The King and I made it to the meeting site an hour early to do recon with the two other wolves he had brought along as backup.

Given the circumstances, I couldn't risk Hayden's safety and bring her with me, as much as I love having her around me and never wanting to leave me, I couldn't bring myself to be that selfish and irresponsible.

I'm a protector, I always have been and I always will be, whether it be a stranger or my beautiful mate, I live to serve, so that I can keep people safe, safe from dangerous people like the Titan that killed my family.

King Titar Tar'en was dangerous, a fool would think otherwise.

In the Kings eyes I was still the Crown Prince, and until I'm dead or otherwise, that is all he and the people of Titus will think, until I'm dealt with or publicly imprisoner as a traitor to my kind.

For the simple fact that I was born from a human's womb and not a Titan's has made me an outcast and an embarrassment to my kind.

I didn't want Hayden to be here to witness the kind of hate I will no doubly endure when the King and his entourage give me.

I can handle anything thrown at me, but the thought of Hayden thinking less of me, despite knowing how she feels, still makes me uneasy with thoughts of 'what if'.

I know it's different with Hayden Black, at first we were merely strangers, glancing at each other until we eventually came together like magnets, all without knowing about the fact the two of us were mates, it forms a special bond not many mates get the chance to feel.

"How are things, Nohr?" King Caelan Black asks, coming up to me.

I take one last look behind me, having not seen anything out of the ordinary, at the least not important enough to report to the King. "Everything looks good on my end, Sir."

The King frowns and reaches out to slap me on the back. "It's Caelan."

"We're family now Nohr, and once you marry Hayden I hope you can address me more casually then this." He said with a smile.

It takes me a few seconds to process that the King- Caelan was actually smiling at me, the same wolf that had almost ripped the spine from my body and shoved it down my throat.

I always knew Caelan Black was a great leader, it runs in his family, despite Kane Black threatening my life too, I knew they were loyal and proud, being werewolves only made their sense of family more fierce.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was starting to belong to an actual family, and because of that, the human side of me felt so much emotion- emotion I never felt until I finally got to see Hayden up close, and not from behind railings.

"Thank you Si- Caelan, I hope for that too." I said honestly, to which he simply patted me on the shoulder and walked away quietly.

The air around us fell silent, and I knew someone was mind-linking Caelan, which could only mean one thing, and one thing only.

"They've arrived, let's head inside first." 

I followed behind Caelan towards the meeting point, a cabin in the woods near the border of The Vale, twenty minutes ride from the portal to Titus, the Cabin wasn't just any Cabin though, that is what made this meeting spot so special.

The cabin had been enchanted years ago to dispel any and all attempts to use magic, which meant the moment you passed through the front doors of the cabin you were unable to cast, transform or even hurt anyone inside.

It was old ancient magic that had been lost for hundreds of years since the downfall of Demonia Black, Prince of the Shadowlands, Hayden and Caelan's ancestor.

There had been only one object other than this cabin that held such magic, and although it was mere rumors until a hundred years ago, it was confirmed by the palace archive that Kane Black had in his procession a necklace, which held the same magic that enchanted this very cabin.

The history of Hayden's family was such a mystery, for centuries it left other realms in constant awe and fear, to which I now fully understand why, they were a family that were touched by the very same goddess that gave their people the ability to shift, and that goddess continues to watch over them.

"Nohr." 

I look to the door and see that the sound of footsteps had stopped and the door was opening, I stood up behind my seat along with Caelan and watched as the door opened wide and in walked the King of Titus.

Yet- he wasn't alone, behind him a Titan woman walked in after him and closed the door, she was dressed in the finest of jewels inside of her crown and wearing a thin gown, sporting colors that belonged to Titus.

I didn't think Titus had any princesses, but given how she handled herself, there was no doubt in my mind that she wasn't anything other than royalty.

She looked no older then seventeen, with pale Titan skin and large dark eyes with long pale blond hair, she looked displeased, for what reason I didn't know yet, but surely coming all the way out here to meet a traitor was bound to be the reason.

"King Titar." Caelan greets him first, but King Titar simply squared his eyes at him and then looked to me.

I looked straight in his eyes and saw the depth of his hate filled in them as he looked at me, like he wished for nothing but my head ripped from my body and then placed upon on the table that separated him from me.

Taking his eyes off me, he looked and Caelan with contempt then sat down in the seat opposite us, as did the Princess with him.

"I didn't think you'd show." Titar said, his face stone cold and stoic as he talked to Caelan, ignoring my presence.

"Where is that father of yours, I don't see him around."

"You should know best that he has a distaste for talks in small spaces, King Titar." Caelan said humorously, to which the King nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"A shame." He said before his eyes fell to the woman beside him.

"Allow me to introduce Telia Tar'en, the daughter of my wife Thilia." He said proudly, as the slender woman stood from her seat and bowed respectfully to Caelan.

She had yet to look at me.

"A pleasure meeting you Telia." Caelan respectfully says, before looking at Titar in confusion.

"What is the meaning of this? I wasn't aware that you'd be bringing additional witnesses to our meeting."

"Witness?" He grunted out before glaring at the Princess, making her sit down silently and lower her head.

"This here is my only condition to allowing the traitorous offspring of my departed brother to live peacefully in your realm." He said, going inside of his jacket to take out a parchment of paper and a ink pen.

Condition? What the hell is he talking about?

I looked to Caelan and I could tell he was also confused about what he meant, which isn't good, it almost feels like this is a old- but very ordinary tradition within Titus.

He was proposing marriage between me and the young princess.

"I refuse." I said without hesitation, making the King snap his eyes to me and glare.

"You refuse?" He repeated before he stood up from his seat, knocking his seat over from the force as he slams both of his hands down onto the table, causing it to crack.

"You don't get to refuse, this is the only option, the other is I execute you here for the crimes of your sire!" He spat out in hate, his eyes still murderous.

I wasn't going to back down, I've been stabbed, shot, and escaped death multiple times, this wasn't going to phase me.

"I already have a mate, I refuse your condition." I said plainly, making him scoff out.

"A mate?" He moved his hands from the table and looked down at me, amusement in his eyes despite the cold look on his face.

"Pardon my tone King Black, but your daughter is far from a pure mate, is she not?" He asked, making Caelan flinch as he fold his hands into fists on the table as he glared up at Titar.

"As the descendent of Demonia I expected nothing less, if only your sire had done his job, then perhaps I could respect your mate bond Traitor, but I see she takes after your King, nothing but a filthy descendent of a whoremonger."

Caelan stands up and breathes out heavily through his nose as the beast inside of him tries to claw it's way out of him, but unable to from the magic forbidding him.

"You dare lecture me of tradition?" He snarled out towards Titar whose jaw clenched as he glared at Caelan.

This was not going to end up well, even with Caelan here we were outnumbered, King Titar no doubly came with more soldiers then we did, if a fight were to break out, it would be the worst outcome for the future of The Vale.

"I'm sorry King Titar, but I have already made up my mind." I tell him before looking at the young princess. "I mean you no disrespect your highness."

"There must be another way to end this here and now other than marriage to your daughter, one that ends in peace." I look at Titar as he snaps his eyes away from Caelan to me.

"Peace?" He said slowly. "There will be no peace with you breathing, you have one option and I gave it to you, Traitor, it's this or the inevitable, your death."

I swallow hard as the room falls into silence- the only thing coming to mind as the words of Titar play over in my mind.

Hayden is my future, nothing will take that away from me, this this Titan, not anyone who foolishly dares to stand in my way.

I was foolish to hope he'd leave me alone, to give me the quiet life I deserved after he had slaughtered my parents, but I knew now seeing him and hearing his insane proposal that there is no reasoning with him.

This means I have no other option but to fight for what I want, one last time.

"I Nohr invoke Nok Tiran with King Titar Tar'en of Titus." I take the knife from my side pocket and use it to cut the palm of my hand as Titar's eyes widen slightly.

Caelan's hand roughly wraps around my wrist, but I never take my eyes off Titar. "Nohr, what are you doi-"

"I accept your Nok Tiran, traitor of Titus." The words leave his mouth as a wicked grin forms on his cold pale lips.

I watch as he takes a large silver dagger from his coat and cuts the same palm of his hand as mine and then squeezes his hand and hovers it over the table, making his dark red blood drip onto the table.

"You have five days to prepare."

With that, Titar turned and walked to the front door and left with the young Princess tailing after him, with a look that matched Caelan's beside me, once the door shut behind them, Caelan's hands go to rub his face.

"What have you done?" He frustratedly asked, his voice thick with anger.

"I did the only thing I could have." I said truthfully as I take a piece of cloth from my pocket and wrap it around my palm.

"You signed your life away, Nohr!" He angrily erupted as he looked at me. "I cannot undo this, have you no idea what is about to happen next?"

"I do." I force out, looking away as I stare at Titar's blood as it drips through the cracks of the wood table.

It was the only thing that would end this once and for all, with the victor goes the spoils, but in this case... the victor shall live, meaning...

"I will fight to the death with Titar, it is my decision and it cannot be taken back."

I had made peace with the consequences of my actions, but I'm doing not only for me but for those who couldn't do what I just did, my parents, and Hayden, who deserves so much then what I could give her.

I do this for our future, and the possibility of a world without Titar in it to hurt anyone else.

I'm a protector, and I refuse to go against the very thing I was born to do.

"Let's head back." Caelan sighs beside me. 

"You have to get ready for the fight of your life- quite literally, because if Titar doesn't kill you, I know my daughter just might."

A smile forms of my lips as I nod my head, prepared for what's to come next.