Disclaimer: Nothing in this story belongs to me, and no copyright infringement is intended. It all belongs to the awesome Lili St. Crow.

Prologue

It was a wild, rainy night—or morning, technically, since it was sometime around three o'clock— when Marcus let it slip.

I could tell from the expression on his face that he hadn't meant to say it, his mouth snapping shut with a click audible from across the table.

"What did you say?" I straightened in the seat where I sat, knees folded against my chest. Next to me, Shanks shifted. Marcus cleared his throat, eyes glittering oddly in the dark room. The fire in the fireplace had long ago burned down, casting peculiar shadows around the high-ceilinged chamber.

"I said, milady, that we are—technically—in a period of peace."

"Technically?" I repeated, fighting the urge to grab for my mother's locket where it rested at my throat. "Anna has been working with Sergej! They've been—they've been murdering people. How does that fit your definition of peace?" And they've got Graves. My stomach gave a lurch at the reminder—as if I could forget.

"It is not our definition, milady," Hiro broke in smoothly, coldly beautiful features unreadable in the dim light. "You see, Lady Anna was reluctant to officially declare war on Sergej, and the nosferat who follow him."

"War?" I echoed, a knot beginning to form in my gut. "What does that mean?"

To my right, Shanks leaned forward, mouth set in a grim line. "Dru."

I ignored him, leaning forward further and pressing my palms flat against the table. An ominous rumble of thunder sounded from somewhere outside. Foreshadowing to an answer I didn't want to hear, no doubt. "Hiro. What does that mean?"

He paused, appearing to be considering his words carefully. "The treaty, milady. It provides for the possibility of war, should the Council declare it."

The treaty. I racked my brains. Distantly, I remembered Graves mentioning an agreement signed by the djamphir and the wulfen. His voice floated back to me, making my chest hurt. Something about the male wulfen attending the Schola to be trained, while the girls stayed at home or attended satellite schools during the day.

Something clicked in my brain then. I sat back and regarded the rest of the Council, a feeling of horror spreading over me. "Is that why there are no girl wulfen here? You're making some kind of—some kind of army?"

"We," Hiro corrected, though not unkindly. "And yes. Students and graduates of the Schola must sign an agreement upon entering the school. Everyone of age is to be drafted upon a declaration of war."

I stared at the table, considering this. "How would that be different than now?"

Christophe answered then, voice low. "Lines would be drawn, sides chosen."

I looked up at him then, chewing my lower lip thoughtfully. "What do you think of this?"

"War is ugly, skowroneczko moja. Most of us are old enough to remember the last time the Council declared war." He smiled then, and it wasn't a nice smile. More like a baring of teeth. "But Sergej—and Anna—have crossed the line. It is your decision."

I felt sick. If Graves were here, he would know what to do. I could practically see his smirk as he lit up a cigarette, somehow making everything seem manageable again. But they had him now.

And it was time to get him back.

I tapped my fingers against the armrest. "And the wulfen?"

"The wulfen must abide by the terms of the treaty," Marcus replied, dark brows drawing together.

"Not what I'm asking." I turned to Shanks then, because I had nobody else to ask. He met my gaze, expression bleak. "Shanks?"

"A lot of people are—pretty angry about Graves." He coughed. Graves had been a leader, a dom, as Dibs had put it. It made sense. "If we don't get him back—"

"We're getting him back," I interrupted fiercely. I turned to face Christophe. "What do we need to do?"

TBC

A/N: You can expect to see updates on a weekly basis, though I decided to upload Chapter One and the Prologue together since the Prologue is fairly short. You don't need an account to leave a review, so please don't forget to let me know what you think so far! Thanks for reading.