(Damien's POV)
Morning broke with pale light spilling through the high windows of Blackthorn Keep, scattering across the polished stone floors like shards of silver. The air was crisp, tinged with pine and the faint musk of wolves patrolling the courtyard.
I sat at the long oak table with Kael and three of my most trusted council members, plates of untouched food before us. My mind was far from the venison roast cooling in the morning chill.
Today was the day.
Adrian had summoned us to his court, a dangerous invitation, dressed in silk words. A meeting, he called it. Negotiation, perhaps. But I knew better. Between our clans, there was no such thing as peace. Not truly.
"Are you sure of this, my King?" Kael's voice cut through my thoughts. His sharp amber eyes studied me with quiet concern.
"Walking into the heart of their den feels… reckless."
I smirked faintly. "When have I ever been cautious, Kael?"
He frowned but said no more. His loyalty bound him, even when his instincts told him to fight me.
We prepared, armored in leather and steel, cloaks snapping in the wind as we rode out with a small entourage. But fate or perhaps sabotage delayed us.
Near the borderlands, a group of rogue wolves, scavengers without allegiance, had staged an ambush. Not skilled enough to truly harm us, but cunning enough to waste our time. By the time we scattered them, night was drawing near.
We arrived at Adrian's castle an hour late, our horses foaming at the mouth, our cloaks heavy with dust.
The vampire guards looked down their noses at us, sneers hidden behind rigid posture. They parted only when the gates groaned open, revealing the dark grandeur of Adrian's court.
Inside, Adrian was already seated upon his throne, his council arrayed around him like carrion crows. His face betrayed nothing at our tardiness.
But his eyes.
His eyes lingered on me longer than propriety demanded. A single flicker of heat, quickly buried beneath ice.
I inclined my head slightly, though my lips twitched in something close to a smile.
He let it pass without comment.
The meeting began with strained courtesy.
Vampires cloaked in velvet spoke of boundaries, broken accords, and accusations of wolf raids. My men countered with their own grievances, blood drained from wolf villages, corpses left to rot as warnings.
Tension thickened the air until it choked.
And then Lucien spoke.
"Perhaps," he said, voice smooth as poisoned honey, "the wolves' behavior is not defiance, but desperation. A starving dog bites only when its ribs show."
The chamber rippled with low laughter from the vampires.
My claws itched. Rage flared, searing hot in my chest. I stood, my chair scraping violently against the floor.
"Watch your tongue, parasite," I snarled, fangs bared. "Lest I rip it from your throat and feed it to you."
The room erupted. Vampire guards shifted, my men growled low, weapons half-drawn.
But it wasn't Lucien's smirk that cut deepest.
It was Adrian's expression.
Cold. Displeased. Disappointed.
And before I could leash myself, the words fell like a blade.
"Perhaps your king should leash you better, Lucien. Unless he's too busy hiding behind councilmen to rule his own people."
The silence that followed was thunderous.
Every vampire's eyes widened, and Adrian's face, stone carved with fury snapped toward me.
For the first time, I had not only insulted Lucien.
I had insulted him.
The meeting devolved swiftly after that. Voices rose, accusations flew, but no progress was made. Finally, I turned sharply on my heel, cloak whipping behind me.
"This is a waste of time," I growled to my men. "We leave."
They followed, muttering curses under their breath, relief warring with anger at the fruitless journey.
But as we neared the great gates, something gnawed at me.
Adrian's face when I had spoken.
The flash of hurt beneath his anger.
I slowed, turning to Kael.
"Go on ahead. Take them back."
Kael frowned. "My King, alone in enemy territory..."
"Do you not know me, Kael?" I cut him off. "I am not prey to be cornered. Go. I will follow shortly."
His jaw tightened, but he bowed. "As you command."
My men departed, their footsteps fading. And I turned back into the castle.
The corridors stretched like veins, torchlight flickering across stone walls. It did not take long before shadows moved ahead of me, vampire guards, eyes glinting crimson, blades half-drawn.
"Wolf," one spat. "You should not linger."
They stepped forward, circling, predatory.
"Stand down."
The voice cut through the air like a blade. Adrian emerged from the darkness itself, cloak trailing, eyes aflame.
The guards froze.
He stepped closer, every inch a king in his own hall, though his words were for me alone. "What are you doing here, King Blackthorn?"
I met his gaze, steady. "I want to speak to you. Alone."
A guard hissed, stepping forward. "Sire, this is a trap. He cannot be trusted. If he wished it, he could strike you down here and now..."
Adrian's hand cut the air, silencing him. His voice was quiet, lethal.
"If the wolf dares raise his hand against me in my own halls, he will not leave this palace alive. Do you doubt it?"
The guards fell back, bowing reluctantly.
Adrian turned, his cloak whispering. "Follow me."
He led me through winding staircases and hidden corridors, finally into a narrow chamber lit only by a single candelabra. The air here was heavy, suffused with old magic.
He turned sharply, eyes blazing.
"Why did you return?" His voice was low, trembling with restrained fury. "You insult me in front of my court, and then come crawling back? Do you mock me, Damien?"
I exhaled slowly. "No."
"Then why?" His fists clenched. "Why do you test me? Why do you force me to choose between my crown and..." He bit the word back.
I stepped closer, heart hammering.
"Because I couldn't leave like that. Because I saw your face. And gods, Adrian, I can't help that i made you mad."
His breath caught, sharp as a blade.
Silence stretched between us, hot and suffocating.
"You are infuriating," he hissed, eyes burning. "Reckless. Arrogant."
"And you love it," I growled.
He flushed, crimson blooming against pale skin, and my control cracked.
In two steps I was upon him, caging him against the wall, my body pressed to his. His breath shuddered against my lips.
"Damien," he whispered, warning and plea entwined.
I kissed him. Hard. Desperate. All the anger and longing we had bottled exploded in that moment. He gasped, then melted into me, hands clutching at my cloak, his mouth opening under mine.
The heat roared, unstoppable. My wolf surged, clawing at my control.
"You drive me mad," I growled against his lips, biting down until he whimpered. "I can't hold back when you look at me like that."
"And what," he breathed, teasing even now, "if I don't want you to hold back?"
That was all it took.
My control shattered.
I devoured him, teeth and tongue, my hands tearing at his robes, desperate to feel skin, to mark him mine. He clung to me, soft and pliant, every gasp fanning the fire until I lost myself completely.
The world outside vanished, no councils, no war, no betrayal. Only him. Only us.
Time blurred into heat and breath and desperate whispers. He teased me still, even beneath me, smirking between gasps, provoking me until my wolf took over, until I was lost to the hunger that only he could sate.
And when it was over, when the storm had passed, we lay tangled in silence, sweat cooling, breaths uneven.
I pressed my forehead to his, lips brushing his temple. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "For what I said. For everything."
He was quiet, his chest rising and falling. Then, softly: "Don't do it again."
I kissed him once more, gentle, lingering, before forcing myself to rise.
"I have to leave."
We dressed in silence, masks returning.
By the time we stepped from the chamber, his face was flushed, lips swollen, but his stride carried regal grace. No one dared question.
But Lucien's eyes followed us from across the hall. Sharp. Suspicious.
He knew nothing. Not yet.
I left the palace, rejoining my men on the road.
Kael met me at the gates of Blackthorn Keep, his eyes scanning me with quiet knowing.
But he said nothing.
And later, in the silence of my chamber, I allowed myself to smile.
For one night, I had him.
And that was enough.