True Love...

"I don't know."

"What do you mean by 'I don't know'?"

Ryan glared at Raphael, who was now sitting on the couch cross-legged.

After returning from the forest, Ryan was suffocating Raphael with questions, but he only had one answer in return. 'I don't know.'

Raphael couldn't think of anything else as he was on Cloud 9 after hearing from Lillian. Never in his entire life had Raphael thought that he would find true love. And when he did, he was more than happy. It was as if he had found the missing part of his life. His mind was blank about the consequences and council. All he had was Lillian and her smiling face.

Now it was Ryan's turn to pace around the room. Tensed would be a small word compared to what Ryan was feeling. Though he had the power to control a few laws, this was out of his line.

A vampire and a werewolf from royal blood cannot be mated because of the aftermath. It is said that the child born will be neither a werewolf nor a vampire, but something in between.

He/she will no doubt be one of the most powerful things on earth. But the actual problem is whether it will be good or bad for both the races.

The history of such a child showed disaster, and it was centuries ago. The seven-year-old baby almost brought vampires, werewolves, and many other creatures to extinction. The boy and his mother were later killed and burned by his own father, who was a Werewolf noble at that time. After that, a new law was passed, banning inter-marriage between royals of both races. And if anyone objects to the law, they are to be killed and burned immediately without considering their social status or power. No one dared to cross that path, even after centuries.

But history was to be repeated, if the love of these two blossoms.

Lillian and Raphael were well aware of this, but their love for each other was unconditional.

Ryan was about to ask another question, but got interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." Said Ryan, though the room belongs to Raphael.

A sixteen-year-old looking Sid entered the room, scowling.

Both the elder ones looked at him questioningly.

Sid was their favorite cousin because of his adorable face and carefree nature. He shared almost everything with them. Even his love life, which changed its heroine each time he narrated a new story. This sixteen-year-old had more girlfriends than Raphael, Adrian, or Ryan combined.

"She said 'No' again."

He said through gritted teeth and sank near Raphael.

"Who, that witch?"

Asked Ryan, while settling on the bed opposite to the couch.

Sid nodded, looking down.

Lately, Sid has been pursuing a young witch who has serious anger issues.

"How many times did I tell you she's dangerous? She's a witch, for heaven's sake, Sid. One curse and that's enough for you to rot in hell."

Raphael scolded him like a responsible uncle.

Ryan gave Raphael a 'first find a solution to your problem' look. But he turned back to Sid, unnoticing Ryan.

"I know she's a witch with a pretty bad anger problem. But it's like; something's drawing me to her. I can't focus on any other girl when she's in my mind. Each time I think of her, I feel different. A feeling that I have never felt before, somewhere here." He pointed to his chest.

Ryan and Raphael looked at Sid with wide eyes. This was the first time he confessed such a thing to them. And no doubt that he's falling in love with the witch girl.

"Tell her how you feel." Ryan said with a smile. The mansion was filled with lover boys.

"I have opened my heart to her. Still, she considers me as a player."

"Well, she can't be completely blamed, because of your past." Stated Raphael, tying his hair into a low pony tail.

"I know that too. But right now, I am decent, and that too, only for her. Why can't she see that?"

The room settled into an eerie silence. None of them spoke until Sid got up from his seat and sighed.

"I know I truly love her. Then why should I worry? Nothing can stop me from loving her, not even her response. So I will try, try till the day I succeed. And I know I will."

With that, he headed to the door.

"Good night."

Sid shut the door, leaving two surprised vampires staring at the now closed entrance.

"I got it." Immediately Raphael sprang from his couch and did a little happy dance.

"What?" Ryan was still confused.

"Didn't you hear, Sid? He gave us the answer to all our questions."

Ryan scratched his head, still not getting the point.

"Ryan... my love towards Lillian is true. So nothing can stop me and her. Not even the stupid council. We will try to keep our relationship a secret, but if they find out, then we will go for a backup plan. And I want your help with that."

Raphael said everything in a single breath.

He was really excited about his plan and couldn't wait to share it with Lillian. But first he wants Ryan's support.

Raphael looked at him expectantly and immediately smiled, seeing a smirking Ryan.

"I am in."

But their backup plan soon rusted as the lovely couple led a secret relationship for almost a century.

Sid also succeeded in stealing Helena's heart. They made a really happy couple, just like Lillian and Raphael, whose identity was unknown even to Sid.

Ryan and Cole were the only people who knew about them.

Cole didn't approve of their relationship at first, thinking that Raphael might cheat on her, but as time passed, he started to like Raphael as a brother, though he kept his distance from Ryan for some reason.

But everything went down on that day of Halloween. The entire world turned against the lonely couple.

The Halloween party was at the Vampire's Royal Palace. Raphael eagerly waited for the love of his life to arrive and soon found her in a glittering red dress that graced the floor around her.

"You are really lucky." Whispered Ryan, who was standing near Raphael.

"I am."

Saying that, he moved towards Lillian, who was searching for Raphael in the crowd. She had Cole along with her.

He noticed that Cole had changed into a beautiful specimen over the centuries, which probably meant he was in transition. Cole is going to make a great Alpha, thought Raphael.

After a thorough checking, Lillian's eyes finally met with the ones she longed to see.

"You look beautiful, love." Raphael said, taking her palm and kissing it on its back. To everyone else, it's a gesture of welcome, but to them it was their moment.

Cole excused himself from there, not wanting to become the third wheel.

Soon the ball started, and the lovers danced as if they were the only ones present. They were so engrossed with each other that the numerous pairs of curious eyes watching did not stop them.

But it didn't go unnoticed by Ryan, as he immediately stepped in between them and asked Lillian to join him for a dance.

Raphael understood the real reason and looked around him to see that they had indeed attracted quite a small audience.

Later, both of them maintained space between them till the end of the party because of the increasing rumors.

But their separation didn't stop the news from being spread like a wild fire.

Alexander Marleigh, the Alpha, also heard everything from his trusted servant. He didn't believe it at first and decided to pass it just as a gossip on royal women.

During dinner Alex saw the way Raphael looked at Lillian and the silent words they exchanged through their eyes. A small suspicion bubbled inside his mind and it was soon confirmed when he found the couple embracing in a lonely corner before leaving.

All hell broke loose from there.

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