Avenging Luna
Chapter 147: Another Imprint

Chapter 147: Another Imprint

Chase’s POV:

Damon stood in the kitchen like a statue, his cocky smirk wiped clean off his face. His usually sharp eyes had gone wide, and he looked utterly stunned.

Then, as if the weight of realization hit him all at once, he turned to me.

"This..." His voice was barely a whisper at first. Then louder: "This is impossible, right?"

He wasn’t asking me so much as the universe. His gaze flicked back to Ash, who was now tilting his head in curiosity, his little face full of innocence.

Damon’s eyes darted to Leila. "He’s a wolf, right?"

Leila didn’t even dignify him with an answer. Instead, she moved swiftly, putting herself between Ash and Damon like a shield.

"It’s all right, Leila," I said, trying to ease the tension. "He’s just imprinted on Ash. It’s not his fault."

Leila spun around to face me, her frustration clear as day. "Oh, hell no! You vampires need to keep your stupid bonds to yourselves."

Damon winced, holding up his hands defensively. "Hey, trust me, sis, this wasn’t in my plans. I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s bodyguard."

Leila’s glare could’ve melted steel. "You think I’m just going to let you—any of you—lay claim to my son? This imprinting thing has gone far enough!"

"Leila," I said, stepping forward to put a calming hand on her shoulder, though she shrugged it off. "This isn’t something we can control. Imprinting is instinctual. It’s a bond forged in a way we can’t break."

Damon nodded, though he still looked shaken. "Yeah, what he said. Look, I don’t even like kids. No offense, Ash."

Ash, still oblivious to the tension, waved cheerfully. "None taken!"

Damon blinked at him, then sighed. "See? He’s too cheerful. I’m doomed."

"You don’t have to do anything," Leila snapped. "Ash doesn’t need a vampire bodyguard, let alone two!"

"Leila," I started again, my voice softer. "This isn’t just about needing protection. It’s about what’s already been set in motion. Damon didn’t ask for this, just like I didn’t. It’s rare, but it happens."

Her lips pressed into a tight line as she glanced back at Ash, who was now busy stacking pieces of pancake into a wobbly tower. She exhaled sharply.

"I don’t care if it’s rare or not," she said finally. "I didn’t ask for this, either. And I’m not about to let you two drag Ash into your world of chaos."

"I don’t want to drag him into anything!" Damon shot back, looking genuinely offended. "I’d be perfectly happy pretending this never happened. But unfortunately," he gestured vaguely toward Ash, "I don’t think the universe cares what I want."

"Exactly," I said, stepping between them before things escalated further. "Which is why we need to work together on this."

Leila’s eyes narrowed at me. "Work together? You think I’m just going to trust you and your brother with my son because of some magical vampire bond?"

"Leila..." My voice softened. "I get it. I really do. But whether we like it or not, Ash is tied to us now. And that means we’ll do everything in our power to protect him."

Damon nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. What he said. Even if I didn’t ask for this, I’m not about to let anything happen to the kid."

Leila’s jaw tightened, and I could see the storm of emotions in her eyes. She was fiercely protective of Ash, and this situation was forcing her into a corner she didn’t want to be in.

Finally, she let out a frustrated groan. "Fine. But if either of you screw this up..."

She didn’t finish the sentence, but the threat in her tone was clear.

"Understood," I said, my voice firm.

Damon gave a small, almost sheepish salute. "Yes, ma’am."

Leila rolled her eyes but didn’t argue further. Instead, she turned to Ash, who was now happily eating the remains of his pancake tower.

"You didn’t tell me about him," Damon said finally, his voice unusually quiet.

"There’s a lot I haven’t told you," I replied evenly, stepping closer to Ash and placing a hand on his shoulder protectively.

Ash tilted his head, clearly oblivious to the tension in the room. "Who are you? You really do look like Uncle Chase. Are you his brother?"

Damon’s lips twitched into a faint smile, but his eyes never left Ash. "Yeah, kid. I’m his brother."

Ash grinned, pointing to himself proudly. "I’m Ash! Uncle Chase took me to the arcade yesterday, and I beat him at the racing game."

Damon let out a soft chuckle. "Did you, now?"

"Yep!" Ash’s smile grew. "Are you staying for breakfast? Mama made pancakes!"

At the mention of "Mama," Damon’s gaze flicked to Leila, who was leaning against the counter, arms crossed and watching him like a hawk.

"Pancakes, huh?" Damon said, his tone lighter now. "Maybe I will."

"Damon," I warned, my voice low.

He ignored me and grabbed a seat across from Ash, who was already scooping another forkful of pancake into his mouth.

Leila, however, wasn’t as forgiving. "Why are you here, Damon?" she asked coldly, stepping closer to me.

Damon leaned back in his chair, his usual smirk returning. "Relax, sis-in-law. I’m not here to cause trouble."

"Then start talking," I demanded.

He sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Fine. Father sent me."

Leila stiffened beside me, her jaw tightening.

I crossed my arms. "Why?"

Damon hesitated, his playful demeanor faltering for a moment. "Because he knows about them." His eyes flicked briefly to Ash and then back to me. "And he’s not happy about it."

Leila’s sharp intake of breath was the only sound in the room.

Ash, still blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation, looked between us with curiosity. "Why isn’t he happy? Did Uncle Chase do something bad?"

"No, Ash," I said quickly, forcing a small smile for his benefit. "Uncle Chase didn’t do anything bad."

Damon raised an eyebrow but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Leila’s voice was icy when she spoke. "So, what now? Is the king planning to send more of his lackeys to ’retrieve’ Chase? Or maybe to spy on us?"

Damon held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I’m just the messenger here. All I know is that Father’s concerned about the... unconventional nature of your little family."

I growled low in my throat. "My ’little family’ isn’t up for debate."

"Relax, big bro," Damon said, though his expression turned serious. "I’m on your side, remember? But you need to be careful. Not everyone’s going to be as... open-minded as me."

Leila scoffed. "Open-minded? That’s rich coming from you."

Damon grinned. "What can I say? I’m a work in progress."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Are you done?"

"Almost," Damon said, standing up and dusting off his pants. "I just thought you should know—Father isn’t going to let this go. He’s sending more people. And not all of them will be as charming as me."

"Come on, Ash," Leila said, her voice softer now. "Let’s get you cleaned up."

As she led Ash out of the kitchen, Damon turned to me, his usual grin starting to creep back onto his face.

"Well, big bro, you sure know how to pick ’em," he said with a low whistle. "That one’s got more fire than half the vampires in our court combined."

"Don’t push her," I warned, though I couldn’t keep the small smile off my face.

"Wouldn’t dream of it," Damon replied, but the mischievous twinkle in his eye said otherwise.

This was going to be... interesting.

With that, he turned and headed for the door, but not before pausing to glance back at Ash, who was watching him curiously.

"Take care of the kid," Damon said, his tone unusually soft. Then he looked at me, his smirk returning. "And try not to screw this up, big bro."

He disappeared before I could respond, leaving a tense silence in his wake.

Leila return with ash cleaned up and turned to me, her eyes blazing. "This is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved with you."

I sighed, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away.

"Leila—"

"Don’t," she said sharply. "Just... don’t."

She walked out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there with Ash, who took the sliced apples I had cut chewing it, completely unfazed.

"Is Mama mad?" he asked, tilting his head.

I forced a smile. "No, Ash. She’s just... thinking."

Ash nodded, accepting my answer. But as he returned to his fruits, I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in my chest.

Damon’s visit was only the beginning.

The fact that my brother—a royal, like me—had also imprinted on Ash was unexpected but oddly fortunate. It shifted the dynamics in ways I hadn’t foreseen. For one, it made advocating for Ash significantly easier.

Leila, as my mate, was already someone I could defend fiercely. She was my beloved, after all. To a vampire, a beloved is not just a romantic partner; it’s a soul-deep bond, one that even the staunchest traditionalist in the kingdom would have to respect. My people knew what a beloved meant for a vampire. She wasn’t just a wolf; she was my other half, the one destined to complete me.

But Ash?

Ash would have been a far harder sell. A wolf pup with no royal blood, born from a union outside of the vampire world—he would have been viewed as an outsider at best, a liability at worst. The notion of welcoming him into the royal fold would have been met with skepticism, if not outright hostility.

Now, though?

Now, things were different.

Damon’s imprinting on Ash changed everything. My brother, the second prince of our kingdom, had formed the same unbreakable bond with him as I had. It wasn’t just rare—it was unheard of. Two royals bonded to the same child, and that child wasn’t even a vampire? It was a twist of fate that no one could have predicted, and one that carried immense weight.

For centuries, our people had revered the concept of imprinting as sacred, a direct decree from forces far beyond our comprehension. If Damon and I both had bonds with Ash, it could only mean one thing: Ash was important, not just to us, but to the very balance of our world.

I could already see the arguments forming in the council chambers back home. Some would claim it was a mistake, an anomaly. Others would see it for what it truly was: a sign that Ash was meant to be part of our world, just as much as Leila was.

For once, Damon’s presence was actually a blessing. His imprinting on Ash not only strengthened the case for Ash’s acceptance but also brought an added layer of legitimacy to the bond. My brother may have been infuriating at times, but even his detractors couldn’t deny the significance of his actions.

Leila, of course, wouldn’t see it that way.

To her, this was just one more layer of chaos in an already overwhelming situation. She would fight tooth and nail to keep Ash safe, even if that meant standing against me—and now Damon, too. I didn’t blame her. She didn’t understand what this meant for us, for Ash. Not yet.

But I would make her see.

She didn’t have to trust my people, or even my kingdom. She only had to trust me. And with Damon now tied to Ash as well, I was more determined than ever to ensure that Leila and Ash would find a place where they were not just tolerated but truly accepted.

This wasn’t just about duty anymore. It was about family.

My family.

And I would do whatever it took to protect them.