Chapter 26

My heart turned cold and lifeless, every part of me moving beyond my control.

A feral beast had stirred inside me, consumed by rage and transforming me into something monstrous.

As I looked at the men before me, rage consumed me.

A kind of darkness swirled inside me, urging me to seek out the one thing that could satisfy my craving—blood.

Am I a vampire? What is going on? Even my wounds were all healing up so fast, and a metallic taste of blood coated my tongue, increasing my hunger.

The men saw what I had become and knew they were in real danger. Without attempting to fight me, they turned to flee, but I was faster than lightning as a surge of inexplicable strength overwhelmed me.

I overpowered them with ease. My claws tore into their chests as if they belonged there, making a sickening crunch.

The sound of their flesh ripping open and bone breaking at my thrust sent a twisted pleasure through me. I watched them gurgle and writhe desperately, trying to escape from my grip, but it was impossible.

With a savage yank, I ripped out their pulsing heart, and their bodies staggered back, blood gushing from the hollow in their chests.

They both let out a final, bloodcurdling scream before they collapsed on the floor, but I wasn't satisfied. I rushed at their bodies and with my fangs and claws I cut them from limb to limb.

The one-eyed guard, whose leg I had already broken, scrambled and tried to sneak out. I grabbed him by the shirt, lifted him effortlessly, and slammed my forehead into his face. His nose broke with a crack.

Then I sank my fangs into his neck, drinking hungrily as he struggled—until he went limp in my arms.

As his lifeless body dropped to the ground from my grip, the door burst open behind me.

I turned with rage, the inner beast still raging like wildfire.

Then I saw Leo.

And instantly, I came back to my senses and recoiled in horror at what I had done.

The beast seemed to vanish and return to the cage it had always been as I lost all the new overpowering strength and ability, returning to the weak wolf I was.

I trembled, horrified by the monster I had become, as the whole room soaked in crimson and the smell of blood reeked in the air.

“Are you… a royal vampire? How did you do that?” Leo’s voice cracked the silence, filled with disbelief. He stepped forward slowly, almost as if he feared me.

“No… No, I don’t know what happened to me.” I whimpered, hugging myself as shivers racked my body while I gawked at the men I had gruesomely killed. “I became a monster.”

"Diane… I knew it. You have a vampire gene. But not just any—it’s powerful. High-ranking. Like a queen’s bloodline. Your beast is primal… fierce… strong.” His voice was soft, a smile playing faintly on his lips.

"No, I am a werewolf. Something else possessed me. Nobody must know I did this because they will kill me. Your father will call me a demon and prosecute me." I cried as he pulled me into an embrace.

"You are very lucky. I was the one who entered here first after this. If it were someone else, you would be in real trouble. Hybrids are seen as members of the demon clan," he whispered, and I flinched.

"How will I hide this corpse? How will I..."

"No need for that." He interrupted. "I did all this, and you have no hand in all this." He muttered with a wink, wiping the tears on my cheeks and the blood that stained my lips.

"How?" I gasped, not so sure what he meant.

He pecked my cheek before handing over his long jacket for me to cover my naked body. "The guards are coming here, so you have to leave through the door at the back."

"Which door?" I asked because there was no visible one, but he went over to the wall and pushed a block, which sank in, and a door was revealed.

I could hear footsteps approaching the room. The bang when he kicked down the door must have alerted them.

"This way leads to my room. I built this tunnel when this storeroom was my personal training ground. Never knew it would be of great importance today." He smiled briefly as I hugged him tight.

I kissed him and winked. "You will need a stain of blood in your mouth to look convincing."

He laughed, his eyes gleaming with admiration, as if I was fascinated. As though I were his ethereal queen.

I wanted to ask him why he was looking at me that way, with such affection, but I needed to leave for now.

Leo's POV

I quickly locked the door, pushing away the huge smile on my face since the guards were already at the door.

They were trying to be stealthy and calculating, and I saw the five royal guards charging in with their full vampire form, ready to bring down whoever was in there, as they had sensed the blood of the dead ones and realized there was danger.

Shock and disbelief were written all over their faces as they saw me standing there, forcing them to screech to a stop.

"Prince...." They all gasped, jaws dropping and eyes widening as they looked around to see the mess everywhere.

"What happened here?!" The voice of Zena echoed in from the door, and as I shifted my eyes in her direction, I saw her walk in with Tina, my grandmother.

"My son, did you do this to them? Why? What went wrong? Did you lose control over your beast?" Tina sounded confused and frightened, yet she got closer to me, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Yes..." I answered with a low growl, bowing my head.

"You need to take some medication. I don't know how you could do this, but this is a serious condition that we must look into." She murmured, taking my hand into hers with compassion in her eyes behind the glasses.

She looked so worried.

"You should all clean up this place!" She said to the guards while leading me out.

Zena just stood in a spot, paralyzed as her eyes fixed in shock at the dismembered body scattered around the room.

I was sure the more she tried to understand what was went on here, the more disoriented and puzzled she became.

How did I end up here?

Where was Diane?

Who killed these men in such a gory way, almost the same pattern as a vampire lord who had lost his sanity?

"Zena, let’s go,” Tina called gently, snapping her out of her trance.

She flinched, blinking herself back to the present. “O… okay,” she mumbled, walking out with us but casting her eyes away from me.

A lot seemed to be going through her head.

If only she had known Diane was my mate. That I had located her this morning because I was able to sense her painful state through the mate bond and easily located this room where the men tried to rape her.

I was sure she was the one that set up the evil plan, and now she just couldn't wrap her head around what occurred here, leaving her both afraid and speechless.

How shocked would she be when she knew Diane had killed those men single-handedly?

How about the deep connection I felt with Diane's beast spirit, the moment I entered here, and I realized instantly that she was my fated vampire queen? A more powerful one than I expected.

Her vampire beast connected with mine so quickly and easily, something Zena had been training and fighting everyone for.

Zena badly desired to be my queen, who would awaken the vampire lord within me and share the throne with me, but the vampire goddess seemed to have chosen differently.

She had chosen Diane.