The boy’s small chest moved fast, up and down, like he was fighting to hold in all his anger. His glowing eyes turned away from Frederick and landed right on me. The way he looked at me made my stomach twist. No, I wasn’t afraid of him, but the way he stared—it wasn’t the gaze of a normal child. His little face was twisted with hate, as if I were the reason his father had punished him.

For a moment, the room froze. The maid slumped against the wall, weak but alive. Frederick’s sister turned to the other servants who had rushed in behind her. “Take her,” she ordered quickly, her voice full of concern. “Get her cleaned up and bandaged.”

Frederick’s sister held him firmly, but I could see it in her face as she looked at me: something wasn’t right. Something about this boy was… more.

The boy’s chest heaved, his little body trembling with fury. His teeth bared slightly, the predator in him desperate to rebel. But Frederick didn’t flinch. He only frowned.

Felix’s head snapped up, his eyes blazing. “No!” he shouted, his voice echoing like a growl. “I don’t want it!”

But Frederick’s voice boomed, silencing even the air.

“I’m hungry. Normal food is disgusting. I hate it.”

“A child?” Frederick’s voice snapped like a whip, though he didn’t raise it. He stepped further into the room, his presence suffocating. “Look at him. Do you see a child?”

“Then you will learn to eat it.”

Olivia’s POV

Felix’s fists clenched on his little knees. His voice came out low, stubborn, and full of venom that didn’t sound like it belonged to a child.

Frederick’s son. The one I’d only just heard about.

My breath caught. Blood. He was drinking her blood. The maid was pale, her body trembling, but she was alive. Still conscious. Still breathing. But the boy–there was nothing ordinary about him. His eyes glowed faintly, his aura sharp and unsettling. I didn’t need anyone to tell me. Instinct screamed the truth.

The room stilled at his outburst, the power radiating off him unnatural for his age. My wolf bristled, unease crawling under my skin.

She grabbed him and yanked him away from the maid, her strength far greater than any human’s. The boy snarled–not like a scared child, but like a predator disturbed mid-hunt. His small face twisted, his eyes blazing as he glared at her with raw fury.

For a second, the room went still. Even Felix froze, though his small chest still rose and fell in anger. Frederick’s gaze swept across the maid’s bloodied arm, his sister’s tense grip on the boy, and finally landed on me. His jaw clenched, and when he spoke, his voice was loud and full of rage.

Frederick’s jaw tightened, his aura pressing heavy against the walls. He stepped closer, towering over the boy, his voice rising.

His eyes snapped to the sister, his anger intensifying. “And yet here we are.”

Before I could even find the words to speak, the door behind us slammed shut with a sharp crack. I spun around, and there he was–Frederick. His tall frame filled the doorway, his eyes cold and unreadable.

The boy pulled back at once when Frederick’s sister rushed forward. Her voice was sharp, trembling with both fear and authority.

My wolf whispered inside me, “He blames you. He already sees you as the enemy.”

The maids nodded hurriedly and carried the bleeding girl out of the room. My gaze stayed locked on the boy. He looked far too powerful, far too composed to be a child of three–or even four. His energy felt ancient, terrifying, and my stomach twisted at the sight.

“Yes, we are vampires,” he growled, “but we are not monsters.”

He didn’t shout, but I could tell it wasn’t a request. It was an order.

“Felix! Stop this at once!”

Frederick’s voice cut through the silence again, sharper than before. “There is blood in the fridge. I allow you to drink once a week, and you know this. Once. Not more.”

“Make sure the maid is taken care of,” Frederick instructed his sister. Then his gaze shifted to me. “Come with me, Olivia. We have something to talk about.”

The boy’s small body shook—not from hunger this time, but from the weight of his father’s rage. His eyes flicked downward, though his lips still glistened red.

Frederick sharply turned his attention to the boy, his glare fixed on him. “How many times have I told you, Felix? We do not feed by force. We are not savages.”

“I told the maids,” he said slowly, each word sharp, “never to let a human near him.”

I gave the boy one last glance—his tiny fists were clenched, his angry eyes still locked on me. Then I turned and followed Frederick out of the room.

My gaze flicked back to Felix. His small body trembled, but it wasn’t with fear—it was with hunger. His glowing eyes burned into his father’s, his lips still stained red. The power radiating from him made my stomach twist tighter. I swallowed hard, my wolf pressing against me, whispering the truth. “That boy… he’s dangerous.”

He leaned down, his angry eyes piercing into his son’s. “For one month, you will eat only normal food. No blood. Not a drop. You will learn control, or I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Before I could think twice, I followed them up the stairs. My heart pounded as I trailed them down the hall until they stopped abruptly at a tall door. Frederick’s sister didn’t hesitate. She shoved it open and stormed inside, her panic so obvious. I stepped in right after her, my eyes darting across the room.

“Enough!” His tone was final, leaving no room for argument. “You have broken my rule, and for that, your punishment is this—”

Frederick’s sister rushed ahead with the maid, her steps quick and frantic. For a moment I stood frozen, torn between staying out of whatever madness was happening and letting my curiosity drag me in. But my wolf pushed at me, hard. Go.

I frowned, forcing myself to stay still. His eyes were too sharp, too scary for a boy his age. He was dangerous–just like his father.

His sister swallowed hard in panic. “We are trying our best, brother… He just can’t control it, Frederick. He’s still a child-”

And then I saw him. A little boy, no more than four, sat calmly on the bed. His small hands were clutching the arm of a maid… and his mouth–