether or not you're alpha material"
-"What?!"- said Daciana shocked.
After all, Dacia was always herself no matter if she was a human, werewolf or vampire. Dares where her thing and proving people wrong was what she was best at.
-"Wake up early tomorrow. I'm going to test what you're really made of"- said Dacia while she turned around and walked away.
Daciana and Silviu both looked at each other surprised and then looked at the entry way to the room.