Page 94 of Dearest Alpha Brothers 1: Vampire Prince

If Percy hurts him…Archer’s thoughts rippled through their pack bond, golden light flaring around his form.

We’ll reach him,Ryker’s mental voice carried the promise of thunder.

He’s scared,Zane growled, his wolf somehow sensing Luca’s distress.Can you feel it?

They could. Something about their possible fated bond let them sense his emotions, growing stronger as they drew closer. Fear, confusion, and underneath it all, a building power that made their fur stand on end.

The tunnel’s magic propelled them forward with increasing urgency, as if the ancient system itself recognized their need. They passed junction after junction, following Luca’s scent and the pull of their bonds.

Finally, they burst from the tunnel into the twisted forests of Death District. Their enhanced sight cut through the gloom, picking out details of the scene before them.

At the edge of a cliff, near the shimmering barrier that separated New Vale from Dark Haven, stood a group of dark figures. Percy and his cronies cowered before a tall vampire whose darkness made the shadows themselves recoil—Dominic Nightshade.

And in his arms…

Luca hung like a broken doll, his skin glowing with fever-bright power. As they watched in horror, Nightshade lowered his head toward Luca’s exposed throat, fangs extended.

Three howls shattered the night—deep, primal sounds that carried all their rage and fear and desperate need to protect. They launched themselves from the cliff’s edge, power blazing around them like falling stars.

But before they could reach him, Luca’s eyes snapped open. Pure light exploded outward, catching them mid-leap and throwing them back like leaves in a hurricane. Their powers scattered—midnight frost, lightning strikes, and golden sunlight—as his blast overwhelmed their defenses.

They landed hard, skidding through ancient soil as Luca’s power continued to pulse. When they could finally look up, they saw him floating high above them, suspended in a maelstrom of pure light. His nightshirt and hair floated around him like dark silk in water, his skin blazing with otherworldly radiance.

Chapter 21

WHITLOCK BROTHERS

Luca hung suspended in his corona of power, a fallen star held between earth and sky. The light pulsing from the prince’s small form turned the night into false dawn, casting harsh shadows across the faces of those gathered below. The very air crackled with ancient magic, making every supernatural being’s power surge in response. Through their pack bond, the brothers felt Luca’s life force flickering dangerously—burning too bright, too fast, like a star consuming itself.

The low hum of powerful engines filled the air as council vehicles emerged from the ETS’ exit points. Sleek black cars with crystalline enhancement runes carved into their chassis came to an abrupt stop, their drivers too stunned by the sight above to maintain protocol. The vehicles’ protective wards flickered and sparked, reacting to the waves of pure power radiating from Luca’s suspended form.

Sebastian emerged first, his aristocratic composure slipping as he stared upward. Edmund and James flanked Sebastian immediately, their synchronized movements faltering as Luca’s power washed over them. Edmund’s black fire flickerederratically around his hands, while James grabbed the car door to steady himself, overwhelmed by the pure energy saturating the air.

The council vehicles’ doors opened in perfect unison as the elders stepped out. Lady Victoria’s celestial light reached toward Luca like a mother’s desperate embrace, creating ribbons of pure radiance that danced through the night air. Lady Wei’s dragon scales shimmered with reflected starlight, each one catching Luca’s glow like thousands of precious gems. Lord Thanatos’ shadows writhed as if in pain, coiling around him protectively against the onslaught of pure light.

Lord Johnathan emerged from his own vehicle, immediately taking command of the Whitlock forces. Owen’s elite security teams moved with military precision, spreading out in strategic formations around the clearing. Years of training under the former military commander showed in their coordinated movements as they established defensive positions.

Around them, elite guards from both sides stood frozen, weapons forgotten as they stared upward. Dark Haven’s professional soldiers, chosen for their discipline and power, swayed on their feet as Luca’s energy pulsed through the clearing. New Vale’s own forces weren’t faring much better, their various supernatural abilities flickering and surging in response to the prince’s presence.

Through the chaos, Alan’s crystal tablet recorded everything, his hands shaking with academic excitement even as Edmund tried to pull him to safety. “The resonance patterns!” Alan gasped, dodging Sebastian’s annoyed glare as he zoomed in on Luca’s floating form. “We must document this for posterity!” Behind him, Dr. Stevens and Dr. Xu were already setting up emergency medical arrays, their professional focus unwavering.

Lady Helena clutched a case of ancient blood to her chest, her usual enthusiasm replaced by grim determination. “A fated one cannot die!”

From the far side of the clearing, watching Luca’s suspended form, Zane’s massive silver-white wolf prowled with deadly grace. Zane’s frost-touched fur bristled as he watched their mate burning up his own life force above them.

Luca,Zane’s inner voice broke on the prince’s name, centuries of control shattering like ice in spring. Zane’s wolf clawed at his chest, desperate to reach Luca, to claim him, to save him. No more denying what Luca meant to them. No more hiding behind duty and protection.He’s ours.

Always has been,Ryker growled, lightning crackling around the middle brother in violent arcs that scorched the ground at his feet. Ryker’s storm-gray eyes never left Luca’s suspended form. They’d wasted so much time fighting their feelings, pretending Luca was just their brother to protect. The air around Ryker grew thick with ozone as his power responded to his anguish.

And we’re about to lose him before—Archer’s thought choked off through their bond, the pain of it making all three brothers flinch. Before they could show Luca how deeply he was loved. Before they could worship the prince the way he deserved. Before Luca knew he belonged to them as much as they belonged to him.

Then, like a candle guttering in wind, Luca’s light began to fade. The prince’s small form started to fall, dark hair streaming like ink against the star-filled sky. The brothers felt Luca’s consciousness slipping away through their bond—a sensation that made their wolves howl in despair, the sound echoing across the clearing with such anguish that even Dark Haven’s elite guards flinched.

Dominic’s wings unfurled with a sound like tearing silk, each massive span casting shadows that seemed to devour the remaining light. Darkness streamed behind Dominic as he launched himself upward, moving with the lethal grace that made him one of Dark Haven’s most feared lords. Dominic’s fangs extended, reaching for what was THEIRS, gleaming like black diamonds in the fading radiance of Luca’s power.

Archer!Zane’s command carried an alpha’s power and a mate’s desperation, frost spreading from his feet in killing waves that crystallized the very air.Get him!

Three massive wolves launched themselves from the ground in perfect synchronization—Zane’s silver-white form wreathed in killing frost, Ryker’s dark-blond fur crackling with storm energy, and Archer’s golden coat blazing with solar light. As they reached the apex of their leap, Archer shifted in a blur of golden power, his human form continuing upward as his brothers provided covering fire from below.

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