Avenging Luna
Chapter 151: The Vampire Kingdom

Chapter 151: The Vampire Kingdom

Chase POV

The council could go fuck themselves. I was done playing their games, done bowing to their endless rules and expectations. They’d already stripped so much from me, forced me into a role that I never truly wanted. But not this. Not now.

Leila sat beside me, her hand resting lightly on Ash’s leg as he dozed against her. She was trying so hard to look calm, but I could see the tension in her posture, the way her fingers twitched whenever she thought I wasn’t looking. She didn’t trust this. She didn’t trust me. And hell, I couldn’t blame her.

But I’d be damned if I let the council—or anyone else—take this moment from me.

As the car sped through the dark roads, I clenched my fists, my mind already spinning with the possibilities. If they tried to stop us, if they so much as looked at Leila or Ash the wrong way, they’d regret it. I didn’t care what laws or traditions they wanted to throw in my face. My family came first.

And if that meant walking away from the crown, so be it.

"Chase?" Leila’s voice broke through my thoughts, soft and hesitant.

I turned to her, forcing myself to relax, to soften the edge that had crept into my expression. "Yeah?"

She hesitated, her eyes flicking to Ash before meeting mine. "Are you sure about this? About... taking us there?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Leila, my father’s not just anyone. He’s the one person who—" I stopped myself, the words catching in my throat. "He’s the one person who believed in me when no one else did. If this is goodbye, I need you to be there with me. With him."

Her gaze softened slightly, but the doubt lingered. "And the council?"

"They can go to hell," I said firmly, my voice low enough not to wake Ash. "If they try anything stupid, they’ll have to find themselves another crown prince. I’m not playing their games anymore."

Her eyebrows shot up, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "You’d give it all up? Just like that?"

"For you? For Ash?" I leaned closer, holding her gaze. "In a heartbeat."

She didn’t respond, but something in her expression shifted—something I couldn’t quite read.

The car began to slow as we approached the estate, the massive gates looming ahead like a reminder of everything I’d been born into. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let the weight of it intimidate me.

This wasn’t about the kingdom. This wasn’t about the council or their precious rules.

This was about my father. About my mate. About the boy I’d imprinted on and the family I was fighting to hold together.

And if anyone dared to stand in the way of that, they’d learn very quickly just how far I was willing to go.

The car rolled to a stop at the main gates, the towering iron and stone structure seeming more ominous than usual. Two guards stood at their posts, their stoic expressions faltering as their eyes landed on Leila. I saw it immediately—the way their nostrils flared, their stances tightening as they caught her scent.

A low growl built in my throat before I even realized it.

One of the guards stepped forward, his gaze darting between me and Leila. "Your Highness," he began cautiously, "the... wolf—"

"She is with me," I snapped, cutting him off. My voice rang out sharper than I intended, and my crimson eyes glowed with barely restrained fury. The guard recoiled slightly, his composure cracking under the weight of my glare.

They both stammered hurried apologies, bowing their heads low. "Of course, Your Highness. Forgive us. We meant no disrespect."

"You’ll do well to remember that," I said coldly, my voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "Now open the damn gate."

"Yes, Your Highness," they said in unison, scrambling to obey.

As the gates groaned open, I felt Leila’s gaze on me. I turned to her, still fuming, but the look on her face stopped me in my tracks. She wasn’t angry or upset. She looked... thoughtful.

"What?" I asked, my voice softening slightly.

"Nothing," she said, but there was a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Just... you’re very protective, aren’t you?"

I raised an eyebrow, unsure if she was teasing me or not. "You’re my mate," I said simply. "No one gets to question that. Not the guards, not the council, no one."

Her smirk faded, replaced by a look I couldn’t quite place. Before I could press her on it, the car jolted forward, moving through the gates and onto the long, winding drive that led to the estate.

I leaned back in my seat, my jaw still tight. If the guards were any indication, the rest of this night was going to be just as infuriating.

But I didn’t care.

Leila and Ash were with me. And no one—not the council, not the guards, not anyone—was going to stand in our way.

I knew the protocol. The council expected me to bow and scrape, to listen to their decrees about duty and propriety before I was "allowed" to proceed. I was supposed to present myself first, alone, and sit through their tedious deliberations before seeing my father.

Screw that.

The council could choke on their pompous self-importance for all I cared. My father was dying—my father, the man who had taught me strength and honor, who had prepared me to lead, even when I didn’t want to. And he wasn’t going to leave this world without seeing the most important person in my life.

I turned to Leila, her face calm but guarded, as if she was bracing herself for whatever awaited inside. Ash sat beside her, his little legs swinging nervously, his wide eyes darting around at the sheer grandeur of the palace grounds.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for Leila’s hand. She stiffened slightly at the contact, but she didn’t pull away. That was something.

"You ready for this?" I asked softly.

Her eyes flicked to mine, and I saw the uncertainty there, the wariness. "Do I have a choice?" she asked, her voice dry but tinged with resignation.

I gave her a small, reassuring smile. "No," I said honestly. "You’re here because I need you to be. Because I want my father to meet you. You’re not just my mate, Leila. You’re my promise. To him, to me, to our future. He deserves to see what that looks like before..."

My voice cracked, and I clenched my jaw to keep the emotion at bay.

Her gaze softened, and she gave the faintest nod. "Alright," she said. "Let’s do this."

I turned to Damon, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since we arrived. "Make sure the council knows they’ll have to wait. Indefinitely, if need be."

Damon raised an eyebrow, his usual smirk playing at his lips. "You sure about that? They’re not exactly known for their patience."

"Let them wait," I snapped, my tone leaving no room for argument. "If they have a problem with it, they can find themselves another crown prince. Right now, my father comes first. Our family comes first."

Damon held up his hands in mock surrender. "As you wish, Your Highness. I’ll keep them busy."

I didn’t wait for his snarky remark to land. With a firm grip on Leila’s hand and Ash trailing close behind, I strode through the grand hallways of the palace, my resolve burning like fire in my chest.

My father wasn’t going to die without seeing the woman who had claimed my heart, the one I was prepared to fight for, tooth and claw.

Not the council, not tradition, not even death itself could stop me.

I knew Damon well enough to see the flicker of amusement in his eyes, even if he tried to mask it. He didn’t just tolerate my defiance; he relished it. If there was one thing Damon loved, it was stirring the pot, especially when it came to the council.

They didn’t like me, and I sure as hell didn’t like them. But Damon? He outright despised those crusty, self-righteous old bats. To him, they represented everything wrong with our traditions—control, rigidity, and an insatiable thirst for power wrapped in polite pretense.

The truth was, the council didn’t have much of a choice. It was either me or Damon, and between the two of us, I was the lesser evil in their eyes. Damon had made it clear from the start that he had zero interest in ruling. He wasn’t exactly what you’d call "king material." He lived for the chaos, not the crown, and the idea of him sitting on a throne probably gave the council nightmares.

I glanced at him as we walked, his casual smirk still firmly in place. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" I said, my voice low enough for only him to hear.

"Immensely," he replied without hesitation, his tone light but edged with sincerity. "Watching you twist the council’s knickers is the most entertainment I’ve had all week. Keep it up, Your Highness."

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress the small smile tugging at my lips. Damon might act like he didn’t care, but I knew better. He had my back, even if his way of showing it involved being an instigator.

"Just don’t push too hard," I warned him. "They’re already on edge, and the last thing we need is them deciding to make an example out of us."

He scoffed. "Please. They wouldn’t dare. You’re their golden ticket to a future, like it or not. And me? I’m their last-resort disaster plan. They can’t risk pissing us off too much, and they know it."

He wasn’t wrong. As much as the council despised my defiance, they wouldn’t gamble the entire kingdom’s future by alienating both of us. And Damon knew that better than anyone.

"Fine," I said, shaking my head with a smirk. "Just don’t go overboard."

"No promises," he said, his grin widening. "But I’ll behave. For now."

With that, I turned my attention back to Leila, who was walking beside me, her expression wary but steady. She had no idea how much power her presence carried here, no clue how much she shifted the dynamic.

And as long as Damon and I were on the same page, the council didn’t stand a chance.