ULTIMATUMS
939 Words
The valley did not stay quiet after the King’s declaration.
Whispers spread through the wolves like wildfire.
Even the vampires along the ridge had begun speaking among themselves, their calm aristocratic composure cracking under the weight of what they had just witnessed.
An Alpha’s instincts had reacted.
Publicly.
Violently.
And every supernatural creature present understood what that meant.
The bond between Kaelen and Lucien was not a rumor.
It was real.
King Darius watched the reactions below with the patience of someone who had seen too many wars begin the same way.
Then he turned toward Cassian.
“I assume the Crimson Court will have something to say about this.”
Cassian stepped forward from the ridge.
His voice carried coldly across the valley.
“Oh, we do.”
Lucien sighed softly.
“I was afraid of that.”
Cassian’s eyes narrowed.
“The Court has already made its decision.”
Lucien folded his arms.
“That rarely ends well.”
Cassian ignored the remark.
“The bond between you and the Alpha cannot be allowed to exist.”
Aria muttered under her breath.
“Here we go.”
Cassian continued.
“You will return to the Crimson Court immediately.”
Lucien shook his head.
“No.”
Cassian’s expression hardened.
“Then we will take you by force.”
A ripple of tension ran through the wolves.
Rhys stepped forward.
“You will do no such thing.”
Cassian’s gaze flicked toward him.
“This is not your concern.”
Rhys bared his teeth slightly.
“You are threatening someone standing under the protection of the Lunar Dominion.”
Kaelen glanced at him in mild surprise.
Rhys avoided his gaze.
The commander still didn’t approve of the bond.
But the idea of vampires attacking their prince on Dominion territory was worse.
Seris leaned against the cracked pillar behind them.
“This is getting entertaining.”
Aria elbowed her.
“Not helping.”
Cassian’s patience thinned.
“The Omega belongs to the Crimson Court.”
Lucien raised a brow.
“I thought we established that I do not.”
Cassian ignored him and addressed the Alpha King instead.
“Your Majesty.”
Darius looked unimpressed.
“You wish to remove him.”
“Yes.”
“And if I refuse?”
Cassian’s smile was thin.
“Then this summit becomes a battlefield.”
The valley went still again.
Kaelen’s wolf stirred.
Lucien spoke quietly beside him.
“You see the problem.”
Kaelen muttered.
“I noticed.”
Before the tension could snap—
Seris suddenly straightened.
Her eyes moved toward the hybrid lines below.
Something had changed.
Aria noticed.
“What?”
Seris smiled faintly.
“They’re ready.”
Kaelen frowned.
“For what?”
Seris gestured toward the hills.
One of the hybrid figures stepped forward from their ranks.
A tall man with dark hair and pale eyes.
Unlike Seris, his presence carried a quiet authority that even the wolves seemed to notice.
Lucien studied him carefully.
“That must be their leader.”
Seris nodded.
“Correct.”
The hybrid walked forward until he stood alone between the three armies.
Then he raised his voice.
“Enough.”
The word echoed across the valley.
Even Cassian paused.
The hybrid’s gaze moved slowly across the wolves and vampires.
“You have hunted us for centuries.”
No one interrupted him.
“You called us monsters.”
His pale eyes flicked briefly toward Kaelen and Lucien.
“But today you have seen the truth.”
Kaelen crossed his arms.
“And what truth is that?”
The hybrid smiled faintly.
“That the bond you fear…”
He gestured between Kaelen and Lucien.
“…is the same bond that created us.”
The valley erupted with murmurs.
Rhys growled.
“Hybrids should not exist.”
The hybrid looked at him calmly.
“And yet we do.”
Cassian’s voice was cold.
“You are an abomination.”
Seris rolled her eyes.
“He says that every time.”
Aria whispered to Kaelen.
“I like these people.”
The hybrid continued speaking.
“For centuries we have hidden.”
His voice hardened slightly.
“But hiding ends today.”
Kaelen’s eyes narrowed.
“What exactly are you proposing?”
The hybrid pointed toward the two of them.
“A choice.”
Lucien tilted his head.
“I’m listening.”
The hybrid smiled.
“You can return to your courts and pretend the bond never happened.”
A pause.
“Or you can do something far more interesting.”
Aria groaned.
“That sounds dangerous.”
Kaelen asked the obvious question.
“What?”
The hybrid’s eyes gleamed.
“Leave.”
Silence fell.
Lucien frowned slightly.
“Leave where?”
The hybrid gestured toward the vast lands beyond the valley.
“Anywhere that is not ruled by wolves or vampires.”
Kaelen scoffed.
“You expect us to abandon our kingdoms.”
“I expect you to survive.”
Cassian stepped forward.
“That will not happen.”
Rhys nodded.
“Agreed.”
The hybrid smiled faintly.
“You say that now.”
Then he looked directly at Kaelen and Lucien.
“But when both your people try to destroy the bond…”
His voice softened.
“…you may find that survival is the only choice left.”
The wind howled across the summit.
Kaelen looked at Lucien.
Lucien looked back at him.
Neither spoke.
But the bond between them pulsed again.
Stronger.
More certain.
Aria sighed.
“I have a terrible feeling about where this story is going.”
Seris grinned.
“Oh, it’s only just beginning.”
- Writer
