The Vampire's Luna

Damien let out a breath through his nose, more scoff than sigh. "Yeah, a lot has been happening. Not counting the fact that my fated mate doesn’t want to be with me. That alone is enough to drive me off the deep end. But she’s also mated to Alpha Kyllian."

Lucivar gave a low whistle. "Ah... so that’s why Magnus went to see Morvakar.."

Damien’s expression darkened. "Yeah. Apparently, Morvakar ’blessed’ them with a child.."

Lucivar sat forward, the amusement fading from his features. "I still don’t understand why Magnus thinks Morvakar was aiming for me. I mean, I haven’t seen the man since I sent him into exile?"

Damien ignored him and continued. "I’m trying to find a solution. Tomorrow, I plan to take Sage Veyron to see Luna."

Lucivar raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "You’re bringing Veyron out of the city? Does he even know how to function outside?"

"He insists he needs to see her to confirm she’s actually mated to two men. He won’t even speculate a solution without evidence. Says magic like that hasn’t happened before."

Lucivar scoffed, crossing his arms. "And Veyron’s willing to leave the city?"

Damien gave a weary half-shrug. "He knows what’s at stake."

Lucivar nodded slowly, but there was doubt behind his eyes. "You sure that’s it? He’s not the type to risk travel unless he’s chasing more than just answers."

Damien met his father’s gaze, letting the silence settle between them. Finally, Lucivar broke it with a rare moment of softness.

"How are you, really?"

"Honestly?" He laughed, bitter and hollow. "I feel like I’m unraveling one thread at a time. I’ve watched the woman I love slip through my fingers. Then there is this nightmare where she’s fading away, and I’m powerless to stop it....The night before she left...That was the night I finally understood what it meant to be torn between love and duty. Luna on one hand, Seliora on the other. We both agreed, Luna and I, that duty should come first. Kingdom first. Heart last." He gave a short, joyless laugh. "We just didn’t realize how much it would hurt to put love second."

"So let me get this straight. Your mate was home, and you were off getting tangled in bedsheets with your concubine? Wow." He shook his head. "I don’t wanna be you, son."

Damien gave him a warning glare, but Lucivar only grinned.

"Look," he added, his eyes sparkled with a rare glimmer of genuine sincerity, "whatever you need, son... I have your back." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

With that, he stood. Damien looked up, one brow raised.

"You’re not staying?" he asked. He could’ve used the company, even if it was in the form of his ridiculous, overly flippant father.

Lucivar adjusted the cuffs of his dark coat. "Like I said... you need to take the reins. Kingdom’s yours." He winked, already sauntering out.

*****

Kyllian waited alone on the training grounds, the silver light of the moon casting long shadows across the floor. The place was deserted, everyone long gone, the hum of the castle dulled into the distance. He stood with his arms folded, the night wind stirring the hem of his unbuttoned shirt.

He had asked King Magnus for a favor: Bring her here.

She emerged from the shadows, slim figure lit by moonlight, hair tied up in a messy bun, tank top clinging to her, her legs long and lean beneath a pair of black shorts. She looked around the training grounds.

Kyllian tilted his head. "Nice of you to dress for battle. I see we’re using legs as weapons tonight."

"Alpha Kyllian?" Her brows furrowed as she scanned the space, her breath fogging slightly in the cool night air. "Where is my father?"

Kyllian was leaning casually against one of the pillars, arms folded, looking like he’d been waiting for her all his life. "He’s not here."

Luna’s brow arched suspiciously. "But I got a message. He said he wanted to spar with me tonight."

"That was me," Kyllian said, stepping forward with slow, deliberate movements, each one exuding that maddening alpha confidence she sometimes wanted to kick out of him. "I told him to give you the message."

Luna’s eyes narrowed immediately, her posture stiffening. "Great," she said bitterly. "You’ve got my parents doing your bidding now? Do they just jump when you bark?"

Kyllian gave a faint smirk. "That’s because we’re all worried about you."

"Oh, so this is a family intervention?" she said, folding her arms across her chest. "Are you going to sit me down and ask how I feel now?"

"Nope." He tilted his head, taking her in from head to toe. "I brought you here to beat some damn sense into you."

Luna blinked. For a second, she thought he might be joking, but the spark in his eye and the way he squared his shoulders told a different story. She scoffed. "You’re not kidding?"

"I’m deadly serious," Kyllian said, stretching out his arms and cracking his neck.

"You think because I’m a girl, I’m weak?" Luna asked with a quiet calm that usually came right before a storm. She stepped into the ring of moonlight between them.

"No. I’ve been training and fighting longer than you have," Kyllian said, rolling his shoulders with the smugness of a man who knew exactly how dangerous he was and how good he looked while doing it. "But let’s make it interesting."

Luna raised an eyebrow, already sensing he was up to something. "Go on."

"If I win," Kyllian said, holding her gaze, "you let me and Damien do whatever it takes to save you."

Luna’s lips curved in a slow, dangerous smile. "And if I win?"

He paused, then gave a short, dry laugh. "Then I’ll leave you the hell alone."

Her eyes narrowed. "It’s a bet," she said as she dropped into a ready stance. She didn’t even wait for a signal, her leg swung out in a clean, fast arc that would’ve caught most fighters off guard.

(Shout out to @Lucky_Sookie, Merry_Poppins, Catherine_Kabagabu)