Chapter 4 – The Vampire Prince

The wind howled through the forest like it was sounding a warning to them.

Isla's legs ached as she ran, branches tearing at her sleeves and the cold biting into her skin. Lucien did not slow down, he walked like the night belonged to him fast, silent, almost floating above the ground. She had no idea where they were going to or what they were running from, but the way his jaw and his eyes scanned the shadows, told her everything she needed to know.

This is not a dream. It was not an imagination.

Something very real and dangerous was hunting them.

Lucien suddenly stopped and grabbed Isla arm, pulling her real quick behind a thick tree. His hand was ice-cold against her skin, his eyes flicked to hers.

"Stay quiet," he whispered.

Isla nodded, heart pounding so hard.

She could hear footsteps fast, heavy, not that of human. They came from deeper in the forest, thudding against the ground like something running on both hands and legs. Growls followed. Low, deep, like wolves. But they were not wolves.

Lucien narrowed his eyes, "Bloodhounds," he muttered.

Isla's heart pounded more fast, "What?"

"Hunters," he said. "They are twisted creatures. They serve a coven that doesn't like it when I break rules."

"What rules?" she asked,

He looked at her for some seconds longer than he needed to. "You."

Then, without warning, he turned and pulled her deeper into the forest. They moved quickly, the sound of the beasts closing in behind them. Isla tripped once, but Lucien caught her before she hit the ground, lifting her as if she weighed nothing.

Finally, they broke through the trees into a clearing, wide and empty, with tall black stones circling the center like ancient guards.

"This place is protected," Lucien said, setting her down. "They won't step inside."

As if on cue, the snarling stopped. Isla turned and saw them, just beyond the trees. Three huge creatures, their eyes glowing gold, crouched low like wolves but shaped all wrong. Their bodies were twisted, spines bent at strange angles, fangs too long for their mouths. They didn't cross into the circle. They just stood there watching.

Isla's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. "What the hell is going on?"

Lucien turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "You're not just human, Isla. Not anymore."

She shook her head. "That's insane. I'm normal. I go to school. I work part-time at a bookstore. I hate gym class and do other stuffs."

"You're the last of a bloodline that was nearly erased," he said. "Your ancestors made a pact with my kind generations ago, a vow. And that vow is the reason you're still breathing."

She blinked. "What kind of vow?" she asked.

He did not answer her. His gaze dropped to her wrist the mark still faintly glowing in the moonlight.

"My family," he said slowly, "was cursed for falling in love with humans. The council ruled it forbidden. But centuries ago, my brother made a choice. He fell for a mortal girl, your ancestor. To protect her, he made a vow, a blood promise that tied our fates together."

"And now what? I'm supposed to just belong to you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Lucien's eyes darkened. It is not about ownership, it is about protection. I am bound to you now, Isla. If you die, I will die. If you suffer, I will feel it too. The vow is not just magic. It is a chain one I did not ask for, but one I won't break.

He looked away, his jaw was tight like he was trying to swallow some ancient grief.

"And you are a vampire?" she asked, her voice smaller than she wanted it to be.

"I was born human. A prince. But the night I took the vow, I was turned. That was the price."

"Why are you still alive?" she whispered.

His eyes met her eyes. "Because the vow has not yet been fulfilled."

Isla took a step back, mind spinning. None of this really maka sense now. A week ago, her biggest problem was surviving Mr. Hanley's boring history lectures. Now she was standing in a forest under the stars with a vampire prince claiming she was the key to some ancient promise.

This had to be a dream.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't want any of this. I did not ask for this."

"I know," Lucien said quietly. "Neither did I."

Something about the way he said it made her look at him again. She saw the pain behind his eyes.

The weight of years she couldn't even imagine.

He wasn't just some monster lurking in the woods. He was broken and alone just like her and still, he had saved her, again and again.

She stepped closer and asked. "Why did you come back now?"

"The blood moon woke the vow," he said. "I did not have a choice. It pulled me here."

She nodded slowly, her voice soft. "Do I have a choice?"

Lucien didn't speak right away. Then he said, "You always have a choice."

The silence between them stretched, but this time, it wasn't heavy. It was warm. Charged.

The growls from the forest faded, and the beasts disappeared back into the dark. But Isla knew they would return. And whatever came next, it would not get easier.

Lucien offered her his hand.

"I'll explain everything," he said. "Not all at once. But if you let me, i will help you understand who you really are."

She looked at his hand and then into his eyes, despite every instinct screaming at her to run, she reached out to his hand.

Because even if she did not trust the magic, she trusted him.