Baby after One Night with the Prince

Marco's POV.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Eric has to yell over the rain, but his eyes are wide with disbelief.

"She's missing! Taken from her bed last night, there's no evidence that she even left her room. And even if she did leave, she took none of her possessions, not her purse, nor her clothes, nothing! It just doesn't make any sense."

I relay to Eric everything with regards to Cathy's disappearance in detail. About how she was seen the night before but could not be found the next morning. That we checked all of Cathy's usual places, and that I sent soldiers to every corner of the kingdom. And how even other kingdoms hadn't seen her. "The only explanation is that you took her!"

The rain pours and drenches us. But with my wolfish eyes I can see through the fog and dark mist, noticing how Eric is visibly shaken by the news about his sister. However, I notice something different about his previous strength and black magic power.

The shadows around his body are dissipating. He sags and flinches as if only now he's beginning to feel the pain form my inflicted wounds. It's as if the black magic's power is leaving his system. He stumbles, and he has to use a tree for balance to keep himself upright. I realize.... Now's my chance.

I launch myself at him, the two of us tumbling and rolling down into a large ditch. The ground is slick and wet, turning into mud that laces our clothes and faces. I pin him so I'm on top, and begin swinging punches at his face with one hand, whilst the other holds him down at the neck.

"This is for Tanya!" I slam my fist into his face with bountiful rage.

"This one is for father!" I retract my arm before knocking it into his face again, blood splatters frantically from his nose.

"This one is for Cathy," I aim for his jaw, hearing an uncomfortable crack as pain ignites from my split knuckles. My fingers would heal, as would his face, but I don't care. He deserves this.

"And this one is for me," as I go to bash him again, something moves from the corner of my eye, but before I can retract, fur flashes across my face. A mass barrels itself into me, throwing me off Eric and into the dirt ways away.

I rise to my feet quickly into a defensive position, growling and baring my human teeth at the wolf that guards Eric's fallen body. I outstretch my arms, ready to fight this one off, till a line of wolves emerge from above the ditch. They hurry down and circle their fallen prince.

I could have taken them all on, there was enough rage in me to commit terrible crimes. But if I did, I don't know if I'd have enough strength afterwards to fight Eric.

But he's weak. This is our chance!

The voice of my wolf ignites further fire in my system. And I pace the outer boundary of the wolves defence in growing frustration. They snap and growl at me, but never make the first move to attack me, only remaining close to Eric's position. While I grow tired and impatient, wanting to finish this once and for all. I want to drag Eric back to the palace to stand trial for his crimes!

However, my wish is not to be granted today. Eric finally rises, eyeing me in silence. I call out to him, bating him to fight me. But he doesn't, Eric only looks into my eyes one final time before slipping away with his rogue accomplices, leaving me bitter.

Soon I reunite with my soldiers. Making an advance on the pack now is no use until I can be sure Dorian and Eric are still in the area. With the war at a temporary standstill, we hunker down outside the pack to give my men some rest and allow them to recuperate.

But I am restless, I barely sleep. All I can think about it is Eric's surprised look when he heard the news about Cathy. And I am also immensely confused over his sudden unexplainable weakness. And my mind is wracked with infinite doubts as I try to formulate a new plan of attack.

***

Eric's POV.

The news about Cathy's disappearance has caused me considerable alarm. Part of my wants to write it off as a ploy created by Marco to lure me away or distract me... and yet. No matter how much I despised my brother, even if I wanted him dead.

The one thing I know about Marco, is that he is not a liar. Even if it was in his best interest to lie. Marco is always true to his word. I hate to think it, or believe, but he's a man of honour in every way shape or form. He does not play games, does not toy with his pray like me or Dorian. And I knew just from his body language that Marco was telling the truth about Cathy.

But this only stirs more worry and confusion with me. Something isn't right.

My heart is filled with suspicion, added with the fact I haven't seen Dorian at all since the battle began. Knowing something is wrong, I quietly return to the rogue pack territory, looking for any traces of Dorian.

And that's when I notice a bright light flashing from inside a deserted cave on the edge of the territory, which seems abnormal.

I follow the light, slipping into the cave. Wax candles litter the flooring, and symbols are drawn on the floor in a dark red liquid that I hope isn't blood. But my eyes finally land on something much worse.

I rush over to Cathy as she lays upon the cold hard ground. Her body lies on top a large drawing on the ground painted in red with the same demonic symbols I have seen early. "Cathy!" I yell trying to wake her, I want to lift her into my arms, but it's as her body that has been glued to the floor. And I only just barely lift her head with some strange force pulling her back.

My fight with this unexplainable force is what wakes her. But she doesn't look relieved to see me. Instead, her eyes are wide with fear. "No!" she stutters a great deal, and she looks weak and feeble. But she manages to say. "Eric please. Run! You need to leave."

How can I leave her behind? So, I ignore her cries and begin trying to figure out how to free her from the magic boundary that binds her to the flooring. However, I notice Cathy's eyes widen suddenly. "Look out!" I feel a flash of movement behind me.

I just barely dodge the attack, the black magic just grazing my arm, burning the clothing on my shoulder, and scraping the edges of my flesh. I grit my teeth, and turn around to face Dorian, walking towards me with a sly pep in his step. "What's the meaning of this Dorian?! Why is she stuck to the floor?" I brashly yell. "You wanted Tanya, and I brought you Tanya! Why did you take Cathy? What does she have to do with this? Rid of the magic holding her now." Despite my curled fists that visibly shakes, and to my order, Dorian just snorts, appearing amused by my vexation. "Who said I only wanted Tanya. I only needed her to help craft the perfume I wanted. But my real target has been Cathy all along. My goal has always been Cathy."

My confusion and disbelief are expressed in my words as I ask. "But why?"

He chuckles. "It's time I let you in on a little secret Eric. I'm the son of Joseph's secret love affair. You have another brother! Can you believe it?" he outstretches his arms mockingly asking for a hug, and when I don't react, he laughs again. "Oh, that's right. I'm the forgotten son. The one he abandoned. Left for dead. The one that nobody cared about. So, now, I'm going to destroy the Mador family. Obliterate all of you from existence. And sweet darling Cathy is going to help me do it."

His smile drops into a frown. "By dying."

A primal roar leaves my lips as I launch a magical attack on him. But Dorian deflects it with ease. Again, and again and again I throw bolt after bolt of black magic as I advance in his direction. And he easily directs each shot away. Eventually I send a build-up of my magic, and he launches his own, two beams of dark light meeting in the middle, fighting at the centre to overpower the other.

But with each step I gather, I crumble further and further to the ground as Dorian's pure blood magic overwhelms my own. My magic fizzles and I'm hit by his blast. As Dorian approaches, I hurry to take out the bottle of perfume, hoping to use it, till manic laughter leaves his lips.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I pause. "Do you really think Lily's lack of talent is what makes that perfume so strong? Maybe that mark on the bottom of the bottle will now make some more sense to you," I take a look at it again, realizing it's the same symbol cast repeatedly on the floor around Cathy.

Dorian mockingly whispers. "Sacrificial magic," before laughing as my eyes grow wide. "Yes, that's right. Every time you use this bottle of perfume, what you absorb is your sister's life force. Now she is weak, but at least she's awake. But with every spritz of that bottle, she will fall further and further into the darkness, until finally. She dies."

In shock I throw the perfume away and go to use my Lycan abilities, but only pain erupts throughout my body every time I try. I shake with disbelief and Dorian laughs. "You think great power comes without a price? Course not... you're a Prince, you think everything you want comes for free."

He nears my fallen for. "Sorry Eric. You've been a great help. But you're no longer of use to me," he blasts me with his magic and I'm lost in blackness.

The next time I'm awake I find myself trapped in a prison cell. The only light I see comes from a bared window positioned near the ceiling. I'm left alone with my thoughts, shame, and guilt writhing through me as I regret all what I have done. Cathy is in danger because of me.

And for first the time through the mind link, I contact the one person I know who can save her. Marco.