AUTHOR'S POV
Diana opened her eyes and instantly recognized the cream opulent ceiling of the room she's in. The arches and beams all looked so familiar that one place easily came to her mind. The feel of the spring mattress with soft white covers over her body, and the smell of the fresh scent of the large feather pillows under her head made her recognize the place she once called home. However, the incense burning is quite new. The sounds of nature can't be too beautiful in the Woodsworth home as well. Surely, this place isn't what she thinks she exactly knew at all. She sat up too quickly, eyes ahead. The world tilted for a heartbeat before settling back into its perfect polished place. Everything was… the same. The vanity. The drawers. Her slippers in the corner. The curtains falling in identical folds, as if they were never touched before. This is her maternal home.
Things were almost too perfect until the familiarity stirs in her belly. The sunlight coming through the windows didn't look the same. It shouldn't be on that side where the sun shines nicely. Instead of feeling at ease, she felt scared. The house welcomed her the way the memory does - familiar, warm…. And wrong in many ways she couldn't name.She looked at herself, and realized she's wearing her favorite white lace sleepwear. And to her much pleasant surprise, the moon phase watch that Scott gave her is back on her wrist. The calm then sets in. The sense of security in the middle of uncertainties filled in, just in time when she was about to freak out.
Crumbling under the blanket, she relived her memories back in the Valley of the Falls. It's still clear how she saw a tiny man who asked her to leave the cabin. Despite having doubts, her curiosity led her astray with a decision to open the door for him. The gold dust from its hands put her out, and the next thing she knew, she's in front of a large fire deep in the woods. Diana struggled to crawl her way out from the thick smoke and blazing fires. Keeping it low, she searched her way with her hands until the tiny man whom she met previously was at her fingertips. Passed out, it was laid down on the ground with his arm burnt from the fire. She took the creature, escaped the inferno and reached a stream. Treated its wounds and helped it drink. When it opened his eyes, it mouthed 'thanks', before drifting out from its consciousness. Diana held its tiny hand, wishing it well. She never knew such a creature existed, admiring its daintiness. Immersed in wrapping its burns nicely, she heard a very familiar voice whispering to the wind just nearby. She followed the sound of the man's voice leaving the tiny man behind. As she got farther, a silhouette of a man appeared ahead of her. Her heart tickled. Restless, her lips trembled.
"Scott..", Diana softly uttered, before her vision was eaten by darkness.
"Good afternoon, Doctor! Your meal is served, and as always in your favorite spot on the patio", the familiar voice of an old man emerged from the slightly open door.
"Hendrick?!", she opened her eyes widely at her beloved butler. It was a delight that brought her to tears.
"Here's your robe. Please come down, I know you are famished", Hendrick helped her stand up from the bed, giving her a hand to wear the robe.
"H-ow long have I been sleeping?", she asked.
"A few days now, Doctor, You've been drifting in and out of your sleep since you arrived home", Hendrick answered, leading the way out.
"F-few days?", she exclaimed, dropping her mouth.
"Let's hurry, Doctor. You don't want to keep your guest waiting". Hendrick said as he rush her out of the room going down the stairs. Keeping his white gloved hands clasped on his back.
The view that the windows give her doesn't look like how she clearly remembers them to be. There were more trees, birds swinging, and more breeze coming in. The sight of brick modern homes of the neighbors were replaced with autumn trees. It felt different. With Hendrick appearing normal, she didn't hesitate to follow him to the patio despite not feeling right. "What guest?", they reached the paved outdoor space where there is a set of meticulous care of purple crystal goblets, aligned silverware, and a feast laid out in quiet abundance. At the far end of the table for four settings was a man, rising slowly as she came out.
Her steps slowed, unlike her heartbeat that seemed to race. The man's presence before her filled the ambiance in a way that made the air feel thinner and sharper. "WELCOME HOME! I'm so delighted to see you!", Calvin exclaimed with his refined eyes gleaming, as he walked towards Diana. His skin glowed under the sunlight, as if he had his own light source to shine.
Something in Diana shrunk back. Calvin's charm kept Diana standing by the door. Seeing him in a lively state, he has surely drank her blood. In whatever manner he did, Diana could just shiver in chills thinking about it. "Calvin", she lowly spoke, as she stepped back. Looking around for Hendrick, who has already sprinted out as if done with his intended task.
Calvin's eyes settled on her, and she felt it - not as admiration but a curiosity for his appetite. "You look marvelous. Vibrant and full of… life", Calvin gave her a perceptible smile, reaching for her. However, she kept her distance, with eyes piercing through him. Something ticked in Calvin, making his lips twitch. "Still afraid of me?", he asked, softly. Too tender that it makes Diana's face turn pale.
"Things are far more different now", Diana said, darting her gaze. Ever since Calvin revealed his true nature, Diana could no longer see the human that he desperately turns back to.
"It's still me", he said, closing. Eyes lingering for too long.
"Stop right there, Calvin!", Diana implored, but Calvin was fast enough to snatch her wrist, pulling her close. Locking her in his arms, breathing in her hair. She whimpered, with her hands between them. It was the worst position she'd ever been in.
"Your mother has already found Claudia, my creator.", Calvin whispered in her ear. His fingers dug in her soft skin, leaving marks on them. "I have fulfilled my side of the deal with Alva. We can live together now.. Away from all the people.. and the wolves", he closed his eyes, dreaming of a life with Diana forever by his side. A perfect human life along with his immortality.
"No!", her voice sharpened, pushing him away. She ran to the table and grabbed a knife, lifting it against Calvin. "Don't you touch me!", she told him, shaking.
"Why would you rather not, Diana? I can give you more than those mutts can give. With your blood, we can make something possible. Life. Future.", Calvin reached for Diana once again. "Come with me", his eyes dipped on her throat. Then, he looked at her like how one stares at wine, something rare and to be consumed slowly.
Diana braced herself. Decided to do the unthinkable. Then, a wet sound of flesh tearing and bone cracking was heard. Calvin stilled, and so did Diana."Ca.. Calvin?", Diana stuttered as she watched Calvin's expression change. Confusion flickered in his eyes, dropping his jaw. Looking down on the protruding hand from his chest with crimson blooming around it. Then, in a few seconds, he turned into ashes floating in the air leaving Diana dumbfounded.
As the ashes subside, the face of a woman submerged with a smirk of triumph. Not angered, not scared. Only calm, with no flicker of remorse. "I saved you again, daughter", Alva said, standing right behind Calvin. "Do I really have to save you all the time, Diana?.
Her pulse roared in her ears. "What did you do? Wha… why??", Diana asked in confusion, dropping the knife with the sound of metal clanking on the floor. For several years now, Alva and Calvin have worked in alliance. Calvin's death at the hands of Alva is something Diana didn't anticipate.
Alva let out a soft laugh, amused at Diana's disbelief. "He has served his purpose. Besides, I know how his presence tremendously frightens my beloved daughter", Alva walked through the vanishing ashes then held Diana's face on both of her palms. "So now, you won't have to worry about your stalker vampire", Alva tapped Diana's face gently and squinted her eyes.
In that gaze, Diana finally understood why there was never warmth in there at all. Something that she has been looking for all these years. Being called a daughter in Alva's lips laced with lies sounded like a sweet venom. "You.. you don't say", Diana's eyes started to swell, staring at Alva. Alva's deception started to sink in with sadness knowing that the mother she knew all her life isn't the one she thought she ever was. The moments they shared. Her childhood memories. None of them mattered now. "You don't get to call me daughter now. I know what you are".
"You do?", Alva's eyes flickered. "Then, what am I?".
"You're a... you're a...", Diana stammered, unable to say the word. A trace of heartache lingered in her chest. That if she started this, everything between them will end here. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she found her voice, stitching her spine straight. "Did you ever really care for me? ". The words cracked. Her eyes searched Alva's face, desperate for something to hold onto. "Even a little?", her breath uneven.
For the first time, Alva didn't answer immediately. She studied Diana's face, looking like a puzzle who had already rearranged itself. "You would not be standing here if I had not cared", Alva said calmly. "From the men on the island? Your map in the forest away from the Big Bad wolf. Healed your wounds from that beast and saved you from the fire. I did it all... for you", she stepped closer, unbothered with the blood in her hand.
"If it wasn't for my blood, would things be any different?", Diana said, quieter now, but sharper, hitting something in Alva's perfect smile.
The question hung for a while. Bare. Exposed. Then, Alva laughed. Soft at first, then it became fuller... richer. "Diana, I didn't expect this from you", she said, shaking her head slightly. "Not after everything I have done to shape you", her gaze sharpened. "I made you better than this, and even prepared you way too perfectly when this day comes. ", she continued. "I removed every weakness. Every unnecessary attachment", her voice turned colder, more precise. "No imprint to bind you. No companions to distract you. No foolish loyalties. I made you into something enduring. A woman who does not break. A doctor who can look at death, and speak it plainly without trembling. A mind that commands, not begs", her presence pressing in. "And yet..." her eyes flicked over Diana, something like disappointment threading through her. "You stand here, asking if I ever cared for you? How.... disappointing".
Diana's breath shook. Not from fear anymore, but from something deeper cracking open. The wolf in her that vanished along with her blood that seemed to turn every creature into something ordinary was a forced normalcy. A designed fate for Alva's purposes.
"If you hated the imprint so much...", Diana said slowly, her gaze lifting again, something burning behind it. "Is that why you did what you did with the Lockwoods? You hated how Viktor and Karin imprinted on each other?".