Drake POV:
years slipped by after we ran away. We built a quiet life hidden in the dip mountains, and though our home was small, it was overflowing with laughter. In time, we were blessed with two children - a boy and a girl. The sound of their laughter, their footsteps racing across the floor, filled every corner of our world. They were my treasure, and whatever hardships that came our way meant nothing compared to the reward of having a family to love.
But peace is fragile in this broken world. I should have known it wouldn't last.
One fateful day, I venture deep into the mountains to hunt and gather food for my family.
From morning till nightfall I tracked and hurt tirelessly, until my body became weary, but despite that I kept my focus sharp. and at last, I brought down a deer - a prized kill. Slinging the heavy animal over my back, I started the long walk home with my chest swelling with pride. I could already picture the joy on my family's faces when I arrived with this deer. " It's gonna be one hell of a feast tonight, " I thought to myself.
But as I neared home I froze upon what I saw. Smoke curled into the night sky, black and bitter, clawing at the stars. My chest tightened. Something was wrong.
Without thinking, I sprinted with the deer still strapped to my back. The closer I got, the heavier my steps felt. And when I finally arrived - my heart shattered into pieces.
My home was engulfed in flames. From where I stood I could hear the screams of my children crying for help. Their painful screams tore through me as I stumbled forward in grief, tears welding up in my eyes as my gaze locked on flames.
That was when I saw them.
The lycans.
Beasts wearing human flesh with their false faces twisted into grins of cruel delight. Some howled to the moon, savoring the horror and chaos they had just unleashed, why others laughed as if my family's suffering was just a sport to them with their glowing eyes fixed on the firelight while mocking the painful screams of my children.
And then…. my gaze found her.
Lisa.
My love. My world.
She was pinned to the ground, her clothes torn off with her body trembling beneath the weight of their alpha. I watched as his monstrous form loomed over her, defiling what I cherished the most.
Her crimson blue eyes - once so bright and filled with love - were now pouring with tears while locking onto mine as darkness pulled her away.
My legs gave out and I dropped to my knees with tears pouring from my face. It was as if my whole world was coming to an end. While the deer I was carrying slid from my back and fell to the ground.
"Nooooo!"
The scream ripped from the very core of my being - from the deepest part of my soul where love and rage collided.
The lycans turned their gaze, One by one, drawn by the sound of my scream with their glowing eyes fixed on me like predators spotting fresh prey.
All I could see was Lisa's hand stretching towards me, her eyes begging me to save her from this nightmare.
Seeing this, I lost my mind. With a roar that tore from my chest, I ripped out the hunting knife from my belt and blinded by rage I charged at the alpha. My vision blurred with tears, but my eyes were fixed to him alone - the alpha defiling my beloved wife.
But before my blade could even taste his flesh, a massive clawed hand seized my arm mid-swing.
The impact jolted through me, and before I could react another lycans lunged from the shadows and with a sickening snap, my arm was torn clean off from my body.
pain unlike anything I had ever felt before exploded through me. Blood sprayed the ground as I collapsed to my knees, gasping in pain, my breath became ragged and broken.
The alpha rose to his feet, his massive height towering over me with his red eyes fixed on mine. He didn't just stare at me, he saw through me. He saw the looks I gave Lisa and grief twisting my face. It was enough to figure out that she was my mate.
The thought of that made him smile as if enjoying my misery.
A wicked grin stretched across his monstrous face as he reached for her. His massive hand closed around Lisa's throat, lifting her effortlessly from the ground as if she weighed nothing less than a feather.
My eyes widened and my heart felt it was going to stop.
"please! No!" I pleaded in tears.
But my words mean nothing in the faces of this monster's and in one brutal motion, the alphas claw sliced across her throat like butter.
Blood spilled out from her throat as she shocked to death, her eyes - those beautiful blue eyes kept on staring at mine before the life faded from it completely.
"Nooo! Lisaaaa!!. I called her name in tears.
The alpha tossed her lifeless body aside as if it was nothing but trash.
"Whyyy?!" I screamed in tears. Why did you do that?.
I stayed on my knees still bleeding in pain from my torn off arm but that was no comparison to the pain I felt inside - the pain of being forced to watch as everything you ever love got talking away from you.
The alpha took slow heavy steps towards me, every movement he made was like a mockery.
"How dare you lift your filthy hand against me. his words grinding like stone.
you monster!.
My cries felt irritating to him, with disgust he moved so fast and before I could brace myself his massive claws found it was in my chest.
pain exploded through me and I watched as the alpha ripped out my heart with a satisfying smile on his face.
It was brutal, the breath in my lungs were nowhere to be found and my eyes kept twitching from looking at my heart still beating in his arm and to top it up he squeezed the life out of it before tossing it to the ground.
and then, everything went blank.
"is this what it feels like to be dead, how peaceful". I thought , finding myself floating weightlessly in a vast empty space. all the pain I felt in my final moment slipped away as if someone had blown it out like a candle.
Everything kept replaying in my mind like a movie. the way Lisa eyes stared at me, begging me not to watch as she was being brutally murdered.
But suddenly I heard a voice that courted my attention. it was low but I could hear it loud and clear, echoing endlessly in my mind.
"welcome drake, the heir to Zealand… "
"Who's there?" I called out searching the dark empty void with my gaze.
and Suckingly, a strange looking figure stepped into view. Its presence was cold as ice and it looked like a skeleton wrapped in a black old robe.
"Could - could it be death itself. my throat tightened.
"You are death, aren't you?" you must be here to me on the other side.
hearing my words, for no reason death let out an unexpected laugh. "Indeed I am death, but my goal here does not succumb to taking you, instead I came to make you an offer…. a bargain you would call it.
"I can bring you back to the world of the living with unimaginable power that surpasses that of the lycans or any witch - powers enough to avenge the slaughter of your family and at the same time ending the rain of the lycans.
"Powers, bring me back!. My hands shook. "And what do you want in return?" I asked in curiosity, surprise on why death would make such an offer and what would he get in return?.
Death laughed at my face before answering. "Bring me souls in return.
Souls!?"
"Yes, souls. death said while flexing his bony fingers beneath his black shroud. "You will bring death to the world on a scale I cannot reach alone and open a gate way for me to cross into the living. Begin where your rage burns brightest - start with the lycans. Their death will be the first of many.
With that he moved closer, close enough that I could now see his skull face hidden beneath his black hood. "You will not be the same. you will be more than a witch. you will become the nightmare that crawls the earth for you are no longer drake. you shall be known as "dracula, the dark prince of hell.
The name echoed in mind and I could feel this strange energy flooding my veins and slowly my body started rebuilding itself.
I could feel the heart that has been torn off from my body beating again with life.