Crimson

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The conversation for the dinner kept being lighthearted and mainly focused on learning more about each other. Cassie, for instance, kept showing her curiosity by asking about the hierarchal structure of both vampire clans and witch covens. She seemed fascinated over the differences and similarities to shifter packs alike. All of the wolves also seemed generally interested in witchcraft and the possibilities and limits of it, taking great interest especially in the concept of magical stamina as well as how our lifespan was related to our magical proneness.

It was obvious that they were pushing the more serious topic and the reason for their visit to the coming day. However, as the dessert was finished it did come up.

Cassie had just finished asking both me and Lamech about witches and vampire rouges. She let out a sigh.

"Well, they don't seem to cause as much of a problem as rouge shifters can," she said.

"It's only natural," Olivier started an explanation. Throughout the dinner, he had shown a tendency to explain things as soon as he felt his knowledge could be of use. "The reason why shifter rouges tend to get out of control is because they lose the balance between their human consciousness and animal one. As vampires, we have the animal side to us, but it isn't separated as is with shifters, which means that it's less likely for a vampire to lose complete control and generally only happens to newly turned that's been left without guidance. And as for witches, they don't suffer that risk at all. It is what makes shifters truly unique and strong, but it can also be your greatest weakness."

"How well at adapting and understanding patterns are rouge shifters?" I asked out of curiosity. "What I mean is, are they able to learn your patrol schedule for instance?"

"From experience, they are," Darren answered with a heavy sigh. "At the moment we change the patrol schedule and route once each second week as a result. Though they also seem to have picked up on that."

"What about security cameras? Do you have any?"

Darren shook his head. "We do, but they have become useless. They know we have them and no matter how we try to hide them from view, they seem able to detect them and avoid them."

"And do you know what they are after?" I asked on while an idea that could possibly help them in the long-run started to take form.

"Food. That tends to be what they are usually after," Brian, the Gamma, answered. "Although considering their numbers and frequency, we are certain they are being pushed towards us by someone. Likely one of the other close by packs. But we don't have any proof, so we can't do anything about that."

I nodded for myself. There were spells that could help them. Several of them in fact, but that would help in different ways. Protection spells for instance, though they would require the caster to stay in the area that was protected so not a good option. And they were also difficult and since I had never tried one, it seemed like a stupid option. Especially because we wouldn't know if it had worked unless tested.

But there were magical devices that could be used to detect things within an area. Similar to a radar. I had made some of those in the past to help me locate vampires more easily. Though the ones I had made hadn't been even close to as powerful as I would imagine they would need to be to oversee the whole land belonging to the pack. But if I could manage to make one, or maybe a few to be spread out would be better, then they would work similarly to the security cameras, but be impossible to avoid.

I didn't want to say anything right then and there however. It had been a long time since I had made one and never one as long range nor as complicated, for it would have to be able to discern pack members and visiting shifters from rouges. Very different from the ones I had made in the past that simply had been able to detect any vampire within a fifty-meter radius.

So I needed to read up on it a bit and see if it would be possible. I also wanted to, after that, see what Lamech thought about me proposing it to the wolves before doing it. Not that I thought he would have any issue with it, but it felt like the polite and right thing to do.

The dinner came to an end and I excused myself to immediately get to my room and read up on detectors. I summoned the books I had on it and started to read.

Thankfully it didn't seem as potentially complicated as I had thought at first. At least the issue of them being able to distinguish between pack members and rouges would be fairly easy to solve due to the blood oath all members swore to the Alpha. What that did was connect them magically through blood and as such the Alpha's blood could be used to make it able to identify all members from the pack. As for visiting packs, there was ways to temporarily make them identifiable as well, unless they simply wanted to turn the detectors off during visits or be fine with them going slightly crazy.

The main problem would be making them able to cover a wide range. Though that also depended on exactly how big the land was and also how they would be used. I could make them weaker but more of them and then have them spread around the boarder. That however, would have to be a discussion with the Alpha.

I knew that they would all meet to discuss the issue in the morning. Best would be if I could be there then to bring up my idea as well. But for that I definitely wanted Lamech's approval first. It wouldn't do good for me to arrive there unannounced, even if no one would mind.

I got out of my room and hesitated by Lamech's bedroom door for a moment. But then I heard the faint sound of voices from the other side and one of them definitely sounded like a woman's voice.

My reason for wanting to speak to him was momentarily completely forgotten as I pushed the door open without even knocking. What I saw made my inside feel like it was on fire while my heart became cold as ice.

Reached 1k views today! Thank you to all of you that are reading. I appreciate every single one of you. And to celebrate reaching 1k today, I decided to publish 3 chapters instead of the usual 1 chapter. Hope you've enjoyed this dinner scene!

Also, anyone got any guess what exactly Crimson walked in on? 👀