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While the familial bond is easily understandable; actually very strong since Vinicius scientifically conceived and raised Dani, about as naturally as vampires could conceive before Vinicius had other breakthroughs. Beyond that though, Vinicius is proving a far more complex and forward thinking planner. The monies gives Dani and any chosen Specials companions independence from the State Property dependency bondage. It also establishes land and property holdings that may bear witness to court or government standing/recognition. Likewise, Vinicius had the foresight to know Dani must be isolated and/or protected from too much knowledge before he/Specials come into their full powers at 18yo. Ironically, if Vinicius should somehow still be alive, then the stealth trustee for Dani could preserve the holdings until his plan can come from the shadows. @C. Henderson, another suspenseful and mysterious installment to this exciting tale.

Excellent! Again, we have what appears as possibly the workings of Vinicius at play for the protection of both Vincent and for Dani too; too bad that there’s not enough evidence to put an governmental oversight/review in place on the Protection League and Deadnus, as they need to vacate to no closer than outside the campus perimeter. I’d love to see Demetrius return to inflict the worse level of hemorrhoid pain upon Deadnus as she needs to experience the pain she inflicts upon others; that’s the best used for the Protection League Specials, to serve as the conscience of the all powerful. Seeing Deadnus with her eyes rolling back into her head in eternal pain is too kind.

Oh my, this chapter has my emotions all knotted up! Hmmm 🤔, dogs love to chase cats…and their tails, will Damian’s Wolf be constantly sniffing out his Neko? Sensing, and scenting, but never meeting his Neko.

Thank goodness Dani didn’t overreact to the Deadnus grandstanding arrest of Vincent; and kudos to headmistress Boeriella Trusting for finding her courage to face Arani Deadnus. Even when you’re correct the repercussions can be severe and the bully gets their way through intimidation. Interesting that Arani would invoke such arrogance as to brag on being party to the execution of Vincent’s family; especially the brother Gianni, and Deadnus thinks Vincent is the monster 👿! Check the mirror you witch 🧙‍♀️! Dialog between young Vincent and Vinicius has me wondering…VIncious, a human, forcibly changed… Vinicius is know to be extremely intelligent and a path finder for scientific breakthroughs. Could it be that his bloodline is… most curious indeed, I still question if Vinicius is truly dead or if he foresaw Deadnus hyjacking him with State Law infractions worthy of dead; so a strategic dead for a strategic response. Convenient that Vinicius had touched so many and the only evidence of death is no evidence by way of sun vaporization. Dani needs for Dreamscapes…which means we needs more chapters to witness this journey; a fantastic one too @C. Henderson!

And introduced through conversation that a 15yo Aussie orphan named Cal was at Greenstone… Now it seems the apartment will be unaffordable as Hunter will be out of circulation for a while. It’s likely time for a new roommate or resigning to ask help of mom and dad; a move back home?

Oh man, Dani has lifelike dreams…of the look alike grandfather of a love interest. 🤦 Then he has to remember to be a detective while experiencing dream voyeurism. Yikes, that’s hard…ahem, tough! Demetrius’ exit is likewise tough. Why? Is it just Demetrius? Or because of Dani? Then why farewell to the other Special, but not Dani? Is it for what he did or for what he didn’t do at the Specials Summit? Or just more simple in that Demetrius had to move to the desires of his puppeteer? Neo is a detector of Special powers…at least for the one for which he has been touched, but will this lead us to a Special we know, or could it be an off the books Special with other interests at heart? Either way, one side or the other will take this betrayal to heart…but hopefully not to the pure of heart. 🙏 Demetrius doesn’t need to fit but one line in the prophecy thank you! It would be nice to know how common knowledge that dog allegiance trait is, and is it 100% accurate? The dreamscape likewise gives other prophecy possibilities too. Is Vincent the present Crowne Prince of a kingdom in exile, or will he be the Crowne Prince when the intended ascension occurs? @C. Henderson, wow, you have twists in motives; for power, for politics, and for species, all at play. Deceit abounds and Dani can certainly understand that life is an onion…we have many layers and a lot of tears in this one.

I’m thinking more simplistically. Noah and Seth have been through major growth issues with three steps forward and two steps back; so that can account for no time to share with Noah, but Seth is also getting therapy and dealing with the past. They may have had monies held in trust, benefits or awards by the court from family holdings or from death benefits. If dad knew about them he would have probably withheld that info. He likewise would not have had access to those benefits held in trust for the kids. Even at 18 Seth’s sister is/was entitled to benefits from dad’s estate and/or state assistance. So now that Seth is resuming normal contact, normal employment, and getting help from people that can help him realize he isn’t alone, he can finally resume normal life, employment registration, and receive benefits due. As prickly as Seth is, again he would have a hard time benefiting from someone’s death or from benefits as a result of someone he knows didn’t accept him/them in life. That difficult acceptance would explain his hesitation to share that info with anyone or as to why he can’t accept spending it yet.

@C. Henderson, I’m very much enjoying your story here, as written and presented. The storyline is mysterious, as desired, and bring options in plot, with plenty of intrigue. The personal views on character flaws and pronouncements with repeating condemnations is illogical, in my mind, and ARGUES for a manuscript that would be void of those very elements that bait us with that anticipation for what’s around the corner; or what is the larger plan. Is Deadnus leading or a puppet that has not figured out that she is only a pawn? 😝 Is Vinicius really dead?; after all, nothing remains of a sun-baked vampire, so who can validate that? Or is he now free to choreograph a response with a better understanding of the bad actors as they now believe themselves free to act and those actions can be tracked more easily than their hostile plans in waiting. I hope the abundant and verbose comments, are not keeping you from your writing; as a single contributor has 60% of your chapter word count in their comments alone, that’s quite a lot. We don’t need you too distracted, or changing course from your original storyline; focus your scribing and posting on your storyline, that we love and await…for our next Special scene! Thanks again for this wonderful tale and for sharing it with us.

Deadnus is a monster, and her panel of judges are no better; whether puppets or partners in this charade of legitimacy. No Special should have to question whether their high-school “training” may result in their expiration. Poor Dani, unable to recognize the assistance he received in handling the dogs; as one yelped and went limp, and another had the eye roll of paralyzing pain ☠️. Demetrius would be the obvious suspect as pain was the apparent affect. Likewise, the public association with Dani in the quick personal suggestion to exit together,…and NOW, would seem to imply a level of protective isolation; and perhaps avoiding possible answers to questions yet to be asked was protective for them both. The informational Dreamscapes are invaluable for Dani to get context of lessons past as they relate to him and his future. Demetrius knows more than he is sharing, but like the unspoken assistance with the dog challenge, the unspoken seems to be viewed as necessary to protect the plan, the players, and…Dani? Unfortunately, Dani’s unguided curiosity and his needs for understanding has him exposed; hopefully the Dreamscapes will soon help identify the friends from foes. The tough part is that Dani will still have to interpret the meanings of these reveals.

Hey now, who says that a physical side of deconstructing yours emotions is not therapeutic too?

Great to see Bastion and Sage step back from Gillian Hmmm 🤔, headstrong with crazy blind love 😜, Jin does like living on the edge. Jeez Merlin, you might give a little more instruction or take Levi more removed from others before unlocking the hidden ancient bloodline affinities.

What a great chapter as we get to see the chess pieces tabled; the blood alliance between the Vampire and Lucan/Wolf worlds is quite unique but maybe commonplace for generations to come. The awakening of the wolf clans to this high crime, whether it be the Alphas or the Pack Members, will be increasingly shocking as this comes to light. Bastian has become most significant in the eyes of all, as he has brought unity and commonality. Ironically the rogue creator never envisioned this reality while holdings such illusions of control and manipulation blinding them. @ASH PHOENIX, it’s so good to see this story actively posted again. Welcome back!

Woah, there is a fine line between ultimate confidence and arrogance. That in itself breeds absolute power that absolutely corrupts. Vinicius had foreseen much and had kept a very powerful Special more humble and perhaps more sensitive; which ultimately is the very qualities Vinicius seemed to be instilling in his conversations to coach Dani. Many of the conversations aired on the philosophical and an ethical higher thinking, independently at that, not of council consensus or concessions. So the fact that this humble young vampire (unknowing nuclear weapon) stood among strangers of unknown alliances and unknown powers and defended human and vampire subjects of torture, equally, serves as strong testimonial to Vinicius’ methods of instilling values to a entity that could easily adopt savagely arrogant bullying. These events all happen within a short period of his Godfather/creator Vinicius being a victim to a government cover-up murder and then the next most trusted individual murdered in another publicly and violent method to send a personal message to young Dani. All while the nurse screenings support the notion that Dani his been possibly drugged to suppress his powers. Again, without training and to the amazement of his new ‘mentor’ Dani did so develop his skill set, and with enough humbleness to win allies. I think Vinicius was caught up in an attack that accelerated even his own forecasted timeframe to get prepared. But the methods have possibly prolonged Dani’s life and allowed him social skills and compassion to build alliances that will be necessary to answer the threats.

This is a nice chapter of growth for all. The comfort zones are growing little by little and the demons seem to be more predictably kept at bay. Hooray for Noah on the promotion, but Mr. Landry’s health is bothersome; this is especially so with the strange changes with Max’s behavior and with the yet to be resolved ledgers for the store. Things seem too coincidental and all in Max’s favor…at least on the surface. @Demiurge, thanks for the make-up s__… Scenes! The catch-up post is most welcomed. How can you put so much into a single sentence; from the pain and angst to love embraced all wrapped within the discovery of themselves and each other…wickedly warm. 😆

The greatest threat to the State seems to be the leadership itself. The academic training of the Specials in no way should be construed as practiced combat training; therefore, this testing is totally out of character of anything ethical. Perhaps this is the first but a blatant example of why Vinicius was so brutally murdered. Good for Dani, Good that he spoke up to challenge the lunacy of torture and murder for the young Specials; he may have made more enemies, but he may also have stood strong as a new call for reason when others have bowed too quickly. We may now have a more public line in the sand that seems to have been long overdue. Unfortunately it seems the ethics of some Specials are compromised as much as the State leadership; that too is problematic. Poor Dani is growing up fast and without a clear knowledge of alliances or even an understanding of the threats.

Seth may not be in control of his wild emotions embedded from years of abusive conditioning, but I’m thinking Brock better wise up quickly. He is the present day nemesis of Seth’s love, and therefore of himself. He wasn’t capable of defending himself proper as a kid, but that’s far from the present day truth as he finds himself emerging from the dark crawl spaces of his own mind. He and his love are not to be toyed with; to do so so beyond dangerous to the tormentor, Brock beware!

Oh how well you tied the young princes’ health and bonding into the Sun-filled Manor and the greater family; lead by the Royal Consort, Jihan, papa, Uncle Jihan. Which Kastan is the protector of the empire, Jihan is surely keeper of The First Family of Silver Shore. It is very heartwarming to see Jihan care so much for ALL the young princes. What better example or mentor could the empire have than the compassionate yet driven merchant, that understands security in both life and trade. What a treasure hold, as Jihan is guiding and shaping the future of the Empire as the future leaders recover from their losses and damages suffered in the wake of the Empress mother’s deceit. Jihan’s mother brings hope while his father shall probably remain afflicted with his quest for power; like a moth to the flame. Yet, he misses the real power he would enjoy seated at the family table in Sun-filled Manor, where it seems the heart of the Empire remains safe. @lilansui, you gift us great joy to see this glimpse into the future of The Reluctant Consort, thank you for this wonderful installment of epilogue chapters.

Wow, is that an optical illusion? It’s as if the moon splits in two; becoming a waxing globous and an opposite waning globous, the two bobbing visually, spreading and compressing, repeatedly…at increasing frequency and decreasing amplitudes, until the compression butts the two globous bubbles to becum one in comfortable hormony. Interesting that the motion sensors only recorded this unusual event with the low light camera quality and for such a brief period… 😝 👿 pity. oh @Laura S. Fox, the things you’ve done to this poor straight boy; and your toying with the unknowing gay boi is bordering of hate crimes preying upon his poor gay emotions! I’m loving the angst of the first gay interest, backdropped against the gay boi having history with straight boi burns 🥵.

So what would you do if, you know, reborn? Got to love Demetrius: “I’d eat one of those typical American breakfasts. Eggs, chocolate chip pancakes with syrup, bananas, and butter on them. And bacon, I’d eat a lot of bacon,” If I only had a heart…, to be human. This in itself may be prophetic as Demetrius wants it and Dani wants Demetrius to know happiness…

There are many ways this mystery may yet unwind. Are the Specials all or selectively just pawns to a compromised government oversight agency? Or to at least a few corrupt actors within the trusted circles? Demetrius appears to be sincere but even that may be a trained role; or even another character flaw that the greater actors allow as serving their purpose. I tend to believe Demetrius’ interactions as true, but much of these interactions are narrated observations of our naive and sheltered Special; just adding more possible twists in clues to the mysteries surrounding Dani and the Specials. Dani has to learn quickly as there are too many coincidences leading into this Specials Summit. There has to be a way for Dani to now pull from the environmental energies as he transform and manipulates the targeted environment; creating a larger energy ecosystem of manipulation…as pulling from his own internal energies is akin to a single lightning strike within a greater storm.

But then again, ‘these are not the droids you’re looking for’ may be appropriate; hiding in plan sight is part of diplomacy and strategy.

Perhaps fireworks for the other 10% that never gets the word?

While this chapter does give us a better introduction to the Specials and their powers, the spotlight is primarily on Demetrius. The reveal that Vincent is Maratoni’s star pupil is very curious. It is appearing that Maratoni doesn’t have a good relationship with anyone. The building evidence has me thinking that Dani, Demetrius, and Vincent may all be puppets to Maratoni and Deadnus; giving them much more in common than heritage and expectations would allow. Demetrius may not have been any more significant than the other Specials, that seem to be viewed as non threatening, except for Maratoni possibly being trained as part of the undermining plan against Dani and the other Specials themselves. Ironic that Demetrius can not sleep, can not rest, when he has had true blood feedings which should reduce the need. Demetrius may have a heart or conscience that puts him at great conflict with himself and his Special nature. Perhaps “He who brings pain has a heart that’s pure” is why the nurse can’t help him and Maratoni just plans more true blood feedings. The boy just likes basketball 🏀 and doesn’t take compliments with arrogance, it’s humble embarrassment. Interestingly enough, Demetrius points out the Special Summit will require demonstrations; does Deadnus have guinea pigs designated for Demetrius to inflict pain upon? How was he trained vs what Deadnus wants to see? Vincent has lived the haunted life. He knows the costs of trust well enough to not disclose plans to Dani, yet he does bring the Book of Specials for Dani to gain understanding. He has guided Dani to what appears to be a safe lodge and a key snooping spot; these don’t seem to be sinister or part of the greater plan to keep Dani powerless.

“I don't know if many of you have read my other works, but look! A decent parent(or one that's trying)! Look at me go. Character development.” Yes, this is very curios, mysterious, and possibly delirious; wine 🍷 would have given us raging make up sex but yet we’re teased thoughts with romance and dealing with emotions….have they been able to get your fever under control yet? Hahaha 🤣 The storyline dealing with the abuse directly but as romance and family needs demand are working quite well. Even the redeeming mom qualities are added some suspense and maybe mystery…remorse, compassion, money and power are all at play; from mom, “dense as a rock” Brock, dad, and the girls. Yet the young bud attraction gets a well deserved bill. @demiurge, this story is much different than that of my favorite magic couple, but you have a magical storyline in play here too, with character development and a repentant parent,…so great job and thanks again for sharing your talents and passion.

Yes indeed; Home again. I had lost my tracking on this story and had to play catch-up. Wow, what a journey these 3…and 1/2 have been on; and poor Ms Reyla. Ms Reyla had been friendly and supportive of the Wolf folks prior to Jordan arriving at her porch. As to the targeting timeline; that may remain a question, but the motives are fairly clear. If indeed the magic was used to “seal” Ms Reyla’s fate then the timeline may be more clearly connected to Jordan. As a fan of Brothers, it is neat to see the backstory to Dylan and his fathers. Thanks for sharing this unique world of Damian’s Wolf @Yeoldebard.