Chapter Two - Revelations and Vows

Erik stared at the painting of the Werewolves royal family. So, the heir was a girl. He stared at the heir. She had dark black hair flowing past her neck until her shoulders, a frail-looking body, and piercing dark blue eyes.

But the reason he wanted to know about the heir was to decide their fate. Looks like his marriage partner was decided. He turned away from the painting and proceeded to search for the heir.

"Here, your highness." A soldier pointed at a twig popping out of a chair. Erik had smelt the blood all around the room. It was too strong for him to pinpoint its location with sniffing every corner of the room. He bent and brushed his finger against the blood. It was almost dry. The smell grew stronger, the more he brought it closer to his face. He tasted the blood, and something changed in him.

It was like something clicked into place. His entire body felt like it was burning, and he had to find the source. He felt something calling from behind the bed, and he tore it away from the wall. His actions revealed a hole in the ground, and he jumped straight in. Landing on his feet, he felt the call grow stronger.

He wasn't in control of his body yet it didn't feel wrong. When he turned at a corner, the smell burst all around him, and he knew that the person in front of him was the source. He had to make them his. No matter what.

"-a vampire." Lycane looked at Erik's eyes, and knew right away he was a vampire. And that he had formed a link with that vampire. He looked at the vampire's clothes. It's easy to discern one's social standing by looking at one's clothing.

"You must be-" Lycane stared into Erik's eyes, who just stood there, panting because of the hurry he had come in. "Erik Cain, the vampire heir."

Erik didn't respond. He couldn't, and neither did he want to. All he felt like doing at the moment was biting Lycane's neck and drawing his blood.

'If the smell itself is so delicious, how would the real warm blood taste?' The thought drove him mad, and he jumped upon Lycane. He pushed him down and before Lycane could do anything, Erik bit his neck. Lycane flinched when he felt the teeth pierced his soft skin. His skin burnt and the burning sensation in him began to calm down.

Erik drank his blood with no intention of stopping. Lycane felt his instincts act up, and he tried his best to push Erik away from him, but it didn't work. He pinched Erik's side, and when Erik didn't react, he twisted it. For a second, Erik's grip over him loosened. Lycane pushed him and slid out of his grasp.

Erik's eyes had begun to fade into his normal ones and he felt his senses return. He found himself staring at a frail girl, holding her neck, which was wet with blood. Falling to his knees, he held Lycane. He had no idea Lycane was a man, and Lycane wanted it to stay that way.

"Tch. You had to be the one?" Erik snapped as he carried Lycane, who had hidden the books in his tunic, and began to walk back towards the hole.

"No..." Lycane muttered slowly. When he was ignored, he held Erik's cheeks and stared into his hungry red eyes. "The other way...Go...the other way." He gasped out. He felt his consciousness fading. "I want to see...where...it ends."

Erik gave him a blank stare but walked in the direction Lycane wanted him to. He had to do something in return for drinking so much blood from his future wife, who could collapse any second. Lycane smiled. Erik picked up the pace when he noticed Lycane trying his best to stay conscious till the end.

When they reached the end, there was a door and it was locked. "It's locked-" Erik looked at Lycane, but he had fainted the second they had reached the end. Erik went mad with hunger. His bond was in front of him, blood sliding down his smooth skin, and he was defenseless. Gritting his teeth, Erik ran at full speed towards the hole. It would take him a while, but as fast as he can. He couldn't let her die.

He was panting heavily when he neared the hole. His people greeted him.

"Take her and heal her."

"Heal her? But heal potions are-"

"I said do it." Erik raged.

"Get the potions." The chief ordered a soldier.

"Why go so far. your highness? It isn't like the marriage is that profitable any-"

"She's my bond."

"She's your what?" The chief was aghast. Bond? In this time and age? He gulped. While finding your bond was all well and good, some major problems came along with it.

"And she probably knows it too."

"What? How? Bonds are the utmost secrecy even among vampires-"

"Look like she got her hands on this." Erik showed him the book of legends.

"How did she-" The chief stared at Lycane in amazement.

"I don't know. To think she's able to understand our language. She may be weak physically, but that must have just strengthened her mentally." Erik looked at Lycane with a proud face. But Lycane continued to act like he was unconscious.

'Good. They think of me as a girl.' Lycane thought to himself. With this, he'd get married to Erik, and he'll just run back here when the time comes.

"Shouldn't you wake her up, your highness? She may want to see her parents the last time."

Lycane felt the sudden urge to wake up and see his parents. Erik walked towards Lycane and softly shook him. Lycane gave out a fake low yawn.

"If you want to see your parents, get up." He walked away when Lycane slowly got up. He rubbed his eyes in an act to make it seem like he had just woken up.

"My parents?" He asked softly.

"Yes, my lady." The vampire chief said as they followed Erik.

When Erik stopped outside his parent's chambers, Lycane's heart began to beat in anticipation. It felt like a long time passed after the last he saw his parents. He felt a new feeling towards his parents after they had revealed the truth to him.

"Are we there?" Lycane asked as he slowly walked over to where Erik was standing. The sight made him feel nauseated. Blood was spattered everywhere. And his parents were lying on the bed, lifeless bodies. Lycane felt something overcome the new feeling that had been budding. That bud was snapped into two, as another raging thorn emerged in him.

"What...is the meaning of this?" He growled, snapping his head towards the prince, who had a calm and collected expression.

"I don't know." He said, straightforwardly.

"You...don't know?" Lycane asked sarcastically.

"I don't and even if I did, you are in no position to ask questions neither demand answers."

Lycane's hand clenched over the necklace he had gotten. He walked over to the corpses which were drenched in blood. "Mother, Father," he whispered as he bent, gave them soft kisses on their foreheads, and closed their eyes.

"I will not leave my country until I give them a proper burial." Lycane snarled. His wolf stirred. 'Down, boy. I don't need you.' Lycane thought.

"So be it." Erik looked at his chief and he nodded. "We'll give them a proper burial," Erik spoke sincerely and Lycane knew that.

"It shall happen today. I ask that you rest till then. A weak body such as oneself's will not be able to handle the journey back. Resting will make it easier." Erik turned away and walked away.

Lycane collapsed to his knees. His exhaustion had piled up and had finally exceeded his limit.

"We love you, son." Their last words echoed in him. Tears slowly fell to the ground as he tried to grasp reality. His parents were no more. He was going to be in a foreign land henceforth and over that, he had to protect his real identity as the Werewolf prince. Lycane hurried to the window and all he saw were areas on fire. Burning buildings to ashes. He looked all around his city and saw his people perishing.

He couldn't do anything for them. Even though he wanted to. At one point in his life, all he wanted to do was help his people who accepted his illness but they slowly forgot his existence itself, and he lost his ability to trust them.

He banged his hands against the glass and a crack appeared. "I never wanted to be this way!" He shouted. "I never...wanted..." He felt his consciousness fade. "this."

"Your highness?" The chief asked.

"Yes," Erik replied. They were on their way to find out what had happened to the King and Queen of the Werewolves.

"Do you think that's what's going on?" He asked, earnestly, not with excitement but rather he sounded tired of asking the same question.

"Yes. That's the only explanation."

The chief sighed. "I can't believe they aimed for the King and Queen directly."

"They were waiting. Waiting for us to strike first." Erik's eyes glowed. "I vow to not let anyone, who makes my bond growl at me, live."