The golden blood

Leia rubbed her eyes sleepily, covering a yawn with her hand. "I slept longer than I planned," she mumbled with drowsiness.

"We've got five minutes to get ready," Kieran said.

"What?" Leia blinked at him, then let out a soft chuckle. "You're serious?"

"Lucien was here a few minutes ago," Kieran explained. "He's waiting outside. We're expected at the party."

Leia lowered her hand to her lap, her expression dimming. "I thought you were taking me out for dinner," she said in a low voice. "I don't want to go to that party, especially not with him. It feels like he's trying to make me bend to his will."

Kieran put his hand on Leia's head. "You won't be alone. I'll be there with you. Let's hurry."

Leia stopped down from the bed and continued, "I thought you would confront your brother. Seems like you are scared of him. I understand though. We can't do anything of our wish we have such controlling elder siblings." She tried to provoke Kieran more so that he would at least argue with Lucien.

"I respect my eldest brother. I have to listen to him. And the party can be a good place to socialize with more people," Kieran explained.

"Yeah, you are right." Leia passed a smile to him and walked out of his room. 'He is of no use. He can't even stand before Lucien,' she thought.

As she crossed the living room, she saw Lucien, who had his eyes fixed on her.

"You dared to sleep on the same bed as my younger brother," Lucien spoke.

But Leia didn't answer him. She went straight to the staircase and ascended the stairs to her room. Lucien clenched his fists hard. No one ever tried to get on his nerves the way Leia did. She was provoking him and he was getting provoked.

"Fuck! I shouldn't act like this," Lucien muttered under his breath.

He checked his phone and called Ranon, but his phone was unreachable. "I didn't expect him to disappear like this," he mumbled and tapped the phone against the temple before lowering it.

A few minutes later, Kieran was the first to reach the living room. He found Lucien already there.

"Leia didn't want to come to the party," Kieran said, breaking the silence. "Why do you always push her to do things against her will?"

Lucien leaned back slightly. "I'm not forcing her. I just want to give her a reason to step out. She complains about everything, isolates herself. Maybe this outing will open her up a little."

Kieran frowned. "There are better ways to help someone than dragging them to events they don't care about."

Lucien let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Why did you let her sleep in your bed?"

Kieran tilted his head slightly, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "Are you jealous that Leia's giving me more attention than you?"

"I don't get jealous," Lucien replied curtly.

"Really? Because you look like you're seething with it," Kieran said smoothly. "Maybe it stings that she chose to trust me over you. Unlike you, I don't see Leia as some tool to carry a lineage of strong alphas. She's a person, not a breeding prospect. If you cared at all, you'd let her live the way she wants."

Lucien opened his mouth to retort, but the sharp click of heels echoed down the staircase, drawing both brothers' attention upward.

Leia descended gracefully, clad in an elegant black dress with a daring high slit. Confidence radiated from her and beauty too.

Kieran rose from the couch and met her at the base of the stairs. "You look stunning," he said, offering his hand.

"Thank you," Leia smiled, slipping her fingers into his. Her eyes flicked past him briefly. "Shall we go?"

She didn't spare Lucien more than a glance, who was admiring her silently. "I'll ride with you," she said to Kieran, casting a pointed side-eye at his older brother.

"Of course," Kieran replied, guiding her toward the door.

"We're already late," Lucien muttered, striding past them. He stopped in front of the backseat of his own car, but as he caught sight of Kieran helping Leia into the one behind his, he clenched his fist.

'I shouldn't be acting like this,' he told himself, jaw tight, but the burn of her indifference was hard to ignore.

Just then, Caleb came running to him.

"Alpha, I've an important news to share with you," Caleb said while gasping.

"Hmm, speak," Lucien said.

"Your brother, Ronan, has been found. But he's not in a good state," Caleb stated.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lucien's facial expression hardened.

Meanwhile, Kieran, who had just opened the car door for Leia, froze as the words hit him. His head turned sharply toward Lucien and Caleb, concern clouding his face.

Leia, noticing the sudden shift in his demeanor, asked softly, "What happened? Why does Lucien look…"

She trailed off as Kieran abruptly stepped away from her side, moving quickly toward the two men without answering.

Leia furrowed her brows together, realizing something was not right.

"What happened to Ronan?" Kieran asked this time.

"Ronan is admitted in a hospital with a grave injury on his abdomen. The shocking part is that he's lost a lot of blood and he needs a blood transfusion immediately. But the hospital said that they don't have enough supply for it," Caleb pronounced.

"Our blood groups don't match," Kieran whispered and looked at Lucien.

"We need to arrange the blood immediately," Lucien muttered, feeling worried.

"How? Only Ronan has that kind of blood group," Kieran said with a panic look.

"What's Ronan's blood group?" Leia stepped up, asking Caleb.

"It's a rare blood group, Miss," Caleb replied.

"Lunaris Rh-Null, the golden blood," Lucien said. "That's what his blood group is. The rarest among the werewolves," he asserted.