The street had gone silent.
Too silent.
The roar of the Crimson Fang SUVs had long faded into the distance, leaving behind only the faint hum of the city and the sharp scent of blood mixed with burnt rubber.
But none of that held my attention.
My eyes were fixed on the doorway.
Mother stood there, one hand pressed to her chest, relief and fear warring across her face.
Behind her, Riya clutched the edge of the doorframe.
Kavya's usual teasing expression was gone, replaced by shock.
Ananya had stepped half a pace forward, as if ready to shield everyone behind her.
And then—
father.
Rajveer Malhotra.
He stood in the centre of the doorway, calm as still water.
No panic.
No confusion.
No frantic questions about the destroyed road, the dented SUV hood, or the blood staining the pavement.
Just those eyes.
Steady.
Sharp.
Watching me.
For a moment, something old stirred inside me.
The instinct of a killer recognising another predator.
Not because of aggression.
Because of control.
That kind of composure did not belong to an ordinary man.
I took a step toward the gate.
Father's gaze did not waver.
Then, slowly, he spoke.
"Come inside."
Three simple words.
But his tone carried weight.
Authority.
The kind that made even Seraphina and Liliana fall silent behind me.
Interesting.
I pushed open the gate and entered the yard.
The moment I stepped closer, Mother rushed forward.
"Aarav!"
Her hands gripped my shoulders.
"Are you hurt?"
Her eyes scanned me from head to toe.
I shook my head.
"I'm fine."
Her shoulders sagged in relief.
Riya immediately stepped closer.
"You were fighting."
Not a question.
A statement.
Her eyes flicked to the faint blood on my sleeve.
I saw the fear in them.
And something inside me tightened.
I hated that look.
I hated the idea of this house becoming a battlefield.
Kavya stepped out next.
For once, there was no joke ready on her lips.
Instead, she looked between the two women standing outside the gate.
Seraphina.
Liliana.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"…Who are they?"
Ah.
That.
Seraphina moved first.
She stepped forward with perfect elegance.
"Friends from college."
Liliana smiled.
Dangerously smooth.
"Close friends."
Kavya raised one brow.
Very close to laughing.
Even in this moment.
That woman had nerves.
Ananya folded her arms.
"I don't remember Aarav ever bringing girls home."
Her gaze moved to me.
Then narrowed.
"And definitely not girls like these."
Fair point.
Before anyone could say anything else, Father turned and walked back into the house.
"Inside."
This time, it wasn't a request.
Everyone followed.
The living room felt smaller than usual.
Too many secrets.
Too much tension.
Mother hurried toward the kitchen.
"I'll bring tea."
A normal reaction.
An attempt to bring normalcy back.
I respected that.
But my attention remained on Father.
He sat on the sofa.
Crossed one leg over the other.
Calm.
Then he looked at Seraphina and Liliana.
His eyes sharpened.
"House Noir."
A pause.
Then—
"House Celestine."
The room froze.
My sisters stared.
Mother nearly dropped the tray.
Liliana's golden eyes widened.
Seraphina's crimson gaze hardened.
So.
He knew.
Not guessed.
Knew.
I slowly sat opposite him.
The assassin inside me had gone completely still.
A predator recognising hidden steel.
Father looked at me.
No.
Through me.
Then his gaze dropped briefly to the mark on my neck.
The faint crescent.
The bite.
A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes.
Not surprised.
Recognition.
Then he sighed.
"So it finally happened."
The words landed heavily.
Mother set the tray down with trembling hands.
"Raj…"
Her voice was soft.
Concerned.
He looked at her and gave a faint, reassuring nod.
Then his gaze returned to me.
"You have questions."
It wasn't a question.
I leaned forward.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Even the ticking wall clock seemed louder.
Father smiled faintly.
"Took you long enough to ask."
Kavya blinked.
"Wait."
She looked between us.
"Can someone explain why Dad sounds like he's in some secret mafia movie?"
Normally, I might have smiled.
Not now.
Father leaned back.
For a moment, he simply looked at the ceiling.
As if pulling old memories from the shadows.
Then he spoke.
"When you were a child…"
His gaze settled on me.
"…you were not born into this house."
The words hit harder than any blade.
The host's memories stirred.
Fragmented.
Faint.
A temple.
Rain.
A baby wrapped in black cloth.
I narrowed my eyes.
Adopted.
Father continued.
"I found you sixteen years ago."
His voice lowered.
"At the ruins of an old shrine outside the city."
Seraphina's expression changed instantly.
Shock.
Liliana straightened.
Father noticed.
Good.
That meant this was important.
"There was a circle carved into the stone floor."
He looked directly at the mark on my neck.
"Ten symbols."
My heart slowed.
The same circle.
The same ritual.
This had started long before last night.
Father exhaled slowly.
"And in the centre…"
His gaze met mine.
"…you."
The room fell silent.
Mother lowered her eyes.
So she had known too.
Riya looked stunned.
Kavya sat down slowly.
Ananya's arms tightened across her chest.
Father's voice remained steady.
"You had a strange mark even as a baby."
His eyes flickered toward Seraphina.
"A crescent sigil."
Seraphina whispered.
"The king's seal…"
Father nodded.
So.
This man not only knew.
He understood.
I leaned forward.
"How?"
For the first time, a shadow crossed his face.
Something older.
Darker.
Then he said the words that changed everything.
"Because before I became your father…"
He stood.
The room seemed to shrink.
"…I was one of the people who hunted your kind."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Seraphina rose instantly.
Crimson eyes glowing.
Liliana's golden aura flickered.
My sisters stared in disbelief.
Mother closed her eyes briefly.
As if this secret had waited years to surface.
Father's expression remained calm.
But his eyes—
those eyes—
now made perfect sense.
They were a hunter's eyes.
Eyes that had seen blood.
Death.
Monsters.
And survived.
He looked at me.
No fear.
No rejection.
Only something far heavier.
Responsibility.
"I left that world behind."
His voice was low.
"But it never left us."
Then his gaze shifted toward the window.
Cold.
Sharp.
Danger.
I heard it too.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Outside the house.
Too many.
Seraphina's expression hardened.
"They found us again."
Father walked toward the hallway.
Stopped.
He then looked over his shoulder.
At me.
At the women.
At the family.
And said calmly—
"Looks like it's time I show you who your father really is."