Claimed by a vampire prince

Chapter 10: A Father's Last Words

Emerald's POV

The journey to the Vampire Kingdom was quiet.

The carriage rolled steadily along the forest road, its wheels crunching over fallen leaves while the horses galloped through the night.

Neither Lucian nor I spoke much.

Too many things had happened in a single day.

The manor...

The hidden chamber...

The fire...

And my father's journal.

I held it tightly against my chest as if letting go would mean losing my parents all over again.

Across from me, Lucian watched silently.

His crimson eyes occasionally drifted toward the window, always alert for danger.

Even while sitting beside me, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

He was expecting an attack.

After what happened at the manor...

So was I.

Breaking the silence, Lucian finally spoke.

"You've been staring at that journal for almost an hour."

I smiled weakly.

"I'm afraid."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Afraid of reading it?"

I nodded.

"What if everything I believed about my parents is a lie?"

Lucian leaned forward.

"Then we'll face the truth together."

Those words warmed my heart.

Together.

I had never imagined someone would stand beside me through something this painful.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the journal once more.

The ink had faded with time, but my father's handwriting remained neat and steady.

I began to read aloud.

---

"My precious Emerald..."

"If your eyes are reading these words, then you have grown into a young woman."

"I wish I could have watched you grow."

My vision blurred.

I paused.

Lucian gently placed his hand over mine.

"You don't have to continue if it's too painful."

I shook my head.

"I've waited twenty years for my father's voice."

"I want to hear every word."

I continued.

"The first thing I need you to know is this..."

"Your mother and I loved you more than life itself."

"Never believe anyone who tells you that we abandoned you."

Tears rolled freely down my cheeks.

For years...

Victor had made me believe my parents were careless.

That they left me alone.

That I wasn't worth protecting.

But now...

My father's own words shattered those lies.

"On the night we died, your mother begged me to run."

"She wanted me to take you far away where no one could ever find you."

"But it was already too late."

I looked at Lucian.

"They knew someone was coming."

He nodded.

"They were being hunted."

I continued reading.

"The attack on our pack wasn't random."

"It wasn't started by wolves."

"It wasn't started by vampires."

"Someone wanted both races to believe the other had betrayed them."

Lucian's expression darkened.

"The war..."

"It was manipulated."

I turned another page.

"Remember this name..."

"The Order of the Black Eclipse."

I frowned.

"I've never heard of them."

Lucian's face became serious.

"I have."

"You have?"

He nodded slowly.

"My father once mentioned them."

"He said they disappeared centuries ago."

I looked back at the journal.

"They hide in darkness."

"They never rule kingdoms openly."

"Instead, they place greedy men on thrones..."

"Then they rule through them."

A chill ran down my spine.

Victor.

Was he one of those men?

The carriage suddenly jerked to a stop.

The horses neighed loudly outside.

Lucian was on his feet in an instant.

His sword flashed from its sheath.

"Stay inside."

Before I could answer...

A frightened guard shouted from outside.

"Your Highness!"

"We're surrounded!"

Lucian pushed open the carriage door.

Moonlight spilled inside.

I looked past him.

Dark figures stood between the trees.

Dozens of them.

Each wore a black cloak marked with a silver eclipse.

Exactly like the symbol drawn in my father's journal.

Lucian stepped down from the carriage, placing himself between me and the strangers.

One of the cloaked figures stepped forward.

He removed his hood.

A long scar crossed one side of his face.

His cold grey eyes settled on me.

"So..."

His lips curled into a cruel smile.

"The Alpha's daughter still lives."

Lucian raised his sword.

"If you value your lives..."

"Leave."

The stranger laughed.

"I'm afraid we can't do that."

He pointed toward the journal in my hands.

"Our master wants what belongs to him."

I instinctively held the journal tighter.

"It doesn't belong to you."

"No."

His smile widened.

"It belongs to history."

"And history..."

He slowly drew his blade.

"...must be erased."

The forest fell silent.

The guards formed a defensive circle around the carriage.

Lucian's crimson eyes glowed in the darkness.

His wolf growled inside him.

I took one deep breath.

This time...

I didn't hide behind him.

I stepped out of the carriage and stood beside my mate.

Lucian glanced at me.

"You don't have to fight."

I met his gaze.

"I know."

I looked back at the cloaked warriors.

"But I'm tired of running."

For the first time...

I wasn't fighting because I wanted revenge.

I was fighting for the truth.

And somewhere in the shadows, unseen by everyone...

A pair of silver eyes watched the battlefield.

The mastermind smiled.

"Good..."

"Let's see if the daughter of Alpha Luke is worthy of carrying the burden he left behind."