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Sebastian Blackthorn arrived exactly one hour later, his presence announced by the subtle darkening of shadows in the corridor. He wasn’t alone. Lord Richard Blackthorn Sr. and Lady Helena Blackthorn followed, their ancient power making the hospital’s modern equipment flicker. Both carried thick leather-bound tomes that seemed to pulse with their own dark energy.

Behind them came two younger vampires laden with scrolls and grimoires—clan archivists, their pale faces showing both excitement and trepidation at being outside their libraries.

“Where is he?” Sebastian asked without preamble, his aristocratic features tight with concern.

Zane gestured to the observation window. The moment the Blackthorn elders laid eyes on Luca, both went completely still.Lady Helena’s breath caught audibly while Lord Richard’s eyes widened with something between wonder and dismay.

“By the ancient ones,” Lady Helena whispered, pressing one pale hand against the glass. “It’s actually happening.”

“You know what this is?” Archer demanded, moving closer.

The Blackthorn archivists were already setting up their materials on a nearby table, ancient pages crackling with preserved magic as they searched through texts.

“We have… theories,” Lord Richard said carefully. “Based on texts so old even we struggle to translate them fully. They speak of signs?—”

“Could this be related to the tomb’s awakening?” Great Uncle Johnathan asked thoughtfully, making everyone turn. “The council has been monitoring the signs…”

Sebastian’s expression sharpened. “The ancient tomb beneath the council chamber. Its magic has been growing stronger these past weeks.”

“The progression makes sense,” Lady Helena murmured, her pale fingers tracing lines in one of her ancient tomes. “First the tomb awakens, then the disturbances the council reported, and now…” She gestured at Luca’s glowing form. “The texts speak of a sequence of events, of ancient magic building to something.”

Lord Richard moved closer to the glass, his eyes studying Luca’s feverish form. “This could be a power manifestation. Some vampires, when they come of age…”

Through the observation window, Luca’s back arched off the bed, his skin glowing brighter than ever. One by one, the monitors went dark as his power overwhelmed them, until only a single screen remained functioning—stubbornly displaying his climbing temperature. All three brothers pressed closer to the glass, their wolves surging forward with protective urgency.

“Something’s wrong,” Zane growled, his frost spreading despite his attempts at control. “His scent… it’s changing.”

The wave of heated sweetness that pulsed from Luca’s room made everyone pause. Cherry blossoms and moonlight twisted with something none of them quite understood, but it made their wolves pace with increasing agitation.

“This is… unusual,” Lady Helena said carefully, exchanging looks with Lord Richard. “Even for a vampire coming into their power.”

“We need to consult the older texts,” Lord Richard decided. “And contact the other elders. This requires more research.”

But the brothers barely heard them, too focused on Luca’s distress, on the maddening new notes in his scent, on their wolves’ growing urgency to protect, to claim, to…

They pushed that last thought away, hard. He was their brother. These instincts… they had to be something else. Had to be.

Dr. Xu’s frustration grew. “Nothing we’re giving him is having any effect.”

“Could it be blood-related?” Dr. Stevens mused, his centuries of vampire medical experience showing in his furrowed brow. “But he’s been receiving the highest grade medical blood we have…”

Through the glass, Luca’s skin pulsed with another wave of light. The sight made all three brothers flinch, their wolves howling in shared distress.

“We need to do something,” Archer growled, his hands leaving dents in the window frame where he gripped it.

Ryker’s lightning had progressed from sparks to constant arcs of electricity, making the hospital equipment malfunction even worse. His legendary control was slipping. “There has to be a way to help him.”

Zane remained silent, but his frost had covered half the observation room despite the warming charms. His wolf wasgoing mad with the need to protect, to fix this, to make their little bat stop hurting.

Dr. Xu turned to the Blackthorn elders. “Lord Richard, Lady Helena… in your experience…”

The ancient vampires exchanged looks. “There might be…” Lady Helena began carefully.

“What?” Zane’s voice carried an alpha’s command, making several people step back. “Whatever it is, do it.”

“Ancient vampire blood,” Lord Richard explained, his eyes never leaving Luca’s glowing form. “Not the medical grade we use today. Blood that carries centuries of power, of history.”

“The older the blood, the more potent its stabilizing effects,” Lady Helena added. “For young vampires experiencing power manifestations, it can act as an anchor.”