Valerius froze for a moment, then felt a faint trace of relief.
Anything was fine, as long as they did not discuss that nauseating cousin of his.
To demonstrate his worth, and to satisfy this terrifying colleague, he gathered his thoughts almost immediately.
He raised his head, his voice somewhat hoarse from the effort of maintaining his composure, yet carrying an all-or-nothing allure:
"Professor Holmes... perhaps you would be interested in the true center of power within the Red Moon Brotherhood. A center of power that... has not been unified in decades."
This was a bargaining chip with sufficient weight.
"The previous leader was an extremely powerful Totem Werewolf, whose bloodline could be traced back to the great Norse wolf Fenrir."
"But during Grindelwald's rise, he refused to submit and was... was killed by that Dark Lord himself."
There was a trace of awe in Valerius's tone, both for that former Werewolf Leader and for Grindelwald.
"Ever since then, the Brotherhood has been divided for years. No one has had enough strength and prestige to subdue all the factions at once."
"Factions?" Douglas keenly caught the key word, but did not stop walking.
"Yes."
Valerius hurried after him, matching his every step.
"There are three main forces. One is the Vampire Clan, led by me. We control intelligence, wealth, and contact with the outside world, and excel at strategy and infiltration."
"Another is the Totem Werewolves."
He glanced sideways at Douglas's back, choosing his words carefully.
"They are the Brotherhood's fist, its pure violence and armed strength. We keep each other in check, and neither can do anything to the other."
"Three forces, but you've only mentioned two."
Douglas's voice was very level.
Valerius stiffened again. He hesitated for a moment before speaking in something close to a whisper:
"There