Gazing out the window of his study, Wyatt scowled. Someone was plotting against him, yet the young vampire lord had no leads.
Hannibal's attack was a shock, no one gave the order to attack the Morelands. For Wyatt, despite his disdain for the hunting family, it was a feud he wanted no part of. Worse was the apparent amnesia Hannibal possessed. How could an elite vampire have zero memory? Wyatt suspected mind control, but who was strong enough? The wizards yes, but that made zero sense. The wizards wouldn't cripple Caleb's little brother. It was something he would need to investigate. The sound of the door opening drew Wyatt's attention as Duke now approached. "Duke I need to...."
Wyatt was unable to finish as Duke now delivered a vicious right hook to his jaw. "Damn it," Wyatt exclaimed. "I'm getting REALLY tired of getting punched for no fucking reason!!" Duke snarled, grabbing Wyatt by the collar before slamming him into the wall. "Why did you do it?" he growled.
"I didn't you idiot," Wyatt yelled. "I was just as shocked when Caleb told me! Now put me down." Duke furrowed his brow, slamming Wyatt into the wall once more. "Don't lie to me Wyatt," Duke exclaimed. "I know better than you do that an elite vampire like Hannibal wouldn't attack without orders from his lord! So once again, why would you attack the Morelands?"
"Daddy?"
Wyatt and Duke paused, glancing towards the study door. Andromeda appeared to have wandered away from the nursery, the child clutching her teddy bear to her chest tightly. Duke eased his grip, blushing slightly as the hostilities between the brothers cooled. "Andromeda," Wyatt said quickly. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I had ta go potty," the girl replied, a curious look on her face. "What are you doing with Unca Duck?" Wyatt and Duke exchanged an anxious look, neither wanting to worry the child. "Me and Duke are just wrestling sweetheart." Wyatt stated. Duke nodded in agreement, the pair releasing their holds on one another. "That's right Andromeda," Duke added. "Just wrestling, the way siblings do."
"Oh," Andromeda replied, the girl Gazing up at the pair with a curious look. "Duncan does that to me. He pulls my hair and laughs. I thought he was being mean." Wyatt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Yeah just like your brother," Wyatt said. "I'm going to have to talk with that boy."
"Daddy, Unca Duck," Andromeda asked sweetly. "Does Auntie Sock hate me?"
"No," Duke said quickly, rushing over to the girl. Embracing the child in a tight hug and offering her a warm smile, the dhamphir now tried to comfort the girl. "Aunt Sasha loves you around the world and back. She just couldn't come with me because she was busy."
"Why would you think Sasha hates you?" Wyatt asked softly.
Andromeda fidgeted slightly, her eyes wide as she gazed at her father. "Andew told me a human beat you up Daddy." she said softly. "Humans hate vampires and Auntie Sock is human. Why do humans hate us Daddy?" Duke and Wyatt both paused, exchanging a worrisome look before turning back to the child. Despite their best efforts, Andromeda had already been exposed to the hatred that existed between humans and vampires. "It's not all humans Andromeda," Wyatt replied. "Some humans though are...just mean."
"I don't like it," Andromeda said. "I don't like it when humans and vampires are mean."
Both Wyatt and Duke now paused, any hostility between the brothers vanishing with the young girls declaration. The last thing either wanted was to make Andromeda feel any type of sadness. "Andromeda sweetie," Wyatt said softly. "Why don't you head back to bed. I promise Uncle Duke and I are done wrestling."
"You promise?"
"We promise," Duke stated. "No more wrestling." Andromeda nodded, giving her father and uncle a hug before making her way back down the hall. Once the girl was out of earshot, the pair sighed heavily, slumping into a pair of chairs. "I'm sorry Andromeda had to see that." Duke said softly.
For a moment, Duke anticipated his half brother to go on a tirade. He expected Wyatt to chastise him about exposing Andromeda to violence. Instead, Wyatt sighed, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. "I understand," Wyatt replied heavily. "If I was in your shoes I would have reacted the same way." Duke raised an eyebrow, surprised by Wyatt's conciliatory demeanor. "Duke," he stated wearily. "I swear on my children I had nothing to do with this. I'm just as mystified by Hannibal's actions as anybody."
"As odd this sounds Wyatt, I believe you."
The brothers were quiet for a moment, neither sure what to say. When Wyatt finally spoke, Duke was shocked by his admission. "Despite my hatred of the Morelands. I would not go out of my way to settle a grudge. Connor.....what happened to Connor Moreland is a tragedy."
Duke nodded, now certain that Wyatt had nothing to do with the attack. Proving that though, was something the brothers would need to do together. It was a mystery that both Wyatt and Duke realized would take years to uncover.