Nico's POV:

A hand on my chest stopped me just four feet from my destination, nearly knocking the wind from my lungs.

The touch itself was hard and stern, much like the eyes of my father as I looked up to meet his gaze.

Not even a second later, The guards on either side of me crossed their spears in front of my neck, sending a loud clang through the room followed by deafening silence.

Fuck.

The sound of my heavy breaths filled my ears as my panic built with every second, taking a step back to regain my composure.

The guards took a step forward as I did, acting as extra protection that my father definitely didn't need.

They were pawns. Distractions.

He had this all planned out and now I had so little time to try and outsmart him.

The corner of his mouth lifted, brows raising in an undeniable show to mock me.

Then as if I was no threat whatsoever, he turned his head towards the human boy currently carrying my lover.

"Explain yourself," He demanded, his tone calm but threatening nonetheless.

"My apologies my Lord," Carlo's heaved, wiping the blood from his nose the best he could with his shoulder, "Things didn't exactly go as planned."

"I can see that. Shes still conscious." He replied plainly.

I allowed myself a glance at her, spotting her eyes trained on me, wide in an almost hopeless plea for help.

I needed to get her out of here, but every single plan I was coming up with wasn't going to be good enough.

Absolutely nothing could lead to me winning a fight with him, I knew that as a fact.

I needed to run. I needed to take her and run.

But I needed to do so in a way my father couldn't predict.

"I know," He cleared his throat, "I didn't account for her to be as strong as she is."

My father simply hummed

"Nothing I cant take care of myself. And the slave?"

Contrition flashed in his eyes for just a second, "Marcus is taken care of," he eventually muttered.

"Excellent," My father extended a single hand towards him, "Now I suggest you run."

Carlo's eyes flickered to me before handing off Khloe.

Which in of itself caused my body to jolt as I restrained myself from not acting yet.

The thought of her in his grasp at all sent me into a rage.

Especially the small panicked gasp she could muster in her barely-conscious state as he lifted her by fisting the back of her collar and a decent amount of her hair.

A feral growl lifted from deep within my chest, my shoulders lifting as the part of me I was trying to keep contained grew with each second he had his hands on her.

Carlo bolted without another word.

My claws twitched anxiously at my side, the adrenalin building with each second I stood still.

"Put her down," I ordered slowly.

All hell nearly broke loose when he laughed.

The laugh wasn't a devious one, it was genuine which somehow made it worse.

"We both know that's not how this is going to work, Nicolas," he said, holding her body closer to his, her toes just barely touching the tiled floor.

My glare fixed on just him, my body practically shaking in anger at this point as red took over the edges of my vision.

I could handle the guards if they became a bigger problem.

"Put her down," I repeated, enunciating each word with slow, calculated control.

It was the only control I had left at this point, and I could feel myself losing a lot more than I wanted to. But with it, I was losing my ability to care about that.

He had the audacity to turn her to face him, her body recoiling in fear as he slowly looked her over.

Her knees even bent just a little as the toxins I could smell on her faded with every clean breath she took in, finally allowing her some movement.

But she knew better than to try to escape on her own.

Although the moment he uses his other hand to caress her cheek and lift her chin, that's where I lost it.

All at once the outrageous amount of anger, fear, and feral instincts burst and manifested.

The sound of skin across my back tearing and shredding covered the sound of my racing heart as my dark, leathery, wings shot out of my body, the adrenaline covering the pain that usually followed.

I kicked off the ground before I even heard the gasps of the guards, springing past them with a mix of my advanced speed and an extra boost my wings gave me.

And by some grace of the gods above, I was too fast for my father to react to and managed to retrieve Khloe from while protecting a good amount of her hair.

Which as a whole surprised me more than it should have.

The feeling of her warmth against my body just barely gave me any sense of relief.

This was the first step of many to get out of here and I didn't have any time to stop and think.

With that in mind, I rocketed myself as high as I could within the tall room to try to come up with something, noting how her arms wrapped tight around my neck and her head hurrying against my chest.

I could feel the trembling of her body and the worry in her grasp.

"I'm sorry. I'll get your out of this, I swear. I've got you," I whispered, trying to reassure both of us as I searched for the quickest possible answer.

When my eyes locked on the glass window that took the place of the entire wall behind my father's throne, I didn't dare hesitate.

It was undeniably the quickest way out of here and away from my father.

Trying to forget the fact that he could still easily follow me, with my wings beating against my back, I rocketed towards it as fast as I could.

I sliced through the air with as much speed I could possibly muster, pushing myself until it became painful and then pushed more.

It felt like this was the last chance of getting her out of here.

It was a miracle I managed to get her out of his grasp once, and I wasn't confident that I could do that twice.

Placing a hand over Khloe's head, I braced both her and myself for the crash that was to come.

Except when I suddenly found myself unable to move, any hope I had diminished in a second.

The all too familiar feeling of my father using his advanced abilities overcame me, locking every muscle in my body where they were and quickly turning my flight into a fall.

I tried to shake the pheromone from my body, but that attempt was one I knew was futile, and the floor was approaching quickly.

The feeling of Khloe's desperate grasp kicked something into gear and I just barely managed to turn myself so that I would hit the ground first.

And that I did, something cracking as my body hit the floor and slid across it.

I felt the heat of the friction on my wings as I skid until my body came to a stop as it hit the first stair with a grunt.

I grit my teeth, trying to focus my body to heal the ache in my back despite the pheromonic onslaught on my body.

Out of nowhere, It just stopped, allowing me to accomplish the quick healing process.

"Nico?" Khloe's distraught voice called out in a whisper as she pushed herself up just a bit.

"I'm okay," I muttered back, focusing enough to feel the vibrations on the floor of my father's stealthy approach.

I turned my head to see him slowly approach, his shoulders back with poised confidence.

My body trembled as it recovered, yet I still managed to turn so that I was over her, one arm holding me up while the other held her to me.

My wings steadily rose straight up in protection and preparation for what was next, not having accepted that I had nothing in mind that would work.

A couple more steps and that panic settled back in harder than ever.

My next attempt was desperate, feeling my skin crawl as I tried to give him a taste of his own medicine, releasing my pheromone and focusing all of my energy to make sure it only affected him.

His next step faltered and eyes widened, but that was the only reaction I got.

He met my gaze, lips twisting into an angry smile.

"A fair attempt, I'll give you that at least," he commended cynically.

My breaths heaved as he closed the remaining space between us.

Part of me know I had already lost, but the other knew I couldn't stop fighting.

I would fight until I died if I had to.

My last-ditch attempt came quickly, getting my feet under me, and swiping up with the clawed hand that wasn't holding Khloe right at his face.

And just as soon as the others, it was thwarted.

His hand grabbed my wrist before I even came close, his amused demeanor now shifting to one of the impatience he had mentioned prior.

"This is getting pitiful, son," He spoke lowly.

My grip tightened on Khloe as he leaned closer to me, still holding my wrist.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking this back so we can carry on our previous conversation."

In a split second, hit pupils thinned and his pheromone attacked me yet again, my muscles falling victim to it again and slowly lose my balance.

He took the opportunity to release my wrist, and instead take hold of the front of my shirt. Right above Khloe's head.

Then, with a harsh tug, he brought me to where his mouth was by my ear, making sure the only ones who heard his next words, were me.

"And thank you for confirming my suspicions," He grimaced, "To be honest, all I had was a hunch between you two, but your actions thus far, the stench of your fear, your desperation" he laughed quietly to himself, "I don't think I could have asked for a more clear confirmation."

The sting all over my body got worse by the second effectively forcing the most feral part of me back into dormancy.

Despite that, my wings still held limp against my back.

Khloe was in grave danger and only because of that, they stayed.

He knew.

He knew without a doubt.

He drew me back, clearly pleased with the worry in my eye, and with his other hand took hold of Khloe the same way he did previously.

I felt my throat close as I tried to react, but Khloe filled in for me as he pulled.

"No... No!" She screamed and squirmed the best as she could as he ripped her from my grasp and dropped my limp body to the floor.

My heart lurched painfully in my chest as he stepped past me and up the stairs with her.

I tried everything I could to try to lessen the effects of what he was doing to me. I strained every possibility for the hope of some sort of breakthrough but got nothing

Never in my life had I felt so hopeless.

Being forced to just watch, unable to move or speak as he walked away with the girl I promised to protect, squirming like her life depended on it.

We both knew that it did

My father lifted his other hand, snapping his fingers once and the footsteps of the guards behind me followed.

I felt their hands on either side of me, lifting me so that I was on my knees facing him.

They forced my hands behind my back and each placed a foot on my wings for good measure.

I felt my head being forced up to face him just in time to see him reach the top of the stairs and sit back onto his throne with a satisfied sigh.

He shifted his hold on her, allowing her to stand on her own and face me, but now half her with his fingers wrapping around her neck.

I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead as she stared down at me, now holding as still as she could through her panic.

"Now," He began, "Let's finish what we started, shall we?"

I felt the pressure and sting on my throat disappear, as he was now allowing me to speak.

As soon as he did, I spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"Don't hurt her... please!" my voice came out weak, desperate even. I'm sure it showed on my face as well.

I had run out of options and the only one I had left was something I've never done.

Beg.

His eyes just narrowed, probably thinking the same thing.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised. Here I thought you were just being stubborn, but it turns out you'd given your attention to a human. To a pet." He spit the last word, causing Khloe to flinch.

"What are you going to do to her?" I asked, the anguish showing at full force.

There was no use in trying to hide it anymore.

His left eye twitched in annoyance.

"Whatever I have to in order to get you to take this seriously," he grumbled, "If that means getting this human out of the picture than so be it. You don't have time to be waisting on a woman that you have no future with!"

A choked gasp came from Khloe as soon as he finished, his grip on her neck tightening.

"Stop!" I shouted, jolting and tugging with the only part of me that could move.

Surprisingly he did, looking at me expectantly as Khloe regained her breath and her tears dripped from her face.

I didn't know what he wanted me to say.

I had lost so much in such a short amount of time.

My demeanor, my pride... the only thing left I could lose was her.

"Please," My voice was strained and ragged, "Please dad, I... I love her." I admitted hoping that maybe, just maybe, it would strike something in him.

And for a moment I thought that it did.

The harshness in his eyes softened for just a short moment.

"That's the issue, Nicolas. And the solution to this seems to be quite simple. You may be the heir, but denying your duty to this city and denying the will of your parents doesn't come without consequences. I can't force you to stop loving her, but you can't love what doesn't exist."

Her choking sounded again, more desperate this time

"Wait! No...no. I promise I'll do anything that you want! I'll renounce every argument we ever had, I-I'll go with whichever woman you choose and I'll be married by next month! I'll take over your position as soon as then just, please... please!"

This time, his featured didn't soften. In fact, they hardened as he pulled her closer to him, causing her to stumble.

"You've given me absolutely no reason to trust you. Your promises have been empty for centuries, and this is the only way I can fathom that you'll understand how serious I am about this."

The tightness in my chest barely allowed me to breath as he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her so that one was against her chin, and the other crossing across her front and holding the opposing shoulder.

Her terrified whimper echoed in my ears, her eyes begging for me to do something, anything.

"You've made your point!" I yelled, tears stinging my eyes as his fingers pressed into her skin.

He glared at me for a few silent seconds.

"I'll make sure that I have."

He lifted the hand he held on her chin and snapped his fingers, "Get him out of here." He told the guards.

I didn't feel myself being dragged backward, only saw the movement.

"No... Dad don't-!" That pressure returned to my throat, silencing me.

Not only that, but black began to quickly surround my vision.

I couldn't move, couldn't speak, lost my vision and even now could feel my consciousness being taken from me.

My breaths shallowed despite the panic that hasn't stopped.

The only thing I had left was my hearing, and I almost wish that I didn't.

Her muffled cried as I was taken away hurt more than anything these pheromones could do to me.

And the last thing I heard before my consciousness was completely taken from me was the sound of her neck snapping, and her body hitting the floor.