Die A Little to Survive the Dark Prince

Welcome to book 12 in the Lycans of Lykos series!! This is Neil's story. Please don't forget to comment on the chapters if you're reading them. It helps to get the book noticed! Thank you all for your continued support in my writing journey, and for taking each character into your hearts! This story is quite different from previous stories, but if you've been with me from the beginning, you'll know how I like to be different :D Also, you all know I love a cliffhanger. Just remember to trust the progress! Enjoy! Neil ‘Neil, come find me!’ That voice haunts my every dream. She calls out to me, asking me to find her, but she dies before I ever reach her – the girl with no name. Who is she? What does she want from me? She’s not even real, just someone in my dreams. But somewhere inside me, I wonder if she is real, and how I come into this. How does she know me? Someone shakes me, pulling me from my dream-like place. “Neil, for fuck.s sake, wake up!” I groan while forcing my eyes open. “What?” I look at Ashford, my cousin, staring at me with a raised eyebrow. “You were talking in your sleep.” I scrub my hands over my face and blow out a breath while sitting straight in my seat. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep on the drive over to Raven Heart Pack. However, the lack of decent sleep lately is starting to catch up with me. “Who is she?” Ashford asks without taking his eyes off the road. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I dismiss his question because I don’t want to talk about it with him, or anyone else, for that matter. Ashford’s mother and mine are cousins, and he and I are close. However, that doesn’t mean I want to discuss anything with him. I haven’t worked out what the dreams I’ve been having for longer than I can remember are about. I wouldn’t know where to start if I did want to tell anyone. I mentioned it to my father once, but he told me they were just dreams. But I know they aren’t. There is something I’m missing, and I won’t stop until I find out the truth. I shouldn’t have agreed to come on this trip with Ashford. I have no interest in the young female warrior prodigy the Lycan King wishes to recruit for his army. But I needed to get away from things for a while. Apparently, the eighteen-year-old girl is a fantastic warrior with skills unmatched by any. I’ll believe it when I see it. But I should have known Ashford would drive me nuts, though. “What time will we be arriving?” I ask. Gods only know why we needed to drive. It would have been much quicker if we’d teleported here. We’re Gods, for Zeus’s sake! Ashford is a descendant of Leviathan. He’s a Dragon, Lycan hybrid prince. My father is Hades, and my great-grandfather on my mother’s side is Vali, the son of Loki. My mother is a hybrid Lycan and Werewolf. Our mothers are cousins because their fathers were brothers. We don’t need to drive cars. Even if we hadn’t teleported, we could have run with the speed of our Lycans, or Ashford could have transformed into his Dragon form and flown us here. But no, Ashford wanted to drive because he didn’t want to be seen as a show off. Whatever floats his boat. “It’s just around the corner,” Ashford tells me. Five minutes later, we’re driving through a small town toward the packhouse. From what Ashford told me, this pack isn’t as big as most around – just seventeen hundred members. But the Alpha – Alfie Keeble – has an exceptional record for training some of the best Lycan warriors the world has ever seen. Once a warrior for the Lycan King himself, Alfie has spent the past thirty years perfecting that training. Alfie still works with Sebastian and Thane Knight to this day, and occasionally allows the King to poach some of his best warriors. Thane Knight gave the Raven Heart Pack to Alfie because he believed an Alpha should be more than a warrior. They also have each other’s backs whenever the need arises. I still don’t know why I agreed to come along. But I’m regretting my decision. Ashford pulls the car up outside the three-story packhouse. It’s nothing special. But then, nothing is once you’ve seen Knight Castle. “Don’t worry,” Ashford chuckles. “Alfie’s one of the good ones.” I roll my eyes. “I’m not worried, Ash.” Probably because I don’t worry about much, if anything. “Good.” He exits the car. I sigh and follow. I’m guessing the red-headed guy with the wide smile is the Alpha. “Prince Ashford!” Yeah, definitely the Alpha. He shakes Ashford’s hand vigorously. “It’s good to see you.” “You, too, Alfie. This is my cousin Neil.” “Pleasure to meet you.” The Alpha holds his hand out to me. I stare at it, but I don’t take it. Awkwardly, he drops his hand. “Don’t mind him, Alfie,” Ashford chuckles. “Neil here has sensory issues and doesn’t like to be touched.” I refrain from snarling at my cousin. Ashford isn’t saying anything that isn’t true. I don’t remember where the problem originated, but I’ve been experiencing this issue for as long as I can recall. Being touched makes my skin crawl. If I initiate touch, which is rare to never, I can cope. Otherwise, I’m liable to snap! “I apologize.” The Alpha smiles. “Would you both like to come inside for refreshments? I have a room set up for you, Prince Ashford. We weren’t expecting your cousin, but a room will be ready in half an hour. I’ll have your luggage taken up for you.” I shake my head. “There’s no need. I won’t be staying here.” “Oh,” The Alpha frowns. ‘For the love of Leviathan,’ Ashford growls through the mind link. ‘Could you be any ruder?’ ‘I’m not staying here, Ash. There are too many people.’ That’s another thing I can’t deal with – being in a building this small with so many people around. There’s too much of a chance someone might accidentally touch me. I wouldn’t want to have to kill someone due to an accident. ‘You’re ridiculous.’ He huffs. He turns back to the Alpha. “I apologize for my cousin, Alfie. His problems are vast.” Cheeky bastard! I don’t handle crowds well. What’s wrong with that? I spend ninety-five percent of my time in the Underworld, where it’s just me, my siblings, and our parents. Yes, I occasionally attend parties with my extended family on land or beneath the sea in Atlantis. But I cannot be closed in; everything has to be wide open. Being in small places makes me irritable, and I have to leave minutes after arriving. It’s not that I don’t like people, I do. It’s that irrational thought of being touched. ‘The Alpha has agreed to let you stay in his cabin half a mile away. Which you would have known had you been listening. The cabin is still on pack territory, but you’ll have your peace from others. I’ll stay here. It would be rude not to.’ I don’t answer with words. I merely tip my head. “Ah,” The Alpha smiles at the pretty blonde walking toward him. He takes her hand and pulls her to his side. “Prince Ashford. Prince Neil. I would like to introduce you to my Luna. Clair, our guests.” I note that Clair shakes Ashford’s hand but tips her head at me, meaning Alfie mind linked to let her know not to touch me. I couldn’t even wager a guess at how old this woman is. The fact that most paranormal beings stop aging between the ages of twenty-five and forty makes it challenging to determine the age of anyone. This woman could be two hundred for all I know. What the fuc.k does it even matter? “It’s wonderful to meet you both.” Clair smiles. “You’re here to meet Nancy?” “Yes, dear,” Alfie chuckles. “Is she already at the training grounds?” Clair giggles. “Of course! But you know Nancy. The girl practically lives there.” She playfully rolls her eyes. “Would you like to get settled in first? Or would you like to meet Nancy now?” “I think we should freshen up first,” Ashford answers for the both of us. I refrain from growling. I would rather get this over with so we can leave. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon. “I will have someone show you the cabin.” I tip my head at Alfie as he calls for someone to walk with me. “This is Ryder, my Delta.” He tells me, and the dark-haired giant tips his head. “Ryder, please show Prince Neil to the cabin.” “Yes, my Alpha. If you would follow me, Prince Neil.” ‘Meet me back here in an hour.’ Ashford tells me through the mind link. ‘We’ll go see if this Nancy chick is everything we’ve been hearing about. If she is, we’ll make her the offer Seb set out.’ ‘Yeah,’ I reply. ‘But either way, come morning, we’re leaving.’ With that, I walk away, following the Delta to the cabin. I didn’t bring any luggage with me because I don’t need it. I’m a God and can snap my fingers and change my clothes in less than a second. It doesn’t take long to reach our destination. I’m a big guy with long legs and even longer strides. The cabin stands alone, though there are houses nearby. It’s secluded enough that I won’t be disturbed. “I hope everything is to your liking, my prince.” I nod as Ryder places the key on the table beside the door and leaves. I’ll look around the place later. Right now, I want a hot shower. I have a horrible feeling I have made a big mistake coming here…