Darian's POV
Isolde is a werewolf.
Silas told me she's a werewolf, but that's impossible. Werewolves don't exist. They're just stories in old folklore and grimoires, but I've never heard of a real one. Definitely not here in Greyhaven.
How can she be one?
My chest hurts like something's tearing me open from the inside. I can't focus. I have to get to her.
I've been trying to reach her through our bond since night fell, but nothing's working. How do I get to her before the castle descends into chaos?
It's going to be my love against my people, and my people against my love. I can't lose her. Not when I just found her.
A growl rips out of my throat before I can stop it, and the soldiers around me stare. I know I look unhinged. Like I'm losing control. And I am. I'm about to make the worst decision a ruler can make.
Do I choose the safety of my people, or the safety of my love?
If I let whatever's at our borders break through Greyhaven just to save her, what kind of king does that make me?
No. There's no time to think about that. She's in danger.
I ran to my horse and mounted. I could hear boots shuffling behind me, voices rising, but my ears tuned them out.
"Your Highness, where are you going? Your Highness, it's almost time! Your Highness—"
I heard all of it, but those words were quiet compared to the voice screaming in my head: Go to her. Save her. Now.
Everything felt shaky. I was miles away from her, but I'd reach her even if it killed me.
I could hear the hooves pounding the ground, the wind roaring past me as I pushed the horse faster and faster.
I could use my abilities. I could materialize inside the castle and no one would see me arrive. But at this distance, I'd be too weak to fight after. I need to get closer. Close enough that if I use my power, I won't collapse.
I tightened the reins, kicked the horse's flank, urging it on. Heaven and earth be damned, I won't let anything happen to her. She's my life. I don't care what she is or where she came from. She's mine.
I rode hard, still clawing at our bond, praying she could hear me. That she'd answer. That she was still alive.
My head was buzzing. I don't know if it was blood rushing in my ears or the realization that I might've just made the worst choice of my life, but none of it mattered.
I will save her. That's a promise. And nothing will stop me.
When I reached the empty market streets — most of the merchants had gone home for the night — I knew I was close enough. I jumped off my horse and slapped its flank, sending it toward the castle gates to announce I was coming. I looked around, made sure no one was watching, focused on every detail of the castle grounds, and when I opened my eyes, I was there.
I ran through the doors, through the halls, and then I heard it: a howl that made my blood freeze, followed by screams.
I chased those screams.
Torchlight flickered orange and yellow across stone walls. The crowd was thick. People were shouting, shoving.
"Your Majesty, she's a monster!"
"Your Majesty, you have to see this!"
"What kind of creature is she? Save us!"
I heard them, but I wasn't listening. My mind was only on what belonged to me.
The closer I got, the stronger I felt our bond snapping back into place. It was weak. Flickering. Then I heard a whimper through it. Hers.
I'm coming to you, I pushed through the bond. I'm coming.
Then I saw her.
Black as midnight. Her storm-grey eyes were there, except one was now burning crimson. The most terrifying and beautiful creature I'd ever seen. And she was mine.
And people had pitchforks and blades pointed at her like she was something to be slaughtered.
A vicious snarl tore out of me as I glared at the men restraining her. She looked drained, exhausted, but she wasn't backing down. She was snarling, baring fangs at them.
"Step back," I ordered.
Like they'd just noticed I was there, they stumbled back, but they didn't drop their weapons.
And like them, she noticed me too. Her eyes locked on mine, and something in her shifted. She softened, but she was still on high alert, standing her ground on all fours.
"Isolde," I whispered, taking slow, careful steps toward her.
She snarled, but I didn't stop. I'd rather die by her hand than watch them kill her in front of me.
"Your Majesty, she's dangerous!" someone shouted.
Before I could answer, Silas roared, "He knows what he's doing! He's never lost control."
But I could see it on his face. This shocked him too. Silas is always six steps ahead of everyone. This caught all of us off guard. Myself included. But we could deal with the shock later. Right now, I needed her safe.
"Isolde," I said again, getting closer. She rose onto her hind legs, teeth still bared, eyes locked on me. I took a shaky breath.
"My trouble," I said.
She tilted her head.
"Yeah. You're my trouble, remember?" I kept moving toward her, slow and steady. She was taller than me like this, bigger, but I still reached out and touched her nose.
The second my palm connected, all the fight left her eyes. She closed them and let out a pained whimper that felt like a knife to my chest.
"Isolde," I gasped, grabbing her head, her neck. "I'm here. I'm so sorry."
That's when I felt it. She was changing. Shrinking. Her body shifted back until she was the woman I left in the castle. The woman who ran to hug me before I left for war. The woman who gave herself to me as I gave myself to her.
I kissed her forehead and realized she'd passed out. I breathed in her scent, then glared at everyone.
"If anyone comes near her," I said, voice low, "if anyone tries to hurt her, you'll answer to me. Do you understand?"
"But Your Highness—"
"Do you understand?" I snapped.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Leave," I ordered. My voice was shaking, but not from pity. From rage. They almost killed what's mine. If Silas hadn't reached me, I would've walked in to find her dead. That thought alone made something dark and old rise up in me.
I searched the crowd for Silas and found him. Isolde was human again, but naked. Silas immediately pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her. I took her into my arms and headed for my chambers.
With every step up the stone stairs, the panic in my chest eased. I could feel her. I could feel our bond, stronger now. If I'd been any later, God knows what they would've done to her.
"Where's Cassian?" I asked.
Silas shook his head. "He didn't show? I thought maybe he rode with you."
I hope he did. Because if the war we were supposed to fight at the borders has already reached Greyhaven, then I just abandoned my people with no defense.
By the time we reached my room, I laid her on the bed, brushing her hair back. She looked so calm. So peaceful.
"I won't let anyone hurt you," I whispered against her forehead. "Not again." Then I looked at Silas. "Tell me everything you think happened."
He nodded. Once we stepped out of the room, he started talking.
"Men broke into the castle. I think the war you were meant to fight at the border has already started. They've infiltrated Greyhaven. Their plan was to kill you and any royal or pure-blooded vampire. They went straight for your chambers and your relatives' rooms. But she was there. I thought your quarters would be safest because of how openly you two declared yourselves. I was wrong."
For the first time, I saw Silas fidget. Playing with his fingers. Not meeting my eyes. The guilt was eating him alive, and it was eating me too, for leaving her here.
"She started to transform after she killed one of the men," he continued.
Pride hit me square in the chest.
"She killed one?"
"Yes. She put up a fight. By the time we got there, most of the men were dead. Then we heard the screaming, people calling her an abomination, and we saw her in wolf form."
"But how?" I asked. "I thought wolves went extinct."
"They did," Silas said. "Or so we believed. But the old grimoires… the ones sealed in the lower archives… they talk about creatures we've never seen, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Creatures that transform. According to those texts, they don't even know what they are until they kill someone for the first time. The first kill triggers it. Then, on the full moon, they change. They're called werewolves."
"So you're telling me she didn't know what she was."
"She didn't," Silas said. "And you and Cassian turned her into a vampire. That's why her eyes never fully changed. Her body wasn't ready to accept having two natures growing inside her."
"So she's what they call a hybrid. Both werewolf and vampire."
"Which means we don't know what we're dealing with," he admitted. "We don't know how strong she is. She might be the strongest creature in Greyhaven. Stronger than you."
"I don't care if she's strong," I said. "I care about keeping her safe from everyone who'll want her now. Word will get out of Greyhaven. People will come for her. If they find out we have someone like her here, they will come for her."
"You can protect her," Silas said. "We can protect her. I'll find ways to help her control it if she starts to lose it."
"I don't want you to subdue her," I said. "I want to enhance her abilities. Let her be strong. Let them fear her."
He put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, cousin. You've got my word. I'm with you."
I tried to take a steady breath.
Then a scream tore from my room.
She was awake.
By the time I rush into the room, she's already fighting her way out of the bed.
Not that there's any obstruction. No chains, no guards, no magic binding her.
But the confusion is written all over her frame — in the stiffness of her shoulders, the way her fingers clutch the sheets like they're the only thing keeping her tethered to this world, the wild, unfocused look in her eyes.
She looks at me, and for a second there's wonder there. Like I'm a stranger.
"When did you get back?" she asks.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. A small smile touches my lips.
"You don't remember?"
Silas is in the room, but he's keeping a safe distance. Three paces from the bed. Arms crossed, jaw tight.
That alone makes me pause.
Silas has always been the bravest person I know. The smartest. The mouthiest. The man who'd taunt a god to its face and laugh while doing it.
But now? Now he's giving her space.
And gods help me, pride blooms in my chest anyway. I've always wanted them to coexist, to share the same room without daggers in their voices. Just… not like this. Not under these circumstances.
She notices it too. Her gaze flicks between us. Suspicion. Confusion. Fear.
She won't say it, but I see the thought forming: Something is wrong with me.
And I don't want her to feel like that. Like she's less. Like she's a danger.
"I don't remember everything," she murmurs, pressing trembling fingers to her temple.
"It's okay," I tell her, soft. "You don't have to."
She pauses. Her hand still against her head.
Then it happens.
Like a dam breaking.
The memories flood her all at once. Her whole body jerks.
"There was an attack," she whispers, voice thin. "In the castle."
Her breathing turns shallow.
"This… big man. He tried to harm me. And I killed him." She stammers on the last word like it tastes like ash.
"I know," I say quickly. "I know. You did that to defend yourself."
"No." She shakes her head, violently. "No, you don't get it."
Her voice rises, cracking.
"I killed him, and then… everything went black. I don't know what happened. What I did. What I did wrong."
Her eyes find mine, desperate.
"But I know something happened to me. I don't remember what happened after that."
She looks so lost. So confused. It makes my chest ache.
I sit beside her on the bed and pull her into my arms.
"Nothing wrong happened," I murmur into her hair.
"But I feel like…" Her voice breaks. "I feel like something did."
"Don't be scared. Nothing happened. Okay?"
I glance at Silas over her shoulder and jerk my chin once — leave us.
Too late. His expression has already betrayed too much. Regret. Pity. And something else I can't name.
She feels it. Of course she does. Her body stiffens in my embrace.
"I did something," she whispers.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I tell her. "Trust me."
She pulls back just enough to look at me.
"But why are you here so soon? What about the war?"
And just like that, I don't know what to tell her.
If I lie, she'll feel it. She always does. It's in the bond. In my bones. But if I tell her the truth…
She'll blame herself.
"Don't tell me you left the war just to—"
"Save the castle," I cut in. "My people come first."
Her laugh is bitter. "My people? Or me?"
"I got a message from Silas," I say, leveling with her. "I had to rush over here."
"But you left the border unprotected."
"My men are there."
"They are not you." Her voice hardens. "You can't keep making reckless decisions, Darian."
A muscle ticks in my jaw. "I had to make those decisions. Who would I be if I let the people in the castle die?"
"But you said nothing happened."
"Nothing happened to you."
Her eyes narrow. "But why do I feel like you're not telling me something? You're hiding something from me."
I meet her gaze, steady. "I am not hiding anything from you."
A beat. Then I let my voice soften, deliberately.
"On the contrary, I thought you'd be happy I'm back. At least I could stake my claim on you. Let everyone know that I belong to you as much as you belong to me. So no one is going to harm you. No one is going to look at you unkindly."
She laughs, but there's no humor in it.
"They would always look at me unkindly. They'll look at me like a mere half-blood who used voodoo on the king. They'll hope you get delivered by some priest and throw me to the dungeons where they can spit on me and throw rotten tomatoes at me."
"It is not true," I say, firmer now. "You are not just a mere half-blood."
I reach out, letting my fingers slide through the strands of her hair.
"You are my unique one. My trouble."
And that's when I really look at her. At her eyes.
In her wolf form, she had one grey eye and one red — vampire and werewolf, both natures bleeding into one.
Now she's back in her human form.
And the eyes didn't change.
Grey and crimson. Both still there. Still vivid. Still permanent.
She just unleashed a part of herself I don't think she can put back.
"Your Highness."
The call comes from the door. I turn.
It's the guard I stationed at the gates — the one I told to report to me the second Cassian was sighted.
"He's around?" I ask.
The guard nods once.
Good.
I take one last look at her. "You need to rest. You've had a long day."
She nods, but I see it. The suspicion in her eyes. She knows I'm hiding something. She always knows.
I can't tell her now. But she'll find out. The court talks. The servants talk. The walls in Greyhaven have ears.
And if she's left alone without protection… I don't know what would happen to her in this castle. My castle. Under my protection.
I fear I might not be able to protect her the way I'm supposed to.
When I leave, my aura changes.
The calm, loving man who belongs to her bleeds out of me with every step.
By the time I reach the court, the lover is dead.
The king walks in. Ruthless. Cold. The one they all know.
And the moment my eyes land on Cassian, rage is all I feel.
"You left the castle without my permission," I say. My voice trembles, but not with fear. With cold.
I have never spoken to family like this. Not Silas. Not Cassian.
They're the only family I've got. The ones who don't want to harm me. The ones who'd bleed for me. The ones who stood by me through the darkest times.
That's why I'm this upset. This angry.
How could he leave the castle without telling me? Disappear?
The court goes cold as my voice echoes.
At least he has the decency to feel shame. He can't meet my eyes.
"You left your duty post. You let harm come to the castle. Did you think Silas alone could handle rogues attacking the castle?"
"It's your castle too," he yells back.
"Oh, it's my castle too?" I step forward. "In case you're not aware, I was at the border. Defending Greyhaven from attack. I expected my cousin to protect the castle in my absence. But no. My cousin was nowhere to be found when harm came. When I nearly lost my castle and my people."
The room falls silent.
"You could be charged with treason," I say, each word deliberate. "You could be named as a suspect in the attack. If you're not careful, explain yourself this instant."
"I do not answer to you."
A deadly quiet follows.
Then —
"You answer to me. Because I am your king!"
My voice booms. The torches flicker. The air itself seems to freeze.
I don't think I've ever been this angry. Because I almost lost her. I almost lost the love of my life just as I found her. I almost lost the castle I've bled to build.
I left my men at the border to fend for themselves because my cousin was nowhere to be seen in the middle of a massacre that would have happened if I hadn't arrived.
All of it makes my blood boil.
My aura shifts. The torches flare, then dim. Everyone in the room feels it — uneasy, suffocating.
"Do you mind explaining yourself, Cassian?"
I see his throat move. He owes me that much. An explanation for leaving without a word to me or Silas.
You didn't want to talk to me? Fine. But Silas? Would it have cost you anything to tell him where you were going? Would it have delayed your… escapades?
"It's nothing like that."
"It is nothing like what? Let's talk about this privately."
"No," I snap. "You say it here. You want to talk like cousins? You didn't act like my cousin when you left my castle unprotected."
My voice drops.
"Do you know what would have happened? We lost soldiers. I nearly lost the woman I love."
I say that last part quieter. But everyone hears it.
"So excuse me if I do not want to talk to you cousin-to-cousin. I'm showing you disrespect because of those memories. Because if you were anyone else, I would have ordered you dead by now."
He looks at me, incredulous. Like he can't believe it's me talking.
Gods, even I can't believe it's me.
I feel her then. Tugging at our bond. She feels my aura shifting. Feels the rage. She's trying to calm me down.
But how can I calm down when all I see is her body on that bed, confused and broken? When I think of how close I came to being too late?
If I'd been a second later, they would have killed her before I even knew what she is. Who she is.
That thought makes me glare at Cassian, who remains quiet despite my raging.
"You don't want to say anything?" I ask, my voice suddenly calm. Too calm.
His eyes dart to the floor, like the stone is more interesting than my question.
"I hope you don't think that because you're family, I'll spare you for abandoning your post."
"If you punish me for leaving my duty post, then punish yourself for leaving soldiers unprotected at the border."
"I left soldiers unprotected because my cousin left the castle unprotected," I snarl. "And my other cousin had to call me for backup because he couldn't find you. Couldn't reach you."
I straighten.
"Since you do not feel the liberty or the urge to talk, I sentence you to six years in the dungeon. Hard labor."
My voice leaves no room for argument. "And that is final. Does anyone have any objections?"
Silence.
He looks at me like I've struck him.
"You're dismissed," I say, using the voice I command armies with. Not the voice I use for family.
"Darian, please — no."
"I gave you time to talk and you didn't use it. It's time I act like a general."
Guards move. He's escorted out.
Only when the doors shut do I sit on my throne and let the moment settle.
"Are we done?" I ask the court.
Silence.
"Unfortunately, I left the border unprotected. With trained men, yes, but without my guidance. I don't know what the future holds for Greyhaven."
I lean forward. "But what I do know is this: whatever you all witnessed today does not leave this court."
"Yes, sire."
"But, sire—"
"But nothing!" My voice cracks like ice. "If I hear a word of what you saw today outside this castle, I will have your head on the gates. I will have your limbs paraded through the market of Greyhaven. I will have your blood on display for humans to ridicule. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sire."
"Good."
I stand.
"With that, I want every one of you to bring all old ancient books, scrolls — whatever you can find — on mystical creatures. Creatures that have swum through seas around the world. Towns that won't let us enter. Towns that will. I don't care. I know you're all smart men. I need answers. To whatever happened today. And to whoever plotted this attack."
"But, my king—"
I look. It's a councilman. The only human in the court.
"About the beast—"
"Do not speak of her as though she's some monster that resides in the castle."
He pales. "My apologies, my king, but the—"
"She," I correct, and he gulps. "What is she?"
I don't answer until I'm sure myself.
"That means you're unsure of your theories."
"I am the king," I say, cold. "I will not answer to you. I don't see you ruling a castle. I don't see you defending the people."
I step down from the dais.
"I have ruled Greyhaven longer than the current human king. I have protected it from harm. I have fed them. I have tried to liberate the people of Greyhaven. And all I get in return is scorn and dislike for vampires. Why? Because you think I'm responsible for your misfortune, when your fellow humans are responsible for the wrong in your communities. In your towns. In your streets and alleys. You are responsible. You make deals with devils and expect me to clean them up when I don't even know what deals you made."
"My king, it does not—"
"It has gotten to that." My voice drops. "I will make this clear to everyone in this court, and to you. You relay this message to your king."
The room goes still.
"I will stop cleaning up his messes. I have my own to clean in my castle. I have stayed. I have protected. I have taken care of humans and vampires. I fight witches. I fight rogues. I fight humans. While he sits on his throne, eating and drinking wine, growing fat as a pig, relaxing because he is a king by title only."
I let that sink in.
"What has he done for the humans? And yet, he gets all the glory for being the only human king to coexist with the vampire king." I laugh, bitter. "Bullshit."
Another step.
"I have done more good than harm. And if the citizens aren't ready to respect that, then we do not need to coexist. Divide Greyhaven. Let's see how the human part, ruled by your king, and the vampire part, ruled by me, fares."
I raise two fingers.
"Tell your king I give him two weeks. Not six. Two. If he doesn't provide the councilmen, the leaders, whoever he's appointed in the cities and towns of Greyhaven — the ones making deals with rogue vampires, selling humans to rogues, causing unrest, leaking confidential information from this castle — if he does not provide them within two weeks, I will dethrone him and be the sole ruler of Greyhaven. Even if it means shedding his blood and having his head on a spike before the entire human community."
The councilman is trembling now. Stuttering.
"Do you understand?" I enunciate each word.
"Yes… yes, sire."
"Good. This court is dismissed. Until further notice."
I step down from my throne.
And I go to meet the love of my life.