The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 248: Do you have a son?

Chapter 248: Do you have a son?

"She once told my mother," Lora began, "that she didn’t want to be alone anymore. So she chose the strongest man who passed through the village...to give her a child. A man she believed would be easy to find... but nearly impossible to reach."

Ren’s gaze flicked to her father. His expression was unreadable now, but something in his stillness told her he was beginning to understand.

And Ophelia, Lora had once said, was so beautiful that even the young men of Sobis worshipped her from afar. She had needed no trickery to be wanted.

The King finally spoke, his voice a low murmur. "And did she lie to my son about me?"

Lora immediately shook her head. "Never. Hector told me that his mother refused to say who his father was. Not even when she was dying a year before our village was attacked."

A silence heavier than before settled over the room. Then the King looked up, his voice steadier now, touched with grief and will.

"Just like they found Daniellia De-Alvone... they found my son. They broke him. Manipulated him. They washed his mind with lies and turned him into a weapon against me."

He closed his eyes, letting the words take shape within him.

"I cannot condemn him merely because he’s a vampire. He was deceived."

Kai leaned against the wall, arms folded, deep in thought. The King was right, Hector had been deceived. But that didn’t change the threat.

"There’s a problem," he said finally. "A Lord Vampire... can turn humans, different kinds, and even Faes. If we allow him to walk freely, he could create an army within a year."

The weight of his words dropped in the room like a dark fog.

"He must be contained. We’ve already discovered the existence of vampire half-bloods. Women who were taken...some were still pregnant when we found them."

Ren jolted upright. "You didn’t tell me."

Kai hesitated. "General Eric arrived in the middle of the night. You were resting, and I didn’t want to wake you."

Ren’s frown deepened. He’d had time. But something in his eyes told her it wasn’t just about timing, it was about protecting her from the heaviness of it. She didn’t push further, though the silence between them sharpened.

The King shook his head, grim. "That’s worse than I imagined."

"What about the wanderers?" the King asked.

"We’re searching," Kai replied. "From what we’ve gathered, most vampires, especially the turned ones, can’t reproduce, even those with final mutations. But the Lord class..." he paused, "they can."

The words hit Ren like a blade through her ribs. Her breath caught.

What would they do with those children? The offspring of monsters, yet still children. She thought of the unborn, of frightened mothers locked away in cold cells.

Do they drink blood too? she wondered, the question twisting in her chest. Are they cursed to hunger like their fathers? Or is there hope for them... before the world decides what to do with them?

"Are you... going to kill them?"

Ren’s voice trembled as the question slipped out, barely above a whisper.

"Not if your brother cooperates," Kai replied, steady but cold.

Ren swallowed hard, her gaze flicking toward Lora. The maiden’s eyes had widened in horror. The thought of innocent children, half-bloods or not, being judged by their lineage made her stomach turn. But, did Hector have a child too? A wife?

The King’s voice cut through the heaviness. "What else do you know, child?"

Lora took a breath, trying to steady her nerves. "After the village was burned... a panhandler woman found me. She saved me, but then sold me to a woman in Zillgaira. I didn’t know Hector had survived until... I saw him in Thegara."

The King raised a brow and offered a tired smile. "You recognized him after all these years?"

Lora bowed her head. "He hadn’t changed much."

The King’s eyes shifted to Kai. "Bring him here. Let him see his old friend. Maybe her presence will lower his guard."

Kai gave a subtle nod and mentally linked the order to Gamma Axe. After a long moment, the heavy sound of boots echoed in the corridor. The vampire prince was escorted in.

New chains rattled as he entered.

"The Fae chain is still around him, what is this one for?" the King noted.

Kai stood firm. "That one will stay that way... until I know my wife is safe."

While the others discussed the chains, Hector stood still, his thoughts a storm of scent and memory.

Lora’s blood... it still lingered on his tongue. Sweet, familiar, maddening. He hadn’t expected to see her again, and now here she was...alive, pulsing with life. And he drank her blood, she gave it willingly! The delicate vein in her neck throbbed temptingly, awakening a hunger deep within him.

But then...Lora.

Her name cracked through his thoughts like lightning. The scent of blood was overpowered by something even stronger: recognition. His friend, the only one.

"You... Lora!" he whispered.

Lora clenched her jaw, struggling not to collapse into tears.

She couldn’t stop thinking about it, why had he let Lutherieth turn him? Why had he given in to that path?

Now... she was prey, food. And he was the predator.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I told them."

Hector blinked at her. He should have been angry. He should have resented her for exposing him. But all he felt was relief...she was alive.

Silence fell, the gravity of their reunion pulling everyone’s attention toward them.

The King finally spoke, breaking the growing ice in the room, his voice a gentle fracture in the stillness. "Do you wish to be alone?"

"No!" Lora said too quickly. Her fear clung to her like frost.

Hector’s eyes dimmed. He could smell it, her fear. It clung to her skin, mixed with the faint scent of jasmine and sorrow.

The girl who had once held his hand in the forest of Sobis now flinched from his presence.

"Because I’m a monster," Hector muttered, the words bitter on his tongue.

Lora opened her mouth to deny it, to offer comfort...but nothing came. Her silence cut deeper than any word could. Because it was true. From where she stood... he was a monster.

"Bring a seat for my son," the King said suddenly, the edge in his tone commanding. "I need to know how many children he has."

The words struck like a thrown dagger.

Lora’s hands clenched the folds of her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white. Hector saw it, and smelled it. Not just fear now. Anger. Her wide eyes were locked on him, waiting, and expecting, her eyes on his lips.