OURS: The Hunted Prince

_ZANE POV_ “Ragner, take Zane and run. Don’t let _them_ find him until he’s ready,” my mother gasped. She was clutching my little sister’s body. Blood soaked her dress. Not red anymore. Black in the torchlight. Thick. Wet. _Wrong_. “Promise me you’ll keep him safe. _Promise._” “I promise, Your Majesty,” Ragner swore. My father’s most trusted knight. The one who taught me how to hold a sword. Now his face was carved from stone and fear. That was the last thing Mum said before her eyes went empty. No breath. No light. No _her_. “Mum—no!” I screamed. But she was already cold. Cold and pale and _gone_. I squeezed my eyes shut. _This is a nightmare. Wake up, Zane._ When I opened them, my father was on his knees. King Theron. Alpha of the Northern Territories. The male who could break ribs with one punch. On his knees. And the last thing I saw before Ragner dragged me away was my uncle—Prince William, my father’s own brother—swinging the sword that took my father’s head. One clean arc. One wet sound. One second that shattered my life into _before_ and _after_. Ragner’s gauntlet cut into my bicep. Steel biting through my birthday tunic as he hauled me through the secret passage. Blood made the stone slick. Dad’s? Mine? Smoke burned my throat. I could taste copper. And moonberry tarts. And ash. My birthday breakfast. The one Ariel stole from me this morning. Behind us, William’s men laughed. The sound of my father’s head hitting marble echoed louder than my heartbeat. _Thud._ _Thud._ _Thud._ “Don’t look back, Prince,” Ragner hissed, slamming the hidden door. The stone groaned. Sealing us in darkness. Sealing them in death. “Don’t you dare look back.” But I did. One last look through the narrowing crack. At Father’s headless body. Still on his knees. Like he was praying. At Mother. Curled around Ariel. Even in death, trying to shield her. At Ariel. My baby sister. Seven years old. This morning she’d had blue juice on her chin. “Zane’s favorite!” she’d giggled, running through the throne room. I chased her, pretending to growl. Father had laughed. Now she was still. Cold. Blue lips, not from berries. From death. At the honey-glazed tart still on my birthday table. Con gealing. Today was my 18th birthday. It was supposed to be the day I met my wolf. I’m a hybrid. My dad was an Alpha werewolf. Moon-born. Pack-bound. My mum was a kitsune fox—nine tails, fire, illusion. Hunted to extinction. All werewolves meet their wolf at 16. I didn’t. When I turned 17, I woke up human. I cried all night until Dad came to my room. He smelled like leather and pine and safety. “Zane,” he said, brushing my hair back. “You’re special. Your wolf is too strong. Your body can’t handle him yet. If he awakened now, it might kill you.” So I waited. But the court whispered. _Omega. Cursed. Not fit to be heir._ Nobody knew about Mum. Kitsune were extinct. Hunted. Ripped of their powers until they were walking corpses. My uncle William used it against us. Said Dad should step down. The people loved Dad. William was punished. Vanished. Until tonight. My 18th birthday. The day I was supposed to become Alpha heir. Instead, I watched my uncle murder my family. My mother, Queen Penelope—the woman who sang to orphans. Who called me her “brave little fox” when no one was listening. My father, King Theron, who carried me on his shoulders. Who told me, “A crown is heavy, son. But love makes it weightless.” My baby sister, Princess Ariel, who had the biggest heart. _God, Ariel._ All of them, butchered. By blood. I was loved. Protected. Especially by my father. I never understood why until he tucked me in at night: “Son, you are special. Trust no one but yourself. _They must not find you._” “Who’s _they_, Dad?” I’d always ask. He’d just kiss my forehead. “When the time comes, you’ll know.” Now I was running. Bleeding. 18 years old. And I finally understood: The time had come. _A/N: Welcome to OURS 😈 This is Zane. Werewolf prince. Fox blood. And his nightmare just started._ _⚠️ TW: Character death, blood , trauma, graphic violence_ _Vote if you’re already obsessed. Comment “PROTECT HIM” if this chapter broke you. Team Triplets coming soon 👀_