《The Tears of a Prince》 Chapter 1 - Intro You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VONMkKkdf4- please listen to this while reading! Ty As the morning sun hits your face, as you turn to the side your eyes half open and meet mine, a smile lingering on your kissable lips for a second I believe that love exists. As I hear your deep voice call out my name so softly like a prayer and as your hand slowly caresses my cheek for a second I believe that eternity could be like this. You are warmth against my cold skin, you are the sun I had never been allowed to see and as you shield me from my nightmares, holding me in your embrace for a second I believe that I am not the monster I used to be. Your eyes, gazing at me from a far and the curling of your lips as you see me smile at you. The sound of your joyful humming and the lightness of your feet as you dance while holding my pale hand made me believe that all of my days could be like this. You simply existing, you simply coming into my dull and dark life made me realize how my soul had never been complete. I closed my eyes, smiling thinking of you laying on my bed. Oh how I wished that life could always be like this. But I had always been a fool, deluded and charmed by your warm touch, your cheeky smile and smart eyes. The softness of your hair and the taste of your lips. I trully believed that we could always be like this, dancing underneath the moon because I was too much of a monster to stand underneath your burning sun. But as I wore my crimson crown, dripping with the blood of your people, as my lips got painted red and my hunger grew stronger, as people whispered in my ears that I shouldn''t be in love with you, that I should simply kill you I realized that my eternity would never be how I wished. Your tear stained face and your shaking body, the shock of betrayal in your eyes and the hatred in your voice as you screamed at me. I realized it then, my eternity was never meant to be with you but away from you, to save you. Cruel fate look at me, promise me that I will never get to meet them again. That I would never get to hurt them in such a way. Fate please I beg you keep them away from me. Oh dear fate why do I feel like you''re laughing at me? You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 2 - 1 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com A small studio in a big city. That''s how he viewed his workspace. Nothing special but simply a place he went to every day. It was a two floor building. Painted black from the outside with a very characteristic gothic interior. When someone walked in they would see a wooden black reception with a velvet armchair that had red colored cushions behind the dark counter. Framed art designs were everywhere on the black painted walls. Some of them were colorful while others simply black and white. All of them undeniably beautiful. A dark green couch was placed close to the wall and a small table filled with magazines and artbooks stood right in front of it. It couldn''t fit many people but his golden body with the delicate carvings of roses was very elegant and he couldn''t help but buy it. The place was lit by a big golden chandelier that hangs from the tall ceiling and a small twisted iron staircase that was painted a deep red color led to the first floor. That part of the building was completely different. Looking perfectly clean with black leather beds and tools. The lights were white and a few art desks were set up. Two of them, papers and pencils messily left on them. It was early in the morning, the sun still almost half asleep when his keys entered the keyhole to open the glass door. He entered, his breathing creating big puffy clouds since it was really cold outside, and took off his coat, throwing it on the armchair. He wasn''t dressed that heavily, he didn''t need it since he was never really affected by cold weather. He simply wore a black coat, dressed in plain jeans and a white t-shirt. Not much time had passed when he heard the door open, he had just made some coffee in the small room behind the reception and was getting out when he was greeted by one of his employees, his only employee. ?Good morning? the younger man said happily and smiled at him. He was twenty two years old, a boy named John whose dream was to be the best tattoo artist. He had come to him begging him to be his apprentice. He would visit the shop every day making a ruckus and since he realized he couldn''t get rid of him he finally took him in. He was short with brown hair and brown eyes, dark almost black. His smile was carefree and he had a small cut on his left eyebrow. Probably a mark from his reckless childhood. John got greeted by a simple nod before he went over to the room to leave his stuff. It could be a busy day today, it could be not. He had no idea. John took care of all the appointments. The young man moved behind the island and took out a big black book they had for keeping appointments. He opened it and stared at it with a frown. ?What day is it today boss?? he asked him, scratching the back of his short hair. ?I don''t know.? he responded ?Monday.? John mumbled remembering it instantly. So it was Monday, he thought and watched him scribble something on the book. ?not that many appointments today. But boss tell me, how come you never know what day it is. I don''t think I''ve ever seen you look at a clock or ask the time either.? John asked him. ?Time does not concern me.? he answered as he took a sip from his hot coffee. The young man looked at him confused, a frown forming on his face as he could not make sense of his answer and reasonably so. He waited for a bit hoping that his boss would elaborate just a bit further but it didn''t happen. ?What the hell does that mean?? John asked, mostly mumbling to himself. He knew his boss wasn''t going to answer. He wasn''t the kind of person who talked a lot. Most of the time he remained silent, sitting on the couch drinking his coffee or working. John had been surprised when he had met him for the first time. As he had approached the studio he had seen him sitting there, exactly the same way he did now, his legs crossed, his eyes coldly staring at the wall filled with art in front of him. His hair was blond, parted to the side and pushed back. They looked like silk, soft to the touch and strong. His eyes were blue with hints of green in them. A very cold color, piercing once it met your eyes. His skin was pale as snow and his beauty was undeniable. A straight nose and plump lips. A deep voice that matched perfectly his lean and tall figure. From the way he walked to the way he moved and talked he emitted a very strong elegance and when he worked everyone seemed to be enchanted by him. Sometimes John thought that maybe he didn''t belong in this world, his cryptic words enhancing that theory. ?I am going to get the studio ready? He told him and left the cup of hot coffee on the small table. He got up the stairs leaving John down to receive any clients. He would always go up every morning and clean up things a little bit. Place the sketches in order and open the windows for some fresh air to get in. They wouldn''t have any appointments for a while, since usually people did not prefer to get tattooed early in the morning. Because of that he was a bit surprised when he heard the door open downstairs. At first he thought John had probably gone out for a smoke but soon he heard talking. ?Sir we are not actually open yet.? John had said but he could clearly hear footsteps approaching. ?sir? the young man had called out again but the intruder seemed stubborn. His footsteps were loud on the metal staircase and his face soon appeared, his eyes hungrily searching for something. Their gazes met and he stood up, the stranger stepped fully in the room, a satisfied grin on his face and John panted as he ran up the stairs. ?Boss I''m sorry, I told him to¡­? ?John, go out for a while.? he told him and the young man looked at him confused. ?Now.? he said, staring at him strictly and forcing him to leave. ?What are you doing here?? he turned his eyes again on the intruder. ?Kai.. How the mighty have fallen. Did you think you were going to hide forever?? Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 3 - 2 Best novel online free at novelhall.com ?I was hoping I could hide a bit more.? Kai said as he looked at his unwanted visitor. He was tall with broad shoulders and a strong body, his skin a deathly pale similar to his while his eyes were dark brown his hair a lighter shade. They were parted in the middle, messily framing his face. He was dressed lightly too and the moment he realized Kai had no intention of kicking him out he took his coat off and threw it on one of the beds. ?What are you doing here Lun?? he asked him ?Well my best friend disappears for two hundred years someone would think I was worried? he told him with a grin. The blonde haired man scoffed, not believing him and pushed a stool towards him. He didn''t really like seeing people stand while he was sitting, it felt hostile in a way. Lun sat down, elegantly crossing his legs. He had a similar aura to Kai, as if he was too ethereal to actually mix in with everyone else. He seemed more mischevoous though and more¡­alive. ?You and I both know this is not true? he told him getting a short laugh from the man. He was curious, how did he find him when he had spent his whole life running. He made sure not to stay in one place for too long and always made sure he was away from home, so far away that even if there were people of his kind around they would not recognize him. ?what do you want and how did you find me?? he asked him again. ?Is that the proper way to treat a guest? I would expect better treatment from a royal. To be honest I am very disappointed.? ?Does anything here scream royalty to you?? Kai asked him with a frown and the man in front of him smiled. ?A downgrade really. If you had asked for my help I would have¡­? ?Thanks but no. I can deal on my own, like I have been doing for so long.? he told him. He had been alone for a while now, running away, always cautious and scared that someone would see him, someone would recognize him and force him back. ?This is you dealing? A small studio tattooing? You can''t even tattoo yourself. The ink will simply disappeare. Who goes to a tattoo artist that has no tattoos?? he said. ?Many people actually. But are you here just to critisize my life options?? he asked him. His so called friend shrugged his shoulders, a small grin on his face before his expression turned completely serious. ?You left me there, with them. All alone and ran away.? Lun told him. Kai took a deep breath, guilt being engraved on his face, the slightest bit of emotion for the first time in years. ?I am sorry. But I ¡­.I had to leave.? Kai said. He couldn''t look at him in the eyes. He knew Lun had every right to be mad at him. He didn''t try to write or contact him even though back then he was the only friend he got. He had just disappeared one night, leaving everything behind, hoping that he could find peace maybe even death. ?Do you know what happened after you left? The newspapers on Bloodbound were raging. The youngest prince of the royal family had ran away. Everyone was trying to find out what happened. Why did such a bright and promising vampire in the young age of twenty years old had ran away? Your family of course did not say anything. They simply sent out scouts in the human world to find you. They are still searching you know but you have hid so well, I applaud you? Lun told him. He didn''t really want to hear any more. The memories of the past were too painful. His bloodied figure, his bare feet as he freed himself from his restraints and ran away deep into the night. His pain, everything even after all this time was still too vibrant in his mind. That was why he hated to reacall it. ?In all honesty there are so many things I want to ask you, how you feed, will you ever come back, did you maybe find him?? Lun told him. Kai''s head snapped and he looked at his friend with wide eyes. ?Find him?? he mumbled. ?Yes, maybe he¡­? ?No. I don''t want to know. Tell me why you''re here.? Kai repeated for the millionth time, his tone now more demanding. ?Not here, I can''t have anyone watching us. Take this? he told him and grabbed his coat from the bed. He searched inside his pockets, finding a small piece of paper and handed it to him carefully. ?Midnight. Here. We will talk freely then? he told him and stood up. He smiled. ?Nonetheless, it was good seeing you old friend.? Lun told him cheerfully before he left. ?I will be the judge of that? Kai mumbled and unwrapped the small paper. He recognized Lun''s handwriting easily as it spread through the paper. It was an address, he realized, looking at it with a questioning look. He sighed, thinking almost knowing for sure that the peaceful life he had managed to maintain for two hundred years was simply going to be ruined. He crumbled the paper and threw it in the trash bin underneath his desk. He wasn''t going to go. He wanted nothing to do with his kind anymore.. Not after what they did. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 4 - 3 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com His story wasn''t really anything special. At least that was what he had thought all his life. He had never shared it with anyone nor the people he had met throughout the years were curious enough to ask. Or maybe they were but never found the courage to approach him. Kai always stood out, even in a crowd his beauty and movement was different from everyone else''s. Many people had tried to get close to him over the years, enchanted by this uniquess of his but he never let anyone get too close. His last name was another thing he never shared with anyone. He hadn''t said it out loud in so long. Two hundred years, he thought as he kept cleaning his desk, even though it was perfect by now. ?Avger? he mumbled, the name foreign as it escaped his full lips. That was his last name. ?Kai Avger? he repeated and a sudden sadness seemed to conquer him. Even if he did tell his story he would simply sound crazy. Who would believe that he was a vampire, raised in a realm different from the human one. It was called Bloodbound and almost all of the vampires lived there. The ones in the human world were few and usually looked down on. Thousands of years ago his species decided to leave the human world in fear of hunters. They worked with a clan of very powerful witches to create a small rift in the reality of this world. Bloodbound was their little sanctuary, existing but hidden from the human eye. He was the youngest prince of the Vampiric monarchy. He had an older brother and an older sister and his life could be described as perfect until¡­ ?Boss!? John shouted from downstairs, thankfully stopping his travel back in time. He was so close into remembering things he shouldn''t, so close to reminding himself of the monster he trully was. He had hidden himself well, two hundred years alone, two hundred years away from the place he called home. There was no reason for him to think or reminisce anything. ?What is it?? he asked the young boy from the top of the stairs. ?You have a customer.? John announced. Kai hadn''t noticed how fast time had passed. When he was lost deep in his thoughts sometimes he lost track of everything around him. Shaken up slightly by the realization he walked downstairs where he was greeted by the smile of a young girl. Barely in her early twenties. ?She wants to get tattooed by you.? John said and Kai nodded. ?Hello? the girl greeted him excited. Kai shook his head while wearing a faint smile on his face. Her eyes were stuck on his face, following his every move and when John asked her something she almost didn''t answer him back because she had forgotten he was there. The younger man scoffed, disatisfied by the effect Kai had on others and hid on the back room. ?So what do you want to do?? he asked her and she showed him a picture of a tiger that she had on her phone. ?My friend recommended me this place. She said you were really good so I wanted to come here.? she told him. ?Thank you. I appreciate it.? Kai told her as he inspected the image. ?She also said that you were really handsome. I didn''t believe her at first but well I guess she was true.? she said giggling cutely. Kai hadn''t spared her one glance from the moment he had seen the picture. He was examining the lines and imagining the design on his mind. ?You don''t have any tattoos though, that''s surpsiring.? she commented and Kai finally looked at her. His piercing gaze made her blush. ?My skin can''t handle them.? he simply told her and the girl nodded. ?I think this would be better to happen in two sessions. Where do you want it?? he asked her and the girl blushed again ?U-underneath my chest.? she said, looking away shyly. ?Okay then. When do you want to get an appointment?? he asked her, not showing any sign of interest in her. ?I was wondering? she said. ?Are you single, would you like¡­? ?I am flattered.? Kai told her, cutting her off politely. ?But I don''t like women? he said and the girl''s eyes widened. She slowly turned red, embarrassed by her own words. ?Oh, I am so sorry I didn''t¡­? ?It''s alright.? he said with a smile, making the girls heart beat faster. ?Do you still want the tattoo?? he asked her and she nodded eagerly. They talked the details of their next sessions for a while, this and that while the girl was looking at the wall filled with art. ?Can I ask you something?? she said and Kai looked at her. She didn''t wait for his answer. ?Which one do you think is your most beautiful tattoo?? she said. Kai was surprised by her question but still he gave it some thought. A face came to his mind, a tall neck, tanned skin and he shivered. ?I¡­I don''t think I have a most beautiful tattoo? he said, pushing the thought away. ?Then which one are you the most proud of?? the girl said changing her question a bit. ?I don''t know but what I am most proud of is that once I got to tattoo the most beautiful man on this earth.? he told her, his eyes lost as images flashed through his eyes Years ago, moments that are almost faded on his mind, in a small room while the sun hit his face, he touched delicately his skin and left his mark on him.. Yes, back then he had managed to tattoo the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 5 - 4 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com After that girl a few more customers came in, a few girls that begged for his number and a few men that simply wanted to get tattooed and leave. There was one young boy also who seemed to be interested in him, he kept blushing and stuttering every time Kai looked at him during their session but he hadn''t said anything. Time went by smoothly and the man had almost forgotten the visit of his friend and the little piece of paper that he had thrown in the bin upstairs. He had gotten down now since it was closing time and he was helping John organize a few of the magazines the customers had messily left away and wash their cups. The young employee while they were washing them had kept looking at him, his eyes squeezed as he dried the mugs and once they were over Kai couldn''t stand it any longer. He stepped outside and as he wore his coat he looked at him. ?What is it John?? he asked him, wondering why the boy wouldn''t stop looking at him. ?Boss, I am curious.? he told him and rubbed his chin as if he was thinking something really deep. Kai knew though from experience that he was probably going to say something the least idiotic. Nonetheless, he didn''t leave but waited for him to speak. ?Why do you reject all the girls that hit on you, some of them were really pretty? he asked and Kai sighed. Stupid, exactly like he had predicted it. ?John, you know I don''t like women.? he said. ?Yes, but men have hit on you too. You have rejected them all. I mean you''re so handsome you could have anyone you want but sometimes I think you''re not even looking at people properly.? John told him and Kai frowned. John had the tendency of being very naive some times but also he was a very good judge of character. There were many occasions when he had commented on a habit of his or something he did, he himself hand''t noticed. That was one of the reasons he didn''t talk much with the human boy, not that he was fond of speaking in the first place but he considered it very possible if they began talking that he could suspect he wasn''t like other humans. Today though he didn''t feel so secretive, maybe because Lun had visited, many memories had surfaced so he decided to answer him. ?I am not interested in falling in love.? he stated and John raised an eyebrow. ?What about sex then?? ?You don''t have to worry about that.? Kai said with a grin. His employee scoffed, surprised by his bold answer but kept talking anyways. ?Did you ever have a boyfriend?? ?I did. A long time ago. Years back? he said. ?Years back? Like in highschool?? he asked him not really having the same sense of time Kai did. The blonde man almost laughed at his question. ?You could say that.? ?Where is he now, did you break up?? Kai stopped for a second. Where was he now? He wondered. The last time he had seen him, the last time Kai had locked eyes with he was¡­ ?He died? Kai said and John''s eyes widened in surprise. He definitely did not expect an answer like that. He coughed, feeling extremely awkward and his eyes landed on the time on his phone''s screen. ?Oh, look at the time. We better go? he said with a forced smile and Kai nodded. It was late indeed. After he wore his coat he turned off all the lights. John had left first. It was his job to make sure the shop was locked, that everything was alright. He closed the door and twisted the key hearing the familiar sound of the door being sealed. The building had turned dark now, a black mystery between the tall and lit up skyscrapers. The neighborhood Kai had chosen to open his shop had many alleys. Narrow little roads with little to no light filled with trash and angry cats. Whenever he passed through one to get to his apartment he would hear rats squeeking and then the hurried footsteps of a cat going after them. Tonight too he found himself in one of those alleys, the stench of the trash intense as he stepped on a trashbag that had been ripped. He frowned and kicked it to the side, clearing up his path. It took him a while to realize but as he got deeper into the mysterious alley, as the light from the main road seemed to lessen and the exit looked far away Kai noticed that the usual sounds of the city had gone silent. A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows while his expression changed and he warily looked back, questioning if someone was following him. No one was there though. He started walking again, reaching finally the end of the alley and finding the lights of the city. The sound that followed though made him step back and hide. First it was laughter, teens or more like young adults. Male all of them he realized. Five or maybe six? He wondered but didn''t dare to look. He wasn''t afraid of humans, he had never been and most of his life he was not afraid of any of the other superhuman creatures. Years had passed though and his confidence had lessened. His spirit was definitely not the same so when he heard these boys howl as they laughed and joked he stepped back, hiding in the dark. Wolves, his people''s sworn enemies. ?Why are wolves¡­? Kai mumbled confused as he rushed back to where he came from. ?That''s what Lun wanted to talk to me about.? he told himself as he sighed. He had returned to the shop, unlocking the door in a hurry and heading upstairs. He turned the bin upside down and searched through the papers to find the one he was given. He would have to go after all. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 6 - 5 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com The thought of a vampire enjoying being out at night was very logical. His kind was known for their bad tolerance to the sun and all of the fictional stories stated clearly that you would either burn to death or sparkle to blindness if you were exposed under the bright ball of fire in the sky. Kai though was a pureblood vampire. One of the few that had left and that meant that his blood was superior to simply turned vampires or half bloods. The vampire kind, same as with the werewolves had been created from a curse cast by a witch. So the truth was that being a pureblood simply meant that your family was the one that got cursed first, Kai viewed it more as an embarrassment rather than an honor. Nonetheless being a pureblood meant having some advantages compared to the others. He could walk in the sun and he could last a longer period without feeding. Now back to the reason why Kai didn''t want to be out during the night. It was exactly because the stories were true. Vampires did go out the late hours and he did not want to risk meeting someone of his own kind. He preffered staying at home and watching movies and usually he made sure to get him early. It wasn''t just the vampires. Some cities that were close to the country side or a big forest had werewolves packs that liked to go out and play during the night, especially when there was a full moon and the fear of monster hunters was always there wherever he traveled. The truth was that he always had to be very careful. He always investigated before he moved places and this one was supposed to be cleared off werewolves. Lun and a pack somewhere they weren''t supposed to be meant trouble. So he returned back home and changed his clothes. For a second he had hoped that Lun would have written down the address to a hotel or maybe an apartment but his hopes were fruitless, like always. He searched on the internet and realized that the place he was supposed to meet him was a night club. As he read it on the screen of his laptop he sighed, rubbing his temples. That was so Lun of him, he shouldn''t have expected anything else. He had changed, that wouldn''t mean his best friend would have too. He took a shower and fixed his hair. He didn''t style it back like he always did. This time he let the longer front hair fall messily on his forehead in an attempt to hide slightly his face. He dressed in black, intending to blend in to the fullest. A black pair of pants and a black turtle neck with a coat on top just to pretend he was protecting himself from the cold. He got ready hours earlier and when the time was right he left his apartment with a frown on his face, calling a cab and getting to the address on the small paper. Who was he kidding? Was there even a way someone like him would simply lay low? First of all he was at least two heads taller from everyone else in the line for the night club. Second of all the moment he had stepped outside the cab all eyes were suddenly on him, making him anxious. There was a time he enjoyed his beauty, he loved the stares and the attention. Now, he simply considered it a drag and an inconvenience. Third of all the moment Lun appeared, handsome as hell and grabbed him inside even more people started staring. He clicked his tongue, locking angry blue eyes with everyone that stared at him making them look away in embarrassment. ?I didn''t think you''ll come.? he told him. The club was huge and Lun was holding his hand, guiding him through the dancing crowd and taking him to the back. There was a higher part where couches and small short tables were laid out. One area even had a red roped cutting the entrance to any unwanted guests. A man that stood on the side let them pass and they sat down. He could smell the sweat and alcohol. The music was loud making his blood vibrate and the lights changes colors so easily he couldn''t focus. ?Well, I almost met with a pack of wolves so I guessed it must have to do something with that? Kai said. He didn''t have to scream so his friend would listen to him. Their hearing was excellent and their vision was simply superb. Even in a darkness like this they could clearly see each other''s faces. ?You are indeed too smart my friend? Lun told him when a waitress in high heels approached them. She was holding a silver tray with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. She gracefully placed it on there table and Kai stared at the golden brown liguor as Lun served him a glass. ?I don''t drink.? Kai said. ?Yes you do.? ?Not anymore? he told him and Lun chuckled. He didn''t tell him to drink as he took the first sip from his own glass. He simply left the glass in front of him and stared at him with a grin. ?Well you will drink in a bit. I mean you will need it after you hear everything.? ?What happened?? Kai asked him. Lun''s usually playful fave turned serious, his eyes landing on his friend''s face before he spoke. ?I had been searching for you. The truth is though that I did not come to the human realm for that. I was sent by your family? ?To do what?? ?There have been some peculiar cases lately. Vampires that live with humans disappearing. The crown asked me to investigate it and it wasn''t that hard for me to find out what happened. Kai, there is a wolf pack, they have been traveling cities and trapping vampires. They torture them for fun and when they are bored they kill them and sell their blood to witches. You need to be very careful. We haven''t managed to catch them yet but I do think they are here, you telling me you found a few wolves¡­? ?I did but I didn''t see their faces. So you think the pack is here, searching to capture vampires?? Kai asked him and Lun nodded while his lips touched the glass. The cold alcohol traveled through his mouth making him hiss. ?Yes. I need your help to stop them but¡­the pack¡­? ?What about it?? ?The pack is Moonshine, Kai.? Lun told him. The vampire''s eyes widened and his chest tightened. There was no actual heart beating there but still he could feel the pain. ?No, no, it can''t be¡­? ?It''s Moonshine? Lun stated again and Kai''s hand found easily the glass of whiskey that was waiting on the table. He gulped it down in one gone and in a second he had refilled his glass. Lun was right, he did need it. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 7 - 6 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com His best friend obviously did not intend to stop him from gulping down a whole bottle of whiskey almost on his own. On the other hand he was actually excited to see Kai swallow the golden liquid. How could he not after all? Moonshine was here and they were the ones who were capturing vampires and killing them. That alone was enough to devastate him Kai actually knew that pack, that was one of the reasons why Lun came to him. He knew how it would hurt his best friend to hear their name, how harsh and distant memories would surface the moment he brought them up, the same way they surfaced when he appeared. For the first time in two hundred years Kai had said his last name out loud, now at the tip of his rosy tongue another name was being slurred by his drunken state. It was better that way. Even the sound of it tormented him. He had sworn to never utter that name but now, drunk and dizzy by the blinding lights he found himself needing its comfort. ?What did you say?? Lun asked him, staring at him entertained as Kai was laying on the comfortable couch. ?It hurts¡­? Kai said and punched the left side of his chest, where his heart was supposed to be. ?It still fucking hurts and I can''t do anything about it.? ?How about fucking someone else?? Lun proposed and the vampire scoffed. He stood up wobbling a bit as he headed towards the crowded dance floor. He turned around, framed by the people behind him and smiled. He looked like an angel. His bright eyes, his smile and his hair. His figure, every inch of him emitted something divine. No one would ever think he was cursed. Cursed by nature and by love. ?Who could be better than him Lun?? he screamed over the crowd and his best friend shook his head. He had no answer for him so he decided to remain quiet. Kai walked in the middle of the crowd, moving his body elegantly at the sound of the blasting music, feeling hands around him, hearing their racing heartbeats and smelling their sweat. Laughter and singing. So many sounds, so many smells to the point that after a while they became too much. He blinked a few times, feeling the room spin and he almost landed on the ground. Lun caught him and Kai smiled lazily ?My hero? he said sweetly and the brown haired vampire laughed. ?Come on. You''re drunk. I shouldn''t have let you drink this much.? he said and wrapped his strong arm around his waist, slowly and steadily leading him outside. ?Then why did you do it?? ?Did what?? Lun asked as they stepped outside. The night was cold and their breaths creating little clouds. People were stumbling here and there and Lun clearly heard someone throw up close by. He frowned, slightly disgusted by the situation but helped Kai sit down. He had found a higher spot of the pavement and he sat down next to him ?Why did you tell me about Moonshine?? ?Kai, the Moonshine you knew does not exist anymore. These people are murderers, sadists that hunt our kind. You should erase them from your mind.? Lun advised him and Kai started laughing. ?Oh how I wish it was that easy.? he said. His hands gripped the end of his shirt. Long and elegant they wrapped around the thick sawn line and raised it slowly revealing his sculptured abdomen. His skin was pale, his muscles prominent and Lun''s eyes immediately noticed what the vampire intended to show. A huge claw mark. It started from the left side of his chest and reached all the way, diagonally to the start of his pants on the right side. ?It''s healed but it still fucking hurts. No matter what I do.? he told him and Lun sighed. He placed his palms on top of his hands and pushed down his shirt. Kai then rested his head on his shoulder. ?Kai, you need to forget. No matter what.? His friend said. ?I won''t. I can''t . I don''t want to. I deserve to be in pain. I am a monster after all.? he mumbled. Lun''s body tensed and he pushed his friend back, grabbing him from his shoulders. ?Don''t ever say that shit again. You are not a monster and you never were. It was not your fault that ¡­? he was intending to say something, he wanted to keep on talking as he stared into Kai''s eyes. There was that sound again though. A loud howl, a signal, a very obvious signal that danger was approaching. Lun''s eyes widened and he warily looked around. He stood up, grabbing Kai and forcing him to get on his feet . ?Come on, we need to leave. We need to run? he said when his eyes caught a glimpse of them. They were just turning in the corner and Lun could feel the danger rising ?Oh, puppies.? Kai exclaimed and pointing at them. Their eyes met. ?Shit Kai.? Lun swore and grabbed his hand. He started running, hoping they would escape. ... Hello! Please don''t be a silent reader. This book is a part of a contest so I would appreciate every help I could get, help a girl pay her tuition will ya? xD Anyways I would love to hear your thoughts on the book.. Hope you liked the chapters so far. Thank you for reading! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 8 - 7 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com It was a shitty situation. The kind of shitty you believe could happen but depend on the fact that you''re not that unlucky. Well at the end of the day it does happen and you start judging all your life decisions. That was what was happening to Lun as he ran through the dark alleyways of the unknown city. There were four people behind him, hunting him as if he was their pray. He was pulling Kai, hearing him giggle as they ran and all he could mouth were swears at how unlucky he was. Kai was a noble, a true pureblood vampire and that meant that he was actually very strong. To the point he could easily take on a small pack of wolves on his own. At the moment though Kai had the intelligence of a five year old and the fighting skill of an infant and that simply meant that they had to run. Lun could fight, he was practically trained for it since he was raised together with him but he hated it. He hated blood, which was kind of ironic for a vampire and he hated more than anything in the world getting beaten. So that''s why he had decided their best option was to simply escape like cowards. ?Where are we going?? he heard Kai ask through a muffled laughter and Lun looked back, his dark eyes spotting the four young men that were after them. They looked to be in their twenties, excited looks in their eyes as they ran after them. Vampires were still faster than wolves but in a fight who would win based on their strength could be debatable. ?To hell, that''s where we''re going? Lun said between gritted teeth. He had no idea where he was going or if he would eventually find somewhere to hide and he was staring to think that he and his best friend would end up being dog pray. ?This is not how I am supposed to die? Lun cried and took a sharp turn to his left. He was out of the labyrinth of alleys and into a bright lit street. The words motel, shone brightly in front of him with huge red letters and a relieved sigh escaped his lips. The wolves would not follow them in there. Showing their powers or fighting in front of humans was strictly prohibited, it was a universal rule that helped keep the balance for thousands of years. He pushed Kai inside, the vampire landing face first into the ground, his face burried into a very smelly dark purple carpet. Lun walked in second, closing the door behind him and waving at the wolves from the inside with a cocky grin. His eyes noticed a familiar figure, someone he had seen before. The wolf too seemed to recognize him since his eyes remained glued on his face. It was a tall young man, he had red short hair and sharp black eyes. His arms were tattoed and his ears had many piercings on them. He was very different in comparison to their own elegant appereance and his sharp and hostile face was obviously one Lun wouldn''t forget so easily but he still couldn''t really tell who he was. The wolves soon left, leaving the vampire to look outside, thinking hard where he had seen him before. A cough was heard from behind him and startled he turned around, meeting the eyes of an old lady. She was sitting behind the counter staring in between him and Kai. ?Your friend is sleeping on my carpet.? she said and Lun looked down to see that Kai was fast asleep. He sighed and raised him , getting him over his shoulder as he walked towards the reception. The woman was surprised at how easily he handled such a tall man but she didn''t say anything. She simply asked for her payment and gave Lun a key for his room. The vampire called the elevator and found himself on the sencond floor of the cheap motel. He would have to spend the night there, he wouldn''t want to risk the wolves waiting for them outside. The room was plain. A wooden floor with and a bed with white sheets. A small bathroom with a shower and a mini fridge that had only water bottles in it. The view was the building opposite to them and everything suddenly seemed so miserable. Bloodbound was different. No high skyscrapers, no dirty motels. Lun couldn''t get used to the reality of humanity so easily, the diversity of their world. Rich and poor, the one who were used and the one who were using. He could see some similarities but to him there was something dreadful here, something he couldn''t explain. He had dropped Kai on the bed. The vampire was sleeping while his best friend spent the time of the night looking outside of the window thinking of his next step. Moonshine had to be obliterated. It would be hard though. They had grown in numbers and Kai, he had history with them. Lun doubted he would be willing to help if he knew of his plan. He had to though, for the good of their kind. He kept some time thinking, scheming and hoping he would have the young prince on his side, a valuable asset, when he heard a groan. He turned around and watched Kai sit up, his right hand on his forehead as he frowned. ?What the heck happened?? he asked and Lun smiled. ?You got dead drunk and we barely managed to escape from a few Moonshine members. What an eventful night. We almost died? he exclaimed. ?Shit.? Kai mumbled. ?I love how your true self is slowly showing. Did you hide it for two hundred years? Must have been painful to act all elegant and cold.? his best friend told him and skillfully caught the pillow Kai threw at him. ?Shut up. My head, fuck.? he swore and rubbed his temples. ?As you see none of us is safe. Moonshine is after all of us. We were extremely lucky today. They seemed like they were still young and inexperienced but if¡­? ?I won''t be helping you Lun. I want nothing to do with that pack or Bloodbound.? Kai interrupted him, making him frown. ?Kai, you''re not safe either¡­? ?I will move.? ?For how long? For how long will you keep denying your nature? For how long will you allow the past to torture you? You need to move on!? Lun scolded him. ?Lun I don''t want to approach any wolves ever again.? Kai said and heard his friend sigh. ?There was someone out there with them. I think I''ve seen him before, you might know him. He has¡­? ?I don''t want to know.? ?He had red hair and black eyes. Tall, tattoed and with piercings.? ?I don''t know him? Kai said but the way he was gripping the sheets was showing he did. He just didn''t want to tell Lun, he didn''t want to get further involved into this but maybe it was already too late. ?You know him.? Lun stated. ?Who is he? Kai every little clue would help. You know so much about that pack. You can help u? ?You said they were not the same anymore!? Kai told him agitated. ?Please don''t make me go through this again? ?Just tell me his name. Tell me something. A lead and I will leave you alone. Anything that could help me and my men get them.? ?You promise?? ?I do.? ?His name¡­he is Mika. He is in the higher ranks of the pack. If he is here that probably means the Alpha is too. You need to be careful. Their Alpha likes luxury. I would check all the expensive hotels in the city.? he advised him. ?Thank you.? ? Now you will leave me alone?? he asked and Lun nodded Two hundred years had passed since the last time they had met.. Kai hadn''t know that his best friend had turned into a very skilled liar. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 9 - 8 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com He wished to be left alone, he didn''t want to get involved in this battle that had been happening for centuries now. The wolves and vampires were and probably will be enemies. During the years of endless clashing there were times of peace but they never lasted long. This was one of those times. A few years back a treaty had been signed, Kai had happened to hear about it in one of his travels but as it seemed it was the wolves'' turn to break the rules. After Lun had taken the information he needed he had left, per Kai''s request. His plan was obvious, the young vampire prince didn''t have to ask to know what he and his men would try to do. Usually with a wolf pack all you needed to know was where the Alpha was. Take out their leader and they will retreat to the shadows for a good amount of time. It was how they reacted, the leader came always first, in comparison to vampires who even though they had a monarchy they also had a very self absorbed attitude. It wasn''t in a vampire''s nature to die so they would protect someone. So Lun would search for their Alpha. It was hard to find Alphas. They usually hid very well but in cases like Moonshine, which was one of the biggest wolf packs out there the higher members of the pack had a tendency to adore wealth. That was what Kai had learned years back, when he had found himself in between them. As he laid on the motel''s bed he couldn''t help but remember. Another time of peace that ended abruptly. Another time of joy just so his heart could get crushed like ice. He turned to his side as he felt his eyes water, tears escaped from them and he slowly brought his knees to his chest. Not again, not now. He thought. He hadn''t cried in years but such a simple thought was enough to bring forward his weakness. He closed his eyes wishing once more to forget. It was too late though, the thoughts had been awoken in his anxious mind and he knew, no matter what he did he couldn''t get away this time. He woke up the next morning feeling tired even though he had slept for a while. He stared at the round clock on the yellowish wall and sighed. John would be having a breakdown, looking for him. He stood up and washed his face in a hurry. There was no time for him to go home. He hopped down the stairs deciding that the elevator would be too much wasted time and rushed outside. He could smell the scent of smoke on his clothes and his breath reeks of alcohol as he exhales. He frowned, stopping at a small neighborhood market and he bought a toothburh and toothpaste. He couldn''t do anything for his clothes but he was definitely going to brush his teeth at the shop. Hangovered as he was the honking of the cars, the rushing of the people and even them talking on the phone was annoying. Especially to him. His hearing was better than normal so every little sound could have a nasty ring to his ears if he didn''t feel well. He also felt hungry and he sighed. This was one of the worst times for his hunger to return. He tried not to think about it as he stopped in front of the glass door of the tattoo shop. When he opened it and met eyes with his employee he was bombarded by millions of questions. ?Boss!? the young man had exclaimed. ?Where have you been? Do you know what time it is? Couldn''t you call? We had two clients come and leave already. Did something bad happen to you?? he kept asking and asking and for a second Kai wondered if he was breathing in between words. He raised his arm, signaling him to stop talking. ?I am fine. I just had a rough night. That''s all.? He told him but John didn''t seem to be really satisfied by his answer. ?You reek? he stated and the vampire scoffed. ?Thanks for the info.? he simply said and dumped his coat on the armchair as usual. ?Your hair is also a mess? ?Will you keep stating the obvious?? he asked him as he rubbed his eyes. He hadn''t checked the rest of the rooms yet. He had been standing at the entrance unable to even walk inside because the man was right in front of him, talking nonstop. ?John, I want to go in will you please move to the side?? he asked him, his deep voice signaling annoyance. It was very rare for Kai to show such negative emotions. That was why when that happened John knew to simply shut up and let him do his thing. So he stepped to the side, ready to not bother his boss for the rest of the day when he remembered something. ?Oh, boss there is someone waiting for you. He is on the couch? he told him and instantly Kai was struck by a bad feeling. His stomach turned and he walked inside wary of who he was going to meet. He was not a customer, he was sure, since John would have told him if that someone wanted a tattoo and it wasn''t Lun because the employee had seen him and he would simply say the guy from last time. That meant it was probably someone he didn''t want to see and when he walked finally inside he realized he was right. It was a man, barely nineteen and he was sitting on the green couch, his fingers playing with the pages of one of the magazines. He didn''t seem very interested in them, he just kept flipping them, not even taking the time to read before he closed the magazine disatisfied. He noticed Kai, his deep black eyes landing on him. Short red hair, aggressive eyes and tattoos. Piercings on his ears he sat on his couch staring at him with a blank expression. ?Mika? Kai acknowledged him and the man smiled. It wasn''t a happy expression though, it had an irony and bitterness in it that Kai immediately recognized. ?So you remember my name.? he told him. ?I do.? ?I came here to warn you.? .... hello! please vote and comment if you''re enjoying this book.. I would really appreciate it since it''s a big help for the contest.! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 10 - 9 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com ?Warn me about what?? Kai asked him but the wolf just stared at the young human behind him. ?John, go take a walk? Kai told him, his eyes still stuck on the second uninvited guest of the week. ?Again? It''s cold outside you know.? John complained. Kai''s head snapped to the side and he looked at him with a threatening stare. John gulped and grabbed his coat, an awkward smile on his face as he walked towards the door. ?I am going to get some coffee. I''ll be back later? he told them and rushed outside the shop. Mika seemed to relax a bit the moment John was gone. His figure was still visible for a few seconds through the glass door but soon it disappeared in between the tall buildings. The man sat on the couch and looked at Kai. He was standing there, right in front of him, his hands lazily in his pockets. ?You haven''t changed at all.? Mika commented. ?I am a vampire. You haven''t changed either. A bit taller though if I''m not mistaken. And the piercings. Tattoos too? ?Yeah times change.? he told him coldly ?You''re not here to talk about that though are you?? Kai asked him knowing already his answer. These two were never supposed to meet. Not again after everything that happened and him being here was another brutal reminder of the past. He hated it, he hated looking into his eyes and remembering the pain but even worse the happiness. ?I know it might sound crazy to you but I really did come to warn you. About my pack. Moonshine. It''s off the track and they are going after all the vampires in the area. I saw you, with your friend. I remembered you and I came to warn you. You should leave. The sooner the better. They are planning something.? ?You don''t know what it is they are planning?? Kai asked. He knew that Mika was close to the Alpha. So it was natural for him to wonder how come he wasn''t aware of what was happening inside his own pack. Mika smiled, his expression bitter and his eyes sad. For a second he seemed to be hesitant, as if he didn''t want to answer. ?I know what you''re thinking. How come one of the three Wolf Warriors doesn''t know what is happening in his own pack? Well, the alpha has changed and since there are only two of us left we have been demoted in a way. Forgotten? Mika explained. The wolf warriors. In very big packs sometimes existed troupes. Especially during the old time when danger was constant. Moonshine was one of the biggest packs out there and had three warrior leaders. They were different from the Alpha and its Beta, they were war experts, something like elite generals. ?We won''t be two for long though? he told him and Kai''s eyes widened. ?What does that mean?? the vampire asked. This was the question he needed to know the most, the third person, the one who was going to become a new general worrior. Who was it going to be? Mika noticed his curiosity, the anticipation in his eyes and a grin appeared on his face. ?I won''t tell you. You don''t deserve to know? he told him and stood up. ?I did all I had to do. Now I''m off. If you get caught don''t expect me to help you? he said and walked towards the door. The sun was bright outside and he could hear the honking of the cars that were trapped in rush hour. He grabbed the cold doorknob ready to leave but Kai''s voice stopped him. ?Why did you come here to warn me?? The red haired wolf turned around. Their eyes met for a second and Kai felt like he was asking a very stupid question. The silence between them, his judgemental look and his words. He did not deserve to know. He wanted to though, he wished to know who was going to take his place. He wanted to know why Mika was here after two hundred years with a warning that could save his life. He had said it, he didn''t deserve it. After everything he had done it was obvious, so why? Why was he here probably putting himself in danger for someone like him? ?Sometimes you''re really stupid, aren''t you little prince?? Mika teased him and a scoff escaped his lips. ?I''m here to warn you because he loved you. He loved you with all his being and I am trying to preserve the little humanity he has in him? Mika revealed. Kai gasped realizing the meaning of his words ?You mean that¡­he is back?? ?What does it matter to you? You were the one that killed him.? the wolf said. Kai wanted to ask him more, he needed to know and he almost grabbed him, wanting to keep him here but Mika was fast. He opened the door and rushed outside. That was the most he would get out of him. From the moment he had seen him Kai knew he wouldn''t be happy after he left. He never expected this though. Was he really telling the truth? Had he really returned or maybe this was a sick game so he could torture him? Make him pay for his crimes. What did he mean when he said that he was trying to preserve his humanity? Kai had sworn he would leave his world behind, disappear into the chaos of humanity but why, why was it that somehow he felt like now he was back. Back where he started, lost. He had to find out, he had to know. About the third wolf warrior. .... Hello! Please vote The Tears of a Prince so it can do well! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. if you''d like leave a comment on what you think will happen next! can''t wait to know what is on your minds.. Thank you for reading and have a nice day. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 11 - 10 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Wolves reincarnate. They live hundreds of years and once they die after some time passes they come back. It was in their curse, the vampire curse too. No one had the right to meet with the sweet release of death. All of them had to walk on this earth, an eternity, a very lonesome forever. Kai knew people who were jealous of immortality, wishing they could live forever and when he heard them talk he laughed. There was no point in living forever, there was no joy in am endless tomorrow with no goals or purpose. It was simply a loop, slow and turturing. Kai never wished to keep his immortality, even during his life as a prince he was never proud of it or acted like he was superior because of it. He hated the constant rising of the sun and the cold embrace of the moon every night. For years and years he felt like there was nothing else to life than waking up and sleeping until he met him. It was that moment he realized his life could have meaning. That split second where their eyes met for the first time that he knew he could bare this immortality only if he had him by his side. His first and last love, his sworn enemy and fateful lover. He had been all that and his death had been that meaningful. Kai was scared, he was always scared that he was going to come back. Not because at some point he would remember. Wolves at the age of twenty began receiving scraps of their previous lives. A means to find their mates but also a reminder once more of the curse running through their veins. They were never meant to forget. They should always know that they were nothing more than cursed being walking in the land of the humans. He wasn''t even scared of his need to get revenge. He would welcome a gruesome torture, he deserved it after all. That''s what he always told himself. No matter what happens to you, it''s your fault. He was afraid because if he saw him again, if their eyes met and he didn''t see the loving and caring look he had always adored he would crumble. That was the reason he shouldn''t meddle with him. Treat him as someone of the past but fate could be so tricky, it tied them together and no matter what Kai did their connection could not get broken so easily. No matter his fears his wonder couldn''t stop. He had to know, if he trully had returned, what he was doing and why did Mika said he was trying to preserve his humanity. That sentence hurt the most. If anything had happened to him Kai dwouldnt know what to do, he lived all this time hoping that he would come back and live a full life. Even if he didn''t have his mate he could still be happy. They hadn''t met after all in this life. Yes, to them the most peculiar thing had happened. Kai was destined to be with him. He had recognized him as his mate and his previous life was their first life together. The first life they finally got to meet. It was rare, awfully rare for a werewolf and a vampire to be mates and it was always looked down upon. Especially if the youngest prince of the royal family loved a werewolf. They had done everything to keep it a secret, until they couldn''t anymore and his world ended. Kai was thankful that the door opened. He heard the chimes that signaled someone''s arrival and he sighed in relief that his thoughts had been out to a stop. That way he wouldn''t have to think of the details. He wouldn''t have to bring back the images and the fuller story. He decided to keep it simple on his mind, at least for now, for as long as he could. He was the mate of a werewolf, his kind''s sworn enemies. That was the conclusion that led to destruction. John had returned. He walked inside welcoming the heat of the place. The vampire felt bad for kicking him out, seeing his rosy cheeks snd him rubbing his hands to warm them up. ?Sorry John. It seems that we have many unwanted guests lately? he told him. The young man smiled, shaking his head as he took his coat off for the second time this day. ?It''s fine boss. Everyone has secrets. If I could help you in any way I would? Kai smiled. He was really a good human, it was rare this day to find a good of anything. A good human, a good vampire, a good werewolf, a good witch. It seemed as if all of them had been plagued by something. A disease of the rotting soul. ?Thank you John but I don''t think that¡­Actually? Kai said, changing his mind the last minute. ?There is something you can do.? ?What?? ?I want you to find something for me. Make a list of all the five star hotels in this town and if you can find out if a big group of people is currently living there I would appreciate it.? ?Boss, I am not a detective.? the man said and the vampire frowned. ?You said you wanted to help.? ?I did but¡­Fine. I will ask around. You''re lucky I have a friend working at a travel agency. Some times I think the universe works for you.? he said and Kai smiled. He wished that was true. The happiness he would feel if the universe favored him once. The truth was he could ask Lun. He knew he was working at his own investigation and would be probably doing the same thing as him since Kai provided him with the information. Even if the Alpha had changed the Moonshine pack always favored luxury. If Lun found out though why he wanted to search he would immediately stop him. So he had to do it alone, or in this case with John. ?Start searching then.? ?I will just give me a sec to¡­? ?Now.? ?Why did I agree to this?? You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 12 - 11 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com The list wasn''t long. A few of the names familiar as he scanned them with his blue eyes. He held the paper, read the words again and again just to make sure and John observed him. He had never seen his boss show such interest in something. It was quite intriguing to find himself present while he showcased such expressions. The chimes on the door jingled and a man walked in. Wrapped in a heavy coat. Kai at first didn''t even spare him a glance. He was so focused at what he was doing that everything around him seemed to be irrelevant. He was a client. A regular actually and John, realizing how rude they might have seemed rushed to greet him and get his coat. After he was done reading he raised his head. Kai placed the paper on the counter. He had memorized everything, he didn''t need it any more. ?Boss. You have an appointment.? John reminded him and the man that was waiting on the door smiling. Kai looked at them, once John and then the familiar client. ?Sorry we are closed for the day? he told him and the man frowned. John''s eyes widened at the sudden news. Why were they closed? They had barely opened. ?What? I had an appointment. It was scheduled weeks ago you can''t do this.? the man told them. He seemed angry, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Kai. The vampire tilted his head to the side wondering what exactly was so unclear of the things he said. He sighed, realizing for once more how much humans annoyed him. He walked towards the guarst and grabbed his arm. The man was tall and buff but he didn''t seem to mind. He tried to wiggle out of his grip but to his surprise it was impossible. ?We are closed? he repeated and opened the door with his other hand. He pushed him outside, the man stumbling and swearing at them from the outside. Kai closed the door and flipped the open sign. John was standing there, behind the counter frozen. ?His coat? he said and showed the heavy coat he was holding. Kai grabbed that too and threw it on the road right in front of the angered man''s feet. ?Um, boss, what the hell? He was a regular and he had an appointment. Why are we closed?? ?We are closed. We are closed because we have something to do, John? Kai told him. The young man couldn''t believe his eyes. In just a few hours he had managed to see a whole new side of his boss and that was not just surprising but actually kind of scary. He gulped and scratched the back of his head. His short hair is prickly like soft thorns. ?What is it that we have to do exactly?? he asked, hesitantly. ?We have to go out. Tell me which one of these hotels is the most possible to be the one I am looking for?? he asked him. ?I do hope that you transferred my question to your friend? he told him, crossing his arms over his chest. ?I did, I did but I do not understand why do I have to come with?? he cried, he didn''t know what he was getting himself into and that alone made him quite worried. ?Because John. From now on you will be my sidekick? ?Your what? Boss, is it really you? What happened?? ?Yes it''s me you idiot. I just need you. I can''t be seen? he said and headed towards the door. ?Let''s go now, we need to hurry. I need to get there before Lun.? he mumbled and opened the door, exposing both of them to the cold. ?I know what''s going on.? John said. He had a dramatic expression on his face as if he had just made a great revelation. Kai lingered at the doorframe waiting with his eyes squeezed to listen to what he had to say. ?You''re dating a married man. That''s why you can''t be seen. You''re trying to expose him because he refused to get a divorce for you. This is why you''re so secretive and weird all the time. Gosh boss, I did not have you for such a man? ?John? Kai called out his name as he stepped outside. ?Sometimes I truly wonder, could it be that you''re stupid or that your brain has stopped working? Tell me, I won''t judge you? ?So it''s not that?? he asked. ?No. It''s not that. I am sorry but your crazy theory has failed. Now come on!? he exclaimed and the boy rushed outside, closing the door behind him loudly. Kai started walking with his employee trying to catch up with him. A frown started forming on his face as he started to feel weird. His throat began to get dry and suddenly he felt weak. ?Shit.? he mumbled and shook his head. ?Are you alright?? John asked him. ?Yes, I am fine. Just hungry? he said. With everything that had happened he had been too occupied with his thoughts to actually feed. Even with his little advantage he still had to feed and now, he felt like his throat was burning. He ignored it, for now at least it was bearable. Kai wouldn''t do anything risky today, he simply wanted to confirm the location. They took the bus and then the subway. The weather was still cold even during the noon and people seemed to be somehow shriveled, hidden inside their heavy clothing and scarves. He was looking at the dirty floor of their cart, trying to ignore prying eyes. There were so many of them, humans. Their hearts beat so loud. A war drum in between his ears and slowly he felt his mouth watering. ?What do you want me to do when we get there?? John asked, trying to figure out more about his plan. ?I want you to go to the reception and ask if Mika Romanof is staying there. If they answer yes I want you to ask for Philip''s¡­Philip Bairon''s room.? he had said it. Kai had said it. For the first time in two hundred years he had called out his lover''s name. His destined mate''s. The name of the man he had brutally killed. He felt his chest tightening, a piercing pain as the bloody images were painted in his head like very detailed gruesome art. ?Is that all?? John asked again, interrupting his torture. ?Yes, yes.? Kai said. As the time went by the sounds of the world seemed to get silenced. There was only one source. The constant beating. The rhythmic thump. He wouldn''t make it.. He wouldn''t make it out. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 13 - 12 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com It started with sweating. His body was supposed to be dead but still when it came to his hunger he felt like he was awfully alive. Alive and in the brim of death. That was the worst feeling. That sensation of losing everything, even yourself to something you can''t control, something that you hate. He blinked and got up the stairs of the subway almost stumbling at every step. John was walking right behind him, ready to catch him. Somehow he seemed even paler, his eyes a bloodshot red and Kai kept looking down. He was aware that the moment he met eyes with a human it was over. ?Boss, are you okay?? the young man asked him when they reached the outside. Kai breathed in, avoiding his worried gaze. ?Maybe you''re getting sick. We should call a cab and get you home? ?No!? Kai exclaimed. There were many reasons for his negative answer. He couldn''t control himself for that long. If he got into that cab he would have killed the driver before the end of the ride. With Vampires sadly it wasn''t like the books, he couldn''t just gently bite his neck and leave him unconscious. He would kill them. If he grabbed them in that state he would simply destroy them. ?I''m fine. I am perfectly fine.? he huffed but John obviously did not believe him. His other reason was that he really didn''t have much time. The clue he gave Lun was actually a very good one. He was sure they were planning to kill the wolves but he had to, he had to find Philip and find out what he was talking about. He wouldn''t get seen, he would simply act like a ghost of the past, forgotten and lost just to get a glimpse of him and make sure that everything was alright. He simply wished for that and then he would have to find a way and stop Lun. The time seemed to pass by so slowly and his mind began to get hazy. He walked away from John leaving him wide eyed in the middle of the street and hid himself in one of the many alleys. Of course he followed him and of course the vampire had a way to escape him. He could run and he could climb. He heard John call out his name, wanting to make sure that everything was alright but he couldn''t speak. All he could do right now was think of one thing, blood. The sun didn''t easily hit the alleys, the tall buildings acted as a perfect cover up for many things even under the daylight. Drug trafficking, thieves and many more lingered in the shadows of the big city. Kai knew that and as he walked into one of them he called out his nasty fate. He would end up killing someone today, at least he could do something good and kill someone bad. If that would reduce his sin. He decided to lie to himself and walked further into the darkness. ?Give me all your money and I will let you live? he heard someone say and felt the sharp tip of a knife at his back. He didn''t say anything, he didn''t have to. Even if he did get stabbed it wouldn''t matter. It wouldn''t even hurt. All the man could do was scream. Kai was too fast for the human eye. He didn''t even realize when he was facing the vampire. All he felt were the cold fangs diving into his skin. His blood getting drained together with his life. Bit by bit, drop by drop he was dying and Kai''s hunger was subsiding. After a while, there was nothing left. Just a shell, a lifeless body that fell heavy into his arms. He didn''t look at his face, he couldn''t as guilt started to devour him. He let go of his body, landing on the floor like a sack and for a second, as he looked at the dead, thrown there disrespectfully, dived into the dirt his stomach began to hurt. He turned around, tears gathering in his blue eyes and covered his mouth. It was damp, painted red and he felt the wetness of the blood transfer to his fingers. He looked at it, bloodstained and trembling. ?Monster.? he mumbled. He had called himself that plenty of times, again and again as a punishment. He hated this, he hated who he was and the fact that he couldn''t do anything about it. How he wished someone would simply kill him but every time, every attempt had failed. Vampires had strong survival instincts and no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many drugs he took to numb himself it was impossible to take his own life. ?I do deserve to suffer after all, I always did? he said. He raised his sleeve and wiped his mouth on his arm, not wanting to get his shirt dirty. He began walking, his head turned to the ground, staring at the mold and the cigarettes. If he died right there, who would even care? He definitely wouldn''t, he thought when the sound of footsteps rushing was heard. ?Boss!? John shouted. He was panting, his face painted a flushed pink. ?Finally, I was so worried. Are you alright?? he asked him and scanned him with his eyes. ?Yes.? he said, his voice coming out like a whisper. ?I''m glad.? ?Don''t be? ?What?? ?Don''t be glad that I''m fine. I don''t deserve to be fine.? ?What are you talking about?? John asked him, raising his tone just a tiny bit. He was feeling anxious. He had never seen Kai like this. He seemed lost, beaten up and sad. It was overwhelming, seeing a person who always stood so proud simply look like a mess in just a few seconds. Kai raised his head and stared at him, a faint smile appearing on his face as he patted his shoulder with his wide palm. ?You''re a good kid.? he complimented him and John''s eyes widened ?You''re good too.? John stated. ?Oh, I wish I was.? ?Why are you saying that? You literally picked me up from the streets. I know that and you know too. I didn''t need to become your apprentice, I needed a place so I wouldn''t end up homeless. You helped me, you pay more than what I work for and you are never mean to me. So why are you degrading yourself like that? Boss, I really do admire you. Even if you''re a mystery I can see that you have kindness in you. From the way you sketch and how you treat your clients. You are always so nice so why? It actually makes me sad to hear this? John told him. The truth was Kai was not expecting such a reply. Lun had told him he wasn''t a monster many times, Philip too but since a long time ago no one had bothered with him. He blinked a few times, his palm that rested on John''s shoulder, squeezing him slightly and he smiled, shaking his head. ?Thank you.? he said and the young man blushed, scratching the back of his head slightly embarrassed. ?It''s nothing. Let''s go now. We have a mission!? John exclaimed and walked in front of him. Kai followed him feeling slightly relieved. He knew he wasn''t going to stop being a monster. He was sure he was going to have nightmares with the face of the man he killed tonight and the day after and the day after that until he would simply not be able to stand it. But now, at this moment he felt just a bit happy hearing someone tell him that they saw something good in him. Even if they didn''t know the whole story, even if they had no idea of what was happening when the sun set he liked it. He chose to delude himself once more and ignore his previous sin, just this once with the thought of seeing Philip, finding out about him he allowed himself to forget. He had been tortured for years with no break but John''s words were a bit of a relief. Maybe, just maybe there would be one day salvation for him too? He wondered for a second and a bitter smile appeared on his face as he exposed himself once again to the raging city. Never. He answered his own question. ... hello! hope you like the book so far please leave a comment with your thoughts and a vote.. It would be really helpful for the contest. Thank you! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 14 - 13 They check quite a few places. Extravagant and filled with luxury Kai didn''t want to walk into any of them. The moment he witnessed luxury, or the sight of gold he felt disgusted. He had many scars and not simply those that were connected to his body, those healed, slowly but they did. It was the scars that marked his soul that tortured him up to this day, many years later. Gold, his older sister loved it. She wore necklaces and earrings, heavy rings and any kind of accessory that could be dressed in it. His mother too, she enjoyed gold decorations on their palace, in every corner some kind of gold touch would always have their guests envious. So Kai had grown to despise the color gold. From the color and the shine of his crown to the royal cuffs on his wrist he didn''t like the coldness of the material or what it represented. Those things though happened after he left. Back then he liked it too, the wealth and their envious faces. Kai was always envied. For his beauty, for his status, for his gold. At every ball, at every gathering in enormous and glamorous rooms just like those in the hotels, he was the center of attention. His siblings and he were always looked at, stared at. He had felt like a precious ornament. His mother would tell him that such a sweet boy would always have everyone''s eyes on him and he had believed it. He had never thought though if those eyes were good or bad. A young prince, spoiled and ignorant, that was what he had been for a big part of his life. Still terrified of luxury, of the place he held in it Kai had sat and waited outside at every hotel. He received a few stares from the guards but ignored them. No one could stop him from being outside anyways. John would come out every time rushing and he would feel a small spark of hope until disappointment would hit him. After such a long time they still hadn''t found them. That was until they reached the last hotel. A tall building with more that two hundred floors. Kai didn''t know why but he was sure they would be there. Eventually he was right. Because John came out smiling victorious. ?They are here! I asked and they said the man Mika lived here, that Philip guy too but they won''t tell me their number. It''s confidential information of the hotel? John explained and Kai shook his head. ?It''s okay. I don''t need to know that much. I am sure I know where they are. Top floor. All I need is to get to the top floor? Kai said. ?Boss, it will be hard to just walk in. They weren''t really nice to me. I guess they are only nice to rich people.? he concluded and Kai smiled. Rich people, he thought. ?Well it''s a good thing that I am rich.? he said and his employee looked at him confused. ?You are?? he asked him as the tall man started walking in front of him, heading toward the entrance. Kai had lived for quite a while, meddling with humans knowing their ways. When he had escaped his home he didn''t have anyone. He was broke and lived on the streets. That changed easily though, he was smart and as time passed he managed to find his way through the societies he lived in. That''s why the assets of two hundred years had gathered and he never had to worry about money. He stood in front of the entrance, the point of his shoe passing the line and he breathed in. Kai didn''t like money, he didn''t like luxury and the color gold but he was well aware that all of them meant something and he hated it. ?Excuse me sir. Will you be getting in? You''re blocking the entrance.? a man with the hotel''s uniform asked him and Kai, slightly startled nodded. ?Yes, excuse me? he answered as he stepped in, finding himself underneath a very tall ceiling. People were walking around, dressed in expensive clothing. There was a fountain in the middle with the statue of a small boy with wings on his back, Eros. Kai assumed. The reception was on the far back. Girls dressed prettily with red lipsticks sat on their seats and talked to the clients with bright smiles. ?Hello, how can I help you?? the woman Kai approached asked him. ?Hello, I would like to know the number of Philip''s Bairon''s room.? he told her. ?Is he expecting you? Should we call him?? she asked and Kai shook his head. ?No, that won''t be necessary. I just want his room number.? ?Well then sir I am really sorry but¡­? the girl began saying before Kai took out his wallet. He grabbed a pack of money and placed it discreetly on the counter. The girl''s eyes widened in shock. It was probably the first time she was seeing so much money. ?For you. I do appreciate your hard work.? Kai told her with a charming smile. The girl''s hands were shaking as she took the money. ?Top floor, room 201. Allan. Take the gentlemen to the top floor. Right this instant? she shouted at a young man that stood by one of the elevators. He rushed over, smiling the same way she did and signaled them to follow him. They entered the elevator, standing at the back, close to the mirror and John stared at Kai with wide eyes. ?Boss, you really¡­.wow? he mumbled and Kai shrugged his shoulders. ?That''s why you''re never worried about money. You''re some kind of runaway millionaire? he said and Kai scoffed. He was right about the runaway part but the millionaire was too little, he was royalty after all. ?Now John. I need you to stay here and wait for me. I will be quick I promise? he said as the elevator stopped and then stepped outside. A long corridor, dressed with a bright red carpet and beautiful golden chandeliers. John nodded and stood to the side while Kai read the numbers on the doors. He moved further and further away from the human until his eyes landed on the number 201. He gulped, standing frozen outside the door. What was he supposed to do? Knock on the door? And say what? How old was Philip now? Did he actually have any memories of him? So many questions suddenly started to pop up and he couldn''t help it but feel overwhelmed. He took a step back, his eyes stuck on the polished wood. ?What are you doing here Kai?? he asked himself. ?You fool?, he mumbled and turned around. He had been so stupid. He had no reason to be here, he realized as he walked back. John stared at him confused. ?Boss, what are you doing?? He asked him. ?This was a bad idea. John, let''s go? he said and got ready to call the elevator. Its doors though opened on its own revealing the two men to a group of people. Suddenly a heavy silence spread as he locked eyes with what he easily recognized as werewolves. He took as step back and grabbed John from his sleeve. ?John, run!? he shouted and started running, dragging the young man with him. Screwed. That''s what they were. And it was all Kai''s fault. .... Hello! Please tell me how you like the story so far through a comment and leave a vote. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 15 - 14 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com It took three seconds before Kai dragged John away. In those three seconds the wolves that stood surprised in the elevator had managed to recognize the prince as a vampire. One of them actually had pointed at him, raising his voice and exclaiming vampire in excitement. Kai had gulped and taken the human as far away as he could, hoping that they wouldn''t go after them. Of course they would. Kai and the human at the moment were like two mice hunted by a cat. They would be followed and probably caught. ?Boss, why did he say vampire? Why are we running? What''s going on?? John asked. His feet sloppily landed on the floor with the red carpet. He felt like a child being taken away from the candy aisle by his mother. The problem was though that Kai, he was not his mother and he was very fast. So fast the poor human felt like soon he would collapse. He released his hand, messily landing onto the ground right at the moment they reached the emergency exit. A long staircase was spreading before them and at the sight of all those stairs John gasped. He was already out of breath as it was. ?John, we need to leave. There is no time. If they catch us we are screwed? Kai told him and helped him get up. This was the first time he was seeing his boss panic. Just from that he had a faint idea of how things were. The man who never showed any kind of emotion had shown everything in just one day. ?Why did they call you a vampire?? John asked him, refusing to follow him down the stairs. ?This seems very suspicious. Boss, where did you bring me?? he asked and Kai groaned. He grabbed John''s arm, his eyes looking warily at the corner hoping that the wolves would not catch up to them until he had convinced John to leave. ?I will tell you everything when we get back to the shop. Let''s go now. We need to go. These people, they are not nice John.? he said. ?No. I know you won''t tell me when we get back. You''re going to avoid the subject and¡­? the human began saying, upset that some big secret had escaped him. He stopped mid sentence when he heard laughter. Not the kind of laughter you hear when someone is happy though. It was psychotic and hostile. The people he had seen at the elevator were turning at the corner, their smiling faces appearing as if from a nightmare and John gulped. They looked scary, he realized and finally of his own will he started running down the stairs together with Kai. ?These guys look scary? he commented and Kai scoffed. They were close to the end. They would simply have to open the door and find themselves in the street. Once they reached the outside the wolves would be forced to obey the rules and both of them would be safe. That was Kai''s simple plan. The truth was he had remained away from action for a while. He was rusty. Not only his fighting skills but his insight too. He believed a chase like that would end so easily, he was obviously wrong. Because the universe did not like him, it never did. Right at the moment when he reached the door, his hand on the handle ready to turn it and free them both, a wolf jumped from the previous floor right in front of him. Kai flinched, stepping back and bumping into John who fell down in shock. It wasn''t very usual to see someone jump off a floor and land perfectly fine on his feet. ?Boss. I think you missed to tell me a few things about this mission of yours? John said, now completely terrified. He could hear the footsteps of the rest approaching and his body felt too weak for him to get up. Kai sighed, locking eyes with the mischievous wolf and threw a punch at him. The man not expecting it received it right on his nose, blood spilling from his nostrils. He covered his wound for a second before he launched at him. Kai dodged him, taking a very elegant turn before he raised his leg and kicked him in the stomach. The man was kicked so hard he landed on the other side of the wall. John believed he would be dead after that but apparently he wasn''t. He stood up, dusting off his shoulders and he smiled. ?You''re strong? he said and Kai shrugged his shoulders. ?And you''re not.? he provoked him, cursing his instincts. There was a time he had loved to fight and his old habits seemed to be surfacing once again. As the wolf ran towards him, his arm raised in the air ready to punch him, he grabbed him from his shirt, ducking his fist. He raised his head and hit him with its top right at the chin, breaking it. He screamed and tried to release himself from Kai''s grip but he wouldn''t let go. ?Let''s see¡­? the vampire prince mumbled. ?How should I kill you? ?Boss!? John screamed, drawing his attention. Kai looked at him, realizing that John had seen something. He followed his eyes meeting with the rest of his friends. Suddenly he started to panic. He had gotten distracted, he had been foolish and arrogant. Once again he was going to pay for his stupid mistakes but this time John would pay with him. ?John open the door and run! Hurry ! I¡­.? he said. He wanted to tell the human to leave but he didn''t have the time to finish his sentence. He had been shot. Not by an actual gun, that wouldn''t hurt him, he wouldn''t even mind the pain. It was another kind of gun, its bullet filled with a magical sedative that was made for vampires. He felt the liquid spread through his veins and his eyes began to feel heavy. He let go of the wolf he was holding and stumbled. Landing right on top of John. ?Boss, Boss? the young man cried terrified. He heard their rushing footsteps. He also heard the wolf he had beat up swear at him and John, he was crying. Soon though everything turned hazy. He fell unconscious, his surroundings ending up a deep black. .... Hello! Hope you enjoyed the book. Please leave a vote and a nice comment if you liked this chapter.. Thank you for reading and have a nice day! We have reached chapter 14 already, wow. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 16 - 15 He first heard whimpering. The truth was he wished to sleep some more. It had been such a long time he had closed his eyes and he wasn''t tortured by any nightmares. But that constant crying forced him to open his eyelids. His head felt heavy, his body restrained and slowly everything began coming back to him. Like a tidal wave he was crushed with the knowledge of the previous hours. He had been caught, not only him but John too. As he remembered the poor human he opened his eyes, searching for him with his blurry eyesight. It took a few moments for him to get used to the room. The light coming in from the huge glass windows. A ray of sun landing straight into his sensitive eyes and he frowned. The room was simple. A black carpet and a silver chandelier that was turned off. A huge king sized bed with silk red sheets and a plasma TV hanging from the wall right in front of it. A couch that could fit at least seven to eight people and a table which had many empty bottles of beer on it. There was no one inside. At first glance Kai thought he was all alone, maybe he had imagined the whimpering. He had scanned everything he could see with his eyes but there was no sign of John or his captors. A few seconds passed in deadly silence only for the whimpering to be heard once more. "John?" Kai asked worriedly. "Boss? Are you awake? What the hell is happening?" he heard John''s familiar voice. Soon he realized he couldn''t see him because he was behind him. He felt a weight on his back that he assumed as John''s back and he sighed. He shouldn''t have taken him with him, he shouldn''t have done any of these silly things in the first place. He had sworn not to look for him again. It was a promise he had made to himself, a punishment he had chosen for his mistakes but somehow he found himself unable to keep his oath now that he knew Philip had reincarnated. The funny thing was, he wasn''t expecting anything of this. If he was younger than twenty he wouldn''t even recognize him and if he was older he would simply have to face his hateful stare, like the last time. The moment his world ended, the moment Kai took his life. "John, I want you to calm down. I will find a way to get us out of here." he told him. He was trying to calm him down. "Why were some superhuman teens after us? They called you a vampire. Please, Boss, tell me this is some kind of sick joke" the young man cried. "I am sorry John, I really am. This is all my fault but I will get us out. Just give me a minute to think. When we get back you will get a proper explanation." Kai told him. He just needed some time to think and figure out a plan. The effect of the drug was still noticeable on his body, meaning that it wouldn''t be so easy for him to just break his restraints. He had to use his brain but as he had realized a few times ago, two hundred years out of actions were quite enough to turn someone''s instincts rusty. John had turned quiet, willing to give him the moment he wished for but their captors seemed to have other plans. Their peaceful silence in their luxurious cage was broken,a group of werewolves entering. Kai hadn''t paid much attention before but John was right, they were teens barely eighteen years old. A small friend group of three boys and a girl. They walked inside, holding bags with booze in their hands and locked eyes with their woken prey. "Oh, they are awake" One of the boys exclaimed with excitement. He was the shortest one of all, he had long blonde hair and chestnut colored eyes. He rushed towards them, throwing the bags to the ground with no concern and crouched in front of Kai. "Brandon. I think we should call the Alpha, or the Warriors. We shouldn''t be keeping a vampire here without them knowing." the girl said. She seemed to be a bit scared, her eyes were avoiding Kai and she had let her black hair fall in front of her face. "Come on now Leila." the same boy said. "This, this one is special don''t you know? He came out during the day. Only really strong vampires do that. Why not play with him a bit. August, Sam what do you think?" he asked them but it was slightly obvious that they had no choice. He was the leader of their little group and the twin boys standing in the back nodded. "See, they don''t have a problem." "Yes, but what if we are found out?" The girl asked. "The new Alpha is strict; we can''t simply do whatever we want especially now that the plans are starting to¡­" "Shut up Leila!" the two twins said and looked at her annoyed. "Will you let him hear everything our pack is planning to do?" they told her and she shook her head. Kai could feel John shaking. The poor human had no idea and was probably slowly putting the pieces together. Kai couldn''t let him stay here, he would die if those wolves decided to play with him. "How about you let the human go? It''s me that you want." Kai interrupted their conversation and the boy named Brandon smiled. "So he can go back and bring help?" "Listen kid, when this drug wears off you will probably regret this so why don''t you let me go and I won''t kill you." Kai told him. The wolf laughed, not taking him seriously. Well, he wouldn''t take himself seriously in this situation either but he had to say something. It was Leila, the girl who seemed to be most scared. He looked at her, his eyes filled with hatred and she jumped back, a small scream leaving her lips. "Brandon. I don''t have a good feeling about this. You said it yourself that he is strong. Maybe we should¡­" "The drug won''t wear off. He will be dead by then. I will personally rip his heart out when I am done with him." he said. He took out a knife, it shone underneath the sunlight and Kai stared at it. He was really intending to torture him, he realized. He started to panic, not so much for himself but for John, he could hear him cry, trying to suppress any noise. "You can''t do things like these in front of a human. The rules. Do you think brats like you have the power to go against universal balance?" he asked them. His tone was serious, showing them that he was actually superior to them. He viewed them as children even though he had been captured by them. "Who would know?" "You are too insolent" Kai insulted him and laughed. The young wolf did not like that and he instantly paid for it. A punch landed right on his nose, the same way he had hit probably one of his friends. He heard the bones crack and felt the pain, a hiss escaping his lips while blood reached his chin. "I wouldn''t be so courageous if I were you. You are the prisoner here?" Brandon told him, his eyes seeming angry. He wished to see him, scared. That was something he wouldn''t achieve. Kai had gone through a lot worse than that, being tortured by children was almost comedic. "What''s the difference, you''re going to kill me anyways." Kai said with a smirk. He disliked royalty, he had ended up hating his own upbringing but times like this, his pride and his cockyness would simply surface, reminding him of his family and their way of always looking down on people. "Tick tock little wolf. The drug is slowly wearing off and my muscles are getting tense." he teased him. "Shut up!" The blond shouted and punched him again. "I will not be scared of you. Our kind has been killing you like flies." he shouted and grabbed him from his hair. He brought him forward and slammed him on the table. It broke into many pieces, the bottles landing on the floor.He groaned, feeling his face get cut and hit. Brandon threw him to the side. "Boss, why are you making him even more mad?" John screamed at him and Kai couldn''t help but smile. "This is nothing, barely child''s play." he provoked him again. Brandon stood up. He grabbed one of the bottles and broke it on his head. Shards of glass getting stuck on his skin. It stinged and it hurt but he needed him to make more noise. He was sure someone would listen, someone would come and check up what was going on. This would be his chance, while they were trying to hide he would break the restraints and escape. "You mean that we are weak?" "You are a bright little one, aren''t you?" Kai said. He couldn''t open his eyes though. The blood from the wound on his head was not closing. A result of the drug and every part of his face was slowly being painted red. "Guys, this asshole thinks we are weak. Just because he is a vampire!" Brandon told his little twin friends and finally they seemed to get fired up too. They approached him and they started kicking him. Kai screamed, not just because he wanted to make a ruckus but because he had been turned into a punching bag. He heard the blond one laugh and suddenly an anger began growing inside of him. The world had changed, his world had and he hadn''t managed to catch up to it. "Boss, please let go of him!" John screamed, terrified and the girl stunned by the whole situation rushed to one of the twins. "Sam that''s enough, you''re making too much noise! Someone will hear." She scolded them but it was too late. A knock was heard immediately after on their door and all of them froze.Their heads turned towards the closed door and then at each other. "Come on. Open it." Kai said with a cocky smile and Brandon swore. "Leila, go see who it is. Lead them away, we need to get rid of them." Leila walked hastily to the entrance, barely opening to see who was waiting outside. "What are you doing in there?" A man''s voice was heard and Kai''s eyes widened. He could recognize it everywhere, unchanged in the flow of time. It was him, he was sure of it. "Philip, we¡­" Leila said. "We were play fighting and broke a table." She exclaimed. We are cleaning it up right now." she said. Her friends had stopped hitting him, they were looking at her back, expectant of what was going to happen. Kai was anxious too, was he going to get in? "Let me in, Leila, right this instant.." he told her and pushed the door open. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 17 - 16 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Even though he knew it was impossible, Kai felt like time slowed down. Everything seemed to be in slow motion but the thoughts in his mind. Those were rushing, the dreams, the pain, the tears of two hundred years suddenly they were being revived at the worst time possible. The door opened, revealing a tall figure, even taller than him and Kai lost his breath. During all these years he had seen many handsome men, beautiful people from all over the world but he, he had always been special. Philip, in his eyes, had always been perfect. Was it really reasonable to think about how handsome someone was at a moment like this? Definitely not and Kai clearly knew it but how could he stop himself? How could he deny the beauty he used to worship at one time? For a second he felt sad, disappointed even that the first time he got to see him in so long he looked like this. Beaten up, in a horrible state really. Fear about dying? John crying? Somehow his selfish self had erased all that. In this room there was no one else than Philip and him, a lovestruck fool. A fool who had been in love with the same person for two hundred years. A fool who even now could only see him. He walked inside, his footsteps heavy and the kids moved to a corner of the room terrified but Kai didn''t even care about that. He didn''t care about their reaction, no matter how unusual it was. Why would someone be terrified of their own pack member, they were supposed to be like family? He overlooked that, he actually overlooked everything. All he did was stare at him, gaze at the man who didn''t even spare him a glance. His hair was long, reaching his shoulders, black like a starless night, his eyes brown with green highlights, ones that you could see only in the strong daylight or if you stood really close to him. Once he didn''t need the sunlight to admire his eyes, once he could simply touch him, bring himself closer. Once Philip loved him back. He had a broad chest, strong arms and his skin was slightly tanned. He looked exactly the way he did back then, years ago. His hands were in his pockets and his strict eyes landed on the group of teens. "What the hell were you doing?" he shouted at them. His voice was rough and deep. Kai could easily recognize it. He was surprised though, for a second pulled out by his trance. Philip never used to shout, especially to children. He blinked, suddenly realizing something. Two hundred years, that was how much time had passed and the man in front of him was probably someone else. "We, we found him standing outside your room. He is a pureblood but we caught him! We wanted to play with him. I swear we were going to call the Alpha but¡­" "A pureblood?" Philip asked and his eyes landed on Kai. The vampire felt embarrassed, his appearance did not match a pureblood, definitely not a prince. He coughed, wishing for Philip to look away. This was not the reunion he was hoping for. Was he hoping for a reunion? Why did he suddenly feel so confused? "This?" he asked with a downgrading tone and Kai''s eyes widened. Did he just speak down on him? "And this?" he asked, pointing at John who had been crying all this time. "A human" "A human? Why the fuck would you bring a human here? Don''t you know about the rules?" Philip shouted. They all flinched, taking a step back. "We...we are sorry...we" "Shut it. Simply shut up. All of you get out of here right this instant. We will talk about your punishment later." Philip said and pointed at the open door. The four kids rushed outside in a hurry, pushing each other to see who would manage to get out first. Philip once they were gone walked towards the door and closed it, a sigh escaping his lips as he stared back at the two hostages. "What the hell am I supposed to do with you two now?" he asked out loud. "Free us, please. I did not sign up for this" John cried, drawing his attention and Philip flicked his tongue annoyed. Yes, Kai thought. This person, he was not the man he had loved. Suddenly an immense sadness overtook him, he wanted to cry, but he couldn''t. Philip approached Kai first, crouching and undoing the restraints on his ankles. "I really wonder how four kids managed to catch a pureblood." he said and Kai scoffed, making him look at him. "Will you kill us?" "Sadly I can''t. They brought a human here so I have to release you. But don''t worry. One day maybe I will get the pleasure of finishing a pureblood." he said. He was smirking as he walked behind him. His fingertips touched Kai''s pale wrists. He felt their warmth through his cold skin, they grabbed the rough rope and ripped it in an instant. Kai took a deep breath. Just from a small touch he felt like he had been electrocuted. Once again the universe was against him. He had decided not to see him, he had decided to keep him simply buried in his heart but now, he was barely escaping from his claws. The thought that he would have killed him if John was not here hurt more than the punches or the bottles. "How old are you?" Kai asked him once his wrists were free and Philip frowned. "Nineteen." he answered. Kai wiped his face from the blood, his wounds slowly beginning to heal revealing his beautiful face. After he had revealed enough of his characteristics he looked at the wolf, right in the eyes as they glistened. Tears had gathered in them, without him wanting to. He was so weak at the worst moments. He hated himself for that. He smiled, revealing the diamond like beads from his eyes and Philip blinked, surprised by his reaction. They stood there for a few seconds. A surprised werewolf by the tears of a vampire. It was said that Vampires never cried, that they were emotionless but now once more the brutal myth had proven to be wrong because Kai was crying while he smiled, a bitterness showing on his angelic face. "What do you want from me?" Philip asked. "Why were you outside my room?" "I...Well, it was simply a mistake." Kai answered him. "Avoid making such mistakes in the future, I don''t want anyone to think I''ve been associating with vampires. Untie your friend and get the hell out of here. The next time I see you, you are dead." Philip said. For some reason he waited for his answer. "You won''t see me again. I promise." Kai told him and the werewolf turned around. He left the room without saying a word. He simply turned his back on him and disappeared, as unexpectedly as he had appeared. Kai untied the young human who had stopped crying by now. He was feeling a bit safer. They walked out the room in silence and called the elevator. "I want explanations about everything." he said and Kai nodded. For some reason he didn''t have the strength to say anything else. It didn''t matter anymore. "Also this was the guy you wanted to see? He seems like a brute. I don''t like him. Boss, this is the first time I am seeing you this sad." John said. "Did I look sad?" "Well of course, I almost started crying again. It was as if your heart was breaking." "You saw it but he didn''t." Kai mumbled when the sound of the elevator was heard. The doors opened revealing the spacious lift and the mirror in front of them. Kai raised his head, stared at his own reflection before he walked in "John, watch out." he called but it was too late. The young human hadn''t noticed. It was that blond boy. He had grabbed John and brought him towards him. John screamed, surprised when the young wolf dived his teeth in his shoulder. Tears flooded his eyes. Kai grabbed John, taking him back. "What the fuck did you just do?" he asked the werewolf. "It was his fault!" Brandon said before he disappeared. "Boss, Boss what did¡­" "Shit." Kai swore and carried John into the elevator. Everything had happened so fast. He had been so stuck in his own thoughts that he noticed it too late. Again, he was too late. "What is happening?" he asked him. "He bit me!" he shouted and watched his bleeding shoulder. "John, listen to me. You will either turn into a werewolf or you will die." Kai announced and the young human fainted right into his arms. ... Hello! Please leave a nice comemnt and a vote if you''re enjoying the book.. Our destined meeting has happened but it wasn''t like everyone hoped. How will things evolve? You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 18 - 17 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Philip felt annoyed. He didn''t know what it was exactly. He didn''t know how that annoyance had been caused but he wanted it to end. He had believed it was because the children had acted like idiots and created so much for him to do. Thankfully though things ended more civilized than he had thought. Even after punishing them nothing changed. This feeling on his chest, this weight that was pulling him down kept bothering him and his face, that man''s face and his tears were still vivid on his mind even hours later. He had met with the Alpha, he had talked with a few of his pack members, he had gotten lunch and even slept but nothing changed. His mind was occupied by that horrid image. That blond vampire, staring at him like he had made the worst mistake in the world crying.That was why Philip had decided to head to the hotel''s gym. As he exercised he believed that his mind would be able to travel elsewhere but once again he had been mistaken. He dropped the weights he was holding, the heavy metal making a hollow sound as it hit the floor and for a few seconds everyone turned around to look at him. He sighed and his long fingers dived in his hair as he sat down. His reflection seemed concerned, he did not like that but what else should he do? No matter what those eyes were still there, piercing his soul. "For how long are you going to stay in the gym?" he heard a familiar voice and turned around. It was Mika, his best friend. He had just walked in with a white towel on his shoulders. "Are you maybe running away from something?" he asked him and sat down next to him. "How did you know?" Philip asked him back and the red haired wolf laughed. He patted his shoulder, disgusted immediately as he felt the sweat transern on his palm. He wiped it on Philips'' pants making him scoff. "You always run away at the gym every time you have something that burdens you. Like the actual meathead you are." he teased him and Phlip looked at him, slightly insulted. "I''m joking, I am joking. Relax. So tell me what has been bugging your smart little mind?" "You''re not funny you know that?" Philip told him and grabbed his towel from Mika''s shoulder. He flipped it around a few times and used it to whip him with it. "I am actually very concerned." "Do say." "If you keep making fun of me I will fucking punch you. I am not joking." Philip told him. He stared at their reflections. He would soon turn twenty, something that excited most werewolves but Philip wasn''t so sure about it. Mika had already turned twenty, he was almost twenty one and when Philip had asked him if they knew each other in their previous lives he said yes, that made him happy, what worried him though was that Mika would not answer him anything else. Especially about the mark on his neck, it appeared when he turned eighteen. An elaborate mark of a half moon. It looked too much like a tattoo but he had never gotten one. Mika had told him it was magical, a remnant from his previous life but he wasn''t willing to explain everything else. His eyes would get clouded every time he mentioned it. That''s why Philip was a bit scared to turn twenty, scared that he would find out things he didn''t want to. "I''m sorry. I won''t make fun of you I promise. So tell me what happened?" Mika said, toning down his teasing for a bit. Philip took a second to gather his thoughts. There were so many things. In just a few moments he had managed to feel such a disturbing mix of emotions and he didn''t know how to describe it. "In your own words." Mika said and Philip rolled his eyes. He was saying that to make him feel better, that was for sure. "You know about the incident today, where the kids on my floor brought a vampire into their room together with a human."Philip began and Mika nodded. They were both parts of the wolf warriors so naturally they would know when something important happened in the pack. Especially if the Alpha was meant to hear about it. All information would go through them first then to the Beta to assess it and after everything it would reach their Alpha so naturally Mika was one of the first to know about any news. "Did the Alpha scold you? I didn''t think he would pay much attention to an incident like that, I mean, weren''t those guys just kids?" he asked and Philip nodded, "Yes, yes. Nothing happened with the Alpha. Everything is fine." "What is it then?" "It was the vampire. He had been found standing outside my room and he¡­" "The vampire? Who was he?" Mika asked him, curious. "I don''t know, I did not ask for his name but I know he was a pureblood." Philip announced. He noticed instantly the change in Mika. Through the mirror he watched his best friend tense, his eyes avoiding any contact. "And...what did he tell you? What is it that bothers you about him?" he asked hastily as if he was searching to find the right words. Philip was aware of suspicious behaviour but he decided not to comment about it. "He didn''t say much, he was badly beaten up, at first I couldn''t even see his face properly. As his wounds healed his face was clearer. He asked for my age and then, then he started crying" Philip revealed and Mika scoffed. "And are you phazed by this? Since when do you care about vampires? He was probably pretending to get you to release him. They are cunning creatures, they only think of themselves, that''s why our pack wants to put an end to them." "I know, I know and I wasn''t¡­.I...I don''t know I just cant get him out of my head." Philip said, sounding very concerned. "Why? If you don''t care, why can''t you get him out of your head?" Mika asked him, pressuring him. He wanted to know the reason. He had visited Kai, he had warned him to run away but of course he hadn''t listened to him. Philip was not even twenty yet and just from a few minutes he was affected badly. This was once more meant to go wrong, Mika knew it. He also knew there was nothing he could do to stop it and it made him anxious. "Tell me Philip, what is it that you''re thinking so much about him?" Mika asked again and heard Philip exhale. "It might sound stupid but¡­" "I won''t judge you, just tell me." His friend told him and this time he sounded completely serious. Philip looked at him. "Mika, the moment I saw him I realized, I''ve never seen a more beautiful person in my life." "But he is a vampire, Phlip." "For a second I thought he was an angel." the werewolf said. "Do not see him. Ever again. He was just pretty, that''s it. Vampires do that. They lure you in with their beauty." Mika told him, urging him to forget. "I know, I know" Philip agreed. But why did he look so disappointed? You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 19 - 18 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com There were plenty of different ways Kai could have announced the news to his employee. The boy was shaking, his shoulder bleeding, a huge bite mark prominent on his body and when he heard Kai''s words he ended up fainting of course. Maybe all that information in one day was a bit too much, maybe John was easily scared, Kai couldn''t tell, all these things were normal to him and for a second he felt bad, he couldn''t understand John''s feelings. He had dragged him into this without the human knowing the truth. He had scammed him in a way. Kai held him in his arms, his mind rushing as he tried to find a way to reach home without being noticed when the elevator doors opened wide revealing him, drenched in blood with an unconscious man in his arms. The people that were walking in front of them stopped, staring at them with wide eyes and Kai frowned, feeling overly exposed. He took a deep breath and walked outside trying to ignore them and the staff that seemed to be approaching them in a hurry. His eyes were focused on the exit, blocking everything else from his vision when a familiar figure walked in. The possibility of him being relieved more in his life was very little. "Lun!" He exclaimed and rushed towards his friend while holding John in his arms. He still hadn''t woken up and Kai knew that it was because of the bite. The human''s body felt hot, as if he was having a very high fever. Lun stopped and took off his sunglasses, examining him with a perplexed expression on his face. He parted his lips, ready to speak but he couldn''t find the words. "What are you doing here?" He finally ended up asking. "I...well...there is no time for that. Get me out of here, now. There are wolves and John has been bitten" he told him and Lun spotted the nasty bite mark on the man''s shoulder. He hissed like he was the one in pain. "Come on." He told him and changed direction. Kai followed him in a hurry and they found themselves outside. "My car." He told one of the men outside and soon in front of them stood a black colored expensive car. "Please don''t get blood on my seats" he said as he helped Kai place John in the back seats. The man groaned, showing signs of being in pain and Kai frowned, this too was his fault. Kai sat on the front, waiting for Lun to get in and start the engine. As he drove off for a few seconds both of them were silent. "So, you found them. Before me actually." Lun broke the silence and Kai nodded "I did. Mika visited me. From what he said I realized that Philip was back. I don''t know what got into me. I just wanted to see him. I brought John into this. I got beaten up by some stupid teenagers and I met him. But it wasn''t really him, he was different. I don''t know. I shouldn''t have gone there." He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. "Why didn''t they kill you?" Lun asked. "Because John was there. He is or maybe was a human." "You believe he will turn? Most of them die." The vampire stated and Kai shrugged his shoulders. Their curse acted the same way a disease did. For werewolves if you got bitten by them and you were a human you would get turned or die. Most humans though do not survive the process and end up dead. If a vampire get bitten by a werewolf during a full moon they get poisoned and die. There is an antidote but it has been kept a secret to the vampires and it''s very difficult to find. In the case of the vampires a human could be turned but drinking a vampire''s blood and then dying. Then they would return as one of the undead. Not many vampires did that anymore. Bloodbound was actually overpopulated. They had humans brought in to act as blood donors. Then they deleted their memories and send them back, the more they were though, the more humans they would need, the more attention they would draw. "I don''t know. I just hope he does. Because if he does it will be my fault." Kai said and Lun chuckled as he took an open turn in the almost empty road. "Where are we going?" "My house. Also that sounds so egotistical, Kai. You want him to live just so you won''t feel guilty. You know when I first found you I waited a bit. I observed and for a second I thought that you might have changed but I guess I was wrong. A prince is always a prince." He told him. "I have changed." "Yeah, you might have stopped swearing and acting like a spoiled brat but that''s just a front isn''t it?" His friend asked him. "You didn''t leave because you hated Bloodbound. You didn''t leave because you hated being a spoiled prince. You left because you hated your family. That itself is spoiled." "You have no idea what happened." "Because you never told me!" Lun exclaimed, annoyed. "All I knew was that one day you fucking killed Philip and left. You never found me, you never asked for my help. You never trusted me. I guess you and I were never friends." "That is not true and you know it. You were...you are my friend, my only friend." Kai said with a sad expression on his face. "I just can''t tell you. There is no reason anymore. Everything is in the past." "If it''s in the past then why did you search for him? You killed him Kai. There is no way he will see you and be like oh my, my love how I missed you." "I know. I know that very well. I was never planning to be with him again." "Then what were you planning?" Lun asked and Kai smiled bitterly. He turned his head to the side, staring out the window as everything disappeared. Buildings were left behind, skyscrapers and small stores until they were outside the city and big fields spread around them. "I just wanted to see him. Even for just a second. I...I didn''t want his face to fade from my mind, Lun. His eyes, his smile. I wanted to be able to remember all of them. They are my only comfort and I couldn''t. I could resist going there. His voice was exactly the same, the color of his hair, the tone of his skin. The way he walked. Everything but the way he looked at me." He said. "You''re such an idiot." Lun commented and Kai scoffed. "I know that too. I won''t get close to them. Never again." "Well that''s gotta have to wait." Lun said and the vpore prince stared at him confused. "Why?" "If that little human turns into a wolf we will have to take him to Moonshine. It''s one of them that actually bit him right? He is theirs now." "I don''t know if that''s a good idea. John can''t be with them. He won''t fit in there." Kai commented. "There is no other way. Or will you keep a baby pup? What if he bites you during a full moon? This kid is not Philip. He wasn''t born a wolf, he will be lost and probably cause havoc." Lun explained and Kai nodded. His friend was wrong. Their kinds were supposed to be enemies so keeping John with him could be a fatal mistake. He didn''t want him to be like them though, like those kids that only wanted a reason to kill. "We will wait and see." Kai decided as they reached their destination. A big mansion in the middle of nowhere at the top of a hill. It''s architecture was modern with minimalistic traits and lots of windows. It also had a pool. "Good thing you have some pureblood in you because with all those windows you would end up sleeping in a coffin" Kai teased him and Lun laughed. "I have you to thank for that." "Yes, I helped you just for you to call me spoiled." He said while he headed to the back seat. He opened the car door and faced John. He was groaning, his face frowned as he twitched. Kai felt guilty, seeing him like this he couldn''t stop but beg for him to live. "Let''s take him inside." He said and brought him back into his arms. He was shaking, biting his lips hard while a huge wrinkle had formed between his eyebrows. "John, can you hear me?" He asked, feeling how hot the young man was. "Boss? What''s happening?" John stuttered as they entered the mansion. "It''s going to be alright. Don''t worry.", He told him. Lun led him to the living room, a spacious room with a window wall and a very big black leather couch. There was also a mini bar and a huge TV on the grey colored wall. Kai let go of him gently and placed him on the couch, putting a cushion under his sweating head. After they entered the room, a woman followed them and stood at the door frame, her eyes stuck on Kai. "Sir" she called, referring to Lun. "Is that¡­" "You did not see anyone. If word that the prince is here comes out of this mansion I will kill you all, am I clear?" He threatened her with a strict look and she nodded, terrified. "Good. Let the staff know then. Also bring a bucket with water and towels." He ordered her and she hurried away. "It''s going to be fine John" Kai whispered and caressed his short hair, wanting to provide him some comfort. "Am I going to die?" John asked, barely opening his eyes to meet his. "Yes." Lun answered. "No!" Kai shouted. "You won''t die. It''s going to be alright. I promise." He said. "I''m sorry John." "It''s not your fault." He said, his voice rough as if he didn''t have any water in days. "I liked it. Being of use to you. Seeing you feel something. I hope I helped." He mumbled and Kai held his hand. "You did. Of course you did." "Good." The young human said with a faint smile on his lips before he turned completely silent. He was still. Not shaking anymore. Kai''s eyes widened and Lun took a step closer trying to see better. "Kai, is he dead?" He asked his friend. .... Hello! how do we like the book so far? I hope you''re enjoying it.. if you are please give the story a vote and a nice comment. Thank you for reading! Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 20 - 19 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Death. It was certainly a very complicated matter. Deep and sometimes even scary for some. The idea of an end, of the rotting flesh and the ceasing of the soul was terrifying. Humans were always tortured by that idea. Losing a loved one, a family member or a friend was one of the worst moments in someone''s life. Getting ill and knowing when you will die was unbearable. There were so many sides to death, so many horrific aspects. The pain, the unknown after. Humans thought of those things, again and again some more than others but it was sure that everyone, at least one had gotten depressed about it. About the inevitable end. What about those who faced eternity though? What did death mean to them? To Kai and to Lun death was something so far away. The human pain was too unknown and many times their kind, the wolves and all the supernaturals seemed to forget the meaning of life, its value. If they stabbed themselves they would live, if they cut their heads off nothing would happen. They felt the pain but they had the certainty of survival. That knowledge turned them numb, insensitive. They didn''t care and that''s why they didn''t mind the killing, not the wolves and not them too. But what happened when it came to John? "So is he dead?" Lun asked as he approached Kai to get a better look. The prince was frozen, staring at the expressionless face as he waited. He pleaded for something to happen, his lips parted. "I...I don''t know." "Let''s not keep him here too long, it will start to stink." "Lun! Shut up" Kai said and moved closer. He tried to see if he was breathing. Was his heart beating? He couldn''t hear very well, it was as if his panic was clouding his senses. "He''s not dead" Kai exclaimed happily as he placed his ear close to the man''s heart. "Wait, you mean he turned?" Lun asked with a surprised expression. "That''s¡­.unusual" he mumbled and pinched John''s cheek, slapping his face and moving his head around as if he was a doll. Kai slapped his arm, urging him to stop and their eyes locked the moment the human frowned. "Water" he whispered, his voice rough and Kai stood up. He grabbed Lun making him rise too and pushed him outside. "Go get water. Now! John, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Kai whispered close to his ear. John heard him. It took a few minutes to process who was talking to him. He felt heavy, as if a rock had been resting on his chest and his eyes fluttered open. A big room, not one he was familiar with and he frowned, trying to remember. "Shit.", He swore and shot up. "Boss! What the heck just happened?" He asked him, touching his body, in disbelief that he was still alive. "I thought I was dead." "You''re not dead. It''s fine. It''s going to be fine." Kai told him with a comforting smile when John''s eyes wandered at the entrance of the living room. Lun was just entering. "Hey, you''re actually alive. I guess you''re a little wolf now." He said with a smile while holding a glass of water and John''s jaw dropped. He turned his head, staring at the vampire stunned and Kai but his lip, unable to say anything. "What the heck happened?" John asked. "Well, things are a bit complicated¡­." "You''re a werewolf." Lun revealed with ease. "Good thing actually because orelse you would be dead." "I am a what?" "You are¡­" "Lun shut your mouth before I shut it for you. Here, drink your water. Take a deep breath" Kai said and grabbed the glass of cool water, handing it to John who gulped it down in one go. He took a hurried breath and then placed the glass on the table, his eyes focusing on Kai. "I''m ready. Tell me everything." "Can I tell him?" Lun asked with a grin on his face. He was sitting on the couch, staring at John with a look that made him feel really uncomfortable. Kai stood up and headed towards him. He grabbed one of the cushions and smacked it on the vampire''s face. "I''ll take that as a no." He said with a frown. "Okay. So, let''s start from the basics. Humans, are not the only...beings in this world." Kai began explaining. "I figured that¡­" "Don''t interrupt me, this talk is hard enough as it is. So¡­" "Like when you talk to your teen children about sex. That tough" Lun teased him and Kai turned towards him, mouthing a bunch of bad words at him. "As I was saying, there are other beings. Witches, vampires, werewolves and many more. The thing is we are cursed. Werewolves and vampires were created by the curse of a witch. It''s like a sickness, one initial family was cursed and then it spread like a disease. Werewolves get turned by being bitten by another werewolf. You got bitten by one. Many people don''t survive the transition, you actually made it and now you are a newborn wolf. That Means that every full moon you will be forced to transform into a wolf. You will be faster and have A very keen sense of smell, you will also be strong and have the ability to change whenever you want as you master your powers. You will also get to live hundreds of years and then reincarnate. You see a part of our curse is that we shall never find peace in death. When wolves turn twenty they get fragments of their previous lives, that way they meet their mate. Their destined partner. The thing is you''re a new soul so, I don''t know how it works. If you will meet them in this life or not." Kai said. John was listening very carefully, trying to be calm through all of this and he took a prolonged breath. "I am a wolf." He said and Kai nodded "You are." "Are we sure?" He asked and Kai grabbed the glass in a hurry. In the speed of light he tossed it towards John. He hadn''t even managed to see him toss it but still he caught it so easily as if the glass was moving slowly. He looked at it, resting on his palm and whined. "This can''t be happening." "Would you prefer to be dead?" Lun asked. "No!" "Then be happy. I mean the only thing is that every full moon you will lose it. But that''s pretty much it." "What do you mean?" "During the full moon wolves usually lose their human senses. That''s why most packs travel to the woods for their transformation." "A pack?" John asked. "And what are you people? Why were those werewolves after you Boss? What did you do?" "Well I¡­" "This is going to be good" Lun said and chcukeld. "Lun and I are vampires. Our species unfortunately are sworn enemies." "Is that it? Tell him more Kai." "Lun shut up." "Tell me what?" "Kai is a prince. Royalty. He is the youngest son of the vampire monarchy. You see there is something like a parallel universe, a rift in reality where most vampires live. This place is called Bloodbound and there is a monarchy. Kai here is a runaway from his family and he is in love with a werewolf." "Oh my god." John exclaimed. "Boss, your life is better than a soap opera" "Out of everything that happened. This is what shocks you?" Kai asked him, annoyed. "But...but you''re a prince. Should I call you your highness?" "No, John. Don''t" "So now that you know what are you going to do?" Lun asked him. "I...I don''t know. Take a few days to think. Find a way to keep my life the way it is" he said. Lun stared at him for a second. Trying to understand if he was serious. When he made sure he wasn''t joking he burst out laughing. "That is not possible, little dog. Your life will never be the same. You will have to go to the pack that created you and also, there is a full moon coming up, just tomorrow night. You''re poisonous to vampires during that night. We can''t keep you here." Lun said and finally, John realized how messed up this whole situation was. .... Hello! is anyone reading? if you are please tell me in the comments what you think of the book and leave a vote! Thank you for reading. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 21 - 20 Chaos spread during the next minutes in the spacious living room. John was having a mental breakdown as he realized that his life was never going to be the same again and Lun made it all even worse by adding information like supernatural hunters and the dangers all around them. "It''s going to be alright John. Please relax. It''s not as bad as it seems." Kai said, trying to calm him down. "I don''t want to go with them. Those psychos tried to kill us. They wanted to kill you boss. They but me out of spite and you''re telling me I have to be with them?" John exclaimed angrily. "You are a wolf. You need a pack. It''s impossible to survive for long being an omega. You need to go there, find their Alpha, their leader and tell them you got bit by one of their own. They will accept you and train you." Lun told him, not phazed at all by his reaction. "No. My life should be my decision." "So what will you do when you turn during the full moon? Start killing people? Want to be a murderer?" "No...I...that''s not what I want but¡­" "Stop pressuring him, Lun. I think you''re right John. Your life is yours even if it got turned upside down. I...we can find a way. I think I could contact Mika and he could help you without getting the pack involved." "No!" Lun told him. "We agreed you will stay away from them. Their pack is hunting and killing vampires. Are you insane?" "We can try! It''s my fault he is like this. The least I can do is help him" Kai said, the guilt obvious in his blue eyes and Lun sighed. "Boss¡­" John called out. "I don''t blame you. That prick was the one who bit me, not you. You have always been nice to me." "Kai? Nice?" Lun said and scoffed. "I wouldn''t depend on him too much if I were you. He is not as nice as he looks" he said with a grin and John looked at the tall man with a frown on his face. "What do you¡­" "Enough!" "He killed his lover, you know. He was destined lovers with a werewolf and he murdered him. Ripped his heart off like it meant nothing." "Lun for once shut up!" Kai told him. He was angry but his friend did not stop. He kept pushing and pushing. "And the funny part is we don''t even know why he did it. He swore he was crazy about him and one day he simply ran away after having killed him. Did he go insane? Who knows." He said and shrugged his shoulders. "You really want to do this now?" Kai asked him, walking towards him. He extended his arms and grabbed him from the collar of his expensive shirt, pulling him towards him. "I know what you''re trying to do." "What am I trying to do? I am telling your little friend the truth. Or do you wish to keep living in a lie? Didn''t you say it yourself, you''re a monster." Lun told him and at that moment Kai lost it. He grabbed the man and tossed him on the wall, making him land with his back on the harsh cement. A hole was created, pieces flying everywhere but Lun seemed to be fine. He stood up and faced Kai. He punched him, making the blonde''s face get colored by blood again and Kai''s fangs appeared. They were sharp and long, a sign of his anger as he grabbed Lun by the neck and raised him from the ground. "You fucker" he swore and kicked him in the stomach making him cough. "I don''t want to hear any of these from you, am I clear?" He asked him and Lun smiled, agitating him. Kai dropped him, releasing him from his grip and a fight started. It was punch and dodge, kick and turn with the prince winning. It was obvious who was stronger. Lun knew it too, he remembered very well that purebloods were beyond them but still he needed to get it off his chest, this frustration of his. "You are ridiculous. Running and hiding like a child!" Lun exclaimed and Kai grabbed him from his hair, smacking his head on the wall twice. "What is it to you? Why do you care so much what I do?", Kai shouted. "Because I missed you!" Lun screamed and the prince instantly froze. "You were my only friend. My only support and one day you simply fucking disappeared. I was left all alone wondering what the heck had happened. I knew you were spoiled, I knew you cared only about yourself and Philip but I thought, I really believed like a fool that you would care even a bit for me. But you erased me from your life as if I was nothing!" He said and grabbed Kai''s wrist, catching him off guard. He threw him on the couch breaking off their contact. "I needed you too in that hellhole." He said and pushed his hair away from his face. "See little wolf. This is the boss you admire.a fucking selfish prick." "Lun, wait" Kai said and stood up trying to stop him. "No. There is no need. Anyways I will send someone to get Mika and bring him to you. Do not go there and create more trouble. After this you and I will part our ways. There is a car waiting outside. Go home Kai." He told him coldy and left the room. "Boss¡­" John called out, concerned. "What he said, was it true?" "From beginning to the end," Kai answered with a bitter smile. "Come on let''s go back." He told him and started walking, heading the opposite direction from his friend. They walked outside where a car was truly waiting for them. The driver was standing at the side of the back door and opened it for them to go in. John day in first and then Kai followed. His green blue eyes were staring outside as the mansion slowly disappeared from his sight. The prince sighed, running his eyes in frustration. "I...did you really kill your lover?" John asked again. "Yes, yes I did it." He said frustrated. "I did it and I have been hating myself for two hundred years so let''s stop talking about it" "The guy you were looking for. He was your lover. He reincarnated. Like you said." "You catch on quickly." "Does he remember you?" "No, it''s better like that. If he did, he would probably try to kill me." "But why did you¡­" "John, at the moment worry about your own problems. Tomorrow is a full moon. We need Mika, pray that he won''t reject us." Kai said and John nodded. He knew it was about time he stopped asking. No matter how curious he was he could see in the vampire''s face that there was no way for him to start talking. Kai''s head was resting on the window, his eyes lost into some kind of distant memory. John felt bad just by looking at him. He was right, he should be worrying about himself but how could he ignore him when he was looking like that. As if his whole world had been ruined. "You should talk with your friend" John suggested. "And tell him what? He was right." "He cares about you. A lot. I can see it" "Lun and I met when I was really young. Maybe around ten for me and eleven for him? I don''t remember well" Allias said with a sad smile. "He was the son of a rich merchant that had acquired a lot of power and my parents wanted them on their side so naturally I was forced to be friends with him. Man, he was really annoying. Following me around. Even coming to the same academy as me. I really wanted him to be gone until one day I found out that the reason he was following me was because he couldn''t be at home. His father was a horrible man, he was hurting him, physically and mentally. He wanted to escape. I had heard my mum talk about it. After I found out I felt bad for him and kept him around. When you spend so much time with someone you start to like them it''s inevitable. Especially when he got into a fight for me. Some kids were making fun of me, think of the audacity by the way and Lun got so angry. He is not fond of fighting but still he got into a heated fight with five kids, older than us. They hurt him so bad that they almost killed him. I had to give him some of my blood. Ever since then he can walk in the sun, something that only purebloods can do. We''ve been inseparable ever since. Until I left him" Kai said. John was surprised he chose to share his story with him but still he listened carefully. "I think you should try. A friend like that won''t stop being with you so easily. You have a strong bond" "We will see. Come on. You will be staying with me for now. We need to talk about a few things anyways, I can keep an eye on you like that too." Kai said and John realized the car had stopped. They had reached his boss'' house.. The driver got off and opened the doors for them, his eyes suspiciously staring at Kai and the young prince stared back aggressively. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 22 - 21 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com It was just a hunch at first. A weird feeling that someone kept watching him. He couldn''t pinpoint though if he was right or not. From the moment he woke up to when he exercised and after lunch the red haired werewolf felt a pair of eyes staring right at the back of his head. Even when he was confined in the peace of his room the feeling remained, making him feel very uncomfortable. He sighed and dropped the magazine he was lazily reading on the coffee table and stood up. His footsteps were heavy as he opened the door of his room and headed outside, facing the long corridor. He lived close to Philip so he ran over to his room, knocking at his door impatiently. The wolf was not the one that answered him though. It was a girl, a member from their pack dressed in a white sheet. Mika locked eyes with her and another sigh escaped his thin lips. "Where is he?" He asked her, not even bothering to say hello. The girl moved to the side, allowing him to enter Philip''s personal space and Mika walked inside. The tall man was sprawled on his bed, looking like a starfish as he slept soundly. His friend grabbed the sheets and revealed his half naked body, exposing him to the cold of the early winter and he groaned, turning to his side and hugging his pillow. "Wake up you bastard." He said. "Get out of my room." Philip said and raised his arm, shooing him away. Mika didn''t say anything. He grabbed the clothes that belonged to the girl that had been thrown in various spots on the floor and handed them to her. "Sorry but we are busy. Goodbye now" he told her, pushing her outside before he loudly closed the door. "Every day¡­." Mika said as he grabbed Philip''s ankles and pulled him off the bed "...I see a different person leave your room. Wasn''t that guy yesterday? The one from the reception?" "Wish that were you?" Philip teased him and sat up, knowing that he couldn''t avoid Mika any longer. "Thanks but I don''t want any STDs" the red haired man said with a cocky smile. "Also, it will be night soon. Why the heck are you sleeping?" "Helps calm my nerves." Philip told him and stretched his arms in the air. His muscles flexed, the lines obvious on his ripped body and he groaned. He looked like a statue, handsome, undeniably resembling a Greek god and Mika scoffed. "Nerves about what?" "You don''t have to know." Philip answered and stood up. He picked up his jeans from the floor and wore them, hopping slightly to get his foot through. "Why are you here?" "I have a weird feeling" "Well, there is a full moon tomorrow. It might be that. Did they bring the cars? I heard we''re all traveling to the forest." "I have no idea. But that''s not it. It''s something else. I feel like someone''s watching me." Mika said. "Who would be watching you? This floor and the three below are all ours. Maybe a fangirl?" He teased him. "I am serious." "It''s just the full moon Mika. Chill. Now go downstairs at the bar and wait for me. A drink will make you relax." His friend said. Mika shook his head, disappointed but didn''t say anything. The reason was Philip was probably right. He opened the door without a word and left, deciding that he did need a drink. He entered the elevator, another man was in with him. "Sir." The stranger said and Mika looked at him with a frown. He was human, he realized. The man took a piece of paper from his pocket and while the elevator traveled down he handed it to him. Mika opened it and read the message, his eyes widening more and more as he read the well written lines. Once he was done he crumpled the paper and smacked the wall, leaving a bump on the strong metal. "Fucking idiots. Us and them both" he mumbled and bit his lip, trying to think what he should do next. "There is a car waiting for you downstairs. Please follow me. I do believe you''re at fault too. Your pack that is." The man told him, phrasing exactly what he was thinking. How could that idiot turn a human like that? Especially a human who was close to vampires. And not just any vampires. The son of the royal family and one of the richest merchants. Of course he would have to deal with it. There was no one else who knew them after all. He heard the familiar blink of the elevator and the doors opened, revealing the spacious reception. People were rushing around and Philip was already there, waiting for him at the entrance of the bar. He had taken the stairs, lucky Mika, he thought and cursed. "Let''s go. But be careful, we can''t be seen" the red haired wolf warned the unknown man. Mika was right after all, someone did watch him. That prick Lun didn''t even have the guts to come and find him. He had sent a human because he knew he couldn''t kill him. He wanted to lay low. Philip couldn''t know of this. Especially since Kai was involved. He would try to keep them apart. Especially with the situation right now at their pack no one could know that he was helping vampires. He would be screwed. Mika walked behind unknown people, discreetly hiding his tall figure as he reached close to the entrance. The moment he stepped outside he exhaled, relieved that he had succeeded and found himself standing right in front of a black luxurious car. The human opened the back door for him and Mika entered sitting at the other side. He looked at the front and waited for the man to round the car and enter when the back door next to him opened and someone jumped in. He turned his head, his dark eyes widening as he faced him. "Where are we going?" Philip asked him as he closed the door behind him. "Also, your attempt at running away? Horrible." He teased him. "Get off." Mika told him angrily but Philip had no intention of moving. "No." He simply said. "So tell me. What secret thing will we be doing?" He asked again. Mika''s head landed roughly on the seat, his eyes closed as he tried to hide his frustration. "Listen well, this has to stay between us. That idiot. He turned the human that was here. He is a werewolf now. That vampire who was with him, his friend. He is the youngest son of the vampire king. So we will go there, help the wolf through the full moon and come back because if the Alpha finds out the mess we''ve created we''re screwed. So be civil" "Where do you know him from? The vampire". "Another life." Mika simply stated. "Now shut up and let me think." He said the moment the driver entered the car. He didn''t question Philip''s presence nor did he say anything. He simply started the engine and drove off. Mika remained quiet for the whole way there. The truth was he didn''t want Philip along but he knew he would simply become more suspicious if he tried to leave him out. He was worried about the way he would react around Kai. Last time a few minutes were enough for him, some simple gazes and Philip almost looked bewitched. Kai''s beauty was known, the whole supernatural world spoke once about it. He was dangerous. Just his eyes alone could have a king burning down his kingdom for him. Mika did not want Philip to suffer again, not like last time. he didn''t deserve it and he hated Kai for it. For everything that had happened. For the doom that he brought upon them, the pain that he caused. "When we get there." he said after a while, gaining Philip''s attention. "Don''t try to be their friends. We just need to help the wolf. That''s it." he stated and Philip laughed. "Why would I ever want to be friends with Vampires. Are you insane? There is no being that I hate more than them. Last time, it was just a mistake." he told him and Mika nodded. This way of thinking was good. It suited him and made things easier. "No killing though" Mika warned him. "Bummer" Philip said with a devilish grin. ... hello everyone! hope you liked the chapter and the book this far. if you did please give it a vote and a nice comment. what do you think will be happening between Kai and Philip in the next chapters? I am pretty excited to be honest.. thank you for reading! See you next time and have a nice day. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 23 - 22 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com "So you people drink blood?" John asked Kai. They were in Kai''s apartment, waiting. Lun had let him know that Mika was approaching with his car but when Kai asked him to come too he had denied his offer. Hearing that the vampire''s mood had been utterly ruined. How could he fix things if Lun was not even willing to talk to him? He was trying to forget about it, he was focused on John and answering his questions while they sat in his living room. It was small with a couch and an armchair. A small round coffee table that had been colored black by him and a bookcase. There was no TV actually. He did not enjoy the new entertainment. He seemed to still prefer books and theatre. "Yes." "Do the people you drink from die?" "Depends. The truth is that when you drink blood it feels good. For both parties. So good it''s hard to stop. You can though. If you do stop you erase the person''s memories and then you''re fine. If you can''t stop, they die. Drinking blood for purebloods is different though" "What''s different about it?" "We can''t drink blood from many different people. It''s like a price for evolved powers. Purebloods when they turn eighteen they choose a human who will willingly provide them with blood for eternity. Once they find them, blood from others will taste horrible and make them throw up. The moment though they make this pact they get stronger" Kai he explained and John nodded, satisfied with the answer. "And you? Where is your human?" "I don''t have one. My blood source was my lover" Kai revealed and John exclaimed, surprised. "The werewolf? Is that even possible?" "Yes it is" Kai responded with a chuckle. "Wait. That means that all blood now tastes bad to you? That must be ¡­" "Horrible" the vampire stated. "I''ve learned to control it. Sometimes I fool myself that I like it. When I am really hungry." For a while they sat there quietly. The truth was that John wanted to ask him a lot more. The problem was the answers had nothing to do with him or his transformation. He was wondering about the vampire and the story Lun had so selfishly revealed. From the moment John had seen Kai inside him he knew he wasn''t human. He couldn''t explain it. It was just a hunch. The way he stood out from everyone else around him, his gaze, cold and distant but somehow mirroring an enormous amount of sorrow. Sometimes John viewed him as a person that was trapped in a glass box. You could see him, observe his beauty that could easily make you dizzy but you couldn''t touch, you couldn''t get closer. But just in a few hours John managed to see a completely other side, one that had shocked him but in a way out his at ease too. Kai was real, he was hurting and he could swear and laugh. Even though he still felt detached from this world John was finally able to see him as a part of it. "You''re awfully quiet all of a sudden" he told him, as he realized that John was lost in his thoughts. The man smiled trying to think of something to say. "I really don''t know what to say. I have so many questions but they don''t feel like they are the right ones." He said. "I see. It must be hard. When I left Bloodbound I felt completely alone. I lived on the streets with no one by my side. It was like I had entered a new world. Right now you are entering a new world too. It must be terrifying but don''t be scared to ask." Kai advised him. "Then let me ask you. Boss, are you sad?" "From all the things that''s what you wanted to know?" Kai asked him. "Yes. So are you sad?" "Well, sad. I did feel sad. Depressed. I missed Philip, I missed my family, Lun, the self I left back there at that dark castle. My heart was aching but now I am just numb in a way. I''ve learned to live with it." "So you are sad." "Am I?" Kai asked him. "A depressed motherfucker." Lun''s familiar voice was heard and Kai''s head snapped. His friend was standing at the entrance of the living room, his shoulder on the doorframe and was looking at the both of them. "Your lock is too easy to break" "You broke my lock?" Kai asked, his blue eyes wide. "I had to take my revenge somehow. Also stop referring to him. They are waiting downstairs. I just wanted to make sure everything was¡­.okay" he said and Kai stood up. "Lun. I...I am sorry. I didn''t want us to fight." "I know. I just felt wronged. I didn''t want to be left behind. I never knew your side. Not even now but I will not pressure you anymore. I guess I am glad you''re alive." "How did it feel?" "What?" "Getting the shit beaten out of you?" Kai teased him and Lun rolled his eyes. "I''m bringing them up. Play it cool lovestruck fool". "Them?" "Philip''s here too." Lun told him and Kai stared at him with an expression of true horror. "Why would you even do that?" "I didn''t! Mika brought him, I had¡­." Lun said but he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Kai looked at his best friend in panic before he walked back and sat on the armchair. He took a deep breath and crossed his legs, his expression turning once more into the coldest reflection of himself. John noticed how he could switch between the most real in a sense form of himself to the one the rest of the world viewed. He didn''t want Philip to see him. He didn''t want to get exposed. He meant it when he said he didn''t want him in his life this time, or at least he was trying to mean it. "I''m sick of waiting down there." Mika said and the two wolves appeared in front of them. Kai could feel his mind going insane. He was trying to look as if he didn''t care, he was trying to not meet his eyes. "Where is the guy? The one that got turned?" He asked. "I...that''s me" John said and raised his arm as if he was in school. "Your friend turned me." He informed them and they walked in. "Sit. Let''s have a talk." Lun said and both of them sat on the couch while he sat on the armrest of Kai''s chair. "I don''t think there is something to talk about. You will be coming with us. You can''t stay here." Philip''s voice was heard. "I''m sorry but I have decided to stay with my Boss. I don''t want to be a part of your pack or whatever that is." John told them. His voice was shaking, it was obvious he was scared of them and it was completely natural after everything they went through at the hotel. "You must not understand." Philip told him. "You will join us. Vampires and wolves do not meddle together." He said, this time his tone was harsh. "He said he doesn''t want to come with you. I think it is completely reasonable not to want to. I mean, your guy bit him in the shoulder just out of spite. You''re lucky he is alive." Kai said, unable to stay silent. He had managed to avoid looking at Philip though. That on his own was a success. He looked like an idiot talking to the floor but he didn''t mind. That way he was controlling himself. "Yes, because being with filthy bloodsuckers is much better." Philip insulted them and Kai heard Lun click his tongue. "The boy said he does not wish to join a pack. You ought to respect his wishes. He just needs you to teach him about the full moon. That''s it. Then you can part ways. I am sure that''s what Mika wants too." Lun told them. Kai had no idea of what their expressions looked like. He was curious, itching to see their faces but he had to fight the temptation. It was curiosity at first. Then it would turn into shock as he stared at Philip and then he would simply get charmed by him. He couldn''t do that. No. "Mika likes to defy the pack. I do not. Why were you there in the first place. I mean, it''s a good thing for you that Mika made me promise not to kill you. That''s the most kindness you will get off me." Philip told them. "Mika, why don''t you tell your friend to shut up for a second? We are not here to talk about his bloodlust" "Philip. Calm down for a bit." Mika told him disinterested. "Fine. Fine. Let''s pretend to be friends. Tell me then. Why were you there in the first place?" He asked but Kai ignored the question. He wished that John would think of an excuse but he didn''t say anything either. "I am talking to you" he told him and Kai knew he was talking to him. Unconsciously he raised his head, finally meeting his eyes. How could he be such a fool? Two times in a row that is. Philip''s eyes were like cuffs. The moment you stared at them, you were caught, with no chance of getting out. They had the colors of the woods in them. The secrets of nature revealed in two irises. Kai was quiet, as if someone had put a spell on him and Philip frowned. "Is he dead?" He asked and Lun pushed his friend slightly, pulling him from his day dreaming. No one could understand. No one could know this feeling. This pain and happiness. It was a horrible mix, disappointment and uncertainty. The urge to simply grab him and kiss him and the fear of ruining his life once more. Kai wanted him desperately and he was sitting right in front of him, the same but also so different. He felt like he would cry. "I was looking for someone" Kai said. "At a werewolf pack?" Philip asked him, questioning his answer. "We are not here for this Philip." Mika scolded him but the wolf didn''t seem to care. "Then why were you standing outside my door?" "I already told you it was a mistake." "I don''t believe you." "Then what could it be?" "I don''t know. I am waiting for you to tell me. Why would a vampire like you be standing on my door. Looking like a lost puppy?" "How do you know what I looked like?" "I can imagine." "Why are you so fixated on me?" Kai asked him. His face showed no emotion as he spoke. It was as if Philip was talking to a wall and maybe that was what annoyed the wolf the most. He scoffed, a cocky grin on his face before he stood up. "Me? Fixated on you? I think you''re crazy." He told him. "Philip sit down. You look like a child. Or go and wait outside." Mika told him. He didn''t like the atmosphere of the room, he didn''t like the way he was feeling. How he wasn''t able to describe it. Philip decided to leave the room without saying a word, leaving the rest alone. "Why did you bring him here?" Kai asked, finally able to breathe. "He came on his own. I wasn''t planning to. This meeting feels as surreal to me as it does to you. It''s horrible." "I know, that''s why I can''t handle it. I will leave you to talk. I need some time alone. I will be in my room. Lun watch out for John." Kai said and stood up in a hurry. He wanted to run away. That''s what he was good at after all. Kai walked out. Turning to his right, heading towards his room. Maybe he could find shelter there for a while. Avoid the memory of his eyes, the hostility in his voice. Escaping fate was not that easy though. Because the more he tried to run away from him the closer they got. Philip was standing outside his bedroom door, a cigarette between his lips. "Will you stop looking for me?" He told him, a devilish grin on his lips and Kai felt like he would faint. ..... Next chapter we will finally get some alone time. Can''t wait, oh my! Thank you for reading and of you liked this chapter please leave a comment and a vote.. I would really appreciate it. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 24 - 23 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That was a very popular phrase. One that Kai had heard many times over the years. No one ever answered him what beauty was? What made someone beautiful in the eyes of another? How could we define beauty? He had wondered that many times. Was beauty supposed to make you feel anything ? He had wondered about that too because no matter how many incredibly handsome and pretty people he met he didn''t feel anything. The more he lived, the more questions he had about that specific topic that didn''t seem to have an answer. Today though, as he stood in that small and narrow corridor of his apartment, as he stared right in front of him at the man who stood before him all those questions seemed to fade. They were pointless and any kind of philosophical wonder about aesthetics was stupid. Kai suddenly knew what beauty was, he knew how it made him feel. He was beauty. Now, before and in the future Philip had been the only person Kai had thought of as purely beautiful. He was tall, with raven colored hair, a faint tint of blue in them. His eyes a brown mixed with green, earthy tones that always made him feel comfortable and at peace. The symmetry of his characteristics and the soft curls landing on his forehead. He was beautiful. During the morning as the sun hit his face, during the night underneath the cold and distant moon. He was always perfect and just that drove Kai insane. Yes, beauty made you feel things. Beautiful objects, beautiful people, beautiful sceneries were like a breath of fresh air in the dullness of life. That''s why humans were so obsessed with it, going after it and trying so hard to define it. Kai didn''t need to search anymore. Right before him stood his definition of beauty. "Why are you here?" Philip''s voice echoed in the quiet hallway. "In my house?" Kai asked. "I mean here. Here where I am." "Because I was heading to my room. The exit is the other way. Also don''t smoke here." He told him, noticing the cigarette that burned red in between his fingers. "The smell bothers you?" Philip asked with no obvious intention of putting it off. "Yes. That''s why you need to go and smoke outside." He said. Philip grinned and threw the cigarette on the ground, putting it off with his boots, leaving the trash there. Kai frowned, seeing the little mess he had created. "You are a jerk" he told him. His attitude made it a bit easier for him to talk. He looked like Philip but he didn''t act like him. He was completely different and that acted like a remedy of some sort. A way for Kai to distance himself, not make the mistake and expose his biggest weakness, his love. "I am a jerk to those who annoy me." "I haven''t wronged you in any way" Kai said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You''re a vampire. That''s enough for me." Philip said. "Oh, I see. You are so immature to allow yourself and get brainwashed by ideas thousands of years old. Of course." Kai told him and Philip grinned. "I don''t know what you think you''re doing by calling me old-fashioned but believe me little prince. The things I''ve seen in this world are nothing like what you saw in your little castle." He said. Was this his way of sounding tough? Kai didn''t know. His face though didn''t show any hints of being cocky. He looked disappointed as he thought, remembering the instances he was referring to. Different worlds, probably. "I''ve lived here for two hundred years. I think I know what is going on." "Why would someone like you leave home?" "That is none of your business." "That too? Like the reason why you were standing outside my room is none of my business?" He asked him. Kai frowned, he felt pressured. It was obvious Philip was trying to get the conversation to a point where he would be forced to tell him what he was doing there. He may not act like him but he looked exactly the same. Kai could easily be turned into a fool by him if he wanted to. "Yes. Now please move to the side. I need to get to my room." He told him and took a step forward. Philip moved unwillingly, knowing that he wouldn''t be getting an answer from him. "This whole calm act of yours is truly annoying." The werewolf told him and Kai froze. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard his words. Calm, yes. That was what he was trying to be but with every word Philip seemed to annoy him even more. He was trying, he was trying so hard and he was there pushing and pushing until he broke. The knob got ruined, deforming in his palm and the vampire turned his head, meeting his eyes once again. This time though he wasn''t cold as ice, he was annoyed. "What the heck do you know?" He asked him, caughting him off guard. "I have been trying so hard. You have no idea how hard to simply be and then you appear right in front of me telling me what? That the way I''ve lived my life for the last hundreds of years is annoying? You''re annoying. You and your fucking attitude. Stop sticking your nose in other people''s business." He told him and smacked the door open. Philip stood quiet for a while surprised by this little outburst. "You have a lot of things pent up I see." He told him, making fun of him and Kai scoffed. "Fuck off." "It would be my pleasure. I have a date after this anyways." "A what?" Kai asked. "A date. Maybe sleeping with someone would do you good. You know, blow off some steam.", He said with a grin and Kai''s blue eyes widened. He was not having this conversation with him, not right now. He stared at him, deadly and scanned his face searching for the best place to punch when his eyes landed on his neck. His anger disappeared, as if it never existed when he noticed the little mark. The small tattoo shaped like a half moon. It was there, right there like it had always been and Kai felt his heart break. "That¡­" he said and pointed at the tattoo, his hand shaking. Philip grabbed his neck, hiding the mark. "What about it?" What about it? Philip was right. Why was Kai concerned about the tattoo he himself had designed, created on his skin with magic? Why would he even care? Kai smiled, bitter with Philip''s words. He couldn''t blame him though. He had no right to, he didn''t know anything. "Nothing. It''s nothing." Kai said and entered his room. Closing the door right in Philip''s face, not caring to hear anymore. He was a mess, he thought as he landed on his bed, hiding his face between the cold pillows. An utter mess. He was annoyed with him, with the fact that he wasn''t the Philip he knew. He loved his face, that he did look like his lover but he felt threatened by it. He didn''t like hearing that he had a date but he didn''t want to try and approach him and then there was the tattoo, reminding him of that time. Of the time he was happy. Kai cried, dumping his pillows as he remembered moments he now hated bringing back. He had loved Philip with all his might, all his power. He was the prince but the wolf before him was being worshipped and now he stood once again before him but Kai couldn''t love him. He couldn''t even approach him because of the past. Because of this curse and the blood he could still see in his hands. A knock was heard on his door, the creaking followed and footsteps stopped as they reached his side. "I''m sorry. I didn''t know." Lun''s voice was heard. "I just hate this. I hate it. Seeing him and not being able to tell him. Being too scared to be hated. I can''t even explain to him what happened. He won''t believe me." Kai cried. "Kai. It''s not worth it. Live your life. He is living his. The past is over. You''ve seen it, he is a jerk. Come on. Get up. They left and I am taking you and John out. A new bar opened for supernaturals. You''ll like it." "I don''t like bars." Kai said, still hidden in the pillows. "You like bars." "No." "Get up Kai. I am here now. Your hundred years of self pity are done." "Leave me alone to cry in peace." "I will take only John out. Imagine. Me with a newbie werewolf. The things I can do to him." Lun said. At the sound of that Kai jumped up. "No. Wait. I''ll get dressed." He told him. .... Lun is the kind of friend who thinks moving on is getting drunk. I love him. Hello! how did you like this chapter. I feel like you would wish for their relationship to go a bit faster but I want things to be smooth. Please leave a nice comment and a vote. Also beware, a big secret will be revealed soon! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 25 - 24 As the night fell all the creatures began to feel at home. The sun was a sign of exposure, the burning rays the mark of death for many. The cold moon though, it felt like home. The calming darkness, the cold breeze and the wariness in the humans'' footsteps all were traces stories had left behind thousands of years ago. Their life lingered in the darkness of the shadows, their fangs and claws thriving under the moonlight. That''s why every city had an area, a place people always felt like they shouldn''t approach, something like a hunch telling them to walk away. Areas like the one Lun was taking them were made only for the immortals, the deformed and the killers. The ones infused with magic. Bars and clubs, restaurants for the ones always in hiding. Kai had removed himself from the welcoming embrace of the night. He had forgotten the sensation of being amongst others who knew what he was. The thrill of being able to go all out. The vampire prince had been denying his nature, becoming one with the human crowd but now, Lun was here, the man who loved to bathe in luxury and enjoy the perks of immortality and Kai owed him for leaving him behind. That and the fact he was too depressed by the fact that the peaceful life he had tried so hard to maintain was shattered in a day. "What if the wolf pack is here? The one that kills vampires that you''ve told me about?" John asked worriedly. They were taking their final turn, removing themselves from human territory. It was a very wide alley, high, hidden by brick walls with moss. Kai found immediately two bars and a club, people running outside drunk. "This is a grey zone." Lun said. "If they want to preserve that." Kai mumbled. They had come to an agreement with Mika from what he had heard. They would come tomorrow during the full moon and show John how to handle him. This would happen a few more times and in between they would train him and teach him the things he needed to know. They had let the fact that John didn''t want to join them pass, since from what Kai understood the new Alpha was too strict and something like that would only cause chaos. "Come on loosen up a little bit. Show me a glimpse of my old friend" Lun said and cocked his eyebrow, staring at Kai with a suggestive look. Kai rolled his blue eyes, ignoring him. "I mean, your little wolf will be going on a date. Who knows? He might be here. He lives his life juuust right but you, you''re stuck and pitiful. What do you think John?" "I...Well he didn''t seem to be that interested anyways." John said as they entered a club Lun had chosen. He had mentioned they would go to a bar but Kai didn''t comment on it, he was once more being tricked by his friend. "What is this?" Kai asked the moment they started walking down a staircase. "It''s underground, obviously." Lun told him. "You''ve been here a few days but know the town better than me." "That''s because I embrace my nature. I don''t try to hide from it." Lun scolded him and Kai scoffed. He used to think like that too. He liked being a vampire. The beauty, the worship, the power. Everything was simply perfect. His life too. Until he lost it. The control, the power and his heart. At that moment he realized that he was ashamed of who he was. Hated himself for not being able to change it. "All you know how to do is pity yourself." "Do you have any other comments?" Kai asked before they entered the club and Lun smiled. "Many." he said. Kai pushed him to the side and walked in, slightly angry. This was not cheering him up, not at all. He looked around him. Light, blinding dancing into the room in many different forms. Green, blue and red everywhere. In sports, in ray of lights, moving with the intense beat of the music. Kai could feel the metal floor vibrate underneath his feet while he found himself in front of an enormous dance floor. There was a Dj, a man who had blood on his lips while a girl with two bite marks on her neck was dancing next to him. Lun grabbed his arm and moved him to the back, kind of resembling the previous time they had met, making him sit at a comfortable velvet couch together with John. THis time though, something was very different. The beings around him were not humans and they were not the least afraid to hide it. Wolves with their ears in bare sight, vampires with human half conscious in their arms and witches dancing, their vibrant eyes separating them from the rest. He thought he saw a few elves too but usually they stayed in their land so he wasn''t sure. It had been so long since he had seen so many supernaturals in one place. He hated to admit it but this...freedom felt good. "Wow." John exclaimed, hungrily looking everywhere around with his big eyes. "All these people are like us?" "Yes and this place is dangerous for someone like you. You are barely changed and¡­" "Oh my god he bit him!" John shouted in shock and pointed at a woman who had just bit a young man. "Two bottles of vodka please." Lun told the waiter as he passed by them. "Get used to it, you will be seeing it often." "You don''t have to though. Especially if you chose a peaceful life like mine. Right?" Kai asked him and the young wolf looked in between the two friends. "Honestly Boss. I think I am good." He said and took a glass of vodka. He took a sip and smiled. "I mean if you asked me if I wanted to be...this. I would say of course not. But now that it happened I need to learn to live with it and not hate myself for it." he said and lun patted him on the back. "Wow, an eighteen year old who just turned has better thinking than you. A two hundred and twenty year old vampire. I am amazed John" "We are not all the same." Kai said and grabbed another glass, gulping his content. This time though Lun took it from his hand making him frown. "There is no way I am carrying you." Lun said with a smirk and for a few seconds all of them remained quiet listening to the loud music. Kai observed the crowd, a tinge of jealousy spreading on his chest. All of them were fine with who they were, they liked themselves and had fun but he was stuck feeling guilty. Guilty not because of his own actions but because of his kind''s too. A secret he would always have to carry so he wouldn''t have to pay the full price. "Is that¡­" John mumbled as he squeezed his eyes, wanting to see better through the crowd. "Boss'' wolf." he said and pointed at a tall man that was dancing in the middle of the dance floor. He was dressed in black from head to toe, his hair damp with sweat and in his arms he had a woman. A werewolf girl who kissed his neck. It took a while for Kai to notice and a bit more to connect the pieces. "You knew he would be here." Kai mumbled, still staring straight. "I wanted you to see. Realize that you have to move on." Lun told him. His words though only gifted him with a deadly glare from his friend who instantly stood up. "Kai, wait. Why don''t you get it?" he shouted and grabbed him from his wrist. "It is over. Whatever happened in the past is done. You need to move on." He had told him that so many times by now and every time Kai heard it was getting more annoyed. Moving on might be easy for him. Yes, a simple break up. Just some sorrow and then you''re back on your feet. For the prince though it wasn''t like that, it never had been. Philip and him were not just a break up, they were destiny and the fact that he was the only one to remember from the two was simply torture. "Why don''t you get it Lun. It''s not so easy. I wish it was!" He screamed, hands in the air, his handsome face filled with rage. "But it is not. You know why? Because this guy is supposed to have a soulmate and that soulmate is me. I am the fucking fool who sits and suffers knowing everything not being able to do shit about it." "Then tell him! Go after him. If you are meant to be, what''s stopping you?" "I killed him! That''s what''s stopping me." "Why did you do it Kai? "I can''t tell you. I can''t tell anyone. I swore." Kai said and his friend looked at him with wide eyes. "You took an oath?" he asked him, his voice getting lower. "Are you...are you fucking insane? If you break it you will die Kai! What is this? Did you really choose to torture yourself for eternity?" "I had to! You don''t understand it was the only way!" Kai said, his eyes teary as he messed up his blond hair. He wanted to scream. "I am leaving." he said and turned around, running away. He was ready to get up the stairs, looking at the first step when someone pushed him from behind with force as if he wanted to throw him to the side to pass, making him almost fall to the ground. "Watch where you''re going you little vampire shit" someone told him. His words showed that he was completely drunk. Kai turned around, locking eyes with a stranger and he tilted his head to the side. His eyes shone a bloody red, vibrant into the darkness of the club. "What did you just say?" he asked the man. "Watch where the fuck you''re going." He repeated getting closer and closer. Kai had had about enough, his mind hazy and he grabbed him by his throat. Ready to rip him to shreds. .... Another piece added to the puzzle! How do you like the story so far? Pease let me know with a comment. Also do remember to vote to help this book do well in the contest. Thank you for reading! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 26 - 25 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Vampire eyes had a very distinct color when it came to royalty. They would turn a very vibrant red, a shade that would easily shine in the dark. That meant that everyone who was around, observing the fight that was about to take place, had realized that Kai was not just some random vampire. He was one of the big shots and immediately the crowd started to remove itself, getting as further away as they could but still wanting to see how things would evolve they stuck around, just in a safer distance. It didn''t take long for someone who was at the edge to lose it. Kai''s mentality was already hanging by a thread, his thoughts a mess. The last thing he needed was some drunk jerk up his face trying to sound tough. The moment he heard him swear he flipped and grabbed him, in serious need to smack his face on the wall and that was exactly what he did. Raising him in the air as if he was a feather, the vampire brought the drunk werewolf to the wall and smacked his head with force, opening a whole where he left him. The man instantly fell unconscious but Kai hadn''t realized it. He pulled him out of the hole and threw him to the ground, kicking him, filled with anger. A few people attempted to stop him. Grabbing him but the arms, wanting to restrain him somehow but nothing seemed to work. Soon they too were involved in a one sided fight against him. As it was natural many hot-blooded creatures took the chance to start a bigger mess. After a few minutes the whole club looked completely horrible. Ripped couches, broken chairs and shattered bottles flying here and there. In the middle stood Kai, fighting whoever dared to approach him while many fought with the person right next to them. He felt as if he was on fire, his anger rising more and more while his thoughts were devouring him in the most horrible way. Everything was going wrong. The pain he had endured for so long had decided to become even more intense and eat him alive. He couldn''t keep it inside him any longer. This horrible burden. His knuckles were bloody, healing and reopening with every punch while tears were gathering on his blue eyes. He didn''t see faces, he didn''t see them as people. He simply saw his demons in them and was punching them like his life was depending on it. At some point someone threw him to the ground, his lips were ripped and he tasted his own blood. Kai searched for the one who punched him so hard that he landed on the floor. A tall figure appeared in front of him, a broad chest and a face filled with shadows. He grabbed Kai and raised him up, taking him in his arms and while pushing away the fighting he took him to the back of the club. They got out from a small door, finding themselves in an alley, hidden from everyone''s eyes. Only a lamp, tall with a deathly yellow color shone above their heads, casting some light to their sweaty faces. Kai hadn''t put up a fight because he recognized him. From the second he stood before him just by the shape of his figure he knew it was him. Philip had taken him in his arms without saying a word and had led him away. Once again he was the one who brought him back, separating him from the torture his demons caused. He had been worried about him, on and on. Wondering what would happen. Worrying about his feelings that he wouldn''t be able to hide soon. All these depressing thoughts were haunting his mind, they were strong, imprisoning him so why was it so easy for him, just with a simple touch to make everything disappear.n Philip''s low steps, his body acting like a shield through the crowd and his eyes, dark staring at him with an indescribable expression, made Kai relax. He didn''t want to but his embrace had always been a shelter. Even after all these years Kai still recognized it, his body remembered and no matter how hard he tried to deny it his feelings were still there, igniting like a small spark with every touch. The werewolf stood still for a while, holding him yet before he brutally dropped him to the ground, shattering Kai''s day dreaming. The vampire landed on the cold and humid road, a frown on his face as he raised his head to look at him. "Once a jerk, always a jerk" Kai commented and Philip grinned. "I took you away didn''t I? It wouldn''t take long before all of them turned on you." He told him and the prince scoffed. "Do you expect me to thank you?" "That''s the least you could do, isn''t it or is it that princes don''t say sorry? It''s against protocol?" He teased him as Kai attempted to stand up. His body felt weak since he didn''t feed so often. After the fight he was even more tired. He stumbled, his feet playing sneaky tricks on him but Philip caught him, helping him stand straight. The blond man looked at him from a second, a warmth spreading in his chest and Philip stopped breathing. The so-called prince before him had such beautiful eyes. Blue, clear like the endless sky with a few tones of green in them, mixing so well together they created such a unique color. His heart skipped a beat, being so close to his beautiful face but he didn''t look away. He couldn''t, as if he was charmed he hungrily kept staring at him. His plump lips, his pale skin and that small cut on the corner that was slowly healing. A trail of his own blood on his chin. Without realizing Philip raised his arm and with his thumb wiped the blood away. Kai''s eyes widened as he felt his hot skin touch his and he took in a sharp breath. Would it be too much if he asked for time to stop now? Just so he could still keep feeling his touch, so they could remain connected under the dim light of the yellow lamp, in the narrow alley while everyone else was fighting inside. Right now they were alone, no one else in the world and Kai wished he could keep looking at him. That expression on his face, the one that showed he realized his attraction. Philip''s eyes were obvious, he found him captivating. Noticing what he had done the wolf pushed down his hand, willing the blood on his pants and Kai coughed awkwardly. "Thanks" the vampire said. "No problem. Just don''t ruin my date another time please." The wolf said and like before when he threw him to the road he completely destroyed the mood with just one sentence. Kai frowned. "I don''t think it was anything special to be honest." He commented and Philip raised an eyebrow. He took a step back, supporting himself on the wall before he took out a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it up, shielding the flame of his light from the nightst breeze and smiled while his lips touched the little cancer stick. "Doesn''t matter. Sooner or later I will find my mate and this will be over." He told him. Kai didn''t know how he should respond to that. He felt a pinch on his chest, as if someone was prickling him with needles. He looked down, avoiding his eyes before he spoke. "Do you want to find your mate that much?" He asked. "Of course I do. It''s that one epic love that lasts through the centuries. It''s beautiful and sacred." He said and Kai smiled faintly, surprised by his answer. "I didn''t have you for a hopeless romantic." "I am not. But for them I think I could be anything. But until that time comes I am still having fun" He told him with a cheeky smile and winked. Kai could see it. Even if he didn''t want to, he was able to see part of the man he loved in him. The little wink filled with charm. The willingness to give everything to the one he loved. He didn''t like him because he was a vampire, he wasn''t showing him himself because he didn''t want to and that hurt. "Why did you help me? I thought you didn''t like vampires." Kai asked. Philip shrugged his shoulders, realizing a grey cloud of smoke from his pink lips. "I don''t know. You looked as if you were in pain and I¡­" he began saying but he stopped. "I don''t know" he repeated taking back everything he was intending to say. "Gotta go. Have a girl waiting for me back there." He said and moved towards the door. Don''t leave, Kai begged in his mind. Just a little longer. Smile for me just for a moment. He begged but no one heard him. Because it wasn''t him that was talking but his heart. It was an honest plea, a cry for help but it never reached Philip because Kai buried that voice like he buried his love. Still his body seemed to disobey him. He extended his arm and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Philip turned around, questioning Kai''s move. "What is it?" Philip asked him and Kai flinched. What was he intending to do? Ask him to stay? For what reason? "Don''t be a jerk to her like you are with me" he thought of a last minute tease and Philip smiled. "Nope. I am saving this special treatment just for you" he teased him back before he opened the door and disappeared into the darkness of the club. Kai stood there, outside, not affected by the cold and stared at the metallic door. He could still feel the sensation of their touch. The warmth on his fingertips. He was leaving to be with some other girl, you don''t matter. The demons in his mind screamed, coming back the moment he was lost. "Why do I have to bear so many curses?" Kai mumbled as he turned his back to the door and walked towards the main road. A curse on his blood, a curse on his truth and a curse on his heart the vampire prince was simply existing to be in pain. Only one person could soothe his scars and even him seemed to be turning into a distant dream. .... hello everyone! hope you liked this chapter. if you did please leave a nice comment to cheer me up and tell me what you liked and also vote! Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 27 - 26 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Philip returned to his room alone. Somehow his mood had been ruined and he didn''t wish for the company of that girl anymore. He wanted something else but he was too scared to admit it. That''s why he came back lonesome, his posture showing that he was deep in thought as he stood in front of the glass wall staring at the lights of the city. Such a huge place, so many people, so many creatures but he always seemed to bump into him. In such a small time he had seen him already so many times and every time he was captured by him. Without even realizing he was lost in his eyes. An endless blue sea he never had the chance to witness in real life. Kai was undeniably beautiful. In a cold and distant way. He looked as if he was made out of expensive porcelain and his eyes could pierce through your soul if he wished to. He had met him only a few times, but he was already aware of the power he held in those eyes. Maybe it was because he was a prince, he was raised thinking he was superior but still, he didn''t seem to believe that. Philip would lie if he said he wasn''t intrigued by him, his cold mask, his willingness to show that he didn''t care. Every little detail made him seem so different from the other vampires he had met. That was one of the reasons he hadn''t tried to kill him after all. The things Philip had seen, the pain and the blood. He tightened his fists, remembering the endless bloodbaths vampire''s spread on their paths. Killing and killing with no end, without caring about life. Yes, there were wolves like that too, vulgar and uncivilized packs but Moonshine wasn''t like that. His pack had a purpose. To end their plague, stop the bloodshed and the crimes. That was why Philip had to stop thinking of him. He had to find a way and get him out of his mind. His palm touched the cold glass and soon after he placed his forehead too, fogging with his heavy breath the glass. Lights kept shimmering in the distance, nowadays the cities were alive even after dark. There was light everywhere, almost like a sign that you couldn''t hide anywhere anymore. Philip wouldn''t be able to hide for much longer. He sighed, lost in thought and didn''t hear the knock on his door. The second time it reached his ears and he turned around not pleased by the fact he had company. For a second he thought of letting them outside, making whoever was at the door think he was gone or asleep but Mika''s familiar voices ended his plan. "I know you''re in wolf bastard. Open the door" his friend told him and Philip slowly headed towards the entrance. He met with Mika''s judgemental eyes and he frowned, knowing that they were going to have a conversation he wouldn''t like. "What is it my dear friend?" Philip asked him as he plopped on his couch. Mika didn''t seem to be in such great spirits either. "Why did you run away with the vampire? Someone from the pack saw you saving him heroically. Do you know what I had to do to keep his mouth shut?" He asked him. "What?" "Let''s just say he can''t have children anymore." Mika said and Philip laughed with his description. "Well I guess I owe you one. But tell me something. When we went to his house, why were you so quiet. You almost didn''t say anything at all." Philip said. Mika seemed to be taken aback by his question and his dark eyes widened slightly. He looked elsewhere, avoiding his stare and Philip raised his eyebrows, noticing that there was something wrong in his behaviour. "I had my reasons" Mika mumbled before he returned to interrogate him. "Why were you with him? Didn''t you have a date? I thought we agreed you would stay away from him. He is a vampire. A vampire prince to be exact" Mika said and Philip shrugged his shoulders. "He was fighting. He was going to get in trouble so I took him out of there." He explained and Mika tilted his head to the side, dissatisfied with his friend''s response. "Why? Why did you do it?" "I don''t know. He seemed sad. I didn''t want him to be...I simply don''t know. Let''s just say I did charity work." "Philip, when is your birthday?" Mika asked him out of the blue. "Three weeks. Why?" "Nothing. Listen to me, stay away from Kai okay? Tomorrow will be the last time you will be seeing him. Promise me." "Why are you so against Kai? I mean he is not as bad as the vampires we go after. I thought you would like him. You''re more open minded about supernatural relationships than me for sure." He said and his friend sighed. He couldn''t tell him the whole story, that he would have to find out for himself. He wanted to protect his heart though, save him from the pain of falling in love with him just to get heart broken with the knowledge that will follow. If he knew Philip well, which he did, and if he knew Kai they would end up falling in love and it would be simply catastrophic, once again. "Kai is not the kind of person he seems. He is not kind. He is selfish and spoiled. He will do anything to get what he wants. You might not realize it now but before you know it you will be wrapped around his finger if he wants you to. Stay away from him." He said and Philip laughed, discarding his advice. "The guy had a mental breakdown a few hours ago. I don''t think he is as vicious as you make him out to be." "You don''t understand." "I do. You''re just jealous." "Of what?" "Because I am popular. He seems to like me" "What? Did he say that to you?" "Nope. But sometimes he looks at me, I don''t know. It only lasts for a few seconds every time but he has that look on his face. I can describe it" "And how does that make you feel?" "Horny." Philip responded with an expressionless face. "You fucking retard." Mika swore at him and Philip began laughing. His friend had turned red with frustration as he heard him laugh. He punched his forearm making him mouth an ouch before he stopped completely. "But he is hot" Philip commented. "I know that he is. You know what? Fuck him. Go on and sleep with him. It''s simply because he is good looking so how about you sleep once with him. I am sure this whole I can''t stop thinking about him will pass that way." Mika proposed and Philip began to think about it. He had a small plan, a risky one but he believed it would work if he handled Philip well. At the moment the wolf did not remember his past. He didn''t know his feelings are simply the start of his attraction for his mate. What Mika is planning to do is direct those feelings into something completely carnal. Make him believe he simply wants to sleep with Kai and that''s it. Nothing more. Then after they sleep together Philip would be satisfied and he will leave Kai. He doubted that the vampire would say no. He used to drool every time he looked at Philip in the past. "You think?" Philip asked, expecting an honest answer from his friend. "Yes. Just have sex with him and you see that it will pass. Remember that we have mates. There is no way you have feelings for a vampire. Soon you will meet your mate so just get it over with so you won''t have any regrets later." Mika lured him slowly into his plan and after a few seconds Philip nodded, a devilish grin spreading on his face. "Okay then. I guess I don''t mind giving it a try. It will be so satisfying if I get to sadyce the iceberg anyways" the young wolf said. Mika smiled satisfied. It was so simple to manipulate his feelings. A bad thing with wolves was that they rarely got to know what being in love felt like before they met their mates. That led to many superficial and carnal relationships since they already know they are destined for someone. It was the same thing with Philip. The moment he got the suspicion it could be something Mika was there to remind him that the prospect of love did not exist. How could he ever imagine that the prince was his mate? That was the best way, Mika thought. That way Philip would not get hurt. For Kai, he didn''t really care that much. He was a murderer and he would always be that. ... I do think that''s a very idiotic plan dear Mika but you do you I guess. Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. if you did please leave a nice comment and a vote. I would really appreciate it. Also I''d love to hear what you think will happen during the full moon! let your imagination run wild! Thank you for reading! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 28 - 27 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DYUHQm46VI- Music for the mood! He could be described as nervous, anxious even. He bit his fingernails, tapping his foot on the wooden floor as he waited. The moon would soon rise and the cold would spread. The sounds of howling would eventually reach his ears and he would shiver in fear. Full moons were a vampire''s worst nightmare. It was the only night of the month when they felt they were in danger. A lethal bite, poisonous, painful and torturous till death came. Few knew of the cure, a well kept secret. Kai always stayed inside during the full moon. It was a primal instinct, his body would need shelter, his soul anxious as his whole body felt threatened. Tonight too he would stay in but even if he secluded himself in the walls of his own home he wouldn''t be safe. Tonight, three werewolves would come to his house, change into the lethal beasts his kind was so scared off. He could also be described as a fool, why would someone do something so dangerous? Why would he put his life on the line like that? The answer was simple. He owed John. Clearly he was the reason he ended up this way so the least he could do was everything he could to help him. Was it his selfish feeling of guilt? Probably, the truth was Kai was never that considerate about other people with a few very special exceptions. He didn''t consider himself as an example of a good man but still even if it was because of personal reasons it still helped John. "Boss, I don''t feel that well." John said, a frown on his face as he walked into the living room. The young wolf plopped on the couch, holding his head. "This headache, my bones are aching. What should I do?" he asked and Kai looked at him. He seemed horrible. "There is nothing you can do. Just wait for the moon." Kai said, feeling bad about how honest he was. John whined and laid on the couch, trying to relieve some of the pain. "When will they be here? Where is Lun?" he asked, his voice coming out pained. "They will have to escape their pack so I think it will take some time. Lun is bringing the chains. It was hard to find something that will hold. He had to contact a witch to get them." he said. "Are you sure about the plan?" "Yes, Yes. They come here, you tie us in the bedroom, not in a kinky way, and we wait for the turn. They will be looking after me and afterwards they will explain a few more things since I have the full experience." John repeated the plan they had formed the other day and Kai nodded, satisfied that he was ready. "It''s going to be fine." The cold prince and John tried to smile. The poor man felt his heart race inside his ribcage. Sometimes he wondered if all those symptoms were because of the turn or because he was simply nervous. He wished for this night to pass as soon as possible. He didn''t want to hurt anyone. "Well hello!" Lun''s cheerful voice was heard and the man entered the room holding a bunch of thick and shiny chains in his embrace. They were heavy and made a very distinct noise as he dropped them on the ground. It reminded Kai of a dark moment, a cuff around his ankles and his neck, chains stuck on the wall and that dragging sound. He shivered, frowning and he looked away noticing that together with Lun the wolves had arrived too. "Are we ready?" Lun asked. He looked a lot happier than he should and it was obvious he was enjoying this. He was always a man who enjoyed thrill as long as it did not evolve fighting of course. He had scolded Kai about last night, about how he and John were looking for him everywhere but today he didn''t seem to be that angry so Kai was a bit relieved. "Should we prepare the chains?" Mika asked and the tall vampire nodded. "You and you with me." Lun instructed, pointing at Mika and John. Mika grabbed the chains front he ground and headed off first, his eyes wary as looked at Philip with a warning. Kai wasn''t sure that what was Lun doing was intentional at first but as he walked out of the room last and winked at him the prince was sure his friends had completely different plans than him. Philip sat on the couch, a faint grin on his face as he locked eyes with the icy prince. He seemed to be in a lot better condition than John. "Hello. We meet again so soon, did you miss me?" Philip asked him. "No, not really. It''s not my cup of tea to have three werewolves during a full moon here." he said with brute honesty, his eyes expressionless the same with his face. He had told himself that he would step away from this, this whole fated romance, the fated torture. It was time. Now. He would help John deal with things here and then disappear so even if Philip remembered he wouldn''t be able to find him. That was the best way. Kai had thought about it and decided. "You can''t imagine how sad that makes me." "I am sure it does." Kai told him. "You look a lot better than John." "He is new to it. Slowly you get used to it." "So you''re in pain?" Kai asked and Philip raised his eyebrow, his devilish smile growing. "Do you care?" Philip asked him back and stood up. "No, not really" The truth was Mika''s words hadn''t left his mind ever since yesterday. His friend had managed to make him believe all his theories about carnal attraction. About how beautiful Kai was and what was that doing to him. Everything seemed to make sense. Philip appreciated beauty, he admired it and Kai was a pure example of it. Fair, cold and distant. Elegant while his eyes cruelly judged you while they looked like the calmest seas. Philip wanted to see more of that face. His expressions, his voice, how he looked when he was vulnerable. Everything about him was intriguing. "No, not really." Kai said as he noticed that he was approaching him. Philip stood in front of him, just for a second before he leaned down, placing his hands at the armrests of Kai''s chair and hovering over him. Kai moved slightly, his back touching the soft fabric of the chair and he gulped. This attitude was too sudden, still he refused to let go of his cold mask. "That answer again? Can''t you tell me anything else?" "No, not really" Kai repeated, hoping that it would annoy him and that he would step back. All the wolf did though was chuckle. "You know, now that I am seeing you up close. You''re really pretty. Almost like a doll" He said and Kai shook his head in disbelief. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He had heard of that compliment before many times but he never expected to hear it from him. "Is this whole thing a side effect from the moon?" He asked Philip and the man laughed. He pushed his body forward, getting even closer. Kai could feel his breath now, landing on his lips and he licked them, without realizing it. Philip''s eyes traced his tongue and his eyes began to shine. They were beautiful, like liquid silver and shone so brightly. He hadn''t seen them in so long, that color. He blinked and stared right into his eyes. The moment Luke realized that his eyes had changed he immediately turned around, hiding himself for a second before he turned back around, looking completely normal. "Why did you turn around?" "Wolves do not like their eyes. They are a sign of the beast inside, the uncontrollable instincts." he said. "But back to what I was saying. You little prince are very pretty." "I think that your eyes are pretty." Kai said without thinking much about it. He instantly regretted it though as he saw Philip''s eyes widen. He shouldn''t have said that. The wolf hid his reaction well, even though the Prince had already realized it. "Kai, you know what?" "What?" "You and I. We are monsters. So why don''t we break the rules for once? Won''t it be fun?" Philip said, the same devilish grin again on his face. Monsters. That word echoed horribly in Kai''s mind. .... Hello everyone! What do you think of this chapter? I have to say, Philip is sexy. Like hot, Kai has some great self restraint. I really can not wait for the full moon to be honest. You won''t expect what''s about to come. Hope you liked the chapter and if you did please leave a nice comment and a vote.. Thanks for reading. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 29 - 28 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J2uP7RRnfQ Monster. Monster. Monster. Philip could say that word so easily but when Kai heard it his scarred heart trembled. Was it fear? Was it anger? He didn''t know but as he heard Philip mouth it he wished to escape. It was because he considered himself a monster. Every day he looked at himself, what he had done a cruel reminder of who he was, and saw a monster. Through every mirror, through every glass window, any place that could show his disgusting reflection showed clearly the rot that had gathered in his soul. Philip though called him and himself a monster with a smile, as if it was something good, funny or sexy. Kai couldn''t bear it, the word he used to describe himself, the word that showed his pure self hatred was now used as a pick up line? He couldn''t understand it. He didn''t know how he could escape this, how he could escape him. It hurt, with every breath he took, with every step he made the fact that Philip was here, close to him was unbearable because it was the main and only sign of how atrocious he was, how horrible he will always be. "You think being a monster is a good thing?" Kai asked him as he stood up, forcing him to release him from his little confinement between his body and the back of the chair. Philip took a step back, fixing his stance and looked at Kai with a questioning expression. "Being atrocious, a murderer, being me is a good thing?" "You have connected yourself with being a monster?" Philip asked him, surprised as he realized why the vampire prince seemed to be so bothered by his words. "Kai that''s¡­." "I am begging you." The blond man told him, staring right into his eyes. They were glazed by tears. He was going to cry, Philip knew it but he found himself unable to do anything about it. He froze. The tears of this prince as they rolled down his pale face looked like diamonds, hit by the bright light of the room. His blue eyes, they way his bottom lip trembled a bit. Every little movement had Philip rooted to the ground, unable to even breathe. "I am begging you. Please stay away from me. I can''t. I can''t do this anymore." he said. "What do you mean?" The wolf asked him. What had he done that was so horrible? Why was the prince crying right now in front of him? He had told himself he wanted to see the icy mask break, see his expressions, who he truly was but he wasn''t talking about this. Seeing him cry spread an aching burn on his chest. He frowned, ignorant to why he felt that way. "I...I can''t be around you. That''s it. I don''t want to." he said and turned around, wanting once more to run away from him. Philip though did not let him. He grabbed his wrist. It felt so cold, touching his burning skin and the wolf, surprised with himself, looked at his hand, his fingers that were gently touching him, some kind of attempt to keep him here. Get some kind of explanation. "You were looking for me. Back at the hotel you were looking for me. I haven''t been able to stop thinking about it." "You''re crazy. I told you many times that''s not it. Do you have such a big idea about yourself?" Kai asked him as he pulled his hand away from his grip. He wiped his tears aggressively with the edge of his sleeve. "Then why do you act like that? You are so weird. You look at me with those eyes of yours as if you''re hiding the secrets of the world and¡­" "What did you just say?" Kai asked him. "About my eyes. What did you say?" "Your eyes, it''s like they hide the secrets of the world." Philip told him again, his voice clear as it reached Kai''s ears. The prince had heard that before. He had heard those exact words. It had been such a long time. It was impossible. Philip should not be able to think or act like his previous self. He wasn''t even twenty yet so why? Why could he talk to him the same way his lover did? "I want you away from me. As far as possible. All I want to do is help John, nothing else. I don''t want to have anything to do with your corrupting, vampire killing clan or with you." "My clan is not¡­" "We are ready!" Lun''s voice was heard, interrupting their fight and soon the ones who had retrieved to the room returned. All of them except John. "Are you guys alright?" he asked. Kai nodded eagerly, as if he wanted to state that everything was fine so no one would ask him again. He looked around, searching with his eyes for John. "Where is John?" "He is already chained. Since it''s his first time he won''t be able to last long" Mika explained and Lun smiled. "That sounded kinky." "Oh, shut up." Mika said and looked at his friend. "Are you ready? We need to do it too." he said and Philip nodded, his mood ruined. They had been interrupted. He believed that if he was able to push him, just a bit more, then he would be able to get something out of him. EVen the slightest detail counted. The two wolves headed towards Kai''s room. "It is better for you to stay outside. If you hear anything weird, simply run away." Mika advised them and disappeared into the corridor. Lun and Kai sat on the couch, silent watching how the moon was slowly rising. The sky turned dark and the light entered his apartment from the windows. It was beautiful actually but to vampires it was a bad omen. It was always like this, the most beautiful things were the most dangerous ones, Kai thought. Once the moon had fully risen into the sky the two vampires heard howling. They were loud, traveling through the walls, reaching them only making them shiver in fear. Instincts were hard to suppress. "That was loud." Lun commented, trying to make the mood just a bit better. Kai nodded, his eyes warily landing at the opened door. More noises kept reaching them. The pulling of chains, things breaking and growls. He couldn''t imagine what could be happening in there, did wolves turn hostile towards each other too during the full moon? Was John okay? What about Phlip? He wondered and his heart started to beat loudly. The sounds wouldn''t stop, every time getting louder and more violent. Kai''s heart was racing, his expression showing how anxious he was as he subconsciously stood up. Philip, was he alright? "What are you doing you big idiot?" Lun asked him. "I...I will just check for a second if they are alright. Those sounds, they have been going on for hours" He explained and Lun sighed. "Don''t be stupid Kai, they told us to stay here." "They are chained. It''s fine Lun, don''t worry." The prince reassured him and headed towards his bedroom. With every step he took he could see clearly how scared he felt. No matter how hard he was trying to fight he was terrified. What was more scary though was anything happening to Philip again, right here, in front of him. He couldn''t let it happen. Not again. The vampire stopped in front of his door, taking a deep breath as his fingertips landed gently at the cold door. He heard another loud noise, like a bang and startled, he jumped but he didn''t ran away. The sun would rise soon, everything would be over but he just needed to make sure they were alright. If Philip was alright. He pushed the door slowly, exposing himself to three enormous wolves. One of them was grey, the other brown and the last one. The one he immediately recognized as Philip was black, dressed in the colors of the night. Kai''s eyes widened. It took him a few seconds to realize but when he did he took a step back, terrified. Philip, he somehow had been set free. He needed to run, get away from there and he looked at Mika. The grey wolf howled as if he was warning him. He couldn''t move. He was frozen in his place as his eyes met with Luke''s. That silver again, they stared right into him as he showed him his fangs, a growl escaping his lips. Run, run, run. He thought but nothing happened. He felt his back touch the wall and his eyes widened. It took only just a few seconds. That was the time he had before everything went completely wrong. The enormous wolf, right in front of him took a step back and with a leap he jumped towards him. Attacking Kai. ... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter. Check out the music that fits the chapter very well. Also if you liked this chapter please leave a nice comment and a vote. Thank you for reading! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 30 - 29 He was bigger, scarier and heavier than Kai remembered. He felt his body fall on the floor as his huge paws landed on both sides of his shoulders. For a second his breathing stopped, the impact hurting a lot more than he thought. His blue eyes were wide staring into the silver orbs of the beast above him. Kai could throw him to the side, he was strong, a pureblood. He could definitely grab his thick throat and throw him away, he would fall unconscious and then he would get up and run away, everything would be fine. He didn''t scream, he didn''t cry he just laid there frozen hearing the wolf breath heavily. A drop of saliva landed on his shirt, the silver eyes scanned his face. Now! grab him now and save yourself. That''s what the voices in his head kept saying but for some unknown reason, once again Kai did not move. Why wasn''t he trying to escape? Did he really think that something inside Philip would stop him from attacking him in just a few seconds from now? Even though he denied that there could still be love in his heart, maybe he was still foolish enough to believe in his bloody destiny. It wasn''t that though, no such romantic and courageous reason existed. The prince was tired, he simply was exhausted. Kai had forgotten what hope meant years ago. "Kill me" he mumbled and closed his eyes. He would let go. Finally the time had come for him to pay. His last breath, his last moment on this earth would be with him and that somehow was enough. To die by his hand maybe was a blessing, to meet his end while the one he adored took his life was actually too merciful, he had been lucky in a way. As if the wolf was trying to obey his request he opened his jaws revealing dangerous rows of teeth. He moved his nuzzle and in just a heartbeat he had his fangs dived into Kai''s fair skin. He bit him, poison spreading through his veins. He would start to cough blood, he would raise a fever and hallucinate and in a day or so he would be gone. If he was lucky once more Philip would devour him right then and there and spare him of the pain. If he didn''t, his last day would be torturous until the poison burned his insides. Then it would all end and he would finally pay the price for his horrible actions. One bite, that''s all he needed and that''s all he had gotten, nothing more and nothing less. Just an excruciating rip of the skin, an infusion of deadly poison and then he was done. Once Philip bit him he couldn''t keep himself silent anymore. He screamed, loud, louder than he ever had and then right after he heard footsteps. His cry had been an alarm, he wasn''t an ask for help though. He was still conscious, just for a little more, feeling his blood escape from the holes in his body, dirtying his clothes, damping his flesh. Philip tried to bite him again. Yes, rip him apart, end the misery but something unfortunate happened. The wolf was thrown away from him. He landed on the wall, breaking it and finding himself in the dark bathroom. No growls could be heard anymore. Kai''s head turned to the side, slowly, as he struggled to stay awake. Tears escaped from his eyes when Lun kneeled next to him, grabbed him and raised him up. "Let me die" Kai said, his voice hoarse and Lun''s eyes widened. "Why, why Kai. What the hell?" He screamed at him. His friend was in panic, gripping his body tightly, shaking him as if he was scolding him. "How could you¡­" he said but Kai couldn''t hear anything else. He couldn''t keep his blue eyes open anymore so he let himself go. Sleep peacefully, forget the burn in his shoulder, ignore the fact that someone else was walking towards him now. So it was morning. The beasts had turned into humans, he thought barely conscious. Philip was approaching them. He couldn''t see him, he couldn''t hear that well either but still his voice was loud. "What...why" the wolf mumbled and for a second Kai felt bad. He had turned him into a murderer, would Philip feel guilty? Would he care? It was alright though, he would forget him easily, in the blink of an eye. Kai smiled. He had given Philip his revenge, he was finally going to avenge his sins. .. Philip had been thrown to a wall, he felt the bones of his spine crash as he broke the sink in Kai''s bathroom. He fell on the floor, surrounded by shards of the white furniture and slowly his body turned in its initial form. While being there he groaned, disoriented by the whole experience until he heard Lun''s voice. His head snapped towards the corridor and with his eyes he noticed Kai on the floor. He had bit him, he remembered. He was going to kill him, he realized as he stood up. His bones healed quickly, he was fast on his feet and he rushed outside. He heard Kai talk, he heard him tell Lun to let him die and he instantly got rooted to the floor. He had said that before, or something similar, moments of his beastly frenzy flashed before his eyes. The prince had asked him to kill him. But why? He wondered. "What...why?" He mumbled as he moved closer, his stunned eyes stuck on the unconscious vampire. For a second he had hoped that all was just a lie, some kind of sick farce that they had planned but the bite was there, it wasn''t healing and vampires were supposed to heal. "You fucking asshole" Lun screamed at him as he took Kai in his arms. He was no longer conscious. His limbs were hanging as if he was dead and Philip felt sick. Did he do that? To him? "I...what are we going to do now? I didn''t mean to. I don''t even know why I got out or how" he said, his expression showing how confused he was. "Really, I...I didn''t mean to" he repeated but Lun''s eyes did not turn nicer. "Untie the ones there. I am taking Kai to the living room. We need to think of a way to save him. This idiot." he swore as he walked away and Philip was left alone. He couldn''t stop seeing it, even now that he had been taken away Kai''s biten shoulder was haunting his thoughts. He couldn''t move or think clearly. He felt an intense pain on his chest as if he was having a heart attack. He started sweating, panicking as he stumbled inside the trashed room. He broke the chains and the two men were quick to run out. They had heard and seen everything, they hadn''t said anything, they hadn''t even looked at him, they simply walked out. Philip needed to get to the living room too. Just a few steps. He had bitten vampires before, he had ripped their heads off. It wasn''t such a big deal, it shouldn''t be but why did he feel so horrible, as if he was sick? Kai''s weak voice, his plea for his life to be over was loud in the walls of his head. Why would he say that? Why, why, why? So many questions and zero answers. Philip started to feel dizzy, the world spinning around him as he heard Kai''s voice in his head. Kill me, kill me, kill me. "No, I can''t." He mumbled before he collapsed on the floor. .... Hello! Did you like this chapter? if you did please leave a nice comment and a vote! Let''s help the book do well in the contest together. Also, please tell me because I am very curious. What are your thoughts about Philip? I really want to know. Thank you for reading and I hope you had fun. Let''s see what will happen in the next chapter! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 31 - 30 Best novel online free at novelhall.com "Wake up" he heard someone tell him. Philip''s eyes fluttered open as he felt a palm land mercilessly on his cheek. He looked at the ceiling, a growing headache numbing his head and he groaned. "You''re not the star of the day. Get up, we need you because as it seems you messed up" Lun told him and Philip frowned, disoriented. For a second he wondered what the hell was this man talking about but for the second time that day the information came back on its own. He sat up immediately, his eyes searching for Kai and he stood on his feet, rushing to the living room. The scene he witnessed caused that ache on his chest once more. Kai laid on the couch, his body tense and sweaty. He was gripping on the cushions, his eyes closed as a pained expression distorted his handsome face. "I did that." he said, standing far away from everyone. John was crying, looking at his boss and asking again and again what they were supposed to do to save him. They didn''t have much time, just a day. Everything needed to happen fast but for some reason Philip''s mind seemed to have paused, no thoughts in that empty brain of his as he stared at the tortured man. He felt his nails dig the skin of his palm, he was clenching his fists, anxious. The wolf looked at his friend, pleading for a solution. He could not bear the feeling, this guilt that was piling up, this pain. He couldn''t explain it with words but he had never felt like this. Maybe it was because he knew him, all the other vampires were strangers to him. He didn''t want to kill someone he was planning to sleep with, yes, that was what Mika would say too. The more you know a person the harder it is to kill them. "We need to get the cure." Mika stated "Well thank you for that obvious statement, the thing is we don''t know how to." Lun told him. "No!" A scream was heard and Kai moved. He sat, opening his eyes wide. His hand moved forward and he pointed at Philip. His eyes were black, no iris, no clear blue color as he stared at him with an expression of terror. "Run! They will kill you! They want to kill you!" He shouted and bloody red tears escaped his eyes before Lun pushed him back on the couch. "It''s fine. You''re dreaming. It''s fine." He repeated again and again, pushing Kai''s body to the couch until he fell unconscious once more. Philip looked at the poisoned vampire, his lips parted but he couldn''t say anything. He was powerless, suddenly all of his self confidence, his power was gone. Now he was simply just a shocked little child, staring at a madman. "He is already hallucinating." Lun mumbled and a sigh escaped his lips. "We need to get an antidote. If word comes out that the prince is dying Bloodbound will fall apart. If it is known that you did it your pack is over. It''s one thing going after stray vampires and it''s another going after the monarchy." He explained and Lun stared at him. He was biting his lip, thinking. "What do you mean? We...we can''t get in trouble for this." The red haired said, suddenly looking a lot more anxious than before. "Then help me fix him." Lun said, staring at him with a deadly glare. "I will make sure you die a painful death if anything happens to him" "We can go to a witch." Philip said. This was the first time he was actually talking to someone after what happened. All eyes turned on him and he felt extremely exposed, as if their eyes were mirroring his guilt. "Witches don''t like us." Mika said. "There is a witch. One we can go to." Lun said as he scratched his chin. "That witch is a friend with a vampire. Kai knows them, I think she would help with the right motivation." "I don''t want to go to a witches den" "Well too bad for you but you''re going. You too. The three of us will go." Lun announced. He was referring to Mika and John. The young werewolf nodded immediately, deciding that he would do anything if it meant he could save his boss. Mika on the other hand had many objections. "No. He will not remain here with Kai." He said, talking about his friend. "We can''t leave Kai alone. John does not know how to take care of him while you, I don''t trust you to stay with him nor go with just Philip. We will talk later. Just the two of us." Lun said and Mika averted his eyes, avoiding his judgemental glare. "I will stay. It''s fine. You go visit the witch. We don''t have time for arguing" Philip told him and his red haired friend sighed. He shook his head as he walked towards the exit, opening the heavy door and staring at them. "Come on then. We will be taking your car" "Of course we will take my car. Because you wolves do not really own anything" he told Mika with a devilish grin. "Come on little wolf. Stop crying, please." He said and pushed John outside. Philip stood far away from the couch for a while. He was almost scared to approach him but at the same time he couldn''t take his eyes off of him. His body was shaking, as if he was cold and the wolf, wanting to assist him even a bit, searched for a blanket to cover him. He entered the room he had been tied to before and his boots hit the heavy mass that consisted of the chains. He looked at them, a frown on his face as he scanned them with his eyes. Philip then took a step forward, reaching the closet and opening it to search for a blanket. He didn''t find anything though because his little quest stopped abruptly since a sudden thought popped into his mind. He turned around and returned to the spot the chains had been dumped. His fingertips touched the cold metal as he crouched. He traced the material until he reached a point he had seemed to miss just a few minutes ago. The chain, his chain to be precise, looked as if it had been melted where it broke. The wolf furrowed his eyebrows, staring at it as he tried to think who would do something like this. He raised the thick chain, bringing it closer and seeing the destroyed edge. The metal had been tampered with, making it easier for him to escape. He squeezed the chain in his palm, crushing it. "No way" he mumbled in disbelief. He would remain more in the room, think about things a little but the cry that echoed from the living room reminded of what was important right now. He ran towards the closet, bringing out a blanket that caught his eye and returned to the living room. Kai was sitting again, those black orbs piercing him once more but this time he managed to grab him. He snapped Philip by the collar and brought him closer. Kai''s hands were shaking, his breath hot as it landed on his neck, his lips rough and dry. "Be careful" he whispered to him, his voice hoarse. "Be careful, be careful, be careful!" He screamed before he coughed. Blood landed in Philip''s clothes. Splatters everywhere on his shirt and he pushed the vampire down, the same way he had seen Lun do. "It''s okay" he mimicked Kai''s friend, hoping that he would manage to make him sleep again. "It''s okay." "It''s not." Kai cried. Philip was surprised, he didn''t expect him to respond. He was supposed to be hallucinating. "It''s not, Philip¡­" "Yes?" "They will kill you." Kai said, his eyes closed. Philip gasped, not knowing what to believe. If he was hallucinating, why was he talking to him? How could he respond? He say down, by his side trying to figure out what was going on. "Who? Who will kill me?" "The demons. They...they will get you. Please, don''t die." Kai cried. Demons? Philip tilted his head to the side, waiting and wondering. He knew he shouldn''t be taking him literally. He was sick, dying from the poison but the sound of his name coming from his lips had been too shocking. "Demons? Who are they?" "The Bloody People. They will kill you." He said before he lost consciousness again. The Bloody People? Philip wondered. He had never heard of that before. ... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter.. If you did please leave a nice comment and give the book a vote to help in the contest. Thank you! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 32 - 31 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Lun''s car smelled of leather and cinnamon, the smell of the spice reaching Mika''s sensitive nose as he entered. He put his seatbelt on, his dark eyes focused on the road ahead as he heard the engine roar aggressively. Lun seemed to be a good driver, his hands skillfully touched the wheel and with ease he controlled the huge car into the busy roads. "I didn''t think you would be able to drive that well." Mika said and Lun snorted. "Why is that?" "I thought you didn''t have cars in Bloodbound." "Well, that''s true, Vampires do have a set of skills that is comfortable for moving around. Teleporting that is. But doing it in the human world and ending up in front of the wrong people would be troublesome. We adapt." "I can see that." he said and his eyes caught a glimpse of John. The young man sat at the back, sniffling as he tried to keep his tears in. The wolf frowned as he turned his head. "Can you stop crying?" "Don''t scare the little ex-human, he is shocked." "I didn''t scare him. I just asked him to stop crying. His tears are not going to save your vampire prince. They will simply annoy me more and more. I can''t believe that someone like him could be¡­" "Don''t tell me to stop crying." John said. "That makes me want to cry even more." Mika rolled his eyes, his hand finding its way to his pocket. He took out a small handkerchief, a red flower sewn on the corner, and gave it to him. The brunet took it, his eyes wary as he touched the soft fabric that smelled of levander. "Don''t worry. It''s just that you have snot all over your face." Mika told him, pointing at his nose and John blushed, whipping his nose in a hurry. The red head grinned as he turned his head, telling him to keep it. "So, let''s talk about something more interesting than his snot." Lun said with a bright smile. "Tell me Mika, when did you have the time to tamper with the chains. You even managed to melt it." "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Mika said, his eyes locked on the trees at the side of the road. Lun sighed, his face expressionless before he sharply pushed the car at the side of the road. John fell to his side, not expecting the turn and Mika''s head bumped on the window. The tall vampire exited the care, his footsteps heading towards Mika. The wolf stared in disbelief as he opened the door, ripping it from the car and throwing it away. He grabbed Mika by the collar, the seatbelt stopping him for just a mere second before he snapped that too and threw him at the side of the highway. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Mika screamed as he stood up. He grabbed Lun, mimicking the way he moved before and punched him in the face. Blood trailed a path from his nose to his chin and he smirked. He raised his leg, hitting mIka right on the ribs and making him gran before he grabbed his short hair and smacked his face to the hot concrete. "What the hell is wrong with me? Do you think I am an idiot? I didn''t do it, John of course wouldn''t do it. Philip loves Kai even if he doesn''t know it and the last one is you. So tell me before I kill you, how did you do it and why?" Lun shouted at him. "Fine, fine! Just let me go. I won''t do anything. I am not stupid. During the day, someone who is like a pureblood is definitely stronger than me." he said and Lun released him, wiping the blood from his face with the sleeve of his expensive shirt. "Speak." "I used a powder. One we have in the pack. You can''t see it or smell it once it touches an object. A witch made it for us in case hunters capture us. It melts everything. I just rpinkled a bit on top of Philips'' chain in secret while he wasn''t looking, right before we turned." Mika explained. "Why would you ever do something so idiotic? Do you know what will happen if the Avger family finds out what you tried to do? Aren''t you scared?" "I won''t let Philip get hurt again. This monster back there killed him last time. We don''t know what happened, we have no clues. But I won''t sit here seeing that fucking vampire act like nothing has happened. I won''t see Philip fall in love with him just to get hurt again." Mika stated, his eyes filled with fury as he spoke about Kai. Lun sighed, rubbing his temples as he heard the wolf talk. His words made no sense, everything was just pure stupidity and selfishness. "What would you tell Philip once he remembered? That you actually pushed him to kill his mate? Is that what you call friendship? You''re simply despicable and also lucky that I won''t end you right here and now, but listen to this, if you ever try to touch Kai again, I will have you eat your own heart. Am I clear?" "I am not scared of you, vampire." Mika scoffed but his eyes showed a different story. He was terrified. Lun and Kai were not your typical vampires, the ones they used to hunt every night. They were powerful, not only gifted by strength, daywalking and all those other abilities. They came from powerful families too and as much as Mika hated to admit it, the underworld was a family business. "Oh, you should be." Lun told him with a grin before he walked towards the back seat. He opened the door and signaled John to get out. The young wolf looked at Mika with a disappointed expression. "I thought you were a good guy." he said and Mika looked at him in shock. "Wait, I¡­" "Let''s go. We are here." Lun said and John looked around confused. "Here? We are on the highway. I think you''re wrong." he stated when a new voice was heard. "He is absolutely right." A woman''s voice reached their ears but they couldn''t spot her figure. Her speaking was melodic and calm as if she was singing a very ancient lullaby. Lun smiled, his eyes not searching for her. "Akai my lovely, why don''t you come out so we can talk?" he asked her. For a while there was no answer, no beautiful words from the unknown woman named Akai. Soon though, a thick smoke started to surround them. John felt cold all of a sudden and he looked around, intimidated as he realized the scenery was changing. The car disappeared and the mist became so dense he could only see the person standing next to him. "Ummm, Lun?" he called out scared. "Calm down, little ex human" The vampire told him. Easier said than done, he thought and finally after a while the mist began to retrieve. Indeed as he had initially thought they weren''t at the highway any longer. They were inside a wooden house and in front of Lun stood a gorgeous woman. "Well hello there." she said in the same tone as before. "Where is that beautiful little prince of yours. Aren''t you inseparable?" "About that...that beautiful prince is dying. We need your help." he said and tilted her head to the side. "That does sound quite unfortunate but tell me why should I help you?" he asked him and John immediately felt worried. They couldn''t have come here for nothing, could they? ... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter. If you did please leave a nice comment and a vote to help this book in the contest. Also, tell me this far from the main characters which is your favorite and which is your least favorite? I would love to know! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 33 - 32 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Philip hadn''t taken his eyes off of him. He watched him as he cried in his sleep, as he whispered words he couldn''t understand and while his fever rose only to cause a seizure. He felt hopeless and above all he felt guilty. He was the one that had caused this. He had gotten loose and attacked him. Yes, someone, Mika to be exact had tampered with the chain, there was no doubt about it but still, if he hadn''t been so reckless, so overtaken by his instincts he wouldn''t have bit him. Kai had begged him to kill him, that was the thought that made his heart hurt the most. Why would he want to die? Why would he want to end his life like this? He couldn''t fathom the thought, he couldn''t find an explanation as to why. If they saved him, which they had to, he was going to make him speak. Out of curiosity, yes, nothing more than that. Kai had relaxed a bit in the last minutes. He still looked in pain but there was something different to his expression. Philip guessed that he was dreaming and as it seems it was finally a good dream. He had a faint smile on his sweaty face and the wolf approached him, sitting on the ground next to the couch, hearing the sound of his steady breathing. "What are you dreaming about?" He asked, realizing this was the first time he had seen Kai do something that was similar to smiling. The vampire prince was indeed buried deep into a dream. An actual reminder of the past and he traveled in it, as if he was watching the sweetest movie of the world. Such good actors with the most beautiful scenery. He loved every bit of it, from the start till the very end. Because this moment that had turned into a movie was one of the most caring, one that was the most unforgettable and the one that could easily cause him so much pain as it surfaced during his hardest times. "Your eyes hide the secret of the universe." A deep voice said. It was him, the one and only. Philip. He was laid on a bed, his half naked body wrapped by silky bloody red sheets. They were in Kai''s room, in secret of course. He was back home, at the tall castle with the scary towers. He had traveled back, two hundred years ago and somehow he had found himself in his warm embrace. His room was spacious, dark and the heavy scent of vanilla and night flowers filled the air. His bed was dressed in red sheets, silk so smooth it slipped through your fingers like water. A chandelier, golden hanging with gems hanging from the ceiling, candles burning deemly into Bloodbound''s endless night. The balcony door, a beautiful glass door shaped like a bullet forged with black metal in elaborate shapes was open, the black curtains dancing inside as the wind instructed them and Kai could see the blood moon above them, the many houses and the dark mountains from the little line that was left between the two curtains that hid his bed from the rest of the world. "That is quite romantic, isn''t it?" Kai said as he looked up at him. He was there too, laying right beside him, his head resting on his arm and he felt his lips kiss the top of his head. He smiled, feeling absolutely peaceful for the first time in a while. "Romance aside, kind sir, I do believe that." "It''s not sir, it''s your highness" Kai said with a cocky grin and Philip rolled his eyes. Back then Kai used to be very obnoxious, a spoiled young man but Philip loved him, beyond that twisted side of himself, he loved him and loved him until the vampire couldn''t help but love him back because the greatness of such love was too much to bear alone. Slowly Philip had become a part of him, he owned a piece of his heart and even though their love, their need and desire was a secret, so well hidden that sometimes someone would wonder if it was even real, Kai always knew it existed. He felt it, burning on his chest, a fire that even he could never put out. Philip''s eyes, his perfect body and his charming smile. The kindness in his voice and the patience, every little bit of him was so different from Kai but still the vampire couldn''t stop looking, he couldn''t stop wanting and kissing him. Because every kiss was a dose of little bliss. Every touch was a release from their curses even just for a few seconds. "Your highness... you''re third to the throne, I wouldn''t be so cocky" the werewolf told him and Kai sat up, the sheets sliding off his body, revealing a lean torso and fair skin, pale, as if he was close to dying. "That''s the best part, you fool. I get all of the nice treatment, the gold and I don''t have to do anything. I''m telling you being the youngest is a blessing." He said and raised his eyebrows up and down making Philip laugh. Kai never really considered himself extraordinary at anything, even if he liked to show otherwise. But that changed the first time he made Philip laugh. Without realizing it he felt like the happiest person in this world, the moment he knew he was the reason to cause his laughter. Maybe Kai was not really talented, not very smart or even good at fighting , maybe he was but the one thing he was most proud of was this. Making Philip laugh, his greatest achievement. "I think you should calm down a bit, my love. No need for your siblings to start thinking about getting rid of you." "That will never happen, everyone adores me." "What if they find out about us?" Philip asked and suddenly the mood in the room turned cold. The prince looked at his lover, their eyes meeting in a silent anxiousness and Kai tried to laugh it off. "That will never happen either but tell me about the thing you said." "What did I say?" Philip teased him. "You know! About my eyes." The prince said, fluttering his eyelashes charmingly. Philip smiled and caressed his cheek. His hand was warm against his icy cold skin and he relaxed, letting him touch him as much as he wanted, letting Philip give him life. His hand was so big, almost bigger than his cheek and the prince was reminded that this man in front of him, this Wolf Warrior was so different, worlds apart from him. "Your eyes hide the secrets of the world, no maybe of the entire universe." Philip said and the vampire smiled. "And why is that?" "Because in them hide the pitless oceans, the endless seas and the clearest lakes. The bright blue sky and the angriest rivers. Your blue is what makes the world flow." Philip told him, making Kai''s heart flutter. "I think I know now why we are a perfect match." Kai said and Philip raised his eyebrow in question. "Because your eyes hide mother earth, the tall trees and the rocky mountains, the open fields and the most beautiful flowers. You and I, we can make our own world, away from everyone." He said and the next second Philip had jumped onto him making him land on the bed while laughing. He kissed his cheeks, then his nose, and his chin before he passionately kissed him on the lips. Kai cupped his face and brought him closer, deepening their connection. He loved him, he loved him so much it hurt. "Did you like what I said?" Kai asked. "I did. I really did. Our own world, somewhere we could simply be. I wish that would come true one day." "I am a prince, ask for a castle and you will have it." "Will you be there with me though or will I be haunted by the constant reminder of your gift that I cannot have you?" The wolf asked him and Kai''s face turned sad. "Should I...give it up?" "What?" "My crown." "No. You were born to be a prince. No one is as spoiled, bad mannered, reckless and all the bad things I can think of as you" he teased him and Kai slapped his arm. "I am serious." He said and Philip kissed his forehead. "You will leave soon. Who knows when I will be able to see you again?" "You will see me, the same way I will. In our world, in our dreams." Philip said and tears gathered slowly in Kai''s eyes. "Oh, please don''t cry, you know it pains me so much when you cry" "I can''t hold it." Kai said while sniffling and Philip smiled, wiping away the shiny tears. "Philip...I¡­" "Your highness!" A female voice cut his words and both of them looked at the door of his room in distress. "We heard noises, please open your door. It''s an order from the queen, your mother" she said. ... So what do we think? Have you fallen in love with our destined couple yet? I hope you liked this chapter. If you did please give it a vote and a leave a nice comment. Thank you for reading. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 34 - 33 "Leave!" Kai shouted, his voice turning cold and distant. Obviously he was not referring to Philip but the woman who was trying to invade his private space. "There is nothing going on, I am just talking to myself." he told her but she didn''t seem to back down. "I am sorry your highness. Those are strict orders from your mother. I will open the door now." she said and Kai could hear her soft hand touch the doorknob from the outside. The eyes that hid the secrets of the world widened and in a hurry he pushed Philip off his bed. The man fell on the ground, tangled with the silk sheets and rolled towards the balcony, meeting with the outside world half naked with his shoes in his hands. He jumped off, supporting his hands on the railings while he had moved the shoes around his neck, somehow managing to keep them in place by their shoelaces. Kai found himself in the balcony and in those few seconds he looked at Philip. A playful smirk on his lips, his eyes glowing with excitement and he winked at him. His black long hair was messy, giving him a more dangerous air and the muscles on his arm flexed as he held himself in the air. Kai blushed, finding his image so attractive even at a moment like this. "Promise me." Kai whispered and looked at him with a serious expression. "Promise you what, love?" he asked him. "One day, we will make our own world." Kai stated and Philip winked at him again, his smile getting wider. "Promise." he said before he jumped off. Kai ran towards the railings, looking down at the grass but the wolf had already disappeared. He wanted to see him for a little bit longer. Admire his carefree nature, engrave his promise in his heart. When he first realized he loved him he decided he was contempt with simply being around him, then after he achieved that he had told himself he would be fine if they were friends and then after they became friends he was seeking for his kiss, his touch, his love. Kai was greedy, he always wanted everything and everything was never enough, especially when it came to Philip. The door of his room finally opened and he realized that the maid had actually the decency to give him sometime. Kai moved back to his bed, grabbing the fallen sheets and covering himself, standing behind the curtains that were surrounding his bed. "Excuse me your highness, it''s just that the queen¡­" "Just search around and get it over with. You''ve chosen to disrespect me anyway." "I...I would never disrespect you. I swear." "Fine, fine. Just go." he told her with a frown. Once she finished her search he laid on his bed, smelling the sheets. They still had his scent and he closed his eyes, bringing back Philip''s words as if hundreds of years had passed. Not even an hour alone and he felt lonely, his absence a deep wound that was slowly getting deeper because he didn''t know when he would be able to see him soon. Kai had never seen a vampire be truly in love, feel the anguish of the heart breaking. They were superficial creatures, driven by last and desire. He was one too, until he met Philip. After him he became a fool, tortured by those absurd feelings. After him the bed he had so adored was too big just for him and his body felt cold when he wasn''t sleeping by his side. "Oh" Kai mouthed. "I am in big trouble." He told himself but he was still smiling like a fool. Back to his painful presence though Kai was being tortured by his poison. Philip looked at him and with a wet towel he wiped away the thick beads of sweat that were gathering in his forehead. He sighed, seeing him as he bit his lips so hard that he drew blood. "I''m sorry." Philip mumbled. He had said that again and again, trapped in a self made prison of guilt. "Please don''t die" he begged him and for the first time in hours Kai opened his eyes. Not in a panic crisis or some delusional moment. His blue eyes simply flattered opened and as if they were lost they traveled in the room. The prince coughed, getting Philip''s attention and the werewolf looked at him. "Kai? Can you hear me?" "Where is everyone?" he asked, his voice coming out rough like sandpaper. "They are going to find an antidote for you. They will be back soon and everything will be alright." He said, a small spark of hope ignited inside him as he realized that Kai was not trapped in his paranoia caused by the poison. The vampire smiled bitterly, slowly turning his head to the side to face him. "That is a really bad idea." he said and Philip stared at him with a frown. "What do you mean? Does this have to do with what you told me? That you wanted to die? What has gotten into you? I won''t let you die." "But you have to." Kai said, a bloody cough escaping his pale lips coloring them a deep red. "No." "Yes. A sinner must pay for his sins. The sins he can''t talk about and cannot redeem. I am sick of living in this world, I am sick of not being myself. You said it yourself, this whole calm mask of mine is very annoying." "Not annoying enough for me to want you to die" Philip exclaimed making Kai giggle. He started coughing again, the wolf raised him up, making him sit so he would be able to breathe better and Kai closed his eyes for a second trying to endure his pain. "Thanks, that says a lot." Kai said and Philip rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to be honest with you?" Philip told him and Kai looked at him. He seemed tired, as if he hadn''t slept in years. His under eyes were a deep purple color while his cheeks looked a bit hollowed. Still even with all those signs of the sickness surrounding him he looked divine. Like a classical painting, his beauty was in the smallest details and seated in his black couch, his appearance as if it was painted by a ripper showed so much pain and torture. Those eyes really, Philip thought, were filled with secrets and he, for some unknown reason, couldn''t stop himself from searching for the answers. "Let''s try that, I guess." the prince told him. "I am a man who appreciates beauty and you are by far the most beautiful man I have ever seen." he told him, getting closer. "From the very first moment that I saw you I realised that your face, your elegance will get stuck in my brain, all that until I got to have you. That''s why Kai, you can''t die yet." "I can''t die because you want to sleep with me?" Kai asked him. He was dying, laid in a very uncomfortable couch, feeling his whole body burn up while his neck felt like someone was clawing it with hate and right now he was having the most absurd conversation with Philip. Maybe he was actually hallucinating, maybe he had truly lost it. "Yes." Philip said and nodded eagerly. Kai fell back to his pillow, his arm landing on top of his eyes. He couldn''t look at him. He would burst out laughing. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing at such a moment. Only his life could be filled with so many ironic moments and idiotic people. "So you have to listen to me and stay alive. No more I want to off myself thoughts." "Did you ask me if I wanted to sleep with you?" Kai asked, gathering all of his remaining strength. "Why wouldn''t you? I''m hot. Also I can see how you look at me. I am a snack." he said. "Please stop talking." Kai begged him, his face still hidden as he started coughing again. This time more blood came out and Philip stood up, distressed as he didn''t know what to do. The hours were passing and the rest were nowhere to be found. "Kai?" he called out and the prince looked at him, unable to speak now. He was losing himself again in the rising fever. He tried to keep his eyes open but as it seemed this all he could do. Just before he fell asleep again though he parted his lips whispering something. Philip moved closer, trying to listen to what he was about to say but it was so low that he couldn''t make out any of the words. He raised his eyebrow filled with curiosity but Kai had already lost consciousness. "I''m in big trouble." That was what Kai had said. ... Hello everyone! If you liked this chapter please give it a vote to support it for the contest. It would mean a lot! Also please don''t be a silent reader. Let me know about your thoughts and what you like. I would love to see what you''re thinking about the book this far. Hoep you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 35 - 34 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com John''s eyes traveled around as he looked at the interior of the small house. It was made of wood, filled with plants in small pots or even in vines, climbing up the walls. He could smell flowers and herbs while the whistling of a kettle echoed from a room away from them. The one they were in seemed like a working space of some sort. It had a tall square table which had yellowish papers thrown here and there, marked with black ink, peculiar drawings and a language John could not recognize. Two big stools stood on opposite sides of the table and the little space that hadn''t been covered by plants in the walls had cupboards drilled in it with glass doors. Bottles of all shapes with colorful liquids and powders stood inside, little fade out labels, wrapped around the lids with string. The whole place reminded him of those little houses described in fairytales. It was truly what someone would think as a witch''s house. "Akai, you want to help us." Lun said with a confident smile and the young wolf focused on the woman. She sat elegantly on one of the stools, crossing her long legs and she pushed back her long and curly black hair only to give Lun a devilish smile, enhanced by her dark red lipstick. Her eyes were an icy blue color that did not resemble that of a human''s, while her skin was dark with tattoos covering her arms. She was wearing a yellow dress that reached the floor, her shoulders exposed and the young man blushed, as if looking at her for too long was bad. "Do I?" she asked as she pulled her tea cup towards her. Her nails were painted a deep green color. "It''s not that I don''t want to, to be honest. It''s just that I don''t know how it would benefit me in any way." "Why wouldn''t it? We are talking about the third son of the Avger Monarchy." Lun said and she laughed, filling the room with a melodic sound. Lun moved towards the other stool and sat down, meeting her eyes while he stood next to Mika even though he didn''t want to. On the other side he was too scared to actually stand on his own somewhere in the room. "Is that true? Your little vampire friend is a fugitive isn''t he?" she asked him and Lun''s eyes widened. Both Mika and John stared at the woman with a questioning look. John had never heard anything like that all he knew was that his boss had voluntarily chosen to leave his home. Was his family after him for some reason? "I wouldn''t call him a fugitive." Lun said with a bright smile. "But even if he was, what does it matter? A prince is a prince even if some people are after him." "Things do change though if some of the most powerful vampires in the world are after him don''t you think? I believe some of them would be pleased if I let him die. You came to me and I thank you for that, I will be able to ask them for whatever I wish much easier now." Akai said and John noticed that Lun had grabbed a piece of paper, crumbling it with his hand. "Oh, be careful with that. It''s a cake recipe." She teased him and the vampire clicked his tongue. "Name what you want. Give us the antidote for Kai and promise to not reveal what you know about him and I will give you everything you want." Lun suggested. Akai was ready to speak when another voice was heard. All heads turned following the unknown sound. "You''re talking about Kai?" A man asked. It was obvious he wasn''t a watch, he was a vampire, pale skin with a tall and lean figure, he had long white hair and his eyes were black, like a starless night. He stood at the entrance of the small office, his shoulder touching the door frame as he buttoned the ends of his sleeves from his silk shirt. He too was handsome, John thought and frowned. He was too average for a supernatural creature, he told himself. "Soran? Is that you?" Lun asked and a friendlier smile appeared on his hostile face. He got off the stool and approached him as if he wanted to make sure he was right. "I knew you were friends with Akai but I didn''t think you would be here." he said and the vampire nodded, a faint smile on his face. "After I left Bloodbound I came here to live with her. I do not seem to like the vampires that live in the human world, they are too brutal." he said and Lun scoffed. "Tell me about that. It has been a cultural shock indeed." he agreed with him. "You were talking about Kai right? Is he okay?" he asked Lun while his eyes traveled to the two wolves. "Are they¡­" "Yes they are werewolves and no, Kai is not well. Actually he will be dying very soon." Lun announced and Soran''s eyes widened, a sudden sorrow suddenly glazing the deep black. "You''re not serious." he mumbled and moved towards the table. He stood there, his hand on the rough wood seeming lost as he heard the news. John examined his expression. The shock and the sadness in his eyes. A friend? That was highly debatable. "Sadly I am. This guy''s friend over there bit Kai." He said and Saron''s head snapped. In the blink of an eye he was standing right in front of Mika, his hand on his neck, pushing him on the wall and showing his fangs. "Get the hell off me." Mika said while choking. "Lun!" Mika called out but the vampire took his time, a devilish smile on his face as he watched Saron choke him. "Come on Saron, enough. For the kid to be here it means he is not evil." Akai said and placed her palm on the vampire''s shoulder. Saron let go of him, making the weak wolf land on the floor and John tended his hand to help him get up. Mika did not accept his help and the younger man rolled his eyes, dissatisfied with his behavior. "I came here because I need Akai''s help. I know she has the antidote. If she gives it to us we can save Kai." Lun said. The two friends looked at each other and the woman sighed. She knew what he was going to tell her and in all honesty she didn''t like it. Helping Kai was not the most profitable option but Saron already had stated with his eyes that he wouldn''t accept no for an answer. She rubbed her temples and her eyes gazed at the cupboards behind Lun. She was searching for something, probably the antidote and when she found it she turned her attention once more towards Lun. "Fine then. I will give it to you. For the right price of course. Such a rare item is expensive and¡­" "And I will be the one that will take it to Kai." Saron said, interrupting Akai. "You want to meet Kai?" The vampire asked, sounding concerned. "Yes. I want to see him again. I promise I won''t talk about seeing him to anyone nor will I inform them of his location. I know they are after him." The vampire said. "And how do you know that?" "I am the one that took him out of Bloodbound." The white haired vampire announced and once more Lun seemed to be shocked by what he heard. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, probably disappointed that Kai had trusted Saron and not him but he didn''t say anything. "Okay then. Since Kai seemed to trust you I will too. But if you try anything I will kill you. With no second thought." "I believed you hated fighting" Soran said with a grin and Lun mimicked his expression. "It will happen so fast you won''t be able to call it a fight." The vampire boasted and his white haired friend chuckled. "Sure, don''t worry. Akai give it to them, please." Saron requested and the witch stood up. She walked towards the cupboards, opening the one right in the middle and her long fingers fetched the one on the left of the top shelf. It was a round bottle, short filled to the brim with a pitch black liquid. She checked to see if it was sealed well and moved towards her friend, slapping the bottle into his open palm. "Thanks" he mouth and she shook her head, waving at him to just get away. "Soran will let you know of my bank account. Nowadays money transferring is so easy." She told them. Lun parted his lips, ready to say his thanks too but the thick mist once more returned, starting to appear at the ground and then rising higher and higher until they couldn''t see anything. They were back at the car, Soran with them this time. The vampire checked the bottle and put it deep into his pant''s pocket making sure it wouldn''t escape while he moved. He looked at the car, noticing a missing door and he laughed. "That looks dangerous." "Well guess who will be sitting there." He said and Mika sighed. "I already know. It won''t be weird at all driving on the highway like this and no of course the police won''t stop us." he mumbled as he put his seatbelt on. "It''s fine. Soran is good at mind manipulation." Lun said. "Great" the grumpy redhead exclaimed. "Before we go¡­" Lun said, stopping Soran from entering the back of the car. "Why did you want to see Kai so much?" he asked. "Because I love him. I''ve always had." He revealed, leaving everyone speechless. .... Hello! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.. If you did please leave a nice comment and a vote to support it in the contest. Thank you! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 36 - [Bonus ] 35 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Loving someone could be a curse or a blessing. It could be simply excruciating or a trip to heaven. It could even be both at the same time. The ups and downs, the shouts and the heartbreak, the laughter and the kissing. All of them tasted like poison and a remedy at the same time. Love was a concept for the fools, the romantics and the broken ones. Those who dreamed of a better tomorrow and held their breath the moment the main characters held their hands in a movie. Love was a dream and a nightmare, the goal but at the same time the whole journey. No one could really define it, no one could put a label on the feelings of the heart while many had tried even more had failed. Hormones or a disease of the soul, a disease yes. A pain that spreads through your body more and more as you realize the hold it has on you. Love is a muse, for the one that writes and the one that sings, for the one that acts or the one that paints. It is the muse of the living, the inspiration and the root of life itself but still it is also a killer. Merciful that comes into the night. A breathtaking end, so scarring that cuts your heart in the middle, a slash of the knife. That could be love, the power to end things before they become hate and darkness, the need to keep the happy parts alive even if the memories had turned into a ghost, the true feelings already dead and forgotten. What was love anyways? Could you answer that question? Could anyone actually? For every person love is different and for Kai, the third prince of the Avger Monarchy love was and will always be a bittersweet curse. A delusion of a world he could never have, a fruitless hope. Kai could not see the sweet side of it, he could not feel the happiness with the sorrow, he could only feel the self hatred, the pain and the despair that came with it. Because he wasn''t good enough, he wasn''t strong enough and he was always a monster. Monsters do not deserve love, they do not deserve to feel the happiness in a kiss or the passion of an intimate touch. Killers, murderers and sinners. All of their spirits had gathered in his soul because killing the person you love, the one you adore so, the one you worship even though you are the one that rules was the worst crime of all and he had committed it. A cold night, two hundred years ago, the young and beautiful prince had found his lover and stabbed him right in the back. He had seen the betrayal in his eyes, the pain and his voice as he cursed him for the rest of eternity still echoes between his ears. This unbreakable spell that he could never stop no matter how hard he tried. His lips felt dry, his throat was burning as he felt something cold touch his lips. It was a liquid, its taste strong and actually truly horrible as it slid on his throat and traveled in his body. The prince coughed, wanting to throw up but he couldn''t move. After he had swallowed everything his eyelids fluttered open. The sight in front of him was blurry at first but slowly the image was beginning to get clearer. In front of him stood a man, someone he knew. A man with a kind smile and honest smile. A man who knew how to cook and could sign the songs he liked with the sweetest tone. He knew that man with the snow white hair that always smelt like lemon and the dark eyes that looked at him with agony. "Soran¡­" he said, the word coming out dry as he said it. The sound of his name didn''t come out well and Kai was disappointed. He wished he had said it better, sounded a bit happier but he couldn''t do that. He was feeling so weak. Kai realized though that the excruciating burn had stopped. He didn''t feel as if his body was burning with high fever anymore and he noticed that what had remained was just a heavy exhaustion. "You¡­" Kai mumbled "You gave me the antidote?" he asked and the man smiled. "Maybe I did." he said playfully. "It is such a relief to see you alive." he told him and pushed his dump hair back, showing his beautiful face. Kai smiled. "Who are you?" A cold question was shot towards the white haired man. "I am Soran. I was Kai''s and Lun''s classmate back at the Academy. Kai and I were close friends." he said. His answer was going towards Philip. Kai panicked, the vampire had met him before, there was no way he didn''t remember him and in his panic he tried to sit up, his body giving up halfway there. Soran caught him, helping him lie down again. "It''s fine. Don''t worry. I won''t say anything" he whispered in his ear. "He is tired, you don''t have to be so close to him." Philip said and the vampire took a step back, getting away from him. "And why did you bring him here? Was the bottle too hard for you to carry?" "Shut up Philip. Stop whining like a baby. We went there to fix your mistake." Mika told him and his friend stared at him with a furious glare. He was not going to make a scene right here, he didn''t want Kai to know what his best friend had attempted. He was going to get an explanation on why this farce happened the good way or the bad way. "You. Don''t talk." Philip said. "We will be leaving." He announced and he walked towards Kai. He passed by Soran, bumping his shoulder rudely and the vampire grinned, recognizing instantly this kind of jealous behavior. Philip stood close and moved his face towards Kai''s ear. His breath landed hot on his body, making shiver even at that state. "Remember what I told you okay?" he asked with a grin and he heard Kai click his tongue. "You can''t run away now." "I don''t do one night stands." Kai whispered and Philip shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it''s time to start now?" he said with a cheeky smile. "I will come tomorrow to check up on you." he said "You don''t have to." Kai told him with a frown. "Who will stay with him?" Philip asked, ignoring completely his words. "I will." Soran announced and the wolf stared at him dissatisfied. "I don''t have anywhere to stay anyways. So I think it would be best for me to stay here. If that''s alright with you Kai." he said and everyone looked at the tired prince. Kai smiled and nodded his head making Philip snort. He never smiled like that when it came to him, he thought and his eyes widened embarrassed with his own thoughts. It wasn''t like that. He didn''t care like that. He reminded himself as he rushed towards Mika. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out, leaving without saying a word. "Boss, are you sure you''re going to be okay?" John asked him with a concerned expression. "Yes, don''t worry. I''ve taken the antidote, in a few hours I will be completely fine actually. Go home and get some rest. We are opening the shop like normal tomorrow." he announced. "What? But¡­" "No skipping work. I am an immortal being. I will be fine." he stated and John retried with his head facing the ground. He knew it was a bit self but a part of him had hoped that maybe he would be able to skip work tomorrow and sleep in but maybe Boss was truly some kind of super powerful vampire and had read his thoughts. "Lun¡­" Kai called him out as he was the last one that had remained in the room together with Soran. "What is it, my lovely best friend?" he asked him and Kai smiled again. "Thank you, you saved me." Kai told him and Lun smiled proudly. "Not exactly. This guy right here did actually. Akai was not very fond of helping us until he talked to her. Thank him, graciously." he said and winked at him. Kai rolled his eyes but still he didn''t say anything as he heard Soran laugh. "Thank you." Kai repeated and his friend shrugged his forehead. He approached him and kissed gently his forehead before he left with a carefree smile on his face. He was relieved. Even though he didn''t show it Lun had been worried, he didn''t know what he was supposed to do if Kai died. "Thank you too Soran. Really" Kai said once they were left completely alone. "Don''t mention it. Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked. "Can you help me sit up. It''s kind of weird talking to you and staring at the ceiling" Kai requested and his friend helped him. "Much better." he said in a relieved tone. "Are you surprised to see me?" Soran asked him. Kai took a few minutes to think, yes, he definitely was but not in a bad way. Soran had helped him, even the horrible way things had ended between them he still helped him to get out of BloodBound when he needed him the most. So he was happy, extremely so that he had managed to see him again. "Definitely. But I have to say that I am happy too. You and Lun, you were the people closest to me, two hundred years I had been all alone but now...I don''t know. Even though I had been telling myself that I am better off alone seeing you two has actually made me feel...better? In a way" he said, not sure about how he should explain his feelings. "I am glad I got to see you. After that night, for many years I couldn''t stop worrying about you Kai. You were wounded and bathed in blood. I...I still don''t know what happened and that scares me." he said "I''ve taken a blood oath Soran. I can''t say anything." Kai said and the vampire''s eyes widened. He sat at the edge of the couch, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Kai, that is very dangerous. He...he is here, how can you not fight the urge of not¡­" "Even if he is here¡­" Kai said, his eyes turning cloudy. "I am done with him, Soran. Forever. What I did, he would never forgive me. I saw him, as he died, the hate. This part of my life is closed no matter how it hurts. I need to be away from him, for his own good too. I can''t put him in danger." "I am really sorry Kai but honestly I do not understand" Soran said and Kai chuckled. "I know. How could you. Sometimes I don''t even understand myself. What I know is that once I make sure that John is safe, my friend who got turned into a werewolf, I will be leaving, before Philip turns twenty I will disappear." he explained. "So you''ve decided to go against fate?" Soran asked him. Was that what he was doing? Kai wondered. Maybe. What was written in the stars for him was being with Philip, it was destiny, fate as many called him but he believed it as simply a curse of the universe. At first, during those early days he felt as if he had won a grand prize until they found him. The Bloody People. They were the reason his whole life got ruined. They were the ones at fault for Kai being a killer and he couldn''t talk to anyone about it. He couldn''t reveal the horrific truth because that simply meant he would die later. He wished for death, he had asked Philip to kill him after all but why did he feel relieved in a way? Was he still selfish maybe? Wanting to live even after what he did. He was perplexed, fighting with himself every moment of the day and that tired him. "Maybe, or maybe I am simply running away from fate." he said and Soran smiled. "Kai¡­" he called out. "What if you rewrite destiny with me? Now after two hundred years?" Soran asked him and his eyes widened. "Soran what¡­" ... Hello everyone.. Hope you liked this chapter! Please tell me what you think happened in the past? I am very curious to see what you''re thinking. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 37 - 36 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com "You look tired" Mika told his friend as they left Kai''s apartment. The wolf scoffed, his shoe kicking an empty water bottle from in front of him and throwing it in the middle of the road. Mika watched it roll, its sound loud in the quiet street, and then his eyes returned to Philip. He had his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his head facing the dirty pavement and his lips had formed a thin line as if he was trying to stop himself from saying something. "What is it?" he asked. "It''s nothing." he answered without even a second to look at him. "You can''t hide from me." "Yes, but apparently you can." Philip told him and the redhead stopped. He stared at him, his eyes squeezed as he chose to keep walking. Since Philip seemed like he had no intent of stopping Mika grabbed his arm and pulled him back, forcing him to. "What the hell does that mean?" "You think I wouldn''t notice? What you did to the chain? You must be really stupid. I can''t even think why you would want me to kill Kai. Because I am sure it was about him and not Lun. I don''t even want to ask you because you will probably lie." He said and started walking again. As it seemed his plan hadn''t been as flawless as he had thought. Not only Philip but Lun too had come to know of his little scheme. The truth was Mika hadn''t thought of it much either. It was a last minute decision, almost like a whim. The thing was that he was scared. Scared that his best friend would meet the same end once again. Maybe what he did was truly wrong, maybe he shouldn''t involve himself in things that didn''t concern him but he couldn''t stop. Philip had no idea what was going on and once again he would fall victim to that killer, it was already starting. "I did it because he is not supposed to be here!" Mika exclaimed, trying to catch up with him. "He is evil Philip, you have no idea what he has done." "He doesn''t look evil to me." His friend told him. "Believe me, I hate vampires as much as you do but I hate them for a reason. I hate them because they kill people. Because they are obnoxious and mean. Kai doesn''t fit in that picture so I don''t get it why, why are you so obsessed with me staying away from him?" Philip shouted. "Because you will end up dying in the end!" Mika shouted back at him and Philip stared at him, stunned by his mysterious words. "What the heck are you talking about?" "Everyone this person has cared about has dropped dead. Back at the witch''s house they called him a fugitive, he did something, Philip and now even his own kind is probably going after him." Mika tried to explain to him without revealing the important parts. Philip remained quiet, he stood at the side of the pavement, near to an alley that smelled of trash and he frowned not knowing if it was because of his mind that was trying to connect the dots or because of the ugly stench that was surrounding him. While Kai was talking in his sleep, still affected by the illusions of the poison he had said something to him. He had talked about the Bloody People, he had said they were going to kill him. He chose though not to share that with Mika. It would simply make things worse and he was definitely not the right person to give him answers. "I don''t believe you. Also you make it sound like I am crazy about him or something. You, yourself said it was nothing else than sexual attraction so why are you suddenly so worried?" he asked him. Mika rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue in frustration. He was falling in his own traps and that was obvious. Philip was starting to get confused with his stance, he didn''t know what to believe anymore. He was sure though, something was definitely wrong and Mika, he didn''t say half of the things he knew. He was buried in some sort of secret and he didn''t want Philip to find out. "It''s because it''s not sexual attraction. You are crazy about him and it shows. I can see it from meters away. You like him and you know what? In three weeks you will be turning twenty and remembering your mate. What will happen then huh? Will you reject them for Kai or I don''t know what? We''ve been taught from the very first moment we are born, we can do whatever we want but when the time comes Philip we go where we belong." he told him pointing at him with his index finger. His friend sighed, not understanding fully how the conversation had come to this. "I am not crazy about Kai." he mumbled. "Yes, lie to yourself." "What is your problem Mika? You''ve never interfered in my relationships, not even once so what is so different this time?" Philip asked him. "This time you''re trying to get involved with someone very dangerous and I have to look out for you." "Thank you for caring about me but I don''t need you to do this. I don''t want you to hurt Kai and you should stay out of it. I am not planning to do anything with him anyways." "You promise?" Mika asked. "I won''t promise." "Fine but please, be careful." he told him, his face turning sad. The truth was Philip was not able to stay mad at him for long. What he did, it was obviously terrible and he would have to keep an eye on him for a while but he seemed sincerely worried for a reason he wasn''t allowed to know. That irked him the most. No one would tell him anything. The best thing he had managed to get were two phrases from Kai while he was practically delirious. He couldn''t even know if that was true, still he needed to find out, even if he had to do it on his own. "I will. Now let''s go. I am tired. I need to sleep and if I ever see you trying to hurt Kai I will leave you a cripple, I can promise you that." "And you''re saying you don''t care." Mika said with a scoff. "I just don''t support unjustified murder." "Believe me, it would be justice." Mika mumbled but both of them chose not to continue their conversation any longer. Philip did not want to make him think he was going to dig deeper into the matter. He was going to though, starting from the Bloody People and who Kai was. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 38 - 37 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Suddenly the black couch he had chosen with so much care felt extremely uncomfortable. His tired body though couldn''t react in the right way so he endured it while he stared at Soran in disbelief. The truth was these two had a long history together, a history Kai had learned to keep dear in his heart. In Bloodbound there was an Academy, the House of the Night, where all the rich families and the royals send their kids. It was actually a very scary place where your title and your money decided your fate. Kai was never bothered by it before, since he happened to be at the top but thinking back now that place was truly disgusting. Even though the horrid things that happened there he had met Soran at that place, his first friend other than Lun. He was the son of the Duke and Duchess Blackshade, some of his parent''s closest friends and supporters of the monarchy.He had never met him before though because in their circle it was known that Soran was shy and didn''t like people so much, that was why when Kai had found out they were going to be in the same school he had decided to find him and tease him, a childish prank. His plan was destined to fail from the start. In a society where darkness was ruling everything Soran had been a surprising calmness. The way he liked to sing soft songs or sit under the trees in the backyard reading a book. Kai would never hurt someone like him, a person who accepted him and provided him comfort. Soran had been forced by his father to join the Midnight Division, the king''s royal guard giving them more time together since he was always in the palace. They had started dating, in secret until Kai met Philip and things ended between them. Soran though still helped him when he needed it, he saved him in a way. After all those years he still couldn''t believe that Soran cared for him in that way. He still loved him and hearing someone say it so freely to him warmed his heart. "Soran¡­" Kai called out, his expression showing how perplexed he was as he thought of his words. "You know that Philip and I¡­" "I know, believe I know well about it." he said with a bitter smile. "But maybe now it''s your chance. After what happened, maybe you can start new. It doesn''t mean that we always have to do what''s written for us. We were good together, weren''t we?" Soran asked him with a faint smile and Kai laughed. He had a very unique way, maybe the tone of his voice, or how he spoke that always made him feel calm and relaxed. Even with all the horrors that hid in his soul Soran''s presence was like a beautiful break and even though he didn''t want to admit it he liked that. That he could just be around him without feeling pain. "You make it sound really easy." Kai said. He knew though it wasn''t, giving up those feelings inside of him, the love he had for Philip was nearly impossible. The vampire knew it would never happen, this kind of love was the one that easily got engraved on your heart, it stayed there like a permanent mark. Philip had ownership of his fragile feelings and he didn''t even know it. With his silly jokes about attraction or wanting him, with his brutal honesty. All those things simply triggered those feelings, the need and the loneliness, they made it worse and of course the pain always followed along. Slow and excruciating. "Because I believe that it is. Maybe everything that happened. That end you can''t explain to none of us was a sign. Sometimes fate is not always right." "I understand that, I know." Kai said and his eyes traveled at the ticking clock. He didn''t know why its sound was suddenly so loud. Maybe it was a reminder as the hands of the clock moved that the time of Philip''s birthday was approaching. Such an insignificant event for an immortal, birthdays. They did not matter since you were supposed to live forever. No reason to mark every year, nor reason to know. But his birthday, the twentieth birthday, would signal an explosion. Something that Kai feared from the start. He had found out about it, about the three weeks and his chest tightened simply at the thought. What would follow after? "But I couldn''t be with you when I love someone else. I respect you too much, I value you and I wouldn''t want to hurt you." he said and Soran took his hand. It felt cold to the touch, like his. They were the same. Raised in the same area, went to the same school, had the same rules and balls to attend. He knew how it felt while Philip was completely different. "Kai, let me try. They are after you. You know that. I don''t know the reason why but you will have to leave this place sooner or later. All I ask of you is to let me come with you." "What about Bloodbound? The Midnight Division?" the prince asked him. "A few years after you left I quit. I never wanted to be in the guard, I only tolerated because I could see you. I loved you from the first moment I saw you, that''s why, let me come with you. With me, it will be easy. I promise." "You will have to always be on the run and I..I don''t know if I can be with you the way you want." "It doesn''t matter. I will be with you. I will take you away." "From them?" "Yes, I will take you away from the Bloody People. I swear." ... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter. Soran is one of my favorite characters and you will see why...tell me what do you think about him? If you did enjoy this chapter please leave a nice comment and a vote, maybe even a nice review? I would really appreciate it. Thank you for reading! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 39 - 38 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com As they reached the hotel their pack was staying Mika and Philip parted their ways. The young man had decided not to quarrel with him, knowing nothing would change. He felt bitter about what happened and he did believe that Mika had been left off the hook easily but still he was too focused on other things. The hotel was enormous, a true skyscraper with soft red carpets and detail tapestry on the walls. It did not have a minimalistic style, it was actually perfect for those who wanted to flaunt their wealth like their Alpha. Killing vampires and selling their part has definitely been a very good source of income in the last few years. His pack had been upgraded, not that it wasn''t one of the most powerful packs but now it was clear that Moonshine was the most powerful. Instead of taking the elevator and having to meet with the expressionless staff they had for just pressing a button he decided to go up the stairs even if the room he was intending to visit was in the upper floors. As he got up the wide stairs with the golden railings, touching the cold metal with his palm he began thinking. Kai''s words were still very clear on his mind. Bloody People. Who could they be? He wondered and his impatience was causing an itch to his whole body. He had never considered himself a curious person and he never really liked to meddle in other''s business but two times now he had heard misfortune would find him one way or another and that had to do with Kai. No matter how unbothered he was in general when a whole mystery was unraveling before him in the form of a pair of captivating blue eyes he couldn''t just sit still. After a while of walking and a lot of thinking he finally reached his destination. He stood outside one of the many doors in the hallways checking a few times the number to make sure he was right before he knocked. At first there was no answer and he knocked again, this time a lot louder with a frown on his face. "I know you''re there. Open up!" He exclaimed and rushing footsteps were heard from the inside of the room. Philip heard the handle turn and soon from the little rip the door created he met a pair of annoyed green eyes. He smiled. "Hello there. Didn''t wake you up, did I?" He asked the woman behind the door as she opened, letting him in. Her room was different from his. In the tones of beige and gold she had a huge queen sized bed with scattered silk pillows on it. The sheets were a complete mess, part of them hanging on the marble ground. She had a small nightstand where she had a glass of half empty wine and a pair of glasses, a book left opened at the top of a pillow. "You already know the answer why are you asking" the young woman said. Philip had come to visit Reina, the third member of the wolf warriors. An eighteen years old girl with stunning long black hair styled in bangs and green eyes that popped even more surrounded by her tanned and flawless skin. She yawned dressed in her pink pajamas and drugged her feet to her nightstand. She grabbed her glasses and wore them, blinking a few times so she could focus. "You still haven''t unpacked?" He asked her, noticed three huge suitcases at the side of the room. They were old looking, made of brown leather and her green eyes looked at them too with a tired stare. "We will be leaving soon anyways so why should I bother?" She asked him back and Philip shrugged his shoulders realizing her point. In Reina''s room also existed a couch made of soft velvet with golden flowers in its design. Seeing as she couldn''t lay on the bed she plopped on the couch taking all of the space until Philip smacked her legs, making her move. "What? Why are you here? Why are you disturbing my sleep?" She asked him scratching the back of her head. Reina except from a very skilled fighter was also very smart, book smart. She was like a walking encyclopedia remembering everything she might have read only once. That''s why Philip had decided to visit her, if someone knew anything it would be her. "I need your help with something." "That''s unusual." She said. "I want you to promise me though you won''t tell anyone. Not even Mika." "Oooh it must be spicy. Did you get some kind of magical STD from sleeping around?" She asked, her eyes lighting up. "You look too excited while saying that but no. I want you to tell me what you know about someone." "And who might that be? It''s rare of you to want info on other people." "Kai Avger." Philip mouthed Kai''s name. It felt good leaving his lips, like a melody. He enjoyed saying his name, his image appearing before his eyes. "Kai Avger" he repeated mostly because he wanted to hear it. "Yes, I heard you the first time." Reina said. She took a few seconds to think, her mind was like a maze filled with information, sometimes it got hectic in there. Once though she remembered her beautiful almond shaped eyes widened. "The prince?" "Yes. That one." He said and the girl gasped "Why would you¡­" "Please answer my question." Philip told her with a smile and she sighed. She of course wanted to know more but Philip was not going to make the same mistake he did with Mika. Reina was great but now everything that he felt would be left for himself to judge and deal with. "Well, okay. He is the third son of the Kai Monarchy. Basically vampires, the ones who still live in Bloodbound the little vampire capital have a royal family. The first ones that got cursed the same way we have a few alpha''s like that. So there is a royal family. He is the youngest son, he has an older brother and an older sister. He was a scholar at the order of the Night I think? I don''t remember the name well, it''s an Academy for the rich of some sort. He used to date a guy named Soran who also of royal status¡­." "Wait¡­.wait did you just say Soran? How do you know that?" Philip asked with a frown. "The part about dating it''s just rumors, you know the monarchy two hundred years ago did not accept homosexuality. I don''t know what they''re doing now to be honest but yeah. After that there is not much actually. Just that he killed someone and disappeared." She said. "Who did he kill?" Philip asked. Maybe that was the reason why he was a fugitive, he thought. It could be some royal vampire or something and they are after him to punish him. It didn''t make much sense though, Kai was the prince he could have gotten away with practically anything. Was there something he was missing? "That I do not know." She said and shrugged her shoulders. "I see...also, one more question." Philip said. "Spill it so I can go back to sleep." Reina said but she had a small smile on her face. She actually loved it when people asked her for information. "Do you know what the...Bloody People are?" He asked her. She took her usual seconds, remembering. "Why would you even want to know about them. Philip...are you involved in anything dangerous?" She asked him, filled with concern. "No! It''s just that I heard it from somewhere and got curious, that''s all" Reina didn''t seem to believe him. She adjusted her glasses and sighed. "Are you safe?" She asked again and Philip gave her a comforting smile. "Yes. Don''t worry." "Okay then¡­the Bloody People are¡­" Reina started saying when an aggressive knock was heard on her door. She flinched surprised as both of them looked towards the source of the sound. "Open up. I know Philip is there." That sounded like something Mika would say. It wasn''t him though. The voice was deep and strict. Both of them recognized it instantly. "Open up!" He shouted again and Reina stared at her friend with wide eyes. "What the hell did you do that the Alpha is calling you like this?" She asked him. Philip had no idea. .... Hello! If you''re reading this please don''t be a silent reader, hate is simply louder that way. Tell me what you think of the book, I am very curious to know. Hope you liked this chapter and the story this far. Also please don''t forget to vote and write a nice review! Voting is very important for the contest so please help! Thank you for reading this far. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 40 - 39 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Being scared of the Alpha was more than a thought, it was a natural reaction, rooted deep into their core. If the Alpha ordered them to kneel they had to, if the Alpha ordered them to kill, they had to even if they didn''t want to. For every pack the leader, called the Alpha, was the highest figure of authority, a man and unfortunately rarely a woman that took the leadership from the previous one through a battle that led to certain death. It was a brutal position filled with authority. So it was very clear that both Philip and Reina would freeze hearing their Alpha shout behind the door. They were wolf warriors but still their hearts trembled with fear and the girl looked at her friend with furrowed eyebrows before she opened the door. Philip shrugged his shoulders as confused as she was and stood up, straightening his clothes and fixing up himself. Reina opened, wanting the knocking to finally stop and both of them stood in front of the tallest man in their pack. He was built a lot like a closet, with strong arms and wide shoulders, dark skin and short black hair with matching black eyes. He seemed older than them, in his mid thirties and his eyes scanned the younger wolves. "Philip." he called his name. "Yes, sir." The young man said, trying not to stutter in fear. "Let''s go for a walk shall we?" he asked him, tilting his head to the side, his lips twitching into a forced and very awkward smile. Philip did not like this, all his life, even before he was assigned as a wolf warrior he had always tried to avoid him. There was simply something wrong with him, as if he wasn''t really one of them but a stranger, looking at them from above. The wolf turned his head, his eyes landing on Reina asking for some support and the girl coughed. "Um, would you like me to come along too?" she asked and the Alpha, who was named Mikain, turned his cold eyes towards her. "Did I ask you to? Did I even talk to you?" "Well, considering freedom of speech and all, I don''t think that¡­" "We don''t do freedom of speech here, Reina." Mikain told her and the girl instantly swallowed the rest of her sentence. "That is for the weak humans who can''t do anything else than talk." he said. Reina seemed to be dissatisfied with the answer she got from him and frowned, immediately catching his attention. "Did I say something that you don''t like?" he asked her, his tone getting more aggressive. "Let''s take that walk!" Philip said. He wanted to take the Alpha away. Reina had a tendency to argue, and usually Philip was fine with that, he always enjoyed her witty comebacks but these things would not really pass in a conversation with Mikain so shutting up was always the better option. Shutting up or getting whipped, it was always between these too, the whipping was if you were lucky and he liked you. Mikai lost interest in Reina easily since she wasn''t his initial target and returned to looking at Philip, that awkward and obvious smile returning to his lips. The young wolf tried to smile too, his expression coming out more like he had smelled something unpleasant and was trying to hide it rather than happiness. "Yes, come on now. Let''s go to my room." he told him and Philip almost winced. He hoped it wasn''t what he thought. He really wished it wasn''t. Mikain was known for his so called preference to take younger people in his bed, considering the fact that he was indeed quite handsome and the Alpha many young wolves who lived at the bottom of the pack delirious of who he truly was at first felt like they had been chosen for something honorable. That was until they met with his true preferences when the doors closed. The only thing that Philip could think of was that some of them were never seen again and he frowned as Reina closed her door behind them. "You look concerned." Mikain said and Philip tried to smile. Of course I am, I have to think if you want to **** me or not, he thought and took a deep breath. His heart was racing and he felt Mikain''s palm on his back urging him to move faster. "No, not at all. I am just curious why you would call me in your room. You''ve never requested me." he said and Mikain laughed. "It''s not for that." he said and Philip felt like a huge rock had been lifted off his shoulder. "But that''s true, maybe I should call you. You''ve grown a lot more handsome since the last time I paid attention to you." he complimented him and Philip felt like he would barf. He hid it though behind a charming smile, he had smiled so much the last few minutes his cheeks were starting to hurt. "Then what could it be? If I''m allowed to ask." "Oh, you will see. Let''s call it a surprise. I heard from a little bird that Mika and you did not follow us into the woods for the changing. You and your friend as warriors do have freedom but I was surprised as to why you chose to not come along." he said. If someone who didn''t know him simply stood from a side and heard him speak he would think he was a very reasonable man. He talked nicely, his tone was sweet while a smile lingered on his handsome face. The truth was though that this tactic was simply part of his plan. He was being nice and sweet until he managed to make you spill what he wanted to hear. "With my birthday approaching Mika and I wanted to spend this full moon with just the two of us. I guess some kind of childish last full moon before I find my mate and all¡­" he said, trying to sound carefree. "I see. That sounds very nice. Three weeks right? I should hurry up and call you till then" he said and Philip''s eyes widened, a lump forming on his throat. "You honor me sir." "I know. Here we are." He said and stopped in front of his door. It was of course at the last floor where the suites were. They had climbed a few stairs and walked through long corridors with closed doors. The rooms were fewer in the last floors and as Mikain opened his door Philip shivered. He didn''t have a good feeling about this. And he was right. Soon the full room came into view, the Alpha stepping inside and allowing him to take in the picture in front of him. Him and his Beta had captured a man. He was seated on a chair in the middle of the room, gagged and cuffed. Filled with bruises. The worst part was that Philip knew this man. "Let''s talk, Philip." Mikai said with a wicked smile and the door behind him closed, the loud banging echoing in the huge room. ... Hello! Who do you think the man is? I am taking bets. Hope you liked this chapter. Also if you did like it please leave a nice comment and a vote. Voting is really important for the contest.. It would help so much. Thank you! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 41 - 40 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Saying he was new to this was an understatement. It actually felt as if he had to learn how to live again, functioning as this new secret being that he didn''t know he was. John was trying to seem cool about it, to show that he was on terms with this good reality but the truth was he was absolutely dumbfounded. He didn''t hate it, who would actually? Being stronger, faster, living for so long but yet something felt completely wrong. It was as if his own body didn''t really belong to him anymore but it was slowly being overtaken by a power that was awakening inside of him. Mika and Philip had talked to him about it. The root of the curse, the truth about the beast that took the form of a beautiful wolf. He would have to fight it everyday, keep it at bay so he wouldn''t lose himself. That was the most scary aspect of the rest. He would have to be in a constant battle with something inside of him he didn''t even know that well, a curse, a demon of some kind that was born on the day he got beaten. He had spent hours and hours thinking about it. How he should approach this matter, how to calm down his fear but the more he started questioning himself the more he realized that he didn''t have any of the answers and this vagueness of his life was enough to have him tortured by a constant headache. He had always been a pretty straightforward person but he acknowledged that as he stepped into this new world this would not pass. Everyone seemed to talk in riddles afraid to reveal too many of their secrets. His boss had been so distant before, exactly that, a riddle he wanted to solve but now he could only see him as pitiful and that made John''s heart break. Sometimes he wished he could go back, not because he didn''t like being a werewolf, he still hadn''t really understood what that brought with him but because that way he wouldn''t have to witness Kai''s pain. He couldn''t stop seeing his pain, his eyes as he looked at Philip and he could only wish now that he was a part too of some written destiny that when he turned twenty he would have to go through such a tragedy. He couldn''t believe that his Boss almost died in front of his eyes and that actually someone of his own kind had caused it. That meant he would be able to do it too, to his mother, his brother, his neighbor. He only needed one moment and just a sprinkle of bad luck and his whole world would be ruined. That was why John had swore to himself. He would never lose control. No matter how much self restraint it took he would not get angry, he would not get emotional and he would learn to numb himself so he would never hurt anyone. Mika and Philip had told him that his thoughts were simply utopic, something as controlling himself all the time was never going to happen, adding their irrational and hotblooded nature John''s beliefs sounded simply like daydreaming. "I can do it¡­" He mumbled as he walked back to his own apartment. He had left Kai a while ago and had aimlessly strolled in the busy streets, seeing the colorful cars pass him by while he walked on the dirty pavement. He kicked a few empty bottles, he had even gotten a cup of coffee for himself, warming up his fingertips before he drank it just so he could organize the mess he called his thoughts. He could remember every single one of the people that were in the room and the way they looked at Kai. Their expressions, the way they talked and reacted. John was a background character but still he didn''t mind it. He could observe and learn. Mika was questionable, Lun was a great friend, Philip was immature, Kai was broken and Soran...this new person that had just appeared, he was simply stunning. John''s cheeks blushed at the thought. He knew this was not the kind of result he should have ended up with as he thought of him, categorizing him the same way he did with the rest but he couldn''t forget him. The moment he had seen his boss for the first time he had sworn that there was no other guy as attractive as him. As it seemed he was wrong. Soran, in his eyes, looked so ethereal. His snow white hair, his eyes where you couldn''t separate the iris from the pupil. Soran''s nose had a small bump in it at the top, giving it a very different shape that somehow made him even more attractive. What John had come to like the most about him though was his aura, if he could even describe it like that. He seemed so calm, the way he talked with always a lingering smile on his face and the gentleness of his words. John had never seen someone like him before. If Kai looked like an ice prince he was like a fairytale king, the one that always saved the princess, kind and pure. The young werewolf slapped his cheeks, wanting to stop himself from his kind of romantic daydreaming. "He likes Kai, it''s obvious." he reminded himself that he had no hope at all. He frowned. He would never be able to compare with someone as Kai, or any of the other supernatural creatures he had seen. He was miserably and completely normal. "It''s fine. You will get a mate too and they will have to love you even if you''re mediocre." he told himself and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I am talking to myself. Well that''s normal." he mumbled as he took a turn. His house was a few meters away just at the end and then on the left of that narrow alley. His town was like a maze, narrow and dark roads smelling of questionable things and barely any light. Usually he opened his phone''s flashlight so he would be able to see but ever science he turned into a wolf his sight had become a lot better in the darkness. One of the perks he assumed. So he walked in the alley, feeling a bit colder like always and heard his shoes dive into a puddle of what seemed to be mud water. He screeched, disgusted and shook his leg, trying to get away as much water as he could before he felt it reach his shock. It was the worst kind of feeling and it was even more horrible because what he had stepped in would remain a forever mystery. He sighed, deciding not to think about it and took a step forward, seeing the end of the alley. As he approached the exit, just a few steps away from the so-called finish line a figure appeared, kind of blurred out by the light behind it. John squeezed his eyes, the characteristics of the person becoming clearer and he gasped. He took a step back, wary, realizing he needed to run but his back landed on something, or better described someone. His breath got stuck on his throat, becoming instantly anxious. "Hello there" a familiar face said and the person in front of him approached him. "Didn''t think you would survive my bite." he told him and John came face to face with the same blood thirsty eyes that had taken his old life away from him. "Surprise!" John exclaimed. He had never hated anyone. This guy though, he despised him. "I am going home so please move along." he said, trying to hide the fact that he was scared. Behind him, stopping him from running away was one of those tall twins, he didn''t remember their names. "That is not possible. You see, our Alpha is dying to meet you so like the kind and loyal person I am, I came to get you. I figured an invitation wouldn''t be enough." Brandon said and John scoffed. He was scared of teenagers. "Sad to let you know that you came for nothing. I had a tough day so move." he said and attempted to walk past him when he felt the other guy grab him. Sam or August? He couldn''t stop wondering and it was irking him. "Let me go!" John exclaimed, images from his last capture flashing before his eyes. He pushed his body, resulting in him raising his legs and kicking Brandon right in the stomach. The younger boy, surprised, stumbled back and coughed. "So we won''t be doing this the nice way, are we?" He asked and John smiled. They were teens. How hard could it be? He tried to release himself but as it seemed the minion was stronger than it looked. He pushed John into the dirty wall and grabbed him front the back of his short hair making him gasp as he felt the skin of his scalp being pulled. "Two against one is not that fair. Afraid you would lose?" John provoked the boy''s ego and Brandon signaled his friend to let go of him. He pushed John, making him land on his knees a few seconds right before he got kicked in the face by the mastermind. "Why does it always have to be me?" he whined, realizing that there was no way he would win as he felt the metallic taste of his own blood invade his mouth. "I guess you''re just too unlucky." Brandon said with a wide smile as he grabbed him from the collar and raised him up. He pushed him again into the wall and wrapped his palm around his neck, suffocating him as he landed a punch on his nose. "Didn''t you want to put up a fight? Huh?" he asked him as he punched him again and again. "The Alpha wants him alive." The other boy reminded him and for a second a little hope ignited inside him. It was soon put to rest though. Brandon was frowning, dissatisfied with his friend''s observation. "Fine. Let''s go back, shall we?" he asked John and grabbed his head, smacking it on the brick wall and making him fall unconscious. The idea that he could even fight them, those who were born werewolves while he was literally a baby was ridiculous.. Maybe they should have sent an invitation. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 42 - 41 Unlucky, that''s how he had been described by the man who had chosen to literally turn his life upside down just out of spite and probably stupidity. As he sat on that chair surrounded by unknown people listening to them speak while his heart was drumming in between his ears was a whole new experience. Being calm was one of his characteristics but the moment that huge man entered the room he couldn''t hide the fact he was terrified anymore. He was clearly their Alpha, from the way the twins and Brandon acted to the man that stood behind him that had followed him in no one actually dared to look him in the eyes. After a while everyone else left leaving him and the scary man alone in the room. "So what am I going to do with you?" He mumbled as he circled around him like a predator. John swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and his eyes followed him, wary of his every move. "You should not exist." He said and the young man wanted to simply cry. Why would he be the one to decide if he was supposed to exist or not? He didn''t want this, he definitely didn''t want to wake up in an unknown room, tied up and beaten by some supernatural fifteen year olds while he just sat there useless with no way to defend himself. "I would appreciate it if you didn''t decide about my existence." John said after a while. Yes, he was scared, yes he probably could die if that man simply touched him but still he couldn''t just keep his words in. The Alpha stopped walking and stared at him intensively when a faint grin appeared on his face. Is this good? John questioned as he watched him walk away and open his bedroom door. He left, without saying another word he simply disappeared. The man released a relieved sigh as he heard the door close. He was at least alone, he thought. For how long he didn''t know. His eyes traveled to the luxurious room. Gold and red everywhere, so much shine that it practically hurt his eyes. There was a window wall that showed perfectly clear all the skyscrapers and buildings. The outside, freedom was so close but he seemed to be restrained into a golden cage. Couldn''t they have tied him on the bed at least instead of this uncomfortable chair? He asked himself. The unknown man wasn''t gone for long and the little comfort John had found in his disappearance was gone the moment he heard footsteps coming towards the room from the corridor. This hotel was filled with bad memories. He could still smell his own blood, he could taste it in the rips of his mouth as they healed faster than those of humans. Whenever he approached werewolves, his own kind he always ended up tasting his own blood. Maybe that was why he didn''t want to go with them, they all gave him a bad vibe. Except Philip. Philip for a weird reason didn''t seem like the rest of them, he looked somehow detached from that beastly behavior. Maybe he wasn''t like that when he was around his own, maybe that was the effect Kai had on him. Nonetheless he preferred people more like him. Thankfully, it was him that entered with the Alpha. It was Philip following close behind the scary man and their eyes met immediately. "Let''s talk Philip" Mikain said and the wolf felt his muscles tense. "Sir, what is this? Why is he¡­" "Do you know him?" The Alpha asked the werewolf as he stood in front of a beaten up John. He did, he did know him but what could be the right answer so he could save him and himself? "What?" He asked, trying to play dumb and the man giggled. "This man." Mikain pointed out and placed his palm on John''s shoulder, putting pressure on the spot and making him hiss. "Do you know him? Because Brandon says you do. They brought in a vampire and him but you let them go." "I did." Philip said. The brats had revealed everything. There was nothing he could do now than try and talk his way out of this. "So you''re blatantly admitting that you actually let a vampire go?" The alpha asked him, his tone getting louder. "I think that those brats did not tell you the whole story. This man right here was a human. There are rules. I couldn''t kill the vampire in front of a human. Then Brandon with that bright mind of his turned him and he actually survived." Philip explained. It was obvious that the wolf had not been told the same story. Mikain stood close to John, examining him with his eyes. "It could explain the fact that he is so weak. If he has been just turned. We will have to take him in." "What?" John exclaimed. "No, no thank you. I don''t want to belong in your pack. I don''t want to be a part of any pack. So the best thing for all of us would be to let me go since your pack member caused this and we can all move along." After he spoke a silence spread in the room. Philip had his eyes on him, wide and his expression of utter shock. Maybe he shouldn''t have been so open about his opinion. "So you''re saying you''re going to be an omega? From my pack!" He shouted right into John''s face, startling him. "Do you believe I will accept such disgrace?" John didn''t know all of the rules yet. He barely knew what being an omega meant so right now the only thing he understood as he felt the rough rope scratch his wrists was that he had messed up and maybe next time he should keep his mouth closed. "Sir, he doesn''t know yet, he is new, maybe we can negotiate in some way so we can¡­" "Silence Philip, I don''t remember asking you to speak." Mikain said between gritted teeth. Philip closed his eyes, trying to restrain himself and John, well he was starting to sweat. "If my boss hears about this he will be very mad" John said, drawing Mikain''s attention. Philip''s eyes widened and he started to frantically shake his head in a negative motion but the young wolf couldn''t see him. The Alpha''s huge frame was hiding him and every move he made could count as suspicious. "Your boss? And who is your boss?" He asked him. "My boss is a vampire prince. He is very powerful so I would suggest you let me go before he gets mad" he said. The scary Alpha could not simply overlook this. He had powerful people behind him, maybe that would make him a bit more wary of him. That way he could at least ensure he would remain alive for now. He didn''t receive the reaction he was expecting though. John wanted Mikain to get scared, rethink things but he actually looked ecstatic. A huge smile spread on his face and without a second thought he turned towards Philip. "This is amazing." Mikain exclaimed. "Do you know how much money we can make if we sell him? A pureblood prince! Philip, gather a group of people. We''re going on a hunt." He said with a vicious smile. "Sir!" Philip said. "What? Is there a problem?" "No, of course not, I just don''t know why you would want to come along, you''re the Alpha maybe it would be best if¡­" "I have to make sure that you won''t mess up." He said. "Gather up four people. I will be waiting." Mikain rushed outside, probably in search of his beta. Philip was left alone with John, their eyes finally meeting again and the man stared at him angrily. "You messed up so fucking bad" Philip told John before he too left the room, slamming the door behind him. The young man was all alone, still tied and still a prisoner and actually he had just signed Kai''s death sentence. Maybe he should keep his mouth shut after all. ... Hello! Thank you for reading. If you liked this chapter please leave a nice comment and a vote.. if you like the book leave also a nice review! I would appreciate it. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 43 - 42 Best novel online free at novelhall.com While Philip was gathering up the people his Alpha had requested, while John was being tied up into that very uncomfortable chair, thinking how he had signed Kai''s death sentence and while Lun was at home, in the comfort of his big mansion drinking expensive whiskey as he tried to find a way and eradicate Moonshine, Kai had been left alone with Soran. Slowly he was starting to feel better and when the white haired vampire returned he brought him a blood bag. Soran had been gone for a few hours telling Kai that he had some business to take care of. Thankfully he had come back with food, because the prince, after everything that had been through, was starving. He was still resting on the couch, a fluffy mint colored blanket resting on his long legs as he flipped the pages of a mystery book he had read quite a few times before. It was kind of ironic, reading a mystery book again and again since you knew the ending. Someone would think it wouldn''t be as interesting any more but Kai loved it. He read that specific book so much because the main character reminded him of Philip. Calm, playful and funny with a great skill at expressing himself. He loved reading the lines as the character spoke and imagining the man he loved phrase them. As he heard Soran enter the small living room with plastic bags on his hands he closed it, hiding it underneath the couch cushion. For some reason he felt as if he was doing something bad. Maybe he wanted to hide that part of himself that was still clinging into those foolish memories of love. Everyone knew though, everyone could see it. How stuck he was in the past and how easily he fell all over again for him, for the second time. "I brought food." Soran had told him and waved the bags. "It''s from my human. I know it will probably taste bad to you but I bet you''re hungry." he said and sat on the floor, next to Kai''s couch. The prince smiled. "You don''t have to sit on the floor. There is an armchair right there." he told him and pointed at the comfortable seat at the other side of the room. "It''s not close to you though." he answered with a sweet smile as he searched through the bag. It was filled with blood bags. Kai blinked, noticing the huge amount of blood Soran had brought over. "Is your human¡­" Kai mumbled, not knowing how to phrase his concern so he wouldn''t insult him. Soran blinked a few times, waiting for Kai to finish talking but after a few seconds he understood for himself what he meant and laughed. "Oh, yes. She is fine, don''t worry. These are leftovers too. I don''t force her to do anything. You know I would never." the snow haired man said and the prince smiled. "I know. Feels a bit silly that I asked." he said "Kind of is." Soran teased him and Kai gasped, pretending to be insulted. "That could have your head cut off." the prince said and the vampire started laughing. He handed him a blood bag and Kai pierced it with his fangs, allowing the cold liquid to enter his mouth. It tasted horrible, as if someone was trying to poison him but he closed his eyes and hid his frown and swallowed. For two centuries this was something he had to learn how to cope with. Every type of blood, from all kinds of people, tasted like sewage. During his first times he would always throw up, go long periods without even feeding at all because he was scared of how his body would react and then reach a point when he wouldn''t be able to control himself anymore and kill many just to satisfy himself. Like he did the other day, he still remembered that man. "Your eyes are sad again." Soran noted, realizing that Kai was once more lost in depressive thoughts. "I killed a man. A thief, a few days ago because I was starving. I took his life without even thinking about it" Kai confessed and now that he was saying it out loud it felt even worse than when he heard it in the walls of his own mind. "I''m sorry." Soran told him. There wasn''t really anything else. He knew no words would mend his guilt and scolding him would just make everything a lot more depressing. Kai knew very well right from wrong his situation though many times would end up blurring the lines and the ones who understood it, couldn''t say anything about it. "Yeah, me too." The prince said with a sad smile. "I...am lost. Ever since I left BloodBound I have been on the edge of losing myself." "Is it because you miss home? Maybe because of Philip?" Soran asked him, concern written all over his face. "No, I don''t miss home. I''ve learnt not to miss it. It''s not fully because of Philip. I love him, I will always do no matter who I am, that''s something I can''t change. The problem is me and this guilt that''s eating me alive. I want to speak, I want to find a way and tell him everything but that¡­" "That will kill you." Soran finished his sentence and Kai nodded. His friend frowned and took Kai''s hand in his, feeling his cold skin match his. "No forgiveness is worth your life. I am sure what you did was not because you wanted to harm him. You are not that kind of person, you never were. If he remembers and thinks that of you then I believe he simply doesn''t know you, he never did. Kai, stop seeing yourself as a monster because you are not one. We are all cursed, burdened with an emotionless eternity, many of the vampires out there choose to lose themselves, turn into real monsters but you, you would never be one of them, you are too kind, too smart, too noble to do it." Soran told him. Kai needed words like these. He needed to hear them, but he couldn''t let them nest in his heart and become a part of him. After everything that happened, he couldn''t simply believe other''s words and he hated that. Soran cared, he was trying to be truthful but even though he knew it Kai couldn''t hold back that suspicion. He felt horrible. Nonetheless he smiled and gave Soran''s hand a squeeze. "Thank you. Your words always find a way to soothe my soul. It''s quite a skill you know. Very charming." he teased him and the man in front of him blushed. "I am a catch, what can I say?" Soran answered with a cute smile when a loud bang interrupted their little game. Both of them frowned, surprised by the intensity of the noise. Someone was banging at Kai''s door in the middle of the night. Soran stood up, the prince ready to mimic him but he didn''t let him. He waved his arm signaling him to stay there as he walked slowly downstairs. "Wait here.." he had told him right before he disappeared. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 44 - 43 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Lun was extremely tired. All of the emotions he hadn''t felt in over two centuries were coming like a tidal wave and crushing on his heart as if it was a defenseless shore. As he stood in his living room his hands entwined behind his back, his eyes wandered around, spotting the half empty glass of hard liquor. He scoffed, a grin on his face as he grabbed the bottle and refilled it, a sigh escaping his lips. He was anxious, worried and confused most of the time. He had been searching for Kai for years as his parents requested. He should have announced to them he had found him so they could take him back by now but he had chosen to keep it a secret. Lun grabbed the fragile glass, hearing the icecube move inside the golden liquid and took a sip. His brown eyes were clouded as his thoughts made him question everything. Kai''s secret, the reason why he took a blood oath. Lun had to know. Only the royal family was able to actually seal a blood oath so that eventually meant his family had something to do with his disappearance or whatever happened to him to make him want to run away. If that was true Lun wasn''t so sure if he should bring his friend back home. When he had found out Kai was gone, without even saying goodbye he had been furious. He accepted the request of search by his parents in the blink of an eye just so he could find him and drag him back home by force. He had seen it as his little revenge but now things seemed to be a lot more complicated. Kai had changed, or better, he was trying to hide his true self as if he regretted his entire existence. Everything, from him running away to meeting Philip again to the Blood Oath, everything was so complicated. "Kai, what have you gotten yourself into?" he sighed and pushed his hair back with his free hand. Lun hadn''t liked Kai from the first moment he had seen him. But he had decided that he had to have him as a friend and he would do anything in his power to achieve it. The son of a very rich merchant that rose quickly into high society. That was what they were saying about Lun''s father in Bloodbound but everyone knew his father''s success wasn''t just that. Born into the lower ladder or the vampire capital, his father worked in what they called the Bloodbound''s underworld. With a little killing, little drug dealing and smuggling his father who was a very intelligent man indeed had managed to make his family rise into what he always wished. Lun was young, barely remembering their shabby home in the lower part of the capital but the smell, the disgust was somehow engraved in his entire being. His family had done everything to be at the top, no royal blood, no connections and him being the Avger family''s dog was a step even further. He despised his father, down to the core. He hated the beatings and the swears he had to endure from a man of the underworld that wore a mask during those balls and gathering with the higher class just to show he fitted in but he shared one common with him, neither of them was and would never be a good guy. Lun too, even though he was a lot more civil and despised getting blood on his hand he had no real connection to anyone or had ever known what love was. That kept going for a few years, even after he had become friends with Kai. His father would force him to hang out with him and Kai would be forced by his own parents to stay by his side. It was almost like a mutual agreement until...until Lun got to really notice and get to know Kai. In their society people always loved to pretend they were good, that they still had virtue in them even though the curse flowed still in their rotten veins. They hid behind their shiny masks at the masquerades and giggle pretending to be civil, ignoring the blood in each other''s lips. Lun despised that, the thought of pretending to be something he was not and that was where Kai came in. He had never seen anyone who was so free spirited. He didn''t care about anyone''s judgement. He only cared about himself and what he wanted to do. The scandalous prince would party, he would roam around half naked and act like a spoiled brat, everything his family detasted because it threatened their perfect frame all the while being the one at the top of his class, an excellent swordsman and an exquisite dancer. Lun viewed Kai as what a vampire should be. Someone who embraces their immortality, someone who accepts their nature and not a hungry filled monster that was trying to hide in the shadows. Kai was really who Lun wished to be one day. A symbol of being yourself no matter who judged you, no matter if your father hit you almost to death if you did something bad at home. So seeing him like this after such a long time was a shock. He wanted to see his old friend back, the only vampire he ever truly acknowledged because Kai did not deserve to view himself like this. He had to either bring Philip to Kai or take the prince back home. Both options seemed equally dangerous at the moment. Back home though, it was better for Lun too, because back home there was someone, a person he was itching to see. His thoughts traveled to that person, leaving for a second the disappointment of the current events behind and he grinned as he brought the glass close to his lips. Lun had been trying for years to make him his, again and again but he had always found a huge wall at the end of the way, it was fun, this little hunt. He was going to get him though and then he was going to make him pay. "Sir¡­" a hesitant voice was heard from the entrance. One of the servants he had brought from back home was standing there, a worried look on the raven haired man''s face and Lun frowned. "What is it again?" "The men you set to watch the hotel Moonshine live in.Their Alpha has been spotted leaving the building with that ex human boy you know. He is beaten up and restrained." he informed him Lun looked at the man in front of him, his eyes burning with hate as the glass in his palm shattered into many small pieces. The servant looked at him stunned as blood started to drip from his palm. "Get my car ready." he said between gritted teeth and the servant disappeared. Suddenly his life had turned into a race. Who would reach Kai first? .... So who do you think will reach Kai first? You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 45 - 44 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com He hated that the last few days he always had something to think about. He wanted his easy going life back, hunting vampires, having one night stands. That was more than enough, he didn''t need anything else but somehow a blond vampire appeared, tied and beaten in his room and his whole world changed just three weeks before his twentieth birthday and now, once more he had to think of something so he could save him. The reason why he wanted to save him? Unknown it was more like a need or the repulsive thought of him being dead that acted as a drive for all his actions. That, his pretty eyes and golden hair and his round¡­ "Philip!" Reina shouted and clapped his tanned hands in front of him. "The reason you brought us here?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. He had called Reina and Mika in his room, still mad at his bed friend, but these two sadly were the only people he could trust...partially. He had called them in his room to think of something and obviously take them with him to this fiasco. This hunt had to end up in a total disaster. "Mikain, has John" he said. Mika was the only one who understood the severity of that. "And John told him about Kai. Now he wants me to gather a group so we can hunt him. He will be there too." "I don''t get it." Reina said. "I do." Mika mumbled, his face showing utter shock. Philip was tapping his foot on the floor, his palm gripping one of the innocent cushions on the couch as he waited for Mika to say something, anything really just so he would stop feeling so completely alone in this. "Somebody please tell me what is going on?" she repeated and her eyes focused on Mika. "Spill it." "Philip likes Kai. He is a vampire. The third vampire prince to be exact. The prince has a friend, a werewolf friend that was just turned by that idiot brat Brandon. They caught John and he was completely clueless about everything talked about Kai, now our Alpha¡­" "Wants to find him, cut him in pieces, drain his blood and sell him to the witch covens." Reina completed his sentence. "And all that before Philip even managed to screw him." "It''s not like that!" Philip said, a small blush spreading on his face and Reina snorted, she knew her friend very well. Actually everyone knew Philip and his bedroom tendencies. "This is not the time to talk about you crushing on the prince." Mika said, bringing them back to reality. "Mikain is a money hungry idiot. He does not understand that even in this world there are lines you must not cross. One of them being killing a member of the most vampire family in the whole world and in the history of time." Mika reminded them and Reina nodded. "Our pack will be doomed after this." "It is known that their king is ruthless and has a very obvious hate for werewolves. This will be an excuse for a whole war to start again and as a war general I really don''t want to start it." Reina said. "You have to come with me. We need to think of something to stop them. Kai...he can''t die." Philip said and rubbed the back of his neck. "Wait, wait, wait." Reina said. "Do you really like this guy? Like as in feelings involved like? You will be twenty soon!" she exclaimed. "The scandal. On my" she said as she fanned her face dramatically. "I don''t know what it is¡­" Philip mumbled. His eyes were staring at his lap, too embarrassed to speak so openly about this mess in his heart and mind. He noticed a stray threat at the line of his pants and wrapped it around his fingertip before he pulled it off. How perfect would it be if he could do that with Kai too? Just rip him off his heart as if he was a thread that lost its way. Mika stood up, throwing one of the cushions right in the middle of Philip and Reina. Both of them looked at him taken aback by his reaction and he sighed, rolling his eyes fed up with how easily they were lured in by talks of romance like children. "This is not the time for this. We need to think of something and then find Mikain and ruin his plans. Please people, we need to focus." Mika reminded them. "Mikain asked me to have four people. We need to take someone else with us." Philip announced and silence filled the room. They were thinking who they could take with them, who would actually be weak enough, or reasonable to benefit them rather than make things difficult for them. "I think I know who we can take." Reina said with a small smile on her lips. "Who?" the two boys said in unison "Hans." she announced. "The Beta? Mikain''s best friend, the second strongest werewolf in our pack. Are you insane?" Mikain asked her and she giggled. "Listen here now boys because as it seems I am the brains of the operation." Reina told them. The three friends, in the little time they had sat at the couch in Philips'' room, the lights from the skyscrapers coming in as the sky turned dark. Their minds had to work fast, their idea had to be the least perfect so they could save Kai and their own pack from destruction. Philip couldn''t stop thinking about Kai, his sad eyes, the tremble in his voice and those shiny tears. He hated that expression, the beauty behind this great sorrow. He wished to see him smile, Philip desperately wanted to hear his laugh. He felt a burn on his chest, to manage all that he had to stop him. The prince had to survive. .... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter.. Please leave a nice comment and a vote! Thank you for reading. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 46 - 45 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Soran headed down the stairs, suspicious as to who would be at this time. He grasped the doorknob and twisted it slowly, his head peeking out as he seemed to want to get a glimpse of the visitor before he opened it fully. It was Lun, he stood in front of him with a horrid expression and he pushed the door violently so it would open. Soran took a rushed step back, his eyes wide at his friend''s unusual behaviour. "What''s wrong?" he asked him but Lun didn''t answer him. He hurried up the stairs, hearing the vampire following him with the same tension and entered the living room where Kai was resting. It was the first time the prince had a slightly relaxed look on his face. Maybe being with Soran was an excellent idea. These two always synced in a very peaceful way, as if the snow haired royal grounded him. Lun felt bad, he was about to ruin the peaceful expression on his face but he had to, they didn''t have much time. "Lun? I thought you went home." Kai said as he noticed him walk through the living room door. "I did. Kai, I had people watching Moonshine. They took John, as it seems he told them about you and now they are coming for you with their Alpha." Lun said. Kai stood up immediately. He felt dizzy, finding support in the armrest of the couch he stood still for a few seconds, a frown forming on his face. "I have enough people going after me already." he mumbled. As Soran reached them he moved towards Kai, his face was showing how worried he was, he helped him stand by taking his arm and looked at Lun. "He is too weak to fight them." he said and the man nodded. "I know. We need to leave, we have to get to my house. I have my people there. We will be safe until we get sometime to think." "What about John? We can''t leave him." Kai said. "He betrayed you." Soran said. "He revealed that you were alive and even gave them your location, Kai, we need to make sure that you will be safe." "No, I don''t believe that John betrayed me, something must have happened. I want to help him. He doesn''t want to stay with them." The prince said, raising his tone as he looked at his friend. There was no way he would leave him in their hands, he felt responsible for him, he was the one at fault for his life becoming like this. "Fine." Lun sighed. "I will send my people. They will easily get him back." "You promise?" "Yes, yes now come on. Let''s go, we are wasting time here. I have my car outside." the vampire said and moved to Kai''s side. Both him and Soran helped him get down the stairs, the prince smiled bitterly as he realized his fragile state. "This is so pitiful." he mumbled and Soran scoffed, looking at him with scolding eyes. "You just got healed. What did you expect. It''s not pitiful." the man told him as they reached the last stair. The door was right in front of them but the two men who were alright in their health stopped, staring at it with suspicion. "Soran¡­" Lun called out. "Didn''t you close the door?" he asked him. The door was wide open, right in front of them expanded the dark and quiet road. No people were passing by and the lamp at the other side of the road flickered ominously. A soft current blew inside the home and the door smacked closed on its own, making the metal railings of the stairs vibrate. "I...closed it."Soran answered. "Run!" Lun exclaimed but it was already too late. As the vampire opened the door he came face to face with a group of wolves. RIght in front of them their Alpha, tall and door-like, the man''s eyes widened. "I expected one but oh well, now I have three. Perfect." Mikain said. Lun recognized them. Mika and Philip with a beaten up John, restrained right on the back. He hissed, trying to think but they were trapped like mice inside Kai''s apartment. "Soran...go" Lun told him and the white haired man didn''t say anything. He just grabbed Kai who was screaming Lun''s name as he rushed upstairs. He was going to jump off the window in his bedroom, that was the only option. "So you will fight us?" Mikain asked Lun and the vampire grinned. "Well, I have done some training." he said as he unbuttoned the sleeves of his and raised them up to reveal his arms. "Even though I do not like to get my hands dirty, my men sure do." he said with a wicked smile. Footsteps were heard from behind, the wolves together with their Alpha looked back seeing almost ten vampires surrounding them. "Let the fun begin!" he said and grabbed their Alpha, surprising him and throwing him into the vampire crowd. "Philip, go get the prince!" A blond tall man shouted and launched forward getting to Lun. He had no idea who that wolf was but he would willingly fight him, even though he was two heads taller than him. "Sweetie not so rough, I like it gentle." Lun said as the man threw him in the staircase, grabbing him from his collar, ready to punch him. "Shut up." the unknown man told him and Lun giggled. "As you wish." he said. He wrapped his legs around his waist and twisted him, throwing him at the entrance. Lun stepped on his throat, noticing how his men were slowly falling by the Alpha who was clearly stronger than them. "If you don''t die here and you fail I am firing all of you afterwards!" Lun screamed at them and then looked down. "Where were we?" he asked the man as he watched him get out his claws. He scratched his leg and Lun hissed, releasing him. "Son of a bitch¡­" he mumbled and attacked him again. During this whole messy fight Philip, Reina and Mika together with John had sneaked up upstairs in search of Kai. For their plan to succeed Philip had to find him and fast. ... Hello! How do you like the story? Please leave a nice comment and vote. Thank you for reading! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 47 - 46 Philip got up the stairs and looked around, focusing on trying to figure out where Kai was. The rest of his friends and John ran into the different rooms of the house searching for him when Reina called them from the bedroom. All of them ran inside seeing that the room was still trashed front the last time the wolves had turned there. Something though was different. The window in Kai''s room had been shattered and blood was splattered at the glass shards. Philip looked outside, seeing Soran carry Kai away and jumped off. He didn''t hear what his friends told him, he needed to get to him. Maybe this time they would manage to escape but as long as Mikain knew he was somewhere in the city he would always have to be scared and in hiding. "Wait!" Philip called out and the white haired vampire stopped. He turned around while holding Kai in his back, ready to attack him. "I.. I won''t do anything. I want to help, I swear. I have a plan" "Get away from him." Soran told him, his usually calm eyes filled with anger. "You betrayed him." "No I didn''t. John was simply scared as he got captured and talked about how Kai would save him to scare our Alpha. He wasn''t planning on betraying you nor did I. Kai I would never hurt you." he told the prince and the exhausted vampire looked at him. "Soran, let me down." Kai said and Philip smiled, relieved that the vampire believed him. "Let''s follow his plan." "Kai! How can we trust him? We can escape." the white haired vampire said. "I trust him, that''s enough." Kai said. "Now let me down." he repeated and the man let go of him unwillingly. Kai stumbled here and there, feeling dizzy and tired until he almost fell on the road. Soran extended his arm, wanting to prevent the nasty collision but Philip was already there, letting him fall into his embrace. "Are you alright?" Philip asked him. "I''m trying." He answered with a faint smile on his face. Philip''s heart fluttered. He was in his arms, his body was so fragile he believed if he did anything wrong he would break. The vampire looked up at him, his eyes so clear under the lamp light and for a second they were the only people there. Just him and Kai, touching each other. "What''s your plan?" Soran asked him, bringing him back to the dangerous world. "Lun will soon get defeated by Hans. He won''t kill him, don''t worry, he is more reasonable than our Alpha, he doesn''t enjoy killing. It is good that his men are occupying Mikain, the Alpha, now we know for sure he will only follow. He lost his wife soon, he adored her but she took her life. The reason was she couldn''t stand anymore the thing Mikain was doing and the fact that her husband was a part of it. I will try to get him¡­" Philip tried to explain but he heard footsteps. His keen hearing gave them a few seconds as a head start. "Soran¡­hide." he said. "How will I know if¡­" "It''s fine Soran." Kai told him with a reassuring smile and the vampire sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. Nonetheless, he did as he was told and in the blink of an eye he had disappeared, hiding somewhere in between the dark buildings, waiting for this whole thing to be over. "Now follow my lead okay?" Philip said and sat down, holding him still in his embrace. Reina''s plan was spot on. She had calculated their every move and what they would think. As he saw Hans, the tall blond man with the dark blue eyes approach them, he thanked the wolf goddess that such a smart woman was on their side and not with Mikain. If she was, Kai would have died tonight. "Philip. What are you doing?" Hans asked him. Philip was sitting on the ground. Shielding Kai with his body. "I...I can''t let him go to Mikain. Please Hans." he said. His voice was filled with pain and Kai couldn''t believe what he was hearing. Obviously it was all an act but still, hearing his voice, the pain in it he couldn''t stop but remember this is the man that he loved. "What are you talking about?" The Beta asked him. "I, he is with me. I can''t let you harm him." "Are you insane? He is a vampire!" The Beta shouted. "I can''t let him die!" Philip screamed, anguish in his voice as he tried to save Kai. "Do you want me to through it too? The pain you felt when Mikaela died? Don''t you remember why your wife killed herself?" Philip told him. Hans took a step back shocked, his blue eyes wide as he stared at Philip. "How could you compare my mate with a vampire?" He asked him. "It''s the same!" Philip exclaimed. "Love is always the same. The feelings, the pain I am feeling. It hurts Hans, I am begging you. Please." he said and tears gathered in his eyes. Kai gasped, he couldn''t believe it that he was pretending so well. So much as to end up crying. "Love?" Hans asked. "Yes. Love. I love him." "That is insane. You will be twenty soon. You can''t love a vampire." "I can. Please Hans, you know the pain. You know how it feels to lose the one you love. You were always more reasonable. I won''t be able to bear it. So I am begging you, just this time, I will owe you anything, I will give you everything I own so please. Please help me hide him. Take Mikain away." Philip begged. Hans stood still, watching how Philip held Kai close, the prince hiding his face in his chest, listening to his heartbeat fast. He was anxious, he didn''t know if the plan would succeed. Hans sighed, rubbing aggressively his face. "Run, take him away now. I will tell Mikain that he left town and send people to investigate on the other side." "Hans, thank y¡­" "Don''t thank me, just go.. Go!" he said. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 48 - 47 Hans was a man of few words. He did not really enjoy the whole operation his Aloha had set up but he was a man of duty and since his best friend had asked him to become his Beta he had to obey. It was the way things were. In a wolf pack the structure and the power line were very clear. No one dared to go against the Alpha and since the man knew that he didn''t do it either. He was the known one as to be the more logical, level headed with no particular liking to killing others. If he could actually plan out his whole life he would love to move the pack back into the woods, feel the power of the earth again and build a safe place for his people, away from all the enemies and the deaths. Mikain''s plan was obviously different and he had followed it exactly as he was asked. Hans was married. Years back he had met his mate. In his eyes she was the most beautiful woman on this planet. Mikaela had the sweetest smile and when she wore her favorite white dress with the small bow ties in the straps of her shoulders she looked like an angel. Unfortunately for their pack and their kind her heart was as pure as that of an angel. She was kind and free spirited. Worship the moon goddess and the earth she stepped on and above all she loved every creature regardless of their kind. That beautiful heart of hers was what killed her, the reason she couldn''t stand the scheming of Moonshine anymore and took her own life. Sometimes Hans thinks it would be better if he actually had hidden everything from her. The killing, the torturing and the selling. If he had, maybe she would still be alive. He couldn''t hate Mikain for it though. He had seen the progress in the pack, their people becoming happier even if it was at the expense of someone else''s life. He couldn''t blame him but sometimes he did. Times like tonight. As he watched his pack''s most promising warrior sitting on the street with red tear stained eyes. Holding his lover in his arms like dear life, terrified so he wouldn''t lose him. He blamed him because if he hadn''t started this twisted game, people like Philip or him would not have to suffer. He sighed, circling Kai''s apartment building and reaching the front entrance, where he had left Mikain fighting the vampire''s men. He had left the two young men behind, giving them the chance to escape, getting to lie to Mikain for the first time. Maybe if he had been braver, maybe if he wasn''t so stuck to how things were supposed to be Mikaela would be alive now. He saw the Alpha sitting on the stairs of the entrance. Blood splurged on his face, little red dots everywhere like deadly freckles. He had to walk over a few corpses and his eyes discreetly looked for Kai''s friend, the one he fought at the beginning. Thankfully he wasn''t there. "Did you get him?" Mikain asked his friend and the blond man shook his head in denial. "No. They escaped. They went towards the city border. I think he plans to leave town." He lied with a completely straight face. He couldn''t save Mikaela, he didn''t. So maybe now he could at least help someone else. A small redemption just to ease his pain a little bit. "Dammit!" Mikain exclaimed and punched the stair he was sitting on, breaking the material and causing the edge to break into many small white colored pieces. "Where are the kids?" "They are probably still looking for the prince. They don''t know. Want me to go and get them?" "No." Mikain said with a frown on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck and his expression clearly showed his agitation. He believed he would get them, and manage to actually kill a vampire prince but as it seemed he was wrong. Hans felt slightly satisfied. Mikain was his friend, ever since they were little but he blamed him. Deep inside all he ever did was blame him. "I don''t care about this brats" he continued as he looked up at the sky that was beginning to rise. The sun was appearing slowly, waking up the world and the Alpha annoyed clicked his tongue. "Do you want to send people to search for him?" Hans asked, knowing very well that he was going to share the wrongest information with them. They would end up running in circles, hoping to find something. Soon Mikain would lose interest like he always did and find himself drawn in another way to make money. His brain was very simple actually, if something shone, he wanted it. "Yes. Send more than ten men, tell them not to come back until they find that prince. I can''t believe we lost to a crippled vampire." He said as he stood up. Hans did not answer. Why was the vampire like that? He hadn''t wondered about it but it was obvious he wasn''t able to fight. He shook his head trying to look even a bit angry about the outcome. "I will. So, what do you want to do now?" He asked him. "Are we going back to the hotel?" "The earlier the better. We need to go back and gather up the people. I want you to tell me everything you saw, every little detail about their direction." Mikain said and his Beta nodded eagerly. "Okay. About the kids¡­" "Leave the damn brats. They are wolf warriors and they are completely useless." Mikain said as he started walking. Hans followed him but not right by his side. A few steps back just to make sure that Mikain wouldn''t notice how he didn''t care at all about the success of their plan. He wanted it to fail actually. They walked for a bit longer, seeing how the city was starting once again to work slowly with the appearance of the sun. For creatures like them the night was more comforting. It was the time when their faces were blurred and their beastly needs could be hidden in the long shadows. The daylight was for those who had a clear soul, not a monster nesting inside of it. As they reached Mikain''s car, the Alpha opened the driver''s door and entered, closing the shiny red door of the car with force. He turned on the engine and waited until Hans was in to share another order. "Also schedule for Philip to come to my room one of these days." He announced and Hans'' eyes widened. "Mikain, he is a wolf warrior, he .." "Does it look like I care?" He asked him as he took a sharp turn and put the car on the road, driving fast so he could reach the hotel soon. Hans bit his lip thinking if he could find an excuse but he knew nothing would change his mind. "Don''t be too rough on him." The Beta mumbled and the Alpha grinned. "Depends on my mood." He answered as he stepped harder on the gas. ... Hello everyone! Do you like the story this far? Please let me know in the comments. Also please give the book a vote please and a nice review. Thank you for reading! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 49 - 48 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com The silence of the night seemed endless, the dark sky expanding above their heads till the end of this rotten world. Kai looked up, finding the stars glistening so far away from him. He was still sitting on the dirty concrete road, his crystal blue eyes exploring the vast sky as he tried to find the strength to break the silence. Philip had let go of him, but for some reason both decided to remain seated there, their lips seals, their chests slowly rising as they breathed. It was as if they needed a few more seconds, drowned in this comforting silence at each other''s side. It was better like this, sitting there, looking at the sky and the upcoming sun rather than having to face what had just happened. Kai noticed that Philip was wiping his tears. His eyes had turned red from crying and the vampire observed him, how his fingertips touched the delicate skin under his eyes and removed the stains of the fake tears. "What?" Philip asked him, noticing that the prince was staring at him. "Thanks." Kai said, averting his eyes shyly. "You''re welcome." The werewolf answered with a faint smile. "I''m glad you''re alright." "You didn''t have to go through all this just for me. I would have escaped somehow." Kai told him. It wasn''t really what he wanted to say though. What he meant was that he didn''t have to put on this whole show, he didn''t have to awaken his heart again just to be brutally reminded that this was all just a scheme. He was grateful and maybe he did sound selfish but he couldn''t forget his sorrow. He had heard Philip say he loved him, that he could bear to see him die. These words, he had missed them. He had missed them more than anything else in the world. His I love you. The sound of his smooth voice as he expressed his feelings and that little smile. The happiness in his eyes. "I¡­" Philip said and rubbed the back of his neck feeling awkward. "I bit you. I had to make it up to you somehow." "Was that all?" Kai asked him, being a little more daring than what he used to and Philip blinked a few times. His long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks as his eyes showed that he was trying to think. "What else could it be?" Philip asked. The prince felt like the werewolf knew the answer. He was asking for reasons he couldn''t explain. Kai found a little pebble on the road, it was concrete actually, a very tiny piece of the road that had been broken and he grabbed it, squeezing it in his palm as he thought if he should speak out or not. He raised his head, looking at Philip with that beautiful face and the werewolf froze for a second. Kai seemed to have that effect on him. The way his blue eyes landed on his, the soul piercing emotion, the slight parting of his plump lips and how his hair turned silver in the moonlight was breathtaking. He couldn''t stop himself. He extended his arm and pushed back a stray lock that had escaped from Kai''s hairstyle. It was soft in between his fingers, smooth like silk. "What else could it be?" Philip asked him again, this time his words coming out short, like a breathless whisper and Kai bit his lip thinking if he should actually speak. "Could it be that you care about me?" Kai asked. He had mastered up all his courage and every ounce of mental strength he had left his body with that sentence. Silence once more as Philip''s fingers were still holding the lock of his hair. Were they frozen? Had time finally decided to stop for them and make Kai''s wish true? He couldn''t know, he didn''t care to know at that moment. Philip breathed in slowly, his hand traveling from that strand of hair to Kai''s face. He traced his jaw and then the perfect shape of his pink lips, he moved to his cheek and then his eyes, he traced the straight line of his nose before his hand rested on his right cheek cupping his face. Philip''s touch was so gentle, like the caress of a soft feather and Kai''s heart almost exploded. The werewolf didn''t know what he was doing or why he was doing it. He simply knew he wanted to, he needed to touch him. He had wanted to touch him like this from the first day he saw him and he had been completely lying to himself about it. He wanted to touch him more, call out his name, hear him smile and laugh. He wanted him and not just for one night. Philip wanted that man in front of him so badly he couldn''t control himself. Stop his hands from wanting to feel the soothing coldness of his skin. "You''re so beautiful." Philip told him as if he was charmed and Kai blinked, surprised by his words. A blush appeared on his face, spreading slowly on his cheeks and ears and the prince looked away. "What is it about you Kai? Prince of the vampires" He asked him. Kai returned to looking at him. He smiled. For the first time he had smiled at him. Philip felt like his heart would stop. How could someone look so beautiful while smiling, how could just two eyes contain seas of happiness. There was no way Kai could actually exist, he could simply be a hallucination in his mind because he, he was simply perfect. The prince''s smile like a sharp arrow landed on his heart and by that Philip already knew it was over. He was over. "What is it about you Philip? Wolf warrior of Moonshine." He asked him back and felt Philip''s hand slowly move from his cheek and to the back of his neck. He gently brought Kai''s face closer to his. Kai could feel his breath landing on his lips. He could see the green in his eyes so clearly and his mind slowly went numb. What was there to think in a moment like this? There was no space for thoughts, just feelings. Irrational feelings filled with passion and longing. With Kai''s pain all those years and with that love, the love that had turned him into who he was today. He wanted to Kiss him. Desperately. He needed that kiss as if it was his life force. They were so close, this was his perfect moment, in the empty road, underneath the starry sky finally he would get to kiss the man he had missed for two hundred years. "We''re done!" A woman''s voice was heard and Kai''s eyes popped open in surprise. Philip turned his head around and instantly stood up, leaving Kai sitting alone on the road. His heart slowly broke but he chose to ignore it as he saw John approaching. "Boss!" The boy cried. "I''m sorry" he shouted and ran towards him landing into his arms. "I am so sorry. Please don''t hate me." "It''s fine John, it''s okay. Everything is over now." Kai told him and patted his back while giving him a comforting smile. He looked over, and saw Philip standing in between his friends and him, perplexed as to if he should leave or not. He looked at Kai, then he looked at the two werewolves waving at them to come. "Go." Kai said. "They are your people." He reminded him. "Thank you for today." Kai thanked him. Philip had frowned with his words. He didn''t expect to hear that and slightly annoyed he ran towards them, leaving John with Kai. "Come on" Kai said.. "Let''s go find Lun and Soran and get to a safe place." Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 50 - 49 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Both John and Kai looked like an utter mess. The one seemed very sick while the other was field with bruises and cuts. He actually looked a lot worse a few minutes back and felt a lot worse as well but now it wasn''t that bad. The quick healing was not something that John would easily get used to. The rapid changes in his body were too much for him to understand. At this point though as he walked slowly back to the entrance of the apartment building, lettin the early morning breeze bring them both to their senses he couldn''t think about healing or all this stuff that seemed weird to him. "Will my life always be like this?" he asked "No, it won''t. Don''t worry." Kai answered him. "Why does it feel like your life has always been like this?" "No, it wasn''t." Kai said with a bitter smile. "My life used to be a lot better. Before some people decided they wanted to destroy it." "You know. You and Lun described purebloods as these very strong beings that could defeat an army, especially someone of the royal family but you always get your ass kicked." John said and Kai''s blue eyes widened. He looked at John, blinking a few times, surprised with his comment and then he started laughing. It was John''s turn to stare at him now. He had never heard Kai laugh before it was almost magical. The way his eyes turned into crescents, small wrinkles in the corners. His perfect teeth and the glow he was emitting. He had never imagined it to be like that. The man who always looked so close and distant while he laughed looked...adorable. "You know." Kai said once he stopped laughing. "You might be right. I am out of shape, I should fix that actually. I used to be at the top of my class in fighting." "Your class wasn''t that good I see." John teased him. "John?" Kai called out and the werewolf stopped. He looked at his Boss with a curious expression, eager to hear what he had to say. "Are we...friends?" he asked. "Excuse me?" The younger man asked in shock. He pulled his head back in an over dramatic motion and frowned. "Boss, you don''t ask people if they are your friends. They just become your friends." "I do not follow the ways of the people. So are we friends?" he asked and the werewolf blushed as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes we are friends. Happy?" he asked him and retrieved to helping Kai walk. The vampire gave him a faint smile as he squeezed his shoulder. "Then I will never let anything happen to you. I promise." he told him and John coughed. "Why are you being so expressive all of a sudden? Go back. You make me feel awkward. You chose to say all these things now that we are literally touching each other. Are you trying to seduce me?" he said, joking. "You got it." the prince answered him just before the two other vampires came into view. They were sitting on the small stairs in front of Kai''s building. The pureblood noticed that there was no sign of the bodies of the vampires, just ash spread everywhere, traveling every time the wind blew. He saw Lun sigh, as he looked at the specs lessen and lessen. "Most of them are dead." he told Kai when he reached them. His friend stood up for him to sit and Kai finally rested, comfortable allowing his muscles to relax. He turned his head, intending to check on Soran but he immediately stood up, not sparing even one glance at him as he walked away. The blond man frowned, unaware of what happened. "They left." John said. "The wolves." "Yes, Soran told me everything. That little wolf put on quite a show." he said with a grin as he locked eyes with Kai. "Yeah." he answered, slightly embarrassed that everyone had seen that. Thankfully no one actually talked about the fact that they almost kissed. Kai wished to not think about that. He had sent him away, he had chosen to distance himself and he would pretend and lie to himself. He didn''t just almost lose control, it was all part of an act, even though Hans was already gone. "We need to get to a safer location. My house is being guarded and I''ve requested for more vampires to come from Bloodbound. They will probably arrive in a few days. Until we feel completely safe you will be staying inside." Lun told Kai. "I will be leaving this area soon." the prince announced. "I think it''s time for me to move." "What?" Lun and John asked at the same time. "I am causing too much trouble. It''s not just the wolf pack, if word spreads out that I am here more...people will come for me. I don''t want any of you to be in danger." "Kai, your whole life you have been running away. Do you want to keep doing this. I am here, Soran is here, you have John now. Will you leave everything again? You Won''t be able to do it. You will just hurt yourself again." "I will be. I have to." "What about Philip?" John asked. "He is here now. You can''t let this chance go away. Boss, you love him. Also please, please don''t leave me." the young man told him with teary eyes. "You said we were friends, you said you won''t let anything happen to me." "That''s why I¡­" "It is pointless to talk about this right here. Let''s get back. We are not safe yet. But Kai, really think about it. Is this how you want your life to be or maybe it''s time to put an end to running away?" ... Hello everyone! Do you like the story so far? Please let me know in the comments. Also please leave a nice review and a vote to support this book.. Thank you very much for reading! Hope you liked it. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 51 - 50 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Soran had remained silent the whole ride home. The snow haired man had chosen to sit at the front of the luxurious car next to Lun leaving Kai in the back. That alone showed very clearly there was something wrong with him. He would never let Kai be alone or not ask him how he was if he wasn''t angry about something. Kai had his eye stuck on him the whole ride, during the slow appearance of the sun and while people were starting to appear on the streets but his expression did not change, not even once. He was standing stiff on his seat, looking out the window replying to Lun''s small talk with just nods or a disinterested hum. Kai wanted to ask him what was wrong but he couldn''t do it in front of everyone else. So he sat comfortably on his seat, thinking what could have happened until his eyelids were starting to feel heavy. Soon his thoughts disappeared and he fell asleep for the rest of the car ride. He was so exhausted that no dreams came to torture him tonight. Maybe his mind thought he had been through enough already for once and decided to give him some peace. He woke up about an hour later when he felt someone raise him from his seat and take him in his arms. He groaned, dissatisfied because he was forced to wake up and he slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at the face of his carrier that was being beautifully framed by the sun like a glowing halo. It was Soran. As it seemed they had arrived in Lun''s mansion, everyone had entered already and the white haired man had decided he didn''t want to wake him up and took him in his arms so he could take him to his room. "I...I am awake now, I can walk." Kai said feeling embarrassed by their position.Soransimply held him tighter, the prince wrapping his arms around neck because he felt like he would fall and awkwardly rested his head on his chest. "It''s fine." Soran told him. His voice was still cold and distant but nonetheless he had decided to carry him. He entered the mansion, greeted by Lun''s servants and instantly took a turn towards the left. Kai did not know the house but his friends seemed to know exactly where to go. A left turn led them to a black swiveling staircase which Soran went up to. Then a corridor followed that spread into four huge sections. The first one right in front of the top of the stairs was another living room, decorated with golden and beige tones, looking a lot more extravagant than the one he had been in. They walked by the living room, and a bathroom with a huge bathtub that its door had been left open and entered a bedroom. The room had two very big windows, the one serving as a door to a very small but cute balcony that had a full view of the endless garden. There was a heavy wooden closet made of light wood and a bed filled with fluffy silk pillows in the color of honey. It was a four poster bed and the curtains had very beautiful golden butterflies shewed into them. A golden full body mirror stood at one corner with a very vintage frame of carved roses and a comfortable loveseat made of beige velvet. Soran let go of him gently and placed him on the bed, instantly turning around ready to leave. Kai grabbed him by the end of his sleeve, making him stop and the tall man turned his head looking at him for the first time in hours. "Is there something wrong with the room? Lun said this is the closest to your preferences." Kai smiled. Lun was obviously doing this on purpose. He had placed him in a room that was looking like the ones he had at home. It felt comfortable, oddly familiar he wasn''t going to lie but the colors were more something his older brother would prefer. "The room is fine." Kai said and stood up. He felt perfectly fine now. He was fully rested. "Then I will go." "No you won''t." "What is it then?" "What happened?" "What do you mean?" Soran asked him pretending nothing was wrong. "Don''t lie to me. You know very well what I am talking about. I am asking you to tell me why you''re behaving like this. Did I do something wrong?" "No, no." Soran said. He sounded slightly agitated as he pushed back his hair. He turned his back on Kai, the prince could still see his expression though since he was looking at the mirror. He looked hurt, as if he was restraining himself from speaking. "You didn''t do anything" "Then why haven''t you even looked at me? If I did something please tell me I¡­" Kai said and tried to touch his shoulder. Soran moved away, deciding it was time to face him. "I am jealous." Soran stated. "What?" "I feel horrible about it but seeing you there, in his arms, hearing him say that he loves you. I...I can''t stop myself from this kind of lowly feeling. I don''t want to hurt you, I don''t want to tell you anything that you don''t like. I definitely don''t want to burden you with my feelings in moments like these but Kai, I...don''t know if I can be just your friend. I thought I could do it but after what I saw, after everything we''ve been through it''s just...impossible. So I want to ask you. Kai, is there ever a chance that you will love me again?" Soran asked him. Kai looked at him. He felt rooted into the wooden floor as he tried to find the right words to explain to him what he felt. He had loved Soran, he truly had when they were together and he hadn''t felt that for many people. What he felt for Philip though was not just a feeling, it was fate, it had elements from the core of magic itself and he couldn''t simply overlook it. He couldn''t stop feeling like that, even if he wanted to. "Soran I¡­" "No, don''t answer me, let me tell you something first. Lun told you it''s time to stop running. The Bloody people are after you. Your family is after you, the wolves are after you. Do you think it would be wise to be with Philip, hurt for him? Weren''t one of these the reason you killed him in the first place? Be with me Kai, be together with me until you resolve everything and if you still want to be with Philip then I will let you go but I am sure you won''t. I am confident I can make you happy." "Wait, Soran you don''t understand. It''s not that I did not love you, it''s not that I don''t love you up to this day it''s¡­" "Then give me a chance." Soran said, his eyes pleading for him to be heard. He loved Kai so much, the pain in his eyes was enough proof of it and Kai loved him too but Philip, Philip once again was something more than love. He was fate, destiny, magic, passion and he was tears and danger. He was everything. In life though you could never have everything¡­ "I¡­" "Just one chance Kai. That''s all I am asking. You''re not together now, he doesn''t remember you, I just need some time to prove to you I can take your pain away." ... Supernatural love relationships are complicated I tell ya. Who would want two hotties after them? Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 52 - 51 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com John felt really uncomfortable. All of his wounds had healed by now but his clothes were still bloody and smelly. He couldn''t sit anywhere scared that he would mess up the expensive furniture so while Lun had disappeared somewhere in a rush he had to simply pace back and forth in the living room until someone gave him enough attention so he could ask them what was he supposed to do now. Many servants passed by the hallway outside, men or women but none of them even turned their heads to look at him. That and the fact that they all looked extremely snobbish scared the young man. He sighed as he traced the little red lines that one of Lun''s paintings had. It was abstract, John had no idea who had painted it but it was definitely something. The vibrant red, the golden slashes and the black background. Just with random colors the man could feel something, it was upsetting him though so he averted his gaze. He had seen Soran take his boss upstairs while he slept. He would be lying to himself if he said that didn''t sting a bit. It wasn''t exactly jealousy, at least not the bad kind when you wish horrible things to happen to the person, it was simply that Soran had drawn the werewolf''s attention from the first moment he had seen him. It was obvious he had no chance, someone like him with the kind of person that Soran was. He had decided from the first second he was simply going to watch him from afar, that was why he had never expressed any interest, not even to himself, feeding his mind with little lies all this time. It was a crush, a simple crush, he reminded himself with a silly smile when he heard footsteps. They were coming from right above him, the second floor and he stared up, following the sound with his keen hearing. Someone was getting down the stairs and that someone seemed restless just from his footsteps. The man stormed inside the living room like a typhoon, not even noticing John and rushed towards the coffee table. He grabbed it with his hands and as if it was a sheet of paper he flipped it over angrily. He exhaled and then inhaled, pushing his snow white haired back as he breathed in heavily. "Umm¡­" John hummed and the unaware man flinched. He turned around and locked eyes with him. The werewolf seemed innocent, so small in front of him, staring at the vampire with deer like eyes. Even though he was tattooed and dressed in black standing in front of Soran he felt as if he was standing in front of some giant. Obviously the difference wasn''t that big in reality but still in John''s mind it was being processed by this. "Oh." Soran said, blinking a few times. They shared a few seconds of very awkward silence and the vampire frowned, unable to think of something to say. "I knew it was too good to be true." John whispered, voicing his thoughts out loud without realizing it. "Excuse me?" Soran asked, not really getting the meaning of his words and the young man raised his hands up in defense. "I...I didn''t mean it in a bad way. Sorry, it''s just that from the first moment you had this really calm and peaceful aura it looked as if nothing would make you mad." John said. Soran''s eyes changed fast, he didn''t look that mad anymore. He actually seemed curious, a small smile barely visible on his face. "I come off as calm?" he asked. "Yes, very calm. Turtle calm." John said immediately feeling embarrassed with how he phrased that. He sounded like a child. "Wow, that''s the first time I heard that...description. Well, you were wrong. I am not really a calm person, I''ve just learned to pretend." he told him, not at all ashamed of the fact that he wore a perfect mask. He plopped on the couch, staring at the flipped table and looked at John. "Do you think I will be in trouble?" "From Lun? He has money." John said and Soran smiled at him. He liked his answer. He didn''t know why but that smile almost felt like a praise. "Why aren''t you sitting?" Soran asked him. "My clothes are dirty, I don''t want to ruin the couch." he said and Soran giggled. "Sit, share some of the blame with me" he told him and patted the space on the couch right next to him. If John could have ran there to even gain a few seconds he would have but he chose to keep the little decency he had left and walked slowly as if he didn''t really care and sat as far as he could. "Can I ask you something?" John said and Soran raised his eyebrow. "What?" "Why do you say that you have to pretend?" "Because I...hmm, how do I explain this to a newbie like you." he said and for a second he looked as if he was thinking really hard about his answer. "I was raised in the same place as Kai. That place did not really allow showing improper emotions." he explained. "That sounds tough." John mumbled, trying to think how he would have reacted if he had to follow such a rule. He shook his head negatively, overtaken by his own thoughts. "Yeah, I could never do that." "That''s good. It means that you''re an honest person." Soran said with a smile. "Who flipped over my table!" Lun''s voice was heard as he stood at the door frame with wide eyes, staring at the coffee table that was upside down. None of the two men managed to answer. The master of the house had been called by one of his servants. A young girl with blonde hair and freckles approached Lun while she held a red envelope in his hands. "Sir, a letter has arrived." she announced. "From whom?" Lun asked her, curious as to who would send him a letter in this day and age. "From the Avger family." she answered and Lun frowned. He grabbed the letter, recognising the family insignia of a black rose in the wax seal and opened it, reading in a hurry it''s interior. "This is the last thing I need right now!" he said angrily as he crumbled the expensive paper and threw it on the floor. .... So, who''s your facorite character this far? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 53 - 52 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com "It is unbelievable. I don''t understand how they knew we would be there!" Mikain said. He had called the wolf warriors and Hans in his room. He was sitting on his couch, his legs crossed as he rested his elbow on the armrest and rubbed his temples. Hans was standing too but he was right by his side while the three younger wolves stood in front of him. "And how is it possible that the three of you lost him when none of you was being followed?" he asked them, his dark eyes scanning their anxious faces. "Sir, it was just an unfortunate mission. They were ahead of us but Hans is sending people towards where they escaped. We will get them sooner or later." Reina said. "We need the Prince''s blood. No matter what, I...I contacted a coven and they¡­" "What did you do Mikain?" Hans asked him, snapping his head towards him. His blue eyes were showing suspicion as the huge man talked. The Alpha was angry at first but now he looked at if he was pushed in a corner, restless as he mentioned the witch coven. "I contacted a coven. A very powerful one. They want the boy. They offered me money, a lot of money so I said yes. You don''t break a deal with witches." "When did you even have the time to contact them? I thought we were supposed to talk about these things together first!" Hans exclaimed and looked at the three wolves. "You, get out for now. We will talk later." he instructed them. All of them the moment they left the room were finally able to breathe. They were standing like soldiers, frozen and expressionless, waiting to hear if they were going to be punished or not. Thankfully, Mikain made Hans change the subject and they were off the hook. "Mikain is screwed." Reina stated with a satisfied smirk and Mika nodded. "I just hope he is the only one that''s screwed and not us." the red haired added. They walked back to their floors silent for quite a while. It had been a long night and they were tired. At the same time they were thinking of many things. Especially Philip, who hadn''t said a word since they left. They almost kissed, Kai was so close and seemed to want it too so why did he tell him to go back? It wasn''t just a simple sentence. The werewolf knew it. It was something more. As if he had been pushing him away. His eyes though, those light blue eyes with the green details in them, those beautiful eyes were telling a different story. The prince was like a code, a puzzle he was struggling to solve but it was occupying his mind all the time. "I am going to hit the gym." he told them. "At this hour? Aren''t you tired?" mIka asked him as he took out his card key from his pocket. He placed it in front of his room''s door and the clicking sound of it unlocking was heard in the silent hallway. He pushed the door open slowly and stood at the door frame. "Yeah, I just need to blow off some steam. Clear my head." Philip explained. He didn''t really wait for Mika''s answer and started walking. His hands were dived into the pockets of his jeans while his head was facing downwards. He looked at the red carpets, spotting a coin on the floor. He picked it up, and stared at it under the light. It shone, crystal clear a bright golden color. "It''s your lucky day it seems" Reina told him and he scoffed, tossing the coin back to the floor. "Won''t you go to sleep?" he asked her and she waved her head negatively. "I need to talk to you about something. We were interrupted before so I couldn''t finish. Philip, I want to ask you something and you need to answer me very honestly." she said and stopped walking. Philip mimicked her, curious as to why she had suddenly turned so serious. "Tell me." "What do you feel about Kai? I need to know." She said and Philip''s eyes widened. "What does that have to do with anything?" "Just tell me, and be honest. I promise I won''t tell anyone. I swear." she told him and Philip sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of what he was supposed to say. Liking someone was simple. It was an attraction but with Kai, could he describe it like that? Those feelings that seemed to have nested in his heart were so complicated he couldn''t even understand them. How could he phrase it with such simple words as liking? "I don''t know how to express what I feel." he told her, feeling embarrassed at how lost he sounded. "Describe it then." "I don''t know him very well, but I don''t know why from the first moment I saw him it was as if he had put a spell on me. His face seemed so beautiful to me. The way he moved, the cold way he talked. He was someone I had never seen before, I don''t think anyone like him could exist. I want him. I want to touch him and kiss him. I want to make Kai smile and I want to make him cry, I want to just have him. I don''t know what this is, I don''t¡­.I, I am in pain even at the thought of him being hurt." he said and heard Reina sigh. The girl seemed to be perplexed. Anxious even. "Could Kai be your mate Philip?" She asked him. The werewolf was so shocked by what she had said that he took a step, his eyes wide. He had never thought about it. Kai was a vampire, yes sometimes werewolves had humans as mates but that was as far as it went. A werewolf and a vampire? It was unheard. He shook his head, the wild locks moving as he did. "No, there is no way. I would know if he is my mate Reina, don''t say such stupid things." he told her and she clicked her tongue. "Then there is no reason for you to know." she mumbled. "Know what?" "About the Bloody People. If you don''t have strong feelings for Kai you should never involve yourself in something like that." she said. "No. Tell me. I want to know, I need to know." He told her. "I won''t." she said and attempted to leave. Philip grabbed her arm, pulling her back and she scoffed, pushing back her long black hair. "Please Reina." he told her, begging her with his saddened voice. The girl took a few seconds. She was looking at him, probably trying to see if he was actually sincere. She took his hand and they went down the stairs, they couldn''t be in the middle of the hallways for this, anyone could be hearing. Two floors below there was an emergency exit that led to some sort of balcony with a metal staircase that led to another floor. All those stairs were connected in case of emergency. She kicked the door, opening it by force and took Philip out. They were high above the ground, standing at the edge of a metallic platform and the man frowned, seeing the distance. "Fine. But this place is better." "Well, that''s debatable." "You''re kind of like an immortal, you can''t really be scared of heights." Reina said. "You can feel the pain though, that''s enough reason for me to be scared of them." Philip said and watched her as she rolled her eyes at him. He had stuck his back on the wall of the hotel, trying to stay as far away from the edge as he could. "You''re such a child sometimes, but back to what I was saying. The bloody people Philip. That''s not their actual name. They''re an organization. Vampires that live in BloodBound but they also act in the human world too. No one really knows who they are and they have been more like a scary story during these years rather than actual existing vampires. The true name of the organization is called the Nightshades, vampires avoid calling them by their true name because they think it''s bad luck." "So these people are after Kai? But why?" Philip asked and Reina shrugged her shoulders. "All I know is that they are like a cult. It is said they want the purity of the vampire race, ridiculous if you ask me because oh well, we are all cursed. They go after vampires who do not fit their standard of purity. They torture them, kill them do all kinds of things to them. They are scary, powerful and dangerous. That''s why if you don''t¡­" "I need to find Kai." Philip said and jumped back inside. "Wait. Didn''t you listen to me? They are dangerous. You and Kai, after three weeks will be done, why put yourself in such danger just for a fleeting emotion?" she asked him. "I don''t know Reina, I don''t know. All I know is that I have to find him." "And do what?" "Talk to him! Fuck stop asking me questions okay?" "I am asking you because I care about you, you fool. Recklessly going and putting yourself in such danger is¡­" "Help me find where he is plese. You have many connections." "Have I been talking to the wall all this time?!" She asked him angrily. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 54 - 53 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com It took Philip two days to finally manage and find Kai. He had convinced Reina to help him, even though the girl would always remind him of the constant danger of his actions. Kai was being hunted, that was clear by now. Some kind of suspicious and very powerful organization wanted him and even though the werewolf was aware about that he couldn''t stop looking for him. Something inside of him, like a voice that was constantly singing in his head, told him to go to him, that his place was there right now. The young man couldn''t explain why that was happening. Could it be because he was always used to getting what he wanted? Maybe because Kai could be named the embodiment of beauty and no one would seem to disagree. There was something though there that made him not only lust for him but also miss him, in an emotional and painful way. Someone he had seen so few times, a man who always made it clear that he wanted him away from him. Kai, that was the one that had stolen his mind and heart. Reina knew a lot of people, vampires, werewolves, witches, all that of course in secret from their Alpha who she seemed to detest. All these people, with the right price, would do anything, tell you whatever you wanted to know and in Philip''s case help him find a specific person. His friend was the only reason why now, two days later, during midnight he was standing in front of Lun''s mansion. He had managed to sneak in without being seen. Actually one of the guards at the entrance had fallen asleep, his mouth opened wide as he snored from his little cubicle. From there not much danger awaited except for the tiring hill that he had to climb to get to the side of the building. He wasn''t planning to knock on the door, for some reason he didn''t think that was a good idea. He had no idea where Kai was so he decided to climb up the wall and snoop in through the lit windows. The building on one side had tall vines attached to it with thick branches. He calculated his moves and with ease he landed on the small balcony of the first floor. He stuck his body on the wall, his head picking inside and his eyes trying to see through the white curtains. The lights were lit, making the room bright and after a few seconds the door of the room opened revealing Kai. The prince had just finished his bath, his hair damp, falling on his forehead, beautiful, reminding Philip of pure gold shining under the bright sun while he walked towards his bed. He wasn''t wearing any clothes, just a white towel was wrapped around his lower body and the wolf gasped, his cheeks turning a slight red as he scanned the vampire''s body. Kai heard it. That little breath that the werewolf took and his head snapped towards the window. He walked over, Philip hearing him open the balcony door and stepped outside. For a second he just stared ahead, kind of missing the man who had curled up on the side of the balcony and the wolf smiled. "Hi" he called out and the prince flinched, turning to the side surprised. His eyes widened, his jaw practically fell to the floor and he blinked as if he couldn''t believe that Philip was there. After the initial shock though the vampire returned to his usual cold demeanor. "What are you doing here?" he asked him immediately. Philip was a bit too preoccupied to speak. All of his attention was drawn by Kai''s appearance. He had seen a few things before, but the curtain in a way missed a lot of the details. Right now though, he stood in front of him, with no shame at all, confident and cold eyes. Philip once more felt as if he was being pinned to the wall. Small droplets fell from his hair, his eyes were lit by the moonlight, darkening in the night and turning into an angry ocean. His cheeks were flushed from the heat and his lips were pink, like a flower. His body was lean but he could see his muscles, maybe it was true that he was strong, even though at many times he had come to doubt it. His skin was fair and pale, almost reminding him of the cold snow while only one thing could be considered as a destruction of his perfection. The huge scar on his chest and abdomen. Philip did not dislike it, somehow it made Kai more real, as if he wasn''t talking to a fragment of his imagination. "I asked you something." Kai said, bringing him back. "Oh." Philip said, realizing what was happening and he smiled. "I wanted to see you." he told him honestly. "Why would you want to do that? Everything is over now, no need to put yourself in danger just to meet me." "You care if I put myself in danger?" he asked and the prince tilted his head to the side. He took a step back, placing his hands on the railings and stood lazily there, relaxed as he observed the wolf and how he waited for an answer. "No." he answered him as coldly as he could and Philip scoffed, a grin growing on his face as he walked towards him. Kai did not make an effort to move, he didn''t want it to seem as if he was affected by him. The truth was though, his heart was shaking, his breathing was getting caught on his neck as he reached closer, as he could sense the heat emitting from his body. He averted his gaze, looking at the far away moon, trying to calm his thoughts. He shouldn''t make the same mistake again. Everyone had been given a second chance so he should just tame his heart and forget, move on. "How about you look at me?" Philip asked him as his fingertips gently touched his jaw and moved his head so their eyes could meet. They were warm, his fingertips, his eyes, his smile. Everything this man did was warmth and comfort and Kai felt like he could breathe but couldn''t at the same time. He felt shivers, hearing his voice, the sound traveling from his mind to his heart, echoing mercilessly and pulsing, leading him into losing himself. "Why would I need to do that?" Kai asked. "How can I kiss you otherwise?" Philip whispered seductively as he moved in closer. Kai''s eyes widened. His heart stopped for a second and he felt scared, terrified. This kiss was not something simple, the kiss would be his disaster. He couldn''t let it happen. His palm landed on Philip''s chest, he was trying to force himself to push him away, do it before it was too late. The moment Philip''s lips touched his though, everything disappeared and the world¡­ ...exploded. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 55 - 54 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Kiss me, unite with me your body so I can finally show you everything that I have been hiding. Kiss me, so I can feel again, hear my heart race and forget the world that only knows how to scar me. Kiss me and numb my sorrows as I fall deeper into this carnal bliss. Kiss me and make me forget that right now everything is changing, that from this moment onwards my world will fall into chaos again. So please kiss me and keep kissing me so I won''t be scared any longer, because I can feel you, I can sense your scent and feel your touch. So many thoughts, so many dreams and so many doubts. Everything, a mess in Kai''s head, an endless chaos as he finally gave in and left everything behind. What was a kiss? The union of two souls, the tremble of the heart as two pairs of lips touched slowly. The wonder of love and the gentle closing of the eyes. The taste of the other and the smoothness of their skin. It was a beginning and it could also be an end, it could be pure love but it could also be lust, it could be betrayal or fear. Why did kisses hold so much meaning for people? A kiss on the cheek, a kiss on the forehead, a kiss on the lips, a kiss on the hidden parts of a loving body. It was like a gentle touch to the heart, a melody played by the fragile strings of love. Kai and Philip had shared many kisses, way back, when the vampire loved standing underneath the sun but now, this kiss for the prince was something different. For Kai this kiss was a momentary liberation. It was a break of his chains, it was the release of his soul and for the first time in two hundred years he felt a huge weight get lifted off his chest. Just like that, so simple it was for Philip to cure his anxiety. With just a kiss the world started to make sense. He was scared at first, he felt Philip kiss him, gently, hastily. Kai closed his eyes, he felt his heart race, he felt his pain and he felt all those tears coming back to his blue eyes and he felt...he felt..he felt everything, from the beginning. From the first gaze, to the first touch to the first argument and the grief of death. He was overwhelmed but he was happy. For those fleeting seconds he was happy. The prince dived his long fingers into Philip''s messy hair, felt them slip through, soft like silk and the wolf wrapped his arm around his waist, bringing him closer. He could feel the werewolf''s heart, beating, racing. He was scared too, he was anxious too and he felt like his world was put into place with just a kiss. Philip took a step back, panting with a flushed face and stared at Kai. The prince had tears on his handsome face, falling like little waterfalls from the blue orbs. His eyes widened, scared that he did something that he shouldn''t and tried to say something. Should he apologize? Had he hurt him? Kai wasn''t saying anything. He was simply standing there, quiet and Philip felt as if he was going to explode. "I...did I...hurt you?" he asked him. Kai couldn''t speak, there was no sound coming from his lips. He simply waved his head, showing him that he hadn''t done anything wrong. Philip exhaled, feeling relieved as he took a step forward. He wore a gentle smile as he raised his arm and slowly wiped away Kai''s tears. "Then why are you crying?" "I don''t know." he answered and Philip chuckled. He had lied, he knew perfectly why he was crying. He was crying because he knew there was no way back. He was crying because what he felt during their kiss was something he would never be able to suppress. He was crying because now he wouldn''t be able to let go of him, no matter how hard he wanted to. Kai had promised himself he wasn''t going to put Philip in danger. He wished he could simply take him away and disappear, forget everything that happened but in three weeks, in such a short while he would remember and everything would crumble. He cried because he would have to mourn again. The loss of another love. The loss of his feelings. "Why did you kiss me?" the prince said and noticed that the wolf was grinning. Philip took off his jacket and carefully placed it on his shoulders. It was soft and smelled like him. The vampire did not feel the chill of the night, he was perfectly fine but still even as an illusion he felt his body get warmer, even though it was impossible. "Because I wanted to." "Aren''t you supposed to have a mate?" he asked and Philip frowned. "Do we have to get to the serious talk immediately?" he asked him playfully. He had forgotten about that, Philip was expecting to have a mate soon, he didn''t see him the same way Kai did. A little but hurtful detail he tried to ignore. He would be so disappointed when he found out, he thought. "You kissed me back." "I did." "Why?" "Because I wanted to." Kai answered him and the wolf laughed. The atmosphere was a bit awkward. They had both fallen silent, lost in their own heads but Philip was the first one that spoke. "I don''t know what will happen next, all I know is about today, well maybe about tomorrow too¡­" he joked charmingly. "...and what I know is that I want you. I want to be with you." "So you want me to like you, be with you just so you can leave me?" Kai asked. "No...I...maybe I''m selfish." he mumbled and watched as the vampire smiled slightly. Oh my, how can he be so beautiful? He wondered. He could look at him forever, like a work of art just him existing made the world so much better, more beautiful. "I doubt you came here just to kiss me." Kai said, trying to avoid the conversation about the kiss. He had to think, even though it wouldn''t do him any good. "Well, partly." he answered while smiling. "I actually came here to tell you that I know." "You know what?" "About the Nightshades, I want to help you." Philip said. Kai froze, his heart slowly cracking. "You...you weren''t supposed to know about that." he mumbled. It was so easy for Philip to fix his universe but it was as easy for him to break it. .... Hello! Hope you liked my little romance chapter. If you did please give it a nice comment and a vote. Also tell me who is your favorite character this far? Thank you for reading! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 56 - 55 Kai took a step back. Suddenly the world didn''t seem as idyllic as before. The light of the moon was cold and harsh and the chill of the wind somehow seemed to affect him. Philip''s jacket fell off his shoulders and touched the tiles. The werewolf simply stared at him as he realized once more he had made him cry. This time it didn''t seem to be out of happiness. This time he could see pain and anguish as he stared at him with wide eyes. "Kai, listen to me. I want to help you. They are after you right? Tell me what I can do so we can get rid of them. Reina and Mika too, they will help." He told him. Every word he said sounded worse and worse in Kai''s ears. He stepped into his room, an invisible line separating the two as Kai shook his head negatively. "There...there is no end. You...you can''t help me they¡­" he started saying when a sudden cough stopped him. Small dots of blood landed on the floor while a mark slowly appeared on his forearm, on his right hand. A black pentagram with runic symbols on the sides. Philip could not understand their meaning but he was sure it wasn''t anything good. "Kai? Are you alright?" He asked him, worried by the fact that the bleeding didn''t seem to stop. Maybe he hadn''t recovered yet? He wondered. He tried to touch his shoulder, do something to help him but Kai raised his arm, smacking his and forbidding him from touching him. "I don''t want to hear that word come out of your mouth. You don''t know anything." Kai told him, his tone cold and serious. His lips had been painted red by the blood, his cheeks were tear stained but he had shit off any kind of emotion. "How did you find out?" "You told me, while you were hallucinating." Kai rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself. Even if he didn''t want to he somehow ended up showing his worst side to him, revealing his secrets. "Pretend you''ve never heard about it Philip. Just pretend it never happened." "How can I pretend when I know you could be in danger?" Philip asked him. "Because we are nothing to each other!" Kai shouted, losing his temper. "Fuck! You have no idea what you''re getting yourself into. Simply walk out now that you can." Kai told him. There were so many things going on at the moment. If he started thinking about them, the Bloody People and the fact that they were out there somewhere searching for him he would eventually go insane. "I can''t do that." Philip told him and walked inside. He stepped into Kai''s room, reaching him, a serious look on his face while the vampire stepped back, trying to avoid him. Philip looked down at his chest. "This is a claw mark" he stated. "Where did you get it?" He asked. "It''s none of your business." Kai said but his voice almost sounded like a whisper. He couldn''t speak loud, he couldn''t always be cold, he simply couldn''t keep his front in front of him. It was as if he could so easily see through his mask. "Kai, let me help you." "Hemp me with what? With the fact that your Alpha is after me? With the fact that your pack is out there killing vampires? With the fact that at some point I am so sure of it I will be asked to fight your people because you wolves have gone out of line or with the fact that my family and the Night¡­" it happened again. Every time he tried to mention them he went into a coughing fit, blood escaping his lips as he felt his lungs burn. Philip didn''t know what to think, he wasn''t very knowledgeable about vampire rules, he didn''t know about the blood oath, he was clueless but for some reason he tried to convince the prince he could help. "I¡­" "Don''t. Just don''t, please I am begging you. Go back home Philip, forget everything. You and I will have nothing to do with each other soon." "What do you mean?" Philip asked. "I am with Soran." He told him. "And you kissed me?" The wolf asked him, his eyes wide. "That was a mistake. That''s why I am telling you that you need to leave." Kai said. Of course he had lied. He had rejected Soran two days ago. He couldn''t simply stop his feelings for Philip no matter what he did. He wanted him though this time, in this life for him to be safe. He had to find a way and keep him away from him, from the people that were after him, so the past wouldn''t repeat itself. "Kai¡­" Philip called his name. Kai''s eyes widened as the sound reached his ears. He sounded so sad, as if he was drowning in sorrow. "Why are you so cruel to me?" He asked him and the vampire felt his heart tear in two. "Because that''s who I am." He answered him and the werewolf scoffed, a bitter smile on his lips. "I am leaving. I can''t believe I wasted my time like this. You were right, there is no reason to put myself in danger for someone who will mean nothing to me in three weeks" "Now you''re talking." Kai said and watched the wolf walk out his room and jump off the balcony. He fell down and ran away the same way he had gone in. Philip didn''t know why he felt like that. Maybe because no one had ever rejected him. He wasn''t used to it. He wanted Kai and he was disappointed he couldn''t have him. Why was he crying though? He wondered as he got into his car and started his engine. Should he be crying about something so small, something so meaningless? He didn''t want to think anymore and he hit the road, stepping on the gas, blasting his music through the open windows until he reached the hotel. He just wanted to sleep, lay in his bed and simply drown in between the pillows until he had the will to get up again. Unfortunately he wasn''t able to do that. He entered his room, hoping for some solitude but someone was already waiting for him. "What is it Reina?" He asked before he noticed that Mika was there too. "He asked for you." Mika announced. He didn''t have to say anything else. It was clear what they were talking about. Mikain had asked him in his room. Philip couldn''t believe it. This day, everything was simply going to hell. From the start till the end it was getting worse and worse. It was so ironic, he thought and started laughing. His two friends looked at him, filled with wonder. "You won''t go, right? We can think of an excuse. We have until tomorrow night." Reina said. "Oh, no. I will go" Philip told them, making them gasp. "Are you insane?" The girl shouted.. "You can''t do this." Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 57 - 56 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com "What happened?" Soran asked as he watched the crumbled paper land on the floor. Lun looked very disturbed, as if he had heard the worst news. He sighed, pushing back his hair before he messed them up and kicked the wall right next to him. John flinched. Why did all these people seem so calm at first and then they simply exploded? Was it all a front? He wondered, intrigued. Suddenly he was really curious about the place they were raised, what kind of upbringing they had to make them such great pretenders. "I asked for reinforcements okay?" Lun said with a desperate smile. "Because we have to deal with Moonshine. We have to protect Kai. You know a lot of things are happening lately. The royal family accepted, of course they would. I am their dog but you know what I didn''t ask for?" "What?" Soran asked him, wary of the answer he was going to receive. "I did not ask for Xan! I definitely did not ask for him!" Lun said, his hands in fists. "Wait, Xan as the crown prince Xan. Kai''s older brother?" Soran exclaimed, worry appearing in his eyes and John, not understanding anything he looked back and forth hoping for someone to explain to him why it was so bad for Kai to meet a family member. "Yes, that Xan" Lun confirmed it and Soran sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay. Wait, we need to think and we need to¡­" "Um. I am really sorry to interrupt you but could someone let me in on what''s going on? He is just his brother. Why are you so nervous?" John asked, unable to keep quiet. "Well, let me tell you little wolf. I will give you all the information you need about the crown prince." Lun said and pushed John gently towards the couch. The werewolf sat down, his big eyes focused on him as he was getting ready to talk. "I''m listening." "You better." Lun said. Soran had sat on the armrest of the couch, an expression of disgust on his face as he thought about the older brother of the Avger monarchy. "Let''s start from the basics. Kai and Xan hate each other. They never got along. You will ask why? They''re brothers. Little wolf, you think we''re pretentious? Maybe really good actors. Yes but he is at the top of all the pretentious bastards in Bloodbound. Stuck up, a snob a fucking nuisance. His father''s favorite child, perfect from head to toe, the sweetheart of Bloodbound, the elite bachelor. He is annoying, and conceited and did I say they hate each other? If he comes here and finds Kai he will either try to drag him back to the palace or he will kill him with his own hands. Depending on his mood. If Kai finds out he is coming he will definitely try to run away and we will go after him like a fucking cat does a mouse." "I see." John said, not knowing what to say after all this load that was just dumped on him. "I think you forgot something." Soran said and both of them looked at him. "That he is annoying?" "No." "A snob?" "No." "A prick?" "No! That you dear Lun have always been in love with him and he has rejected you how many times now?" Soran asked with a cocky grin and John''s jaw dropped with the news. After that very vivid description of this Xan guy, John would never believe that Lun was in love with him, more like hated him to the core, that would be more appropriate. "That is not important right now." "I think it is. How many times has he rejected you Lun?" "We have more important¡­" "How many?" "Eight. He has rejected me eight times okay? Are you satisfied?" "Yes." Soran said with a giggle. "So, all the things you said about him are simply because he rejected you?" John asked. "No, all the things he said were true. He is horrible." Soran said. "It''s just that Lun is stupid." His friend said. "Yeah, sure." Lun scoffed with a frown. E "What are we supposed to do about Kai though?" John asked. "We can''t have him running away. It''s dangerous." "I don''t know." Soran said and scratched the back of his head, thinking of a solution. "I think we should simply keep it a secret." Lun said. "They would have to meet at some point. It''s better like this, far away from the palace and with us by his side." He proposed. "He will be shocked and possibly hate us for the rest of our lives." "Well, I can live with that." Lun said. "Come on now, it won''t be that bad." John said, trying to be a bit positive about all of this. Even though the truth was that Lun''s very vivid description had scared him a bit. "Just wait and see." Soran said with a faint smile. Lun seemed to be a lot more concerned than Soran. He was tapping his feet on the tiles, the sound echoing annoyingly in the silence while he bit his nails. "Three days." He said. "He will be here in three days. Hey you!" He exclaimed and called one of the servants that was passing by. "Yes sir?" The man asked as he walked in. "Go out and buy me whiskey. As many bottles as you can." "Right now? It''s really late..." "I think I was clear." Lun told him and stared at him with a strict look. The servant nodded and immediately turned around ready to follow his orders. "You treat them like a tyrant." John said with a frown. "He is the son of a mafia son after all" Soran said and the werewolf stared at him in shock. "What?" The young man shouted. .... Hello everyone! Hope you are liking the book this far. So please tell me in the comments who is your favorite charter. If you like this book please leave a nice review, a comment and a vote.. They''re very important. Thank you! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 58 - 57 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Friendship is complex. It is about giving and taking but in a not selfish way. If though someone only gives and never takes the bond seems to be wrong. So is it as selfless as it seems or in every creature in this world exists selfishness? Is it selfish in the first place to expect the same you give? That''s why friendship and every kind of relationship between humans seems to be so complicated. Humans ask and they receive, they give and they expect. It''s always this kind of cycle between them. Some were good at it and some were bad. It depended really on the person and how much the selfish feelings they had inside of them affected them. Being selfish was bad but it came in measurements. Being a little bit shellfish was good but being too much was wrong. Humans were unexpected like that and not all of them seemed to understand these measurements which very easily resulted in conflict. But the point here is not exactly that. The point is that friendships are and always will be complex. In Philip''s case his friends had the tendency of giving when they were not asked to. The werewolf had made it very clear that he was intending to go into Mikain''s room, spend the night with him as their alpha had requested and had pushed both of them out of his room while they kept whining that this was absurd. Even though he did that his two friends had decided that what Philip was thinking was plainly absurd. That''s why Reina had dragged Mika into her room and forced him on her couch, as she asked him to help her. "I don''t know Reina. You know he doesn''t like people getting into his business." Mika reminded her. Not one hour had passed since they had left Philip''s room, seeing him plop on his bed the moment they accepted to leave. It was obvious their friend was not very well. "He doesn''t want to go Mika." Reina said as she tied her long hair in a ponytail. "He just said he wants to." the red haired argued and she sighed, plopping on the couch next to him and placing her feet on top of the table. "I think...it has to do with his visit." "Visit, what visit?" Mika asked her with a raised eyebrow. Turning fully and changing his position so he could look at her. The girl smiled awkwardly showing in a very obvious way that she had something to do about it and pushed back her glasses. "Well you see. He wanted to find Kai and asked me for help so I¡­" "What?" Mika exclaimed and stood up as if he was a firework shooting up in the night sky. "Are you insane?Why would you even help him do something like that? You know very well that if he is spotted we are all doomed. There are werewolves everywhere out there looking for Kai" The red haired man reminded her. "I know, I know but you know he seems to really like him. And I wondered if he was his mate so¡­" "What did you just say?" Mika asked her. "I just thought that they might be mates. You know werewolves that meet with their mates earlier than when they are twenty sometimes do get to feel the bond is not that impossible¡­" "You should never talk about this again. Kai is someone that should be out of Philip''s life." Mika said and Reina stared at him with a suspicious expression. She decided not to say anything else about that matter, now it made more sense why Philip had asked her not to tell Mika anything. The more he talked the more it showed he wasn''t really fond of Kai. Out of the three friends, Mika was the only one that was twenty years old, Philip had three weeks or more like two and a half now and Reina still had two years. So it was very possible he was hiding something. "Anyways...." Reina said, trying to change the course of the conversation. "I would appreciate it if you let me finish at least one of my sentences." "Sorry, I just want Philip to be happy. I want him out of trouble." Mika said and his eyes turned sad. The girl was getting more and more convinced that she was right about what she was thinking. Mika knew something, maybe everything that Philip wanted to know. "Good, then both of us want the same thing. Philip should not go to Mikain. You know that, I know that, he knows that but he is two stupid and probably depressed to actually think about it. So we have to stop him." She explained. Mika sighed, knowing that he was going to have to do something he didn''t like again but still he nodded, agreeing that they shouldn''t let him get through with this. "What do you have in mind?" Mika asked, knowing hse probably already had a plan in mind. "I think we should go and get Kai." she proposed and MIka''s dark eyes widened in shock. "I think you and him are insane. Everything I told you, you completely ignored it." "So tell me, who else could stop him? He doesn''t have parents. We are his only friends. He doesn''t care that much about his one night stands, no correction, he doesn''t care at all. The only person he had shown a teeny tiny bit of affection for was Kai. So let''s bring the vampire, have him do the job we want and then we can tell him to leave. We will be using him, nothing more, we are not trying to get these two together." Reina said. "I knew I was going to be forced into something I don''t want to do." Mika mumbled and the girl smiled proudly. ... Hello everyone! Hope you like the story this far.. Please leave a nice comment, a vote and a good review to show your support and for the book to do well in the contest. Thank you! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 59 - 58 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Everyone seemed to be on edge. Not that he wasn''t but after all this time he had learned to hide it a lot better than the rest of them as it seemed. After Philip had left Kai had decided to walk down, meet the rest of his friends but they all looked as if they were preoccupied with something and had no time to talk to him. It was late, morning was almost approaching but he couldn''t sleep. He opened the front door, greeted a guard that kept watch there and walked out, stepping into the garden that Lun''s mansion had at the side of the house. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place. With small peddles on the ground, covering the dirt and stone pathways in neutral colors he walked for quite a while, feeling the chill that came from the grass and enjoying the vibrant smell of the roses and lilies. After he got a bit tired he spotted a marble bench at the far back of the garden, close to the wall that cut off the mansion with everything else and he sat down, his head facing the moon. He had been horrible to Philip today. He was aware of it but the truth was it was all for his own good. In this lifetime Kai had decided he wouldn''t allow him to get hurt. He would not become his doom and if that meant Philip had to hate him he would be fine with it. The scar on his chest aches every time they meet. Not physically, it had healed a long time ago but mentally. It''s a horrible reminder of the bloody battle that took place between them. A fight their kinds went through since the beginning of their curse, a fight Philip and Kai believed they would never have to face. They loved each other. That was the reason why they felt safe being with the other but Kai had broken that safety, shattered it into many pieces and he had betrayed Philip''s trust. This time the man he loved the most wouldn''t have to experience such pain, he was going to make sure of it. The moon had always been a cruel reminder of what had happened. As he was escaping Bloodbound he had raised his head, bloody and injured he had looked up, faced this distant grey and his heart had instantly grown cold. The moon had been the only observer of his betrayal. The only one who knew. Kai heard rustling. His head snapped to the side as he watched how a body jumped from the top of the wall and messily landed into a bush with its legs upwards. His blue eyes widened and he squeezed them trying to figure out who the invader was. "We come in peace." Someone said and Kai watched a girl jump down with much skill, landing on her feet perfectly. It was Mika the one who had landed in the bush, coming out with leaves on his hair. Kai stared at him, trying not to laugh with the sight. "What are you doing here, first Philip now you. Don''t you get that this is dangerous?" He asked them, trying to hide how curious he actually was. "That''s what I''ve been saying." Mika mumbled but his friend elbowed him in the ribs, making him gasp. "We came because we need your help." Reina told Kai as she cleaned her glasses with the soft hem of her shirt before she wore them back. "No." Kai told them coldly. "You should better leave before I call the guards. You don''t want to die tonight, do you?" He asked them with a wicked grin and Mika snorted, not liking his attitude. "Finally showing your true nature." He told him and Kai shrugged his shoulders before he placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I don''t really care whether you live or die." Kai said. "But you care about Philip" Reina said. "That''s debatable." The vampire said and Mika snorted again. "Is there something on your nose? Do you need a tissue or are you slowly turning into a pig?" Kai asked him and Mika''s eyes widened. "This spoiled ass! I told you he wouldn''t help us. Philip is in trouble and we came here instead of thinking of a way to help him" "What''s wrong with Philip?" Kai asked, immediately worried about the werewolf. Reina smiled, recognizing the emotions in his expression. "Philip" the girl began explaining. "Has been summoned by our Alpha. He will have to go to his room tomorrow night. Mikain is horrible and perverted. He tortured the people he summons, it''s horrible. Philip said he will go, probably because something happened between us but we have to stop it. It will be traumatizing for him" "Wait, as in summoned. His Alpha wants to have sex with him?" Kai asked. "It will practically be rape." Mika added and Kai''s eyes widened. Had Philip agreed to this because he kicked him out? Was this his fault? The vampire couldn''t help but wonder his involvement in all of this, the hurt he could cause Philip. He had promised to stay away from him, he didn''t have to go and stop him, because obviously that''s what they wanted him to do but he couldn''t imagine Philip going through this. Lun and Soran would be against it. It would be terribly dangerous and he could die all just so he would stop Philip from doing something completely idiotic. Kai could stay here, he should stay here but¡­ "Take me to him." "You didn''t need much convincing." Reina said. "What can I say? I am a man of the thrill." Kai said, recognizing how stupid he was. "I have to be back soon, I can''t have them noticing that I am gone." He warned them and the two werewolves nodded. "Thank you." Reina told him as she climbed the wall. ... Hello! Please remember to vote and let me know in the comments what do you think will happen at the hotel? Kai is a bit stupid for going back there isn''t he? What would you do? Hope you liked this chapter and thank you for reading! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 60 - 59 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com On their way to the hotel where Moonshine was living, Kai had been given a black jacket to wear. It had a hoodie and he had been encouraged by Reina to wear it so people wouldn''t stare that much. Kai had his thoughts about it, stepping into that luxurious hotel dressed with an old worn out leather jacket and hiding his face would make him seem so suspicious. Nonetheless, he did as he was told. "Okay. You shouldn''t come in." Mika said. "Wait there, in that coffee shop for a while, we will drag Philip out. You just keep him away from the hotel, convince him not to go and Reina and I will think of an excuse for later, when he will be asked to visit Mikain. Is that clear?" he asked him after he explained his very simple minded plan. Kai nodded, wanting to get rid of the annoying red head as fast as he could and walked inside the coffee shop. It was more like a dinner that was open twenty four seven. The building was not in the best condition and the lights outside, the bright sign that announced the name of the place was giving the impression that it would fall soon, killing whoever was unlucky enough. The place did not disappoint on the inside, disappoint in the way that Kai had believed it would be horrible and well, it was. He noticed a few flies flying around and he frowned, wondering in whose eggs they had sat and took a seat in the far back, making sure he wasn''t visible from the huge window. He still wore his hoodie as his fingertip passed over the table. It was greasy and probably uncleaned. He understood now why they had sent him in here. First of all, Mika hated him and second, Reina probably thought their money hungry Alpha would not ever set eyes on a place like this. He was still trying to get the sensation of the grease away from his fingertips when a cute waitress approached him. She had a bored expression while she held an empty cup that she let go on the table and filled it with black coffee. "Oh, no thanks I don''t want any coffee." he told her without raising his head to look at her fully. "Then what do you want?" she asked him rudely. "Do you have wine?" Kai asked. It was the drink of his preference and at times like this alcohol was a big help. "Huh?" the waitress exclaimed, surprised with his answer. "Where do you think¡­" she started to say when Kai raised his head and looked at her, flashing her a charming smile. The girl stopped talking and blinked a few times, taking in how handsome she was. Her attitude immediately changed and she wore a shy smile. "I...I will ask in the back." she told him. "Thank you." Kai said. "Well, thank the Anger family for their genes." he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. He stole a glance towards the hotel. It was still a bit dark, even though it would be morning soon. Maybe because winter was approaching. Kai, for a long time, had avoided going out during the night. He wanted to make sure he would never meet someone of his own kind or a hunter, now, with how things were he seemed to be out only after the moon rises. "There you go." The girl said, appearing out of nowhere and she gently placed an old wine glass on his table. "It''s my treat." she told him and he smiled gently at her, showing her a line of perfect teeth. "That''s really kind of you. Thank you." he said. "Umm...would you maybe be interested in meeting with me after my shift?" she asked him. "What time do you get off?" "In an hour or so." "Then great, I will be waiting outside" he told her and winked at her. Obviously he was not interested, or to make it clearer he was not interested in the way she was. He was just hungry. He wasn''t planning on killing her of course. He could control his instincts if he managed to feed in time. He grabbed the glass and tasted the wine, a frown appearing on his face with the sour taste. It tasted more like vinegar, he thought. He was always in denial of the luxury he used to live in, pretending he did not want the royal comforts but the truth was at times like this he really missed it. The good wine and his soft bed, people doing everything he wanted. He shook his head, trying to push away the thoughts about home. Being a prince was nice but he was never free. At least now he could do whatever he wanted, even if that included drinking cheap wine at a shitty dinner. While he thought about that, staring at the dark red liquor in his glass the door chimed and the three wolves entered. Philip seemed to be unwilling to stay there and a few times he tried to escape but Rein pushed him towards the back. It took them a while for them to spot them and when they made Philip sit in front of him, at the other side of the table he took off his hoodie, making the werewolf gasp. "What is he doing here?" he asked. "He is here to put some sense into you. Talk to him. We will think of an excuse to keep Mikain away when he asks for you." Reina said. The two friends ran away fast, trying to take Philip''s chance to run away. Now, it was just the two of them. "I am going to leave." Philip said and stood up. "Sit down." Kai told him in a serious tone. "Or what? You''re gonna ask me politely to sit?" he asked him ironically. "You little shit." Kai said and stood up, mimicking him. He grabbed Philip by the collar and his eyes turned a bright red before he pushed him down. The werewolf felt that if he had pushed him a bit stronger the seat would have broken. He stared at him with wide eyes, not really expecting that kind of reaction. "Is that the true you?" he asked him and Kai coughed before he sat down again. His eyes turned normal. "Partly. But we are not here to talk about me. We are here to talk about you and the stupidity that has taken over you." "What is it to you? Aren''t you dating that vampire dude?" Philip asked him. "Also why are you drinking wine? It''s morning." "For the aesthetic. Is there a problem with that?" Kai asked him when the waitress approached them again, leaving a cup of coffee and a menu for Philip. "Don''t forget me." she told Kai sweetly. "I won''t" he answered before she went back to her counter. "What the heck?" "I need to feed from time to time you know." Kai explained and in Philip''s face a disgusted expression appeared. The prince scoffed. "It''s funny, you were all about helping me, being with me but the moment you hear that I need to feed to live you look so disgusted. Typical werewolf." "Well, it''s sad that your curse was you being a bloodsucker isn''t it?" "At least I don''t lose control when the moon is out and bite people" "At least I don''t have suicidal tedencies." Philip said and instantly regretted it. "Why did I even come here for?" The vampire said and sighed. "Your friends asked me to. They care about you. Don''t be stupid and do something you''ll regret for the rest of your life. Your Alpha, I am sure you don''t need me to tell you but he is...perverted. You have no idea how it feels to get used, so just think about it again." "Do you?" "I am not the subject of conversation here, you are and you need to rethink things." "You said you don''t care for me so why are you here?" Philip asked him again and Kai rolled his eyes. "I told you, your friends asked me." "So you put your life at risk, you came here." he said scanning the sigusting diner with his eyes. "from Lun''s mansion just to talk some sense into me while my pack is after you because my friends asked you?" Philip said, a grin appearing on his face. He was being encouraged by this. Who wouldn''t actually? Being a generally good person wasn''t really something supernatural creatures did so Kai had to have a reason for coming here. The prince wasn''t a philanthropist. "I think you needed a better excuse." "And I think you need to stop being such a fucking brat and focus on what I am telling you." Kai said between gritted teeth. He was starting to get annoyed at how cocky Philip was. He didn''t like it, he wasn''t used to it and it irked him like a bad itch on his arms. "So what will you do If I go? Walk right back in and knock on Mikain''s door. I mean he is not ugly and I am not particularly picky about my partners so¡­" "Fine, fine." Kai said as he rubbed his temples. Had he been getting too old for this kind of mind games or was it that he was too worried that Philip would actually do it if Kai didn''t give in to his games. The prince was not fond of the idea. The werewolf and that creep together. He hated it. "I know talking won''t change a thing when you''re talking to someone with low intelligence so let''s do it like this. What do you want, you big baby, so you won''t go to Mikain?" he asked him and Philip laughed. "Stupid or not I still got you right where I want you." Philip said with a cocky grin. "So let''s see. So I won''t have to go to Mikain, I would have something else to keep me entertained. How about you spend the day with me? We will do whatever I want and you won''t be able to leave." he told him, looking at him with fake innocent eyes. Kai blinked. Wasn''t he supposed to be depressed and heartbroken? How did his mood change so fast? "I¡­" "The clock is ticking" Philip said. "Okay. But listen to this." Kai said, pointing his finger at him. "After this day, you and I will never meet again" "I bet by the end of the day you will be thinking otherwise.." Philip told him. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 61 - 60 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com "Okay so leave that horrible glass of wine and come with me." Philip said as he stood up excited. He grabbed Kai''s wristed and dragged him away. The vampire gained a nasty look from the girl since she realized she was being left behind. He hid his face in embarrassment as they left the ugly diner. "You could wait for me to feed." Kai told him with a frown once they were outside. "She didn''t seem tasty anyways." The werewolf answered him and shrugged his shoulders. He still hadn''t let go of Kai''s hand. The prince wasn''t complaining, he didn''t even try to stop him and he chose to casually forget their little contact. "Where do you want to go?" Kai asked him, curious about why Philip had requested a whole day with him. "Also give me your phone, I need to call Lun and tell him I am away. No reason for him to go crazy." "Yeah. Call your boyfriend too." Philip told him and Kai gave him a cold smile. "Yes. Soran too." he said and grabbed the mobile phone from Philip''s hand. He took a few steps away trying to remember his friend''s number. At some point in one of their early meetings Lun had given it to him by force. He had it in his own phone but with the rush of running away and how trashed his apartment ended up he doubted that there would be anything left from his stuff. The phone rang a few times before Lun answered with a serious tone. The vampire was expecting his friend to cause a fuss, tell him that he should return immediately but for some unknown reason he almost sounded happy to hear that Kai would be gone. Their phone call ended abruptly when one of his men entered the room and mentioned something about a visitor. Kai paid no mind to what he heard and returned the phone to Philip. "Your boyfriend? Won''t you call him?" "He is with Lun." he answered dryly and Philip scoffed. He didn''t say anything else. "My time is precious. So what do you want to do?" he asked him and Philip''s mood once more rapidly changed. It was as if his hazel eyes lit up and he smiled, making Kai''s heart flutter. "Wait here for a bit. I am going to get the car." he told him and ran off somewhere. Kai walked to the side of the diner, just in case the waitress came out and wore his hoodie again, making sure he stood at a place not many people could see him. The sun was beginning to rise finally and the city was coming to life once again. Cars were beginning to fill the roads, humans wanting to get to work, and all the small coffee shops around were opening up, waiting for business. As Kai watched the day unravel before his eyes he heard the honking of a car. It had stopped right in front of him and its window was being rolled down by Philip. "Will you get in?" he asked him and the vampire rolled his eyes, getting in. It smelled like sandalwood, refreshing and kind of familiar he thought as he closed the door behind him and put his seatbelt. "Why wear a seatbelt?" Philip asked him confused. "No reason for the police to ruin our little day." he said with an ironic tone and Philip shook his head as he started the engine. The car started and they soon hit the highway, leaving the waking city behind them. "Where are we going?" Kai asked, slightly confused. He didn''t really know why Philip had asked him of this day. His first thought was that he was planning to annoy him to death so he could take his revenge for being rejected, later after what he said at the end of their conversation at the diner he thought that maybe he wanted to plan some kind of date, prove him wrong in a way but now they were leaving the city behind, all the nice restaurants and the cute coffee shops. All he could see around him were trees and more trees. After half an hour Philip left the highway and entered a small dirt road that led directly into the thick forest. Kai frowned as he felt the car literally shake whole from the bumpy road and Philip smirked, noticing his reaction. "Sometimes I forget that you are royal and then I see that snobbish expression on your face and it becomes so clear." "Did you just call me a snob?" Kai asked and raised his eyebrow. "I don''t know, did I?" Philip asked him with a cheeky smile and took a sudden turn, stopping roughly the car right at the beginning of the forest. He turned off the engine and got off, stretching his long limbs and looking at the forest with a nostalgic expression. Kai remained inside, scanning the area. "Just get out, I won''t try to kill you in the woods, we are just going for a walk." he said and the vampire stepped outside, not so willingly. He slammed the car door and walked next to the werewolf, staring at the same place he did. "Great, mud, dirt, bugs. Ideal." he mumbled and Philip started laughing. He turned his head and looked at him. He was so beautiful underneath the rising sun, his eyes glowing as the rays hit them while his hair was a perfect gold. "This is my home my dear prince." He told him. Kai''s lips formed an oh, slightly embarrassed about his comment now he looked away, trying to think of something else to say. "Well, what are you waiting for. I am expecting a tour." The prince said hoping he would look a bit less spoiled and Philip laughed again. His laughter sounded almost angelic, Kai couldn''t get enough of it. "Shall we then?" he asked him before he started walking. .... Hello everyone! Hope you liked this chpater.. Finally Philip and Kai are getting closer. You won''t expect what happens next! Please vote and leave a nice comment to show your support! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 62 - 61 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Kai couldn''t help but wonder if Philip was going to touch his hand again, like he did while the got out of the diner. He had forgotten how it felt for your heart to flutter with the slightest touches, with small gestures that to others seemed completely normal. He had buried deep into his heart moments like those because no one really could make him feel like Philip did. It was pointless to search for those romantic thrills in between faceless people when you knew the form of love for you. Sadly for him they entered the forest without him making any gesture to drag him along. A thought passed by Kai''s cunning mind that he should probably play hard to get and stay back, forcing Philip to touch him but then he decided not to. He would simply seem even more spoiled like that. The forest was beautiful, tall pine trees everywhere, almost covering the bright winter sky. He could feel the softness of the earth underneath his feet and hear animals and birds all around him. Rustling in the fussy bushes and the sound of a creek somewhere far away. Philip walked through the narrow paths with confidence, staring at everything with a nostalgic expression. "This palace was to be my pack''s. We lived here until Mikain became the alpha and decided we should relocate to the city. Then he started to make us travel to hunt down vampires and make money." He explained. "I do not like your Alpha." Kai said. Philip smiled. "Believe me I don''t think anyone does. It''s his fault I lost my parents, Hans lost his wife. In this endless fight, a war that we started we have lost so many of our members. Only the bloodthirsty ones seem to thrive." "Then why don''t you try to overthrow him?" Kai asked. "Who would dare? He is really strong. Even us, the wolf warriors, are nothing in front of him." he told the vampire and headed deeper into the forest. While they walked Philip noticed a huge rock, he sat down, Kai sitting on the other side, their backs touching while they talked. "If you went to his room, what would have happened?" Kai asked. He felt Philip tense. He couldn''t see his expression but the moment he finished his questions he felt the muscles on his back tense. He regretted asking but still the werewolf offered him an answer, maybe even something he didn''t wish to hear. "He does terrible things. I believe he wants to be in control, in every aspect of his life. Sometimes though this frenzy becomes a sickness. So many young girls and boys have come out bloody, with bruises and crying. He is a monster, he reminds me every day that we are cursed, no matter how hard I try to forget it." "Philip, why would you accept to go there?" "Because I don''t take rejection well, obviously. Also, sometimes I tend to be reckless, as if I want to take revenge on myself. Even if I didn''t do anything else. But, let me ask you something, Kai, the third prince of the Avger monarchy¡­" the wolf said and Kai was one hundred percent sure he was smirking. "Why did you want me to kill you?" he asked, his tone serious. Kai''s eyes widened. He did not expect that kind of a question. "I tend to punish myself too sometimes. I deserve it though." "Is that the reason the bloody people are after you? Because of what you did?" "No." Kai mumbled. "Then what¡­" "I can''t talk about it, Philip, so please don''t ask me things I can''t answer you." Kai said and stood up. He didn''t like talking to the trees anymore. He walked around the huge rock and stood in front of the werewolf. "My turn now." he told him with a cheeky smile, his hands entwined behind his back as he spoke. "Ask ahead." "Why are you so obsessed with me?" he asked him, joking but Philip turned silent, staring at him into the eyes. Kai felt uncomfortable, he had forgotten for a while the situation he was in, he had let go again, just because he was with Philip. That was why he shouldn''t be with him. "When I first met you¡­" Philip started saying, surprising him again. "I could immediately tell that you were wearing some kind of mask. That alone was like a puzzle. You definitely are spoiled even if you try so hard to hide it¡­" he said with a chuckle while Kai rolled his eyes. "...but you are not cold. You looked like that at first but that''s not it. You''re actually very expressive, you like to swear and you''re very hotheaded." "Wow you''ve mapped my entire existence." Kai told him and clapped for him. "Am I wrong?" Philip asked him, cocking an eyebrow. "No you shithead you''re not. But you getting to see through me, does not mean you will want to come closer." Kai said. It was just the two of them now, a last day, a last time. Maybe he should simply allow himself, just for this time to let go. "You''re beautiful Kai. All the contradictions. From your appearance to your attitude you''re the most beautiful enigma I''ve ever seen but I am afraid to solve you." "And why is that?" Kai asked him. His heart was racing. Thumping so loud in his ribcage. He had called him beautiful, Kai thought like a teenage girl. "Because I am scared that behind all this...I will just find a hurt prince, crying." he told him honestly and Kai froze. He averted his gaze, not wanting to betray himself and coughed. "You''re thinking too much about it." Kai finally said, not knowing how to end the conversation. "There is no prince, there are no tears. It''s simply nothingness." he told him and watched him get up. He took a few steps closer, wanting to approach him but Kai stepped back, further and further until his back was against a rough tree trunk. Philip placed his hand right next to his head, hovering as he whispered. "Why do I think that I am perfectly right?" he asked, close to his ear as Kai felt his breathing land on his sensitive neck. Kai gulped, feeling his body shiver by the sound of his voice. He didn''t know what to do. He felt trapped but he liked it. Stuck there, close to him, hearing him breathe, smelling his scent, hearing his voice. After two hundred years finally he was right here and Kai felt like it was his first time falling in love. Overwhelmed by everything he pushed Philip back, their eyes meeting for a mere second before the vampire¡­ Ran away. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 63 - 62 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com It was almost like a playful game of tag. Kai had run away, immature and scared by what he would end up doing again and Philip, not the type of person to give up, began going after him. Kai was a vampire, he could simply outrun him but he chose not to though, as if he actually wanted the wolf to catch him. The forest seemed endless, with trees spreading everywhere around him, the wind hitting his face as he ran. He hadn''t felt that free, able to do as he wanted in a while. He always walked with his head down, he didn''t speak too loud, he never looked others in the eyes. For two hundred years he had been like that, slowly forgetting himself, who he was. But now, who would judge him? Which enemy would recognise him? Who would go after him? Hidden underneath the thick trees, surrounded by Philip''s home he felt at peace, safe as if he was being in his embrace. He jumped skillfully over a root that had surfaced from the ground at the last second and looked back for a mere second, curious about where Philip was. His blue eyes wandered in the background but the wolf was out of sight. He blinked a few times, slowing his pace and turned around, searching for him. Had he not followed him? He was sure he had. Kai could hear his footsteps as he went after him but for some reason everything was too quiet now. He looked around, suddenly getting worried that something might have gone really wrong. The prince had been lost in his own thoughts, buried again into a small daydream as a way of escaping his reality. This place though was part of his nightmare, everywhere he stepped stopped being safe and turned into a war zone. Philip''s home, could he have led them here and ruined his shelter? His heart began to speed as he walked around, searching for the wolf. "Philip?" he called out, his voice hasty. Could someone have hurt him? He wondered as he focused on the sounds of the forest. He could hear birds, rabbits hopping, the creak once more but there were no other signs of anyone else around with him. He bit his bottom lip, getting more and more anxious. He stepped deeper into the thick forest, his footsteps loud as he broke branches underneath his boots and fallen leaves. It was weird, being so alone in such a vast place. Everywhere he looked he could see the same scenery but his feelings had changed from before. Now he felt lost going after a dream, as if he was trapped in one of his nightmares. The prince had dreamed of similar moments. Many times before actually. Philip would be standing right in front of him, in his room in the palace, in the stables they used to meet secretly or the conference room of the treaties in BloodBound. He would be there, dressed with his warrior uniform, smiling at him, extending his hand for Kai to take it and then, when the young prince tried to reach him he would vanish, leaving him empty and upset. Reminding him that even if happiness was close it was always out of his reach. As he kept thinking, depressing himself even more, worrying and hoping this was not one of his dreams he had walked deep into the forest, finding himself away from the path he used to walk on before. He didn''t like this feeling, he didn''t like all the things he had started feeling ever since Philip had returned, they scared him, made him feel vulnerable again. "Philip?" he repeated again, his voice cracking as his eyes were filled with tears. He heard a rustle from behind him and his head snapped, startled by the sound. The wolf appeared with a cheeky smile on his face. "I tricked you, didn''t¡­" He started saying in a joking manner until he noticed that the vampire was crying. His eyes widened and he rushed towards him, confused. "Kai, are you alright? I am sorry. I just wanted to play a joke on you. Did you get scared?" he asked. Kai snorted and wiped his tears aggressively, embarrassed that he had cried for something so simple. He averted his gaze and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course not." he said, lifting his chin up a bit and Philip smiled. "Sorry, sorry. I won''t scare you again." he told him sweetly as he moved closer. "I told you, I was not¡­" Kai was trying to say he wasn''t scared. He was cut off though by finding himself buried in Philip''s arms. He was warm and smelled so nice. Kai closed his eyes, deciding to remain quiet as he heard his heartbeat on his chest. It was like a song, a steady rhythm. The blood slowly flowed into his body, from his heart to his veins. Suddenly a thought Kai didn''t wish to have invaded his mind. As he heard his pulse it began getting louder and louder in his ears. As he smelled his scent he remembered this was the person he had chosen to bite, he remembered how it felt not to want to throw up every time you ate. His eyes widened and with a harsh push he removed himself from Philip''s arms. "Get off." he told him and the wolf looked at him with a frown. "Kai¡­" he called his name. "Why are your eyes¡­" Kai felt his mouth watering like a child standing inside a candy shop, his eyes turning a bright crimson. Philip stared at him, realizing what was actually happening as the seconds passed. "I want you to leave." Kai said, taking his eyes away from the wolf. .... Hello everyone! Hope you liked this chapter. Please leave a nice comment and a vote to support this book. I feel so bad for Kai to be honest, I think I want to give him a few happy moments but it''s not the time yet.. Hope you enjoyed reading. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 64 - 63 Maybe it was because Philip had never experienced something like this before. The thought that Kai could want to drink his blood was too absurd, he was a vampire after all, how could a vampire desire his blood? He didn''t know that Kai had chosen him, years ago by the ancient rules, he also didn''t know that he had accepted. Philip once had told Kai himself to drink his blood, years back he was the one who brought it up. Right now though nothing made sense. As Kai stood before him, his pale hands forming fists on his sides, his eyes red he couldn''t understand anything. "Kai...do you really¡­." He mumbled, not even knowing how he should phrase this. The vampire turned his head, closing his eyes so he wouldn''t have to look at him. The sound of his heartbeat though was loud, echoing in the walls of his brain. "Can you leave?" He asked him between gritted teeth. He felt his fangs rip the sides of his mouth. He didn''t want him to see, though, the image of him, hungry and out of control. "Kai¡­" Philip mumbled again and attempted to approach him. Kai''s eyes widened, the same bloody red as he heard his footsteps. As if he was a flash he appeared before him, grabbing him from his collar and pinning him onto a tree. Philip gasped as he heard a loud hiss, his mouth opening revealing his fangs. They were sharp and long, threateningly sharp actually. "Why don''t you calm down?" He asked him, as if this would stop a frenzied vampire. "Why couldn''t you leave?" Kai asked him. He didn''t sound like him. His voice sounded rough, distant and as he talked his eyes were focused on Philip''s neck. He was strong, keeping him in place but the werewolf didn''t want to get bitten, he had no idea how he felt about all this. He kneed Kai in the stomach, making him lose his grip and pushed down his hands that were pushing him on the tree. He took a few steps away, the vampire turning around and running towards him, so fast Philip couldn''t see him clearly. Kai pushed him down in the mud. Sitting on top of him. The werewolf, restrained once more raised his head and head bumped him, causing a wound to open in Kai''s forehead. He grabbed the vampire and flipped him over, hearing him hiss again before he punched him hard in the face. "You fucker" Kai swore at him. He placed his hands on his sides and as if Philip was light as a feather he pushed him up and onto a tree. The collision was so powerful Kai heard the huge tree crack where Philip had landed on it. The werewolf had fallen to the ground, slowly trying to get up while the tree was ready to fall right on top of him. For a second Kai froze, he quickly understood the situation. Philip was going to get crushed, he wouldn''t die but it would hurt like hell and it would be his fault. He calmed down, sensing the danger and in a hurry he ran towards the tree. It fell ready fast, its trunk snapping in two and landed right on top of Kai''s back. He had shielded Philip with his body. "Kai!" Philip screamed as he realized what had just happened. He stood up and pushed the enormous tree off of the vampire. It landed on the ground, making the earth shudder and the birds all around fly away. Kai had fallen, his face buried in the dump leaves and grass. "Kai are you alright?" Philip asked him, turning him around. His shirt had been ripped from the back. He looked like a complete mess with trails of blood on his forehead. Thankfully that wound healed immediately. The beautiful vampire blinked, meeting Philip''s worried eyes. "Why don''t you listen to what you''re told?" He asked him, his tone showing his exhaustion. "Well, I don''t happen to have vampires that want to eat me every day." He said and the prince scoffed. "Shut up. I need some time for my bones to heal. My back is broken." Kai informed him. "Are you still hungry?" Philip asked him. "I am, don''t worry though I won''t attack you" "Aren''t you supposed to have a human for that? As a pureblood?" "My human is dead." Kai lied and Philip frowned. "I''m sorry." He said. "Why didn''t you run away?" Kai asked him. Philip took a moment to think, staring him in the eyes. He had some mud on his face. On his right cheek. Philip wiped it away carefully, a smile forming on his face. "I don''t know why but ...I just can''t leave you alone." Philip said. Kai was helpless. It felt as if he was standing at the edge of a skyscraper looking down on how tiny the world was. Down there though he could see Philip clearly. He was so close but so far away, a free fall with huge consequences. He wanted to jump, take that leap of faith and simply go to him. He was right in front of him, his feelings so obvious that his heart was slowly melting. "You''re making it so hard for me..." Kai said, a sigh escaping his lips. "What exactly?" The werewolf asked him with a grin, he knew already the answer, he didn''t really have to hear it but the satisfaction he would get was priceless. "Staying away from you." Kai whispered embarrassed and Philip smiled. "Imagine, the days wasn''t even ended yet" Philip told him. "I want to go home." Kai said like a small child and the werewolf giggled. "We had a deal." "I have a boyfriend." He told him seeing his eyes cloud immediately. "You sure know how to ruin the mood." "I know how to return to reality" ... Hello everyone! Sorry but I am not giving you the relationship you so want yet. Believe me I want it too, hehe. Hope you liked this chapter. Please leave a nice comment and a vote if you enjoyed it.. I hope you did! Thanks for reading!. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 65 - 64 After a while of sitting and laying on the ground Philip helped Kai get up. His wounds had completely healed and now it was only his appearance that seemed disheveled. After the painful and untrue fact that Kai had a boyfriend Philip had gotten a bit tense. He walked in front of the prince, his hands in his pockets. He didn''t turn back once while Kai silently followed him. The forest had turned kinder again, filled with life and beautiful colors. Just because he was there, right next to him everything seemed to be friendlier. He didn''t hate the vastness or the unknown, he simply enjoyed walking, heading somewhere with him. "Why are you so grumpy now?" Kai asked him, making him stop. "I''m sorry I tried to eat you" he told him. Philip didn''t answer him. He turned around and scanned him with his eyes, surrounded by the calmness of the forest he heard at his heart. Listen to it carefully. All it did was repeat his name. Kai, Kai, Kai. Something like that had never happened before, his heart was never beating for someone else, a vampire and someone he didn''t even know. Kai was surrounded by a veil of secrets, he was a mystery but even that could not stop his mind from going insane. "What are we?" Philip asked, surprising again the prince. He always talked as if he didn''t care about the consequences. "What do you mean?" "I am going insane here Kai. One second I feel like you want me and the other you tell me you''re with someone. You kiss me and you push me away. You literally shielded me from a tree and you act as if it was nothing! I don''t understand you. I want to get closer to you but every time you seem to open up you immediately close your heart again. I...I am not used to this." Philip said. "You''re simply used to people going after you all the time. You are just intrigued by me because I haven''t turned into your little dog Philip." Kai told him, his tone turning cold again. The werewolf groaned, frustrated with what he heard. "Do not tell me how I feel. Don''t try to explain my feelings to me. I know very well how I feel and what is going on and no, I didn''t mean it like this. What I mean is that I am not used to...to falling in love with someone." He said, his voice turning quieter in the end of his sentence as if he was afraid to say it. Kai''s beautiful eyes widened, he was stunned. He couldn''t believe he was hearing Philip say something like that. He couldn''t believe that no matter what he did they were walking towards the same path. It had been his fault, he had been reckless and he had let go at the moment he shouldn''t have. He had led him on because he couldn''t contain his feelings and now, he was going to hurt Philip, take him in his own dark path. "I fell in love with someone once." Kai said. "Yeah, Soran I know but¡­" "It wasn''t Soran. I did love him but that one person. That man that came into my life changed everything. My whole world. I fell in love with him and I fell in love hard." He said, a bitter smile on his lips. "I worshiped him. Me, the spoiled royal who wanted everything for himself would throw his life in an instant if it meant I would be able to make him happy. I would leave my crown, my family, all of it just to be with him but he didn''t let me. No matter how many times I asked, no matter how many times I begged him he didn''t want me to lose who I was. Do you know Philip what happens when a prince falls in love with someone they shouldn''t? They make sure to make him understand that he is not allowed to, they want him, they hunt him down and if he doesn''t listen they take everything away in the most painful way. I loved him and I still do, I want him and I miss him but I know that being with him will only hurt him. Because all I do is hurt him." "You''re not at the palace anymore Kai." Philip said and the prince scoffed. "I will always be at the palace. I will always be running away from the palace. That''s why Philip, even if I want you, I can''t have you, because if I do, you will die." Kai wanted him. Philip knew what his reaction should be. He should realize the danger, he should see the signs that Kai was trying to give him. Being together was impossible for so many reasons but still, his body was denying all that, as if it didn''t really phase him. He walked closer, his eyes stuck on Kai''s as he caressed his cheek. "So you want me." Philip said. "Didn''t you hear what I said? You will die!" Kai told him. His tone getting louder as if he screamed he would be able to reach him, make him understand. "You can call me insane, I don''t mind but the truth is¡­.I don''t really care. All I can think about is you, all I see is you. Death almost seems like a cure if you reject me again. I can''t even believe my own words but Kai...I don''t care, I don''t care as long as I get to kiss you again." Philip whispered. Kai had tried. He had endured and he had hurt. He couldn''t do it any more. He was at his limit, he had no more strength to push the man in front of him away. The werewolf who held the earth in his eyes, whose smile lit up his darkness. How could he keep pushing someone like that away. The man who told him that he would embrace death if he could just get one kiss. The prince was the insane one. He knew what was about to happen. He knew that Philip would remember soon and that would hurt him, he would be hated again and he would have to live with it but now, for the next few days he could maybe live and prepare to die again. He grabbed Philip with no warning. He brought their bodies closer, feeling his chest touch his. He was the one that kissed him first now, the werewolf felt as if he was truly being devoured but he didn''t hate it. As Kai kissed him deeper he felt his body burn up, his desire to rise. He wrapped his hands around his waist, gripping at his flesh as he entered Kai''s mouth, hearing him moan. "Fine" Kai said out of breath. "I''m yours until you hate me." "I will never hate you" Philip told him. Such a bitter lie but Kai still chose to believe it. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 66 - 65 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com It had been so long since the time that Kai had described a day as perfect. His days were definitely not fun and not so interesting. But today, while he walked around with Philip by his side, holding his hand as he had decided to completely give in for once, he realized that perfect days didn''t need much, just the perfect person to spend them with. "What are you going to tell Soran?" Philip asked him and Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing probably" he said, making the wolf stop. "What do you mean nothing? Am I going to be the third person? Because I don''t do that stuff I¡­" "I lied." Kai told him with a cheeky smile. "I am not dating Soran. He did ask me to be with him but I said no." He explained. Philip stared at him for a while, shocked by that smile on his face and by what he had just heard. "You lied to keep me away?" He asked and the prince nodded. "I didn''t want to put you in danger" Kai said with a serious tone and Philip sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you know how stupid I feel right now?" He asked him and the beautiful vampire chuckled. "It''s not like you''re a genius anyways" he teased him and Philip''s eyes widened. "Is this how us is going to be? You roasting me?" "We will see. Depending on your behavior" Kai told him and winked at him. They were walking back to the car, their fingers entwined as they talked. Kai had almost forgotten how it felt, being able to speak freely, look someone in the eyes, feel comfortable with their touch. Philip offered him all that so easily, with no holding back. He couldn''t too, seeing him want him so freely the vampire felt like he was obliged to show him everything. Maybe it was because Philip was still the same, even after all these years. He was kind, caring and gentle. He did not give up and his eyes, those eyes Kai had learned to adore were looking at him exactly the way they did when they had first met. The first sparks of love were igniting in them. The prince would risk everything, even being hated in less than a month to feel that again. He was helpless after all, anyone would if Philip had feelings for them. This man was simply perfect. "Get in then my dear prince" he told him dramatically as he opened his car door for him to get in. Kai smiled, getting into the car with grace and wearing his seatbelt. Soon Philip joined him too, starting the roaring engine. He laughed, at some points he couldn''t stop laughing. Philip took him to many places that day, to a beautiful park he had never visited in the city and then for coffee at a small shop which also allowed you to borrow books to read while you sat there. Philip came with their drinks, holding a small wooden tray. He had ordered a black coffee while the werewolf wanted tea. He sat down, passing him the red colored mug and Kai thanked him. "Sooo¡­." Philip said with a cheeky smile. "So?" Kai asked him back as he took his first sip of the bitter liquid. He didn''t like it that much, he didn''t know why he had ordered it in the first place, he was more of a hot chocolate fan but he didn''t want Philip to tease him about it. In a small metallic circle in the middle of the table, they were stacked with many little paper containers of sugar. Kai emptied three in his coffee, managing to make the taste bearable. "What are we now?" Philip asked like an excited teen Kai coughed, almost drowning with his coffee, spilling some of it comically on the polished table. "Please don''t ask things like that while I''m drinking" he told him and Philip frowned. "That was not an answer to my question." "Your question is very... complicated." "What is so complicated about it? I want you to date me." Philip announced with a proud smile. This time, thankfully Kai wasn''t drinking anything. "Philip, you understand that¡­" "Just date me." The werewolf said. "Have you ever dated anyone?" "Nope." "Then why do you want to date me?" He asked. "Because I want to. I would have never asked you that before. I know I was a bit strict when it came to the whole vampire werewolves thing but after that night¡­.when you were in my arms, sick. I just...Just date me okay?" He asked him again and the vampire sighed. "No. I won''t date you after one time we''ve been out together." Kai said with a scoff. "Then what? How many times do you want so we can date?" Kai smirked. He was having fun. He wasn''t going to lie about it, he liked it. Philip seemed to be the guy who never had to try to make someone fall in love with them, it was obvious actually he wasn''t used to hearing the word no. Well, there was a first time for everything and he was going to enjoy the time he had left. He had come to that decision. Maybe it was reckless, maybe it was rushed but that was all he could think about for now. This little game of tag was going only to torrture them both. After so much pain, he was trying to convince himself he deserved just a spark of happiness. "Let''s just say two more meetings. You have to make them good because I can always say no." Kai told him. Philip remained silent, looking at the steam of his cup as he rubbed his chin thinking of his next move. "You have a deal sir." He said and Kai smiled."I like seeing you smile." "Then I''ll stop." Kai said. "Come on now." Philip cried and made Kai laugh. It was indeed a perfect day. Kai had never dreamed of it, he never believed he would get to live like that, together with him. He closed his eyes letting the moment settle in. He was fine, it was alright even if it ended up. He would be able to endure it. It was a shame though, a perfect day would not end perfectly. For the both of them. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 67 - 66 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com The sun had fallen when Philip and Kai decided it was time for them to return. This adventure that had scared the vampire had ended in the best possible outcome, making him forget about what was to come for a while. Kai had always been battling himself. His urges, his feelings, his entire existence and even before Philip had appeared he was slowly but steadily reaching his limit. The werewolf appearing was almost like the final straw. His eyes, his lips, his hands. Everything about him, from his voice to the cockiness and confidence in his words were enough to shake his world up again. Mere moments, that''s what Kai needed to give up this whole front he had set up for years and think thataybe, just for a while he could live. It was liberating, the feeling while he closed the door of Philip''s car and watched him drive away, framed by the soft moonlight. The night wasn''t hostile anymore, the stars didn''t shine to expose his sins and the moon was not judging him with its cold light. The night was home, for them both because under the night sky they felt like no one could touch them. The veil of the dark sky was enough, the deep blue covering their bodies as they kissed. He had felt like that before, all too familiar but at the same time new. Kai was overwhelmed with happiness for the first time. That was why when he entered Lun''s mansion he was humming an old song, the word coming out naturally to him. He heard talking, his best friend and Soran and he headed towards the living room, excited to share his news. He was sure Lun was going to be excited about his return, about the decision he had taken. Even before he entered the room he had raised his voice, announcing his arrival. "Listen to me you peasants!" He exclaimed and then entered the living room. The excited prince stopped in his tracks. The view that he had before him was definitely not what he was expecting. The man he faced, sitting on Lun''s couch with his legs crossed as he held a glass of expensive wine, was not one of his friends, he was a member of his family. "Hello little brother" His familiar voice echoed into the room. He had a vicious smile on his face while his eyes landed on him. Kai gulped, feeling the sureness of before slowly leaving his body. "Xan, what are you doing here?" Kai asked him, his voice almost a whisper. He was scared of his older brother, he had always been. Of his cunning ways, his deceit. He was the perfect example of a pureblood vampire, loved and feared by everyone. Envied and he, well he watched everyone from above as lesser. His brother and sister didn''t know, they had no idea about what happened in the family, about the Bloody People. All they knew was probably that he had run away, reckless and not willing to face his responsibilities. "I came to help with that pack of puppies." Xan announced. He was tall with long legs and broad shoulders. His eyes were icy blue while his hair, short and pushed to the back in a similar way as his were snowy white, even whiter than Soran''s. He looked as if he was in his late twenties, a pair of black glasses on his face. He didn''t need them but he probably chose them for the style. He also had a beauty mark on the outer side underneath his left eye. He was dressed casually, with a white turtleneck and a pair of black jeans, an expensive golden watch resting on his wrist. This was the first time Kai was seeing him with modern clothes. "We don''t need your help." Kai said. "You don''t? Then tell me why did you spend the day with that little werewolf of yours? I thought you had killed him. Did he resurrect?" He asked him and Kai''s eyes widened. "How did you¡­.did you tell him?" "No!" Lun exclaimed. "He had someone follow you the moment he arrived here. I didn''t know anything." His best friend told him. "Don''t get involved in my business." Kai said between gritted teeth. "Does he know?" Xan asked, the same malicious smile remaining on his face. "Does he remember that one day you killed him and then disappeared? I still wonder, you know, little brother, what happened? Don''t you think he has to know?" "Xan. Stay away from Philip" Kai said between gritted teeth, his fists closed on his sides. "I''m terrified now." He mocked him with a cold laugh. "I have no reason to involve myself with that annoyance you call fate. I came here to deal with Moonshine. You will bring your own demise sooner or later, when he remembers and he tries to rip you to shreds...because you...you can''t tell him what happened, can you?" He asked and Kai gasped. He knew. Somehow Xan knew about the blood oath. "How do you know about that?" "Actually I know everything. I did my research. You know how I hate it when people hide things from me. I could get up right this instant and explain everything to that dog of yours and fix your life''s problem. But I won''t." He said with a bright smile. "I do enjoy watching people suffer" "Xan...if you can help your brother¡­" Soran said and the crown prince stared at him. "Why would I want to do that?" Xan asked with an innocent look. "Do you want me to help you dear brother?" He asked. "I want you to fuck off." Kai swore at him and his brother laughed. He stood up, sipping invisible dust from his jeans. "See? I was kind enough to ask. Well, excuse me. My trip was a bit tiring. I mean we have all the time in the world to talk now that I found you brother. I can make you suffer all I want but sleep for now is more important." He said as he passed him by, stopping at the door. "Oh, and good luck with that thing you call...love. I wish I would have found you sooner. I would be able to kill Philip so you wouldn''t meet him again" he told him, making Kai''s heart break. His brother left the room as if it was nothing, leaving the three friends speechless. "So you are in love with that." Soran told Lun. "Love is not always reasonable." The man mumbled, embarrassed. "We need to get Xan to talk. If he does then we will be able to tell Philip what happened. Then things will be fixed." Soran proposed. Kai didn''t say anything though. He bit his lip as he sat on the couch, hiding his face between his palms. "It''s not going to work. It won''t work, that bastard will never speak!" He said, filled with anger. "You knew he would come, that''s why you were happy I would be gone. I got together with Philip and now I come back to this?" He asked in despair. "I''m sorry Kai. There was really nothing we could do. The royal family requested it." Soran said. "At least he didn''t tell your parents about it" Lun said. "He will, when he is done with me he will do it and drag me home. The moment I am home I will be hunted down and killed because my whole family are idiots!" He shouted and smacked his head on the couch, piercing a whole through it. "Is it really impossible to make Xan talk?" "I...he won''t talk to Philip, that''s for sure" Kai said. "What if I try?" Lun asked and both of them stared at him as if he was insane. "You''re so delusional after all. My brother hates you." "I would debate that because¡­." "He hates you Lun." Soran agreed with the prince. "So what are we going to do? I am sure he has some kind of plan to ruin everything for you." Lun told Kai. "We''re just going to let him?" "I...I will have to stay away from Philip." Kai mumbled. "You''re such an idiot." Lun commented. "You won''t be doing that. I won''t let you" "Then what? Should I bring him here to meet my brother? Try to make them friends? He is capable to alter the fucking story and go find Philip now just to ruin everything. This little time I have he will take it away from me." "He won''t. Kai, I will make him talk. I swear. It might take time but I will." Lun said, his drive visible in his kind eyes and the prince sighed. "I trust you" "As you should" his best friend told him with a smile. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 68 - 67 Being in love felt weird. That was the only way Philip could describe it as he walked back to his room, deep into the night with a silly smile on his face, his jacket over his shoulder and the tune of a song he used to like when he was younger escaping his plump lips. His heart raced, his hands would get sweaty and everything would worry him, from Kai''s weird stares to his cryptic words but somehow he didn''t hate it. All these new feelings were addictive. The idea of love, the peace Kai''s presence brought him, was enough for him to forget that his birthday was approaching. Just a few days away until the whole dream snapped. He didn''t care though. He didn''t mind as he hopped and opened his door, seeing his two friends sitting on his couch. Philip smiled at them and he pushed his dark locks back, showing them fully how happy he was. He threw his jacket on the bed and rushed towards Reina and Mika who were seated on the couch. He jumped on them with his big body, landing on them and making them gasp. "Hello my dearest friends. Have I ever told you how much I love you for being involved in my business without me asking you?" he told them with a silly smile. Mika and Reina pushed him off at the same time, making him land on the soft carpet and he chuckled. "See, I would have punched you for that but I am too happy to be negative." he said and heard his red haired friend click his tongue. "Someone is happy." Reina commented as she tied her long hair into a ponytail. She had a really cute plastic band that had the colors of a mermaid''s tail. It sparkled underneath the light. "I am, I am very happy because I finally agreed to make Kai date me!" he exclaimed as he stood up. Mika stared at him, his dark eyes trying to understand if he was joking. He was completely serious, his friend realized and his jaw dropped, very comically indeed, like one of those cartoon characters. Reina, seeing the two opposite reactions between the two boys scoffed, a small smile appearing on her face. "You are insane. Completely insane, utterly, bloody insane!" Mika exclaimed. "He is a vampire. I did not go around spreading rumours that you were sick to get away from Mikain just to jump from one disaster to another." "Oh, thanks about that by the way. I would have made a huge mistake if I went there." Philip said as if his previous decision was as important as the color of the shirt he was going to wear tomorrow. Reina nodded her head, moving to the side so he could sit down too. He sat next to her, moving his arm around her arms and squeezing her as he seemed to overflow with excitement. The girl chuckled and playfully pushed him away. "No one here is as concerned as I am. I see." Mika said and plopped on the couch, grabbing a cushion and hugging it, hiding the huge frown that was appearing on his face. "I can''t Mika. I know there are so many complications. I know that things will be difficult but I simply can''t stop myself. Falling in love, I...i can''t describe the happiness I feel right now. I have never been happier in my life." he said and Reina clapped, excited for him. "So you are really in love with him?" she asked him and Philip smiled shyly. "I think so, yeah. It sounds so unbelievable, thinking of the way we were raised but what I feel when I look at him, it''s not just attraction. I want to do everything for him, I want to see him smile, I love hearing his laughter. Gods, when he laughs I feel like I''m in heaven. There is no greater joy than this." "Don''t say I didn''t warn you." Mika mumbled ruining the mood of his friends and Philip scoffed, grabbing away his pillow. "Why do you have to be like that?" "I won''t even bother trying to explain to you." Mika said and stood up. "If you want to know, just to be able to keep up with the lie we made up, Reina and I said that you had probably drunk something bad at the bar on the supernatural side and you feel horrible. Mikain believed us, thankful to the gods for your partying history and said you could stay in. Don''t go out for a few days so he will forget about you and if you feel like you can''t handle being without your sweetheart just leave from the emergency exits." Mika explained before he opened the front door, ready to leave them alone to act like teenage girls. As he took a step outside though he felt as if he landed on a wall. He looked up seeing Hans'' familiar face, the scar on his right eye looking terrifying as usual in combination with his icy blue eyes. That man never really looked happy or even the least pleased. He simply looked strict. Maybe that was the reason Mikain had chosen him as a Beta. "Sorry." Mika mumbled and got ready to leave when Hans pushed him back inside. The red head looked at him confused as the tall man closed the door behind him. He didn''t say anything to him, he walked further into the room and his eyes focused on Philip. "Is there something wrong?" Philip asked him. There was no way to act sick now, he had probably heard everything if he was standing outside the door. Hans was an excellent scout, that meant his sense of smell and hearing were too good. "You lied. I won''t even comment on that, I get why you did it. It was a good lie, Mikain really believed it, you even made sure that it got to him by others and you his friends. Could you not warn your friend to not come back singing and jumping around?" he asked them and Reina''s eyes widened. "What does that mean?" she asked. "It means that after all, even though you want to play adults you are still children." Hans told them. "Take a bath. He is waiting for you in his room and he is not very happy" he told Philip and the young werewolf felt as if he was going to faint. How could he had been so stupid, how did he not think about it? He was simply so lost in his own pretty thoughts that he believed all of his problems would be solved. He looked at Hans, pleading with his eyes to not go. The tall man sighed, averting his gaze. "Don''t look at me like that. I helped you once. You should have been smarter." he said and turned his back on him. "Go now, I will wait for you to take you there." he instructed him. Philip attempted to get up but his legs wouldn''t move. For the first time in his life, he was terrified. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 69 - 68 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Xan was placed on the top floor of Lun''s mansion. Of course he had requested a floor just for him, he had said very openly he would not stand being in the same floor with peasants or annoying worms like Lun. The owner of the mansion of course obliged and offered him everything he had asked for and now after stirring the pot and making Kai reach his limit had decided it was time for him to rest after his long journey. He climbed up the swiveling stairs, staring outside at the hill during the night. His blue eyes matched perfectly with the coldness of his behaviour. He looked down upon everyone, the direct opposite of his beautiful younger brother and he didn''t care at all what others thought about him. He had learned a long time ago to ignore the stares and whispering. A king couldn''t consume himself in such lowly things. The crown prince opened the door of his floor and faced a very wide lounge, decorated with dark colors. Shades of black and purple in the couches and armchairs with a wide door led to a big balcony. The man clicked his tongue, seeing that the colors didn''t match his aesthetic at all and he cursed silently Lun. He checked the two remaining doors, one on the left of the lounge and the other on the right. One was the bathroom with black tiles and a spacious shower. He closed the door of the bathroom and headed towards what seemed to be the bedroom. He was unpleasantly surprised when he entered the room though and found Lun lying on his bed, his shirt off smirking at him. "Hello sweetheart" he told him playfully and Xan snorted. "Get off and get dressed. You''re ridiculous." He told him and the young vampire winked at him. Lun''s body was perfectly sculpted, with beautiful muscles and on his back a tattoo spread from the top to the bottom. Camellia flowers filled the background with black ink while in the middle of the design he had a black crow, his wings wide open. Xan stared at it while the man got dressed and his handsome face got diformed by his disgusted expression. "Is that magic ink?" He asked and the man nodded as he turned around. "As if it weren''t obvious enough that you belonged to the underground you had to get that atrocity on your back too" he insulted him but Lun laughed and took a step closer. "It''s a family thing, I couldn''t say no, actually I''ve come to like it." He told him. "I think it''s well made." "Yes, a well made embarrassment. I can''t believe that the palace trusts¡­." "I''m not really a bad guy you know" "You and your whole family are bad. And the funny thing is you''re not even interested in hiding it. It''s ridiculous really. The fact that I have to stay in your house, the house of someone who you used to be a lowly peasant and now is mafia it''s a disgrace on its own" Every time Xan opened his mouth he did it to simply insult Lun. He always found very creative ways to show him that his fortune was painted with blood. Lun though didn''t falter, he just walked closer, his eyes gentle as they met his. Xan didn''t step back, he believed it would seem as if he was retrieving, everything in his mind is a strategic battle and he was not willing to lose from Lun. The vampire touched a strand of the snowy hair. It had fallen off his hairstyle while he vigorously insulted him, a small curl falling in front of his forehead. "Don''t touch me." Xan said between gritted teeth and slapped Lun''s hand away. "Why do you hate me that much?" Lun asked him. "I hate because of what you are." Xan told him cruelly. "Really? I remember a time you didn''t treat me like this. Could it be that you don''t hate me but my family name? After what happened to Kiula...you changed and¡­" "Don''t you dare talk about him!" Xan said, raising the tone of his voice for the first time. He looked at Lun filled with anger while he raised his arms in defeat. "I didn''t want to upset you." Lun said. "You didn''t want to upset me. You didn''t want to bother me. Your family didn''t want to kill my lover...what did you want Lun?" Xan asked him. "My family did not kill your lover Xan and you know it." He said and the prince laughed. It was a soulless laughter, echoing angrily in the four walls of the spacious bedroom. Lun''s heart ached as he watched him react like that. His insults didn''t bother him, he had heard things like that before, the hateful words and his downgrading stares were fine too. He still treasured him in his heart for what he used to be, maybe it was foolish of him but he couldn''t stop it. What was torturing him though was the fact that he blamed him. He blamed Lun that his lover had died even though he hadn''t done anything. "You are such a hypocrite." "And Kiula was an addict! He died because he was a junky! My family had nothing to do about it. Your poshy royal boyfriend died because he never knew how to stop." Lun said, clenching his fists to the side. Xan''s eyes widened, pure hatred reflected in them as he engraved Lun as an enemy in his mind. He grabbed him by his collar, raising his arm and meaning to punch him but he didn''t do it. He pushed Lun back. "Get out" Xan said. "Xan...I¡­" "You have no idea how hard I tried...you¡­.get out!" He shouted at him. The vampire knew he shouldn''t stay here any longer. He had messed up, in every way possible and he had angered him. Xan never yelled, he never tried to hit anyone and tonight he had managed to make him attempt both. His head fell, defeated he placed his hands in his pockets and headed out, not even exchanging a glance with him. As he got down the stairs he locked eyes with Kai, his best friend seeing him from the corridor concerned. "Are you alright?" Kai asked him and Lun gifted him a bitter smile. "Can you talk with me for a while. There is something I need to tell you" he told Kai and the prince nodded, shocked by how the man did not look confident and proud like he always did. Lun joined him in the corridor, walking side by side as they headed to Kai''s room. "It will be me nagging mostly." "Alright. I don''t mind" Kai said with a giggle. "And I want to tell you a story." "A story?" Kai asked intrigued as they entered his room. "Yes." "I am all ears then" Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 70 - 69 TW. Hans really did wait for him the whole time. He stood outside his bathroom as if he had thought already that he would try to escape leaving him no way out. Philip tried to not think about it, make it seem like he wasn''t bothered about what was going to happen but the truth was that while he took a shower, as the hot droplets landed on his body, numbing his tense muscles his body was shaking, his breathing unstable. Without realizing it he punched the wall, breaking the fancy tiles of the hotel, the sound of them dropping in front of his naked feet covered by the loud sound of the water. It was unbelievable really, how easily he could turn blind and reckless. How easily Kai affected his entire being, so much that he forgot about everything and jumped into his own grave. This was not like him, he never acted like that but all it took were a few kisses, just that to actually imprison his mind. Now he had to pay the price for not thinking. Reina and Mika had tried so hard all for it to go to waste because he had been too "happy", he thought and scoffed. It was ridiculous how dangerous this happiness could be. He got dressed slowly, hoping for something to happen. A miracle maybe but no matter how much he stalled nothing changed. By the time he had opened his door he faced Hans again, looking at him with his usual unreadable expression, silent as he took him away from his room. Accidentally he locked eyes with Reina, seeing the tears nest in the corners of her eyes and he tried to smile. "I''m not going to war, relax." He told her, a poor attempt to not see her cry but she just turned her back on him, hiding her face. Mika had disappeared, Philip didn''t blame him. "I get it that you''re in love." Hans whispered at him as they got out in the corridor, the lights dim as the night had fallen, no one walking around. "But be careful, you''re not in love with just anyone." He said and the young werewolf sighed, not knowing what to say. He remained silent, his mouth dry and a headache growing the more they approached Mikain''s room. Hans knocked twice and the tall man appeared on the doorframe, instantly grabbing Philip in and shutting out his Beta. He looked as if he was about to be executed and he wasn''t able to hide it. "You do not look that happy" Mikain commented. He was wearing a deep red robe, tied on his waist and while Philip stood in the middle of the room he sat on his bed, crossing his legs and scanning him with his eyes. "It''s because I feel a bit unwell" Philip said, trying to keep the lying. Actually, it wasn''t lying anymore. He felt like he would throw up at any minute, he closed his eyes trying to calm down when he heard Mikain laugh. "They saw you, you know. Coming back from whenever you went. You looked pretty good." He told him and stood up. He got closer, grabbing his chin and raising his face so he would look at him. "I don''t like lies but, since you''re so good looking I will forgive you once. You know I appreciate beauty" "Thank you, you are very kind" Philip said, sounding completely soulless. He was frozen, unable to even breathe as he felt Mikain get closer. His tanned fingertips traced his lips, making him shiver uncomfortably. His hand moved downwards, stopping on the place of his mark and without realizing Philip pushed his hand away. "How come you have a tattoo?" Mikain asked him ignoring what he just did. "I don''t know. It just appeared one day. It''s probably from my previous life." The werewolf said and Mikain touched it again. Philip''s hands formed fists on his sides. He didn''t know why but the worst place he could touch he felt it could be that one. It almost burned his skin and a frown formed on his face. "Magic ink¡­" Mikain mumbled. "...orelse it would have healed. Don''t look so dissatisfied. You make me feel bad." He told him but he had a very clear grin on his face. He was aware of how Philip felt, vulnerable, afraid and he was enjoying it. Bad was the last word that could describe his feelings. His fingertips moved from the tattoo, giving him momentarily relief as they traced paths on top of his t-shirt and curled up at its hem. He pushed it up, taking it off of him and Philip''s heart was beating so loudly. He felt so uncomfortable he believed he would cry. Mikain''s hands were warm against his shivering skin. He examined his abs, felt up every little part of his torso and his hands after he got bored found the button of his jeans. Philip took in a short breath, making the Alpha chuckle. Mikain grabbed him from the buckles of his belt and threw him on the bed, making him land roughly on soft silk. He unwrapped his robe and threw it on the floor, showing off his perfect body. Philip though did not find him the least attractive. He felt disgusted and his whole body was so tense the slightest move made him feel like an old robot. The werewolf tried not to cry, he didn''t want to offer him another pleasure as he watched him head to one of his drawers. There was big furniture, made of dark wood and he opened the third drawer, getting out a black leather whip. Philip gulped, knowing this was not pleasurable at all. "Take off your pants and fall on the floor." Mikain told him, excitement in his dark eyes. "Can we...can we take it a bit slower?" He asked, afraid to even move and Mikain laughed loudly. As it seemed Philip was top tier entertainment to him. "You''re a man, act like one." He insulted him and Philip''s eyes widened. What was that supposed to be? He should be fine with being tortured just because he was a man? He did not share the same logic, he did not even believe it was logical in the first place. He could not do anything about it though, not even argue. He gulped, wanting to get rid of the lump forming in his throat and stood up. His jeans fell ungracefully on the floor, heavy and wrinkly and he stepped out of them, exposed. The carpet felt rough underneath his palms and knees and he tried to focus on that. The few specs of dust on it, some hairs. He tried not to think about what was to come. He heard the sound of the whip rip the air and held in a breath. It landed brutally on his back and he groaned, biting his lips to not be loud. "So what have we learned today?" Mikain asked him. "We don''t lie to the Alpha." He said and brought the whip down again. "Are you sorry?" Mikain asked him but Philip didn''t answer him. He wasn''t sorry, why would he be sorry for the best day of his life, even if that was what followed. "Well then, if you don''t want to answer." He continued to be annoyed. He kept bringing the whip down on his skin, ripping it open and redoing it as it healed. Philip felt as if he would collapse. He had counted fifteen times by now, tears gathering in his eyes. "Are you sorry Philip?" Mikain asked him again but the young man didn''t answer. He heard the whip fall to the ground and he stole a glance of it. It was drenched in his own blood and smelled horribly. His eyes widened. Had he dipped it in wolfsbane? That was why it stinged so much, the wounds wouldn''t heal. "I''m starting to get impatient. I want to get to the fun part already." Mikain said and grabbed his hair, forcing him up. Philip could feel his blood dripping from the opened wounds. "Now what should we do next?" Mikain caressed his cheek, roughly, pressing his fingertips on the skin of his cheeks and pushed him back down. "Seeing you all bloody has made me excited, why don''t you take care of this?" He told him. Philip couldn''t do it. There was no way he could touch him willingly, he couldn''t even find the strength to move his arms. Mikain pushed his face closer. "Don''t make me wait." He told him between gritted teeth and tears gathered in his eyes. "I''m sorry." The young werewolf cried. "I''m really sorry. I won''t ever lie to you. I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry." He begged while in tears. "Please, please¡­" he begged, breaking and losing every bit of pride he had. He felt horrible. "Your chance to say you''re sorry is gone." Mikain responded and grabbed his head. "Please" Philip cried when a loud knock was heard on the door. His eyes widened relieved and Mikain pushed him back, making him fall on his injured back, he hissed feeling the pain. He rushed to the door and from the small creak Philip noticed Hans. "A certain coven is here to see you" Hans said and Philip felt as if he could breathe again. Mikain clocked his tongue annoyed and briefly looked at Philip. "Get dressed and leave." He was free. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 71 - 70 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com "What is it that you wanted to tell me?" Kai asked his best friend as they sat down on the lounge of his floor. Lun had grabbed one of the velvet cushions and had hugged it, playing with the edges as he waited for Kai to bring their drinks. He placed two crystal glasses of whiskey on the little table in front of them, something they always used to do back in the palace and Kai took off his shoes and crossed his legs on the couch. Lun took a glass, examining the beautiful color of the liquid underneath the golden light and sighed. He didn''t know where to start but now that Xan was here he felt he needed someone to talk to. Kai was the only person he trusted to hear this and maybe the only one who could give him advice. "It''s about your brother." Lun began and Kai bit his bottom lip. "What did that bastard do again? I swear of he did anything to you I''m¡­." "He didn''t do anything. At least not anything new." Lun cut him off with a frown on his face as he took his first sip. It was cold, getting down his throat, burning his insides slowly, soon it would haze his mind and talking would become easier. That''s what he wanted, for once talking to become easy. "You know about your brother and I don''t you?" He asked his friend. "About your one-sided crush for two hundred plus years? Yes I am aware. Back at the academy you worshipped him. I can''t really tell why, I am a much better worship candidate but yes...I know" Kai told him with a grin and Lun smiled back. "I don''t just have a crush on him Kai, I''m in love with him and I...I don''t know what to do" the vampire revealed and Kai''s eyes widened in shock. "How could you be in love with that thing?" He exclaimed. His feet touching the floor as he was startled by the shock. "I...well he wasn''t always like this" Lun said. He had faced criticism many times about his choice. The thing was that no one got to really choose who they fell for, it was something that happened. Lun wished more than anyone else for these feelings to go away, he didn''t want to have them around his heart, little demons torturing him, growing with tmevery time Xan insulted him. No matter what he did though he wasn''t able to forget him. Kai grabbed his drink, taking a brave shot from it and rubbing his temples as he was trying to think of something appropriate to say. Like and love were two completely different things. It was like the two shores of an angry river. If you passed the side of like, swam through the wild waters there was no going back once you''ve stepped to the shore. "Yeah, he used to be a bit normal for a brief period of time but...but he was always you know, mean" Kai told his friend. "He hates me." Lun said. "He hates everyone, Lun. It''s not your fault." "No, he hates me. He really does. Do you remember his lover? The one who was killed?" His best friend asked him. It took a while for Kai to remember since it had happened a long time ago but he did. He nodded his head, remembering a small vampire, quiet with a cute face. His brother seemed to adore him. "Yes that Kula, Mula guy I don''t really remember his name well." "Kiula. His name was Kiula." Lun corrected him. "What about him?" "He didn''t die from an attack as the press said. The truth was that my family at one of those royal balls had sent people, they were giving out drugs. Kiula was innocent so he was very easy to trick. He ended up being an addict and in the end he died." Lun revealed. It was the first time in his life that he shared that kind of information. Kai remained silent, stunned by what he had heard. He took some, slowly realizing where this conversation was going. A sigh escaped the prince''s lips and his eyes darkened. "And he blames you. He blames you and his family about what happened to his lover. That''s why he hated you that much." Kai resulted and Lun nodded, his eyes clouded. "I feel like I ruined his life" Lun said, his face showing how hurt he was. Kai stood up, approaching his friend and crouched in front of him, meeting his eyes as he gifted him a sympathetic smile. "Lun, I won''t lie to you and tell you that your family are saints or that what they did was okay. But the hard truth that my brother forgets is that no one in BloodBound is good, no one in our circle was a saint, not even him. Kiula was offered the drugs, yes he was tricked but the choice was his to a percentage. It was his fault and your families. We were teens back then, you had nothing to do with it, you did not ruin his life. That''s the only thing I can guarantee you" the prince told him. "My brother is just trying to find someone to blame so he won''t blame himself. When you''ve grown up able to do everything, achieve everything and you end up unable to not protect the one you love it''s very possible you won''t be able to handle it. But Lun is not your fault. I swear." Kai said. His friend remained silent. He knew all that, deep down he was aware of it but it was so hard for him to process it, believe it. He shook his head, trying to smile while Kai returned to his seat. "I know, thanks." He said, appreciating his kindness. "Do you think that he would ever look at me?" He asked, realizing that this was the hardest question for Kai to answer. "I...I don''t know. Xan is a hard person to handle. He is twisted and I would really prefer if you didn''t want him but it''s your heart, I won''t stop you. You can try, I will support you. Maybe you can change him" "Now you''re taking it too far." Lun joked and Kai started laughing. "I think you have the power though. You''re nice Lun, overlooking the whole BloodBound underworld thing." Kai complimented him. "I saw it you know." Lun said, the dark aura returning suddenly around him. "I was with your brother when he found Kiula." He said. "Man, it''s as if you''re making your position worse by everything you say. You were there...I don''t want to imagine that." "Yeah, I don''t want to think about it either. But Kai, no matter what happens. I swear I will get him to speak" Lun told him, his expression turning serious and the prince smiled. "Thank you. I believe in you" "I don''t so it''s good that you do" Lun joked and winked at him playfully. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 72 - 71 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Hello! Good news! if you give this book 600 power stones by the end of the week, I will do a mass release on Sunday with steamy chaps, drama and action just for you! So vote vote vote! The carpet was dirty and rough. He was sweating as he stood on his knees, his eyes wide, it got harder and harder for him to breathe. He looked up, spots everywhere as he tried to focus his eyes. His ears were ringing. He placed his palms over them, trying to stop the annoying sound but nothing would change. He simply sat there, utterly defeated and saved by luck he felt too weak to even attempt to get up. His face was wet, his tears had turned into waterfalls the moment he stayed alone, his heart beating so loudly it would escape his ribcage. For a second the thought of ripping it was tempting, grabbing the muscle and pulling it out, detaching himself from everything that just happened and life itself. Philip took a deep breath, trying to hold his scream in. His back was touching the wooden bed, his eyes locked on the floor, scared to look around. He had to go, he had to leave this place now that he had the chance but why wasn''t he able to move. Mikain had said that he hadn''t been acting like a man. How was he supposed to act? How was he supposed to feel? He violently rubbed his eyes, hard with the back of his palms and stumbled. He slowly managed to stand up. His footsteps resembled that of a drunk man, his posture curved while he still couldn''t control his breathing. He sounded like a dog during the summer, he also felt like a dog, a misused stray. His hand slipped from the doorknob and for a second he started to panic. What if he didn''t make it out in time? What if Mikain returned? What if this was all a sick game to torture him and keep himself entertained? The room suddenly began to spin and Philip almost screamed when he watched the door slowly open. He was back, he was back, his mind was screaming and he felt like his heart would stop. Thankfully it was Mika. Hesitant at first his red haired friend walked in, seeing Philip in a state of shock. He sighed, approaching him while worry shone in his dark eyes. "Come on, let''s go." he told him in a gentle tone and Philip, finally feeling like this was over, almost fell unconscious in his arms. Mika had no difficulty in pulling his friend out, even though his strength was minimized by a lot. He placed his arm over his shoulder and offered him support, taking him away in silence as they headed to his room. Philip was thankful, not only for the help but for the fact that he wasn''t saying anything. He preferred it that way, quiet and peaceful. If he was asked what happened he would collapse completely. "Thank you." Philip mouthed as Mika got his room card key from his pocket and opened the door. The lights were off and the clicking sound of Mika flipping the switch suddenly bathed the room in light. The werewolf blinked a few times while his friend led him to the couch, making space for him to sit. Mika seemed like a relatively neat person, the truth was though that he was extremely messy. Not dirty but he had his own way of organizing things. Head to push away two books and a leaflet about russian lessons so Philip could sit down. "You''re so lucky. Extremely fucking lucky." his friend told him as he sat on the armchair opposite of him. He crossed his legs, resetting his head back as a deep sigh escaped his lips. The piercing on the sides of his ears glistened under the light. How many did he have? Philip had never asked him about it. "I¡­" Philip tried to speak but Mika raised his hand, stopping him. "There is nothing to be said now. Just lie down and calm down." his friend told him. Philip though didn''t want to lay down, he didn''t want to calm down either. He didn''t really know what he haunted except the fact that being here, knowing that Mikain was so close made him nauseous. "I don''t want to." Philip simply said and Mika stared at him with a question mark scribbled on his young face. "Then what do you want?" "To leave, to disappear, to never come back." Philip said with passion, his hands clenched in fists as he looked at his best friend. Mika''s eyes widened, a memory from the past flashing right before his opened eyes and he hissed, feeling a piercing pain on his skull. He shook his head, trying to kick out the disturbing image without Philip noticing. "You can''t do that." "I can. I want to leave, I feel like if I stay here any minute longer I will throw up." "Then go to the bathroom and throw up." "Mika!" Philip exclaimed. "Are you listening to me?" he asked. Mika stood up, clicking his tongue as he stood in front of his friend. He placed his hands on his shoulders, and got to his eye level. "Then what? You will leave now and? Will you become an omega? You think that that bastard Mikain will let one of his strongest warriors salute him and run away? You will die, you will die if you keep being with Kai, you will die if you try to run away. Every single mistake you make might lead to your death. Open your eyes already!" he shouted at him. "So being miserable and alive is better?" Philip asked him and the red haired froze. "You can always fix being miserable, but you can''t come back to life from the grave!" he reminded him. "Philip, I know what you went through must have been shocking but please, take some time to think. Even a second is fine. Leaving the pack is not the right choice and you know it." he said, his voice turning gentler. Philip shook his head and stood up. "I...just need some time away from here. Will you cover me?" he asked his friend. "Where will you go?" Mika asked back "I don''t know." Philip lied. "But please, give me a few days. That''s all I want." "Fine." Mika exhaled. "Reina and I will cover you. Leave now that you can, before Mikain comes back.." he told him and Philip gave him a forced smile. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 73 - 72 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com She was simply stunning. It was almost unbelievable that a woman like her could exist in this world and even when Hans saw her for the first time he had gasped. She was tall, with a luscious figure, long pale arms that were covered in tattoos and wild curly brown hair that reached down to her waist. Her eyes were an earthy green, showing the deep colors of the trees and on her cheeks you could see freckles splattered, revealed underneath the shadows of her long eyelashes. Her lips were full and red, her voice like the sign of a siren and her eyes shone with the spark of intelligence. She was seated at the hotel''s bar, a tight black dress on her body with lace sleeves, golden rings on her long fingers and a pair of really tall red stilettos. She held a glass of red wine, deep like the color of her lipstick and the moment she locked eyes with the Alpha of Moonshine she smirked and elegantly stood up. "Aira, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Mikain greeted her by politely kissing her hand and she smiled, showing a row of perfect white teeth. The Alpha sat down with her, ordering a glass of Bourbon while Hans stood behind him, his hands strictly behind his back. "Well, I just wanted to check up on things." she said sweetly while her eyes traveled to the tall blonde man. Her lips lingered on her glass as she made eye contact with him. The Beta after a while averted his gaze, making her chuckle. "Hans, you won''t sit?" she asked him. "No, thank you." he said coldly and she pouted, letting go of her glass. "Pity. You''re really handsome, you know that? And that scar of yours, very manly." she complimented him and Hans coughed, feeling uncomfortable . "If all you wanted to do was meet my Beta Aira you could tell me. I would have given him to you for as long as you want." Mikain told her with a charming smile and she laughed, pleased with his answer. "No matter how pleasing that sounds, dear Mikain, I did come here for business. It''s just sometimes I tend to get distracted. I like nice things." She said, not taking her eyes off of Hans once while she spoke. The tall man fiddled in the spot he stood and tried to look somewhere else, he didn''t like when all eyes were on him. He felt uncomfortable. "And what business might bring you here? I thought we had cleared everything out." Mikain said, thanking the waitress that brought his drink. He took his first sip, enjoying the taste and the ice cube hit the glass making a chime-like sound as he placed it onto the table, together with Aira''s drink. "I did think of that too. What a coincidence" she said, obviously being ironic. "But because sometimes I have a lot of things on my mind I would like to talk our deal over. Make sure I understood everything. Is that alright with you?" she asked him politely and he smiled, slowly relaxing with her attitude. "Of course, we can talk about whatever you want." "That''s great, thank you for your understanding. So now, if I am not mistaken¡­" she said and took a few seconds pretending that she was thinking. "You promised my coven a dead pureblood prince. Kai Avger. We would give you a very good amount of money in return, isn''t that right?" she asked and Mikain nodded. "Yes, that was the deal." "The money on our end has been deposited to your pack''s bank account but as it seems our prince is not in our coven. Did he get lost in the mail?" she asked him, her expression from innocent and smiley turning suddenly cold and serious. Mikain spotted the change in their conversation immediately and fixed his posture, tensing his body, ready for what she was about to say. "Do I look like I am stupid to you?" Aira asked him, an angry expression on her face. "What?" Mikain said. "Of course not, we chose to do business with you because you are one of the most powerful witches we have." he complimented her, hoping that would calm her down slightly. Sadly though, for him it didn''t do much. "Then tell me why do you think my coven and I will tolerate this disrespect? Where is my prince Mikain?" she asked him, obviously demanding for an answer. "We had him, he somehow managed to escape though. I have sent men everywhere searching for him. They have searched all around the city and now they are preparing to look again in. He will be coming to you very soon." he said with confidence and Aira raised her eyebrow. She didn''t say anything. Silence filled their little meeting until Mikain started coughing. His hands landed on his neck, as if he was trying to push away a pair of invisible hands that were suffocating him. Aira smiled, her eyes stuck on him as the Alpha felt like his whole body was on fire, his eyes popping out like a fish. "Please, let''s be civil" Hans said and she stopped, tilting her head to the side. "Now you''re talking to me." She said with a cute smile before she returned to Mikain who was gasping for air. "This is just a little treat of what''s about to come if you don''t bring me my prince. Not only to you but to your whole pack. I will personally make sure that you die painfully and humiliatingly." she said as she stood up. She opened her little purse and threw a handsome amount of money on the table, a lot more than what her drink cost. "Goodnight gentlemen." she said, giving them a stunning smile before she walked away. "This bitch¡­" Mikain mumbled and smacked his hand on the table. "Do whatever you want to make her calm down." he ordered Hans and his eyes widened. "She is fond of you." "Mikain I¡­" "I don''t want to hear another word!" he shouted, drawing all the attention from the customers. "Send more people out there, search under every stone, kill anyone who doesn''t speak, i don''t care. Find him.. Orelse, we are all dead." You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 74 - 73 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Don''t forget to vote for the mass release! ... Sometimes nights seem to last less than a second. Sometimes the dark sky comes and goes like a flash and the comfort of the midnight breeze disappears before you''ve managed to enjoy it. Sometimes the stars flicker for too little and then they are gone as if someone had turned their switch off. Kai used to hate those kinds of nights. He was a vampire after all, the night and the lonely moon had always been more comforting than the scorching sun. One more reason was that back in BloodBound his nights were always wonderful. Balls, masquerades, luscious dinners and little escapes into the bustling city were what he lived for. His nights though changed, they became the shelter for his young love, a shield for him to meet with Philip. The prince used to love the night time and maybe he was starting to find that love again. Thankfully for him his night today was not the short kind. He had sat with Lun and John in the living room, talking quietly after his little talk with his friend. The young werewolf was stunned by everything but at the same time he seemed to enjoy it. Yes, Kai could understand. The rush of their world, the secrets and the mysteries. Everything looked so compelling but the truth was that the more you knew, the more you wished to get out. "John, it''s your birthday soon right?" Kai asked the young man and he nodded with a shy smile. "Yes, I will be turning twenty. Actually I always get confused with my birthday because my mum said that I wasn''t truly born the day they had written on my papers. So up to a point I was celebrating my birthday on a different day¡­" "I don''t get it¡­" Lun interrupted him and John rolled his eyes. "Well, if you''d let me finish, maybe you would." He said and the vampire smiled, winking at him. "I thought you were eighteen" "I look younger than what I am. Anyways my birthday as I was trying to say is in three days" he announced with a huge smile. "That means you will get a mate. How will you be able to find them though? You''re a new soul" Kai mumbled while he thought about it. "I guess we will see." The werewolf said as he shrugged his shoulders. He was trying to be calm about this, the truth was though he was scared. Having a bond with someone you didn''t know for the rest of your life seemed terrifying. What if they were a horrible person and John couldn''t help but love them? That thought couldn''t stop bugging him. "You have to tell us when you know. I am quite good at giving love advice." Lun said with a grin and John frowned. "Judging from your love interest I would say otherwise." John told him and Kai chuckled. Lun raised his eyebrows, surprised with his attack but didn''t say anything, he didn''t actually make it because a loud banging on the front door made everyone flinch. "What the heck?" Lun mumbled and stood up, heading to the entrance. He opened the huge door of the mansion just to see Philip, panting and with a rip on his cheekbone looking at him. "Hi" he said with a wide smile "Is Kai here?" He asked. "How did you get past the guards?" Lun asked him before he let him in and the wolf smirked. "I knocked them out. They are still alive though don''t worry." He told him and Lun sighed. He moved to the side, rubbing his temples as he led Philip inside. "These idiots I am firing all of them" he whispered while he walked behind him. Kai was surprised. He didn''t expect to see him there but he instantly smiled. He always looked so handsome. His leather jacket on his shoulders, a T-shirt and an old pair of sneakers with jeans. Even with the simplest of clothing he looked like a god. "Hey" Kai said, his voice smooth and sweet. Every time he appeared it was as if he was forgetting all of his problems, not even thinking what would happen next. It was almost as if he had been charmed. "Hi." Philip said. "Sorry to bother you, I...I just wanted to leave from the pack for a bit." He said and his hazel eyes turned cloudy. The prince noticed it and stood up, heading towards him. "Is everything okay?" He asked him and took his hand in his. It was warm, Philip was always warm whenever he touched him. Even though he didn''t care about the cold, his warmth was always welcome, it made him feel alive. "Yes, yes...I...I am fine. Just missed you" he told him sweetly and Kai chuckled. "We were together just a while back." Kai told him and the young werewolf shrugged his shoulders. "Can''t help how I feel" "This is disgusting." Lun commented as he walked past them and sat down on the couch. "Don''t blame them just because you keep getting rejected." John verbally attacked him again and Lun scoffed "I''ve been too nice to you haven''t I, little werewolf?" He asked him with a grin and John gulped, falling back to the couch. "Good, that''s what I thought." He told him with a bright smile that made John roll his eyes. Kai moved closer, his lips getting near Philip''s ear as he spoke. "I know you''re lying." He whispered to him. "We all have supernatural hearing in this room, you know" Lun said and Kai shot him a nasty glare. "Come on. Let''s go to my room. Hopefully their supernatural hearing will not bother us" he told Philip and grabbed his hand, intending to head to the staircase. His steps were cut short though because someone stood before them, stopping their path. The tall man looked at Philip with a disgusted gaze and then his brother . "What the fuck is he doing here? Are you insane?" Xan asked Kai and the crown prince''s eyes turned crimson as he stared at the werewolf filled with hate. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 75 - 74 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Xan didn''t like him. It was pretty obvious from the way he was ready to attack him. His eyes had already changed color, turning red, a reminder of the sinful blood in him and Kai stood in front of his lover, shielding him from his angry brother. "If you try anything, I will fucking murder you" Kai said and the vampire smiled, showing clearly his fangs, a clear sign of provocation towards Philip. The werewolf remained quiet as he tried to understand who this man was before him. "Like hell I would ever touch someone as disgusting. Also I don''t need to do anything, do I?" Xan asked Kai with a grin. "You''ve got it covered little brother. Dead lovers is your specialty" he insulted him and Kai''s eyes widened. "Is it now? At least my lovers were not junkies dying with a needle in their arm." Kai fired back. "Are they comparing their dead lovers?" John whispered surprised but thankfully no one paid him any mind. Xan did not take Kai''s words well. He stepped down the stairs fast and grabbed his brother by the neck, pushing him back and making him land on one of the walls. Kai coughed, a grin appearing on his face and he pushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face. "What? You think you can be the only asshole here? Come on then, what else do you want to talk about because I can talk all day¡­" he told his brother. Xan clicked his tongue, pushing Philip cakc so he would get to his brother. "Kai¡­" Philip called his name, his eyes worried but the young prince smiled. "Move a bit to the side will you? I have a few things to talk about with my brother about" Kai told him. The werewolf was hesitant at first, he didn''t want Kai to get hurt but his eyes landed on Lun, waving at him to move to the side. Not knowing how to act in this kind of situation, since the man he didn''t know was Kai''s brother he rushed over to the two guys who seemed to have first row seats in the upcoming fight. "You think you''re special don''t you?" Xan asked him and tried to land a punch at him. He missed and his hand landed on the wall, creating a huge hole. Kai grabbed his brother''s arm and pulled him forward, kneeing him in the stomach and making him gasp. Then he grabbed him by his white hair, smacking his head on the wall. "I am definitely more special than you, you snobbish son of a bitch." He told him. Xan placed his palms on the wall, stopping his brother from smacking his head any longer and pushed back, releasing himself. He raised his leg and kicked Kai in the ribs, making him fold in two. Then as the prince returned to his form he punched him hard in the nose, making him bleed. Kai took a few steps back disoriented and raised his arms, shielding his face. Xan though disappeared, finding himself behind him he grabbed Kai by the back and raised him in the air, throwing him through the window to the garden. "Don''t call our mother a bitch." He said as he walked through the broken glass. "Yes, I am sorry, you are the bitch." He said as he stood up, wiping the blood off his face. He grabbed a handful of dirt and three it in his brother''s eyes, making him go blind for a second. He launched at him, wrapping his arms around his waist and throwing him down. He sat on top of him and started punching him vigorously. "Why do you always have to mess up my life!" He screamed at him. "What did I ever do to you?" He asked him, furious. He landed a few good punches before Xan raised his head and head bumped him, forcing him to stop. Kai fell back and he stumbled to his feet, ready to attack him again. "That''s enough! You''ve ruined my house!" Lun''s voice sounded from behind them. Xan turned around when suddenly he watched Kai''s friend swing a whole wooden chair at him. The crown prince didn''t have the time to react and the heavy object landed brutally on his head, breaking into pieces. In a few seconds he had fallen unconscious in Lun''s arms. "Wake that bastard up!" Kai exclaimed after he had managed to stand up. "Shut up you idiot. You won''t be killing yourself here. I am taking him to his room. Stay with your little puppy." Lun said and the prince remembered that Philip was there. He turned and looked at him, standing in the corner of the room watching everything with John on his side. "Well¡­" Philip mumbled, not really sure what he was supposed to say. "I...I''m sorry." Kai said, feeling embarrassed. He had just shown him a very lowly part of him. Painted like an abstract piece of art with his own blood, his brother''s blood in his knuckles, he did look like a mess just from a small fight. He should have ignored him, he should have taken Philip upstairs and talked to him. He was important, not Xan. The prince sighed and walked back inside, Lun was gone with his brother and so was John. "It''s fine" Philip said while hearing Kai step on the glass shards. "Don''t worry about it" "I''m sorry. I...tend to get a bit...aggressive" he told him and Philip laughed "Yeah, I''ve seen that before." He said. "Oh, at the club." "Exactly." He told him and Kai smiled shyly. "You know. I had a pretty shitty last hours but now, after I saw you, even with that little wrestling show I feel better. I''m in trouble." Philip said and Kai blinked surprised. "Come on." He said with a sweet tone. "Let''s go upstairs where we can talk." ... Hello! If you like this story so far please vote, leave a nice comment and a good review.. It''s really important. Thank you! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 76 - 75 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com His body was heavy. Of course it would be. An almost two meters tall man with his build would definitely be a burden to lift. To Lun though it wasn''t that much of a problem. The truth was he was actually kind of enjoying it, getting up the stairs while holding him in his arms. He kicked the door of the room open and waltzed towards the living room, gently leaving Xan on the bed. After laying him down he stared at him for a little while, thinking. He was truly a fool. Everyone was saying that and he couldn''t object. Being in love with a man like him had been a torture since day one. At first it was because the crown prince would not notice him. To him Lun was simply a child, his brother''s friend and then he turned into the reason his life got ruined. Xan blamed him so he wouldn''t blame himself. Lun believed he shouldn''t do either of those things. Kiula died a long time ago but he couldn''t look past it and he blamed the person that was closer, the one he could harass and swear at. Even while knowing all that Lun couldn''t really stop caring about him. Maybe it was because he fell for him while he was young. He was more like an unfilled desire rather than love, that''s what he told himself sometimes to delude him. He knew the truth though. Every time he looked at him he was brutally reminded of it. He loved him, he loved Xan and he would never love him back. He sighed and gently pushed away a few strands of white hair that were hiding his features. From his pale skin, to his snow white hair and his icy blue eyes. His characteristics were close to Kai''s, it was just that his friend''s hair was a bit more golden and his eyes were a mixture of green and blue while Xan could be described as the embodiment of winter. Inside and out. As he pulled away his hand, after fixing Xan''s hair the crown prince grabbed him, opening his eyes as if he had just resurrected from the dead. "Wakey, wakey" Lun sang to him and the prince clicked his tongue, sitting up. "You broke a chair on my head." he stated with hateful eyes. He was still holding his wrist, pressing hard on the tender skin but Lun did not attempt to stop him. "Did I? My memory is not that good you know" he teased him. Xan pulled his wrist, making the vampire hiss as he was pushed forward and closer to the crown prince''s face. "Do you have any idea who you''re messing with?" Xan asked him between gritted teeth and Lun smirked. The handsome vampire tilted his head to the side, his dark eyes scanning Xan''s face filled with interest. "You can show me" he whispered seductively and Xan pushed him back, releasing him from his painful grip. "You''re embarrassing. Don''t you feel the slightest bit ashamed of yourself? Talking like that" Xan insulted him and stood up. He was filled with blood, from his hands to his shirt. If you looked at him from head to toe you would find for sure almost everywhere little spots of crimson. He looked at himself in the full body mirror with the square black frame he had in his room and sighed, dissatisfied with his appearance. "I think you look sexy" Lun said and winked at him playfully. "You disgust me." "At least I cause you some kind of emotion." "You''re ridiculous" "Xan¡­" "What?" "What happened to Kai back then?" He asked him, his expression turning serious. The prince stopped looking at himself and turned towards Kai''s best friend. He met his eyes and laughed, devilishly so and Lun sighed, shaking his head. "Why would I tell you?" He asked. "I have nothing to win from this. I came here to get rid of moonshine, nothing more." He said and began unbuttoning the buttons of his dirty shirt. "Then what do you want? I will make a deal with you so you will tell me." Lun proposed. Xan stared at him as if he had just said the funniest joke in the world. "What makes you think I would ever make a deal with someone like you? A low life scum that belongs to the gutter. Your word, or your deals mean nothing to me" he said. Lun smiled, feeling his heart slowly crack. He had been used to it, he had thought of it a few times. He was tough, he wasn''t affected by him anymore. He was lying, Lun was a terrible liar. "Xan¡­" "What is it again?" "If I died...would you be happy?" Lun asked him. If someone looked at him, the man with the mischievous grin, the notorious party animal, the man who embraced being a vampire better than anyone, the mafia leader no one would believe he would make a question like that. Why would he? He had everything. Sometimes though everything is not the thing you want the most. Maybe he was being selfish. Standing in front of a man who had denied him so many times he couldn''t remember anymore, asking something like that but he too felt vulnerable, more than anyone. He had no one, he didn''t think he had a family, his only friend was gone for two hundred years and the only person he had ever loved hated him so many times he couldn''t help but wonder. If he died, would anyone cry? "Delighted actually, why do you ask?" Xan said, not thinking too much about it. Lun shook his head, his face turned towards the floor. "If my death made you happy I wish I could die." He mumbled and Xan stared at him, in shock for a few seconds. "What did you just say?" He asked him but Lun already had hidden his feelings. He raised his head, his smile bright and his voice cheerful. "Nothing, nothing at all! Get to bed now sweetie because tomorrow we have stuff to do. Rest well" he told him and as he walked away he winked. Lun stepped outside, closing the door behind him and his mask fell, landing on the floor and smashing into many little pieces. "I wish once in my life¡­" he whispered. "...I could be lucky." .... I feel bad for Lun.. T.T Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 77 - 76 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Kai''s eyes while he looked at Philip were a sight to behold. Beautiful, and shining as if someone had gathered all the stars from the night sky and scattered them in the blue green irises. Philip couldn''t stop looking at him, while he talked, while he simply stood there and he couldn''t believe how easily it was for the vampire to charm him with his beauty. He should feel trapped, endangered in such a situation but Philip was enjoying it. The majestic elegance of the prince and the spell he had put on him. "Hello, earth to Philip" Kai said and waved his hand in front of his eyes. After he had taken a shower, the prince was looking more appropriate and not as if he was preparing to go to war so he was seated on the couch of his lounge, a glass of cold water in his hand and waited for Philip, who was sitting next to him to tell him what had happened. "Oh, yeah sorry" Philip said after he blinked a few times. He was too embarrassed to say that he had been distracted by Kai''s beauty. "I just wanted to see you. Nothing happened." He lied and a loud sigh escaped from Kai''s pink lips. He looked at Philip with a judgemental expression. "Why are you lying? I can see it in your eyes." The blond man said. Philip took a deep breath, fiddling with the zipper of one of the cushions, as he tried to find the right words to express everything that had happened. If it was anyone else the werewolf would have plainly denied speaking but with Kai it was different. He felt as if he couldn''t really keep anything from him, as if he was an open book waiting to be read by him. "Mikain...he is not a nice person, we all know that. But except that he has another side, a perversion¡­" Philip began slowly explaining the horrible part of the story. While he spoke Kai''s eyes remained wide, his lips parted as he heard the events stunned and his hands found Philip''s. The werewolf hadn''t realized it but he was shaking. As he spoke about what had happened a few hours ago tears filled his hazel eyes and he began stuttering. "It''s fine. It''s fine. You don''t have to say anything else." Kai told him and hugged him tightly. He caressed his hair, feeling his fingertips travel through the silky hairs and tears threatened to escape from his eyes too. Philip cried, he cried as Kai held him, he cried while he hid his face in Kai''s chest without thinking of anything else. The prince kept whispering it was alright, that it would be okay even though he clearly knew it wasn''t. He himself had an undying urge to kill that bastard even though he didn''t give a damn about him before. People didn''t usually get his attention but he had managed to make him hate him fully. The next time they met, Kai had decided that someone was about to die and that wouldn''t be him. "I''m sorry. I don''t know why I''m reacting like this. I am such a baby" Philip said as he wiped his tears. "What are you talking about? You have every right to react any way you want. What that bastard did to you I swear if I see him I am going to rip him to fucking shreds. Make a necklace with his intestines and feed him to the stray dogs. I...I¡­" he kept saying and Philip couldn''t help but chuckle. "I get it. Painful death" he said with a small smile on his face. "Not just painful, excruciating, embarrassing, slow¡­" "Okay, sir. We got it, you''re a merciless killer." Philip told him and took his hand in his again. "This, is enough for me actually. More than enough. Being away from there, with you. It has already helped a lot." "What else can I do? To make you feel better?" Kai asked him, worry obvious in his face." "You can kiss me." The werewolf proposed and the vampire smiled, looking absolutely stunning. He moved in forward, placing his lips gently on his and kissed him. His palm landed on his cheek, caressing the tear stained skin and Philip felt like his pain was slowly subsiding. It was almost magical, the effect this man had on him. "I kissed you" Kai told him playfully. "Maybe you can do it once more" Philip continued their little game when the sound of a phone ringing was heard. It came from Philip''s pocket and the werewolf looked at it with an annoyed expression. He took the phone out, the light of the screen flashing on his face and saw how Reina''s name appeared on his screen with huge letters. He picked it up, curious as to why she would call and her shouting voice was heard through the speaker. "Calm down and speak slower!" Philip scolded her and Kai chuckled. He could choose to overhear their conversation and what she said but he didn''t. A few seconds passed while Philip was on the phone, listening to whatever his friend had to say. He seemed calm as he slowly shook his head in invisible agreement until the phone call ended. His screen turned dark and dropped the phone on the couch. An exhausted sigh escaped his lips and he rubbed his temples, making Kai wonder what had been said. "Is everything alright?" He asked him. "No, no it isn''t. I have to go back. Kai, listen to me. No matter what you need to stay inside these few days. Once things calm down I will come to you here. Don''t look for me." Philip said and stood up, leaving Kai with hundreds of questions. "What? Wait¡­" "I have no time. I''m sorry" Philip told him and rushed out of his room. Kai stood there looking at the opened door and the empty corridor. He should have eavesdropped on that phone call after all. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 78 - 77 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Soran had missed the big fight and everything that followed after. The truth was that after Kai''s rejection he felt a bit uncomfortable to be around him. He wasn''t mad or anything like that but at the same time his heart ached. He always knew it, he was fully aware of it that the prince would fall in love with the werewolf again and again but still the heart was uncontrollably stupid. That''s why he never blamed Lun, or criticized him for his love for Xan. He knew perfectly well how it felt to love someone who wouldn''t love you back, for Lun it was even worse. At least he had gotten his little glimpse of happiness. Once he had made sure that the whole uproar was over he headed down the stairs, walking towards the spacious kitchen to get a glass of cold water. He stepped in and turned the lights on, surprising John who was sitting there in the dark. The young werewolf surprised a bit more than he should have, flinched and dramatically fell off the stool he was sitting on. He landed on the floor on his butt with a frown growing on his face. "Hey, are you alright?" Soran asked him in a soft tone and approached him. The vampire extended his hand, helping the youngan get up. "I...yeah, yeah" he said with a shy smile and sat back on his stool behind the black shiny island. He had a glass of whiskey filled and was apparently sitting in the dark. Soran looked at him and then back at the shining liquid. "Is there something wrong?" John asked and Soran shook his head, turning his back on him for a second so he could get a glass of water. "No, it''s nothing. You just didn''t strike me as the type that drinks." The vampire said and sat on the other side of the island, holding his glass with both his hands. "The tattoos did not give that vibe?" John asked with a raised eyebrow and Soran giggled. "That''s very stereotypical of you" he commented and John smiled. "I used to be the stereotype." He said and took a sip from his drink. Soran tilted his head to the side, signaling him his curiosity. "I was a problem child. Drinking, smoking, drugs I did all that until my parents couldn''t take it anymore and kicked me out. I was trying to find a place to stay when I found Boss. I literally attached myself to him like a leech until he let me in the shop and gave me a job." He said. Soran didn''t expect to hear that, the truth was that even with the dark appearance the way John talked and behaved didn''t really scream problem. He was kind and caring and he definitely didn''t seem to like confrontation. "I see." The vampire said. "I think this side of you fits you better." He commented and the young werewolf smiled. "I think so too. I have been clean for two years now" he said proudly and Soran smiled, somehow feeling good about him. The way he smiled was very pure, filled with unfiltered emotion. It was almost captivating to see such a real expression, he was used to forced emotions and lies. "That''s amazing. You''re doing great" he complimented him and the werewolf blushed. John rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze from Soran as he felt his heart thumping loudly. He was in trouble, he thought as he felt his body warm up at the thought of his words. He took another rushed shot of his drink and placed it on the island loudly. "Why aren''t you sleeping?" John asked, trying to change the subject. "Finally there is some peace and quiet here." He said. "I couldn''t sleep. Vampires don''t need sleep anyways. In some kind of way we''re like dead, purebloods not that much but yeah." He half explained and John nodded, not really understanding that much. "I am also worried. With Xan here, that pack out there ...I had no idea things were so bad." "Yes, they were comparing dead lovers before they actually started punching each other. Your side of the world for sure has a different way of approaching things." He mumbled with a perplexed expression on his face. Soran noticed it and started laughing, he looked too cute. "I know right." He agreed with a left over smile on his face. "I wish we could peacefully talk but I guess that is not an option." He said and John nodded. He had thought about it from the very first moment he had seen him but Soran was really a peaceful being, a change in everything he had seen. John liked that, he was the only one who gave him hope that blood would not always appear on his path. "Thanks" John said and Soran blinked, confused. "For what?" "Talking to you...makes me feel like my life is not really ruined. That there won''t always be disaster near me, now that I am a vampire." He said. "I think our lives are molded the way we want them too. Of course there will always be obstacles, ups and downs but in the end if you stick to what you believe your life will be the way you want it. Werewolf or not" the vampire told him. What if I wanted you in my life? John asked himself, a little voice sneaking on his brain and whispering complicated things. The werewolf shook his head, pushing it away and smiled, thankful for his words. "Thanks again" he repeated and Soran smiled. "No problem. I like talking to you actually. You''re cute" he said and John''s brown eyes widened in shock. "Cute?" The man stuttered and made Soran laugh. "Yes, just like that." he noted and John''s whole face turned a vibrant red, starting from his cheek and spreading to his ears. "I think it''s my time to go to bed." John said and stepped off the stool, throwing his glass on the sink and coughing, trying to pull himself together. Cute, he had called him cute. He screamed and his heart raced at the sound. "Goodnight then" Soran told him, that peaceful smile still on his face. An act or not, a forced play he had to put on because of where he grew up John couldn''t help but admire that peaceful aura of his. It made him feel warm and comfortable, as if someone was paying attention to him. "Goodnight." He said hastily and ran off, embarrassed. Once he was out of the kitchen he took in a deep breath, slapping his cheeks. "Get it together, you''re a grown man" he told himself. "Wait, what if he can hear me? Nahh" he said and shook his arm in a negative motion, thinking the vampire wouldn''t think or bother about him that much. He started walking, heading for the stairs without looking back. If he had he would have been able to see Soran, chuckling with what he had just heard.. Well as it seems Soran did bother. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 79 - 78 The hotel seemed to be in an uproar, something that was actually suspicious because in all of their stupidity Mikain had always warned them about laying low. As he entered he could immediately feel the danger, an ominous feeling in the air, mixing with his own fear. He felt nauseous but he kept walking, wanting to find the source of what was happening. On his way to the elevator someone was waiting for him. Reina, his friend, was standing at the side of the spacious lounge, her eyes scanning the room every two seconds for him. The moments their eyes met she rushed towards him, hugging him tightly. "I am sorry. I am so sorry about what happened. I want you to know none of this is your fault and I hope that this bastard one days burns in the deepest pits of hell." She whispered and Philip smiled. "Thanks. I will be okay." He stated, trying to sound brave and the girl caressed his arm. "Even if you''re not okay, that''s fine too. You should take your time." She advised him and the raven haired man shook his head. Her words were comforting, well thought. He was lucky to have her as a friend. "Reina" he called her. "Yes, I know. You can feel it too" she said and Philip nodded again. He was glad it wasn''t only him, that weird sensation that seemed to make him shiver. Something had happened or was about to. "What is going on?" He asked. Reina looked around, making sure no one was observing them and took Philip''s hand, pulling him to the side. She took a piece of paper from the pocket of her cardigan and handed it to him. Philip looked at it confused and unfolded it, seeing a whole text written by her. "I think it''s better if they don''t hear us." She said, Philip realizing that she had written everything she wanted to tell him so no one was eavesdropping on them. The leader of the witch coven Mikain had promised to sell Kai''s part to, visited Mikain and threatened him. He told him to hurry and now he is in a rage fit. He has sent hundreds of people to the city searching for Kai. Mikain doesn''t believe the prince has left and he wants to find him fast. He even sent Mika out there, he will probably call us too. We won''t be able to hide his tracks for too long. That was what the text Reina had written for him said. Philip read it twice, to make sure he understood the situation. He had to think of something, he had warned Kai to stay in, not do anything stupid so that would keep him for a while inside but still Mikain wouldn''t calm down if he didn''t find anything to give to these witches and if they were not satisfied every single one of them would end up dead. "That idiot. He has doomed the whole pack" Philip said between gritted teeth and crumbled the paper in his hand, shoving it in his pocket. "What are we going to do?" He asked Reina but this was the first time the girl didn''t have a plan. She looked at him, her big eyes filled with sadness. Giving Kai to them would simply destroy Philip but at the same time if no prince was delivered the whole pack would have to die. Mikain was an idiot, he underestimated one of the strongest witch covens, believed he could do whatever he wanted and now everything would get ruined. "I don''t think we will get a solution through Mikain." The girl said, rubbing her chin while she tried to think. Loud sigh escaped Philip''s lips, he wanted one peaceful day. That would be enough and then he would be able to think again. He felt as if his brain was stuck, too much information had been gathered on it and it was on overload. He placed his palm on the cold wall, putting his body weight on his arm and closed his eyes, trying to figure out something, maybe even a way to stop this whole thing and not just stall for time. He opened his eyes, surprised with his own idea and looked at Reina. "What?" She asked him, recognizing immediately the look on his face. "We don''t need Mikain to stop this." He told her and she frowned. "What do you mean? He is the root of the problem, obviously we need him to just go away" she said. "What if we actually found another way? Approached the right people, people who could force Mikain to stop." He hinted and Reina''s eyes widened. She parted her lips, taking a sharp breath as she realized what Philip was talking about. "You want us to go to the witches." She said and Philip grinned. "Yes." He answered her. "If we get caught it will be considered as betrayal and we will be executed." She reminded him. "Mikain''s failed plan will kill us anyway." Her friend reminded her. "Are you in?" He asked her and she scoffed. "Always." She answered. Reina was the kind of friend you could always count on. No matter the danger and no matter the mess you would force her to get into she would always be there, smart and ready to save the day. Philip had never realized that up until now, during these moments when his brain was ready to explode she was being the perfect ally and his support. She didn''t ask questions, she didn''t try to change his mind and she didn''t meddle in the things Philip didn''t want her to. She simply believed and cared for him. .... Hello everyone! Hope you like the story so far! Please leave a nice comment and a vote, be ause if we reach 600 ps by the end of the week you will get a special 10 chaps mass release! Also remember to review and enjoy the book! Thank you for reading! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 80 - 79 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Reina hated rushed things. She was the kind of person that liked to plan and execute making sure success was the only option. As she got flooded with information though, as everything changed so fast because of the whims of their stupid leader the girl had to adapt. She had agreed with Philip, realizing that getting to the witches would be much more efficient but they couldn''t leave in the middle of the night. So they had decided to wait, Mikain would summon them, together with the rest of the pack and when they were sent out they would get the chance to leave and ask around in the corners of the city that sheltered other supernatural creatures about where the witches are. Things happened according to plan at first. Mikain had gathered all of them into a room he had booked, one of those doctors used for conferences in fancy hotels like the one they were staying in, and let the werewolves in about the situation. He seemed to have forgotten about Philip for now and the young man sighed in relief once the meeting was over. His orders were brief, spread out into the city and search for the prince. Bring him back dead or alive. "Do you really think this is going to work?" Philip asked Reina once they stepped out of the hotel, together with the rest of their pack members. A whole swarm of people had exited the building and now in small groups of four or five people they blended in with the humans, searching in their faces to find the one they were looking for and Philip, really hoping that Kai had decided to listen to him and stay in. "I have no idea." Reina told him. "We will go to a few spots that I know. I have people there who could provide us with some information." She said and they set off too. The first place Reina was talking about was a little bar, hidden from the busy main street, deep into an alley. It''s door was made of old wood, polished with the design of a blue bird on the door. Reina pushed the door and the voice of the owner was heard, hidden behind the bar. "We''re closed." He said and the girl smiled. "Not for me." Reina answered and the man, recognizing her voice, shot up, staring at her with wide eyes. It was the first time Philip had seen a shapeshifter. How did he know? His eyes were a deep purple color, exposed for people like him to see. Shapeshifters were rare, mostly because it was hard to figure them out from the rest of the people. They had the ability to change their appearance, look like people they had seen on the street just once and blend in with everyone else. "Reina!" The man exclaimed surprised and jumped up, dodging the wooden counter and hugged the girl. He had the appearance of a thirty something man, a bit short with black long hair and a black mustache. A towel thrown on his left shoulder. "Aram. I am so glad to see you." She said hugging him back and the man smiled at her "Me too. What can I get you?" He asked her. "The truth is...I didn''t come here for a drink but for some information." She said and the man named Aram looked at Philip. "He is fine, he is my friend" she said and Aram moved back behind this counter. Reina walked towards him, Philip following her wearily. "Okay then. So tell me, what is it that you want to know?" He asked her. "We are looking for a witch coven." She said and the man''s eyes widened in shock. "Why in hell would you look for the spawns of Satan. Honestly, do you want to die?" He asked her and she laughed, finding his reaction funny. "Well, not necessarily but I get it, it sounds crazy." "I always knew you were crazy but this...this is on a whole other level" he mumbled, shaking his head. "Which coven is it?" "I don''t know their official name but I do know the name of their leader. She is named Aira." Reina shared the information she got from Mikain with the shapeshifter and he frowned, seeming very concerned at the sound of the name. His eyes traveled to Reina and then to Philip, scanning them as if he wanted to make sure they were in their right minds. "That woman is horrifying." He stated and the girl nodded. "I really don''t want to get involved in¡­" "Please." Philip said, talking for the first time. "It''s really important. Lives are on the line." He said. "A philanthropist, wow" Aram mocked him and Reina scoffed, getting his attention again. She put her hand in her right pocket, taking out a little bag that was filled almost to the brim with a deep blue dust. Aram realized immediately what it was and smiled, his eyes glued to the bag. "Now you''re talking." He said and extended his hand to get the bag. Reina though pulled it away from him "First you tell me what I want to know, then you get the bag." She told him sweetly. Aram nodded, and pulled out a piece of paper from underneath the counter. He wrote an address and the name of a shop and handed it to her. "This is a restaurant. She goes to eat dinner there every night. She usually has two more witches with her, her trusted people. I would be very careful if I were you" he told her and Reina took the paper from his hand, passing him the bag at the same time. "Don''t worry, we will. Oh and if anyone finds out that we were here, I''ll kill you" she told him with a sweet smile. He frowned and shooed her off, not even looking at them as they left, his eyes stuck on the bag. Once they were out of the little bar Philip looked at Reina confused. "That bag, is it what I think it is?" He asked her and she nodded. "Dragon''s fins" she answered. "Reina, those are drugs. Where the hell did you get them and why did he want it?" "I have a lot of things Lun, this is how you negotiate in the real world. Aram sells it on his bar, he can''t get it from the source though, which is a high ranked vampire family at BloodBound because they only have vampire dealers. Dragon''s fins is very expensive and highly addictive. From that bag alone he probably will make around 5K." She explained. "What the fuck." Philip mumbled and she shrugged her shoulders. "You do what you gotta do. Now we know where we can find her. Let''s hope they don''t find out about Lun''s home by tonight." She said. "Let''s hope that Aira woman is not as scary as she sounds." Philip added and Reina nodded. "Come on, we have to pretend that we''re looking for Kai.." She told him. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 81 - 80 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Another morning, another loud day in Lun''s home. Apparently having everyone gather in the kitchen for breakfast was not really that good of an idea. "Why do we have to sit together like this? This is ridiculous." Xan said. "Oh please, stop acting like a baby." Kai told him while holding his coffee. "At least I don''t pick up strays off the road" Xan said and John pouted. "Was that about me?" The young man asked with a saddened expression and Soran patted his back, giving him a small smile. "Of course not he is just ¡­" "Yes, I was talking about you. Who is he in the first place and why is he here?" Xan asked rudely. "He is my friend!" Kai said and his older brother started laughing. "You don''t have friends Kai." "I think you''re confusing me with yourself, you narcissistic bastard." The younger prince said and his brother scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won''t get to your level" he mumbled and Kai smirked, victoriously taking another sip from his coffee. "Now that we had our morning quarrel," Lun said , breaking the momentary silence. "I think we need to talk about what we will do with Moonshine. I think we can all agree that they are a pain in our asses." "What do you mean what will we do?" Xan asked as he fixed his glasses on his nose, looking at Lun with a disgusted expression. "We will kill them all of course. We can''t have a pack like Moonshine around, spreading such ideals and encouraging other packs to think like that. Mother and father strictly said that¡­." "Mother and father¡­" Kai mocked his brother faking his voice with a snobbish tone. Xan stopped talking and slapped his head on the island, his eyes burning with anger. "Enough with that stupid attitude of your. While you have been hiding like a coward, do you know how many of our people have died and sold to the witches? Thousands? We can fight all you want, I will gladly punch you but when I''m talking about royal affairs you will shut up whether you want it or not. You decided to leave home, you don''t get to speak." His brother scolded him. Kai felt his cheeks burn from embarrassment. It wasn''t that he didn''t care about the loss of his people, he wasn''t trying to mock that or degrade the conversation, his older brother simply got on his nerves. No matter what he said, good or bad, he was annoyed and yes maybe that was childish but he couldn''t stop himself. He sat back, rolling his eyes and letting him continue. "As I was saying, it''s an order that we get them out of the way" Xan said. Lun seemed to be perplexed about it. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. "I don''t think that''s right. I mean, there are innocent people there, Kai''s boyfriend...we can''t just kill them all, we won''t be any worse than them" he stated. "No one is touching Philip." Kai said, his eyes landing on his brother, showing him that he would not step back for that, he didn''t care about the others, he was selfish like that but Philip, he wouldn''t let anyone hurt him. "So what? Will we just pick out the bad wolves from the good ones?" Xan asked them. "There are hundreds, that pack is always expanding. They could be around a thousand wolves by now. How do you expect us to act fast and deal with this matter like that?" The crown prince said. Kai couldn''t argue with that. His brother was right. Picking out the so-called bad people, killing them all one by one without getting caught. That needed a lot more vampires and it would take so much time. So many of their own would have died by then it would almost seem pointless. "Umm, I am sorry but I don''t think that you need to make it such a big deal" John told them, interrupting their conversation. "Huh? You think we shouldn''t make a big deal about the deaths of¡­" Xan began saying. John''s eyes widened, realizing how his words were perceived and raised his arms, signaling that wasn''t what he wanted to say. "No, no! All I''m saying is that it''s pretty easy to get this over with fast. All you need to do is kill Mikain" he proposed and all of the vampires stared at him "John¡­" Soran called out. "Killing the Alpha of a pack is extremely difficult. They are always surrounded by their guards and their Beta. Also they are Alpha''s for a reason, they are actually quite strong and¡­" "Wait, wait a minute¡­" Lun said. He looked at Kai and then Xan. "We have two purebloods here. I don''t think it would be that hard to defeat that idiot. If we kill him all our problems will be solved. All you have to do is work together " he told the two princes with a sweet tone. "There is no way I will work with this bastard!" They both shouted at the same time. John scratched his head, his brown eyes traveling from the cold older brother to the angry younger one. It was obvious none of them really wanted to work with the other. Soran turned towards John, approaching him and whispering in his ear. "I think that because of you we will get to see something really rare and interesting." He said with a faint grin on his face, making John blush. "We can hear you!" The two brothers said again in unison and the white haired man laughed. Would these two brothers be able to work together or would they simply kill each other? ... Hello everyone! Thank you for reading. Hope you liked this chapter. If you did please leave a nice comment , a vote for the contest and a nice review. They are very important. I really want to write more about Xan and Kai, I think they are really funny.. Hope you like them too. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 82 - 81 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Their little conversation had continued for hours. Kai and Xan wouldn''t stop arguing at every point of the plan and make things difficult but no one really dared to stop them except Lun a few times. These two brothers were actually really scary. After quite some time they had finally reached the conclusion that killing Mikain was their best option. It had to be fast and it had to happen quickly. Kai agreed to that immediately. First of all he wanted his brother out of there, he had enough problems, him being added to the pile was just gruesome. Second of all, freeing himself from the threat of the wolves reduced the groups that followed him by one and actually gave him the opportunity to think about what he wanted to do with the whole Philip situation. So getting Mikain out of the way was their best option at the moment. Everyone was exhausted when their talk ended, they had agreed to send out people, not aware about the wolves that were running around in the city, to search for the best chance to attack Mikain. After one or two days of gathering information they would attack. Lun sent out more than fifteen people, threatening them all of course that if they returned with empty hands they would die, get fired first actually and then die. It seemed weird to Kai, the way he changed when he talked to the people of his organization. It was a part of him that he hid, trying to show only when necessary. Soran had excused himself while John wanted to take a walk. Kai could see that the young werewolf was getting anxious. Not only because of the mission but also because his birthday was tomorrow. John was new to all of these, the idea of having someone that he would spend eternity with, the uncertainty of what was about to come must have been difficult to bear. So he stood up and followed him, leaving Lun with Xan, wanting to have a talk with him and maybe manage to soothe his anxiety. "You people are cowards." Xan scoffed as he stood up. His eyes scanned the cupboards above the sink and he randomly opened one, facing a pile of plates. He rolled his eyes, opening a second one and found mugs. "On your right" Lun said and the white haired man stared at him. "You should have people for that." The crown prince said and the vampire laughed. "For what? Pouring me a glass of water? Should I hire people to wipe my ass too?" He asked him. "Don''t be so disgusting." "Let''s go out" Lun told him. Xan turned around, supporting himself on the edge of the sink, drinking his water as he looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in this world. "Go out for what? With you? Alone? Joking so early in the morning does not fit you." Xan said and Lun shook his head. He stood up and approached the prince, standing in front of him, close but not enough to alarm him. "I wasn''t joking, you know. My people will take a few hours to come back. I mean, I hope they were lucky enough to find something and return but for now we do have some times. Let me show you the city and the sights" he told him. "You are truly insane. We have much more important things to think of." Xan said, fixing his black pair of glasses on his face. Lun observed him, trying to see if he had started to get annoyed, maybe not yet, he didn''t have his signature expression of disgust on his face, even though his blue eyes were as cold as always. Such a big difference in his attitude with Kai. Lun thought about it, when he had met his friend Kai had seemed cold and distant as if he was pretending. Now it was pretty clear who he was mimicking to get by. Lun scoffed, a smile spreading on his face. "Why are you laughing?" The crown prince asked. "It''s nothing. I just thought of something. But do tell me my dear prince. Why are you so handsome?" Lun asked him with a devious grin. Xan was taken aback at first, his lips parting slightly, his eyelashes fluttering aggressively. "What¡­" he mumbled and pushed Lun away, wanting to step out from the little space he was detained in. "Stop it." "Stop what?" "What you''re doing. This idiotic plan of seducing me just to be on your side and spill everything about Kai to his lover." "You think I''m trying to seduce you for this?" Lun asked, his grin getting bigger. Even though the prince had walked away from him the vampire had followed, he pushed him, his back touching the cold wall, his eyes landing on Lun''s handsome face as he placed his right hand next to his face. "I am not that bad, you know how much I like you my dear prince" he said. Xan averted his gaze, an unreadable expression on his face. He didn''t say anything. He remained silent. "I don''t know what you''re trying to do." Xan said. "Also remove your filthy body from in front of me. I want to go" "Go where?" Lun asked with a seductive smile. "Somewhere!" Xan exclaimed. He had talked out loud, almost shouting but his voice was covered by the sound of the doorbell. Lun would like to admire this side of the crown prince more, speechless and flustered, it encouraged him to know that if he pulled his strings right he could get something out of it. The doorbell disoriented them both and the scream that followed also worked as an alarm. Lun''s eyes widened. It was one of the maids, her scream echoed loudly until the kitchen and the vampire grabbed Xan''s arm. "Hide" he told the prince. "Don''t be ridiculous I¡­" "Ran out through the window door, find Kai and hide." Lun told him again, his expression deadly serious. "I can''t afford you being hurt." He said and pushed him towards the huge window door Kai had walked out from a while back. Lun didn''t wait to make sure if the prince had left. He could hear the door slide as he exited the kitchen and he smiled. His doorstep was flooded by wolves, one of them holding one of his men by the neck. He was dead. The vampire clicked his tongue. "Coming to someone else''s house uninvited is rude." He told them. "But I guess you were polite enough to knock." He added and his eyes noticed one of the maids, dead on the floor, her heart ripped out.. Soon all of them would turn into dust, him too, probably. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 83 - 82 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Lun''s garden was beautiful. To some extent it reminded Kai of the gardens in the palace, not so wide but still incredibly beautiful. Green freshly cut grass, flowers and stone pathways. A gazebo dressed with dark green vines and a small pond with fish. Everything seemed to be perfectly made with much thought. In BloodBound gardens were actually a big deal. Royal families and rich vampires spend excessive amounts of money for their gardens, they use them as a way to boast. Dead inside creatures managing to keep life alive, it is a bit ironic but still it was beautiful. John welcomed the prince, letting him walk with him and they started talking. "I know you must be anxious." Kai said and stared at the young man with a comforting expression. John shrugged his shoulders, he wasn''t really good with words. He always seemed to be out of place, not following the current of things but inside of him, everything was tangled, he paid attention to everything and the events all around him scared him. "I don''t know. There are so many things happening at the same time. It''s a bit overwhelming." He said and saw a small smile appear on Kai''s face. "I get it. It''s your birthday tomorrow. What would you like as a present?" He asked him and John gasped, surprised. "A present? For me?" "Of course! You should celebrate. It''s an important moment. Mate aside, you will be turning twenty, your first birthday into your new life." "I''ve never gotten a present." John mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Boss, I don''t really have anything that I want as a present but can I ask you something? That will be my wish." John asked the prince and Kai nodded eagerly. "Can you promise me? One day after everything is done, after you become happy again can you promise me that you will open a shop again and that you will hire me?" The young man asked him. Kai blinked, startled by his question but somehow he loved it. He looked at John and hugged him, something he didn''t usually do. "I''m really sorry I got you involved in this but at the same time I am really thankful. I am thankful that I got to have someone like you by my side. You are an amazing young man and yes. I wouldn''t want anything else more than to be in that shop with you. One day, even if our paths happen to separate for a while, I am sure, you will be annoyingly knocking on my door" he said with a chuckle and the werewolf smiled purely. "Thank you!" He said, his eyes filled with gratitude and Kai patted his head. "Boss, about my mate...I think...I might¡­." John began saying but he didn''t manage to finish his sentence. A loud scream echoed in the house and both of their heads snapped. "What was that?" "I don''t know." Kai whispered and wearily looked around. He heard the sound of the door in the kitchen opening and then closing loudly. He stood in front of John, placing his arm in front of him in a protective motion. He wouldn''t let anyone hurt John, he thought but in the distance he managed to spot his brother. He flashed right before them, stopping right in front of Kai. "We need to leave." He said and the younger prince looked behind Xan, looking for the other two men. Soran actually opened the back window of his floor, getting on the balcony and jumping off, skillfully like a cat he landed just a few meters away from them. In just a few seconds he had reached them too. "What is going on?" He asked too and Xan sighed. "They found Lun''s men. They are here. We need to hurry before they realize we are not in there and search back here." The crown prince let them know. "Lun? Where is Lun?" Kai asked, his face showing how worried he was about his best friend. He attempted to walk back into the house but his brother stopped him, standing right before his path. "You can''t go back there. There are too many of them. Even if you kill them all, more will keep coming." He warned him. "I won''t let Lun in there." Kai told him, staring up to meet his eyes. "I am not like you. I won''t leave him behind." "Kai, maybe we should get you to a safe location. I am sure Lun is smart enough to think of a way to escape" Soran proposed. "He gave us a bit of time, we need to take advantage of it. Don''t make his try go in vain he¡­" "Are you people insane!" He shouted at them. "What made you ever think that I would leave Lun behind? Lun!" He screamed and tried to ran away but Xan grabbed him from the back of his collar, stopping him and pulling him back. "I will go." Xan said. "I will go and bring Lun back!" He said "I don''t trust you." Kai said between gritted teeth and his older brother sighed. "You''ll have to." He mumbled and placed his hands on his head. Kai, not expecting what he was about to do, found himself unconscious. "What did you do?" John asked as he watched Kai fall into Soran''s arms. "Take him away. Find a safe place. Don''t worry I will be able to find you. I''ve marked Kai" Xan said, ignoring completely John and Soran nodded. "Come on." Soran told the young wolf and they ran deeper into the back of the garden. They would find the fence and jump out. A huge forest spread beyond that, they would probably choose to hide there for a while. Xan turned around, looking at the mansion. He could clearly hear the sound of furniture breaking, screams. So Lun was actually fighting them, he thought and rolled his eyes. He ran back inside, finding himself in the kitchen and then he walked towards the entrance. The vampire was still there, panting and beaten up, his shirt had huge rips on it while he was in the middle of a circle the wolves had made. He was surrounded fighting for his life. There was a column there, Xan laid back and clicked his tongue, the slightest sound drawing their attention. Many heads turned, as one and he grinned. "Ts, ts, ts. You all lack elegance. And you Lun, the son of the underworld''s leader should have finished them off already. Such poor performance." He said. "What the heck are you doing here?" Lun shouted at him. His dark eyes were wide, filled with surprise, panting as he watched Xan take off his glasses and place them in his pockets. The crown prince didn''t have time to answer. The crowd of werewolves had scattered, now a bunch of them targeting him too, their claws out, growling at him. A few launched forward, meaning to push him down. He grabbed one of them by the neck, shattering his bones as if they were made from glass and threw him towards his allies. A few of them took a few steps back, terrified but most of them kept heading straight. He felt someone jump on his back, trying to suffocate him while another punched Xan in the face. Lun tried to get to him, help him somehow but he realized he had his own fight to finish. There were too many, more than fifty of them. "You dogs fight like idiots" he groaned as he tasted his own blood and grabbed the wolf that was on his back, bringing him forward. His eyes shone red, just like his younger brother''s and his fangs appeared, showing them he was ready to kill them all. He started fighting one of them. He got kicked in the ribs and then immediately after he felt the claws of werewolf land on his cheek. The prince scoffed and while his opponent attempted to kick him again he grabbed his leg, then he raised his arm up and broke his knee with elbow. The werewolf howled, falling to the ground and Xan crushed his skull with his foot. Lun grabbed a vase, threw it at them, the expensive porcelain smashed right in front of their feet and he flashed before them, grabbing two of them and smacking their heads together. Another one jumped from the side, pushing Lun away and throwing him to the ground. He began punching him, making him hiss and the vampire tried to find a way to free himself. "You idiot. I came back to free you! Don''t die!" Xan shouted and Lun''s head snapped to the side. His eyes widened. The crown prince was rushing towards him, intending to help him. "Xan! Watch out!" He screamed, blood blurring his vision. He wished he had turned blind, he wished he wasn''t able to see what followed. One of the wolves had grabbed a chair, he had broken it and was holding a wooden stick. It was too late. He had called him too late. The werewolf passed the stick through Xan''s chest. "No!" Lun screamed in shock. The prince fell to his knees, blood escaping his lips. The stick passed right through him. "Don''t die you idiot." He mumbled as he fell to the ground. "Xan! No!" Lun cried out.. That was the last thing he saw before everything turned dark. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 84 - 83 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com When he was young, Lun hated the dark. It was ridiculous, a vampire being scared of the darkness but it could happen. He remembered one time when he was forced to visit Kai for a few days, his parents were forcing him to hang out with him, he still hadn''t really grown to like him but he had to go. So the little vampire hiding the fact that was afraid of the dark, not wanting to seem stupid he had agreed to play one of Kai''s absurd games. Actually, it had been more than a challenge. Lun would have to rush down to the cellar, grab a bottle of wine as evidence and run back up. He was terribly terrified of the cellar though, most of the time it was cold and moist, dark and unwelcoming. He also didn''t like the smell of wine and wood mixing up together. Under the starless night of BloodBound the whole room seemed more like a scene from a nightmare rather than a wine storage. Nonetheless he had agreed, he couldn''t have the prince believing he was some kind of coward so when the huge clock in the throne room signaled midnight Kai rushed the young Lun, barely nine years old, maybe even a bit older, through the dimly lit corridors and made him stand at the top of the staircase that led to the cellar. The young boy had gulped as Kai opened the door, holding a small lantern in his other hand. "Go on then, I will be waiting." he had told him and a gush of cold air landed on Lun''s face. He looked back, anxious. "Are you scared?" the young prince had asked him and Lun had frowned, seeming insulted. "Of course not!" Lun had exclaimed and without a second thought he walked forwards, stepping on the first step with his bare feet. Kai smiled and smacked the door behind him, leaving the poor boy in absolute darkness. "I am right here so go and come back, I will be waiting." Kai had said behind the door but Lun didn''t answer. His voice wouldn''t come out and his feet were shaking as he took small and wary steps. He could feel the moist wood underneath his feet, he could hear the sides of the stairs creaking and he shook, like a scared mouse that was trapped. He placed his hand on the wall, tracing the huge stones and soon, there were no more steps to walk on. The floor was too made of rough stone and the strong smell of wine invaded his nostrils. He wanted to go back up but he couldn''t. He had to find the wine first. The room was enormous, bottles and barrels spread everywhere. He had hit his leg a few times in the corners of the huge wooden furniture. After a while of walking, getting deeper and deeper into the room, his hands in the air as he searched for a bottle he began to feel uncomfortable. Tears gathered in his dark eyes and he began crying. "I want to go back!" he cried and fell to the floor, ugly tears leaving his eyes. He snorted and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his nightshirt but the tears wouldn''t stop. He felt like a coward. He was old, a big boy now but still he couldn''t find the stupid bottle, still he was scared of the dark. He had no idea where he was, how deep into the cellar he had stepped and now his whole body was shaking. "Please." he cried when out of nowhere a little light seemed to shine through the darkness. Too stunned to do anything, Lun glued his eyes to the flame that seemed to get closer and closer. His lips were parted, tears still running from his eyes, childish waterfalls and soon the figure of a man appeared. "I knew I heard something. Lun? Is that you? What are you doing here?" he heard the man say. He held a bottle of wine in one hand while the other held a similar lantern as to what Kai had been holding. He wasn''t really a man though, a teen. It was Xan. The crown prince had found him. He had sneaked into the cellar that night, wanting to get a bottle of wine. Lun stared at him, unable to speak. Tall and so handsome, even then. With his long white hair, reminding him of a winter''s day. Blue eyes, so bright like the night sky and a questioning expression on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked him as he let down the lantern and the bottle. "Hello." he said with a small smile. Lun couldn''t take it any longer. He began crying again and landed into his arms. The prince was tense at first but he hugged him back, leaving the bottle and raising him up. "It''s okay, don''t worry, I will take you back." he whispered at him, calming him down. "There is nothing to be scared of, see? I have a light with me." he told him and raised the lantern close to the child''s face. It was warm, that little fire showed so beautifully Xan''s face. He used to be so kind. After that night every time Lun was afraid of the dark he would think of him. It was alright. He had light, Xan had been his light that night and even though he now hated him, it was fine. That image, he had engraved it in his mind so he would never forget. Lun opened his eyes. Facing darkness once more, disoriented and dizzy he found himself tied on a chair, completely restrained and drowning in an endless darkness again. Slowly everything came back to him, the events of before, the fight with the werewolves, Xan coming back for him, trying to save him. The crown prince had fallen on his knees, a wooden stick protruding from his chest. He was dead and now he had been imprisoned by darkness. There was no light no more and Lun felt as if he was nine again. Trapped and helpless. He didn''t know if anyone was around, he wasn''t sure and in his panic he couldn''t hear. All he could think about was Xan, the image of him, his body, his blood everywhere. Tears gathered in his eyes, he didn''t try to hold them in, he didn''t want to. He couldn''t actually. It hurt, it hurt too much to even try to hide it. The sensation of your heart being ripped apart, the pain in every muscle of your body, the fear and the ringing in between his ears. Xan was dead. He was dead and now Lun was all alone in this darkness, trapped and scared. He cried loudly, ugly, with shouts and difficulty in breathing. "Oh gosh, shut up will ya? Are you still afraid of the dark? I mean, you can''t be that ridiculous." A voice echoed in the room and Lun froze, he stopped everything, he wasn''t even breathing, worried that he had imagined it. "Xan?" he asked. "No it''s Jesus. Of course it''s me you fucker. They captured us." Xan answered him and Lun felt as if he would melt. He had never felt such relief in his life before, he had never felt freer than that moment, trapped in some unknown place, probably at the brim of death, with his hands and legs restrained, surrounded by a cold darkness. "Xan?" He called him out again. "What?" the crown prince asked him, sounding grumpy. "I know what I will say might sound crazy but¡­" "You''re always crazy." "I love you. You''re my light." Lun told him. ... Honestly, this is one of my favourite chapters. I loved writing and I feel so good right now. So show some love too.. Leave a nice comment and a vote! Thank you for reading. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 85 - 84 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Word spread out fast through the werewolves in the city that ttwo of the prince''s friends had been held hostage. Mikain believed that this would draw the prince out and while he tried to save them he would be able to capture him. Of course when Mika heard about it he called Philip, frantically speaking to him on the phone, unaware that his werewolf friend had other plans. Reina and Philip couldn''t go back to the hotel now, he had made that clear. If they did, Mikain would keep them there, they had to wait and find the witch, as long as Kai wasn''t captured he was fine. He had to ask Mika for a favor though. To help the two captured men. The red haired boy sighed as the phone call ended. He had walked a bit further from his search party, hoping for some privacy so he could talk to them. He knew Philip would make him do something he didn''t want again and even though he did not give a dime if those vampires lived or died he agreed to help. He messed up his hair, his phone buried deep into his pocket and walked back. "So? Are we going back?" Mika asked them. Since they had found some kind of leverage, maybe he would be lucky enough and return to the hotel with no problems. The werewolves looked at each other, not sure what to do and he frowned. Why was everyone so stupid? He felt as if all of the annoying people had suddenly gathered around him. "Let''s just go. Let''s go back." He mumbled exhausted and began walking. He would get to go back but once again his mind was running. He had to think of a way and keep Kai''s friends safe for the time being. Mikain wouldn''t kill them because he needed them but knowing how he was they wouldn''t be having fun, maybe even now they were being tortured and questioned. The hotel had calmed down, there weren''t that many people running around anymore and slowly the tired werewolves were returning to their rooms. He took the elevator, seeing his tired expression in the mirror and sighed, fogging the clean glass. "I just hope that history won''t repeat itself again" he mumbled as he heard the sound of the elevator arriving at his destined floor and the wide corridor spread before him. The lights on the walls were turned off, the natural light entering from the windows and he could even hear birds chirping from the outside. No matter what happened, no matter how much their lives were falling apart the truth was that the world would keep spinning. It hurt, the thought of being insignificant but at the same time it was soothing. Maybe their problems weren''t really that big, at least not enough to meddle with the flow of the world. He was planning on heading to Mikain''s room. The hostages would probably get kept there. He would so graciously offer himself as their guard while he took care of whatever business he had. At least that way he could make sure no one was going to hurt them. He stood still on his door, fixing his hair a bit and trying to calm down. A meeting with that man was always filled with anxiety and fear. Nonetheless he tried to put that aside as he knocked on the door. Unfortunately no one answered and the red haired man raised his eyebrow, trying once more. He even stuck his ear on the door, trying to listen if there was anyone inside but silence was spreading all around him. The alpha wasn''t in his room and that meant that the hostages were not there either. He looked around confused, trying to find out where he could have taken them when he heard footsteps from behind him. He turned around and found Hans walking, with a pile of papers in his arms. "Hans! Where is the Alpha?" He asked him, rushing towards him. "Why? What do you need him for?" The tall men asked back, not providing him with an answer. "Well, I heard that we got prisoners. I want to offer to guard them as a wolf warrior is my job to assist in these matters. We can''t really trust just anyone with these kinds of people." He said, trying to lie as best as he could. "I see." Hans said, not suspecting him one bit. "They are in the basement. Mikain has been with them for a while now. I think it would be good for you to interrupt them, he might kill them. He hasn''t managed to make them talk." He revealed and Mika''s eyes widened. He took a step back, startled at how fast everything was happening. He believed Hans, it was possible that Mikain would kill them. After all, Kai just needed to know that he had them to come here. If they were alive or not did not matter. "Okay. Thank you. I will go right away" Mika said and without waiting to hear Hans'' answer he rushed to the staircase. He had to find the Alpha and stop him, before it was too late. He had no idea who Mikain had captured but if once in a million that stupid Lun was down there he was so sure his death would come fast. Every word that came from this man''s mouth was intending to annoy everyone around him. If he didn''t find them fast things would get very difficult, for him and for Philip. The basement had a special entrance, away from people''s eyes so the guests wouldn''t get lost. He pushed the heavy door and found himself searching door after door to find the right room. He focused, wanting to hear and the first thing his sensitive ears caught was the sound of a whip. He hissed, his body shaking and he rushed towards the source. It was now or never, there was not really any time to thing about it.. He had to stop him. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 86 - 85 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Kai''s eyes fluttered open slowly, the prince facing a blue morning sky through the holes and the spaces between the branches. It was a pretty sky, clear with no puffy white clouds and he smiled. He felt relaxed and calm when something caused an itch on his cheek. He placed his hand on his face, feeling something walk on it and he jumped up, catching a centipede with his fingers. He looked at it, his blue eyes wide as he threw it away disgusted. "Why is there a fucking centipede on my face?" He mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "Because we''re in the forest Boss." John''s familiar voice was heard and for the first time Kai observed his surroundings. Indeed they were in the forest but why? Why was he laid on the dirty ground with a freaking bug taking a walk on his face. He looked at the young werewolf with a questioning look, a gap in his memory until everything slowly came back. "Lun!" He exclaimed and stood up, frantically looking around. "He snapped my neck. He snapped my neck!" Kai shouted in anger. "Calm down Kai. I am sure they will be fine. Xan will bring Lun here sooner or later." Soran''s voice reached his ears and Kai found him sitting underneath a tree, an apple in his hand. The prince frowned, his eyes traveling between the two. "Are you on the same wavelength here? Xan will never go save Lun! Are you people insane? Even if he did go they probably have them now. We need to go!" He shouted, his loud voice scaring away the birds that rested in the trees. Soran stood up, throwing on the ground his half eaten apple and approached his friend. "We can''t." "Why?" "Because they are after you. They don''t know that Xan is a prince too and if they have them they won''t hurt them. They need a reason to lure you out. If we go now we will lead ourselves straight into a trap. Is that what you want?" Soran asked him. Was that the reason Philip had asked Kai to stay in? Was he aware that their Alpha had people out? He was confused, he didn''t know anything and honestly nothing made sense. They appeared right at Lun''s doorstep, a freaking army out of the blue while they thought they were safe there. Where was Philip? He had no way of contacting him, he had no idea what was going on. "I...we can''t leave them there though." Kai said, confused and hurt. John nodded and walked closer, crushing branches with his feet as he approached Kai. He patted his shoulder, making him look at him. "We won''t. We just have to think about it a bit. It''s stupid to go in there blindly and believe me for me to say that I think it''s pretty obvious. That Alpha, he is scary, he liked to make people hurt. That''s what he wants to do to you. But we won''t let him" John said, trying to comfort the prince. Kai nodded, agreeing with him. No matter how much he wished to rip that man to shreds he had to be patient. He had been out of action for too long, he got disoriented and anxious with every little thing. A while back this would be just a game to him, he would plot and succeed but now, now after so long in hiding he had simply turned into a coward.. "So what do you think we should do? I have no way of contacting Philip or Reina. All of my things, my phone, are in my apartment. They are our best option." Kai said. "It''s alright. I contacted my friend." Soran informed him. "Before I came to you I lived with a witch. She was being hunted by hunters and I saved her so we became friends. She also owes me and is the one who provided us with your antidote. She will be coming here. We will have her cast a spell on the hotel. I have been thinking about it for a while and I have an idea." Soran said Kai''s eyes were filled with hope. He approached Soran and hugged him, the man tenderly wrapping his arms around him, letting the prince rest on his chest. John felt a pinch on his chest, as if someone was piercing him with a needle. He turned around, not pleased with a sight and took a few steps away. "Thank you. Thank you Soran. I don''t know what I would do if you weren''t here." He heard Kai thank him and the white haired man laughed. "Come on. We all know you''re smarter than me. I just think you need to get into shape again. So long away from the palace has turned you a bit soft." He commented. John blinked, curious. What the hell did they do in that palace that they could easily face situations like these. He wasn''t affected by it and still he was shitting his pants. "I know. It''s embarrassing really. Since I got into this mess I should at least be prepared for it." He mumbled and scratched the back of his head. "Philip, he¡­" he whispered, getting worried about him now. What if he tried to do something, thinking Kai could be there. He had no news from him for a while. His heart began to race, small seeds of worry were sprouting in his heart. About Lun, about Philip, even about his brother even though he didn''t want to admit it. He had gotten everyone involved in his mess again and he couldn''t help but think that History was repeating itself in a way he didn''t like. The burden of being at fault, the burden of holding others'' life in your hands was torturing. Some liked it but Kai was always scared of it. He knew Lun would fight for him, Philip too and that made him feel responsible for everything. "They will be fine." John said, smiling at him. "Like I was fine because you made sure of it. Don''t worry Boss, we will save them." He said and Kai tried to smile back. He was too scared though to manage to hide it. John again placed his palm on his shoulder. "Boss, you''re a lot better than you think. At everything, have a little faith in yourself. There is really no need for being humble." He teased him with a giggle and Kai rolled his eyes when suddenly he thought of something. "Sleeping beauty!" He shouted startling his two friends. "When is your friend coming? Will she be able to find us?" He asked and Soran nodded. "Any minute now she will be there." Soran said. "Good. Because I have a plan. We will do it the sleeping beauty way." He mumbled a spark IG iting in his eyes and he smiled. Yes, that way he would save Lun and his brother with no trouble. He would make it, he wouldn''t have to see anyone get hurt again. "Can you tell her to hurry?" Kai asked Soran. "No need for that. I am already here.." A sweet female voice echoed through the forest. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 87 - 86 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Xan was always perfect. Handsome, smart and charming. The boy, the teen, the young man every guy wished to be. He was lucky, he was supposed to be the next king. Everyone around him worshiped him and no one dared to defy him. From jewels to gold and swords the little boy had always had everything he wanted, unaware of the word no. At some point though the toys stopped, the people stopped patting his head and their starry eyes turned suspicious. At some point the little boy grew up and was expected to act and live a certain way. At some point Xan ceased to exist, he was the crown prince, a figure of authority and the first one waiting in line to wear the shiny crown. He had lost his name and the ability to choose a life. So the man named Xan slowly withered away, hidden somewhere deep inside him. The crown prince had found a love once, thinking that maybe this love would see, realize how he had lived all this time. His love though was short lived, dying on the floor of his luxurious room, a needle on his arm. So the man named Xan hid again, shutting himself inside the walls of a cracked heart, letting out the perfect figure, the spotless prince, the one he should be. The crown prince was aware that many people hated him. His parents had said that it was natural, the leaders of tomorrow were not always loved but they were certainly feared, it was a good thing. As a person who had received many hateful stares hearing that, hearing Lun tell him he was his light shocked him. Unpleasantly or pleasantly he didn''t know, all he knew was that in this deep darkness, as his relieved voice reached him, his wounded body shivered and his eyelids fluttered, as if he tried to make sure he wasn''t hearing things. "The stick is still on my chest." Xan said, trying to avoid Lun''s unexpected confession. He wasn''t ready for it, to think about the meaning of these words. "What?" Lun asked, surprised. "As far as I know we''re tied on chairs. I was stabbed, a little bit more to the left and I would be dust right now. The stick is still in my fucking chest." He groaned and moved his body, wiggling as he tried to release himself. "Don''t move!" Lun scolded him. "What if you do anything stupid and it gets to your heart." "Then I will die and pleasantly avoid your stupid confession" he blurted out, unable to hold back his poisonous tongue. He heard Lun scoff. "You should be honored that someone like me said that to you. But no, you have no idea what kind of a catch I am¡­" "I don''t think you''re a catch." Xan insulted him. "I am rich, I am young, I am handsome, I am educated and I am really great in bed, and I don''t mean breakfast in bed I mean as in s¡­" "Stop." Xan interrupted him, cutting his sentence short. "Just shut up, you''re already giving me a headache" "Are you alright?" Lun asked him. "If you keep talking I won''t be." He said and the two of them turned quiet. Xan sighed, his breath being almost too loud in the silent room. "I am okay." The crown prince answered, feeling a bit bad about his behavior. He had worried Lun enough already "Thanks for asking." He told him and the vampire smiled faintly. "What do you think is going to happen to us?" Lun asked him but Xan did not have the time to answer. Suddenly the lights were turned on and both of them frowned, as the bright light above them landed right into their sensitive eyes. Finally they could see where they were. Not that they had the slightest idea but still they had some kind of image. It looked like a basement of some sort, underneath the earth. It was chilly and actually humid. The floor was from plain cement while the walls were painted a full dark gray. Thick pipes surrounded the corners and the floor of the room moving upwards. The light was a dull yellow, flickering a few times and making a sound that reminded them of the flying of a bug. There were no windows and just one door, made from strong metal that was now opening, revealing a tall man. "It''s you!" Lun exclaimed, recognizing the Alpha. "Well hello" he said cheekily and Mikain smiled, his eyes though we''re cold. He walked closer, standing in front of Lun and raised his arm, his punch landing right in the middle of his face, breaking his nose. "That''s for ruining my mission" Mikain said as he watched Lun''s blood trail from his nostrils. "You''re welcome." The vampire answered. "I see the cuffs are charmed. Working with some witches aren''t we?" He asked him. "I don''t think that should be one of your concerns." "It''s not." Lun answered, a cocky smile appearing on his handsome face and Mikain clicked his tongue. He was not very fond of his behavior, not used to people going against him. He left Lun and circled the prisoners, this time standing in front of Xan. The crown prince stared at the man with a disgusted look, one that only a cockroach would receive. "Maybe you could tell me where the prince I am looking for is?" He asked him, moving his face closer to Xan. The crown prince scoffed and when the Alpha asked him a second time he dared to spit on him. Right on his face. Mikain''s eyes widened and he grabbed the stick that was protruding from Xan''s chest. He twisted it, making him groan. "Xan?" Lun asked, trying to hide his worry. "Still here." The vampire answered between gritted teeth. "I don''t think you guys get the situation you''re in. The truth is, I don''t care if you live or die. Actually, I want you to die¡­" "Great, the feeling is mutual then!" Lun said happily. "You talk too much don''t you?" Mikain asked with a raised eyebrow and Xan couldn''t help himself. He giggled, seeing the annoyed expression on Mikain''s face. "Why are you laughing?" The Alpha asked him. "It''s so obvious you''re new to this. You weren''t supposed to be an Alpha were you? I can sense it. You are a cheap replica. What did you do and got the place?" He provoked him. "You¡­" Mikain said. "Get on my nerves the most." He told him, his hand wrapped around his neck, choking him. Xan felt himself gasp, in need of air but he didn''t say anything. There would be no way he would beg in front of someone like him. "Umm, mister Alpha?" Lun called him, drawing his attention. Xan huffed, taking in deep breaths. "Can we loosen these a bit? They are hurting me. I am sensitive, you see." He joked. "Do you think this is a joke?" Mikain asked. He grabbed Lun by the chin, raising his face so their eyes met, digging his nails into his cheeks. "I will fucking murder you and cut that little prince of yours into a thousand pieces and sell him as if he is some kind of cheap meat." He threatened. "I''m trembling right now. I almost pissed my pants." Lun continued, not seeming one bit scared. "I just need only one to spill where the prince is. I will have the pleasure of taking one of you out." He said. Of course he meant Lun, the cocky vampire was trying to get on his nerves on purpose. He didn''t want the Alpha close to Xan, he was hurt and one irrational move from the werewolf could kill him. Mikain punched Lun again, this time in the jaw, a cracking sound reaching Xan''s ears and he flinched, knowing the pain of such a strong punch. Lun''s chair fell on the floor and the Alpha left him, getting to the prince. He grabbed the stick that was on his chest and pulled it out, the white haired man screaming in agony. He stepped slowly in front of the fallen vampire, leaving the crown prince behind him. A devilish smile was on his lips as he stared at Lun from above, weighting the bloody wood in his palm. He flipped it, some kind of useless display of skill and playfully aligned it with Lun''s heart. For a second the vampire felt anxious, the truth was, he didn''t really want to die. He smiled innocently. "We can talk about it can''t we? We''re civil." "You can beg if you want." Mikain said. "I think it will be the other way around." Lun said and Mikain stared at him with a questioning expression. "Taking that stick out was a biiig mistake." He said playfully. Even before Lun had stopped talking Mikain had turned around, catching on pretty quick. Still, his quick wasnt quick enough. The Alpha had been too late. Xan''s chair was empty and the white haired vampire was right in front of him. The crown prince smiled, grabbing him by the neck like he had done before. "How did you¡­" he mumbled as he clawed his arm, trying to set himself free. "I am not like the rest." Xan said and threw the Alpha on the wall. He looked at Lun, crouching to break his restraints when the man stood up from the ground, his claws out, ready to attack.. "Wait a sec, will you?" He told Lun and stood back up, to fight. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 88 - 87 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Lun hated fighting. He didn''t like the feeling of someone''s skin on his, the smell of his enemies blood or the sound of them groaning. He disliked pain and the sweat, everything that had to do with him possibly having to punch someone was utterly unwanted. Sometimes though, on rare occasions Lun enjoyed seeing someone fight. That specific someone was Xan. The crown prince had a very delicate way as he fought. He didn''t seem like a savage, as a person who had no class. He almost looked like a skilled dancer and that alone was enough to take Xan''s breath away. He was on the floor, still restrained as he watched the snow haired man fight the alpha. Mikain had stood up immediately from being thrown to the wall and now was launching towards him, his claws out, a reminder of the beast he was. As he ran towards Xan the prince kicked him in the jaw, a swift turn that made the werewolf step back and rudely spit blood on the floor. He didn''t seem pleased, nor did he expect that Xan would set himself free if he wasn''t being restrained by the stick. Lun noticed something though, his eyes glued on the man from the start. His wound was still bleeding, it was not actually healing causing the restrained vampire to gasp. Something was wrong, he thought as he watched them fight. He wiggled, trying to set himself free but nothing seemed to actually work. He wasn''t as strong as Xan and he couldn''t obviously get out when his restraints had been enchanted by a witch. Xan was punched in the face. Falling down and having Mikain on top of him. The werewolf landed a few strong punches, causing Xan to lose consciousness for a mere second. He had raised his arm, wanting to dive it into his chest and rip his heart off but the prince managed to stop him, taking a hold of his hand, the tips of his claws scratching his skin. Xan groaned, pushing him back and with his forehead he smacked his nose, disorienting him enough to push him off him. "You fucker." Mikain groaned as he wiped the blood from his face and Xan smiled, back on his feet. The crown prince was panting, something that shouldn''t be happening and Lun''s eyes were glistening with worry as he followed his every move. There was something wrong with his wound and Lun prayed that the Alpha wouldn''t realize it. "Bet you''re having a hard time." Xan teased him as he dodged one of his kicks. He ducked and then sprung up, managing to hit the werewolf with a very strong uppercut. Mikain stumbled, giving him the opportunity to grab his head and smack it on the wall, one time, two times, a lot of times until the Alpha had fallen unconscious. Xan left his body to fall to the ground. "Kill him!" Lun shouted. That was his chance, it would take a few minutes for his wounds to heal. All he had to do was rip his heart or his head off. Xan locked eyes with the restrained vampire, he took a few steps closer and messily fell on his knees, a pained expression on his face. "Are you okay? Watch wrong?" he asked while Xan broke his restraints, setting him free. Lun once he was finally able to move again, moved closer. "I can''t kill him." he said. To rip someone''s head off, or their heart was something that needed a lot of strength. Not anyone could do it but Lun was pretty sure that a pureblood like Xan would have such an ability. The vampire though denied it, his chest rising as he panted, his expression deformed. "Why? I thought you were strong enough to do that" Lun asked him and the prince scoffed. "Of course I am you, big idiot." he said and his arms started to move. He ripped his shirt, revealing to Lun the reason why he didn''t have the strength to do it right now. His eyes widened, noticing after all this time the problem and his lips parted in shock. "It''s not fully healed." he mumbled and Xan nodded. Every time he breathed it hurt, as he moved the pain doubled and he hissed as he felt Lun''s fingertips touch the sensitive area around the half opened wound. "But why?" he asked, confused. "There is still a piece inside." Xan explained. "You''re kidding me." Lun said and Xan rolled his eyes, not believing that this would be Lun''s reaction to the news. "Are you a fuckign retard?" he swore. "Why would I be kidding? We need to get out of here. I need you to help me." he said and Lun stared at him with wide eyes, realizing what the help meant. He gulped, shaking his head in denial. "No, no, no there is no way I will do that. It''s too dangerous!" The vampire exclaimed, utterly scared with Xan''s idea. "You need to get the fucking piece of wood out. I am almost at my limit. I am in pain and I won''t be able to fight for too long. We don''t have much time so stick your hand inside me and get it out!" "Well that sounded very kink¡­" "Lun!" Xan shouted and the vampire gulped. He couldn''t do this. It was too dangerous. One wrong move and he could actually kill Xan. The truth was that the crown prince was right. They did not have much time, Mikain would wake up soon and then they were both probably dead. There was no actual chance that he would last more than five minutes in a fight with him. "If you do it I will kiss you." Xan told him. "What did you just say?" Lun asked, wanting to make sure that he had heard him right. "If you take the piece out I will kiss you." he repeated. "I am putting it in." Lun said, with a decisive expression.. The things he did for love. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 89 - 88 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com It was an idea Kai had at the last minute. He wasn''t sure about it but everyone seemed to want to follow along. There were not really any other options than this so-called Sleeping Beauty plan. Soran''s friend had agreed too, she had said it was a good idea and that she would be able to execute a spell like that easily. That was why they were outside the hotel right now, hidden and observing carefully the crowds of werewolves that were getting in and out of the building. Kai was anxious, hiding behind a huge expensive car like some kind of stalker, his green blue eyes stuck on the entrance. He was so focused and so nervous that sometimes he actually forgot to blink. John right next to him was biting his fingernails and he had to slap his hand more than three times to make his stop. "I''m sorry boss, I am just really nervous" the young man said and Kai shook his head, his eyes always glued to the hotel. They were waiting for the witch''s signal, which would give them a free pass to get inside and find Lun and his brother. He really hoped they were alright. He didn''t really trust his brother, all he could do was wish he had a bit of decency in him and he wouldn''t leave Lun there to die like that. But that thought was just wishful thinking at the moment. He couldn''t stop thinking about Philip either. He had no news from him and now way of actual contact. Everything seemed to be so complicated and during some times he felt his head ache. All his cares were piling up and after so long that he had spend trying to push them away the amount was unbearable. "When will we go in?" John whispered and Kai shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea. All the woman had said was that they would know when to go in. She had remained back at the forest, reassuring them that she didn''t need to be there for the spell to succeed. Kai had been suspicious as he heard that but Soran reassured him she was on their side. "Any moment now." Soran mumbled and Kai looked at him for a second. Then it happened. The sign they needed was so obvious it almost made them doubt that it was true. Suddenly every adult in the hotel, even the ones who were staying outside, standing at the entrance dropped unconscious. That was the sleeping beauty plan. Kai remembered that during the story of the sleeping beauty not only him but the whole kingdom had fallen asleep. He had believed that if they could do that to the hotel, even just for a few minutes they could freely roam around the hotel and find the others. Maybe Philip, if that was possible. It would actually be the best outcome, the one that would fully calm his nerves. Kai looked at John and nodded, reassuring him. The two vampires disappeared before his eyes. John tok ran as fast as he could and followed Kai. The fact that all of them could run so fast was helpful. John could see people everywhere, sleeping and some of them were even snoring. It was too funny for him not to start laughing and Kai gave him a nasty stare. "I''m sorry, but look at this guy. He is snoring." The young werewolf said, pointing at an unconscious werewolf that was laid on the floor. There was also a girl there who had fallen asleep in such a weird posture John was sure she would wake up sore. Kai and John had to invest in the higher floors of the hotel while Soran was supposed to check out the lower floors. So they had been separated, in search of the two prisoners, running around like crazy, opening doors and hoping that the spell would not end too fast. John and the prince reached the floor where they had been imprisoned last time. It was also the floor where Philip''s room was and the young prince opened the door first, hoping that he would be there. The werewolf though was gone, making his heart sink and a frown appear on his face. "I''m sure he is fine" John said, wanting to make him feel better. "I hope so. In this mess I can''t really calm down." He said and John nodded, understanding the pressure the prince went through. John placed his hand on one of the next doors to the right and was ready to open it when he heard talking from the inside. His eyes widened and in shock he looked at Kai. "I thought everyone was asleep." He said. "Me too. Wait, she cast the spell to all of the adult wolves. That means...there are children in there. Come on, let''s go." He whispered, signaling John to simply walk away from that room. There was no way that Mikain would have allowed kids to keep guard. John nodded, intending to follow his boss when the door of the room opened. He froze, facing the person behind it. They had heard them, even though Kai had been whispering, their presence had been known. The young werewolf locked eyes with the owner of the room and his heart raced, his blood beginning to boil without him realizing it. He was trying to forget about it, he was trying to put that memory to the side but seeing him right there, brought everything back. "You¡­" John growled filled with anger. "You are alive?" The person told him, completely stunned by John''s appereance. As John looked into his surprised eyes, his memories came back, invading painfully his mind. It was the first time he trully wanted to hurt someone and he couldn''t hold himself back. .... Hello everyone! Hope you liked the chapters and are enjoying the book.. Please leave a nice comment, a vote and a good review to help this work. Thank you! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 90 - 89 Best novel online free at novelhall.com He was anxious, his hands shaking while his eyes traveled between Xan and the unconscious werewolf that was laid on the floor. His fingertips touched Xan''s tender flesh, the blood dumping his hand as he moved deeper into his body, carefully grasping his flesh in a very gruesome search of that one piece of wood. Lun could feel his heartbeat, not in the romantic dreamy way, he could feel it, close as his hand got deeper into his chest. The vampire closed his eyes shut, hoping that way he would be able to concentrate better and sighed. Xan screamed, startling Lun and making him move, his eyes turning round and meeting him. "Did I¡­Did I hurt you?" he asked and the crown prince took in a deep breath, his jaw clenched as he shook his head negatively. Telling him that it hurt would simply make him worry even more anyways. "Then why did you scream?" "For dramatic effect. Now hurry up and get it out, have you found it?" Xan told Lun and the vampire rolled his eyes, clenching the soft flesh. For a second he stopped, his fingers brushing something that didn''t feel like it belonged there. He breathed in loudly, slowly pushing his hand deeper and with his thumb and index finger he pinched the foreign object. "Found it." The vampire mumbled. His eyebrows were furrowed, sweat was dripping off his forehead as he was trying really hard to focus. He had to pull it out completely straight. If he moved even the tiniest bit to the left he would end up stabbing his heart and killing him. "You can do it." Xan whispered, encouraging him and Lun nodded. He had never found himself in such a critical situation before, it was almost unbearable to watch, the tension between them kept rising, like a time bomb that was ready to explode. Lun felt on edge, his whole body being forced to stand still while his mind was running wild. He pulled out the stick, just a tiny piece of wood that was left behind and watched how Xan''s wound began to heal, rapidly. After a few seconds there wasn''t a wound anymore, the skin looking completely perfect, pale and with no signs of battle. Lun grazed his fingers on top of that naked part of his chest, his eyes glued on it, a sudden relief making him finally relax and his eyes fluttered. It was done, thankfully he had managed to pull it out successfully. Xan grabbed the stick from Lun''s hands as if it was a contagious disease and threw it away, both of them hearing it tumble in the silence. It was practically insignificant, but to them it easily turned into a death device. The crown prince slowly stood up, pushing back Lun''s hand and his cold blue eyes landed on the Alpha. "He has been asleep for a while now." he concluded and carefully kicked his hand, noticing that no matter what he did the man would not wake up. "Kill him then. We can finally be free of this idiot once and for all." Lun suggested and Xan nodded. Yes, it would be the best thing to do. Rip his heart, or his head, make him disappear while they tasted the sweet victory. The problem was that Xan still didn''t feel fully well. Even though the wound had healed he felt tired, his muscles tense and sore. He looked at Lun, embarrassed to say that he did not have the strength to do what was needed. "We should leave. We don''t know if he is going to wake up soon. I need to get you out of there first. Something is happening, it''s weird that he is still unconscious." Xan said and the man on his side frowned, not understanding his way of thinking. If it was in Lun''s hand this horrible man would have been dead by now, without a second thought. Not wanting to stay there for a lot longer though he decided not to argue about it. The stinky room, the stains of blood on the floor and the broken chairs did not really fit with his aesthetic. He just wanted to get out and find himself laying on his expensive couch, resting. He must have seemed really stupid to Xan, after all he was weak but still chose to stay behind. Not really a befitting attitude for a ruler of the underworld. "Fine, let''s go." he agreed and started walking when he felt Xan wrap his hand around his wrist. The vampire stopped and turned around, seeing his touch linger and he blinked, confused with what was happening. The crown prince didn''t say anything, his expression revealed none of his intent no matter how hard Lun was staring at him. He honestly simply looked like a mess, his hair which was always neat and taken care of had turned into stray white strands, his clean face a painting with delicate brushes of blood while his shirt was partly ripped, showing his pale body. "What is it?" Lun asked, unable to wait to hear him speak but again he did not reply. Xan tightened his wrist and pulled him towards him, making him land on his chest. The vampire gasped, his dark eyes confused but glued on his as Xan raised his chin gently. He kissed him. The crown prince had actually kissed him. It was so short that for a second Lun believed he had dreamed about it, some kind of stupid hallucination, that was probably it. But he had been wrong. This gentle kiss, light like the touch of a feather, had happened. "Our deal is over." Xan said and let go of him, pushing Lun away from his body. "Let''s go now." he mumbled, walking in front of him. Lun shook his head, trying to process everything that had just happened. He did it because of what he had said before? He was a man of his word after all but the vampire, walking slowly behind him couldn''t help but smile, trying to keep the feeling of his kiss forever. He couldn''t know if he would be lucky enough to experience something like this again. ... Hello! How does the book seem so far? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.. I hope you''re enjoying it! Thank you for reading. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 91 - 90 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Anger was an emotion he had rarely felt in his life. He didn''t know why but even as a kid, or a rebellious teenager he was never really angry. He was just reckless and stupid. Fury, that was another emotion he had never had the chance to experience. His life had been pretty numb, even when his world turned upside down he considered that he took everything in pretty well but today, at that moment John realized that he hadn''t. As his eyes met with him his blood began to boil. Everything that he had kept caged up inside bubbled up and he erupted like a volcano. "You bastard!" John exclaimed and jumped on the surprised boy. It was Brandon, one of the teenage werewolves that had brought him in, he was specifically the one that thought of putting his life at risk, changing completely who he was, was something he had the right to do. The truth was that Brandon did not expect to see him on his doorstep and that seemed to be his doom. John jumped on him, making both of them fall to the ground. The young boy had his head bump on the floor and he hissed. "Get off me you creep!" he screamed at John but the man couldn''t hear anything. He raised his arm and began punching him. While he was human, the way this kid ran, the way he punched, everything seemed scary to him. Now though he was different, he felt different and he could actually stand up to him. Brandon''s face had turned bloody, his hands clawing on his arms while John wrapped his hands around his neck. "You fucker. You are the reason my whole life became a mess and you don''t even have the decency to pretend you are sorry? You''re disgusting." John said as he heard him gasp for air. His tears were mixing with the blood on his face, creating watercolor designs on his tanned face. His eyes were pleading but he couldn''t speak, he didn''t want to, he was too proud to do it. "John!" Kai exclaimed and placed his arm on his shoulder. He had intended to let this little quarrel pass. After all, he knew that John needed to get it out of him and that Brandon should face some kind of punishment too. He could really have killed him back then, actually that was what he was intending to do. The thing was though that John seemed to want to kill the child. Kai couldn''t care less but he was sure this would depress John in the future. To avoid that Kai tried to stop him, save him from his own self. Right now it was the beast inside of him talking, trying to release itself. John would never want to hurt a child. "He is just a kid, if you do this you will regret it." Kai warned him. Brandon elbowed one of John''s arms, forcing him to loosen his grip. At that mere second he could breathe again, the teen wolf raised his head, hitting him right on the nose. It was a usual technique so you could avoid being choked. John swore, jumping back and then rushing in again ready to catch Brandon. He didn''t look as if he wanted to give up. He grabbed one of the armchairs, throwing it towards John and he screamed. "Get the hell out of here! You were supposed to be dead." he shouted at him and Kai rolled his eyes. He wasn''t really making this any easier for himself. John turned back, locking eyes with his boss. "John¡­don''t. He is a teenager." Kai tried to warn him one last time. He wasn''t going to intervene. He had decided that but he at least wanted to warn John about how horrible he would feel afterwards. Taking a life was no easy task and to people like him, the ones who were filled with kindness it would be a permanent scar. "Honestly¡­" John mumbled as he observed Brandon''s movements, trying to figure out where he would go next. The kid jumped over the coffee table in his room, intending to jump on John but he dodged it, grabbing him by the back of his collar and pulling him back. He grabbed the back of his neck and pushed his body forward, making his stomach land on his knee. Brandon began spitting blood, his body tired and he raised his head, one of his eyes half closed, bruised. "You''re trash." he insulted John and he scoffed. "Well you must feel really bad that you will be dying by my hand then." he told him and glued him on the wall, his arm high, his claws out as he readied himself to rip his heart off. Brandon began crying, realizing that he was being serious and started mumbling terrified apologies. Kai sighed. "John, don''t. You won''t be able to forgive yourself if you do it!" He screamed at him. "It''s fine!" John shouted. "He has to pay. I am so fucking tired" he exploded. "No!" Kai screamed, extending his arm ready to stop him but surprisingly someone else got in the middle. He grabbed John''s hand and pushed him back, allowing Brandon to be set free and run away. "Let go of me!" John shouted, not fully realizing who had stopped him until his hand was released and he raised his head. "What¡­" "Did you really try to kill a child?" Soran''s voice echoed in his mind, judgemental and distant. John''s eyes widened. "Soran¡­he¡­" Kai called, trying to defend the young man but his friend gave him a deadly glare. "We will talk later about why you didn''t try to stop this but you, John, tell me, did you really try to kill a child?" He asked him, raising the tone of his voice. .... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter! If you did please leave a nice comment, a vote and a review. What would you do if you were John? Would you kill Brandon? Thank you for reading! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 92 - 91 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Soran had heard fighting. While he scanned the whole hotel his ears caught a sound, underneath his feet. At first he was a bit confused, not thinking about the possibility of them being held underground but as the sounds got more intense he rushed down, finding himself in the humid basement. The hotel was obviously huge, with many floors and endless rooms. The same went for the basement. It was vast, with dim lights that flickered. Some of the doors seemed new, probably the ones that were used the most while they had staff only signs on them. As he stepped deeper into the basement the lights were fewer. He didn''t really mind that though, his hearing was what guided him. It was faint, the uproar had stopped for a while now probably because of the spell. He hoped that the two vampires would be alright. That the spell wouldn''t simply be a childish idea and that Kai would be right. He was a very good strategist once, but now, as time passed and he chose to remain in the shadows, idle, his friend couldn''t help but have some restrictions. He believed in him of course, he would follow him everywhere, he loved him after all but sometimes the change in his eyes was too obvious. The white haired man took a sharp turn, facing another corridor. He walked slowly, approaching the door the sounds came from. The closer he moved the easier it was for him to recognize Xan''s and Lun''s voices. They were alive and they sounded fine. He thought and a faint smile appeared on his face. He felt something on his shoe and he stopped, looking down to find a sleeping man. He crouched, moving his face close and noticed that the werewolf who had fainted, affected by the spell, was Mika. He chuckled, seeing his awkward position and grabbed him, making him sit on the side gently so he wouldn''t get hurt. The door of their prison opened, revealing the two men escaping in the dim light and meeting with him. "Well, it took you a while." Xan scoffed and his cold eyes noticed Mika, sleeping on the floor. He kicked his arm with his hand, wanting to see if he was alive and the sleeping boy frowned. "What is this?" he asked with a disgusted expression. "This was Kai''s plan so we could get you out without a bloodbath. They have all been enchanted by a friend of mine." he explained and a smile appeared on Lun''s face. He was happy, knowing that Kai tried to save him. Slowly, bit by bit he hoped that his best friend would return. Stop hiding. "My brother really has a tendency of avoiding things. We will have to kill them at some point anyway so why would we¡­" "Let''s just go." Lun said, interrupting him. "I think that Kai is great for thinking like that." Soran said. "Killing others, that''s the easiest thing, what we''re taught. Another way, I think that''s the hardest way of thinking." he said and the crown prince scoffed before he began walking. Lun looked at Xan, giving him a cheeky smile, satisfied that he had annoyed the prince and his friend shrugged his shoulders. "We need to get out, fast. Before the spell worms out. I imagine a spell of this caliber won''t last long." Lun said. Soran nodded agreeing with him but he chose not to follow them. He decided to head upstairs, find Kai and John so they wouldn''t have to search in vain. The faster all of them left the better for their group. Xan and Lun were safely outside so their mission was over. Unfortunately, the sound that led the handsome vampire to the prince and the werewolf was once more the sound of clashing. He heard grunts and swears, recognizing John''s voice and without thinking about it, worried that they might have faced something really dangerous he flashed upstairs. They were not in danger but somehow Soran was not relieved. He wasn''t noticed at first, Kai was on the side lines, observing while John was fighting, he looked as if someone had possessed him, something evil. He was beating up a child, Soran realized as he heard Kai warn him. He couldn''t understand why the prince was not interfering. He was perplexed, unable to decide if he should stop this or not. John always looked so kind, a creature that would never want to harm anyone but now, now he looked satisfied as that child''s blood coated his fists, like some kind of trophy for his actions. The child began to beg, realizing his own death would come soon and the vampire, unable to watch this any longer, stepped in. Soran grabbed John''s arm, helping the boy manage to run away. "Let go of me!" John shouted, not fully realizing who had stopped him until his hand was released and he raised his head. "What¡­" "Did you really try to kill a child?" "Soran¡­he¡­" Kai called, trying to defend the young man but his friend gave him a deadly glare. "We will talk later about why you didn''t try to stop this but you, John, tell me, did you really try to kill a child?" He asked him, raising the tone of his voice. John froze. His feet rooted to the ground like some kind of old and tired tree. His warm eyes were showing utter shock as he met with Soran''s angered expression. He didn''t know what to feel, what to think first. The person he had liked, the man he had admired from the first moment, was angry at him. The white haired man was staring at him, a frown deforming his usually calm expression and John''s heart began to race. He would hate him, Soran would hate him and he would be left alone again. Like back then, he would be kicked out. Alone. Alone. "I¡­I¡­" The young werewolf mumbled as Soran pushed his hand down with force. "Soran¡­." Kai stepped in, getting in the middle of them two. "That was the kid that turned John. he bit him with the intention of killing him. Of course he is angry, he would want to get revenge." he told him, trying to defend John. Soran looked at his friend, a disappointed expression on his face before he started talking. "That''s fine. It''s fine to be angry, It''s fine to want to get revenge, it is fine to be bitter but kill? Kill a fucking teenager? Maybe that''s okay for you Kai, for your brother and Lun, maybe it''s even okay for me but have you thought what it would do to him? He is practically a child himself! Do you want to ruin him like that? Why didn''t you cut in?" Soran asked, directing his anger towards Kai. "In this world it''s better that we make our decisions ourselves and pay the price." he told Soran and his eyes widened. "Are you serious? Did you like it when they did that to us? Back home? Watch us fail, watch us get humiliated just because you should know the cruelty of this world? How many things do you regret about Kai? How many horrible memories could you have avoided if there was someone there to stop you, advise you? Tell me." Soran scolded him. Kai looked down, feeling guilty about what he had just done. Many times he had said he hated BloodBound, their way of thinking, their malice but as it seemed, during the most critical moments he showed so well where he came from. It was embarrassing and he felt like a fool. Soran sighed, pushing back his hair. His eyes landed on a digital clock that had fallen on the floor. Time, their time was almost up. He noticed. "There is no need to talk about this right now. We need to go. Xan and Lun are outside the hotel and they are fine. The spell will wear off in a while." he warned him and the blonde prince nodded, unable to look his friend in the eye. "Sorry." Kai mumbled, not knowing what else he should say and walked away, leaving John standing in front of Soran, exposed. While they argued, John could think only of one thing. He didn''t want to be hated. Not by him, not by Kai, not by anyone. He didn''t want to feel like he had a few years back, alone, abandoned, dying in the cold winter. Soran would definitely not like him after what he had seen, after the beautiful porcelain mask he wore broke into pieces. He had tried so hard, he had hurt so much just to be what he had to but in only one moment, a mere second when he couldn''t control himself took everything away from him. "Are you not coming?" Soran asked him. He had reached the door, while the young werewolf was still frozen, looking on the floor. There were dark spots on the carpet. Spots that previously weren''t there. Blood. Not his, or maybe his too. He didn''t know. It looked disgusting though, dirty and it smelled. He cursed his keen smell, he cursed that his life changed like that. He cursed that he had been so easily exposed and the tears flooded his eyes without him knowing. Mixing with the spots on the carpet, small salty drops. Their pattering sound drew Soran''s attention. "We need to go." he repeated. The vampire wished that he could walk towards him, soothe the pain he was feeling, reassure him but he couldn''t, he wasn''t perfect after all. No one was. He shook his head, grabbing rudely his arm and pulling him out. John didn''t say anything nor did he try to stop him. All he did was cry silently, for reasons unknown. Soran couldn''t help but wonder, what could he be thinking and why did he look like that. He didn''t want to ask though, actually he didn''t want to speak at all. Their first little mission had ended well. No one was hurt, at least physically and Xan and Lun were fine. John though felt like he would die. He couldn''t look at Soran, his judgemental expression was just too cruel, too similar to the one his parents had while they looked at him like an utter failure. Kai was embarrassed. Disappointed with himself about what he had done. He shouldn''t be like this. He should reject every little piece that he had brought with him from BloodBound but sometimes it was so hard. He rested his back on his seat, sitting alone in the back of the car for now and he sighed. Looking outside as the cars rushed by. He hadn''t been able to find Philip, he had no idea where he was or if he was alright. The pain on his chest became stronger, his eyes filled with sorrow. They had succeeded but why did he feel as if he had failed? You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 93 - 92 Their car ride was silent, filled with awkward stares and failed attempts from Lun to cheer them up, break the ice a little bit. The truth was that the three of them being literally glued to each other on the back seats did not help at all. John who was sitting in the middle was staring right ahead, ready to have a panic attack, his thoughts going wild while Soran and Kai were looking outside their respective windows, their muscles tensed, one looking really angry while the other was deep in thought, his eyes a storm of confusion and unwanted feelings. "We obviously can''t go back to the mansion. A bunch of my people are dead too. I think a hotel is the best solution." Lun said but he got no answer from anyone. He sighed and turned the wheel, changing his route. "I guess I will be the decision maker today" he told himself and drove to a nearby hotel, making sure they were far enough from Mikain''s pack. They were probably awake by now, it was almost noon and they would be angry. It would be better to stay in a place filled with humans where they wouldn''t break the rules so easily. At least that''s what he hoped. "Mother won''t be pleased. About this failure. We should have killed them." Xan said out of the blue and Kai scoffed. "Fuck mother." He said and Lun tried to keep in a chuckle. "Oh that sounds so wrong in so many ways." He commented and Xan shot him a nasty stare. "Oh come on now honey you know I wouldn''t insult your mother dearest." The man said and Xan shook his head, fed up with that carefree attitude of his. The car stopped, Lun parking very awkwardly at the side of an alley, his car getting on top of the small sidewalk. Xan walked out first, looking at the place Lun had decided they would spend the night. He frowned as he pushed his glasses back, all of them looking at the brick building by now. "This is not proper accommodation" he said. "Why not?" The vampire asked, pretending not to know what he meant. "Because it''s not a hotel, Bloodbound has better inns than this. What the hell is this?" Xan asked and it was Soran who answered him. "It''s a motel and it''s perfectly fine. I just want to get some sleep, I''ll be getting a single room." He said and rushed inside not wanting to talk to anyone. Kai''s eyes widened, the prince attempted to follow him but Lun grabbed him, stopping him. "We need to talk." He told his best friend. Kai looked at the white haired man, grabbing the key the receptionist gave him and hopping up the stairs. He sighed, disappointed that he couldn''t talk to him. "You''re right. We need to put an end to this." "We sure do" Xan said with a devilish grin. "How many groups are after you now? Two...oh no my mistake, it''s three" his brother said. "Fuck you" Kai groaned. John had watched Soran disappear, his heart trembling like a sick child as he feared he was going to get hated. He watched Kai and his brother, bickering outside the motel and gulped, trying to free himself from the lump that was forming on his throat. He couldn''t let him walk out like that. He had to talk to him. Silently, knowing that everyone else was distracted he entered the motel. The receptionist didn''t even bother to ask him where he was going as he got up the stairs, she was too preoccupied with her Instagram page. As John reached the first floor he looked around, many doors with worn out numbers, a lower version of Moonshine''s hotel. It gave him the creeps, goosebumps crawling on his skin. Every time he stepped there something bad happened. He sniffed the air, feeling like a dog for a moment and frowned, kind of turned off by himself. He looked like a crazy man, a crazy man who instantly spotted Soran''s scent. He went up two more floors and knocked on the first door to his right, waiting for a little bit for the man to open. Soran soon appeared and he stared at him with a dissatisfied expression, making John pick at the skin in the sides of his nails. "What is it?" Soran asked, his voice sharp. "I...Can..can we talk? About what happened?" He asked them man. The vampire sighed and for a second John thought that he would slam the door in his face. He didn''t though, he moved to the side, allowing him to step in. He examined the small room, a double bed that was too close to the side of the wall with fresh light blue sheets. A tv, an old model John had even forgotten existed and a round table with just one chair. Another door to the side that probably led to the bathroom. This could not compare with Moonshine or Lun''s mansion. It was a downgrade but actually just two years ago John would have begged for a room like that, he would prefer anything rather than living on the streets. "Are you going to speak or what?" Soran asked him and walked towards the bed. He sat on the edge, observing John as he fidgeted, anxious. "I''m sorry." "You''re sorry for what?" "That you had to see that." "So you''re not sorry about what you did but because I saw you do it?" The vampire asked him, his handsome face filled with annoyance. "I...I didn''t know what had gotten into me. Kai warned me many times, he was going to jump in but you came. I just felt so angry. That kid, he is the reason I got tortured, I got beaten up and almost lost my life. You may see him as a kid but in my eyes, he is someone who tried to kill me. I know you believed me to be a nice guy, innocent and all but at that moment, I couldn''t be what you wanted and for that...I am sorry." John blurted out, trying not to expose his feelings. Soran didn''t say anything for the next few seconds, he seemed as if he was processing what John had told him. "Listen" Soran said. "Once you take a life, it''s over. The burden you will have to bear, the pain you''ll go through. I don''t care about that kid, yeah, he is obviously a bastard but...I just didn''t want you to get hurt. I was so mad because I wanted to protect you from making such a big mistake. That''s all." Soran explained. John stared at him, stunned and drowning in crushing waves of confusion. He did it for him. That''s what Soran has said, so...so he didn''t hate him. His heart was beating so loudly, his mind overwhelmed by the possibility of being thrown away. No it had changed, the rushing heartbeat was steady, still racing but he was flushed and blinking, looking like a surprised deer. Soran couldn''t help but smile. As he watched his soothing smile John felt like the world was put into place, and his eyes watered. "Why are you crying?" Soran asked as he stood up, rushing to him. There was selflessness in his voice, he simply was so kind and everything he did made him feel like crying. He felt like a child before him. "I thought you''d hate me. I thought you''d throw me away, like they did" he cried, aggressively wiping his eyes. "Boss too, if I don''t behave he¡­" "No." Soran said strictly and removed John''s hands from his face. He cupped his cheeks, his palm spreading an icy cold feeling on his body. "Kai would never leave you. He treasures the ones that are close to him. He is selfish and spoiled, you will see that later on but he is not bad nor mean. So don''t worry. As for me. John, you''re a wonderful person, honestly I wish I had met you sooner. You''re nice and funny in your own clumsy way. I wouldn''t hate you. I don''t think I could" the vampire said and John felt like he would have a heart attack. "Soran, I...I like you." The werewolf blurted out without thinking. "I like you too" Soran said, patting his head. "You''re a nice kid" Kid. He had just called him a kid, John realized. He didn''t mean like in that way, he had gotten it all wrong but what good would come if he corrected him. He forced a smile, his tears lessening with much courage and Soran smiled back. "Thank you." John said. This was his first heartbreak and it hurt. It hurt so much he wanted to crawl into one of those small corners and simply cry, become one with the wall and disappear. He hid that though, this excruciating pain of a love rejecting you. He closed his eyes as he walked out, taking a deep breath. "You are a kid after all." He told himself as new tears trailed paths on his cheeks. Not being loved back, hurt. ... I have a fever and I tried really hard to write a decent chapter. Hope you liked it! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 94 - 93 His conversation with Lun and his brother did not last long. He heard things he already knew, how they should find a way to stop Moonshine, how Mikain was a threat and needed to be dealt with. He agreed with all that, killing the alpha was the solution to their very difficult but at the same time easy equation. The problem was that Kai had another math problem to solve and that was Philip. He had no idea how the werewolf would take the announcement. They wanted to assassinate his Alpha and even though Kai was sure Philip hated him, the hierarchy was weird in wolf packs. The Alpha''s had weird powers that were usually considered taboo to use but if Mikain actually decided to do that, it was pretty possible that Philip would stand against them. An Alpha''s official order was absolute, that meant no one could disobey, it was magic. The last thing he wanted was Philip to turn against him. He already felt uncomfortable, the pit of his stomach hurting while he thought of him, somewhere out there doing god knows what and returning to that furious leader. He wished nothing bad would happen, he hoped that he would be safe and while his friend and brother talked his mind traveled, worried about him. "I will do whatever you want." Kai said towards the end of their conversation. "I will kill anyone you ask me to but Philip. I will not allow anyone to touch him." he announced strictly. Lun raised his eyebrows, showing his friend that he didn''t really care. Kai wasn''t worried about him, he was worried about the man standing next to him. His brother. He had a grin on his face, telling Kai that he would do whatever he wanted. "Xan¡­" "Yes, little brother." "Don''t you dare let the family know I am here and don''t you even think of hurting Philip." he said and his older brother laughed. "Why would I do any of that?" he asked him, a cheeky smile on his face as he spoke. "I mean, telling our family you''re here means that I will have to take you back. They are looking for you, you know. Mother wants to protect you. So why would I make your life easy? Also¡­I won''t have to hurt Philip, they will, even if he and you make it out alive they will come for you and then¡­it will all be over. He will never know what happened, he will die, bitter and wondering why did his mate kill him, why did he have to die a second time because of him?" he said. "Xan! Stop it. Why? Why do you have to treat me this way? What did I ever do to you? You weren''t like this." he screamed at his brother, his face filled with hurt. "Stop thinking about that stupid lover of yours and actually use your brain to think." Xan said, deciding to end their conversation there. He bumped on Kai''s shoulder as he walked inside the motel, not even looking back once. The younger prince sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to calm down. Lun patted his shoulder, giving him a comforting look. "He will come around. I am sure. He will speak." he said and Kai scoffed. "I doubt it." The prince answered with a bitter smile. He had decided, after this heated one-sided talk with his brother, that it would be best to talk to Soran. He knew his friend was angry, he had been at fault for that so he walked up the stairs, playing with the key of his room before he knocked on his door. Soran appeared, not very pleased and even tried to close the door in his face but the prince placed his foot between the doorframe and the door, hissing as it hit his leg. "Are you stupid?" Soran asked him, pulling him inside. "No." Kai said. "I want to talk to you." "And that''s a good enough reason to break your leg?" he asked him and the prince smiled. He was charming, the way he stood, the warmth in his blue eyes, the way he tilted his head to the side, looking at him. "You can break my hand if you want to, my leg. I don''t care, I just want to talk to you." "Always dramatic." Soran commented and Kai shrugged his shoulders. "So what is it that you want to tell me?" he asked him. Kai sat down on the chair, crossing his legs as his eyes met with his. "About what happened before¡­I know I was wrong." Kai said. "I wasn''t really thinking of BloodBound, of the things that we had to go through. In my mind I saw it as something that needed to be done. John one day he will kill someone, I just thought it would be better to get it over with and learn to live with it." he said and Soran frowned. "You don''t know if he will end up killing someone. He is kind, I don''t think he has it in him." Soran said and Kai smiled, his eyes showing a hint of sadness. "He may not have it in him but the beast? Once you get in this world you change. I hope John can stay the same, I really do but I don''t think it will happen. We don''t value life, deep inside none of us does because many of us wish to be dead." he said. A sigh escaped Soran''s lips, this conversation was a very difficult topic. Murder, killing in their societies was something casual, something that you could actually get praised on. Kai knew how people changed, he had lived for long, in BloodBound and away and even though he had met kind people he always watched, he always noticed how once you step on that line, once you lose your humanity then it''s over. Your soul decays. The thought of living forever has always been a curse, even for the ones who claim it as a gift. It was and will always be an excuse. "I want to protect him." Soran said and Kai blinked. He didn''t expect that kind of answer. Soran was the same as him and Lun rarely showed any interest in other people. "He is innocent and he is trying so hard to hold on to his humanity. I want to help him. I want to make sure he will never have to kill, that he will remain himself. "He confessed to me you know." The white haired man revealed with a chuckle and Kai''s eyes widened, turning perfectly round. "I pretended I didn''t realize it though." "That''s unexpected." Kai commented. "Will you accept his feelings?" "It''s his birthday tomorrow anyways. He will have to find his mate and I don''t think I see him like that. He is so young, I don''t know, I feel like we are very different." "Well, you never know." The prince told him. "Maybe you''re his mate." he joked and Soran laughed. "That is almost impossible. It''s really rare." he said and Kai nodded. "I know, it will also be hard for him." "Why? Isn''t it a fated bond?" "Yes but with vampires it changes. It''s weird actually. If a werewolf is mated with another werewolf or any other kind, which is also rare, the connection is genuine, you can immediately feel the pull from both sides but with vampires, who are their natural enemies it''s harder. First of all the vampire doesn''t realize the bond, you actually have to make them fall in love with you but in addition to that the vampire begins to feel a hatred towards the werewolf. It''s almost as if it''s their instincts going against it." "So you''re telling me you hated Philip at first?" he asked and kai laughed, shaking his head. "At first not that much, it was probably some kind of little competition we had, we met during the signing of the treaties in BloodBound. I was nineteen and he was soon to turn twenty. After his birthday though, every time I looked at him I wanted to punch him. It was hard for him." Kai explained. "Then let''s hope I am not his mate." "Yeah, your punches do hurt like a bitch." Kai joked when the door of Soran''s room was opened, revealing Lun. He walked in with a prideful expression, sitting on the bed right next to his white haired friend. Soran looked at the door, confused as to how he opened it but he didn''t comment on it. "Hello everyone. I have an announcement to make." Lun said with a bright smile. "And you couldn''t knock?" Soran asked. "Well, you wouldn''t be fucking. And I did hear everything you said so I didn''t really care." Lun said and both of his friends rolled their eyes. Staring at him as they waited. "Ask me what my announcement is." "No." Soran said. "What is your announcement Lun?" Kai asked him, deciding to play along. Lun clapped, his face beaming with excitement. "I am so glad you asked, because you see my dear Kai. Your brother, the crown prince, also known as Xan, kissed me." he said. "He did what?" Kai exclaimed, stunned by what he had just heard. Soran remained quiet, his lips parting like a fish. Surprised. "Yes, yes. He did kiss him. You see, I saved his life. I am such a hero and for that he kissed me." "I don''t believe it." Soran said. "What? Why?" "This story has plot holes. First of all, how would you save a pureblood prince¡­" "He had a wooden stick close to his heart and I took it out!" "And second of all, there is no way that Xan kissed you. I don''t believe it." "Shut up, it happened. It didn''t last long but it definitely happened." Lun said, a pout on his face. "Be happy for me." he told his friends and Kai laughed. "We are. Let''s hope next time it won''t be because you saved his life but because he wanted to." he said, throwing a tiny bit of teasing in his words and Lun scoffed. "Progress is progress no matter what you say." "I do agree on that but you see, we have a few more important things to do." Kai told them and the two men in front of him stared at him with a questioning expression. "To find Philip." he said with a sweet smile. "That sounds like a you problem." Lun told him, mimicking his innocent smile. "I''ll kill you.." Kai groaned, threatening him with his eyes. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 95 - 94 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com "We have been here for hours. My feet are tired and I am freezing cold! Why did we decide to be on the lookout so early?" Philip whined. At the moment they were hiding behind a car, crouching on the ground exactly opposite of the restaurant they had been informed the witch would go. It was a very beautiful building, designed based on classic architecture with white marbles and tall ceilings. Inside Philip could see clearly from the wide windows that people were waiting in line just for a table. The waiters dressed in tuxedos while the silverware was shining underneath the candle light. It seemed like a place Mikain would enjoy going. That thought alone was very displeasing and the werewolf frowned from time to time, thinking about what could be happening in the pack at the moment. He didn''t care much about the others, Kai though. He couldn''t stop thinking about him. Bringing the vampire in his thoughts was like a sweet poison. It tasted amazingly, a rich taste that reminded him of fruits and wine but at the same time he could feel his mind melting, as if acid had landed on it. It was the least peculiar, this mix of feelings he had inside of him, a storm and a clear sky, a snowy mountain and a calm seashore. He couldn''t explain it and putting it into words could be impossible. That''s why he had all those images in his mind, all of them surrounding the memory of his beautiful face, the sound of his smooth voice, the elegance of his movements. He caused all of these, he had made the pictures appear and the more Philip cared about him, the more he felt like there was something wrong with him. Falling in love was a first, he didn''t think he was ready for it and that scared him. Also, there could be a time limit, possibly actually. After that what would happen? He couldn''t help but wonder. "Shut up" Reina scolded him, pulling him back from his confusing thoughts. In just a few minutes his mind had traveled so far. "You think I''m having a blast here?" She asked him. "We need to wait though. It''s night. She will get hungry at some point!" She said, sounding almost as if she was trying to convince herself. "I''m hungry too." He mumbled and the girl scoffed, eyeing him with anger. "Think why we are doing this." "For Kai." "And for the pack." "Yeah, that too." The werewolf man agreed lightheartedly and heart his friend sighed. He smiled, knowing already that Reina considered him a lost cause. It was fine though, he didn''t mind. "I hope she doesn''t eat us out." Reina said, concerned. They had little time to organize. This was a last resort but still she could calculate easily all the things that could go wrong. "We can only hope." Philip said and she nodded. It was too late to back down. Their eyes focused on the entrance again, both of them observing the cars that stopped. After about an hour, when it was already around ten a huge black limousine stopped in front of the restaurant. A woman stepped outside, dressed in black, tattooed arms and a gorgeous figure. Reina''s eyes widened, she elbowed Philip, showing him the woman. "Is that her?" He asked. "Yes. Look at the tattoos. This is Aira." Reina whispered. "Come on, let''s go to the back." She ushered him and both of them, hiding behind the rushing cars and street lamps, looking almost like a parody reached the back of the restaurant. There was another door there, made for the staff and taking out the trash. Reina and Philip had to hide again, this time in a less pleasant place. They stood between two huge garbage bins waiting. For once they seemed to be lucky. The door opened slowly, releasing them from having to smell the stink of rotten food. Two men walked out, holding more garbage in their hands, ready to throw them in the dumpsters and leave. At that moment Reina and Philip jumped forward. They grabbed them by their necks, suffocating them so they fainted. The men got dragged further into the back of the dead end road and had their clothes removed from them. In Reina''s body the uniform looked a little bit odd, oversized but the truth was none of the two cared about it. After they fixed their clothes a bit they entered, finding themselves in a very busy kitchen. More than twenty people were running around, an angry chef screaming orders and the werewolves gulped as they grabbed two silver trays from a stand. "What are you doing here?" The chef screamed and landed two plates onto Philip''s tray. "Get that to table fifteen. Now!" He shouted and the man rushed outside, having no idea which was table fifteen. He scanned the room with his eyes, searching for Aira. Such a beautiful lady was easy to be found, from her wild hair to her stunning smile she stood out in the crowd of people. She was accompanied by two witches. They were having some kind of funny conversation because the three of them hadn''t stopped laughing. They were drinking white wine, Philip noticed as she grabbed her delicate glass, bringing it close to her lips. The werewolf observed her for a bit more, seeing how she moved, trying to understand her. As she took her last sip Aira raised her head, landing her big eyes right on him, startling him. A grin spread on her face. He was spotted. It was obvious that she knew what he was. From the way that she looked at him to how she moved her index finger, playfully calling him. Philip raised his head, not wanting to appear weak and started walking. Another waiter passed him by, heading to the kitchen and he passed him the tray "They said it didn''t taste good and sent it back" he lied to the server and rushed away not caring about what he had to say. "Hello there. Did Mikain send you?" She asked. Philip didn''t have the time to answer. "I doubt that. I heard he was busy, being enchanted and losing his prisoners. Really...that man is an idiot." She said and her friends giggled. "So, tell me young wolf, what brings you here?" She asked him again. "I came here because I have an offer to make." Philip announced. "I think you will be interested." Aira raised her eyebrow. Her eyes left Philip and she called a waiter asking for another chair. The man seemed to be confused but did what he was asked anyways, bringing a chair for Philip to sit down. "I am listening." She told him. "You won''t be getting the prince you paid for." Philip said. "And why is that?" "As you said...our Alpha is an idiot. Also the prince, he and his companions are very smart and very strong. Also he belongs to the Avger family, his brother came for him. Do you think it would be good for your coven to have his blood on your hands? We are not talking about just any kind of pureblood or vampire royal. We are talking about the monarchs" Philip informed her. During that time Aira had a smirk on her face, as if she was talking to a cute little child. Soon though it disappeared. "That...idiot." she mumbled, showing how she got angered. I''ve already paid your Alpha. I will not be giving out my money like it''s nothing. I warned him that if he did ¡­." "You will be getting something valuable in return." Philip interrupted her, giving her a charming smile "Why are you doing all these little wolf? Are you scared about your pack or do you want to be the next Alpha?" She asked him. Philip shook his head. "Kai, I mean the prince. I love him. I won''t let him get hurt." "That''s so sweet" she said, her words though we''re not genuine, she almost sounded as if she was mocking him. "Did you say Kai...wait, is the prince named Kai?" She asked, a spark igniting her eyes. "Yes." "And who is with this prince of yours? Maybe a man named Lun?" She asked. "The underworld''s boss" she exclaimed excitedly. "Yes. But why do you care?" "Oh, I just happen to know him. I am fond of him. And I had heard him talk about looking for his friend, a vampire named Kai. Who would have guessed that the world was this small." She mumbled, her mood changed completely. "So tell me, what is it that you will offer me?" "An Alpha. I will give you Mikain. You can dissect him, sell him, do whatever you want with him. He will get you lots of money. He is strong." Philip said and Aira''s eyes widened. "That doesn''t sound bad but I also want Lun." "What do you want him for?" Philip asked her, filled with suspicion. "Nothing bad, I swear. So you will give me the alpha and Lun." "And no one gets hurt." "No one gets hurt." She agreed. "Except Mikain of course." "Yes. So, we have a deal?" "I suppose we do" she told him and grabbed her bag from the side of her chair. She opened it and took out her wallet, finding a small little card and passing it to Philip. "Call me here when you''re done. I won''t wait long. If you don''t make it I will come for your pack and your prince. Avger or not." She said. ..... Philip giving Lun away just like that xD Also don''t get surprised how they know each other. If you think he is a mafia boss he has lots of connections. Just to make that clear. Hope you liked the chapter! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 96 - 95 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com "Just call your remaining people okay? Tell them to go and look for Philip. It''s not really that hard." the young prince said while he and his friend were sitting in Soran''s room. Lun had a frown on his face, laid on the bed he sat up. "You think it''s that easy?" Lun asked. "Half, no maybe even more, of my people are dead. It will take days for more of them to arrive from BloodBound. Also I am pretty sure the rest fled, not that will save them from me but yeah, we can''t use them for now." He explained and Kai scoffed. They were all alone at the moment, no protection, no secure hiding place just all of them gathered in a cheap motel while Kai was sitting on burning stones waiting for Philip to magically appear. "What can we do then? How will I find him?" he whined and his face landed dramatically on the table, a loud cry escaping his lips as he smashed his feet on the floor. Soran chuckled, being very familiar with such an image while Lun rolled his eyes. "Weren''t you the one who said he was going to stay away?" Soran asked the prince. Kai turned his head, still on the table and peeked at his two friends. "I did. But we all know that''s impossible. The guy breathes and I feel like I will faint. Oh gods I am hopeless. For two hundred years, I was perfectly fine but no. You!" he shouted and pointed at the brown haired vampire "had to come at my shop, which has been closed all this time to bring trouble." he accused him and Lun shrugged his shoulders, not caring the slightest bit that he partially blamed him for his life turning upside down. "Well, I think you''re better that way. Philip loves you. I am sure he won''t try to kill you the moment he turns twenty." Lun said, giving him an encouraging smile. Kai raised his head, blinking. "You think?" he asked. "Yeah, I mean it will take a few days for him to fully remember and then he will go after you like a maniac to rip your heart off." he joked and Soran began laughing. Kai stood up, flashing right in front of his friend and jumping on him, making him land back on the bed as he started to suffocate him. "Sorry, sorry." the man said as he coughed. "Pussy." Kai mumbled as he let go of him. "I actually think that it will be fine." Soran repeated and the prince gave him a suspicious look. "I am serious. If we have Xan, he will talk, he is not really that bad. I mean he even kissed Lun, that must mean something¡­at least I hope." "I don''t know. But I can''t think about it now. All I want is to find Philip." Kai repeated and Lun mimicked his longing expression, making them both laugh at his theatrical acting. "Oh my, Philip, where are you?" he joked. "Enough." the blue eyed royal said. "We could go out." Lun said and both Soran and Kai stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you insane?" Soran asked. "Do you know how much money Akai will take for helping us? Do you want to add more to the bill?" "I mean, think about it. Mikain will be really upset. He brought all of his dogs in. I doubt he will be letting anyone have fun outside tonight. All he will be thinking is how to capture Kai. Now that he escaped a second time he will gather everyone and start blabbing about strategies and so on." "And how do you know that?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow. "It''s simply how rulers act. When they see that their plans do not work they start again. He used to plan by himself, maybe with his Beta but as he sees that something is wrong, that he is not succeeding on his own he will get the whole pack involved in an act of fake democracy. So while he does that, being stupid and all we, could go out, search for your lover boy and at the same time get some food, because I am starving." Lun said, his fangs popping from his lips as he smiled. "I am starving too." Soran said but he had a troubled look on his face. "My human¡­I don''t think I can bring them here, it''s too dangerous. All of my supplies are on Akai''s house too." he said and Kai laughed. He stood up and approached his friend, placing his palm on his shoulder as his blue eyes looked at him. "Welcome to the club." he teased him, initiating that he would have to feed from someone else. "Just don''t throw up on me." Lun said, raising his arms and Soran sighed, not pleased with the idea. Taking someone''s blood was a complicated process if you were not intending to kill them. Vampires released something like a numbing poison from their fangs. That relaxed their victim and made them feel comfortable. It also created a very weird aura between the drinker and the drink. He didn''t like it, not even with his chosen human, with a stranger on the street it would be much worse. He imagined and his expression changed, showing disgust. "Anyways, you get used to it." Kai told him. "Let''s go. We will feed and then find Philip." he announced. Three vampires, out during the night, lurking in the shadows for a prey to feed, hungry while the scent of blood lingered in the air. Three friends meet after two hundred years, one known to be worse than the other, the rush of danger still in their blood, starved and accompanied by a famous troublemaker named Lun while Kai is slowly returning to his old self. What could possibly go wrong? .... Hello! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Tell me in the comments what you think might happen...I just want to say things will get...rowdy. And I''ve been seeing some comments about a jealous Philip. Hmm, how could I please you dear readers? Please if you like the story so far leave a vote, a nice comment and a five star review! thank you! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 97 - 96 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com "So, seriously now, you''re telling me that you just gave away that Lun guy without asking anyone." Reina said. Philip''s conversation with the witch didn''t last long, he was thankful for that. The more it took the more he was sure his nervousness would show through and that alone would cause him to lose instantly. She would see through him and end up losing the deal. Right now though, he was very pleased. He had managed to make her agree to take Mikain away and the price was actually pretty small. She would benefit too of course but it was more of a win for him, Kai and Moonshine. For Lun, well, time would show. "She said she knew him, Reina. Come on, I am sure it will be fine. She said no one gets hurt except for Mikain. That is good for us." he told her. The girl rolled her eyes, fixing her glasses afterwards. After they had knocked out those two servers they had hidden their clothes behind a half empty garbage bin. They had hoped their clothes wouldn''t catch the stench and thankfully they weren''t long enough for that to happen. At the moment, as they found themselves sneaking out from the restaurant, the two waiters had woken up and half naked were causing a commotion in the kitchen making it easier for them to leave without anyone noticing. They grabbed their clothes, Philip standing in front of Reina with his back turned first so she could change. "I hope so. You know Kai wouldn''t appreciate it if you actually put his friend in danger." she reminded him and the young wolf sighed, pulling his shirt downwards from the top of his head. He walked as if he was in a hurry, wanting to get away from the alley and the smell of rotting found and the pair found themselves facing the busy road during the night. Cars were passing by, some of them speeding, their lights shining red and yellow in front of their eyes and disappearing instantly. There were many people out tonight, maybe because it was Saturday. Girls and boys dressed well, ready for their nights out. Philip looked at them, slightly jealous. While he was trying to find a way to keep his boyfriend alive everyone else was out there partying. On the other hand he was changing his stolen clothes behind a dumpster. If anyone asked him he would have laughed at the mention that his life would be like this in the short future. "All I care about is Kai. I want him safe." Philip told her, seriousness in his voice and the girl grinned, punching him in a friendly way on the shoulder. "He will be fine, loverboy. Don''t worry. So, what else did the witch say?" "She didn''t say much. Just that in two days one of her witches would come and meet me in secret. She will provide us with a potion that will make Mikain weaker, that way you, Mika and I will be able to take him out. Strong or not we need to be sure that this idiot will die. He is an Alpha after all." he told her and Reina moved her head eagerly. You could never be sure enough with matters like that, orelse they would end up dying. "Is Mika alright?" Philip asked the moment the light on the street turned green. They passed by in a hurry, seeing the color change after a while and the endless rows of cars began to travel again right in front of them. "Yeah. The pack is a mess. Mikain failed a second time and he has called everyone into some kind of meeting. He hasn''t stopped talking for hours. I feel sad for Mika." she mumbled, but her expression was showing the exact opposite. She was smiling, her eyes playful as she imagined Mika sitting in a chair for hours in the front row, all alone having to pretend he cared about what Mikain was saying. "Should we go too?" "Nah, I don''t think so. I mean getting there late will make everyone notice us. Then Mikain will start asking questions and shit will get really awkward. I think it would be better if we go out and have some fun! Celebrate our little victory!" she said, doing a little happy dance with her body. "Let''s go to the gray zone!" she exclaimed, meaning the little alley everyone from the supernatural scene of the city usually hangs out. Philip was hesitant, thinking if it was a good idea considering the fact that he had to find Kai and let him know of what happened. Seeing Reina so excited though and all these people ready to have fun kind of convinced him too easily. He sighed, shaking his head and a smile formed on his face. "Let''s go!" he told her, his voice loud and the girl clapped. They walked all the way to the gray zone. Loud music front he opened doors of the bars, the darkness of the night and the flashing lights. People on the street, girls dressed with few clothing, men who were desperately going after them. Elves, vampires and many others gathered there, not caring where the other belonged. With the corner of his eye Philip noticed a young man. He had some kind of dust in his hands and he hungrily inhaled it. His eyes turned instantly black and he seemed to immediately get hazy. He frowned, recognizing it as what Reina had sold before, magical drugs, Dragon scales. Reina grabbed his arm and pulled him away from that depressing scene, leading him to one of the most known clubs. There was a long line of people outside, the music making the ground shake while the man at the door let people in one by one. They stood in the back, his friend dancing happily to the beat of the music looking around, filled with interest when she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened and she took a step closer towards where she was looking, her face showing she wanted to make sure if what she was seeing was true. The werewolf was looking towards two figures that had just gotten out of one of the clubs. They were stumbling and moved towards a darker side of the wall. She blinked, slapping Philip next to her, signaling him to pay attention. "What?" he asked her, annoyed after he had been slapped three times. "Oh gods, isn''t that your boyfriend?" She asked Philip. "He is¡­.someone is kissing his neck!" She exclaimed and Philip''s head snapped, his eyes searching for what Reina had told him. It didn''t take long for him to find them, Kai with some stranger. "What the fuck?" Philip said between gritted teeth before he stormed over there. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 98 - 97 Kai had stated many times that he did not like the night time anymore. He wanted to avoid his own kind or any other supernaturals, he wanted to pretend like he didn''t exist, or more that his nature did not. He pretended to be human, acted like them, lived like them. He had done that for so long almost forgetting that once he had been in love with the night. Almost. That was the key word because after they escaped death, the rush of the adventure, the strong hunger and the sweet taste of danger mixed all together. It was a sensation he had missed, hadn''t experienced in such a long time that it hit him like a gust of cold wind during a scorching summer. The night was a temptress. The moon in the sky was the only one that would remember and the loud music would be the one that would cover all the lies. The darkness of the underground buildings hid the lustful looks and the naughty grins. Lun was having fun, Soran was having fun and Kai, well he was ecstatic. As his friends dragged him to one of the clubs he seemed to want to resist at first. It was always a battle. The wounded and broken Kai fighting with his vampire self. A spoiled prince who loved to have a good time. It had been like this ever since he had escaped BLoodBound, ever since he had denied himself the freedom of expression. He sat at the back of the club, the same as every time he had gotten out with Lun and observed the crowd, exchanging a few words with his friends here and there while they waited for their drinks. He didn''t know anyone. Even though he was one of them he had never met them. He had never bothered with them and they did not concern him. As bad as it sounded, most people were irrelevant to Kai. That was why he would always make superficial relationships, he would always smile and greet people and then the next second he would forget their names. Lun had been his personal name reminder back home. At every ball, every gathering and meeting he would just nod and smile, his face that of an angel''s before he rushed to the closest glass of wine. Right now though things were a bit different for the prince. He had to pay attention. He had to see through the crowds and the sweating dancing bodies. He could sense a few humans in there too. Those were the ones he was searching, the ones that had warm blood running through their veins, someone he could lead outside and finally eat. Lun was the first one to find prey. He was used to the hunt after all. He stood up and walked towards a very beautiful girl with long blonde hair and a pink dress. With no shame he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. The girl giggled as he led her outside. "Well that was fast?" Soran commented as he followed them with his eyes until they disappeared. The liquor tasted bitter in his lips, his eyes scanning the room the same way Lun had but he didn''t seem to be pleased by the crowd. If Lun was the kind of guy that believed that anyone would do Soran was the exact opposite. The white haired man had taste. "Won''t you go too?" Kai asked and he frowned. "I am not really pleased by what I am seeing. Half of them are semi conscious while the rest have taken drugs. Drinking their blood would just ruin my appetite." "It will ruin your appetite anyways. They are not your chosen human." Kai reminded him and he shrugged his shoulders, gulping down the remains of his drink before he got up. "This one will do." he said and pointed at a male waiter. He was wearing a bunny mask so his face was not really visible. Soran had found him looking at him a few times and his smile was kind of cute so he chose him. He raised his hand, tilting his head to the side with a cheeky smile and the waiter''s eyes glistened with desire. "Humans¡­" Soran mumbled, seeing how easily he gave in and Kai laughed. His last friend found his dinner for the night and disappeared at the back of the club while he was seated on the leather couch still. "I should find something soon too." he reminded himself. After that they had to search for Philip. No matter how fun he believed this whole little game was and how much he enjoyed being with his friends, drinking he couldn''t calm down as long as he knew that Philip was fine. While he thought of his boyfriend his eyes landed on a man. He was young, around nineteen or twenty, wearing a pair of big round golden glasses that stood before his big hazelnut eyes. He didn''t seem to like being there, standing on the side of the room, almost stuck to the wall and hastily he drank his drink. He really looked out of place with his flannel shirt and old shoes. Most of the people here were half naked after all. As if he sensed it the young man turned his head, his eyes meeting with Kai''s. The vampire smiled at him, watching how he took a step back startled, his cheeks flushing a faint pink. He was cute at least. He thought as he stood up. The prince passed through the crowd, making sure no one touched him because all of them were sweaty and disgusting and found him. "Hello." he told him, whispering in his ear. "H-Hi." the young man stuttered and Kai smirked. "You seem a bit uncomfortable, are you alright?" he asked him. "I don''t really like places like this. The music''s too loud and the people are¡­weird." he said, looking at his shoes. "Oh, I can leave if you want. I wouldn''t want to be one of those weird people." he told him, his eyes scanning his face. Kai didn''t seem like the type who would do the first move at anything. His elegance, the softness in his appearance made everyone believe that he would simply sit back and wait, like a damsel in distress. The funny truth was that the vampire prince enjoyed hunting the same as every other vampire. He was mischievous and cunning, enjoying luring his prey. "No. no." the man said, raising his hands. "I¡­I didn''t mean it like that. I am sorry." he apologized and Kai laughed, taking a step closer. He believed the unknown man would try to step away but he stood still, allowing him to get close. He placed his arm on the wall, resting there while he towered over him. "So, what''s your name?" Kai asked him. "Mike." "That''s a cute name." he complimented and he blushed, averting his gaze. "T-thank you, you?" "Kai. My name is Kai." The prince said sweetly. Mike was looking downwards, too shy to face him. Kai tilted his head, meeting his eyes and smiling innocently, making his heart flutter. "Want to get out of there?" he asked. "I think I can make you like places like these. If you come with me that is." he said. Mike''s eyes widened, his lips parting as he took in a short breath. He waited for a few seconds before he nodded, Kai taking his hand in his and leading him outside the club. "Your hands are cold, are you alright?" Mike asked him as they walked outside. "I am a little cold to be honest. Will you warm me up?" he asked him. Kai would seem like the villain in situations like these. Luring outside a young man, making him believe that he is interested in him just to drink his blood. Well, he kind of was but he was not planning to kill him, nor hurt him. That was why this whole thing was important. The more relaxed the person was, the more easily the poison would work. He wouldn''t feel pain that way. If he grabbed him and forced him the pain would simply be too much. The person might not die from the loss of blood but many had died from heart attacks just because of the fear. He didn''t want that, he was in no mood to hurt anyone. Also he was not planning to do anything else with him than to drink his blood, his friend''s though¡­he couldn''t guarantee that. Kai led Mike to a dark corner. He didn''t have to be as restrained as he usually was. The gray zone was usually filled with supernaturals anyways, that meant he could drink blood and actually not be scared that someone could see him. "You have really pretty eyes." Mike told Kai and the vampire smiled. He gently pushed the man to the wall, imprisoning him between his tall body and the cold bricks. Kai caressed his cheek, his thumb landing on his lips. "Thank you" he told him sweetly, his voice dripping with honey and Mike smiled. He carefully brought Kai closer and kissed his neck. It was a shy peck and the prince stopped himself from laughing. It was a good thing he wasn''t that aggressive though, it would make things easier. Kai put his hand in Mike''s rowdy hair, and turned them around. That way he would drink his blood and be able to look behind him, just to be sure that nothing would go wrong. Mike took a deep breath, his heartbeat reaching Kai''s ears. His heart was going insane. Kai placed his palm on his chest. "Relax." he whispered to him. "Close your eyes." he instructed him and Mike did as he was told. He felt Kai lick his neck, his body shivering from the sensation and the prince released his fangs, ready to drink his blood when suddenly his dinner was snatched away. He looked up, seeing the young human being pulled back by a man. "What the heck are you doing?" Philip''s voice reached him and Kai froze. This was the second time the werewolf was interrupting his eating time. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 99 - 98 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Everything happened so fast. Kai had barely a few seconds to put the pieces together and try to save the poor human. The werewolf had grabbed Mike, shouting. He raised him in the air, his fists curling on his collar and Kai stepped in the middle, appearing in front of the furious man. "Woah, let''s calm down. I can explain." He said, raising his arms. "Let the human go." He told Philip but the werewolf didn''t seem willing to listen. He threw the terrified human to the ground and kicked him in the stomach. Then he grabbed him again, raising him up and punching him right on his nose, making his face get filled with blood while his head snapped back from the force. "Please, I''m sorry" Mike said, his eyes filled with tears. "Philip, wait!" Kai shoited in distress and grabbed him from his arm, pulling him away from Mike. The human fell down, his hands weak making his body land on the cold concrete. He stumbled, needing some time to get to his own feet and after a few tries he managed to get up and ran away. Terrified that his life was in danger he didn''t even look back once as he rushed away from the alley. "What the hell are you doing? He is a human" the vampire prince scolded him and the raven haired man scoffed. "Really? You''re preaching me? What were you doing with him? I''ve been running around trying to find a way to save you and you sit in dark corners making out with strangers?" Philip screamed in Kai''s face, making a few curious passerbys turn around and look at them, ready to gossip. The prince noticed them and clenched his jaw, his eyes glued to his boyfriend as he tried not to shout back. "I was not making out with him" he said between gritted teeth. "If you had just let me explain" he hissed and Philip started laughing, he wasn''t happy of course, he simply found the whole situation so ironic. He took a step towards Kai, pinning him to the wall, his fist gathering the fabric of his shirt underneath his neck in a threatening motion. Kai''s blue eyes first looked at the grip the werewolf had on him and then at the young Philip. "What do you think you''re doing?" He asked him. "I didn''t know you were a lying cheat. I guess royal blood runs too deep. You want it all right?" Philip insulted him with a twisted grin. Kai tilted his head to the side. He raised his arm and wrapped his fingers around Philip''s wrist. "Get your hand off me and let''s talk like civil people." He warned him and Philip smiled. He didn''t make a move, he was intending to change his stance. Kai gave him a few seconds, his eyes scanning his face, wondering if he was going to do it. After a while, the opposite happened. Philip tightened his grip on his collar and slightly pushed him back. Kai''s jaw dropped with his attitude and he squeezed his hand. Philip frowned at first, his expression changing from a cocky one to a try to hide his pain. "Let go" he repeated but still the werewolf was standing strong. He applied more pressure, hearing the wind escape from Philip''s lips as he hissed in pain before the prince crushed the bones on his wrist. Now he couldn''t hold him anymore. Philip''s hand dropped, his expression stunned. "You broke my wrist." "And you disrespected me and refused to hear me out" Kai said. "You broke my fucking wrist!" Philip shouted, holding his pain wrist while it healed with his good hand. "And you fucking kicked away my food! For the second time!" Kai screamed back at him. The werewolf gasped, surprised as he realized that Kai was actually not really intending to do anything with the human. He bit his bottom lip, embarrassed as the pieces clicked together slowly and averted his gaze. "Why aren''t you talking? Come on. You had so much to say before. I am all ears." Kai pushed him, coming closer as he escaped from the wall. "Look at me." He said, pointing a long finger at him. He grabbed Philip''s chin and moved his head, forcing him to make eye contact. "You will never call me a liar, or a cheater again. Am I clear?" He asked. "You won''t scream in my face and you will talk to me. Orelse the next time it won''t be just your wrist that you will lose." He warned him and his eyes slowly traveled to his pants. Philip gasped, suddenly feeling not only embarrassed but in danger too. It was obvious Kai was not in a good mood. He hadn''t eaten in a while and now he had just lost his dinner right before his eyes. The prince took a deep breath, walking a bit further from Philip and stood underneath a street lamp, its soft light gently showering his angered figure. "Sorry." Philip said and gifted him with a sad smile. "I got jealous. I...sometimes it''s hard to control how I act." He apologized. "That was completely unnecessary. Do you know how long I haven''t eaten? I am trying really hard not to hurt anyone but if this keeps going I won''t be able to control myself." Kai explained, making the werewolf feel guilty. "I feel bad." The raved haired said with a pout. "You should. You beat up that poor guy, you tried to threaten me, you screamed, making us a spectacle and most importantly you took my dinner away!" He reminded him all of the things he did in just a few minutes. Philip took a few hasty steps towards him, grabbing his hand and entwining their fingers. "Sorry." He repeated while he heard Kai sigh. He didn''t take his hand away though, he let their bodies touch slightly, giving the chance to Philip to feel the coldness of his body, the softness of his skin. "I won''t do it again, I promise" "It doesn''t matter, it''s done" Kai mumbled and pushed back his hair, impatient. He almost felt as if he was in pain, his hunger growing and growing as his mouth watered in need of his life source. He had been tapping his foot on the ground when Philip spoke again. "What if you drink my blood?" The werewolf proposed and Kai''s head snapped, his eyes turning round as he questioned if he heard him well. "What did you just say?" Kai asked, wanting to make sure he wasn''t going insane because of his hunger. "Bite me.. Drink my blood" Philip stated boldly. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 100 - 99 Best novel online free at novelhall.com "You don''t mean it." Kai said, desperately trying to control his urge to jump on his right here and there. Philip smirked, raising his eyebrows and pulled him closer. "I do though" he said. The prince was aware that the werewolf was not fond of vampires, Philip wasn''t trying to hide it after all. That was why everything that had to do with his nature and especially his hunger probably seemed to him disgusting. He had decided to keep these problems to himself but now, as he heard Philip offer him his blood his heart raced. He didn''t know who he was, he had no idea what a drop of his blood would do to him. Just the thought of it was intoxicating enough. "Are you sure?" Kai asked, hoping he wouldn''t change his mind. "Yeah, let''s go." He said and pulled Kai away from the light of the street lamp, getting him back on the narrow road of the alley and leading him away. "Go where?" Kai asked, confused. "Hotel. My first time has to be special" he joked with a teasing smile and Kai rolled his eyes. All the way to the nearest hotel Kai was afraid that the werewolf would change his mind. It wasn''t an easy decision after all, he would respect everything he said. He had decided that. He didn''t though. Philip got them a room and confidently headed upstairs, holding Kai''s hand all the way. He opened the door, revealing a small room with a double bed and a TV drilled to the wall. There was nothing else, except a very narrow bathroom with just a showerhead. Kai looked around, scanning the small space as Philip sat on the bed. "Not what you''re used to but it will do" he told him and Kai raised his eyebrows. It was more than enough, he could actually drink his blood in a dirty bar bathroom, he didn''t mind at all. Just the thought of it was ecstatic enough. Kai hadn''t drunk the blood of his person for two hundred years but now he was standing right in front of him, his hands touching the mattress as he supported his muscular body, a lazy smile on his face as their eyes met and his neck. His neck was exposed, right before his eyes. He could hear his heartbeat. Loudly, like a drum it echoed in the walls of his mind and the prince gulped, his mind only on one thing. He walked towards Philip, a small smile appearing on his own face as he realized fully the situation he was in. This was actually happening, he told himself as he elegantly sat on Philip''s lap, wrapping his legs around his waist. He cupped Philip''s cheeks, gently and the werewolf gave him an adorable wide smile that made his heart flutter. "Are you sure?" Kai asked him one last time. "Yeah" Philip whispered and moved closer, making their lips touch. He kissed the prince, softly at first but as the seconds passed their kiss became hungrier. Teeths clashing, Philip biting his bottom lip and entering his mouth with his tongue. Exploring him with passion. Kai moaned, enjoying the sensation of his lips on his and his hands grabbed a handful of the silky raven hair. He pushed Philip''s head back, giving himself full view of his neck, the veins that popped, the blood that ran through them. He licked his lips seductively and felt Philip place his palms on his ass, squeezing hard. "Well, I knew you could look hot but this...I think I am in trouble." Philip told him with and Kai gave him a cocky grin, making the werewolf lose all his reason. The vampire took a deep breath, his lips getting closer to the tender flesh and he felt his boyfriend bring their bodies together, grinding on him slowly. His heart was beating so fast. He looked up, seeing Philip with the same haze in his eyes and he kissed him again. This time he pushed him back, making him land on the bed. He traced hungry kisses and playful bites from his lips to his neck. Licking slowly his skin and pinching it with his teeth. He felt Philip get excited underneath him and his hands dived through his pants, touching the prince''s soft skin with no restraints. Kai couldn''t hold it any longer, he had waited for such a moment for years and now he felt like a hungry tiger, stepping on its prey before it ripped it to shreds. His fangs appeared and slowly he bit into his skin, diving them deep into Philip''s neck. He heard the werewolf moan as his mouth got filled with the sweet and warm liquid. For so many nights and days he had been tortured, he had slept with tears in his eyes because he was constantly hungry, all the time thinking of throwing up. Right now though he felt as if he was in heaven. A sinner like him had been so graciously given a piece of heaven from the man he loved. He closed his eyes, hoping to keep the sensation engraved in his heart forever, his fingers gripping on Philip''s body as he heard him moan with ecstasy. The werewolf moved his hand in his hair, grabbing the blond locks and Kai bit into him harder, hearing his name escape his lips. He was lost. As if he had suddenly traveled into one of his dreams Kai found himself feeling full for the first time. He had dreamed of moments like these, he had felt his chest ache as the pain of starvation invaded his body. He had hoped that one day he would stop going through this and at that moment, he felt like his wish had magically come true. He was himself again, he was living. The prince was not aware of how much time had passed. Lost in this daze of his he didn''t stop until he was satisfied. He moved his lips away, painted with the grotesque lipstick of Philip''s blood and suddenly realized that the room was too quiet. His eyes widened, and he looked up, blood dripping from his face. Philip was....he had drank too much blood. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 101 - 100 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Love had always been worshiped by art. Songs and poetry, books and paintings. Every form of expression seemed to want to tame and bring out the feelings of the heart. Beautiful words and soothing notes, vibrant colors and images of lovestruck eyes. Every single thing about love, every moment of its existence had been glorified, gently placed into a glass case for everyone to look at and envy. But what about their love? The fateful meeting of two lovers and the moment both of them that this love everyone wished for was just another form of their doom. What songs would be written about them? What kind of painters would they paint? Where would be the red and the smiles and the beautiful words, lacing old yellowish paper in hardcover books? Their love was not one that benefited this kind of art, their love was not a soothing love song nor a beautiful romance book. Their love was an anguishing scream, bothering to the air as the pain reached the listener, disturbed their illusion of love. Their relationship was a black canvas with just a few sparks of gold, that in time would wear out, leaving only the bitter image of a shadow. What kind of art was this? Depressing and painful, awakening all these painful memories. No one liked to look at art like that, not even themselves. So why did Kai cherish it so much? The black canvas, the scream filled with agony, the ripped pages of a tragedy. He kept them close to his heart, no matter how disturbing they were, no matter how hard they were criticized by the world. Why did Kai like to look at that black canvas? Why didn''t he just throw it away? Rip it to shreds and close his ears so he wouldn''t be able to hear the constant scream? Why did he flip through the pages of the past, rereading the painful memories? Because they were proof. Evidence that this love had really existed. They were signs that he, Kai Avger had existed at the same time with him. Had heard his heartbeat, had felt the softness of his touch, the warmth of his fingertips as they traced shapes on his body. They were a sign that he had lived. He wouldn''t have to scream if he hadn''t loved, he wouldn''t adore the black shadow of the canvas if his feelings hadn''t once been the golden splashes in it, he wouldn''t reread the same pages again and again if he didn''t find tiny bits of happiness in them. All of that art, as deranged and depressing it was, contained something else. His feelings and his heart, the images of him at a time he could smile and even though his love for Philip might have been his doom somehow he wouldn''t change a thing. Yes, love was glorified. Not his kind of love though, the one filled with blood and tears. The kind of love that made your chest ache more than your lips to smile. His kind of love was a torture anyone would want to avoid. He was a fool, jumping in for the second time. The prince looked at Philip. He wasn''t dead, even though he had drunk so much of his blood that he fell unconscious. Kai could still taste the remains of his blood in his lips, a swift brush of the tongue and Philip''s life was traveling inside of him. He touched his cheek, tears swelling in his eyes as he couldn''t see himself for who he was anymore. He could only see the monster he was trying so hard to hide. "I''m sorry." he whispered and a teardrop landed on Philip''s face. A memory awakened in Kai''s mind, cruel and gruesome it flashed before his eyes. It was raining that day. His tears landed on his face together with the raindrops. They were cold, falling on his skin like ice. It was the first time he believed he could feel the cold, maybe he had imagined it. Vampires can''t feel cold. Philip had been still back then too, but at that time he had been dead, killed by the same hands that used to play with his hair, the same hands that he entwined his fingers with. The same hands that wiped his tears away when he was sad. Those hands had turned into weapons, ripping out his heart. He was laid there, in the dirt while Kai was trying to stand on his feet. He had grabbed his crown, his palm pressing the hard metal, painting it red and had thrown it to the ground. He could still remember the sound. It fell fast, the burden of a legacy as he screamed. A thunder was heard behind him, concealing the shouts of agony. He couldn''t stand any longer so he fell. He fell right next to him, right next to his dead lover and felt his body turn cold as the rain showered him. "You are not warm anymore" Kai had cried. He had said that again and again as he sat there, on his knees. "I am sorry, I am sorry, I am so sorry." he screamed and screamed, his back curled, the crown devilishly stuck by his side. Dirty and bloody. He couldn''t escape it, it was too late. He almost looked the same. Philip laid on that bed, not moving and Kai couldn''t help but cry. Every time, everything he did led to this. He was miserable, the prince had always been miserable. "Wake up." he whispered, a sudden fear clenching his chest. "Wake up." he repeated, his tears landing on Philip''s body and the werewolf frowned. His eyelids fluttered open, disoriented until he spotted Kai. "That was¡­intense." He mumbled, his voice hoarse. "Wait, why are you crying?" He exclaimed, confused and he immediately sat up, cupping Kai''s crying face. "I am fine, it''s alright. Don''t cry." he comforted him. Philip hugged him, allowing him to cry for a bit longer, letting the worry disappear along with the tears. Kai felt like he could never stop crying. As the images of his dead lover flashed before his eyes. Suddenly, he pushed Philip back, placing his hands on his cheeks and making him look at him. "Listen to me. No matter what happens. You are not allowed to die." Kai said and for a second Philip thought he was joking. The vampire though was completely serious. "You have to live, you have to survive. You hear me?" he asked him. "I do but where does all this come from? You couldn''t possibly believe that I would die just from this." he said. "Promise me. Promise me that no matter what you will put yourself first. You will always try to survive no matter how angry or hurt you are. You will live. Promise me Philip that you will stay alive." "Kai what¡­" "Promise me!" The prince told him strictly. "I promise." Philip said and placed his palms on top of his hands. Taking the delicate hands away from his face and bringing them to his lips. He kissed Kai''s hands, his eyes locked with his as he spoke. "I will promise anything you want." he told him. ... Hello! So we reached chap 100! yey. Hope you''re liking the story so far. I wanted to write an emotional chapter so I hope you liked it. Please leave a vote, a nice review and a comment of what you think of the chapter.. It would help a lot. Thank you for reading! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 102 - 101 Best novel online free at novelhall.com "I just don''t want anything bad to happen to you." Kai hummed and Philip smiled. He moved his head forward and gently kissed his forehead, making the vampire prince gift him with a faint smile. "Nothing will happen. I promise you. I will be fine and I will help you with everything. The pack, the people who are after you. Whatever you need." The werewolf told him. Kai''s eyes widened and he looked at his boyfriend hesitant, unable to think of the right words to say. "The people who are after me. You don''t have to¡­It''s dangerous and¡­" "I am with you." Philip said. "I can''t explain it, it has been hard but from the first moment, even back at the hotel I couldn''t stop looking at you Kai, you know that. My mind, my heart, everything¡­I feel like I will simply be stuck without you. I want to help you, I want to see you smile. Damn, you have such a beautiful smile, how can you take that joy away from me?" He teased him and the vampire laughed. He couldn''t say no to him. Every single one of his words was a small fire that slowly helped melt his heart. No matter how hard he had tried to deny it, no matter how perplexed he was it was clear as day now. Philip couldn''t just walk away from his life like that. It would simply be impossible. He was a part of him, letting him go, pushing him away would simply be a mistake. One he would regret for the rest of his life and his life was going to be long, probably. So he chose to stop thinking, to not count the days until Philip''s birthday and simply be. He could live, even if it was for a while. "Thank you. But you promised me." Kai reminded him of the promise he made a few minutes ago. "Me helping you doesn''t mean that I will die." Philip said with a smirk. "It''s possible though, very likely actually." "I like to prove the universe wrong." He said and Kai smiled, it wasn''t out of happiness though, it had a lingering bitterness to it. "I wish I could do that. Prove fate wrong." he whispered. "You can do it, with me." The werewolf said and landed a gentle kiss on his lips, making Kai''s heart race. It was short but sweet, reminding him that he was actually here, he wouldn''t disappear. "The bar is high." Kai told him playfully and Philip nodded, his hazel eyes showing excitement. "I am sure that you will be surprised. Starting from now." he said and Kai raised his eyebrow, curious about what he meant. "Reina and I found the witch Mikain had a deal with to sell you after you died. We talked to her." he told him and Kai blinked, thunderstruck by his words. "Told you, you would be surprised." he said proudly. "What happened? Did she say anything?" The prince asked, impatient. "Oh she did. And it happens to be good for us. I offered her a deal. I told her that going after you, the young prince of the vampire monarchy was definitely not the wisest choice if she wanted her coven to stay alive. At that moment she looked really angry, as if Mikain hadn''t explained the severity of the situation. She knew you were a prince though, maybe he had lied to her about the fact that you were going to be protected, about that I don''t know that much but¡­I told her to take Mikain instead. We will kill him and give him to her. She will make good money from the Alpha of one of the biggest packs." "Are you serious? That''s great! I will not be hunted anymore and you could actually get rid of the horrible Alpha of yours!" Kai exclaimed and hugged Philip, kissing him again in excitement. Philip smiled, happy to see him relieved. "Yeah, I mean you have no idea what Reina had to do to get this guy at the bar to tell her where the witch was but at least we succeeded. There is one thing though¡­" The werewolf mumbled, drawing Kai''s attention. "What thing?" he asked, squeezing his eyes. He didn''t really like Philip''s expression. It felt¡­awkward. The young werewolf gave him a small smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought of his next words, carefully. "You see¡­the witch, she knew Lun, she seemed really happy to hear about him actually, which was surprising and then she added another term. She said she wanted him, like to meet him or something. I didn''t think a lot about it, the deal was good and she promised no one would get hurt so I said yes." Philip said in a hurry. "What''s the witch''s name?" Kai asked. "Aira." Philip said and the vampire gasped. His face altering, wearing a troubled expression. "Lun will be pissed." he said. "Why? Who is she?" "Well, I don''t know who she is now. As it seems she is a coven leader. When Lun and I knew her she was just a student at the Magic Academy of the Moon." "There is an Academy for magic?" Philip asked. "Do you even know anything about the supernatural world?" Kai asked him back with a cocked eyebrow and Philip scoffed. "I am still young, you know. Anyways. What is up with those two?" "Lun and I had visited the Academy once, as guest lecturers or something on Vampires. She was a very nice and innocent girl¡­that was until she met Lun. he slept with her of course, she became obsessed with him but he dumped her. It was messy and involved him getting a magical rash that lasted for months in places that rashes shouldn''t be." Kai said and Philip hissed disgusted. "What could happen?" "Him getting another rash?" Kai said, trying not to think of Lun''s reaction. "The supernatural world is really small isn''t it?" Philip said. "Believe me, it''s smaller than a teaspoon.." Kai agreed. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 103 - 102 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Philip and Kai had agreed to a meeting. He was going to return back to their hotel, assess the situation and see how Mikain was and during the night he would sneak in and find him. They would be able to talk about their plan with the rest, making sure there would be no mistakes. Philip felt anxious as he walked through the wide doors of the luxurious hotel. His heart was beating fast and his eyes, uncertain, scanned the lobby and the lounge, hoping he would get an idea of how things were. Everything was quiet. People were coming and going, focused on whatever they wanted to do. There was no uproar, no screams and the staff seemed to not have realized the situation in their own hotel. That gave Philip some hope and he exhaled relieved, taking the elevator to his floor. He didn''t go to his room though, he rushed to Mika''s room. He was thankful, the red haired man had stayed behind and now they at least had some kind of idea of what had been spoken. He knocked twice on the door and heard Mika''s footsteps behind it. Soon he was exposed to his friend''s tired face as he moved to the side to let him pass. Reina was in his room too, laid in one of the couches, her glasses resting on the coffee table. "Well, well, well. The guy who dumped me last night went to go and find his boyfriend." she said and Philip gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry about that, I overreacted a bit and things got heated and you know couldn''t let him leave like that." he apologized and Reina smiled. "Are you okay now?" She asked him and sat up, taking her glasses and placing them on her face before she made some space for him to sit. "Yes, everything is good." Philip said and took off his shoes. "Good, I am glad everyone is splendid so we can talk about this mess that we have created right here." Mika said, plopping on the couch. He had black circles under his eyes, probably he had stayed away the whole night. It was morning by now, the sounds of the rushing cars and the horns, the light of the sun made it almost impossible to get in the mood for sleeping. "So, what happened here while we were gone. I pretty much explained to Mika what the witch asked." Reina informed Philip and both of them waited for their friend to start talking. "I don''t know where to begin. Mikain was furious. After the two prisoners escaped he started beating people up. I think he feels threatened, he is scared the witches will come for him. He started also screaming at Hans and things did get a bit heated between them but the Beta stopped it. I think he is a thousand times better than Mikain in my opinion but anyways. He gathered all of us to tell us what happened. All of the pack is scared, terrified. He told us the witches will get all of us if we don''t find the prince. After that he locked himself in his room with Hans and they are probably talking, scheming something." Mika explained. Reina was laughing. She was the one who probably hated Mikain the most. The idea of him getting out of the way was so pleasing she couldn''t hide her excitement. That man never deserved to be their Alpha. He had pushed their pack to corruption and ruined their peaceful life. He had taken them away from their forest, he had ruined everything. "We should meet up with Kai and the others tonight. They gave me the location of their hotel. It would be best if we cooperated with the Vampires." Philip proposed. Mikai shook his head, already displeased with that idea but he couldn''t do anything about it. No matter what he had said, no matter how hard he had tried to make Philip understand that his relationship with Kai would end badly he just wouldn''t listen. Almost two weeks were left, when he remembered the shock would simply crush him. Mika looked at Philip. He had a faint smile on his face while thinking of Kai. It was annoying. He didn''t like it and what he absolutely hated were Kai''s lies. He stood by his side, he was with him while he knew the horrible things he had done to him. That hypocrisy was the most disgusting of all. As he examined his friend, Mika noticed something on his neck. Two small holes, very obvious evidence that someone had drunk his blood. He was awestruck, frozen in his place as he realized what he had done. "What is that on your neck?" Mika mumbled, Philip turning around confused until he touched the sensitive part of his skin, feeling the little marks. They hadn''t healed yet. "I¡­I can explain. It''s not as serious as it seems." "You let a vampire drink your blood?" Mika shouted and stood up, filled with rage. "It''s fine. Date him, kiss him, fuck him but we do not let them drink our blood! You know that, why would you even let him do that! I think we all agree that drinking blood is disgusting." "I know, I do not like vampires either." Philip agreed. "But Kai is different. I¡­I made a mistake so I wanted to make it up to him. It just happened okay?" The werewolf said, trying to defend himself. He looked at Reina, trying to find some support. "Dude, that was a bit extreme." She commented, discouraging him. "But Mika is none of your business what he does with his boyfriend" She scolded the red head. "We have more important matters to think about. For now, everyone stays in their rooms. We don''t want Mikain strolling and seeing us. We can''t have him call us when we need to leave tonight. Okay?" he asked both of them. "Okay." Philip agreed while Mika rolled his eyes. "You are going to fucking regret being with Kai and believe me, I will be there, saying I told you so." Mika said and walked towards the door, opening it and signaling them to get out. "Get out, I haven''t slept all night and since we are seeing your beloved friends I have to rest." "Mika, come on." Philip said, not liking seeing his friend like that. "Just go. Prepare a blood bag for your boyfriend or something" he said and Reina clicked her tongue. "Don''t be petty" She said. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 104 - 103 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com He used to love dreaming. Closing his eyes and seeing everything he would never have. All the things he wanted, right in front of him. When he was a kid it was candy, toys and his parents showing him they loved him. As he turned into a teen he saw a life without pain, him on an endless field, freed from his demons, the drugs and the pain, simply standing there, looking at the sky. He didn''t feel pain nor fear. His dreams were a beautiful escape and sometimes, as the cold of the winter would almost kill him on the road, he would dream while he was still awake. A snowman, a christmas tree and a warm meal. All the little lights and the softness of the carpet on the floor. Maybe even a little present, wrapped in shiny paper, bright red with a green bow on top. His dreams always had such lovely music and sometimes he could even smell them. Hot chocolate, soup and maybe his mum''s perfume. All mixing together into his own little paradise. John always found an escape in his dreams. Every night as he laid down, on his small racing car bed, or the bench at the park and then the old metal bed of his apartment, he waited for his travel to the dreamland, soft and sweet. A smile would linger on his lips that would sadly always disappear when he would wake up. It had always been like this. The moment he closed his eyes his world was always better and when he would pass out, in the brim of death something deep inside him wished that he would stay like this. Stuck in an eternal dream. He was pitiful. He knew that so well but still he didn''t share that side of his with anyone. He preferred to smile, play dump and let life pass him by. It was easier that way. It hurt less than thinking of all his mistakes, of all the things he had missed. The night before his birthday though, as he laid on the bed of the small motel he didn''t have a nice dream. It was the first time that his little escape was crumbling. As if it was a house ruined by a typhoon he couldn''t find comfort in a made up lie of his subconsciousness anymore. He twisted and turned, thirsty and sweating. He saw a face, a figure that made his heart race and his thoughts lit up, like a raging fire. Even when he was sleeping he was thinking about him and that was simply depressing. John woke up the next morning. Remembering very well who he had dreamed of, knowing how the sound of his voice echoed in the walls of his dreams and all the things he wished to hear. He smiled bitterly, clenching his fist, the sheets a mess on his feet and he touched his neck, feeling the sweat. "You''re so unlucky." John mumbled to himself as he looked at his lap, tears swelling in his eyes. He turned twenty today. He became officially a full fledged werewolf, even though he had just been for about a week one. The young man didn''t have a storm of memories raging inside of him. He had been turned which meant that only one thing lingered painfully on his heart. He punched the bed, a groan escaping his lips at the realization of what was happening in his life. "You''re stupid. You''re so stupid." he told himself, his tears landing on the sheets as he mourned the freedom of his heart. There was no going back, he was truly doomed. It had been decided by that power that was called fate and he would have just to bear the burden of keeping this a secret too. He had to bury it, as soon as it surfaced he had to hide it, the love that was blooming in his chest, a suffocating flower, rooting and spreading like a disease. "I can''t¡­" he cried as he hid his face with his hands and wailed. A knock was heard on his door, his head snapping and he immediately wiped his tears, jumping off the bed and rushing to the door, opening it to see his boss, holding a cupcake with a small green candle on it. The flame flickered as he opened the door and was blown off. "Shit." Kai swore. "Happy Birthday!" He exclaimed and stared at John with a huge smile. The young werewolf smiled and let him in. "Thank you boss." he said. As Kai walked into his room he suddenly felt at ease. How many years had passed since someone wished him a happy birthday? He wondered and his eyes landed on the cute cupcake with the pink glaze. "Sorry, the candle just died on me. But you should make a wish. It''s important." he told him and the short haired man chuckled, closing his eyes. What should he wish for? He asked himself and then a thought popped into his mind. "Please, let everyone be happy." he whispered inside him and opened his eyes. "Done!" he said out loud and Kai handed him the cupcake. "It''s yours. Sorry it''s not anything fancy." he apologized and John shook his head. This was a lot more than he usually had. "Thank you. It''s perfect. Exactly my style." he said and Kai sat on the bed. "So, it''s a big day today." he told him with a playful smile. "Spill it." "Spill what?" "Who is it? Who is your mate?" Kai asked, looking like a schoolgirl asking her friend who was her crush. John wanted to laugh but couldn''t. How could he when he couldn''t even dare to think of his name. "Oh, about that. I don''t know yet." he lied and scratched the back of his head, a shy smile on his lips. "Well, I have a full day so maybe it will happen later?" "Hmm." Kai hummed, rubbing his chin. "I don''t really know how it works with turned vampires. But if you find out you will have to come to me. We will find them immediately." he said in excitement and John nodded, a fake smile on his face. How could he tell him? How could he tell his boss that his mate was Soran? You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 105 - 104 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com "Shouldn''t we call the wolf warriors? They are our strongest fighters" Hans asked his Alpha. They had been locked into that room for hours, it could actually have been a whole day. They were talking and talking but they never seemed to reach an agreement. Mikain wanted blood, he liked to do things messily in a way that would please him while Hans was more methodical, trying to find a solution that would hurt the least people. "No, I don''t trust them. Something''s off. We set them out to find him, two of them go missing and Mika just runs around as if he has gone on a walk. It''s weird." The tall man said as he sat on one of the armchairs in his room. Hans rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted Philip here so he would warn him, he was aware that he loved the prince. Yes, it would put the whole pack at risk but while Mikain was focused on his own plan the man was trying really hard to think of another way to get rid of the witches without having to kill the prince. It might have sounded weak but he didn''t want someone else to lose their love too,mate or not. "I don''t think there is something weird going on with them. It''s just that they are kids. They don''t understand the situation that well." Hans tried to make Mikain forget that thought. "I don''t understand why the previous Alpha chose them. I don''t even understand why we have Wolf warriors. They are useless. They are not doing anything." The Alpha, complained, a displeased look on his face. He should have been the authority figure, the only one to make decisions. "Mikain." Hans said, feeling like he talked to a child, having to explain to him every single detail. "They are important. In times of war they act like generals. We can''t just have their position ripped away from them. All those people that don''t like them will come at them, the balance in the pack will be destroyed and if anything happens we won''t have generals." He reminded him. Mikain remained quiet, his eyes traveling in the room, not focusing particularly at anything as he thought about it. He didn''t like sharing, if he could he wouldn''t have Hans here either but he was necessary unfortunately. He rubbed his chin, a small grin appearing on his face while his dark eyes returned to looking at his Beta. "I really don''t trust them." He said but his tone was cunning. He was thinking of something and by his experience Hans knew it was going to be bad. "I told you they¡­" "No, you just want to protect them because they are kids" Miakin mocked him with his voice. "But they are not kids, they are adults and something seems to be going on. Since they can''t have my trust, they are a threat to the pack." The Alpha announced, proud of his own way of thinking. "Do you know what that means?" "I really don''t want to know what that means to be honest." The blue eyed man said. Every time Mikain did something stupid his scar would hurt. It was kind of like a warning that bad things would come. He could feel the pinching already on his eye. This was going to end up being a disaster. "They''re not doing their job Hans. No matter how that saddens me, as the wolf warriors they should have found the prince already. Aren''t they supposed to be skilled in what they do?" "You''re just blaming them because you don''t want to face failure." Hans reminded him and the Alpha scoffed, not giving a damn about what his friend was telling him. He had a one track mind, if something found a way to sneak in it was hard to focus elsewhere. "That is not true." He stated. "But I do want people at my side who I can trust. That''s why you will gather the pack, make sure these three are there too and I will be making a very big announcement." He said, a smile forming on his face, making him look very much to what Hans imagined as the devil. "Let''s not do anything we will regret later Mikain." The Beta warned him one last time about the horrible thing he was about to do and he laughed. He stood up, walking slowly towards the mirror in his room and took a good look at himself. He was pleased. He was pleased by his expression and his ideas. The Alpha believed he had thought of something great not paying any mind to the actual consequences. "Gather everyone after lunch. I will be taking their titles and giving them to some who actually want them. What happens to these three after that is not my fault." "So you''re telling me you want to put them in there, with all those power hungry werewolves and strip them of their title? It''s going to be a mess. At least make an announcement, they will get hurt." Hans said, thinking of what would follow in the pack of the three kids who were there during all this. Wolves would kill to get to that position. "So how about we make it a bit better. The ones who defeat them will get to take their place." Mikain exclaimed, clapping his hands and rubbing them as if he had won the lottery. "Mikain this is absurd." "And while these fools will be occupied with running away so they won''t die I will be able to look for the prince without feeling like they are sabotaging my plans. You see, I can''t kill them without evidence, I have to be typical about that at least" he mumbled. Hans looked at the back of the Alpha, already getting a strong headache. Why was it that this man was so attracted to chaos? He wondered, fearing what would happen next. .... Hello everyone! Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying the book this far.. If you are please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote in favor of the holiday spirit. Thank you for reading! Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 106 - 105 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Hans sighed as he left Mikain''s room. He had been given a very simple order. To gather the wolves, inform everyone of what was about to take place in a few hours and make sure that the three warriors wouldn''t escape. They were just words, instructions that didn''t really affect him so why did his chest feel so heavy. He rubbed his temples, standing at the corridor, his eyes facing the floor as he thought of everything that had happened up to now. Every death, every shout and every mistake. He had supported Mikain, believing his words about a time of change in the pack. "It is time for the wolves to leave the forest, be free." He had said and had presented his palm as a way of liberation for their kind. Hans had been such a fool, believing his words, being unable to see further than the lies. Mikain was just greedy, he wanted it all and he didn''t care who he had to harm to get it. "Hello sir." A teen greeted him. He was probably on his way to his room. Hans'' blue eyes followed him for a bit, after he said hello back. Children like that one would have to grow up with him as a leader, he reminded himself. A bitter taste spread on his mouth, his conscience burdening him, his wife''s words coming slowly to life. "She was right. She had been right all along" he whispered, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He couldn''t let this continue. He couldn''t have more people getting hurt just for the so-called Alpha. He couldn''t change things, he could delay them though until he thought of something to do, a way to stop him. He rushed to Reina''s room, knocking impatiently at the door and the girl appeared, her hair messy as if she had just gotten off her bed. Hans scanned her for a second, surprised at her disheveled appearance. When she realized who was standing before her she straightened up, trying to fix her hair and her clothes. "Sir, well...I...hello" she mumbled. "Pack your stuff." Hans told her coldly and she stared at her with a frown. "Is there something wrong?" She asked him. Hans grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer and whispering so Mikain wouldn''t hear. "Mikain is planning to take your titles. He will have the others battle you to take your spot. He is suspecting you''re sabotaging his plans. So pack a bag, go to your friends and run away. Do not return until I tell you it''s safe to do so, do you understand?" He asked her. Reina blinked, still half asleep and her mind slowly processed everything she had heard. She jumped, pacing at the same spot. "Okay. Yes, right, thank you" she mumbled and closed the door of her room, getting ready in a hurry. She didn''t have time. She tossed whatever she could grab in one of her larger duffle bags, getting some cash and her phone before she ran outside. Hans had disappeared. He had come so unexpectedly and he had left in the same way. Reina was panting, not because she was tired with the heavy bag on her shoulder but because she was getting anxious. Mika''s room was closer, she kicked the door open, scaring the man who was laid on his bed, finally ready to fall asleep. "What the fuck?" Mika shouted at her but she didn''t mind. She began gathering a few clothes that the red head had dropped to the floor and put them into a random bag. "Get up, we need to leave. We have to run away or else we will die. Mikain is onto us, just pick up your stuff, I will explain everything after we''re out of here." She said and Mika jumped off his bed, helping her with his stuff. In just a few minutes he too was running, their last stop in Philip''s room. The werewolf man did not take long to answer. He was confused when he noticed the bags on their shoulders, suddenly struck with many questions but not even half of them were answered. "We need to go." Mika had said as both of his friends invaded his room. "We need to go, now" he repeated and Philip simply gathered all his stuff in a pile, throwing them into a small suitcase. "What is going on?" He had asked but Reina was too busy looking at the hallway, making sure that no one was around or that Mikain hadn''t started his little hunt yet. "We''re doomed, that''s what''s going on. And all because of your little vampire." Mika said between gritted teeth and Philip stared at him confused. Reina averted her gaze from the door for a second, turning to look at Philip. "Just get ready. I will tell you everything later." She said the same thing to him too. He pulled the zipper, the sound echoing in the room and grabbed the suitcase from its handle. Both men followed Reina. The girl was not planning to take the stairs, nor the elevator. She rushed towards the emergency exit and opened it with a loud kick. The small ladder barely fitted them and their luggage but they rushed down the many floors with no care. Falling front there and breaking your neck was less scary than having to face the whole pack in a power battle. Once they found themselves on the busy street they started running, careful not to be seen by anyone. It was still cold, and Philip felt the wind dry his eyes. He wanted to stop, he wanted answers but he didn''t say anything. He followed Reina, who was anxiously running away and didn''t go against her until she decided it was safe for them to stop. They were about ten blocks away, sweaty and panting when they stopped in front of a huge supermarket. People were going in and out with their carts filled with groceries while they rested on the half empty parking lot. "What the hell is going on?" Philip said, barely managing to make a sentence without breathing in heavily. "Hans visited me. He warned me that Mikain is onto us. He thinks we''re sabotaging his plans. He wants us out of the way so he will try to out our titles out for the others to take through battling. There is no way I am fighting the pack." She said. "He told me to leave and not come back until he tells us it''s safe." She informed them. Mika began swearing, kicking an empty beer bottle and making it land on a car, creating a bump on the door while the bottle broke into many thick pieces. "We need to go to Kai." Philip proposed and his friend clicked his tongue. "Why him again? Aren''t we in enough trouble because of him?" He asked Philip. "We need help. They are purebloods, they will be able to kill him" "And how do we know they won''t betray us?" "They won''t!" Philip shouted. "Sure you do" Mika commented under his breath and the werewolf raised his eyebrow. "What did you just say?" He asked, aggressively moving towards him. "Stop!" Reina shouted. "Don''t act like children. Both of you." She scolded them. "We will be going to Kai. And no he won''t betray us. I am not making him to be some saint, I don''t even know the guy but if we think logically it''s in his best interest too since he is being hunted by Mikain for the man to die. He will help us." She said. "I hope we don''t all end up dead because of him" Mika said with a frown on his face. "The only one who will die is Mikain." Philip stated.. "And soon." Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 107 - 106 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com It was odd. The feeling of knowing yourself, the things you would do and wouldn''t, all those small details like your preferences. You know yourself, just like the back of your palm but somehow you end up being surprised by your own actions. If what I am looking at in the mirror is the person I know best, hundreds of years of knowledge gathered up, why do I find myself doing the most surprising things? You should be one with your body, be a part of your soul and heart but why is your mind detached? Why can''t you simply coexist? Xan was disciplined, he was strong and level headed. He was smart and handsome, came from a good and powerful family, followed the rules exactly how they were written and didn''t ask questions. Many described him as perfect, the one and only who could be so fitting to become a king. He would smile, take their compliments like love letters but when he was alone he would crumble the nice words. He didn''t believe them. And why would he? He wasn''t perfect and he would never be. No matter how many mirrors he changed, no matter how many glasses he punched, shuttering the beautiful images they showed he could never find perfection in his reflection like everyone else did. That was because he knew. Xan, the crown prince of the Avger family was separated from his heart. His mind and his soul could not coexist and because of that he was incomplete. The snow haired man always knew what he was supposed to do, he had heard it many times ever since he had been a child. Bear with it, wear your clothes properly, don''t forget your manners, check your food for poison first. His life was like a script and he had read it all, all the way till the end. Nothing was surprising, nothing was exciting, all that until¡­ Until he met him. Kiula was his name, a young nobleman with a stunning smile. He used to dance and laugh so loudly. He was everything Xan couldn''t be and above all he didn''t see him as perfect. Kiula could see through the fake smile, he felt offended by it and that made Xan believe that maybe the world wasn''t so bad, not everyone wore a mask after all. For just a short time he had believed that Xan, him as a person and not as the crown prince had existed to be with him. Just for a mere second he got a taste of happiness until¡­ Until he died. He left him all alone in the most depressing and self hating way. His love, the one with the beautiful smile, the one who danced and smelled like flowers had withered away like a rose in a forgotten vase in the corner of the room. He slowly stopped smiling and his eyes had lost all emotion. He became agitated and sensitive, he became distant until in the end he simply became a corpse and Xan could do nothing about it because no matter what he did was not enough. He had been the last person, the last name, and the last being that had seen Xan as Xan. After that his soul died, leaving him the incomplete being he got so used to seeing in the mirror. He was just a mind, a little actor following the script someone else wrote for him. The crown prince wasn''t perfect. He was simply dead. Void of any emotion. But in moments like these. In those few seconds that he stood in the corridor, seeing Lun with a girl in his embrace, ready to enter his room, something would stir in him. It wasn''t his mind, he knew that very well, it was something else and he hated it. He hated himself, his rotting soul and the fact that he couldn''t hate him completely. Xan stared at him, the young vampire still unaware of his presence. Was it possible for someone to hate Lun? The man who seemed to exist in this world just to be a vampire? The one who accepted and embraced his nature better than anyone else? How could you not hate Lun? He had asked himself again and again, wanting to pull his hair out. He killed him, his family did it. He ruined everything and you don''t hate him? That''s why Xan wasn''t perfect. Because his soul and his mind would never align. He would have to put one to sleep to hear the other. He had killed his soul the day his love died but Lun, he was affecting him in ways he didn''t like. After a while the vampire noticed him, half drunk he was fumbling with the key of his room, the girl giggling next to him. He dropped it, falling on the floor and he crouched to catch it. As he raised his head he met Xan''s eyes, a lazy smile on his face. "Well, hello." he had greeted him and the prince looked at him disgusted. "What''s with that face?'' Lun asked. "Are you drunk?" Xan asked, or more like, he stated and the vampire laughed. He opened the door, pushing the girl gently in. "Wait for me for a second, I will be right there." he told her in a sweet tone and closed the door, making sure he wouldn''t make much noise. The truth was that Lun wasn''t really drunk. He was simply pretending to be because Xan was there, he had noticed him from the very first second he had entered the hallway. His eyes would always look towards him after all. Sometimes though, it was easier to deal with things if you lied and tonight, it wasn''t a good night. "Don''t make your little girl wait" Xan said, crossing his arms over his chest" "Jealous?" Lun asked him playfully. He walked towards him, his footsteps light as he hummed a song. He stood before the prince, his eyes glazed with the happiness of alcohol as he heard the white haired man scoff. "No, definitely no but I am curious." he said and Lun raised his eyebrow, sharing his curiosity but for different reasons. "About what?" "Weren''t you the one who said they liked me? But the second I turn away you bring a girl to your room." Xan commented and for a split moment Xan seemed to be taken aback. He looked at the prince, trying to understand if he was actually jealous or just curious. He deeply wished it was the first, nonetheless he didn''t show it. He smiled, looking at the prince right in his cold eyes. "I don''t like you Xan." He said, making a small stop. "I love you." he told him and the prince''s eyes widened. He clenched his fists, agitated with his answer. "You shouldn''t be saying things like that so easily. It''s disrespectful." Xan said and the brown haired vampire laughed. "Really? Disrespectful? Is that how you''ll describe how I feel?" "You take things way too lightly, telling someone you love them when you have a woman in¡­" "Why does it matter to you?" Lun interrupted him. "You know, I can take the insults. I am fine with them really, to some extent I even share your opinions¡­." "What do you mean you share my opinions?" Xan asked, a deep wrinkle forming in between his eyebrows. He was confused and Lun, he seemed to be angry, he was raising his tone. His hand resting as a fist on the wall. "I know, I know very well who I am and what my family does. I know oh so well everyone in that shiny palace of yours thinks that I am scum, they couldn''t wait to get me out here to search for Kai, all that so I wouldn''t be in the palace. I know. I fucking know alright? And I have you reminding me every day how lowly my life is. Fuck it, I do not care. Life is a bitch, we don''t choose where we''re raised but what I won''t take you fucking iceberg of a being is you trying to tell me if my feelings are true or not. Don''t you remember or did you erase it from your memory completely? I was with you when you found Kiula. I held you as you fell to the ground, screaming and I cried too not because I cared he was dead. Because I cared about you and I felt like my heart was being ripped off seeing you like this. I cried because I fucking knew, I knew you would hate me and push me away, even after everyhting I did to get close to you. I always know and always will. And that''s the most horrible thing." Lun exploded, leaving Xan speechless. "Do you want me to pity you?" The prince asked him, choosing the most horrible words to answer but once he had said them, he realized it was already too late. Lun snorted, a bitter smile on his face and this time he punched the wall, forcing a hole through it. "I don''t want your ridiculous pity. All I ever wanted was you but all I ever did get was your hate. Fuck you Xan, you don''t know anything about me or my feelings. And yes, there is a girl in my room, that''s because I have to feed. So never look me in the eyes with that snobbish expression of yours and tell me that my feelings are disrespectful because I will never even look at you again." he warned him. "You''re not really drunk are you?" Xan asked him. "Once you find the right words, come find you. Asshole." he swore at him and turned around. Xan extended his hand, meaning to reach him but once more his heart and mind did not agree. His hand fell lifeless as if he had never moved it and he watched Lun leave, open the door of his room and disappear. He was right. He didn''t know what to say, he didn''t know what Lun was thinking, he didn''t know what was happening to him. Xan bit his bottom lip, messing up his well styled hair as looked at the closed door. Lun and him, they were broken. They were never going to get fixed. ... You may not know but this...this is my favorite couple. Which one is yours? Also let me know, what kind of pairings you would be interested in seeing? You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 108 - 107 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Kai had left him alone after a while. They had talked about random things, he had heard the word happy birthday many times and he ate his little cupcake. The first birthday present he had gotten in years. The sweet taste of buttercream still lingered on his tongue, the remaining paper, colored in a rainbow manner stood there, on the ground until he found the courage to toss it out. He had lied to his boss. He had said he didn''t know who his mate was even though he had understood it from the moment he had opened his eyes. How could it be possible not to know when his heart was racing so fast and his body was warming up just at the thought of his name. John felt uncomfortable, as he stayed in the four small walls of his room he couldn''t think of anything else. He didn''t expect anything, he didn''t think Soran and him would end up being a couple but still no matter how hard he tried to convince himself about it, an instinct deep inside of him kept disagreeing with him. He sighed, his body plopping back on the bed, his arm resting on his eyes to cover the strong light of the yellow lamp. "I lied." He mumbled, feeling bad about it. He didn''t like lies, he had decided to live an honest life since he had been given a second chance. He had lied to Kai without a second thought, not thinking about the rules he had set for himself. He sat up, his eyes glued to the door as he breathed in, puffing his chest. "Boss will understand. He will help me." He said and shook his head, deciding to stop being a coward and talk to Kai. He had been through it, he knew about being in love with someone you didn''t belong with. He would be the best person to guide him through the mess that he now called his life. He walked towards the door, grabbing the wrapping of the cupcake on his way, meaning to throw it out but then he remembered he hadn''t seen any bins outside. So he rushed to the toilet and threw it in the garbage. He wasn''t really fond of trash, he liked a clean space. John didn''t find it weird how he had never seen other residents in this shabby place. Even for him it wouldn''t be a first option, especially with the way the receptionist allowed unknown people to roam everywhere. At least the place was quiet, he liked that, no shouts, no weird noises through the neighboring rooms, just silence. The werewolf walked slowly to Kai''s room, knocking hastily on the door and seeing the vampire prince appear before him. "Hey, is there something wrong?" Kai asked him, they had been together a while back after all. "Yes." John stated, making him frown. "I mean no, kind of. Can we talk? It will only be for a little while. I promise" he told him, worried that he would waste his time. Kai moved to the side, letting him in and the young werewolf saw an exact replica of his own room, the only difference was that Kai''s had a Soran inside too. He gasped,not expecting him to be there and Soran raised an eyebrow, noticing his peculiar reaction. "What''s wrong?" He asked him and John smiled awkwardly. "Oh, nothing you just scared me" "I didn''t do anything." The white haired man said. There was something different in his tone. John didn''t realize it immediately though, he was too worried about what he wanted to say and the fact that the vampire was there. "What''s wrong John? Did something happen?" Kai asked him again, joining them and sitting next to his friend. The werewolf was standing before them, standing from one foot to the other, anxious as if he was auditioning for a talent show. Soran stared at him with squeezed eyes before he spoke. "He wants me to leave" he said and John moved his arms, his brown eyes wide as his cheeks flushed red. "No, no it''s not that¡­.I just¡­." "He might want to talk to me in private. So leave." Kai said, looking at Soran with a bright smile. Soran tilted his head to the side, a blank expression on his face as he stood up. "Sure, sure." He mumbled, walking away without even saying bye. His attitude was a bit unusual, John finally started to see it and stared at him with a worried expression as he headed out. "Don''t mind him. He is just cranky because he had to feed off a human that wasn''t his. He told me he threw up and all but well it gets easier. Until we get rid of that idiotic Alpha we will have to forget our usual habits." "And the shop" John added and Kai giggled. "Yes, that too sadly. I miss the job" the blond man said and John, nodded, agreeing with him. Things were a lot easier back then, now every day seems more complicated than the previous. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me? About the job? Don''t worry about money, thankfully we have plenty of that¡­" "No, no...it''s not about money" John said, his voice getting quieter. He had decided to talk to him but now that he was there he felt insecure. Kai noticed that, how he fondled with the hems of his sleeves and the way his face faced downwards. He patted the spot next to the bed and John sat next to him. "You can tell me anything. I won''t judge you." Kai encouraged him. "Boss, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Knowing now all the things that happened when you and Philip got together, if you were given the chance would you go back in time and stop it?" John asked him. Kai was slightly taken aback by his question, blinking a few times before a sad smile appeared on his face, his colorful eyes looking down as he thought of his answer. "No, I don''t think I would change it." He said, his voice showing confidence. "Why? So many bad things happened. You lost your home, he died, you were miserable for so long, well you still kind of are, so why not choose not to go through all of that again?" "Because it was worth it. In a very twisted way. I don''t know how to explain it to you that well but the truth is after Philip died I did wish to go back, keep him away from me, make sure he won''t die that I won''t kill him but as the time passed I realized that I couldn''t sacrifice the moment we had together. They were too precious to me. The way he talked, how he smiled, how I felt when we were together even if we always had to hide. I loved it all, they had given me a kind of happiness I didn''t know existed so...why are you crying?" Kai asked him, gently wiping his tears away. John had started crying. He could understand what his boss was telling him. Even though him and Soran were not like that, even those little moments he had spent with him, the comfort and the warmth he had provided him, he didn''t know if he would be able to give it up. Kai''s fingertips gently touched the skin underneath his eyes, making the tears disappear. He wanted to cry more but he tried not to, the vampire looked worried. "Boss, I don''t know what to do. I can''t believe something like that is happening to me." John had said. "Is this about your mate?" Kai asked him, catching up pretty quick. The young werewolf nodded. "So you know who it is?" "I knew all along. I''m sorry I lied to you." He apologized and Kai smiled gently. "Don''t apologize you dummy. It''s your life. I''d be glad if I could help but you don''t owe to tell me. You decide if you want to share it." "It''s just¡­.I was embarrassed." "Why would you be embarrassed about your mate?" "Because he will never want me. It''s hopeless." "I don''t think so. A mating bond is sacred. It might take some time but they will come around." "It''s Soran" John announced dryly and Kai''s eyes widened. He was dumbfounded for a second, not believing what he had just heard. He shook his head slowly. "Okay, okay it''s not impossible. Soran liked you, he is nice to you." "I confessed to him and he called me a kid. Also he is a vampire." "Yes. About that. Vampire werewolf mating is a bit hard. He will start hating you" Kai said. John gasped, almost feeling as if he was going to faint. It seemed like things could only get worse from here. "What do you mean hate me?" "It''s his instinct denying the bond. You have to make him love you or he will hate you. But don''t worry I will help you. It''s going to be fine!" Kai said, trying to comfort him. Unfortunately John did not seem to believe him. He stood up, filled with anxiety to the brim, almost like an overflowing cup and started packing back and forth. "Boss, look at me! I am average. I am an ex junky. I do not have money, I look like a freaking gangster, I have tattoos everywhere. I am definitely not a royal and in comparison to him I am an immature kid, also I am a werewolf. I think that it will not be fine. It will be shit. Fucking shit." He said, filled with passion. "First of all!" Kai exclaimed. "You are not average, you are very cute, adorable even you definitely don''t look like a gangster. As you said you''re an ex junky meaning you are strong and willful. You are an amazing person and Soran does not care about titles. You will just have to approach him the right way. The attraction is there you just have to find the right buttons." Kai told him. "And I will help you" he added with a sneaky smile. "But boss¡­" "No buts. No! You have to be brave and approach this positively because¡­" Kai tried to say but his sentence was cut short by a knock on his door. It was Lun, speaking. "Your boyfriend is here and he looks in trouble" he said, dropping the bomb and then leaving. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 109 - 108 Best novel online free at novelhall.com If Kai said he felt comfortable he would be lying. All of them were cramped into his small room, looking at each other with disgusted expressions. Mika and Xan were the stars of the show shooting daggers with their eyes, warning everyone that if they were approached a battle would start. This meeting was necessary though. It was a perfect chance for them to find a way and get rid of Mikain. Then a lot of Kai''s problems would be solved and that on its own was a very relieving thought. They were having small talk at first, talking about this and that, how the three wolves found themselves running away from their own pack and the younger prince looked at Philip with a worried expression. The werewolf felt his eyes on him, turning his head and meeting his small frown. He smiled faintly, taking his hand in his and giving it a small squeeze. "It''s alright." He whispered,barely being heard while everyone else was talking. "I don''t think it is. What right does this man have to do this to you? Turn your whole pack against you." He mumbled. "He has all the rights, sadly. This is what being an Alpha is like. But soon everything will be over, we will be able to relax again." He said, trying to sound comforting and Kai nodded, not wanting to share more of his doubts. "How are you feeling though? Are you still hungry?" He asked. "I''m good. I''m a pureblood so I can last a while without drinking blood. I will be fine." He said. "I got scolded, you know. For letting you do that to me." Philip revealed. A cheeky smile was on his face, he didn''t really care about what everyone else said, he wasn''t regretting it, not one bit but he was curious to see how Kai would react. He frowned, a wrinkle forming between his furrowed eyebrows and then he bit his bottom lip, his eyes showing he was feeling guilty. "I''m sorry. I don''t know what came into me. I should just¡­" "It''s alright." Philip reassured him, intending to stop him. He entwined their fingers, kissing the back of Kai''s palm and making him blush as their eyes met. If he knew, if Philip had the slightest idea how every single one of his words affected the young prince he would feel like he could get the world. Just one look was enough and Kai would do whatever he was asked. Out of guilt, out of love and adoration. He was always like this when it came to him. The rest of the world did not really matter, all of them would have to succumb to his whims at some point but with Philip he was simply different, there was no other way to really explain it. "I don''t want to create any problems for you. I want you to be happy." Kai expressed himself. "What are you talking about? I love problems. What is life without a little drama, huh?" He asked him, raising his eyebrow and the vampire chuckled. "Allow me to disagree with that." He said, knowing very well that he hated drama. That''s what he had tried to avoid back home, finding himself buried in worse things in the end. He had failed. "Come ooon. I know very well how hot I look during drama time" Philip teased him, coming closer and looking into his eyes. Kai chuckled again, placing his palm on his face and pushing him back. "No" he said, his expression turning cold and the werewolf clicked his tongue. "Snob." "I am." He agreed and moved his nose upwards. ¡­ "Can you move a little bit? We are right next to each other and I don''t like people." Soran told John, looking at him with a strict expression. The younger werewolf moved to the side, almost falling off the edge of the bed they were sitting on. The vampire grabbed his arm, stopping his fall and stared at him, confused. "Sorry I¡­" he mumbled and he shook his head eagerly. "No, no it''s fine. I get it. So many people, one talking over the other. It''s chaos. I get it. I can get up if you want, you will be more comfortable that way." He proposed but Soran didn''t let him. "You don''t have to be so nice, it''s a burden sometimes." He told him, making the werewolf pout. He had been informed by Kai about everything. The truth was though he hadn''t been ready for this yet. It would need a lot of mental preparation. He would have to get used to it and not pay Soran''s words any mind but just this, which was probably only a fragment of what''s about to come hurt, a lot. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to¡­" "What the heck is wrong with me today?" Soran whispered, looking confused with his own self as he stood up. "I will be going to sit over there for a bit." He told John, pointing to an empty space next to Lun. He watched him walk away, sit on a small stool they had borrowed looking into the void, absentminded. What could he be thinking about? John wondered as he got lost longingly staring at him. His long hair, the darkness of his eyes, all those small details he hadn''t paid attention to before seemed to be more intense now, they looked even more beautiful, making him unique. ¡­. "Your face is so fucking punchable." Mika groaned at Xan and the crown prince laughed loudly. "You don''t have to be so bitter that you''re ugly." He attacked him and the werewolf gasped, giving him a nasty stare. "Why are you here anyways? Like I would need your help to get that idiotic man out of the way. I had a stick on my chest and did better than you" "Well if you were so good you wouldn''t be having a stick in your chest in the first place would you?" Mika talked back and Xan''s cold blue eyes widened. He snorted, turning his head to the side, his eyes landing on Lun who was talking with Soran about something. "That was because of some...complications." "Yeah, that''s what they call being useless nowadays." He commented and the crown prince was ready to get up and punch him. He wasn''t really fond of werewolves nor was he in a good mood. Seeing Lun be completely fine after their talk also served as extra agitation so he needed to blow off some steam. He didn''t get his chance though to break Mika''s face because suddenly that girl whose name he didn''t remember stood up, clapping her hands and getting everyone''s attention. "Hello, hello." She said. "I am really happy that we have created this little book club of ours but I think we are here to talk about a lot more important matters." All of them looked at Reina, her smile wide and friendly as she started to explain the situation. "We have come to an agreement with the witch. She will be giving us a potion to get the Alpha weak. Tomorrow we will have it." Philip said. "Yes, the problem is that you will have to make him drink it somehow." Lun told them and Mika nodded agreeing with him. They were runaways, it would be really hard to simply sneak in for a second and do it. They couldn''t be sure either if Mikain would have drunk it. "Let''s assume we get that idiot to drink¡­.what then? Do we just stroll in?" Xan asked. "About that." Reina said, raising her index finger. "The hotel has an emergency exit. It''s in the back of the building, narrow staircases that lead to certain floors. One of them leads to Mikain''s floor. If someone is on the inside, waiting and opens the door for you we will be able to get to his room" "What about the other werewolves?" Soran asked. "If we get caught it''s over." "Mikain''s floor has barely any people. "Hans and a few others. Most of them will be asleep. We will be heading there during the night." Mika told them. "And about who will be giving him the drink?" Kai asked, bringing up this topic. "I will go." Philip announced and everyone looked at him. "He likes me. In his...own way. I will sneak into his room and make him drink it." He said. "No." Kai said. "You won''t be going there again." "It''s fine. I can do it." The werewolf answered. "I didn''t think you couldn''t do it. I just don''t want you to do it." The prince said. His face was serious. "Kai¡­" his brother called his name. "Stop being so fucking annoying, will you?" .... Hello everyone! Hope you''re enjoying this chapter and the book in general. Please leave a nice comment and a good review. Also a vote! It''s very important since this book is a part of a contest. It would help a lot. Thank you for reading! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 110 - 109 "You think I am being annoying just because I don''t want to send him to die?" Kai shouted. Both brothers were standing, staring at each other filled with anger. "I guess you don''t understand how important it is that that idiot dies. I mean why would you? You left home, you don''t care about all of our people that died because of them, you only care about yourself and your pet." Xan snorted, pointing judgmentally at his brother. "Oh please, you the fuck are you trying to kid you bastard? Like you care, you came here just because mommy dearest told you to orelse you''d be at home, in your fancy apartment going to balls and laughing at stupid jokes to kiss the asses of other bluebloods." He attacked him and Xan rolled his eyes. He pushed back his hair, his foot tapping the carpet filled with annoyance. "You have no idea...not the slightest idea what has been going on at home ever since you left. But it''s okay, you weren''t going to help even if you were there. Exactly how you''re doing now, being a whiny immature baby that''s too scared to even breathe." "Enough. I think that''s enough." Philip said. He grabbed Kai''s hand, pulling him back gently and the younger prince turned his head to look at his boyfriend. "You promised me." He reminded Philip and the wolf smiled. "I won''t die, Kai. It''s not that difficult. He is stupid. I will be perfectly fine." The werewolf said and urged him to sit back down. Xan was observing their little talk carefully, seeing how his brother had no intention to step back he sighed. "I will consider it." He said and Kai stared at him with a questioning expression. "I will consider doing you the favor you wanted. Just let me get on with this mission." He told his brother and his eyes widened, believing he had just heard wrong. "You''re joking." Kai mumbled. "I am not. I do not joke. I do not like jokes. I am serious." Xan said as he turned his back and sat back down on his seat. "Just for let us fucking do this and forget that bastard ever existed. We can all part our ways then and I won''t have to see your annoying faces ever again." He said, a cocky grin on his face. "This must be the first time I agree with this snobbish bastard." Mika mumbled and Xan shook his head, thinking too lowly of him to even reply. "If there''s anything I could do¡­" John said shyly. "I would love to help." "I don''t think you could do anything. You''re too weak." Soran told him and the young werewolf frowned. The white haired man averted his gaze, biting his lip, surprised with himself. "I mean¡­" "It''s fine." John said, faking a smile. "I would be a burden anyways." He added and stood up, leaving the room with a saddened face. "Kai¡­" Philip called him, patting the seat next to him, hoping that the prince would calm down a bit. "I just don''t want you to get hurt" he whispered, even though he was well aware everyone in the room could hear him. "I won''t. Don''t worry. I''m quite strong actually." He said and winked at him playfully Kai stared into his eyes, trying to think of a way to convince him not to go but he knew there was no way he would retrieve. Even Xan had offered to talk if that meant he could have that Alpha killed. Him whining and stopping their planning was only going to stall them. He did not have the ability to change things anyway. He let out a deep exhale, his handsome face expressing clearly how worried he was but in the end he nodded, accepting his defeat. "Alright. But no matter what, if you sense you''re in danger you have to leave there. Even if you don''t succeed." He instructed him and Philip smiled cheerfully. "You got a deal." He agreed happily and then Reina stood up once again. The girl had become the official announcer of the night, coordinating this supernatural chaos as well as she could. "So, now that everything has been cleared out we will patiently wait for tomorrow. The witches have eyes everywhere so they will find us. Our part of the deal ends with mister Lun being offered to the witch for a night and then¡­" "Wait, wait...about that. You went on and literally gave me to that psychotic stalker. Do you know how long it took me to get rid of it? Shouldn''t anyone ask me about it?" He said, his eyes stuck between Philip and Reina. The girl smiled, her eyes showing a spark of guilt as she spoke. "Well, it''s for a greater cause. I am sure you will be fine, she said no one will get hurt except the Alpha." She quoted Aira''s words and Lun snorted. "Her opinion of hurt is far from yours little girl." He said and his eyes scanned the room. "So is everyone okay with just giving me away?" He asked. No one really objected , Kai staring at the floor, playing awkwardly with the hem of his shirt. When his eyes met with Soran his white haired friend averted his gaze and Xan, well he simply stared back at him, shrugging his shoulders as if he didn''t care. "My two friends giving me away like I am some kind of present, and you well...I won''t even talk about you" he said, angrily eyeing Xan. "That''s vampires for you. They only care about themselves." Mika commented and Soran looked at him. "Not to be mean or anything, but you''ve been out of context the whole night. You''re bitter we get it. I am so sorry someone hurt you but can you please shut up for a second, you''re getting on my nerves and that''s fucking rare." He told Mika and Kai looked at his friend surprised as he tried to keep in a chuckle. Mika remained quiet this time, sitting back on his chair and crossing his legs "How about we all get some rest?" Reina suggested. "For sure." Lun agreed. "Let me know when it''s time to sell my body like a prostitute." He said bitterly as he headed towards the door. "I thought you liked prostitutes" Xan said. "I would answer you but we''re in front of kids and I am not in the mood." He said as he opened the door and stormed outside. Slowly everyone left, leaving Kai with Philip. The young werewolf observed how his boyfriend paced back and forth, biting his nails. "It''s fine Kai." He told him again. "Really, I have a good feeling about this." He said and stood up, approaching him and wrapping his arms around his waist. He kissed gently his forehead, his warm palm caressing his cheek and the prince relaxed a bit, feeling the comfort of his touch. "I just¡­" "No. There is no reason to keep thinking about negative things. I am sure everything will be fine. Once this whole deal ends I will take you on a date. We will be alone, the whole night" he whispered in his ear, a sly smile lingering on his lips and Kai chuckled. "Could you handle me?" The cocky prince asked, staring into Philip''s eyes and the werewolf looked at him intrigued. "I guess you will have to wait and see." He told him, grabbing him and swirling him around, making the vampire laugh. He gently stopped, kissing his nose. "It will be fine." He said once more, wanting to reassure him. That night, it was one of the hardest for Kai. The thought of the upcoming battle rushing on his mind, the scenarios he made up one worse than the other, making him want to cry. He didn''t say anything though, he simply stayed up all night, waiting for the sun to rise so he could get up from his uncomfortable bed and find something to occupy himself with. It was hard, thinking that just one mistake could ruin everything once more. Letting Philip go in there, meeting with that horrible man, he couldn''t stop but think it would end up being a lethal decision. He couldn''t stop it though, he couldn''t object because the truth was he couldn''t think of something better. The young werewolf didn''t know, he wouldn''t be able to understand why he was so worried. He had felt the pain of losing before. Just one mistake it was enough to ruin a perfect plan, just like before. He closed his eyes again and again, but sleep was futile. The prince was doomed into always thinking the worst case scenario, because most of the times his life, well, his life had been a play that followed that twisted script. Just a few hours were left. .... Hello everyone! A big battle is coming. I am preparing a few really good chapters so I hope you''re ready. Please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote to support the book. Thank you for reading! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 111 - 110 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Everyone had their own problems but in the end they decided to follow Reina''s words. They put their differences aside, they left matters open and simply waited like soldiers before a lethal battle for everything to be put into place. It was true, the witches had eyes all over the city and found them with no difficulty, delivering a black colored liquid stored into a round bottle. The woman that had brought it wore a black hoodie, hiding half of her face. She dropped it on Reina''s hands and walked away not sharing a word with them. And later, when night fell two things happened at the same time. At first Lun sent a human into the hotel, giving them the very specific instruction to inform them once Mikain had left his room. The human had agreed, having his mind and memories altered with little help of Soran''s powers. Purebloods and powerful vampires also had an extra set of abilities, powers that separated them from the rest, used to show their authority and superiority. Kai had them too, Xan also and even Lun but they preferred it to keep them hidden. There was actually a little superstition in BloodBound that if people knew of your special power they could take your soul, using it in powerful magic. It wasn''t true of course but the spreading of such superstition helped to stop some obnoxious royals from causing unnecessary fights. So after the man had run to the hotel, unaware of what he was actually doing Lun had left the hotel. A black limousine stopped in front of the shabby alley and the vampire had gotten in while Kai and Soran stood outside making sure that he was okay. Of course he wasn''t, he made sure to flip them off just before the car started. That left Philip. He had been trying to prepare himself all day thinking and thinking how he should proceed with things. This would be his mission, he was all alone in it and he couldn''t mess it up. Reina had handed him the potion, him storing it lazily in his jeans'' pocket and after a hug from her the werewolf had set off. Kai had looked at him from afar, giving him a faint smile as he walked outside. Philip did not blame him, he was aware that if he touched him, if he found himself standing close to him he would turn into a coward. That way at least his mind was clear. He had to go in first, then the human would alert the royal brothers and Soran so they could follow. The young wolf warrior had climbed the stairs, dressed all in black, trying to match the secrecy of the night so he wouldn''t be noticed. His footsteps sometimes made noise in the metal staircase and he hissed from time to time, looking manically around him to make sure he wasn''t seen. He stood at the small platform waiting. The door in front of him would open at any moment, allowing him to enter Mikain''s floor. He patted his pocket, wanting to feel the small bottle in it and he exhaled, relieved. He had been worried he would lose it but thankfully it was still there. Philip waited for about five minutes, out in the cold, feeling his fingertips slowly turn cold before the door opened, revealing the hypnotized human. It was past midnight, the hotel was drowned in a resting silence and he walked in, leaving the cold behind him. "Thanks." he mumbled but the human did not respond. He just closed the door and began walking, expressionless. Philip stood for a while at the entrance of the hall, taking out the potion from his pocket. He held it close, clenching his fist before he scanned every corner of the wide hallway. He checked twice, before he heard the human speak. "The target has left his room to visit a man named Hans. The room is empty. He left exactly four and a half minutes ago." he told him as if he was a robot and Philip nodded, finally entering the floor. If he said he wasn''t nervous he would lie. Every muscle on his body was tense, every breath he took short and while he walked he made sure his footsteps were quiet. He stood in front of the door, finding himself unprepared about how he would open the door. He looked at the lock with wide eyes, not believing how he could have forgotten something so important when the human pushed him to the side. He placed a card on the lock and instantly it was unlocked. The werewolf turned his head, wondering but he didn''t even think of asking. The man was unconscious but actually conscious at the same time. It was probably an order from Soran, he concluded. "The target is missing for six minutes." The human announced, being his own personal timer and Philip gulped. He jumped inside the room, closing the door behind him, not concerning himself what the other man would do. He looked around. His body was shaking as he tried to push away the happenings of last time. He took a deep breath, his hazed eyes closed as he felt the weight of the bottle in his hands. "You can do this." he told himself and headed towards the bar in Mikain''s room. Philip grabbed two glasses, pouring the liquid in one of them and then almost filled them to the brim with shaking hands with alcohol. He placed the drugged glass a bit further away, marking it by a scratch it had on the rim and scanned the room. All of his senses were heightened, a command he gave to himself to be wary and soon, as he paced in the room, preparing himself for his little act he heard footsteps outside the door. His eyes widened and he blinked frantically. The footsteps were approaching rhythmically, the werewolf recognizing their pace and he sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for Mikain to appear. The familiar click was heard and the door opened slowly, revealing a ray of light from the corridor. It wasn''t Mikain the one who entered through, it was someone else, leaving Philip frozen. "What the fcuk are you doing here?" A loud voice screamed and the man was ready to run away. Philip stood up, he couldn''t let him alert the others. Before he knew it, he was attacking one of his own pack members. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 112 - 111 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com He didn''t know his name. That was how irrelevant this man was but if he allowed him to open his mouth and alerted the others everything would be ruined. Philip launched forward, pulling him inside the room by the collar and closing the door loudly with his leg. The man fought, trying to escape his grip and both of them found themselves on the floor. Philip got punched and the guy stumbled, trying to reach the handle and escape but he wouldn''t let him. He grabbed his shirt, ripping it before he turned his body and brought him all back. The guy landed on the floor again with Philip violently headlocking him. He took out his claws, ripping the warrior''s skin and the man hissed, feeling the ripped flesh. He didn''t let go of him though. He couldn''t. Philip couldn''t think that they would fail so early on. "You bastard." His opponent swore with difficulty and Philip felt his canines dive into his wounded arm. He groaned loudly, finally freeing him from his grip. The stranger stood up, his only goal was the door. Philip wouldn''t let it happen. He stood up too, his ripped arm hanging lifeless on his side and he groaned, following the man with fast steps. He grabbed him by the back of his hand, stopping him again and this time he smacked his head onto the wall, seeing a bloody patch dirty the beige wallpaper. "Let go of me!" "Like hell I will, you piece of shit." he shouted without meaning to. He threw the werewolf on the carpet, his blood trailing fast from a huge cut on his forehead blinding him. Philip sat on him and started punching him. His heart was beating loudly, he couldn''t hear a thing as he destroyed his opponent in front of him. His eyes changed, showing how slowly he was losing his self control. After a while the man was quiet, his face unrecognizable, painted in a gruesome way with blood, his eyes swollen, cuts on his face. It would take him a while to heal from this and wake up. Philip let go, he stood up and kicked him for one last time, releasing all the anger he had pent up until now and grabbed him from his legs, drugging the half dead body to the bathroom. He looked at him, inspecting his situation and watched his hand flinch. The werewolf clicked his tongue, seeing that he wasn''t completely out of it yet. He grabbed his head and this time he smacked it hard on the sink, hearing the expensive porcelain break into thick pieces. Then without thinking twice about it he dropped him, face first. "Dare to flinch now." he mumbled as he wiped the blood from his palms onto his jeans. He walked outside the bathroom, closing the door and making sure to lock it. He had managed to stop this idiot from alerting Mikain, the problem was that someone would come look for him soon and if it wasn''t the Alpha he would have to fight again. He took a deep breath, trying to make himself think but no matter what he considered he ended up concluding to the fact that he was trapped. If he stepped outside he was dead, if he tried anything else he would probably end up dead too. He felt the pain in his arm lessen, as the smaller wounds began to heal. He looked down, disgusted by the fact that he could see his own bone. "That fucker bit me." he mumbled and a frown appeared on his face. There was nothing to be done other than wait. Mikain probably had sent him to his room for something orelse a low rank like him wouldn''t be able to even step to this floor let alone have a key to the Alpha''s room. He sat on the bed, wiping some of his sweat away with his working arm and stared at the door. "Will it be him¡­will it not be him?" he kept mumbling. The truth was that Philip had given up reason at this point. He knew he had sent himself to slaughter and he had done it willingly so the only thing he could do at the moment was actually wait. If Mikain came through that door in a while he would be lucky, no matter how wrong it felt for him to think that. If another idiot stepped in he would have to fight them too, knocking them out until he built a pile of werewolf bodies in the bathroom, Mikain would have to come at some point, he thought, shrugging his shoulders. His worries would only slow him down, his fears only acted as obstacles, he reminded himself as he thought of Kai. He had come here for a reason, failure wasn''t an option. Philip was going to win tonight, even if that meant fighting his whole pack. He grinned, his hazel eyes focused on the door as he heard once again slow steps heading towards the room he was hiding. "Time for the grand surprise." he said, trying to humor himself on what was about to happen. His heart once again was racing and he wasn''t even able to blink. The muscles of his jaw tensed as he watched the door open in a very similar repeat of before. The figure of a man appeared and the wolf smiled brightly. "I have been waiting for you." he said, crossing his legs and meeting eyes with the intruder. In all his misfortune he seemed to be lucky. Time stopped and Philip''s mind went numb. Up to now he didn''t have to do anything that difficult, even his little fight seemed like a child''s play to what was about to follow. His smile grew wider, his face showing only what he wanted the other to perceive, now, he was looking towards the finish line. He would either free Kai or kill himself. ... Hello everyone! How are you? I hope you''re having fun during the holidays. Thank you for reading and for all the support. Please leave a nice comemnt, a good review and a vote. They are very important! How does the story seem so far to you? Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 113 - 112 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com "What the heck are you doing here?" Mikain''s voice was heard as he closed the door loudly behind him. Philip instantly felt trapped, scared for his life but he tried really hard to hide it. His mask was his smile and cheerful voice, the way he tilted his head to the side and playfully raised his arms in the air, pretending to surrender "I come in peace." He said. "I think there has been a misunderstanding. I came here to fix it" he told his Alpha and Mikain stared at him, his eyes squeezed as he observed his every move. "Where is the guy I sent here?" Mikain asked and Philip smiled brightly, showing with his head the bathroom. "He''s sleeping. Wouldn''t bother him if I were you" he said. The tall man walked towards the locked door, unlocking it and opened it to face the chaos that Philip had created. Indeed the other werewolf was still unconscious, drenched in his own blood, left on the cold floor while pieces of the broken sink surrounded him. Mikain frowned, disgusted and closed the door, locking it again before he turned his dark eyes towards Philip once more. "You know that if I just pushed you out of this door right now hundreds of wolves would be ready to tear you apart?" He asked him, a sadistic smile on his face and the young werewolf forced himself to relax. "I do. Believe me I am very scared." He said in a teasing tone. "But even though I know you''re mad at me I still came here, despite being in danger, don''t you want to know why?" He asked him, hoping to make him wonder, stop him from throwing him outside. It was horrible, to feel safer locked in a room with your worst enemy rather outside with your own people. That was how much Mikain had polluted their pack. Philip, all of his friends simply had chosen to ignore it. Pretend they couldn''t see the corruption and the rot growing into the people''s hearts. It didn''t affect them, they believed it never would until all of them found themselves ostracized, a prey just to be hunted and Philip, he felt the fear of losing the one he wanted. They were at fault too, thinking they were indestructible until everything crumbled and they had to face the disasters they had been ignoring. "That is true." He said, tilting his head to the side. "I do want to know why you''d come back. I had been informed you ran away with your friends." He said and Philip faked a small laugh. "I did. But you know what? I realized something. You are wrong about me. I would never betray you, I would never sabotage your plans." Philip told him, trying to sound as sincere as he could. His lies, they left a bitter taste in his mouth, making his stomach turn. "Is that so? And you came all the way here to tell me that?" He asked and the young werewolf stood up. He took a few steps closer, approaching the man that stood before him like a powerful wall. Mikain looked down at him, intrigued by his movement. Philip rested his palm on his chest, slowly, his eyes, doe, meeting Mikain''s. He wanted to throw up, things seemed to be going well though. He couldn''t stop now. If he made it then he would have helped save Kai. He wanted to run away, every muscle on his body was resisting the way he acted, how he touched the Alpha or the seductive way he met his eyes. The cunning tone he had or the sweet words he was prepared to say. He was a lie, at that moment his whole being was a disguise. All he had to do was lead him to that glass, make him interested enough, make him trust him enough so he would drink that potion. It was so simple but at the same time so hard to do. "Yes, I didn''t want you to think badly of me. We had some rather... unpleasant." Philip said and Mikain laughed, making his insides turn. "Well, it was something." The Alpha stated, showing him that he wanted for Philip to continue talking. "But why would you want me to have a good opinion of you?" "You''re the Alpha. I am not that stupid." Philip said with a smile laced with mystery. The hand that was resting on Mikain''s chest moved upwards and he caressed the man''s jawline, making him tense slightly. "Also you''re very handsome. The truth is I fear my cowardice made me lose a very good chance of having fun with you. I want to be on your good side, I want to have a man like you." He said and Mikain''s eyes lit up. He was satisfied, blinded by his own narcissistic tendencies he didn''t see behind Philip''s lies. All he could feel was proud. He had the power to draw everyone around him, he was irresistible, that was what he was thinking about himself and it was showing so clearly on his face. His strong arm wrapped around Philip''s waist, bringing him closer in a hurry and he leaned in closer, whispering to him, his hot breath landing on his neck. "We seem to have found something we agree on" he said and kissed Philip''s neck, making all the hairs rise in his body. The werewolf frowned, knowing that the Alpha couldn''t see him but still he laughed, approving of Mikain''s words. He moved his hand, placing his palm under the man''s shirt, feeling his abs and the slow moving of his breathing and the Alpha pushed him roughly towards the bed. Philip''s heart almost exploded from fear as he landed on the soft sheets, feeling the slick silk underneath him. He took a deep breath, gulping as he watched the man hover above him and he smiled, trying to put his mask back on. "I had my eyes on you for a while." Mikain mumbled as his hands traced lines over his body. "What took you so long then?" Philip asked him seductively and Mikain moved in, intending to kiss him. In a hurry the young man tumbled to the side, a cute giggle escaping his lips. "Let''s drink something first. I am not that easy." He said playfully and Mikain smirked. He sat at the edge of the bed, seeing how Philip moved towards the luxurious bar and grabbed two filled glasses. "You were prepared." The Alpha told him. "I always have a plan" he said, making him smile and he moved his glass close to his lips. He watched carefully, his hazel eyes appearing above the rim of the glass as Mikain brought the delicate object close to his lips. He didn''t drink though. He looked at the liquid, smelling it. His smile slowly disappeared and he raised his head, the bottomless eyes meeting with Philip''s. He squeezed the glass, shattering it in his palm, shards of glass and whiskey falling on his lap. At that moment the young werewolf realized everything. Mikain had smelled it, he had smelled what Reina, Mika and him couldn''t. He was stronger than them, faster than them of course he would have a better sense of smell than them. Mikain stood up, anger bottling and overflowing from his eyes while Philip took a step back, his glass falling from his hand and shattering on the warm carpet, dumping it and making another mess. He had been so close, close enough to think that he would succeed but now, all he could do was prepare to face failure. That and death. His head snapped to the side, his eyes begging for the door to somehow magically open and for him to find himself outside, free. Nothing happened though and once the Alpha realized what he was thinking he walked and stood in front of the door, hiding his only thought of salvation. "You are one sneaky motherfucker. You won''t be getting out of here alive. I promise you" Mikain told him and Philip''s eyes widened in terror. He was doomed. At first his only thought was how he would save Kai, stop Mikain from ruining the pack, return to his happy life but now he couldn''t help but wonder how he would be able to save himself, he was going to die. There was no other outcome he could actually think of. "Let''s talk about it." He said, his voice shaking before he attempted to run first. Mikain laughed loudly, grabbing him from the back of his neck and Philip thought of the man he had knocked out, thrown into the bathroom as if he was trash. Now it was his turn, karma was out to get him but he would end up dying too. "I am done talking" Mikain said. ... Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! If you liked this chapter please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote. It helps a lot!! You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 114 - 113 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Lun had been very displeased with the course of events. From beginning to end he had found himself being dragged around until he was sent off like a package to one of his psychotic exes. He had no other choice though, he didn''t want Kai or anyone else to die, he also couldn''t stand Xan''s bickering. Sitting in the back seats of the unknown car, a driver leading him to the vast unknown, he tilted his head to the side, touching the cold window. His breath fogged the glass and he separated the whiteshish patch with his index finger, looking depressingly outside. Deep into the night, the street lights his own companion as they shone yellow above his head. He had spent a huge part of his life in the dark, unable to walk under the sun so he didn''t mind. The night sky, the chill of winter and the dark shadows forming in the people''s faces as they rushed to leave, scared of the monsters that hid in the far away corners of the world were all part of his life. He sighed, looking at his palms. Many times ever since he had come here he had thought that he missed home. BloodBound, a land of immortals, a rift in the universe that was filled with abnormalities, a place where he and many more could hide behind a front. The front of the crown prince, the front of the rebellious teen, the front of the mafia son. Everything was neatly settled, a tag around your neck so you would never forget but once you stepped outside the red sun and the horrifying castles, once you left the dirty muddy roads at the slumps and the squeaking of the rats died down you ended up not knowing who you were. Lun wanted to go back sometimes, finding himself troubled by how here he wasn''t anyone. He wasn''t judged and he wasn''t feared. Xan wasn''t his prince and Kai was just his friend. He felt as if the order of the world had changed and that confused him. As they left the city behind the vampire noticed the scenery changing into the one he too had chosen for a place to live here. Maybe it was the same for all supernaturals. Too many people, too many curious eyes were annoying. He had lived on the other side of the city but there was definitely a pattern. Low hills with green grass and then behind them an endless forest with tall and old trees. The car stopped abruptly at the beginning of the forest and the driver turned off the engine. He opened his door and stepped out, getting to Lun and signaling him to step outside. The vampire rolled his eyes, getting off too and watching how the forest stood proudly, like a monster ready to devour him. "Of course I would have to walk." he mumbled. The driver and he hadn''t exchanged any words. The man walking in front of him, dressed in all black acted simply like a guide, he wouldn''t even look at him and Lun wondered for a second if he was actually going to go after him if he tried to run away. He was sneaky like that from time to time and well, he wasn''t the kind of man to resist his urges so he let the man walk and walk, standing behind him until they had a good distance between them and then he changed his course, turning to the right and leaving the man made path he had been on for a while. Lun scoffed as he turned his head and realized no one was following him. It seemed almost ridiculous to him. The man had been charmed, he realized. Of course, witches did not let men around them easily. Smart move, the vampire thought as he looked around him, examining the forest. He had been walking for a while, wondering why he hadn''t found himself outside yet. He had a pretty good sense of direction and he did try many times to simply teleport out of the forest and in front of the car. He was sure the witches wouldn''t mind if he tried to steal it, or something. As he looked around, the scuffed tree trunks, the needles of the pine trees on the ground and the soil dirtying his shoes he found himself going in very boring circles. He laughed, pushing back his hair as his voice echoed in the silence of the night. Of course the man would not be the only one enchanted here. His brown eyes traveled from tree to tree, searching for a pair of eyes, the shadows of a figure, anything that would give away the presence of another person but he could see nothing. "Alright. Alright." he said, knowing that someone was definitely listening. "I won''t try to run away anymore so how about you come out now my dear?" he asked, looking towards many different directions, waiting with a grin on his face until the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Her wild curly hair framed her face beautifully and the moment she appeared many memories flashed in Lun''s mind. Not particularly that good but he ignored it. He had met that woman years ago, when she was so young and now the innocence of not knowing of the world had disappeared from her green eyes. "A little bird told me you wished to see me." he said with a smirk on his face and the woman smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Well, not exactly see you¡­kill you would be best." ... Happy New Year everyone. Hope you are all well. I wish you the best for the year that''s about to come. I have many more exciting chapters and projects for 2022 so please follow me into this amazing adventure of reading! I hope you''re enjoying this book.. If you are please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote. It''s very important! You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 115 - 114 Best novel online free at novelhall.com He wanted to say he wasn''t scared, he wanted to pretend that everything would be fine, going according to plan but the truth was he was petrified. All he could think of was surviving and the urge of being a hero slowly disappeared from his scared mind. Mikain was blocking his only exit, shutting off his only light of hope and he was doing it on purpose. It was a very clear message that he wasn''t going to make it out of there alive. The Alpha stared at him. He was two good heads taller than him and Philip for the first time realized how muscular and strong he looked. Mikain was the kind of guy that scared little kids on the street just by walking by them. "So¡­" he began, tilting his head to the side. "You wanted to poison me? Do you think you could become the Alpha?" he asked him while he held him by the back of his neck. Him? The Alpha? He just wanted a boyfriend. But of course he couldn''t say that, he had his honor to keep. "Like you''re doing much." Philip scoffed and felt Mikain''s grip tighten on his neck. He was going to crush his bones if he kept at it and the young werewolf, looking more like an angry puppy, tried to escape. He clawed at Mikain''s arm, making him loosen his grip for a split second, enough time for him to escape and resume a fighting stance. "So we''re going to fight" The Alpha asked him. The irony dripped from his lips like honey and Philip smiled. "I don''t know about you but I am getting out of here." he said and the man before him started laughing. Well, he would laugh at himself too. Philip thought as he watched the gigantic man rush towards him. He charged, fearing for his life but at the same time knowing that doing nothing would definitely get him killed. A death like that would be completely ridiculous so he chose to fight. Mikain and Philip, two men in the same pack, considered the stronger amongst their own, were hand in hand, fighting. They threw punches at each other, some of them hitting while others landed in the air. Philip even managed to hit him a few times even though he believed that his punches were probably more like touches of a feather to him rather than anything else. The Alpha stopped his upcoming punch, grabbing his wrist and shattering it like the glass he held before. Philip screamed, finding himself stuck in a bear trap. He raised his leg, kicking the man as hard as he could to the stomach and sending him to the other side of the room. Mikain landed right next to the door, sliding to the ground and Philip, without thinking, rushed towards the door, hoping he would get to escape. His opponent wouldn''t allow that though. Mikain was fast on his feet, barely hurt and grabbed the young man by the back of his head, a handful of his raven hair in his palm as he pushed him back. He made him land on one of the columns of the four poster bed. The wood broke loudly making him lose his balance and find himself on the floor. Mikain walked towards him, the sight of his boots hazily appearing before Philip''s eyes and the man kicked him right in the face. The werewolf fell to his side, blood escaping from his parted lips and landing on the ground as he tried to get up. Another sharp kick landed on his ribs and Philip heard the sound of his own bones break. He hissed, tasting the metallic taste that filled his mouth and with his little remaining strength grabbed Mikain''s ankle. He raised his arm and elbowed him right in the knee. The man growled, stepping back and Philip found the chance to get up. He wiped the blood from his lips and smiled at his Alpha. "You are really a sneaky bastard." Mikain commented and Philip shrugged his shoulders. "I have to say, I got to learn from the best." The wolf warrior said and earned a nasty stare from him before they returned to their fighting. Philip wouldn''t last much longer, he knew it. Mikain as the Alpha was healing a lot faster than him. Many bones on his body were already broken and his punches had weakened a lot. His body was slowly starting to get numb while his mind was hazy. He couldn''t easily think of his next move and his footwork got slow. "Let''s get this over. I have a prince to find." Mikain told him. He grabbed him by the neck, choking him with one hand while his other was moving back. He was going to kill him. He was intending to rip his heart off. That would be the end. The end of his life and the end of their plan, the end of his chance to help Kai, the end of everything he had tried to achieve. He gasped, his lungs beginning for air and his eyes widened as his upcoming death seemed to be getting clearer and clearer. He would go after Kai. Once he was dead here, failing the only thing he had to do, this monster would go after the prince. He couldn''t let that happen. His mind started screaming, his vision clearing up for a second and when Mikain''s hand approached his chest Philip grabbed it. His canines came out and he bit Mikain, as hard as he could, forcing him to set him free. He stepped back, his eyes shining silver,a tribute to the moon as he growled. "You won''t be getting anything tonight." he said, his claws out, sweat dripping from his forehead and Mikain mimicked his actions, getting ready to rip him to pieces. His eyes were golden, showing he was above him, every muscle, everything about him was stronger but Philip couldn''t back down. "We will see." Mikain said. Their battle had just been upgraded to a slaughter. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 116 - 115 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com People fall in love, foolishly and in a hurry they let their hearts take over. Lose control of their minds as they close their ears while warnings are being shouted at them. People fall in love without wanting to and they can''t stop it, no matter what. If love is supposed to be just hormones, a function of the brain, why are people attracted to others that cause them so much pain? So many questions surrounded the mystery that was called love and all of the answers of the world gathered still they did not paint clearly the image with the title, why do people fall in love and how? Many wish for it, the rushing heartbeats, the sweaty palms and the flushed cheeks. The endless daydreams and the beautiful scenarios. They await for a simple gaze or a slight touch of the hands. Their hearts flutter when they hear their name being called by the captor of their hearts. So many things, so many signs and still love is not explained. Even the ones who are cold, the people who stick to themselves someday, sometimes look at someone and the world around them changes. Love does that, it is almost like magic, a sweet illusion that brightens the scenery, makes the music louder and the jokes suddenly seem funnier. Love is like a drug, you get addicted to the idea of it still not knowing what it is exactly or where it will lead you. Some think it saves you, the thrill and the momentarily happiness but love like that, rough, reckless and in a hurry, dangerous with uncontrolled emotions, a love that lives off the soul of the people, it''s a drug that kills, not a remedy. Philip had found himself in that dilemma, wondering if his feelings for Kai would save him or destroy him. As he risked his life for a man he actually barely knew he couldn''t help but ask himself, is all of this worth it? The metallic taste in his mouth, the tears and the bite marks. His panting chest and the pain from his broken ribs. Yes, even if he had been tempted to ask that question he could answer immediately. No matter who asked him, no matter the way they phrased the question Philip would probably always answer the same way. Would you risk your life for him? Yes. It was that simple and at the same time so confusing to him because it did not make any sense. How was it possible to fall in love like that and what could happen next? Love was a first for him and this kind of love, the one laced with pretty danger was definitely a shock but still, he wouldn''t take it back, he wouldn''t ask for anything else and that on its own seemed peculiar. Could it be because of his eyes? Philip would wonder. Those endless sees of light blue and vibrant green, a mix of the world. Maybe his smile? An expression that could stun even the stricter people, a way of relaxing his anxious heart. His lips? Those perfect pinkish arches that gave the sweetest kisses. Or maybe his elegant body, this figure that Philip could only relate to him. Could it be something so superficial as his appearance? Could that be enough? Definitely not, it was something else. Something stronger, scarier but still he couldn''t describe it. "You are not focused, boy." His Alpha growled and Philip smirked, launching forward and grabbing Mikain by his waist. The taller man elbowed him in the back, strongly, breaking a few of his bones and Philip landed on the floor face first. He was bruised, bones broken and wounds bleeding. He believed he would die. There was no questioning it. "Life is a bitch." Philip groaned as he shakily stood on his feet. "This is taking too long and I am busy, let''s speed things up." To his displease Philip knew exactly what that meant. They were going to turn. Mikain was already starting to get into his wolf farm, bones cracking, the shape of his body changing until he was no longer human like, he had gray thick fur, golden eyes. A true beast,a gigantic wolf with his jaws wide open, his threatening teeth ready to attack and rip Philip''s flesh. The younger werewolf, a lot weaker, was forced to change too, becoming his beastly self, raven colored fur and silver eyes he breathed heavily, his body uncomfortable. Two beasts cramped in a hotel room, the moment Mikain jumped towards him chaos spread. Furniture falling, stuff breaking but no one seemed to care. The Alpha landed close to Philip, trying to bite him, put him down but Philip managed to escape, running towards another side. He wasn''t going to last long in this game of tag, he was already tired. He bared his jaws threateningly, but the gray wolf was not phased. He jumped on him again, this time managing to push him down. His jaws closed and opened loudly, his nuzzle approaching Philip''s neck, hidden behind the thick fur. He howled, not knowing why he was asking for help and he felt pitiful. He resisted for as long as he could, biting his opponent a few times, but he was really out of his league against Mikain. All he could do was stall his own death, wait until everything was over. The beast whined, too tired to fight any longer and the silver eyes watered, seeing the moving fangs intending to end his life. It was such a shame, Philip thought, not because he was going to die but because he wouldn''t have helped at all. Kai would only feel pain and that was the worst part. He closed his eyes, ready to give in to a painful death when a loud banging noise interrupted Mikain''s attack. Light suddenly invaded the room from the corridor and the Alpha, surprised, stepped back. Philip''s head turned, his vision blurry as he lost consciousness. He wanted to see who had stopped his death but he didn''t make it.. Darkness swallowed him whole. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 117 - 116 Best novel online free at novelhall.com "Man, it''s cold outside." "You can''t feel the cold." Kai told Soran with a frown in his face. "I know but the tension is too high and I thought I needed to say something." The white haired vampire said, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile. Xan looked at him, clicking his tongue and rolling his eyes, he couldn''t make it more obvious that he didn''t want to be there. The three vampires had been cramped into the small platform of the emergency exit, hidden by the darkness of the night they waited for Philip to let them in. He had gone in a while back but they hadn''t seen any signs of him. Kai was starting to get more and more anxious as the minutes passed and they dived deeper into the night hours. He sighed, his breathing turning into a small white cloud and Soran placed his palm on his shoulder, giving him a comforting look. "It will be fine. I am sure about it." He told his friend and the young prince smiled faintly. "Or he is already dead. That''s a possible outcome too." Xan said with a grin and Soran''s eyes widened, shocked about the fact that he was so tactless. The younger prince tried to ignore him. "He is not that strong after all. I mean not as strong as the Alpha. He could easily have his skull crushed by that¡­" "Enough" Kai told him between gritted teeth and Xan giggled, satisfied with annoying his brother. He was already forced to step into the human world, at least he tried to enjoy it a little bit. "Remember what you told me. You promised that if we did this, you would talk." Kai reminded him, his eyes seriously landing on his and Xan shook his hand. "Yeah, yeah. I said it. I will do it." Xan mumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not to sound pessimistic or anything but this is taking quite a while." He commented. "Soran, can you call that guy you hypnotized with Lun? He will be able to tell us what happened. I''m so sorry to say this but Xan is right. This is taking awfully long. Bring him here." "This was not a part of the plan. What if he gets caught?" "He won''t, just call him here. Please." Kai begged him with his big eyes and his friend sighed, biting his bottom lip as he closed his eyes. His eyelashes casted shadows on his handsome face as he parted slightly his lips and whispered a few words. After a few minutes the wide door of the exit opened loudly, revealing a zombie-like human standing before them. Soran''s dark eyes opened and he moved forward, grabbing the man''s head and closing his eyes again. He was traveling inside his head, seeing the last memories he had. The human didn''t realize anything while the vampire was intruding his subconscious. Once he had found what he wanted he let go of him, the man fainting and landing on the floor. "He arrived at Mikain''s room. He managed to get in with the key the human sneaked in and waited for him. Another werewolf entered and from the sounds I heard I think they fought. Then after a while Mikain entered too. I think Philip has been caught." He said and watched Kai freeze dumbfounded at the panel. He blinked a few times before he rushed inside, leaving the cold of the night behind him. "Wait, this is not the smartest idea. Rushing in like that." Xan said and grabbed his arm, intending to stop him from doing something stupid. His brother stared at him, his eyes sharp as he talked. "Let go of me right now. I am going there. I will kill that bastard and get Philip out. I will not wait any longer. I will not risk his life. Do you understand me?" He asked him, his tone serious, his eyebrows slightly lifted and Xan let go of him, giving up. "I am not planning on dying there." The crown prince said and Kai smirked. "Neither do I" he said and his older brother scoffed. "Lead the way I guess" he said, dramatically extending his arm and signaling him to move first. "If things get terrible, we can use our powers I guess." He mumbled, scratching his head with a frown. "Do not let mommy find that out." Kai teased him as they left the staircase that led to the emergency exit and entered the main part of the hotel. They were on Mikain''s floor, the lights dimly lit, their boots touching the soft carpet as they headed towards his room. Soran was the one leading them there actually since he had been the one seeing it. After a while, they didn''t need a guide anymore. The sounds of furniture breaking, the growls and the groans filled with pain were enough. Enough to root Kai to the floor, make him drenched in cold sweat at the horrible thought of what he was about to see. Please be alright, please be alright he chanted again and again, his hands forming fists on his sides. "What are you waiting for?" Xan asked and noticed that his brother was standing frozen with fear. "Your puppy will die if you stall any longer." He provoked him and Kai breathed in. "Let''s go kill that bastard." The youngest prince said and moved forward, standing in front of the other too facing the door. His eyes shone as he raised his leg and kicked the door right in the middle, smacking it open and making it bang on the wall loudly. Kai found Philip immediately. His lover pinned to the floor, ready to die. "I''ll make you wish you were never born" The youngest prince said, deadly glaring at Mikain. ... Hello everyone! Hope you liked this chapter.. If you did please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote. It''s really important since this book is a part of a contest and it would help a lot! Thank you for reading! Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 118 - 117 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Killing was fun, killing no matter how ironic it sounded made you feel alive. Vampires, being stuck in an endless eternity, were always tempted by such extreme actions. Life didn''t matter. All you could seek was the rush of the moment, the sound of a loud heartbeat just to forget you were numb, just to think you existed, that you weren''t just a shadow that was cursed to walk amongst the living until the end of time. Many vampires killed with no reason. They sought that excitement they couldn''t get from anywhere else. Bloodbound was just a place to exist and nothing more. The killings that took place every night showed perfectly clear that it was no longer a safe haven but a battle ground. Kai had been a part of this scheme, this carnival of blood for a while in his life. He had seen fountains and rivers of blood, he had seen twisted smiles as he smiled back and he had felt the thrill of being powerful. It was almost addicting, the sensation of existing. Tonight though the younger prince did not seek that excitement. He seemed revenge, he sought to cause pain not just so he could feel powerful or alive but so he could punish. As he opened wide the door of the hotel room, as he watched Philip lose consciousness and his Alpha ready to murder him he realized that no thrill was greater, no satisfaction mattered more than the one of hurting the ones who harmed your loved ones. Maybe he was selfish, maybe he was twisted in a way he would never overcome. He never had positive feelings, he was never the kind of person you would describe as nice but at the same time he wasn''t bad. At that moment though he didn''t mind being that. The villain, the bad guy as he tortured Mikain to his death. He could smell Philip''s blood and that alone made him want to kill whoever stood on his way. His hands in fists on his sides, his eyes wide, a sudden change of color in them. "You bastard." He shouted and rushed in, ready to attack Mikain. The wolf jumped back, getting away from Philip''s body, and moved to the side, avoiding Kai when someone else flashed behind him. It was the crown prince, silent and with no expression he grabbed him, crushing him with his arms and the man fell on the floor, changing back into a human, his clothes ripped to shreds. "Well, well, well. I wanted one prince but I will be getting two." He said. Nobody had come. Nobody dared to approach the Alpha''s room and maybe now that acted as a disadvantage. Mikain cursed on his mind, clicking his tongue as he met eyes with Kai. "I will kill you" the blond vampire said and the Alpha laughed, knowing very well it wouldn''t be that easy. "Let''s see then. Will the two spoiled royals be able to kill me?" Mikain asked out loud and took his fighting stance. Kai grinned, his eyes traveling for a split second to his brother. Xan nodded, showing him they were actually in sync and he breathed in. There was no reason for him to hold back now. Kai thought and once again he ran towards Mikain. The Alpha, in contrast to his size, was good at dodging. Kai had tried to kick him a few times and the werewolf had managed to dodge them all. On his last attempt the wolf grabbed his leg, breaking his knee with his elbow and the young prince screamed, falling on his good knee. "Dear brother. Kicking is not the way to do things." Xan commented as he stepped forward. Mikain tilted his head to the side, noticing how the older prince was a bit taller and bigger in size. He actually viewed him as a more serious opponent. Xan indeed did not fight with his kicks. He used his fists, landed two very powerful blows on the Alpha. Mikain stepped back, hearing a loud ringing between his ears and he swore. Xan tried to punch him again, but this time the werewolf guarded himself, raising his arms like a shield and the moment Xan''s first moved in between them, the werewolf closed them and flipped his arms, managing to break his wrist. The white haired vampire hissed, taking a step back and sitting next to his brother who was now healed. It wouldn''t be that easy to defeat him, they knew that already. "You little vampires only know how to fight with your pointy swords and your etiquette, stuck in the eighteen hundreds. But your fighting skills truly suck." He insulted them as he wiped a trail of blood that escaped from his ripped lips. "I won''t even have to ask for help with you two." He continued and heard Kai scoff. "I wouldn''t be judging a fighter just from a warm up" Kai said and disappeared right in front of the Alpha''s eyes. The next second he was behind him, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him back while Xan ran towards him landing a harsh blow on his abdomen. Mikain coughed, spitting blood all over Xan''s shirt and the crown prince frowned. "That''s disgusting." He said. Mikain groaned, angry by now and his claws flashed out. He moved forward, diving and bringing back Kai with all his strength, making him land on the floor. The prince felt his insides shake as he smacked the ground loudly. The Alpha approached the crown prince next, stepping on Kai''s chest first and another fist fight began. Xan got hit in the head while Mikain heard his own jaw crack. "You do land a half decent punch, I have to admit." He told him and Xan snorted, snobbishly. "Like I would care about what a peasant like you would think." He insulted him and the werewolf seemed to get even angrier. Xan noticed his canines getting out and the prince took a step back, he didn''t want a nasty werewolf bite, even if it wasn''t a full moon. Mikain smirked but didn''t attack him, he looked back, where Philip was lying unconscious and ran over there, Kai tried to stop him, jumping on him and struggling him but the Alpha flipped him over once more. He grabbed Philip by the neck, raising his body and with his transformed palm he pointed at his heart. Kai froze, his eyes widening as he realized what he was about to do. "No!" Kai screamed in panic. "I was thinking about it but as it seems you do have something to do with him...interesting. So tell me, will you die or will he die?" Mikain asked him but Kai didn''t look at him, he looked at his older brother. "Xan do it." "But mother said¡­" "Fuck mother and do it!" The younger prince shouted at him. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 119 - 118 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com High ranking vampires were not supposed to use their powers. It was a law established years ago to avoid the bug scale bloodbaths in BloodBound. The use of powers was only allowed in situations of grave danger and after it was allowed by the royal family. Of course the princes had to obey too, they could not escape the law nor its punishments. Whoever broke the law about powers was to be whipped one hundred times with a holy water dipped whip. No one wanted that. Definitely not Xan. But as the crown prince heard his brother scream at him, seeing the desperation in his eyes he was aware that there would be no other way to stop this. Yes, no one had come by now but they couldn''t be sure about what was going to happen next. Mikain was a nuisance already, he wouldn''t want to meet his Beta or any other powerful werewolves tonight. So he did as he was told, for the first and probably last time he decided to listen to his little brother. He took out his fangs and bit hard on his right wrist. Blood began pouring out, his eyes changing, shining as his lips were painted with the same color. Kai was first. The two princes had trained together for years, knowing how to act in combat with each other as companions. They might not get along but their whole life was based on knowing each other, seeing the other''s movement, communicating without speaking so they could create a perfect fighting duo. Maybe that was the reason they didn''t get along in the first place, they knew too much about each other. Too much of the good and too much of the bad. The younger prince screamed his eyes resembling his brother''s and he raised his right arm, his hand turning black as he looked at Mikain with a hate filled stare. "Why can''t I move?" The werewolf asked surprised. He tried to move his arm, rip Philip''s heart out but all he did was shudder, his body hard and stuck as a rock. "What did you do to me?" He screamed and Kai forced his mouth closed. The younger prince approached him, seeing him stand there like a statue, defenseless and he grinned. "Let him go." He ordered Mikain and the werewolf, feeling like he had no chance, to release the unconscious Philip, making him land in Kai''s arms. "What the fuck are you doing?" Mikain asked again, huge beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as he got more and more anxious. Kai smirked before he smiled brightly. He looked so innocent at that moment. It almost looked psychotic. "I am controlling your blood silly." Kai told him happily. I really didn''t want to do this, since it''s illegal and even I am not above the law but you know what? Fuck the law and fuck mommy dearest too. I am enjoying this so much right now." He said and forced Mikain to punch himself. "You fucking brat. You don''t even have the guts to fight me like a man!" "No, no you''re right." Kai said. "I don''t like to get my hands dirty. And I do enjoy playing with a sword but what I like the most is making my enemies feel defenseless. Unable to even control their own bodies. Pleading for me to give them control of themselves for one last time before I kill them. How do you feel? Now that you''re my personal blood puppet?" Kai asked him, tilting his head to the side. Mikain didn''t answer. Putting every ounce of strength in his broken body he howled. Asking for help and smirked. "You don''t have that much time. What are you going to do now?" "You know. My power has one limitation. Nature is fair in some ways. I can''t make people kill themselves but well you said it yourself. My brother is really strong." "Kai...we don''t have much time." Xan told him, blood spilling from his open wound and his younger brother looked at him. "Kill him." Kai said, taking a step back while still holding Philip. Xan''s blood that had escaped his wound came to life. Changing its form, becoming solid and taking the shape of a huge scythe that the crown prince wielded elegantly. He rushed forward, his face expressionless as always and before Mikain could even plead for his life he swung his weapon and cut his head off. Just like that he was dead, his head falling to the floor, blood oozing from his standing body before it crumbled and Kai shook his head, not liking the vulgar scene. "We need to go." Xan said, rushing to the door and looking around with anxious eyes. Kai held the werewolf tighter in his arms, relieved that he was finally with him. As he walked outside the room he turned back one last time. Seeing the dead body on the floor. After everything had ended, after the killing had stopped he felt empty, like always. "We should have done that from the start." Kai said. "We got punched and let that idiot insult us. It was completely unnecessary." The young prince stated as they headed towards the exit. They heard footsteps and doors opening but by the time everyone would know what happened they would be gone. "We will get whipped." Xan said, his face looking terrified for a second. "Mother will¡­" "I don''t want to know. I won''t get whipped. I won''t be coming home." Kai said as they stepped outside, meeting the cold night once again. "What do you mean you won''t be coming home?" Xan asked. "You will explain everything to Philip and then you will leave. Am I clear?" "So I will get whipped by myself." "Yes." "I hate you." ... Hello everyone. Hope you liked this chapter. You also saw Kai''s and Xan''s abilities. Which one do you like the most? Also prepare, things might seem to be over but well....I do have something prepared. If you like this book please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote. It''s really important! Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 120 - 119 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Kai thanked the night, concealing his worry while he held Philip in his arms. The young werewolf was still unconscious, resting gently in his embrace and they stepped outside, meeting with the cold of the past hours. Soran was waiting, taking a look at the sleeping man and then the two princes. Blood on their clothes, on their pale skins and the stench of werewolf oozing from their bodies. He locked eyes with Kai, the young man nodding without saying a word. They began going down the stairs, hurrying a bit just to make sure they would escape the swarm of werewolves that would be alarmed by Mikain''s last howl. As his feet stepped on the ground, he sighed relieved. The further he walked the more his tensed body relaxed and his exhaustion began to take over him. He won a few curious glances by some passerbys. Not everyone was asleep, some people still aimlessly roamed the streets. He didn''t pay any attention, even though he was fully aware of what they were thinking about. They looked at them as if they were criminals, dangerous people, drenched in someone''s blood. In a sense they were, murderers, cold blooded killers that had just finished one of their missions. Even though Kai knew it was wrong he felt a bit happy, as if the boulder he was carrying was slowly breaking. He was used to the guilt, slowly nesting in his soul. The image of a decapitated body strongly flashing before his eyes and he gagged. He wasn''t like this. A long time ago he wouldn''t eleven care but now, just the sight of the body was enough to make his hair rise. Thankfully, it was over. "That was a good combo back then." Xan mumbled, mostly talking to himself. "Pity we will get punished for it." he continued, his eyes showing distress. "Wait¡­did you guys?" Soran asked as they headed to their parked car. Lun had managed to secure one for them before they literally sent him off to the crazy witch. The white haired vampire, his friend, couldn''t stop but wonder how he was doing. They had no news yet. "You used your powers?" He finished his sentence. "The royal siblings? Oh, Xan you''re in a lot of trouble." the pureblood repeated and Xan sighed, fixing his glasses at the bridge of his nose. "I know, believe me I do." The crown prince said. After a while of walking they reached the car. It was a simple model, not anything too expensive that could draw unwanted looks. Black, with matching seats and a space freshener that smelled like cinnamon Soran entered the driver''s seat, placing the key on the engine. Xan sat right next to him, on the passenger seat while Kai carefully laid Philip in the back seats, his injured head resting on his lap. The engine roared like a wild animal and the lights that Soran turned on lit up the wall of the dead end before them. Reddish bricks and garbage bags, a rat passed by right in front of their eyes and Xan frowned, disgusted as he watched the gray animal stop, disoriented by the lights and stare right at them, its eyes a disturbing red. Soran began driving, ignoring the rat and headed out into the road. Everyone was quiet, even his older brother was too tired to speak, Kai realized as he watched Xan gently place his head on the window, his icy blue eyes looking outside, his thoughts taking over him. Kai looked down, gazing gently at the unconscious werewolf and a small sigh escaped his pink lips. His long fingers caressed his face, cold, Philip frowned, trying to move and ending up wincing by the pain of his wounds. Kai could almost feel his pain, his expression enough to make his heart bleed. He was alive, barely he had managed to get back there in time but what would happen if he hadn''t intervened? He couldn''t bear the thought of losing him. Not now that he had finally found him, not now that Xan had promised to talk. "Xan?" Kai called his brother, raising his head. "Hmm?" The crown prince hummed, too tired to even speak. Using such powerful powers obviously took a toll on their bodies, even though they denied to show it. "You will talk to him right?" his younger brother asked him, staring at him through the mirror of the car with big eyes, almost silently begging for his understanding. Xan sighed, rubbing the sides of his forehead and nodded. "I will, once he wakes up and I get some rest I will. Now let me be. I am tired." he stated and Kai smiled faintly, his eyes again focusing on Philip. His heart was racing, maybe he wasn''t so unlucky after all. Maybe his brother was not so bad, maybe this time he could get the life he wanted. Away from BloodBound, away from the royal family and away from the ones after him. He would have Philip, once again they could be together. Suddenly the few days left were not that scary anymore and the young prince wished that time would go by fast. Would he be foolish if he hoped? If he believed that one time during those two hundred years things would go his way? Maybe, but in the end, no matter what scenario he chose, no matter how hard he reminded himself of the bad consequences of his crime he couldn''t stop his idiotic heart, beating and screaming Philip''s name. It was a pull he couldn''t resist. The kisses, the touches and the sweet words, all of it, this man right in front of him from head to toe was enough to make him forget everything. That be it his worries or the guilt he felt for so long. As he kept thinking about it, time passed and the distance to the hotel drew smaller. Before he knew it they had arrived and Philip was once more in his arms, steadily moving with him. As he got off the car, closing the door with his leg, he noticed Mikai and Reina sitting in the small lounge of the motel and the receptionist looking at them with wide eyes. She didn''t say anything when Xan opened the door, she parted her lips at first, intending to say something but the crown prince glared at her, making her shiver and shrink into her chair. Philip''s friends rushed towards him, looking at the unconscious werewolf with worried eyes. "He will be fine, it''s just that his wounds are healing now." Kai told them, wanting to reduce their worry. "How did this happen?" Reina asked. "I don''t know either. When we found them Philip was already unconscious, the good thing is that we managed to kill Mikain." he announced and she gasped, a smile spreading on her face. "That''s great! We will be able to go back. I think it would be better for us to wait until Philip is fully healed though. We don''t want them to associate him with the Alpha''s death. Killing the leader without an official duel could be considered cowardly and if the pack wants it they can execute the person they think did it." "I see, yes it would be best for Philip to rest, heal up and then you can head back. I am sure with all the chaos no one will know you were gone. The pack will have a lot to do now." Kai told her and the girl nodded, eagerly. Mika hadn''t said a word, his eyes glued to his unconscious best friend, only paying attention to the vampire since he talked to him. "Are you okay?" Kai asked the red haired vampire. Mika remained silent for a few minutes, his eyes showing clearly he wasn''t planning on saying anything nice. "You didn''t do this to him, did you?" he asked and Kai''s eyes widened. "What? How could you think that I would do something like that?" the younger prince asked. "I wouldn''t be surprised, considering¡­everything." he told him and Kai sighed, closing his eyes and trying to restrain himself. "You have no idea. I will take Philip to his room, he needs to rest." he said and walked past them, deciding to end their conversation right there. He didn''t want to start this with Mika.He was aware of how he tended to lose control when it came to this matter, he wouldn''t be able to defend himself though, the blood oath was choking him, burning his insides when he tried to speak. There was nothing he could do but wait for Xan to speak and Philip to wake up. He opened the door in his room with difficulty and he placed the werewolf on the bed before he returned back and closed it, making sure to lock it. He didn''t want Mika burging in, even if it was selfish of him. While he was locking the door, making sure no one would get in easily he heard Philip groan and then, the sound of his name faintly reached his ears. Kai''s eyes widened and immediately he rushed over, seeing how the man was slowly waking up. "Are you alright?" Kai asked, sitting carefully at the side of the bed. Philip''s eyelids fluttered, his eyes looking around the room confused and he turned his head, meeting with Kai. "What happened?'' He asked, his voice rough. "We won. Mikain is dead." Kai said, a smile on his face but Philip didn''t share his excitement. "I failed." "That doesn''t matter. We did it. It''s over now." "I put you in danger. You had to come in and save me." he told Kai and tried to sit up, hissing as he felt the sharp pain on his ribs. Kai noticed it and helped him up, fixing the pillows behind his back. "It''s alright." He said, caressing his cheek. "It''s not, what if you''ve gotten hurt because of me?" Philip said, regret carved into his eyes. "I am stronger than you think." the prince said, a grin on his face. "But even if I wasn''t, I would still try to save you. Even if you didn''t need me to, I would still do it. I can''t stop myself. It''s just instinct. I want you to live Philip. You have too." the vampire stated, that hurt expression appearing again on his face. "I wanted to look cool to you." he mumbled and he chuckled, cupping his face. "You''re cool. Really cool." he said, making Philip smile faintly, the corners of his lips curling upwards. "You need to rest, you will have to heal up nicely so you can go back and fix things. I am going to get you some water and some food." Kai said and stood back. Philip grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking away. "Thank you." "Don''t thank me." the vampire said and walked away. Philip remained alone for a little bit, playing with the hem of the sheets when he heard the door open. "That was quick" he said, tilting his head to see who stood at the door. It wasn''t Kai though, it was Mika, looking at him with a very serious expression. "What''s wrong?" Philip asked, noticing how this wasn''t his usual expression and his best friend walked in, getting closer. "We need to talk, there is something you need to know.." he stated and Philip frowned. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 121 - 120 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com The meaning of the word exhausted couldn''t really express how he felt while he dragged his feet on the long staircase. Every step was pure pain, his aching muscles complaining with stabs of pain. Was he getting old? That surely couldn''t be it. He was only two hundred and twenty seven years old, someone would say he was in his prime time. He hadn''t fought like that for a while, training at the palace was nothing compared to that bastard''s punches. Xans topped at the top of the stairs, his palm landing on his knee and he hissed. Hand in hand combat was always to their disadvantage when it came to werewolves. Mikain wasn''t really wrong when he talked about pointy swords. In a swordfight, Xan thought he would have sliced him without even breaking a sweat. When his muscles relaxed a bit and the healing began he sighed, relieved that the pain was slowly lessening. He had insulted him, the crown prince of the Avgee monarchy, Xan thought and a grin spread on his bloody face. "Well, his head was rolling in the end." he whispered as he fixed his glasses, suddenly feeling a lot better with himself. He was a proud man, wearing his family''s name like a charm around his neck but except for that, he knew very well that failure was not an option, not just because his little brother would die but because he would have no home to return to. If word got out that the prince had failed he was sure the queen was going to exile him or even worse, torture him publicly. After the incidents with Kai, the palace had become a cruel place. Not that it wasn''t before, sometimes the atmosphere would be unbearable but now, now everything seems to be ruled by fear. The shame that the youngest prince brought to the family still exists like a dark spot in their history and those who have ill will towards them always want to use his little brother as a mistake of the monarchy. They didn''t even know the whole story, complaining about a rebellious prince that had ran away with no reason, using it as an excuse to say that his parents were not even able to raise a child, how could they rule their kind? After they used their powers tonight Xan couldn''t stop thinking about his home. About what would await him back there and even though he was an adult, his heart trembled like that of a child''s at the thought of what he would have to face once he stepped into the palace. He had broken a law, he had given another point to their enemies and his mother wouldn''t like that. The crown prince shook his head, trying to forget about such meaningless things for now and he began walking, his hands buried deep into the pockets of his cold jeans. He was disgusted by the smell of werewolf on him, he could see the Alpha''s blood in his clothes and his expression distorted. He had to hurry and get changed, get some rest because soon he would have to deal with his brother''s love affair. He shouldn''t have accepted, maybe torturing him for a bit longer would have been fun, he had to go through all that back home and he didn''t want to wait a few days? Xan smirked, remembering his brother while he pleaded. Maybe he had hurt enough, he could always find something else to torture him with, if he ever saw him again. The white haired man headed towards his room, desperately wanting to take a bath but as he reached his door, another person was stopping his way. It was that girl, the one that was with Mika and Philip, strangely, he didn''t feel so annoyed by her. "Hello." she said and Xan tilted his head to the side, impatient for some peace and quiet. "What?" he asked her rudely and Reina frowned but chose to ignore it. "Sorry, I know you must be tired but¡­I didn''t know who else to talk to. Kai went to get food for Philip, Mika is with his friend, the other guy disappeared and that newbie werewolf doesn''t seem to be able to solve my problem so I thought that maybe¡­" "Get to the point please. I just decapitated a werewolf alpha, used powers I hadn''t in a century and reek of blood. I want to rest." he told her coldy and the girl smiled, awkwardly playing with the edges of her sleeves. "The thing is¡­I don''t think you will be able to rest." she said "What?" Xan asked, raising his eyebrows. "It''s about Lun." "What about him?" The crown prince asked, showing a slight bit of emotion in his face. Reina felt that was a good sign, maybe they were friends, the girl told to herself trying to not just run off. Xan was quite intimidating, especially at the moment, looking like a serial killer. "You see¡­I really don''t trust that witch lady. Her eyes suddenly turned psycho when she heard about Lun. From what I heard those two have history and maybe it would be best if we could actually¡­I mean you, if you could go and check out if he is still alive" she said, rubbing the back of her neck, showing how uncomfortable she felt. Xan''s nostrils flared, his eyes shooting daggers at her and he bit his lip, pushing back his hair frustrated. "You''re telling me that you send him there¡­It doesn''t matter¡­" the prince interrupted his own self. "I want to sleep." he said, grabbing the handle of the door. Reina, distressed that he wasn''t going to help, placed her palms on top of his hand. "Take your peasant werewolf hands away from me before I behead you too." he said between gritted teeth and she jumped back, intimidated. "Are you really going to leave him there? Isn''t he your friend? Doesn''t he count on you?" she asked Xan. "Oh believe me you foolish girl he and I are not¡­friends" Xan said, his tone of irony slowly faded and he sighed. "Where the fuck is he?" he asked and Reina smiled, her beautiful face lighting up. "At the forest on the other side of Lun''s mansion. The witches hide there." Reina said. "I can draw you a map and¡­" she told him but he raised his hand, stopping her. "No need." He stated and in a second he had disappeared. Reina flinched, blinking a few times while her eyes traveled around. Xan had just turned into smoke. "Purebloods really are on another level¡­"she mumbled. These vampires had nothing in common with the ones she knew. "He is also a prince. A snob though.." she commented. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 122 - 121 Lun raised his hands in the air, wanting to surrender before there was even a fight. He smiled beautifully at the witch before him and she laughed, the vibrant sound traveling through the forest, dark birds flying above their heads, scared of her malice. "You think you can surrender? You don''t even want to ask me what''s going on?" Aira asked him and he shrugged his shoulders. "I know very well you requested me here in exchange for your help. I didn''t think you would bring me here to have tea, I have to be honest but you my dear are rushing things. Telling me you want to kill me right off the start. Where''s the fun in that?" he asked her. "How can you be so carefree?" Aria asked him. It seemed that she was in no mood to joke with the playful vampire. She took a few steps closer, approaching Lun and standing so close to him that her breathing landed on his lips. He smiled, putting his hands down and shrugged his shoulders again. "I am not bitter if someone dumps me. What can I do? I guess sometimes I can be the better person." he said and watched how Aira''s body tensed, her hands clenched in fists on her sides before she raised her arms and slapped him. Tears were gathered in her deer like eyes, being freed as she talked. "You''re a monster, you know that? Not because you''re a vampire. But just because you''re you. Rotten from the inside out. You think I am just being bitter because we broke up? Have you chosen to forget what you did?" She asked him, her eyes shooting deadly glares at him. Lun took a step back, his expression changing. There was no cheeky smile on his face anymore and as the moonlight invaded the forest through the spaces of the leaves and branches he turned into someone else. Shadows appeared on his face and his eyes turned cloudy. He wasn''t happily playing the fool, he was not the trickster anymore. "What I did was the best outcome for everyone." He stated, Aira''s eyes widening in shock before she slapped him again. This time she left a very clear red mark on his face, slowly fading away. Lun rubbed his cheek, turning his head to look at her, anger slowly appearing in his eyes. "Will you stop doing that? It fucking hurts!" he shouted and the witch smiled. It wasn''t a smile caused by happiness though, it was deranged, distant, as if it was touching the border of madness, matching so perfectly twisted with the tears that trailed paths on her beautiful face. "Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night? That what you did was the best for everyone? Was it the best for that poor child? Our child?" She screamed. "I didn''t know I could have children! Only purebloods are able to. How did you expect me to know that something like this could happen? That you and I could bring such an atrocity to this world?" Lun asked her and she pushed him, making him take a step back. "Don''t call my son an atrocity." She threatened him, pointing a finger at him. "Aira, look at me." Lun said strictly ang grabbed her arms. "I had Kai''s blood, that''s why I was able to have children but¡­witches and vampires are not supposed to have children! You know that! They turn out to be soulless, without emotions. You know that so well, you are a witch, the child of a demon with a human and I¡­I was cursed by your kind. Did you think that our species could be free to bring children into this world?" he asked her. "Me killing that child, it was the best for everyone." "No¡­we didn''t know. He was too young, how could we know he would turn into a killer?" she mumbled. "You murdered him and now you''re making it seem like you did a good thing!" She shouted again, trying to escape from Lun''s grip. "Let go!" she exclaimed, her voice loud and the earth began to shudder, as if an earthquake was happening. Lun lost his balance, falling on the soil and releasing her. He tried to get up but he found himself restrained, rooted to the ground, vines coming out front he earth and wrapping on his wrists and ankles. "I have been looking for you, in BloodBound, in the human world, everywhere and the moment I was about to give up the gods helped me. I wanted to avenge my son''s death." "That thing would have killed us all!" Lun told her. "You think I wanted to kill my own child? Do you think I am this heartless? Do you think I don''t find myself hurting because of it? But what could I do? Let him grow up? Become a real monster, even worse than us?" He kept spitting questions at her, the woman losing her composure and the vines slowly began to turn tighter, cutting into his skin. "Aira, you don''t want to do this." "You said that no one had to know. You made me seem like the crazy lady who couldn''t get over you. No one knew about the poor child. No one mourned him. He¡­" "We mourned him. We did Aira, please." Lun said. He didn''t seem like himself. He was being ironic, he wasn''t trying to fight his way out or outsmart his opponent. As Aira stood before him, a mess he couldn''t find the strength to fight. He had known her, he had loved her and he had hurt her in the worst possible way. That didn''t mean he hadn''t hurt himself too. Lun closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain from his restraints. "My baby¡­" she cried. "He was my baby too. I didn''t want him dead!" Lun screamed at her. "But I didn''t want him to turn into a monster. You know very well how the children with parents of our kind end up, no matter how hard you deny it. So you preferred that we raised him, see him for the monster he was going to become, see him kill everyone around him and after everything be forced to kill him?" he told her. "He wasn''t going to turn like that!" Aira screamed again, the ground shaking before it split in two. Right underneath Lun, the earth broke into two, creating a huge ditch that led to absolute darkness. The man was being kept to life by the roots that restrained him, swinging above his death. "You send my son to the grave¡­I will do the same for you." she said, her eyes flaming with hate. Everyone had secrets they wanted to hide. Kai had secrets he couldn''t expose, Xan had memories he had chosen to conceal from everyone and Lun, well he had things he wished to forget. Many events in his past that proved he wasn''t as kind as he seemed. The death of his son was one of those events, not even Kai knew about it. He pretended not to know about it, he pretended it didn''t happen just so he could numb the guilt.. Days like today, days when he would reach the brim of death he believed they were meant to be his punishment. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 123 - 122 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Was death a suiting punishment for a horrid crime? Lun had thought about that when Kai allowed Philip to bite him. Wasn''t death too simple? Maybe an escape even from the hunting reality. He had closed his eyes, thinking he was going to make it out of this whole situation easily. He would simply die while Aira would remain here, all alone and cold after she realized his death wouldn''t change a thing. It was almost as if he was choosing to punish her, even though he had no intention to. In those mere seconds the vampire asked so many questions to no one in particular but when you stand alone before your end, suddenly you don''t feel so smart. Orelse you would have been able to avoid it. So, did Lun really deserve to die? Who decided that in the first place anyways? He wondered, a grin on his face. He was laughing at himself that even at times like this he always wanted to know why. Why did things end up this way? Why did he have to do it and why did he end up bearing all the guilt alone? Why¡­why¡­why¡­ It was very unpleasant, he realized dejected. He didn''t like this sensation, this wave of guilt that was suddenly drowning him. It happened so long ago he was close to forgetting it. The pain he had felt, the fear and the disgust. He had hated himself. He had wished he could turn back time and now after everything all these thoughts were remerging like the corpses of his dead enemies, zombies of his mind that were not after his brain but his soul. Underneath him existed just the void, an endless darkness. It was the first time that the shadows and their horrors were associated with his doom. Somehow everything seemed so fragile, life itself began to have the slightest meaning. Why was it that when you were about to lose something you considered a given you end up realizing how much you need it. As Lun was being swayed like a baby in its mother''s embrace, tangled in the strong roots Aira was looking at him, her eyes burning with hatred as she blamed him for the horrid that she had called her life. She raised her arm, filled with tattoos, a witch''s mark, her coven''s and a sign of her position. Her body, a canvas. Her palm was facing the werewolf and Lun struggled, pulling his arms and shaking his legs to get out of this death trap. "You don''t want to do this." he told her and the woman smirked, her eyes void of life. "I do, I always wanted to and now that the gods gave me this chance, I won''t waste it. Die and meet our son in hell, fall on your knees and apologize!" She screamed at him, the air becoming stronger, pushing back her wild hair. She closed her palm, creating a fist of pale fingers pointing at the roots that began to loosen. Lun found himself in the air for a few split seconds. He had never felt like that before, so¡­.alive but at the same time so scared to lose that. He began falling, the smell of the soil invading his nostrils. Where was he going to end up? Was there going to be a bottom where he crushed, his bones shattering? Then maybe Aira would close the hole, leaving him there to remain for all eternity, trapped in this enchanted forest. That was what Lun believed would happen. He wouldn''t die, he would actually be restrained in eternal torment. This witch was good, he told himself and a scoff escaped his lips. His predictions though ended up being false. The vampire did not fall, he did not crush in the hard ground nor felt his bones break one by one. He simply kept swaying there, his body dangling actually, supported by something. The man opened his eyes wide, feeling someone wrap an arm around his wrist and under the strong moonlight he found Xan, standing there on his knees, keeping him barely alive¡­again. He blinked, thinking that maybe it was one of Aira''s tricks. It would be a very good plan to make him feel saved just to kill his hope. The illusion did not scatter, the prince was actually there, saving him. The white haired man groaned, pulling him up with difficulty. He didn''t look so well. He was tired and his body was tense, as if he had pulled all his muscles. He threw Lun down, maybe a little bit more roughly than he had to and the man coughed, as he felt his ribcage vibrate from the collision. "Sorry to ruin this little, oh so bitter moment but this drama has turned sappy and I am busy." Xan said as he got up. He looked over to his clothes, seeing now not only blood but dirt too and from his lips escaped a disgusted sound. The prince looked over at Aira, she was stupefied, not expecting anyone to have the ability to enter this forest without being allowed to. "How¡­How did you get in? Only people who are invited can get into this forest." she mumbled and Xan grinned, filled with confidence. "I''ve said it a lot of times. I am not like the rest." he told her. "I didn''t need to be invited, I just flashed in." "You wouldn''t be able to. The¡­the forest is¡­" "The forest is charmed, yes I know. But guess what, when the caster loses their composure well¡­the magic weakens." he told her, a cold expression on his face. "You shouldn''t intervene." Aira said between gritted teeth and her vines emerged once more from the ground, intending to restrain the crown prince. Xan fixed his glasses, not seeming scared at all. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." he said completely calmly. Aira''s wines stop, standing mid air like cobras waiting to attack. The witch stared at him, confused. "My last name is Avger." he told her and her green eyes widened, his face struck with anger. "You wouldn''t want my family to cause a fuss right? I mean, you are not dealing with a mere mafia boss here." he continued. "I¡­I won''t let him leave." She said, obviously affected by Xan''s last name. "Oh you will, because if you don''t you''re going to have a very angry queen on your coven''s back. But be my guest, kill him" he told her and moved to the side, revealing Lun who had been tossed to the ground. "Then you will have a very angry prince on your back too. But not only in yours and your coven''s. On everyone you''ve ever loved, on your family even the people you have smiled at in the street. Hell I will bring you dead baby back and kill it again if I have to. Am I clear?" he asked her. Aira took a step back, terrified by his formidable aura. Every part of her body was telling her to run just because she was standing in front of him. Xan locked eyes with her, making her blood freeze and Aira stared at Lun, her firsts tightly closed on her sides. "One day, when you don''t have the prince I will find you." She said and with a snap of her fingers the two vampires were out of the forest. "Get up, you pest." The crown prince told Lun. The vampire slowly stood on his feet, his eyes avoiding him. Xan began walking, seeing the park car the charmed human had left behind he headed towards it. The keys were still inside, the doors wide open. Apparently the witches didn''t really care that much about their belongings. "Aren''t you going to ask me anything?" Lun asked the prince. They were standing right in front of each other, the car separating them as they stood at the sides of the doors. Xan frowned, seeming to be perplexed. He took a few seconds to himself, thinking about what he should say. "You did the right thing. Ending his life." The prince told him and Lun parted his lips, gasping, aghast. "I did the right thing by taking my own son''s life?" he asked. "You know that this baby would have been hunted down anyways. The royal family, the Bloody People even would have sent assassins after it. You''ve seen it happen. It is better to have a peaceful death by someone who loves you than get cut into pieces and examined. It might hurt but you¡­you managed to bear a heavy burden." Xan said. Lun looked as if he was in the brim of tears. He looked down, unable to meet his eyes and nodded, getting into the car in a hurry. He didn''t want Xan to see him cry, even though it had happened before. The crown prince followed, turning on the engine and taking them away from the enchanted forest. "Thank you." Lun mumbled. "For what?" Xan asked him as they got back into the road. The sun would rise soon, the sky a beautiful color above their heads and Lun smiled. "For saving me, again and again. Even though you don''t like me." Xan scoffed, his eyes glued to the road as he spoke. "Well who would have thought, I am not that heartless after all." he said and the vampire seated next to him laughed. "You were never heartless. Just a snob prick who is getting on everyone''s nerves. Spoiled, ill mannered, ill mouthed, you know all the good stuff." "I won''t be saving you again, I swear." "Let''s hope you won''t have to." Lun said and fell back on his seat, relaxing a beat. His eyes followed the disappearing moon and the image of the prince, framed by the moonlight as he saved him flashed before his eyes, making his heart flutter. A small smile appeared on his handsome face. "You know, back there, in the forest. You really looked amazing. The moon was behind you, like a crown and you stood there, your hand on me, my last hope. All I could think of was wow, he really is a prince." Lun complimented him but Xan didn''t answer him. The brown haired vampire had his eyes closed, slowly dozing off, not managing to see Xan, gripping on the steering wheel, a pink shade on his face as he shook his head. He had been saved once more, by his light. Xan turned his head, looking at him. "What an airhead.." he mumbled. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 124 - 123 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com The first thing he noticed as he entered the room was that it was chilly. A light current was getting in from somewhere and his blue eyes darted to the wall in front of him. The white short curtains were dancing, moving with the winter breeze as their music. He blinked, not remembering evr opening the window and took a few steps, his head turning towards the bed. For a second, he was frozen, as if a snowstorm had entered the room, the window a little portal, a connection with the outside world. Kai felt his chest ache and his hands grew weak. He was holding a tray, food he had managed to find from a little twenty four hour shop opposite of the hotel. He had rushed there, grabbing everything warm he could find and then he grabbed a tray the receptionist had brought him so he could carry everything. A cheap one, made from rough gray plastin, not like the ones they used in the palace. Still, at the moment it was all he had and the food, a ready made porridge and a warm tea were all he could offer him. As he got up the stairs, the heat rising from the bowl he smiled, his expression kind of bitter as he thought of where he was, what had just happened. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, it seemed like yesterday that he found himself knowing Philip was back but now, now they were together. "I guess I should be relieved, I am getting a second chance." he had whispered to himself right before entering the room. Sadly though he was wrong. Second chances were hard to get and maybe sometimes the universe liked to play harsh tricks on its servants. Kai had believed for a mere second that it would be alright, now that everything had been partially settled he could try again. But how would he? How would he be able to try when the room was empty? When Philip had disappeared? The tray fell from his pale hands, the bowl breaking into big pieces while the soup spilled, mixing with the glass. He stepped over it, not caring about the mess and ran towards the table, grabbing the sheets and raising them up before he threw them to the floor. Philip wasn''t there, of course he wouldn''t be. In such a small room was it possible for Kai to miss him? He knew that answer already and in distress his eyes scanned the white sheets. They were blood stains from his open wounds, a pattern revealing pain and discomfort. His fist gripped the part of the sheet he was still holding, his nails digging on his skin through the thin material and in a frenzy he screamed, a wrecking cry coming from his shaking lips. He rushed to the window, seeing outside, the rising sun and the city waking up. He wasn''t there, he wasn''t out in the streets, he wasn''t lying in bed waiting for him. He was gone. The prince punched the wall, his knuckles creating a small hole on the wall, dust flying everywhere. He punched it again and again. So many times that in the end there was nothing left on that spot to punch. He turned back, realizing someone was standing on the door, right at the door frame, barely entering the room. It was John, looking at him with round and innocent eyes, contemplating if he should walk in. "Sorry." Kai said, meeting his eyes as he let go of the sheet. His knuckles were bleeding, the cuts healing up so fast only the blood remained. "I didn''t mean to scare you." "You have been punching that wall for about five minutes straight." John commented and the prince scoffed. He had a stray blond strand in front of his face and he pushed it back, the muscles of his arms tensed as he was filled with anger. "Did you see where he went? He is hurt, he couldn''t have gone far." Kai asked, hoping that someone would be able to explain to him what had happened. "I¡­They all left." John told him and Kai''s eyes widened. His lips were parted, no air being inserted in his lungs as he was trying to understand why Philip would do that. He simply chose to leave, without saying anything? It was absurd, things were fine a while ago. "Why?" he mumbled, he didn''t expect John to know. "I don''t know." The young werewolf answered. "I simply saw Reina. She received a text and then rushed away. I stopped her, asking her if everything was alright but she just gave me a nasty stare. She¡­she told me to tell you something, Boss." John said. His eyes were avoiding the young prince, he was fidgeting as if he wanted to avoid the situation completely. Kai frowned, confused as to why they wouldn''t talk to him, why was Reina mad? Didn''t things go according to plan? He wondered. Every time he relaxed, even for a spare second the world seemed to laugh at him, leaving him into some kind of oblivion, a sea of questions no one could answer him. "What did she tell you?" Kai asked the man in front of him and heard John sigh. "She said to stay away from Philip. That is his wish." John informed him. Kai felt as if he was going to collapse. Stumbling he reached the double bed, and slowly he sat down, his eyes glued to the floor. John rushed to his side, thinking of something to say. "Boss, I think there is a misunderstanding. We should get up and find Philip¡­I am sure if you talk, get Xan he will¡­" "No." Kai said, his voice cold and distant, his eyes staring into the void. "It''s too late now. He told him. Mika told him everything. I am sure of it." "Even if he did, we can still¡­" "No John. We can''t. He won''t believe me. Even if he does he will remember and then he will think I tricked him. Even if Xan tells him everything he still won''t believe me. He will think I didn''t tell him from the start because I was guilty. I can''t believe it¡­that fucking¡­" Kai swore, his shock slowly turning into a flaming anger. "Let''s go to the pack." "Their pack will be a mess right now. They have to choose a new Alpha. They will start investigating who killed Mikain. We can''t go near there right now, that''s why they will be there, they know I won''t be able to approach them." The prince said between gritted teeth and the werewolf frowned, seeing his boss like that. "Tomorrow then?" he asked him, his eyes still hoping he would accept. Kai stood up, fixing his clothes and looking around him. It was the same expression again, the one he used to have when he was alone, distant and cold as if he was looking at a doll. "It''s over." Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 125 - 124 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com While Kai was out. "And you had to come here like that? You scared me." Philip told his best friend who was looking at him with a very strict stare. He had no idea what had gotten into him but he didn''t seem like his usual self. He was looking around, cautious and when he made sure no one was around by looking outside the door he closed it and rushed back inside. "What are you doing Mika?" Philip asked him, a confused expression on his face. He really wanted to throw a pillow on his face but Kai had fixed them up for him so he could be comfortable, he didn''t want to ruin them. Mika was pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself and actually making his friend worry. He looked at the werewolf, his hazel eyes following his steps until he started to feel dizzy with his movement. "Hey! Dude, what the heck is going on?" he asked him, tilting his head to the side with a judgemental look on his face. Mika stopped walking and stood in front of him, his dark eyes focused on him. He was still badly injured, bruised with cuts all over. All that because of that vampire, the man who had ruined Philip''s life once before. While they were gone he couldn''t help but keep thinking about it. Everything that he knew and kept a secret. He felt like he was putting Philip at risk. He had never liked Kai, his spoiled manner, his selfishness and that degrading look he gave everyone he didn''t care about. Mika didn''t know who he truly was, he didn''t know why he did the things that he did back then and him not talking about it made him even more suspicious in his mind. The red head wished for his best friend to not get hurt again, to not die just because of this foolish fixation. Mates or not Kai was a vampire and that made everything wrong. He had decided he was going to keep his mouth shut. He had told himself this relationship was none of his business and if Philip didn''t want to hear him out he shouldn''t worry over it. He was going to remember soon after all and everything would make perfect sense. Kai would be kicked out of their lives as fast as he walked in and things would return to normal. The problem was though after seeing him this way. Almost dead, wounded and exhausted he didn''t know if he should let things continue. Philip was risking his life for him, putting everything on the line for a man who murdered him. That alone was going to crush him. That was why he decided it was time for the werewolf to know, no matter how harsh the truth was. Maybe he had actually been late in telling him, he wasn''t expecting that his feelings would grow so fast though. He had been an idiot, underestimating the mate bond. "I''ve thought about it for a while, I know it''s not my place but Philip you need to listen to me. You have to get away from Kai, never meet him again. Look at how you ended up, risking your life for him." Mika said and heard his friend sigh. "Not this again Mika. I thought I made myself clear. I want to be with Kai. I think I l¡­" "No." Mika stopped him, raising his arm. "You don''t remember anything. You''re not twenty yet but I do. I know everything that happened two hundred years ago and it involved you and that filthy bloodsucker you seem to want so much." "What?" Philip asked, squeezing his eyes. "What are you talking about?" "Philip, you and Kai are mates." Mika announced, without filtering his words at all he revealed the secret he had been expecting all his life to hear. The man blinked a few times, processing the words he had just heard. "No, it''s not possible he is¡­" "A vampire. Yes he is but tell me do you think what you feel is something small? Have you ever seen anyone who hasn''t found their mate act like that for someone else? You literally almost died for him! I know that you two are mates, I saw it, I saw you meet and fall in love. I have seen it all with my own eyes." he told his friend. Philip didn''t know how to feel. Mika''s words were not making any sense. If Kai and him were truly mates why was he asking him to get away from him? "I don''t understand. If he is my mate why would you want me to leave him. It doesn''t make any sense. The things you''re telling me. Kai¡­he¡­is my mate?" he repeated, still shocked with the revelation. His heart raced, the beast inside him waking up and his thoughts suddenly got occupied by his face. Kai, Kai¡­so it was him. It wasn''t reasonable. A vampire, the one he was destined to live with for the rest of his life but surprisingly Philip, he was not upset. A small smile lingered on his lips. "My mate." he whispered, getting to feel happy. So his emotions, this storm inside of him was not wrong. The desire he felt, the warmth in his chest, everything¡­he was right. Kai was special, he was special to him. "Don''t smile." Mika said, stopping his dreaming. "There are some things you need to know. Then you will understand why being with Kai is wrong. It will kill you." "Is it because he is a vampire because if that''s the reason then I¡­" "No, just hear me out. Please, I am begging you. I just want you safe." Mika said, his eyes pleading for Philip to hear him out. "Fine, fine¡­" Philip retreated, seeing the worry plastered on his friend''s face. "Tell me." "About two hundred years ago. You and I were in a pack called Red Fangs. It was one of the strongest packs at the time and we once more were Wolf Warriors. One day a confrontation with the royal family happened and we had to travel to BloodBound. There we had to stay for a long time, meeting after meeting, agreement after agreement just to avoid a war and manage to sign a treaty. Back then, you were also close to turning twenty, you didn''t know yet who your mate was. You were a lot stricter back then but well times were different. The eighteen hundreds were not a good era. Anyways, in BloodBound you met Kai. It was utter chaos, every day you talked about how you wanted to punch him and how he was always getting on your nerves with that attitude of his, you didn''t like him, at all, until your birthday came. You fell in love with him, went after him but still he wouldn''t even spare you a glance. After many tries you managed to make him feel the same way and everything was rosy. You spent some time happy, trying to find out how you were going to keep going even after we left BloodBound, only a few people knew about you. But without a reason Kai one day disappeared, you searched for him but there were no signs. Then¡­you disappeared too. One night I was out, looking for you two, I thought you might had eloped and told myself I would stop looking after that night but I did find you. It was raining. Deep into the night and you two were fighting. Kai looked like a mess, as if he had been through hell and you, you were trying to protect yourself. In the end he¡­.he killed you Philip. As if you meant nothing he ripped your heart and disappeared. No one knows what happened, his family covered everything up. He murdered you, in cold blooded." Philip had never fallen in love before, not even with himself. He had always waited to give everything he got to that one person, to the one he was destined to be with. When he heard Kai was the one his heart fluttered, excited and relieved. He was lucky, so incredibly lucky, he had told himself. All that until he heard Mika. As his story went on, as he reached the end his heart withered like a forgotten flower in the corner of the room. Was that really his story? Was his love just a poison, waiting to kill him? After everything he had felt, after he had decided to give himself to him, risk his life for him the truth was that it was meaningless? His heart cracked, like expensive porcelain, the delicate designs being ruined one by one as he tried not to cry. "Get me out of here" He told Mika, his voice shaking. "Please.." he begged. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 126 - 125 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com "Do you want to talk about it?" Reina''s sweet voice was heard while Philip was placing all of his stuff back in his room at the hotel Moonshine was staying. Everyone was running around, shocked and trying to find out what had happened. No one paid attention to the three wolves that had found the chance to slip in. Philip even had the time to take a shower and change his clothes, looking as if he had nothing to do with Mikain''s death. Things seemed to be working in their favor for once. "Talk about what?" Philip asked her, his eyes traveling inside his luggage as he took out shirts and jeans. Reina sighed, her gaze landing on Mika. The red haired werewolf was sitting comfortably on the couch, playing with the remote control of the TV. "What?" He asked her, shrugging his shoulders and Reina shook her head, disappointed by the way her friend had behaved. An impatient sigh escaped her lips and she walked towards Philip, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. "Listen here. You just found out that your mate murdered you. You need to talk about it. It''s important. Also I do not think that leaving things like this and not talking with Kai is good. Yes, I was mad at first too but thinking about it now¡­he seems to really like you¡­maybe¡­." "You''re not really going to say that there was a good reason behind him killing Philip" Mika told her, throwing the remote on the couch and standing up. "Have you lost your mind?" "This is not what I said!" Reina exclaimed, hating the fact that Mika was trying to make her sound as if she was absurd. "All I am saying is it would be good to have a talk with him. You, yourself said that you didn''t know what happened, maybe the prince could explain¡­" Reina said, pointing a finger at Mika but Philip interrupted their little argument, his face cold as he talked to them both. "Enough. Enough of you butting into my life. I don''t want to see Kai. I don''t want to know anything and honestly I wish I would never remember. I feel like an idiot, risking my life for him while he knows everything. Maybe he was laughing at me, thinking he could use me until he killed me again. I don''t want anything to do with him. I am tired, I am wounded and I have enough on my mind as it is. There is a pack gathering in thirty minutes. We have to be there. So stop talking about him." The werewolf said, staring between them, back and forth , examining their expressions. It was quite unfortunate. Falling in love for the first time just so it could end so abruptly. If it ever really ended. Philip was aware that he would never be able to get over Kai. He knew his dreaded destiny and that was the most painful part. The lack of happiness, being sure that you would never love, you would never hold someone in your arms while your heart raced in your chest. He was supposed to do all that with Kai but he couldn''t, he just felt disgusted, betrayed but at the same time he couldn''t let go of him. He wasn''t able to and he would never be because the werewolf and the vampire prince were destined to be together. That meant he would have to live alone, he would have to pass day by day with this pain on his chest, the burn of betrayal. "Philip¡­" Reina mumbled, wanting to say something and make him feel a bit better but sadly no matter what she said, things wouldn''t change. Philip had just experienced one of the biggest shocks a werewolf could get. "I''m fine, I will be fine. Let''s focus on not getting caught for now." Philip told her, meeting her eyes and giving her a forced smile. It was fake, pulled out of him almost as if someone had forced him with a gun. Reina wanted to cry, seeing the difference in his eyes and his expression. She couldn''t soothe his pain. She couldn''t do anything. "He had to know." Mika stepped in. The raven haired girl looked at him, openly disagreeing but she didn''t say anything. "Let''s just go. Everyone will be gathering already." She said, her words combined with a sigh and she started walking, leaving Philip''s room first. On their way down they faced a lot of familiar people and all of them seemed to have forgotten Mikain''s order. The one that said that whoever killed them could take their place. This is what usually happens. The moment the old Alpha died their existence was erased, their orders wiped away. It was a complete reset but this time, there was no one who had beaten Mikain, no one to take his place. All of the werewolves except for the children were gathering at a hall that had been provided to them by the hotel. It was one of those rooms, with the little stages and projectors. A podium on the wooden stage while hundreds of chairs, some of them occupied, others not, spread underneath it like a dark green sea made of soft velvet. The three warriors chose to sit on the back, mumbling to themselves, observing the looks of the rest as they entered the yellow lit room. Hans was standing at the side of the stage, an exhausted look on his face, dark circles underneath his blue eyes and Philip felt bad for him, he would have a lot to deal with for now. The Beta was waiting, everyone needed to be here for the procedures to start. The death of an Alpha was something that affected all of them. The young werewolf, absentminded for a second allowed his eyes to lazily scan the room, different faces, different people, all of them with expressions either of worry or fear. No one knew what happened. After a few seconds, Philip''s hazel eyes landed on a man, a young man who looked beaten up, angrily walking through the crowd and heading towards Hans. His eyes widened, immediately nudging Mika who was sitting next to him. "That guy¡­" he whispered, pointing with his head at him.. "Get him, now." Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 127 - 126 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com It was a very cruel irony. The fact that he was made to not feel the cold but somehow he felt like he was freezing to death. Laid on the bloody bed, his blue eyes stuck on the white ceiling he fixated his look on the flinching lamp, thoughts traveling from his mind and landing like arrows on his shattered heart. Such a sudden end, such a horrid disappointment. Kai was not expecting any of this. He had always known he was unlucky, not favored by the gods but this, this was another level. He almost believed he was hated. The handsome prince sat up, his eyes wide as he thought of what happened. He tried to imagine Philip''s expression, hear his angered voice, see him swear at him, wish for his death and run away. His chest tightened, as if someone was grabbing on his withered heart and he took a deep breath. Kai began laughing. Dry and deranged tears was escaping from his eyes while in the room echoed the sounds of his insanity. He wasn''t looking at anything, he wasn''t thinking of anything. All he could do was feel and feel hurt. The beating of his heart was unbearable and he punched his chest, gripping on his shirt as the sound of his laughter reminded him how twisted he was. "This is all your fault!" He told himself. He wanted to scream, shout, and punish himself for being such a fool. Being hopeful being an idiot that believed in second chances. Who would stay after they heard they were murdered? Who would believe him? Who would look at him in the eyes and not think of him as a monster. "This is all your fault!" he screamed and his long fingers dived in his silk hair, pulling them. His tears were toxic, burning his skin as they trailed painful paths. He was looking at the floor, trapped in his own mind, tortured by his own guilt when he felt someone grab his hands, stopping him from hurting himself. "Enough, stop this." Lun told him while John stood by his side. The werewolf had run off, scared about his boss and had brought everyone. Telling them what had happened while they were away. Xan and Soran stood at the door frame. His brother was staring at him with wide eyes while his friend had a pained expression on his face. No one had been there, no one had seen what happened the last time. They knew Kai, they knew him as a prince, as a free spirit, as a royal and as a man who had run away from his guilt. They didn''t know that side of his, the broken one, the one that tried to drown the pain with twisted smiles. The dark side of the man who wished he was never born. The one regretting ever falling in love at all. Kai looked up, seeing how his best friend still held his wrists, his eyes swelling with tears, his bottom lip trembling as he tried to find something to say. "Don''t do this to yourself anymore." "He left." Kai mumbled. "He found out. He found out and he left me! It''s my fault. It''s all my fault!" he cried out loud, falling from the bed he was sitting and landing on his knees, his pants touching the dirty floor. "We will find him, we will talk to him." Lun said. Kai''s head was snatched up, his blue eyes wide, crazy as he shook his head in denial. "No¡­no¡­he won''t believe me. He won''t hear me out. I¡­I can''t even explain. He¡­he is gone." he said in between his tears and he clearly heard Lun sigh, his eyes closed as he tried to think of a solution. John stared at his boss, being buried into his own pain, his heart aching just by the sight when he felt someone push him to the side. He turned his head, his eyes meeting with Soran. "Move." the tall vampire told him coldly as he approached Kai. Yes, he had to face that too, he had to always remember it, live with it but for now, he couldn''t hurt more, he just wanted to help Kai. His head fell, feeling as if he was going to start crying too and he stepped to the side, letting Soran get to his friend. The white haired man crouched to the floor, reaching Kai''s eye level and with a gentle smile he wiped his tears. "Take a deep breath." he said, his tone calm. "Take a deep breath and try to calm down. We will figure a way out of this. Philip loves you. You just need to calm down and everything will happen. We will just have to think of a plan. Okay?" Soran asked him and hugged Kai tightly, closing him in his arms even though he didn''t get an answer. All Kai was doing was crying, he couldn''t stop the upcoming tears even if he wanted to. Everything that had been bottled up inside of him all this time, all the pain, all the worry and all that love he had wanted to give to Philip had turned into weapons, wanting to hurt him. He felt as if he couldn''t breathe, his body colsh, he was shivering. "It''s all my fault." Kai cried, again he shouted, buried into Soran''s embrace, his hands gripping the vampire as if he was gripping dear life and everyone that surrounded the prince looked depressed, buried into deep thought, searching for a way to fix this mess. "You really are pathetic." Xan said, drawing everyone''s attention and Lun stared at him with wide eyes. "Do you really have to¡­" "Shit up pest." Xan said and moved towards his younger brother.. He pushed Soran away, exposing the blonde vampire to everyone and he raised his head, forcing him to look at him. "Your fault? You think that idiot''s death was your fault? Then how about I tell your dear friends what happened and then they will know if it was your fault or not?" You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 128 - 127 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Reina was fast, faster than the two boys so she was the first one to get into action. She hurried towards the unknown man, passing through the gathering crowd while making sure she didn''t draw all the attention on her. He was an older man, in his late twenties with brown hair and dark brown eyes, his face bruised while cuts decorated brutally his characteristics making him look angrier or maybe that was because of the deep frown between his eyebrows. He was almost stomping towards the Beta and at the last minute, just before he had access to the small wooden stairs that led to the stage she bumped into him. The beautiful girl faked a stumble, landing on the man and surprising him, causing him to take a step back. "Oh, I''m so sorry. I''m clumsy." She said, an awkward smile on her face as she pushed back her long hair. "It''s fine, just let me pass." the werewolf told her, his eyes focused on Hans who was getting ready to begin his speech. She bit her lip, looking behind him seeing Mika approach them and she placed her palms on his shoulders,making him look at her. "Are you alright? You seem a bit...beaten up" she said. "Maybe it would be better to get to the nurse. Those look nasty" she rumbled, trying to get his attention. He didn''t seem to be phased by her, slapping her hands off of him and almost managing to push her to the side so he could pass. He didn''t make it. The red haired werewolf was standing behind him, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him towards him. The man''s muscles tensed, his eyes trying to see who was stopping him but all he heard was a whisper right next to his ear. "One wrong move, one wrong word and I will kill you." Mika whispered and heard the man , anxious. Reina smiled, winking at the stranger and his eyes widened. He looked around, trying to ask for help but no one was actually staring this way. People were rushing to get in, pushing each other to get a seat that nobody was interested in at the sides of the room. All of them were focused on getting a good spot in the middle to be able to see and hear well. "Now." Reina said, her smile wide, a cover up of what she actually wanted to say. "You will come with us, silently. You won''t cause a fuss right? No one wants that." She said. "Okay." The man replied, feeling Mika hold him tightly. The red head turned him slowly around, his body close to his as the walked close to the wall, avoiding anyone who could set the man free. "What''s your name by the way?" Reina asked him, carefree as she greeted a few girls that passed her by. "Derek" the man said, his voice coming out hasty and she nodded. "Cool name." She commented as they left the room. Mika did not let go of him. He kept pushing him towards the elevator, Derek feeling his dark eyes burning holes at the back of his neck. The doors closed with the sound of the elevator rising, the only one in between them and Derek swallowed loudly, looking back and forth at Mika and Reina. He had no idea what was happening. The two werewolves did not look at him or ask him anything, they didn''t hit him or attempt to scare him other than what they had said at the start so he was beginning to get confused. "Did...Did I do something wrong?" Derek stuttered and Reina scoffed. Mika was the one who answered, turning his head and looking at him, his expression cold and strict. "We will know soon. Depends on what you''ll say." He told him and the moment he finished his sentence they reached their desired floor. The doors opened revealing an empty hallway and for a second one of the expensive lights that was drilled on the walls flickered, making the man flinch. He heard a small chuckle from Reina. He didn''t know if he should relax or feel even more in danger. Mika pushed him outside, for a second the thought of fighting them passed his mind. They were warriors though, everyone in the pack knew about them. Judging from how fast the girl had been in reaching him, appearing almost out of nowhere he probably had no chance. His head dropped and he faced the floor, following the girl obediently while Mika walked behind him. Their destination was not far from the elevator. Just a few steps and they stopped in front of a closed door. Reina passed her card through and the door opened, revealing a rather messy room and a man sitting on the couch of the small lounge. Derek squeezed his eyes, wanting to see better and Philip''s familiar face made him gasp. "It''s you! The one who killed the Alpha!" He exclaimed as he heard the door close loudly behind him. He jumped, a bit startled by the sound that echoed in the room, covering his accusations. "You''re not starting this well." Mika mumbled as he grabbed him by his arm and pushed him forward, bringing him in front of Philip. His eyes traveled all over Derek''s face, his wounds still not healed completely and he scoffed. "You must be pretty weak for your wounds to not have healed completely yet." He commented and Derek frowned. "I do remember giving you a pretty hard time though" the man talked back and Reina laughed, sitting right next to her friend, observing the scene with growing interest. "That was all because I didn''t want to kill you. I had to be careful." Philip said, tilting his head to the side. "Tell me. Why were you in such a rush to talk to Hans?" He asked him. "To tell him about what you did. Now I see your friends were in this too. How else would you be able to kill the Alpha. You''re disgraceful, not calling for an official battle, ganging up on him. Scum" he insulted him and felt Mika punch him in his ribs. He coughed, feeling his wounds from before enhance the pain. "Let''s not take too much time to talk about things." Philip told him, ignoring the things he had just said. He didn''t care about his opinion. This man was literally nothing, irrelevant. All he had to do was make sure he wouldn''t talk, reveal himself and his friends to Hans. "Do you have a family Derek? A mate? Kids? Parents?" Philip asked him, a nasty grin on his face and the man who stood before him frowned. "Why do you ask?" "Because if you do. I will find them. If you do decide to talk I will make sure all of them are dead. No one will ask questions. We won''t even have to hide it. In this mess no one will pay attention to the death of nobodies." He said and Derek''s eyes widened, in shock. He stood still for a second, his eyes stuck on the werewolf sitting on the couch before he spoke. "Lucky me. I am all alone." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Your crimes should be reported. You are criminals, going against the Alpha, the werewolf rules like that. Is it because Mikain had bounties on your heads? It makes sense now, I guess you wouldn''t like that." Derek said. "Do you want to die?" Reina asked him, filled with curiosity as she stood up, getting closer to him. "Or is it that you want to play hero? Not that many people liked Mikain. We would be really unlucky if we managed to stumble into one of his few supporters." Reina mumbled, rubbing her chin while she circled the man. "I follow the law. Because that''s what keeps a pack together." Derek said, his eyes meeting with Philip''s as he tried to be brave. Philip smiled, finding this whole thing funny. He couldn''t risk getting caught by a so-called follower of the laws. "Philip, he won''t shut up." Mika said. Knowing what his best friend was thinking. Philip stared at the man he had fought previously, beaten up and standing with his head high, refusing to bend because he had strong beliefs. Somehow he was annoyed by him. While he was out here struggling, being in pain a man was willing to lose his life for something so meaningless as laws. As he risked his life for a lie he stood before him risking his life for his own truth and that was only a painful reminder of his failure. The tall werewolf stood up, looking from above the man and sighed, shaking his head. "Such a pity." He mumbled and before Derek could say anything Philip''s arm was on his chest, passing through the skin, breaking the bones and reaching the beating muscle. He gripped onto his heart. Derek gasped, his eyes turning round as blood escaped from his opened wide mouth. Philip pulled out his heart, seeing how the man blinked a few times, seeing the red organ in his hand. "I choose to live, survival is what is more important." He told him, while his body fell to the floor, blood oozing from the hole in his chest. "Was that really necessary?" Reina asked him as Philip dropped the werewolf''s heart right next to his dead body. "I was pissed." Philip said. "I thought we said we would keep the killing to a minimum, we are adults now." Reina said between gritted teeth and looked at Mika, wanting some kind of support. "Don''t look at me. I would have killed him too." He said and Philip grinned. "Good, now he will start killing everyone because he got his heart broken." She said, rubbing her temples and Philip glared at her. "What?" She asked him, not the slightest scared of him. "Want to be next?" He asked her and she laughed. "I would love to see you try." She said and flipped back her hair. "Clear this mess. I will cover you to Hans." She told them. Philip looked down, watching the body of the man he had killed. For a second, he felt guilty, a little voice in his head telling him that maybe there had been another way. Maybe he didn''t have to kill him, maybe he didn''t have to run away from Kai. That little voice was his consciousness. Annoying him and making him question everything. He breathed in, shutting it out completely as he kicked the body. "I am done with being nice." He whispered.. "Nothing good comes out of it." You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 129 - The Cursed Princes Story Pt. 1 Best novel online free at novelhall.com "No running in the corridors! You''re a prince." A voice echoed in the corridor and Kai looked behind him. There was a woman standing there, dressed with a long velvet dark green dress, her hair in a very strict bun on top of her head, black in the color of the midnight sky. He looked at her, his cheeks flushed from running, a stray strand of golden hair falling in front of his face from his carefully styled hair and he flashed her a stunning smile before he began running again. That woman was his caretaker, ever since he had been a child she was responsible for him and his siblings since their parents were too busy being themselves to care. She was strict and old but her heart was kind, as long as he followed the rules in the palace. Kai rushed inside his room, kicking the heavy door open. It was made from wood, dark with beautiful carvings on the outside and with his hands in the air he jumped on the canopy bed, the cold silk sheets slipping from his sweaty body. He took a few heavy breaths, his chest rising up and down as he turned, laying on his back, noticing Lun coming in after him, as exhausted as he was. "You cheated!" Lun shouted and pointed at his friend. Kai shot up, as if he had been pinched in his sleep and looked at his best friend with a dramatic expression, placing his pale hand on his forehead. "My dear friend, how could you think something like that of me. I beat you in this race fair and square" he told him, sounding like one of those poshy royals both of them seemed to hate. His best friends crossed his strong arms over his chest, tapping his foot on the polished floor, locking eyes with the prince that was already chuckling. "You used your powers." Lun said and Kai''s eyes widened. He flashed right before his friend, placing his palms on his lips and stopping him from talking any further. While still handling him he took a few steps back, looking around at the corridor to make sure no one had heard that. "Do you want to get me whipped?" Kai asked him as he closed the door of his room. "You know it''s illegal." he reminded him and Lun smirked. "Maybe I do want to get you whipped. When I agreed to spend time with you so you could get over your break up with Soran, even though you two decided to be friends, which is if you ask me, ridiculous, I did not expect you to actually cheat during our games." he said. "I did not cheat you buffoon" he said, a pout on his handsome face. "You did." "I did not." "You did!" "Shut up, peasant!" Kai exclaimed and turned his back on him as he walked towards the balcony doors. He opened them, letting in the dry air of BloodBound, the color of the red sun above them landing on the black marbles of the balcony and disappearing. Kai stepped outside, placing his hands on the railings, cold metal, with vine designs and whitering roses. It was so pretty but at the same time so depressing. The roses were beautifully chiseled while their thorns were so sharp that they could rip your clothes if you weren''t careful. Both of them were twenty years old, getting ready to graduate from the Academy. Kai with his blue eyes looked at his best friend. Lun had joined him, standing by his side on the small balcony, gazing at the kingdom before him. Bloody rivers, burned mountains and a scorching red sun. Low houses and squares filled with people, mansions and old streets. This place had existed for thousands of years but nothing had changed during that time. "I don''t want to graduate." Kai said and Lun smiled, his eyes landing on where his house was. "I don''t want to either." he mumbled. They were two of the most famous people of BloodBound, each of them for their own reasons. Kai was known as the cheeky but incredibly gifted third prince, the one with the charming smile and the smooth moves on the dance floor. Every lady and¡­gentleman was a slave to his charisma and everyone was expecting his debut to the royal word. All he had to do was graduate from the Academy and then he would have to fully face his title. Lun on the other side was famous for being a savage. A door like man, tall with wide shoulders and a hideous tattoo on his back that signaled his uncivilized upbringing. Once he left the walls of their dorms at the Academy he would have to go back home, back to his father and their little¡­business. He would have to face the fact that indeed he was lesser and dirtier than the people that surrounded them. It was summer at the moment, they were preparing for their last years as they had returned for a short while home. Lun of course did not go back and followed Kai back to the palace, his friend practically dragging him in his carriage. He couldn''t stand the royal aura without him, that was what he had said. "Do you think they will force us to stop being friends?" Kai asked. "I didn''t think so. Why? Are you scared that you will have to hang out with your poshy cousins?" Lun asked him, an entertained grin on his face and Kai scoffed, rolling his blue eyes. "Yes." "So all I am to you is a substitute? An escape? All these years you have been using me? Oh my, mother¡­how have I been fooled." Lun said, faking to faint and Kai punched his shoulder. "Leave your mother in her peace please." The prince said. "I don''t like them. I don''t like any of them." The blonde royal whispered and felt Lun place his palm on his shoulder. Kai froze for a second, meeting his friend''s serious stare and believed that they were going to have one of these moments, one sacred minute he would have to cherish for the rest of his life. "They don''t like you either you big spoiled retard." Lun said and his expression changed, from serious to playful and he started laughing, stopping abruptly when Kai punched him in the stomach, a sharp breath escaping his half opened lips. "I am sorry my lord." he groaned and Kai smiled before his eyes returned to the dark kingdom that spread beneath his feet. "After the Academy, don''t leave, okay?" he said, not daring to look at his friend this time. He heard Lun sigh before his words reached his ears. "I won''t. So don''t leave me either." "I won''t. I swear." he told him and smiled. "I will race you, how about we go and get blood supplements from the kitchen?" The prince asked, suddenly getting cheerful again. "You really need to get a human, you won''t last long like that" Lun said and the prince scoffed, glaring at him with the corner of his eye. "I am fine, it''s just that no human seems right. They all look bland." "Seriously now? That''s your reason for not choosing one? You must be¡­" "I can still beat you even without drinking normal blood though." Kai exclaimed, interrupting him and getting ready to start running so he could defeat Lun when a loud sound was heard from far away. Both of them flinched, their heads snapping towards the source of the sound. Their jaws dropped, two young men looking at the sight before them in awe. On their left a bright green light was shining, the sound of thunder echoing throughout the whole kingdom. "What the¡­" Lun mumbled, blinking a few times just to make sure he was seeing well. Kai''s blue eyes looked at the sight, hungrily. He knew exactly what was happening, what was that light but he didn''t know why it happened. The prince looked at Lun, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to look at him. "Do you know what this is? Do you have any idea?" Kai asked his best friend filled with excitement and the vampire frowned. "No, not really." he said, seeing Kai do a small happy jump. "This" he told Lun and pointed at the green light that shone like a huge thin line in the sky. "This is the rift opening." he explained and his friend gasped. "The rift? But..but why¡­" "I have no idea but Lun this means someone is coming from the human world!" Kai said and grabbed his friend from his wrist. "Come on. We need to get there and see who arrived and find out why they came." the curious prince said and the two young men rushed to the closed door, opening it in a hurry and running outside only to find an obstacle in their way. Tall and dressed with a green dress it was his caretaker, Belia, looking at them with a strict look. "No running in the corridors. Go back inside, young prince." she instructed him. "But¡­the rift." Kai said with a childish pout on his face. "Exactly, that''s why you will stay inside. Werewolves are coming, they have a meeting with your parents." she explained. "Werewolves? I''ve never seen one before. Belia, let me go, please, pleaseee" he said but the woman didn''t answer, she simply pointed at his empty room, forcing the two boys to go back in. "I guess that''s it." Lun mumbled annoyed. "Oh, no it''s not. We''re jumping off." He said, his eyes glowing as he pointed at the balcony with his head. "You sneaky ba¡­I mean prince.." Lun said with a grin. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 130 - The Cursed Princes Story Pt. 2 Best novel online free at novelhall.com "Hold the sheet well okay?" Kai groaned as he slipped gently down form the silk sheets. "I can''t flash away, my mother will sense my powers." he said, knowing already what Lun was planning to ask. His friend was standing at the edge of the balcony, holding the long silk sheet while the blond prince slid carefully to the floor underneath. Just before his feet touched the ground Lun pretended to let go shaking the sheet and making Kai gasp, his eyes wide as he looked up, his nostrils flaring. "Oops." Lun said with a giggle and the prince jumped on the next balcony. The brown haired vampire let go of the sheet and flashed on the same floor as his friend. Kai gathered the sheet and handed it to him, signaling him that they were going to repeat the whole process again. Dropping and gathering the sheet happened for the next fifteen floors. They were almost caught once, a maid was cleaning the tiles and was just about to finish while the young prince was hanging from above her head, holding his breath, counting his heartbeats until she left. When they finally stepped on the ground, leaving the terrifying castle Kai sighed in relief. They rushed over, getting away from the stone pathways and stepping into the freshly cut grass to get to the castle walls. Lun raised the prince on his shoulders, helping him sit at the top of the tall wall. "Have you put on any weight?" he asked him. "That was hard." he continued as they sat at the top of the wall, hidden by a couple of trees that had grown on the outside. Kai looked at him, reading his expression and hissed at his friend like a snake. "Beware you peasant." he threatened him before he jumped off and landed on the side of the town. A carriage was passing by, staring at the two suspicious men, the driver followed them with his eyes and Kai let his head fall, hiding his features while he pushed Lun away so they weren''t noticed. "Now we can flash away I assume." "Yes, we are away from the castle now. Look over there." He told him, pointing at where the green light was supposed to be. It had dimmed significantly by now, a deep green shimmering remaining in the air for a while. "We will flash there. There is a stable, meant to keep the horses of the travelers, we will hide inside." he said and Lun nodded. The prince disappeared first, finding himself dipping in hay, prickly yellow strings coming off from his hair as he raised his head, a few poking him through his thin clothing. He scoffed, getting slowly up and whipping them off of him when he heard a horse huff. He flinched, looking behind him scared that he had been discovered just to find Lun looking at him in the brim of laughing to tears. "Funny." he said with a frown and his best friend shrugged his shoulders. For a second, they stood silent, shooting glares at each other when they heard murmurs. The two young men were sheltered by the small stable, just a roof actually made from old wood, filled with hay and a few cubicles for the horses. It was never filled, usually it was left there, empty to mold from the rain but today it had a white horse in it, his blonde hane moving together with its matching tail. Someone was coming for the horse, Kai thought and grabbed Lun by his arm, pulling him towards him and making him hide inside the huge pile of hay. It covered them completely, their bodies stuck to each other as they looked from the little holes, waiting for someone to appear. The young price was right. Someone did come in but it wasn''t just one person. They were two men. Lun and Kai stared at each other for a second, devilish grins appearing on their faces the moments they realized no one noticed them. Kai did not recognize them as palace men. That clearly meant they were werewolves, some of their guests. His eyes widened, observing the species that was supposed to be their sworn enemies. He was slightly disappointed. They had no difference from humans, maybe just the fact that they were taller and more muscular than the average but that didn''t change much. One of them had short red hair with dark eyes, dressed in dark green clothing, a dagger in his belt while on his leather boots hid another one. His friend, the one who tended to the horse, patting his body and showering the beautiful animal with compliments was taller with long black hair, tied in a loose ponytail. He couldn''t see his eyes well through the hay but he was sure he saw some green in them, his skin tanned, looking sun kissed in comparison to his deathly pale. His voice was deep and smooth as he talked to his horse, a sword resting on his belt. "Did we really have to come too?" The red haired werewolf asked, a dissatisfied expression on his face. "We have to protect the Alpha, Mika." the man next to him told him, his expression strict as he talked about his duty. "This place is giving me the creeps, it''s dark and ugly. They have a red sun!" He said and Kai frowned, hearing him insult his home. "It doesn''t matter. The faster we finish with negotiations the sooner we will leave so focus on your job." he said and the redhead scoffed. "So you''re ecstatic to meet the royal family." he said and spat on the floor. "They are all disgusting vampires. A king and a queen, those two are nothing more than murderous bloodsuckers, same with their precious children. All I want is¡­." The werewolf said but he didn''t have the time to finish his sentence. Kai, like lightning appeared before him, grabbing him by the neck, his eyes shining like their disgusting shone as he pushed him back into the thin walls of the horse''s cubicle, his long fingers suffocating him. "That tongue of yours¡­it''s really annoying, maybe I should rip it off." Kai said, showing off a sharp pair of fangs as he spoke. ... I think you have all been waiting for these chapters so let''s get to the bottom of this mystery! Hope you''re enjoyng the book this far. Please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote to support the author! Thank you for reading! Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 131 - The Cursed Princes Story Pt. 3 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Mika coughed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets as he felt all of the air leave his body. He slapped Kai''s hand, wanting to be free when Lun jumped out of the hay pile and rushed towards his friend. "Come on now my dear prince. We don''t want trouble." He whispered to Kai. The blond man turned his head, staring at him and then at the unknown man behind him. He looked defensive, thinking if he should attack or not and Kai sighed, letting go of the man. Mika found himself on the ground, his hand landing right on horse shit and he screeched, feeling the disgusting texture while the small almost made him pass out. "Did you hear what this idiot said?" Kai asked, a cocky smile on his face as he pointed at him. "It could be wise to not talk like that about the people who are showing hospitality to you, especially in their territory." He told them. "Yes, you''re right. Excuse us. My friend was out of line." The black haired man said and Kai scoffed, taking a step towards him, leaving behind the redhead who was swearing while trying to remove the shit from his hand and his clothing. The prince looked at him. He was really handsome, for a werewolf. Not that he had seen one before but he had assumed and heard many stories about their beastly exteriors. His face though was nowhere close to beastly. His eyes had a hazel color, brown with vibrant splashes of green while his characteristics were sharp and muscular. His hair reminded him of the feather of a raven, silky, placed in the badly made ponytail. Kai scoffed, a frown on his face as he spoke. "You are thinking of the same thing so why are you trying to hide it?" He asked him and the man looked at him confused. "I''m not trying to hide anything and I am not thinking of anything" he stated, his tone cold. Kai clicked his tongue. "At least that idiot back there had the guts to be honest." He mumbled, turning his eyes on Lun. "Let''s go, there is nothing to see here. Just a bunch of nobodies and a hypocrite." He said, obviously targeting the man in the ponytail, and started walking. He didn''t make it far though, his wrist was grabbed and his whole body was pulled back aggressively, making him stumble and fall on the ground. Kai looked up with his blue eyes wide in shock. "You have been insulting us for a while now" the werewolf said. "We don''t want trouble." "You don''t want trouble but you throw me to the floor like I''m some kind of sack of potatoes. Yes, your words are very convincing. I do believe that¡­" "I wouldn''t really mess with him if I were you" Mika said. "He is a wolf warrior." He announced and Lun started laughing. "I wouldn''t mess with him if I were you." The brunet vampire said. "He is¡­" "No one they should concern themselves with." He said as he stood up, wiping some hay off his pants. Those things we''re starting to get underneath his clothes and he couldn''t help it but get annoyed by it. He was feeling itchy almost everywhere. "Let''s go Lun. This wasn''t fun after all." "We did not come here to have fun. We came here to stop your people from killing ours." The black haired man said and Kai stopped for the second time. On his own will now. He turned around, looking at him from a second trying to see if he was joking. He was dead serious, the prince realized and he started laughing. "Boohoo, honestly I don''t give a shit." He said, making the man in front of him gasp in shock. "How can you be so shameless?" The werewolf asked him and Kai shrugged his shoulders. "I''m just living up to the expectations your friend set for me and my kind. Anyways, I do not have the time to sit here and chat with you poor werewolves. Please do feel free to drown in horse shit and never see our red sun again. Have a nice day." He told them, greeting them with a wave. "You are ridiculous" he heard the black haired man say as he walked away and started laughing. Lun looked at him with the corner of his eye, trying to decrypt that cocky grin that had suddenly appeared on his face. The place was empty, no people around and both men realized that these two were treated like errand boys at the moment. The really powerful guest had already left, probably heading to the palace. Lun kicked a small stone, watching it tumble down the barren hill and heard Kai mumble. He was scheming, talking to himself like some kind of crazy scientist. "What is it this time?" His best friend asked him. "Oh, these two bastards will be staying at the palace. My palace." The young prince stated. "So what?" Lun asked again and Kai stopped. He placed his hands on his shoulders, making the man focus on him and this overly excited expression he got. Kai wasn''t easily amused but right now he was having fun. He was already ecstatic by thinking of the steps of his plan and that made Lun worry. He worried about the prince and about himself because he would definitely have to participate in whatever he was thinking. "I will make his life a living hell!" Kai exclaimed happily and clapped. "The redhead''s?" Lun asked and Kai frowned, shaking his head. "Who cares about that idiot. I am talking about that black haired hypocrite who tried to pretend he is all high and mighty. He won''t even last a day without lashing out, let''s see that composure of this fucking ugghh he is so annoying!" "You saw him just for a few minutes." Lun said, a bland expression on his face. "Those minutes were enough. Believe me." "Oh I do believe you. They were enough for you to decide that it is worth ruining the kingdom''s diplomatic behaviors just because you dislike someone" he scolded him. Kai raised his arm, placing his index finger on Lun''s lips and whispering for him to hush. His friend slapped his hand away, giving him a disgusted stare. "I will do it." "I am sure you will" "And you''re in." "You''re sure I am." Lun said with a devilish grin. "Excellent" Kai said. You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 132 - Mischief Is His Middle Name Pt. 1 Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Kai looked at the ceiling of his bed, deep brown color, he raised his arm, stretching his long fingertips and looked at it, thoughts traveling in his busy mind. He breathed slowly, his blond eyelashes fluttering as he rejected and re-evaluated his ideas. There was a peaceful silence in the room, even though Lun was here he didn''t feel like he had to talk with him. They were comfortable around each other, even if no one was talking. His friend was playing with an apple. Every day the maids would bring in a shiny golden tray filled with fresh fruits. From grapes to apples and peaches Kai always had something in his room to eat if he was hungry. He still hadn''t found a human that he liked so he had to feed with some artificial magical stuff that his mother illegally smuggled in the kingdom. That was their little secret. It was just that the prince didn''t want any of them. He wasn''t really picky but none of them seemed¡­appetizing. He had managed to keep his parents out of his life for the most part but when it came to the whole blood thing he was always getting nagged. Lun threw the red apple in the air then caught it again, his head following its movement. At some point the sturdy fruit fell and rolled to Kai''s feet. Half of his body was on the bed, his feet touching the floor. He flinched at first, lost in the sea of his thoughts and looked down, a frown appearing on his face as he ducked and grabbed the apple. "Food is not to be played with." he said and with a very powerful swing the apple landed on Lun''s chest, making him scoff. The brunette looked at him, a cheeky grin on his face as he said. "I do like to play with my food though. The pleasure is a lot different." he said, obviously not talking about apples. Kai sighed, sitting up and stared at him. He grabbed his pillow, dressed in a silk pillowcase and he hugged it. "Does it really feel good? Drinking someone''s blood?" he asked, sounding like a schoolboy and Lun laughed. "Like sex but even better." His best friend described it in a few words but it was enough for him to imagine. He sighed again, his expression showing his disappointment. His blue eyes were clouded, focusing on the ripples of the sheets. He felt a bit like a loser. He was supposed to be the best, first at everything but he hadn''t done the most important thing for a vampire. He had never drunk anyone''s blood. "Don''t worry, you will find someone appropriate. It is different for you purebloods. Don''t sweat it." he said, wanting to soothe his worry. Kai shrugged his shoulders before he slightly scratched his forehead. He wanted to get his mind off of this event. Whenever he thought about it he always found himself depressed over it. It would happen, some day for sure it would happen, he reminded himself. "So, what are we going to do about these two idiots?" Lun asked, his eyebrows raised and Kai gasped. He had almost forgotten about that. His blue eyes immediately lit up like the morning sky and he smirked, plans starting to form on his busy mind. "Well, there is that too, isn''t it?" he said, rubbing his hands together like a villain that was scheming to conquer the world. "Should we put roaches in their beds? Maybe snakes? I don''t know." he mumbled rubbing his chin. "I think it needs to be something big." Lun said and stood up, his steps taking him in front of Kai. "Something that will shock them, but not only them, their Alpha too. Aren''t they Wolf Warriors? Would it be too much if he shuttered their reputation? Make them¡­well¡­make them seem like something they were not." Lun said, his eyes meeting with Kai and the young prince stood up, his expression showing his excitement. "I think I know what we can do. It will be fun, for us. But for now let''s go snoop on the guest quarters. I want to see their rooms, how many people are there. Also we need to ask around for their schedule. I mean, I know the protocol but they are not the direct guests. By now¡­" Kai said and looked outside. "Their Alpha will be getting a tour of half of the city. Then a dinner will be held, tomorrow he will see the rest. After that we will have a ball and so goes on. The thing is¡­" "Will they be accompanying him?" the two boys said in unison and they smiled. Their minds were perfectly in sync. "Let''s find out." Lun said. The two young men exited the prince''s room to find themselves wandering into the endless palace. Dark walls with green and red tapestry. Golden candles and heavy carpets. Deep and delicately engraved wood, all of the palace had a very dark aura to it. Most of the time the lights were dimly lit while the people walked silently, their heads facing the ground. Kai always found the atmosphere of his home very depressing but his mother''s style was so gothic that at times he believed skulls would become the main decoration. His father obviously couldn''t deny her anything, this woman could charm even her worst enemy. The guest quarters though were a bit better. There was light and people seemed to walk and talk a bit more freely. The curtains were not heavy while a lot of the furniture were made from lighter wood, the walls painted a deep brown with details of beige and gold. At least his mother recognized that not everyone shared her peculiar taste. The guest house consisted of a huge building, much like a small separate castle that had a huge living room, a garden and on the first floor it accommodated four bedrooms with their own separate lounges and bathrooms while on the top floor was only one room for special guests. Both men assumed that the Alpha would be living there, while the rest were on the first floor. The door of the guest house was open, servants coming in and out with flowers and luggage. They were still settling in, Kai noticed and smiled viciously. That was great, no one would pay them any mind then. They stopped, standing at the side of the wall, looking carefully at the door and when a vampire servant got ready to get in, a huge chest in his hands they rushed in, hiding behind the enormous object. Once they were inside they found their way to their destination easily. When Kai was a child and wanted to avoid his parent''s or Belia''s scolding he would always come and hide in there. There was a time they had looked for him for days. He grabbed Lun''s arm leading him to one of the two staircases. One led on the first floor while the other on the second. The two floors had no connection to the other. He placed his hand on the white railing and rushed up, seeing that they escaped the eyes of a maid at the last second, he giggled relieved and pushed Lun to the left where he noticed one of the doors in the corridor open. The two men hid as well as they could behind the half opened door, shielding themselves from anyone who would come in. Kai''s blue eyes hastily scanned the room and he found Mika with his friend inside. The red head was sitting on the couch, his legs crossed as he sipped on a glass of wine while the other was pacing in the room, his shirt placed on the couch. Kai blinked a few times. His body wasn''t bad, not bad at all, he thought and his eyes widened, disgusted by how superficial he was. The enemy! He is the enemy! He reminded his lustful side. "Let''s hope this will end soon" Mika said. "Yes. Even though we both know it will take a while." The raven haired man said. "Will you go with the Alpha for dinner or will you eat here?" he asked. "I don''t know. To be honest, dining with the royal family is not my cup of tea but I am curious. How obnoxious could they be." he said and Kai, feeling once more offended, he scoffed, forgetting they were supposed to be quiet. His eyes widened as he watched the men stiff, hearing even the slightest sound and he pushed his friend back. Lun was hovering over him, his body tense as they heard footsteps. They would be getting caught so early on in their game and the worst thing was that they would have to explain. They would call someone thinking they were intruders and Kai''s mind at the moment was blank. He had to do something shocking enough to draw their attention from calling the guards. Their footsteps were getting nearer. Three, two¡­ "Don''t throw up." Kai whispered, staring at Lun and he cupped his face, bringing him closer and kissing him passionately. He heard the creaking of the door as someone moved it and he kept kissing Lun. A gasp similar to his reached Kai''s ears and he opened his eyes, meeting a very shocked werewolf staring right at him. "What?" the prince asked him, pushing back his disheveled hair. "Never seen two people kiss before?" The raven haired wolf blinked, stunned by the sight. "I¡­" Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 133 - Mischief Is His Middle Name Pt. 2 Best novel online free at novelhall.com Their footsteps were getting nearer. Three, two¡­ "Don''t throw up." Kai whispered, staring at Lun and he cupped his face, bringing him closer and kissing him passionately. He heard the creaking of the door as someone moved it and he kept kissing Lun. A gasp similar to his reached Kai''s ears and he opened his eyes, meeting a very shocked werewolf staring right at him. "What?" the prince asked him, pushing back his disheveled hair. "Never seen two people kiss before?" The raven haired wolf blinked, stunned by the sight. "I¡­" Kai pushed Lun back, taking a step towards the dark haired man who was looking at them rooted to the ground. He took a step back cautious and confused and the prince laughed. "You are in my hiding place." he told him, his voice low as he met his eyes. "What the hell?" Mika exclaimed, appearing before them after he too left the room to see what was happening. The red head was looking at the two vampires with a disgusted expression. "You creeps, you have been following us?" he asked and Kai tilted his head to the side, an amused mask on his handsome face, a wide grin spreading. "Have we? We have been a bit busy, we have better things to do than actually follow around too lowly wolves. I mean, do you think we were following you?" Kai asked his question towards the shocked man. He cleared his throat, his hazel eyes avoiding the sneaky prince as he spoke. "No¡­it''s just a coincidence. Let''s go." he said, his hand on the doorknob. He couldn''t wait to leave, he was embarrassed and that prideful attitude of his had disappeared. "Philip, those two were obviously¡­" "Mika, let''s just go. Okay? They were not following us." he said between gritted teeth as his hand landed on his wrist. He hadn''t seen the kiss, Philip was the only one who had the pleasure of being exposed to such a shock. That was why Mika wasn''t willing to let it alone. It was enough, Kai thought. Philip seemed to be the one in charge and after being so shaken he probably wouldn''t call anyone. "We will be leaving." The prince said, gifting him a gracious smile as he grabbed Lun''s hand. "Greetings" Lun said with a grin, winking at the werewolf named Philip before the two friends walked away. None of the two looked back, they had to confidently leave the floor so they wouldn''t raise any suspicions. Kai heard Philip whisper something to his friend and then the door closed behind them, separating them. Kai looked at Lun with a cheeky smile on his face as he let go of his hand. "That was the most disgusting thing I ever had to do." His best friend said and Kai nodded. "I want to wash my mouth." The prince added. "Did you have to use tongue?" he asked and Kai burst out laughing. "I had to make it believable." "Yeah, right. I am sure you have a thing for me but young prince I have to say that I am not really interested. I mean you are a sight to behold but not really my type. Thank you though it really¡­" "We know Lun, your type is my brother." Kai said, raising his golden eyebrows and making the man right next to him shut up. Lun scoffed, turning his head to the side as they got down the slippery staircase. Someone had just mopped the floor. The moment they stepped on the last step, victoriously heading towards the exit Kai watched a very familiar figure shoot daggers at him with her anxious eyes. He smiled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he approached her. She wore the same deep green dress, her hair combed to perfection while her fingers were entwined in front of her. "Your highness, why are you here?" Belia asked him, her voice showing a serious scolding would be coming soon if he answered wrongly. "Well, you see, Lun and I¡­you know , we wanted to get a book. We usually like to spend time here. I am desperately trying to avoid my mother''s nagging. You know, she is not very fond of me these days. So we walked back here to get my book but since there are guests we decided to silently retreat so as not to bother them." he said, finishing off his lame excuse with a smile and noticed Lun shaking his head, disappointed. Belia clicked her tongue, her eyes resting for a second on Lun and then on the prince. Of course she didn''t believe such a stupid excuse. No one would. "Did you cause any trouble that I have to know of?" she asked strictly. "No, of course not. I am very nice you see." he told her. "Just go, I do not want to upset the queen any more. She has a lot on her mind. Stay in your room¡­until dinner. Do not cause a fuss." She ordered him and the prince nodded eagerly. The woman moved to the side, the exit opening up for them and with quick steps they ran away just in case she changed her mind. Lun sighed, relieved as they walked back to the palace. Kai though didn''t seem to follow the usual route. He turned around, his steps taking him towards the gates and his friend followed him hastily. The prince was a few steps away from him, his perfectly polished boots getting dirty in some puddle he came across and stepped into. Seeing how he was actually intending to leave the palace grounds Lun stopped, grabbing his hand and forcing him to halt too. "What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes squeezed. "I am not done." "You''re not? You almost gave him a heart attack with your whole shameful exhibition of homosexuality, you want to do more?" Lun asked him and Kai smiled, nodding his head. "Of course. That thing right now was an unexpected surprise. Obviously I have something bigger planned. Thankfully I got to understand what kind of guy he is. I am going to get him in trouble." Kai told his friend. Lun rolled his eyes, his hands crossed over his strong chest as he waited for Kai to explain his plan. "He is one of those overly strict, no fun kind of guys. I mean did you see his reaction? Was it because we were kissing or because we were both men? That I do not know but I have a bright idea" "The word bright coming from you my friend can only be terrifying." "Not for us though so where is the problem?" Kai asked, his smirk showing all of his evil intentions. Usually he didn''t pay much attention to people, especially to people that were annoying to him but this guy, this Philip was simply getting on his nerves. He would breathe and Kai would want to punch him. Well, not punch him he didn''t exactly hate him but he wanted to pressure him, make him bend. He didn''t like fake people. "That is quite true. So tell me, what are we supposed to do?" Lun asked. "Well, for now you need to take me to one of your family''s brothels." Kai said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Are you sexually frustrated?" he asked and Kai''s eyes widened. "No I am not. Even if I was, there are plenty of pure royals for me to seduce, paying for intercouse is not enjoyable." he said and Lun chuckled. He shook his head again, in disbelief. It was hard to fathom the idea that this was the beloved younger prince of the nation. "Then why do you want to go there?" "To complete my plan! Everything will happen during dinner time. I am telling you, it will be grand and epic." he said. "Not in front of your parents Kai. Come on." Lun advised him but the young prince did not seem willing to hear. He had this idea in his mind and didn''t want anyone to disrupt it. If they followed his plan perfectly everything would end up fine and they, well they would come off as innocent with no involvement at all. "Let''s go Lun. We don''t have that much time." "Will you at least tell me what you''re planning?" his best friend asked him, following the prince as he rushed towards the huge black metal gates. They were two soldiers that were standing behind the thick bars of the gate and he would have to talk them into opening them so he could leave. That would be the easiest thing. Hearing his friend''s question he turned back for a second, his eyes filled with mischief, his smile a gift from the devil himself as he spoke. "That you will find out once we get there." .... Hello everyone! I hope you are anticipating Kai''s plan. Anyone has any ideas? Also do you see the big difference in how he was? I hope it''s visible. I do think he is adorable in both versions. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.. Please leave a vote and a nice comment, tell me what you think of the story. Read novel fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 134 - Mischief Is His Middle Name Pt. 3 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com Dinner was strictly served after the sunset. That day though since they had guests his mother, the one who strictly organized this extravagant dinner had other plans. She wanted to make a good impression or more appropriately a display of power, subtly she wanted to show that her kind was above theirs. Not only just strength but in beauty and luxury. That''s why she had chosen this specific room for them to have dinner. It was a circular room with a tall ceiling. The walls were made of glass, showing the green gardens outside, his mother''s black roses were the main spectacle of the view while the red sun set slowly, creating a red sky that mixed with orange and yellow finishing off with the beginning of the night, a deep blue color. It was as if the sky was set on fire, burning all around them. A long table had been set, golden silverware, spoons and forks, knives with eloquent designs on their handles. His mother, queen Cecilia had a love for roses. Everywhere in the palace, in the smallest of places you could see her influence if you paid close attention. It was the same with the silverware and the crystal wine glasses. All of them had delicate roses carved in them while the plates were polished to perfection, showing their reflections clearer than a mirror. The light was falling gently from above their heads, a golden chandelier with many layers and crystals hanging from the dges. The light fell on them, colorful patches landing in random places in the room. In the middle of the luxurious table was a bouquet of black roses with only one white rose in the middle. His mother, a woman that looked as if she was in her early forties could only be described as gorgeous. She was tall, with a lean figure that Kai had seemed to have inherited, her eyes big and vibrant, a green color that reminded that of a cat''s while her hair was snowlike, perfectly white. Her skin was pale but her cheeks had the perfect flush of rouge in them, her lips painted a lethal red that matched perfectly with her fitted dress. Her shoulders were exposed while it was so long that it touched the ground. Made of fine silk it slipped on her body perfectly. She wore a necklace, a diamond tear placed beautifully on her body while smaller diamonds were hanging from her ears, half of her long hair up while the rest fell in perfect curls. Cecilia was sitting at the head of the table, the other side intended for the Alpha. Her husband was away, he had some business to attend since there seemed to be some kind of uproar in the border. She was the one in charge at the moment, all moments really. To her left Xan was seated, younger and a bit calmer. A faint smile on his face as he conversed with his mother about something. To her right his older sister, Nelia. She was a spitting image of their mother, beautiful with the spark of youth in her big green eyes, her hair falling white and straight on her shoulders while she wore a velvet black dress that showed her right leg. Kai was supposed to sit next to her and when he entered the room he watched her wave at him, a smile on her face. "Please don''t get us in trouble." Lun said as they walked towards them. Their guests hadn''t arrived the, The younger prince, dressed in a black pair of leather pants and a black silk shirt, strolled over his boots echoing in the quiet room. His hair had been styled so he could wear his crown without feeling uncomfortable. It was made of black gold, looking very much like a diadem, delicate with small green stones on it. It was basically nothing to what his sibling wore but he preferred it that way. He liked simpler things, especially when he had to put them on his head. His hair was falling neatly on his forehead, on his left hand a golden cuff that shone as the light landed on it. "Hush now, my little friend." he whispered to Lun before they sat down. He kissed his sister quickly on the cheek and drew back the comfortable chair, sitting and smiling at his mother. The woman sat back and allowed Lun to sit too after the tall vampire bowed respectfully to them. "I am surprised that you decided to attend this dinner. I am aware you do not like such gatherings." Cecilia said, her voice smooth and low. "Well, I was curious. If I have to be honest, mother, I have never seen a werewolf before. I wanted to see how they were." Kai answered her, his eyes innocent and filled with curiosity. "I would like it if you said you were interested in the palace''s affairs but I guess that''s a start." she told him and Kai nodded, his hand playing with his shiny fork. Lun looked tense, his eyes shyly landing on Xan. His older brother noticed it and smiled at him. "Hey Lun, how have you been?" he asked him and the vampire almost gasped, surprised he was being asked to speak. "Same old your highness. I am waiting for graduation." "Come on, don''t call me your highness, I''ve known you ever since¡­" "It''s fine Xan." The queen interrupted him. "People need to know their standing. It is enough that he calls Kai by his name I think that¡­" "So!" Nelia said, stopping her mother from what she knew was going to end up being a heated conversation. "Are they going to be taking more time? I have things to do" the princess said and her eyes landed on the closed door. As if some kind of magical force had heard her, considering how busy she was, made their guests arrive. The door opened, a butler entering and bowing respectfully before he announced their entrance. "The Alpha Octavius with his two trusted Wolf Warriors Philip and Mika have arrived." he said and Cecilia nodded, signaling him to open the door. Three men stepped in, dressed in their finest human clothing and Kai smiled. The royal family stood up, his eyes locking with the dumbfounded wolf and he restrained himself really hard not to laugh. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 135 - [Bonus ] Mischief Is His Middle Name Pt. 4 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com The required formalities followed. The werewolves bowed and introduced themselves, greetings were exchanged and they soon took their seats. The Alpha sat opposite of his mother, at the other end of the table while his two warriors sat right next to Xan, Philip landing right in front of him. Octavius was a big man, tall with a strong build. Short black hair and eyes like the midnight sky, a very deep blue, almost close to black. He had a scar on his neck, one that seemed to be from a knife that had healed a long time ago. His expression was gentle, his eyes showing no ill intent as he sat down and Kai couldn''t say that he disliked him. He seemed to be calm and collected. The young prince though was not intending to pay attention to the Alpha, he could care less. What he wanted was to enjoy Philip''s expression to the fullest, the shock he was trying hard to mask, the shaking in his hands and the anxious staring of everywhere but Kai''s face. He was hilarious, the prince thought and for a split second that Philip relaxed and their eyes met, Kai winked at him, making him almost drown with his wine. "I would like to thank you, Queen Cecilia, for accepting us and considering negotiating with us. The current situation was a very big misunderstanding and we do wish for the smoothest return to normality." Octavius said and Cecilia smiled, her long fingers resting at the base of her glass. "I feel honored to have you as my guests. I hope that you will enjoy your visit. But let''s not talk about diplomacy so early on. Your journey must have been tiring. Please enjoy your meal and rest." she said and at that moment three maids entered the room, bringing with them trays filled with steaming food. From pork to mushroom soups to salads and potatoes everything looked delicious. Vampires usually did not eat human food, but on special occasions they preferred a feast than a simple meal. They enjoyed the taste of well cooked food, it was just that they didn''t need it. Food was served on their plates, conversation going smoothly. Information about the human world, some lighthearted jokes here and there. "Your children my queen, I have to say they all share your beauty." Octavius complimented her and her offsprings. The woman smiled, showing even more her unquestionable beauty. "Thank you. They do look like my husband too. Kai and Xan, they are almost identical to him." The queen said and the two boys smiled at the Alpha. "I see. I guess your family has been blessed with great beauty." "You do not fall back yourself. Your warriors seem very capable." The queen said and her eyes landed on the two werewolves. "What is your name again? Excuse me, I do tend to be quite forgetful." "Philip, your highness." Philip answered and she smiled. "You''re very good looking, Philip." His mother said and Kai frowned, seeing how the werewolf smiled. Was he really good looking? The younger prince asked himself and his eyes focused more carefully on his characteristics. His hair was nice, black and all. He had full lips, kissable, I suppose, Kai told himself. His eyes were¡­beautiful. A voice whispered in Kai''s mind. Shaped like a fox, green mixed with brown they were his only part that showed some real emotion. Kai''s eyes traveled on his neck, his fitted shirt and his arms. Yes, yes, he is alright. He told himself and averted his gaze, even more annoyed than before. "Thank you my queen. I am really nothing special compared to you." he said referring to the vampires. Kai grinned, of course he wasn''t. Such earthly beauty could not compare with him and his siblings. He looked as if he bathed in mud while he showered in liquid gold. Kai sat back on his chair, finished with his meal, waiting when he felt Lun kick his leg. He turned his head, a dissatisfied expression on his face. "Kai I think¡­" Lun whispered but he didn''t manage to finish his sentence. A loud shout was heard from outside, making Kai smile devilishly. "Silence. Get them out of here, how did they get inside the palace!" The guard outside the door shouted while giggling accompanied his outburst. The queen frowned, her eyes traveling at the door and she signaled one of the maids to go out and check. "Is everything alright?" Octavius asked. "Of course." The queen answered even though she had no idea. "I am sure it''s some guard. We will know soon." she said and after a few seconds the maid walked in. A young girl, around eighteen with reddish hair and freckles splattered on her face. She looked at the queen, her face painted a tomato red while she played with her white apron. "What is it?" The queen asked her, surprised with her expression. "My¡­my queen. Outside. Outside there are¡­there are¡­whores" she stuttered and Cecilia''s eyes widened. She stood up, slapping her head on the table, everything shaking on top of it. "What did you just say?" She asked her and the girl flinched. "There are about ten whores outside, they are saying that the man named Philip let them in and after they acquired his services he didn''t pay them" the girl said, her eyes avoiding the queen, her face changing ten different shades of red. Cecilia remained quiet, her attention turning instantly to Philip who sat in his chair frozen, looking back and forth in distress. "I¡­I swear I did¡­" he mumbled and Kai bit his lip, trying to stop himself. Lun right next to him slapped his thigh gently, both of them trying to keep from bursting into laughter. "What kind of sick joke is this?" The queen asked, her voice cold like an iceberg. .... Hello everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story this far. Please tell me what you think with a nice comment and leave a vote to support this book. Sooo what do you think the queen will do to them? Should I make Kai even more mischievious? I will think about it.... Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 136 - Mischief Is His Middle Name Pt. 5 You can read the novel fast updates at novelhall.com "There are about ten whores outside, they are saying that the man named Philip let them in and after they acquired his services he didn''t pay them" the girl said, her eyes avoiding the queen, her face changing ten different shades of red. Cecilia remained quiet, her attention turning instantly to Philip who sat in his chair frozen, looking back and forth in distress. "I¡­I swear I did¡­" he mumbled and Kai bit his lip, trying to stop himself. Lun right next to him slapped his thigh gently, both of them trying to keep from bursting into laughter. "What kind of sick joke is this?" The queen asked, her voice cold like an iceberg. Octavius was on his feet, his face expressing pure distress and worry. It was unbelievable how one of his most trusted men had committed such a foolish act. He looked at Philip, his usually gentle eyes wide, waiting for some kind of explanation. The giggling of the girl was non stop and the shouts of their head lady could be clearly heard inside the dinning room. The door had been closed by the maid, to avoid irking the queen even more but it seemed to have no effect. Her green eyes had turned into wild flames, furious with the disrespect that took place right in her own house. "Is anyone going to say anything?" Cecilia shouted. "Philip!" His Alpha exclaimed, his loud voice echoing in the silent room. The young man flinched, not knowing who to refer to. His face fell, a bright red color as he tried to gather his thoughts. He wasn''t the one who had called them, he would never do such a thing during a mission, he would never do such a disgraceful thing, period. "Sir, it is obviously not Philip who did it." Mika jumped in, intending to defend his friend. He placed his palm on his shoulder, trying to calm him down and show him his support. "You know Philip would never do such a thing. He has obviously been set up by someone" he continued and his eyes landed on Kai. The prince held his head high pretending he didn''t notice the suspicious stare and Lun looked at the queen, trying to read her expression as she followed the werewolf''s eyes. "Why are you looking at my son?" The queen asked him, her tone aggressive. "Octavius, are you really going to keep this insult going?" she asked and her words were followed by the loud voices of the women outside. "Someone get these women out of my palace!" She screamed, distressed and the little maid that stood by the door jumped, shocked. She opened the door, only getting out by a small opening so the girls wouldn''t find a way to sneak in, leaving one chaos to head to the other. Cecilia waited for a second, her eyes pinned to the door as she expected the noises to quiet down. Thankfully, for everyone''s sake the girls were removed from the entrance. When she was sure she was not going to hear that sinful laughter again she took a deep breath and started talking again. "I asked you, why were you looking at my son as you said that" The queen asked Mika. The red haired man didn''t look to be terrified by her. He was planning on telling her everything. About their meeting, about how the childish prince had acted. That way Philip wouldn''t get punished or at least he would gain some time. His best friend stopped him though. He extended his arm, putting a stop at the beginning of his story and raised his head. His eyes simply brushed off from Kai, not even staying for a second as he faced the furious queen. "I sincerely apologize." Philip told her, his voice steady as he bowed. "I do not know how something like this happened but I assure you that I did not bring these women here." he said. "Your highness I am sure that there has been a mistake. I know my men. They are not those kinds of kids. They are very careful and respectful." Octavius defended them. "Then how did they know your name young wolf?" The queen asked. "That, I do not know. But we have made no contact with anyone else. Once we arrived we headed to the guest room. We do not intend to cause any uproar. I promise." "Bring their main lady here" Cecilia told the guard that stood by the door. "Let''s see then, if you haven''t met anyone they won''t know you." she told the wolves. "Listen to me Octavius. If this woman recognizes your men, I assure you a punishment will be received. I want to make myself clear about that." She told the Alpha. Octavius looked disappointed, a sigh escaping his lips as he shook his head. "Even though I am sure my boy is not involved I do understand. If he has actually done something so shameful he will need to be punished. You have my word, I will not object." he agreed. "Sir!" Mika shouted, hitting his palm on the table. Octavius'' eyes widened, his muscles tense as he grabbed Mika and pulled him away from Philip. "Silence, you have no right to speak here. Don''t be any more disrespecting than this." His Alpha told him in between gritted teeth. Their eyes met, making Mika look away. The kind man was pleading for him to stop, he would only make things worse if he kept talking. For a few minutes silence spread in the room, Kai and Lun observing the scene before them in fascination while everyone, his siblings involved were tense with anxious expressions. Except his mother, she was simply furious, her hands forming fists on her sides as she stared intensely at the door. "Your highness." The guard said as he returned, holding a tall woman by the arm. She was dressed in revealed clothing, the fabric almost sheer, her legs and breast exposed while she wore noisy fake jewelry, her face plastered with intense make up. Even though in all her tackiness she was beautiful, her eyes lively as she hoped in, pushed by the soldier. She turned back to look at him, clicking her tongue annoyed by his rough treatment. "Your majesty" The woman said and bowed. "Tell us, who called you and your women here?" Cecilia asked. "I told you, the man named Philip." the whore said and the queen frowned. "Point at the man, between everyone here, who is the one that allowed you to enter my house? Do not be afraid, no harm will come to you nor your girls. I just want you to very carefully show me who was the one that did it." The woman seemed skeptic, her eyes traveling in between the men in the room and Kai''s heart began to race. He was scared of being exposed, it would be too much if his plan failed so easily. He looked at the woman right back, trying to show he had nothing to hide. "Come on now." Cecilia urged her again and the woman raised her arm, pointing at one of them. "This one" she said, a gasp echoing in the room. You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 137 - Is The Prince Kind After All? Pt. 1 The woman pointed at Philip. Octavius'' eyes widened in shock, his feet rooted to the ground as his head turned towards the direction she was pointing. His gasp was short, a sign of his surprise as one of his most trustworthy men had been exposed to making such a disgraceful mistake. The sky had turned dark by now, shadows entering the room, dancing around them as her announcement made Philip''s heart stop. How did she know him? He had never seen that woman before, he had never spoken to her but she knew his name and his face. The werewolf looked at her, his eyes innocent and disappointed as he talked to her. "Are you sure? Are you sure it was me?" he asked, placing his palm on his chest, pointing at himself. The woman nodded, not uttering another word. "Thank you. You can go now, your payment will be discussed with my people." The queen said and looked at her guard. "Take her away. Oh, and young lady. Make sure that no one finds out about this. If I happen to hear that the presence of whores in the palace has been known I will personally slaughter you all." Cecilia threatened her, not even looking at her as she did so. She waved her hand, shooing her off as she focused her attention back to the three werewolves. After the situation had been resolved, after the culprit had been revealed right before her eyes the vampires had taken their seats again. Pairs of judgmental royal eyes excruciating them. Nelia with her cold elegance, Xan with a disgusted expression and Kai with an obnoxious grin, his face declaring a silent victory. "Now, what do you have to say for yourselves?" The queen asked them. Octavius stood straight, trying not to show how shocked or worried he was. Philip would have to face a punishment. He would have to negotiate for his life. Things suddenly turned a lit worse than he had ever imagined. "Your highness, please be merciful towards my warrior. He is still young, he makes mistakes." The Alpha said. "That''s nonsense"" Mika interrupted, his face seeming older by the deep frown in between his eyebrows. "Will all due respect your majesty but I was with him all day. There is no way he would do something like this. I would have to be an accomplice to but the women did not talk about me. He has been set up." Mika repeated, trying to make everyone understand that it wasn''t Philip''s fault. Octavius shook his head, knowing very well that the red head was making the situation even worse. The queen wouldn''t like being told that she was wrong. "So tell me¡­" Cecilia addressed Mika. "How do you explain the fact that not only did they know his name but also his face?" she asked. Mika did not answer her, he had not thought about it that far, all he knew was that he couldn''t let Philip get unfairly punished like that. "It''s alright." Philip said, giving Mika a small but courageous smile. "We had an agreement. If I was the one pointed out by that woman I would have to be punished¡­." "But Philip!" "Stop Mika." His friend told him and turned towards him, a small whisper escaped his lips. "We are not home now. Keep quiet." he advised him, his friend sighing loudly as his head fell in defeat. "I will accept every punishment you give me. I am very sorry to have caused you such distress your majesty." Philip said, bowing deeply and as it seemed pleasing the queen. She nodded, her hand resting on the half filled wine glass. She took a slow sip, her tongue gently caressing her lips as she licked the bloody liquid from them. "Good. You can leave, I will think about your punishment and I will announce it you in a bit. Wait outside." she said and the three wolves, obeying as if they were peasants headed outside, standing behind the door. "The insolence, I let these dogs inside my house and they act like that." she said once they were gone. Kai and Lun had remained quiet for the whole conversation. The young prince didn''t want to be betrayed by his expression. He had been facing his lap this whole time, after a while he had been unable to keep his head high, a mixture of pleasure and guilt mixing inside him. Maybe his plan had been a bit too extreme, he thought as he heard about the punishment but he did not have the guts to reveal himself in front of everyone. His mother''s rage would haunt him even in his dreams. "So what will you do mother?" Xan asked as she rubbed her temples. "I will punish that wolf of course." she said. "Pity, he has a pretty face." Nelia commented and her mother shook her head, unsatisfied with her irrelevant comment. "What kind of punishment?" his older brother asked again and she took a few seconds to think. Kai grabbed his glass, gulping the wine as if he had been in the desert for days. He suddenly felt horrible, worried about his mother''s announcement. He briefly stared at Lun, he didn''t seem to be fazed at all, he didn''t mind what would happen to that wolf but for some reason Kai felt like he had done something despicable. All he wanted was to have some fun, maybe laugh in his expense a little bit he had taken things too far. "Is punishment really necessary?" Kai asked, speaking for the first time in a while. "Should we kill him then?" his mother asked back and his blue eyes widened. She had taken his question the wrong way. "No!" The young prince exclaimed, almost drowning with his wine. "What I mean is, you are trying to be friends with these guys. They will be staying here to negotiate, is it really wise to get on their bad side? What about all the other wolves he has brought? What if they start killing in revenge." "You''re being over dramatic." Xan said and Kai rolled his eyes. "Don''t you ever shut up?" Kai whispered to himself. "I think Xan is right." Cecilia said. "He will get punished, they have to know they can''t play with us. This Philip will get whipped, two hundred times." The queen announced. At the sound of the punishment Kai shivered, jumping up from his chair, his hands gripping the handles . "Two hundred times?!" He asked, awestruck and swallowed the lump that had been forming in his throat. He had messed up.. Terribly. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 138 - Is The Prince Kind After All? Pt. 2 Kai had messed up terribly. The moment he heard the punishment his eyes had widened as if he had been punched in the stomach, his lips parted in a way that showed he wanted to speak but he was hesitant. He looked at the queen and she stared right back at him, finding his attitude very peculiar. "What is the problem Kai?" She asked him, her expression showing the slightest hints of suspicion. The youngest prince sat down again, the chair now seeming very uncomfortable and he wriggled in his seat, feeling his mother''s eyes glued on him, waiting for an answer. "I...I just think that two hundred times is a bit too much for something so insignificant? Don''t you think it will make you seem like a tyrant?" Kai proposed and heard his older brother scoff. Every time he tried to get away with something, every time he was trying to keep himself intact his brother would step in, messing up everything. Kai could sense this was one of those times. "Don''t be ridiculous" Xan told him, pushing back his glasses. "That idiot brought in whores in the palace. They are werewolves above all, mother could never let it slide. Quite the opposite she would seem weak and the negotiations that are about to follow would turn out harder." Kai bit his bottom lip, his right hand forming a fist on the armrest of the chair as he looked at his family. They were right, of course they were right. His brother and mother were experts in politics, they knew how they were supposed to act on all situations and Kai''s stupid proposals would never affect them. He felt Lun kick his leg, his heavy shoe landing right on his toes as he tried to stop him. He knew that the younger prince felt guilty but he couldn''t have them being punished instead. The brown haired vampire was staring at his half emptied plate, his eyes filled with worry, hidden from everyone as he hoped deep inside that Kai wouldn''t do anything else stupid. "Are you hiding something from us that we should know?" His sister asked him, fluttering her white eyelashes right next to him and Kai swallowed once more a lump that was making it hard for him to breathe. He smiled, his face charming and innocent. He looked at his mother, the woman smiling back at her son. He couldn''t do it, he couldn''t let that werewolf get whipped without a reason. He had been an absolute idiot, he just wanted to have some fun but as it seemed he had created a mess. The younger prince was not as self centered as everyone thought and he definitely did not want to go to sleep at night thinking he doomed a man with no reason at all. "Mother¡­" he began talking, clearing out his throat with a short cough. "It was me." He said, trying to keep his playful smile. "What do you mean it was you?" The woman asked back, her tone strict. Her eyes narrowing as she looked at her son. "I was the one who brought in the whores and told them to blame him. You see that guy is annoying and I really want him to go to hell but the truth is I am the one responsible for this mess so could we like¡­.swipe it under the rag or something? I promise I won''t cause any more trouble." He said. If he relaxed his whole body would start to tremble. He did not dare to joke nor smile anymore. His mother, the queen, was obviously furious as she tilted her head to the side, her eyes cold rays that froze him in his place. Cecilia raised her arm, slapping her pale palm on the table, hard and the whole room began to shake, a powerful earthquake restricted the walls that sheltered the royal family. "Are you insane?" She screamed at him and Kai fell back in his chair, his heart fluttering with fear. "It was supposed to be a harmless joke." The prince said. "I don''t care about that, you foolish idiot. What I care about is you admitting you did it. Do you think I will go out there after this whole uproar and apologize to these dogs?" She asked her son, leaving her stunned. She wasn''t mad about what he did, she was mad that he revealed it was him. Somehow that made him feel even more horrible. Was this his family? A very fragile front he could snap at any minute now. He looked at the woman, her body tense, her eyes glued on her son as she was at the brim of screaming again. "Mother, I can''t let that guy get whipped. He did nothing. It is not his fault." Kai said. "Then what?" The queen asked him. "Will you get punished in his place? Their Alpha obviously will ask for someone to get punished in that boy''s place. Will you do it? Apologize and then get whipped? Do you believe I will let you tarnish the family name like that?" The queen asked her son. "Why would you even do such a thing?" Xan asked him, simply curious. "I...well I met him before he arrived here. He was insulting our family and¡­" "Lun, were you involved in this too?" The queen interrupted Kai''s explanation and the man stood up. "No he wasn''t." Kai answered for him. "I am not talking to you right now." "Yes my queen. I helped him." Lun said and the woman sighed, rubbing her temples. "Sit down. Both of you, you will not utter a word. You hear me?" "But mother!" "I will have Lun whipped with you if you don''t shut your mouth" she told him between gritted teeth, her eyes changing and turning into a vicious crimson. Kai smacked his fist on the armrest, annoyed and the woman laughed. "Learn to not be such an idiot next time." She told him. "Bring the werewolves in." She ordered the guard and he disappeared behind the half opened door, leading the three men inside. They bowed again. "Your highness." Octavius said and she nodded. "I''ve talked with my family. We have decided that a punishment would only be fair for your man. He could even be executed, that''s how disgraceful his acts were so I hope you understand we will be merciful. Philip, you will be whipped, two hundred times." She announced, her voice echoing in the silent room and reaching Philip''s ears like a bullet wound. He took a step back, dumbfounded and afraid. Two hundred times. That was not a punishment, that was pure torture and he knew it. Kai was aware of it too. The Alpha stepped forward, his expression a mix of worry and distress. "Your highness, two hundred times is a bit too much isn''t it? They are children. Could you be more¡­" "More what? I am already sparing his life. Or do you take the royal family as a joke?" She asked, her eyes showing she did not expect any answer from him. Kai was looking at Philip. The poor werewolf had turned pale, his face distorted with worry as he processed his cruel punishment. Kai felt pain. It was rooting on his chest and then slowly spreading all over his body. He frowned, being possessed by the after effects of his guilt and averted his eyes, he looked everywhere else but him. It hurt too much to do so. "I will take it. The whipping" Philip said and his voice caused the hairs in Kai''s body to rise. He would take it? The vampire wondered in shock And his head snapped, without wanting to he focused on the scene again. Why are you such an idiot? Kai asked himself as he looked at Philip, it''s obvious you''re terrified and you still say you want to accept the punishment? He spoke to himself. "I will take any punishment so please your highness do not stop the negotiations and think of us as fondly as before. I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience I caused and I¡­" "Enough!" Kai''s voice surprised everyone. The young vampire stood up, pushing back his chair and leaving his mother behind as he walked towards the werewolves. He could feel her eyes on his back, the anger being as powerful as beatings but still it didn''t hurt as much as the guilt of letting someone get punished in his place. "Kai, don''t be dramatic, come back here." The queen said, trying to sound calm. Kai stood in front of their Alpha. The man stared at him with curiosity. "I am very sorry." The younger prince said. "It was all me, I was the one who did it. It was a prank, I did not imagine it would get this far. I just wanted to play a joke on your man." He revealed he was the one at fault and instantly the pain in his chest succumbed. It was alright, no matter how they decided to deal with him he would accept it. He wasn''t really scared of the werewolves nor their Alpha, what terrified him was his mother, that''s why he had chosen to walk away from her and announce his mistake because if he stood right next to her the younger prince knew he wouldn''t be able to speak, frozen from fear. "What?" Octavius asked, confused. "See!" Mika exclaimed, victoriously. "I told you he had been set up. It was all him. The prince is at fault and not Philip sir. He shouldn''t get punished." "He won''t." Kai said. "He won''t get punished, he didn''t do it after all. My mother is not unfair." The prince announced. "Again, please accept my apologies. I was immature." He said, his face facing the floor. He didn''t look at Philip, not the Alpha or anyone else. He felt too embarrassed to do so and the relief he had felt, he realized it had been brief since now he had to step up and face his actions. "No I am not unfair." The queen said. "I am so disappointed in you." Cecilia said. "And I do apologize, young werewolf. My son will be punished. Look at me boy" she told him and Kai turned around unwillingly. He met his mother, distance between them but her voice reached him as if they were standing side by side. "Kai Avger you will get whipped three hundred times and your friend, Lun, he will get a hundred times for assisting you. Tomorrow at dawn. Now go. Looking at you disgusts me" she said and Kai bowed. "I am very sorry." He repeated to the Alpha as he waited for Lun. In a few seconds his friend was right next to him and together, their heads hanging in shame they left the room unaware of his mother''s next steps. He had displeased her, that''s why she had added the hundred slashes, it was because he hadn''t lied. Because he went against her wishes. "Sometimes really" Lun said as they walked back to his room. "I wish you would be as selfish as you seemed. We''re screwed" he mumbled. "Well, think of them as war scars." Kai tried to joke but his best friend elbowed him in the ribs. "Sorry, sorry." He said. Tomorrow was going to be a hard day.. If he managed to stay conscious through it. Read novel online free fast updates at novelhall.com Chapter 139 - Is The Prince Kind After All? Pt. 3 Lun and Kai were drowned in complete silence. The balcony doors were open, a light breeze entering into the room. The casual sound of the windows hitting the wall briefly, moved by the wind was the only noise that traveled in between them. Kai didn''t know what to say. He had failed, his plan had succeeded but he in the end had bent and actually gave himself in. He shouldn''t have done that, not only him but Lun too would face the consequences. He kept thinking about that, how he pulled his best friend into his doom. The way his mother looked at him, filled with disappointment and disgust. She had wanted him and he had disobeyed her, he used to do that often but only in small tasks, childish behaviors that he pronounced as his rebellion. Something like that though, a matter that involved the purity of their name, their exposure to their enemies, he had never been so stupid as to get involved in affairs so important. He sighed, rubbing his head as he looked outside in distress. It was already late, just a few hours left until they had to face the pain of getting whipped. Today had been a harsh day, he had difficulty swallowing, breathing seemed to be a drag too and he froze when Lun stared at him with a very deep frown. "You had to go and blow everything up." he said and the young prince faked a courageous smile. "Come on, I couldn''t let an innocent man get whipped." "Of course you couldn''t. Don''t do things unless you''re willing to see them through, Kai." his best friend said, sounding serious. "Three hundred slashes? How do you think you''re going to endure that? You are a pureblood yes, you are strong but you are not invincible, the least you will do is faint. You don''t even have a human yet, you think that with those stupid magic potions you will be able to get back to your original state? It will take days!" Lun exclaimed. "Are you worried about me?" Kai asked him. The younger prince he had believed Lun was mad because he would have to share the blame, he too would get whipped, tortured by his mother''s people. He found it completely reasonable that he would be mad at him fro that. "Of course I am, what¡­" Lun stuttered and looked at his friend filled with confusion. He was trying to understand why he would ask such a stupid question. Once he got it, he stood up, walking towards him with big steps. He raised his arm and slapped him in the back of the head, rolling his eyes. "You really think I care about a hundred whips? That''s nothing, I''ve been through worse. I am worried about you, your mother will make sure you remember this." the man said and Kai nodded, agreeing with him on that. He stood up, pacing in the room as he tried to stop thinking about tomorrow. He could feel his heart beating loudly, a vibrant echo in his chest while the blood traveled all over his body. The younger prince was sweating, his blue eyes like a storming ocean while he tried to find a way and get out of this. There was nothing he could do though, no way out. He had dug his own grave and now he would have to take it. "What if we hide? I am sure the queen will cover you and¡­" "No, there is no way. If we disappear now she will fucking castrate us next time." Kai explained and Lun looked at his pants, hissing. "Yeah, I''d rather take the whipping." "Me too." the blond man said, wiping the sweat off his forehead and retreated to his seat once more. There was no reason in troubling himself with useless thoughts. "What is done is done. We will have to wait until tomorrow. If the gods are a bit nice to me I will faint halfway through and wake up after it ends. It''s late." Kai said, examining the position of the moon. "You and I both will need to rest." he told his friend and Lun nodded. "Alright. I will see you tomorrow I guess. Don''t pee your pants." he told him in a joking manner and Kai raised his eyebrow. "I won''t let you steal the show." "You never know." Lun said, his hand resting on the doorknob. He had already opened the door, standing outside but his eyes were still on Kai as he asked him. "It will be fine, right?" "Of course. Don''t even dare to worry about it." Kai said, trying to hide the fact that he was lying. It wouldn''t be fine, it would hurt and there would be blood and screaming. There was no reason though for them to think of that now, tomorrow was tomorrow and tonight they needed to sleep. "Goodnight Lun." "Goodnight Kai." he said before he left the prince alone in his room. Kai laid down, hoping that he would fall asleep fast, wishing for his dreams not to turn into nightmares. Thankfully, he didn''t dream at all, his mind a complete blank as he was pulled into oblivion. The time passed, faster than what he wanted and the red sun shone through the opened curtains, landing right on his closed eyelids. The golden eyelashes fluttered, the blue orbs disoriented by his hurried awakening at first when everything slowly came back. The events of last night, the punishment and all that would follow today. He sat on his bed, rubbing his eyes. "I am screwed." he mumbled as he began getting ready. He had no more time, it was time to pay. .... Hello everyone! Hope you liked the chapters so far. Now get ready for the drama. I did want to write something like that for a while. Also I hope that you are finding Kai''s and Philip''s story interesting because there are many more amazing events to read! Thank you for reading! if you liked the chapter please leave a nice comment and a vote. I would be thankful! Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 140 - Is The Prince Kind After All? Pt. 4 You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com Kai was known for his cheerful attitude, the unfiltered happiness and his brutal honesty. He was the kind of person that would look at the devil in the eyes and smile cockily, not allowing anyone to see his weaknesses. He didn''t want people to know he was afraid, it wouldn''t do him any good and he definitely wouldn''t benefit from it. So he preferred to face everything as if they were going to last only for a second. Momentarily fear, momentarily sadness and anxiety. He had all the time in the world, hidden in the walls of his room to worry but now, in front of everyone he wouldn''t dare to stop smiling. Him and Lun were guided to the throne room by two guards. Their hands tied behind their backs as a so-called precaution. He knew his mother though, it was just a way to humiliate him more. The younger prince could feel the rough rope rub on his wrists, the eyes of the servants landing on him and then their gazes traveling away, pretending they didn''t notice him. The young prince scoffed, a grin on his face while his golden hair fell in his eyes. "You could have used a better material to tie our hands, I am still the prince after all." he told the guard he was walking ahead of him. They were like two sheep ready for the slaughter. The other guard walked behind them, making sure they were not going to escape. The guard didn''t answer him, he just coughed, feeling awkward by the fact that he had to tie the prince like a criminal. "Of course you wouldn''t answer." Kai mumbled and after a while their little stroll to the palace, a walk of shame, ended. The double doors opened, revealing an enormous room. The throne was in the far back, heightened by a black platform. His mother was sitting there. A golden armchair with red velvet cushions. The back of the chair had a complicated design, two golden feathers like those of an angel spreading to the sides, shining under the candle lights, making the beautiful woman seem like a superior being. The feet of the throne were sculpted roses, drowned and clenched by thorny vines. It was a very beautiful throne, showing elegance but at the same time there was something morbid about it, it sang the song of death and whoever sat on it immediately looked a lot more deadly. Apart from the throne the rest of the room was pretty simple. Red tapestry with golden designs in the corners, a huge chandelier similar to the one in the dining room while the floor was made from black marble, polished to absolute perfection. He could see his reflection, just like yesterday and he pretended to not dislike his own image. Kai could see the worry in his eyes while his smile seemed foreign as if someone had stuck it on his face by force. He didn''t stop though. The three werewolves were standing by the side of the throne, observing the two trouble makers. Mika seemed happy, he didn''t like Kai after all, he wouldn''t forgive him easily for trying to frame his friend. Octavius was perplexed, he didn''t want the kids to be punished, he wasn''t that kind of person, Kai could see it in his eyes. He had some compassion in his eyes, something that his mother clearly lacked. Philip was the one he couldn''t read. While he was pushed to the floor by the guard, his shirt being ripped in two by a knife, exposing his pale back, the younger prince realized that the werewolf didn''t dare to look at him. Again he was avoiding his eyes, just like yesterday. Wasn''t he satisfied? Kai wondered. He was getting out of this as the winner, his expression though had no joy. It was blank. "You two will be whipped now. I want you to count. You can''t fall unconscious. Don''t think you will get out of it. We will wait until you wake up to continue." she said, her eyes glued on her son. "That''s what you get for being idiots." He was an idiot, of course he was but not for the reason everyone thought. His mother, the queen, called him an idiot for getting caught. For admitting to his mistake. She was making this punishment ten times harsher than it should be because of that, because he had disobeyed her. Kai raised his head, looking at his mother with a grin on his face and right before the whip landed on his cold body he parted his lips. "Dear mother nobody cares what you think." he told her, rudely and the woman''s eyes widened, her hand gripping the armrest of her throne. Kai, in the last second locked eyes with Philip, catching him off guard. The werewolf took a step back, as if he felt threatened by him and Kai winked, his blue eyes playful as they met with him. The sound of the whip slashing the air was almost deafening, the hard leather hitting his skin with no mercy, ripping open the flesh. Kai did not scream, he bit his lips, his face dropping, his hair hiding his expression. He could feel the warm blood against his skin and the moment the body tried to heal the guard hit him again, opening up a second wound. "Count!" His mother screamed at them and the young men counted in unison. Two, Two hundred and ninety eight left to go. The sound of the whip was like a roar. The battle cry of an enemy as it landed with force, every time faster than the previous, not giving him the least bit of time to heal. His body would shutter, he would fall and get grabbed so he would stand again on his knees. He didn''t cry, Kai did not shed even a single tear and his groans were almost like whispers. Through his hair, his hazy eyes were looking at someone. Shocked, his lips parted, he lost his composure. The younger prince hadn''t cried, he had held strong but the man before him, he was shedding his own tears, his hazel eyes glossy from the diamond drops. The moment Kai saw him, he lost it, the strength that had kept him silent up to now. When the next hit landed on his back, he screamed. A loud cry, filled with pain and¡­. anger. Best novel online free at novelhall.com Chapter 141 - Is The Prince Kind After All? Pt. 5 Emotional pain, physical pain, psychological pain. So many different ways to hurt someone and with so many different means. With words, with fists, with tools or vicious remarks. Every single one of them could leave from a simple cut to heart wrecking wounds that led to a painful death. It all started with pain, the clenching of the heart, the ringing of the head and the rising of the temperature. Then a sting, as if someone stung him or pinched him but soon, as the tired skin could not heal anymore, as his back had turned into a pool of blood his pride got crumpled piece by piece, his smile faded and the obnoxity he knew so well how to wear withered as he barely kept himself conscious. He had screamed, he had let go of everything as he had met with dripping tears. He had felt a different kind of pain, one that slid through his open wounds, invading his body like a virus and punching him from the inside. It was horrible, the feeling of the whip ripping open his skin, it was even more horrible, the sight of Philip, shedding silent tears for him. He didn''t know why, he couldn''t understand why he had reacted that way, why both of them had. Did he feel bad? For what reason? "One hundred." he counted together with Lun and his best friend fell on the floor, exhausted. He watched for a second, as they dragged him away, bloody and sweaty, unconscious and breathing heavily. "Keep counting!" He heard his mother shout and her voice echoed in the silent room. Next the horrifying sound of the whip cutting through the air and a fluttering of his weakened heart. Another scar, Kai counted as he bit his lips, trying to stop himself from sobbing. Again and again until he felt so weak, until his body had grown numb. He landed on the floor, his body slippery from all the blood and the sweat. The queen clicked his tongue as he breathed in heavily, the slightest movement of his muscles aching as if he was being burned by fire. The youngest prince closed his eyes, trying to find the little strength that remained in him. He didn''t want her to win, he didn''t want her to smile victoriously as he begged to be forgiven. Somehow, a crack had been created between him and his mother, somehow what she had said to her son had ruined his illusion. They never really got along, their ideals collided most of the time but he did consider her fair. Now there was nothing left, everything he had believed, all the moments he had felt the slightest bit proud of his last name seemed silly. That was why he couldn''t give up. He put pressure in his arms, trying to get up but they couldn''t hold him. He landed again on the floor, hitting his jaw, his head bouncing as if it was an old ball and he groaned. "Do you want to beg to be spared?" His mother asked him. Kai could barely open his eyes, her image, a blur but he did hear her words, loud and clear. "Your highness" Octavius stepped in. "He is your son. I think he has learned his lesson, maybe we should let him go. It was nothing but a mere childish prank after all. I am sure that Philip too feels the¡­" Kai raised his arm. Stopping the talking Alpha and slowly, as if all of his bones were rusty he stood again on his knees, ignoring the pain, ignoring the looks of everyone around him and gaining satisfaction as his mother stared at him with wide eyes. "Do you want to beg for mercy?" She asked him again and in Kai''s face a faint smile appeared. "I will never beg. Not to you, not to anyone." He said, his voice rough, strained but at the same time so clear it felt almost like an attack. Kai looked at Philip one last time, seeing the remains of his tears, the red in his eyes and how tense his strong body was. He tried to pressure him, ease the worry that was being mirrored in him. He didn''t know why, maybe he felt pity for him, maybe he was still feeling guilty. There were many versions that could explain his attitude but he didn''t have time to think about it. "It''s alright" the prince mouthed, no sound coming from his lips and the werewolf flinched, taking a step back and turning his back on him. Kai''s head fell, the smile he wore before disappearing. "Keep counting. Continue!" His mother ordered, the displease obvious in his voice. One hundred and fifty, one hundred and eighty, two hundred, two hundred and ten. So many numbers and Kai carefully revised them all, hoping he wouldn''t lose count. His body would move forward with every hit, his eyes would open and stifled cries would escape his iron sealed lips. "Two hundred and ninety nine." He yelled at his mother. His face red, filled with anger as their eyes met. They looked so much like the other but they stood so far away. She was sitting on her golden throne, a woman made to fit perfection while he, like everyone said was flawed, disobedient, a mistake. That was what his mother was trying to remind him. Don''t be yourself, don''t think you can get away with it. She could hear her tell him that, he could imagine her face, her expressions as she said it. The laughter that followed the cruel words. "Three hundred!" he screamed and his body gave in, as if he was dead, he landed on the floor, crushing on the cold tiles. He smiled, letting the relief spread in his pained body. He hadn''t begged, he hadn''t let go. He did it. Kai praised himself, closing his eyes relieved that it was over. What he didn''t know was that he didn''t have to beg today but soon enough¡­he would. Chapter 142 - Secret Little Meetings Pt.1 He had blacked out after that. It was quite unbelievable how he had managed to endure through it all but he did. Losing consciousness immediately after Kai didn''t have the chance to do a few things that he wanted, one of them snorting right into his mother''s face, boasting his victory and the other, the other to find Philip, even though he didn''t know what he was planning to say he wanted to see him, ask him, dying from curiosity why was he crying. But since he simply collapsed on the floor right after he didn''t do any of those things. The youngest prince opened his eyes slowly. Realizing he was laid on his bed, his face buried on the pillow. They had laid him down in a way that wouldn''t hurt his wounds. There was no need for that, breathing hurt and it was something he had to do, being laid properly wouldn''t be much different. He frowned, feeling immediate discomfort as he tried to move. He failed a few of his tries at turning around, and he hissed but in the end, being as stubborn as he was he managed to turn his body and sit up, finding a rather unexpected surprise on his bed. His body was wrapped with bandages that smelled strongly of herbs. His wounds wouldn''t heal easily, he realized. Since they had to do this it meant Kai had earned some very non aesthetically pleasing marks that he wouldn''t be able to get rid of. He shook his head, his blue eyes looking at his lap and he noticed him. Right next to his bed, seated on a chair and sleeping on the side of his bed was Philip. His blue eyes widened, his expression frozen as he processed the sight before him. The werewolf he had been thinking about, even in his sleep, somehow had managed to slip into his room and now had fallen asleep right next to his lap. His hair had come undone, silk like strands falling on his handsome face and Kai, tempted, he removed them to the side, getting a clear view of his side profile. Philip looked peaceful, no lines on his face, his breathing slow but steady as he slept. He had pretty lips, Kai thought as he noticed the perfect lines and the pink color. His nose was quite alright too, straight and a bit pointy, he had a manly face, his jaw sharp. "Who the hell let you in?" The youngest prince mumbled to himself as he pushed back Philip''s hair and the young man moved. He took back his hand as if he was being shaken, seeing how the werewolf was slowly waking up, he blinked, exiting this fairy tale like moment, left with a slight disappointment. "Hello there, intruder." Kai said as he noticed him blink and Philip stood straight, his eyes looking at the vampire. "You''re awake." he said. "Shouldn''t I be telling you that?" Kai asked him playfully and chuckled. Philip didn''t seem to be in the mood to play though, he looked him in the eyes, his look mysterious as he got lost in his thoughts. "What?" The prince asked, feeling uncomfortable. "How can you laugh? How can you smile and joke as if you did nothing? As if nothing happened?" The werewolf asked him and Kai breathed in, feeling the burn on his back. Of course he was there to scold him, why else would he visit him? "Look, I am sorry. I just wanted to annoy you a bit. Things got out of hand but, like the gracious prince that I am, I did take the blame so please don''t start nagging me." "If I was getting on your nerves then why did you expose yourself like that? You could have let me get the punishment" Philip said. He was right. Philip had been annoying, he wanted him to trip and fall on the staircase, maybe put some spiders on his mattress but not actually have him tortured. "I''ve never hurt anyone before, physically at least, without a reason. I''ve never killed anyone either. I wouldn''t have my first time being because of an annoying werewolf. I''m just not that bad as a person I guess." Kai told him, shrugging his shoulders and immediately, he regretted it. He hissed, wrinkling his nose and Philip raised his arms, as if he wanted to touch him. A subconscious move people did when someone was in pain. "I am fine." Kai said. "Maybe you''re not that horrible, for a vampire." "Oh believe me. I am exquisite." Kai said and winked at him. "You didn''t have to come all the way here to scold me. I doubt you were allowed inside after all." he said, giving him a suspicious look and Philip scoffed, a little grin appearing on his face. It wasn''t a smile but still, it was beautiful. "I am good at climbing. Trees, rocks, balconies¡­." "Oh, balconies too." Kai said and chuckled as he watched Philip nod. "And I did not come here to scold you. I came here to call a truce." "A truce?" "Yes, I don''t have anything against you. I know we had a bad start but I will be here for a while so let''s get along, who knows it might be good for our people too." Philip offered and Kai tilted his head to the side, his blue eyes examining his face, trying to see if the werewolf wanted to trick him. "What''s in it for me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and Philip coughed, surprised with his answer. "No more whipping I guess?" "Next time I won''t take the blame for making your life hell so tell me¡­a truce has terms. What can you offer me?" he asked again, a devilish grin on his face. "Alright then, tomorrow it''s my birthday, come with me outside, I promise you it will be the best day of your life." he said. "With you? I bet it will be boring." Kai said as he watched Philip get up from his chair. The werewolf shrugged his shoulders after he fixed his sleeves. "You will never know until you come. You will see for yourself and then you will tell me if you will accept my truce." he said. "I will wait for you, when your red sun hits the middle of the sky, at the entrance." he told him and bowed before he walked to the edge of the balcony and jumped off as if it was nothing. "My red sun¡­" Kai mumbled. "I guess we do not live under the same sky." The prince took a deep breath, closing his eyes as a smile lingered on his face. "Let me see then, the color of your sun.." he told himself. Chapter 143 - Secret Little Meetings Pt. 2 "How are you feeling?" Lun asked his friend. A whole day had passed, extremely slow since Kai was stuck on his bed, forbidden from having any visitors. How did he know that? No one even dared to knock on his door to check up on him and his food had been served in the hallway. He actually had to get up, his muscles tense and in pain to get it. All of that had obviously been a very nice gesture of his mother, to remind him that if she wanted she could have him locked in his room forever. The younger prince did not put up a fight. He actually took this time to relax and let his wounds heal. If he was going to return to his usual devilish self he had to replenish his energy. That and the fact he had accepted to meet Philip, the werewolf on a whim and now in a few hours he would have to meet him. He did feel a lot better though after some rest. His healing powers had seemed to kick off once all the anxiety slowly left him but he was sure the scars would remain. Another little gift of his mother''s. Kai was surprised, the woman that was barely paying him any attention usually had gifted him so many things in just one day. Trauma, physical and emotional, seclusion and above all a very strongly growing hate for his family. The good thing was that by the evening he would have been left with just a sore body and nothing else. He hadn''t taken the bandages off though, if he did he would be tempted to look at his back and the sight would definitely depress him. Lun on the other hand was perfectly fine, dressed in his usual expensive tailor made clothing while his hair had been carefully styled. His best friend stood at his door frame, his shoulder touching the cold wood while he supported himself. "I am feeling¡­.sore" he said as he tilted his head side to side, hearing his bones crack. Unfortunately he had to sleep in a specific position for the whole night just to avoid making his wounds worse and slowing down the healing process. He threw off the sheets and his bare feet touched the floor, his hair a mess, falling in his eyes and he blew on them, making the rebellious hairs fly before they landed back in their initial spot. Lun stepped in, closing the door behind him and sat on the armchair in Kai''s room, observing his friend as he stood back on his feet. "That''s good, if you''re not in pain." he said and the blond vampire nodded. He moved over to his little silver bowl, filled with fruit just like usual and grabbed an apple, biting hard into it and feeling the juice of the ripe fruit fill his mouth. It tasted good, refreshing. "You look perfectly fine." The prince stated as he chewed on his apple and Lun scoffed with a smirk. "I drink human blood, in comparison to you." he said with an arched eyebrow, signaling him that this was a very passive aggressive comment. Kai was sick of this kind of talk. Lun was the kind of person who wouldn''t leave a matter alone if he considered it important. Kai finally choosing a human was one of these important matters and he would bring it up anytime he could. In this situation though Lun was right. If Kai had actually a human and drank blood he would have been perfectly fine too. The fact that he was a pureblood was only a cushion for now. If he was any kind of vampire other than himself he would be bedridden for days. "Let''s not talk about this." The prince mumbled as he walked slowly towards his wardrobe. He opened the doors of the heavy furniture, finding himself in front of a few pieces of clothing. Obviously not all of his stuff would fit in just one little closet. They had rooms filled to the brim with clothes, shoes and jewelry but he liked to keep a few in his room, for situations like today where he would have to sneak out. Strolling the palace with a bunch of clothing in his arms, not choosing a servant to bring them to him and dress him would draw some unwanted attention after all. "Alright then, I will let it go but can we agree that I am right? I do want this satisfaction, the sweet expression of defeat in your face it''s¡­it''s addicting." Lun joked and Kai threw a silk shirt at him before he shot him a deadly glare. His friend laughed, resting back on his chair. "Say it." "You''re right." Kai whispered with his head buried into the closet. "A little bit louder, I can''t hear it." he repeated with a smirk on his face. Kai turned around, getting closer to him and screaming into his sensitive ears. "You were right, you big prick." He shouted and then punched him in the shoulder. The vampire frowned, not just from the strong punch but also from the loud noise and shook his head. Kai after looking around for a while grabbed a pair of pants, his purpose to look as plain as possible, even though it would be hard with a face like his. "What are you doing?" Lun asked him as he watched him unbutton his old shirt and change into new clothes. A simple white shirt with golden string on the front and a black pair of light pants. He also grabbed a cape, planning to wear it and use its hood as a disguise. He didn''t want any roaming guards to see him in the city. "I have somewhere to be." Kai answered and Lun squeezed his eyes, examining him carefully. "Dressed like that? And with who? You have no friends." "I have friend, thank you very much." "Do you?" "No, but that is not the point here. I just have to meet someone." he answered and his blue eyes traveled outside, through the balcony glass doors. The sun was almost in the middle of the sky, meaning that the time of their meeting was approaching. Kai smiled to himself, instantly concealing it, surprised with his own self. You are going there out of curiosity, he reminded his royal self, nothing more. "Why are you smiling? Are you going to do anything stupid again?" Lun asked him. "Kai, I am talking to you." his friend tried to get his attention. The blond was fixing his sleeves, biting his bottom lip as he tried to straighten a crease that seemed to annoy him. Once he was finally done with it he turned to Lun. "I will meet the werewolf." He announced as if it was nothing. "You are insane." his best friend mumbled. "The whipping did something to your brain, it can''t be explained." "Shut up." Kai swore. "He came here yesterday, in secret. As it seems he was moved by what my gracious self did and he wants to form a truce. He offered me to spend a day with him. Formalities, you know." "No, I don''t know. I definitely don''t know why you would accept to actually meet a werewolf and not just any werewolf but that werewolf one day after your mother humiliated you in the whole palace because you decided to be nice to him. Really, what are you thinking?" Lun asked him, confused. "Nothing." Kai answered plainly. He wasn''t lying. The truth was he hadn''t thought of anything about this meeting. His acceptance was during a fleeting moment and he hadn''t put much meaning into it. Philip offered him and that man was different, he was the first werewolf he had ever met so he was slightly intrigued so he accepted. It was really very simple. He was a curious person. "Kai¡­you will get into serious trouble if you''re found out." Lun warned him. "That''s why, you will sit here and pretend you''re me for the day. If anything goes wrong, think of me and flash, you will find me and bring me back instantly. It''s going to be fine, no one will know." Kai told him and Lun released a long sigh. "So I will have to spend my day here, in your room doing nothing." he said and his best friend smiled, cheerfully. "Just for a little bit." "You have two hours. If it takes more than that I will come and drag you away. I have things to do too, you know." the brown haired vampire warned him and Kai''s smile grew, showing how grateful he was. "Thank you, yes I will be back in two hours. I swear." he promised, wearing his black cape and heading towards the balcony. He opened the doors, letting the warmth of the midday in and stepped outside, placing his hands on the railings and jumping off skillfully. His landing was a bit sloppy, he slipped slightly and he almost fell into the bushes but thankfully no one was around to notice. He looked around, scanning the place for guards or servants and wore the hood of his cape, his face towards the ground as he walked to the exit. Kai noticed him easily. He was tall and actually dressed a bit neater than what he usually saw him wear. Black leather pants and a matching black shirt made of silk, a sword resting on his belt, while it''s case had a silver wolf painted on it. His eyes were innocently traveling, getting in the scenery until they fell on the black mass of fabric that was Kai. He scoffed, his lips turning into a thin line as he tried to keep in his giggling. The prince looked quite comedic like that. "Let''s go." Kai whispered as he rushed towards him and grabbed his arm. Their day, had just began and no one knew how it would end. Chapter 144 - Secret Little Meetings Pt. 3 "Why are you in such a hurry?" Philip asked him, seeing just the top of the hood since Kai''s whole face and body had been covered by this very strange cape. The vampire prince was dragging him, hoping he would take him away as fast as he could. The werewolf after not getting an answer simply sighed and followed him outside. They didn''t walk for long, just enough for the two of them to be out of the guards'' eyes and the prince stopped, taking off his hoodie and letting out a relieved sigh. He looked around once more, noticing no one familiar in the almost empty street and nodded. He was safe. "I was in a hurry because no one in the palace would be pleased if I sneaked out." Kai said and both of them returned to their walk. The weather during the day in Bloodbound could only be described as dry. The red sun was shining above their heads casting a deep crimson shadow everywhere. The roads weren''t very lively, barely a few people and carriages around. Usually the town came alive after the sun fell, the weather got cooler and vampires, in general, felt more comfortable during the night. Many businesses were even closed at this hour and Philip looked around, while they passed through the main street that led to the square with a dissatisfied expression. The scenery was not what he expected. "Why is no one around?" He asked and Kai scoffed. "Obviously there wouldn''t be anyone around, it''s the middle of the day. Vampires like to live during the night so mostly everyone is sleeping at the moment. All the shops and taverns will be open after the sun sets." The young prince informed him and the werewolf stopped, scratching the back of his head with a frown. "Great." he mumbled. "So are we supposed to walk around or what?" "Aren''t you the one who said I would have lots of fun?" Kai asked him, crossing his arms over his chest with a cheeky grin as he watched Philip''s plans scatter around him. "I was not aware of this." Philip said, pointing at a random closed tavern. "I am already reconsidering that truce of yours." Kai said, one golden eyebrow arched as he managed to make the werewolf even more anxious than before. The hazel eyed man stared at him, a pouty expression on his face and the prince started laughing, shocked by the expression that didn''t seem to fit him at all. "Come on. I will take you somewhere." Kai decided to say and Philip''s eyes widened. "Where?" He asked, curious, following with lively steps the vampire and Kai shrugged his shoulders. "It''s a surprise. For your birthday." he said and took a sudden turn, making them walk away from the main road and into a dark alley. The handsome prince remained quiet, thinking of the road they should follow as he walked. Philip was looking at him, more than he had realized. As he strolled next to him, able to see his side profile, he found himself curious about every detail, every curve and straight line of his face, all the colors and the blue of his eyes. "Your eyes have a bit of green in them" Philip said and Kai frowned. "Huh?" he asked before taking another turn. Somehow the prince had managed to lead them out of the town. The houses were getting scarce and the roads were not made from polished stones anymore. They simply stepped on soil. One their left was a mountain, tall and actually pretty scary with its pointy hills and leafless trees. On their right began a forest, spreading widely and Philip noticed that Kai was heading towards there. "You''re not taking me to the forest to kill me right?" Philip asked him but still followed the young royal. Kai turned his head, blinking a few times. "Tempting but no." he answered and the werewolf faked a sigh of relief. "Great. I wouldn''t want to die before I found my mate." he said. "Your whole mate thing is such bullshit." Kai said as they entered the forest. The weather became more humid the deeper they got. Branches cracking underneath their boots while the prince had to duck a few times to avoid some low branches that were on their way. Philip was still curious about where they were going but he couldn''t ignore Kai''s comment. "What do you mean by that?" He asked him. "What I said. Not being able to choose who you love, being forced into a relationship, it''s horrible. What if your mate is a killer? It doesn''t make any sense to me." Kai explained and Philip shook his head, dissatisfied with his answer. "It''s not like that. No one is being forced. The soul is the one that decides. Once a wolf baby is born their beast souls search for their match. That''s all. If you happen to be mated to a killer, as you say you can still reject them but it''s painful and it is sure you will never find love. Everyone is waiting for the one, after all." Philip told him. "Still, I don''t like it. Being stuck with someone my whole life. Sounds awful." he answered and pretended to shiver. Philip rolled his eyes but decided to not talk about it any longer. He followed the obnoxious prince for a while longer until they reached their final destination. In front of them stood a huge willow tree, its long branches, reaching almost the ground like a curtain, hiding what stood behind and Philip frowned, a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows. "We are here." Kai said proudly and walked forward, grabbing a bunch of the thin branches. "Here is?" he asked, tilting his head to the side while Kai pulled the branches away revealing to Philip one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. "Happy birthday werewolf." Kai told him. "Wow." Philip exclaimed, his eyes hungrily looking around.. "This, this is amazing." Chapter 145 - Secret Little Meetings Pt. 4 Philip had been to many forests before, no matter how cliche that sounded it was the truth. His pack traveled from place to place seeking refuge and an escape from hunters. That meant he had seen many beautiful sights. None of them was like what Kai presented right in front of him. As the branches of the willow tree moved, revealing something that could exist only in a fairy tale, Philip''s breath got caught in his throat while his eyes widened. Nothing like this could be found in the human world, nothing like it could look like. The prince wished him happy birthday but he barely heard him, his attention focused on everything around him. It was almost overwhelming. Kai stepped inside the massive tree, Philip following him blindly, as if he had been hypnotized. They were under the cool shade of a willow tree. It was probably hundreds of years old because the surface it covered was very wide, the branches created a cut out space, only for those who knew about what hid underneath the small leaves. The red sun didn''t reach them there, the whole place had a blue hue, as if something was lighting up but Philip couldn''t notice anything that would bring out this color. He looked down, towards where Kai was heading and his eyes spotted a perfectly round lake, its waters crystal clear, shining while its little shore was filled with white lilies, beautiful flowers everywhere. He had just walked through a very aggressive environment, hot and with almost no life just to find himself in a little oasis. Kai took off his cape and sat down, resting his back on the rough tree trunk. "Are you going to stand there for a while?" He asked him, shaking him off and bringing him back from his thoughts. Philip walked to the prince, sitting carefully down, next to him and turned his head, so many questions hanging from his full lips. "What is this place?" He asked, hoping that he would get an answer that would satisfy him. "Nobody knows really. It''s as if you''re stepping on a different world. Mother has forbidden people from coming into this forest because of this place. They think some kind of malicious magic has gathered here and that''s why the scenery has changed so much. Water in BloodBound, the lakes, the rivers and so one is always red, except this lake. I have been coming here ever since I was a child, nothing has happened to me." Kai explained and Philip nodded, looking around once more. "It''s very beautiful. Like a little shelter." "I know right? I always came here when I was annoyed. It is peaceful." he said and Philip couldn''t help but agree. The sounds of nature were so subtle. The flattering of a bird''s wings, the rift in the lake''s surface. Everything seemed to happen with a delicance he hadn''t witnessed before. Of course someone would relax in such a place, when everything was so smooth. "I really like it." Philip said, a small smile lingering on his face and Kai laughed. "Ha! Obviously. I guess I am the one who knows how to have a good time. You did not offer me anything after all but since it''s your birthday I will choose to overlook it." Kai answered with a proud smile and Philip scoffed. He let his head fall back and rest on the tree. The werewolf closed his eyes, relaxing from the tension of the last few days. "What do you have to say about that?" Kai asked him and the man smirked. "You are so kind, your highness, how could I ever repay you." he told him, half joking. "I want to know about the human world." The prince answered him, making the werewolf open his eyes. "What? Why would you want to know about that place? I mean, you''re a prince in a literal magical kingdom. No illnesses, no famines. Everything is perfect. The human world would be a nightmare for you." Philip concluded and the blond vampire smiled but he looked bitter, as if he was trying to mask something else. The werewolf frowned, focusing on what he was about to say. "Is that really how you think my life is?" he asked him and Philip shrugged his shoulders. "Your mum seems a handful but you still remain a prince. You don''t have to run away from hunters all the time, you''re handsome and smart. What else could you want?" he asked back. Kai took a second, thinking over his words. There was something in his eyes in those few moments of silence. Something that Philip had missed, or maybe Kai was so good at hiding it no one who didn''t know him well would notice. It was disappointment. Nonetheless he didn''t say anything. He smiled. "Handsome? Me?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "Yeah." Philip said, not thinking much about it. "It is confirmed. Not even my worst enemies can resist me." he said cockily and Philip laughed. "That is a bit too much, your highness." Philip said. "Too much?" Kai exclaimed. He grabbed Philip''s chin, making him turn his head so they were looking at each other. The werewolf could feel his breath on his lips, his eyes bright as they stared into his shocked ones. "Look at me and say that again. If you dare of course." he whispered, a gin on his face as he watched Philip slowly turned red. His ears had a color similar to a tomato''s and Kai giggled, letting go of him. "Figured. Irresistible." Kai mumbled to himself. Not even one second after though he found himself on the grass, framed by the white flowers, his eyes wide as Philip hovered over him, pinning him down. "A little too confident, aren''t you?" he asked him, his voice low as he moved in closer. ... Hello everyone! Hope you are enjoying the chapters. Soon the truth will be revealed. I am too excited. Actually, I can''t wait.. Please leave a comment and a vote if you like this book. It would help a lot! Chapter 146 - Secret Little Meetings Pt. 5 It was weird. That was all Kai could think about. At first glance he had believed that the man before him was boring. A strict nobody that would easily get on his nerves. Yes, to him, at first Philip was nothing more than a pest. So why did he not feel bothered at all by the fact that he was pinned down by him. He felt his raven hair tickle his cheeks, his pony tail gone and black veils surrounded his handsome face. Kai''s heart fluttered and for a second he was scared. Was he having a heart attack? That couldn''t be it, he was a vampire. His eyelids fluttered, frozen on the spot by Philip''s daring move and he looked into the hazel eyes like an innocent deer, his eyes wide and almost looking scared. His reaction, combined with the personality that he was to project which was the exact opposite was definitely precious. Philip laughed, getting back and resuming his original seat, his eyes still observing the stunned vampire as he slowly sat up. "Quite shocked aren''t we?" he asked him and Kai was brought back to earth, squeezing his blue eyes. "I am perfectly fine." he answered, moving his head to the side. He was shocked, incredibly so because he was definitely not expecting Philip to react that way. He was supposed to be the one that made people blush and feel all flustered, he wasn''t about to lose his title as a heart stealer to a werewolf at that. The beautiful prince stood up, stretching his long arms and looked at the lake, his eyes a color similar to that of the peaceful water. He walked closer, carefully stepping in between the fragile lilies as he stood at the shore of the lake, crouching and letting his fingertips touch the cold surface. "So it''s your birthday¡­" Kai mumbled. "Yes. I am turning twenty." Philip answered standing behind him. "Isn''t that like a very important date for werewolves? Should you be here with me?" the prince asked, his back turned on the raven haired man. He heard his footsteps and soon once again Philip was sitting close to him, untying the laces of his boots and bringing his feet into the cold water. The werewolf shivered for a second, not expecting how cold it was but after a while he got used to it. "It is, werewolves are supposed to get fragments of their past lives the day they turn twenty, also they get to find out who their mate is. It''s like, the most important day of our lives." Philip explained and Kai nodded. "So what did you remember?" "Nothing. The memories come at the time of birth usually, some of them might come like a dream or a hunch that you''ve met some people before but that''s it. I was born during the evening so I am waiting, I guess." "Does your Alpha know you''re here?" "Are you interrogating me?" Philip asked back, a smirk on his face as he turned his head to look at Kai. The vampire wasn''t looking back at him though. His eyes were stuck at the bottom of the lake, he was staring at something but at the same time nothing, the prince was actually thinking, lost in thought. "Kai?" the werewolf said, for the first time calling out his name and the vampire shivered. His gaze traveled, meeting him in a very silent but at the same time comfortable moment. The prince had never felt like he wanted to freeze time before. No moment seemed actually significant enough to deserve and be carved forever in his memory. Everything was fleeting, day after day things happened but no incidents left such a strong impression to actually mean something. The prince blinked, trying to realize what made the moment special. Could it be the scenery? The beautiful lake and the blue dreamy light? The leaves surrounding them and the faint scent of the flowers? It was certainly an idyllic place. Could it be Philip? The handsome werewolf that for some reason seemed so intriguing? His features, the shade of his skin, the color of his eyes were all so new to him but so pleasant. But it wasn''t any of those things that made him feel that the moment was special. It was him, it was because of him that he wished that time would stop. Because of Kai''s feelings that were slowly starting to blossom in the soil of his heart. Kai was feeling like that for the first time. Like the person in front of him was someone he couldn''t take his eyes off but how could he express that? How could he tell someone that was born to be his natural enemy that he wanted him? He would get rejected and his pride, the pride he had tried so hard to keep after everything that happened he would shutter. It wasn''t because Philip annoyed him that Kai wanted to sabotage him, it was simply because he was attracted to him and like a child he figured out that by teasing him he would get his attention. The young prince was really childish sometimes, thinking something so plain and so wrong at the same time. Kai shook his head, disappointed with himself. Even for him there were boundaries. Werewolves and vampires were not supposed to be attracted to each other, they were not even supposed to be friends. They were natural enemies and that was supposed to stay the way it always was. "What is a little werewolf?" The prince asked him, finally responding to his call. "Are you okay?" Philip continued with another question and the prince scoffed, pushing back his disheveled hair. "Of course I am. What kind of question is that?" "I don''t know, you just seem¡­skeptic." "And why do you think I would tell you if I was?" Kai told him, an eyebrow raised and the werewolf shrugged his shoulders. "I don''t know. I guess I was concerned about you." he said and not even him could believe he said that. "You shouldn''t be. Actually¡­" Kai said and stood up. "You shouldn''t be here either. Not with me." he said and Philip looked at him with a frown. "Why?" "Because vampires and werewolves are not friends. They simply coexist." Kai answered him with a strict expression. For some unknown reason he suddenly felt depressed. He didn''t like the words he was uttering, the fact that he was being mean to Philip again but there was nothing he could do. He had to stop this, before it was too late. "Are you really going to tell me such old-fashioned words? I thought you were better than this." Philip answered him and stood up too, brushing off some invisible dust from his pants. "I don''t know what has gotten into you but I do not believe that vampires and werewolves are meant to be enemies. At least not all of us. I do not like labels." he told him and Kai shook his head, "One person does not make a difference." the prince said bitterly. "To me it does. If that person was you it would make even more of a difference. I do want to be your friend Kai." Philip confessed and the prince wrinkled his nose. "I don''t" "You do" "No I do not" The vampire prince answered, hitting his foot on the soil, stubbornly and Philip laughed. "I will make you want it." The werewolf said and Kai rolled his eyes, not believing he would actually keep this whole thing going. "Try and face failure then. Let''s go. I need to go back, no one knows I am gone and for once I actually don''t want to get in trouble." "Well, I am sure you could have avoided it a few times." The warrior murmured but the prince heard him, loud and clear and his eyes widened ready to start swearing at him. Unfortunately for him though he couldn''t even utter everything that came to his mind because he was interrupted. All the creative and insulting remarks were completely erased from his brain once Lun appeared in front of him, his eyes showing how anxious he was. He surprised both of them as he rushed towards Kai and grabbed his arm. "Your mother, she''s outside your room. Let''s go." he told him between gritted teeth and Kai looked at Philip one last time before his best friend flashed him away. The werewolf smiled, waving his hand. He wouldn''t give up, this whole be my friend thing, Kai realized. It would be annoying, especially when the prince definitely did not want to be his friend. He wanted him in his bed. .... Hello, please understand that my boyfriend and I just broke up so romance is not my strong point at the moment. Still I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise I will write something fluffy soon before we get to the drama, maybe even something sexy? What do you think? If you enjoyed this chapter please leave a comment and a vote.. It would help a lot. Thank you for reading! Chapter 147 - When The Clock Strikes On His Birthday Pt.1 He had left Philip by exchanging just a simple gaze while many thoughts traveled through his mind. In those few moments he was lost, hidden from the universe while Lun flashed him back into his room he realized that he was probably more than interested in the young werewolf. When his feet touched the ground of his room Kai shook his head, trying to get that disturbing thought out of his head. If his mother found out about it not only he would get whipped but also exiled, become the family laughingstock and it was very possible that Philip would surprisingly and up mysteriously murdered. That''s why, even when his mother entered the room, barely a few seconds after he had arrived and checked everything he tried to seem cool. As if he didn''t care about this very ugly invasion of his privacy, as if he had already learned his lesson. The truth was though that submitting to a power that only suppressed him was a lesson he would never learn. In his book he had no tormentors and every page was blank, ready to be filled with adventures. Would Philip end up being one of those fascinating adventures? Kai told himself he didn''t have to know, maybe it was one of those very few times he would have to step back, think about it and try to reject this pull that he felt. The werewolf shouldn''t know anything, it was best for both of them, safer. Well, maybe he was paying too much attention to the matter. He just liked the guy, physically, there was no reason to be so worried about it. There were so many handsome men out there, he could get one of them. "Why are you so quiet?" Lun asked him as he stared at him with a suspicious expression. He probably believed that his best friend was scheming something again. He wasn''t though, he was simply trying to organize this utter mess he called his thoughts. The blond prince took a deep breath, closing his eyes as his body landed on the very soft bed. He felt the coolness of the untouched sheets and smelled the herbs used for cleaning his linens. It was a comforting smell, one that emitted rest, discreet and fresh. Kai remained with his eyes closed as he parted his lips and started talking. "Why did I take him there?" He mumbled and Lun frowned. "Why would I take that stranger to my secret place, what was I thinking?" "Are you okay?" His best friend asked him, realizing he was mostly talking to himself. "What is going on?" "How long have vampires and werewolves been enemies, Lun?" The young prince asked him, turning to his side and supporting head on his arm. "Since we were created. Why are you asking me this, you already know it. Are you starting to lose your mind or something?" "Maybe, it is quite possible that I have lost my mind, everyone in my family is crazy after all. Maybe madness can be inherited." The prince said, creating a mystery that Lun tried to solve with those bits of pieces he got from his weird words. He blinked, his dark eyes frustrated since his questions weren''t being answered. He stood up from his chair and walked towards Kai''s bed where he grabbed the man and raised him up, making him face him. "What the hell is going on?" He asked him and Kai pouted, his face showing true concern. "I think I am attracted to the werewolf." Kai cried and Lun''s eyes widened in shock. "Have you gone mental?" His friend asked, letting go of him and pushing him back on the bed. "That''s what I said a second ago!" Kai answered, "I don''t know what had gotten into me I¡­.I like looking at him, I want to touch him and¡­" "I don''t want to hear any more." The vampire interrupted him by raising his hand in a stopping sign. He sighed, rubbing hard his temples as he paced in front of Kai''s bed. He was looking at his boots this whole time, the steady rhythm of his boots on the polished floor the only sound for a while. "Forget it. Forget about it, forget about him, don''t even consider seeing him, you will get us into so much trouble. Life threatening trouble. If my father even hears about what happened in the palace I¡­" "Don''t worry." Kai cut in. "I won''t do anything. Believe it or not I am not as stupid as I seem. No matter how intriguing he is to me I know very well he is a walking death sentence. I love myself too much to do that." Kai answered. His eyes traveled outside at the red sun that was setting. Soon it would be Philip''s birthday and with that he would find his mate, there was no reason for the vampire prince to think about him. "Are you sure you''re not lying?" Lun asked, staring at him as if he didn''t believe any of his words. The beautiful man sighed, rolling his blue eyes, dissatisfied with the disbelief but still he nodded, wanting to offer his friend some comfort. "Yes, I am not lying. I''ve thought about it. I will be fine." He said and Lun let out another sigh again. None of the two could believe how things got so complicated so fast. What began from a little prank caused by annoyance could turn into something much bigger, scarier for all of them. "Want to go get a drink?" He asked him, wanting to erase the conversation. It was better to pretend it never happened. Kai stood up, a lazy smile on his face. He would always want to get a drink. "Let''s go" he told him and the two friends flashed away, getting to the town. He had been thinking about Philip for hours, again and again, even during their little walk until they decided on a tavern. The sun had set by now and the whole village was finally starting to get alive. The lights of the houses were on, the doors of the taverns and shops we''re opening one by one while the people were getting out on the streets. In the middle of the round square in the center of the main village there was a very old clock tower. The two friends stood before it for a while, Kai enjoyed looking at it, seeing how it moved and the enormous numbers on it. The clock would soon strike eight, just a few seconds. The place was filled with the loud sound of eight rings, signaling what the time was. Once the clock stopped, turning mute again Kai''s thoughts seemed to calm down. Confused, he blinked a few times, not really sure about why he had been so upset before. He looked at Lun who was still gazing at the tower before him and nudged his arm. "Let''s go drink." He stated with a sneaky grin and his best friend smiled. It was as if all of his worries had disappeared.. Just like that. Chapter 148 - When The Clock Strikes On His Birthday Pt. 2 Many hours later and a lot more ale and other things Kai fell from his chair, landing on the dirty floor of the tavern, seeing up close dust, dirt and liquids coming from the people''s drinks. Everyone around him was drunk and even Lun who could handle his drinks had a lazy smile on his face, a subtle blush on his cheeks as he laughed with his drunk best friend. Lun grabbed him by the back of his collar and raised him up, his legs stretched out and hitting a man that was trying to get to his seat. The passerby stopped, staring at the blond prince who had just sat on his chair with an angered expression, his face red from too much drinking. Kai scoffed, noticing immediately his reaction and stood up. "Is there a problem?" The young vampire asked him. "Why not watch out where you''re going?" the stranger asked him. "Do I have to? You were on my leg''s way?" "What is this idiot talking about?" The man mumbled, being slightly more sober from him and he tried to walk away. The prince though did not like that. He was aching to fight someone, a result of whenever he drank so he grabbed the man. Pulling him back and grabbing his neck before his face landed on the wooden table with force, making the empty glasses and bottles shutter. Lun clicked his tongue, looking down at the man and the beautiful prince smiled. "Do I have to?" He asked again, shoving the man''s face into the harsh wood, his nose pressed against it and he coughed, slapping the table so he would be released. "Answer me, you were so quick to call me an idiot." "I''m sorry." The man stuttered, barely managing to speak and Kai let go of him for a second before he grabbed him by his hair and pushed him away from the table, making him land ridiculously on his butt. "Go away now, your ugly face is annoying me" Kai said and the man, in a hurry found himself on his feet running away to his table and hiding his face in front of the other laughing vampires. "Always have to put on a show." Lun commented and the prince smiled pridefully like a child. He grabbed his glass gulping down the last of his ale and raised it in the air, asking for more. He had been concerned before, he had found himself anxious and worrying but now everything seemed like some kind of bad memory, just a bother to him. It wasn''t just the golden ale though, it was something else too that he couldn''t explain. He didn''t try to either. All that mattered was that his worries had suddenly disappeared and he was pleased about that. Had he been secretly charmed? Who knew? "He was no fun, he didn''t put up a fight." Kai explained and Lun laughed, grabbing a glass from the waitress'' tray. He brought it close to his lips, drinking in big gulps and then placing it loudly on the table. "If you want to fight we can always go to the fighting pits." Lun proposed and the prince scoffed, pushing pack his hair. He was feeling hot, his cheeks a vibrant color of red. "I am not allowed to go there any more, remember? Since we almost killed someone the other day." "Oops. Well it was his fault for trying to hit a woman, I mean not even me would fall that low." "I know right. At least have the guts to fight. Men these days, really despicable." the prince commented and his best friend agreed by moving his head before their eyes met and they started laughing at completely nothing. The tavern was filled with people, loud shouts and laughter was everywhere in the room, the people working there rushing as if their lives were at stake. Kai looked around, satisfied with the lively sight, nothing like the balls and gatherings at the palace. People here were alive, he thought to himself when his eyes stopped at the door. The piece of wood that they called a door, with a painting of a rose on the outside opened, revealing two familiar faces. Kai focused, his eyes stuck on them as he watched his lips move, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. The young prince was hidden between the many faces, finding the perfect opportunity. "Come on! Don''t be so down. You found out about your mate. That''s great. It''s your birthday. Stop thinking about the bratty prince. Let''s drink and forget." The red haired werewolf told his friend and Philip sighed, his expression depressed as they walked into the shop. Lun had noticed them too, slouching as he was trying to hide his big figure, he too listening to them. "I just¡­.I need to meet him one more time." The handsome werewolf said and Mika punched him softly on the shoulder. "Sadly you will. But tonight don''t think about him. Let''s just have fun. We are practically tourists!" The werewolf exclaimed trying to get his friend''s mood to improve and Philip smiled slightly. Kai couldn''t take his eyes off of him. Just a few hours ago he was thinking about how he wanted him, about all the things Philip made him feel so easily but now, now his heart and mind were occupied by something else, something darker. He wanted to touch Philip before, kiss him but now¡­ The prince just wanted to punch him. ... Hello everyone. I think we know what is happening to Kai. Just when about things were getting good too. Let''s see what will Philip do now? Do you have any ideas how he should proceed? Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this chapter and that you had fun. Every day we are getting closer to the big event and I can''t stop thinking about it! Are you excited? If yes please leave a vote and a nice comment to help this book out, thank you! Chapter 149 - When The Clock Strikes On His Birthday Pt. 3 Kai looked at his best friend, pushing down the glass of ale that Lun was prepared to drink and moved closer, surprising his companion on their wild night that seemed to have just begun. Lun frowned, moving closer knowing already that the prince was going to say something extremely ridiculous. "Let''s go, let''s leave!" Kai exclaimed with wide eyes and Lun sighed. "Why? Why do we need to leave just because the dogs are here? We have nothing to do with them." his friends answered him while Kai looked at the entrance anxiously. The two werewolves were looking at the inside of the tavern, their eyes searching for an empty spot, a place they could sit and celebrate Philip''s big day. "I don''t know. I just feel like something bad will happen if we meet. Let''s just leave." He repeated and Lun shook his head. In the end he gave in, dropping his glass on the table and searching through a little pouch on the inside of his jacket. He took out a few silver coins and let them on the table, the silver hitting the wood and twisting until it dropped motionless on the dirty table. Kai was the first one to get up, his head dropped, his body slithering between the guests as he tried to remain hidden. Their entrance, the place they stood was their exit and the vampire bit his bottom lip, anxious. He wanted to avoid Philip. He was unsure of what he felt. He was completely sure that just a few hours ago he had growing feelings for him, he was interested and even somewhat depressed at the thought he couldn''t express it. Yes, it wasn''t really something grand, it was more of a very smooth beginning to something that he hadn''t felt in a while ever since he had left Soran. It was this specific feeling you get when you find someone interested for the first time, when you''re wondering what could they be thinking, what thoughts harbor in their minds and what emotions could be nesting in their hearts. Once you are pulled in, everything, front the slightest movements or the smallest gazes could mean something, imaginary or true. Kai was sure he was starting to feel like that but after the clock striked, after that very insignificant moment when he stood in front of the clock tower, his eyes following the flow of the enormous clock, something had definitely changed. He hit a man by accident, his body crouched, just the top of a blond head visible while he tried to run away. Only if you paid attention or if you were looking for him specifically you might have seen him. Or else he was just an unknown figure between the many. He felt a tag on his shirt and looked back, seeing Lun mimic his movement. For a second, they looked at each other, realizing how ridiculous they looked, like thieves trying to run away into the night. Lun rolled his eyes, Kai managing to communicate with him without any words as he shook his arm, signaling him to move forward. "We are fucking jesters." Lun mumbled but Kai decided not to comment on it. "Is this because you''re interested in the wolf? Tell me the truth. Stop acting like a schoolgirl and do something. You''re a prince, is this how you should behave?" Lun kept ranting, dissatisfied with the situation as he came face to face with a man''s very lowly dropped pants and he almost gagged. "Stop talking okay?" Kai whispered angrily, turning around one time so he could scold him. "And no, I am not interested in him. Not anymore¡­I think. There is something really weird happening. We need to get out of here before he finds us and I promise you I will explain everything, just get me out of here! Is that so hard to do?" Kai asked him, intensively, his blue eyes stuck on his best friend while he talked but Lun wasn''t looking at him, he was looking at something behind him. His brown haired friend tilted his head to the side, an indescribable expression on his face. "Maybe it is hard after all." he answered and pointed at what he had been staring at all along. Kai turned back, curious only to face two strong legs, dressed in a pair of leather pants. He slowly raised his head, getting the full image of the man that was standing in front of him and lastly he focused on his face. Seeing Philip very clearly, his hands on his waist, looking down at him with a faint frown, his eyebrows raised. "What the heck are you doing?" Philip asked him. His tone was obviously judgemental and both vampires stood up, trying to gather the last few pieces of their remaining pride. Kai had sobered up. The shock had been so great that the beautiful haze that made everything look entertaining and funny was already gone. Now he had crushed back into reality and he had to face this thing that was growing inside his chest. He couldn''t explain it. The young prince was smart, smarter than most men but before him stood the most difficult riddle. The question on what had just happened to him. He felt stupid, thinking that he couldn''t answer a question about his own self. Somehow he had become the subject of a very complicated and long philosophical conversation he wasn''t willing to open right now. "We were looking for something." Kai said, trying to seem cool. "Alriiight" Philip answered, drawing the word so long that it was clear to the two men that he didn''t believe them. "Kai, can I talk to you for a second? I need to tell you something very important." The werewolf said, his expression turning suddenly very serious. Kai gulped, worried about what he wanted. "No." The prince answered strictly. "You see it''s a fun night and talking with boring people like you will ruin it so how about you move to the side so my friend here and I can skip to the next place." he said, sounding a bit cruel and insulting. He didn''t mean to say it like that, he just wanted to escape, he thought and his eyes widened. "Anyways, just move." he said again and pushed Philip to the side intending to run away. He didn''t manage to make one step before he was stopped. His leg in mid air when he felt Philip''s fingers wrap around his arm. "Just a second. It won''t take long. I promise." The werewolf told him and Kai rolled his eyes, his head falling back before he grabbed Philip''s wrist, squeezing it a bit too much. The young man hissed, letting go of him, a dumbfounded expression on his face as he met with Kai''s icy eyes. "Who told you it was okay to touch me?" Kai asked and Philip frowned. He was surprised by Kai''s behavior, who wouldn''t be after all? At one moment he seemed to be a fun and confident young man while the next he could only see a snobbish and cold royal. He looked at the man in front of him, disappointed. "What''s wrong?" Philip asked him and Kai shrugged his shoulders. He had a lazy smile on his face, as if he didn''t recognize the werewolf''s worry. "Nothing''s wrong dog. I just simply don''t want my night ruined by you. Also we are not that close for you to think that you can touch me. Don''t forget who I am." Kai said, his hands resting on his sides. Philip tensed up, his fists forming slowly while his knuckles turned a bright white. He didn''t know what to say, he didn''t want to lose control at the same time. He had to talk with Kai, tell him about everything he found out. After his birthday, so many things had changed for the werewolf and him finding the prince here could be nothing else than fate. While everyone laughed, while ale was being spilled from shaking glasses, while the waitresses passed them by, the two men remained quiet, staring at each other, tension rising as if this was some kind of contest. Philip exhaled, trying to relax. "Just for a second. I promise you, if you don''t like what you hear I won''t bother you again. Your highness." he told him, the last words coming out of his mouth with difficulty as if he was being forced to say them. Kai hummed, entertained by the worry in the werewolf''s eyes. He was standing on a rope, beneath him a stormy ocean and even though Kai had never really seen the sea before he could imagine it, him drowning in it. Falling, being pushed by his anxiety and he laughed. "Why should I?" he asked him and Philip''s hazel eyes widened. "Stop being such a prick." the werewolf commented, not really answering and Kai squeezed his eyes. "How did you just call me?" "A prick. Are you deaf or are you pretending not to hear me?" "Oh, well now I really want to go outside with you." he said between gritted teeth, taking one aggressive step forward. Philip was slightly taller than him so he raised his head, their eyes meeting while he flashed him a gorgeous smile. The werewolf froze for a second, his heart fluttering as he witnessed the smile of an aggressive devil. "Come out." he repeated, trying to sound serious. "I will. I can fuck you up a lot easier than in here." he said, pushing him to the side. "Don''t cry later." he warned him. Philip didn''t really believe him at that moment. He should have. Chapter 150 - When The Clock Strikes On His Birthday Pt. 4 It was chilly outside. The dryness and the hot sun if the day seemed to belong to another climate, not connected to BloodBound''s. The sky was clear, filled with glistening stars and while the roads were crammed with people, couples walking side by side and children running around the alley Kai led the werewolf was silent, dark and smelled of growing mold. Mika and Lun followed the two men, not saying a word which was quite surprising for the two of them. The truth was that no one could really fathom what was happening between them. Their friends were filled with questions but the stern expressions on their faces were evident enough for them to lock their lips. "What I wanted to tell you was¡­" Philip began talking, he actually wanted to confess. Tell Kai everything. About his memories, about the fact that he had finally found him, the bond that would grow between them. The werewolf knew now who he was meant to be with. It was this man, this vampire right before him. Golden hair and clear blue eyes, filled lips and a smile that could kill. This elegant creature, made as if it had jumped out of the pages of a fairytale was meant to be his. No matter how hard he had tried to convince himself it was wrong. No matter the fact that Kai was a vampire, a royal to add to his trouble he couldn''t stop feeling happy about it. Maybe the prince was wrong. Maybe there was no freedom of choice in the choosing of their mate. Philip wondered if he didn''t feel the pull towards him, would he ever look at Kai? Definitely. Who wouldn''t after all. Everywhere he stepped all eyes, in love, jealous and in awe were stuck on him. He was walking and the crowd followed without even knowing why. Philip was not that special, he too would have been charmed by his wits sooner or later and in all honesty it did not seem that bad. Even with all these thoughts in him Philip had forgotten one important thing. Kai did not feel the same way he did. He didn''t know about the bond, he had nothing to do with werewolf traditions. He realized it though, quickly and in the worst possible way. The werewolf didn''t manage to end his sentence, his eyes widened as Kai''s fist landed fast on his face, right into his nose. He took a step back, surprised and his cold hands cupped his nose. He felt the blood escaping from his nostrils. "What the heck?" He asked him. "I told you! Stay away from me. I don''t want you near me." The young prince exclaimed. "Why? What did I do?" Philip asked him, sounding almost in the brim of tears. He couldn''t understand what had gone so wrong, what had happened in those few hours and Kai''s attitude had changed so drastically. The prince took a few steps forward, grabbing Philip by the collar of his soft shirt and pushing him roughly on the wall of the building next to them. The raven haired man coughed, feeling his ribcage shake as his body bounced on the hard material. "You annoy me. Breathe and I will want to punch you." Kai said. The prince knew he was stepping over the line. His mind was screaming at him to stop but he couldn''t. It was as if someone had covered his eyes and put a spell over his mind. He couldn''t let go of Philip, he couldn''t calm this anger inside of him and worst, he couldn''t even explain it. "What did I do?" Philip asked again, feeling his heart break from the way the prince was looking at him. Kai clicked his tongue, raising his arm and punching Philip right in the stomach. The werewolf didn''t try to fight him, he didn''t hit him back even though he could have if he wanted to. He just wanted an answer. What had happened? "Did something happen with your mother? Tell me, please." He told him. "Why don''t you shut up? I told you. It''s you. Nothing happened. It''s simply you. I don''t want you near me. It''s that simple." The prince said, his tone cold and vindictive. He sounded as if he had been Philip''s worst enemy, the one who hated him the most. The poor werewolf didn''t know what to do, he had no idea of how to fix things. He simply looked at Kai, thinking if there was anything he could say to make him answer. "Kai, I¡­" "Shut up already!" Kai shouted and punched Philip in the face again. He was strong, even stronger than regular vampires and the man he hit felt his nose break. He punched him again three times in total and then he wrapped his pale hands around his neck, suffocating him. "Will you stay away from me?" He asked him. "No" Philip coughed, trying desperately to get some air. "Are you an idiot?" Kai asked again and raised his knee, hitting him again. Philip gasped, slapping Kai''s hand so he would let go of him. He wanted to breathe, his lungs had caught on fire. He was almost ready to pass out. "Enough." Lun''s voice echoed in the alley and the tall vampire approached them, grabbing Kai by the forearm and pulling him backwards violently so he would let go of Philip. "I don''t know what is wrong with you but I think that''s enough for today. We are leaving" he said and did not allow him to utter a word. Kai looked back, seeing Philip gasp for air in the alley while his red haired friend stood beside him worried. "Why didn''t you fight back?" Mika asked him. "Because I couldn''t." Philip said. "I didn''t want to hurt him" Kai heard him clearly, his words reaching him like one of his own punches. A sting spread on his pale chest, his eyes trying to run away in a hurry from the sight in the alley. He had been a fool, he had been tricked and he didn''t know by whom. His own self? But why, why did he feel like that when Philip was near him? He didn''t want to hurt him, he didn''t wish to see him in pain but he had been the one to cause it. "I didn''t want to hurt him" was what Philip had said. Why? Chapter 151 - When The Clock Strikes On His Birthday Pt. 5 It took days. Weeks even for Philip to actually manage and get even a fraction of Kai''s attention. He followed him everywhere, accepted his punches and his swears, his eyes always trying to find him. No matter how hard he tried to get the prince to listen, the beautiful man was simply reluctant to hear him. The prince would always try to find ways to avoid him. He didn''t want to see him, he didn''t want to be near him in a very poor attempt to stop hurting him. What was happening to him was unexplainable. He had many talks with Lun, read every book but there was no explanation as to why he felt that way. While he was away from him he felt guilty, tortured by his horrible actions but once they would cross paths, standing right in front of each other a hate would ignite in him, fiery and fierce and he wouldn''t be able to stop it. He had spent many nights awake, standing at the balcony, letting the cold caress his body after hurting the werewolf once more. His words were sharper than knives, his stares filled with discontent. "I''m tired" Kai mumbled while he was on his way to the library. It was one of these days where he would just rush to the enormous room, search through books and hope that there would be a solution to his problem. He had even thought that someone had hexed him but there were no signs of hostile magic on him, he had Lun check. The guards that stood in front of the library opened the double doors, slowly showing him the empty room. It was a round space, growing high with many floors and shelves filled with dusty old books. Each floor had a ladder they would have to use to access the book. Desks, heavy and made of dark wood were spread everywhere on the ground floor, comfortable chairs left there to make studying easier. Kai walked inside, his footsteps echoing through the forgotten halls of the library. He headed to his usual spot, a corridor that had books about werewolves, on the far back, barely illuminated by the candles that burned on the walls. As he turned to the side, hoping to continue a book he had grabbed the other day he found himself meeting an unexpected guest. He stopped, standing stunned. He hadn''t seen him in a while, at least not right in front of him. He had always been thinking of him though, every second he was troubled and right now, he found himself conflicted again, just by one simple look. "Hey" Philip told him, a faint smile on his face. He looked tired, holding a book in his hands, the pages opened almost in the middle. "What are you doing here?" Kai asked, his voice loud. "I just...I wanted to study about a few things. I am sorry if I bothered you." "Can you leave?" The prince told him. There was disappointment in Philip''s face, clear sadness in his hazel eyes. Kai knew he was the cause of this but he felt hopeless, weak and unable to stop it. "I want to finish reading my book first." The werewolf said. "Take it with you. Just leave." Kai repeated. The young prince was trying really hard to stop himself. Restrain his acidic words, look somewhere else, distract himself from the mean thoughts that tortured him. "Why don''t you look at me?" Philip asked. "Because you disgust me." He told him, wishing he could bite his tongue off. Kai wasn''t this kind of person, he wasn''t mean, he didn''t take pleasure from another''s sorrow. "Kai...what happened? I get it, we didn''t know each other. We are not friends and we don''t really have to like each other but after that day, that time at the lake I thought that you and I...maybe we¡­" "You thought wrong. You were so wrong. I told you many times. Don''t come near me. Stay away. But all you do is follow me like a fucking lost puppy. You don''t leave me in peace no matter how much I punch you or swear at you. You''re pitiful, do you know that?" "I do, believe me I do. But I can''t act otherwise. I just can''t leave you alone" "It''s easy. All you have to do is stop!" Kai exclaimed. "I don''t want to." Philip answered him, showing him clearly that what he was going to do was not something for the prince to decide. The vampire groaned in distress, grabbing Philip, like he always did when he was at his limit and prepared to punch him. Once more the werewolf did not move, he didn''t even flinch at the upcoming punch and Kai''s eyes locked with him in a fateful moment. He liked Philip''s eyes. They were honest and clear. They showed the kindness in him. They always looked at him with such calm, like the surface of his favorite lake. He had the aura of peace, he emitted comfort and even though Kai knew that he just¡­ He stopped himself. For the first time he managed to do it. His arm hung frozen in the air, his other hand gripping Philip''s shirt while his head fell, his forehead touching his chest. "Please, just...I am begging you. I don''t want to hurt you anymore. I am not like this, I do not feel like this so don''t do this. Stay away from me" the prince mumbled, his usually confident voice cracking as he spoke. Philip placed his warm palm on his fist, pushing it gently down and once his hand was resting on his side he raised his head, burning fingertips touching the freezing skin of his chin. He looked at the werewolf, his raven haired framing his face beautifully as he looked at the prince. "Can we try to figure this out?" He asked him. His tone soft, almost like a lullaby. It was as if he was scared to speak louder because he would trigger something in the prince. Something that would make him run away or explode. "I don''t want to be mean to you. I...help me. Please." Kai said, tears gathering in his blue eyes and Philip sighed, concerned for him. He brought him closer, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tightly. His palm rested on his silky hair, caressing the troubled prince as he cried. "I will. I promise. I will help you and after we figure out what''s going on, I want to talk to you." Philip whispered. The young prince nodded, his face moving faintly as he cried. Maybe this was a beginning for a good end or Maybe this was the beginning of a painful end. Chapter 152 - A World With You He had loved him. Philip had loved him so much from the very first moment. Bond or not, reason or not Kai was the only one. He existed in some way just to be by his side. That was how he felt sometimes. Standing next to him, hearing his words, listening to his laughter and seeing his eyes lit up, every single one of those little moments, every single one of those little joys made his heart flutter, try to jump out of his chest and meet with Kai''s heart, become one with the undeniably beautiful prince. Philip had loved him. Through the anger and the fists. He had loved him through the blood spilling on the floor and the restless nights as they tried to figure out what was wrong. When the red sun rose and when it set Philip loved him, his heart beating only for him. Kai''s harsh words were like spikes, thorns of an ancient rose that pinched his skin as he tried to acquire it. He did not give up though, he kept pushing and pushing until he had managed to shorten the distance between them, until he could see Kai in the horizon, waiting for him, his hand stretched so he could take it. The two men, always in need of help, had been searching for days with their friends for an answer while the young prince was trying to keep himself from exploding. So many pages written by dead people, so many words he had never read before and so much dust, showing him even though he was an immortal being in the past, it was something he didn''t know of. They had reached a deadend when they finally decided to consult Octavius. Kai was reluctant at first, scared of what would happen, terrified that his family would hear of this research of his and turn against Philip. He had hurt him enough, he couldn''t put a death penalty on his head too. After a lot of talking though he had been convinced and the kind Alpha, rather shocked was the one who provided the answer for them making Kai understand everything, hear things out he didn''t even know, words Philip had kept secret from him. What was happening to them was extremely rare. It was almost an anomaly. It was rarely heard of a werewolf having a vampire as a mate. But these two were a true case. As it seemed, Kai had the urge to turn against Philip, he hated him not because it was what he felt but because his kind was made to hate werewolves. It was a reaction, a resistance to the feelings that were about to grow inside him. Kai had cried that night, confused and guilty he hadn''t managed to stop his tears from staining his pale face. Philip had been there, like he always had. The werewolf was not as stunned as him, already knowing about their bond but still to hear that Kai''s nature was going against him. Nonetheless he stood beside him, allowing him to free this sorrow from inside of him, hearing his cries into the silent night. He could stay there, on the floor in Kai''s room, consulting him for centuries if he had to. Days passed and slowly Kai learned to battle himself. He read the signs and found limits. He could look at Philip, he could smile and call his name. He could feel the warmth in his heart as their eyes met and the hate inside of him seemed to subside bit by bit giving the werewolf the joy he wished to feel so much. It was a first for Philip. Seeing Kai like this. In love, lost in a haze he himself had found himself wandering into. It was beautiful, almost magical as he stood close to him, heard him tell him he loved him. The raven haired man felt like his heart would explode, some days were even too much. Sometimes it scared him, the happiness he was experiencing, if he lost it he would cease to exist. "How do you feel?" Philip whispered, facing another morning next to Kai, wrapped in the prince''s expensive sheets, locked inside his room, hidden from the world, from the ones that would hate them. "Hungry." The vampire groaned and Philip frowned. Kai had told him about it. About the problem he had with drinking blood. He always seemed to be a little more tired than normal, a little hungrier than he should and now it made sense. He hadn''t had any real blood, he hadn''t found anyone he wished to share this immortality with. "Don''t you think that it would be good if you found a hu¡­" "No. I don''t want to talk about it" Kai answered. He sat up, the back of his hair a mess and the sheets slipped from his half naked body. Philip stared at his back, white slashes everywhere, as if a crazy artist had made him his canvas. It wasn''t a beautiful painting though, one infused with romanticism and happiness. It was the depiction of tragedy, the awareness of what could come if they were not careful. Philip traced the lines with his fingertips, he had a habit of doing that and Kai would shiver. "Why don''t you want a human?" The werewolf asked him, knowing Kai always tried to avoid the conversation. "Because having a human is something you can''t take back. The person has to be special. You have to at least like them and then to like you back. It''s complicated and also¡­" "Also?" Philip repeated, realizing that the prince was trying to stop the conversation. Kai looked at him, his blue eyes asking if he really wanted to know and he nodded, letting him continue. "It is a very intimate process. It...it can cause things to happen and I, I didn''t used to care about but now that I have you it feels like I would be betraying you." "Can''t you just restrain yourself, you know¡­" Philip asked and Kai scoffed, a smile on his face as he turned to look at Philip. He cupped his face, kissing gently his nose. "No, it doesn''t work like that. It''s the venom in our teeth." He explained and Kai popped his fangs showing them to the werewolf. "That''s why I choose not to have a human." He told him. "Yes but you will never be at your full potential like that. One reason your wounds didn''t heal fully was because of it. It''s as if you''re holding yourself back." "I am not." Kai giggled. "I am pretty strong. Even now, you know that. I have a really good punch, even though I think that kicking is more my thing." The prince told him while punching the air. He looked as if he wasn''t really concerned about it. Philip knew better though, the struggle Kai had to face. When he had first met him the werewolf had believed that Kai''s life was perfect. He had it all, a title, gold, a palace, authority. He always smiled and moved around, hyper, showing no signs of weakness. In his mind the prince was living into his own little bubble, shielded by the troubles of the real world. The truth was though that it wasn''t like that. Kai was constantly struggling. He was struggling to keep his title and his beliefs in balance, he was struggling to not disappoint his family regardless of his rebellious character. He was struggling with eating, always exhausted and starving. He was in a constant battle, now the werewolf had been added to his worries. Their secret was a chain around his thin ankles that was slowing him down. Philip sighed, drawing his attention. "What''s wrong? Are you worried about me, wolf warrior? I am perfectly fine. I promise." He said, a carefree smile on his face. Philip was scared, he believed he couldn''t recognize if this smile was genuine or not, he didn''t know if there was pain and anxiety hiding behind it. A gorgeous exterior, charming with the appearance of an angel while behind it a monster was destroying his soul ripping it apart. Philip grabbed Kai''s pale hand and kissed it, then he intertwined their fingers. "I want to tell you something." The werewolf announced. "Oh, you''ve suddenly turned so serious. What could it be?" The prince joked but his lover did not share his smile. Kai stood silent, feeling his skin touch Philip''s as he waited. "I love you. I had never imagined that loving someone so much was possible. It is like a drug, the way I feel for you. I want you to be happy, I want you to always be safe. I don''t want anything or anyone to harm you. I look at you and all I could think is that the gods had blessed me with being able to see, touch and name perfection. You, Kai. You are perfection for me. That''s why I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that you will out yourself first. You will always try to survive and be happy. You will never deny who you are and if one day I am an obstacle. If one day I turn out to be the one that could hurt you, kill me." Philip said and Kai''s eyes widened, shock painted in that icy blue. "How could you say that? I would never hurt you. I know we didn''t start well but even the thought of you getting hurt is torturing to me. I would prefer to die that to¡­" "Don''t say it." Philip interrupted him and kissed his forehead. Warmth traveling all over Kai''s body. "Don''t say that you would prefer to die than to hurt me. All I want is for you to be happy. No matter the cost." "What about your happiness then?" The prince asked him and Philip smiled. "My happiness. Well, that depends on you...will you listen to me?" "Definitely not. I do not listen to anyone." The prince said, a cocky expression on his face that made the werewolf laugh. He grabbed him, making the vampire fall on top of him and raised his head, kissing him gently. Kai closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in this precious moment and smiled into their kiss. "I love you." "I love you too" "That''s why, I want you to drink my blood. Let me be the one you''re bound to forever. I will be your life source. I will give you everything, not only my heart and my body, my blood too." Philip told him, making Kai gasp, dumbfounded by what he had just said. "Have you gone mad?" The prince exclaimed. "Everything belongs to you." Philip said. His eyes showing very clearly that he meant it. Such love, such selfless adoration. Every day that passed it grew, it grew so much that made them both blind, reckless. Soon, soon enough they would make a mistake and that was when the end would come. Chapter 153 - The Beginning Of The End Pt. 1 He loved the days that he spent with Philip, one by one were filled with joy and happiness. He didn''t mind keeping their relationship a secret, he knew though that as the time passed he would have to bid him farewell. That was one of his biggest concerns, having to stay away from him, find a way to meet him again even though they were forbidden to be. He hadn''t shared that thought with him, even though he was sure Philip felt the same way. All he could think about after all was him, even when they weren''t together. His summer had turned into a dream he couldn''t really believe it was reality. So both of them, the two men that longed for each other even when they were together put their worries aside, deciding that they could at least enjoy their time before their problems knocked on their doors. Kai hoped, they wouldn''t be too surprised with the difficulties ahead. And what days they were, beautiful, filled with laughter and teasing. Kai had never felt such joy before. It was as if Philip accepted every piece of him in a way no one else could. His spoiled side, his playful and his dramatic. Every single flaw turned into a positive in his eyes and well, the young prince who would always hear from his family that was flawed in many ways couldn''t be more thankful to his lover for accepting him. Kai would close his eyes when he was right beside him and realize that he was living in a perfect reality. It was that simple for him to forget his worries and every little bit of pain he carried in him. He just looked at Philip''s hazel eyes and everything seemed to turn into dust, small pieces that didn''t matter anymore. They had zero meaning. He was happy, simple as that. He would smile at random moments, he would find himself absentminded during his studies and people would talk, whisper when he walked through the halls, a cheerful hum lingering on his pink lips. He was alright with it though, his hazed mind couldn''t believe what would follow. He hadn''t thought about the whispers, he barely even noticed them but his mother would. The woman had ears everywhere and obviously her eyes would be glued to her usually rebellious son. She waited, observing him as he lived in his own bliss, unaware of how everyone in the palace had their eyes on him. The queen knew and even though she pretended as she didn''t soon she reached her limit. It was one day that Kai was summoned to her room, unaware of what she wanted. Him and his mother never really talked that much, especially alone. He did have a better relationship with his father but he was still at the border. As he walked there he wondered if her reason for searching for him was that he had missed a meeting. He used to be punctual, even if he didn''t want to but he had spent the previous night with Philip and the warmth of his embrace was too tempting for him to simply get up and leave. Nonetheless he had responded to his mother''s call, thinking that a scolding would follow. Kai hadn''t really realized that when he missed that important meeting he had actually made his mother take her final decision. It had become the reason for what would follow, a little trigger that would ruin everything. The young prince had been careless, he had let go and now he had been caught in his mother''s own trap. Without knowing it, carefree he knocked on her door, hearing her stern voice calling him in. "Good evening." the queen greeted him. She was sitting on her desk. A wide wooden table, with carved legs in the shape of lion''s feet. Her chair was comfortable, dressed in red velvet and she raised her head from the book she was reading to meet her son''s face. Her cold eyes were void of any emotion. No anger, no anything. Kai wouldn''t know if she hated him right now or not. "If it''s about the meeting I am very sorry. I won''t do it again. I had a slight headache." he apologized immediately, spurting out some kind of half thought excuse. The queen stood up, circling her desk until she stood in front of it. She had closed the book, carefully leaving it on the side. She crossed her hands over her chest, her eyes looking at her son from head to toe. Kai frowned, unaware of why she was speaking. By now she would have start rumbling about all the things he did wrong, how he should have been more careful and all the little things she had heard about him from the servants. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes showing confusion and his mother sighed. "Leave him." she stated and the young prince frowned, unable to understand what she had been talking about. "What? I don''t know what you''re talking about." he told her. "Leave that werewolf. I don''t want you to be with him. Do you know what will happen if word gets out?" she asked. Kai''s eyes widened in shock. He did not expect this, he hadn''t even realized he was being watched, usually he was always ready, in place but now¡­now he had been crushed into his harsh reality. His moments with Philip were just a dream, his mother the beginning of his nightmare. He took a step back, his mind racing, his lips parted in a poor attempt to utter something, find an excuse, whatever he could to not have this matter getting in the surface. "Don''t even try to tell me it''s not happening. I know. I also know that you drank his blood. You chose him. Are you completely insane?" she asked again, now her tone getting a bit higher, her expression turning even more aggressive. "He is a werewolf! You chose a werewolf!. Do you even know how criticized that decision will be? Not from me but from everyone! Leave that dog, don''t ever get close to him again and when he leaves with his Alpha don''t even think about finding a way to keep in touch with him, am I clear?" "No." Kai answered sternly, surprising his mother. A huge crease had been created between her eyebrows as she walked towards him. She raised her thin arm and slapped him, her palm leaving a mark momentarily on his cheek. The blond prince didn''t say anything. He stood there. "Don''t make me force you." "You can''t force me. I am his mate. I can''t be away from him. I won''t because I don''t want to. I love him" "Love him? LOVE HIM?" she screamed in his face. "Are you completely insane?" "Maybe I am!" Kai shouted back at her. He didn''t care anymore. He didn''t care about the so-called palace, the etiquette and all those things his mother had been always trying to stuff his head with. Philip. That''s who he cared about and he was not going to leave him, he couldn''t. He loved him so much that even the thought of it was hurting. There was no way he would back down, even if he was scared of his mother. Even if he lost his title and his home. He didn''t care. "I don''t care about what you think. I don''t care about your stupid rules and the fact that you always want to control me. I want to be with him, I want to be by his side and if that''s a problem for you I can always leave." "Leave?" his mother repeated and a mocking laugh followed. "You think you could leave? And do what? The idea of you being on your own and surviving is a joke. A very good one indeed. You are spoiled, bad mannered and know nothing of the world. You haven''t even worked a day your entire life. The moment you left your comfortable little room your world would crumble." she attacked him and Kai frowned. "My world will be fine, as long as I have Philip with me. I will be fine." he told her. She wasn''t happy with Kai''s words. Her whole body was shaking, her face a faint shade of red as he overflowed with anger. This was the first time, the very first time Kai decided to go against her. After him being whipped, the way he looked at her had changed. The woman in front of him wasn''t acting like a mother so he did not have the obligation to act like her well mannered son. "I always let you do whatever you wanted. Be a brat with zero responsibilities. All I asked you was to not shame the Avger name, not to shame the monarchy but you had to go and do that! In love with a werewolf? You know it''s not how a proper vampire should be. You know that you need to be fixed." she told him and Kai frowned. He gasped, as her words started to make sense in his mind. He took a step back, stunned by what his mother was saying. "You didn''t¡­" her son mumbled, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost. "How could you¡­" he asked and turned around. He had to escape, he couldn''t let her do this to him. He started running towards the door but it was too late. A man appeared before him, a black robe hiding his face and Kai stopped. "Mother¡­no." he begged her as he turned around. "How could you do this to me?" he asked. "You had to be fixed." his mother said. "Take him away. Do not kill him." she ordered. Kai tried to escape, he wanted to push the man away and leave. Find Philip and disappear. Even his own mother had betrayed him in the worst possible way. He couldn''t move, he was frozen and his eyes landed on his mother. She was using her powers on him. Kai wanted to cry but soon he was unconscious, everything had happened so fast that when he would wake up he wouldn''t be able to describe it, not even to his own self. All he knew was that the queen, his mother had called the Nightshades on him. Chapter 154 - The Beginning Of The End Pt. 2 The Nightshades were an organization everyone feared. It was almost like one of those stories you told little kids to have them eat or go to bed early. It brought shivers down the spines of people, messed with their dreams. They were powerful vampires, their identities unknown and their sole purpose was keeping the vampire world "proper". Many people had disappeared, without leaving behind a single trace, whispers traveling through the night that the Nightshades had gotten them because they had done something bad. They had eyes and ears everywhere, the men with the black robes, a crimson moon painted on their backs. They were also called, The Bloody People, their true name a bad omen for the one that dared to utter it. Kai would never think that his mother had actually taken such extreme measures. The Nightshades obeyed no monarchy, they had no king or queen, they ruled themselves and forming a deal with them was one of the most risky things someone could do. Nonetheless she had done it, she had given her son to them so he could be "fixed". The young prince would never forgive her for that. The blond vampire woke up slowly, his eyes facing a big square iron door. He looked left and right, his eyesight a bit blurry and he groaned. He felt pain on the back of his head, as if someone had hit him. As his vision got clearer he had some time to examine the room before his captors came in. It was a small space, made out of old stones in a dull beige color, earthy. He could smell mold and the humidity was heavy. He was underground, he thought and searched for a window but the room seemed to only have this door that stood before him. Of course he was restrained, his ankles tied on the legs of a chair while his wrists were behind his back. He moved around, wiggling his wrists, hoping he could break the rough rope with his powers but he hissed. It was sprayed with holy water. His face dropped, a desperate grin on his face as every thought he had concluded to the fact that he would be here for a while, restrained and away from Philip. He didn''t know if he should fight, he didn''t know what happened to his lover either. He just hoped he was alright. He could take it, their whole "fixing". Kai believed he would be fine, all he simply wanted was for Philip to be safe. The prince was scared of them too. Of the Nightshades. He had heard stories again and again about how they tortured people, about their merciless killing and their dark ideas. They were old-fashioned and boring but dangerous. They were the kind of vampires that wouldn''t like Kai. After a while of being awake he heard a noise behind the iron door as if someone was unlocking a door. The heavy structure moved revealing a man, dressed in that robe he had seen before. Black and long, the hood concealing most of his characteristics while his back had a bloody moon on it. He smiled at him, cocky as always and the man approached him. "The notorious third prince of the Avger monarchy. I have to say, we never believed that we would have the pleasure of working with the queen in such an...important mission." The man behind the cloak spoke and his voice echoed in between the walls. His voice was rough, as if he had swallowed glass and his accent was heavy. "You''re not going to say anything?" He asked him. "I am not talking to someone I can''t even see their faces." Kai said and heard him laugh. The man pushed back his thin hood, revealing his face. He had a long nose, blond hair in the color of hay and brown eyes. A huge scar was horizontally on his nose, healed but still there. He wasn''t ugly but at the same time his appearance had something unappealing. Maybe it was the half mad look in his eyes. "Pardon me. I forgot I was dealing with a prince. I am Ashus, the head of the Nightshades. Pleased to work with you, your highness." He introduced himself, his lips forming a small grin. "I''m honored, such an important man down here just to work with me. You make me feel so special." Kai said ironically and the man chuckled. Kai was trying to show him he wasn''t scared while Ashus, well he was clearly playing with him. He didn''t care if the prince or not was afraid, he wasn''t trying to scare him after all. Sooner or later he would end up begging. "But you are special. If any other of my men dealt with you they might have killed you. You see, you''re quite hated in our circle. You do not really present what a true vampire should be" "And how should a true vampire be?" Kai asked him, but he didn''t wait for an answer. "No, no let me tell you. I know the answer. A pretentious motherfucker, like you, right?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and giving the vampire a handsome smile. He didn''t seem to like the comment, Ashus was displeased with his insolence but he didn''t say anything. "Once we''re done you will be thinking otherwise. Dear prince." "Let me guess. You will torture me. Hoping I will bend. Beg you to let me go and tell you I will leave my lover and be good. You people are really deluded, you know that?" Kai said. He was feeling anxious, his heart beating loudly, trapped on his ribcage but he couldn''t show his witness. As he stared at the man before him, he had no choice but to stay strong, he hadn''t even started yet. "Well, you did get half of the plan right." "What is the other half?" Kai asked, raising his eyebrow and Ashus smirked. The door behind the man opened and another vampire entered, dressed in the same hideous cloak. He was pushing a small cart with tools on it. When Kai laid eyes on it he scoffed. Was really their plan to just torture him? It didn''t seem right, it was too simple for them. But maybe his mother had nothing to do with it, he did hear her ask them not to kill him. "Why are you in such a hurry to know?" The head of the Nightshades asked him. He looked at the other man, shaking his hand and signaling him to leave. Before he left though he turned towards Kai, the prince unable to understand if he was looking at him or not. The cloaked man spat in front of him, a thick splash of saliva landing right in front of Kai''s boots and the prince laughed. "You are so dramatic and for what?" He asked but obviously he got no answer. Ashus hummed, approaching the small cart while he searched through the shining tools. "I think you''re going to find my company rather...dramatic." he commented. "So...shall we begin?" He asked. It was at that moment when Kai realized, those days were going to be the worst of his life. Years later he would be thinking about it, having nightmares, with many different tropes. All of them thought they would take place there, in that room with that hideous face as a protagonist. Ashus, he didn''t believe he hated a man more in his life, despised him and regretted the fact that he hadn''t killed him. The prince had tried, he really did, day after day until at some point. Things seemed to get too difficult and that wasn''t even the start of their plan. Love was such a torture. Emotional pain at its finest, a drug that hazed everything. In that room Kai would realize that his love had been the doom of them man he had adored. In that room the prince would feel the pain of not knowing what was going to happen, if he would live or die, if Philip was alive. It that room beneath the earth Kai regretted the moment he was born and begged while in tears his whole body filled with cuts, his soul ragged and destroyed, to be left alone, in peace to die. What he couldn''t allow though was for them to him hurt. He couldn''t bear the thought of dying there and leaving Philip alone, without knowing what happened. After a long time though, he would think about it and tell himself it would have been better of he had died in that room. Maybe that way he could have saved him. .... Hello everyone! Hope you liked this chapter and my little backstory. I skipped a bit so it won''t be boring, I know what you all want to know after all, hehe. I really hope you''re enjoying the book. What do you think the Nightshades are planning? I am really curious to know what you think. If you liked this chapter please give the book a good comment, a five star review and a vote. Thank you! Chapter 155 - The Beginning Of The End Pt. 3 He didn''t know how many days had passed. Mornings, evening those were all the same to him in that disgusting basement. There was no light from the red sun, no midnight breeze, just the smell of mold and the constant reminder that he was in here while Philip was out there probably dying of worry. A little routine had been created, Kai knew by now what the Nightshades were planning, or what it seemed like they were planning. They would come to his suite room, where he would be tied in that uncomfortable chair with that little tray of theirs, look him in the eyes and start torturing them. He had never thought so many ways of actually hurting another person existed without killing them. He was hungry, his face even paler, if that was even possible and his blue eyes looked constantly dazed after a few days. He did not have the energy to do much. Just blatantly deny to let Philip go. They would ask him once a day, when the torturing was over. What else could they do? Keep him there forever? He doubted that. The scarred man, their leader, seemed ecstatic every time Kai told them he loved Philip. Obviously not because he was an avid supporter of their love but because that way he would get to keep torturing him. The young prince had found out that he was in the list of the so-called improper vampires that the Nightshades hated. They couldn''t do much about it though because he was the prince. All of them, dressed in their robes probably felt pretty good getting to see him hiss and groan, trying to hide the pain he felt. So as the days went by, without the prince knowing, the blond vampire reached a state where he simply was barely able to exist. When they would enter his prison he would close his eyes and remain silent as his torture went on and on. The only time he would hear his raspy voice would be when he mouthed that no to their question, every time his tone a little bit more silent because his strength kept failing him. One day, he heard multiple footsteps behind the door. It was unusual, one man visited them and then he felt but for the first time someone else was with him. His head felt heavy, it was hard to keep it up but for the first time his interest peaked. So he tried hard to focus, his blue eyes only giving him blurry visions as the door opened. "As you can see he has made no progress." The leader''s familiar voice said and he watched his mother, the queen click her tongue. Her eyes were judgemental as she scanned the condition of her son. His ripped clothes, the blood staining them and the cuts that were denying to heal because he was too weak. "What do you plan on doing now?" She asked. "Maybe this is not working." "We do have another method to help you get rid of your problems my queen but we would need your assistance." "What kind of method?" She asked and Kai couldn''t help but interrupt them. "Whatever you do, mommy dearest, the answer will always be the same." The prince told her. "After everything you''ve been through are you still unwilling to let this madness go?" "Madness? Me? Look at yourself. Hiring BloodBound''s thugs to lock your son in a basement and torture him every day just so he could leave his lover and you have the audacity to call me mad? You''re ridiculous." He commented and the woman''s eyes widened. He couldn''t see very well but still he liked to imagine her reaction, shocked and annoyed, the prince''s two favorite states when it came to his mother. "What do you want me to do?" The queen asked, ignoring her beaten up son. "You can do whatever you want. Just make sure he will not be with that dog." She continued. "Well my queen. We want your son to take a blood oath. He can never speak of what happened here, he can never reveal to anyone the events or our names and faces. You''re the only one that can do that, right?" He asked her The queen was taken aback by his request. A blood oath, it was serious and life threatening. She wasn''t sure if she should agree to it or not. "Come on, don''t be a coward now. You''ve already stepped on every little piece of ethics that you had" Kai told her. She didn''t need to hear anything else. Her son had this ability to piss her off with no effort at all. She looked at him, the doubt being erased from her green eyes and she stepped forward. She opened her mouth, her fangs appearing and she bit her fingertip, drawing just the tiniest bit of blood. She grabbed her son, her hands cold on his tired body and she positioned him so she could see his arm. With the crimson ink of her body she drew something, Kai had no idea what it was but after she was done it started to burn, as if someone had drawn on him with fire. He hissed, his eyes opening wide and his mother spoke. "Do you swear to never talk about the events that took place or will take place in the future considering the Nightshades?" She asked him, her voice cold and distant, not how a mother should sound. Kai didn''t answer. "If you remain silent the burn won''t go away. Just say you will not speak!" She shouted at him. It stinged and it kept going nonstop. He felt his whole body go numb and his amr melt off as if someone had set it on fire. "I swear!" Kai shouted defeat and once he had uttered those words the sensation on his arm was gone. His head fell back, a relieved sigh escaping from his chapped lips as he heard their conversation. "It''s done." "I imagined it a lot grander I have to admit." The leader said. "Well it isn''t." The queen answered him back. How much must she have been displeased with her son to agree to work with one of the people she hated. It was so ironic. "Trust us our queen, you won''t have a problem with this son any longer. Soon things will be fixed." "Kai. Don''t push things." His mother told him and walked away, her footsteps echoing in the empty room. The prince was left alone with the psycho. He felt him getting closer, his breath landing on the side of his face. "Now it''s time to deal with that little lover of yours." He whispered and Kai''s eyes widened. "No!" The prince screamed. Chapter 156 - The Beginning Of The End Pt. 4 Ashus had left him there. Locked up and tied, dying inside as he had no idea about what he had been talking about. Obviously he didn''t trust these people, he couldn''t simply stand there and wait to find out. It would be too late, if he didn''t get out of there now he would lose him, they were going to kill him. Kai couldn''t be more sure about that, Philip would disappear, he would die and the prince''s life would automatically end. He wriggled, feeling the rope rip his skin and he screamed, all alone and tired he closed his eyes, searching for some strength. It would be fine, even if he put in everything in his escape, even if he overexerted himself and collapsed right after he would at least be able to save Philip. He pushed his body and broke his mind, judging himself for taking things so lightly. He had never thought that the Nightshades would be daring enough to meddle with werewolf affairs, his mother¡­there was no way his mother knew about it. It was forbidden to kill a werewolf, that meant that the Nightshades would be going against the vampire rules they so much supported. The blond prince pushed his confusion aside. He didn''t have time to think, find reason in their actions. He still remembered Ashus eyes, his deranged expressions as he tortured him. All of them were like that, there was no reason in them, no logic, he would be simply wasting his time. "I have to get out of here" He mumbled and looked around. An idea, that''s all he wished for. There was nothing inside the room, nothing that would actually help him untie himself, get rid of the holy water and use his powers. He sighed, his chest rising and the pain of his bruised ribs made him feel like he would collapse. Somehow, drowned in desperation he managed to get up. His feet were unstable, his body in this weird posture pinned to his wooden chair. Looked down, the harsh floor as he pushed his body back with force. He screeched as he felt the fragile wood break on his body but at the same time the ropes loosened giving him a very painful success. He slowly got up, supporting himself on his knees as he took a few deep breaths. He was feeling dizzy and uneasy. Everything seemed so hard at the moment, even the basic functions. He got rid of the ropes as if he was putting off a fire. They used to dampen them in holy water every day, making sure he wasn''t going to use his powers to escape. The witches had been very ironic while they created their weaknesses. Kai always used to laugh at the thought of holy water but now, he hates it. After the ropes fell on the ground he ripped off the parts of his clothes that had gotten wet. Parts of his sleeves and the ends of his pants. He also took off his boots just to make sure that nothing would keep him down. Kai flashed away, disappearing as if he never existed. He found himself at the lake, hoping that maybe he would be able to find him there, if he was searching for him Philip would think about going there. The beautiful scenery though hadn''t Philip in it, it almost looked empty and the prince realized that after he met Philip, all the places he liked, all the places that meant something to him looked empty without his lover in them. He wanted to cry but he didn''t allow himself to. He had to be strong so he would find him, protect him. No matter what he had to do. His next stop was his own room, he didn''t know why he had gone there, Philip wouldn''t be able to get in. He had no clues, he had no idea where the werewolf could have been and he was wasting his time. Kai found himself in the guest house, appearing like the bloody mess he was right in front of Philip''s best friend Mika. The red haired man gasped, jumping back from the surprising sight and his warm eyes widened. "What the heck?" he shouted and Kai rushed towards him, placing his palm on his mouth. "Be quiet." he whispered and looked around, making sure no one was there. "Where is Philip?" he asked him, taking his hands slowly away. "Looking for you. What happened?" he asked him, his voice quiet obeying Kai''s request. "Where is he now? Where did he go to search?" he asked him again. "I¡­I think he is close to the rift, where we came from. He had been searching for you for days and why do you look like¡­" Kai didn''t hear the rest, he disappeared without even a thank you in his struggle to reach his lover before the Nightshades. He wished for him to be alive, he wished for him to be alright and then he would fix everything, he would do anything he had to. As long as Philip was alive, nothing else mattered. He found himself close to the mountain, the stable where he had met Philip for the first time not even a hundred meters away from him. His blue eyes searched everywhere, he looked around and suddenly he felt the slight touch of a drop on his skin. He raised his head to the sky. It was going to rain soon. His gaze traveled everywhere. He tried to focus on every detail, his senses alarmed for the slightest sound when he finally heard it. Kai''s head snapped towards the stables. The front door was opening loudly, a familiar man exiting. "Philip!" Kai called out his name, his blue eyes filled with hope. He was alive, he was well. Everything would be fine, the hope that blossomed in him whispered in his ears. Philip at the sound of his name raised his head, he met Kai, their eyes finding each other. "Philip?" The prince repeated, this time not so sure about the man that stood before him. There was something different. Something was wrong. Chapter 157 - The Ending Of A Love Pt. 1 TW: violence Kai stopped, his voice getting smaller and smaller as he observed his lover from a distance. His posture, the way he looked at him and the blood all over his body. Philip was panting, holding in his hand Kai''s crown. The prince frowned, unable to put the pieces together but his blue eyes spotted a pair of legs on the ground, showing through the door of the stable. He gasped, realizing that someone was dead there. He didn''t know what to do. He didn''t know what to say or how to act. He just heard the rain get louder and louder, stronger as it landed on his skin like needles. Had Philip killed that man? The vampire couldn''t help but wonder. He would never do something like that, not the man he loved, not the man he knew. Philip stood there though, bathed in crimson blood, looking at the prince as if he couldn''t recognize him. He had to move. That''s what he commanded himself even if his instincts were telling him otherwise. He closed his eyes, feeling a lot more clearly how dump his ragged clothes were, realizing how unstable his breathing had been and with his bare feet he walked towards Philip, diving into the mud. He used to hate feeling dirty, the wet clothes, the dirt and everything that followed but now, not none of it mattered as long as he could hug him. Philip was so close, if he called out Kai''s name he would be able to hear it, if he walked too towards him it would only take a few seconds for their bodies to collide. The werewolf, though, remained still examining the beautiful prince as if he was some kind of stranger. "Philip!" He called his name. "I am sorry, I am so sorry, things go a bit out of hand and I¡­" Kai didn''t finish his explanation. He was caught off guard when the werewolf with a swift move grabbed him by the neck, suffocating him. Kai''s eyes widened, not understanding the situation, he pleaded, his stormy blue glued on him but he didn''t say anything. Philip did not utter a word as he turned his arm and as if Kai was nothing more than a dirty rag he threw him inside the stables. The prince landed on an empty cubicle, his back hitting on the wood before he found himself drowning in an itchy mountain of hay. He heard his footsteps, he was approaching, probably trying to hit him again and the exhausted vampire stood up, his palm resting on his broken ribs. He hissed, opening his pink lips and trying to reason with him. He didn''t want to hurt him, not again, Kai swore to himself he would never cause him any pain. "Philip¡­Philip it''s me." He said, his voice shaking the same way his whole fragile body did. "What''s wrong?" he asked, hoping that he would get an answer. No words came out from Philip''s sealed lips. He looked angry, his hazel eyes shooting daggers at him, while his hands were forming fists, bright white knuckles on them. He was still clenching on Kai''s crown, the prince focusing on the shiny material, the gems that glistened and the rain drops that fell from it. Just a few meters away from them, laid a guard, his head cut off from his body, or more accurately ripped off. His body would soon turn into dust. "Did¡­did you kill that man?" he asked him, taking a step back as he tried to prolong their upcoming collision. All Philip did was try to approach him, his eyes staring at him but not really seeing him. A thunder sounded, landing close by and making everything shudder. Kai flinched and in that second the werewolf found his chance. Philip leaped forward, grabbing the prince by his golden hair and threw him to the ground, his face landing on the mood. He kicked him, making his body fold in two from the pain and the next kick landed right on his face, giving him a painful bloody nose. "Please" Kai cried. Tears falling off his blue eyes, mixing into a potion of sorrow. Salty tears and metallic blood with a dose of disgusting dirt. "Please, what''s wrong?" he asked but it was as if he was talking to a wall. He closed his eyes, a victim under this traumatizing violence, when Philip grabbed him by the arm, dragging him outside into the rain. What had happened? The prince wondered. In this endless pain, he couldn''t stop thinking about it. As he was being showered by the depressing rain, as he felt Philip sit on top of him and punch him, non stop he couldn''t stop thinking that the pain he felt in his heart was much worse. Was it possible to hear the sound of a heart that was breaking? Kai believed he did. It was probably one of his bones, snapping, shuttering, destroyed but he, in this self hating pain he believed it was his heart. His chest hurt the more as his blue eyes shot wide open and met with Philip''s. He was weak, not weak in strength, in speed or intelligence. He was weak in this game that was called love because he could simply lay there and get beaten up, he could simply keep crying and begging knowing very well by now that his lover could not hear him any longer. He could do all that, just to not hurt Philip, just to make sure he wouldn''t be in pain. It was fine if he took all in, it was fine if he was the one with ugly scars and broken bones. He could endure anything as long as he knew that Philip was alive. The vampire smiled, a bitter expression, highlighted with red blood. The prince had changed, the prince had allowed himself to feel just so all the negative emotions could invade his body and eat him from the inside out. The prince had allowed his heart to beat, his body to feel and his eyes to see just so he could hear his heart slow down, his body to go numb from the pain and his eyes to witness the hate in his lover''s eyes. Still, he didn''t mind. As idiotic as it sounded he didn''t mind. He didn''t mind¡­until¡­. Until Philip raised his arm, diving his palm into his chest, ripping the skin with his claws, breaking his ribcage with his strength and heading right for his heart. Kai''s eyes widened in utter shock. He wanted to kill him, Philip was planning to rip his heart off. Without even realizing it, Kai stopped him. .... Hello! I think you all know what is comming up. Hope you like the story so far. if you do please leave a nice comment and a vote. Things have been pretty silent lately so tell me what do you think? I am really curious. Thank you for reading! Chapter 158 - The Ending Of A Love Pt. 2 Survival was a primal instinct that could be overcome only in very rare situations. For Kai this wasn''t one of them. He couldn''t simply lay there and die. He had promised Philip something, he had promised that no matter what he would survive, he would remain alive. Bitter and broken Kai grabbed Philip''s arm, pushing it out of his chest, a the hole he had created slowly healing. He pushed the werewolf off of him, making him tumble to the side and stood up. He was crying, his tears mixing in with the heavy rain. He stood like a half dead man, rubbing the blood off his eyes as he looked at Philip who was standing up. He wasn''t his lover anymore, he was someone else. Something had happened, something had gone terribly wrong while he was caught and now the person he loved the most in this world wanted to kill him. Kai''s eyes shone red, sensing the danger in Philip''s movement and took a fighting stance. "Hear me out." He tried. "It''s me, please. Philip!" he screamed, his pitiful voice getting covered by the rain and Kai cried louder. He was shaking, trembling as he tried to fight the urge to rip the werewolf to shreds. He was feeling threatened and his blood boiled. "Please¡­" he pleaded again. "I love you" he said but nothing changed. No words reached him. The werewolf rushed towards him, wanting to catch him, kill him but Kai flashed away, getting behind him. He grabbed him by the back of his head, pushing him on the ground and restraining his hands behind his back. "What is wrong with you?" Kai screamed at him but the only response was a growl and the man wriggling underneath hima s if he had been shocked. He managed to turn them around, Kai hitting the back of his head on a bloody stone and hissing as he felt his skull to crack. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do? His mind was speeding and he couldn''t catch up. He couldn''t think clearly. Promises, so many promises to himself and to the man he loved. He had promised not to hurt him again, he had promised to survive, to make sure he remained alive. He couldn''t stop crying, he was sobbing, throwing weak punches at the wolf trying to stop him, his nails scratching his handsome face as they fought. Philip tried to put his wailing mess down, pinning him to the dirt so he could attempt to rip his head or heart off again. "No! Stop! Please!" he screamed at him. "I don''t want to do this!" He begged, he screamed, he asked for help. He wanted someone to appear, someone to help him. "Save me, please" he said but his voice now was a whisper. As he felt Philip punch him, as he watched his angered expression he realized there was no more hope. One of them will die tonight. Kai raised his head, hitting the wolf with his forehead and Phili fell back. He grabbed him by his collar, raising the heavy man as if he was a feather and choked him. His eyes were red, like rubies, blood dripping on them. His tears, he tasted them , entering his mouth from his parted lips when Philip wrapped his dangling legs around Kai''s waist in an attempt to distract him, which succeeded. He let go of him and their bodies, connected in this violent fight landed once more in the mud. The prince breathed heavily, tired and in pain as he watched Philip, the guy that would smile at him in the morning, as he watched the man who would hold him so gently, as he watched the man that would play with his hair in the most calming and peaceful way want to rip him to shreds. He screamed, allowing all the stormy emotions to escape from inside of him as he brought Philip down, his bloody and pale hand passing through his flesh and grasping his heart. Philip''s eyes widened, as he felt Kai clutch his heart. It was a horrible feeling, the insurance of the upcoming death and for the first time, in those few seconds Kai held his heart, ripping it out he watched Philip''s emotions change. The prince froze, too late now to back down his eyes widened, getting round as his face was showing pure horror. He had done it. He killed him and in those few moments of him remaining alive he heard his choking words. "Why?" Philip asked, his senses returning in that horrid moment and Kai felt like he would lose his sanity. The werewolf laid there, frozen, the echo of his wonder creating a ghost in Kai''s mind as he stood up. The heart fell from his hands. "No¡­no,no,no"he repeated in utter despair as he fell to his knees, shaking Philip knowing that nothing would change. He looked at him frantically, his hands shaking, he felt cold. He had killed him. "No, no. I am sorry, I am so sorry!" Kai screamed, tears coming out in floods from his eyes. "I¡­I didn''t, you¡­" he mumbled, losing his mind and for a second he thought of killing himself. He looked at his bloody hands, he could smell it, Philip''s blood on him, he could feel it like acid on his skin, weighing a ton and he wanted to die. Right here and there he wished to end it all. He had broken his promise, he had killed him. He had hurt him, it was his fault¡­.everything. "I am sorry" Kai cried, landing on Philip''s body when his blue eyes landed on the crown. The werewolf now dead was not holding onto it any longer. For a second, everything turned silent. He extended his hand and grabbed it, feeling something was off with it. He stood up, examining it when he realized the crown was coated with some kind of substance. He brought it close to his nose, smelling it. His whole body tensed, his mind a mess as the pieces seemed to finally fit in. "They poisoned you¡­they drove you mad just so I would kill you, just so they could have a reason to go after me." Kai mumbled, realizing for the first time that he hadn''t escaped that basement, they had willingly let him go. Somehow they had poisoned Philip, making him hold onto the crown which was coated in this poison. Then they let Kai free, knowing he would search for him. They knew Philip would try to kill him, they knew Kai would end up killing him. Now he had broken the rules, he had killed a werewolf, breaking years of treaties. He was a prince and he had made the worst mistake he could. He dropped the crown, his most valuable possession. His title and his name, all of them, his riches falling into the mud as he watched the body of his lover, as he cried. They knew he was going to kill him. They knew he was selfish and that he couldn''t sacrifice his own life. The Nightshades knew him better than he knew himself. They knew the monster he was, they knew he was a killer. "Monster." he mumbled to himself, aware that soon vampires of the Nightshades would come looking for him. "I need to run." he whispered, almost sounding as if he was hypnotized. He didn''t even have the guts to remain there and die next to him. ... Hello! This is the backstory! Now you finally know. I hope you enjoyed it. I know there are a few questions left like how did Philip get poisoned or if the queen knew they were actually planning to kill her son but I felt it didn''t make sense for me to answer them since this is kind of Kai''s pov. I will make sure to answer everyhting. Philip''s birthday is comming soon! Hope you enjoyed the backstory and that you will keep reading. Chapter 159 - 158 It had taken a while for the two wolves to clear the mess Philip had created. The dead body on the floor had to be put in a leak proof bag and they had to clean up all of the blood that seemed to create small red lakes on the polished material. Mika frowned, holding the wet rag he had managed to find by grabbing a passing maid. He had startled her but at least she was kind enough to let him borrow some of her cleaning supplies. The two friends cleaned in silence, no one really was in the mood for light talking, especially Philip. Everything seemed to be pointless to him, every move, every breath was a burden and his hazel eyes landed on the swipes of blood on the floor, the remnants of a life. He didn''t feel bad, that was the worst thing. He didn''t feel anything considering the life he had just taken. All he could feel was the pain that broke his heart. The truth that so suddenly shattered his world. He had been waiting to remember. Philip dreamed that moment during his whole life, the day his birthday would come, that destined evening where his life would make sense, his memories would return to him. That''s all he had ever wanted but now, it scared him. The things he would end up seeing, the fact that Kai''s face would be everywhere, the sound of his voice and those blue eyes looking at him with fake emotions. "Why didn''t you tell me sooner?" Philip asked his best friend while he sealed the enormous bag. Mika stopped cleaning, raising his head, his dark eyes landing on his friend with a sad expression and he frowned. "Because I didn''t want you to think I was trying to sabotage your life. I really wanted you to remember on your own but the moment I realized you were willing to die for him again, like you always were, I didn''t want history to repeat itself." he explained. Philip sat on the couch, undisturbed by the fact that this had been named a murder scene and hid his face with his palms, rubbing aggressively, trying to get out all of this anger he had. He didn''t know what to do, he didn''t know what to say, he didn''t know anything. He felt blessed to have someone like Kai as his mate, he felt relieved when he found out for a second that he wouldn''t have to leave him, he felt good even though his partner was a werewolf he didn''t care. Now though things were different. He felt like a fool believing that the bloodsuckers would ever change. Of course someone like Kai, a spoiled royal, would play with him like that. Honestly to him the real side of the story made more sense than an actual vampire loving him. The hard thing was that he couldn''t do anything. He couldn''t hurt him, or try to kill him. Even if he attempted to, the beast inside of him would stop him. Even if he, as Philip wished to erase Kai''s existence, something inside of him would always stop him and that meant he had already lost this game. "I''m such an idiot." he commented. "No, you''re not. Kai is just a murder just like all the vampires. This is what they do. They appear beautiful, like angels but they are cunning and heartless. I hated them from the beginning. They don''t even care about their own, I never believed they could care about others." Mika said. His words were filled with hate, his eyes stuck on Philip as he tried to share his negative emotions with him. It was as if Mika had been stuck two hundred years ago. Yes, the feuds between the species were still going on strong but the truth was that in comparison to previous years it seemed that vampires and werewolves had just taken separate ways. Before Mikain decided to hunt them and sell them, that is. Philip usually did not agree with his thoughts on this. He always tried to keep his work and feelings separate. If he had to kill he would do it because he was ordered to. He wasn''t the type of person that would actually try to harm vampires on his own accord. He didn''t care. It was probably the first time that the wolf warrior could share this deep hatred with his friend. He could see himself killing whoever was on his path, he could feel the satisfaction of destroying them, snapping their bones and the wolf grinned. "You''re right." Philip said and Mika stared at him astounded. He wasn''t expecting that answer. "Let''s go back to the meeting hall." the red haired man said and stood up, dusting off his jeans and checking his clothes to make sure there was no blood left in them. "We will dump the body somewhere later, there are too many people around now." he said and Philip nodded, getting up from the couch. After this little conversation of theirs they once more headed back to the meeting hall in silence. Philip was thinking of so many things at the moment. The man he had just killed, the man he wished to kill and how he would get that frustration off his chest. He breathed heavily, looking tense and exhausted as they walked in. A few eyes turned back staring at them since they were late and Hans had already started talking but both of them ignored the rest of the pack and walked towards Reina who had saved them two seats. The girl spared them a glance, her eyes lingering on Philip, worried about his mental state but she didn''t say anything as he sat next to her. She was sure the next few days were going to be rough. The blond man on the stage looked devastated. Even if Mikain was a complete asshole the truth was that his Beta and he had been friends ever since they were children. Hans had been the only reason chaos hadn''t fallen upon them many times with Mikain''s growing ambition and greed. Hans, deep down, hated him. He hated him for what happened to his wife, he hated him for what had become of the pack and for all the things he was forced to do that he didn''t want to. Death though, was something he never wished for anyone. The tall man had many times been described as soft, too lenient and maybe he was or maybe he just knew the pain of losing a loved one better than anyone. "We are all filled with grief by the death of our Alpha. It was very sudden and it is very clear that this act was shameless and cowardly. We will begin an investigation to find out who dared to murder him, going against the pack''s rules and whoever did it, I reassure you will be executed." The scarred man announced, looking at the crowd with a stern look. He wouldn''t back down on that, justice should be served even if the pack had been rid of a tumor. Philip sat back, listening to Hans'' announcement, not worried of being discovered. He was a wolf warrior, the bounty on his head already forgotten, buried together with Mikain''s heartless body and the only person who had seen him was meeting the Alpha in hell by now.It almost looked entertaining, Hans'' determination and his complete emotionless approach to the events. He felt Reina look at him, their eyes meeting as she spoke. "Aren''t you worried?" she whispered and he shrugged his shoulders. "Not really." he told her and the girl sighed. She was worried. "We will have to assign a new Alpha." Hans continued speaking. At his words the crowd fell silent. That was what everyone was worried about, not who killed the Alpha but who would be the next one. Even the small whispering that could be heard from time to time had died down, all eyes glued on the blond werewolf. "For now I, as the Beta, will take on the duties of the Alpha, once things calm down we will be forced to decide via voting since there can be no battle with an Alpha. The one who the people choose will become the next leader of our pack." Everyone was surprised. Such democratic procedures were not really werewolf-like. Yes the Alpha was dead but the rest expected a battle to the death or something similar. A simple vote somehow seemed not like them. Hans did not mind, even though he knew there would be mixed reactions. He had a short time to make decisions and he would make sure to keep things as civil as he could. When an Alpha is dead the time until a new one is officially declared is the hardest time for the pack. It''s easier for other packs to attack and take over, Hans had to avoid something like that, especially when they had so many enemies. "Also, one last thing. We will be leaving the city. In two days we will go back to the forest." he announced, leaving everyone aghast. Philip tilted his head to the side, a frown on his face. "I have to meet Kai one last time then.." he whispered, a grin lingering on his lips. Chapter 160 - 159 It felt weird for him to listen to someone else explain his story. He had no idea how much his brother knew or what he was actually going to say. Xan could be wrong in lots of areas, his understanding of the events could be lacking but still Kai allowed him to talk about everything and in the end he was proved right. His older brother knew everything, from beginning to end he explained about his story as if he was the one living it. It didn''t take long for the younger prince to get emotional after the story was done. The reminiscing of everything was too much to handle and his blue eyes became teary, the thoughts of everything a burden, like a rock on his chest. Many times he had wished for Xan to stop, the words that were linked with the events unbearable but he understood that the truth needed to get out. After two hundred years for once he had to share those dark memories, have someone else know of the pain he went through. As the tears escaped from his glistening eyes he felt Lun''s palm land on his shoulder, squeezing it as he looked at him with a depressed stare. "Why didn''t you¡­" "Why didn''t I ask for your help?" Kai asked, completing his sentence. "You were my best friend, I didn''t want to put you in danger. Everything happened so fast that I didn''t know what to do. I was an idiot." He said, dropping his head, ashamed to look at the people around him. "Boss, you''re not an idiot." John told him, his dark eyes looking at him with a saddened look. The young werewolf had had many thoughts, speculations about what could have happened. He liked to think about it a lot, it was a mystery, Kai''s past but he had never imagined something so heart tearing. His Boss had been so kind to him, from the very first moment they had met. Yes, he didn''t talk a lot and he always had a cold aura surrounding him but he took him in, he protected him, he helped him. Seeing him in so much pain hurt him too. "You are amazing. It must have hurt a lot, going through all that on your own. If I ever meet that mother of yours I¡­" "Our mother did what she thought was best." Xan said, pushing back his glasses and looking at the young werewolf with a judgemental expression. Xan''s words were followed by a scoff from Lun, who stood up right in front of the crown prince, looking down at him. "Even now can you say that? After everything she did to Kai? You knew the whole story, everything about what your little brother went through and from the very first moment you came here you did nothing? You''re ridiculous." He insulted him. Xan''s body tensed, his lips turning into a thin line as he tried to keep himself in order. He didn''t want to start a fight now, there was no point. "I did not know anything while it happened. Also our mother, she had no idea that the Nightshades were trying to kill Kai or that dog of his. She just wanted Kai to stop being with him, that''s what she had agreed but these people. They are psychos." Xan said. "Yeah, because imprisoning and having your own son tortured is such a normal way to deal with things." Soran commented. "That''s why you need to come back." The crown prince announced. "Mother is sorry. She might not say it but she is. She has people everywhere looking for you, she wants to bring you back, protect you from them. They are still searching for you, you know. The Nightshades. Only in the palace will you be safe and you know that." Kai raised his head. After everything he didn''t really feel like blaming anyone. He didn''t have the strength in him to feel angry with no one except himself. He was the monster, he was the one who didn''t think, he was the one that ripped Philip''s heart off his chest. If he had actually taken some time, if he wasn''t so reckless, if he had been a bit more cautious, none of these things would have happened. Now, everything was gone and he didn''t even have the chance to explain, look at Philip in the eyes and tell him how much he loved him, how he meant everything to him. The prince wanted to fall on his knees, beg for forgiveness but he knew something like that wouldn''t happen. The werewolf had disappeared not wanting anything to do with him and even that was his fault. If he had actually talked to Mika I stead of ignoring him. Tell him how he cared about Philip, be honest with him then maybe he wouldn''t have revealed everything. "I don''t know what I am going to do from now on." Kai said, being honest about not having any idea of what the future would bring. Life seemed once more meaningless. He had learned to live in a world where he felt numb, unfazed by the happenings around him. A day was just hours and a year was just a few days. He didn''t find any meaning in it and simply let his life pass, day by day, month by month. With Philip''s appearance though everything changed. The universe was so brutal, giving him a spark of happiness, the fuel to live in this world again just to have everything taken away from him in the blink of an eye. Whenever Kai let go the world seemed to plot against him. "You should come back home then." Xan proposed. "Is there really anything for you here?" He asked. "His mate is." Lun told him. He never really liked Philip, it wasn''t a dislike it was simply that he thought of him as a side character. Bland and it surprised him how Kai had taken an interest in him. He wanted his friend home too but there would be no way he would let him get dragged home because Xan wanted it. "Yeah, the mate that literally preferred to jump off a window injured than to be in the same room with him." His older brother said and Kai felt like someone had just shot an arrow to his heart. He wasn''t lying but he wished he did. "I think he should take some time . Clear things out in his head. It''s too early for him to decide what he wants. So many things have happened lately." Soran suggested "Boss, don''t give up." John said and the white haired vampire looked at him. "Then what do you want him to do? Keep hurting over and over again? Some things are simply impossible to happen" he said, his tone judgemental as he stared at the young werewolf. John shriveled in his seat, guilty. "You''re simply saying that because you¡­" "Me what John?" Soran asked, raising his eyebrow. "Because you like¡­" "Don''t do this now." Lun told them, his eyes traveling between the two and Soran bit his lip trying to stop himself from saying anything else. John nodded, feeling bad and looked away, not sure if he wanted to get scolded any longer. "Kai...take all the time you need. I will make a few phone calls, have a new house arranged and we can stay there." "There is no need for such things. Kai will return back home¡­" "Boss should do whatever he wants!" "My studio." The prince mumbled, speaking for the first time in a while. "I want to open it again. It helps me." He announced and John nodded, a proud smile on his face while his brother exhaled disappointed. "Do as you wish." The white haired man said, walking out the room, bitter that what he wanted didn''t pass. Lun patted his back, forcing Kai to look at him. His eyes were red, stains of tears on his pale cheeks and his best friend sighed. He hated seeing him that way. "Things will be alright. You''re strong." He told him and Kai gifted him a saddened smile. He was never strong, he simply looked the part. He was never alright, he was just pretending to be. "Boss, I am sorry for asking but...if Philip remembers on his birthday. Won''t he remember he was poisoned too?" John asked. He didn''t know if he should ask something like that at such a moment but he couldn''t help but be curious. If Philip knew he was poisoned then things could turn out well, at least that''s what the werewolf thought. .... Hello everyone! Back to the main story for now. Thank you for reading and I hope you are enjoying everything that is happening. Who is your favorite character? Please let me know in the comments. If you liked this chapter leave a nice comment, a vote and a five star review for my little story. Thank you! Chapter 161 - 160 "I don''t know." Kai answered, shaking his head. "There are many types of poisons. Some of them leave you without knowing what happened. It depends on what they used. I doubt though that they were so reckless. They even made sure that I wouldn''t be able to talk about it." The prince explained and John sighed. It wasn''t his problem but he was affected by it. He was like a child, seeing his favorite character get beaten by the villain in a superhero movie. His heart was breaking. The young werewolf stood up and walked towards his boss, standing by his side before he hugged him. Kai was surprised at first, a bit tense while his eyes widened slightly but he let go, allowing himself the comfort of a friendly embrace. John squeezed him before he met his eyes, an encouraging smile on his face. "Please don''t give up." he told him and Kai blinked. He couldn''t believe his positivity or his support. He smiled without intending to. "Let''s just give him some time to rest." Lun suggested as he stood up and patiently led all of them outside. He was the last one to leave, giving one last concerned look at his friend before he closed the door behind him. He didn''t know what he supported. Of course he would want Kai to return back home, he was his best friend after all and BloodBound was unbearable without him. At the same time though he was well aware that Kai loved Philip. He loved him more than anyone else and being apart from him, having the werewolf hate him was withering his soul. As he walked back to his room, he sighed. His eyes focused on the dirty carpet of the shabby motel when he noticed Xan walking next to him. He didn''t say anything, he preferred the silence for now. He was a bit agitated, the truth was. The vampire hadn''t liked the fact that the crown prince wanted to drag Kai back, especially after knowing his story. "Don''t encourage him like that foolish werewolf, Kai needs to come back home." Xan instructed him, making him stop on his track. Lun looked at him. Observing his cold exterior, the lack of emotion in his eyes, framed by his black eyes. His strong posture and the certainty in his voice. He believed what he said, he stood strong when it came to his opinions and someone would easily say that it was a good trait but the vampire who was in love with him couldn''t be more annoyed by it. "Why?" Lun asked, making Xan frown. "Why what?" "Why do you support your mother. You were there. You knew a story none of us did and you can still tell your little brother to go back there? After everything she did. What? Is she going to say sorry and everything will be fine? I am sure she won''t even do that." he said. "Don''t talk badly about my mother Lun." Xan said, a warning in his tone. "I am not talking badly about your mother. I am telling you the truth. Maybe you should stop being the crown prince for a second and actually care about your little brother who is suffering from everything your family did to him!" Lun said, pointing at him with his index finger, getting more agitated with Xan''s denial. "Just because you got shitty parents doesn''t mean all of us did" The white haired vampire said. Lun was daunted by Xan''s words. Without wanting to he took a step back, as if he had just been attacked and his whole face shut down, his expression mimicking the coldness of the prince that stood so arrogantly before him. Xan shouldn''t have said that, he himself knew it. The subject of Lun''s family was one no one dared to talk about because he hated it. It was a scar in his heart, open and still bleeding to this day. Even if he ignored it, everyone knew it was still there. The tall vampire scoffed, his hands forming fists on his sides, his body tense as he tried to stop himself from attacking Xan. "You are disgusting, sometimes I hate myself for loving you." Lun said. "I didn''t ask you to love me." Xan said. "You ungrateful son of a¡­" he told him between gritted teeth, taking a wide step forward and grabbing him by the collar. He stopped himself though, closing his eyes and immediately let go as if he had been shocked by something. Xan stumbled slightly, finding his balance in the end. "You''re not worth it. You''re not worth my anger, my frustration, the tears I''ve said for you. You''re not worth the times I defended you. You are not worth anything. I must be really an idiot for falling for someone like you." he said, a bitter smile lingering on his lips. "How could I after all, right? You are a prince and my family is fucking drug dealers, traffickers and everyhting bad in this world. You must think of me like such an idiot!" He shouted, hitting his fist on the wall. "Get a hold of yourself." Xan said between gritted teeth, making Lun laugh. The vampire rubbed his face, frustrated before he looked at the prince again, his expression showing desperatio mixed with a wave of sadness. He had no idea, Xan couldn''t fathom how Lun felt at that moment. "I give up." The vampire said. "You''ve said that a thousand times and here you are, still annoying the shit out of me." Xan said. "No, you don''t get it. I am not giving up on trying to make you like me. I am giving up on the way I feel about you. I am done being a clown, waiting and trying to find excuses to see some good in you. You, Xan, the crown prince of BloodBound¡­" he said in a sarcastic way. "Are nothing more than a lifeless shell. Zero emotions, zero understanding! You''re ridiculous and I am even more ridiculous for wasting centuries thinking that you could change. Don''t ever talk to me again, don''t think of saving me again. I would prefer to die than to have you save me. I am done with you and everything that has to do with you." "Took you a while but you figured it out. I see." Xan said, pushing back his hair. Lun had messed them up when he shook him. The vampire stared at him, shocked by his indifferent reaction. "Fuck you, really." Chapter 162 - [Bonus ] 161 They walked quietly right next to the other, no words spoken, just John stealing glances from the handsome man next to him, thinking what would happen from now on. He didn''t really have time to think, things happened so fast his thoughts were tumbling like a huge stone, not stopping at the end of the road. Soran was beautiful. He looked frail in a very romantic way. John didn''t know how else to describe it. When he was younger the werewolf used to love to draw. He would see things, people and then the undying urge to transfer them into paper would become unbearable. It was his way of showing how he viewed things, his way of preserving that feeling of absolute perfection forever. He loved to draw, the smell of the paper and the dirt of the pencil as he shaded where the light couldn''t touch. He loved observing and seeing the lines and the shapes of the things that got his attention. That feeling though had disappeared. Ever since he had lost his home the urge to draw had been gone since he couldn''t see the beauty in the world so easily any more. Drawing was just a means to get money and tattooing started as a means so he could get his does. No matter how shallow it sounded John had used his talent once, one of the things he believed they made him himself just to feed his addiction. Ever since Soran came into his life though things seemed to change. His fingers were itching again and every time he observed his face he could imagine himself drawing him. He could envision the outline, the shading and the expression he wanted him to have. John could see his pose, the clothes he would wear or the absence of them. It was as if he had already painted him with his heart, red ink creating a lovesick portrait. "What are you thinking about?" Soran asked him and the young man jumped, startled. "Nothing really." he mumbled, his ears getting red from embarrassment. "John¡­" Soran called out and the werewolf looked at him with his big eyes. He looked like a young deer. No matter the tattoos, and the kind of rebellious exterior his face was sweet and innocent. The vampire sighed, seeming perplexed as he talked. "Forgive me. My attitude has been a bit weird lately. I don''t know what has gotten into me." he apologized and John blinked. He raised his hands, and shook his head, in shock. "No, no. It''s alright." he told him, a small smile on his face. "It''s fine. Things are frustrating. We are all stressed and everything is a mess. I don''t mind if you''re looking for somewhere to vent. I am fine with it, you can even slap me if you want or whatever." he said and Soran chuckled, finding his words entertaining. "I wouldn''t do that." he answered him and raised his arm, patting his head. His dark hair was short but still they felt soft underneath his pale palm. John felt like a child that didn''t stop him from blushing though. "You are certainly the most interesting vampire I''ve met." he said. "I am?" John asked surprised, his eyes round as he stared at him with excitement, making the vampire laugh once more. "Yeah, you are kind. It''s rare." "You''re kind too." "Oh, not really." Soran said. "I just don''t find any satisfaction in the things other vampires do. That doesn''t mean I am kind." "I think you are." John insisted and the vampire stared at him, seeming a bit irked all of a sudden. That was the most important thing John had to think about. The fact that the vampire before him, the one he described so easily as kind would have moments like these. He would change, get annoyed and be rough with him. No matter how it hurts, John would have to learn to accept it. The truth was he had no faith in himself. He didn''t believe he could make Soran love him and in a way he had given up. Being next to him like this somehow was enough. He didn''t want to be greedy and then get disappointed. The feelings that would form in him, he was scared of them, actually terrified of what he would do if a wave of sadness like that hit him. The young werewolf didn''t think Soran would ever love someone like him, someone who was lacking in every aspect. He didn''t have money, he wasn''t really handsome, tall or strong. He was a werewolf that probably smelled like wet dog and well, he was an ex addict. His resume wasn''t really something he could brag about. "Sorry." John mumbled, noticing that Soran was annoyed by his expression and the man blinked. "No, I am sorry I¡­I don''t know what¡­" he mumbled, his mind trying to find an explanation for his reactions. "Then do me a favor." John said, interrupting his thoughts. "A favor?" "Let me draw you." the werewolf said, a shy smile lingering on his pink lips as he watched Soran''s surprised expression. Maybe he was a bit greedy after all. There was no denying it. John was in love. Just by looking at Soran his heart would flutter like a baby bird, learning how to fly. He could feel it in his chest, the heart trying to escape so it could meet him. It was comforting but at the same time a small torture. Love was. Ups and down everything happening in the secluded walls of his mind. Scenarios and thoughts of how things would go, all gathered in one very crowded space. John looked at Soran excitedly as he accepted and he couldn''t hide his happiness. He had never believed he would find something or someone he would want to draw again.. He had stopped believed perfection existed in this dreaded world but right now, while Soran stood before him he was sure, he had simply chosen to be blind all this time because the man in front of him was perfect, from head to toe and he, as an artist had to capture that, in his heart and mind, in his piece of paper, preserve it, forever. Chapter 163 - 162 He stayed in bed. There was really nothing that could get him to move. Not the knocks on his door, not the voice of his friends calling him. He felt weak. His whole body was aching and his muscles were giving up on him as the time went by. He was hungry, depressed and exhausted and there was nothing he could do about it. It hurt, like a burn on his chest the thought that he would never see Philip gaian, hurt. Many times he tried to get up, find himself something to do, something else to think about but on his first step his eyes would swell with tears and everything would come back to him. That''s why he had decided it was better to nest in the covers, like an animal that lived under the soil, he had covered himself with the white blanket and all he could see was the darkness behind his closed eyes. He wouldn''t let anyone in. Not Lun, not Soran, not even John and he didn''t know what he would do when the time to leave this cheap place would come. He was sure Lun would try to break open the door to drag him out. It wasn''t that Kai didn''t want to get up. In a sense he couldn''t. Every step hurt him, emotionally and to some extent physically. He wanted to feed, his stomach though had turned into a knob and there was no will in him left to get him out of his bed. All he wanted was to just stay there, frozen until he managed to erase his emotions once again, return to the man he used to be, the one that managed to survive for two hundred years, even if he was drowned in constant pain and sorrow. During the first night closing his eyes had only allowed his nightmares to creep in. Philip''s face as he died. The expression he could never erase from his mind, those wide eyes and the soft why they left his lips just before he left the world. It was the most horrid scene he had witnessed, until today it haunted him and after everything it had somehow come back to the surface. He had cried that night, loudly but in his sleep, worrying everyone that could hear. There was no cure for what Kai was going through, no real help. He had always been like this, broken and depressed and the truth was he was probably going to continue being this messed up. The young prince had thrown the blanket on the floor that night and his anxious hands had ripped the sheets he was sleeping on. Once he had woken up the image of the chaos that he had created reminded him that he was stuck. Again and again, in a loophole, stuck in a reality he hated. He didn''t want to imagine how Philip would have reacted when he was being told the truth. Mika probably said everything, sadly just everything he knew. Maybe it was for the better though, not being able to see him, observing the change in his face as he heard his friend reveal his past. Kai didn''t know if he could handle it, the hate that would suddenly be born in Philip''s heart. He loved seeing his smile again, listening to him call his name. It was Utopian though, even if he tried to ignore the fact that one day he would find out it still happened and now, now Kai felt ruined. The prince was not very fond of strong smells and after two days locked in a room with the same clothes right after a huge fight he had become quite appalling. That was the first time he decided to move and actually take a shower. He allowed the warm water to land on his skin, hot, turning the pale body red as he closed his eyes and stood underneath it. The shampoo smelled nice, like flowers and bubbled easily on his golden hair. It didn''t take long for him to finish but still, he remained in there, in the figgy shower with his eyes closed, the water burning him slowly and the marks of the past visible on his back. His forehead touched the tiles and he started crying again. "Why did it have to happen like this?" He asked, not knowing who he was referring to. The gods, the universe? He needed someone to offer him an answer, let him know how he could and why he was so unlucky. "I''m sorry. I never wanted things to be this way." He whispered when he finally decided to turn the water off and slip off the shower. He had a few clothes with him, John and Lun had done some shopping for everyone since their previous escape had been quite sudden. He changed into a clean white shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He didn''t usually wear blue jeans, he wasn''t fond of the color but now it didn''t really matter. He was going to crawl inside the sheets anyway. He laid again on the bed, his wet hair dumping the pillow as he stared soulless at the ceiling. The light trembled for a moment. A yellow flash before his eyes. John had told him to try. He had said not to give up but truly what could happen? What could Kai do to make him understand. He still didn''t remember. He didn''t know of the things they went through together so of course he would value his best friend''s opinion more than his. Kai hadn''t told him from the start, even after they decided to date in this short time he didn''t reveal to him the truth, he couldn''t actually but Philip didn''t know that, so probably even that would count. The fact that he in a way in Philip''s eyes chose to remain silent. What would he say to him? "I love you and I''m sorry." That sounded too plain, too weak, too little. "I love you so much" Again it wasn''t enough. It had never been enough and now, it wouldn''t move the werewolf and Kai didn''t blame him. He took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the huge weight on his chest. It was bothering him, like he couldn''t breathe properly. "From the very first moment I laid eyes on you I knew, even if I didn''t want to admit it, even if I tried to cover it, I knew that I loved you. Maybe that was the reason I wanted to get you in trouble, I was childish and spoiled, the idea of someone holding such power over me did not fit my image. Still, you did not hate me. You saw something in me, something not even I could see. I tried to hurt you, again and again but you stood there, waiting patiently for me. How could I not love you? How could I not worship the ground you stepped on? One world from you and I would drop everything, even my life. I am sorry. I have always been sorry, hating myself that allowed this to happen, that allowed us to end and when I found you again I was so scared, terrified of you finding out the monster that I hid inside of me. Maybe it would have been better if I had run away, that way you wouldn''t get hurt again, at least not yet but it was impossible. It was truly impossible for me to just leave you when you stood right in front of me. It was impossible for me to see a world without you when I knew you were living in it. It''s all my fault, everything but my biggest regret is not managing to protect you." He said. It was a small speech, referred to no one because the truth was he was completely alone. He twisted and turned, feeling the droplets of water travel down the back of his neck, landing on the sides of his temples and rushing to reach his collarbone where they rested. He exhaled, his palms landing on his face as he rubbed it. "You''re a fucking idiot!" He attacked himself. He wasn''t an idiot, he simply couldn''t let go. How could he when his relationship with Philip had been written in the stars, probably by some very sadistic god that enjoyed seeing them in pain. Soran had told him to go against fate but could he? Fate was stronger than just a word, an idea, it was an invisible pull and even the strongest person in the world couldn''t stop it. He too would know about it soon, either he wanted it to, or not. The prince remained alone for a while longer, until he watched the sun set from the small window of the room. The sky changed its color from light blue to orange, purple and midnight blue. It was a beautiful transition, one that managed to take his mind off of things for a while when he heard a knock on his door. "Go away please" the youngest prince said but he got no answer. Usually they would call his name, ask him if he was hungry and all those worried questions a person that had been holed up in his room would hear. This time though no one spoke. Another knock was heard on the door, echoing in the silent room and the prince frowned. "Go away, I want to be alone." Kai repeated. "Open the fucking door or I will break it down" A voice said, the sound reaching very clearly his ears. He couldn''t be mistaken, even through the angry tone the person remained the same. Kai''s blue eyes widened and he hopped off the bed, suddenly feeling energetic, too energetic actually. He stood close to the door his face in shock as he placed his palm on it, sticking his ear on it. "I can hear you behind the door. Just open it before I make a mess." Philip warned him and Kai''s pale hand slowly turned the old handle. Soon the werewolf came into view, handsome as always but cold, like a blizzard. He was angry, his expression was the true definition of mad and Kai''s heart shuttered in his chest, the pieces traveling all over his body. He had said beautiful things before, when he was alone, lying in his bed but now, now, all the words seemed to have been swallowed up and destroyed. He simply stood there stunned by the unexpected guest, his lips sealed tight. There were no words, no thoughts, just feelings and an exhausted body. Chapter 164 - 163 Kai wished to close his eyes and simply disappear. He wished to turn into the smallest spec of dust and get swept away by the wind. His mind was blank and his eyes would soon start to water. He felt it, the upcoming upsetting emotions that would invade once more his life. He couldn''t close his eyes though, he was unable to find this momentary peace he was asking for since if he did Philip''s image would disappear before him. It was a very depressing paradox. He loved looking at him, his appearance a gift by the gods but his expression, the deep wrinkle between his eyebrows and the darkness in his stare were making him want to run away. He was scared, still not ready to face the consequences of his previous actions, still unable to face rejection. He didn''t want to hear Philip''s hurtful words, not because he didn''t know what he had done but because he hated the thought that he had hurt him. Even after everything, after all the oaths and the promises Kai still found it difficult to keep his word. The one promise he had made to himself hundreds of years ago had seemed to be harder than breathing because every time they collided, the werewolf was getting hurt. They stood silent for a while, both of them preparing themselves for different situations. He would give all of his money to know what the man was thinking, to be ready for the harsh things he would hear. Nothing could really prepare him though for what was about to happen, the tension and the heartburn. He was already feeling his heart race and his hands were shaking. He placed his palms in the pockets of his jeans, wanting to hide how anxious he was. It felt that it would be wrong if he took this moment and made it about himself, it would be selfish. Philip walked in without asking for permission, his shoulder bumping into Kai''s as he stepped into the room, his eyes pointlessly examining the poor interior. The vampire slowly closed the door behind them, making sure it didn''t make too much noise and alerted the rest of his friends that he had finally made an appearance. If Lun or Xan came to his room right now he was almost sure a fist fight would happen. The prince waited, standing behind him. He waited for the werewolf to start the conversation, a swear or a punch, he didn''t mind as long as Philip said something, did something because he didn''t have the strength to breathe at the moment, let alone speak. He heard him sigh, his eyes traveling to his face as he turned around,he looked concerned. Of course he was, Kai thought, standing in front of the man that he thought of his killer. Kai found all of his reactions reasonable, even the more extreme ones he was expecting to come. The young man would take everything, he wouldn''t complain. He would allow Philip to get everything out of his chest the same way he had done for him years ago. Then he would let him go, once and for all so he could leave in peace. He was sure Philip had a lot on his chest right now, if being here, blaming him, unloaded some of his burdens he was fine with it. Slowly day after day he would learn again. Kai would get used to the feeling of being alone, the numbness of his thoughts and his feelings. It was a process, painful and time consuming but this is what he had planned to do, what he had thought about while he laid in that bed for hours and hours. There was nothing left, no hope to nurture as he met his eyes, as he realized the real emotions emitting from him. He didn''t hope for anything, he knew he deserved everything, he felt like he deserved even more to be honest but he was too much of a coward to take his own life. This is what he told himself, that this was what he deserves. Somewhere a clock was ticking, time moved forward but in this room Kai felt stuck. An endless loop of sorrow as waiting seemed like forever. He parted his lips, preparing himself to actually speak first but Philip stopped him. He raised his hand, showing him that he didn''t want to hear him out. Kai nodded, not knowing why but he at least wished for Philip to know he respected his decision. "I don''t really want to hear what you have to say." he told him, every word breaking him. "I know it will all be just excuses anyways. I came here to say a few things to you, I hope that you will hear me out, I hope that you won''t try to excuse yourself." Philip said, his hazel eyes stuck on Kai as he talked. The prince felt his fingers curl inside his cold pockets. His hands slowly forming fists, his nails digging on his pale skin. He wasn''t angry, he didn''t have the right to be after all, he just felt like he was hopeless, there was no turning back now, everything was set and failure was to be expected. "I will hear you out." Kai said, his voice coming out shaky, as if he was afraid. "Good. You have no idea how mad I am, furious really. Was this a game to you? I already know that you''re my mate, you knew how much I expected this moment, the anguish I felt that I might lose you on my birthday but you didn''t say anything, you knew and you could relieve me of this stress but you choose to see me anxious, just so you won''t have to reveal your crime?" Philip asked him but the vampire didn''t say anything, he stood still trying to listen without crying. It was too early for him to cry and no matter how hard he wanted to he didn''t want Philip to think he was asking for his pity. So he took everything in, processed it and tried not to collapse. It was harder than it sounded, standing there. "But that''s not even that serious, that could be considered as nothing compared to the things I heard that you did. You killed me." Philip said. Kai noticed he uttered the words with difficulty, pain in his eyes as he said it allowed. The man he had loved had killed him. "You killed me but I still came here. I was ready to make everything a mess, I wanted to beat you up and cause a scene. All those days I couldn''t find peace, not even for a second. I was willing to put my life on the line for you and you didn''t have decency, even after you used me to tell me the truth?!" Philip shouted, furious. "I did not use you. I never wanted to use you. Philip, there are things¡­the whole story is not how you think it is." The blond prince said. It hurt, it hurt him so much knowing that Philip looked at him as a manipulator, as someone who used him to save himself. He wanted to explain. "Then how is the story? Tell me. I will give you one chance. Tell me everything." Philip said and Kai took a deep breath. He wanted to explain but he couldn''t. He couldn''t explain because every time he tried to talk about it his lungs would burn, his whole body would be in pain and he would start coughing blood. It was a warning, a very brutal reminder that he wasn''t allowed to speak, express himself, reveal the truth. "I can''t" Kai replied, seeing Philip''s expression show pure fury. The werewolf rushed forward, grabbing him by the collar of his cheap shirt and pushed him upwards slightly. "You can''t?" he asked him, his eyes wide. His eyebrows furrowed as he shouted in his face. "You can''t? That''s what you have to say to me? When I give you a chance to explain yourself all you tell me is that you can''t. Didn''t my words mean anything to you? All the time I showed you how much I cared for you, the moments I risked my life!" "It''s not like that, I swear." Kai said, his voice shaking as his eyes started to water and the werewolf let go of him. He clicked his tongue, not believing in his tears. "What''s the point of crying? You don''t even want to explain what happened but you want to cry. I won''t pity you Kai. Not after what you did." "You need to believe me, Philip. I am really sorry about what happened, I never intended to hurt you. I never wanted something like that to happen." "Then tell me why¡­.Why?" he said again, his arms in the air in desperation. "I can''t!" Kai shouted back while tears escaped from his eyes. He tried to move closer, his hand extended as he wanted to touch him but the werewolf avoided him, standing further away and making Kai''s heart sink. "You think I am a joke. That must be it. You and your friends were laughing at me while I risked everything for you. Knowing what had happened" The werewolf said, messing up his hair. "I can''t believe I came here to talk to you. I can''t believe I was trying to be reasonable with you, at least consider hearing your explanation after everything! You are horrible Kai¡­" Philip attacked him with painful words and the vampire''s head dropped, his eyes locked to the floor, if he looked at him now he would start whaling, he would beg for forgiveness but he knew it would only make Philip ask more questions he would never be able to answer. "I''m sorry." the prince mumbled as he heard Philip scoff. "I really am." "Then tell me what happened." "I won''t" "Kai, look at me." he said, trying to gain his attention. The prince raised his head, his eyes red from crying. "I am leaving tonight, I will go back to the forest, this will be your last chance to tell me the truth. I swear to god I¡­" "You should go." Kai said, feeling his heart shutter in thousands of pieces as he watched Philip''s expression change again. One way or the other he was hurting him, from the start to the end he was only a thorn stuck in his heart, he had to let him go. "Fuck you. I wish I never see you again." "No, this is good. I will be going back too, back to BloodBound." "What?" Chapter 165 - 164 Kai hadn''t really thought about it. BloodBound was like an open wound for him, the red sun a bright beacon in his nightmares. As he heard Philip tell him he would leave he realized this city was not the one he should be anymore. Distance, that''s what they needed from each other and possibly the thought of never seeing each other again. There was no city though, no country that wouldn''t tempt the lovestruck prince to simply go out into every forest and search for him at some point. That''s why he believed he should imprison himself. Put a stop to the madness he called his love and return back to where he came from, hide behind the pretty tapestries and the heavy curtains. His room, the soft sheets and the people all around him would help him forget. The prince had spent two hundred years in the world of humans and hadn''t loved not even a second of it. BloodBound was the only option at the moment. Even if he would have to face his mother, his father and everyone he grew up hating it was the only place that would keep him there, the only city in this wretched world where Philip would not be able to enter and once he stepped in, Kai himself would not be able to step out. The werewolf seemed to be shocked, his anger subsiding as he processed Kai''s words. He was not expecting this. The truth was that the werewolf was waiting for the blond man to beg, ask him not to leave, tell him everything that happened but as it seemed he had been wrong with everything. Kai would not utter a word about what happened and on top of that he was going to leave. "What do you mean you''re going back? What about the Bloody People, isn''t their organization on BloodBound?" Philip asked him, visibly concerned for his safety. "My family will protect me. I will be fine. Don''t worry about me." "I am not worried about you. I just can''t believe how stupid you are! Just to get away from me? Is that it? You can''t stand me, after you used me, after I put my life on the line for you and you got rid of someone that was after you you''re just going to leave." "It''s not like that!" Kai shouted, his body getting tense. It was as if Philip was pushing him, step by step the prince felt as if he was getting closer to a sharp cliff, his back turned to chaos. One more word, one more accusation and the man felt like he would slip, lose all self control and ruin everything. "It is like that. Exactly like that. You''re a user, a manipulator. The fact that you''re running away once again proves it." "Stop!" Kai screamed. His tears were set free once more. Staining his beautiful face as he talked to the werewolf. "You have no idea. You know nothing of the things I went through just because I ended up falling in love with you!" The prince told him, raising his arm and pointing an angry finger at him. "I got whipped, I got kidnapped, I got fucking tortured all because¡­" he started saying when another coughing fit made his lungs burn. He took a few steps back, blood dots falling on the floor and Philip focused on them with his eyes. He didn''t say anything, he didn''t know how to respond. He was the one being wronged, he was the one that had been tricked so why was Kai trying to end up being the victim here? Philip closed his eyes, a deep breath getting in his body through his nostrils as he tried to calm down. It was the first time he felt like his veins were burning, his blood was on fire as he looked at the blond prince. He was crying while blaming him, while talking about things he didn''t know. "You don''t love me." Philip uttered and the next instant he regretted it. Kai''s expression was enough for him to realize that he had just stepped over an invisible line. The vampire stood stunned, completely frozen when the sound of Philip''s words reached his ears and the words made sense. "You are a fucking idiot." The prince said, rushing towards the door. He violently grabbed the handle, opening it wide and showing him the corridor. "I am sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am but this...I won''t stand it. I can''t, it hurts too much. Go back to the forest, it''s fine, I will go back home. It is better this way, we were never meant to be after all." The prince announced. The werewolf stood there. He did not expect things to go this way. He felt angry, he wanted to fight and tell Kai everything he was thinking but from the first moment things went completely wrong. Kai was crying, he was talking about things that didn''t make sense and had announced that he was leaving, far away to a place he wouldn''t be able to reach him. After everything, after all the things he had found out about the past the thought still hurt, the idea of him being out of reach made his chest tighten and he hated himself for feeling this way. He was supposed to be angered, mad, confront him but now all he wanted was to beg him to let him stay. His face fell, the feelings of disappointment having locked restraints on his wrists and ankles. "Get out. Please" Kai said and Philip looked at him. There were no signs of anger in his face anymore, it was almost as if the roles were reversed. "Get out!" He repeated. Philip began moving, heading towards the opened door and stopping right in front of Kai.t Their eyes met for a few moments, a deadly silence between them, the prince gripping on the handle so tightly it deformed in his palm but no one paid attention to that, no one cared. "I wish I never met you" Philip told Kai. Those were the last words they were going to say to each other for a while. Chapter 166 - 165 "Stand a bit more to the left please" John said. The moment that Soran had accepted his unexpected request he had managed to find himself some cheap piece of paper and a pencil, his eyes locked on Soran''s figure. The elegant vampire was seated on a chair in his hotel room, the werewolf right in front of him observing him with his lovestruck eyes. He had his legs crossed, his body leaned in a bit forward while he supported his chin on his palm, his long fingers spreading beautifully on his chin. It was a very classic pose, drawn by many artists but John didn''t mind. As long as he could sketch him it was enough, even though he had been too tempted to ask him to take his clothes off, he just didn''t find the courage. It was a very beautiful image. The way a few strands of hair fell in front of his face, his dark eyes looking straight ahead as if he was focused on his painter. John gave him a few instructions and Soran flowed them almost perfectly but the werewolf wanted one more thing. He stood up, approaching him and asking with his eyes if it was okay to touch him. Soran smiled, giving him permission and with shaky hands and a touch as light as a feather John cupped Soran''s cheek and moved his head slowly to the left. "Is it okay now?" Soran asked and the young man nodded excitedly. He rushed back to his chair, his palm still remembering the sensation of his soft cheek and he sat down, grabbing his white paper and his pencil. "I think it will look really good" John said as he placed the first lines on his paper. "I am sure it will. I mean you''re the one sketching it." Soran complimented him and the werewolf chuckled. "You''ve never seen my sketches." John said. " I don''t have to. Some times you just look at someone and you know they can do something. It''s like a gut feeling, I guess.", The white haired vampire told him, not knowing how much effect his words had on him. John felt his cheeks heat up, his hands slightly shaking a few lines coming out bad and he pressed his pencil harder above the faint lines to straighten them. "I used to love sketching but hadn''t really done so in a while. Thank you." The werewolf said, causing the vampire to have a questioning look. "Why thank me?" Soran asked. "Because after I left home, after everything with...the drugs the world stopped looking beautiful to me. I couldn''t even grab a pencil to sketch except it was a tattoo request just so I can make money. But now, I think...what I mean is that you... you''re beautiful" John explained, his last words coming out like a shy whisper and Soran smiled faintly. A lot of weird things had been happening to him lately, especially the ones considering his emotions, the way he felt so agitated all the time. It was tiring to try and suppress it, every time John spoke he had a very good poisonous answer but at the same time he wanted to remain silent, not hurt him with his words. Soran had great discipline. He had self restraint and even during moments like these he was good at keeping his front. "You give me too much credit." The white haired man answered and John shrugged his shoulders. "Am I? I really don''t think so. If you could see yourself through my eyes as I am sketching you right now you would understand I think." John said. Since Soran had said yes to him sketching him he had felt a little more comfortable. The vampire seemed to be able to manage his emotions and that made him feel at peace. He was thinking about him, he cared and that''s why Soran was so nice to him. In his mind John had started to hope again, a small smile plastered on his working face as he thought of silly thoughts. The words were coming out of his mouth without thinking about them too much, without remembering that in a sense Soran had rejected him once before. "And what do you see?" The vampire asked, furrowing his eyebrows, curious about the meaning behind the werewolf''s words. "I can see the elegant curve of your lips, the darkness in your eyes, I can see galaxies in them while your pale skin is like a dreamy cloud, your hair reminds me of snow, fresh and beautiful. Your long fingers, the care in your movements. I can see many things as you sit there and my mind, without me wanting to connects them to all the beauties in this world. That''s why I wanted to sketch you. Because with you in it the world looks more beautiful to me" the young man said, his face buried in his drawing. A silence spread in the room, no answer coming from the vampire and John still lost in this dream of his, raising his head, locking eyes with the concerned vampire. His heart began to beat faster, maybe he had said too much, maybe he had felt comfortable in this little favor of Soran''s and now he had dug his own grave. He blinked a few times. "I...what I mean is¡­" John stuttered, trying to think of a way to save the situation, take back his worlds and hide his feelings once more, even though he was not very good at it. Soran broke his pose, standing up, tall and looking down on the young werewolf who stared at him with a flustered face. "John, I love Kai. I did and probably always do. This whole thing is troubling for me." He told him, John''s eyes widening with his words. Was it possible for a hole to be created right now on the floor and swallow him whole, dripping him into the vast universe with no course? If it could happen, he would take it. .... Hello everyone. Hope you''re enjoying the book. I will write a few happy chaps later on don''t worry I won''t depress you for too long in this romance mess of mine! Please leave a nice comment and a vote to help boost the book. Thank you! Chapter 167 - 166 John could only describe in one way how he felt once Soran''s words reached him. The young werewolf felt like a glass, fragile and shining. This little glass was placed on a table with a bright red cover beneath it. Then someone, thinking it would be funny, grabbed the table sheet, thinking he could slip it underneath the little glass without breaking it. Sadly though that person had failed and the little glass had fallen down and shattered into thousands of pitiful shards. John had been both, the little glass that ceased to exist anymore and the man that dragged the table cloth, bringing his own doom. You should have kept your mouth shut, you pushed it too much! His consciousness shouted in between his ears while he stood in front of Soran, frozen and ready to burst into tears. "I thought I made it clear previously when you told me you liked me but John, I, don''t like you." The white haired vampire repeated, stabbing his heart once more to make sure he was going to properly finish him. John''s face dropped, his eyes, glazed with fresh tears, looked at the floor as he was trying to grab any word from the sea that was messing up his mind and bring it to his lips. Only chaos ruled on his body. "I...I''m sorry. I didn''t mean it like that. I think there is a misunderstanding¡­" John said, unable to face him. He hoped he would be able to slither away from this situation once more, and find a way to bury this embarrassing moment because if this kept going he didn''t know what he could do with himself. "There is no misunderstanding John, I know very well. It''s obvious from the way you look at me. I tried to be nice to you¡­" Soran said. His words felt everything other than nice. His tone was cold, his eyes glued on him but no kindness was mirrored in them. He wasn''t sure if this was the side effects of the mating or maybe him being fed up with the young werewolf and that was the most confusing part. He wanted to believe that he could make things change but at the same time, a whisper always bothered him, a voice coming from behind telling him it was pointless. "Please don''t." John interrupted him. "I''m sorry but I don''t want to hear what you have to say. It''s... It''s...a little bit too harsh for me right now." The young werewolf said while his eyes were pinned to the floor. If he looked at Soran, how handsome he was, how he loved his face, everything about him even when he was being mean he would break. He didn''t want to start crying or seem fragile in front of him. People knowing how affected he was by their words was one of his most horrible nightmares. "I didn''t want to bother you." He said and gently left the piece of paper on the chair he was sitting on, letting go of the pencil too. "I''ve created a rather uncomfortable situation and I apologize. I would like to go now. Don''t worry, I won''t bother you any longer." John didn''t really wait to hear Soran''s reply, he didn''t want to and he felt even more bad with himself since he was running away. He turned his back on the white haired vampire, his head dropping once more and rushed towards the closed door. The handle felt cold under his touch and as he twisted it and opened the door a creaking sound was heard. Soran did not attempt to stop him nor did he say anything. The werewolf maybe wanted him to but that thought had been buried deep into his mind, he couldn''t have another failed episode. The white haired vampire was left alone in a room that wasn''t even his own. His crossed his arms over his chest, looking around the room while this peculiar feeling that had caused him to say everything subsided. It was as if his head was clearing up from a fog and he frowned, slowly realizing the events that took place while John was here. "What the¡­" Soran mumbled and looked at the closed door. Should he go after him? He wondered but he didn''t move. Maybe it was better this way. He didn''t know what he should say to John, just an apology wasn''t enough but at the same time he couldn''t accept his feelings. He shook his head, confused with his own self and rubbed his temples when his eyes accidentally landed on the sketch. It stood there, lonely and left alone on top of the chair. John was sitting there with the most adorable smile a few seconds ago. His words had been so sweet and now that he was by himself he couldn''t help but feel moved by them. He smiled as he extended his arm and took a hold of the cheap paper. The sketch hadn''t been cleared but John''s skill was obvious even through the messy lines.. His eyes widened a bit. He was shocked at how beautifully he had drawn him. It was as if that person wasn''t him but someone who looked ten times more kind and beautiful. Was this how Soran appeared before John''s eyes, the vampire thought and bit his lip concerned. He didn''t want to upset him, he didn''t want to shut down that caring side of his, he didn''t know why he was acting so cold one time and then he was nice. They were better ways to handle things, he was good at applying better ways, he wasn''t like Lun or Kai but for some reason at the moment he seemed unable too. The sketch still in his hands he sat on the bed, sighing, his eyes examining it again and again. John was truly a kind person, someone Soran would believe it would be hard to find in BloodBound and maybe even the human world. He was nice, caring and loyal. He seemed as if he was a bit of a coward but at the same time brave. He wasn''t like Lun who didn''t seem to falter at anything or Kai who always knew how to trick people to get what he wanted. He wasn''t even like Soran who many times he had faked his kindness but never with him. Being kind to John was something that came to him easily, as naturally as he breathed and that was the reason why he hated the fact that the last few days he has been cruel to him. His words were unforgivable, his looks, the way he pushed him away. He shook his head again, disappointed with his own self and the thought of going after him passed again in his mind. "No, you''ll just make things worse." He told himself but once more he looked at the sketch. The drawing of him that didn''t feel like him. "He sees me like that" Soran said and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He stood up, folding the piece of paper and placing it in his pocket thinking he didn''t want to lose it. "Let''s go, I guess." He was going to go after him. He had reached that decision rather easily. He wanted to apologize, he couldn''t bear the thought of John thinking about him as mean. He opened the door and his eyes looked left and right, a wonder as to where he should go. He tried to go right first, thinking that this was John''s room. He had no idea where the little wolf would be going, maybe to Kai, that was a possibility and Kai''s room was to the right. Soran was worried that John might leave, then he wouldn''t be able to find him and with everyone around apologizing would be difficult. Thankfully all the unlucky thoughts he made turned out to be untrue because the young werewolf was just a few meters and a turn away from him. He had nowhere to go, leaving his room in such a hurry wasn''t probably the best idea but he couldn''t turn back now. Being all alone in this narrow corridor he felt like he could take a breath for a second. His body slid on the wall as he sat on the uncleaned floor, his arms resting on his knees. He had tried really hard not to cry while he had been with Soran and he had succeeded but now that he was alone he felt like letting go was a reward. John still didn''t cry loudly, he didn''t wish to attract any attention but small tears were finally allowed to drip from his face and fall down. He was looking at them, drop by drop as he thought of everything he did wrong. Too occupied by his own thoughts he didn''t heard the footsteps, he simply felt a hand on his shoulder, surprising him and he looked up, his eyes wide when he came face to face with Soran. He jumped up, wiping his eyes as fast as he could, violently making the area around them to turn red. "Don''t do that." Soran said and stopped him by gently grabbing his arm and pushing it down. "It will irritate your eyes." "I...what are you doing here?" John asked. "I won''t bother you any longer. I won''t be a problem so please can you stop being so cruel to me?" He asked, his eyes flooding with tears. He couldn''t keep in his emotions any longer. "I thought I could take it. I thought I would be fine with it but it hurts because I notice everything. The way you look at my Boss, how you seem displeased to be around me for too long, how you talk to me. I...I am sorry that I like you." John exploded. Soran stood frozen for a second. Seeing him cry was shocking enough but the words that came with his tears made him realize how bad things were. He didn''t know what to say, what could possibly be appropriate at a time like this so he did the next best thing, a gesture he never really did for anyone, since he didn''t feel close enough to anyone. The white haired vampire hugged him, bringing him in his embrace and allowing him to take everything out as he cried and shook. "I''m sorry." Soran whispered, his eyes closed as he caressed John''s back. "I am really sorry for everything.. I swear." Chapter 168 - 167 "Philip, please think about this." Reina said as she struggled to close one of her enormous suitcases. She had sat on the top of it, bouncing while she pulled the zipper. There was a sleeve still left on the side, a black piece of clothing unable to fit in. The girl looked at it, a frown on her face while she sighed but she didn''t make another attempt to open the suitcase and push it in. "I don''t want to think anymore, all I have been doing is thinking lately." The werewolf said. He was done with his own luggage and Reina had called him in her room with the excuse to help her. The truth was that she needed to talk to him. She didn''t like the way Mika had gotten into his head, yes, she understood his concern, the things they had to go through in the past but there was a gut feeling that kept bothering her, that something didn''t add up in this story of Mika''s. She shook her head, seeing how Philip had sat on her couch, his feet on the coffee table while he spoke and she plopped down next to him, leaving a few of her things unattended. "I think you need to talk to him again. Don''t you find it weird? He is so distressed every time you talk to him about it but at the same time he doesn''t want to reveal what happened. Honestly, Philip when I met Kai I could see from meters away that he loved you, even when you weren''t able to see it. THis just doesn''t make sense." she repeated and watched the werewolf frown, his hands diving in his long hair as he messed them up. He didn''t want to think about Kai any longer. He was going to leave, both of them would so there was zero point in breaking his head and his heart on what was to happen, or on what happened. Even though he was angry, even though he wanted to punch him, Philip had gone to him wishing that at the end of the day he would hear an explanation. That he would get to find out something about the past that would allow him to forgive Kai but the prince wouldn''t give in, he wouldn''t utter a word and that was what angered him the most. "Reina, let''s just go home, back into the forest. I don''t want to think about him. Mika was right, he and I were never really meant to be, there was a mistake. The gods made a mistake. He doesn''t want to answer me because he doesn''t want his true self to be revealed, a coldhearted murderer." "Yes, but if he was a cold blooded murderer Philip, would he care about people finding out how he was like? And no, the gods are never wrong and you know it. This is a mating bond not a fucking weather forecast. I love Mika, but he has gotten into your head, he has you believing only his side of the story, I am not saying he means ill but he probably doesn''t know what really happened. Don''t you see?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. She was aware that Philip was going to be fed up with this conversation soon enough but she didn''t want to give up so easily. In a few hours they were going to leave. Philip shouldn''t leave this place without the thought that Kai could have something more to say. If he did then he would never leave the forest, Reina knew him too well. At this point she wanted to punch someone. That someone being Mika and not Philip. Why did he have to snoop around and actually get himself in matters that weren''t about him? Did he feel good about it? Ruining their relationship before it even barely started? Philip didn''t even have his memories yet, he couldn''t do that to him. "Please, stop." Philip told her, his voice stern, signaling very clearly that she was overstepping his boundaries. She couldn''t back down though, it was her last chance. If things didn''t get fixed he was going to be miserable forever. Kai was going to leave too, soon if she believed what Philip explained and that meant that they would have to go to BloodBound. If Philip remembered and realized that things were different from what Mika had explained he would get crushed, she wanted to avoid that. "I¡­can''t you just think about it? I don''t want to pressure you, I know that this matter is hurting you, I can''t even fathom how you felt when you found out about everything but please, don''t give up on knowing the full truth yet. No one says you have to get back with Kai, just make sure you don''t live with the doubt of what was the truth for the rest of your life." she explained. She didn''t stop and that made Philip want to leave. He stood up, his footsteps heavy on the polished floor as he headed towards the door. Reina jumped, facing him with a worried expression as he had his back turned on her, ready to leave. "Is it alright with you?" she asked, drawing his attention and Philip looked at her, his hand resting on the gold handle. He squeezed his eyes, questioning what he had just heard. "Is it alright with you if he ends up with someone else? With Soran for example? In BloodBound he will be surrounded by people who are after him. He will be in danger and at the same time everyone will be trying to make him his. The prince that has returned after two hundred years, the newest attraction. Are you alright with that?" she asked him. Philip didn''t answer, he opened the door wide, making it bang on the wall and ran out. The girl looked at the handle, it had been completely crushed.. She smiled faintly, knowing that now, there was a chance for Philip to change his mind, she just wished it wasn''t too late. Chapter 169 - 168 "Are you sure?" Lun asked Kai. His best friend had managed to drag the vampire outside his room. After Philip''s visit something had shifted in Kai. It was as if in his mind the ending had clicked and now there was only living with this pain inside of him. He had told Lun about wanting to go back home while they sat at the little restaurant the hotel had. Just a few plastic tables and some very mediocre food at best but it was peaceful and well, it wasn''t his suffocating room. Kai had wrapped his hands around his warm mug, black coffee steaming as he nodded his head. He had thought of this. The only place that could keep him away from Philip, the only place that could have his mind occupied was BloodBound. There was no city, no country in the mortal world that would keep him from trying to find the werewolf and as romantic as it sounded it was equally depressing. "Yeah, I think it''s time to go home. I can''t stay here any longer." he answered and Lun sighed. He took a slow sip from his own coffee, his eyes focused on the rim of the white mug as he spoke. "It will be dangerous, Kai. In BloodBound are the Nightshades, it will be as if you''re returning in the jaws of danger." he told him and the young prince scoffed, a cold grin on his face, "Last time I got caught because I had something to lose. Now, they should be the ones scared of me. They took everything from me." The prince said, his eyes turning into a frozen sea. He had so much hatred in him, so much despair and the thought of the Bloody People simply magnified that. If he ever happened to meet one of them again, he would rip them to shreds, break their heads, rip out their hearts, torture them slowly because that was what they deserved. "You''re making the right decision for the first time in your life." Xan''s voice was heard from behind them and his older brother entered the conversation uninvited. He sat on the chair next to Lun, not even sparing him a glance as he talked to his younger brother before him. "Don''t worry about the Nightshades, mother will protect you." "Yeah, like she did last time. We all remember how that went." Lun said, his tone filled with irony and Kai chuckled. He would be fine, if he went back home with them, with Lun he would be fine. It was just a new start, a new beginning like the countless ones he had had over the years. Philip would eb a distant memory again, in a while, he wouldn''t hurt so much, he wouldn''t cry so much and the nightmares would stop. In a while he would be able to feel numb in front of the world again. He just had to wait it out. "What is your problem?" Xan asked him, shooting him a deadly glare and the brown haired vampire mimicked him right away. They kept this little intense staring contest for a while. Kai didn''t dare to step in, he simply sat back in his chair observing the upcoming fight. Lun seemed to be fed up with his brother, it took him some time. The prince thought in his head as he could only describe his brother as insufferable. He wasn''t exactly bad but at the same time he was the worst. So stiff and he had this weird obsession with the rules and on top of that he was a very well known mama''s boy which was disgusting to say the least, thinking of who their mother was. "My problem is that you''re a shitty brother, Even a beggar mass murderer would do a better job at being a sibling than you" "A what? Have you lost your mind afia boy?" The crown prince asked him and Lun''s eyes widened. "How did you call me?" "Mafia boy. Why? You don''t like it? We all know that''s what you are. You dare to talk about my mother when your father has people sniffing off drugs from his palm while having fun. Pretentious little shit." Xan insulted him and Lun shot up as if he had been shocked. He looked down on the older vampire, his eyes showing how mad he was and Xan smiled, proud that he had managed to push him to his limits. "I know." Lun answered, surprising him. Xan stared at him, confused as to why he was agreeing with him. "I know very well who I am but what you don''t seem to understand is that there is a big difference in knowing your mistake and in being oblivious to it. I know how messed up and horrible where I grew up is and I feel like shit because of it, because I can''t change it. But you, you Xan simply choose to close your eyes and ears. Pretend that is okay. You are simply delirious while I¡­I am trapped." the tall vampire answered him leaving the crown prince stunned as he walked away. Xan blinked a few times, his pale hand that rested on the table forming a fist and Kai looked at him. "He was right." Kai said coldly and his brother scoffed, annoyed. "Get your shit ready we''re leaving tonight. Make sure you leave that pet of yours, John, behind." he told him. "John will come with me. If he wants to." the young prince said, making his brother laugh. "Suit yourself, make your life even harder." "At least I am honest." The vampire commented on it and made his brother stop on his track. He looked at him, his expression unreadable and Kai tilted his head to the side, trying to guess what insulting thing he was going to say next. "Don''t be an idiot. None of us has been honest, never in our entire lives.. I guess I am not the only one who is deluded here." Chapter 170 - 169 Kai heard a faint knock on his door. Shy and restrained, made it easy for him who stood waiting. It was John, a sad expression on his face as he fidgeted with the edges of his sleeves. The blond prince stared at him for a second, examining his state and he sighed. It was obvious that something had happened. The tear stains on his face, his flushed expression and the way his eyes traveled everywhere around the room but to him were enough clues for Kai to know. He took a step to the side, letting the young werewolf in before he closed the door. He had many visitors today, many people seemed to want to talk to him while on the other hand he preferred to be alone. John walked in, almost in a rush and sat down at the edge of the bed, his deer like eyes staring at the floor. No one said anything for a while, Kai waiting for an explanation of the events but John didn''t look ready. "Is everything alright?" The vampire asked him. "I know I shouldn''t be here." John said, beginning his own monolog. "I know very well that you have a lot going on right now and me coming to you is stupid. You need some time for yourself and all but I...I¡­you''re the only one that knows, I have no one else to talk to Boss, so please if it''s just for a second won''t you hear me out?" John asked him, looking at the vampire with a sad expression. Yes, it was true that Kai didn''t really feel like being around people at the moment. Somehow everything he did or said one way or the other led to Philip and that was hurtful, especially now that he knew the werewolf''s true feelings, the fact that he was going to leave. He couldn''t stop thinking about that, how in just a second their steps had taken a whole different direction, how two people who were meant to be the closest had been pulled apart, getting ripped like cheap paper. That didn''t mean he would let John alone though. He viewed the werewolf as his little brother of some sort, he was sad enough, seeing him in this state was even worse for him. He sat next to him, placing his pale palm on the top of his short dark hair and patted his head, a faint smile on his face. "You can come to me whenever you want. I will always hear you out. Okay?" Kai asked him and John looked at him with wide eyes, tears swelling in them making the dark orbs glisten. "Boss!" He cried and fell into his embrace, surprising him but Kai hugged him back, making sure he comforted him right. "I can''t take it anymore." John continued, his face buried in Kai''s chest, his voice coming out muffled and the prince caressed his back. "Did something happen with Soran?" Kai asked and the boy pulled away, looking at the man right in the eyes with a very serious expression. "Yes." John said. "I mean, I caused it but I couldn''t control myself. I like him so much but he is so cold towards me and he keeps rejecting me and I don''t really know what to do. I feel so sad." The young man confessed and a heavy sigh escaped from Kai''s lips. It was going to be like that for a while, he realized. Until John managed to make Soran to fall in love with him and go against his natural instincts the vampire would see cold and negative. Well, he was a lot better at controlling himself than Kai was, he had to give him that. If Soran acted like he did in the past, poor John would have run away. "I''m sorry John." Kai started talking. "I know it''s hard, it must be really hurtful but believe me it will all be over soon. If you try, I am one hundred percent sure Soran will love you and then he will get to be himself around you again. Soran is kind, he does care about you." He reminded him. "He loves you Boss. I know it." John said, a bitter expression on his innocent face as he remembered Soran''s words. "He will love you one day though, he can''t do otherwise. It is meant to be." "I don''t want him to like me because he has to. I want him to like me for me not because of some stupid bond I don''t even understand." John complained and Kai smiled, seeing the pout forming on his lips. He was right, there was always a small doubt in the back of his head, how would things be if Philip wasn''t forced to love him by the bond, he thought of it from time to time but their love was real, that was the only sure thing. "Love is real. It can never be fake or forced because then it will simply not be loved. Soran will like you then love you for you. Because you, John, are wonderful and you shouldn''t doubt yourself not even for a second. So suck it up, because you have to and try more. I am sure a handsome man such as you will make it." He told him. "I''m nothing compared to you people" the werewolf mumbled, remembering very well how he had felt in the presence of so many beautiful people. He had felt like nothing. "Everyone has their charm. You shouldn''t be saying that, believe me. Try with Soran." He urged him again and John nodded. "Also there is something I would like to ask you." Kai said and the younger man looked at him with curiosity. "What is it?" "Do you want to come to Bloodbound with me? I decided I will be going back home." Kai confessed and watched how John froze on the spot. His eyes were wide, his lips forming a perfectly round circle as he blinked. "You''re doing what?" "I will go back. It is the only way for me to be able to be away from Philip. Everyone else will come too, Soran also, so John, do you want to come with us?" "But...I''m a werewolf." He said and the prince chuckled. "You''re one of us. That wouldn''t change even if you were a worm." He said and John smiled. "Of course I will come with you. To be honest, I have nowhere else to go." John whispered with a grin and made Kai laugh. "But boss I don''t think you will be avoiding Philip that way." He told him and the beautiful prince tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?" He asked. "I had a talk with Reina. Before this whole mess happened she told me a few things about the history between werewolves and vampires. I realized she loves to flaunt her knowledge actually but that is not the point. The point is that she told me about the treaties. How werewolves and vampires signed treaties of peace years back and that with Mikain those treaties were broken. So let''s assume that a hundreds of years old contract is broken won''t the party on the other side have a problem with that?" John asked and Kai took a deep breath. "What I am saying is that Mikain''s pack will be coming to BloodBound sooner or later either for their punishment or to celebrate the signing of the treaties in a week or so." He informed him. Kai hid his face with his palms, falling back on the bed, his eyes closed shut he groaned. "Shit. Fuck. Dammit." He swore, making John blink. Kai swearing was still an unusual sight to him. After he spurted out a few more bad words he sat up. "It''s fine. The palace is big, I will hide." He stated, not convincing himself or John. It was harder to escape fate than it seemed. Kai and Philip were bound to meet again, no matter how hard the prince tried to avoid it. One day, soon enough they would have to stand before each other and Kai knew in that moment everything was bound to break. All his life he had been trying to run away, escape his feelings but now, now those feelings he hid from were knocking on his door, haunting his sleep, showing him in every way that he was done running. A dead end that was what stood before him, a tall wall and he could hear Philip''s footsteps in the endless silence as they approached. He would have to face him, one day when the werewolf had his memories. "Boss" John called out, concerned. "Are you...okay?" He asked, his eyes scanning his face. "Yes. Yes. Let him come. It''s fine. It''s fine!" He exclaimed, obviously trying to convince himself. "This time I will be ready to face him. I know it." Would he be though? Chapter 171 - 170 The red sun, it was always there, bloody and warm, above their head as Kai entered BloodBound for the first time in two hundred years. He looked up, his eyes bothered by the red light and he sighed. Everything seemed the same, their little kingdom was stuck in time, a place where nothing happened but at the same time, in the small alleys, in the dark homes, deep into the woods something was always going on. When he stepped on the hard soil, getting through the rift for the second time in his life, his eyes immediately recognized the place he met Philip for the first time. His eyes stuck on the old worn out barn, not used today. He had thought that trapping himself here would make things easier, he would be able to forget or pretend that he was trying. But as he stepped deeper into BloodBound there were so many spots that in his mind were the props for his memories with Philip. His chest felt heavy. Kai didn''t like the fact that his mother had sent people to get them. They were about six soldiers, dressed in the official uniform, armed, standing before him, staring at him as if he was an exotic animal. Two hundred years. He didn''t recognize any of their faces nor did he care about the fact that none of them bowed to him but they did to his brother, all he wanted was to get back to the palace, bury himself in the soft pillows, that was the only option that pleased him. They all followed the guards, silent as they walked through the city. Of course his mother wouldn''t have sent a carriage, she wished for the people to see that she had brought back her son. That the queen would do anything she set her mind to even if it took her hundreds of years. Kai was too familiar with the stone houses, the paved civilian streets. He could see the dirt rising from the galloping of the horses and the people looked at him with questioning looks on their faces, wondering who he was and those who knew they would gasp, spreading the word around with whispers. If Kai was back to being his old self he would smile and wave, show them that none of this shit affected him. Now though it was hard, after everything that happened he could only feel like a shameful attraction and with that his head fell, he wanted to avoid the glares, even if his mother''s intention was to have him march through the whole town. "Are you okay?" Lun asked him and Kai frowned. Of course he wasn''t, he somehow made the stupid decision to actually return to the place he avoided like it was the devil for centuries just because he was heartbroken. Even after all these years he was still immature, irrational. He could never see himself in a positive light. "Well, I have been better. I mean, you know, those days when your mother flaunts you to the whole kingdom are kind of annoying." he said in an ironic tone and Lun grinned. "I know." He answered him playfully and the prince scoffed, shrugging his shoulders afterwards. As he tried to occupy himself his blue eyes landed on the young werewolf. He looked so shocked it was almost funny. His jaw had dropped to the ground and as he stared at the scenery that looked as if it had come out of a gothic movie he turned to Kai. "It''s like I am in the eighteen hundreds, minus the blood for water." he mumbled and Kai chuckled, nodding his head. "Some things never change." he said, gazing again at the old kingdom. Shut off from the rest of the world, its people having no idea of what evolution meant, of all the new things existing out there and for a second, Kai viewed them as pitiful. He discarded that thought immediately though when he noticed a man, an old vampire looking as if he was in his fifties pushing down a young kid. Kai stopped, observing. It looked like this man was trying to hit him. The boy was holding something in his hand, a little red bottle. Slowly the scene made sense. He was a blood seller, a few of them existed, they actually traveled to the human world and collected blood to sell from free humans as a delicacy. Judging from the boy and how he looked he had stolen it. The vampire grabbed him by the neck and raised him up. "You brat! Who cares if you''re starving. Do you know how much that costs? It is not meant for you!" He screamed at him as he choked him. Yes, they were not pitiful, they were disgusting. "Please, I am sorry." The boy cried as his little feet dangled while he tried to get away. When Kai stopped all of his companions did so. The guards wanted to tell them to rush but obviously they didn''t have the courage to say it. "Come on Kai, you''re stalling, you can take a walk after we''ve met the queen." Xan said, fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose and his little brother shot him a glare. "Shut up Xan." he said, surprising the guards. The blond prince walked away, getting out of the main street and pushing a few people to actually get to the man who was ready to kill the boy. No one intervened, no one cared or did anything, they walked by as if it was nothing, just an everyday occurrence and that was what annoyed him the most. "You little shit let me see if you will steal again when I have your heart ripped off your¡­" he said between gritted teeth raising one meaty arm ready to finish the crying boy. Kai grabbed his wrist, pulling back his hand so that it was stuck to his back. The man screamed, letting go of the shaking boy and then the prince pushed him on the wall of his little shop, the dust and dirt getting all over his face. "Why don''t you calm down a bit" Kai said, his anger showing just from the tone of his voice. The seller hissed, intending to provoke him, not aware of who had just restrained him. "How dare you, do you know who I am?" the man screamed and Kai let go of him. He immediately turned around, locking eyes with the gorgeous prince and Kai could swear he stopped breathing at that moment. Widened eyes, a red face from embarrassment. "Should I know who you are?" Kai asked, raising his golden eyebrow and the man stuttered, trying to say something. "Should I?" he repeated, taking a step towards him. "Let''s see¡­if I treated you the way you treated that boy how would you react?" he asked him and grabbed the seller by the neck, lifting him in the air as if he was a feather and smacking his body on the wall while he was choking him. The back of his head bounced, leaving a bloody patch on the wall and the man begged while tears streamed down his face. "I am sorry your highness, please forgive me. I was wrong, terribly wrong." He repeated. He probably said the same sentence about ten times and Kai shook his head, violently dropping him on the ground. "Not so brave now." he mumbled and kicked him in the face. Once he was done with him the seller crawled back into his shop, embarrassed and afraid, leaving the prince alone with the young boy who sat on the dirt, looking at the prince with wide eyes. Kai didn''t bother with him much longer, his eyes landed on the boy. The young vampire flinched, seeing the tall prince look down on him with a serious expression but he didn''t try to run away. "Why did you steal that?" Kai asked. "I was hungry." The little boy said. "I live in the streets, there is barely anything to eat here." he mumbled, ashamed of himself. "I know that stealing is bad." he said, his face dropping. "How old are you?" Kai asked him. "Fifteen." the boy said and the prince sighed, pushing back his golden hair. "Don''t do it again. You will get killed next time. People here don''t care if you''re a child or not, or why you''re stealing." he warned him and walked away. He didn''t manage to go far, back to his company because he felt a tug in the back of his shirt. The boy had stopped him. "Save me, please." He said. He wasn''t really tall, kind of short for his age and that''s why in the prince''s mind he looked like a little boy, now that he was taking a better look though he did resemble a teen, one that hadn''t had the chance to grow up properly, Kai noticed. His hair was greasy, brown and reached his shoulders while his pale face was decorated with freckles everywhere, like constellations. His eyes were big, a deep blue like a midnight sky and he stared at the prince, begging him. Kai looked at him, the holes on his shoes, the messed up clothes and the expression on his face, the despair. "I will do anything." he added and Kai frowned. "What''s your name?" Kai asked him. "Ash." the boy answered "Get up Ash" Kai instructed him and the boy jumped up immediately. "You''re coming with me." he told him and the boy froze. "To the palace?" he asked. "You asked me to save you. Have you changed your mind?" he asked him and the boy shook his head eagerly. "Good, now come." he said, his voice stern and the boy followed behind him. "You must be insane, picking up an orphan from the streets!" Xan scolded him and Kai shot him a glare. "Mind your fucking business." he answered to his older brother. "Let''s go." "Not even a day back and causing trouble, ah, I love this," Lun said with a grin and Kai turned his head, mimicking his expression. Chapter 172 - 171 His mother was waiting in the throne room, his father nowhere to be seen. Even when he was a child Kai remembered the man traveling, settling affairs always outside the borders. The young prince had never wondered what existed beyond the tall walls of BloodBound in this little made up universe of theirs. It was the least of his concerns and it was also not a matter people talked about. Not his mother, not his siblings either. Ash was following him close behind, still gripping on his shirt, terrified but at the same time in awe of the luxury that spread before him. The palace was still the same, dark tapestries with elegant designs. Dim lights and black furniture, his mother''s obsession with roses going strong, vases with them in many different colors resting everywhere. The throne in the room was exquisite. A piece of art, that''s how many royals and guests had described it and his mother, the queen always took pride in it. The shining gold, the long sculpted feathers and the detail in the carved thorns. Everything seemed to be done with too much attention to detail. It all felt so familiar but at the same time so foreign to him. No one was talking, the mood was already at the lowest level it could be and the prince could only stare and remember the good and the bad, reminisce about the hate he felt and the love. It was bitter, the taste that lingered in his mouth as he stopped in front of the double doors of the throne room, seeing a soldier get ready to announce their arrival. "The queen is ready to see you." He said as he returned, his face expressionless as his eyes grazed the handsome prince. Xan entered first followed by Lun and then Kai. He didn''t really want to see his mother but he knew it was going to happen one way or the other so there was no point in avoiding it. The moment he stepped into the chandelier lit room he heard the clacking of heels and a small framed body jumped on him. Wrapping her hands around his neck, it was his sister Nelia, looking at her little brother with wide vibrant green eyes. "You''re finally back. I''m so glad to see you" she welcomed him and Kai forced a smile, hugging her back. "I''m glad to see you too." He told her, keeping her in his arms for a while before he realized that his mother was looking at him. "Don''t hug him as if he came back from war. All this time he had been running away." Cecilia said, forcing Nelia to let go of her brother with her strict words. Kai scoffed, his blue eyes meeting her, filled with hatred as the queen grinned. There was no reason for them to pretend a tear wrecking moment, they hated each other. At least he hated her. Xan walked forward, getting up the small stairs that led to the throne and gently gave his mother a hug which she returned. She kissed her son on the cheek, leaving a small stain of her bright red lipstick before she wiped it off with her long pale fingers. "You did good. I heard that their Alpha is dead. The one who killed so many of our people. I suppose this pack will not be a threat to us any longer." "No mother." Xan replied. "They will actually be retrieving to the forest." He informed her and she shook her head satisfied. "I''m proud of you Xan. I knew you''d get the job done." She complimented him and the crown prince bowed only for Kai''s second scoff to be heard and echo in the spacious room. Lun looked at him with the corner of his eye, Ash and John seeming as if they were hiding behind his frame. "Why do you look so obnoxious?" His mother asked him, simply wanting to insult him. "I got it from my mother. We''re not so different after all." He joked, making the woman grimace in disgust. "What are those?" She asked again, meaning John and Ash. "These are people. This is John, he is my friend. He came here with me and this is Ash, he will train to be my guard." Kai explained. "Your guard? Since when do you want a guard?" "Since when you ordered a fucking murder party on me." He said, unable to continue any longer. Cecilia looked at him sternly, gripping the armrest of the chair as he whole body tensed. "That happened way back I would never have you killed I¡­" "I honestly don''t care. I actually think ruining my life and putting a target on my back is way worse than simply killing me. But I am sure that must be me, reckless, immature youngest child." Kai said. "Kai, stop being so rude towards mother." Xan warned him, his eyes landing on him, a message reaching him. Don''t pull this too far. He was saying but the young prince didn''t mind. What was there for him to lose anyway? He wasn''t actually living. "Soran. Lun. Welcome back." The queen greeted them, wanting to change the subject. The two men bowed respectfully, their heads low as they greeted her. "John, you said your name was¡­" she talked again, looking at the terrified werewolf. "What are you?" She asked coldly. "A werewolf." He stuttered, unable to look the queen in the eyes. The woman laughed, the sound as if it came from a supervillain in a movie echoed in the walls, reaching Kai''s ears and making his blood boil. "How funny. You''re telling me that you will have a werewolf live here. In BloodBound? Have you lost your mind?" "Yes, I have. A while back actually." Kai said, raising his eyebrows, a grin on his face. "As I said he is my friend and he too will train to be my guard, so better send some servants to my room because I want to arrange their sleeping quarters. But look at the time." He exclaimed, staring out the tall window, seeing how the sun had disappeared, deep night embracing them. "It''s so late. We have traveled a lot and we are tired so how about we stop this tearing family reunion and get some rest." He said. The prince didn''t wait for her permission. He simply turned his back on her and waltzed outside the room, unfazed by her annoyance. He heard hurried footsteps behind him, seeing the young boy who he had picked up from the street follow him. "You really want me to be your guard?" He asked. "You have to have a purpose right? I saved you, this will be the way you repay it to me." He said. "Is there a problem with that?" He asked him, seeing concern on his face. "I am not strong. I am not developed well and I am weak. I don''t think I could do a good job" he whispered, his face red from embarrassment. Kai laughed, patting his greasy head. "Vampires age differently. With some food and good rest you will be looking like your age and even better in no time. Also, I will be training you so there is no way you will fail." He said, confidence in his words "I think I might have made a mistake siding with you. The queen doesn''t like you" he commented, making him laugh again. "Well who could you side with? The ones liked by the queen do not save orphans off the street. They''re the ones that kill them." He told him. Ash didn''t seem to be sad about it though, he looked at Kai nodding his head. "I guess you are right about that." He murmured before he stopped, making the vampire stop too. "What?" He asked. "I will protect you. With my life if I have to. Thank you for saving me." He said and dropped on his knees, bowing. Kai''s eyes widened for a second. He was the third son, the third prince, actually the most insignificant in this family. No one had ever bowed to him like that, or heard such words. Many had attempted to but they had failed because he could see through their lies. Ash though, was different. "Get up, you need a bath, you stink." Kai said, when he noticed John exiting the throne room together with Lun and Soran. "You too, come with me. We have things to do." He called the werewolf but not only John rushed towards him, Lun too. "Kai." He said and the prince frowned. "You missed a very important part of the conversation." His best friend said. "Your mother is having a ball, for your return. The day after tomorrow." "She is not." Kai said, his jaw dropping. "That...that...gods please!" He said in desperation. "I think you should refresh your etiquette a bit." "Oh, believe me I won''t be doing any of that. Bringing all those...it''s fine." He said, trying to calm himself down. "My favorite hobby is making her miserable." He stated. "Come on you two. There are things to discuss.." He said, for a second in this whole chaos forgetting the constant worry he had about Philip. Chapter 173 - 172 Everyone took their own path. The wolves traveled deep into the forest finding a compound that had been left behind by another pack. Hidden by the tall trees, the sound of a creak clear in the distance the compound existed in secret in a clearing that was beautifully hit by the sun every morning. It wasn''t as luxurious as the hotel and not even close to where they used to live even before going to the city but Hans decided that this would do. Reina could understand very easily what he was trying to do. He wanted to hide the pack, from hunters and from vampires who could be looking for revenge now that the crazy Alpha was gone. At the same time he wished to humble them, all of them who had been blinded by Mikain''s greed for cold. The philosophy in their pack hadn''t been like that, wolves were not like that. They belonged in the forest, living in harmony with nature and Hans acting as the new Alpha wished to return the kindness and free spirit in his people. If he would succeed or not, it would be a mystery since not everyone was pleased with his decisions. The compound was almost like a camp. Small little wooden rooms with two windows aligned next to each other. They were few, a lot less than them so they would have to stay in a few people in one, three or four, sleeping in bunk beds while for the families of the compound a new construction was happening with houses, in the same manner as those they lived in currently, simple, so they could live all together. The only difference would be that they would have two rooms inside, one for the couple and one for their children. Except for the little wooden houses there was a huge dining hall which also had a very big kitchen. As it seemed they used to have their meals all together, a long table with bench like seats placed in a wide room with a tall ceiling while the kitchen was attached to it. There were also bathrooms and showers, two buildings that were probably separate for women and men. It needed work, the wolves had been working on it for days to bring it into a condition that would be suitable for living but since there were a lot of them it went on faster than Reina had calculated. She lived in one of those houses, close to the Alpha''s room since she was a wolf warrior together with Mika and Philip. They slept on bunk beds, Mika on the bottom one and Philip on the top while she slept on the other side of the room on a normal bed. They had hung a curtain in the middle which she pulled every time she needed to change. She had heard many men who had found the chance to make easy money with Mikain''s schemes to complain and that worried her. She liked what they were doing here, she always preferred the forest more than the city and she agreed with Hans that the pack needed to find its lost sense of unity. She didn''t mind sharing a room, yes she liked her suite, she wouldn''t be a liar but it was fun that way too, talking with the boys, being able to stay up till late joking. "Hans will make an announcement today." Reina said as she fixed her pillow. They had been there for about a week, Philip''s birthday in just four days and the werewolf looked a bit calmer now. He had tried to occupy himself with working on the compound, spending many hours building, moving piles of wood and cleaning just so he wouldn''t think. He could joke a bit now and actually have short conversations but if he stayed alone with his thoughts for too long his eyes would start staring into the void, his expression blank as he brought back all the things that hurt him. That was why Mikai and Reina were always stuck to him as if they were siamese trying to help him take his mind off of things. "Yeah, are you done? We need to go." The red haired werewolf asked her when she placed her folded bed sheet in the end of her bed, straightening it and nodding proudly of how neat her bed was in comparison to the men''s. "Philip?" Mika asked. "Coming." he responded and changed his greasy shirt in a hurry. He had just returned from doing some work with the new cars they had brought in. Everything had changed, it was almost as if a new era was starting. Their room was not far from the huge dining hall, some even called it a pack room. Many different names for their room they usually met from one to three times a day. Philip had forgotten how many people his pack had until he saw them all gathered in one place, eating and talking. Old to young. He had smiled to himself, seeing the faces and the people he considered family. Even if he didn''t like all of them this was where he belonged and he was going to get used to it, forget the pain. He would work on the pack and numb the pain, the thoughts that kept him awake and sighing at night. It was all he could do. Many people had gathered already, seated on the wooden benches ,their eyes towards the tall man who scanned the room. When he spotted the wolf warriors he signaled them to sit on the front. As it seemed Hans wanted the hierarchy to return, meaning more responsibilities for them. The three werewolves sat on a table that had been left vacant, their attention on Hans as he realized that everyone had gathered. There was slight whispering, questions as to what happened, why could they be gathered here traveling all over the room. The scarred man coughed, getting everyone''s attention and a deadly silence suddenly drowned all the noise. "Good morning. Thank you all for finding the time to come here even though we have a lot going on right now. Before I get to the main point I would like to announce that your hard work is paying off and the compound will be complete soon. Also in the afternoon the Wolf warriors will come by your room and write down things you might need, every three weeks we will be sending out people into the city to buy necessities. That means if you want to decorate your room a certain way, things like a TV, personal hygiene products tell them and they will bring it to you." he said and Philip noticed a few happy faces. This place was slowly going to feel like home, he thought. "Now, for the main part of our gathering. As you all may know with Mikain''s death we lost our Alpha. The investigations are still ongoing but I am afraid it will take time. The pack though should move on and that means we need a new Alpha. I can''t take on that role since I was the previous Beta but I can recommend a new candidate. So I am here today to announce that I will be recommending Philip, the leader of the wolf warriors, as our next Alpha. The males of the pack that are over eighteen years old have one day to think if they want to challenge him. If there is no one by the end of tomorrow morning he will be the new Alpha." Hans said with a faint smile. "That is from me, you can have your breakfast now." he simply said as if he hadn''t just talked about the most important matter in their pack. Philip stood up, his eyes wide wanting to go after him and find out what the hell was this speech about. He hadn''t been informed about anything, he hadn''t even been asked if he wanted to be the Alpha and Hans had thought that announcing it in front of all the people in their pack was a good idea? It was too soon, Mikain had just died, the mourning period had not ended yet, choosing a new Alpha was improper. "He is doing it because of the treaty celebrations." Reina said, stopping him from running after the Beta. It was as if she had read his mind. "What?" he asked her, sitting back down. A sigh escaping his lips as his fist landed on the table. The sound was covered by all the talking in the room, all eyes on Philip, he could feel them. Staring. "The treaty celebrations are soon. From what I understand the pack got off this mess with Mikain easily since he is dead but still we have to travel for the celebrations of the treaties. We can''t go there without an Alpha." Reina explained. "When you mean travel?" Mika asked her, raising his eyebrows. "I mean what you''re thinking. BloodBound." "Fuck." Philip swore, his palms landing on his face as he tried to release his frustration. "Why me?" he asked, not talking to anyone. "Who else honestly?" Reina asked him back. "You''re the next strongest person after Mikain. Hans likes you, he sympathizes with you so he probably recommended you for that reason." "He didn''t even ask me if I wanted to be the Alpha." Philip whined. "Being the Alpha is not something that you must necessarily want. It''s about who is the strongest, more suitable and Reina is right. It is you. You can go and talk to him but I doubt he will change his decision." Mika told him and Philip stood up. "I will. I can''t go to BloodBound, not now, I can''t handle it." he mumbled and ran off, leaving his two friends alone. "Do you think anyone will challenge him?" Reina asked, seeing a few wolves that were on kitchen duty put the food on their table. "No way in hell. Unless they have a death wish." Mika answered her. .... Hello everyone. Here''s a little sneak peek of what is happening on the pack. I want to focus on the main characters Kai and Philip for a bit individually since I want them to grow and focus also on their powers and strength so their meeting will be epic! Let''s see what will go on between them when that happens! I hope you liked this chapter. If you did please leave a nice comment and a vote. Also, it was my birthday yesterday so be nice please! Thank you for reading. Chapter 174 - 173 Hans'' private little house was a bit bigger than usual. He already had a black polished desk placed there with a worn out chair while piles of papers were scattered everywhere. When Philip entered the tall man was sitting there, scratching the back of his head while he read something with a skeptical expression. His eyes were moving fast, hopping from line to line until he jumped slightly, too preoccupied with his reading that the door closing loudly by Philip surprised him. He placed his hand on his chest as he inhaled loudly, a relieved exhale escaping his lips as he met eyes with the young werewolf. He placed down his paper, seeing how fast he rushed over, standing in front of his desk and slapping his palms on the desk, the papers slightly moving and Hans looked at his tanned hands and back at him, making him take a step back. "Better." he commented. "Hello Philip, what brings you here?" he asked him. "You can''t think why I am here?" he asked him back, an annoyed expression on his face and Hans lips turned into a thin line. He tilted his head to the side, playing ignorant. "I have no idea." he said and Philip groaned. "Stop playing dumb with me. It''s not funny. How could you do something like this without asking me first? Really? Recommend me to become the Alpha? Me! This is ridiculous." he exclaimed and watched the tall man get up. Hans was two heads taller than him, he looked like a wall, a giant with an understanding heart and that was the reason why Philip hadn''t tried to get into a fist fight with him. The blond man had helped him many times, he was just agitated and mostly confused. "I think you can do it." Hans simply said, grabbing a pile of papers and placing it on top of the other. He seemed to want a way to occupy his hands while they talked, as if it was impossible for him to sit still. "I don''t agree with you. I am not fitted to be an alpha, I am not even twenty yet. I¡­my life is a mess right now. I can bear the responsibility. I will mess up and make everything worse. Mikain will seem like an idyllic leader in comparison to me." Philip said, letting out everything he had thought about on his way there. The truth was he didn''t believe in himself. Yes, he was strong but physical strength was not enough when it came to being a leader. He needed to be smart, compassionate, cunning and think like a diplomat. Up to now the only thing that Philip had been thinking about were hookups and then Kai. He was practically a child, hearing Hans recommend him almost sounded like a sick joke. "You ought to trust yourself more. Now that Mikain is dead, taking the leadership is reasonable. He had no children, you are the strongest in the pack¡­even if someone dared to challenge you you would probably tear them to pieces so where is the problem?" Hans asked and heard Philip sigh heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he paced back and forth. He didn''t know how to express it, he was actually embarrassed. "I¡­Hans I, I have a vampire for a mate." he announced and the Beta stared at him for a second, his eyes slightly wide but he hid his surprise fast. "So?" "Don''t you think that''s a problem?" "No, I actually think that it''s quite progressive. It would help bring back good relations with the vampires and the pack." he told him and Philip grimaced, he didn''t believe what he was hearing. Just a few month ago his pack was going after murderous vampires ripping them to shreds and now they wanted him to be mates with one. It sounded ridiculous. "I am not with him, I will never be with him. I¡­I have a lot going on in my mind right now. I can''t do it, you should recommend someone else. I am sorry if this is bringing you trouble, I know I sound immature but¡­" he said but Hans cut him off. He took a step towards him, getting close while his expression changed from friendly to stern. They locked eyes and Philip felt the hairs on his body rise, shivers on his spine. "Listen Philip. You think I don''t know who killed Mikain? Have you forgotten who was the brains in this whole era of Mikain''s rule? I am keeping you alive, I know of the crime you committed but I choose to overlook it because Mikain was indeed a shitty Alpha and a shitty person but that does not mean you will get to run free after what you did. You killed the Alpha, you played a big part in this and you have to step up. Or do you want someone else, one of Mikain''s lackeys to get on top and mess everything up agai?" Hans asked him, making him gasp. "You knew?" Philip stuttered and the blond man scoffed. "Of course I knew. Mikain wanted to kill your lover, who is obviously your mate. He had a bounty on your head and on your friends''. I think you and the other two little pups had the perfect motive. That and the fact that you were here when he died. Listen Philip, I may act like I don''t see things, I may be silent but I know very well what is going in. So hear me out. You will get the position of the Alpha and you will try. Because no one else in this forsaken pack that Mikain polluted like a fucking virus would be able to do it and I will not let so many young children, the families in our pack to live with hate and greed. Not this time." he announced. "Hans¡­"'' "Don''t. You still murdered someone. All actions have consequences. Now go, get some rest just in case someone dares to challenge you tomorrow." he ordered him, making clear that he didn''t want to hear anything else.. "After you become the Alpha, there are things we need to discuss, about a trip." Chapter 175 - [Bonus ] 174 "So, you two need to listen to me. Mother dearest is trying to sabotage us once more and I will not allow this. The so-called ball for my welcoming will be a very big chance for her to humiliate you and me so I need you to focus and not make things a mess. That is my job." Kai announced, pointing at himself. The scene was rather comedic at the moment. He had called John and ash to his room, the two boys sitting on two chairs in front of him, staring at the prince with wide eyes as he paced back and forth explaining to them various details about the ball that was about to come. Both of them looked focused while Lun, who had crushed their little meeting, was sitting on Kai''s bed, observing the scene, trying not to laugh. Kai at the moment looked like a parent, explaining to their children not to do something stupid while guests come over. "John¡­." Kai said, referring to him first. "Yes boss." The werewolf said eagerly. "You will be by my side at all times. Do not leave my sight. If though it happens and anyone approaches you, you will not openly agree if they ask if you''re a werewolf. Obviously they will realize you''re not one of us but still keep quiet, nod and smile. If they ask you what your occupation is, you will tell them that you are an artist, a friend of mine that I met on my journeys. No talking about cell phones, no acting surprised and definitely do not make them realize that you''re new to all of this.They might not want to drink your blood but they will be intrigued about anything that has to do with me. Am I clear?" Kai asked and the young werewolf nodded, processing all of Kai''s instructions. When the prince''s speech towards him was over he was still repeating the rules in his head, counting them with his fingers to see if he had gotten all of them right. After telling all he needed to to John Kai turned towards Ash, the teen staring at him with a bored look and Kai snorted, realizing he was sick of hearing him. "Is there something you need to tell me?" Kai asked, crossing his hands over his chest, raising a golden eyebrow when Ash yawned. He had taken a batch now, looking clean and rid of the dirt on his body. Kai had brought him new clothes, a black silk shirt with a golden rose sawn to the left side of his chest and a black pair of pants. He looked a lot better and Kai noticed that he was actually quite handsome. He had a dark look to him, one that seemed mysterious. He would definitely be popular once he strengthened his body, the prince was sure of it. "Why can''t we just stay inside the room? I hate royals, they all smile fakely and make stupid backhanded complimets. I might end up punching one of them." he said and Kai breathed in. "I can''t leave you alone. Mother does not like that you''re here. If she realizes you''re not at the ball she might find a way to mess with me and put you in danger. Also¡­" "The way you are right now, little vamp you would even be able to punch air without exhausting yourself." Lun continued his sentence, a small giggle escaping his lips as he watched Ash frown. He didn''t say anything though, he knew that Lun was right. "That too." Kai agreed and nodded his head. "So about what you will be doing. I want you close to me, attached to the hip if possible. Even closer than John. If you get separated from me, obviously do not tell anyone about your origins, tell them too I met you in my journeys. I saw you were skilled in the arts of fighting and brought you with me to be my guard." "I am not embarrassed of where I came from." Ash stated, a serious expression on his face. "And that''s really cute." Kai told him. "But we are not talking about shame here. We are talking about survival. I won''t have any of my people becoming a laughingstock and I won''t have that bitch that gave birth to me thinking that now that I am back she can do whatever she wants with me." "But¡­" "Didn''t you say you will be my follower?" Kai asked him, locking eyes with the young man. "I did." "Then do as I say." He ordered him and ash fell quiet, his face dropping. He had nothing else to tell them. He clapped signaling the end of his little preaching as he headed towards the door. "Now off the two of you. Maids will come to your rooms for a fitting. Be nice and don''t choose anything tacky, I will double check it too." he told them and waited for them to leave before he closed the door leaving himself with Lun. He sighed loudly, landing on the bed next to his best friend. "You had a puppy now you adopted a child too." Lun commented. "He is not a child. He will be of use to me. Also, I just couldn''t leave him there, I¡­" "He is quite the looker too, I don''t think he knows it though." "Well, when he doesn''t look like he has tuberculosis I am sure he will realize." he said "Will you really make him your guard?" Lun asked him. "Yes, I will train him." "Good luck with that. Teens are horrible. Well in vampire terms we''re barely adults ourshelves so¡­" Lun said and Kai clicked his tongue. One thing that he didn''t like with vampires was that their age limits were much longer. Even when you were one hundred years old you were considered a teen, they were barely adults. Which was ridiculous. He sighed, thinking that he should get Ash''s actual age, just for reference. Sometimes vampires used human terms to describe which state they were in their lives, even if they looked like children they could be fifty years old. That could be an oxymore so they usually used human numbers too. It was complicated and it always annoyed Kai. That didn''t matter though Kai had bigger things to annoy him, his mother. "You don''t seem to be thinking of Philip¡­" he continued, changing the subject. "That¡­is the most wrong thing you''ve ever said.." Kai stated. Chapter 176 - 175 https://open.spotify.com/track/59CfNbkERJ3NoTXDvoURjj?si=9ae3133a8f804b73 - music, believe me you will need it. Oh the glamor. The dim candle light and the smell of the delicious wine, the acid taste on their tongues. The footsteps of elegant women, dressed in long dresses, their laughter echoing in the tall walls while the men, wearing pitch black formal costumes stood at the sides of the rooms, eyeing the delicate flowers with the vibrant eyes and pale skin. The music was almost hypnotizing, a smooth rhythm that made our mind travel. Violin and the piano, then the deep sound of a bass and a young couple dancing in the middle of the room. The lady''s head fell back, her long black hair like a veil while the man spun her around, captivating the crowd. His mother sat on her throne, her eyes scanning the crowd in satisfaction, her bloody painted fingernails resting and tapping on her scarlet lips, a grin on her face when she noticed her younger son entering the room. His company behind him, the odd bunch and the queen raised her thin hand, stopping the music and any kind of motion or sound all together. The room fell silent and followed her fox shaped eyes, the crowd eyeing the young prince for the first time. Cecilia was proud of one thing. Every single one of her children was stunning, from head to toe their beauty could be described as outwardly. It was a world where beauty was everything she had managed to acquire the universe. They could say whatever they wanted but the moment her children stood before those peasants they would immediately get charmed and that was too satisfying on its own. Her green eyes lit up, a very fake act from her side that Kai could easily recognize. She never looked at him like that, not when they were on their own. He chose to play along, grabbing a crystal glass from a servant, filled with wine and when his mother smiled he raised it, bowing. "My son." she exclaimed in an endearing tone, the crowd turning, their eyes like those of carnivores locking on their prey. "He has finally returned. The third Avger prince, Kai, is back." she announced and clapping burst into the room. Kai smiled, stunning but not in his usual cold way, John noticed. He stood next to him, just a few steps behind and with his doe like eyes he watched him. He looked like a completely different person. Someone he was seeing for the first time. The prince had his golden hair pushed back, revealing every perfect detail of his face while his blue eyes almost shone under the candle light, clear blue skies, vacant from any clouds. His clothes were the exact opposite of his mother''s. Cecilia preferred black, deep red and purple while he, tonight was dressed in white and gold. His coat hanging from his shoulders with beautiful designs of golden lilys on the sleeves. He did look like a prince, his pale complexion, his full pink lips and the smile he wore oh so perfectly but he wasn''t a vampire prince. He was an angel, sticking out from the lustful crowd. John blinked, charmed by him like everyone else. His boss was no angel, he knew it very well but his act was so good he too almost got fooled. The wine tinted his lips, his eyes traveling in the room, curious as mischief escaped from his expression for a second. Lucifer, John thought, had been asked to sketch him once for a tattoo. God''s favorite, the one that shone so bright, the one that brought light until he fell, losing his wing. Kai Avger, at that moment, he could be his Lucifer and John stretched his fingers, itching for a pencil. Yes. This man, this so-called cursed angel was a work of art, addicting to the eyes like a drug at the edge of your tongue. "Close to me, little wolf. Kai will be busy after all." Lun whispered in his ear and was brought brutally back into the sad reality of his dull life. Kai had walked away, ash following close behind and he laid his eyes on John one last time, not allowing his worry about him to show through. The young werewolf nodded, wanting to allow him some relief and then the shining prince was lost in the crowd of half drunk vampires worshiping him. "Lun¡­" The werewolf called out and the tall man raised his eyebrow, a glass of whiskey close to his lips. "My Boss is too beautiful." the young man said and the vampire laughed, patting his back. "Everyone should love him." he commented and Lun shook his head. "You know little wolf, there is a very thin line to where love ends and where envy begins. Kai is not just beautiful, he is divine and even though he has been loved by many, men and women alike more have envied him." he said and John gasped, looking at Lun with curiosity. "They could never be like him and at the same time they could never have him. Wouldn''t you hate him? Someone who existed so far away from you just to crush your heart?" he asked and in John''s mind Soran''s face appeared, without him wanting to. He sighed, getting himself a glass of golden liquor. "I guess so." he mumbled, searching with his eyes for Kai when he felt Lun''s palm rest on his shoulder. "Now look." he whispered and discreetly helped him find his boss. "Something interesting is about to happen." he said, a grin on his face and John''s eyes widened. ... Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this little sensual chapter. I hope I set a good mood, what do you think? Also let me know, what is the interesting thing that will happen? Thank you for reading and please if you liked this chapter please leave a nice review, a comment and vote to help a girl out. Thanks! Chapter 177 - 176 https://open.spotify.com/track/7vguMCv8uVuZLiQJ156u3Z?si=54def60154254e97 - drum roll please! Ash hated their voices, the sound of their fake laughter and their judgemental looks. He hated them and their sole existence, the people who looked down on him as he walked dirty, with ragged clothes. He walked behind Kai, his head turned downwards, facing the polished floor. He could see his reflection on the black tiles, a face he could barely recognize without the marks of dirt, the scratches from fights and the black circles from the lack of sleep. He barely slept, hidden deep in the moist alleys he would always have to look out for himself. He could lose his life in an instant, just a moment where he wasn''t careful. Kai stopped, the young prince approached a group of people, three women and two men, just a few years older than him, looking as if they were in their late twenties. Their chattering stopped when Kai patted one of the men in the shoulder, all of them greeting him with courteous bows and excited gestures. Most of the people in the small group left, leaving Kai and Ash with two vampires. A short man with black short hair and gray eyes and a woman that looked exactly like him even though her eyes were a bottomless black color. They were twins, Ash realized as he stole a very discreet glance. "Duke and Duchess Humphrey, it''s such a delight to see you again, how have you been?" Kai asked them, getting a hold of the Duchess'' gloved hand and placing a fleeting kiss in the back of it. The woman giggled while Ash felt his insides turn, he stood still as if someone had chained him to the ground, hoping that his disgusted expression wouldn''t show. They were purebloods, a Duke and a Duchess, the boy realized. Kai didn''t like them, he wasn''t talking to them the same way he talked to Lun or John and in his mind these people were classified as dangerous. "Young prince, we have been doing great. It is such an honor for us to be the first ones to talk to you." The man said and Kai smiled brightly. "I have to say, I am a bit overwhelmed by everything. I have been away from home for too long." he said. "Oh now¡­" The Duchess said, waving her hand. "Young prince you fit right in in the most stand out way." she chuckled. "Pardon me, did my sentence make any sense? I have had a few glasses of wine you see." she told him, her cheeks flushed red as she took a sip from her glass. "Excuse my sister, your highness." Humphrey said and Kai faked a laugh. Why was he talking to them, it was clear as day he didn''t find their company pleasing, Ash wondered, tapping his foot on the floor. He was dressed in all black, his hair tied in a strict ponytail with only a strand escaping at the front of his face. It was so tight on his head that he was feeling like he would get a headache, he wanted to get out of here or at least get back to Lun and John. "I do not mind. Dear Alexa, you have always said the most interesting things. Your company is always such a delight. Thank you for your kind compliment." he told her and the woman laughed, her head falling back. She was drunk, Ash thought and frowned. "Thank you, your highness. I have to say you will make me blush and I¡­" the woman had begun saying when she stopped. Ash looked up curious, his eyes meeting immediately with hers and he took a step back, shocked. The woman tilted her head to the side, her lips curling upwards as she turned her attention to the prince again. "Young prince, may I ask who this young vampire is?" she "Oh, Ash, he is a young man I met on my journey, he is training to be my guard and right hand." Kai said. "Come greet the Duke and Duchess." Kai said and moved his hand. Ash took an unwilling step forward and bowed. "It''s an honor to meet you." he said coldly and before he could raise his head on his own he felt Alexa grab his chin, her long nails digging on his cheeks as she stared at him. Ash clenched his jaw, wanting to get away but he didn''t move, Kai''s eyes were glued on him. He could feel it. "How old are you?" Alexa asked him. "Fifteen, soon to be sixteen." he answered shortly. "Your true age." she added. "Eighty seven." he told her. "Lovely." The drunk woman mumbled. She still held his face when she turned her eyes, wanting to talk to Kai. "Your highness, this young man¡­Is it alright if I can have him? I have a collection you see and I have to say this one, is one of the most stunning ones I have ever seen. I will give you as much gold as you want." she said. Ash''s blue eyes widened, his hands forming fists on his sides. He didn''t come here for this. He didn''t beg for salvation just to be displayed and sold like an object. Before Kai could even answer he slapped her hand away, making her shriek and he shouted, not caring anymore about Kai''s orders. "Get your filthy hands off me you fucking pervert." he insulted her. The woman took a second, in her drunken haze she didn''t realize immediately what had happened but when she did, hell broke loose. ... Well well well we do have a bit of an uproar here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also the ones that have music I highly recommend you read them while listening, they match very well. If you liked the chapter please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote to help a girl out with her little book. Why do you think Kai talked to them? Any thoughts? Thanks for reading! Chapter 178 - 177 Her swearing voice was disturbing the least. She looked at the young man with wide black eyes as she bore her fangs at him, provoking him. He hissed back at her, an utter insult for someone of his own standing and the woman gripped her glass. She raised her pale arm, letting it go, intending to throw it at him when Kai stepped in the middle. The glass landed on his face, breaking, red liquid running down his body and staining his white clothes. The two siblings gasped in unison, the ballroom completely quiet as they witnessed the scene with anticipation. Ash extended his arm, grabbing the back of Kai''s shirt, his expression filled with concern. He gulped, feeling finally scared. He wasn''t scared of the Duke and the Duchess, he couldn''t care less about them, he was scared of Kai''s reaction. "Your highness¡­" the man exclaimed, searching in the pockets of his suit with shaking hands and taking out a handkerchief. He tried to wipe the young prince but Kai stepped back. He wiped the wine off his face with his hand and his fingertips pushed back his golden hair, an expressionless mask on his face. He ignored the Duke, his icy blue eyes locked on Alexa and she whimpered, terrified. The prince clicked his tongue, taking a bold step forward and grabbing her face the same way she had with Ash. She screeched, feeling his nails get deeper into her soft asking but she didn''t dare to move. "Your majesty, please, my sister is drunk. We truly apologize for¡­" "Shut your mouth for a second will you?" Kai told him, his voice cold. He wasn''t even looking at him, he didn''t have the honor to have the prince''s attention and for a second the cowardly man felt relieved, no attention meant he wouldn''t be the target of his rage. "Now you¡­" he said, a devilish smirk growing on his face, his fangs slowly appearing underneath his full lips. He smiled, lethal in his disheveled beauty and pushed the wam back, making her back stick to the wall while his hand traveled to her neck. He choked her, listening to her cough in distress. "Who do you think you are to bother my people?" He asked her. "My prince...didn''t you hear how he talked to me? I am a pureblood. He is being an insolent brat!" She screamed, making things worse for herself. Kai tightened his grip and raised her from the floor, her feet, dressed in expensive heels tangled in the air as tears filled her eyes. "Look at me. Good" he said and smiled brightly when their eyes met. "I don''t care who you are, I don''t care what you do or even if you''re the most fuckable person on this planet¡­" Kai said between gritted teeth. The crowd was frozen, surprised with the expressions the young royal used. Everyone was too stunned by the sight but no one wanted it to stop. Even if they tried to hide it, every single one of them lived for the drama, some of them even hoped they would get to see a little bit of blood. "You have no right to touch what is mine...am I clear?" He asked her and the woman smiled. "Are you sleeping with him?" Alexa asked and Kai''s eyes widened. "Is that why you won''t give him to me? Then I am very sorry, I do apologize to your highness." The duchess said. Kai rolled his eyes, pushing her on the floor and grabbing her by the back of her head, her eloquent hairstyle created by many braids coming undone and she screamed. He raised her head, her black eyes facing Ash. "Apologize to him." Kai said and Ash looked around in distress. Everyone was looking at him, he was the center of attention, he realized and his heart almost jumped off his chest. "Apologize or I will kill you. I swear." He said and jerked her face forward. "I am sorry!" She shouted, her face showing how angry and embarrassed she was. "Please forgive me." She repeated and Kai finally let go of her, throwing her to the floor. "Good." He told her, looking down on her. "Enjoy your night then, oh, and if I were you I would visit a restroom, you know, fix my hair a bit...you look like...a whore." The prince said and smiled at her. He turned his back on the siblings and grabbed Ash''s hand, dragging the shocked boy along with him. They were heading out, the road opening person by person for him to walk away. The blond man stopped when he reached close to where his mother was sitting. The woman was gripping on the handle of her throne, her eyes glued on her son, she was biting her bloody red lips. "Mother, aren''t you happy that I am back?" He asked, a cheeky smile on his face when he bowed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have returned. I hope that you will enjoy your night and have fun! But not too much you might end up like dear Alexa if you say something stupid. Now excuse me" he greeted the open mouthed crowd and walked away. The moment he left the room he exhaled, wiping some sweat off his face, rolling his eyes as he looked back, making sure that the double doors of the venue were closed. "That was something." He mumbled. "Come on, you wanted to leave, didn''t you?" Kai asked the raven haired young man but Ash didn''t follow him. "Why did you do that?" The vampire asked him and Kai raised his eyebrow. "What?" "Taking me to these people. It was obvious you didn''t like them from the start so why take me with you?" He asked him. "Well, many reasons." Kai said and shrugged his shoulders. "Tell me." "I was expecting Alexa to tease you, she has an eye for young men but man you''re actually older than I thought." Kai commented. " Anyways, I wanted to see how you''d react when I strictly told you to sit back and do nothing." "You wanted to test me?" Ash asked. "A little bit. I mean she did go over the line that''s why I stepped in¡­" "You didn''t have to do that for me." Ash said. "Then what would you do?" Kai asked him, accompanying his words with a laugh. "Fight her with those chicken arms of yours? If I hadn''t drawn the attention she would request for your head to get chopped off and my mother would kindly oblige. So be a bit thankful" Kai said and patted his head. "Also, you reacted because you didn''t trust me. I could see it in your eyes." The prince told him and took a step closer, locking eyes with him. "Will you be my guard?" He asked. "I will." Ash said, sternly. "Then you have to trust me." Kai told him. "I won''t have my people hurt. I swear. So follow me okay?" He asked him. Ash looked at him, seeing sincerity and the sweet haze of the glasses of wine reflecting in his eyes. His face was so close and well, Kai was truly beautiful, he thought and a blush spread on his freckled face. "Train me." Ash stated and Kai grinned. "Oh believe me, I will, there is no running away though." He said and Ash breathed in. "I won''t." "Good." Kai said with a smile. "Let''s go, there is cake in the kitchen, I want something sweet." He said and began walking. "Aren''t you scared about what the people will think? With what you did? " Ash asked the prince and Kai laughed. "Believe me little vamp. All of the women there except my mother of course will be seeing me in their dreams tonight, a lot of the men too. It''s not about what you do but how you look like doing it. Evolved species are superficial like that." "That sounds so shallow." "But at the same time it''s so convenient." "You sound like a villain." "I may sound like that but the most dangerous ones are those who don''t so keep your eyes and ears open. I will be needing you, my mother, who is not a nice person." "They asked if we were sleeping together." Ash added the blush returning on his face. "Well, I never had such a young lover. Do you want me to date you? Could be fun" Kai joked and Ash choked on his own saliva. "Please don''t say such stupid things." He told him, making Kai chuckle. "I''m glad you''re here, you help occupy me. That way I can forget." "Forget what?" "The pain" .... Hello everyone. I just want you to know Ash is one of my favorite characters! His story will leave you really satisfied so please pay attention to him. Also Philip''s birthday is comming up, let''s not forget that! Thank you for reading! If you did please leave a nice comment and a vote. Chapter 179 - 178 "Is there anyone else!" The werewolf shouted and the crowd that had gathered in front of him took a few steps. No one wanted him to think they were challenging him, no one really had the power to go against him and that showed from the three bodies that laid dead on the ground. At sunrise everyone had gathered, one of the most important moments in the history of a pack happened rushly, surprising a lot of people but all of them knew how serious it was, every fight, every claw all of the movements Philip did right now, were going to be engraved in their minds as a reminder of what would happen if they went against him. This little ritual was not just a fight for dominance but also a warning, a moment where everyone had to step back and think, would this man be good for a leader? If he killed all of his opponents then yes. The judgment was clearly lacking but it was a very simple way for everyone to understand. The new Alpha had been decided and there was no way of actually changing that. Philip took a few short breaths, sweat on his forehead while his hands shook from the overstimulation. His eyes had changed their color, leaving behind his title as a wolf warrior, now after killing the people that challenged him he was officially an Alpha. He stepped in the middle of the man made circle, eyeing women and men, his expression stern as he locked eyes with everyone. "Is there anyone else who would wish to challenge me?" he asked again, wishing deep inside of him that this whole facade would finally be over. He didn''t want this but at the same time he couldn''t sit there and die so someone else would become the Alpha. Forfeiting was also not an option, it would be too shameful and could even get him out of the pack. No one moved and Philip''s hazel eyes found Hans in the back of the crowd, his hands crossed over his chest as he smiled, a blond eyebrow raised when their eyes met. Philip scoffed, a bitter grin on his face. It was very clear right now, why their pack hadn''t fallen into chaos while Mikain led it. It was because of this man, the one who actually ruled everything behind the scene. He let the useless Alpha do enough just so he would be satisfied and the rest, what was most important, was the one that took care of it. Hans really could see and hear everything, there would never be a way for them to hide from him and now they were paying the price, he was, actually. Since no one else seemed to be willing to challenge him, Hans walked through the intimidated crowd and reached the young werewolf. He placed his palms on his sweaty shoulder, a moment of silence between them before he turned to the people. They were waiting, they were all waiting for the announcement. "Philip has defeated all of them! He will be the new Alpha, if anyone is against that can leave the pack." Hans announced coldly and the crowd roared, clapped and screamed, the birds flying away, leaving their spots on the trees. The brutal battle was now over, at the moment every single one of them was looking at their new leader while Philip was seeing his followers. He felt weird, he couldn''t deny that, hearing so many people call out his name but as they kept repeating it, the word becoming a chant he tensed his body, air finally traveling to his lungs and a sweet satisfaction sunk in. They would worship him, he thought and smiled, wiping his hands on his jeans and stepping forward, letting the sounds of affirmation reach him. Maybe something like this would be good, good for him, good for the pack and good enough to numb the hole he felt in his chest. This feeling of loneliness that haunted him every night when he laid on his bed unable to mute his thoughts. If he lived for this, if he existed to do this then there would be no room for him to miss the traitor prince, there would be no excuse for his weakness and the invisible tears he always sheds. Philip was an Alpha, he had fought his way unwillingly but now that he stood at the top he would take it, everything, carry it on his back so his heart would stop hurting. He wanted to be freed, peaceful and he wished for Kai''s face to fade or at least travel to the back of his head while he found another reason to live. "Everyone! Tonight we will be having a celebration, a feast. We will dance and honor the new Alpha." Hans shouted over the crowd and the cheers became louder. "He will also announce his new Beta, tonight is the moment of change!" he exclaimed and once he was finished talking he turned his head towards Philip. "Come with me for a second." he whispered and he moved away, walking back to the small house. Hans opened the door, entering and Philip followed him, slightly surprised when he saw Mika and Reina sitting on the only couch, waiting. He was too preoccupied with the fight he hadn''t realized his friends were there. "Now, we have a few things to talk about." Hans said. The three wolves looked at each other, completely unaware of the conversation that was about to take place. What they also didn''t know was that a friendship was about to be ruined and new event would be announced. Hans was right, this was the moment of change. ... Hello everyone! What do we think about this event, the fact that Philip became the Alpha. I bet you''re thinking about a lot of things. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! If you are enjoying the book this far please leave a nice review a good comment and a vote. I would really appreciate it so help a girl out please. Thank you for reading. Chapter 180 - 179 "What is this all about?" Reina asked. She crossed her long legs, looking at Hans with a questioning expression. Mika sat on the other side of the couch, his dark eyes traveling between the new Alpha and the olde Beta. He had an idea what this could be about but he didn''t say anything, he just waited to listen. Hans moved to his desk, sitting on his chair and paced his elbows on the wooden object. He entwined his fingers and everyone could hear him tapping his foot on the floor. Philip felt uneasy, he was looking at them from head to toe, examining them for some unknown reason. In his eyes Hans had always been innocent and on the softer side, he balanced out Mikain and cared for the pack but in these last few days he realized there was so much more behind the mask he wore and that he should be a lot more careful. "You three, one is the Alpha and you will have to choose a Beta. It is better to do it now. I recommend you choose Reina." Hans announced and Philip''s eyes widened in shock. "Wait, this is not an easy decision, I can''t just choose one of my friends without thinking about it." he told Hans and the man smirked. "It''s not about friendship, it''s about who is more useful." he explained and his eyes landed on the wolves seated on the couch. Reina seemed tense, it was rare for a woman to be the Beta, she rarely read in books about women in such positions and with her ambition, it would be a lie to say she didn''t want it. In addition, she deserved it. "Hans, let me think about it for a bit." "We don''t have time Philip, in a few weeks we will have to go and celebrate the renewal of the treaties. Do you know what that means? You will have to look like you have it together, we are already in a bad spot with Mikain''s idiocy. We can''t have the vampires doubting us again, there will be witches there too. It''s dangerous." "Then why did you choose to make me the Alpha now?" Philip asked. Just a few minutes ago he felt sure of himself, as if he could do anything from his new position. What he hadn''t thought about though was the fact that being an Alpha did not only mean handling the affairs of the pack but everything that concerned werewolves. That meant relationships with other supernaturals too. Suddenly he wasn''t so sure this was the escape he was asking for, his heart started to race, worry painted on his handsome face. "Because we need the pack to appear as a united front!" Hans said, slapping his palm on the desk. He seemed to be annoyed with him, with the fact that he couldn''t understand the clearest of things. He himself felt embarrassed too, it was clear Hans'' plan. "We can''t have a simple Beta appear there, my signature won''t even count, it will be the perfect opportunity for that butchy queen in BloodBound to mess everything up, especially after what we did to her people. So we need to be extremely careful, no matter what." "So I have to choose a Beta." he said, his eyes traveling to his friends. He felt uncomfortable as if choosing one meant that he would lose the other. He didn''t want them to think they were not good enough, he didn''t want to seem like a bad friend and make them feel incopetent. He actually believed both of them would be suited for the job. "Yes, is that alright with you two?" he asked the wolves. "Sure." Mika answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I want to do it." Reina stated, her eyes burning with desire as she looked at Philip. "You know I can do it. I can help you. I am the smartest person in the pack." she told him and she heard Mika laugh. "What''s so funny Mika?" she asked. "He won''t choose you of course. I am his best friend, just you asking him to make you his Beta shows how deluded you are¡­also you¡­" "Me?" Reina asked, raising her eyebrow. "You''re a girl." the red haired werewolf told her with no shame at all. He looked her in the eyes and told her she couldn''t be the Alpha''s right hand because of her gender. Reina was so shocked she couldn''t say anything, her eyes widened, while her jaw dropped, her hands forming fists on her sides. "When was a woman suited for a position like this?" he asked her, a devilish grin on his face. "You really believe you''re something don''t you?" Reina asked and she stood up. She took a step towards him, bending down so she would reach his eye level, cornering him between her body and the couch as she began talking. "A woman? A girl? Really? You think you are obliged to this spot just because you have a dick between your legs? Well, maybe, since at everything else I am better than you and everyone knows it. How many times have you lost from me Mika or maybe have you lost count?" she told him, her lips twitching in a smile as she pointed at him with her index finger, the tip of her fingernail touching his shirt. "You are the one who''s deluded." She stated. Mika looked furious, he tried to stand up but the girl pushed him back down, a giggle escaping from her lips. "Stop, this is not about you." Hans scolded them and both of them stopped moving, their gazes fixing back to Philip. "So who''s it going to be?" the Beta asked him and Philip looked at his friends. Reina was smart and strong, knowledgeable and cunning. She had everything you asked for in an advisor. She avoided the extremes and had a good judgment, she was the one that always offered him solid advice. Mika on the other hand, he was¡­ "I will choose Mika." He was his childhood best friend. He couldn''t betray him like that. Mika scoffed, proudly standing up and pushing Reina to the side. "Really?" the girl asked Philip. "I''m sorry Reina I¡­" "Save it. You know what? Since I am a girl I will quit. I will quit from being a wolf warrior and I will also quit from being your friend. You dick owners can have fun while you ruin us from the inside.." she said and stormed out of the room. Chapter 181 - 180 Lun had been offered a room in the palace. His father had summoned him home but he was trying to avoid it with every possible way. Once he heard that the queen had told him to stay, the strict man left him alone and now the tall vampire was standing at the balcony of his room, looking at the churred land and the bloody rivers that kept flowing. The truth was he didn''t want to return, deep inside he had hoped that Kai would choose to stay in the human world. He had been conflicted all this time, happy to have his only friend back but terrified with the fact that he would have to return to his duties. Lun sighed, his chest rising while his lungs were filled with hot air as many thoughts poisoned his mind. He wanted to smoke, his hands shaking while a frown appeared on his face, this land, this kingdom always made him feel anxious. He loved the chaos Kai was creating, he was aware it was the prince''s way to forget and in a way it helped him too. He had something to occupy himself with but now that the young prince was dedicated to training Ash and John he had nothing to do but gaze at the endless red sky. He could feel the dry air on his pale skin and the room he lived in seemed almost like a deadend. His whole life did so. Sooner or later he would be summoned, he would have to kill other vampires, punish them, sell drugs to them. He had been asked by many people he knew, why don''t you simply give up? It''s easy, just say you quit. Lun would usually smile at that question discarding his thoughts. He never told anyone how stupid that question sounded to him because no one really seemed to understand. Give up on your life? On the privilege your family worked so hard to acquire? Give up on who you are and then what? What was in store for him if he stopped being the boss'' son, the man everyone feared? He would be no one, nothing, a runaway. This emptiness scared him so he prefered others to think he liked what he did rather than the fact that he did it out of fear, out of fear of who he was to become if he left everything behind. Maybe, maybe if he had Xan, he thought and a bitter smile grew on his face. It was ridiculous, relying his whole life, his salvation, on one man who clearly hated him. He was pitiful and once more he detested the place he was born. His mask had grown too tight around his face, the sensitive material was at the brim of breaking. All these times he had raised his voice, all these times he had told Xan he loved him, finding himself standing in front of a cement wall he hadn''t been himself. But he wanted him. He wanted him more than anything else to the point his chest hurt every time he saw him. Every word, every sound that escaped from his mouth could either be gold or poison to him. His head dropped, his eyes watering as he thought of all of his failed tries. He kept trying and trying, giving and giving just so everyone could call him crazy, just so he could hear the sound of rejection over and over again. He was scared he was going to end up losing these feelings too, the only ones that kept him attached to a kinder side of himself. His life, it was filled with darkness, he was the one hiding in the corners while the light always bothered him. Having Xan was the only way, the only salvation but he, the crown prince did not even see him and for that he felt utterly pitiful. He closed his eyes, punching the railings on the balcony, the iron vibrating and making a very disturbing sound. "You are insane." he told himself, whispering but it was as if he was screaming in his mirror. Standing in front of his reflection, seeing someone who clung to a hopeless love. Lun had given everything to Xan, in the end there would be nothing left, no part of himself that hasn''t been broken by him. It hurt, he thought and his palm rested on top of his cursed heart. He didn''t want to be left with nothing, as selfish as it sounded he wanted to receive something back. This emptiness, this feeling of suffocation, being backed up in a corner, he hated it. This wasn''t him, the person everyone viewed, the person he wanted to be. This weakness and that soft spot he had for Xan, one day he was sure, it would destroy him. He turned his back on the depressing scene of BloodBound''s mainland and decided he wanted some time to sleep, rest and get lost in dreams. In his head things never ended badly and now he had become addicted to thinking of scenarios that would at least make him smile for a while, until the hard reality crushed in and everything seemed ten times worse. Lun took a deep breath, stepping in when a knock was heard on his door, making him grimace. It was quite late for visitors, he thought and his immediate assumption was that Kai had come to find him. Lazily he opened the door, seeing not the prince he expected standing there, a strict expression on his face as their eyes met. How could he be so handsome? Lun wondered, his eyes fixed on his perfect face. This family was a moving crime, their personalities one worse than the other but their appearances would lure you in like a siren''s voice. The original family, the first cursed. His hair was a bit damp and his white shirt was loosely hanging from the sides of the hem of his pants. He pushed the snow white strands back and raised his eyebrow, expecting to be let in. "You can tell me from here, what do you want?" he asked him and the crown prince scoffed. "This is my home, you know. Letting me or not is not your decision." "Okay then." Lun said and stepped to the side. "Come on in. Take that crucial step inside so we can see what will change." he told him, his words dripping with irony. "I am fine here." Xan said. "At least you respect boundaries." "I am not that shitty after all." "Now you''re cutting yourself too much slack." the brown haired vampire said and Xan sighed, seeming seriously concerned. "Lun¡­" "Why are you here your majesty? I think it was a mutual agreement that we won''t bother with each other." "I need you to listen to me. For a second, can I come in?" he asked, his tone calm as his cold eyes met Lun''s. He thought about it for a while, did he really want to retreat once more? Fall victim to those icy orbs and the way he seemed as if he was subtly pleading? His heart fluttered. "Get in." he told him, annoyance in his voice but not towards Xan, towards himself. "I need you to leave the palace." Xan immediately announced once Lun had closed the door and after a few seconds of awkward silence the tall werewolf began laughing. "Is this what you wanted to tell me? You wanted to ask me to leave. You didn''t have to come in to say that you could do it from outside." "No,wait. You don''t understand." "What? Enlighten me." "Mother is angry." Xan stated. "When is she not angry?" "No you don''t get it. She is angry with what happened at the ball a few days ago. The Duke and the Duchess are against the monarchy and Kai knew that. He caused an uproar and she¡­" "Stop blaming your brother for what that perverted woman did and get to the chase." Lun cut him off. "I think my mother is planning to hurt the boy, I am sure of it and I think she will try to do something to you too. To spite Kai. So I need you to leave, make sure you''re safe." "Why didn''t you go to Kai with this? Ash is just a teen, would you let him get hurt?" "No! That''s not it, I just wanted to warn you." "Why? Why do you have this tendency to be nice to me and hate me the next? Do you enjoy hurting my feelings? Is this some kind of game to you?" "Lun¡­" "Tell me, if I am nothing more than a game, I want to know it, we can laugh together with how naive I am." "I am like this to you because¡­" Xan mumbled, a sigh escaping his pink lips. "Because?" "Because I can still see the trapped child in you sometimes, the young man who dared to dream but at the same time I can''t forgive you, I can''t overlook the one you chose to become." he told him, looking at him straight in the eyes and Lun felt as if he would collapse. "Get out." Chapter 182 - 181 "Why don''t you want to listen to me?" Xan asked him, seemingly frustrated. Lun was holding onto his door, showing him the corridor as he insisted the prince stepped out. The white haired vampire sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried not to lose his composure. For Lun though it was a lot different. He had found him in one of the worst times, one of those moments when everything in his head became so vivid, every fear and anxious thought came to life. Xan was standing right in front of him, reminding him all of the things he could have but didn''t. "Because I don''t want to. Why is it so hard for you to understand?" Lun asked him, his dark eyes wide, his muscles tensed, his body stiff like a rock. He pushed the door, closing it loudly since Xan didn''t seem to want to get out and walked away from him, getting deeper into his dark room. The prince followed him, standing close, not wanting to leave him alone. "Lun, I came here to warn you, not to fight with you. I¡­" "I love you." Lun said, staring at him with an empty look and Xan gasped. Hearing the surprised sound, he scoffed, a bitter grin appearing on his face. Why did it sound so shocking to him? He already knew it, he had known ever since Lun was a child, it couldn''t have been more obvious that he lived for him. "Why are you acting so surprised? I''ve told you many times, I''ve tried to approach you, make you like me, not even love me. Gods, I am pitiful. I have been trying and trying but you can''t seem to want to look past my family. I can''t be around you any longer. It hurts me, it reminds me that I can''t be what you want. I hate this place!" Lun exclaimed, his voice loud making Xan flinch. "I hate it from the bottom of my heart because here I get to be reminded every single fucking day that I will never be good enough for you, I will never be the one that would be accepted by your family or by you even. I really wished for Kai to stay in the human world so I could find an excuse to stay there too, learn to be away from you. Every time I see your face Xan I am reminded that I am nothing more than trash, well, you make sure I won''t forget it either. I feel like an idiot. Falling for you, falling for what? Your anger? Your fucking superiority complex? Your horrible comments? You will make me go insane in the end! Centuries, freaking centuries I¡­" he continued, a long and hurried monolog where he took out everything he had ever thought, exposing himself in the most raw and surprising way. Lun was the kind of vampire who loved life, cherished the eternity and learned to thrive in it. Same as his best friend many times he had been described as emotionless, as a man who only knew how to smile while he killed. That''s what everyone saw, that''s what Xan saw most of the time but Lun had shown him so much more, not just now but during his whole life, every little piece of him he had exposed. "Whatever¡­I¡­I can''t do this any longer. I¡­" "Lun." Xan called out, his voice soft, as if he pitied him. Xan felt his chest tighten, guilt spreading like a strong poison on his body while he looked at Lun''s miserable face. What did he feel? How did he feel? He never allowed himself to wonder, he never even had the guts to truly sit down and think about it because he was well aware, him and Lun were simply impossible. He was the next king of the Avger monarchy, he would wear the crown, he would have to marry another pureblood lady and preserve the bloodline. Lun was¡­wrong, in so many twisted ways. His family, his gender, his job, every little thing about him was¡­wrong but still the white haired prince just couldn''t push him away. "Stop calling my name, I am begging you." Lun said. "Why?" the prince asked, knowing that he was pushing him. The vampire stood at the edge of a cliff, his immortality erased for a second and with every word he took a step closer to the end. Every word was a command, a sign to just perish into this bittersweet torture. "Because I swear, I don''t know what I am going to do if you call my name like that." he said, his jaw tensed, looking at him with a fire raging in his eyes. "Like what?" "Like you care." he explained and Xan''s snowy eyelashes flattered, his icy orbs softening. "Lun." he repeated, his tone warm. "Lun, Lun" he called his name again and again, every time making his heart race more and more. The tall vampire took a few steps towards him, exhaling loudly as he grabbed his neck. He flashed pushing the prince into the wall, a cough escaping his pink lips while Lun''s long fingers wrapped around his neck. He felt the air slowly stopping but he didn''t resist, he just heard Lun''s ratched breathing, his eyes stuck on his handsome face. "Will you kill me?" he asked him and his face moved closer, his lips touching the lobe of his ear as he whispered. "I wish I fucking could." he said before he looked at Xan. The prince grinned, feeling his grip loosen. "Okay." Xan said, as if nothing had happened and Lun let go of him. He didn''t let him get away though, he grabbed his shirt and with a very swift and fast move the prince brought him closer again. "If you can''t finish things then don''t start them" Xan said. "You asshole." Lun groaned and cupped his face, bringing their lips together with force. Xan''s eyes widened as he stood there surprised for a second before Lun wrapped his arms around him. It tasted sweet, his kiss. It was unexpected, Xan thought before he lost his mind completely. The heavy eyelids closed, while his body loosened up, almost melting in between Lun''s strong arms. He felt his tongue caress his bottom lip and opened his mouth, letting Lun do whatever he wanted to with him. A sudden moan escaped his lips but the only thing he could hear was his heart resonating in the walls of his body. This kiss, this moment, it meant something but Xan was too lost to think any longer. All he knew was that he would want to kiss him again and again. Chapter 183 - 182 "Happy Birthday!" Mika''s excited voice echoed in the quiet room when he kicked the door open, a cake with candles in his hands. Philip looked at him, a blank expression on his face as his eyes met with his best friend''s. Their room felt too quiet. Reina was gone, the day he had chosen him as his Beta she had stormed inside the room and gathered her stuff. No matter how many times Philip told her to stay, that did not mean he valued her less than a friend she wouldn''t hear. Now there was just him and Mika, her bed empty, just a mattress there, undressed, looking utterly depressing. He hadn''t managed to see her either during those days, it was as if she was hiding from him and that hurt him. Slowly he felt like the people around him were leaving him. Kai, Reina, one by one they disappeared as if they were never there. Mika had told him to not think about it. She was stubborn and immature, that was how he had described her but Philip knew it wasn''t because of that. Reina would never argue for matters she knew were not involving her. His red haired friend believed the girl would walk through that door any moment now apologizing but Philip doubted it. The truth was he knew why Reina had decided to leave them, even if he didn''t want to face it. She was more capable than Mika, Philip wasn''t so stupid as to not realize that. She was intelligent, well spoken, educated and strong. She had a level headed mind and many connections, all that just at the age of eighteen. She felt wronged because she believed friendship shouldn''t intervene with our jobs and she was right. She would have been a much better Alpha than him. "Stop being so depressed!" Mika shouted, shoving the cake right in front of his face, pulling him back from the thoughts about his recently lost friendship. "Come on, in just a few hours you will be having your memories back, isn''t that great?" He asked him, pointing with his chin on the candles, making Philip blow them with an unexcited expression. "Yeah, because that will be great." He mumbled falling back and bouncing on Mika''s bed with a troubled expression. "I barely manage to spend a few hours without thinking about him now I will have to get into a fucking comma and see the past, my own death even." "Your memories with that idiot will just be a small fragment of your life. There will be great moments, I will be there too." "Nice, having this carrot haired idiot with me will definitely make things better." he joked and a few seconds later a pillow landed on top of his face. "Die you piece of shit." Mika said playfully, pushing a bit the pillow in his face as if he was trying to suffocate him. Philip smiled, grabbing the soft object from its edges and pulling it away before he hit Mika with it and made him fall to the side, a giggle escaping his lips. "I''m scared." Philip expressed himself, the cheerful moment slowly disappearing. "Of what?" "Of being wrong. I am scared that there will be more to the story, that I made a mistake like Reina said. I don''t know. All this time something hasn''t been feeling right. Like a weight on my chest." The new Alpha described and heard Mika sigh loudly. "Reina was trying to get in your head. What exactly could be a good reason enough to justify that Kai did kill you? He didn''t even bother sharing the whole story with you. He simply told you to fuck off." "He didn''t really say that." Philip mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you having second thoughts?" Mika asked him. "I¡­I don''t know." The werewolf said, his voice low as if he was scared to tell his friend the truth. The red haired man looked at him with an annoyed expression, sighing again as if he couldn''t breathe well. Philip looked at him, his hazel eyes mirroring the mess that he called his mind. "Philip, listen to me." Mika said, his eyes glued on his friend. "You are the new Alpha now. You need to focus on this, it''s really important and a great responsibility. You can''t have second thoughts about anything. Kai is gone, and that is the best thing, no matter how much you love him there is no way that could let you forgive him for what he did to you. It''s impossible. Okay?" he asked and Philip shook his head, hesitantly. "Your memories will let you know, you will see that you made the right decision. I am sure of it." he continued and the alpha gave him a small smile. It was fake, both of them knew it but Mika didn''t call him out on it. It was simply a bad moment, Mika had thought, everything would be alright when he remembered. "Okay, I am just a bit worried about all this." "It''s very natural. I was terrified too." "Mika¡­" Philip called out and his friend raised his eyebrow. "What?" "About your mate¡­" "That''s not the time to talk about my mate now." he told him and smiled. "You need to lay on your bed and close your eyes, fall asleep and wait for the memories to guide you. They are sent to you by the gods so try not to be so scared." he told him and stood up, whipping off some invisible dirt from his worn out jeans. "I will make sure no one bothers you." "Mika, thanks." "No problem. Philip, I know I sometimes whine too much but I¡­I just don''t want to lose my best friend again, okay?" "I will be here, don''t worry. Now go, I need to prepare." Philip said, a smile on his lips. ... Who''s excited? I am, really. So if you guessed that the next chapter will be very important you guessed right! I hope you enjoyed today''s release. If you did please leave a nice comment, a review and a vote to help a girl out who wishes to be known xD Thank you for reading and for you support this far! Chapter 184 - 183 Philip would have to stay in that room for hours, alone and traveling through his old memories. The more times you had come to this world the more it took you to retrieve everything, it was a long process filled with pain and joy, a mystery that would unravel by a single light like the sole center headlight on an empty stage. He didn''t prepare anything too complicated. Some people would eat before they fell asleep, get new beds and all kinds of weird things to signify the importance of the moment. The day a werewolf turned twenty was the day their life changed, from a pup to a full fledged part of the pack. The young werewolf had changed a few pillows so he could find the one that was the most comfortable. He didn''t know if it was his nerves but one pillow seemed to be too harsh, the other too soft. Too cold and too warm. After finally finding something that seemed to fit him best he laid down, dressed in comfortable clothing and with a thin cover above his muscular body he took a deep breath, closing his hazel eyes and facing the darkness. In this endless black there was silence and before he fell asleep he could hear the sound of his breathing, a steady pace, the rising and falling of his chest while his heart played an anxious beat that echoed in all his body through his veins. At first he felt as if he couldn''t sleep, as if this would take forever but slowly his heart began to calm down and the bears turned almost into a lullaby. A yawn escaped his lips just before sleep welcomed him and then everything turned completely quiet. The memories flashed before him like parts of a movie. Years and years back. Philip did not expect to be this old, his figure dressed in clothing hundreds of years old. He had walked on virgin lands, he had met so many people, seen so many faces, all of them appearing like masks hanging on a wall. So many events but one thing always remained the same. Philip was alone. No mate to call his own, no love to be by his side in this endless journey of life. Kai hadn''t been born yet so he just had his life pass without an ounce of true love. He waited and waited lonely and many times depressed. The wolf wanted to cry. The previous life, it was the only one when he had a mate, someone to love and everything had been ruined, from the start, his fate seemed to closely connect with doom. He didn''t want his memories to lead him to the vampire prince. His angelic face and his devilish smile, his wits and intelligence. The soft and cold touch of his fingertips. Before he fell asleep he had wondered if he would be able to wake up on his own, keep that part of his life shut down forever but as he realized it was pointless. At some point he found him. The man the gods had assigned him and he was beautiful. From the very first moment Philip had been shocked at how someone could be so perfect in such a peaceful way. Perfection most of the time was disturbing something out of the ordinary but Kai, he was meant to stick out in the most stunning way. His love could only grow from now on, so did his torture, the mix of knowing and waiting to see was dreadful. Laid on his bed, seeing him tattoo the magic mark on his neck. "Just so I can always find you" Kai had told him as the magic ink had spread into his skin. So that was it, the half moon design on his neck, a remnant of a tragic love, a sign of misfortune. Kai laughed so sweetly, he spoke so carefully and when he swore at him Philip couldn''t help but laugh. His side on his bed was warm and welcoming while the elegant vampire fit into his arms perfectly as if the werewolf''s body was meant to exist for him. Hours, days and weeks of true bliss until¡­ Until the third prince disappeared and Philip felt like the world was slowly turning against him. "I think you should just wait. You know how he is a free spirit and all, he will come back." Mika, he was the one talking, seated on the couch of their bright guest room. He was trying to advise his friend who was pacing back and forth, upset. "What if something happened to him?" Philip asked, his hazel eyes glazed with worry. "I am his mate, he wouldn''t have to hide from me." He said and heard Mika scoff. "These people don''t understand the importance of mates. They only think of themselves." His best friend told him, Philip could not believe him. He stopped pacing, his eyes landing on the closed door of the little lounge and he sighed. "I''m going to go search for him" he stated, his eyes showing no one was going to change his mind. "So I will have to cover you to Octavius." "Yes, please." "Okay." Mika said, rubbing the back of his neck. "just go and don''t be late." Philip ran off, leaving the comfortable and luxurious room finding himself getting down the stairs of his floor with a speeding heartbeat. It was night, long shadows traveling from the corners of those walls, everything completely empty when he heard a sound. He froze, turning his head, wanting to spot the source when a man appeared. Philip gulped. He didn''t like the way he presented himself. It was as if he had stuck out from the darkness, a long cape, a deep black color, covering his whole body while a hood hid his face. "Who are you?" Philip asked. "Excuse me. I didn''t mean to scare you. I come to you with a very important message from the prince. The third prince." The man said. The tone in his voice was calm, friendly even and at the mention of Kai Philip forgot all his reservations. "Kai? What about him, do you know where he is?" He asked and the man nodded. "Please tell me" "An organization called the Nightshades has captured him. He is imprisoned and you are the only one that can save him." The stranger said and Philip''s eyes widened in shock. "But how...is he...is he alright?" He asked. "Does it matter how? All that matters is that he is barely alive. Please, he sent me here to get you so you could find him. He trusts you, he said he loves you." The man said, making Philip go crazy with worry. "Take me, take me wherever he is, I need to save him." "I cannot take you, I will only slow you don''t but I will give you something that will help." The caped man said and through his cape a gloved hand appeared holding a shiny gold crown, filled with gems. "Take this, hold it, don''t let go of it. The crowns of the Avger hold important powers and when you give it to his Majesty he will be able to fight and survive. You are the only one that can get it to him." The man said, extending his hand and Philip, he grabbed it without a second thought. He looked at it, the light of the moon landing on the gold while a weird scent reached his nostrils. It wasn''t supposed to smell like this. The werewolf looked up, wanting to ask the man but he was gone and now the man was worried. The scent was getting stronger and he tried to let go of it but it was as if the crown was stuck in his hand. His eyes widened as he felt the precious object burn his hand and he hissed. There was something in it, something toxic, he realized and a frown appeared on his face. He tried to throw it, he even hit his hand to let go but nothing. "What the heck?" Philip mumbled. "I don''t have time for this." He told himself and ran off, not caring about the little trick on the crown. Yes, he indeed didn''t have time. The effect of the poison was very fast and he started to feel it once he left the city of BloodBound. He felt thirsty as if he had been to the desert, his muscles would hurt and his mind would start to get clouded. An undeniable urge started to torture him. He wanted to kill, kill them all. Soon he couldn''t understand anything, he couldn''t hear the pleas nor see the harm he caused and when Kai appeared before him he was nothing more than a prey and he was a mad animal. The beauty in the prince''s face was gone, his soft voice had been silenced and the world was just red, the red of blood, the blood he wanted to spill. He had lost the fight, thankfully. He had watched himself fall to the muddy ground, his heart on Kai''s hand as for the last few seconds he realized what had happened. The prince was crying, he looked so sad and that somehow seemed to be the worst part. Bit his heart in his hands, not the way he felt his soul slip out of his body but Kai, Kai was sad. "Why?" Philip had asked. Not why did he do it but why had things come to this. Why did their love have to die? Philip did not hate Kai, he never could. He loved him too much, understood him too much, wished for him to live too much to hate him that he had taken his life. This was the last memory, the last scene of the show and Philip woke up, frozen on his bed while his eyes watered, filling with guilty tears. "What did I do?" He asked himself, regretting everything. Chapter 185 - 184 He couldn''t believe it. How wrong he had been all this time, about everything. He had pushed Kai away, tortured himself and the vampire prince just because of a misunderstanding. Things were not the way Mika had said, the story had nothing really that would make Philip hate Kai, at the moment all he could feel was love, heartbreaking, bone crushing love while his chest ached because of the guilt. He had been such a jerk. To Kai, to Reina too who wanted to help him, warn him, all because he had blindly believed Mika. His friend wasn''t at fault either, he already knew that. He should be mad at himself, no one forced him to believe him, no one told him that Mika''s story would be the only way. Philip had simply been blind and that way he ruined everything. The werewolf took in a deep breath, still rooted on his bed he looked straight ahead at the wooden wall so many thoughts passed through his mind. He had no idea what he should do now. He had been so cruel. He didn''t even want to think how Kai would be feeling, how hurt and lost he was. Somehow Philip felt like he was responsible for the prince''s return to that horrible kingdom. Just so he could get away Kai had decided to leave, even though he always dreamed of escaping. His hands on his sides had formed rage filled fists. He wasn''t angry at anyone but himself. He was stupid and immature, he had pushed his soulmate to such distress all because of what someone else told him. He hadn''t trusted his gut when he looked at Kai''s face and all he wanted to do was hug him, kiss him. Philip had believed it was just a beastly urge, a bitter reminder that he had no true control of himself while the truth was that Kai hadn''t done anything wrong, that''s why the wolf inside of him hadn''t stopped loving him. A sigh escaped his up to now sealed lips. He kept scolding himself, his hazel eyes locked at nothing while the image of Kai''s hurt expression flashed before him like a nightmare. He had ruined everything and had no idea how to fix it. He threw the sheets away from his body, suddenly feeling extremely hot and stepped on the floor barefoot. He had to do something, he had to fix this, get Kai back. He wore his shoes and changed his clothes in a hurry, hopping here and there, losing his balance just to be even faster. He grabbed the door and opened it, finding himself in front of a very beautiful purple and pink sunset. The forest was magnificent. This was where his pack was supposed to be, in nature, deep inside into the beauty of the earth. He loved it and it had the strange effect of immediately calming him. Philip looked around, seeing a few people take a walk but in general no one was there. It was probably dinner time, he hadn''t really checked. The people greeted him, recognizing him as their new Alpha and he nodded to preoccupied in his own thoughts for an actual conversation with them. He ran away, hearing his footsteps echo in the quiet night while he tried to think of a plan. He wanted to see Kai, he needed to. Things had to be fixed, he couldn''t simply let the love of his life believe he hated him. For all eternity, in every life Philip was his and that didn''t change, not this time. He doubted it ever would. "Philip" he heard a familiar voice call and he stopped unwillingly. He turned around and locked eyes with Mika who was jogging towards him with a questioning expression. "What''s wrong where are you going?" His friend asked him. It wasn''t a good time for Philip to actually talk with Mika. The red haired would not take the news well and chaos would begin but Philip didn''t want to lie. Also deep inside he felt a bit angry, wronged by his best friend and annoyed even because he doubted his lover because of him. It was obvious that Mika didn''t like Kai, he never did but how could he so easily assume he had been the bad guy? The Alpha had so much on his chest, on his mind that he felt at some point his whole body would explode. "I remember everything. It''s over" Philip stated and Mika smiled. "That''s great!" The red haired exclaimed. "Now let''s go. Everyone is waiting to hear from you in the hall. They are all excited." He told him but Philip shook his head, refusing to follow him. "I won''t come with you, I am sorry." He stated and the werewolf frowned, a huge crease creating between his light color eyebrows as he processed Philip''s words. "Why? What''s wrong?" He asked. "What''s wrong is that you have been wrong all this time. I believed you and now I pushed Kai away from me. I hurt him." Philip said, an expression of distress on his face. "I was wrong? I am sure that this vampire bastard killed you! What are you talking about?" He said. "First, don''t talk about him like that." Philip said, his voice strict. "And secondly yes he did kill me. Because I was fucking poisoned and went insane. I killed a bunch of people and I would kill Kai too if he hadn''t stopped me. How could you miss such an important detail?" "It didn''t matter." Mika said and Philip froze. He examined his expression, the way he looked at him. "You knew?" He asked. "The fact that he chose to kill you does not change Philip." "You knew! You knew that I was poisoned and you didn''t tell me!" Philip shouted. "why did you alter the story Mika?" "I did not know. At least I wasn''t sure about it. Because I think it''s irrelevant! What does it matter why he killed you? He did it anyways and got to move on with his life while you were dead!" Mika shouted and right after he was done talking he heard Philip groan. He was frustrated, angry even at him. "It is very relevant. There are parameters in every situation and...and...ugh! Why do I even try talking to you! You are at fault for ruining everything. I lost him" he whined. "I did not force you to make that decision." Mika said coldly and even though he was right in a sense Philip felt hurt. He looked at his friend, realizing he had no intention of apologizing and regretted the fact that he pushed Reina away for him. He had made so many mistakes, they would be hard to count. "I shouldn''t have made you my Beta. I shouldn''t have trusted you. First you try to kill Kai, I forgive you, now you lie to me about something so important. Why Mika?" He asked. "Because I wanted to protect you. I wanted you to have a better life this time! Do you know how hard it will be to be with him? He is a vampire Philip, wake up. This whole thing was doomed from the start." "How do you know? How can you decide and be sure about it? You always talk about being doomed, that a mating bond with a vampire won''t work out. How do you know? You don''t even have a mate!" "I know! I fucking know because I''ve lived it. I had a vampire mate and you know what you pea brained idiot? She is dead. Not like werewolf dead, she is dead dead. So I fucking know, I know a lot better than you think but if you want to ruin your life and in the end lose him because he will die then go ahead, be my fucking guest." Mika said, leaving Philip stare at him with his jaw dropped. He had always wondered who Mika''s mate was, why he never talked about them. He seemed to avoid conversation and questions about them all the time as if he wanted to pretend they did not exist. Well, the mystery had been solved in a very angry way. Philip sometimes believed that maybe Mika was somehow problematic, like he was never assigned a mate so he didn''t have one. It happened from time to time every few centuries but he had assumed wrong. Mika had a mate. A girl who he had loved with all his heart, someone he wanted to be with but lost her. Mika''s face seemed so sad as he angrily confessed his own truth, his own life. "Mika..." Philip mumbled not knowing what to say. "Sometimes all of you seem to forget that we are not just some supernatural creatures from a story. We are cursed. Witches cursed as and even though we found a way to live with it some of us are still affected by it Philip. So do as you wish but remember.. He is not like us, if he dies, then it''s over and no, I didn''t want to kill him, just scare him away." Chapter 186 - 185 It was about four hundred years ago, maybe even more, Mika''s memories were not that good anymore, the pain was like a paintbrush, dipped in pitch black paint and painting over the beautiful art of his mind. Now only a few clear parts remained, a few spots filled with color while the rest was black, anything underneath the thick layer of paint was hard to see, hard to understand. The time he grew up back then was not the best, hunted down by the witches and the church life seemed to be quite pointless. Being born as a werewolf was only a curse and most of the time his pack was running away, hiding from one danger or the other. Werewolves and witches never got along, they were the ones who cursed them after all but there seemed to be moments in their long history when they were the least of their problems. Mika''s life was during that period. He was a young man, approaching his twentieth birthday with anticipation, wanting finally to have a companion to spend this misery with. He was tall with flaming red hair, long all the way to his back and even though his clothes sometimes were dirty from working in stables he made sure that his face was always clean, showing an honest and hard working expression. He wasn''t anyone special, no wolf warrior, no Beta and definitely not even close to being an Alpha. He was just normal, as normal a werewolf could be. Mika was content though, with a life that simply moved forward, waking up at dawn, hard work and then returning home with a warm bowl of soup cooked by him. His legs would hurt from standing too much and he never chose to wear his only good pair of shoes because he was scared to damage them but he didn''t mind. He wasn''t the only one that lived this way, many wolves in his pack did, many humans also. Dark times, when people used to be hungry all the time, he was thankful for having at least enough not to starve to death. The only thing that he wanted was someone by his side. This romantic idea the werewolves had grown up with that their other half was out there, waiting for them was stuck in his head, the only comfort in this endless misery. As the days went by and the time reached nearer he would feel his heart race faster at the thought. He would imagine her in his head, her figure. A small girl with brown hair and dark eyes, an honest smile. She would be his world and he didn''t even mind. Poverty was nothing if he had her. So the night of his twentieth birthday he had laid down in his hay mattress, hearing the small fire in his room burn and he had fallen asleep with a smile lingering on his lips, waiting to finally see her face. To Mika''s disbelief though the girl in his dreams was nothing alike to the one he had pictured in his head, nothing close to what you would call a werewolf. He stood in his dream, seeing his hands dirty and he raised his face, meeting eyes with the woman that without even doing anything had stolen his heart. She was tall and pale, her complexion almost reminding him of the moon his people worshiped. She stood elegantly before him, her eyes a bright green while her hair was like gold. As if she knew she was in his dream she smiled, an expression filled with mischief in the most charming way and Mika for the first time felt his whole world spin. He had woken up in the middle of the night, feeling the chill of the breeze going through his half opened window. He was drenched in sweat, his dark eyes still looking for her as he got up and wore his shoes. There was an urge, a driving force he knew would appear, one that would lead him straight to her. Fate, he loved that word. The force that would bring him finally to her. He didn''t mind that she didn''t look the way he had pictured her, beautiful like a moon goddess she thought of her as something almost divine and he could clearly remember a small beauty mark underneath her left eye, he had thought of it as adorable. He stormed out of his house, following only the steps of his heart as the beast inside of him searched for her. His feet didn''t take him to the small center of the village though, nor to some kind of house. Mika found himself getting deeper and deeper into the thick forest, losing sight of the way out. He was not scared, he was worried. He couldn''t understand why she would be there, in such a place. He looked around, seeing only the dark leaves on the trees, hearing the branches break underneath his feet and sighed when a sound reached his ears. Mika''s eyes widened, his senses heightened when he heard it again, this time louder, it was a groan coming from somewhere close. He turned towards the source and warily followed the pained sounds until he found himself in a small clearing. The moon was right above it, one single ray of light landing on top of her body as she cried. The werewolf blinked, wanting to make sure he wasn''t still in his dream. No, this was real, he realized and he took a step closer, wanting desperately to help her. The woman heard him and her head snapped, her tear stained face turning expressionless as she hissed at him, showing a pair of fangs and Mika froze. A vampire, she was a vampire. ... Hello everyone! Do you like the story so far? I hope so. Here is the first look on Mika''s story but I won''t really focus on it for now, I just had this image in my head of the vampire girl in the forest, injured and how he found her and I wanted to write about it. If you like the story this far please help a girl out with a nice review, a vote and a good comment. Thank you! Chapter 187 - 186 "How did it happen?" Philip asked, wanting to know and Mika looked at him, a sad smile on his face. "Does it really matter? The result still remains the same." The red haired wolf said and he intended to leave but Philip stopped him, grabbing his wrist. "You need to talk to me, we need to talk about this. You owe it to me after everything that you did. Mika, if you walk away right now, you and I, we will never have the chance to fix things. Philip said and heard his friend sigh, his face falling. He remained silent and for a second he wondered if he was actually going to speak. Mika though parted his lips and while almost whispering he told Philip everything. "I met her the same night I turned twenty. I was so desperate to meet her that my instincts simply took over, leading me to the forest just outside the village I used to live in. She was there, laid on the ground and wounded, bathed by the moonlight. She turned her head and looked at me, hissing at me the way those bloodsuckers do and I froze. She was the enemy, the one that I was supposed to stay away from but right there, under that moonlight in this silence that spread everywhere all I could think of was that I had never seen anyone more beautiful. I moved towards her, inspected her wounds and made her come with me. I helped her, I kept her alive, hiding her from the sun, you see she wasn''t like your Kai, she was weak and a nobody, her life was a mess. She didn''t seem to hate me, even though I was her mate, maybe because I saved her life. I never really thought about it too much. She was silent though, she barely spoke and didn''t even look me in the eyes most of the time. I believed she didn''t like being saved by someone like me. I was a werewolf and on top of that I was also poor, the combination was ridiculous you see." he told Philip, a scoff escaping his lips. His friend could see it, how hard it was for him to recall those memories, how it pained him but he kept going. "After a month, maybe she started to open up to me. You know how I usually act like a jerk. Well, I''ve never had the urge to be nice to a person before. You wouldn''t believe your eyes, how careful I was around her, how¡­how much I tried to make her like me, not even love me because that, I did believe it was impossible. She told me her story, why she had been hurt. She lived in the town just after the end of the forest, a maid to some pureblood who had decided to leave BloodBound and the son of that royal seemed to want her, but she didn''t. He had tried to force her and she tried to escape. The spoiled brat beat her, injured her enough so her blood wouldn''t be on his hands immediately and threw her into the forest, leaving her there to die. She was so silent¡­" Mika mumbled, getting lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "And she was barely able to smile. I did everything. I tried so hard¡­but well, she couldn''t love me, now that I think about it she couldn''t love anyone back, she had been used, thrown away, how could she trust someone and let go? Still I let her stay with me, I gave her my bed, I bought her dresses and then she smiled once you know, somehow it made me feel that everything that I did wasn''t in vain, because she had smiled at me. Elise, that was her name. We lived for a while like that and every day I was getting more used to the idea that she would never return my feelings until one day while we were eating she looked me dead in the eye and told me¡­you love me don''t you? I thought she would leave me then, I was so scared but still I nodded unable to say anything. Good, she had answered me, because I love you too. And that was it, the first and the last time I heard her say something like that to me. Because soon after she was killed. The son of the pureblood had men looking for her, I didn''t know, he wanted to kill her after all, why would he search for her? One day while I was at work they came to our home, grabbed her and ripped her heart out. When I came back I found her there, dead, on my floor. And just like that it was over." "Mika, I¡­I am sorry that this happened to you." Philip said. "Philip, I was worried about you. Not because you were mated with a vampire, it happens to more werewolves than you think but because that vampire was Kai. A pureblood, a man who would definitely carry something dark with him, just like Elise did. When Vampires are killed, they die, forever, they are gone. The same way Earl Hampton had Elisa killed, the same way someone would go after your mate because of who they were, because of who in your case they are with, that''s the reason why I wanted you to be away from them, because it is better to know that they are alive and away than have nightmares of their dead body every night." he explained. "If you had the chance would you not meet Elise? If you knew things were going to end up the way they did would you have stayed away from her?" Philip asked the sad vampire. "Because I can''t, I can''t leave Kai, knowing he is alive is not enough for me anymore. I want to be with him, I want to fix things, I want our time back and Mika I, I will get it." he stated, looking at him in the eyes and receiving a bitter smile as an answer. "Well, at least yours is alive, you can think about it." he told him. "I will get back now." "Mika." Philip called out, stopping him once more. "I don''t know if I will ever be able to forgive you for what you did but I am sorry about what happened to you." he said and the red haired man nodded. "Good luck." Chapter 188 - 187 "Why are you two so quiet?" Hans asked them while all of them had gathered in his little house. He had started to pack his stuff, preparing the place for Philip to settle in since he was the Alpha now. Mika and Philip just stared at each other, no words left to be said and the tall man sighed, feeling like he had to deal with children. He sat on his chair, watching them for a few seconds trying to understand if they were going to fight any moment now but they remained silent, waiting for Hans to tell them why he called. "I guess it''s okay as long as you two don''t fight." He mumbled as he searched for a paper in the last remaining pile on his desk. He took out a small envelope. It was black, sealed with bright red wax before but Hans had opened it breaking the beautiful crest in two. He took out the small paper carefully, the design mimicking the one of the envelope. The letters were scarlet, an eloquent calligraphy that Philip couldn''t read from far away while Hans flipped it and showed it to them. "I can''t read it from that far." The new Alpha said, not really caring about the letter. He had so many things on his mind right now, he felt as if he was going to go insane, a piece of hard paper was the least of his worries. "Dear Moonshine pack, with breath joy we inform you that this month will be the hundredth anniversary of the treaty renewal. Please do us the favor of gracing us with your presence in the one week celebration of the peace between vampires and werewolves in BloodBound. The heads of the packs will be able to stay at the palace where they will talk about the new signing of the treaties for the new bonds to begin. We will await you two weeks from now, on the xx. Thank you and we hope this invite finds you well. Signed by the queen Cecilia Avger, herself." Hans said. "Do you get what this means?" "We have to go." Philip stated he wasn''t asking but Hans, unaware of what he had been thinking, took it as a half-hearted question. "Of course we have to go. Especially after what Mikain did. It''s two weeks from now. We need you to prepare, you will take lessons, you have to step up your whole leadership image. Our pack can''t appear weak and divided." He said, emphasizing on the last word instantly realizing that there was something going on between the two friends. Mika sighed, his dark eyes not facing anyone in particular as he spoke, his head dropped as he faced the floor. "It''s alright. Do not worry, we will not be a hindrance to the meeting." "I hope so." "How many packs will be there?" Philip asked. Not only the vampires, he was concerned about other packs too. They were probably his biggest worry, the possibility of them trying to conquer them and take their area and members was too big, he was young he would be viewed as incompetent. "Three, maybe four without us. Are you worried?" "How can I not be? They will try to rip me apart." Philip said, a very vivid expression of worry in his face. "That''s why both of you will need to prepare. We''re going there for the pack, not for you to fight with vampires¡­" he said looking at Mika "...or go after your long lost love" he continued, his blue eyes stuck on Philip. "I hope you understand that." "We do." Both of them said in unison. Hans wouldn''t complain but it was definitely weird seeing them this way. They were quiet, sluggish almost and they wouldn''t joke, not even smile. He was curious to find out what happened but as long as they seemed to be focused on what he was instructing them to do he was fine with it. This pack needed some silence after all. "Where is Reina, will she be coming with you?" Hans asked. "I don''t think so." Philip said, hoping that the conversation would end there. "Well make her. He is a valuable asset. She needs to be there with you. Don''t be stupid." Hans scolded him and Philip sighed. The whole atmosphere was just strict words and sighing. It was depressing and gloomy. "I don''t think I can¡­" "I will talk to her." Mika said, surprising everyone, even himself a little bit."I will try at least." He mumbled, running the back of his neck as he stood. "I am sure you have a few things to talk about. Please let me know if you want anything else." He told them, flipping the doorknob and stepping outside. He didn''t want to be there, his guilt was slowly killing him, for many different reasons. That''s why he thought that maybe he could fix just a few of the horrible things he did. "What happened between you two?" Hans asked him, shooting him a strict look. "A lot of things. I can''t even begin to explain." Philip said, shaking his head. "Did you know about Mika''s mate?" He asked. "Yeah, it was quite sad. We keep files on the important pack members about their previous lives. You will have to write a report too soon." "I see, everything feels so¡­" "Planned? Like you didn''t really know anything about your life all this time?" Hans asked, raising his eyebrow. "Kind of yeah, it is just...complicated." he said, another sigh escaping his lips. He had lost count of the many times he had sighed today, again and again he felt as if he could not breathe, a huge weight on his chest. Two weeks, again he would have to count the days, wait and wait to see him. If he could just appear there he would do it. But even if he did how would he talk to him? He had spoken so harshly, he had acted so immature. Kai had every right to be mad at him. After everything the vampire had been through, he still loved him, with all the flaws and the scars remaining in his body Kai had loved him again from the very first moment and he had pushed him away. Rejected him without even knowing anything. "This meeting needs to go well Philip, we don''t have the luxury of letting personal matters get in the way. I know you will probably think about your vampire and of course you should talk to him but make sure everything goes well. That queen, she will definitely try to do something if not her then the other packs." Hans warned him. He knew, he had already thought about all that but the truth was Kai wouldn''t leave his thoughts. From the moment he remembered everything the vampire prince was the only one of his worries. Even if he tried to think about the pack he couldn''t and that made him feel guilty. "I will do it. Don''t worry." "For everyone''s sake, Philip, you need to be a proper Alpha. I chose you because I believed in you." Hans told him and the man scoffed, a grin appearing on his face. "I thought you wanted to punish me for killing your friend." Philip said and Hans laughed. "That too but well he had gone mad. Someone would have to do it inevitably. I am kind of glad it didn''t have to be me." "Then you can say I freed you from the burden." "And the guilt." Hans said, making Philip chuckle. Feeling guilty about killing Mikain was the last thing he felt, that was why he didn''t care about what Hans said. He stood up, stretching his arms and headed towards the door. He needed some time to organize his thoughts. A way to find the right path to follow. There was no reason to feel down about it, it would only push him back, he had to take this chance that was about to come. Fix everything, fix his relationship with Kai. Get his love back and this time make sure he wouldn''t hurt him. "I have to go, there are a few things I need to take care of before we leave." He said and stood at the door frame but Hans'' voice stopped him, an advice escaping his lips. "In these times, you need people around you, you will need support. Friends that you can trust." "I know¡­" Philip said. "That''s what I want to find." He told him before he left. ... Hello everyone! I want to make things a bit good. Drama is my cup of tea but we do need a little happiness before the storm, hehe, please anticipate the new chapters. If you liked this chapter please give it a nice comment a vote and a good review to support a small author and help a girl out. Thank you for reading! I hope you''re having a great day. Chapter 189 - 188 Kai was laid on his bed, his eyes closed while his breathing escaped from his half opened lips steadily. He could hear his heartbeat, the steady thump and the echo of the beat throughout his whole body. He was done today, he had trained Ash and John, he had made sure to bother his mother, he had spent time with Lun but everything had to come to an end at some point. He had to be alone, closed in the tall walls of his room. His balcony door was open, he barely closed them anymore. He loved to see the curtains dance, for his eyes to follow the full moon or to notice the twinkling stars. The night sky was the only reminder that he was living under the same sky with him, the moment the red sun disappeared, the ruler of his cruel world BloodBound returned into being just like any other place, a village, stuck in time under the midnight sky. He raised his arm, his palm opened, his fingers expanding. He hid everything from his vision, his pale hand the only thing in sight as tears filled his eyes. He hated being alone, he hated the silence that surrounded him and the way his thoughts would roar, trapped in his head. They screamed and scratched the walls of his mind, calling him, trying to spread throughout his body like a poison, eating him alive. Oh the agonizing pain, the numbness of the brain. They whispered, they hissed, they wrapped around his neck like snakes. They existed, they always did and Kai, well he felt like he was losing his mind. The young prince sat up, closing his ears, the tears flowing from the blue eyes, his white red by now as he screamed. No sound came out though, no breath to take and his eyes widened. He cried, whined and wailed as every thought seemed to him like a tidal wave. He was fine, he had been fine, smiling, talking, breathing, functioning so why now, why when he was all alone his thoughts were ready to battle him. His heart was a battlefield. His mind someone''s war camp. As he breathed in he felt the roarings of war, the running footsteps and the clash of imaginary swords. He was going to drive himself mad. He was going to lose it. Kai stood up, rushing outside, hoping to find someone, anyone, even his mother would do. Just someone to look at him, talk to him, force him not to be alone. He left his quarters, noticing how the palace had fallen silent, only his stumbling footsteps. There was no one, just soulless pictures hanging on the walls, people he didn''t know, men and women he didn''t remember staring at him with their painted eyes as he supported himself on the wall, feeling the cold tapestry. Judging him, the pictures were judging him. The disgrace of the Avgers, the black sheep of the family. He was all that, the fake rebel, the pretentious prince. A lovestruck fool that would soon lose his mind. This was happening because he had met Philip again, he was acting exactly the same as when he had first left BloodBound. Guilty, ashamed and in the brim of madness. His legs couldn''t keep him any longer, his body sweaty while everything around him spinned. He hated being alone, he hated his existence, he hated breathing, he hated himself. He heard footsteps, a familiar figure appearing, elegant and beautiful. His sister, Nelia. The girl stopped, staring at him with wide green eyes before she appeared right before him, crouching and looking into his glossy eyes. "Kai¡­" she called out his name sweetly, worried all over her youthful face. "What is it? What is going on?" she asked while she heard her brother cry. He grabbed her bare arms, clenching them as he raised his head. He started talking, making no sense. "I tried, I tried so hard. I can''t¡­I feel like I will lose my mind, I feel like it''s all my fault even though I know it isn''t. I am tired, I am exhausted and I just can''t stop hating myself!" he shouted. "Every day, every night when I am by myself I can hear them. My thoughts are calling, telling me to be ashamed of myself. I just¡­I can''t get it out of my head. I will lose my mind, I¡­" "Kai¡­Kai!" Nelia exclaimed, stopping his breakdown. "Look at me, please, try to breathe. What happened?" she asked and watched how her brother stopped talking, his eyes void of any emotion as he stood there, frozen, lost in his own mind. "Kai!" she called him again shaking him but again she received no answer. The young prince breathed in, turning his head and blinked, as if he had just been woken up from a dream. He looked at his sister, tilting his head to the side and a small smile formed on his lips, Nelia''s hair at the back of her neck rising at the sudden change. "I am fine." he answered as he stood up, fixing his disheveled hair by pushing them back. "What do you mean you''re fine? You were having some kind of panic attack and you''re fine? What happened?" she repeated the same question. He had worried her and for that Kai felt bad, he couldn''t explain what happened, he couldn''t tell her the truth. "I¡­I guess I have a lot on my mind with training the kids and thinking about when mum will punish me for what I did at the ball¡­it''s hectic." he said. "That''s¡­that doesn''t make sense with what you said before. You can talk to me, it''s alright." she told him, caressing her cheek and her younger brother smiled. "Really Nelia, I am¡­" "Hey!" A cheerful voice interrupted him and Kai spotted his best friend. "Kai we need to talk. Sorry to interrupt." he told him and looked at him with a bright smile. The blond prince exhaled, feeling as if he was just saved. "Yeah. Sorry Nelia, I had this thing with Lun¡­I need to go." he told her, running away. "Okay" the girl mumbled, looking at her brother walk away and converse with Lun as if nothing had happened. Was he really alright? Chapter 190 - 189 "You look horrible." Lun commented while he took Kai back to his bedroom and the young prince shot him a glare, snorting at his remark. "Thanks for telling me something I already knew." The prince told him, grabbing his doorknob tightly, because his hands were still slightly shaking, a stray strand of hair landing in front of his left eye while he looked at his friend''s darke eyes. He could read his expression, he could see the worry in them, the doubts and that he really wanted to say something. "Say it" "Say what?" Lun asked, pretending to be ignorant. "What you want to say, I feel it so just say it." "I don''t think you should be here. I think we should go back and find that little soulmate of yours. I¡­you''re trying to distract yourself, trying to hide how you feel and that will ruin you. You can''t hide forever. You either need to move on, or stay. There is no in between." he advised him and Kai shook his head, a bitter smile lingering on his sweet pink lips. "Stay? Stay where? With whom? Philip? There is no place for me to truly stay, there is no little soulmate anymore. I wish I could shout, scream, get it out of my chest but every time I try to I choke. I am a vampire, I am cursed, then I took a blood oath and then¡­then¡­I have to carry so many curses there is no staying for me. The only option is to move on, forget." "Moving on doesn''t mean forgetting. You won''t be able to wake up one day and forget the pain, the things you went through. You still love Philip, think about him and clearly you can''t let go of him so why can''t you try?" Lun asked. "Because he chose to stop, I can''t tell him the truth, even if he remembers I have no idea what happened, I¡­I don''t know anything." "Only if you talk to him you¡­" "I don''t want to." Kai interrupted him, opening his door, a subtle signal that he wanted to step out of this conversation. "Kai, hear me out for a second." "I don''t want to. I don''t want to listen to anything anymore. Everyone has something to say, pushing me to return to the pain¡­I¡­just want to forget. Why? Why do you keep telling me to return?" "Because he actually loves you back. You are blessed in that sense. Think of how it would feel if he didn''t really love you." he told him. "Maybe that would be better. To not be loved at all." Kai mumbled. "Really? Oh you have no idea. Seeing the eyes of the one you love, seeing the lack of emotion, hearing the coldness in their voice. Thinking that you would do anything to make them love you but know they don''t see you. For them you don''t exist. Suddenly your whole heart, your mind and your body lose meaning because the feelings are too strong, because this love gives you a reason to live. But it is brutal, the way you get rejected, the way you feel pitiful and like a beggar asking for just a stare, just a touch to feel like you can breathe again. Not being loved back, Kai, is not as easy as you think. So hear my advice, don''t let go." he said. "Lun, I don''t want to put him in danger again¡­I don''t want his life to be ruined because he loved me." "Our decisions, what we are willing to do for the ones we love is totally up to us. I would let myself get ruined, turn into dust if I knew that I could save Xan and that is me, not him. I would make that decision. So if he wants to be with you, knowing the pain, knowing the trouble that comes with it, why push him away?" "Because I will blame myself." "You''re already blaming yourself, withering away every time you find yourself alone. Being a vampire is not our curse Kai, that is nothing in comparison to the pain of not having the one you love, being doomed to gift your heart, without having a choice. That is the true curse, if you can solve it, then you''re too stupid not to try." "Then why aren''t you trying? Why don''t you make my brother like you?" he asked him. "I tried, I tried and I tried. All I seem to be doing is try but in the end some things are impossible after all. No matter if he kisses me, no matter if he holds my hand he won''t ever look at me in the eyes and tell me he loves me, he will never accept me, because of who I was and because of who I am but Philip, he loves you unconditionally, he adores you and for that I envy you." "Lun, I am so sorry. I wish I could do something to help you. Beat his ass." Kai said, making his friend chuckle. "No one can help me, and no one can help you except yourself. Two weeks Kai¡­." "Two weeks?" "He will be here in two weeks. He has been assigned as the new Alpha of Moonshine. He will come here." Lun informed him. Kai took a short breath, letting had he had just heard sink in. His heart sped up, yes, he had thought that this day would finally come but it was too soon, too sudden. Philip, an Alpha? "Maybe when you two meet you will see that sometimes we should forgive ourselves and go after what we want." "Lun?" "Yeah?" "About my brother¡­It is not your fault, you know that right?" he told him, making his best friend sigh. "Sometimes I think it is, sometimes I think that it isn''t. Sometimes I wish I wasn''t even born, I wish I was someone else, not the son of the underworld, sometimes, sometimes, well, things do not change, so there is no reason to think about it." "Do you want to stay here?" He asked him, stepping to the side, welcoming him in. "Yeah" Lun said, nodding his head and stepping in. Kai looked at him, walking inside and sitting on his bed. He patted the soft mattress, signaling him to come closer but the prince didn''t move. He stood there, looking at Lun. It was one of those moments. A few seconds when you look at someone and feel grateful, lucky that they exist. "You know what?" Kai said and Lun raised his eyebrow. "It''s going to be alright." "And why is that?" "Because I have you." "Oh, gods, that''s the cheesiest thing I have ever heard." Lun said, a smile on his lips. Just two friends, for tonight that was enough. .... I love these two best friends. Chapter 191 - 190 The sounds of the forest were loud around him, the chill of the night caressing his tired body as he walked and he sighed, seeing far away the room he intended to visit. He had a lot of worries, a lot of thoughts and he was definitely embarrassed but he knew he should do it. He spent a few minutes at the doorstep, looking at the wooden door with his dark eyes before he knocked a few times, faintly, hoping deep inside him that the room would be empty. He heard footsteps though behind the door and soon he was facing one of the girls in his pack. "Mika." The young girl stated, a frown on her face, her blond eyes tied in a ponytail as she looked at him. He smiled awkwardly, his hands hiding in his pockets so they wouldn''t show how anxious he was. "Hi, is Reina here?" he asked and the girl raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why would you want to see Reina after what you did?" she told him. That was the thing with Reina, everyone liked her, everyone would end up being on her side and he would have to stand there, apologizing to everyone for what he had done. Not that he didn''t deserve it, he was simply not used to it. "Come on Jade, I just need to talk to her. Is she there?" He repeated his question and the werewolf girl parted her lips. She was probably going to deny her entrance and tell him to leave because she wasn''t there but another voice from the back of the room covered her words. It was Reina. "I am coming. I am really curious what this asshole has to say." he heard her say and Mika shook his head, taking a step away from the doorstep and waiting for her to appear. She didn''t take long, she was outside soon, smiling to Jade, her friend who was letting her sleep in her own room and the blonde girl left alone, not before shooting Mika a sharp stare of course, warning him that if he did anything she would have him killed. Mika sighed, finding himself walking away from the little wooden house because he didn''t want anyone to hear their conversation. "Hey¡­" he greeted her, his voice low. He didn''t know how to start, he was hoping that Reina would say something and the conversation would flow, even though that was pretty cowardly of him. "Don''t hey me. What are you doing here Mika? Are you here to insult me again for being a girl?" She asked him, stopping their short walk. They stood at the edge of the endless forest, darkness spreading behind her back while she fixed her big glasses on her face. She had her long black hair loose, her eyes stuck on his face, waiting for him to say something. Mika didn''t know what to say, that was his problem. An I''m sorry would definitely not be enough, Reina was more demanding than that, as she should but he found himself in a pinch, troubled to find the right words. He was not used to apologizing. "I¡­i wanted to talk about what happened last time, when Philip had to choose a Beta." "Sure, sure. Tell me then, do you want to talk about the part that humiliated me or the one you made me feel like the people I had considered my best friends were not my friends at all?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest the same way her angry friend had done a few minutes before. A long sigh escaped Mika''s lips as he stared at her. She was tapping her foot on the ground, ipantiently trying to stop herself from saying anything else. "I am sorry." Mika finally managed to say, averting his eyes while he scratched the back of his head. "I would like to apologize. What I did was wrong." he said and heard Reina scoff. "Why was it wrong, Mika?" She asked him, her expression strict. "Because I shouldn''t have judged you based on your gender. You know I am not that kind of person, I do know how skilled you are Reina and¡­" "You''re not that kind of person but it is definitely convenient for you to become one when it is convenient for you isn''t it?" "I¡­I know that an apology is not enough but I am sincere. I really didn''t want to make you feel bad, nonetheless it was because I was feeling bad. I am very well aware that you are a lot more skilled than I am and maybe my pride couldn''t take it. My best friend not choosing me actually hurt me and when Hans recommended you I felt even worse. I know that''s not an excuse but I want you to know that I said that because I was insecure and not because I believed it." Mika explained. Reina had a frown on her face, her expression still troubled but her stance was not that defensive any more. "Do you know how horrible you made me feel?" She asked him. "I can imagine." "No, no, you can''t. I don''t even really care about that much for that whole you''re a girl thing. I am confident and I know myself, I know my possibilities, what hurt the most is that it was you that said it. Did you ever consider me your friend or did you just tolerate me because I was a wolf warrior and Philip''s friend? Was I the only one that cherished you as my friend?" Reina asked, tears gathering in her bright eyes and Mika noticed it, raising his hands in distress. "No! No, of course I think of you as my friend. Best friend Reina, you know I don''t like a lot of people. But I do like you, you and Philip are the only people I have and with my insecurities and worries I hurt you both. I am very sorry about that." he told her and the girl sniffled, rubbing her eyes to wipe the tears away. "I will leave the position of Beta, thankfully with all that has happened the announcement hasn''t happened yet so it will be easier for all of us. You are a lot more capable than me for this position, I will just stick to being a wolf warrior, I can still be with the two of you." "Even if you weren''t a wolf warrior Mika no one would leave you out. You would always be with us. Us three go together." Reina said, a faint smile on her beautiful face. "So you forgive me?" Mika asked her, excitement in his voice and Reina patted his shoulder. "No." "What?" "Not yet. Do you believe that you would redeem yourself so easily? Funny. You will be doing my laundry for a month, you will make my bed and clean the bathroom when it is my turn for a month and then I will have your apology for assessment." she said, nodding her head. "But..but¡­" "Do you want to do more?" Reina asked with wide eyes. "No! It''s fine. I will do it. I will do it." he agreed, his face dropping in defeat and Reina punched him friendly in the arm. "Good. Let''s work on your redemption arc together." "Redemption ark my ass¡­." Mika mumbled with a frown. "What did you say? I didn''t hear you" "Nothing, it''s nothing my lovely friend." he said between greeted teeth and Reina laughed. "Guess I will have to find all of my dirty socks and gym clothes for you to wash. Man, this is great!" she exclaimed with a big smile clapping her hands. "I am glad you''re enjoying it." "Oh! It was Philip''s birthday. How did it go? Did he remember?" Reina asked him, filled with curiosity, understanding that something was wrong the moment Mika''s expression changed. He looked at her with sad eyes, his shoulders slouching as he sighed deeply. "What did you do?" "He wants to get Kai back. He is not talking to me. I think he hates me." "Damn, you really messed up this time." Reina said, rubbing her chin. "Don''t worry, you can try being his personal maid too and things will be fixed in no time." "Yeah, I don''t think that will work with Philip. I don''t think anything would work with him at the moment. He hates me." "He doesn''t hate you dude, come on you two are like brothers. I am sure if you talk it out, if you help him with Kai and stop being so annoying he will talk to you." "I am not annoying." "Oh believe me, you are. You are incredibly annoying to the point many people have wanted to punch you. Is it because you''re a ginger? I am very curious about that." she said, getting lost in her own train of thoughts and Mika shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I will go. Thank you for accepting to talk to me." "Wait, where are you going? You need to help me get my stuff back in our room. I have to be on the inside to get Philip to forgive you." she said with a bright smile. "You will help me." "Well, you did some pretty stupid things but you didn''t do it with evil intend. You don''t deserve your whole life to be ruined, ten years in hell¡­maybe but I am not the one who can decide that so yeah, I will help you. Let''s go." "Thank you Reina, really." Chapter 192 - 191 Philip had been sitting alone in his room for a while, watching the two empty beds, where his friends used to sleep. Sigh after sigh he drowned in the silence, his hazel eyes traveling from wall to wall and from every dusty corner to the window where he would stare at the trees, their dark leaves and the twinkling stars appearing through the small parting in the scenery. Such a beautiful place to call home, in the heart of nature, bathed by the gentle moonlight and on the nights it hid a shower of endless stars began, lights in the sky, showing him how small he was, lost in a world where everything was bigger than him and that way his problems seemed meaningless. He turned on his side, laid on his bed and fixed his pillow slightly, trying to find a comfortable spot. Nothing brought him comfort though, not the soft pillow, nor the cold sheets, the warmth of the heating. He felt lonely, forgotten and suddenly the upcoming burden of his new position was a bit too much, it came a bit too soon and his thoughts would race, his consciousness would question him, can you really do it? The voice would ask, again and again. "Can I¡­" Philip mumbled, unaware of his own potential when he heard footsteps on his doorstep. Two familiar voices, nagging and a swear, then the door was busted open as Mika walked in, his face hidden because he held Reina''s heavy luggage in his arms. Philip sat up immediately, lookin at them with wide eyes as the red head let go of the huge suitcase in front of her bed and the raven haired girl walked in, letting go of a few bags on the unmade mattress. She exhaled, whipping her hands on her tight jeans and looked around. "This place still smells of too much testosterone." she commented and Mika scoffed, a bothered frown on his face. "You¡­" Philip mumbled, utterly confused and he blinked. Had he fallen asleep while he wished for things to change? Had his loneliness created a scene where he would be happy, even for a while? His jaw hung, an expression of surprise and Reina chuckled, pushing back her hair dramatically as she moved forward, standing underneath his bunk bed with her big eyes focused on him. "Get down, depressed boy." she told him, signaling her with her index finger to come down. "Now." Reina added, showing him she was actually serious and Philip tossed away the sheets, getting down in a hurry. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, ignoring Mika for the time being. "Someone came to me, begging for me to return because I was the only one who deserved to be the Beta with my high intelligence, power and beauty. He said I was much better than him and that he actually wished he was a girl because guys stink." Reina said with a playful expression and Philip frowned, not really understanding what she was talking about. "Mika apologized. He said he will give me the position of the Beta." She said, making her words simpler and Philip breathed in, his eyes landing on the red head who was sitting on Reina''s bed, anxiously playing with his fingers. "I am sorry too Reina. I shouldn''t have acted that way. You are a precious friend to me and yes, you do deserve that position, more than anyone. Thank you for coming back." he told her, taking the initiative of hugging her and the girl smiled as she patted his back. "Talk to him." she whispered to Philip and the werewolf frowned, letting go of her. The two best friends looked at each other and the girl could not decide who looked more awkward. It had to be Mika, he had been picking on the skin at the sides of his nails, biting his lip and tapping his foot, waiting for his conviction. "Don''t do that to your fingers. It will bleed." Philip said and Mika froze, stopping every movement. "I am sorry Philip." he said. "I know you can''t forgive me for what I did. It''s only reasonable but can I get a chance to prove to you that I want to be on your side? That''s the only thing I am asking for." he said. "I don''t know if I will ever be able to forgive you." Philip stated, the hurt obvious in his hazel eyes. All the opportunities, all the doubts and all the harsh words. Mika was involved in everything. What did it matter if he had no bad intentions when everything he did led to disaster? "Then I will keep trying, even after I am reborn I will keep trying. You''re like my brother." he said and stood up, wanting to take a step closer but in the end he decided not to. "I don''t want to lose you? I don''t want to be the villain in your story." Villain? Was he really a villain? Stupid, well yes that he was, but he wasn''t a villain. He too like everyone else was trying his best in his own way, that was what Philip''s heart was telling him but his mind, his mind worked as a cruel reminder of everything he had told Kai and that hurt, it hurt more than anything, still Mika was and had always been his best friend. "Do as you wish. I won''t stop you but don''t expect me to act like I always did." he said, his expression strict but Mika smiled faintly, Reina clapping with excitement. "Perfect! Now kiss!" she joked and the two boys looked at her. Their faces filled with disgust. "Don''t tell me you two had never¡­you know¡­even when you were teens?" she asked, pointed at them back and forth. Philip coughed, rubbing the back of his neck and Mika''s eyes widened. "Let''s just go get dinner. I am hungry." Philip said. "Yeah, let''s go." Mika agreed. "Yeaaaah, yeaaah" Reina said with a cheeky smirk, dragging her words as she closed the door behind her. Chapter 193 - 192 Ash was huffing, his hair was sticking to his forehead and to his temples, wet from the sweat and his chest moved fast up and down, as he breathed in heavily. His eyes closed, a pained expression on his face. "Up! You have more to do!" Kai shouted and the boy returned to his fighting stance. More days than few had passed ever since Kai returned at the palace and the young scrawny boy he had brought in did not exist. A vampire''s growth ability was remarkable when they were being fed well and were rested. The young man had meat on his bones now, he had even grown taller and his muscles were starting to get more defined as he trained with Kai. When he had first come to the palace the maids would pretend he didn''t exist while now they would shyly look at him and giggle on their path. Ash paid them no mind, he had no idea of his rapid change or the fact that everyone viewed him as a handsome young man and no matter how many times Kai told him he didn''t believe him. It was because his appearance did not concern him, even the nice clothes he wore, the black leather pants, the silk green shirt and the black jacket he wore them so he wouldn''t shame Kai. he didn''t care if he looked good or not but he was with the prince most of the time and he couldn''t have people talking about him. All he cared about was training, from the moment the red sun on BloodBound rose to the moment it hid Ash would train, the thought that he lived to protect Kai rooted slowly in his brain. Kai had saved him, he had given him a home. More than a home actually, people around him that didn''t hit him, he took care of him and listened to him, he told him he was actually quite smart and even brought in a tutor for him. By now Ash had learned to read and write and soon he would start learning math. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint the prince, the man who gave him a reason to live. Kai threw a wooden sword at him, Ash skillfully grabbed it with one hand and prepared himself for the swordfight. He still couldn''t defeat Kai, he didn''t even think he was tiring him but at least now he could last in a fight with him. At the beginning not even a minute later he would have lost his sword and in a real duel his life too. The wooden swords clashed and Ash pushed forward, trying to make Kai lose his balance and the prince smirked, pushing back with twice the strength and making him stumble. The young vampire landed on the floor on his butt and hissed, the sword leaving his hand. He heard Kai laugh, a bright expression on his face as he moved forward and offered him his hand. Ash took it, feeling his soft palm touch his rough hand and blushed. Even in a fight Kai did not look disheveled, he looked elegant, experienced and his every move was calculated in difference to him who couldn''t control his growing limbs yet. "You did good. I think it''s enough for today." Kai told him, patting his sweaty shoulder. "The sun hasn''t set yet." "Yeah but you have to rest too. Overexerting yourself to the point you''re in pain will make you lose a lot more practice days than just a free evening." the prince advised him and Ash nodded. He picked up his sword from the ground and Kai handed him his too, the young man placing him in an old wooden box in the training room. The objects fell, crashing with the rest of the materials and making a loud sound in the silent room. The third prince sat on the wooden floor, stretching his limbs and patted the spot next to him for Ash to sit down. Why do you practice so hard? Are you afraid I will kick you out if you slack off?" "No. I just want to be ready. No matter what happens." Ash told him strictly. He didn''t act like his age. He was serious, his expression always stern and he never joked. A child who had lost his childhood too soon, that was how Kai viewed him and in that aspect they were similar, maybe that was the reason he empathized with him. "What could happen?" "I don''t know. You seem to like to cause trouble. The royals are disgusting, I hate them and I am sure they would be really pleased if something happened to you. I need to be ready, well trained so I can protect you." he told him and Kai smiled. "You really hate purebloods don''t you?" he asked and the brown haired boy nodded, his blue eyes turning cold at the thought of them. All of the high ranked vampires, Ash hated them. He had seen them all his life live in luxury, seek the forbidden and do whatever they wanted with no consequences while he tried to steal some blood because he was hungry and he was almost killed. He had to act like a poor and broken child just so they would take pity on him and keep him alive. "I hate them. If I could kill all of them I would, women or men, all of them are rotten. You know, my mother was a whore. I grew up in the district Lun''s father ruled, her clients, most of them were purebloods, abusing her, treating her badly and even though they had so much money they never seemed to want to spend a penny more to her. The woman with the starving son. The more money you have, the more power you get, the more disgusting you turn." he stated. "Then why do you want to protect me?" Kai asked another question. Ash was quiet for a second, thinking of his answer before he turned his head, facing him with his midnight blue eyes as he spoke. "Because you are not like them. You are worth my life.." the vampire told him, making his eyes widen. Chapter 194 - 193 "So you two have been summoned here today for a very important reason." Kai announced. The third prince had summoned John and Ash to the library, a tall round building with dark interior, heave wooden desks with carved feet and velvet green chairs. Enormous book cases surrounded them while the walls were too serving the purpose of keeping the almost endless amount of books. Some Of them in the upper shelves, dusty and forgotten, the only way for someone to reach them was with a ladder. The prince had kicked out everyone who was studying there, the maids that cleaned and a few men that were searching for books without even allowing them to finish their job. He was in a hurry and he needed to make sure that no mistakes would be made. Together with him were Soran and Lun, Xan also but as it seemed his younger brother wasn''t the one who had invited him judging from the swears he had heard when he had entered the library. "Why are you here?" Kai had asked him with a frown and Xan had smiled. "Because I need to make sure you won''t be scheming anything to stop the treaties." His older brother told him and got comfortable at the edge of the long table Ash and John were sitting. In front of them in a row stood the three vampires. "Just don''t start your shit again and we will be fine." Kai told him in a threatening tone and Xan scoffed, but he didn''t answer. His blue eyes were actually stuck on Lun while the tall vampire who was always ready to make a comment visibly avoided his stare. Something had happened, John thought, his innocent eyes traveling between them in wonder. "There is a week left until the signing of the treaties. Let''s thank this event because mother dearest was too busy with that to punish us about what happened at the ball but since you know, we wouldn''t want something like that happening at the event you two need to be perfectly informed about everything.Mainly who will be attending and why. John, Ash you will be introduced as my personal guards, that means you will be behind me at all times, you won''t be talking and above all you will keep your fuming emotions inside, as all of us will be forced to do. Am I clear?" he asked. "Yes." Both of them answered in unison and Kai smiled, satisfied. The truth was that he was actually having a bit of fun with this. He enjoyed training Ash and John and the two young men were always so focused and loyal he wanted to pat their heads and pinch their cheeks. It was definitely very different from what he had usually been used to. "Very well, now Lun will explain to you a little bit of what this whole meeting is." "Thank you, your highness." Lun said dramatically and stepped forward. "As we all know vampires and werewolves don''t get along, with some exceptions like our dearest John. To avoid any more deaths and destruction we have decided to end this horrible hatred by signing treaties with the most powerful packs out there. I mean, witches and hunters are enough there is no reason for us to kill each other too, right? So we will be gathering on this long and extravagant feast that will have tours and plays and events and in the end they will resign the treaties. The packs now that will attend are the Moonshine pack, Kai''s favorite pack¡­" Lun joked and winked at the blond prince. "Why is it your favorite pack?" Ash asked, confused. "Kai is a werewolves mate. Quite a dramatic story you see, blood tears and all that. He will be here actually, his little mate so every single one of us is intrigued to see how it goes. Even if we don''t say it out loud." he whispered in the end and felt Kai''s palm land in the back of his head, giving him a slap. "I didn''t call you here for quirky commentary." The prince said and Lun shrugged his shoulders before he continued talking. "Anyways, let''s keep things strictly educational then. There will be three more packs at the event and my people have gathered the juiciest secrets, things that not even the queen knows." he said with a proud grin. "Then you should let the queen know." Xan told him. "No I won''t let the queen know about who''s fucking who Xan thank you." the man said. "So, the first pack is Moonshine with their alpha, our dearest Philip¡­" "What? Philip became the alpha?" Kai asked, his eyes opening in surprise. "Yes. His beta is Reina and now the head wolf warrior is Mika." "Shit." Kai mumbled, shaking his head. "The second pack is Blood Fangs the only pack at the moment with a female Alpha, she is named Alloy and is known for having a huge crush on our Philip¡­" "What?" Kai asked again. "The drama we will get to see, oh my, I am getting shivers." Lun joked. "Her Beta is called Derek while her head wolf warrior is Astra. Then we have Wolfdom, horrible name in my opinion, with James, Joey and Ella and Blood Moon with Loyd, Mark and Smith. For the rest in their packs we don''t really care since these will be the ones living in the palace. Remember them, be nice to them and most importantly please do not get bitten by them. Even if it''s not a full moon you will still get some nasty symptoms even if you won''t die. That goes for you Ash." "Okay." Ash said, nodding. He had a small piece of paper, writing all of their names down and John looked at it. "Can I copy that later?" he whispered. "Sure." "Thanks." "Now there is another group of people you should know." Soran said, stepping up and John''s face turned red. They haven''t really talked ever since then. Nothing had happened and things seemed to be very mild, John did not really like that. "The Purebloods. At the top is the Avger family. Cecilia and Aleron, the king and queen and their three children. Xan, Nelia and Kai. For now you need to know about the Dukes and the Marchioness since they will be attending the event. You have the Blackshades house, my family, which is me, my mother, my father and my younger sister. We are in charge of the Midnight division, the royal guard and our family has been good friends with the king and queen for years. It''s not the same though for Duke Humphrey whose house has always been against the monarchy¡­" "Fucking idiot." Xan commented, a frown on his face. "He is a nuisance, every time the crown decides something he always objects. I would be pleased to get him out of the way." "Thanks for that intervention but yes I have to agree this time with Xan, this man is seriously annoying so it would be best for you to stay away. Then there is Marchioness Alistar, her house is with the monarchy at the moment but her people are known to go with whoever seems to be winning so it would be best to keep an eye on her." "There is no way I will be able to remember all these names." John said, shaking his head, feeling utterly defeated. "I will show you my notes and you can copy them." Ash said. "This is worse than school." he cried, his face landing on the wooden desk, making Soran chuckle. "It will be fine as long as you¡­don''t speak." The white haired man said and Lun laughed. John raised his head, staring at him with a depressed expression. "Thanks, I guess." he mumbled. "No¡­I¡­I didn''t mean it in a¡­" "He just means you won''t have the right to talk anyways." Xan said, crossing his legs. The protocol will be kept at all costs and that little stun your orphan pulled last time could easily have him killed." "Did you just call me an orphan?" Ash asked, crumbling the notes in his fist. "Not the notes." John whispered, staring at the trashed paper. "What if I did. Just because you gained some muscle you think we are in the same lever?" Xan asked him, a snobbish grin on his face and ash stood up, slapping his palms on the table. The crown prince laughed, standing up and heading towards the young vampire. "Like this, you will get killed not a day later than the start of the event and you will embarrass Kai. Keep it up." he told him and patted his shoulder. "Little brother, you do have a thing with strays." he told him and walked away. "Sorry." Ash said, his face dropping when he realized how easily he had fallen to his trap. "It''s okay. He is a jerk, not many people can hold back in front of him. Excuse me a second.." Lun said and disappeared, following Xan. Chapter 195 - 194 He wanted to avoid him but considering the fact that he lived at his house, or better phrased, palace, it was obvious he wouldn''t be succeeding. Also there was this thing too where Lun just couldn''t simply let anything Xan says go. It was as if the man had been rooted in him like a very mischievous parasite that he couldn''t let go. He was describing him in his mind the most horrible way, trying to picture him with horns and a funny nose but as he left the library and watched the white haired vampire lazily lay back on the wall he just couldn''t think of him as a caricature anymore. The resemblance to Kai was obvious, it was clear they were family but at the same time the crown prince had a whole different aura around him. His characteristics were stronger, with a sharp nose and fox like eyes, a vibrant blue that when he was angry could freeze you. He stood always proudly, his judgemental look his most usual expression while his hair, white like snow was pushed back strictly. "What do you want?" Xan asked him. "I thought you wanted to get away from me. You have been avoiding me all this time." "Does it bother you? That I''ve been avoiding you?" Lun asked, a faint grin on his handsome face. It was a game, everything operated like a game in this little exchange of theirs and Lun had accepted it by now. He couldn''t handle the long night that he stood alone, thinking if he would ever be loved. The pain of rejection was unbearable especially when you had the one who did it shoved in your face every day. One night, as he kept thinking and thinking about Xan he realized it. This whole situation was a game, a badly planned one but all he had to do was embrace it to make Xan annoyed and crazy, make him turn out like him. "I am bothered by that horrible attitude of yours." Xan said, standing up and staring at him. "I''ve been avoiding you as you said so tell me what kind of attitude you''re talking about? I am really curious." "That last time, in your room." Xan whispered as if he was afraid that someone would hear him. Lun scoffed, his expression showing how offended he was. "The last time in my room what? Elaborate a bit further please. I don''t remember" he joked and the crown prince sighed, his fingertips landing at the bridge of his nose. "You know what I am talking about. The kiss. The kiss" he whispered hysterically and for a brief moment his face and ears turned a very cute shade of pink. Lun noticed it, it wasn''t something someone like him would overlook and smiled. There were some rare moments between them, moments like this one when Xan didnt seem.so dar away from him, when he was simply flustered and embarrassed. "So why are you avoiding me?" He asked him again, seeming to be a bit concerned and Lun couldn''t stop himself. He started laughing. "Why are you laughing, what the hell is wrong with you?" "You''re really a mystery you know." Lun stated after he stopped. "You don''t want me near you but complain when I leave you alone, you curse at me and say you want me dead but for some reason you always run to protect me. You tell me you don''t want me but you will gladly kiss me. So Xan tell me, have you gone mad?" Lun asked, one of his eyebrows raised as he stared at the crown prince. A sigh escaped the white haired vampire''s lips and it came out almost like a small whistle. He shook his head, confused with his own thoughts and raised his face so he could look at Lun. The brunette waited patiently, his dark eyes gently landing on him and Xan felt a pierce in his chest, as if someone had just pinched him with the smallest needle. He couldn''t see it but he could clearly feel it. "You and I will never work out." Xan stafed and Lun tried to hide how hurt he felt by that. "I obviously know that but sometimes I can''t help but think of you. Mother would go insane at the thought of it and everyone I know will think I am insane. I can''t afford to be a laughingstock when I am the crown prince, I don''t have the luxury of making new enemies just because they don''t agree with my choice of partner. There are so many things that you don''t get and I do¡­" "I do feel like there is a but in all this." Lun mumbled, noticing how perplexed Xan looked. The prince rubbed the back of his neck, another sigh, this time deeper and longer as the pieces in his mind begged to take the form of words and travel to Lun. "There is a but. A but I never wished existed but no matter what I do I can''t stop it." "Tell me then." "What difference will it make? You and I... we''re doomed." "It will. It will change everything so tell me." Lun said. Xan looked around them, wanting to know if anyone was there, eavesdropping. He knew his mother had given strict instructions for most of his conversations to be documented and this far things were pretty clear but still, he wanted only Lun to hear this. He tended his hand, a pale.palm open waiting as he looked at him with a shy stare. Lun frowned, his eyebrow cocked because he couldn''t understand but still his palm landed on Xan''s, cold skin on cold skin and the next second they disappeared. He was hit by a strong wind, it was one of those days in BloodBound where the wind would make all the dust from the dry soil rise and get into your eyes. Lun coughed, rubbing his eyes and looking around noticing that somehow Xan had taken him on the rooftop of the tallest tower. Both of them were standing on a small piece made of tile. "Shit" Lun mumbled taking a careless step and almost falling. Xan grabbed him, wrapping his arm around his waist and bringing him closer, the tips of their noses touching. "I didn''t bring you here so you could fall off." He told him and the brunette scoffed. Lun had barely managed to take a look at the scenery but he was positive they were in the west side of the palace, far back and away from the main building. Everywhere around him he could see barren land, dry soil and the red sky while he stood on top of a dark tower, shielded by Xan''s embrace. It was not a very fairy tale like scenery, that was the truth but somehow this moment felt like it was too good to be true. "Maybe you want to get rid of me so you won''t have any more second thoughts" "Maybe." Xan said with a small smirk. "Tell me about your but." "That sounded pretty wrong." "You know what I mean, don''t avoid the situation." "If I wanted to avoid the situation I would have dropped you already." Xan reminded him and playfully pretended to let go of him. Lun huffed, for a second, surprised as he gripped his shirt tightly. "You little bitch." Lun swore and made Xan laugh. "This is my but. My but is literally you, the way you talk, the way you''re not scared of me or fake worship me. Everything you do is a reminder that I can''t just let go of you and it''s torturing but at the same time. Right here and now, I get to feel happy and that doesn''t happen often. From the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep I have things to do, a way I''m supposed to be but when I am with you, it''s different. I can curse and frown, scoff and fight. I don''t have to be a prince and that''s scary because that''s all I know how to be." He confessed and Lun looked at him with wide dark eyes. His eyelashes fluttered, showing his confusion. "How...what...where did all this come from." "I can''t stand it when you''re avoiding me. It scares me that you''re trying to let go and believe me I do know there are lots of candidates waiting for you out there. So yeah. I...just stop avoiding me okay?" "And then what?" Lun asked him, his expression turning serious. "What will happen? Will you talk to me? Will we be friends maybe fuck buddies? You want it all Xan. You want to be the prince. You want to have me but not fully commit not give me what I want. Yes, you can''t imagine how happy I am to hear you say all these things but what will happen next? Because you will definitely not take my hand and present me to your mommy as your boyfriend so what? You can''t imagine how much I want to kiss you right now and how hard it is going against my whole body to not do so." "Then kiss me." Xan said and Lun shook his head. "I will not kiss you. I will never kiss you again, touch you again, talk to you until you have figured things out. I am not your toy and as you said, there are others who would kill to be with me." "I don''t want to lose you Lun." Xan said, a sad expression on his face. "But I am scared." "What are you scared of?" "That we will end up like my brother. And then I will lose you in a way I can never have you back. Like...like last time." "Look at me Xan." He said, cupping his face with his palms. "It will not happen. Something like that would never happen. I swear. But if you don''t make a decision, then you will lose me." He warned him and Xan nodded. He knew he didn''t have more time, he knew that now he has said everything there was no turning back. "Be with me Lun." He said, his voice shaking. "Are you sure?" "Yes, I am sick of this back and forth. I want to be myself and I want to be with you." He said and Lun smiled. "Now I will kiss you." Lun stated and grabbed the prince by his shirt, bringing him closer and uniting their lips. Another kiss, their third but it felt like the first. Lun''s heart was racing, his breath was short and Xan''s taste was sweeter than any candy. He was perfect, everything for these mere seconds was perfect. "There is something though¡­" Xan said, making Lun frown after their kiss ended. "What?" "We will have to keep our relationship a secret." "You have to be fucking kidding me!" Lun exclaimed, annoyed. Chapter 196 - 195 Kai entered the throne room, waiting to see his mother sitting on her distant throne, looking at him judgmentally. As he got inside the room though he noticed that her golden seat was empty and she was nowhere to be found. A soldier had come, telling him that someone had requested him at the throne room. Kai had immediately thought it was his mother so he didn''t ask, he just left the soldier and hurried there, wanting for this meeting to be over as soon as possible. His blue eyes though could not find his mother so he stood there, right at the entrance with the double doors closed behind him gazing and wondering who called him. Xan wouldn''t send a soldier and Nelia, well she was probably avoiding him after the incident at the corridor. "Who the hell¡­" he mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he regretted not asking the soldier who it was. He heard footsteps and he frowned, someone had been here after all, Kai just didn''t hear them. He took a few steps deeper into the room and approached the throne, tilting his head and noticing a man that stared right into him. Kai''s eyes widened, turning round from surprise as he realized who the man with the gentle smile was. Tall, with a strong body and blue eyes. Golden hair that reached his shoulders in loose curls and a small beard, six or seven days old. Once their eyes met, the strong vampire, a head taller than him, took a step closer, parting his pink lips and greeting him. Kai was so stunned though he didn''t say anything and the man laughed. "Boy, you''re seeing your father, not a ghost. Say something." The man right there was indeed his father. Aleron Avger, the king of BloodBound. Strong and feared by everyone he found a home in the battlefield, always being away from home and to the border or in some other secret operation for the sake of the crown. Kai barely remembered his name before, he rarely saw him and even before he had left BloodBound it had been months since he had seen him. Now that he was looking at him though he could see it, the similarity his mother talked about. Him and the king were almost identical. Aleron was the older and more musculine version of him, reminding him also of his older brother. The king smiled, taking a step closer and his cold palm touched his shoulder. "Kai?" He called his name as he noticed that his son had somehow found himself frozen, staring like some kind of weirdo. "Father? What are you doing here?" Kai asked. For some reason Kai hadn''t thought of his father. He didn''t even think about seeing him because he was always away. He wasn''t bitter about it or anything, he didn''t mind his traveling. It was just seeing him here, talking to him was too much of a rare sight to not comment on it. The ling laughed, the expression of his son seeming too funny to him. "What am I doing in my house?" he asked with a faint smile, "I don''t know, just wanted to see my family I guess and when I heard you had returned I had to see you, my son." he told him and looked at him with a pair of sad eyes. He walked forward, grabbing him and hugging him tightly, making kai gasp. "Kai, how have you been?" he asked him, looking him in the eyes. His father was not like his mother, at least not to his children. He had always been kinder to them and when he was here there was a balance that almost reminded them of an actual family. The problem was though that he was barely here, letting the lunatic they called a mother take over and mess everything up, mostly her children. "I have been well, nothing much." he told him, rubbing the back of his head. What could he say? I have been waiting to die? I hate my life and I am drowned in eternal misery? That wouldn''t be so much of a starter for a meeting after two centuries. "I was worried about you, everyone was." Aleron told him and Kai couldn''t hold himself. He snorted, his usual judgemental expression appearing on his face. He didn''t really believe his father. "That is very debatable" he commented and his father shook his head. "Not for me, I promise you." he told him. " The truth is your mother doesn''t know I am here¡­yet. I need to talk to you about something and so when Xan told me that you were here I hurried back from my mission." "Talk to me? About what?" Kai asked, a frown on his face. "About your Blood Oath and how to break it." he told him and Kai''s jaw dropped, his heart racing. "You knew?" the prince asked. ¡­.. John needed help. He had been sitting in that library for hours now, looking at the notes he copied but in his head nothing made sense. A king, a Duke, a Marchioness, what were all these titles anyway? These vampires needed to move on to today and not make everyone''s life difficult. There wasn''t even electricity in this place! He always forgot to light up his candle before the night fell and then darkness would simply spread in his room. Thankfully, he could see in the dark, orelse he would have bumped on every freaking furniture to just find a candle. But back to his current problem. John was never good with memorization, he hated actually and that was the reason he did so poorly at school. At the moment, as he walked in the long corridors he was having flashbacks from his highschool days and the teachers yelling in his face, not only that but since that time of his life had been blurred out by his addiction he also felt vulnerable and a tiny bit bad. He tried to always leave those moments behind but sometimes it was simply impossible. That was why he had decided to ask for help. His first thought had obviously been Soran, he was dying to get some time with him but the truth was he was scared. He didn''t want to look like an idiot to him and get scolded. There was this little problem with the minor insults at the moment that made everything difficult, feeling even more stupid wouldn''t help his progress. The worst thing was that Ash had finished memorizing the names and everything after half an hour and he was ready to go. John couldn''t relate to the fact that he could only remember Moonshine and that was because he knew them, they were the ones that ruined his life. So in this state he had found himself his only way out was indeed Lun. He stood outside his room, knocking violently on his door until he opened. After about ten knocks the big vampire appeared, an annoyed expression on his face, his hair messy. He had been sleeping, John realized. "What is it, little wolf? Why are you knocking on my door like there is a fire?" "I need help." John said with a bright smile, trying to appeal to him. "With what?" "Memorizing the names for the event." he explained and Lun scoffed. "Hell no, I hate school, go somewhere else." he told him and before John could say anything the door had been slammed in his face, leaving him with an agap mouth and a raised hand. He closed his brown eyes, a small whine escaping his lips as he turned away, ready to leave. "That didn''t seem to go well." he heard Soran''s voice and stopped. The white haired vampire was standing behind him, holding a green book in his hand as he looked at the defeated werewolf. "It did not." John agreed. "I can help you if you want." Soran said. Of course he would help him. Soran was nice to everyone. He would hug him, comfort him and then throw poisonous words at him. John was nothing special and that annoyed him. At least when Soran was mad, he didn''t treat him like everyone else. The werewolf sighed, looking at the vampire with an unreadable expression, it was a mix of annoyance and bitterness, not something you would see John expressing every day. "No, thank you." "Why? I can be a good teacher" Soran said, a soft smile on his face, not really seeing the signs of John''s annoyance. "I don''t doubt that. I am sure about it, I just don''t want to." he repeated and Soran frowned. "Did I do something?" "No" "Because I do feel like I did something." "You did not. You did completely nothing." John said with an ironic tone. "John, don''t fucking play with me." Soran said, his face turning strict as he met his eyes.. He had angered him, the werewolf realized. Chapter 197 - 196 "What do you want to talk to me about?" Kai asked. He hadn''t seen his father in years and the first moment Aleron saw him he grabbed him by the arm, hiding him behind the huge back of the golden throne. He was curious, very curious. "I want to talk to you about the bloody people and why I have been gone for so long." "What do you mean? Weren''t you on a mission on the border?" The prince asked his father, a deep frown growing on his confused face and Aleron sighed, shaking his head in a negative motion. "My son is running around the human world cursed and I would just run around as if nothing happened?" "Mother certainly did." "I love your mother but I am not her Kai. Your mother has too much on her shoulders and it is partially my fault. I am not trying to excuse her, I just want to be honest but the topic here is not your mother, it is you." "You''re making me worry." Kai said, feeling his heart race slightly. His father''s expression was stern, looking at him right in the eyes but as he sensed his son''s worry he smiled, meaning to calm him down. "When you left Kai¡­a few days later I returned¡­" Flashback "Where is Kai? He wasn''t at dinner tonight, his father came back and he didn''t even want to greet me?" Aleran had asked Cecilia. He was laid on his bed, watching his beautiful wife brush her long white hair as she sat in front of the mirror of her nightstand. Her pale long fingers grasped the golden brush and traveled in her silk like hair until Aleron spoke. She stopped, turning her head and facing him. Cecilia actually loved her husband, it was a bond that had been formed through years and years of hardship, they were what someone would call a power couple, even if they didn''t like each other at first they fought and fought to reach where they were, their story, a mystery to most. Because they had that specific bond Cecilia could never lie to him, the only person that had seen her vulnerable, begging in the mud, only Aleron knew. "About Kai, something happened." she said, a sigh escaping her lips. "I did not mean for things to get that way but with this child everything is difficult. He is too much like you when you were young and there are things at stake now, the crown, his siblings, he doesn''t understand how fickle everything is. One mistake and we will all end up again¡­" "Cecilia¡­" Aleron said as he stood up, calling her name with a gentle tone. He approached her, his big palms resting on her cold shoulders and he kissed the top of her head, caressing her skin. "I¡­I didn''t want to do this to my child." she stuttered, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She wrinkled her nose, disgusted with her own beautiful reflection, it was the first time her plans had gone so wrong, it was the first time he didn''t have the time to think or fix things. "What happened Cecilia?" Aleron asked her again. "Where is Kai?" The queen told him everything, about the werewolf, about the Bloody People and the Blood oath. Aleron was shaking, he was angry at her, his lips a thin line and she couldn''t dare to look him in the eyes, she couldn''t stand the judgemental expression or the fists forming on his sides. The king turned his back on her, breathing heavily. "This time, you went too far. Kai is not the crown prince, he could be with that werewolf if he wanted to. He doesn''t need to produce an heir. But even if he was¡­how could you torture him? Make a deal with these criminals? Now they are after him, Cecilia!" "I was desperate!" Cecilia exclaimed. "You really think he could be with a werewolf? He is still a prince. The palace is shaking, everything is bound to change and we are on countdown. I have fought all these years to keep our family alive, to keep us at the throne because if there is no throne there will be no Avgers. You know that very well don''t you?" he asked him, her eyes cold. "No mistakes are allowed." "Even at the expense of our children?" Aleron asked her, her eyes widening as she gasped. "Kai will come back soon, he will be safe in the palace and with that werewolf out of the way he will be able to finally be the prince he is supposed to be." "What prince? Our child will not come back! You know him, he is not like his siblings." The king said, rubbing his forehead. "Shit!" he cursed, kicking the bed. "We fought so hard to be where we are, we killed so many to take these crowns and we have kept secrets to stay here. But that does not mean you will put our family in danger! This throne, we took it to keep the family we wanted to make alive, we took it from my brother to stop the tyranny and you dare to look me in the eyes and tell me that you used the same means as he would?" "How could you say that to me!" Cecilia shouted, standing up and rushing towards him. She hit him on his bare chest. "After everything that your brother did¡­how could you¡­" "That''s what you''ve been doing my love. You''re losing yourself trying to keep that crown. But I will not join you in this madness. I will leave tomorrow." Aleron announced. "What, you just came back where¡­" "I will find a way to break our son''s blood oath." the king announced. "He needs at least to free himself from that which his mother cursed him with." "Aleron¡­" "I don''t want to hear anything else." Aleron had been gone for years, returning only now when he heard that his youngest son had returned. All these years he had been searching for a way to free Kai, taking his silence away. "Father¡­you and mother¡­.your brother¡­.what had happened?" Kai asked once his father finished his story. "You have a tendency to focus on the wrong things don''t you?" Aleron asked with a faint smile as he patted his golden head. "That should not be one of your worries now, maybe one day you will find out about it. Your mother and I haven''t spoken in two centuries but I did get to find a way to stop your curse." "You did? Then what is it?" he asked, a small hope igniting in his blue eyes. He could talk to Philip, he could tell him everything. "The caster must willingly cut off their hand. The one they used to seal the oath." Aleron announced, troubled. "You mean mother, she will have to cut off her own hand?" "Yes." ... The Avger family has a secret...any ideas what it could be? Thank you for reading! Chapter 198 - 197 It was one of those days that John hated his fate. It was one of those moments he wished he could get back in time, travel to the days before and avoid everything, avoid the pain he would feel when Soran''s angered eyes would land on him like poisoned arrows. Loving someone was hard enough as it was, loving someone who didn''t love you back was torture and thinking that you didn''t deserve that love made things worse. John didn''t view highly of himself. He wasn''t beautiful like the rest of them, he did not have perfect skin or a perfect body, he was not educated, hell he couldn''t even memorize a few names and the worst of all he had been an addict and Soran knew about it. The most embarrassing moment of his life, the one time he was at his lowest, Soran was aware of and now, John believed that he saw him as someone weak. "Why wouldn''t you want me to help you with your studies?" Soran asked him, obviously agitated by the fact that John kept telling him no. Both of them, standing in the middle of an empty corridor, eyes locked with a key that was thrown away right after, their feet touching the soft carpet while the candle light created scary shadows in Soran''s face remained silent. John hated the silence, he hated the feeling of uncertainty that came with it and the piercing stare of Soran''s that seemed to invade his soul. "I just don''t want to. I can do it by myself. Thank you." he told him and attempted to leave. Soran grabbed his arm, stopping him and pulling him back. "Tell me the reason, why would you go to Lun and not me?" he asked again and John sighed. Because your cruel words hurt me. John thought. He knew Soran didn''t mean it. He was well aware that his unexplainable behavior bothered him too, he didn''t like not being himself after all but to John, to him it was different because his cruel comments were not from someone he didn''t care, a stranger or even a distant friend. His words, his judgemental looks, everything came from him, the one he loved and that was enough to keep him awake all night, thinking and replaying those words. Hurting himself again and again as he pictured Soran''s angelic face alter, his always peaceful expression become hostile as he looked at him. "There is no fucking reason! I just don''t want to!" The young werewolf snapped, pulling his hand away and taking a step back to put some distance between them. "Don''t swear at me" Soran told him. "Why? I am an adult and last time I checked you were not my mother so why did you think I will do what you want?" John shouted, not caring the slightest bit about the people that had gathered at the end of the corridor, eavesdropping very discreetly, only the tips of their shoes showing from the corner. As it seemed the people in the palace were all very fond of gossip. "Yeah, right, I forgot that your mother kicked you out for being a junkie, what would you expect from someone that was raised like you?" Soran said. "You fucking asshole!" John screamed and jumped at him, pushing Soran on the floor. The vampire did not resist, not the slightest bit since he had no intention to stop his attack, because the moment he uttered these words Soran had already regretted it. He couldn''t believe himself as he heard his own sentence but at the same time he couldn''t stop it. As if he was trapped in his own body, watching how he ruined his relationship with John, someone else had taken control of him. So he let John pin him to the ground, he let him punch him as he felt the taste of his own blood on his mouth. His dark eyes were closed, guilt too heavy to actually manage and look at him. "Why does it have to be you!" John screamed as he punched him one more time. "Why?" he asked and Soran felt tears land on his face. His eyes fluttered open, seeing how John had frozen, his arm in the air before he collapsed, crying like a child on his chest. "It would be fine if it was anyone else but why, why do I have to listen to all these things from you?" he asked him, his body shaking from the anger and the pain. Soran sighed, turning his head as he slowly hugged him. "No!" John said and pushed his hands away, rejecting his embrace. "Don''t hug me, don''t try to comfort me just so you can hurt me all over again. I am tired, I am hurt, I feel useless! That''s why I don''t want you near me. Because everytime I look at you it hurts and the hardest part is that you have no idea about it." John told him, his voice loud, echoing in the silent corridor. His tears were running like waterfalls, his body shaking as if he had a fever and his face was red, blood boiling with anger. "I am not Kai. I will never be like him. Skilled at everything, maddeningly beautiful, I know, I know very well how I lack, how I was just a human junkie and now I am just a dog, I know myself very well that''s why I hate it. The fate that had been sealed for me, the fact that no matter what I do I can''t escape you and you have no idea about it!" He said, punching the floor next to Soran''s head, creating a huge dent underneath the carpet as he broke the expensive marble. "John¡­I am sorry, I don''t know what to tell you." Soran said, his eyes sad as he faced the mess that was called John. "Of course you don''t know what to tell me. Because I am the one stuck with this¡­this fucking curse that will never end. Stuck with these feelings and even now¡­even now I¡­." "I am sure you will find someone John, I am sure this seems hard now. With you changing and everything but¡­" "Please, please stop talking. I''ve had enough of it!" John said. "You were right. You were so fucking right. Everyone is wearing a fucking mask, even you while you deny to see what is right in front of you because you are in denial! It''s not just a simple crush ,Soran, it never was. You are my mate!" John screamed in his face. Soran laid on the floor, his wounds healing right in front of John''s eyes, widemouthed, totally stupefied as he slowly processed what John had said. "No¡­no it can''t be possible." Soran mumbled in disbelief and the young werewolf scoffed, a bitter smile on his face. He stood up, stumbling slightly before he found his balance but Soran did not attempt to move, he was still down there, his eyes stuck on the werewolf who looked as if he had given up on life. "Don''t worry, I got it off my chest, now you and I have nothing to do with each other.." he told him and walked away from him, not turning back once. Chapter 199 - 198 "This is not how I expected it to be." Lun mumbled, looking at Xan with a skeptical expression. Deep into the night, as if he was some kind of a thief, the tall vampire had climbed all the way to the prince''s balcony, surprising him by knocking on his door. Lun had found Xan working, the white haired prince seated on his desk, his black glasses resting on the bridge of his nose while his shirt had been neatly folded at the edge of his bed. He was shirtless, revealing a strong chest and torso, pale arms with muscles that flexed while he moved. Lun did not consider himself a superficial person but he did know how to appreciate beauty. That was the reason why when he had jumped on Xan''s balcony he hadn''t said anything and like a proper creep he kept looking at him from outside. He was irresistible, no one could deny that and when he was all by himself, the constant frown that seemed to be stuck to his face gone, Lun believed he was even more handsome. Right before he knocked on the fragile glass Xan dropped his pencil on the desk, and stretched his arms, his blue eyes closed. Lun gulped, shaking his head and bringing himself back to earth while his fist met with the door, his knocking sounding a little too eager. Xan had flinched, his head moving back a bit as he tried to spot the source of the sound. His blue eyes widened slightly when he noticed Lun waving at him with a smirk and he stood up, getting to the door so he could let him in. "What do you want?" Xan asked, moving to the side. The tall vampire walked in, a snort escaping from his nostrils as a reply to Xan''s rude question. He sat on the edge of Xan''s bed and laid down as if he was in his own room with a sneaky smile on his face when he noticed that the crown prince was hovering over him, looking down at him, casting his shadow. "What do you want for Lun? I am working." xan repeated his question and Lun clicked his tongue, sitting up. "This is not how I expected it to be." he mumbled, looking at Xan with a skeptical expression. Xan raised his eyebrow, unable to catch up with Lun''s thoughts. "What?" he asked. "We are together, right?" "Yes, we are." "So why are you acting like this?" "Like what?" "Nothing will change, will it?" Lun said with a peeved expression. "Lun¡­" Xan said, taking a deep breath. "We¡­we have been together less than a day, what exactly did you expect to happen?" "I don''t know. But I definitely did not expect to come to your room and see you react the usual way you always do." "So you want me to change my whole personality?" "Is this your personality?" Lun asked. "This whole conversation does not make sense. I am confused." Xan stated, making Lun stand up. "You should be all over me." he told the white haired prince but all Xan did was laugh. "Says who?" "I do!" Lun exclaimed. "I have been waiting for this for years. We have been together more than twelve hours and you haven''t even attempted to touch me. I have waited, you know, I was patient but all you do is literally sit on this chair of yours and read stuff. Hello? Look at me. I am hot. So you''re telling me that you have me waiting for you and you don''t have the slightest bit of an urge to jump on me?" Lun told him, speaking so fast he didn''t even manage to breathe. It took a second for Xan to understand what he was saying, what he was actually talking about and when he finally managed to find out he started laughing, agitating Lun even more. "So this is about sex?" Xan asked as he tried to stop himself from laughing. "Of course it is!" Lun told him. The tall vampire grabbed the edge of his black shirt, bringing it over his head and throwing it on the floor. He got a hold of Xan from his wrist and threw him on the bed, hovering over him with burning eyes. "Lun, I have to work, things won''t be done by themselves." "Well I won''t get done by myself either so choose, pretty boy." Lun said with a smirk as he leaned in closer, his lips barely touching Xan''s. The prince took a deep breath, his hands subconsciously resting on Lun''s tattooed back. "What''s it going to be?" he whispered but he did not actually wait for Xan''s answer. He kissed him, deeply, invading his mouth with his tongue and making his fingernails dig into his painted skin. Xan kissed him back, seeing the cocky smirk on Lun''s face as the prince reversed their positions, bringing him down. "I guess the papers will have to wait." Xan said and kissed Lun''s neck, leaving small bite marks as his lips traveled on Lun''s half naked body. "That''s what I wanted to hear." he said and a moan escaped his lips when he felt Xan''s hand creep inside his pants. They were in for a long, long night. "That was¡­" "Finally!" Lun exclaimed. "I knew you could do it." "I was not impotent." Xan said with a frown and Lun giggled. They were laid on Xan''s bed, silk sheets wrapped around their naked bodies and Lun exhaled, white smoke coming from his lips. "Smoke outside." "No, my back hurts." Lun said and Xan grinned. "You can sleep here, I have some more work to do and I will lay down too." Xan told him, getting up, the sheets slipping off and revealing his kiss stained body. Lun had made sure to leave marks, he didn''t know why but seeing the oh so perfect prince with hickeys gave him a deep sense of satisfaction. "So you''re going to work." Lun said. "Am I not allowed to?" Xan asked, an eyebrow raised. "No, no, do your thing. I mean why would you want to stay with me after literally fucking me for hours, you''re satisfied aren''t you?" he asked him, a fake pout on his face. "You know it''s not like that. I just have to do this by tomorrow." "Why do you try so hard?" Lun asked him. "You are already the crown prince, you are perfect, body and mind, the soul is a bit debatable since you are a jerk but well you do fulfill the criteria so why are you trying so hard to please your mother and everyone else?" Xan crossed his arms over his bare chest, his blue eyes traveling at the pile of papers on his desk before he jumped again on the bed. He sighed, grabbing the cigarette from Lun''s fingertips and bringing it to his lips. "I am a bad influence." The brown haired vampire whispered. "I broke him." he said as he watched Lun smoke. He seemed to take it pretty well though, no cough, no anything. "I have to be perfect." he then said, his eyes staring into the void. "Why?" "You know that I know everything right? Every little thing in this palace, there is not a piece of knowledge that I don''t have." "I know." "Well, can I trust you Lun?" Xan asked him, turning his head and looking at him with an appealing look. He never believed he would say this to anyone, he always wanted to but he never had, there was too much at stake, but right now as he sat there with Lun, just the two of them he knew, he would never be able to lie to him from now on. "With your life." "I have to be perfect, I have to be perfect because the throne¡­it is not rightfully mine." Xan revealed and Lun looked at him bug eyed. His lips parting. "What are you talking about?" "My family¡­Aleron Avger, my father, we are not the rightful heirs to the throne." .... You thought this was going to be a smexy chapter huh? No, it''s too soon for this. But I will be writing it sooner or later. But I did throw some spice at the end, of a diefferent kind though. Thank you for reading! How do you like the story so far? I hope you''re having fun because our awaited meeting is comming soon! Chapter 200 - 199 "You can''t make her do it father, there is no way." That was what Kai had told his father when Aleron had asked him to let him deal with things, he was planning to be the one to talk to his wife, even though Cecilia had no idea he had returned. "Believe me Kai, I know my wife very well. She will do it. All I want you to do though is just for tonight to stay in your room. Do not do anything that would anger her and I promise you, tomorrow you will be free." Aleron had told him. "Why are you doing this?" "You are my son, what do you mean why? This is my apology, for not being there and for letting your mother alone deal with things she hated. I will fix this, this time you don''t have to worry about it." his father told him with a kind smile, his palm resting on his shoulder. Kai felt his eyes water, small teardrops escaping from his eyes while his father, who had appeared so abruptly, like a storm had managed to calm the war inside him even for a little bit. Family, yes, this was how it was supposed to feel, a warm embrace, a reassuring smile and the parents who did everything to take their children''s burden away. The young prince looked at his father, his blue eyes identical to his but with the glow of a hopeful father. "Thank you. Thank you." he said, his voice cracking. "Don''t thank me, simply forgive me. This was long overdue, I hurried here as fast as I could. I will help you, I promise. Sorry if this seemed too sudden, but I didn''t want anyone to know that I was here before I met you. Now go, go to your room and rest, tomorrow you will be freed." he told him again and Kai nodded, still teary eyes as he left his father alone. Aleron remained there for a while longer. He took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head, thinking how he should convince Cecilia. The king hadn''t seen his wife for two hundred years and they hadn''t parted with the best of terms. It was going to be an eventful night, he reminded himself as he disappeared. Cecilia had a habit, every night when she would feel troubled she would sneak into the kitchen, pour herself a glass of wine and sit on the wooden aisle, staring at her half empty glass with green eyes. Aleron had a hunch it was going to be one of those nights for her, a starless night when she would wish to disappear into the night, hidden from the burdens of her crown and he was right. From the half opened door of the kitchen he could see her. Standing there the king looked at the wife he had left alone for two centuries. He had loved her, when he was young he had fallen madly in love with her, with the dread in her eyes and the doom in her voice. A woman who had lost everything and the only thing she had left to risk was her life. Aleron was a light hearted free spirited man, just like Kai, a young prince living in a bubble which abruptly burst the moment this woman appeared before him. He didn''t even realize when he had been captured by her. Cecilia didn''t notice him, not until he opened the door and appeared in front of her, the light from the corridor showing his figure. The beautiful woman raised her head, blinking a few times until he realized who was standing right there, just a few meters away from her. A tall man, with golden locks falling light to his shoulders, dressed in all black, blue eyes, the color of the vast seas she hadn''t seen in years and a charming smile on his face. Her gem-like eyes widened, she bit her lip and gripped her glass with her pale fingers and red nails before she raised her arm and threw it at him. The king dodged, the glass landing on the wall, painting it a washed out red and shattering. "You bastard!" She screamed as the man walked inside. The queen stood up, her chair falling back, the sound of the wood colliding with the ground echoing. She flashed before him, grabbing him from his black shirt and throwing him to the wall, her eyes a burning fire as she stared at him, frozen by her own anger. "Hello Cecilia, long time no see." he greeted her, pinned to the wall. "Where the hell have you been? Hello? Hello? Is that all you have to tell me? Hello?" she screamed at her face. "You didn''t write, you didn''t say where you were going, you¡­you simply disappeared and you appear now to greet me?" she asked. "I am not here to fight with you. I know that leaving you for so long was not right but I had to. There was something I needed to do." "What? What could be so important that you would leave me? Are you really trying to lie in my face? I knew how angry you were. You chose to leave me. You chose to not have any contact with me. Did you find someone else? A nice and pure girl like those you always liked? Tell me!" "I did not leave you, I simply left." "What was the thing you needed to do? Tell me and I will think if I kill you or not you sly bastard." she told him, her husband laughing with the way she spoke. It was too far off from the image she showed to other people. The angered expression, the loud tone, the burst of emotion. This was a side of her for the rare few, Aleron almost felt honored by it. "I had to go to help our son. I found a way to break his blood oath." "What?" Cecilia asked. "You¡­you really¡­" "I couldn''t allow you to be the bad guy. I had to fix this somehow." The king told her, making his wife let go of him and take a step back, her eyes shining in the dark like that of a cat''s.. "It''s time to fix your mistake, Cecilia." Chapter 201 - 200 Aleron and Cecilia had been king and queen for a long long time. Years and years they had ruled, together hiding a very dark secret, a truth that no one but them knew. Before the rule of the two Aleron''s parents were seated on the throne and they had two children. Aleron and his brother, Arthur. They lived peaceful lives, his parents were widely accepted and everyone in the palace seemed to be happy. Things were going smoothly, until the moment Aleron''s parents decided it would be time soon for them to hand the throne to their first born, the rightful heir of the crown, Arthur. Arthur was the one meant to have the throne, he had the king''s blood in him and he was destined to rule. He was supposed to be in Aleron''s place with his own family, his children next in line. That was what everyone waited for until, until one day the crown prince was found dead, murdered in his own bed. They never found out who did it, everyone believed it was some kind of assassin, someone sent by one of the rival purebloods and no matter how hard Aleron''s parents searched for the killer they couldn''t find anyone. It was as the prince''s murderer was a ghost. One sent as divine punishment. So the case was closed and Aleron became king, Cecilia queen as his wife. No one knew that it was them, they were the one who had murdered the true king of BloodBound. ¡­ "What are you talking about?" Cecilia asked her husband. "There is no way to break a blood oath, it is forever." "There is a way. You can do it, you can free our son from the curse that you put on him. He will be able to speak freely, he will have the chance to find his lover and¡­" "Speak freely?" Cecilia said as if Aleron had swore at her. "Do you know what happens to people who speak freely here Aleron? They get killed and not by me. By the Bloody People. They want to kill Kai, they have been wanting to for years. He needs to stay in the palace, silent. Not go out there and search for some kind of werewolf lover. This will place a target on his back." she told him and heard Aleron sigh, his eyes sad while he looked at her. Cecilia averted her gaze, disturbed by it. "And who was responsible for that, my love?" he told her, his tone gentle as if he was trying to reason with a child. "You were the one who allowed them to get close to him in the first place, you were the one responsible for the death of Kai''s mate. Our son has been miserable for such a long time, don''t you think it is time for you to stop being so stubborn and step back?" he asked her. "Stubborn? You think I am being stubborn, Aleron?" she asked him back, walking away from him and walking towards the cupboards of the royal kitchen. She opened one, grabbing a glass and threw it at him again, filled with rage. Once more the king dodged it, the glass shuttering behind him. "What do you know? Do you even know how hard I have been trying to keep this place running? Do you know how fragile everything is. We stole it¡­we took it and now we have to fit perfectly to the part so our children will not die. I am losing more and more allies by the day, more and more purebloods begin to think that a monarchy is not needed, before we were scared of being discovered, now we are scared of being dethroned. I will do anything, anything I have to to keep this place running. Let him be miserable, at least he is alive. If he had been with that werewolf the Bloody People would have killed him in his sleep. Don''t pretend you don''t know that." she explained. "I know you are scared." "I am not scared! Don''t you dare say I am scared!" She shouted, grabbing another glass and throwing it at him. "I have been here, on my own for two centuries. Scared was the last thing I could be." "I am sorry Cecilia." Aleron told her, taking a hasty step towards her. He placed his hand on hers, pushing it down and making her let go of the next glass she was planning on breaking. "I am sorry that I made you queen, I knew this wasn''t what you wanted. I am sorry that I left you all alone, but our son¡­" "Our son will be fine! He is alive, Aleron, that is the most important thing. I lost everyone, I lost you¡­I¡­I won''t¡­" "You didn''t lose me. I am right here!" "You left!" "You need to fix this! Kai needs to be with the person he loves and we as his parents have to protect him from the ones that are after him." "Okay then. Tell me, once Kai gets his love back, once he is able to explain everything and starts being with a werewolf! A werewolf of all people, what will happen? "He will be happy Cecilia." "What point is there in happiness when you will end up dead soon. There will be an uproar. A member of the royal family with a werewolf. Do you know what that is? The exact opposite of what a vampire should be and the exact kind of person the Bloody People go after, the only reason they haven''t come for him is because he is away from his lover!" "We will protect him." "We will? The child hates me. All of my children hate me, they won''t let me have a talk with them let alone protect them! They hate me because you left, you were always away leaving me to make all the hard decisions while you came back with hugs and presents. You left me, this time for two centuries! Two fucking centuries to¡­.to¡­.ugh!" she screamed, slapping the aisle and breaking the edge, pieces of wood landing on the floor. "I am sorry. I really am. But this was your mistake, my love, you are the one that needs to fix it." "Don''t call me your love." "It''s because I love you." "If you loved me you would have stayed here with me. If you loved me you wouldn''t have forced me to become queen, if you loved me you would have ran away with me when I asked you to! If you loved me I wouldn''t have to be the bad guy! Kai will die if he ends up being with him." "There are other ways to keep our family alive than actually making them miserable! Do you understand that all of them are unhappy?" Aleron asked her. "It is better to be unhappy and alive than to smile and then face death, Aleron." "You need to stop being stuck in the past." "I am just trying to stop it from repeating itself." "Cecilia, if you don''t break his curse I will leave you and this time it will be forever." ... Do you think Aleron will manage to make Cecilia break the oath? Chapter 202 - 201 https://open.spotify.com/track/4Pjpign8FCZt6XWxd4x955?si=c190b8311b50461e chapter music! The bone breaking scream had escaped her lips, her eyes red from the tears as she cursed at the night sky, the moon her only witness. She gripped on the dirt of the grass, her expensive white dress filled with stains from the fire. Yes, the fire, strong and wild, danced, licking the walls of her mansion, the walls of her home, devouring the bodies of her family as she sat there helpless and watched, every single one of her memories burning to ashes. It burned hot, paralyzing her mind as she screamed and screamed until she couldn''t anymore, no words coming out, no more tears to shed and like a shell she simply stared, her green eyes reflecting the deadly flames, her chest rising as she hardly breathed, hanging on for dear life as everyone she loved had burned, turned into ash and had scattered with the night wind. Cecilia was sixteen years old when everything around her crumbled. She was only sixteen when the ground underneath her feet split in two and swallowed her into an endless abyss. She was only sixteen when she heard the screams of her father, her mother and sister pleading for mercy. She was only sixteen when her caretaker woke her up into the night and hid her in the stables, telling her to not make a sound, to save herself. She was only sixteen when the seed of hatred was planted into her pale and youthful chest. Only sixteen when she managed to steal a glance of the man that took everything away from her. Of the man named Arthur Avger, the crown prince of the damn monarchy. Cecilia was only twenty years old when she stepped into the palace, adopted by a friendly pureblood family, concealing her identity and gaining a spot in the palace as one of the queen''s ladies. She was only twenty when she used her body to make Arthur notice her, she was only twenty as she made him fall for her hard, made him lose his mind. She was only twenty when she learned that the world was rotten and no one cared for her. She was only twenty when she decided that she would turn into a killer, a fighter for revenge, when her favorite color from white turned to red and her lips dripped of honey coated lies. Only twenty when Aleron smiled at her, only twenty when he tended his hand, drawing her from her darkness and kissing her lips, so sweetly, her savior, the only man she allowed to touch her, the only mad she didn''t hate. Aleron, Aleron, the only person she did not wish to kill. She was only twenty one when she was forced to sit on that throne, she was only twenty one when the crown fitted perfectly on her head, heavy and cold it made her shiver. She was only twenty one when Aleron left for the first time and she, a weak woman, had to fend for herself. She was only twenty one when she realized she wasn''t weak. She was twenty five when she had her first child, the second man she never wished to kill. She was twenty five when she looked into his blue eyes, identical to the only man she worshiped when she gripped on her crown and swore to herself, no one, no man would be able to bring her down and the flames of that night she would tame them, make them hers and she would burn whoever dared to touch them, her family, even if she lost herself in the process. "What did you just say?" Cecilia asked Aleron, wanting to make sure she heard well. "If you don''t agree to break Kai''s oath I will leave you, I will take my children with me and you will be all alone, again." he said and Cecilia''s eyes widened. She rushed away from him, grabbing a knife that was left out on the kitchen counter and raised her arm, wanting to stab him. Aleron grabbed her arm, her eyes bloody red as she hissed at him. "You are exactly like your brother! Taking everything away from me. All of you, every single one of you, men, ordering me around, leaving me, killing the people I love." She said, tears swelling into her beautiful eyes and Aleron sighed. "I am not like my brother. I love you, I always had but I love our children too." "And I? Do you think I do not love my children? Do you think I am some kind of cruel monster?" "That is not what I said! You are simply trying to protect them the wrong way because you are scared!" "I am not scared! I will never be scared. Tell me, tell me what is it that I have to do to break Kai''s curse?" she asked. "You will do it?" "Tell me!" "You will have to cut off the hand you sealed the oath with. You have to be the one to cut it." he told her, looking at her with suspicious eyes. His wife looked at him for a second, tears running down her cheeks as she raised the sharp knife and brought it down with force, cutting her hand at the wrist. A scream escaped her lips, blood splattering everywhere as she looked at Aleron, her eyes filled with hate. "There" She said as she dropped the knife, the metal clanking on the floor. "Protect him now, save him because you, who have been gone for so long, are such a better parent than me." "Cecilia, we need to get your hand treated." he told her, ignoring her comment. "Just leave." she said. "Leave me alone." "No we have to¡­" "Leave me alone! Get away from me. I don''t want to see your face. I have had enough of this. Of everything! I can''t believe you actually threatened to leave me, to take everyone away with you. Just go. It''s fine now isn''t it? Our son is freed." she told him but Aleron had no intention of leaving. He tried to get close to her, to help her treat her wound but she didn''t want him near her. She disappeared.. Leaving the king alone in the dark room, a knife on his feet while he looked at the blood on the broken island, he had succeeded but for some reason he also felt like he had utterly failed. Chapter 203 - 202 Her white hair was sticking to her face, sweat drenching her fragile body as she landed on the ground. She found herself at the garden of her palace, surrounded by her beloved roses, white, painted red by her blood, a twisted tale of Alice''s adventures. She fell to her knees, holding her cut off arm as she tried not to scream. It wouldn''t heal, if vampires inflicted a wound on themselves with the intention of it remaining that way their healing powers wouldn''t step in. Cecilia thought of it as a merciful part of their curse, if you couldn''t take it anymore you could just take your life, end the eternal misery. She breathed in heavily, feeling dizzy as short breaths escaped her pale lips, her body growing weaker. The queen heard footsteps, her head snapping as she noticed that someone was approaching her, she couldn''t even be left alone to bleed out in peace, someone had to disturb her. At first the footsteps were slow, hasty but as it seemed when the person realized who was on the ground, bleeding out went into panic and rushed towards her. "Mother!" A sweet voice, filled with concern, reached Cecilia''s ears. "Nelia?" she asked, her voice sounding like a whisper, she wasn''t strong enough to speak properly. The moment her daughter reached her her body gave in, her whole system shutting down as she gracefully fell into her daughter''s arms. "What happened, who did this to you¡­mother?" she asked but she got no answer. With her worried eyes she scanned her mother''s body, finding the source of the bloodshed and she gasped. "What the¡­" she mumbled, scared, as she looked around, hoping to find the one who had dared to hurt the queen. She didn''t know, she had no idea she had done this to herself. "It''s fine, just let me be." the queen said with a weak voice. "Why aren''t you healing? Were you poisoned?" "No." "Then¡­you did this to yourself?" her daughter shouted, raising her mother in her arms, light as a feather. "Leave me be Nelia." "No! I am taking you inside. We will call Soran''s sister to heal you." she said. "Why is no one listening to me?" Cecilia mumbled. "It is better for everyone¡­" "Hush" Nelia told her, looking at her with a strict expression, she looked exactly like Cecilia, strong and unnerved. Her mother couldn''t see her though, her eyelids had gotten heavy already, her body just feeling pain. She had closed her eyes, giving in and losing consciousness. Nelia had acated fast, transferring her mother to her room and finding Soran, pleading him to call his sister to help her mother. Word got out, the news traveled from room to room and the restless king who had been looking for his wife for hours had found her, drenched in sweat and suffering in her own bed, close to death, bleeding out. Xan had burst through the door, his eyes confused as he watched his mother and his father at his side, Lun right behind him and lastly Kai walked in with Ash. "Why didn''t she get it treated?" Kai asked, looking at his father. "You said you could convince her to do it the right way." "What happened?" Xan asked. "What did you do again?" he shouted at his little brother. "Can''t you be still for once?" "It wasn''t your brother''s fault. It was mine. Cecilia had to cut off her hand to solve Kai''s oath, we had a fight when I tried to talk to her about it and things went out of hand, she disappeared before I could help her with her wound and this happened." Aleron explained quickly. "Kai was cursed?" Nelia asked. "So the queen is dying?" Lun asked, tilting his head to the side, no expression on his face as he watched the woman battle in her own bed. "Why don''t we let her die?" he said. "What the fuck Lun?" Xan screamed. "That''s my mother!" "Yes, the woman who ruined Kai''s life, has forced you and your sister to be perfect all your lives, has tolerated no mistakes. I mean why would you want her dead." he said, not filtering his words the slightest bit, not feeling guilty at all. Aleron stood up, all this time he was on his knees, at his wife''s side. "I appreciate your concern about my children but if you ever dare to say anything like that again I will make sure to be the one that will rip you to shreds." "Should you be talking? You weren''t even here for like, half their lives." Lun said. "What has gotten into you?" Xan asked him, pushing him back, afraid that his father would attack him. Lun did not have the chance to say anything else though, the door of Cecilia''s room opened, revealing Soran with his little sister by his side, both siblings panting. When Kai had met Soran he was an only child, now he even had a younger sister, time flew, it lessened like the golden sand in an hourglass. Would they actually save the queen or let her receive her punishment? Cecilia believed everyone hated her, she believed she could see it in their eyes. As she laid there, with her children and husband by her side, lost in the darkness of her pain, traveling to the river of death she wished she had never worn that crown but it was too late now to turn back, too late to feel sorry. She was the evil of the story, she had learned to live with that but hearing Aleron threaten her, it felt like the warmth of the flames was close, the end approaching and the screams, the echoes of the ones she lost would become louder, more people would be added. She preferred to die, than have everyone leave her again. She was tired, so tired. ... Hello! Please let me know what you think about the stroy, especially the whole part with the Avger family, it was an idea that I had and I wanted to know if you like it. Thank you for reading, I released a few chapters today so I hope you''re happy reading. Please leave a comment, a vote and a nice review to help a girl out! Chapter 204 - 203 "Get out, let Soran''s sister do her job, your nagging will disturb her." Aleron said and pushed out Kai with his older brother and Lun. The three vampires stood at the corridor, looking at each other, awkwardness in the air as they locked eyes. "You shouldn''t have said that, especially in front of my father." Xan told Lun and the brown haired vampire scoffed. "Why? Is it because the truth hurts?" "Even after what I entrusted you with you still don''t understand why my mother is like this?" Xan asked him, looking at him intensively. "What did you tell him?" Kai questioned his older brother, his blue eyes flying between them. "Nothing." "Your family is not the rightful heir to the throne." Lun said, ignoring Xan''s angered expression as he heard him reveal what he had told him a few hours ago. Kai gasped, thick lines forming on his flawless forehead as he frowned, unable to think of anything to say. "Yeah, your uncle was supposed to be the king, did you know you had an uncle? I certainly did not. But your mother and father killed him, taking the throne. That''s why your mother is so obsessed with perfection, she is afraid things will get revealed one day, if you make a mistake your enemies will come at you and find out everything. Your matter with the bloody people made everything worse." he said, feeling Xan push him to the side. "Am I a game to you? You told me I could trust you. Do you think this is some kind of silly gossip?" "Your brother should know, secrets only make situations escalate the wrong way." Lun told him, making the crown prince sigh. "Still it was not your decision to make. Learn to respect the trust others show you. That''s the least you could for me after becoming my lover." "Your what?" Kai asked. Information had been tossed at him from every possible corner, he wasn''t even able to blink from the surprise as he processed the news. From the most important to the least one he didn''t really know where to begin. "Xan, is what Lun said true? About the throne?" "Yes, Uncle Arthur had gone mad, he killed mother''s family in a huge fire because her sister had rejected his courtship and then mother decided to take revenge on him. Then she met father and after killing Arthur since she loved him she was forced to become queen." "Shit." Kai mumbled, his blue eyes landing at the closed door where his mother laid, unconscious. He had no idea, he had never even imagined that things were like this. How would his mother feel all these years? Alone, bearing a role she didn''t even want just because she loved Aleron, fighting to keep three children at the top so they could live and not die just like her family. The youngest prince shook his head, confused. "That does not erase her mistakes." Lun added, making Xan roll his eyes. "No one said that. All I tried to say but you seem to be deaf is that you can''t understand the tough decisions a leader has to take. A leader does not decide to make others happy, they decide so they can survive, a woman on the throne, alone while our father was god knows where, do you even understand what she would have to face or did your privilege make you forget how women are treated?" "A feminist aren''t you?" Lun teased him, a faint grin on his face and Xan shook his head. "No one has forgiven mother, no one will probably ever will but being able to put yourself in someone''s shoes is not an ability any of us has and that is why we could never comprehend what she is thinking. I at least get to appreciate that she kept me alive, all this time even when I didn''t know about it." Putting yourself in someone else''s shoes, Kai thought. That phrase meant a lot. It meant empathy and understanding, things he believed his mother did not have. He didn''t think she had a heart actually, the way she sat on her throne, the lethal vampire queen, the one who did not blink once before she executed people. After knowing all that Kai had to see her in a better light? After everything she had done to him, when he didn''t even receive an apology? The youngest prince was a nice person, he at least considered himself to be, but not that nice. "She shouldn''t die." Kai said. "But I don''t think I see her any differently." "She cut off her hand for you." Xan said. "I don''t think she did it for me. If she had done it for me she wouldn''t have tried to take her own life later. Something else happened. At least my oath is broken now." Kai said when the door of the room opened, his father appeared, an exhausted expression on his face as he looked at the three men. "She is fine, you can come in. Olivia stopped the bleeding. But please, don''t just fight." he told them and opened the door. Kai looked inside, seeing how Nelia was at their mother''s side, her face worried as she stared at her woken up mother. Their eyes met for a second and chills went down his spine. Kai didn''t want to go in there, even if his mother was looking at him,in the brim of death just a few minutes ago he didn''t wish to see her. "You go in. Tell Ash to escort Olivia out, I don''t have anything to do there." "I will come with you." Lun said, not giving a damn about the queen. "Kai¡­" his father called out, his eyes pleading for a truce. "I can''t" the prince told him, walking away from them. ... Hello! Thanks for reading.. If you liked this chapter please leave a nice comment and a vote. It would be really helpful! Chapter 205 - 204 Only Xan with Aleron walked in, the crown prince instructing the teen to show Olivia out and Soran left too, deciding it would be best to be with his friends. He greeted the royal family and kissed his sister on the forehead before he walked away. Soon after Ash took the young girl away leaving the two siblings with their parents. "Where is Kai?" Nelia asked, looking at the door, wondering where her youngest brother had gone. "He said he didn''t want to come in. He is simply ungrateful." Xan commented, earring a sharp stare from his father. Cecilia just smiled though. She was laid on the bed, the wound completely healed and wrapped with a white gauze. "We will contact a witch to fix up a prosthetic hand for you." the king told her but she didn''t reply. "At least Kai is freed from his curse." "Yeah, he is free from his curse to cause even more trouble for us. Like he always does." Xan mumbled, gaining another stare from the king. "Don''t talk about your brother like that. He has gone through rough already." "Yeah because our lives here were simply a rose path. He has been pampered and left to do whatever he wanted ever since he was young. Even now he still gets special treatment. Mother still let him live, she allowed him to leave and have the life he wanted but no one talks about that." "The life that he wanted?" Aleron asked. "What kind of life could he want after his lover died, Xan? How can you say that?" "Well, at least he knew he was going to return, some of us did not have that luxury." "You''re jealous." Nelia said, looking at her older brother in the eyes, shamelessly exposing him. "What are you even talking about?" "You''re jealous because even though Kai''s lover died he would come back eventually while Kiula would remain dead. That''s why you stopped getting along with him. Because he has what you always wanted, a second chance to fix things." "You are being ridiculous." Xan told her, fists forming on his sides. "Both of you, shut up." Cecilia said, her voice hoarse and her eyes fluttered open. She felt slightly better now and tried to sit up, the three of them hurrying to help her. Nelia was the one who got to fix her pillow and raise her slowly, and rearrange her posture to be more comfortable. "I do not care about your lovers. I do not give a damn about your drama. All of you, you need to grow up, not all of us have the same experiences in life, we do not get the same chances and the difficulty is different from everyone, life''s a bitch that way. It is not Kai''s fault Kiula died and hating your brother will not bring him back." "So you are defending him too?" Xan asked his mother, offended by her words. "You don''t get to have the ideal mother but you do get to at least have each other. Now leave me, I wish to be alone and send a gift to Soran''s sister, a necklace or something, also make sure she doesn''t talk about this to her parents." she ordered them, her face strict. "Mother, you don''t have to think about that right now. Just get some rest and then we can all sit down and talk, I am sure there will be a solution, things can be fixed." Nelia proposed, her green eyes looking at her mother with a sorrowful stare. The queen snorted, disregarding her daughter''s words and shook her hand, telling them to leave. "There is no going back now. One day, probably only you¡­" she said, looking at her oldest son. "...will be able to understand. Now go, fix things with your brother. That is actually possible. Your nagging is giving me a headache." she said. Nelia was the first one to obey her orders while pulling her brother outside. He was unwilling at first but in the end he retrieved, leaving the couple alone. "When I said leave I meant all of you." Cecilia told Aleron who after hearing her words sat down next to her on the bed. "Am I speaking in another language and I am not aware of it?" she asked, her white eyebrow raised. "I am sorry." Aleron said. "For threatening you. You know I would never leave you, I would never take the children away from you either." "Well, you don''t have to take them away from me, they already are away. About you leaving me, you already did that too so why do you feel guilty? What is done is done, now leave me alone to rest. I have a ton of things to do tomorrow." "You don''t have to do anything." "Yeah, right. I have to prepare for the event. I have four wolf packs coming and all of those braindead pureblood men that will start bickering about their wived because the poor women dared to breathe. Just the thought of them drives me insane so don''t talk to me any longer, I just want to be alone." "Cecilia, you know I love you, right?" Aleron asked her, his blue eyes meeting with hers as his heart raced with worry. The woman didn''t answer, just stared at him, her lips sealed, making him even more anxious as the seconds went by. "And all this time, I did really miss you." "You only married me because you felt sorry for me. For what had happened to my family and for the guilt I felt that I had to be the one to slit your brother''s throat. You''ve never truly loved me, maybe you''ve liked me, in the start when I was young and not so rotten even though I did have the tendencies." "You are wrong!" Aleron said, his expression changing. He felt angry, he felt wronged because it was as if Cecilia was ignoring his feelings. It was as if he had never managed to make her see how much he loved her. "I loved you for the very first moment you stepped inside the palace. Yes, I could see how sad you were, how depressed you were, how the spark had died in your eyes but I did not pity you, I simply loved you and that''s why I wanted to help you, be with you, even now, I want to save your relationship with Kai because I am sure, I know you regret what you did." "I do not regret anything." The queen said. "You know, you can be weak in front of me. I am not like my brother, I am not like these men you hate. I love you and even if you try to hide I can see it. The pain¡­everything." "Simply leave Aleron. It''s too late for love, it is too late for understanding and it''s too late for you to try and make me believe that you love me when I''ve spent most of my life away from you and not with you. So do what you do best, get up and leave. You saved Kai, there is no reason for you to be here any longer." "I hope one day you won''t regret this." "I do not regret anything." Chapter 206 - 205 Ash was instructed by Kai to escort Soran''s sister out and that was the only reason he was actually doing it. He would prefer to be with the prince, even if he didn''t have anything to do that walk towards the gate, feeling utterly awkward next to the girl he had seen for the first time. She was awfully quiet too, making things even worse. She was probably around his age and if he remembered well her name was Olivia, she was Soran''s younger sister. Ash told himself and while they walked, barely outside the palace he looked at her with the corner of his blue eyes. She didn''t really look like her brother, she had short brown hair that bounced with intense curls every time she walked, her lips full with a beauty mark underneath the left side of her bottom lip. The only thing she had in common with Soran were their pitch black eyes. While her brother looked a bit more outwardly she looked more earthly, she was beautiful of course, like all other pureblood vampires but not in the usual way. She wore a green long dress, her shoulders exposed and when she realized Ash was looking at her she stopped, turning her head to face him. "Is there something wrong?" She asked the young man and Ash''s eyes widened. "No, no it''s nothing." he barely managed to say. "Your name is Ash right? It''s the first time I am seeing you in the palace." "Yes, I am Kai''s guard, I haven''t been here for too long." he told her, intentionally leaving out the fact that he was a commoner and even worse an orphan. "I see, thank you for escorting me out. I wouldn''t want to meet those beggars at the gate, they always grab my dress, begging me for money. It is quite unsightly. I wonder why the queen doesn''t get them executed." she said as she began walking again, her luxurious carriage, sent by her family waiting just a few meters away, behind the black bars of the enormous gate. Ash did not follow her though, his feet rooted to the ground he looked at the young girl with a disgusted expression. Olivia realized he was accompanying him after a few steps. She turned around, noticing the change in his expression. "Won''t you come along?" she asked. "You want the poor people to get executed?" Ash asked her, his body tensed as he waited for her answer. "Maybe not killed but certainly removed, they ruin the image of the palace." "Oh, forgive them. The poor people who have no food, starve in the streets because of an unjust system you are part of I am sure will feel horrible for ruining your aesthetic." he told her, his words dripping with irony. "It must be such a problem to pass by them every day and have to look their filthy faces while you are decorated like a fucking safe with gold from head to toe. Poor you." "What did you just say?" "Didn''t you hear me or is it that purebloods have only money and no brains?" he asked her, making her dark eyes widen. She seemed angry, taking a few steps closer and slapping him hard, her handprint remaining on his pale skin. "How dare you talk to me like that? A mere guard, acting like you are not a part of this. Go along then, feed the poor, I am sure you will be running away after seconds, getting to step in the filthy and infested places that they live." Olivia told him and Ash scoffed, a sardonic smile on his face. He hated purebloods, simply despised them but this woman, this specific girl right here got to his nerves. "I wouldn''t run away, you know why? Because I used to live in those places. And no I am not a part of your rotten system. I only serve Kai and Kai only and that''s why I don''t care of how I will be talking to a spoiled little princess like you. You''re nothing to me, just a sheltered brat who has no idea of the world. You served your purpose with your superior powers, now go along, get in that carriage of your, get home, enjoy a warm meal and your bath while people are doing right outside your rich mansion!" Ash shouted at her, making her take a scared step back. Obviously she wasn''t used to such treatment. "I think you''re being too much, people are not starving. My father says that the beggars on the street simply are too lazy to work." she said, making Ash laugh. "Is that what your father told you darling?" He said, this time he was the one approaching her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her away from the main gate, just a few steps to the side, where a group of homeless children had gathered, right outside the beautiful palace. Their clothes were ripped and dirty while their hair was greasy and filled with lice. They were toddles, some of them barely ten years old and Olivia stared at them in shock. "I bet they are too lazy to work right?" he asked her, pushing her forwards so she could see them better through the bars. "I am very sorry to burst your bubble, or whatever your beloved daddy told you but children, they are not meant to work, they are not meant to get sold and exploited, they are not meant to be tossed in the street or get looked down by people like you. Children deserve to be loved and raised with care, the same way you were raised dear pureblood lady. Do you get it now?"he asked, moving her around by her arm as if she was some kind of bag. She was too stunned to even utter a word, her eyes avoiding the angry vampire who flipped her, pinning her to the wall. "Get a grip of reality." "I¡­" Olivia mumbled, her eyes focusing on the carriage and the driver that waited for her. "I have to go." She said, slapping Ash''s hand away and grabbing the skirt of her dress, freeing her legs as she ran away. The young vampire clicked his tongue, made sure that she got into her carriage so he wouldn''t be in any trouble and walked away, trying to forget the stupidity of her deluded words. "Unbelievable.." He mumbled as he stepped back into the palace. Chapter 207 - 206 Kai exhaled, pacing back and forth with his hands entwined behind his back. Step by step another thought popped into his mind, new information, new troubles, everything suddenly seemed so blurry, even the clear feelings he had, like the hate for his mother, every little bit had suddenly shifted leaving him with completely nothing. Maybe coming back was not good, maybe this place wasn''t for him anymore, he couldn''t stop telling himself that. "At least your oath is broken." Lun said, stopping the endless monologue in his head. He was with Soran and Lun at the moment. One fo his friends sitting on an armchair while the other sa on the bed, both of them observing him as if he was a ticking time bomb. "Would I be cruel if I said I still can''t see her as my mother?" Kai asked them, his expression sad. He couldn''t change his feelings, he knew that if he wanted to be the better person he could just let things go, try to understand everything that Cecilia had gone through but just the thought of the past, all the things he went through were still too vivid, too hurtful for him to simply let go of them. "No you''re not, this woman has acted like a monster. Yes, she had her reasons but you''re the one to decide what you want." "I just feel like I can''t forgive her." The young prince confessed, a deep frown on his face. "But that makes me feel guilty." "Do you know what I think?" Soran asked, making Kai look at him. "We don''t forgive others for them, we forgive for ourselves, so we can feel alright and move on. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting and it should happen only when you''re able to. The guilt you''re feeling is because she is your mother and she will never stop being the woman who gave birth to you. We don''t get to choose our family but we can choose if we want them in our lives or not, no matter how harsh it sounds. If you choose to forgive your mother one day, you should do it not because everyone else tells you it''s the right thing to do but because you are ready to move on. You forgive for yourself, to find peace and not to appeal to others who tell you you should do so." he advised him. "Exactly. So do what your heart tells you. If you want to forgive her, do it, if you don''t want to then don''t. If you need time, then take time, we are immortal for fuck''s sake you all act like we will die tomorrow, what if you forgive her now or in thirty years. She will be too busy anyways to notice." Lun added and noticed how Soran shook his head. "What? Am I wrong??" he asked both of them. "No, you''re not." Kai said, sitting down and crossing his legs. His eyes focused on the floor, his heart racing at the thought of what happened today. He didn''t wish for his mother to die, he didn''t want her gone so that had to mean there was something still there, sleeping in his heart but he was scared to awaken it. What if he did and nothing changed? What if he took that leap of faith just to meet with the icy cold vampire queen again and not his mother? "I¡­I guess you''re right, only time will tell what is going to happen." he mumbled. "You got all the time in the world. Unless the bloody people come for you. Then you should really settle your unfinished business." Lun joked. "I doubt that they are still bothered by Kai. He hasn''t stepped outside ever since he came to the palace and he has kept a low profile if you exclude what he did with that perverted woman. It is going to be alright, do not worry about them but well¡­now that your oath is broken, what are you going to do with Philip? He will be coming here soon." Soran asked him. Kai had almost forgotten about that. Amidst all the chaos and the commotion Philip had been pushed to the side in his mind but now, at the sound of his name the clock seemed to tick faster. He was going to be here soon, before him with his pack as their new leader and he, he was not bound by that oath anymore, he would be able to talk to him, tell him the truth. A small smile bloomed on his handsome face, like the purest of lilies, he hadn''t smiled in a while but such a simple thought was enough to bring him to life. "I¡­I can talk to him now." he mumbled, not even able to believe it himself. "Yes, you can be together." Lun told him but Soran chose to remain quiet. "You can talk to him, even if he is angry he will hear you out. Maybe things can be better for you. Your father will also defend you with your mother. Your luck is changing my friend." Lun told him, patting his back with an excited smile. "Is it? Really?" Kai asked, unsure. He wasn''t used to anticipating happiness, he didn''t want to get too comfortable with positive feelings, he didn''t want to feel his heart get teared apart if he actually failed once more. "I want to talk to him but what if he doesn''t want to see me? He was angry." "Then we will force him. Dragging a werewolf here is the simplest of the things we''ve done." Lun said, winking at him and making the prince chuckle. "You think?" "I am sure." his best friend reassured him. "Soran, are you¡­" Kai began saying, but he didn''t finish his sentence, what he was intending to tell him was taken away. "Whatever it takes for you to be happy Kai. You know that''s the thing I want the most." the white haired vampire answered. "Then I guess I will talk to him. Maybe this time, things will be different" Chapter 208 - 207 Note: Hello everyone! Please consider buying priviledge chapters to help me reach the goal of a 1000 unlocks so I could get my book promoted! Also there is a discount so you will be paying less for more! Thank you and enjoy! TW: mention of self harm https://open.spotify.com/track/0u2P5u6lvoDfwTYjAADbn4?si=0d6d2433795b4884 John used to like a song. He would listen to it again and again, on repeat when he was at home, depressed and feeling forgotten. The song title was Lovely. He liked it, the sad melody, the sweet vocals and the lyrics, they created a stinging pain in his chest but still, he couldn''t stop listening to it because when he had his headphones on, laying in his small bed in his run down apartment that he could barely afford he could close his eyes and pretend this was not his life, he was simply in a movie, a tragic character that would definitely face a sad. Happiness was always out of reach for him, as he extended his hand, as he went after it like crazy the further it would seem. So John had given up on happiness, he had given up on escaping for such a long time. Headphones on, shutting out the world he lived in his own nightmares as he allowed the sweet release of the drugs to keep him from ending his life. Happiness, an emotion he had forgotten how it felt, now a constant disturbance, a reminder of something he could never have. He was no longer human, he was no longer himself and in this horrific chance the hope that had died long ago found a way to ignite like a half dead flame that resisted to be erased. Soran had been his hope, his way out, a snowy field, quiet and cold but so peaceful. He loved him, he had liked him for the very first moment he had laid eyes on him and even before he realized the vampire was his mate he wanted him. He should have stayed the way he was, he should have drowned that hope with his own two hands because now, the world he had come to love so dearly was shuttering. He wasn''t in his run down apartment anymore, the opposite, he was laid in an enormous bed with silk sheets and a room that was bigger than the most apartments he had been in. The bathtub was made from gold and the mirror that showed him fully his wretched body looked so elegant just to reflect an image as unsightly as his. "Maybe if I looked a bit better?" he asked himself as he touched his face. His dark circles, his thin appearance, everything that he didn''t like about himself suddenly seemed to intensify. "Maybe if I wasn''t a werewolf? Maybe if I wasn''t so poor, an addict, such an idiot, maybe if I wasn''t me!" he exclaimed and with a strong punch the glass of the expensive mirror shuttered. The sound was deafening in the silence of the room and his eyes landed in the shards of the glass, surrounding his bare feet. He kept staring at them, sharp and shiny and without even realizing it he stepped on them, cutting his feet. It hurt but at the same time physical pain seemed to be much better than the emotional one. It numbed the pain of the heart and since he kept healing he could do it all over, again and again until the glass was painted red from his own blood. "Happiness, that''s some bullshit¡­" he mumbled as he eagerly stepped on the broken glass, tears swelling in his dark eyes. "Who would be stupid enough to like someone like you. Who? Who?" he told himself. He missed his song, his simple escape from a horrid reality. Why was he such a tragic character, so badly made and so depressingly written? He wondered to himself as his legs gave out, as he landed on the floor with red eyes, red feet and red glass around him, showing him small bits of the person he hated the most in the world, himself. "Love? You weren''t even sure if you''d be alive by now a while back and you dare to ask for love." he scolded himself. He was so cruel to himself. Always he found his flaws, always he felt like he was the one at fault, always he was the problem. His arms were like a canvas, drawings everywhere to hide the marks. The marks from the cuts, the marks from the needles that for endless days didn''t seem to fade. Even though with all these, he still remembered, he still hurt and now everything just looked worse. He closed his eyes, whaling as if someone had stabbed him, he closed his eyes, feeling the tears run down his face, he closed his eyes wishing he could disappear, escape this endless circle of disappointment. Everyone got a mate, a destined love made just for them. For a minute he had thought that maybe, maybe that could be the only thing after he became a beast and once again he was wrong. Once again he had been tricked by his own mind, letting himself go just to crash to the earth after a shabby flight to the ground. "You knew he didn''t like you so why? Why did you believe in him¡­" He couldn''t hate Soran, he couldn''t even blame him because how can you blame someone because they do not love you back? He could simply sit there, in the disaster he had caused and regret everything. He didn''t even want to be liked, just tolerated and he was aware how pitiful that made him sound but he was used to getting the remains of whatever he could, he was used of not being greedy but how¡­how could he make such a mistake? "Now it''s over." he mumbled, covering his face with his hands. "Now it''s over because of you!" he told himself. "You will always be alone" Alone, all alone, a spectator in his own life, someone insignificant enough for his death to not even be mentioned. Yes, John viewed himself like that, or more accurately he couldn''t see himself. There was always a blur, a dark cloud hiding his own reflection and all he could do is just imagine. Ugly exterior to much the decaying of the inside. "You need to stop hoping." he ordered himself.. "Happiness is not for you." Chapter 209 - 208 https://open.spotify.com/track/0u2P5u6lvoDfwTYjAADbn4?si=3334886baf1b4b92 TW: mention of suicide, self harm He stood up, after hours of crying and hating himself he found the strength in him to stand. There was blood everywhere, red spots on the soft carpet, red spots on the shards of the glass but he didn''t feel any pain, in just a few minutes he was feeling alright again, in just a few minutes the physical pain that helped him cope with this disaster had left him too. At least when he was human he could just stop it all, now he was stuck, stuck in time with an immortal life and an immortal pain because this torture would continue, life after life, death after death he was doomed to be in love with someone that would never want him. His eyes widened, petrified at the realization of his eternit and parted his lips. A scream escaped his throat, a sound filled with anguish and terror. He was already grieving his next lives, he was already mourning for the fact that he was meant to be unhappy, again and again and again with no end. "No, this is not possible, this can''t be it. I¡­I''d rather die." he mumbled as he looked around, manic to find a way to end it all. He wouldn''t be able to handle it, a life filled with misery? A life? Many lives, a vicious circle. He wanted to die, someone should release him from this torture, someone should just simply take this pain away because he, he couldn''t handle it. He wrapped his hands around his neck, he tried to suffocate himself, he filled a bathtub with water and he tried to drown, he split his head open by smacking it hard on the wall but he was still alive. He was still alive! "Just let me die already" he cried, sliding on the wall and finding himself on the ground again, where he belonged. He wasn''t strong enough to deal with one rejection, how could he keep going, how could he keep seeing him? John sighed, smacking his face. "There is only one way¡­" he mumbled to himself. Actually there were two ways, one of them would be cutting his head off and the other, ripping off his heart. The first one being too difficult he chose the latter, looking at how his claws came forwards, sharp and long, a part of him that he didn''t even have the time to explore and he bit his lip. He couldn''t live with this, he couldn''t handle the pain of this heart that had already been through so much, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath when he pulled his arm, reading himself to finally end it all. Just one swift move, fast and painless and everything would be over, he would be over. He didn''t make it though, a sudden knock on his door stopped him and he flinched, surprised by the unexpected sound. He looked at the barrier that separated him with his unwanted visitor. Whoever was would leave, he didn''t want to see anyone. The knocking didn''t stop though, it kept going and going until John heard a voice. "John, it''s me, Soran, please open up." a pleading voice was heard and the young werewolf looked at the door bug eyed. Don''t go, don''t open the door! His mind screamed at him but it seemed that his heart had taken control. As if he was on auto pilot he twisted the doorknob and revealed his pitiful self to Soran. The white haired man stepped in, noticing immediately the broken glass on the floor. "What is that?" he asked him and with a dead stare John, figured out what he was talking about. "I accidentally broke the mirror" he told him, with no hint of emotion. "And why is there blood on your forehead?" "I accidentally smacked my head to the wall." "You don''t accidentally smack your head to the wall." "I do." "John¡­" "Why are you here?" he asked, wanting this meeting to be over as soon as possible. He used to look at Soran and feel like he was alive, like the world was not such a nasty place anymore but now, as he stared at his angelic face he felt like a failure, noticing everything that he had ever done wrong in his life. "I think we need to talk." "Talk about what?" "You know, about what you told me. You and I being mates" Soran said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was feeling uncomfortable, John noticed and he couldn''t help but scoff. Being loved by him made him feel uncomfortable, his life was a cruel joke, nothing more. "It''s okay, I know you have no intention of being with me." "I¡­I need to explain to you. I don''t want you to think that¡­" "I don''t care." "Please listen to me. I am sorry, I am really sorry that things came to be this way. I am sorry I was cruel to you without knowing why and I am sorry that I can accept your feelings. That doesn''t have to do with you though, it has to do with me. Even though I''ve given up I don''t think I can ever stop loving Kai, I can''t be with you like this. Not if it''s a lie. You really are great John, a very nice person, good looking and very kind so I don''t want to think that all this is going wrong because of you I just¡­" "I said it''s okay. This was just a mishap of fate. It doesn''t matter, no one died from a broken heart. Don''t feel bad about it¡­" "I think it would be better if we took some time away from each other, just so¡­" Soran began saying and John laughed. "I don''t want to be around you either, don''t worry." he told him and Soran sighed. "That''s not what I meant." "I do not care what you meant. The outcome is the same, it won''t change if you''re nice to me or if you''re being mean so all this is pointless. I won''t bother you again, I do get the situation very well so you can go." John announced, holding the door open for him. "John, I am really sorry." "Stop saying you''re sorry, you''re making me feel pitiful. Now go." "If you ever need¡­" "Go!" the werewolf said, raising the tone of his voice. Soran looked at him with sad eyes, turning his back and walking away, not a thought on his mind about accepting John''s feelings. He closed the door carefully, he didn''t want to make any noise and alert the vampire, make him return and have him look at him with that worried expression as if he was looking at a troubled child. John exhaled, his plans of ending it all being put to an end he looked at the bed suddenly wanting to sleep. He laid down, hiding himself under the covers. "You being nice to me, makes everything worse" he whispered as he closed his eyes, replaying the melody and the lyrics of his favorite song in his mind. Isn''t it lovely, all alone? Chapter 210 - 209 "I love your mother." Aleron said with a wistful expression as he stood at his door. Kai shook his head, a frown on his face. "Why are you here telling me that?" he asked, blinking a few times as his father stormed inside his room. "And I know you love her too." "That is quite debatable." he said, raising one sassy eyebrow. Kai crossed his arms over his chest, knowing that this conversation was probably going to put even more doubts in his already overfilled mind and looked at his father. He seemed restless, pacing as he talk. "What if she divorces me?" "These are really not matters that you should be talking with your kids, you know." the youngest prince mumbled and Aleron stopped walking. "I messed up, Kai. I messed up bad." he said, looking at him with wide blue eyes. Kai was just standing there, not knowing what to do or say. This kind of situation, he wasn''t used to it. "What did you do?" "I threatened her. I told her that if she didn''t cut off her hand I would leave her and take you and your siblings with me." "Like Nelia and Xan would leave mother." he said. "She is mad at me. Telling me about all the times I left and I know, I mean it wasn''t the best thing I should have done, and maybe I didn''t really want to be king either so I kind of walked away leaving her deal with everything because¡­" "Because our family is not the rightful heir." Kai told him, making his father freeze. "Where did you hear that?" "Xan, that guy knows everything that has ever happened in this palace." "Well, he was raised by your mother, that is only natural." "Father." Kai told him with a serious tone. "I am not really interested in what''s happening between you and mother. You should go to Nelia, she actually likes our mother so she would be able to help you." "Yes but you are more experienced in failed relationships." Aleron told him, looking at him dead in the eyes, completely serious with not a hint of joking. Kai blinked, tilting his head. "Your words do not make me want to talk to you." "It''s fine, because I don''t want you to talk to me, I want you to talk to your mother." he said with a cheeky smile and Kai scoffed, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Tomorrow it''s the start of the event, she will be nervous and on edge and she will need help but you know how she is, she won''t ask about it so what I want you to do is talk to her, like right now and make her forgive me. You know a little mother and son talk." "Are you insane?" Kai exclaimed, looking at his father as if he was a mad man. "My mate is coming here tomorrow, I have enough on my plate already. Where did that ridiculous idea come from? Just because she cut off a hand it does not mean she is forgiven for the two hundred years of torture and running away I had to go through." "Please Kai, don''t forgive her, don''t even be nice to her, just make her talk to me again. She doesn''t even look at me, what am I supposed to do?" his father said, a pitiful look on his face. He looked like a forgotten puppy out on the street and Kai sighed, averting his gaze. Suddenly a very light hearted aura seemed to spread in the palace, he didn remember this happening every time his father would return home, it was as if his mother somehow found peace in its presence. Maybe if they got along she wouldn''t bother him while he tried to win Philip back, his father would be indebted to him and would stop her from actually intervening with his life any longer. If he rejected him now though he would keep whining and getting in the way of his plans. Kai rubbed his chin, thinking what else he could gain from this. His eyes were squeezed as he examined how desperate his father was. A grin appeared on his face. "Well, I could have a little talk with her. You know I am good with words when I want to, so why not but what''s in it for me?" he asked. "Whatever you want, name it, just make Cecilia forgive me and I promise you I will be your strongest ally." Aleron said, his expression stern as he was getting ready to negotiate with his own son. Life was give and take, Kai thought, everyone knew that. He shouldn''t be feeling bad about it, talking to his mother after everything could be considered a gold ranked favor so he could get everything. "Okay then. First, you will make sure mother does not intervene while I try to get Philip back. You will stop her if she tries to do anything to me or my friends. Am I clear?" Kai asked his father. "Deal, so can you¡­" "I am not finished. I know that werewolves are placed in the guest houses but you will make sure that the Moonshine members, the one Philip is in, are placed on my floor. There is another Alpha who likes him so I won''t be having her ruining everything." he said. "That can be arranged" "And lastly¡­" "There is more?" Aleron asked, a surprised expression on his face and Kai smiled widely. "Of course there is more, this is the ultimate sacrifice, you don''t want me to talk to her?" He asked his father, talking between gritted teeth. "No, no go on." "I want to be able to leave the palace." Kai announced. "Kai." Alern said, turning suddenly serious. "You know that is not a really good idea. The Nightshades are still out there and¡­" "I have been home for a while now, no one has dared to do anything. I will be fine, so make sure mother does not start nagging about me leaving the palace. Okay?" he asked and his father sighed. "Just promise me you will be careful, don''t leave the main town. "Okay" Kai agreed and his father nodded. "So, where is she?" "In the throne room" Aleron said, a shy smile on his face. "I am going." he announced. Kai left his room, thinking that things were not as bad. He liked the fact that his father was back and he would be able to get the three main things he wanted just by talking to his mother. If he succeeded or not was not his problem after all, he wasn''t in the mood to be involved in marital problems anyway. He was feeling quite carefree at the moment, a slight anxious about tomorrow but in general after a while he felt good. Maybe it was the fact that the curse was lifted, maybe he couldn''t wait to see Philip again.. So many good things were approaching that Kai had missed to sense the ominous aura in the air, unaware that someone would be dying soon. Chapter 211 - 210 "Open the door. Open the fucking door!" Lun exclaimed as he knocked on Xan''s door. He was very well aware that he was inside but he was simply being a spoiled crown prince by letting him stand out there and knock on his door. Lun sighed, smacking his fist on the door once more. "For how long are you going to be brooding over what I said? Open the door or I swear I will flash in the middle of the main town and tell everyone what the underworld''s boss and the crown prince have been doing in his room, I am very sure your beloved mother would be pleased, especially with the event coming up she¡­" The tall vampire was interrupted, being pulled inside the room by a furious looking Xan. "Could you be even more loud?" he asked him. "Of course. ME AND THE CROWN PRINCE¡­" he started shouting. Xan pushed him on the wall, placing his hand on top of his mouth and Lun started laughing. He found this whole situation so entertaining that tears appeared in the corners of his eyes. "Do you think this is funny Lun?" Xan asked him and the man nodded, wiping his tears away as he tried to stop laughing. "Because I don''t see anything funny in you giving me a heart attack every time you open your mouth." "You''re immortal, you''ll live even if you get a heart attack. Do vampires even get a heart attack? Now I am curious, should we cause you one?" he asked as he sat on Xan''s desk, crossing his legs and giving a very sly stare at the crown prince. Xan sighed, taking a step towards him and placing his palms on his chest, his forehead touching the fabric of his shirt. "Please¡­" he said, his tone showing how exhausted he felt. "Don''t do this now." Lun looked down, seeing the top of his snow white head and rolled his eyes. He kissed the top of his head gently, wrapping his arms around Xan''s body. He couldn''t see his face, the crown prince was hiding in the crook of his neck, his warm breath landing slowly on his skin. "I am sorry, I didn''t mean to push you. I know that sometimes I don''t have a filter. I would never put you in a difficult position, not in front of your mother, not in front of anyone. You know that right?" he asked him, raising his head carefully so they were looking at each other. Xan''s eyes were so beautiful, clear blue skies with long black eyelashes. He looked perfect as he stood there, looking at Lun. No frowns, no mean words, he was just there, in front of him. "I know." Xan said, smiling slightly and making Lun''s heart flutter. "You are so¡­" "So?" Xan asked, blinking a few times. "So beautiful." Lun said and cupped his face, giving him a quick kiss on the lips and making him blush. Xan was not used to it, being called beautiful, being looked like that, pure adoration. Everyone looked at him as the crown prince, cold and distant but Lun, he was just so shameless that he walked over his title as if it was a doormat and he would always be thankful for that. "I would do anything for you. I can give you the world, you know that right? Even the things a crown can not get you." "I am sure the things my crown can not get me are acquired by other means that I am not very fond of." "That''s why I will be doing it" Lun told him, winking cheekily at him. "Lun, I know there is no escaping your family''s work but¡­you''re good, I know that, don''t try to hide it." Xan told him. "I am good or more like morally ambiguous, I mean I do not find pleasure in killing like my father and the thought of selling drugs is not like my ideal occupation but Xan, for you I could turn into a villain. No matter what you want, I will do it." Lun said, caressing his cheek. Xan''s heart was racing, for the first time in hundreds of years he felt like he could melt like a burning candle. The words that came out of Lun''s mouth, the softness in his touch and that smile that lingered on his face as he looked at him, he felt like an idiot for rejecting all that before, for trying to not feel the need to have them. "You''re fine, perfectly fine like that. I don''t want you to be a villain." He said and hugged him, finding his spot in the crook of his neck again, it felt as if it was made for him, the perfect place to be. He loved it. "Then I won''t be. You''re my light after all." Lun said and Xan looked at him. Flushed face, embarrassed tone. "Don''t call me that. I could never be anyone''s light. More like those annoying lasers that appear out of nowhere and bother your eyes." he said and Lun started laughing with his description. "Yeah believe it or not I have self awareness." he told the tall vampire. "To me you''re my light. End of discussion." "Tomorrow the event starts, I wonder how long it will last." "I have no idea but with your brother and his mate coming in contact I am sure things will be eventful." "Don''t remind me of that." Xan said, throwing his head back, hoping that nothing really bad would happen. "Xan, let him be happy." "I haven''t done anything to him." "You keep bugging him and blaming him for everything." "Are you taking his side?" "No, I am just saying you should let your brother live his life, because I know you care about him and focus on yours. I am here, I will take everything away, your worries, your pain, I am seeing you, the way you are so you don''t have to be jealous or insecure. I will not leave, I will always be here, I promise." he whispered, kissing his cheek and making the prince shiver. "Who would know you could be such a smooth talker." "I''ve rehearsed the things I want to tell you a hundred times." Lun said, making the white haired vampire chuckle. "Don''t leave me, okay?" "Never." I will not leave, I will always be here, I promise. That''s what Lun had said, was it the truth? ... I have been jumping from drama to comedy to romance to keep you all in shape and alert! Also there are a few hints of what''s comming so let''s all brace ourselves. Don''t forget to buy priviledge and help this book! There is a discount! Pay less get more everyone! Thanks for reading! Chapter 212 - 211 Kai was on his way to speak to his mother, his thoughts for the first time lightweight, a slight hum on his lips as he remembered a song that he had listened to before he had come to BloodBound. Not many vampires were around, everyone was busy with the last details of the event, running around, cleaning up the dusty guest houses, decorating the throne room and the ballroom. His mother would definitely have a bunch of events designed, she always liked to show off and especially when it had werewolves involved. That was good for Kai, she would be too busy to actually bother with him and with his father''s promise he would finally be able to talk to Philip. He couldn''t help but smile at that though, the truth that had been kept deep inside his chest for years, locked away would finally be released. Everything he ever wanted, this moment when he would end up being free, this moment when everything would make sense and he would be allowed to be himself to love the one he adored. On his way to the throne room though he was stopped. John was walking in the corridor, his head dropped, shoulders slouched and a depressed expression on his face. The young werewolf had his hands in his pockets, walking slowly and the prince frowned, observing him for a while before he figured out he should ask him what had happened. Kai called him but John didn''t hear him, buried deep in his thoughts he kept walking and only turned around when the vampire patted his shoulder, a dull expression on his face as he met with his blue eyes. "Hey, are you alright?" Kai asked. "I¡­" John mumbled and looked at Kai. His smile was caring, his expression showing worry and the werewolf felt his heart break. It would have been so much easier if you were evil, he thought. Then I would be able to hate you, project my anger somewhere else but you saved me. He took a deep breath, trying to forget that Soran had rejected him for Kai. he tried to smile, a distorted expression on his face, looking rather scary. "I am fine, how are you?" he asked like a robot and Kai''s frown deepened. "John, I can see that you''re not well. What happened?" he asked again. He didn''t want to tell him. He didn''t want Kai to feel even more pity for him, to see him as a broken child. He hated it, that expression, like a concerned parent. If it wasn''t for you maybe Soran would love me. No, if it wasn''t for you I would probably be dead in some alley. He reminded himself. John felt ungrateful, he felt stupid and even spoiled, having such thoughts. He bit his lip, trying to ignore the pain in his chest, trying to keep inside everything. "I am here, you know that, you can tell me everything." he said, his tone so smooth, so low as if he was singing a lullaby and John couldn''t hold it in any longer. The disappointment, the fear, the hate. He felt so messed up, like he would never smile again. "Why is this happening to me, Boss?" he cried, his eyes immediately overflowing with tears. Kai''s eyes widened at the sudden explosion and he grabbed John, hugging him and letting him cry in his chest. "Why do I have to be so unlucky? Why? What did I ever do?" he asked, not waiting for an answer but he kept asking himself that. What had he done so wrong to have this fate, why was he being punished? "John, what happened?" Kai asked, caressing his short hair as the werewolf took a step back so he could look at him. "I messed it up, I couldn''t keep it in and I ruined everything. He says he wants to be away from me. He says he will never like me. How am I supposed to live, life after life all alone? What should I do?" he asked, his eyes glazed with sadness, the tears making them sparkle and Kai''s expression changed, looking as if he was in pain with him. "Did Soran find out? That you''re his mate?" he asked and John nodded, whipping the tears of his face aggressively. "I don''t know what to do. It hurts, I never thought I could hurt this much, no matter what I do¡­I tried to die, I tried to¡­" "Wait, what? What did you just say John?" Kai asked him, grabbing him by his arms and looking at him with a stern expression. "Don''t ever say that. Die? No, you survived so many horrible things, you have been so strong all your life. You can''t give up now. You and Soran are mates, that does not affect only you, it affects him too. I know because I have lived it. He is just in denial, he is scared and he is not used to this. I am sure that he will come around." "You don''t have to try and comfort me." "I am not doing that to comfort you!" Kai told him. "I am telling you this because that''s what I believe, I would never lie to you about something so important or try to give you false hope." "I don''t think I can keep trying. I am tired, I¡­I just can''t be around him." John said, his eyes landing on his shoes, time, maybe that''s what he needed. "Then don''t, take your time, you have literally all the time in the world, four hundred, five hundred years even more. I know you want Soran but first you must love yourself. If you don''t see how amazing you are John, then how are others going to see it?" Kai said while he wore a soft smile. He patted John in the head, the werewolf now seeming a bit calmer. "If we love ourselves others will see us too. I know it sounds weird and I am still struggling with it too but it''s true." "Why would you struggle with that? You''re beautiful." "And you''re not?" "I am just¡­normal." "Normal? What do you mean? Your dark eyes are beautiful, you smile brings everyone joy, all of us, even Lun have a soft spot for you, haven''t you noticed it? And not only because you''re beautiful on the outside but on the inside too and Soran would be blind not to see it sooner or later. Give it time, give him time and work on yourself. Then you will see, Soran will come to you." Kai said, a grin on his face. "Believe me I have my share of relationship experience." "Alright. Boss¡­" "Tell me." "Thank you, for everything you''ve done for me. For saving me and not leaving me behind." John told him and hugged him, feeling Kai hug him back. The vampire prince squeezed him, playfully raising a bit off the ground and John chuckled. "Don''t thank me. You were my first human friend and now, my first werewolf friend. You''re special John, more than you know." ... All of us need friends like my boys. Chapter 213 - 212 John had left after a while, telling Kai that he needed to rest and think about things. The prince had greeted him, trying not to show how worried he was. He had hoped his words had put some sense into him. When he heard him say that he tried to kill himself he couldn''t help but think of himself, how helpless he felt when he let Philip bit him. John''s pain, he could understand it to some extent, thinking how you could never have the one you wanted, being scared to show your feelings. Indeed it was torture and he never wished that for anyone, not even his worst enemy. He wanted to check up on him later and that''s why he rushed to the throne room, wanting this whole conversation he had promised to his father to be over. His mother was sitting on her throne like usual. She was supporting her head on her hand, lazily as she looked at a few guards that were placing some kind of rose garlands on the far end of the room. Her other hand was gone, the end wrapped with white gauze but she didn''t even seem to care about it, all of her focus had been directed to shouting at the guards, telling them again and again to rearrange the huge piece of decoration. Kai looked at it for a second, trying to find the flaw in it but the truth was there was nothing wrong, it was placed perfectly straight and that only meant that his mother was agitated. "More to the right, what don''t you understand!" She exclaimed, rubbing her temples as she noticed her son walking in. She squeezed her eyes, making sure she had seen well and Kai smiled awkwardly. "Am I imagining things?" she asked and the prince scoffed. "Could you please tell the guards to leave? I would like to talk to you about something." he told her and the queen looked at the guards who stood frozen on top of wooden ladders, looking at each other, not really knowing what they were supposed to do. It was quite a comedic scene, Kai had to admit it. "Out, move along, I guess you''re saved. Leave that thing as it is. I doubt the werewolves have such an eclectic taste in interior decoration to notice if it''s a bit crooked." she said, waving her hand and making them hurry outside. "I think it''s fine." Kai said, looking at the garland. "It''s crooked." Cecilia repeated, not even looking at it. You''re crooked, Kai thought, trying to keep his frustration in. "What did you want to talk to me about?"Cecilia asked him, looking down at him. Kai had told himself, right before he had entered this room, that he would keep things civil, that he would actually make an effort and not have her explode right into his face. Not that he cared about how she felt, he had gone past that point a while ago now but he just wanted to make sure that no matter what happened this woman would stay away from Philip. "First of all, I would like to thank you for releasing me from my oath." "Don''t thank me." Cecilia said strictly. "I want to" "I said don''t. You said first of all, so what is the second thing? I doubt you''re here just to say thank you considering you didn''t even visit me while I was dying." She told him and Kai tried to smile. He had his hands behind his back, forming fists, clenching them and unclenching them just to let the frustration out, his mother could make you want to hit your head in the wall in less than five minutes. "I am sorry about that." He wasn''t. "I should have stayed, but as you know our relationship had been a bit rocky, sometimes I don''t know how I am supposed to feel especially after everything that happened before I left." "I never had any intention of making you a target." Cecilia said and Kai swallowed hard, what about the intention of killing my lover? He asked in his head, varelly restraining himself from asking her that out loud. He just nodded, acknowledging her statement. "I know, I came here because father visited me." "I do not wish to hear anything about this man. He is despicable." Cecilia said, raising her chin a bit higher, showing very clearly how proud she was. "I just¡­" "Do not tell me anything." "Mother¡­" "I said¡­" "Will you just listen to me for once!" Kai exclaimed, fed up with her attitude. It was impossible, no matter how hard he tried he just couldn''t have a normal conversation with her. Cecilia coughed, her expression changing when her son raised his tone. "Fine, say it then, but be quick, even the sound of his name annoys me." She retreated and Kai took a deep breath, satisfied. "Thank you. He is really sad. He feels horrible for what he did to you. He wants to be by your side and help you with everything but he doesn''t know how to approach you." "Of course he doesn''t know, all of his life he has been somewhere else, with the latest peak of him missing for two hundred years." The woman said and Kai, well he couldn''t blame her for that one, his father was really absent most of their lives. He just wasn''t as ill mannered and strict as she was, maybe if he had the same responsibilities to bear he would have been like her. "You''re not wrong. I get it, you had been all alone all this time, struggling. But he is here now, maybe it is time to start anew. I can see how at peace you feel when he is around, maybe for now you should stop being stubborn, you love him, don''t you?" "I won''t talk about my love life with you, Kai. And go tell your father he is an old coward for sending you and not himself." "I am sure if you talk to him he will hear you out. Just go and have a talk, nothing else." "I don''t want to talk to him." "Mother, the event is approaching, what will the people say if the king and queen don''t look in good terms?" he asked her, pulling out his last card. Cecilia''s green eyes widened, black eyelashes fluttering at the realization. She sighed, shaking her head. "Fine, fine, I will go. Now leave me be" "Thank you." Kai said with a wide smile and the queen examined his unreasonable excitement. "What did you gain from this?" She asked him. "My freedom.." The prince answered. Chapter 214 - 213 "Are you nervous?" "Hell yeah I am. I don''t even know if I can do this." Philip said, sitting on the driver''s seat as he drove his car. Reina was sitting next to him with Mika in the back seat while Hans was following close behind with two more men of their pack. They had started early this morning even before the sun appeared in the sky to head towards the entrance to BloodBound through the rift. Philip had hoped they would arrive first, he wanted for some reason to be there before everyone else, maybe that would give him a chance to find Kai, he couldn''t stop thinking about that, he hadn''t mentioned it to Hans, he didn''t want him to think he was not going to be focused on his work. "Don''t worry, the little vampire will be following you around anyways." Mika said and Philip looked at him through the mirror of the car. "You''re not forgiven yet." He said strictly and the redhead''s head fell back, bouncing on his seat as he sighed. "I am sorry!" he cried and Reina chuckled. "Yeah, guess what we all are." the girl told him, flipping him off without even turning back to look at him. "When we get there I need to find Kai, all of you should help me." "I think he will be there to greet you with the rest of the royal family." Reina said and a smile appeared on Philip''s lips. He was looking straight ahead, his hazel eyes filled with excitement as he gripped on the wheel of the car. Just an hour or so on the road and they would be with each other, he would finally be able to meet him and talk to him. "Kai is really pretty isn''t he?" the Alpha said with a dreamy expression and Mika pretended to gag. "I hate cheesy stuff." "You hate life, period." Reina reminded him and he shrugged his shoulders, agreeing with her. "Yes, he is very pretty, Philip. You will make a great couple and I am sure he will be happy to see you." she said and Philip nodded. He hadn''t felt this happy in a while, remembering was not that bad after all, it solved everything. Well, everything that had to do with his thoughts about Kai at least. "I don''t like BloodBound." Mika said. "What do you like, Mika? Enlighten us." Reina said, turning her head and throwing him a bag of chips. It landed on his lap, the man grabbing it and opening it soundly, laughing with the way he startled her. "You won''t like BloodBound either, Reina. Philip, am I wrong?" he asked and then began munching on a barbeque chip, his eyes focused on his friend''s expression through the mirror. Philip shook his head in a negative manner, signaling that Mika was not actually wrong. "It''s not a nice place." The new Alpha said. "Of course it''s not. That horrible red sun, the fact that they have red rivers. I mean the witches went all out when they made this place, it was as if they created the vampire aesthetic. Also their queen, well she has a weird obsession with roses. She also likes black, like a lot, you will feel like you''re in Dracula''s castle." "Well, it practically is Dracula''s castle." Reina said and Mika scoffed. "So the queen runs the place. I didn''t know that. I had read that their king, Aleron, was from the royal bloodline." "Yeah but he is always away. He is barely in the castle, no one really knows why though." Philip answered her question and the girl nodded, writing that down in the notes of her mind. If Xan knew everything about everyone in BloodBound, Reina would be his female version, knowing every little detail about the werewolf world but also anything that would concern them as a pack. "Philip¡­" Reina said. "What?" "What will you do with Alloy?" his friend asked him and the alpha clicked his tongue. That was a conversation that would easily ruin his nice mood. He looked at her for a second before his eyes returned to the road. "Don''t remind me of that girl. Please" he said. "She is a bit crazy isn''t she? Wait until she finds out that Kai is your mate. I mean, we all do love some drama. Do you think Kai will kill her? I think that''s possible." Mika said. "Kai is not some kind of murderer" Reina scolded him. "Well, if she tries to kill him first it will be self defense, not murder. You might not have seen it but these three siblings are scary strong, I wonder what their parents can do. We are the wolves but going there I feel more like a sheep." he told her, emptying the bag of chips in his mouth. "Did you eat all the chips!" Reina exclaimed, annoyed and Mika smiled at her. "Yes." "You don''t deserve good things, I swear." she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Philip didn''t say anything. Everyone was joking about her, he was sure no one believed she would be stupid enough to do anything in the vampire''s den. Philip hoped so, he couldn''t have an outsider ruin everything. "Why do you have to be so mean to me?" "It is what the universe has decided for you." "I think we should all start being nicer to me¡­I am not a bad person¡­.I¡­" "You will shut up because we are here." Philip said. Here, was quite confusing. The Alpha drove the car off the road, parking it at the edge, all this time they had been driving up a mountain. Hans'' car stopped right behind them, everyone getting out before them. "Here?" Reina asked. "We will jump off the cliff." Mika told her and her green eyes widened in shock. "What?" she shouted. Philip turned off the engine and opened his door. It was chilly, still early in the morning. He had a strange expression on his face, their words concerning him. He had been fine at first but now, concidering everything he suddenly felt like something would go wrong. As if things had suddenly taken a wrong turn. "Come on. I want to be there first, I need to warn Kai about the lunatics in the event.." Philip said. Chapter 215 - 214 Cecilia stood at the door, looking at Aleron sitting on her nightstand, playing with her golden brush.She could still clearly remember the night he told her she was leaving, the pain she had felt. The way he had looked at her and his turned back. No he was gazing at her stuff with such a lonesome expression. Why be so sad when you were the one making the decision to disappear? He hadn''t been forced, no one kicked him out and she never said she wasn''t willing to help him find a solution to their problem. Aleron had just concluded, like everyone else, she wouldn''t step back and that''s why he had left her but now, he was even getting deals with their youngest son to approach her. Cecilia had a good eye for people, she usually didn''t like anyone but still, she could see through almost all of them but Aleron, even after all these years had been a mystery to her. Coming and going without a warning, being the nice guy, giving her some peace of mind and then turning into smoke and leaving her all alone to fend for herself. Saying he loved her but never really asking her if she wanted all this, if she was ready to carry all these weights by herself. Do you really love someone if you don''t want to be by their side? She wondered. The truth was she was never really good with emotions, especially hers. She viewed feelings as something that should not be involved in the life of a ruler, a liability and most of the times the bringer of horrible decisions but as she stood there she couldn''t forget the first day she met him, so different from his brother, so kind. He was the first royal man she had ever seen that didn''t make her shiver with disgust and for that she had fallen in love with him. Maybe she had been naive back then, maybe she should have waited, see how far he was willing to go for her. Falling head over heels was never a good idea, she had concluded that after the first time Aleron had left but still she couldn''t just go. She couldn''t leave her children, even though she was well aware about their thoughts and at the same time she couldn''t leave him even if he was the one that disappeared first. Cecilia, lost in her own thoughts, hadn''t realized that Aleron had been looking at her all this time. Her on one side of the room while him on the other an unconscious staring contest had started. "You came." Aleron said, a faint smile on his face, pulling her back from the prison of her own mind. She blinked, her green eyes focusing on him. "How is your hand?" "Nonexistent." She answered him and Aleron chuckled, finding her words funny. Cecilia raised one snowy eyebrow and he stopped. "You wanted to talk to me, about what?" "The event is starting soon, the guests will arrive." "Thanks for the notice, I did not know that." Cecilia said with an ironic tone. "Funny, if you think that I organized the whole thing. Silly me." "Cecilia, I want to help you out." Aleron told her, getting up and approaching her. He had that puppy look on his face, as if he was begging her but not really, it was that gaze that was meant for making you bend, the king was cunning, looking all innocent and aloof but in reality he knew very well what he was doing, that was one of the reasons Cecilia had liked him. It was always a contest, who would outsmart who. When he was in the palace at least. "I appreciate your sudden urge to volunteer but guess what, I have done everything on my own already." she told him, a cocky grin on her face. She wore a long red dress, her hair styled with loose curls falling beautifully in front of her chest. Cecilia did really look exactly how you''d imagine a strong queen, like a moving fire, threatening to burn everyone on her path. "I don''t mean just now. I mean for the future too. I don''t want to leave the palace again. I am sorry, I know that it''s partially my fault things ended up this way because I left you all alone, you must have felt so lost." "I did not feel lost. I am fine. I have been doing just fine." she answered him, her green eyes turning cold. Aleron took a few steps closer, hastily just in case Cecilia didn''t want him to but the woman did not react nor push him away. He placed his cold palm on her pale cheek, his soft skin touching her caringly after such a long time and she froze. "You can relax when you''re with me. I swear, I will not leave again, I am here to help you. You don''t have to carry everything on your own now." he told her and she scoffed. "What made you change your mind now? No more places to see in BloodBound? No more new women to be with?" she asked him, pushing his hand away. "Cecilia I never¡­" "So you''re telling me you spent two hundred years without the comfort of another woman?" Aleron did not answer her. Well, at least he didn''t want to lie but it was clear to her as day, how men acted, what they usually wanted. That''s why she found them despicable, even the so-called good ones. How could you be good when you were raised thinking you could be whoever you wanted, that you could act any way you wanted and there would be no problem just because you were a man. "So what was it, Aleron? Did you feel guilty? Did you maybe miss the kids? I do not believe that you came back for me." "I am sorry." "Sorries do not fix things. Words are just words, they mean nothing." "I was an idiot. I know it, I took things for granted but when I came back and saw how everything was I realized I had been horrible. I was never intending to hurt you in that way and about me and other women¡­I¡­.I had been actually thinking to never come back." "And you''re telling me this as a good thing? Do you want me to thank you for returning?" "No, that''s now what I mean. I am saying I was immature, scared of responsibilities because I was raised expecting someone else to take over, but that is done. I don''t want to lose you or our family, I want to try." he said. "You want to try?" Cecilia asked him. "I will do whatever it takes." he answered and the woman grinned. "Go along then, try, let''s see how long you will last." he said, a sardonic expression on her face. "I would love to see that." "I won''t fail Cecilia, I never do." Aleron told her, cockily. "We will see. Now come with me. The first pack has arrived." she informed him. "Which one?" "BloodFangs." She announced. It was finally time, a masquerade was about to begin. Chapter 216 - 215 Every pack had the opportunity to bring as many as seven werewolves but only three of them would be allowed to stay in the palace''s guest quarters. The most important guests were the Alpha of the pack of course, the Beta and the head Wolf Warrior. They would be given their own guest house in the compound at the back of the palace where they would be free to do as they pleased. Four packs in total would be visiting BloodBound, each one of them the strongest in their territory. Moonshine in the west, Bloodfangs in the South, Wolfdom in the North and Bloodmoon in the East. Kai had hoped that Philip with his pack would arrive first but unfortunately that was not the case. The first werewolves to arrive were the members of Bloodfangs, with their leader Alloy, their Beta Derek and their head Wolf Warrior Astra. After the rest of the members they had brought in had been guided to one of the inns the palace had reserved to him the three main guests were shown their living quarters and then taken to the throne room. If it wasn''t Moonshine Kai had really no intention of greeting them but at the sound of that woman''s name he was quite curious. She was the one who supposedly had a crush on Philip, something the vampire had never heard before. So, just to check the waters, Kai had joined the rest of his family, Ash, with him standing in a corner of the throne room together with John, to see who that Alpha was. They entered the throne room, their eyes instantly focusing on the throne where Cecilia sat, her husband by her side. Under normal circumstances Cecilia would have been the one standing next to him but after everything Aleron had done, well, she wasn''t going to make his life easy and she was obviously planning to kill his so-called royal pride. If you wanted to be called a king and treated like one you should have acted like one, she had thought with a grin on her face. Aleron, knowing exactly the way her mind worked, hadn''t said anything, just stood besides her. Xan, Nelia and Kai stood at the other side of the throne and Kai focused on the new people in his home, staring at them one by one, examining them with his cold blue eyes as they bowed respectfully and greeted the queen. Alloy was tall, really tall, with a tanned body and long blond straight hair that reached her back, her lips were full and her eyes reminding Kai that of a doe, big with a honey like color. She was very attractive, her full lips colored a very paint of pink while she wore a simple violet dress with long sleeves. Her Beta, Derek, was shorter than her, black hair and black eyes, he looked strict, dressed in all black, a wolf tattoo on his right tanned arm. He stood by her side, silent and stern. Astra was their wolf warrior, another tall woman with a pixie cut and brown hair, blue eyes and the same skin complexion as the rest of their pack. She was the one who in a way seemed more approachable. She was looking around, in awe of the huge palace. "Thank you for having us, your Highness. We have been anticipating the renewal of the treaties for the sake of both of our people." Alloy said, her tone low. She had a very beautiful voice, mature even for the young way she looked. "Thank you for accepting our invite, our people have managed to live in peace for years, we do hope you enjoy your time here." "Well, not really in peace. After what Moonshine did." Alloy said. "I heard a lot of your people died because of their Alpha, sold to the witches." Kai didn''t like her. It took him only a minute to realize that. The way she looked at her mother, she was greedy but the vampire prince hadn''t realized for what reason . She wanted to bring Moonshine''s mistake to make themselves look better? Or was she trying to hear if there was a punishment awaiting Philip since she was said to like him? "Yes, the truth is that some mistakes have been made but the problem has been resolved, their old Alpha has been disposed of." Cecilia told her, her cold stare landing on her like a lethal iceberg. His mother didn''t like her either, the only thing they seemed to feel the same for. "Is that so? Oh right!" she pretended to be surprised. "It is true that news came to us that a new Alpha has been assigned. Philip, isn''t that right?" "I do not involve myself with werewolf business but if I have been informed correctly, yes, that is the new Alpha''s name." Cecilia answered her, while Kai was trying to understand where this conversation was heading towards. "Yes, Philip is very nice, quite capable of being an Alpha. But there have been some people, talking and telling things that no one could believe about him, you see, the werewolf community is really small and word travels fast." Kai froze, his eyes widened as he heard Alloy giggle. She couldn''t, no one could know¡­ "What do you mean?" "A rumor says that Philip, the Alpha of Moonshine is mated with your youngest son? Is that actually true?" Alloy asked her and Cecilia tensed, her hand grabbing the armstand of the throne. "Where did you hear that?" she asked her, her tone cold. "Oh, well I have my sources, people need to be informed in our line of¡­work." she said with a beautiful smile. "So is it true?" she asked. "What if I am?" Kai stepped in, looking down at her, arrogantly. ... Hello everyone! Do we sense the drama? Hope you are and also I hope you''re enjoying the chapters. There will be chaos comming and yes, I do love me some chaos in my books. Please leave a nice comment a five star review and a vote if you like my work. Also please consider buying premium to help me reach the goal and promote my work! There will be special benefits for you too! Chapter 217 - 216 https://open.spotify.com/track/14fRrLJwF9Ca6n5SXMbs5M?si=adf6b8c6ef7340a6 Kai never considered himself perfect but for many years he acknowledged that he was very close to being perfect. From his intelligence, to his good looks and fighting skills it was as if he could check every bullet point of the criteria for the perfect vampire. There was one thing though, one teeny tiny flaw that he just couldn''t control, no matter how many years passed. That was being actually unable to keep a front when it involved Philip. He was ready to start a fight the moment his name was mentioned and well, as he stood in front of alloy, the girl who had the audacity to look at him with that obnoxious grin his blood was beginning to boil. "What if I am?" Kai asked again, ignoring the shock in his mother''s face. "Oh no, please excuse me for being rude. I didn''t mean to offend you. It was just that it is quite rare for a vampire to be mated to a werewolf. It must have shocked all of you." "No, not the slightest bit." Cecilia said and stood up, walking down the small stairs where her throne was and stopped right in front of Alloy, her red lips forming a grin when the girl took a step back, intimidated. "But please do tell me, why are you so concerned with my family''s business. You can ask me, no need to talk to my son. He is a prince you see after all he is a bit busy." she said. "So, ask me, what do you want to know dear Alloy?" "We apologize." Derek said and pulled back Alloy, stepping in with that serious expression of his. The queen looked at him, displeased with how he had just interrupted her. "The other packs will be arriving soon, so why don''t we just wait to meet all together? No need to cause a commotion." he suggested and Kai walked down the stairs, standing next to the Beta while he stared at the werewolves with a threatening glare. "Good. It would be better for you anyways. I am not known for liking rules anyways, so let''s not push me. Okay?" he asked, a cold smile on his face as he walked away. So somehow it had been known that Kai and Philip had been mates. But how? He was sure that Philip wouldn''t say it. He just turned into an Alpha, it would hurt his reputation too much. She was the one who liked him so maybe to be able to keep an eye on him she had a spy? It wasn''t uncommon for Alphas to have people in other packs, just to keep track for enemy acts. Hesighed, heading towards the exit of the palace, annoyed and confused. While he had spent his time here, locked in these high walls things had been going on that he had no idea about. He stopped walking, rubbing his chin as he got lost in his thoughts, all the possible schemes. It was obvious this girl did not mean good news, it was also surprising that his mother did not have a fit and actually defended him. Could it be that his father''s presence was more soothing than he had thought? Then someone should glue them together. Kai told himself when he noticed a bunch of soldiers rushing at the door. "What''s going on?" he asked them, all of them stopping and bowing. "Moonshine has arrived, we have to bring them in to greet the queen." one of the soldiers said and Kai''s eyes turned round. So he was finally here. "Go along then." he told them, sending them off while he decided to follow them quietly. They were right, he could see the familiar faces outside the tall gate. Philip! Philip was right there, Kai found him with his longing eyes, his heart clenching as he tried to breathe. His hands formed fists, his figure hidden behind a wide tree trunk as he tried to think of a way and get him to notice him when an idea popped in his mind. He slowly , making sure he didn''t make any noise climbed on the tree, hiding himself in the thick leaves, waiting. Their company had four people instead of three, Hans had joined them, walking with the rest of them while Philip had remained slightly back, looking around as if he was searching for something. Is he looking for me? Kai wondered and he felt his heart thump in his chest. Mika, Reina, Hans and the soldiers passed underneath his tree first, heading into the palace without realizing that he was still there, without noticing how behind Philip had been left. Now or never. He told himself, his mind going insane as he watched Philip approach his hideout. The youngest prince took a deep breath, checking on the rest of his pack that seemed to have already entered the palace and when Philip was right underneath the tree he jumped. Maybe his appearance was a bit too shocking but still it served its purpose. Kai fell down, landing right on top of Philip who was looking at him with wide eyes, not fully processing what had just happened. The werewolf Alpha was laid on the dry grass, a beautiful blond blue eyed vampire prince sitting on top of him, longing eyes meeting his hazel ones as he gasped. Kai smiled, pointy fangs showing through his lips while his whole expression showed an undeniable need. "Hello" the vampire prince told him. "I found you." Philip mumbled, his body frozen. "Actually, I found you." Kai bragged. The prince and the Alpha had been reunited. No secrets between them any more. .... Finally! I know this is the moment all of you had been waiting for and here it is! WHat could come next? Are you curious? Hope you are enjoying the book! also, does anyone listen to the music I recommend with my chapters. If you don''t you really should it matches very well! Thank you for reading! Chapter 218 - 217 Oh how love hurts, how the rushing of the heart and the clenching of the chest make you feel like you would die. The sweaty palms and the stutter, the feeling that if one word is wrong everything is ruined. Love is just thinly separated from madness. Love is just thinly separated from doom and that somehow made everyone feel so alive. Maybe that was the reason why Philip, while he looked at Kai, felt as if the world had come to life again. In his world, the colors were dull, the sounds muffled and everyday never seemed to change. In his world, the faces of the people he knew were blurry and the beauty of the things he liked the most seemed to have faded. In his world, the vampire that was called Kai was needed, because without him there was really not a world he could call his. His eyes, looking at him, vibrant like wild flowing rivers while his hair, gold a crown on its own. His pale skin and his long fingers, the smooth tone of his voice and the way he blinked, waiting for him to say something. But how could he speak? How could he even breathe in his presence and risk to ruin this moment? Yes, with love every word, every stare and every move counted because love had the ability with just the locking of two eyes, just the entwine of fingers and an embrace to ruin you or break you, with every little detail love could be the hero or the villain and the risk right now was too much to bear, Philip just wanted to sit here. Kai right in front of him, a lazy smile on his face, everything seeming to be in sync. "I need to talk to you. I know you might be mad, I know that I did something horrible but before I couldn''t explain, but I can now, I swear if you''re willing to hear me out I¡­" Kai started saying, the words escaping so fast from his lips that he didn''t even breathe between them. Philip stopped him, sitting up and kissing him passionately. A collision of bodies, lips and Kai for the first time in months felt his heart beat. Yes, he was still alive, after two hundred years he was still living, his heart frantically beating into his chest. Yes, Philip''s kiss was so sweet and his smell reminded him of a field, sunny during the spring and chilly in the nighttime while the moon bathed the flowers with its light. And there he was, right in the middle of this field, right next to him, alone in the world. Oh how he wished to be alone with him. No one else around as he touched him, as he saw him smile. How he wished to be held by him, to hear his voice say I love you. Everything, he wanted everything and he would give him his. From his heart to his soul and mind Kai wanted Philip to have all of him, bruised and flawed as he was; he accepted him and that alone made him feel hopeful. He wanted their kiss to last more but their time was limited, like always. He wanted for their eyes to look into each other in silence for a while longer, Philip''s face imprinted on his mind looked even better now than in his memories. He wanted to hear his voice. "Say something." Kai begged him and the werewolf smiled, caressing his cheek gently. "Anything." "Kai¡­" Philip called his name, making it out like the most powerful spell. Just like that he could surrender his life. Just by hearing Philip''s deep voice call him, he was his. "I am sorry." Philip apologized. "I am sorry I didn''t hear you out. I was so stupid but I remember now, everyhting they did to you, all the things they did to us. I shouldn''t have blamed you I¡­please don''t cry." Philip said, his thumb gently wiping off the tears escaping Kai''s eyes. "I¡­I was so scared, I thought you would hate me for the rest of your life, I¡­I love you Philip, I would never hurt you. I swear, no matter what happens I would never betray you." he said, sniffling, his eyes glowing from the tears. "I know, I know." Philip whispered as he brought him into his embrace. "I know. You did the right thing back then. I would have killed you and so many more. Thank you for not letting me turn into a killer. Thank you for keeping your promise to me. Thank you for bearing the burden for me all this time, for taking all this torture that I could have." he told him, kissing his nose, his cheeks and smiling at him. How could a person feel so right? How could a person simply have such a strong hold on your life? How could a person make your heart tremble in bliss with a smile and then in worry with a sigh? Kai had never loved anyone like that, had never felt for anyone like that, he hadn''t even though he was capable of loving someone like that but here he was, a prince like him, captured by a mere werewolf. People would laugh at him but he would laugh at them because they would never come to know a love like that. "Can I¡­can we be together now?" Kai asked, his eyes looking at Philip as a hope blossomed in him. "I don''t want to be away from you any longer, I don''t want to fall asleep at night missing you. I don''t want to wonder if you love me or hate me. I want to be with you, no matter where you are. I want to be with you and I want the whole world to see. I don''t care anymore." Kai said and Philip smiled, kissing him again. "I won''t ever leave you again. I promise. I love you Kai. I love you with every bone in my body, I love you with every thought in my heart and I will keep loving you, life after life, again and again, no matter what happens, no matter who stands in our way. I love you so be with me, okay?" he asked him. "Philip! Oh shit, sorry!" Reina said. She was standing at the palace''s entrance, both men looking at her and she smiled apologetically. "We are waiting for you to greet the queen, come on. Sorry to interrupt but you know¡­duty calls." she said and Kai chuckled. "Welcome to BloodBound Philip." Kai said. "The best welcome I''ve ever had." Chapter 219 - 218 Thankfully the formalities did not last long and there were no more incidents with Alloy. She and her pack stood on the side while the rest of packs arrived one after the other greeting the queen respectfully. Kai had let know about what Alloy had said in her meeting with the queen, warning him and Reina about her, something was terribly wrong and nothing could take it out of his mind. He couldn''t do anything for now though, he had to pretend to be clueless as they all talked and faked liking each other. During dinner Kai had his eyes glued on her, observing her every move to the point he probably looked like a creep. He didn''t really care though, as long as his reunion with Philip was not ruined by anyone. "Your highness." Alloy told him sometime during their dinner. "You haven''t stopped looking at me, am I that pretty?" she asked, a smirk on her face and Kai scoffed, something a prince clearly shouldn''t do. He grabbed his glass and gulped a rather big sip of red wine before he smiled, the drops of wine on his lips while he let his fangs show. A simple and subtle display of power. "Have I been looking at you? You must feel honored then." he told her and Lun drowned a laugh. He had been invited to dinner together with Soran. Kai had insisted on them being there since he needed people to oversee the situation. "Oh, believe me I am. You will make me blush." "You don''t seem like the type that blushes." Kai told her, tilting his head to the side and she laughed. "Maybe I am not." she said, raising her glass before she brought the sweet wine to her lips. "Quite delicious." she commented. "Thank you, your highness for this incredible feast, you make us feel so welcome."Alloy said, looking at the queen and his mother smiled. "You''re welcome. We always treat our guests with respect." she said. "We do, of course we do. Unless¡­" Kai mumbled. "Unless what? Are you threatening us?" A man asked him. Kai looked at him, he didn''t even remember his name but he knew he was BloodMoon''s beta. "Remind me please, who are you?" he asked and Lun kicked him underneath the table. It wasn''t because he was trying to tell him to behave himself though, it was because he was almost ready to explode from laughter. Xan shot a glare at Lun, making him freeze in his seat. This dinner table was simply a silent chaos. "His name is Mark, he is my Beta." Another man said he was Loyd, their Alpha. "Forgive us your highness." "There is no need for tension." Aleron stepped in, seated at the head of the table. "I am sure we can enjoy our meal in peace. Our youngest son is a bit of a teaser, please don''t take the things he says too seriously." "Spoiled brat." Mark mumbled. "No one needs your commentary." Philip stepped in, defending Kai. "Oh, how sweet. Philip is defending his mate." Alloy said and the whole table went silent. The werewolves stared at him in shock while Cecilia shook her head. She didn''t even bother talking, at this point there was no going back. She grabbed her glass and emptied it, ordering a maid to pour her some more and sat back. "I don''t even care anymore." she mumbled to herself as she watched the scene unfold. "Your mate is a vampire?" Ella asked, a sweet werewolf girl with a cute voice, the werewolf warrior of Wolfdom. "Oh my, like the forbidden love from a book." she said, clapping and Joey, the Beta from her pack signaled her to be quiet. "Is it?" Alloy asked. "Why don''t you tell us, is it really fairytale like?" she asked. "Alloy, I think you''re pushing things a bit too much, your jealousy is showing. Have a bun¡­" Reina told her, throwing her a piece of soft bread. "Eat it and relax." "Why would I be jealous of such a horrid fate? No one will ever really accept you. Oh, did I maybe sound too cruel?" she asked, looking a bit guilty. Of course she was faking it. "There are plenty of people that accept them." Lun told her, looking at her with a disgusting expression. "You''re the drug overlord right? Your drugs are becoming popular in the human world too. The support of people like you is it really needed?" she asked him and Kai stood up. "One more word¡­I am warning you." he threatened her. "Alloy is right." Mark backed her up. "This whole relationship, you better keep it secret. Not only you''re two men but your species are¡­" "Who the fuck are you anyways?" Kai asked him again, looking at him as if he was some kind of extra in his story. "I am Mark!" "Well we certainly do not care!" Kai exclaimed. "The truth stings a bit too much doesn''t it?" Mark asked him. "I think it''s time for you to shut your mouth, if your Alpha doesn''t want to have problems with my pack." Philip told him, a warning in his voice but a threat in his eyes as he looked at Loyd. "Stop it, Mark." "Honored guests, there is no way to trouble yourselves with other people''s lives. We gathered here to¡­" Aleron began saying when Alloy interrupted him. "No, why not listen to what people think? It will be a big issue back home anyways." "I don''t understand why you''re so concerned¡­" "Silence!" Cecilia shouted, slapping her hand on the wooden table, making the utensils and food shake, the glasses of wine to fall and break, the table cloths painted bloody. "Listen here girl." She told her. "Your audacity for interrupting the king is enough. Do you really want to ruin everyone''s night? Do I need to remind you where you are? This is my house and I will not allow anyone''s stupid bitterness get in the middle of the treaties. Am I clear?" she asked her, her eyes shining crimson. "I¡­" "We apologize. Alloy recently became an Alpha, she is also just nineteen, please forgive us." Derek said, getting up together with Astra to bow, asking for forgiveness on behalf of their Alpha. Cecilia sighed, rubbing her temples. "From now on we will be eating separately until the celebrations start. Tomorrow morning you have a tour, do not miss it.. Dinner is dismissed and someone clean up this mess!" She ordered as she got up, Aleron following her. Chapter 220 - 219 The dinner ended on a bitter note and it was obvious no one was having fun. Soran, not really liking the whole situation decided that it was time for him to just go to his room while Lun followed Kai. The youngest prince had just found Philip and did not want to leave him alone just yet so he was forced to be with the rest of the werewolf packs to be with him. They had all gathered at the lounge of the guest rooms. A spacious living room like room, with many large windows on the walls, white curtains and beige velvet couches. He hadn''t seen that many light colors in a while, always being surrounded by black and dark colors. He had forgotten room like these existed in the palace. The packs were mostly talking, drinking some wine that had been delivered to them and conversing about what had happened before. No one seemed to actually want to associate with Alloy''s pack, knowing she had caused the wrath of the queen so they just quietly sat amongst themself. When they entered it seemed like her Beta was scolding her but Kai stopped bothering with them. He watched Lun talk with Reina about something so he wasn''t worried about him either. The young prince took Philip''s hand and pulled him away from the many people. There was a small couch, barely fitting two people in the back of the room, kind of hidden from everyone''s eyes since they were all on the other side of the room. Kai wished they could just get away, take Philip to his room but they didn''t want people to talk more about them, now that their secret was out they had to be careful for different reasons but at least they could be seen in public together. "I don''t get how she found out about it." Philip said, scratching the back of his head. "I haven''t told this to anyone except the closest members of my pack." "Could it be that there is a spy between you? Someone she sent over to observe you and haven''t noticed" Kai asked him, making the werewolf think back on everything that happened after he remembered. An awkward smile appeared on his face as he looked at Kai. "I was too focused on what I''d do when I saw you that I didn''t really notice anything else. You were the only one I was thinking of." Philip told him, making Kai roll his eyes. "You should pay more attention to your surroundings. You''re an Alpha now, many people will be out to get you since you''re leading such a big pack." he advised him and Philip took ahold of his right hand, raising it to his face and gently kissing the back of his palm. "Okay sir, you have more experience in being someone important so I am going to take your advice." Philip joked, making Kai laugh. "Good. I can offer you lessons if you want." The prince said, his blue eyes playful, a grin on his face as he stared at Philip. He would never get tired of this, he would never be able to simply get away from him. He finally felt like he could breathe, his heart beating loud, a beat that signaled how in love he was with him. He couldn''t really believe it yet, that Philip was here, close to him, with him. He looked at his neck, the little tattoo, painted a deep black color, a half moon delicately designed. He touched it gently with his cold fingertips. "It''s still here." Philip commented and Kai nodded. "It appeared close to my birthday. You were always there with me and I didn''t even know you." "Yet you had told me that I had marked you like a cow when I did it." The youngest prince said, a frown on his face. "I was wrong." the werewolf said with an apologetic smile. "You certainly were sir." Kai agreed when a voice called them out, interrupting their peaceful moment. Kai turned his head, noticing that someone was heading towards them, making all of the werewolves look at them too and he sighed, his blue eyes showing annoyance. He stood up, stopping the man from approaching them any closer. "Can I help you?" He asked him, tilting his head to the side. It was that Beta from BloodMoon again, Mark. He didn''t seem to want to let it go, what had happened during dinner. He was one of those people that were always wearing an annoying frown, wrinkles forming on their face not from old age but from growing and right now that kind of annoying person believed he could mess with Kai. "You''re making everyone uncomfortable here." Mark told him. "I am? Because you are the only one that came here to start a fight" Kai said, pointing at himself. "The others are just scared of you." He stated and Kai laughed. "And you are not?" he asked him, raising one of his golden eyebrows. "You are a vampire, you shouldn''t be here with the rest of us. This place is for us to rest. We don''t want to be on our toes all the time just because you want to be in this kind of¡­absurd¡­.relationship." he told them, an expression of disgust on his face. "Mark, how about you go back to your back? Your Alpha seems like he wants to kill you." Philip said and stepped forward. "Of course you would defend this paranoia. He is a vampire, and the son of that crazy bitch to add up to it. Don''t you feel ashamed for betraying your kind like this?" the annoying werewolf asked him. Philip was intending to say something but well, Kai loved to argue. He was that kind of person, the one that wouldn''t let anything go. He pushed gently Philip back, the werewolf knowing how things were going to go already and took a step forward, almost sticking to the werewolf, his beautiful blue eyes looking at him with a murderous expression. "You and I¡­let''s have a chat shall we? Before I fucking kill you, that''s it.." Kai said. Chapter 221 - 220 TW: Violence "Are you threatening me?" Mark asked him, his eyes wide as he took a step back. "Let me ask you something else. You come here, in my house, stand proudly in front of me and indirectly call me disgusting, not only me but my lover too. You also called my mother a crazy bitch something that I only have the privilege of doing, so tell me, smartass, what did you expect?" Kai asked him, pointing a finger at him. "I am just telling what''s on my mind. No one feels comfortable with your relationship. It''s disgusting!" Mark exclaimed. "Am I fucking you?" Kai asked, raising his tone and surprising the Beta with his words. "Why are you so concerned if it''s disgusting or not? Do you wanna know what''s on my mind? I would love to, really I would be ecstatic if I could just fucking rip your heart off right now." Kai threatened him, his eyes turning a bright red while his fangs appeared. "Do you want to give it a try?" Mark asked him, his long claws getting out, both of them preparing for a fight. Kai laughed, showing him that he wasn''t scared at all. He didn''t have a reason to be. An Alpha, yes that could be a fight but still he would probably win but a Beta? Well a Beta was weaker than a child in his eyes. He smiled at him, manically. "I do. I really do because you have been annoying me from the first moment you opened your mouth." The prince said. "Mark!" His Alpha called him, warning him to not do anything stupid and the man looked back, distructed by the sound of his voice. "It''s not a good idea to look back." Kai said and swung his fist, landing it right on his nose the moment he turned around. Mark stumbled back, blood coming out from his nostrils and he groaned, filled with anger before he launched towards him. "You fucker!" he swore at him as he rushed forwards but Kai dodged, making him fall forward from the force. He grabbed him by the back of his collar, raising him as if he was a toddler and threw him on the couch. "Don''t even try." Kai said as he wanted to end this. Fighting with someone who was lesser than you was never really fun, he just wanted to scare him, maybe he should cut off his tongue, make sure it never grows again so he wouldn''t be able to bother him with his stupid words, that could be a good idea. "Lun, let''s go¡­ this place is¡­" he started saying when he felt someone grab a handful of his golden hair from the back. His eyes widened. "It''s not a good idea to look back." Mark repeated his words in a snug way. "It''s not a good idea to provoke me!" Kai answered him and grabbed his hand from behind his head, bringing the whole body of the werewolf forward and making him smack onto the harsh ground. The werewolf coughed, feeling his insides shutter with the collision. "You don''t know when to stop, do you?" he asked him, kicking him on the face. "And look, no one is stepping in for you, everyone knows how stupid what you did was. Poor you, becoming a clown." he told him as he kicked him again, this time on his chest. "Kai, let''s just go." Lun said, approaching his friend and placing his palm on his shoulder. "You''re ruining Philip''s image that way." he whispered and Kai sighed, stopping his attack. "Your little drug lord friend came to stop you, you psycho!" Mark shouted. "How did you call me?" "A filthy drug lord." Mark repeated and Lun scoffed. "Oh buddy, he is not the psycho, I am." he announced, looking at him with a twisted smile as he starting stepping on his head with force. The man was painted in his own blood, coughing and groaning, trying to get up, but Lun did not let him. "In this place we think twice about insulting someone, okay?" "That''s enough. Stop it." Philip said. Grabbing Lun with his arm and pulling him back so he couldn''t reach the wounded werewolf. "He learned his lesson, there is no reason for this to continue. Kai just go, I will come find you later." The Alpha said and his lover looked at him with a questioning look. Was he mad at him? He couldn''t tell from his serious expression. Philip leaned closer, whispering in his ear. "Just go for now okay? I am not mad but I don''t want people to step in and make things worse." he explained as if he had read Kai''s mind. "Okay. Okay. Let''s go ,Lun." He said and gave the werewolf on the floor a last look before his eyes landed on his Alpha. "Keep your people in check. I wouldn''t know what would happen if they angered my mother. Treaty or not you are still guests, act like ones." He scolded him and the man bowed, silent. The two vampires exited the room, passing by Alloy who was standing close to the door. The woman bowed, looking at Kai with excited eyes and he frowned, confused by her expression. Every little thing that she did gave him the shivers. He realized and shook his head, walking away. Things had ended up pretty fine, except the little bloody mess Kai and Lun had left on the floor. Philip was not mad, that was the important thing he cared about the most so everything else was irrelevant. He would love to have him beg though, ask for forgiveness. It would be a huge event, breaking his pride. A big event indeed and maybe Kai would have created a plan to see it come through but he wouldn''t have the time to. Tomorrow someone will die. ... Hello everyone! Please reme,ber to buy Priviledge, there are special perks for you too if this book succeeds its goal this month! Hope you are enjoying this story this far. If you are please leave a nice comment, a vote and a five star review. I would really appreciate it. Thank you for reading! Chapter 222 - 221 The next morning was hectic. The werewolves had to gather around so a tour would be provided. Kai was not very fond of the whole this is a little vacation trip idea but this had been the protocol for centuries. If he had been king he would simply make sure for the dogs to sign the treaties and then off they went. Staying here and playing friends was too hypocritical even for his mother who seemed to be having a really hard time to conceal her emotions. The queen was standing in front of the locked room of the Avger armoire. It wasn''t actually the place where the army kept their weapons, that would be a bit too dull to show but it was a room dedicated to the ornament like weapons made, as the tradition said, for every Avger member. There were around fifty weapons in there, all of them decorated with gems, made of shining gold each one of them worth a fortune. Every few hundred years when the resigning of the treaty was necessary the queen or king would give a tour to the armoire as a display of wealth. Nothing was happening without a reason. Kai had no special feelings for the armoire. It was just a square room with no windows that kept a bunch of golden stuff, including his own weapon. He had never actually used it, it was as if these things were only meant for display. He doubted they could do anything any way, their complex designs and the gems that were sprawled out everywhere from the handles to the blades would make it uncomfortable to use. They looked more like works of art rather than weapons. Art that could take a life. Mark was not with the bunch of werewolves that waited outside the room like kids on a school trip. His wounds would probably take some time to heal, this place was hostile for werewolves in every way. The place where their curse did not trigger so they couldn''t harm vampires, slowing also their healing abilities. It was in the pact his family made with the witches. The vampires would leave the mortal realms only if a safe place for them had been created. "Now, thank you everyone for coming today. We hope our little tour will be pleasant for you. This is the Avger armoire, it''s a tradition for every family member to have a weapon forged for them, unique than anyone else in the world. Today we will be touring and seeing these works of art ike weapons." Cecilia said, forcing a smile as the doors of the armoire opened. Exactly how Kai had remembered it, a dark place with artificial light, weapons everywhere in glass cases. He looked around, spotting his father''s weapon. It was a sword, gold handle with a huge round shaped green gem in the middle. Vine designs on the blade, delicately carved. His brother''s, it was a scythe made of dark metal while it had an alignment of white diamond on its wide blade, reminding Kai of constellations. Nelia''s weapon was a bow, elegant, with a golden string while the arrows were forged of sapphires. Obviously this thing had never been used but the arrows looked beautiful. His mother''s weapon was a whip, showcased right in the middle of the room right next to his father''s. It was long, made of gold with a small blade in the end, reminding him somehow the shape of a scorpion''s tail. The little tail had a rose design carved on it. The vines and the rose, it actually matched very well, the weapons of his parents. "This one is very pretty!" Ella said with a wistful expression and tried to touch the case the weapon was kept in. One of her pack members slapped her small hand away making her pout. The queen, having heard her, turned her green eyes, noticing the weapon they were talking about. "That is Kai''s weapon." The queen announced. "It is very pretty indeed." she agreed and then continued with explaining the history behind the older weapons in the room. Kai walked towards his weapon, Philip following him silently while the rest roamed the huge room. It was a double edged sword, looking almost like a spear but with two swords in the edges. Made out of rhodium it was one of the most valuable weapons in the room. It had a silver color, its surface extremely reflective while the swords'' blade would cut you immediately. There was a moon carved on the handle, while small diamonds surrounded the round design. Kai, when he was young always wondered how he would be able to yield such a weapon, it was enormous but utterly beautiful. "It matches you." Philip commented and Kai looked at him. "You think?" The prince asked him. "Yeah, it''s elegant with not too much sparkle but still it''s valuable and lethal. I wouldn''t want to be cut by that blade." he joked and Kai chuckled. "Don''t worry, I am actually the only one who can wield this weapon and I would never hurt you." "The only one? Oh my, I didn''t know my boyfriend was such a skilled fighter" "Is that irony I am sensing in your words?" Kai asked, squeezing his eyes and looking at him intensively. Philip shrugged his shoulders pretending to not know what the prince was talking about. "Do you want to fight me sir?" "In BloodBound? Definitely not." the werewolf told him, raising his hands in the air in a surrendering motion. "Good, I guess you have some self awareness." Kai told him. "Tell me¡­" he whispered playfully. "Do you wanna get out of here?" he asked him and Philip smiled. "You just read my mind." ... I am so happy our little couple is back together. Now I can write all the romantic cheesy chapters I want so they will match them. Hope you''re happy too while reading. Please enjoy and wait for what will happen next because you know what they say....the calm before the storm. Chapter 223 - 222 Kai had told Ash to not follow him. Ever since that werewolf guy had appeared the prince was always pushing him to the side. Lun had told him they needed their time, they had been apart for a long time and Kai had been unhappy that''s why Ash hadn''t complained all this time but the truth was that he felt useless. Staying in his room all the time because he had no friends here, nor anything to do. Every time he stepped outside a maid would come and stick to him like glue, every time being a different one. Ash was not interested in women nor men. He was not actually interested in anyone. He had one thing on his mind and that was protecting Kai. His only responsibility and duty was to obey the man that had saved his life, gave him home and a roof. The young man hated looking at himself, his reflection showed a boy, someone who didn''t match his age, starved and malnourished, dirty. Kai found him and changed all that, he made him feel like himself. He had grown stronger, taller, he was finally fitting his age. He would do everything for Kai, if he ordered him to go die he would. If he ordered him to fight and kill his enemies he would, no questions asked. That was why these hours that the prince had seemed to forget about his existence he spent them training. Day and night, sweat dripping off his half naked body he would punch his punching bag in the small training room Kai had made for him or wield his weapons. Ash had wrapped his knuckles, his shirt thrown away, his body shining from the sweat as he breathed hard, focusing on his target. He had actually ripped two bags opened by now so he had to be a bit more careful. He had anger in him, rage and he didn''t know what to do about it. Kai had advised him to let everything go in here, never take it out on others because he would regret it. But every time he let himself free things would get ruined. His bags would rip open, his swords would break, everything would simply get destroyed so he was trying to keep it in. Too focused on his training he didn''t hear the footsteps, he didn''t notice the girl that was looking at him. She had already entered sitting at a side of the room, trying to somehow get his attention. Finally after a few attempts Ash heard her delicate fake cough and stopped, surprised. His eyes turned, blue like the dark night and looked at her, a frown on his face as he realized who she was. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, taking a deep breath. "I¡­" she mumbled, her face turning bright red. Well, he was very handsome, that was out of the question. A dark and mysterious aura, a deep voice and his blue eyes. She had never seen that color before. They weren''t like Kai''s bright like the sky but deep blue, simply amazing, she thought. "Olivia, what are you doing here?" Ash asked her with a glazed look. He couldn''t be more disinterested in her. "I¡­wear some clothes first, will you?" she asked him and he scoffed, getting to the little bench he had left his shirt. He first wiped himself before he wore the black shirt and walked towards her. "FIne?" he asked her and she nodded, the blush still prominent in her cheeks. "Let''s go." the girl said. "Go where? Why do you even think that I would go anywhere with you? Are you insane?" he asked her, sounding a little bit more aggressive than he should. "Take me there" "Where" "You know where!" She said, the young girl hitting her foot on the wooden floor of the practice room. "I don''t have any idea what you''re talking about. Also how did you get here? Are you even allowed to talk to me?" he asked her, not wanting to get into trouble. Olivia was a pureblood, the only daughter of the head of the Night Division, he couldn''t risk messing things up and making Kai look back. "My brother brought me here. I told him I wanted to talk to you." "Why would you even want to talk to me?" Ash asked her and the girl rolled her black eyes, sullen. "I lied! I just want you to take me there." "There where?" Ash exclaimed, raising his tone. He didn''t like not having a clue about what was going on. "To the real world, the one outside the mansions and the palace, where you said bad things happen." "You want me to take you to the Alleys?" "If that''s what they called then yes." Olivia said. The Alleys was the place where ash had grown up. The red light district, all the bad rumored stores, the black market and Lun''s business were located there. It was a dark place filled with corruption and death. The darker side of BloodBound. "No, there is no way I am taking you there." Ash said, intending to leave the room but Olivia grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Please, I don''t want to be clueless about the world I am living in. I know I did not make the best impression with the things I said but I¡­I never knew anything else. I want to know now though, I want to see the truth." Olivia told him, seriously. "It''s dangerous. You will get me in trouble if we are found out." "I will take full responsibility. I swear." she told him. Ash looked at her. She wore a white dress, long with tulle and pearls sewed on it. He frowned, knowing that if he took her to the Alleys like this they would get robbed and murdered instantly. What was he supposed to do? He wondered. She was one of them, one of the deluded royals that had lived in a bubble all their lives but at least she seemed willing to know, to see. "Please" Olivia added, wistfully. " I asked my father when I returned, he denied everything, even though I had seen those children with my own eyes so please¡­take me with you." "Fine." Ash agreed. "But you''re not going dressed like this. Follow me.." he told her, leading the way and the girl smiled sweetly. Chapter 224 - 223 There was something special about the world, or more accurately about the change that suddenly happened in it. Kai always hated BloodBound, not because it was his home, not because his mother was there but because of the corruption, the unfairness and finally the fact that it had been made that way to depict a vampire''s dark and gruesome nature. The bloody rivers, the never ending red sky, the harsh and dry soil and the barren trees. The magic in this place had made it into a nightmare land, a place that you would visit only in your darkest dreams, in those moments when your mind was lost, devoured by horror. The moment Philip arrived though, everything changed. This place didn''t seem as scary anymore and as his lover walked right next to him everything looked a lot more appealing. Maybe because he was in the frame, a perfect addition to a dramatic scene, a ray of light. As he walked between the cursed, with that lazy smile of his, his hair falling on his forehead while his hazel eyes looked around Kai just couldn''t stop his heart from going insane. He brought the nightmare land to life and wherever he stood, the vampire prince could only see life. "Where do you want to go?" Philip asked him, holding his hand tightly, a bit afraid that he would lose him in the swarms of people that were rushing during the morning hours. "I don''t know, we can go wherever you want. You''re the guest." Kai answered him, shrugging his shoulders. It didn''t matter where they went, who was around or what they did. Kai couldn''t care less, he was here and that was the only thing that mattered. The prince squeezed his hand, drawing his wandering eyes to himself. "You''re here so I can do anything." he told him romantically and Philip smiled brightly. He sounded cheesy, really out of character but he didn''t care. "How about we get something to eat first? I am kind of hungry. Are there any places with actual food?" Philip asked him. Almost every tavern in BloodBound served human food, it was another little facade, an attempt to not feel so left out. It wouldn''t feel the same if families, friends, or lovers gathered outside just to drink a glass of blood. There were still human traits in them, even if they tried to deny it. "Pick any place you want, all of them have food." Kai explained and Philip nodded. The werewolf chose the less occupied tavern he could see. Most of them were filled with people, even now but there was one close to the beginning of the Alleys that didn''t seem so busy. It was an inn too, rooms right above it. Kai entered first, looking at the man behind the reception whose eyes opened in disbelief. Who would have ever thought that the prince would come here. He didn''t say anything though, just bowed, showing them a small table that was a bit further from the rest. Kai appreciated it, at least he wouldn''t have to hear the whispers. Both of them sat down, choosing something simple to eat and waited. "How have you been?" Philip asked him. "Okay but not really okay?" The prince said with an awkward smile on his face. "I picked up an orphan from the street, keeps me busy, he is a nice kid. Then my mum and dad, they¡­I don''t know, are they fighting? Sometimes they act like teenagers. My blood oath is broken." "Your blood oath?" "Yeah, now I can tell you that I never meant to hurt you. It was them, the Bloody People, the ones who cursed you, made you go insane. I¡­I had been captured and tortured so I wouldn''t be with you. By the time I realized what they were planning to do it was already too late. I regret it, my ignorance, my arrogance, everything that didn''t let me see what was happening, until it was too late. I am sorry Philip, I really am." Kai said, trying his best not to cry. The werewolf placed his arm on the table, taking his hand, entwining their fingers and gently smiling at him. "I know, I remember when they found me. When they gave me the crown. Everything that happened. I am sorry too Kai, because you had to go through all that. I am sorry that I got angry and didn''t believe you or that I didn''t have more faith in you." "I don''t care about what happened in the past. I just care about the fact that you''re here, with me." The prince told him and Philip raised his hand, bringing it close to his lips and kissing his pale skin. He didn''t reply though, he was interrupted by the server who brought them two steaming bowls of meat soup. Placing the wooden bowls on the table together with two badly carved wooden spoons he bowed and left them alone, his eyes lingering on the couple for a few seconds, curious about what was happening before his boss yelled at him to get back to work. Philip blew on his soup, trying his first spoonful. It wasn''t that bad, actually he expected it to be a lot worse. Kai tried it too, but it didn''t really fit his tastes. Before he came to BloodBound he was used to eating anything but now, after he had a taste of the alace''s food again, he had become a little picky once more. "Kai, what happened with the blood?" Philip asked him and the prince winked. "The blood?" "With your feeding, how do you feed?" The werewolf explained, his expression turning worried. He hadn''t thought about it before, about the fact that Kai all this time wouldn''t be able to feed from him, the pain and the disgust. "Oh, well my mother had fixed something like a potion for me when I was young. I take that now too. It''s okay, tastes bad but it does the trick." he told him, spinning the spoon in the soup. He wasn''t going to ask him to drink his blood. They had just met and for some reason it seemed extremely rude to him, what if Philip thought he viewed him as a meal. "Get us a room." Philip stated. "What? Why?" "You''re drinking my blood." Chapter 225 - 224 TW: sexual content Kai had objected at first. It was obvious though it was the kind of objection just to sound polite and Philip could see right through it ending up laughing at the prince who blushed profusely from embarrassment. The prince couldn''t lie to himself. He loved him, this man before him could drive him mad and his need for him was further than just a hug or a kiss. He wanted him, with all his being, the blood in his veins and his perfect body, every little piece, he wanted to feel him, hear his voice, taste him and all these feelings combined with his hunger, well they were not exactly pleasant. The young prince approached the counter, asking for a room and receiving an old key with the number weight on it. His hands, shaking slightly from anticipation he grabbed it and rushed up the creaky stairs, almost running to the hallway to find his room. Philip followed him, a cheeky grin on his face as Kai tried to unlock the door of the small room. It was simple, just a double bed, a wooden floor that hadn''t been polished in a while. A small window with the next building as view and a table that had a jug on it filled with water. Kai looked at it, noticing a dead fly in the water and frowned. It wasn''t really his style but it would do, at least the sheets seemed clean. "So, do you want to drink my blood?" Philip asked him, a grin on his face as he sat on the edge of the bed, his palms on the mattress. Kai coughed, looking around shyly, he had drunk his blood a lot of times before but now, he didn''t know what had gotten into him now. His heart was racing, his palms sweating. "Kai?" the werewolf asked him, his voice seductively reaching his ears and the vampire looked at him. Philip wore a silk black shirt with two golden strings on the front. He loosened them slowly and then he grabbed the hem, bringing it over his head and throwing it to the floor, sitting there right in front of him with his perfectly sculpted body. His hazel eyes were glued on his, his chest rhythmically rising up and down as he grinned at the prince. "You can say it, you know. The fact that you want to drink my blood. That you desire me so much your hands are shaking." he told him, his voice low and Kai felt shivers go down his spine. Philip had extended his hand for him to take and he did. He touched him and allowed himself to come closer as he sat on Philip''s lap, his naked skin on his. "Good." he said with a rewarding smile. "You know, I never heard someone want to be eaten so much." Kai told him, his shyness slowly going away. "Well, it depends on who''s the one feeding I guess." Philip said, his fingers playing with the hem of Kai''s shirt. He slowly raised it, urging the prince to get undressed. "Having you desire me, it makes me feel things." he whispered in his ear, his long fingers tracing a slow line down his spine. "What things, enlighten me" Kai mumbled as he left a soft kiss on the crook of Philip''s neck. His tongue slowly traveled from his collarbone to his chin. He could feel the pulse, hear his heart race in his chest, he could smell his scent, everything. "I feel hot." Philip told him, the prince raising his head to look at him. "You might want to devour me but there are so many things I want to do to you. Getting all of your clothes off¡­" Philip explained while Kai kissed his lips. Their tongues tangled in a passionate dance and the prince pushed the werewolf on the bed, hovering over him. His eyes were now red, a deadly crimson filled with desire while his fangs appeared. "I want to kiss your body, I want to touch every part of you¡­" he continued as he felt Kai pinch the skin of his neck with his fangs. "I want to open your pretty little legs and¡­" he gasped, feeling Kai''s fangs dive into his skin and his whole body felt as if it was on fire. His eyes widened and he grabbed Kai''s hair, shoving his head deeper into his body as his other hand rested on his ass. The werewolf moaned Kai''s name, loudly, a lewd sound that reached Kai''s ears like the most sinful call and the vampire got even more greedy, the warm taste of his blood in his mouth, feeling him tense under him, noticing the excitement in his pants as he rubbed against him. Kai pulled back, his lips painted a lethal red and his eyes met with that of Philip''s. "I want you." Kai said, his voice hoarse, a trail of blood, slipping from the corner of his mouth and Philip flipped them around, pinning him to the bed with a smirk on his face. "Now it''s my time to have fun." The werewolf said, the red in Kai''s eyes slowly fading as he smiled seductively. Philip kissed him, biting hard on his lips and on his neck, his tongue tracing lines as he tasted his skin, sucking his earlobe and then wrapping around his pink nipples. Kai''s body tensed, his hands diving into his rich black hair as a sigh escaped his mouth. "More, I want more." he whispered and Philip bit hard, making him moan before his palm rubbed on his pants, making him gasp. "You have no idea what I want to do to you." Philip told him, his words filled with desire, his voice hoarse as the beast in him took over. Right now he wanted him, naked, crying from pleasure. "Philip." Kai said, his tone changing. "Hmm?" "Do you hear that?" The prince asked and the werewolf raised his head. Confused on what he was talking about. He focused, hearing footsteps, rushing towards their room. He jumped up, grabbing Kai''s shirt and throwing it to him, wiping the blood from his neck the moment right before a bunch of soldiers stormed into their room. "What the hell is going on?" Kai asked them, his voice loud, showing his annoyance. "Your majesty, it is necessary that you come with us to the palace." The head soldier said. "If you do not come willingly we will have to bring you in with violence. "What? Why?" "You are being accused of murdering someone.." the soldier said, making Kai looked at him, his jaw dropped. Chapter 226 - 225 Olivia was scared. She did not like the smell of the dirty roads, the rising sounds as they approached the start of the alleys. She had never walked freely into the city like this, dressed in a man''s clothes that were too big for her. Ash was walking in front of her, his face stern as he witnessed everything he had left back a while ago. Now he was clean, strong and dressed with clothes from the palace. He wasn''t starving, on the contrary he could eat as much as he wanted until he was full and no one would tell him anything. He didn''t have to plead or share, all he had to was ask. The young pureblood walked silently, rushing slightly to get next to him. She observed his expression. He didn''t seem to like this place either, a subtle crease between his eyebrows was the only faint clue that inside him there was a war happening. "We don''t have to go if you don''t want to." Olivia mumbled, thinking of how he would feel. "Didn''t you say you wanted to see?" he asked her, stopping on his track. "Yes, but you don''t seem comfortable with it." she explained. "I am fine." "You don''t seem fine." the girl said but he ignored it, walking deeper into the darkest parts of their world. It was as if everything had changed in a mere second. The sun was lost, the building seemed dirty and run down, beggars, skinny almost just bones and skin laid on the muddy ground while women with excessive make up would grab any man who seemed to have just a bit of money to spare in a night with them. Olivia noticed a young vampire, sniffing a purple dust. That was it, the dragon''s fin, the drug Lun''s family made, she realized. The young man began smiling, instantly afterwards, giggling with a blurred look and the girl shivered, taking a step closer to Ash. "Young men, yes you, with the pretty blue eyes." a woman called Ash and he turned to the side. She was beautiful, with a luscious body and clothes left little to the imagination. She linked their arms and took him towards her work house. Just outside the entrance Ash stopped. "Come on young man, don''t you want to have some fun? I can bring your friend in too if you want." "Nata, let go of me." he told her, seriously and the woman blinked, surprised he knew her name. She looked at him, head to toe and her red lips parted as she gasped. "Ash, oh my little Ash is that really you?" she asked him filled with excitement and let go of his arms. She stood before him, pinching his cheeks as if he was a small child. "I thought some bastard had killed you sweetheart, you''re actually alive!" she said happily and hugged him, Ash returned her hug back. "Look at you all grown up and with a¡­oh my a girl!" Nata said as she paid a closer look to Olivia. "Not the best place to bring her for a date." "T-this is not a date." Olivia stuttered, her cheeks turning bright red and the woman laughed. "Where have you been?" "I have been working in the palace. The youngest prince saved me from getting killed so I became his guard." "The youngest prince¡­" the woman mumbled. "Oh, the trouble maker, I see. Well I am so glad I got to see you''re okay!" she said. "How about we¡­" she tried to continue her sentence when someone grabbed her by her hair. "Nata you slut get inside if you''re not planning on bringing customers." a manly voice said and pulled her back, throwing her to the ground. Olivia flinched, her eyes wide as she witnessed the scene. Ash tensed, his hands forming fists. "Little Ash, don''t come here again. You got out." the woman told him as she struggled to get to her feet. The young vampire tried to step in, defend her in some way but she stopped it. "Go." she whispered. "Your girl looks terrified." she pointed at Olivia who was looking at Nata with a sad expression. "No place for a true lady." "You''re a lady too." Olivia told her and Nate laughed sweetly. "Thank you sweetheart." she told her before she left them, getting back to her work house. "I¡­" Olivia tried to speak but Ash was walking fast towards her, his expression furious. "Ash, wait for me!" she told him and started running, feeling uncomfortable in his own clothes. The ground was slippery, muddy and Olivia, nervous as she tried to reach him, slipped and landed face first into the smelly mud. Ash hadn''t noticed her yet but she felt someone grab her arm, lifting her up and for a second she thought it was him. "Ash¡­why would you¡­" she started saying when she realized it wasn''t Ash the one holding her. A tall man, wide like a door with a missing eye. He was smiling creepily at her, his teeth rotten and she tried to free herself from it. "Who would have known that even in the mud you can find a gem." he said, his tone making her heart race with disgust. "Let me go." she told him. Shaking as she tried to get away from his grip. "Let me go! Ash!" she screamed, filling tears swell into her dark eyes. "Come on now sweetheart, why are you so upset. We can have fun together." he told her and she kicked him in the sheen, making him groan and loosen his grip. Olivia, drowned in mud, her clothes heavily tried to run away, spotting Ash''s back in the far distance. "Ash!" She screamed with all her might seeing the young man stop and turn around, his eyes wide, for the first time showing another emotion other than anger towards her. "Ash! Help!" she screamed when she felt someone pull her hair the same way they had done to Nata. "Feisty." the man commented, making her want to puke as he pinned her to the ground. "Ash." She cried, tears escaping her eyes. "Hey, you moron." She heard his voice, seeing him hover behind the disgusting man.. "You''re dead." Chapter 227 - 226 Song of the day: Tempt my troubles. - Bishop Briggs Ash grabbed the man, throwing him back, making him land in the mud. He looked furious, his blue eyes wide as he raised him from the ground. He didn''t even feel his weight on his hands, he couldn''t really believe that he was able to do something like that, the him that was always hungry and weak could easily pick up such a monster. "Fucking lowlife." he mumbled and threw him on the side of the small road. The huge man landed on the wooden wall of a building, coughing as he stood up, looking at the young man with disgust. "Why are you getting in the way? It''s first come first serve here. I found her so she is mine." he said, Olivia''s terrified eyes widening with his words. Was that really true? They could snatch women off the road like that? Her small body started shaking, tears blurring her eyes as she tried to move to the side of the road. She was terrified. "What did you just say?" Ash asked him, his footsteps were heavy, slow and threatening. Mud splashing here and there from his black boots and he punched him right in the nose, making his head bounce back and forth like a rubber band. "You bastard." The vampire cursed at him and grabbed him by his shirt, head butting him and creating a cut on his pale forehead. Olivia screeched, seeing the blood and the young man stumble back. "Ash¡­" She cried, trying to approach him. He raised his arm, stopping her as he looked at his enemy. "It''s a good thing no one will search for you if you die here!" Ash shouted and rushed forward, kicking the man in the jaw. He landed right back down, Ash''s dirty sole crushing his fingers as he stepped on him. The man screamed, feeling the fragile bones shutter and looked up. "Fine, fine" he said, hoping that Ash would stop. "You can have your whore." he told him and Ash pressed harder on his hand. "Fine!" he screamed. "Olivia¡­" Ash said, stepping now on his back and keeping him down. The girl looked at him, her face painted brown as the mud started to get hard on her face. "Turn around and don''t look." he told her and the girl turned her back to the fight. She didn''t have to be asked twice nor was she curious about what Ash was planning to do, she could imagine and that was enough. As she looked at the dirty wall, counting the cracks and waiting he heard a sharp scream, the sound of bones breaking and a short gasp, then utter silence. She attempted to turn around. "Not yet!" Ash told her and she heard dragging. Her heart was racing, fear and worry spreading all over her body. "Turn around now." he said and she did as she was told. Her dark eyes landed on Ash. There was blood on his forehead but now sign of the cut anymore, his hands coated in blood and he wiped it carelessly on his pants. She bit her lip, noticing that in the alley right to their left she could see the man''s feet protruding. He had killed him, Ash had probably ripped his heart off and soon he would turn into dust. "Did you¡­" "Let''s go." he told her and started walking but Olivia couldn''t take another step. Suddenly she felt as if she was going to collapse if she tried to move. She stayed frozen, her eyes stuck to the ground as she tried to stop shaking. "What''s wrong?" Ash asked her as he heard her sniffle. "I can''t move." The poor girl stuttered and looked at him, her eyes filled with tears, streaks showing her pale face, cleaning the dirt. "I¡­I can''t move." she repeated, scared that there was something wrong with her. Ash knew very well what was happening. The fear was paralyzing her, making her lose control of her whole body. She was young and naive, he shouldn''t have brought her here. The young man could hear her cry, her fragile body shaking without a stop and he sighed. He took a few steps towards her, awkwardly raising his hand and patted her head, caressing her soft brown hair. "It''s over, no one will harm you. I promise. I will keep you safe." he said, his tone gentle. "Come on, let''s go back. It''s going to be alright, trust me." he told her, looking right into her eyes. Olivia averted her gaze, a blush spreading to her face and she shyly nodded. "Good, you actually did very well, you were really brave." he said as they started walking. "Brave? I was a complete embarrassment, all of my training¡­all these years¡­" "Training?" "Yeah, my father is the head of the Night Division so naturally my brother and I have had special training ever since I was young." "Well, battle and real life are really different. Still most people would have had a panic attack or fainted so you did good." he told her, his expression serious. "I am sorry for everything I said before. I didn''t know anything, but now that I know, I have no idea on what I am supposed to do." She said her face was falling. "How to fix things." "I don''t think it''s in your hands to fix things." Ash told her. "But¡­" "Do you want to go back there? Do you really think this is a place you should be in?" Ash stopped and looked at her. "You said it yourself, you didn''t know before but now you do so will you still go?" "Yes, if there is anything I could do to make things better for these people I would" Olivia said all of her fear from before having instantly disappeared. ... Hello! Hope you liked this chapter! Please give it a nice comment and a vote.. Let me know it the comments how you like the story so far. Thank you for reading! Chapter 228 - 227 At first they tried to take Kai with them by force but the prince was not going to let that happen. After he knocked out one of the guards he grabbed another one, pinning him to the wall with furious eyes. No one was going to drag him out there like a criminal, he was going to get out on his own. Philip was following close behind, his eyes worried as he looked at his lover. None of the two knew what exactly had happened and as they entered different carriages to get to the palace he was getting more and more anxious. He could see Kai''s mask, an expressionless face filled with pride. He wouldn''t ask any questions, he didn''t want to seem worried, concerned by all of this. The werewolf tapped his foot on the wooden floor of the carriage, agitated as he bit his nails. Someone was dead? But who? He couldn''t help but wonder and for a second his friends, dead, popped into his mind, there was no way. Reina and Mika would have been fine. Thankfully their ride didn''t last long, all the distances in BloodBound seemed to be very small and for once Philip was glad about that. The guards rushed the prince inside, forgetting everything about him but still, Philip followed them to the throne room where his mother awaited with the rest of the guests. The scene was indescribable. Even if he tried to, he couldn''t put the pieces together. The werewolf guests were all there, his company with them too and when he locked eyes with them he sighed in relief, they were alright. Soran was also there standing on the other side while Lun was on his knees on the floor, his hands tied behind his back. Were they blaming him too? But for what? Once Kai noticed his best friend he escaped the guards, rushing towards him and standing before the queen, an arrogant look on his face as he met her cold eyes. Was this one of her games? No, there was no way she wouldn''t touch Lun, Xan was also standing by her side looking at the werewolf with an anxious expression. This wasn''t something she had organized. "What is happening?" Kai asked her. "Why is Lun tied? What do you mean I am accused of murder?" He bombarded her with questions. "You and Lun both are suspects. Today, after the tour to the armoire a werewolf was found dead in his room. That werewolf was Mark, the one you two had an argument with. His pack reported it and¡­" Cecilia began explaining. "And the only people who had something against him were you too. He was also killed with an unknown weapon but we were instructed not to bring weapons with us." Loyd said. He was his Alpha, his eyes red from crying he looked devastated. "What? I had nothing against him, he was annoying yes but why would I kill him? Also¡­I was with Philip today, I left the tour earlier and¡­wait a second. What you''re saying is that I stole a weapon from the armor during the tour and went off to kill him?" Kai asked with wide eyes. The queen sighed, rubbing her temples. "Did you?" She asked him. "Of course not! I had no reason to kill him." Kai exclaimed, offended. "Lun did not have a reason either. What the hell? This is too suspicious. You really think that if I wanted to kill him I would have done such a sloppy job? That''s ridiculous." "Your majesty." Philip stepped in. "Kai had been with me this whole time. Ever since he left the armoire, there is no way he would have gone to Mark''s room to kill him without me knowing." "Then maybe you''re involved in this too." Loyd said and Philip gasped, looking at him with a frown. "No matter what I would never kill someone of my own kind." he stated. "Stop. This is not getting us anywhere. You were the one who left first from the armoire, you were also seen several times arguing with him. What do you have to say for yourself?" Cecilia asked him. "Nothing! Because we didn''t do anything! I was at the armoire but the only reason I sneaked out was to be with Philip not to kill that guy! I didn''t even remember his name, why would I care about killing him? Mother, this does not make any sense and you know it." he told her, staring right into her eyes. "Xan, tell her. Lun is being accused here too." Kai said between gritted teeth, his blue eyes judging his brother. The crown prince looked at the tied vampire, Lun hadn''t said anything because he didn''t want to bring Xan in a difficult position, Kai already knew that. "Mother¡­we need to think about this a bit more. This is an accusation of murder we are talking about, just the fact that they fought with him is not evidence enough that¡­" "So you will overlook that a member of our pack was killed during the event? During the time we gathered to sign the treaties?" Loyd exclaimed, agitated. His hands had formed fists, his jaw was clenched while he stepped forward. "He was one of my people and I demand for justice or else my pack will not sign the treaties." He threatened the queen. "I have no intention of spearing a murderer believe me." Cecilia announced. "I will do everything in my power to find the murderer but when there is no solid evidence I can not sentence my son and his friend lightly. For now take them both to the dungeons, we will organize an investigation together, so you can see everything with your own eyes." "Mother!" Kai exclaimed. "This is stupid!" "Do you really want to make things harder for yourself? Look at this mess. I can''t even blink and another chaos occurs, just in a few hours. Go away with Lun for now and do not make something you will regret later." she warned him. "Take them away!" the queen ordered and two guards appeared behind him. They grabbed Kai by his arms, the same happening to Lun and they took them away, dragging them to the dungeons. Once Kai and Lun had left the room another Alpha stepped up, continuing the conversation. "Your majesty." A sweet voice echoed in the room. "If I am allowed to speak, I think we should search their rooms, the weapon of the murder is missing so maybe we can find the evidence there.." Alloy suggested, a faint grin on her face. Chapter 229 - 228 "This place is a fucking circus, a circus." Kai said, hitting his fist on the ground. Him and his best friend had been thrown into the dungeons. Him the prince had been led to the darkest parts of the palace as if he had been some kind of criminal and was thrown inside a dump and moldy square room that was smaller than his shoe closet together with Lun. "We''re screwed." Lun mumbled. He was looking at the ground, playing with a piece of moss that was growing from the cracks in the stone tiles and Kai looked at him. "What the hell happened?" "I don''t even know myself. They stormed into my room and dragged me to the throne room. They said they had found a dead body. His pack found him when they returned from the tour. He had been left back to recover and they''re speculating that someone entered his room while he was sleeping. Being too weak to react, they stabbed him in the heart with some kind of weapon and killed him." "And they think we did it?" Kai asked. "Yeah. You were missing and I did not attend the tour so we were the only people that weren''t there during the possible time he died. We are fucking doomed. It would be fine, if anyone else had died it would be fine but a fucking werewolf?" Lun cursed, shaking his head. "Why didn''t you say anything? You were just standing there silent." Kai told him and the tall vampire scoffed. "Did you see your brother? He looked as if he was going to faint at any moment. I didn''t want to make things harder for him." "What? Are you stupid too? So what? You were going to sit there and let them assume we did it? Because I certainly did not kill that nobody and I am pretty sure neither did you." the prince said, wearing a deep frown on his face. "Someone is trying to set us up." he concluded and Lun looked at him, deadpan. "No shit sherlock. I bet it''s that little bitch. Alloy." Lun said and Kai nodded. No one else would have the audacity to think of something like that. It was truly ridiculous, what did she expect to achieve after this? Getting him out of the way? She certainly knew that the punishment for their so-called crime was being executed. Especially during a time like this Cecilia would not be able to spare them even if she wanted to. "I don''t get this. It is so weird, there is no sense in this plan." Kai commented and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don''t think it''s just because of you. I think she really wanted to sabotage the treaties. She knew your mother wouldn''t just let you get executed so she probably tried to at least create enough conflict to ruin the event. Loyd would not let this get unpunished, you know that, you saw it." "Yeah but what could she win from it? A war? Who would benefit from a war?" Kai asked. "I have no idea." Lun said "What I know is, if she really did it and she organized it well then we will be dying soon." "We won''t die." "Man, not now that I finally got to be with Xan." Lun whined, an agitated expression on his face. "Why do things like that always happen to us?" he wondered and the young prince shrugged his shoulders. He was actually wondering the same thing. The moments of peace were quite few lately but at the same time he didn''t wish to let that girl ruin his excitement about having Philip back. "They won''t let her set us up. Not Xan, not Philip, not even my mother." Kai told him, trying to encourage him. "Xan is a pussy, Philip is also a werewolf and your mother kind of hates us both, also she is in a very tough spot right now so please allow me not to be so motivated and optimistic as you." Lun said. "My brother loves you, you know, he wouldn''t let you get executed." "Let me have my doubts on that too please" The tall werewolf said. It was the first time I had seen him so pessimistic. He was always the one who thought there was a way to get away with anything but now he looked as if he had already given up. "Is it because of my brother? That''s why you''re not putting up a fight?" He asked him and Lun giggled, his head touching the wall as he raised his face for the first time. There was only a small window in the dungeon, barely bringing some light in. Lun focused his eyes on it, a bitter smile resting on his face. "Loving someone is really bothersome." "Tell me about it." Kai agreed. "Even now all I could think about is that I don''t want to get him in trouble. Is this me?" he asked, more asking himself than his friend who was in the dungeon with him. They remained silent for a little bit, no sound in the rather empty rooms until footsteps were heard. Someone was walking down the stairs, not a hurry but still his footsteps were slightly rushed. Both of them looked towards the exit, seeing the door open and a man standing there. "They will search your rooms." Xan announced, his face pale with worry. The crown prince looked at his lover behind the heavy and cold bars. He made his announcement, his face showing every sinlge worry that traveled in his mind. They were in a tight spot, Lun knew that from the start but seeing him this way, broke his heart. In reality he was scared, afraid that Xan would not help him. ... Hello! What do you think about the whole murder? Do you like the story so far? Please let me know.. Also tell what do you think what will Xan do? i''d really like to know how you see him in a situation like this. Chapter 230 - 229 A scheme. Everything that took place after their imprisonment in the dungeons was simply a scheme. Calculated steps no one had thought about before they came to bite them in the neck like hungry wolves. Very fitting actually. The beasts had come for him and he hadn''t even noticed it. Kai sighed, messing up his perfectly styled hair as his thoughts became bigger and bigger. Someone wanted him dead, many people did actually but someone here wanted him dead while also messing up with the treaties. The truth was that if they actually managed to prove he was guilty Kai would have to get executed, because of who died. It was a werewolf guest, during the event. His mother would have to do it, not only because of the pressure she would receive from his pack but also because of the fact that if she didn''t they wouldn''t sign the treaty. It was quite well thought. Even if he didn''t he would be doomed anyways. BloodBound without the treaties was in danger and they have been in peace for so long to actually think that they would be prepared for war. "What do you mean they will search our rooms?" Lun asked his lover, who stood there, beyond the rusty bars looking at the brown haired vampire with a pale face, as if he had seen a ghost, or more like, as if he was the ghost. "Alloy requested that they search your rooms. The weapon of the murder was a twisted knife. Grandfather''s knife and it''s missing from the armoire so they are looking for it. If they find it in any of your rooms they will request for you to be executed." Xan explained and Lun sighed loudly, hitting the back of his head slightly on the wall. "This bitch, I told you it was her. She wants to mess up the treaty." Lun mumbled and Kai nodded. He had been quite optimistic before but now, as everything slowly started to click in his brain he wasn''t so sure. It had happened so suddenly, one second he was with Philip and the other he was locked down here like a nobody for something he didn''t even do. "Should you be here?" Kai asked him. "I sneaked out. Mother is talking with the guests, they are planning their research. They requested being present in everything so she doesn''t try to prove you innocent in case you actually did it. Philip tried to come and see you but he is now allowed to." The crown prince let them know of the news on the top side and Kai laughed. He had been there for a few hours but his patience was already running out. "I swear, once I am out of here I will fucking¡­" "No." Xan interrupted his younger brother. "You won''t do anything. Even if you breathe in front of them it will make things worse. Swearing and threatening brought you here in the first place. You''ve been out of the palace for too long and you keep messing things up. This is not how we do things here, you won''t achieve anything like that and you will get Lun killed with you too." Kai didn''t object, he knew his brother was right. If anyone wanted to survive in a place like BloodBound they had to be cunning, diplomatic and always aware of their surroundings. It was true that he had gotten rusty. He needed to clear his head and think, find a way to actually save himself and Lun out of this. "I know." the young prince admitted his mistake. "But what do you suggest we should do?" "If someone really tries to set you up I am sure the knife is already in one of your rooms. They will find it. You need to think about what will happen after that. You have to talk yourself out of it or at least gain some time so the one who did it is exposed." "If you know the knife is in our rooms, why don''t you go and find it? Hide it somewhere else, that would stall the case." Lun asked him, looking at him in the eyes and Xan flinched. The brunet scoffed, sitting back. "You won''t do it." "I¡­ you know that is too risky, if I am caught things will get even worse. Mother will be furious and then¡­" "Save it." Lun said. "Oh, and just in case you''re having doubts, I didn''t do it. Neither did Kai." "Of course I know that!" Xan exclaimed, stepping closer to the bars. "Yet you''re not willing to step in and save us. What are you so afraid of Xan?" Lun asked him, looking at him with a judgemental expression. "That if you get caught people will find out about us? That your mother will get angry at you?" "Lun¡­" "Or maybe no, don''t tell me. I am not surprised actually. You are the only person who is not being monitored right now and you are not stepping in to save your brother, to save me because something is scaring you. I didn''t expect more from you. You came here to tell us what? To prepare to die? Does it not affect you at all that I will be dying?" he asked him, his tone getting slowly more intense. "I¡­.Lun it''s not like that, of course I am worried about you. I just can''t act so recklessly. "Why? Because you are the crown prince?" Lun told him, the words coming out almost like an insult. He shook his head, disappointed as he stood up. With slow steps he approached him, getting close while the bars were the only thing that actually separated them. "If you keep that mentality your title will be the only thing you will have left in the end, because I and probably everyone else you ever loved will be dead." his lover told him, making his cold blue eyes widen as he took a step back. "I have to leave." Xan said, rushing outside. Lun kept looking at him as he disappeared fast into the darkness of the dungeon. "I am going to die.." Lun mumbled, realizing that with Kai in the same situation as him, no one out there would come to save him, he was all alone. Chapter 231 - 230 Ash and Olivia arrived at the palace dirty with tired expressions. Ash had taken lightly all the things the girl had told him. She was shocked by the reality of the world and that was why she was trying so hard to convince him she wanted to change it. The world would not change, for years and years it had been this way, rotten and decaying more every day that passed. Everyone was looking for a way out, it would be ridiculous if Olivia was actually looking for a way in so she could just help. "I think we should try and do something about the orphans first. I have some money saved up and¡­" Olivia told him once they stepped through the palace door. The guards looked at her with a confused expression, the girl shy, knowing how she looked liked but still she didn''t stop trying to explain to Ash her plan as they headed towards his room. "Olivia, stop." Ash told her strictly. "There is nothing you can do. You have money, so what? Also it is not your money it is your family''s you won''t be able to just take it and gift it away¡­" he said, sighing. "I''m sorry. I know it must sound childish but I really want to do something. I can''t just go one and live after what I''ve seen." she told him, looking at the young vampire with wide doe like eyes. Ash placed his palm on her dirty shoulder, looking down at her since he was taller. "That''s what everyone else does. You should do it too." "I don''t want to." "I won''t argue with you about this too. The Alleys are dangerous, you saw that yourself. We will not be going there again." he warned her. "I will go on my own then." She said, stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Ash with a look that signaled she was not going to change her mind. The blue eyed vampire clicked his tongue, his eyes rolling as she heard her. "Do as you wish then. Be sure to come back." he brushed her off. "So you won''t come with me next time?" She asked, kind of discouraged. "No. I have things to do. I should be out today either, Kai could need me and I would be away. I am his guard. I don''t have the time to¡­" "Did you hear that the prince has been imprisoned?" Ash heard two maids gossiping as they were passing by him and Olivia. His eyes widened, his face frozen with shock as his head snapped and he grabbed one of them. "What did you just say?" Ash asked her, looking at her with such an intense expression that he scared her. "The-they youngest prince. He is accused of killing a vampire together with that drug lord friend of his and they have been locked in the dungeon while they search for clues." She explained and once she was over, feeling Ash'' grip tighten she pulled her arm off, rushing away with the other girl. "How could something like this happen?" Olivia whispered, shocked herself about the absurd news. "I shouldn''t have gone with you. I wasn''t here. Even though I had promised to be here and help him I left with you and now he is being accused of murder!" Ash shouted, making Olivia take a step back. "Ash, I am sorry I didn''t mean to¡­" "Don''t ever come near me again. I have one job and that is making sure that Kai is well." he told her, his voice filled with hatred as he ran off, agitated leaving the young girl there, feeling guilty and in the brim of tears. "I am sorry." she mumbled, thinking that truly this was her fault. Ash didn''t like her at all, she felt like a nuisance to him but why couldn''t she stop herself from wondering how he would look if he genuinely smiled at her¡­did Olivia like him? She wondered, the revelation shocking her. "Impossible." she mumbled. Ash had run off to where he didn''t know, he had no idea where the dungeons were or what he should do but for now he simply wanted to find Kai and help him. What would happen to him if he was actually found guilty? On his way to the gods knew where, rushing he found himself colliding with the crown prince. "I finally found you!" Xan exclaimed, grabbing him. "Let me go, I need to find Kai." "That''s why I need you." the crown prince whispered and looked at him with a serious expression. Xan pulled him to the side, getting him away from any possible wandering eyes and ears. "Do you have any idea for how long I have been looking for you? Where the hell¡­it doesn''t matter. Kai and Lun will probably get executed, I need you to help me." "Executed? How? He is the prince!" Ash asked. "Because he is accused of killing a werewolf! Does the reason really matter? I need you to do something, maybe this way we can buy some time¡­" "What should I do?" "Go to Lun''s bedroom and Kai''s, make sure no one finds out and find the weapon the one who did it has planted there, then I need you to leave the palace and throw that shit into a river or something. If the weapon is not found then¡­" "The weapon has been found, how horrible." A guard said as walked to their side. "It was in the prince''s room." he told the other man that was with him. Xan''s eyes widened, standing on the side he tried to realize how he had been so slow. "Shit, fuck!" He cursed, startling the guards who hadn''t noticed them by now. "What are you looking at? Fuck off" he swore at them making them ran away. Today the news were being delivered by total strangers and they were not pleasant, getting worse every time. "What do we do now?" Ash asked with a worried expression. "Now, we pray." Xan answered him, his eyes staring blankly at the floor. He had tried to help him but he had failed. Chapter 232 - 231 Kai knew the guards were coming from their footsteps. They were rushed, the metal in their armor clacking as they got down the stairs. Their faces expressionless as they opened the door of their shared cell and grabbed them, pulling them out. "The weapon has been found in your room." One of the guards said and Kai scoffed. Of course it did. He allowed the guards to take him outside, knowing very well where they were headed. The throne room. His mother would be there, his father and his siblings. The werewolves too, Philip would be there. He would believe him right? That he wasn''t the one actually that he did it. They were together the whole morning, there was no way he could actually be the one to do it. The doors of the throne room opened wide, revealing the cold queen staring down at them. Kai smiled at the bunch of werewolves that had gathered, provoking him but he didn''t care. They had found the weapon, somehow, someone had sneaked into his room while he was gone and made him the perfect murderer. If he really wanted to kill that nobody, then they would never know it was him, everyone in his family knew that. They were taken to the front of the room, pushed down to their knees in front of his mother''s throne. "The weapon has been found. We were having a meeting while the guards were searching and the weapon was found in your room Kai." Cecilia told him. "Did you do it?" she asked and the prince raised his head, suddenly starting to laugh as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "You should know that if I wanted to kill him you wouldn''t even have a body to bury not let alone the murder weapon. Someone is setting me up." he said, looking at his mother with a serious expression. "Someone who doesn''t really like me but at the same time they want to shake the relationships of the two species. I guess we have been at peace for too long haven''t we?" he said, turning his head towards the werewolves and winking at them. "Your majesty¡­" Philip stepped in, a devastated look on his face. "The prince had been with me all morning. He couldn''t have done it. I was always with him, I swear." he said, trying to defend him. "He probably stole the weapon and secured it to his accomplish to kill poor Mark. It would be too easy for a man as skilled as the third prince." Alloy said. "Still I would be so stupid at the same time to hide the weapon in my own room. RIght?" he asked her. "Not stupid, arrogant." Alloy told him, a grin on her face. "He wants to make a fool out of us, out of the vampires! Loyd he murdered a member of your pack, his dear friend and now, everyone in this palace are trying to find an excuse to keep him alive. Someone needs to be killed don''t you think? Pay the price for the crime they''ve committed." "Alloy¡­" Philip told her between gritted teeth. "You know¡­" Kai said. "This is where you''re wrong. I don''t want to make a fool out of you people because I don''t give a shit about you. It is that simple!" he said. "I had no reason to kill you pack member. I swear." he told Loyd, looking him in the eyes as honest as he could seem. Alloy was manipulating this man, she was controlling him through his grief. Despicable. "Do you have something else to say for yourselves? We will take it into consideration while we are thinking about your punishment." Cecilia told them she needed to stop this conflict, she couldn''t defend him when he would end up agitating everyone in this room. "I didn''t do it!" Kai stated with no hesitation. "And neither did Lun. You will be killing us when we''re innocent and leave the true murderer out just because you''re being manipulated." "Lun, what about you? What do you have to say?" Cecilia asked the man and he raised his head. He spotten Xan, he wasn''t that hard to find, standing in front of him with a stern expression, his eyes only letting him get an idea of his torment. Lun scoffed, keeping his thoughts silent. "Nothing." he mumbled. "Alright then we will consider what would be a fitting punishment and¡­" "No!" Loyd shouted. "We won''t consider anything. I want the one who stabbed my pack member to die. It is the only fitting way for this to be resolved. I will not accept any other kind of punishment and I will not sign the treaty until justice is served. The one responsible for this needs to pay, or are you looking down on us because your son is in on this? Where is your justice that you promised me?" The Alpha shouted, obviously furious and Cecilia''s body tensed. "Who stabbed Mark?" Cecilia asked, looking at them. "Who stabbed him?" she asked again, her eyes focusing now on Lun. "I did." The vampire said, making Kai look at him as if he was insane. "Lun!" His best friend called his name. "Don''t do this!" "I was the one that stabbed him so I will receive the punishment. Is that alright with you?" He asked them and Loyd nodded. "No, no!" Kai screamed. "If you dare to harm him I swear I will¡­" "Take them both away, lock Kai in his room and Lun in the dungeons. Make sure that Kai does not try to let him out." She ordered the guards. "No!" Kai shouted as he tried to escape the guards. He pushed away one of them, making him land on the floor and broke off his restraints as if they were nothing. "I have been playing this game of yours for too long. I will find the one who did it. One of you sneaked into my room and planned this knife, and I swear to the gods I will¡­" "All of us were on the tour, also we don''t know where your quarters are, your highness. Isn''t that a well kept secret in the palace? Where the royal family sleeps." Alloy stated a sardonic expression on her face. "You fucking¡­" "Go away quietly." Xan stepped in. "You too? Seriously?" Kai shouted at his older brother. "Kai¡­" Lun called out. "Leave it. It''s fine." "IT IS NOT FINE. I swear right here and right now that I will find out who did it and when I do, I will be allowed to rip all of your heads off!" Chapter 233 - 232 Song of the day: Hurts like hell - Fleurie Love hurts, the weakness and the awareness that comes from it makes you want to simply disappear. He felt helpless, sitting there waiting for someone to actually give him a way to help him. He was a coward, he knew that already, he had been reminded of it so many times and he hated that part of himself more than anything else but he couldn''t do better. No matter how many times he had tried, no matter how hard he tried to make that step something was always keeping him back, something, everytime pulled him back as if he had a rope tied around his waist that stopped him from taking that step further. That''s why Xan stood in his mother''s study silent as he heard her whine about everything. She had papers in front of her, laws sprawled out while she read them again and again trying to find a way to take Kai out of this whole matter while for Lun, she didn''t care at all. "Please save him." he was screaming inside him. "Please do something, help me. Mum" he begged but no words would come out. He was too scared to even think about telling her any of this. He knew what would await him, maybe she would have him killed even faster if she knew. "This kid really, what could he possibly have done to anger one of these wolves so much?" the queen sighed, sitting back in her chair. Her study room was small. She found comfort in small spaces when she needed to focus. A black wooden desk with a red velvet chair while quills had been broken all over from her agitation. There was also a small simple couch for when she needed to rest in her endless nights of working while books filled all of her walls. Economics, history, diplomacy, law, nothing fun really, only books she needed to study. "It''s a good thing that Lun decided to take the blame, maybe I can shift this to him and not make Kai look guilty." she mumbled and Xan''s eyes widened. He was going to die. Lun was really going to get killed. A voice screamed in his head and his hands started shaking. He brought them behind his back, scared his mother would notice. Sweat started dripping from his temples, cold and disturbing while his heart was racing. He would die, they would really get him executed. "What do you think, how should we get Kai out of this?" Cecilia asked her son, still reading one of the texts she had in front of her. Lun did not answer, he couldn''t since all he could think about was Lun. Every thought, every loud heartbeat in his chest, the anxiety he felt it was all because of Lun. Because he loved him and because he didn''t know how to love him properly. Because once again when it was important he would lose the self he had found when he was with him. "Xan? What''s wrong with you?" The queen asked him, turning her head and seeing her son stand there like a terrified statue, his blue eyes wide, his white hair damp with sweat in the edges. "Mother¡­" Xan said, his voice trembling. "I am asking you what we should do after Lun dies. We can''t just leave this to go around. People will be talking about Kai again and then¡­" "Mother!" The crown prince exclaimed, raising his tone for the first time at her. Cecilia looked at him stunned. "What is it? There is no need to shout." "About Lun¡­" "What about him?" "Can''t we¡­save him?" he asked her. He had finally said it. "Why would you care about saving Lun, Xan?" the queen asked, a suspicious look on her face. "I thought you hated him." "I did but¡­he is Kai''s best friend. Kai will be furious and he will cause even more trouble in the end. He will definitely mess with the treaties. It will be a mess." "Kai will understand. Lun offered to do it himself anyways." He did not understand. Xan was the one who felt like he would throw up. He felt as if everything was spinning, an annoying ringing sound in his ears. I can''t let him die, I can''t let him die¡­his thoughts went insane, his heart begging for him to do something. The shaking wouldn''t stop, the fear he felt as his mother looked at him getting bigger and bigger like a monster that was always fed. A dark shadow looming over him, ominous, ready to rip him to shreds the moment he accepted and revealed his true feelings. "Xan¡­ what has gotten into you? Why do you look like this?" his mother asked him. She couldn''t miss it. How pale he had been all this time, the slight tremor of his body or the sweat that gathered in his temples. It was obvious that something was wrong with him. "Please¡­" Xan whined, tears gathering in his blue eyes and the woman looked at him shocked, as if she had been hit by lightning. She hadn''t seen him cry in years. "I am begging you please, help me save Lun. I will do anything, no matter what you ask me, just don''t let him die." Lun begged her, the salty tears leaving the blue orbs and trailing depressed paths down his handsome face, hanging by his chin before they landed on the dark red carpet. "Xan, you and Lun¡­" "I love him, mother, so please I beg you don''t let them kill him. He didn''t do it. You know it wasn''t him. Lun is good, he is really good so please, please help me. I can''t lose him." he told her. It was as if a weight was lifted off his chest and he could finally breathe. There was no turning back now, no hiding how he truly felt, there was no perfect crown prince anymore, that image he had tried so hard to keep alive for centuries had just died, shattered like an old mirror that was dropped to the floor. "You can''t be serious!" Cecilia shouted. "Out of all the people, men and women in the kingdom, it had to be him? Lun!" "Yes! It had to be him." Xan shouted back. "I love him, I have always loved him and I made his life a living hell because I was scared of you! I''ve hurt him¡­again and again but I can not let him die, I will not let him die but you''re the only one that can help me¡­so for the first time in my life I am asking for your help, please." "You were scared of me?" Cecilia asked her son and Xan nodded. "You can have any other person. Not the son of the drug lord, any other person than the leader of the Alleys, please Xan you have always been a logical child so why can''t you think this through?" "Love has no logic mother, don''t you know that yourself? Why are you still with father when all he has ever done is leave us? It''s because you love him so¡­" he told her, his tears coming again and again non stop as he fell to his knees, the crown prince, throwing away his golden pride, the title he so adored as he felt the floor touch his legs, as he looked at his mother as nothing more than a man in loved and begged her, begged her to spare Lun''s life. "So please just keep him alive, I can''t lose another person I love, I won''t be able to handle it, mum please. Help me, I am your son" he told her and the queen looked at him, sighing. Her child, yes, Xan was her child. She didn''t say anything, she just turned around, her green eyes landing on the drawers of the desk. Opening one of them Xan heard the sound of metal. She took out an old and rusty key, showing it to him. "Take it. This is the key to the cells. You can free Lun with it tonight and help him escape but you will have to do it all on your own. I won''t be helping you more than this and¡­" she continued before she handed him the key. "...he will stay away, hidden, he will never step foot in the palace again, he will be a wanted criminal." "Mother¡­" "You said you wanted him alive.That''s it. I will give you this key if you accept my offer." "I will take it." Xan told her, without a second thought. As long as Lun would be alive. He would accept anything. "Thank you." ... I cried during this chapter, don''t ask me why. Hope you enjoy the book this far! Thanks for reading! Chapter 234 - 233 Kai had been indeed locked in his room, guards outside his door and under his balcony so they would make sure he wouldn''t try and find a way to escape. Lun had been dragged away, locked too but in the dungeon as he waited for his time to come. They were going to execute him, they were going to have him killed for something that he didn''t even do! Kai couldn''t sit still, he moved back and forth, biting his nails as he tried to find a solution to all of this, a way out so his best friend wouldn''t get killed. As he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling while his feet dangled from the mattress he sighed, no ideas popping in that smart head of his. There was just a blank, not even a fragment of a thought that could be useful. He didn''t have the time to think, everything had happened so fast that he was now stuck in these tall walls with no way out and with no way of proving himself innocent. He heard a knock on his door, his eyes suspiciously landing on it. The key entered the keyhole from outside and the door opened slowly revealing Philip. Kai sat up immediately, rushing towards him and landing in his arms, desperate for some support. Philip''s arms tightened around him, his head resting in the crook of his neck as he breathed in his scent. He couldn''t believe it, he had found him just for stupid incidents like this to have them apart again. "Are you alright?" Philip asked him and Kai nodded. "I am not worried about me. I am worried about Lun, I can''t let him get killed, Philip. There must be a way, something that we missed that will help us." Kai said, looking into Philip''s desperate eyes. The werewolf caressed his cheek. His expression showed that he did not hope for much, in his mind Lun was already dead but the young prince couldn''t just let go of him. He was his best friend. "Please, Philip, help me out." "I don''t know what we could do." Philip told him, his warm palm resting on his cold cheek. "I don''t really think there is actually much we could do." "Don''t say that. I¡­" "Kai! Let me in!" A voice interrupted the prince. It came from the outside, making Kai''s blue eyes widen as he watched his door open. A young vampire Philip had never noticed before walked in, his deep blue eyes filled with worry. "Kai, are you alright? Xan, he told me everything, we tried to get the weapon out of the room but it was too late." "Who''s this?" Philip asked, looking at Ash from head to toe. "I''m Ash. Kai''s guard." The young vampire said, looking at the werewolf with a stern expression. "Guard? Kai doesn''t need a guard, he has me." He said and Ash scoffed. "Obviously you haven''t been doing a great job." He insulted him and Philip''s body tensed. "What did you say?" He asked him. "No." Kai stated, standing between them. "This is not the time for the two of you to fight. I forbid it. Ash, Philip is my lover and you will respect him and Philip Ash is important to me and he is also a teen so show some understanding." He said, looking between them, back and forth with a serious expression. Ash nodded while Philip clicked his tongue, not really satisfied but still stepping back. "Kai, what will you do about Lun?" Ash asked him and the young prince frowned. He wished he knew, he wished someone would just give him an answer on what he should do, a way to fight this agony inside of him. No one cares about Lun, once Kai had been off the hook no one really bothered with helping his best friend, he was disgusted. "I don''t know. I need to think about something soon." "Kai don''t get yourself in more trouble." Philip warned him and the young prince looked at him annoyed. "What do you mean? I should leave Lun just like that to die? Would you do that if it was Mika or Reina? You''re disappointing me right now. You want me to leave those who wanted to kill me unpunished." "It''s not like that. It''s just that the treaties right now are important." "Would you say that if the one being executed was me?" Kai asked him and Philip''s eyes widened. A shameful expression on his face. "You wouldn''t but Lun does not matter to you. It''s understandable but he matters to me! That''s why I need to get out of here and save him." "Calm down knight in shining armor." Kai heard his brother''s voice from behind him. He turned around, seeing him support himself at the door frame. "Lun is gone." "Gone? What do you mean gone?" "I set him free. Soon they will realize he is gone so we need to find out who did this whole shit so he can come back. They will send patrols, he will be announced as an actual criminal so think. Think if there is something we missed, you''re good at that." His brother told him and Kai sighed. His eyes focused on the floor, replaying everything that had happened, trying to see further from the anger he felt. Lun for now was alive. That helped him calm down a bit and the fog in his mind seemed to slowly disappear. Now he had a little more time, a few more hours to figure this out. The scenes replayed backwards in his head, the words reaching him either muffled or with words missing. He was so furious back then that he didn''t pay close attention to anything except¡­ "They don''t know where we sleep." Kai mumbled as he raised his head, his eyes glowing with his unexpected discovery. "Xan, they don''t know where we live!" He exclaimed. "What is that supposed to mean?" "Alloy said they couldn''t have planted the knife in my room because the royal quarters are always kept a secret. We all know here that she did it so if she didn''t know where we live someone from the inside must have done it. Gather all the maids, secretly in a room. We will be saving Lun.." Kai announced, a proud grin on his face. Chapter 235 - 234 Song of the day: BlueBloods by Laurel A few hours before Lun had found himself in the same place again but this time he was alone. He couldn''t just overlook the way the queen had silently told him to step up, not because he cared about her but because he cared about Xan and Kai. Sitting back and watching his friend die was the last thing he could do. Kai after all was a prince while he was a nobody. He had many people caring about him while Lun, well not even his own parents would come to get him out, not even Xan would be willing to help him. The handsome vampire snorted, his head falling back as he looked at the dark stone ceiling. Death was not scary, his only regret leaving back that hopeless lover of his. A smile lingered on his face, dripping with sadness and disappointment as he closed his eyes. He had tried so hard, all he had ever been doing was trying just to end up here, at the bottom. He had waited so patiently for him just to see him hesitate when he needed him the most. Xan was a knife into his heart, every time he looked at him the blade was twisted into this excruciating pain. Xan was that and at the same time his only hope to move on. As he closed his eyes, breathing in the heavy air of the humid room his face flashed before his brown eyes. He was so handsome in this coldness of his, in his rare vulnerability and in his even more rare smiles. Xan was his light but why when he found himself in another dark room he couldn''t see him lighting his way out in the end of the deep black. He would end up detesting his love. He had always been the strong one, the one not affected by feelings and he would also make fun of Kai for being so soft when it came to Philip. He was a hypocrite because if Xan asked him he would take his own life in the blink of an eye. Loving someone more than they love you, being unsure, he hated it. "Why did it have to be you?" He asked himself out loud, rubbing his face. "Are you talking about me?" Lun heard Xan''s familiar voice reach him. He opened his eyes, seeing the crown prince standing in front of the bars, just like he did before when he was the bearer of bad news. He hadn''t heard him, he had been so preoccupied thinking about him that he hadn''t noticed him being right before him. Maybe that was one of his flaws, he was invested in the image of Xan that he had in the past that he was missing the man he had become now. He had this idea on his mind that disappointed him again and again but still he couldn''t stop loving him. "What are you doing here, your highness?" Lun asked him sarcastically. "I tried to help you." Xan said, wrapping his palms around the bars, looking sullen. "I was just too late." "You tried?" Lun asked him, not really believing him. "What did you do?" "I wanted to get Ash so he could find the weapon but that kid was nowhere to be found. By the time I got to him they had found it first." he explained and the tall vampire laughed, bitter. He stood up, his hands were cuffed with a special kind of restraint, it limited his powers so he wouldn''t be able to run away. He stood behind the bars, his characteristics partially hidden by them and Xan looked at him. "Why didn''t you just go do it yourself?" "You know I couldn''t."The crown prince told him, embarrassed. "I am sorry Lun, I really did want to help you." "But you wanting to keep yourself out of it was stronger than me being alive." he commented, his sardonic expression making Xan''s chest tighten. He felt guilty already, hearing Lun say that was just breaking his heart more and more. He was helpless, a coward, again and again he would tell himself that. What was the point of getting on his knees, begging his mother when he could have gotten both of them out of it unscathed. Now he was just able to clean up the broken pieces, salvage what was left. Xan sighed, unable to say anything. He searched his pocket, his long fingers finding the small key and he brought it out, Lun scanning him with his eyes as he unlocked the dungeon. The tall vampire was frowning. "How did you get that?" he asked him. "I begged for you." Xan answered him, his blue eyes on the verge of tears again. "I was on my knees, pleading to my mother to let you live because I can''t lose you. I am sorry Lun¡­" Xan cried, pulling the man away from the dungeon and hugging him. "I am sorry this is all I can do for you, I am sorry I am like this but I can''t let you die. I won''t let it happen." "You told your mother about us?" Lun asked him, bug eyed as he watched Xan cry. "I did, what else could I do to not lose you? She gave the key, she told me I should come and free you, you can run away but you need to hide. You will be announced as a criminal, the whole kingdom will be looking for you but I swear, I will find out who did this, I will make sure to bring you back." he explained, the tears trailing sad paths on his pale face. Lun exhaled, feeling his heart race and he raised his hands, still in his restraints to wipe his tears. Xan looked at the thick dark metal, keeping Lun from moving comfortably and without a notice he grabbed the chain that united the cuffs snapping it in two before he placed his fingers on each one of them individually and crushed them. "I never want to see you in them again." The crown prince told him and Lun smiled. "You annoy me. You annoy me so much I want to punch you. You annoy me because I just can''t hate you and it drives me mad." Lun said, not looking the tiniest bit mad with him. Xan laughed, taking his hand in his. "Thank you, even for this. I know how hard it was for you to reveal our relationship to your mother." "Please Lun, stay safe okay? Just a few days, no, a few hours before I find out the bastard who did this. Then come back to me, alright?" "I will always come back to you. Even if you don''t want me to. Xan you''re my light." "I love you." Chapter 236 - 235 "So is everyone here?" Kai asked, looking at his friends and brother. He had smuggled every single one of the people he could trust inside his room, hoping that right now deep into the night no one was going to suspect them. The guards on lookout had lessened too so he didn''t feel like he had a chain on his neck anymore. "Don''t you think this little meeting will look a bit suspicious?" Soran asked him. "I don''t give a shit. Soon they will know Lun is missing and they will send out people for them, we need to get advantage of the commotion then and expose this fucking¡­" "Clown." Xan finished his younger brother''s sentence and Kai nodded. This must have been the first time they actually agreed to something, maybe Lun would be the person that would make them fight less. "So what do you think we should do?" Philip asked. "You should do nothing. We can''t get you in trouble, you''re an Alpha now and you have eyes on you because of me." Kai explained and his lover frowned, dissatisfied with his answer. He looked at him, wrinkles forming on his nose. "I want to help you." Philip said. "He said you shouldn''t help, are you deaf?" Ash asked him, a disgusted expression on his face. "Oh, don''t mind him, he just hates every figure of authority, it''s nothing personal." John said and looked at Ash with a sharp stare, making him step back and stand in the corner. Kai smiled at the werewolf, appreciating his help and continued explaining the situation to the rest of them. "In my mind I have a three part very simple plan." Kai began saying. "First of all we need to make sure that Alloy is truly the one behind all of this. I doubt that we are mistaken but let''s be sure. Then when they find out about Lun missing and send out most of the guards my mother will call in all the werewolves, I am sure of it. At that moment, Soran and Ash I need you to gather all the maids that have the royal quarters in their jurisdiction. You will bring them in the training room, no one will be there. Then I will step in with Xan, and they will talk." Kai said with a smile on his face, his eyes filled with hatred. "Yes but how will you get to know if Alloy did all that?" Philip asked Kai, concerned about his plan. "Good question. This is where John will step in." Kai announced and the young werewolf looked at his boss filed with confusion."It is obvious that Alloy not only does not like me but she also does not like vampires and that''s why she wanted to mess the treaty up. I think we have to deal with something more complicated here than just a jealous lady so we need what will come in the future. John you will go to her, presenting yourself as a poor werewolf who was forced to be here by me. She will take pity on you, I am sure of it and then you will start talking to her, I need you to guide the situation far enough to make sure you get an idea about what she is really planning." Kai told John and the young man whined, he was terrified. He felt like his task had ended up being the most difficult one. He had to face the enemy right in the face and pretend he was horrible with lies. "Boss, I...I don''t know if I can do it. She is scary and I am not good at lying. What if I mess up?" John asked, feeling insecure. "I could do it" Philip offered but Kai shook his head. "No. They know we are together, they won''t talk to you but about John, they don''t know much. He is our safest option." "Boss¡­" "You can do it John. Have a bit of faith in yourself. I believe in you." "But¡­" "You will do it or I will fucking rip your throat open." Xan told him, staring at him with a cold stare and making him gulp. "Don''t talk to him like that." Soran stepped in. "It''s fine, I don''t want you to defend me." John said. "I will do it. It will be a piece of cake. Now where is this witch that tried to kill you and Lun?" John asked. "She is probably at the lounge. The other packs are avoiding them. I think everyone knows by now that something must not be right with them so the good thing is that they are possibly alone." Philip informed them and John nodded, gathering all his courage. "I will go." He said. "John, if you feel like it''s too risky maybe¡­" Soran said but he didn''t make it to the end of his thoughts, John turned towards him, his eyes landing on his as he sat on his arm hair and Soran moved a bit back, not intimidated by him but certainly affected. "I will be fine. I am not a kid." He said sternly. "Wish me luck." He told Kai with a cute smile as he stood at the door, the prince smiling back at him and patting his head. "I know you can do it." "Of course I can." He said, confidently leaving the room. The truth was that he was terrified. He was wondering if he could actually do it. Desperate to succeed as his heartbeat rose, the sound echoing between his ears like a drum. He wouldn''t let him down, not Kai not anyone. He wouldn''t let Lun be a fugitive and above all he would show Soran what he was made of, he wasn''t a weak child. .... Hello everyone! Hope you''re enjoying the story this far.. Please don''t be a silent reader. Let me know what you think in the comments and leave a vote! Thank you for reading! Chapter 237 - 236 Lun closed his eyes, his breath trapped in his throat as he hid. He had no place to go, no one to contact and no hiding spot. Home? Home would simply be a hell, the Alleys, well the moment he was seen someone would call the guards. When the warrant for him would be out every single one of those low life bastards would be out for his neck and the handsome reward that would come from it. He was all alone, hiding in a musty dirty alley with his breath trapped on his chest because as he was walking he thought someone had recognized him. He laughed, finding his whole situation quite funny and certainly ironic. The mess he had found himself, how easily he had forgotten Xan, every little piece that didn''t seem to fit in the puzzle that called his life. "Did you really beg her?" Lun whispered, unable to fully believe what Xan had done. Had he really fallen on his knees for him? It was possible since he had gotten a key no one else than the queen and the head guard had. He could have gotten it from the latter but then he would get hunted even earlier. He heard footsteps, someone was approaching towards his hiding spot and his body grew tense, wondering if they were actually looking for him. When you were on the run everything seemed to be against you. Every subtle expression, every look was hostile and a paranoia began, conquering your mind. Lun had been like this for a few hours and he couldn''t stop thinking how Kai kept doing it for two hundred years. The footsteps got closer, a man appearing at the entrance of the narrow alley, hiding the slightest light that was coming from the shops as he stumbled. He tried to keep himself standing but as Lun very easily realized he was drunk so he messily fell down, landing right into the trash. He wasn''t sure if it was the smell that affected him or the overconsumption of alcohol but the unknown man began throwing up, having Lun flinch and frown in disgust. "Gross." He mumbled. The drunk nobody hadn''t even noticed him, didn''t turn his head while the vampire escaped from the alley, unable to stand this any longer. He walked with his head facing the ground,scared to meet a familiar person that would know. His only solution was to head towards the rift, no one went there most of the time because it scared vampires. They didn''t want anything to do with the human world and they tried to stay as further away as they could from it. He walked for a while, feeling a bit more secure when he left behind him the main city. Now his boots were getting him up the hills, dirtied by the dry land as dust rose up in the night air. He coughed, seeing with his eyes the familiar spot and decided to hide in the old and abandoned barn. He would be safe here and wouldn''t stand out, the only person in the middle of nowhere. "Let''s stay here for a while." He talked to himself, not really fond of the silence that was surrounding him. He would prefer it if the horses were still here but now, he was all alone, the little wooden booths completely empty. "How will Xan solve this mess?" He wondered and then giggled. "I am sure Kai will be the one to do it." He reminded himself. "Well, at least there are two people that care about me. Better than a few years back." When Kai had left BloodBound Lun had been left completely alone. The home he loved so much, this dark kingdom he was raised in turned into a nightmare because he had indeed lost a part of his shield. While Kai was here no one dared to talk to him openly, insult him about who he was because they didn''t want to mess with the rebellious prince but as the blond vampire disappeared Lun had been left unprotected. He had forgotten how hated he was for a second. He hadn''t missed only the security Kai brought him though. He had missed having someone to talk to, someone that actually understood him. The wine suddenly did not taste so sweet and all his lovers were not fun anymore. The wide and beautiful moon of the night was simply cold. Being all alone, Lun was scared of it. That''s why he prefered to be the one to die rather than lose his friend. Maybe deep down, his decision had been a little selfish and not simply out of heroism. "I won''t be sleeping tonight." The vampire mumbled, hearing the sounds of the strong wind. He was alarmed, trying not to even blink. He moved a bit back, trying to support his back on the old wall when he felt something pinching his waist. He frowned, turning his head and spotting something unfamiliar peeking through the hay. He pushed away the golden needles, finding an old brown box. It was a bit bigger than a laptop and the vampire looked at it suspicious. Having nothing else to occupy himself he opened it, curious but the moment his eyes scanned what was inside, he gasped. Lun had to get back to the palace. Immediately. Everyone was in danger. There was no way, there was not a chance that they had missed something this big, something so terrifying. He stood up, closing the box loudly and grabbing it, intending to take the evidence with him. He wasn''t concerned about being found out anymore. If he didn''t go back, if he didn''t tell Kai and Xan about what he found sooner or later all of them would be dead. ... Hello! What do you think Lun found? Let me know it the comments. I am curious to see what you think! Hope you''re having fun reading this book. Please leave a nice comment, a good review and a vote.. Also remember, buying privilege helps, not only me but you too! You get a nice discount!. Chapter 238 - 237 John lingered at the door of the spacious lounge, looking around as if he was lost. He had a doe eyed look on his face, innocent looking he didn''t dare to step in before someone acknowledged him. Philip had been right, Alloy''s pack had been alone, pushed to the side by the rest of them. No matter what happened no one really wanted to mess with the royal family. Everyone knew she had talked too much, she had drawn too much attention. The first person to notice him was Alloy''s beta. He looked at him kind of curious, trying to think where he had seen him before. All of the times John''s presence had been subtle, like a shadow and right now this was benefiting him. "What do you want?" He asked him and the young werewolf hastily stepped in. He looked intimidated, his anxious heart beating frantically inside his ribcage as he watched Alloy seated on the couch and scanning him with her eyes. "I...I heard you were werewolves." He stuttered. "Yeah, I guess you have a very observant personality." Alloy made fun of him but he didn''t react. He just took another scared step forward. "I am a werewolf too. I...I don''t want to be here. I want to be in a pack. I was forced to come to Bloodbound. This place is hell. I noticed that you don''t seem to like the monarchy so much so I was wondering if you could help me." "Lower your fucking voice, do you want to get us killed?" The beta scolded him and John, flinched, nodding apologetically. He didn''t mind if he didn''t like him, he wasn''t his true target. The one he wanted to talk to was Alloy, she would be the one to give him what he wanted. "Wait, wait¡­" Alloy said, suddenly seeming to be more interested in him. John looked at her, hopeful as he watched her pat the seat of the velvet couch next to her, calling him to go there and sit down. He did as he was told, whispering and with a tense and anxious body, which was mostly the truth about what he felt he started making up all sorts of stories about Kai and how he ended up there. If they were to question him about it he hoped he remembered everything because at the moment he talked so fast he was sure he was saying gibberish at some point. "It is just so hard. I got changed because of him. Now I am in this place, being some kind of slave while all I ever wanted was a place to fit in. There are so many people like myself out there and I am all alone here. Could you please help me? I know you''re an Alpha, surely there must be something you could do." John begged, tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. He felt bad, not because of what he was doing but because of the things he was saying, badmouthing his boss and all the people that helped him seemed so wrong it made his chest ache. He had to do it though, he had to be like that in order to help, this was the only thing he could do for them. "Why don''t you go to the pack of that little prince''s lover? He would definitely take you in." Alloy said and John gasped. "No, I could never, he is a tyrant. Word on the street is he actually killed the previous Alpha with evil methods. I''m scared to go there, I''m scared to be in this place anymore." John cried, finally setting his tears free. The beta looking at him sighed, not really liking this situation at all but Alloy seemed to actually slowly get moved by his words. She always had this arrogant look on her face but now, her characteristics softened and she placed a gentle hand on his back. "Don''t worry, I am sure there is something we can do." She said and John''s head snapped, looking at her with excitement. "Really? You''re going to help me?" He asked. "It''s not that we will help you in particular, it''s just that BloodBound and that prince who has been messing with you have an Ill fate approaching them." She said, a smirk appearing in her face. "Alloy, be careful. Don''t talk too much." Her friend warned him but she simply chuckled, the embodiment of an evil queen she looked at John right in the eyes making him shiver. "It''s fine. This poor little one has been tortured for so long. Why not ease his pain a little?" She asked but the question was rhetorical, she didn''t need her Beta to tell her what she should or shouldn''t do. "Thank you, thank you so much but...what will you be doing?" He asked her. The woman smiled, thinking of everything while her beta grew stiff, his eyes stuck on John, trying to understand if he was a traitor or not. The young werewolf though looked so worn out, maybe his situation from before had actually become positive in a way. He still looked exhausted and beaten up. "Well, that is¡­" "Alloy¡­" "I have been tortured here all this time! Do you think I would even do anything to stop your plans? Please, all I want is to get home...I miss my mum and my dad, I feel like I will never see my family again." He lied, the part about his parents stinging a bit more than it should. "Stop that." Alloy scolded her Beta. "I feel sorry for him. Well, let''s say that my plan has already begun." She said and John''s eyes widened. It was her, it was actually her the one that was behind Lun''s upcoming execution. "There were some unexpected errors along the way but they are fixable. Just know little wolf it is very possible that soon BloodBound will be no more." She said and John felt paralyzed with fear. What was she planning? ... Please comment what you think about the story...this silence scares me.. T.T Chapter 239 - 238 "Did you try to help him?" Kai asked his older brother, his judgemental look landing on his cold face. Xan scoffed, walking deeper into the room. No one was there except Philip and them two. His eyes grazed the werewolf and the crown prince remained silent, falling on Kai''s bed and laying down, looking at the top of the ceiling. "I envy you, you know." Xan said, a jealous smile on his face and Kai frowned, confused. "Me?" "Yes, you. You never had her eyes following you. You never had to obey every single one of her words, you never really had to think before you did anything. Because you were not meant to take the throne. You liked to view yourself as a rebel, someone who went against the rules but the truth was Kai, that for you, there were no rules. That''s what it annoyed me the most, you grew up able to do all the things you want. All you really had to do was not to embarrass the family. Because every time the young and cute prince did something the pressure on his older brother''s shoulders kept getting bigger and bigger. Don''t be like Kai, don''t embarrass us, we need you to be a good example, you will be king one day. While you lived your life your every mistake was directed towards me and now¡­now I''ve become like this, unable to help my lover because every move I make makes me feel like I will throw up." Xan said. Kai was standing at the other side of the room, looking at him with surprise in his eyes, he never thought he would hear something like this. The crown prince spoke as if he was sharing some kind of silly rumor he had heard, no emotion in his voice, his eyes closed as he tried to hide the torture of his early years. "Xan¡­I¡­" "So don''t ask me about what I could and couldn''t do. I tried to help him, for him I fell on my knees, I angered my mother and even pleaded for her help. I would do anything for Lun but all everyone does is criticize me, even him." he continued, getting up and leaving the comfort of the warm bed. "You two were dating before you were caught by the BloodyPeople. I know everything Kai, I''ve said that many times before but even though I kept your secret somehow I was the bad guy. After this I really don''t want anything to do with you people. I am sick of hearing how unfortunate your lives were, I am sick about how someone has to be the bad guy in your story even though you never get to see behind anyone else''s struggles other than your own. You were so mad at our mother for what she did to you, rightfully so but the moment dad appeared, the man who was never in our lives you quickly took sides. So mother was bad but he, who practically did not exist, is good? At least she was here to watch over us." "No one is good Xan." Kai told him and his older brother scoffed. "Not you, not me, not our parents because as you said we are only able to see our struggles. It''s a pity and I know I am flawed but don''t you dare take yourself out of the equation. Everything, everything that happened to me could have been avoided. This thing, what happened to Lun, the man you said you would do anything for could have been avoided but no, you were too late. Your fear keeps you back and that, well even if Lun lives, should haunt you, the same way my mistakes haunt me." The two brothers looked at each other, their blue eyes intense. They didn''t hate each other, they were simply jealous of one another. Xan was jealous because Kai was free and Kai was jealous because the crown prince had most of the things he wanted, his mother''s love, a normal fate and life. Would they swap places if they could? No, but everyone wants what they don''t have, all creatures with intelligence are greedy, all men are greedy, wanting more and more, everything until the well of ambitions has dried out. The two brothers didn''t hate each other, they hated being reminded though of the things they didn''t have and never would. "I don''t think this is the right time for you to argue." Philip stepped in, taking Kai''s hand in his and pulling him gently back. Philip could sense the tension between them, he could feel the storm coming and he wanted to avoid a fight right now. Lun''s disappearance had been known, people were rushing everywhere and Soran with Ash were already gathering the maids, if they fought now their plan would get pushed back. "We have a plan, Xan you too, aren''t you doing this for Lun? Then maybe both of you should calm down. You won''t get to solve your differences like this." he advised them and the crown prince clicked his tongue, getting once more on the bed, his arms behind his head as he looked at the couple. "Don''t you just hate it when a werewolf is right?" he said, shaking his head and Kai scoffed, ignoring him and turning towards Philip. He squeezed his hand and started walking, leading him a bit further into his spacious room, away from his brother''s eyes. Kai hugged him, feeling the slow and rhythmic beat of his heart while his raced with anxiety. He closed his eyes, resting his head on his shoulder, feeling Philip caress his silk hair. "It''s going to be okay." The werewolf whispered in his ear. He had always been like this, Philip. Level headed, reasonable and calm. When he had met him in this lifetime Kai had thought he changed but maybe now, after getting his memories back he was always finding his true self. His patience, the calmness in his stare. The werewolf was everything Kai wasn''t and that completed him. "Thank you." Kai whispered, breathing in his scent. "After this though, we will be getting some time alone." Philip told him with a sexy smirk on his face as he raised his face, kissing him. "And that''s not negotiable." he added, making Kai chuckle when a knock was heard . Both of them looked at the door as it slowly opened revealing a panting Ash, searching for Kai with his eyes. "What is it?" he asked him. "They have all gathered. Soran is waiting." he announced and Kai stared at his brother. Xan was already standing, ready to leave. "Let''s go then." Kai said, a smirk on his face as he gave Philip one more kiss. "Be careful.." Philip warned him and the young prince nodded. Chapter 240 - 239 The two brothers stood at the door, looking inside as the people whispered, confused. More than fifteen women and around five to four men had been brought in the small training room that Ash used. They were cramped but that didn''t really mind anyone at the moment. The Avger brother''s observed, looking at the crowd and their faces, Kai was able to recognize a few of them as he scanned the crowd. They had no idea why they had been summoned here. Xan walked in first, his expression serious as always, his footsteps on the wooden floor drawing everyone''s attention. The chattering crowd grew more and more quiet until an awkward silence spread in the room, all of the servants following the crown prince with their anxious eyes. Everyone in the palace was scared of Xan, he was a man who would always look at them with cold eyes, deranged of any emotions while he talked. Sometimes they would wonder if he could feel anything at all, of course he could, he was just terrified to show it. Kai did not appear yet, he felt like it wasn''t the best time and since everyone was so focused on his brother he decided to sit on the sidelines for a while and observe, who would have the biggest change in their expressions, who would look more scared or worried, who would try to secretly run away. Xan was scary enough to make someone speak, he would have to find the liar between them. "You must be wondering why I asked for all of you here, especially with the commotion in the palace." Xan began his speech, his tone clear and stable, the weak man who spilled all of his trauma, the young man who had been pleading and crying, gone in just an instant. The candle light landed on his face, the darkness of the night making the atmosphere even more ominous as he tackled, the shadows everywhere taking forms and in the middle the man who had the coldest voice and the most distant stare. "It has come to our attention that one of you, maybe even more, had come to an alliance with the werewolf Alpha Alloy, considering the death of one of the werewolves. One of you sneaked into Kai''s room, planting the knife there believing we wouldn''t know. If you come forward we won''t kill you. We just need you to go to the queen and expose them." Xan said and then the crowd suddenly started whispering again. It was weird, Kai thought. They were scared of him enough to lose their voices the second he stepped into the room but when they heard the news, knowing that they could easily be blamed they started a ruckus, not caring about what would happen just to ask around, gossip about it. Kai observed them carefully, trying to see some change but for now all of them seemed to react the same and that was surprising. He scratched the back of his head, looking at his brother and signaling him to be more direct. "No one?" Xan asked them the room as if they were a well tuned choir stopping any sound once again. "Let''s see¡­if the one who did it, or someone who knows who did doesn''t step in I will personally make sure as the crown prince that all of your lives are ruined, that your fortunes are taken away from you, I will kill your lovers and bury your children, I will make sure that you will be able to see your houses burn, am I clear enough?" he asked them, seeming completely serious. Now the behavior of the crowd began to swift. One would look at the person next to them as if they were suspicious. They wouldn''t talk to each other but they would try to have some distance. Xan was impatient, he didn''t like the fact that he was wasting time like this. He walked closer to the crowd, all of them taking a step back like a wave that had just crashed a shore and was now receding. He didn''t mind it though, after there was no more room he walked between them, scanning their faces the same way Kai had been doing all this time. "You think I won''t do it? Why?" Xan asked, tilting his head to the side. "Because Lun is the one in danger now and not my brother any longer? Well, you could be thinking very reasonably here but let me ask you. What do you think, would he do it?" he asked the crowd and pointed towards his little brother, Kai looking at the crowd who stared at him with wide eyes, smiling. He waved at them, throwing a wink towards their direction. "Now tell me, do you think my brother would do it. Would you do it?" "Oh, yes. I definitely would. Have actually done something similar in the past too. What are you going to do to me anyways?" Kai asked them playfully. He walked in, his hands behind his back as he inspected all of them. "I do not give a shit about any of you so you better spill who did it, tell me now who helped get us framed and I swear I will spare you¡­if you don''t annoy me." he said waiting for a few seconds. He was ready to speak more, grab someone and maybe throw a punch or two when he noticed something in the back of the room. A man, one of the oldest looking ones that stood in the back. He was trying to hide from his eyes and when they looked at each other he froze before he tried to run away. Kai smirked, a maddening look in his eyes as he flashed before the man, grabbing him by his neck, looking like the devil himself. "Got ya.." he said, filled with satisfaction. "You and I are going to have so much fun, you fucking bastard" Chapter 241 - 240 Lion- Saint Mesa The prince grabbed the man, his gray hair tied in a poorly made ponytail while he wore the uniform the few butlers in the palace wore. As Kai''s hand wrapped aggressively around his neck he slammed him on the wooden wall making him cough. "Let''s talk. I don''t want to be mean here or anything." the blond prince said, a sardonic smile on his face. The crowd had retrieved on the other side of the room, as far away as they could to not face the wrath of the wild vampire that stood before them. "Your highness, I¡­I had no other choice. I swear!" the man exclaimed, knowing that he could possibly be dead soon. His eyes were filled with tears, his whole body was shaking from fear but Kai ignored him, tightening his grip able to only see red. "Alloy put you into this didn''t she?" Kai asked him, not caring about his pleadings. He heard the man having trouble breathing, he heard the breath trying to enter his body and watched as his face turned red. He let go of him, his body messily landing on the floor and he kicked him in the face, creating a huge cut on his cheek bone before the butler fell with his face on the floor. Kai stepped on his back, making sure to keep him down as he crouched slightly, meeting his terrified eyes. He used to be red but now his face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost. The truth was he was actually looking at death, right in the eyes. "Answer me. Answer me and I might think to not fucking kill you and everyone you love. There is no going back now, all you can do is confess." he reminded him and the man whined. "I had no other choice." "Do you think that I care? I want to know what happened, not your inner conflict so talk!" He shouted and stepped on the man harder, making him let out a loud scream. "She told me I had to do it. I stole the knife right before the tour, it was one I was sure no one was going to bother with because it belonged to one of the ancestors the queen did not like so I just took it out of the room and waited. Once all of the werewolves were gone to go to the tour I went in. He was really weak, beaten up and it wasn''t hard for me to do it. I just stabbed him and took the knife to your room. Then she did everything else by planting suspicion and saying it was you. Your highness, I really didn''t want to do it. I swear, please spare me." "Why did she do it? Is it because she is said to like Philip?" Kai asked him. "What? No¡­I¡­she said she had a plan, she is working with someone¡­she told me that if I didn''t help my family would die." he cried, his tears dumping the wooden floor and Kai sighed, shaking his head. He removed his foot from his back, even more confused than before. Who was she working with and for what reason? He wondered. Could it really be true that she wanted to mess up the treaties? Kai looked at Xan, his older brother seeming as skeptic as he was, his blue eyes focused on the floor so he didn''t notice him. The person he looked at next was Ash. "Take that idiot. Tie him up and make sure he goes nowhere, you will be talking with the queen and exposing that bitch if you want to live. Am I clear?" Kai asked him, threateningly staring at him. The man nodded weakly, his tears stopping as Ash raised him and tied his hands behind his back with a rope. Kai needed a few seconds to think, what could be his next move, what would be best? His main goal was to be able to bring Lun back but as he had gotten deeper into things it seemed that this plan of hers wasn''t as simple as they thought. He had to know what was happening. Someone trying to ruin the treaties had never happened before. She was also cooperating with someone. A royal? Hunters? Everything seemed dangerous enough. "Soran, go tell my mother that we need to gather at the throne room. Tell her we found out who did it. If I go she will probably not talk to me." Xan said and their white haired friend nodded, leaving the practice room in a hurry. His footsteps got mixed with the sound of someone else approaching and the two brothers stared at the door, soon seeing a panting John appear before them. He stopped at the entrance, supporting himself on his knees as he tried to breathe. "What is it?" Kai asked. "She¡­she was the one who did it." John said and Kai smiled, approaching him and patting his back. "We already know that, you don''t have to hurry, just wait and take a breath okay? We will be bringing back Lun soon." he told him, feeling a bit better. John was fine, he had managed to do what he was asked. "No¡­Boss you don''t understand." The young werewolf said, his brown eyes wide as they met with Kai''s and the prince stiffened, worried about the fact that John didn''t seem relieved with what he had just heard. "What happened John? What did she tell you?" Kai asked him, suddenly feeling impatient. Xan approached them too, anxious about what could have happened. "BloodBound, I think she is planning to destroy BloodBound." John announced. "Fuck!" Xan shouted, kicking a resting bench made out of wood that was close. The bench flew in the air, traveling to the wall until it collated with it and broke in many pieces. "This is¡­" Kai mumbled, for a second his brain stopped. "We need to get the queen, now!" "They caught Lun!" A voice was heard, Soran appearing a few minutes just before he had left the room. "We need to go.. Now!" Xan shouted, not giving a damn about BloodBound at the moment. Chapter 242 - 241 Game of Survival- Ruelle Lun just could stay away. After what he had found the only thought in his mind, the box he had found, tightly in his grip, was warning everyone. Getting to Xan and Kai before it was already too late. He had no idea what they were doing, or how things were going in the palace but as the red sun of BloodBound slowly seemed to rise he knew very well that running away would simply kill them all in the end. The tall vampire managed to get all the way back to the castle without being caught, traveling from alley to alley, hidden in the dark corners, and arrived at the luxurious palace after a few hours worried and exhausted. He could see the enormous black gate and the guards standing in front of it. A sketch of his face glued to the wall right next to them with the word wanted in capital letters. Not a day had passed but they were actually spreading these everywhere already. He couldn''t get in through the main door so his only option was to jump over the wall at some part so that the guarding wouldn''t be as heavy. He was cautious about using his powers since he knew the palace had sensors. Any kind of unwanted source of vampire energy would be spotted and hunted down immediately, especially now that his image was plastered all over the palace as a criminal. He sighed, shaking his head as he walked silently across the tall wall. Once he was a few meters away from the guards and sure that he was outside their field of vision he clumsily climbed with the help of the cracks and holes that had been created in it through the thousands years. He stood at the top only for a second not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself before he jumped in the queen''s garden. Lun was surrounded by flowers, dark beautiful flowers that grew and came to life only to exist for a brief time. They were only here to fit a purpose, to be beautiful. They existed and they would die with that thought on the minds of people that looked at them. Beautiful, simply just that. He had stepped on a few with his boots, ruining their black and white petals and he sighed. These would get removed, they could not do their jobs anymore. Sometimes he felt like that. As if he was a person with one sole person, someone who didn''t exist for anything else. Be the palace''s dog. That was Lun and nothing else but now he couldn''t even do that because he was a fugitive. "Xan¡­" Lun called his name, a low whisper. Yes, maybe he could find another purpose now, one that he wanted. Being a friend, being a lover maybe he could be a lot more than someone''s dog. He looked at the flowers he had stepped on. "Sorry." he apologized as he started walking again, meaning to get to the palace door. He hid behind a thick tree, observing the guards that stood there with their long spears and their swords hanging from their leather belts. They were three of them so obviously he would have to take a detour once more. Maybe he could get in from Xan''s room. He always forgot to lock his balcony door and that''s why Lun would always get in from there, intending to scare him. His room was on the left wing of the royal quarters so he carefully changed his direction, managing to get to the half of his destination when he was stopped. Unfortunately Lun had decided to reach Xan''s room at the exact time the guard swatch was happening. Three more guards were coming front the direction he headed to to change posts with the three that stood at the door the whole night. For a second, everyone froze. The guards and Lun himself before one of them shouted at the rest to get him. Lun''s eyes widened and he sighed before he started running again. He was tired and the only option now was to use his powers. These guards though would call the rest if he just let them go. So he ran towards a side of the garden that was quiet, intending to bring them there so he could knock them out and then go on with his plan. The three vampires surrounded him, their spears held tightly in their hands and one of them threw it, giving the chance at Lun to have a weapon. Seeing how he intended to fight, the guards took their swords out, launching at him all at once and leaving him to fend for himself. If he hadn''t made himself clear before, Lun hated fighting and he hated even more to make his hands dirty. Nonetheless he engaged in this braindead, as he thought of it, quarrel. He grabbed one of the guards, dodging the first attack with his sword and threw him to his colleague, leaving himself bothered with only one for a while. This one was more skilled and actually managed to cut Lun on the arm, a hiss escaping his lips. He was in trouble, he was holding the box and he couldn''t risk letting go of it. He kicked his opponent, raising his hands in the air as he looked at him. "Fine, fine." he said. The best way to get inside the palace was to surrender if he did want to keep the box to his possesion. But as it seemed the guards he had made to collide before didn''t hear him and didn''t notice him, staring at his back, that he was intending to surrender. "No!" The guard that was facing him shouted but it was already late. One of them had pierced him in the stomach. Lun gasped, feeling the blade rip through his skin and actually appearing at the other side of his body. He looked down, seeing the pointy tip dipped in his blood as he coughed, red dots escaping his lips. He dropped the box, his dark eyes widening. He couldn''t lose the box. He couldn''t lose the box.. He screamed in his mind, not thinking for a second that he could actually lose his life. Chapter 243 - 242 The queen had gathered the werewolves at her meeting room. A very subtly decorated room with a long table. It had more than ten black chairs with comfortable cushions and each one of them was occupied by the guests. The news that Lun had been caught injured had spread and she had to do something, stall a bit more for Xan. Her son was an idiot and his lover a bigger one. She had specifically told him to keep him away but as it seemed no one wished to listen to her. Now she had to calm down a very angry Loyd requesting that Lun should be executed immediately and that girl that backed him up and lit up the fire even more with every word she said. Cecilia rubbed her forehead, the sound of their messy talks getting to her bit by bit. Loyd stood up, smacking his hand on her table, looking at the queen with angry eyes. "He needs to die, there should be a punishment." "And he will, I was the first that said that we will punish him but there is a protocol here. He needs to get well first from the wound the guard caused and then we will officially execute him, we have laws here, I can''t just overlook them, the research was poor already if the people found out¡­" "The research was poor?" Alloy interrupted her, making the queen click her tongue in annoyance. "What else could you possibly need to punish someone who hurt one of our own. The right thing would be for your son too to be punished but since his friend took the blame we looked the other way since he is a prince. Are you looking down on us and our kindness?" the woman asked her, making the queen smile. She stood up, tall and dressed in black, her whole night had passed with her working, she was ready to snap and her tense body complained with how she restrained herself. "Listen here. This is my house and no one will be smacking my tables or interrupting me when I am speaking, am I clear?" She shouted, her eyes shining crimson. Loyd noticed her anger, alarmed by the aura of her power he sat down, biting his bottom lip. He had been letting Alloy use him and slowly he was probably starting to see it. "You made my palace into a mess, you think you can do whatever you want, talk however you want. There are laws here! I don''t know how you go about in those little packs of yours but here you will be doing what I say, guests or not and if I say you need to wait you will wait, if I say you shut up, you will shut up." the queen ordered them and Alloy tried to speak again but Derek grabbed her, pulling her done and staring at her with a threatening stare. "That''s enough for today." he whispered to her when the door of the meeting room burst open, revealing the two Avger brothers. Xan stepped in first, his face pale, his eyes tired as he looked at his mother. "He is in the hospital room." the woman told him and sighed as he watched Xan run off without saying a word. He didn''t care what the guest they would think, he didn''t care about anyone in this room. Running off as if his life was depending on it while Kai the one who should be rushing off stood at the door, a smirk on his face as he looked at them "It''s very nice to see you all gathered here. I won''t have to run again." "What is it Kai?" The queen asked him. "I just wanted to talk to our guests a little bit. Especially the ones from Bloodfangs. Your little plan was very cute, considering you must have planned it on the spot but do tell me. How exactly did you threaten one of the butlers to place the knife in my room?" The young prince asked, finding his lover between them and winking at him victoriously. Philip smiled, seeing him shine. "What are you talking about?" Derek exclaimed. "We found the old man. The one you threatened to plant the knife in my room while the truth is you are the ones that did everything, you killed one of your own and tried to blame it on me to mess with the treaties, you''re working with someone. So please do explain yourselves." "Kai, these accusations¡­" The queen mumbled, looking at her son in shock. "Is it true?" Loyd asked, bug eyes as he watched Alloy and her beta show pure anger. "Of course it is not! We would never do that! I demand this man to be brought here, to tell everything himself in front of the queen. Then we will see who is lying and who is not." Alloy demanded. "Let''s go then. The two Alpha''s and the queen." Kai told them. Loyd stood up immediately and followed the young prince while Alloy stood on the back, her ears red from being annoyed. The queen didn''t say anything, she looked at the back of her son, worried that something would go wrong, she didn''t have a good feeling about this. The youngest prince led them to the practice room where the butler had been left. All of the other servants had run off scared the moment the two brothers disappeared while Soran and Ash had gone to see Lun too together with John. They had left the man tied in a corner of the room, the door closed. No one knew about this room, at least no one who wasn''t a member of the royal court. Kai grabbed his keys from his pocket, opening the wooden door to let the rest of them in. He stepped in first, his blue eyes scanning the room for the man. "Impossible." he mumbled as he found the man dead on the floor, white foam coming from his mouth. "There is no way!" he shouted. He was dead, their only source, the one who was supposed to save Lun was dead. "Wow¡­"Alloy said ironically. "I am sure a corpse could say so much." she told Kai and smirked at him. "Kai this¡­" "Mother, she has people in the palace. You know I am telling the truth, why would someone I needed to save Lun suddenly die. This does not make sense. She is working with someone." Kai warned her and the queen looked at the both of them, a cold stare caressing their figures. "Both of you, come with me to the meeting room. No one is coming out of there until Lun is healed." "What?" Loyd complained. "If there is really someone in this palace that is messing with my people." Cecilia said, her eyes looking straight at Alloy. "I have to make sure I crush them properly. Whoever does not follow my orders I will consider them as suspects." "Kai, take this man to the doctor, learn what he died from and come to me." "Okay." Kai agreed. "From now on, I am responsible for this case." the queen announced.. "And I am not as nice as my sons." Chapter 244 - 243 War of hearts- Ruelle He had heard Lun had been injured, and a spear went right through his body. The moment that information reached his ears Xan didn''t care about the case any more. He didn''t care about finding who had done it or why they wanted to get involved with their treaties, all he could think of was Lun and everything he was going through. His body was stiff, his heart though was going insane, a raging between trapped inside his ribcage as he looked at the closed door of the hospital room. The crown prince took a deep breath, trying to find the strength to open the door. What if he was fatally injured? The door opened on its own, revealing a small sized nurse holding a bunch of gauzes drenched in blood. Lun''s blood, Xan thought and felt like he couldn''t breathe. He stood still in front of her cutting her path and she, shocked that someone had popped right in front of her face let out a small screech. "Excuse me your majesty, I was just frightened." She apologized but Xan didn''t mind. He looked at her. "The man in there¡­is he¡­" "I am alive!" A weak voice was heard from inside and Xan breathed out, feeling a bit relieved. "He will be fine. It''s just that the spear pierced through him, as it seemed he also hadn''t fed in a while so the healing process might take a while. It will just be painful." The nurse informed Xan and he nodded, trying to look as unfazed by this as he could. "I see, thank you." he told her and moved to the side so she could pass. After she left the prince walked in, seeing rows and rows of medical beds, Lun occupying one of them. He was shirtless, his abdomen wrapped in bandages, the place that his wound had been opened slowly painted red. "That thing is still open?!" Xan exclaimed and rushed towards him. "Yeah¡­" Lun answered, sounding weak. "They are just waiting for it to heal on its own. Very old fashioned if you ask me." he joked as he tried to smile. "This is insane, I have to get the doctor, what if you bleed out before this shit heals?" he asked and Lun scoffed. "I won''t" "You already sound half dead." Xan noticed. "Well, thinking that I should be dead, half dead is not that bad." the tall man joked again and Xan shook his head. "This is not the time for jokes." he told him. "It''s always time for jokes." "No." "Then when is time for jokes?" he asked him playfully and Xan rolled his blue eyes, irked. "When you''re not half dead and when I am not in the brim of death by anxiety and nervousness." he informed him. "Were you worried?" "Now, I was solving crosswords in my room and thought I would pass by." "See, time for jokes." Lun said again. Xan grabbed his hand, feeling the rough cold skin touch his. It felt good to have him close, to hear his voice. He could feel good for a few seconds until his eyes would land on that bloody patch or recognize the pain he felt in his voice. "You''re never leaving this palace again. Putting yourself in danger like this I¡­I almost went mad, I thought you could have died. Hearing from whispers that you had been injured.Why did you come back? How can you be so stupid? Kai and I are working on it¡­" Xan said. His head dropped, his forehead touching the back of Lun''s cold hand, as he breathed slowly. He wanted to kiss him, hug him and be thankful that he was alright but he was also scared. He didn''t want to hurt him more. He was like a glass statue, so beautiful but at the same time so fragile so all he could do was feel the gentle touch of his hand. "The Avger brothers working together¡­the surprise." Lun told him, a grin on his face. "Sorry if I worried you and well this offer of never leaving the palace again, I will take it if it means bugging you for the rest of your life." "I will kick you out." "But I am injured and weak." Lun pouted, making the crown prince smile. "Why did you come back Lun?" "I¡­Xan!" Lun exclaimed, slowly everything came back to him. He tried to sit up, he actually wanted to leave but the prince pushed him down, staring at him as if he was mad. "What are you doing?" he asked him. "The box. Xan you need to get the box. I had it with me when I came back but when I was stabbed I dropped it. It must still be there, in the garden." "What box?" "While I was looking for a place to hide I reached the old stable close to the rift. There were no people around so I thought this place would be best so I wanted to hide inside. There I found a box, it was also hidden in the hay. You need to find that box. This box is the only evidence we have." "Evidence for what?" "The fact that the Bloody People are working with Alloy''s pack to destroy BloodBound." Lun announced. The prince gasped, frozen in his chair as he looked at Lun. He couldn''t believe what he had just heard, this couldn''t be possible, the Bloody People hated werewolves more than anyone else. They couldn''t be the ones behind this. "What are you looking at? The right side of the garden! The box, go get it and you will see for yourself. No one else must have it Xan" Lun told him, making him stand up. No matter how impossible it sounded, no matter how crazy, Lun had seen it and he had to go out and bring it back. .... Hello everyone! How do you like the story so far? Hope you''re enjoying the book. If you are please leave a nice comment to tell me what you think and a vote! Also don''t forget, buy priviledge, get a discount and many more perks if we reach 1000 unlocks! Chapter 245 - 244 It''s scary, knowing you could lose someone. The thought of being apart from them, the memories that could possibly haunt you for the rest of your life time. All those little details that you would lose, a piece of your soul, the part of your heart that you would lose. Everything in a relationship is scary and painful, especially when your life''s on the line every day, when people look at you and you don''t know if they''re hiding knives behind their backs. If they would come for you or the one you love, because they know your weakness. Kai took the body of the old butler, looking at him and hoping he could reach the doctor before it turned into dust. He needed this, the evidence, something to prove Lun''s innocence. He wouldn''t be able to bear it if his best friend died. His brother, he would completely lose himself. Lun always thought that nobody cared about him but this nervousness, the cold sweat that dripped from his temples. They could be nothing more than carrying, worrying to lose a person that mattered to you. Xan would be devastated. No matter their differences Kai was aware of the pain, of the inner torture of losing someone. If it happened again, if the crown prince lost his lover then the world would crumble around him. Kai couldn''t let that happen. He reached the royal doctor''s room and without even knocking he stormed in, opening the door with his foot. There was a woman there, bright green eyes and brown hair. She wore a pair of golden glasses. At the thump of the door she snapped, her eyes landing on the prince. "Your highness. Is everything alright?" She asked him as she stood up, leading him to an examination bed she had at her office. The youngest prince dropped the lifeless body. "Please hurry up, before he turns into dust. Can you tell me what he died from? Was it something that we use here or is it from the human world?" The prince asked her and the woman rushed at the butler. She seemed confused but didn''t deny or ask anything. As fast as she could she examined the body, seeing his eyes, checking his throat and his limbs. As she looked at him the body of the man slowly started to disappear, from his legs to the tip of his head gray ash began to spread where he had been laid, leaving nothing behind. Kai looked at the doctor with wide eyes, anticipating to hear her answer. She had a frown on her face, confused. "What is it? Did you manage to get what killed him?" Kai asked as she took off her glasses, placing them on her desk. "It''s what we call a suicide pill but for supernaturals. It is forbidden in BloodBound so he must have gotten it from the outside world." The doctor explained. "So you mean he decided to kill himself?" Kai asked her and she nodded. So that meant he hadn''t been threatened, he was willingly working with the wolves. That was impossible though, it was almost like an instinct for them to hate each other and weak vampires and werewolves couldn''t really fight it most of the time. That could mean only one thing, the butler was not with them but with the ones the werewolves were cooperating. A heavy sigh escaped Kai''s lips as he realized that the whole situation was becoming more and more troublesome. "Thank you." He told the doctor and left, not answering her questions about what happened. He dragged his feet for a moment, devastated that his plan had failed. "Kai!" He heard Philip''s voice and raised his head. This man had the ability to always appear when he needed him, he was there, standing before him and the young prince, drowning in a sudden sadness rushed towards him, crushing into his embrace with tears in his eyes. "Everything is going wrong." Kai cried like a child, feeling Philip''s arm wrap around his body. He was strong, he offered him comfort and his scent was so soothing he felt his headache subside. Philip breathed in, caressing Kai''s hair. "It''s going to be fine. I am sure you will get to save Lun." Philip reassured him when Kai pushed himself back. "How are you here?" He asked him. "I thought the queen told everyone to stay inside the meeting room." "I might have told the queen in front of everyone that I needed to pee." Philip said with an awkward smile. Kai chuckled, his tears a contradiction with that beautiful smile of his and Philip wiped them off, his fingertip slowly touching his cheeks. "Your smile is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen so please don''t cry, unless it''s from joy." He told him. "Wish I could. I need to get back, I have to talk to my mother. The man was killed with a suicide pill. Those are banned in BloodBound so it''s probably from the outside." The prince explained and Philip nodded. "I am sure that will save Lun some time." He said. "Yeah. We can''t be seen together." The prince told him. "I don''t want to get you involved in this. You just became the Alpha, your reputation¡­." "Don''t care about that." Philip said and brought him closer, wanting him in his arms for even one more second. "All I care is that you''re well so I can finally have you close to me. My reputation...let''s just say it''s long gone." He joked and Kai smiled. The prince looked around, suspicious and in search of intruding eyes. When he made sure no one was around her grabbed Philip by his shirt and brought him close, kissing him on the lips. "I love you." Kai whispered. "Now go back." He told him as he disappeared, probably going to find his mother. Philip was left looking at nothing, a faint smile on his face as he remembered the sense of Kai''s lips on his. "I wonder when it will be just us." He mumbled to himself as he walked away. "Probably never. A prince and an Alpha. A vampire and a wolf.. Quite the drama." Chapter 246 - 245 Kai returned back to the throne room. Knowing all that he did scared me, what could have in the future and the possibility of losing everything so easily. His mother had decided to take over and he only believed in her because of the hate she nurtured for werewolves. Her pride was too high to be defeated just like that. The younger prince knocked on the door, knocking loud and steady only to see his mother appearing at the doorstep. The queen looked back for a second, probably checking on the wolves before she stepped outside. "What did the doctor say?" "Suicide pill which is¡­" "Forbidden in BloodBound. You''re right after all. Someone tried to frame you." "Mother, they''re working with someone to destroy BloodBound." Kai told her and the queen''s eyes widened in shock. She grabbed her son by the arm, leading him a bit further. "Do you understand the gravity of your words right now?" She whispered. "I am sure of it. John managed to get a few things out of Alloy. The last thing she said was that BloodBound will soon be no more. The butler said that they were working with someone. They''re not alone." "Could it be hunters?" Cecilia wondered but Kai nodded negatively. "That''s what I thought at first but it doesn''t make sense for the butler to kill himself just for hunters. It must be someone from the inside." "They have been planning this for a while.", Cecilia murmured. "With everything that happened with the Moonshine all of my informants at the human world were busy trying to find info on the dead vampires, I was left out for too long." She blamed herself, a dissatisfied look on her face as she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "I won''t be able to keep them in there for much longer. I need you and your brother to think of something quick because in the end not only your friend will die but as it seems BloodBound will be in danger too. I need this woman killed and we need to find who she is working with." Cecilia told Kai and the prince nodded. "Tell them about the pill, that will stall them. Plant suspicions in them that someone must have brought it from the outside which is true." Kai suggested and she nodded. This was their only option for now, stall things so they wouldn''t request for Lun to get killed. "I will go find Xan." He told her. "Okay, let''s do it this way. Once you find your brother and you have the evidence you need come here, immediately. We don''t have any time to waste." Cecilia said before Kai disappeared. The young prince was never really fond of using his powers too much. Especially when he never had a true blood source to drink from, it took a toll on his strength very easily. But now since he had drunk Philip''s blood he felt strong egain, finally being able to use his powers. He had managed to search most of the palace in a few minutes, finally able to spot his older brother in the garden. The white haired man was on his knees, looking for something in the tall grass and Kai couldn''t help but frown, unaware of what was going on. "This is not the time for gardening." "Shut up and help me find Lun''s box. He said there is proof in there. About Alloy working with the Bloody people. We need to find it and take it to our mother." Xan announced and the young prince looked at him, his jaw dropping. "You can''t be serious, why would the Nightshades ever try to¡­" "I don''t know Kai! I have no idea, all I know is that Lun is in there, bleeding out with a death sentence on his head so shut up and help me look!" The crown prince shouted. His nerves were tense, his mind was slowly giving up on him as he spent more and more time looking for something that seemed to be nowhere. Could Lun have hallucinated him? A result from his injury? No, it couldn''t be, he wasn''t that weak but no matter how hard he looked in the spot he was told there was nothing. "What if one of the soldiers took it?" Kai asked. "Then we will have to kill them and get it back." "That''s a bit aggressive." "We''re talking about complete destruction here who cares about aggressive?" Xan snapped looking at his brother with an angry stare. "Are you looking for this?" A voice sounded from behind them. The two brothers turned around, seeing a quite faintly familiar figure. A woman sitting lazily at the top of the palace''s wall, tangling her feet while looking at them. On her right hand she held the box, looking at them with a cocky grin. "You!" Kai shouted, painting at her and she chuckled. "Well if you want it you gotta take it from me, before time runs out and your friend dies." She challenged them before she jumped off the wall on the other side. "Get that bitch and rip her to shreds." Xan shouted. Both of them were going after her and the box. Xan had no intention of letting her go. He had to get her to save Lun and the kingdom. As it seemed things were slowly getting harder and harder for the both of them. The fate of BloodBound was in the hands of the two brothers while they went after a crazy lady with a wooden box. Somehow it sounded like the plot of a horrible comedy but at with them, their lives were on the line. ... Hello everyone. Hope you''re enjoying the story. Please leave a vote, a nice comment and a good review to help the book out. Also remember to buy privilege chapters. You get a discount and help The Tears of a Prince get promoted! Help a small author out please. Thank you for reading! Chapter 247 - 246 They followed her, flashing off the wall and looking for her with their eyes. She had run off, fast trying to become one with the crowd that began to form in front of her. Xan looked at her back as she bumped to people, the box held tightly in her arms. "Who the fuck is she?" He asked his younger brother as they followed her. "I think her name is Astra? She is the wolf warrior of Blood fangs. How did she get out? She was supposed to be in the meeting room." He wondered. "I have no fucking idea" Xan said jumping over one of the tables a small cafe had set outside. He heard people gasping and the commotion soon had made everyone stare at them. He didn''t pay attention, he just kept going, focused on getting that girl before Lun was killed. "To the left!" Kai shouted, seeing the tanned woman take a sharp turn and he smiled. It was a dead end. Astra was found trying to climb over the wall. She could have done it if Xan hadn''t rushed in the alley and grabbed her by the back of her head, throwing her down. She groaned, colliding with the dirty street while the box left her hand. Kai ran towards it, grabbing it as if it was some kind of treasure. "What are you people planning?" Xan asked her, stepping on her stomach to make sure she would not try to escape. The werewolf took out her long claws, scratching his leg and the crown prince hissed, blood oozing from the cut and his ripped pants. "You will know soon." She said, looking at them with a sneaky grin. "Stop playing smart and tell me, or else I will kill you right now. Things are pretty shitty already so I don''t care." Xan told her, making her chuckle. "Why don''t you open the box, see what is inside. I am sure you will easily understand what we are planning." Astra told them, looking at the younger prince with a suggestive look. Her dark eyes affected Kai, she seemed so sure to the point he was uncertain. He placed his palm at the lid of the box slowly opening it, his blue eyes peeking inside so he could find out what they were planning. Once Kai became exposed to the interior of the box his blue eyes widened, an unreadable expression on his face. "What?" Xan asked as he heard his younger brother sigh loudly. He gripped the box tightly ,raising his hand and then throwing it on the ground. "It''s empty!" Kai shouted as he watched the box shatter into small pieces. Astra started laughing, the sound a very annoying cackle that had Xan wanting to kick her in the face. "You simply wanted to keep us away from the palace, to make us waste time." The crown prince said. "Well yeah, I overheard you talking to that lover of yours. We didn''t even know you had the box in the first place. You sure need to be careful when you talk about things. Even the walls have ears" "How did you get out of the meeting room?" Kai asked her. "Everyone has been set free. Alloy pressured your mommy into letting us go. Time has almost run out. What will you do?" She asked them, playfully. "We will find the box." Xan said as he kicked her in the head, knocking her out. "I couldn''t hear her voice any longer. Let''s go, we will find the box." "Don''t they have it?" Kai asked. "If they did, they wouldn''t have to lead us away. The box is probably still in the garden. Come on." They had been tricked, running around their own tails like dogs, Xan thought a displeased expression on his face. He had to hurry, get back to the palace find the box and take it to his mother. Then everything would be over, Lun would be saved and no one would be asking for his death. His heart was in pain, a pinch on his chest as he imagined him alone in the hospital bed. He wanted to be there, with him but he had to do this because Lun was the one that asked him. ..... It was definitely not a pleasant feeling, the one when you were bleeding out. His wound seemed to heal incredibly slowly and right now he was lightheaded, trying not to faint as he laid on the hospital bed. The bandages had been tightly wrapped around his body, bit by bit getting colored with his own blood. Why wasn''t he healing? Maybe because he hadn''t fed in a while? He was so busy with Xan that he forgot he had been hungry. It was hilarious, he thought and a faint smile appeared on his face. He liked that idiot so much that he would even forget that he was cursed because of him. Lun was paying the price now though but well at least he couldn''t die. He heard the door of the room opening, it made a creaking noise sometimes because it needed to be oiled but since no one actually got seriously injured, they were vampires after all the so called palace hospital was a bit forgotten and left on its own. Lun was not strong enough to turn his head, his whole body had given up on him so he didn''t know who had decided to visit him. He tried to mumble a few names, Kai, Xan, Soran, John but the words only remained in his thoughts, no sound coming out. The footsteps were approaching but the unknown guest did not say anything. Was he hallucinating? It could be possible. From the tremors to the ringing in his ears and the dead body all he missed right now was some good old paranoia. He took a short breath, his chest hurting as it moved and managed to speak. His voice was rough and tired. "Who''s there?" Lun asked, waiting for an answer. "Xan?" He called his lover''s name, hoping it was him. "Did you take the box to the queen?" He asked him but again no answer. At this point he was actually starting to believe he was hallucinating so he simply closed his eyes, letting himself calm down. No one was next to him, no one was actually there and he was imagining things. A few seconds passed. Nothing. Lun had been right, it was all in his head. "Stupid." He mumbled to himself still trying to stay away when he heard it again, movement and his eyes widened. "Who''s there?" He asked and this time, a voice finally was heard. "Someone that will make sure you pay for your crimes." He said. The next second Lun felt the worst pain he ever had. His skin got ripped, his bones were crushed and suddenly he couldn''t breathe any longer. He felt a palm wrap around the beating muscle, choking his heart with the intention to shutter it and he gasped, his eyes round. Someone was trying to crush his heart, someone was trying to kill him. He was going to die after all and in the most miserable way. Without having done any of the things he wanted, without being with the one he loved, without at least being able to say goodbye. "I didn''t kill him. The werewolf." Lun groaned, feeling the life slip slowly out of his body and the movement of the hand stopped, still inside his chest. "It wasn''t me" "You''re lying!" The voice said. It was Loyd, the Alpha that lost Mark. He had come to get his revenge. It was a shame he was trying to kill the wrong person. Lun bit his lip, feeling like his whole body was on fire. He was going to die after all. He didn''t want to think of anything when he died. It was something he wished for ever since he was young. Even though he was a vampire Lun believed that some day someone would try to kill him. Maybe it was because of who he was but he had never thought of eternity of something sure. So he at least wanted to die in peace, his mind blank in his final moments. Unfortunately he didn''t magae to do that. As he was dying be could only see Xan, crying and broken from the news of his death. Lun himself never really cared if he would die or not, but now, as that image haunted his last moments his eyes widened. Xan would lose someone he loved again, he would be all alone, destroyed. He couldn''t let that happen, he couldn''t just leave him behind. "Sorry..." Xan groaned. "But I can''t die here." He told Loyd before he simply disappeared leaving the man in the room. Lun found himself in the floor of Kai''s bedroom, drenched in his own blood, feeling the soft carpet on his body. It was astonishing how one person could simply give him the will to live. Chapter 248 - 247 An endless chase. Everything had been an endless chase while someone was playing with them, pulling the strings. The werewolves, the Bloody people, all of them pawns of someone''s greater plan. Slowly but steadily they were planning for BloodBound to fall into ruin and the two brothers had taken it upon themselves to stop this farce. Their kingdom had existed for thousands of years, the idea of someone wanting to destroy it was ridiculous and at the same time terrifying. The box had been finally found, lying in the tall grass of the garden, close to an apple tree. It didn''t even catch the eye if you didn''t focus. A small wooden box that almost looked like some kind of fallen tree branch from far away. Maybe that''s why Astra couldn''t find it. The same way Kai and Xan did not have time, the same way they had to hurry too. The younger prince found it, grabbing it victoriously and then both of them headed towards their mother. It was true that Cecilia had let everyone go. She was in her office, an impatient expression on her face as she watched her two sons walk through her door. She stood up, looking at them. "What took you so long? I had to let everyone go, they were starting to cause a ruckus." the queen said as Kai placed the box on the desk. She eyed it, suspicious about its insides and with her pale hand she opened it slowly, green eyes scanning everything that was inside. At first it took her a few seconds to proceed with what she was looking at. Slowly with very careful moves she took out the pieces of paper that were in the box. Two maps, one of BloodBound and one of the palace, were carefully sketched with all the secret pathways and ways to get out of the palace. At the bottom of the box she found a few pills, the ones the butler used to take his life while there was also a letter. It had been sealed before but now the red wax was broken. Xan took out the letter for his mother and the woman read it, her vibrant eyes darkening with every line she understood. "What is it saying?" Xan asked when the sound of the door opening was heard. It was his father, a concerned look on his face. Cecilia didn''t answer, she simply threw the letter at her husband, the man grabbing it before it touched the floor and read it. His eyes widened, his expression a lot more shocked than his wife''s and a sigh escaped his lips. "They are trying to destroy BloodBound as you said." The queen said. "They are working with the Bloody People and their new leader, someone A.A has signed the letter. They got into my palace, they tried to have my son executed, they created a mess and everything was the plan of vampires!" Cecilia shouted, her pale face slowly turning red. "Cecilia we should¡­" Aleron mumbled, trying to approach her. She still was not really speaking to him. She had so much on her mind that forgiving him was the last thing she could do right now but she needed his help, at moments like this when everything seemed to be so confusing she could only turn to him. The queen''s eyes landed on the map, widening as she noticed something again. All of the secret pathways of the palace had been drawn there, every escape route. "Aleron¡­" she mumbled. "Yes?" "They will be trying to escape! Send the guards, now!" She shouted Aleron disappearing before she could even finish her sentence. Cecilia sighed, landing on her chair messily as the exhaustion became more obvious on her body. "Xan¡­" she called her older son and he nodded. "Loyd tried to kill Lun, they caught him in the hospital room but Lun has disappeared somewhere, probably trying to save himself. I thought you should know." she said, rubbing her temples. "I¡­I have to go." Xan mumbled and she scoffed. "Of course you do. The whole kingdom is crumbling but you have to go." she mumbled, dissatisfied. Xan seemed to hesitate, perplexed about what he should really do. Remain there and help his mother or go and search for his wounded lover. Sometimes he felt like all his life he had been standing at a crossroad, divided by shoulds and wants. The thought of losing Lun though made the destruction of BloodBound seem as if it was nothing and he felt guilty about it. This was not the way the crown prince should think. "Just go." Kai told him. "I will help here." he added and Xan blinked, surprised to hear him say that. "Go now before I change my mind." he repeated and his older brother ran off, hoping to find Lun. Kai looked at his mother, a bitter expression on his face. Cecilia noticed it, raising a snow white brow. "What?" "Why didn''t you let me be with Philip the way you let Xan be with Lun? I never wanted you to love me, or accept me. I just wanted you to let me exist in peace. Why couldn''t you do that?" Kai asked her. Cecilia breathed in, an irked expression on her flawless face as she stood up. "Because Philip is a werewolf and when their kind gets involved shit like this happens." she answered him, throwing the maps on the desk. "So now¡­after everything that you did¡­are you happy?" her son asked her and she scoffed. "I have not been happy in my life for more than a day, not even once." The queen answered him, leaving him speechless. "Now help me if you want, if you don''t get lost." she told him. Hearing Kai sigh. She believed he would walk away, hearing his footsteps get away from her but he didn''t leave, he grabbed a chair, bringing it closer to the desk. "I think we should start from the letter." Kai said. "....Yeah¡­" Cecilia mumbled. Chapter 249 - 248 Xan had been running away his whole life. Even if he didn''t want to admit it he was exactly like his younger brother and father. He always chose to turn a blind eye to things that inconvenience him and anything that didn''t exist between the strict lines of his so-called royal duty was unwanted. Lun was not a duty, he was not something that was assigned to him but still he just couldn''t look away. For years he hadn''t been able to. When he had heard that he was going to be sent to the human world to search for Kai he hadn''t said anything, he couldn''t really but his mind was an utter mess. He couldn''t stop worrying, wondering what he would be doing and how his life was going to go one without him around annoying him. At first he had thought it had just been a habit, something he would have to stop but as the days passed the crown prince realized that his days had become quite dull. That was why he had volunteered to leave the palace, without everyone knowing he was the one that offered to go and deal with that stupid Alpha hoping that he would cross paths with him and as he had planned Xan and Lun had been united again. Right now all of his little attempts to be around him, all those time he denied to himself that he didn''t like him seemed so stupid and childish seeing how he had been teleporting everywhere in the palace just to find him and make sure he was okay, leaving the whole palace to burn if he cared. Nothing mattered if Lun was not well. After about twenty minutes the prince managed to find him in Kai''s room. The young vampire was laid on the floor, his blood drenching the expensive carpet as he breathed slowly. The rip in his chest was healing, slowly. "Lun." he called out, rushing towards him and falling to his knees right by his side. His pants were painted red, his lover''s blood everywhere around. He looked pale, even paler than usual while black circles had appeared underneath his eyes. He wanted to do something, anything so he could help him but he just stood there, his hands in the air as he tried to think. "Can you hear me?" he asked him, his voice loud. "Yes, your voice is piercing my eardrums." Lun answered, his voice rough like sandpaper. "Are you alright?" he asked, sounding utterly ridiculous and Lun rolled his eyes. "Great really, you know, chilling on the floor." he answered him and Xan bit his bottom lip. "Sorry, sorry¡­" he said. "Is there anything I can do?" "Give me some of your blood to heal." Lun said, joking. He wouldn''t dare to ask Xan for his blood. He was a pureblood. It could be considered an insult and if they weren''t lovers the prince could even have him executed. In general vampires drinking blood from each other was considered taboo in a way, something that was looked down on. Silence spread in the room and without even looking at him the tall vampire could tell Xan was shocked by his suggestion. Lun wanted to laugh but it hurt too much, even the thought of it was painful actually. "Calm down I was just jok¡­" "Okay." Xan said, cutting his sentence in half and Lun''s eyes widened. "Are you serious?" He asked him, unable to believe in what he had just agreed to. "You don''t have to¡­" "I said it''s okay." Xan said, his tone stern as he looked at Lun in the eyes. He brought his palm to his cheek, gently caressing it and smiled. "I love you, I would do anything for you, I may not be the best at showing it but this¡­I will only ever do this for you." he told him, removing his hand from his cheek and bringing forth his fangs. He bit the inside of his grip, hard, opening two perfectly round cuts that ooze with his royal blood. Lun could smell it, he could almost taste it, the warmth of blood that would heal him, make him feel as if nothing happened. The prince brought his wrist to his lips, his skin feeling soft as it touched his dry lips. "Drink" the prince told him and Lun felt it slip into his mouth, sweet, getting down his throat and his eyes widened, his hand pressuring Xan''s harder into his lips as his wounds began to heal. He still couldn''t believe that Xan would do something like that for him. As his wound disappeared, as the pain lessened bit by bit and his mind wasn''t hazy anymore he could see Xan more clearly. His worried expression, his furrowed eyebrows as he looked at him, hoping that he would be alright. The prince really did love him. Up until now he hadn''t really allowed himself to believe that but at this moment, his face, this gesture said it all. Lun was alright, he would be alright, he thought as he stopped drinking, his wounds completely healed by now. He removed Xan''s hand from his lips, tears in his dark eyes. "Why are you crying? Does my blood taste that bad?" The crown prince asked him. "You love me." Lun stated sitting up and found himself close to him, so close the tip of their noses almost touched. "You really love me." "Of course I do, I have loved you for a while now." Xan answered. "Was it that hard to believe?" he asked and Lun scoffed. "Do you blame me?" "No, not really. I could never." The white haired prince answered him, caressing his cheek once more. "But hear me out¡­" the prince said, a faint smile on his lips. "I love you." he said, slowly so Lun could hear every word clearly. He moved in closer, his lips landing gently on his and bringing him into an emotion filled kiss. Xan hugged him, letting Lun rest his head on his shoulder so he could feel the weight of his body on his. The prince smiled, finally relieved. "Don''t do anything stupid again. All you do is stupid things." "I won''t. You know, when Loyd tried to kill me for a second I thought that I wasn''t scared to die. For a split second I remember that I had always believed I would live a short life but then your face came to my mind and I¡­I desperately wanted to live, just to be around you." Lun told him, making Xan look at him. This time the prince was the one crying. "You are the biggest idiot I have ever met and you need to stop doing this?" "Doing what?" Lun asked with a chuckle. "Turning more and more to everything I ever wanted.." Xan said. Chapter 250 - 249 By the time the soldiers had been on the move it was already too late. The three members of Blood Fang had escaped leaving behind the box with the evidence of their plan. At the sound of their easy escape Cecilia kicked her desk, her eyes landing on the maps. The letter, that letter was the most concerning thing. They had been cooperating with the Bloody People to bring down the kingdom, their leader had been changed and now she had no idea what was actually happening. "The letter¡­I think that it''s clear. We need to start taking measures." Kai told her. He had been there for a while, rereading the few lines again and again, a frown on his face as he was having trouble understanding. What was the reason behind all this? A group of people that had always been obsessed with vampire superiority, wanting to keep strict and old fashioned rules suddenly wanted to tear everything down. It could possibly be because of their new leader, this A.A that had signed the letter. "Right now we can''t really do anything. Just go rest, I know you probably want to see that wolf of yours. I need to make an announcement to the werewolves anyways. Think of a way to make them help us." she said, rubbing her forehead. "Tomorrow morning we will all gather again." Kai stood up, looking at his mother with a concerned expression. Her body was tense, her face showing her growing worry as her green eyes traveled on everything that was sprawled on her desk. He sighed, aware that no matter what he said he couldn''t do things any better so he just decided to leave, give her some time. He immediately returned to his room, avoiding everyone that crossed his path, his blue eyes stuck on the floor as he walked. He didn''t want to talk to anyone, he simply wanted to be with Philip. Thankfully, when he opened the door to his room the werewolf was there, sitting on his bed and playing with the hem of one of the silk pillowcases. At the sound of Kai coming in he raised his head, locking worried eyes with him and he stood up, pushed back by the force the prince landed in his arms, rubbing his pale face on his chest like a cat. The Alpha hugged him back, his fingers traveling through the soft hair as he let out a relieved sigh. He kissed the top of Kai''s head, feeling him breathe slowly before he took a step back, wanting to meet his eyes. "It''s over now, Lun is safe." he told him. "I think this is just the beginning." Kai answered, a bitter expression on his face. "Now everything will change. They want to destroy BloodBound." "We won''t let that happen. It is a hard job to ruin a kingdom. Rest for tonight and tomorrow, with everyone else we will figure things out. I will be there for you, all the way." Philip told him, giving him a gentle smile. Kai breathed out, letting the man caress his cheek, moving his cheek closer to him. Such a comforting touch, a peaceful smile, his only support in this terrifying storm. "I don''t want to lose you again. I won''t be able to handle it." Kai confessed, his fears coming to life once again. What if this was their final chapter? What if the Bloody People take him away from him once more? All these thoughts were turning into a monster in his mind, nesting nastily there, making him unable to feel any happiness. "I won''t leave you. Never again. I promise. You won''t be able to escape from me that easily. I will always come back to life to annoy the shit out of you." Philip said, kissing him sweetly on the lips and making him smile. "You''ve never once annoyed me." "Well, I guess I am that good." "No, wait I think there was one time¡­" "What? When?" Philip asked, his hazel eyes widening making Kai chuckle. "Remember when I gave you that tattoo? You kept whining the whole time saying that it hurt. It was really funny" he reminded him and Philip scoffed. "It did not hurt" he said, averting his embarrassed eyes and the prince smiled brightly. He moved his hand, finding his and entwining their fingers. He looked down, seeing how their skin touched, feeling his warmth. It was just physical touch but it felt like the most effective remedy, one that could ease all of his worries. Just a lock of the fingers, just a subtle smile or a wink. Anything that Philip did. "Don''t leave me, ever again." Kai stated, looking at him with a strict look. The werewolf leaned in, kissing him hungrily, deepening their connection and Kai melted by his skills. He was flashed and panting, waiting for an answer. "I wouldn''t dare." Philip said with a grin. "If I left you I am sure you would hunt me down and kill me yourself, again and again, sounds like a horrible nightmare." "Well, I am glad that you know it." Kai said, a bright smile on his face, showing his pointy fangs. "But promise me. Promise me that no matter what happens from tomorrow onwards you won''t leave me. You will be with me." the prince asked him. Philip tilted his head, smirking. "I promise, my lovely prince. I will be here, from the start to the end. Every step on the way." He promised forgetting what many people said¡­ Promises are meant to be broken. ... Hello everyone! How are you liking the story so far? We have a mystery coming soon so I want you all focused, every moment counts! Please remember to buy priviledge and to support this book so it can reach its goal. You will be getting things back AND a discount for the chapters.. Thank you for reading and I hope you''re enjoying the book! See you in the next chapter. Chapter 251 - 250 Aleron found Cecilia in their bedroom. She was sitting in front of her nightstand, her hair loosely falling on her shoulders as she brushed the snow while hairs with a golden brush. She seemed absent minded, her thoughts taking somewhere else. She was looking at her reflection but at the same time she couldn''t see herself. Images of that letter were flashing right before her eyes, like a written curse that was haunting her. The queen didn''t notice him when he walked in, she didn''t hear his footsteps as he approached her and she flinched when she felt his cold palm touch her shoulder. The brush dropped from her hands and Aleron crouched, getting it and finding himself in her eye level. He looked at her with those crystal eyes of his, knowing the torture in her soul. The king placed the brush gently on the floor, standing behind her as he started to braid her long hair. Cecilia didn''t complain. "Did they find anything?" She asked and watched how Aleron shook his head. A negative answer, a perplexed expression and a weight on her chest, like a rock that made it hard for her to breathe. "I sent people throughout the whole kingdom, even in the smallest villages, the rift is being guarded day and night, if they move somewhere we will definitely find them." Aleron told her, hoping to ease her worries a bit. It didn''t do much though, her blank expression didn''t change as she looked through the mirror. "If they are working with the Nightshades they will slip out without us even noticing, just like they did in our own home. The people will be distressed with the army everywhere. They will start talking, wondering what will happen." she said, a sigh escaping her red lips. She had a glass of wine resting on her nightstand, half empty. She grabbed it, her pale fingertips, painted red fingernails, brought it close to her mouth, the sweet taste of the wine resting on her tongue before she swallowed. "Is it a good idea to drink?" he asked her. "I can''t sleep if I don''t drink." she stated, not caring about the way Aleron''s expression changed. He wasn''t worried about the kingdom now, he was worried about her and that alone annoyed her. You can''t simply disappear and then pretend like nothing happened. She was a horrible person, she was aware of it but he, he was even worse, unable to truly admit the weight of the things he did. She moved her head, freeing her long hair from his gentle grasp before she turned around, looking at him with an irked expression. "Don''t look at me like that." she told him. "Like what?" "Like you''re worried. I don''t need your pity." she mumbled, getting up and heading to their bed, she pulled away the covers, revealing the soft bed as she got ready to lay down. "But I am worried, Cecilia¡­I¡­" "Aleron, things can''t be fixed." she stated, looking at him dead in the eye. She hurt him with her words, she could see it the way his blue eyes darkened. "I have grown used to being alone now." "You don''t have to though, I am here now. I will help with the children and the Nightshades. Whatever I can do I¡­" "Our children are not children anymore Aleron, you''ve been stuck in time. You''ve missed so much¡­" she said. The king bit his bottom lip, his eyes showing remorse as he walked closer, standing in front of her. She could feel his breath landing on her lips and she looked away, knowing that his handsome exterior would tempt her. "I don''t want to leave you." He whispered, his fingers gently turning her face so their eyes could meet. Kai and Xan were princes but their father, he was a king and he did look like one. Gracious and strong, golden hair and blue eyes, strong features and a deep voice that made Cecilia shiver as he whispered slowly to her. He moved even closer, making her step back in response. She felt the cold wall touch her back, trapped between the cement and her husband. She tried again to look away but he didn''t let her. "I want to be with you, I need you¡­always, I have loved you." "You''re lying. You are always lying. From the moment you met me all you ever do is pity me. That''s why you married me, that''s why you left me. Because I was just a charity case, a stand in for you." Cecilia told him, she tried to sound cold, as if she wasn''t bothered by it but the truth was she couldn''t. Being so close to him, looking right into his eyes she sounded hurt, broken. "What? How could you ever think of that? Me? Pity you? You are one of the strongest people I have met. You''re glowing. You''re beautiful, smart, powerful, you are so much more than me. Every time I look at you I feel like the luckiest person alive. Having you, the one who doesn''t let anyone stand in her path." "Stop complimenting me." Cecilia mumbled, her face turning a very subtle shade of pink. "Why?" Aleron asked her, a grin forming on his lips. "Are you shy?" "Me!" She exclaimed, a scoff escaping from her. "Shy? You must have gone completely m¡­" She wanted to call him insane, she was a queen, queens don''t get shy but she didn''t make it to the end of her sentence. Aleron kissed her, locking his lips with her and Cecilia was unable to stop him. She placed her palms on his chest, wanting to push him away but soon she became weak, devoured by the passion of his kiss. "I won''t leave¡­" Aleron whispered in her ear after their kiss. "No matter what you say." .... Hello! What are our thoughts on the royal couple? I am curious to see what you think so please let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading. Chapter 252 - 251 Cecilia had been pretty sure that things with her son and Loyd would not go well. The next morning as she began getting ready the only thing she could think of for a while was that Xan would have to meet face to face with the man that had tried to kill his lover. She hoped he would be able to restrain himself, kill him in secret if he really had to because the palace was already a mess, she couldn''t handle another diplomatic disaster. She caught her hair up, a strict ponytail falling straight and when she was done she turned around, looking at the man who was sleeping in her bed. A sigh escaped her painted red lips as she walked away, she wasn''t going to wake him up, for some reason he liked his peaceful expression as he slept, the way his lose hair framed his handsome face, it was an image she recalled often to calm her mind, seeing it live had some power over her, calming her. The doors of the meeting room were open, only Xan, Lun and Kai waiting inside. The wolves were still not present. It was good, she would have some time to talk to Xan and calm his nerves so he wouldn''t create another unnecessary ruckus. "Xan let me talk to you for a second" Cecilia told him, taking her son a little bit further. Kai and Lun had already been seated, talking about something. "What is it mother?" her son asked her, a strict look on his face. It was obvious that he was tense, the way his eyes were stuck at the opened door, staring at the corridor. He was waiting, he was waiting for Loyd to come. "I wanted to talk to you about how you should act when Loyd comes here." she said and his eyes widened slightly. He didn''t seem pleased that his mother had caught up to his plan so easily, after all he wanted to use the element of surprise. Grab that bastard and humiliate him in front of everyone for what he did, make sure he was in pain as he killed him. "What do you mean?" Xan asked, trying to look confused but his mother simply shook her head, seeing easily through him. "Don''t try anything stupid. At least not now. Wait for them to sign the treaties. Then kill him for all I care" "He shouldn''t be able to walk in here as if he did nothing." "But he did nothing. He is a guest here, an Alpha and Lun, well, he might mean a lot to you and Kai, he might be powerful here but the bitter truth is that between them he is no one. They don''t care if a simple vampire dies." The queen told him, making him frown. Even though he knew what she was talking about, being perfectly aware of the meaning of her words he didn''t like hearing it. "Fine, I won''t do anything." Her son told her, making her give him a faint smile. "Let''s just get over this stupidity, kick them out and then focus on the most important matters." She suggested. The most important matters were the Nightshades, this organization filled with lunatics, preparing to destroy everything his family had worked for all these years. This should be in all of their minds, making it hard for them to sleep, this should be their main problem but Xan just couldn''t focus, especially now that he caught the werewolves coming with his blue eyes. And then there were three. Three packs had remained now that the Blood Fangs had managed to escape right underneath their noses. Moonshine, Wolfdom, Bloodmoon. She would have to sign the treaties with them and eventually manage to get some of them on her side, she needed them to look for Alloy, they were the only ones who could help. "Good morning everyone, please take your seats." She told them, her tone strict but not hostile. Everyone picked a seat, members of the same pack sitting close to each other while Philip sat next to Kai, smiling at him brightly. "Things have seemed to have taken a very bad turn and as it seems we are not the bad guys here like some of you assumed." Cecilia announced, her green eyes landing on Loyd''s pack. The alpha did not speak, he didn''t apologize, making Xan grip the end of his chair, annoyed. "Alloy and her pack, they have been plotting against us with an organization in BloodBound. They are planning to destroy the kingdom and we will need your help." "Why should we help you?" Joey, the Alpha of Wolfdom asked her. "Do you want thousands of angry vampires at your doorsteps? With the creation of BloodBound we had achieved peace for thousands of years. We managed to limit the confrontation between our species but also got rid of most of the witches meddling with us and most importantly the fact that there are no big confrontations saved us from having hunters knowing where we are. If BloodBound gets destroyed, all of us will go back to how things were thousands years ago. I do believe no one wants that." she explained. Everyone in the room seemed skeptical. She had made a point, reminding them of the disaster their cursed lives used to be a long time ago. The bloodshed, the hate, the constant running. No one wished for that. Vampires and werewolves, both of them were beasts, monsters but after years of fighting their natures they had managed to tame themselves, live normal lives but someone wished to change that. "We will help you." Loyd announced. "We shall help too." Philip said, holding Kai''s hand. "My pack will be with you, whatever you need." "I have a plan." Cecilia said, drawing everyone''s attention. "Sadly we have no idea about the Nightshades, especially now that their leader seems to have changed. The truth is that they are more of urban legends in BloodBound¡­" "Well¡­" Kai mumbled, tilting his head to the side and Cecilia stared at him, silently telling him to shut up. "As I was saying, we don''t know where they are, how many of them are¡­the only lead we have is Alloy and her pack. She has escaped to the human world with their help, that I am quite sure of. We will need to cooperate with a pack, to be able to capture them. You are the ones who know how werewolves operate, so we need to try this together, as disturbing as it sounds" she told them her plan. "The pack that was closests to Alloy''s after their move was Moonshine." Joey told them. "We are too far away, it would be impossible to have our people move, we would also waste precious time but we are willing to help if things get difficult." "It is the same with us" Loyd added. "We can offer some help, weapons, supplies but¡­" "Yeah" Xan interrupted him. "The only thing you know how to do is try to sneakily kill people for things they didn''t do, not to mention that you can''t even apologize. Quite the Alpha you are." he insulted him. Loyd was shocked by his words, blinking a few times. "What?" "Don''t¡­I am fine." Lun whispered at him, placing his hand on his thigh. Xan shook his head, mumbling something to himself that the rest didn''t hear. "I think the plan is clear here." Kai stepped in, wanting to ease the tension. "I will gather some people, get to Moonshine and from there we will go after Alloy. John, Ash, Soran and Lun¡­maybe I should bring Olivia too, a healer would be useful, while you will work on the defenses of the kingdom. Keep things in check and make sure that if an attack happens we will be ready." "I will come too." Xan announced. "What?" The queen asked, surprised. "Wasn''t I clear? Have to be sure I won''t be letting more people like you get off the hook so easily." he said, obviously talking to Loyd. The Alpha though simply ignored him. This was one of the things he hated about authority, the fact that you never had to take responsibility for your actions, it was disgusting. "Xan¡­" His mother called his name. "Don''t even say anything." he told her, not looking at her. "Well, Xan will come too." Kai said. "As it seems" Cecilia mumbled. "Let''s sign the treaties tomorrow. With everything that has happened I am sure you understand why we need to speed things up. Get some rest and let''s have a last dinner all together, for the formalities." The queen announced, leaving the room quite distressed. Slowly after her everyone returned to their quarters, leaving Philip and Kai alone. The younger prince looked at his lover, a chuckle escaping his lips. "What was that for?" Philip asked him, his smile being contagious. "As it seems I will be coming back to your territory." Kai announced. "Are you able to take the lead?" He asked him, a cheeky grin on his face and the Alpha scoffed, walking closer to him and wrapping his arms around his waist. "Is that even a question you should be asking? You know very well I know how to lead." he whispered, biting the lobe of his ear, making the prince shiver. "We will see about that, times change." "They do. But our love, it will always remain the same" Philip said, making Kai smile. "Always." Chapter 253 - 252 John was quite relieved, knowing that they would finally return to the human world. If he had to be honest he wasn''t really fond of BloodBound or of the moments he had there. He had managed to ruin his relationship with Soran, he had had a mental breakdown and in general everything seemed a lot more gloomy to him ever since he had gotten there. Leaving this place was the only good news he had heard in a while, even if it was because the whole kingdom was in danger. He hadn''t asked Kai if Soran would join them. When the prince had come to share the news and check up on him after he was done he hadn''t stayed long. He wanted to be with his lover, John understood that. He was curious but at the same time pretty sure that Soran was going to join them. He loved Kai after all, unconditionally and he would do anything to be around him. That was the most annoying thing of all. He wasn''t pursuing him, he didn''t try to sabotage their relationship nor kill Philip, he just wanted to be by his side. That made John even more mad because the vampire, well, he was actually perfect. A grudge free creature that had the ability to love wholeheartedly someone who was with another without creating problems. The young werewolf sighed his problems taking over his mind once more. He was trying to take Kai''s advice, wait until the white haired vampire would come to him but it was difficult when he thought that no matter what he did Soran would never notice him. He truly needed some time out of here, everything he looked at reminded him of him, devastatingly he considered himself as one of the most unlucky characters around here. All of them had their sweet love story, even the horrible queen had a man who loved her but he was stuck being constantly rejected. "I need to stop doing this to myself. I was fine on my own" He mumbled as he got up from his bed. He needed to take a walk and not think for a while. Maybe the garden would be a good idea, focus on the pretty flowers. He told himself. The werewolf got dressed, leaving his room with a dissatisfied expression as he walked in the dimly lit corridors. He hated the candle light. It was annoying and the darkness hurt his eyes. Creatures that were thousands of years old somehow had decided that electricity wasn''t their thing, maybe because they could see well in the dark anyways. As he headed outside, taking the last turn before he found himself in the main corridor that led to the enormous palace exit, which for some reason seemed to always be open, he met with Philip''s friends. Reina and Mika were talking among themselves, heading outside too. He hoped he wouldn''t be noticed but like he had said many times before he was unlucky so both of them saw him and actually acknowledged his presence. "Hey." Reina called him and he forced a smile. "You''re John right?" She asked him and he nodded, "Nice to see you. Are you heading out?" "Yeah, I wanted to get some air. This place is a bit stuffy." "Tell me about it" Mika agreed. "Wanna come with us? We will go get a drink" She proposed. John thought about it for a second. He didn''t really dislike them and he hadn''t had the chance to spend any time with people of his kind. He had questions he wanted to ask and they seemed close to his age. Maybe it would be a bit entertaining. "Sure. Let''s go" he agreed and followed the two werewolves outside as they headed to the main village. "So you will be coming back with us." Reina stated and John nodded. "Thankfully, BloodBound was not really my thing." He said. "You didn''t like it here?" Mika asked him. "Makes sense, you''re a werewolf after all. Even if you are with that vampire of yours." "My boss is a really kind person. It wasn''t his fault, it''s just that this place is a bit gloomy and very dramatic. Something that I don''t need right now." John explained and both of them nodded, agreeing with his words. "Yeah, we''ve noticed that. Let''s hope things will be better on the other side." Reina told him. John really hoped that. A few peaceful days without worrying wouldn''t be too much to ask after all. After a while of walking the three werewolves reached the main village and the square where all of the taverns were but none of the two stopped. John looked at them confused, wondering where they would choose to sit but didn''t say anything and followed them quietly. They walked into a few dirty and quite smelly alleys, making John frown as he probably stepped into things he really didn''t want to. "Where are we going?" he asked them, unable to limit his curiosity and Reina smirked looking at him with her excited eyes. "BloodBound''s most fun area. The Alleys." She announced and John''s eyes widened. Of course they would head there. This was Reina they were talking about, every place that had trouble written on it was on her visit list. "I read about this place before and I have to say, it''s exactly how I imagined it." "I don''t think we should be here¡­" John mumbled, concerned that Lun or his Boss would scold him. Mika laughed. "Don''t worry, it''s fine." he said. The young werewolf didn''t try to argue any longer. He wasn''t really comfortable with the idea of taying here but at the same time he didn''t try to leave. He looked around, kind of intrigued by the sudden change in the scenery. No luxurious buildings, no palace, just poor people and screams, the sound of music and drunk vampires stumbling here and there. While they were walking, searching for their final destination a scent invaded his nostrils. It was sweet, almost disgustingly so and warm. He stopped, blinking and in a sudden need to follow it. Walking slowly he found the source in an alley where a man was seated on the road, a dazed smile on his face as he inhaled something, a burned purple dust. John stood there, frozen looking at the perfectly relaxed expression of the man, the smell of the delightful smoke surrounding him and suddenly he felt his heart race. He took a step back, feeling scared when he bumped into Mika. "Are you okay?" he asked him and peeked into the alley to see what he was looking at. "What¡­what is that thing he is smoking?" he asked. "Ah, this is dragon''s fin¡­something like human opiates." Reina explained. "Want some?" She asked him, a cheeky smile on her face and he gulped, his dark eyes traveling to the man seated on the ground, perfectly chill, perfectly happy. "Yes.." John said. Chapter 254 - 253 "So you will be coming with me and you will not hear another word about it huh?" Lun asked Xan, his eyes glowing as a bright smile appeared on his face. They were in Xan''s room, the crown prince sitting on his desk, his black glasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he looked at some last minute paperwork he had to take care of. he wanted to be sure he wasn''t going to leave any extra work for his mother, considering everything she would have to check while he was gone. Lun without his permission had stormed into his room, making his work ten times more insufferable. Not because he was talking nonstop and was ruining his concentration but because Xan just wanted to get up, grab him and throw him into that bed. His restraint was godly at the moment. Lun was laid on his bed, on his side, while he supported his head with his palm, playing with the sheets as he looked at Xan''s muscular back. "Answer me" Lun said, wanting his attention. "Answer me. Oh you pretty crown prince look at me, stop ignoring me for how long are you going to sit in that chair of yours isn''t your butt uncomfortable?" he asked, bombarding him with stupid questions. After Xan had had enough he slammed his quil on the desk, turning his head and stared at him. "What? What? WHAT?" Xan asked, his blue eyes filled with frustration. Lun was not phazed at all by this, he didn''t really care because he knew Xan was not really annoyed by him. He smiled sweetly repeating his initial question. "So you will come with me and you will not hear a word about?" He asked, raising one of his eyebrows and Xan coughed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Something like that¡­" he mumbled before he returned to looking at his papers. He gasped, noticing that he had broken his quil, ink scattered everywhere and his head fell back, as a groan escaped his lips. "Sexy." Lun commented seductively. "Let me show you how sexy it will be when I beat the shit out of you." "I like a smack or two in bed." Lun said, a cheeky smile on his face and Xan shook his head, unable to hide the smile of his that was forming. He stood up, finally deciding to leave his work for now and jumped on the bed, laying down right next to Lun. The crown prince grabbed the tall vampire, bringing him into his embrace. Lun rested comfortably on his chest, feeling Xan''s fingertips form slow patterns on his wide back. He closed his eyes, breathing in and listening to his heart beat, steady, beautiful, his favorite song. "Lun¡­" The prince called him and he hummed. "When we get to the human world, how about we¡­.we go on a¡­you know¡­date?" Xan asked him and Lun''s eyes popped right open. He raised his head, staring at the prince''s blushed face in shock. "What did you just say?" Lun asked him, wanting to make sure he had heard him correctly. "Let''s go on a date." Xan stated, looking at him with more confidence. "There is something I always wanted to do in the human world." "And what is that?" "I want to go see a movie" Xan told him. Lun looked at him, blinking a few times and after the crown prince told him settled in he began laughing. Loudly, Lun filled the room with his happy laughter. "What?" Xan asked, getting embarrassed once again. "It''s nothing, I just love that side of you. The one that wants to see a movie in the human world." Lun said and kissed his neck. "Only that side?" Xan told him and Lun pretended not to hear him. "Lun¡­only that side?" he repeated his question, his eyebrows furrowed. "Well there is another side I do quite like. You know." "And that is?" The crown prince asked him. His snow white eyebrow raised as he looked at the man with his dark eyes. Lun chuckled, leaving his embrace for a second before he sat on his lap. He looked at him, a seductive look on his eyes as his fingertips curled in the hem of his shirt. He brought the silk fabric up and above his head, taking it off and revealing a well built torso and abdomen, the tattoo on his back spreading like artwork on his pale skin. The vampire leaned in closer, his warm breath landing on Xan''s ear before Lun nibbled on it with his sharp teeth. "The one that pushes me down, takes all of my clothes off and makes me moan till I pass out." Lun whispered, making Xan''s body immediately tense. The crown prince scoffed and with a swift move reversed their positions, pinning him on the soft bed. His blue eyes scanned Lun''s lustful face, dark orbs filled with anticipation. "Is that so?" Xan asked him, wanting to play with him. "Yes. So you should do that for me, don''t you think?" Lun told him and the crown prince smirked. He leaned closer, his lips hovering above Lun''s and the tall vampire raised his head, wanting to kiss him but Xan moved back, rejecting the kiss. "Should I?" The prince asked him and the vampire nodded. "I think yes." He said, rubbing his lower part on Xan, both of them were excited but the crown prince, well, he didn''t seem to be the one to bend so easily. "Then you have to do something for me too." Xan said , talking while his lips traveled on the skin of Lun''s neck. "What?" Lun asked, taking a deep breath when Xan''s tongue traced a wet path above his nipple. "You have to beg for it" The prince told him, his blue eyes looking at him and Lun smirked. He pushed Xan off of him, the prince standing off the bed while he stepped off too, getting on his knees before him. He placed his hands in the bump that had been created on his pants, rubbing it before he took Xan''s pants off, slowly. He looked up, a smirk on his face. "Please your majesty, I am begging you" he said, his voice oozing with need, almost sounding like a moan. Xan grabbed his chin, meeting with his eyes. "If you say it so sweetly, how can I refuse?" he asked him. As it seemed, their story was going to be very¡­heated. Chapter 255 - 254 Eyes closed, steady breathing and a rapidly beating heart. Everything around him seemed to happen faster as he hit his usual sandbag. He only looked forward, his firsts landing steadily on the worn out leather when footsteps approached them. Instantly alarmed he stopped, turning his head towards the source of the sound. Kai had visited him, standing at the door frame, looking at him. "Want to practice together?" he asked him but the young vampire shook his head negatively. He didn''t want to. "Why?" "Just because." Ash answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you mad we will be going to the human world?" the young prince asked him. "No." he answered shortly. "Then are you mad that you will have to drink my blood? It for you to be able to stand under the human sun longer, there is nothing we can really do about¡­" "It''s not that either." "Then what is it?" Kai kept asking curious why Ash seemed so down. He hadn''t reacted at all when the prince had informed them that they would have to leave, it was as if he hadn''t been bothered by it, something that seemed like his usual kind of attitude but it wasn''t. He didn''t ask anything, nor say anything. "I just don''t get why Olivia has to come along." he stated and Kai blinked, surprised by the unexpected reason. "Is that it?" "Yes. I don''t like her." he told him and Kai tried to hide a smile but he was unable to. "Why are you smiling??" "It''s nothing, I just thought you didn''t like Philip, that''s all." "Well, I don''t like him either but he is your mate. I can''t say anything about that." he told the prince, pouting and Kai chuckled, approaching him. He patted his black haired head. "Olivia is nice. She is just a bit sheltered but like her brother she has a good heart." he told him and the young warrior scoffed, walking towards one of the benches. He had a small water bottle on it, undoing the lid, he drank all of it, throwing the bottle to the ground, and small droplets of water landing on the wooden floor before he sat down. "Don''t make me babysit her during our journey. I am begging you." he told Kai. The prince sat down next to him. "Why not? She actually seems to like you. She was asking all the time about you, Soran told me." "Yeah, give a royal girl that has never left her home a man who doesn''t fall to his knees about her and suddenly they are all interested. She blushes every single time I look at her, like I don''t know what she''s thinking. It''s awkward." Ash told him, surprising Kai. He didn''t expect the young vampire to be so adept in female emotions. Considering though where he had grown up it kind of made sense, women all around him and not the very restrained kind. "You don''t like her like that? She''s pretty." he asked him and heard Ash snort. "I won''t like anyone, ever." "Why?" "Love kills people. It gets them weak and then they lose everything. Even if the only thing they have is themselves. I''ve seen it happen all the time. Ladies at the alleys falling for jerks, them killing them in the end, or loving someone they shouldn''t, trying to escape to workhouses and getting killed by the guards. Love only causes you troubles and a woman like Olivia is the embodiment of a bad story." Ash stated, confident in his words. He actually wanted nothing to do with her. He had managed to spend his miserable life with no problems of that kind, he wasn''t going to ruin it now, not when he had found a home and a purpose all just for some girl that would lose her feelings in a week or so. Ash knew what she was thinking. He was different, he didn''t pay her attention all the time, he didn''t like her and he didn''t sugar coat everything for her and that made him interesting. Crushes like that were bound to disappear faster than the first snow. "I see. That is quite the mindset you have there. Let''s hope you don''t get to spend your life alone then" Kai said, shaking his head. "I will be serving you. All my life." "That won''t do. You''re your own person." "I have decided that for myself." he insisted, making the blond prince sigh as he stood up. Kai looked at him from above while he was seated. "You are a lot more than just a guard Ash. You better remember that." he said. Ash didn''t answer him, his dark blue eyes just looked at his face, thinking what he could actually mean by that. It was quite funny. How he knew so much about others and not himself. Maybe trying to survive all your life gave you an unexplained sense of understanding others to shield yourself but when it came to knowing your soul, you lacked. "I am going to Philip. Pack your stuff okay? Tomorrow we are leaving." "I don''t have stuff." Ash said, the prince rolling his eyes. "Pack something anyways. Just stop training, you will collapse." "Okay." he agreed watching Kai walk away with a smile. To say that Kai wasn''t concerned about Ash would be a lie. Soran had informed him that his sister was probably head over heels for him and that she couldn''t stop talking about their little trip, begging their parents to let her go. He just hoped Ash wouldn''t give her too much of a hard time, he tends to be a little rough around the edges and oblivious to his own feelings. It had been quite funny, seeing him so riled up about a girl. He usually does not pay any mind to anyone but he did have a lot to say about her and Kai was sure it wasn''t just because she was a pureblood. He opened the door of his room, thinking about how he was when he was a teenager, a faint smile on his face when Philip''s voice reached his sensitive ears. His mate was seated in one of the armchairs in his room, reading one of the books he had stacked on his nightstand. The moment he entered he closed the hardcover edition of the picture of Dorian Gray and looked at him. "Took you a while to appear." he said and Kai tilted his head to the side. "Are you keeping time?" "When I am waiting for you yes, indeed I am." he told him, getting up from his seat and getting closer to him. "I have to say now that I will be the leader. You will have to listen to me more, maybe even call me with a title." Philip joked, pretending to think of an appropriate way to be called. "Oh really? Then tell me sir how would you like me to address you?" Kai asked him, a cheeky grin on his face. "How about master?" Philip asked. Kai took a second to look at him, staring right into his hazel eyes before he bursted into laughter making the Alpha raise his eyebrows. "You look more than a shepherd''s dog to me¡­master" he teased him and the Alpha faked a gasp, taking an offended step back while his palm touched his heart. "Your dog jokes need to stop." he said, deadface. "Never." Kai stated, spelling out the word slowly. "Then why don''t we talk about how you enjoy having a dog do¡­." "Don''t" Kai said, pointing a finger at him, his blue eyes wary about what he was supposed to say next. Philip started laughing. Walking once more towards him and wrapping his hands around his waist. "Then call me master." "Do you have a superiority kink?" Kai asked. "No, but I think it would sound good if you said it." "With the right context then." "And what is the right context?" "You and I¡­naked, alone¡­sweating¡­if you''re good, I will call you master." Kai whispered, making Philip''s heart beat faster. "Okay then your highness. It''s a deal." the werewolf agreed, smirking deviously. It was quiet, peaceful at the palace while everyone was getting ready for their journey, maybe one of the biggest moments of their lives. Lun, Xan, Ash and Kai all of them had been in the palace working on those last minute details they considered important. The youngest prince had checked up on everyone, making sure they were alright and now he planned to be with him, the man he had been waiting for so long. As he stood before him, the only perfection in his gloomy world he couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed, his heart going insane as if he was a teen again. Looking into his eyes, hearing his voice and feeling his strong arms around him, being in his little shelter was enough to make him relax. So relaxed actually that he didn''t think, he didn''t wonder why he hadn''t seen John in so long, hours had passed but the young werewolf had not made an appearance. His friend, his only friend from the human world was in the process of losing himself once more and this time, no one could help him. Chapter 256 - 255 He hadn''t felt that good in years, that sweet bliss, like nothing mattered. As he infused the thick purple smoke, like Alice and the caterpillar John got lost, his legs wobbled as he tried to keep standing. He followed Reina, barely able to see her back as she walked towards the unknown. A tavern, people like him everywhere, in need, broken, addicted. He chuckled, finding his situation hilarious. He had worked so hard just to ruin everything in just a few seconds. He couldn''t think about that though, not now, he was too happy. John barely managed to sit in the old worn out stools of the vampire filled tavern, everything around him shaking in a very funny way. He looked at his companions, ordering drinks and heard the clashing of glass, filled to the brim. Without even realizing it he was drinking. The taste of the ale, cold and rich on his tongue while his whole body felt so light. Ah, this feeling, he had longed for it for so long. He heard Reina''s voice. The girl was laughing, she was actually asking him a question but he was too far gone. He hadn''t wondered how Reina had gotten a hold of that drug, nor did he care that Mika judged them both for giggling like idiots, saying anything that came to their minds. "There is a spider on the ceiling." John mumbled, looking at the wooden roof, black spots in his vision like little spiders crawling on the walls on his body but he wasn''t scared, the tingling sensation felt good, the numbness of the limbs, everything was perfect in that moment. "I can''t believe I will have to drag you both back to the palace afterwards." Mika spoke to himself, drinking his beer silently as he looked at the other two. Reina was laid on the table, giggling, drinking her beer as if it was water while John had sat back in his chair, silent, wishing he could remain in this state forever. No worries, no troubles, no love. Simply a pleasant nothingness in his world. While being drugged there was no Soran, no painful truth, no actual rejection. While he was like this he could be happy, free with no pain on his chest. No constant self hating. "Where did you get it?" John asked Reina. "What?" "This drug?" "I have many friends." Reina said, half dazed and she winked at him. Her clumsy hands traveled in the pockets of her jacket, pulling out a small green puch that had a golden string on top. She tossed it at him, John barely catching it and he tried to examine it with his eyes. He couldn''t really tell what he was looking at, just a green ball, that was how far off he had been. He fiddled with the soft material and found the little strings, opening the pouch and seeing a bunch of the purple dust he had just inhaled before. His dark eyes widened. "Take it, I kinda feel like you need it. But be careful with it. It could kill you. Don''t turn into an addict." The girl told him, having no idea about his sorrowful past. John scoffed, knowing even in the state he was that he should return it if he didn''t want to be the one returning to an era he tried so hard to get out of. He didn''t do it though, he just pushed it in his pocket, feeling its comforting weight on his body, thinking that he had found an escape from reality again, a way to simply forget. He wouldn''t do it too much, just when he needed it, he told himself, obviously lying. Sitting there felt like forever and the effect of the drug never seemed to wear off. He was starting to feel thirsty and dizzy, the aftereffect of his action coming back in waves. Suddenly the sounds all felt too loud and the dim light was brighter than the sun. He flinched at the slightest thing that happened around him and Mika was the first one to notice that. "I think it''s better for us to go." He said, getting up and the young werewolf heard Reina whine. The red haired man though didn''t succumb to her whims. He grabbed John gently, getting him up and helping him walk. "You know, I thought you were a jerk¡­" John mumbled as the strong wind of the night hit his face, the bustling noise of the tavern slowly dying out. "But you are actually kind of nice. I wish I liked you and not him." he said and Mika blinked, looking at John with a baffled face but he didn''t say anything. A sigh escaped his lips as he kept walking, staring ahead until the gate of the palace appeared. Reina was hopping around, obviously not affected in the same way by the drug as John and the moment they stepped inside the palace she ran off somewhere, disappearing from their eyes while her giggling filled the corridor. "Take a shower when you get back. The drug is nasty." he advised him and John nodded weakly, his eyes half closed. "Which way is your room?" Mika asked him, wanting to get him to his door. John looked up, blinking, a blank expression on his face. "I don''t know." he slurred and Mika frowned. He decided to head straight, find a servant or a guard and ask them where John''s room was. He was unlucky though, the palace almost seemed as if it was deserted, everyone missing. He sighed again not knowing what to do when he noticed a white haired man walk by in a hurry, it was that friend of Kai''s, the thin one, Mika thought. "Hey, you!" he called him, hoping he would stop. It was Soran, stopping at the sound of the familiar voice, his dark eyes scanning the scene before him. John looked as if he was going to collapse soon in Mika''s arms as he smiled like a silly person. He frowned, displeased by the sight and moved closer. "What did you do to him?" Soran asked John. "I didn''t do anything. He just wanted to take drugs." "Drugs?" Soran exclaimed, looking at John with a worried expression. "Give him to me, I will take him to his room." he told Mika. "No!" John exclaimed, gripping onto the werewolf tighter.. "Go away." Chapter 257 - 256 When the guard visited Kai''s room, interrupting his time with Philip he couldn''t say he was happy. Especially when he heard the reason why he had been knocking at his door so deep into the night. "Your mother requested to see you, your highness." the guard had said before he had left. Kai had sighed, shaking his head and thinking very hard if he should go or not. He didn''t want to see her or talk to her. He was going to leave tomorrow and he couldn''t feel more relieved about it. Being here, with Philip was good enough, he didn''t need anyone else to ruin it. "Just go." his boyfriend told him, kissing his forehead gently. "I know you want to." "On that note you''re mistaken." Kai said , making him chuckle. "We''re leaving tomorrow. We don''t know if we''ll be coming back soon or ever so why don''t you go and have an honest talk with her, just to get it off your chest. You don''t have to forgive her, no one will ask you to, at least not me but you do need to free yourself from the wounds she caused you. Once you''re free, I will be free too." he advised him and Kai pouted, looking at Philip with sad blue eyes. "So now you''re telling me that I have to do it for you too so I won''t run away. You''re too sneaky you know." he commented and Philip smirked, caressing his cheek, slowly feeling the coldness of his skin in his palm, the softness. "Isn''t that one of the reasons why you like me?" "I don''t like you, I love you." Kai corrected him and the Alpha kissed him on the lips. A sweet peck before he looked at him. "Just go. I will be here waiting so just have that talk with her. You owe it to yourself." "Fine, fine." Kai agreed, still not really wanting to go. Philip practically pushed him out the door, leaving him in the corridor as he locked the door behind him. It wasn''t as if Kai couldn''t flash inside if he wanted to. The blond prince smiled, looking at the wooden door for a second and thinking of Philip behind it. He didn''t know what he would be doing if he hadn''t met him. Maybe he would have remained a spoiled prince, a fake rebel and a burden. Someone who only enjoyed the superficial things in life. Living life to what he thought was the fullest but actually draining himself, bit by bit. He hadn''t had positive thoughts for a while. Thinking of him, knowing he would be there was enough to improve his mood. Maybe talking to his mother would be a good idea, her attitude the last few days had made him feel perplexed after all. It could be the effect his father had on her, keeping her grounded, he still didn''t know but it could be good if he could take Philip''s advice and free himself, both of them from the burden of the past. Yes, the Bloody People had made their return but he wasn''t going to succeed fighting in the future if he still hadn''t won the battle with the past. The prince knocked the door on his mother''s bedroom, hearing a soft come in from her lips. He opened slowly seeing the queen sit on her nightstand as usual, brushing her long hair. She always used to do that, now Kai knew she had that habit when she felt nervous. "You came, I am surprised." "I am full of surprises, mother." Kai told her, a cold smile on his face as he sat at the edge of the enormous bed. "What did you need me for?" he asked her. "I talked with xan too, some things we need to specify before you leave. It would be good to not ruin the mission and have BloodBound extinct." "You wanted to talk to me about that?" Kai asked her, raising a golden eyebrow. "What else could I need you for?" she asked back and heard her son scoff. He shouldn''t expect anything from her. Just a small swift in her attitude did not mean redemption it just meant that she wasn''t having a bad day. "I see. Don''t worry. I will do just fine, all of us will. I have never failed a mission before and it won''t be the first time now." he stated and Cecilia shook her head, staring at him expressionless. "I just think that we need to specify that you shouldn''t let any romantic feelings push you back and you should solely focus on the project ahead. You tend to be¡­reckless when you''re with that werewolf of yours and that''s why¡­" "Stop." Kai told her, his expression showing how offended he was. He stood up, blue eyes, just like his father''s judging her. "You shouldn''t be saying all that to me. I don''t even understand how you have the audacity to be so shameless towards me after everything you''ve done." "Kai, all I am saying is that you need to be level headed. This is an important matter, it won''t be just some kind of adventurous vacation you''re going to take with your boyfriend so¡­" "You ruined my entire life!" Kai shouted at her. He couldn''t keep it in any longer. Listening to his mother gave him a headache, made his blood boil. The way she talked, making everything seem about business, but this wasn''t business. He was her son, how could she be so cruel to him? ... Hello everyone! How are you liking the story this far? Hope you like it! Please give this story a vote a good comment and a nice review to help this book to get the exposure it needs. Also remember to buy priviledge so we can reach 1000 unlocks. You get a discount and you also get special perks so don''t think about it too much! It is a great deal. Thank you for reading. Chapter 258 - 257 Soran carried John in his arms, the young werewolf whining along the way, shaking his legs to get off but the white haired vampire didn''t give in. He held him tightly, his vampiric strength coming in handy in a situation like this. No matter what he tried John wouldn''t be able to get freed from his embrace. "Let go! I don''t want you to take me back!" John exclaimed, raising his hand and scratching him with his claws. Soran pulled his face back, feeling the blood drip on his pale skin. It would take a while to heal, coming from a werewolf. He sighed, kicking John''s door open and threw him on the bed. "Get out." he told him, his head buried in the pillows. Soran ignored him as he walked into the bath, making sure it was filled with cold water. He returned into the room, his footsteps heavy as he pulled up John. He grabbed the hem of his shirt, helping him take it off and looked at him with a strict expression. "I can''t believe, after all the effort you made that you would do this" the white haired man said, believing that John wouldn''t hear him. "You have no idea." John said, his words coming out stuck with each other as if he couldn''t really control his own tongue. "The shit that¡­" "I don''t want to hear it. Come on, you need to get your shit together. In a few hours we''re leaving if Kai sees you like that he¡­" "Kai! Kai this and Kai that¡­I love my boss. He saved me but in the end you will really make me hate me. You know what?" John told him, looking him in the eyes. "You are the worst. I don''t need fake kindness from you nor your attention caused by pity." John stood up, fumbling with the hem of his pants before he managed to fully take them off, the thick and heavy fabric falling to the floor. He tried to walk over them and get to the bath but he tripped, his vision still hadn''t cleared up fully. Soran caught him, without a second thought. He landed right into his chest, feeling Soran''s hands touch his naked body. In distress he pushed back his body, getting dizzy from the sudden movement. "Shit." he mumbled, not enjoying the aftereffect of his horrible decision. "Let me help you get in the bath." Soran said, this time his voice sounded calmer and gentler. "No." John denied him again. "Please, John" he begged him, extending his hand a pleading look in his dark eyes. John noticed the scratch and the blood staining his face. He had caused that, he was acting like a child again. He dropped his face, breathing in before he took soran''s hand. Slowly the vampire led him into the bath, helping him get into the cold water of the marble tub. John for a second thought he would freeze to death, his whole body tensing as he sensed Soran throwing water over his head. The cold droplets landed on his hair and face, making him cool off a bit. He was shivering his eyes glued on the scratches. Soran was sitting on the floor, right next to the bathtub. He noticed where John was staring and smiled, not wanting to worry him in the state he was. "It''s fine. I don''t mind." he told him. John didn''t say anything. Of course he didn''t mind. Soran was a freaking angel in a vampire body while on the other hand he was closer to a messed up demon. A small breath escaped his bluish lips and without realizing he raised his arm, wiping off the blood from Soran''s face, carefully so he wouldn''t hurt him. The vampire seemed to freeze, not expecting such a gentle touch from him but he didn''t push him back. "What did I do?" John said, finally back to his senses. Tears were gathering in his eyes. "I shouldn''t have taken that." he told himself. He brought his knees close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and hiding his face as he started crying, loudly. "It''s alright John." Soran told him, caressing his back. His cries were echoing in the enormous bathroom, while Soran tried to think of something to say. It was obvious that he felt horrible, if the tears didn''t say much it was also his eyes. He raised his head, locking gazes with him. "I didn''t mean to hurt you. I am really sorry. Really sorry." He repeated, again and again with no stop as if he believed Soran would not accept his apology. "It''s fine. Just promise me, you won''t take it again." Soran told him. "This thing is worse than what humans take. It could kill you any minute. You have tried so hard to help yourself, don''t ruin it now." he advised him and John nodded. He was right, after everything he had gone through all it needed was a moment of weakness to ruin years of hard work. John dived into the cold water, clearing his thoughts, trying to forget this stupid misstep. When he emerged from the water Soran was waiting there. "Thank you." "Don''t think about it. Just tell me, do you have any more of this stuff? We should throw it out so you won''t feel tempted again." Soran told him. John tensed, knowing very well about the pouch that hid in the pockets of his pants. He felt embarrassed, he didn''t want Soran to know that he had been thinking of doing it again. "No, I don''t have any more." "Okay then, that''s good. Come on out, I will help you. You don''t mind if I stay here with you tonight, right?" he asked him and John smiled bitterly. "Would I ever mind?" he told him. That pouch, he was going to get rid of it, later. .... Hello everyone! How do you like the story so far? Please let me know in the comments.. Also leave a review and please please buy priviledge if you''re able to! We are so close to the 1000 unlocks. Chapter 259 - 258 "You ruined my life!" Kai exclaimed. He was filled with anger at that moment. He wasn''t planning on stopping. All he wanted was for her to know, to finally face what she had done. He couldn''t believe that she had actually managed to escape judgement and all that should come with it just because she was the queen, just because Kai hadn''t been there to hold her accountable for her own actions. The young prince had been willing to talk to her, work with her but he saw no real change in her, all she ever did was look the other way when someone mentioned her mistakes, nothing more. "Kai¡­" his mother called his name. He had never heard the word in a loving way, the way a mother should say it. His name had always been called in such a cold tone, sometimes with adoration but never with love. Philip was the first one, the only one to make his name sound so sweet to make him feel proud that he owned it. It made such a difference and now he was truly noticing. "Don''t try to avoid this any longer. I have had enough, I was the bigger person for too long and I will not keep doing this. I slept in the streets! I was all alone, forgotten by everyone. I hated my life, I simply wanted everything to end. I had no home, no one to turn to and every few years everything that I had managed to achieve, I had to leave them behind not to risk anyone finding me, discovering me. I killed the person I loved the most all because of you! I became a murderer because of you and your stupid obsession about what is proper!" Kai screamed at her, shooting up from the bed and looking at her with cold blue eyes. "You made me hate who I was." "It wasn''t an obsession about what is proper." Cecilia mumbled, her green eyes glued to the floor. She was gripping her dress, her hands forming a fist mixed with the soft silk fabric of her clothes. "Then what was it?" Kai asked her, his anger not subsiding with her words. "I was scared, always afraid. You must know. I mean everyone in our family seems to know by now. We should not be here, we should not be the heirs and if anyone ever disliked us and tried to find something against us all of our family would drop dead. Your father is always gone, I had to do everything on my own, I couldn''t let you or your siblings be in danger. If people knew you were a werewolf''s mate, if the Bloody People stepped in without me doing something they would have you killed too. I know I was wrong¡­" "Then why did you never apologize? You never even accepted the fact that you were wrong. You never treated me like your son and now you mean to tell me that you tried to do everything for us? You sound like a hypocrite." Kai told her. The queen looked at him, a bitter smile on her face. She would just sit there, look at her son and listen to him scream. She didn''t seem upset, she didn''t try to stop him. "Do you know how hard it is to accept that you ruined someone''s life? Especially the life of your own child? The nightmares that I would have, the guilt. Of course I know what I did, I never wanted it for it to be this way but I do know what I did. Maybe I didn''t think that you really loved him that much, maybe¡­" "What would you do if you were pressured to kill dad?" Kai asked her, his tone strict as he judged her with his eyes. "How would you feel, what would you do afterwards? Tell me. You can''t relate? You underestimated how I felt for him? All of those things that you''re saying are simply excuses. You did it, I get it. You were scared and tried to protect us but just because you had a noble cause the means won''t be justified. Do you understand that?" Kai asked her. "I do, better than you think." "Even now you don''t think you should apologize?" "I¡­." "You''ve never apologized for anything in your life, am I wrong?" Kai asked his mother, knowing very well the answer. He didn''t wait for her to talk, she didn''t have to. Her expression was enough. "neither had I. Until I started hurting the people I cared about and since I couldn''t go back in time to fix the shit I did, all I could do is show them my remorse. Words first and then by changing my actions." "I¡­I am sorry." Cecilia told him, sounding as if she was having trouble uttering the words. Kai scoffed, tilting his head to the side. "I do not accept your apology. Not until I see that you are actually planning to change. It''s a good thing that dad is back, maybe you could learn a thing or two, for everyone''s sake." Kai told her. Cecilia''s eyes widened. To say she was not surprised would be a lie. She had said she was sorry for the first time in her life and it had been denied right away, maybe forgiveness was not so easy after all. "I see, just make sure that you don''t die out there." "Is that your way of telling me to be careful?" Kai asked her. "Yes." The queen answered him. Kai nodded heading towards the door, his pale hand placed on the cold knob. Before he left he turned around and looked at his mother, maybe for the last time in a while, if she didn''t change for the last time in forever. "Mothers are supposed to do a lot more than just keep their children alive." Kai told her.. "Hope things one day will change" the young prince said as he left, closing the door behind him and leaving her alone. Chapter 260 - 259 He would lie if he said it didn''t feel good, having someone take care of him. John had finally returned to his old self after a few hours, Soran laying on his bed sleeping soundly. He had pretended to fall asleep a while ago just so he could see his sleeping face. The vampire looked so peaceful, his white hair sprawled on the dark pillow, beautiful and soft. His breathing was steady and slow while he turned to his side, facing John, desperately close. His heart was racing, being so close to him, the silence all around, how could he ever fall asleep? It was impossible. John raised his arm, his fingertips tracing the lines of his lips gently, like the touch of a feather since he didn''t want to wake him up. The tips of his fingers felt hot as if he had touched fire and he couldn''t stop himself from imprinting Soran''s face in his mind, remembering all the bumps and roughness, all the soft spots by touch. The werewolf sighed deep in thought again. Why was he feeling so bad about wanting someone? He couldn''t stop wondering if Soran felt burdened by him, if it was just his kind hearted nature that kept him there, some kind of embarrassing pity. He pushed back a strand of white hair, revealing all of his face. "Do you hate me?" John whispered, afraid to find out the answer. "No, I don''t hate you. I quite like you." The vampire whispered, making John''s eyes widened before he flinched intensively and fell off the bed. He landed on his butt, a frown on his face. He heard Soran chuckle and soon a pale hand appeared, helping him get up. "So you were awake." John said as he laid back on his bed, his eyes looking at the ceiling. He was too shy to look at him especially after creepily looking at his face for so long and touching him. "I was, after some point. Why don''t you get some sleep, we will need to get up soon" Soran asked him. John breathed in, thinking. "I can''t fall asleep." "Did me being here made you nervous?" Soran told him and the young werewolf scoffed, a grin on his face. "You''re flattering yourself too much." He answered him even though he knew very well that Soran was right. He couldn''t bat an eyelash with him around, his heart was going crazy and he could feel his palms slowly start to sweat. The fact that he was laid next to him, looking so calm was a surprise, a pleasant one but he couldn''t fully believe it. Maybe he was making some kind of crazy facial expression he was not aware of, Soran though looked at him normally. "Am I? I''m not known for not being bring cocky" "People have their moments I guess." John teased him. The scratches he had caused had completely healed by now, the image though was still vivid in his mind, the pain he had caused him, how his face was painted red as he tried to help him. "Did it hurt?" "The scratch?" "Yeah." "No, not really. It''s already healed so don''t think about it." Soran said, not wanting him to be worried. "I didn''t want to hurt you. I swear, when things like that happen sometimes I lose all sense." John told him, a guilty expression on his face. A frown had formed between his eyebrows, a sigh escaping his lips. "Something like that will not happen again. I''m sure of it, you''ve come a long way, John." He told him and the young werewolf gave him a small smile. "What''s the point if everything is going to get ruined by one mistake?" "It won''t. I''m sure of it." He answered him. Soran looked into his eyes, not wanting to think what John must have been through. The pain he had felt and the pain he himself had caused him. He was so kind, a truly nice person, not like him who wore a disguise all the time. He was sweet and caring, a people pleaser and it was so sad that he had to live with so many misfortunes. "How can you be so sure? Have you met a lot of junkies before?" John asked him, finally able to turn around and face him. They were looking into each other''s eyes, their voices a whisper in the deep night as if they didn''t want anyone to disturb this moment. "Don''t call yourself a junkie. It''s not nice." "I''m calling that myself anyways so where is the problem." "The problem is that you should treat yourself better." "You really need to stop being so nice to me." John said and Soran smiled faintly, a kind look in his dark eyes. "What if I don''t want to?" "Then I''m going to like you more and more and make all kinds of trouble for you. You''re my mate after all, if you want to get rid of me then you should be meaner to me." John explained. Soran raised his white eyebrows, surprised with his honesty. It was moments like this the vampire felt a hint of doubt, a tinge in his chest that maybe there was something there. When John looked at him, not with shyness, not with embarrassment but with pure honesty. "You''ve never caused me any trouble. Not even once." Soran told him and John laughed, the sound echoing merrily in the walls of the room. "Now you''re lying. I know I have." "I think I should be the one to judge that though. If I say you haven''t then you haven''t." "It''s kind of funny you know" "What is?" "The fact that from the very first moment I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful being I have ever seen. You being kind too is really unfair." He flattered him and Soran chuckled, surprised with his response. "Is that so?" "I think so, yes." "John?" Soran called him. "Yes?" "Should we date?" He asked him, leaving John with wide eyes and a racing heartbeat. Chapter 261 - 260 "So we will have to take all these vampires back to out pack. How are you going to explain that to the rest of the pack members and Hans?" Mika asked, sitting on the couch of the lounge. Philip had just returned from being with Kai, wanting to gather the last of his stuff before they left, meeting Mika and Reina on his way. His friend looked a bit drunk or maybe better, hangover as she stumbled here and there with a frown on her face. When they entered their guest house she had plopped on one of the velvet couches, her face buried in the soft cushions. "I don''t get why I need to explain myself. I am the Aloha for a reason and no I am not doing this just because Kai is my mate. None of the werewolves would be pleased if BloodBound collapsed. The queen was right, we don''t want a bunch of new vampires running around making things already harder for us." Philip told his friend. "It''s going to be chaos" Mika commented, a troubled look on his face. "I love chaos!" Reina exclaimed, standing up as if someone had zapped her and she looked at Philip. "It''s funny though, how we all thought Alloy was being a bitch just because she used to like you while actually she was scheming a plan about the literal destruction of the world. I am quite mind-blown not even I did not foresee this." She commented and the red haired werewolf scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, if you get high and spend all of your time on the taverns you will definitely not foresee anything except flying dragons and unicorns." He told her and the girl laughed, her green eyes landing on him. "You''re really not funny, not at all funny." Reina said. "I wasn''t intending to be funny." Mika said with a snort. "Yeah both of you calm down. The things at the pack will be fine. We won''t be staying there for long anyways. We will have to travel. I''m just glad I am taking Kai out of here. This place has always creeped me out." "It is horrible." Mika agreed, shaking his head. He had never liked BloodBound or the sense of doom he felt every time he found himself around vampires. There was something about them, he could only describe it as ominous and when he was at their nest it only got worse. "I like this place. It has a mood." Reina disagreed with both of them. "like those places in the movies, the dark castles." " A depressive mood. Sad that life is not a movie." "You have to ruin everything, don''t you." Reina asked him with a displeased expression on her beautiful face. "This place has been standing for thousands of years. Do you think it''s that easy to simply crumble?" Reina asked, focusing her attention on Philip, waiting for his answer. The Alpha took a few minutes to think. A place like this, magic being its very core, containing some of the most powerful creatures in the world...could it really just disappear? "What I know is that everyone here seems to be scared at the thought of these Bloody People. They ruined my life once, very easily so I wouldn''t feel so at ease with the threat. I mean if you knew that someone was plotting to ruin our pack would you take it lightly?" He asked Reina and the girl nodded, falling again on the couch and getting comfortable. "I thought you would want BloodBound destroyed." Mika told Philip. "Why would I want that?" The werewolf asked him. "Your precious mate will be finally free then." "Free and depressed that his home was destroyed. I wouldn''t want that." Philip said. The truth was though that he had caught himself many times feeling that if this place did not exist his problems would be a lot less. BloodBound was like a huge border separating him from his lover and it hurt, like a thorn stuck in his heart. If BloodBound ceased to exist though Kai would definitely collapse, no matter how much he said he hated this place it was still his home and the pain of it being ruined would be too much. All he wanted was Kai, if he could just take him and run away he would, his words from the past coming back to him now. Once the young prince had asked him if he wanted to leave everything behind, drop his crown and just escape with him. At that time he had denied it, telling him that being a prince was who he is and he wouldn''t force him to leave everything just for him. Now though, he was regretting it. If he had grasped his hand at that moment, if he had run away from everything with him by his side then maybe they wouldn''t have been separated. "Look what you did, now he is thinking, he is going to overload" Mika joked and Reina chuckled, liking his humor this time since the joke wasn''t directed towards her. "Very funny." Philip said, a frown on his face. "I know right." Mika answered "I liked it too" Reina said with a smirk on her face. "It''s going to be fine."she then continued. "With Kai, with you being an Alpha and now with these idiots that want to mess up our peaceful lives, it''s all going to be fine. I know it" Reina said, sounding hopeful. "I hope so." "Now Mika go pack my stuff. It''s part of your redemption." She said, pointing at the door of her room. Mika''s jaw dropped, his eyes wide as he wrinkled his nose, a very disturbed expression on her face. "The audacity you have to tell me this¡­" "What? don''t you want to be forgiven? Is that all we were to you so now you don''t care? So tell me, what will you do?" She asked him. "Gaslighting at its finest you¡­" "Ah, ah, ah, don''t blame others when you''re the one who started it. Now hurry up, we don''t have much time." She said with a smile in her face. "Mika¡­" Philip called. "What?" "Do mine too." "Fuck you all." Chapter 262 - 261 "The fact that from the very first moment I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful being I have ever seen. You being kind too is really unfair." He flattered him and Soran chuckled, surprised with his response. "Is that so?" "I think so, yes." "John?" Soran called him. "Yes?" "Should we date?" He asked him, leaving John with wide eyes and a racing heartbeat. John blinked, his expression freezing as he tried to process what he had just heard. He couldn''t believe it, he thought, there was absolutely no way that Soran would just suddenly ask him to date. He sat up, looking at the vampire who stared at him with a faint smile trying to understand if this was some kind of a bad joke. If it was, well, maybe he could hate Soran one day after all. "You''re joking." John mumbled, his confusion showing on his face as he looked into Soran''s dark orbs. The pale vampire mimicked him, sitting up and reaching his eye level, a gentle expression on his face as he prepared to speak. "Would I ever joke about something like that?" Soran asked him, tilting his head to the side but he received no answer. John remained quiet, not knowing what to believe or what to think. It could still be the effect of the drug, he could actually be dreaming, there were many different scenarios in his head but Soran actually wanting to be with him wasn''t one of them. "I don''t know what to think. You kept rejecting me, again and again so I don''t get why you would, so suddenly, want to date me." John told him once he managed to utter a few words. He kept thinking, possible outcomes when his eyes widened again, the little scar on his eyebrow moving as he raised them. "Do you pity me?" he asked Soran, the question being as hurtful as a knife wound but he had to know. "Do you pity me after what you saw? Is that it? That''s why you want to¡­" John said, speaking fast, unable to even take a breath, thinking that this was the reason why Soran offered to date him. His sentence was cut short. The pale vampire had moved forward, placing his lips on his for just a second, a small and shy peck on the lips just to shut him up in a gentle way. John''s whole body tensed, his eyes turning into perfect circles and still he believed he was in some kind of alternate reality. Things do not go well for him, never, so there must be a trap. "You¡­" John mumbled, his palms landing on his lips in a cute motion as he slowly realized they had just kissed. His face changed color, completely, turning bright red and Soran chuckled as he watched him get embarrassed. "I do not pity you John." Soran told him. The young werewolf did not really seem to believe him. Still he waited, curious about what he had to say. "I never pitied you because there was never a reason to. You are really strong, even if you don''t believe that. You say that from the very first moment you thought I was beautiful, well I thought you were extraordinary. A human who had found himself in this messed up situation, coping so well, being so supportive and nice of his vampire boss. At some moments I couldn''t really believe it, I actually thought you might be up to something but I was even more surprised to see how kind you were. The truth is I don''t know how things will go, I am still hung up on the past and that might hurt you but I know I am already hurting you like this and I am also hurting myself, because I do not like being away from you. I am asking you to date me because I want to try with you. You said we are mates, I want to see if that is actually true." Soran explained himself. John took a few seconds, trying to understand the full situation. Soran wanted to give him a chance, he told himself and even though he didn''t want to feel excited he did. He felt his heart race, beating for life for the first time in a while as he looked at him, that characteristic gentle smile resting on his elegant face. The young werewolf realized he didn''t care, he didn''t care at all if he was being pitied, if Soran didn''t want to tell him that or whatever could be hiding as an extra behind his words. All he cared about was that he was finally getting a chance and he couldn''t stop himself from smiling, widely. "You''re smiling." Soran said with happiness reflecting in his eyes. "Should I take that as a yes?" he asked him. He felt shy suddenly. His cheeks a rosy color he nodded seeing Soran chuckle at his reaction and the vampire moved a bit closer, the tip of his nose almost touching his as his breath landed steadily on his lips. Soran placed his palm on his cheek, making him shiver from his ice cold skin but he didn''t move, he wasn''t insane to ruin this perfect moment. He gulped. "Let''s see then¡­where this will lead us." he whispered, bringing his face even closer and kissing him. This time for a while, his lips crashing with John''s in a very skillful kiss that had the werewolf melting in the vampire''s arms. He felt Soran hold him tightly and his hands found a place in his silk white hair, feeling them slip between his fingers as Soran''s tongue licked his swollen and red lips. "I liked that." the vampire said, a smirk on his face. "I¡­I liked that too." the werewolf stuttered. Maybe things wouldn''t be so bad after all. Leaving BloodBound had activated his good fortune. Maybe¡­ ... Hello everyone! I think you had been waiting for this for a while. I am going to built up their relationship and see where this leads so I don''t want to hurry things since it doesn''t make sense for Soran to be in love with John all of a sudden. But I hope you are happy with what you read! Please give this chapter a nice comment and a vote and also remember to buy priviledge please! Chapter 263 - 262 Carriages had been prepared. After the signing of the treaty which surprisingly went well and without any problems the queen led everyone to the entrance of the palace bidding them all farewell with her usual stoic expression. She didn''t reconcile with Kai, not this time even though the prince felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe next time or the time after that, maybe never, no one knew but Kai for once felt like he had said everything he wanted to. The young prince had been placed on a carriage together with Philip, Ash and Olivia and the truth was he couldn''t wait to get to the rift. The only sound he could hear was the rhythmic galloping of the worse as it headed out the main village. No one was talking, the werewolf and his guard had just started a very intense staring contest while Olivia, like the shy girl she was all did was steal glances from Ash and when she believed someone had caught her she would snap her head to the side and look out the window. He sighed, his head touching the wall of the carriage. "Are you alright?" Philip asked him, finally focusing his attention somewhere else. "Yeah, just a bit worried. About everything that is going to follow but I am okay." he explained. "Don''t worry, I will protect you." Ash told him, making the prince smile sweetly. "I don''t know why you will need to do that when I will be here." Philip stated, a frown on his face as he looked down on him. "Because you have done such a great job up to now that you have all the rights in the world to say that." Ash insulted him, making the Alpha clench his fists. Kai could sense the upcoming conflict, it had been bottling up inside them for a while now and he had zero intention of intervening. If they wanted to fight at this point they should, get it all out and not bother him anymore. Their little clash though did not end because Olivia stepped in, looking at everyone with innocent eyes. "Will it be dangerous?" she asked. This was her first time leaving BloodBound. She seemed nervous and obviously did not enjoy the fact that she was sitting right next to Ash, the so called walking time bomb. Kai smiled at her, wanting to soothe her worries a little bit. It was his idea to bring her along and now, looking how anxious he was he felt a little bad, thinking that she could simply be useful and not considering if she wanted to do that or not. "It will be fine." The prince told her. "We will stick together and nothing bad will happen. Ash will be with you." "Why me?" The vampire exclaimed, annoyed. He didn''t care if Olivia was offended by it. He simply stated openly his dissatisfaction about it, making her pout and look away. Kai noticed it, the poor girl, she liked the worst possible candidate. "Because it''s an order from me. Do you need another reason?" he asked him and Ash sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Seems like Kai will be protected by me after all." Philip boasted, raising his eyebrows and teasing Ash in the most childish manner. Kai looked at him, rolling his blue eyes, thinking that such a reaction was truly unbelievable. "Kai will protect himself, thank you very much. Now all of you should just sit silently here until we get to the rift. No fighting." he told them, looking at the two men with a strict expression. No one spoke afterwards and the prince turned his head, looking outside the window as he left the familiar kingdom behind for the second time. Not as a runaway but as someone who was planning to save it. Things did really seem to change, for the good or the better he wasn''t really sure but as he watched the buildings disappear, as the people on the streets were left behind by the rushing carriage and the rift slowly seemed to get closer and closer Kai realized that he didn''t hate his home, he never had. It was gloomy and filled with pretentious people but his family was here, his best friend and it had been a haven from the cruelty of the human world. He could still clearly remember his days at the academy, all the fun he had with them. When the carriages stopped and the galloping ceased a momentarily silence started. Those few moments until everyone was out, ready to step back into a whole different world. Kai couldn''t stop thinking, he couldn''t stop hoping that at the end of the day he would end up saving this place. "Philip¡­" he called his lover, both of them the last people on the carriage. "Yes?" "I want to save this place." he stated looking at him with his vibrant blue eyes and Philip smiled, caressing his cheek. "And I will help you every step of the way." he said, making the young prince smile. Kai nodded, hugging him and resting his head on his chest. Just for a little while, calming by the way Philip''s heart beat on his chest. Philip was warm, his scent felt like home and Kai closed his eyes, feeling the man pat his head, leaving a soft kiss on it. "Come on, everyone is waiting." Philip urged him, opening the door of the carriage. "After you, your highness." he joked, winking. Kai would keep feeling worried, anxious every time he thought of the Bloody People but this time, he didn''t feel so weak. He knew he had people around him, supporting him and most importantly he had Philip, right by his side, feeling his fingers entwine with his, slowly as he found the strongest support, with no words needed. Some times it was impossible for him to fathom how he could love someone this much. ... Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Chapter 264 - 363 Hans had been very negative with the idea of the vampires coming into the pack considering their history with them. He didn''t want anything to ruin Philip''s reputation but the truth was that he couldn''t just hide his relationship with Kai forever. They were mates and that was the embodiment of fate, denying it wouldn''t change a thing. So he had stepped back , letting the Alpha do as he wished. He didn''t think much of seeing Philip upset, he wasn''t that scared of him but he didn''t want to make him step down. He understood how much the werewolf loved his mate, this was how it was supposed to be, standing in between them would only make things worse. So the only thing he could do was make sure there wouldn''t be in the pack''s faces all the time. Kai would live with Philip, he hadn''t been allowed to suggest otherwise but the rest of Kai''s friends had been moved to a spacious cabin right at the end of the pack. The further away the better, Hans had told them as he showed them the room that had many small beds aligned next to each other and a tiny bathroom. Lun had almost fainted at the sight of their accommodations as it looked like he was suddenly in the human army but he didn''t complain, seeing that everyone was silent about it. Olivia though had been let to sleep in Reina''s room, seeing she was the only girl in their company. "The room is really crappy, I am sure there will be rats too." Lun told Kai. They had arrived a few hours ago and they were heading towards the main hall for dinner. The tall vampire had spotted his best friend and pulled him to the side to gossip. Kai rolled his eyes. "There are no rats in the forest." "Forest rats." Lun added, making him chuckle. "You will be fine, Xan is there too." "Xan is refusing to leave the room if he is not offered a private bedroom. I think having to sleep in the same room with John and Ash has shocked him too much." Lun said, shrugging his shoulders and the younger prince burst out laughing. He could imagine it, his older brother, standing in the corner of the room, a judgemental expression on his face as he wished everyone around him was dead. "Well, the day after tomorrow we will be leaving so let him whine." Kai said and they started walking again towards the main hall. They were surrounded by werewolves, knowing they were being stared at but well, Kai and lun were not the kind of people to mind something like that. The tall vampire walked cooly, his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans while the handsome prince smiled at those who were staring a bit too aggressively making them look elsewhere. "I feel like a celebrity." Lun joked and Kai chuckled. "I hope they won''t take it too bad." "I hope they do. I hope their pillows are always warm and that they sleep and have nightmares. Are you forgetting these are the little bitches that went after our people?" Lun asked Kai the moment they passed the wooden door of the crowded building. Kai didn''t answer, he was searching for Philip in the crowd but when he found him he realized he was preparing to make a speech so he didn''t approach him. He found Ash, John, Olivia and Soran, sitting with Philip''s friends at a table on their own at the very front. So much for staying low, he thought before he realized he hadn''t answered to Lun. "We need to move on. Those things happened because of Mikain and now he is dead. Things will be better." Kai said as he walked towards their friends. "I am pretty sure some of them believe the same as him" Lun added. "Then let them. They are the ones who will get killed in the end. I won''t tolerate anyone messing with this mission" Kai said, his expression turning serious. "Badass." Lun teased him, the prince clicking his tongue as they sat down. They greeted everyone when they heard Philip''s voice. He was going to make his announcement now, Kai realized. "Everyone, your attention please." He told them, the room suddenly going silent, all eyes focused on him. "As you all may know we signed the treaties but still returned earlier than expected. That is because it seems that there are problems with another werewolf pack. They are scheming to ruin the peace between our species and we, as a pack offered to help the vampires to stop this. That is why we have the two Avger princes of BloodBound as our guests with their company. They will cooperate with us in order to catch the culprits and put an end to this madness. Every single one of you should treat them with respect and like our treasured guests. Am I clear?" Philip asked, looking at the crowd, his face expressionless as he talked. At first no one said anything. People were looking at each other, their eyes wide because of the news but after a few seconds passed, right before Philip stepped away a hand appeared raised in the far back of the room. "Yes?" Philip asked. "Why do we have to work with them?" One of the pack members asked. "They are our natural enemies!" he exclaimed and suddenly an uproar began. ... Hello everyone! Sorry I did not update yesterday, I took a short break for mental health reasons but I am back as usual. Hope you like the new arc that I am starting and that you will find the book to your liking. Please if you like it leave a nice comment, a vote and a five star review to help the book out. Also don''t forget to buy priviledge! There is a discount and many other perks! What do you think will happen in the pack? Soon we will find out. Chapter 265 - 364 A FEW HOURS BEFORE DINNER John felt uncomfortable. He didn''t know how to explain it but he just kept thinking about it. The pouch in his suitcase. It was still there, he hadn''t thrown it out, he always said that he would do it later, and later seemed to become never. His dark eyes landed on the small black suitcase and he gulped. Maybe one more time? Should he do it one more time? He wondered, stretching his fingers. "John?" Soran''s voice reached him, calling his name he flinched, suddenly pulled away from his thoughts. "Are you alright? You seem concerned about something." he asked him, worry written all over his handsome face. He had done it again, he had worried Soran with his childish thinking. He had to flash that thing down the toilet. There was no other way. "No, no it''s okay. I was just staring into nothingness." he lied, forcing a small smile and Soran nodded, patting his head. Olivia called her older brother from outside, the white haired man excusing himself before he walked away to talk to her. When Soran was outside, the door closed behind him John jumped up, opening the zipper of the heavy suitcase in a hurry, searching frantically through his clothes to find the pouch that had been tormenting him all this time. He clicked his tongue, annoyed that it took so much time and dug his hand depper finally feeling the velvety sensation in his palm. He pulled it out, locking his gaze on it. For a second, he stopped moving, feeling sweat beams form in the sides of his forehead he felt tempted again, right there, in his hands was the means to complete relaxation, the peace he couldn''t find within himself. If he just opened it, if he just did it one more time before he¡­ "John, I am back¡­" Soran''s voice echoed in the silent room and the boy flinched, the pouch falling off his hand and landing on the floor, opening, its insides being spilled all over the floor, purple dust scattering everywhere. Soran stood still, the dust reaching the tip of his shoes and he looked at it, knowing very well what it was. He raised his head, locking angry eyes with John who had gotten ten shades lighter. He was pale, his dark eyes round while he felt his mouth get dry. "You lied to me." Soran stated. "You said that you didn''t have any more. You told me that you wouldn''t do it again!" he shouted at him, making the werewolf shrink, scared. "I''m sorry. I wasn''t planning to do it¡­I¡­." "Are you lying to me again?" Soran asked him, the tone of his voice raised, his hands forming fists as his face slowly turned red. He was mad at him, truly mad, John realized and gulped. He had never seen him like that, the always calm and peaceful Soran seemed to be fuming. "This is serious John, do you understand how dangerous that stuff is? Ask Xan, his lover died because of it and with your history then¡­" "I''m sorry." John said, his head dropping with embarrassment. He had been with Soran less than a day and somehow he had managed to make him mad. As always things started badly for him. "Were you planning on doing it again?" Soran asked him, his dark stare cold towards the young werewolf. John knew he should lie, tell him that he just wanted to throw that damned pouch away but he felt guilty. Lying two times in a row, his heart couldn''t take it, the weight on his chest. "I don''t know¡­" John mumbled. "I thought about it. About the way that it would make me feel. I wanted to throw it out, I swear but when I had it in my hands I knew it would be the only thing that would give me peace¡­I¡­I am weak minded and¡­" "No¡­" Soran interrupted him, his voice becoming a bit more gentle. A sigh escaped from his lips and he moved towards him, crouching to get closer. He looked right into his eyes, dark orbs looking at him with pure compassion as he placed his cold hand on his burning red cheek. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have yelled at you, I was just worried. Please, don''t throw away all your progress and this peace you''re looking for, if you acquire it through this drug¡­" he said, looking at the purple dust on the floor. "...it will be fake if you use such methods. Made up and in the end it will simply make you feel more depressed. You know that without me having to tell you. I know it''s hard, the strength you have John, the battles you have won are harder than what most of us have been through. I am not an expert and I know I can''t just magically fix the pain in your heart but I want to ask you something¡­" "What is it?" John asked. Tears had gathered in the corners of his eyes because of Soran''s words. He wasn''t mad, he was worried. He was worried because he cared. This thought process, this happening of someone cared was so rare that his mind always thought of the worst. "This peace you''re looking for, how about I help you? We can try and find it together." he said, making John cry. The young werewolf wailed, waterfalls being released from his deer-like eyes as he fell into Soran''s open embrace, feeling his support. He couldn''t believe it, he couldn''t fathom that he heard him say something like that. His heart was racing, beating because he was alive. He was glad he had survived just to experience a moment like this. "Yes, please." he told him and felt Soran kiss the top of his head. ... My little couple is growing, I am so happy. Hope youa re enjoying it too.. Remember to leave a nice comment, a vote and a five star review please to help this book out. Thank you for reading! Chapter 266 - 265 It was easy for hate to creep into people''s hearts and for feelings that had existed for hundreds of years in them it was difficult to just disappear. Kai knew that but still he felt insulted as he heard the cries of confrontation and so many werewolves being against helping. There was truly hate in them and at that moment he realized that Philip had a much harder job than it appeared to be. He would have to erase Mikain''s traces on this pack and get rid of his legacy. The young prince looked around, counting the angry heads that stood up, exclaiming their issues with this little deal their Alpha had made. His chest tightening, hearing all the shouts, worried about how Philip would react. He wouldn''t blame him, no matter what he did or said. A situation like this, he hated it but he hated more was seeing his lover in such a tough spot. "Why should we put ourselves in danger to help vampires?" A young man said, getting up from his wooden chair, he was a teenager, Kai thought and after he examined his face his eyes widened. It was him, the boy that had turned John and tortured them. His long blond hair had been replaced by a buzz cut while his chestnut eyes had remained the same, hateful and disturbing. Kai''s head snapped, he looked at John who had turned into a completely different person. He had his hands in fists, his whole body tense as he stared at the teen obviously disturbed by him. "That fucker." He heard him mumble but Soran placed his hand on his shoulder, getting in his field of vision to calm him down. The prince exhaled, relieved that they had easily avoided a very bad confrontation. He would have to keep his eyes on John for a while from now on, to make sure that nothing would happen. Philip had been bombarded with questions, the last one being Brandon''s and he hadn''t answered any of them. Was he overwhelmed? Kai wondered as he imagined Philip drowning in a sea of murmurs and displeasure. He bit his bottom lip, tapping his left foot as he waited. The Alpha looked straight ahead, his eyes cold as he met with Brandon. It was obvious he didn''t like him, he knew what he had done, not only to John but to his prince too. He smirked, looking as if he had emerged from a romance novel and took a step forward with confidence. "Why? Because I said so. Isn''t that enough for you or is it that you don''t acknowledge me as your Alpha, Brandon?" he asked him, the boy tensing as all eyes landed on him. "If anyone has a problem with my decisions you can come up and tell me but also tell me why no one wanted to say anything when our previous Alpha was mass murdering people and sexually abusing pack members? Have you all forgotten about that or do you want me to remind you? It''s funny, hilarious even that you don''t say anything when those things happen but now you are all sooo upset because I want to take a measure for the pack. You have all been deluded haven''t you? All this time. So let me make it clear for you, after what we did if the Avger family wanted to end us they could have done it and we wouldn''t know we were dead. So how about all of you little idiots shut up and pay the price for the shit you have done?" he asked, his voice loud, confident and intimidating as it reached even the far back of the room clearly. Kai smiled, trying to hide his expression but at the same time he wanted to admire it. He was sure that his eyes were sparkling at the moment, looking at his lover like a lovestruck fool. "Okay Brandon?" Philip asked him with a cold smile and the teen sat down, not uttering another useless word. The Alpha scoffed, shaking his head. "Anyone else have an objection?" he asked the crowd but now everyone was silent. You could even hear a fly in the air. "Good, if you do have an objection, keep it to yourselves or I will kill you. Now you can eat." he told them, trays with warm food leaving the kitchen as he walked to the table Kai was. He sat down next to him, a heavy sigh coming from his lips as he looked at his lover. To say he was ecstatic would be an understatement. Kai was flying right now, glowing with happiness. He wouldn''t have blamed him if he tried to cover things up, if he wanted to appease his pack but he hadn''t done that. Kai looked at him, seeing everything he had loved in him appear in front of him. He shouldn''t have been worried, he felt stupid to do so because Philip was strong and right now he could clearly see it, he was a leader, he was actually made for this. "How was it?" Philip asked him but the prince did not answer. Without thinking about it much Kai grabbed him from the collar of his t-shirt, bringing him closer and kissing him in a cute way. Feeling his lips on him, his heart raced even faster, he couldn''t stop thinking about him, wanting to see him and after what he said and did somehow he felt like he loved him even more, shamelessly in front of everyone. "I will take that as a positive." Philip said, a chuckle escaping his lips as he looked at Kai, his face blushed. "Really I will throw up." Xan commented with a disgusted expression and Mika nodded his head. "The only time I am actually agreeing with this jerk." the red haired werewolf said. "You have a room you know." "Shut up please and thank you in advance." Kai told him, smiling brightly and Reina started laughing. "Shut up." she repeated, looking him straight in the eyes. "Or the big scary Alpha will kill you." he told him, mimicking Philip''s expression during his speech and the man rolled his eyes, grabbing his glass and pouring some water. "Let''s just eat. Tomorrow we have a lot to do.." he told them, looking at the food that had been served on their table.