Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince: Masquerading as a Man-Chapter 168: The Beginning Of Hell

Clark’s POV:

The air crackled with an energy I couldn’t quite understand, but it was raw, dangerous, and palpable. Blaze wasn’t the kind of creature you wanted to mess with.

"Go ahead," Blaze said, his voice suddenly colder, sharper. "Try me."

The wolves growled in unison, stepping forward with all the intent of predators. But before they could make their move, Blaze’s posture shifted. It was as if the tension in his body snapped, and in an instant, he was a blur—faster than any of them.

One of the wolves lunged toward him, its massive jaws open wide, aiming for Blaze’s throat, but Blaze was already gone.

He reappeared behind the wolf, his hand gripping its throat with inhuman strength. With one swift motion, he hurled the creature to the ground. It let out a pained yelp, but Blaze wasn’t done. He crouched down, his eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger.

"You want to hunt?" Blaze sneered. "Then let’s see who’s the real hunter."

He didn’t even wait for them to respond. He was on the next wolf in an instant, moving with lethal precision, and this time there was no hesitation. The battle between them was brutal. Teeth snapped, claws lashed, but Blaze was faster, stronger, more ruthless.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the wolves to realize they weren’t going to win. One by one, they backed off, retreating into the shadows, unwilling to challenge the sheer dominance Blaze had over them.

When the last one finally bolted, Blaze straightened up, wiping his hands on his jacket as if he hadn’t just fought a pack of monsters. He turned to us, his cold smirk still in place.

"Are you two done panicking now?" he asked, his tone casual, but there was no mistaking the power in his voice. He was a creature of the night. A monster.

And yet, for some reason, he wasn’t trying to kill us.

Not yet, anyway.

Blaze looked over at me, his eyes narrowing as he studied me for a moment.

The relief that had washed over me when Blaze stepped in... vanished in an instant. Like a flicker of light snuffed out by an overwhelming darkness.

"After all that rescue, little lamb, I’m thirsty," Blaze said, his voice low, like a predator’s growl, as he flashed his fangs at me. A cold chill crawled up my spine, and my stomach turned. The tension in the air thickened, and it felt like the walls of the hall were closing in.

I glanced at Lucas, but he was already as pale as a ghost, his eyes wide with terror. He gave me a look. A silent plea. Run. Get out. Now.

But Blaze caught the look—he saw it—and chuckled darkly. It wasn’t the playful kind of laugh. No, it was chilling, like a death sentence wrapped in a joke.

"You’re not planning on running off after I saved your life again, are you?" Blaze purred, stepping closer to me, his shadow engulfing me. His voice was soft, almost mocking, but it carried an undeniable edge of danger.

I froze. The air around me felt heavy, suffocating, like I was standing in a room filled with suffocating heat. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I took a small, involuntary step back.

Blaze was close now. Too close.

"Today, you did well by carrying along a snack for me," he said, his lips curling into that predatory grin. My mind raced—what did he mean by that? It was almost as if he were congratulating me for playing my part in his twisted little game. I took an involuntary step back, but it was useless. There was nowhere to go.

The scent of his breath, something sharp, metallic, filled the air. It was a scent I couldn’t place—familiar, intoxicating, like the warmth of blood beneath skin. He leaned in even closer, as if tasting the air around me, and then his eyes locked onto mine with a terrifying intensity.

Before I could think, before I could react, Blaze moved in an instant. His fangs flashed in the low light, a glimmer of predatory pleasure crossing his face.

Suddenly, a horrifying scream split the air.

I whipped my head around, heart slamming against my ribs.

Lucas.

Blaze was behind him. Without even a moment’s warning, he grabbed him. A fluid, terrifying motion as his hand darted to Lucas’s neck. No.

The scream that tore from Lucas’s throat sent a spike of panic through me. My body froze, eyes locked onto Blaze as he bent him over, his face buried against the side of Lucas’s neck. The sound of teeth sinking into soft flesh was horrifying—a sickening, wet sound that made my stomach churn violently.

Lucas screamed again, a raw, agonizing cry that echoed through the hallway.

It happened so fast—Blaze’s mouth was on Lucas’s neck before I could even react. My body froze, my throat tightening as I watched, horrified, helpless.

Lucas screamed. It was a sound I never wanted to hear again. The kind of scream that echoed the raw terror of knowing your life was slipping away, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Then, there was silence. Or, at least, a soft sobbing from Lucas as Blaze’s eyes locked onto mine, dark and predatory.

I could see the blood staining the collar of Lucas’s shirt, his body jerking weakly. His sobs were getting softer, his struggle weakening. The sight of his life draining away—literally—from him was too much.

I could see it in his eyes, the fear, the desperation as Blaze sucked him dry. The way his body twitched, the trembling in his limbs, the soft sobs that began to break free from his throat.

Blaze’s eyes, though... those eyes were fixed on me. Cold. Dark. Hungry.

And he drank. He drank from Lucas like he was a mere snack, his fangs sinking deeper, his jaw moving rhythmically. I could see the pulse in Lucas’s neck, weak and erratic, but each time Blaze pulled back, it was slower. His feeding wasn’t hurried. No, he was savoring this. He was enjoying the torment, watching as Lucas’s life force bled away.

Blaze didn’t stop. He savored it. His eyes never left mine, and I felt like I was drowning in the intensity of his gaze.

"Please..." I whispered, but my voice barely escaped my throat. My entire body was shaking, the urge to do something—anything—clawing at me. But what could I do against Blaze? Against that?

I couldn’t just stand here.

But my legs wouldn’t move.

The fact that I even had legs in that moment seemed like a cruel joke.

Blaze’s eyes never left me as he continued to drink, his grin widening with every drop of blood he consumed. My heart pounded in my chest, the blood rushing to my ears as I stood, helpless. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even move.

Lucas’s cries became softer. His body began to slump, going limp in Blaze’s grip, but still, Blaze didn’t stop.

"Look at me," Blaze purred, his voice dripping with a kind of dark satisfaction.

Blaze pulled away from Lucas with a sound I couldn’t quite describe—a sickening, sucking noise. Lucas’s body slumped, and Blaze stood tall, licking his lips like he had just enjoyed a fine meal. His eyes, still burning with a vicious hunger, flicked back to me.

"He’s not dead," Blaze said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. His voice was smooth, his tone almost soothing, but there was no hiding the darkness in it.

Lucas trembled beside me, his face pale, tears streaking down his cheeks as he gasped for breath.

But Blaze wasn’t done. He wasn’t finished with us yet.

"Now, do you see, little lamb?" he purred, his voice low, full of satisfaction. "You should be thankful. I could’ve taken more."

I wanted to scream at him, to fight, to do something, but my voice was gone. The horror of watching my best friend—my roommate—drained of life in front of me made me feel small, helpless, utterly powerless.

Blaze turned his gaze back to Lucas. "Next time," he said, his lips curling into a grin, "I think I’ll pick you."

His words were a chilling promise, one that made my blood freeze.

And with that, he turned away, stepping back into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.

The silence that followed was deafening.

I knelt beside Lucas, shaking as I tried to steady my breath. "Lucas," I whispered, trembling. "Are you okay? Please... please talk to me."

Lucas could barely look at me, his eyes glazed, struggling to focus. His voice was hoarse, broken.

"I... I can’t... I can’t..." he mumbled, his body still shuddering in my arms. I didn’t know if it was from the blood loss or the trauma.

But we were alive. For now.

"Lucas," I whispered again, gripping his arm, trying to hold it together. "We need to get out of here. Now."

I glanced around. The halls were empty, but the danger was still palpable. Blaze was gone, but the dread remained.

What was I supposed to do now? How could I protect Lucas from whatever came next?