Picture: Malik as a child. His story is so sad and I'm almost crying for this poor little boy.

Warning: dark themes (murder, grief)

MALIK'S POV

" I haven't always been a part of the Huserdown's household. I was born two years after the beginning of the Great War between Werewolves and Vampires..."

" Wait, what? You said you were born - oops, sorry for interrupting" my mate bites his lips with a contrite expression but I only chuckle a bit at his confusion, giving him a light kiss on his forehead to show him that I don't mind the interruption - if anything, I welcome it. The tale that is about to unfold isn't a happy one, and my mate's interruption only reminded me that I am no longer alone in this, that I have someone by my side who can help alleviate a bit the burden of my past.

"That's right, baby, you heard correctly. I am always internally laughing when you remind me of our age gap because although I might look very young, I have been on this planet for a while now. I am a vampire who will always look twenty-two,  but I am actually older than you... pup.

Oh, God, this is so precious. My defiant little mate, who always brought the topic of our age gap as an argument to why he should actually be the one dominating me - as if it had anything to do with age anyway- now realising that he has been wrong all along and that he no longer has a reason not to fully embrace his submissive side. 

"If you were the oldest one, I would definitely call you daddy" - his words, not mine. 

I will make sure to remind him of that statement later.

"Don't be sad, mate of mine" I coo, making him glare at me. "You'll see, it's good to have someone more experienced by your side. I could teach you a few things, you know, especially inside the bedroom"

He groans in despair and lightly punches me on the upper arm in retaliation before I grab his wrists and lick both his hands, making him twitch his nose in distate.

"Eww, Malik, gross, stop sharing your germs"

"Eww? That wasn't the sound you were making when my tongue was up your arse and I was sucking up your tasty little hole. You didn't care too much about me sharing my germs back then, if I recall correctly"

Just like I had hoped, his cheeks turn a light pink at my words. He cutely tries to hide his face behind his arms but I gently cup his cheeks, preventing him to do so. 

"Don't worry, beautiful" I tease him, my left thumb rubbing against his lower lip. "This is a secret between you and me"

"Stop with your "beautiful" bullshit, I know I'm not pretty. Also, It won't happen ever again. I won't let you put your tongues in places where it shouldn't go" he promises himself with such a lack of conviction that I let out another laugh.

" You're beautiful to me and you know it. Now, about the other nonsense you've  just said... Really? No more rimming? Never?  Do you want to bet on that, little Alex?"

He doesn't reply and I take pity on my poor boy by not teasing him further. Instead, I shift him on my laps, so that his weight his more equally balanced on my thighs -not that he is heavy or something. On the contrary, although he is slightly taller than me, his body is leaner than mine, allowing me to carry him easily. 

Well, except for his ass. My mate has a big, fat ass that I absolutely love fondling. I haven't told him yet, because he is very easily embarassed, but one of my biggest fantasy would be to lick whipped cream from his bottom - and maybe take a few bites into his plump asscheeks, too. Oh, and if he would let me pump marple syrup inside his awaiting hole and let me clean it out with my tongue, then I could die happy - well, I am a vampire, so that's just a figure of speech, but you got the idea.

Don't go there, Malik, I admonish myself, as I can feel my member twitching slightly under said bottom - thankfully, Alex hasn't picked on that yet. You have something very important to share with your mate. No, not your dick. Gosh, you really are  beyond redemption. 

"Hm, so, like I was saying..."

He must have sense my sudden change of mood because he gently rubs his cheek against my collarbone, wordlessly encouraging me to continue speaking. I tighten my hold around his slim waist, taking a deep breath before resuming:

"Jordan actually adopted me. My biological dad was a vampire, but I never knew him, while my mum was a human. This is your classical story: he promised my mother the moon and stars but when he found out  that she was pregnant, he left. He never had any intention to live among humans anyway. 

It didn't mean that the sky of my  mother's life was empty, though. She had me, a lovely kid, too clever for his own good, dare I say. She also was a very independant woman, who deemed the presence of a significant other in her life quite pleasant, but not necessary. 

Unfortunately, she still had to bear with many judgmental asses. Hell is other people, like Sartre said. Wow, can you believe that, Alex? I am so literate that I can't help quoting French intellectuals even in times like these. 

Where was I?  Yeah, she was living in a small village, so of course everyone knew about her affair with a vampire. It was frowned upon, as you can imagine. Human beings aren't the most open-minded creatures, but at that time in closed communities it was even worst than it is now.

 My mum never tried to hide it from me either. Once I was old enough to understand, she told me everything, in a way so that a nine-year old child could understand. She told me my dad was a coward and a liar, but  that I shouldn't be too concerned about it, because thankfully stupidity isn't a genetic trait. She also said that she couldn't care less about other persons' opinions, and wouldn't spend the rest of her life trying to amend herself, when all she did was having a good time with a man she thought to be not only handsome, but kind and strong - even the smartest among us can be fooled, right? she would add, before winking at me. 

I was always impressed by her strenght, but she didn't make things any easier for both of us. I never had anyone to play with, because parents would tell their children to "stay away from the  spawn of the vampire's bitch." The priest came to our house a few times to try to make her repent, but she never agreed to do so.  I remember that they had a chat, she would serve cookies and a cup of tea to the priest, then he would be on his way."

The village was close to the castle, which belonged to the King. Only during dramatic times were the commoners allowed to  flee inside the castle. Dramatic times meant wars, of course, but also wolves attacks, are those were quite frequent in these times. 

We were living a secluded life, my mum and I, so we didn't hear about the forecoming werewolves attack, and the villagers didn't tell us. When my mother finally heard the wolves from afar, we were picking up strawberries in the wood, far far away from the house.

We ran to the castle, but there must have been an understanding between the villagers and the guards, because the doors never opened. They were too happy to finally get rid of the woman who had fornicated with a vampire, and its evil offspring. 

We tried running back to the house, because what else could have we done? Of course, we never made it. The wolves caught us when we were halfway to the house. 

I was ten, and I saw everything. They attacked my mum, first, eating her alive. I couldn't move, either to try to defend her or to run away. What could have I done anyway? They were ten wolves, and I was just a little boy, who never learnt how to fight. That's what I understood, when I grew up. My new family kept telling that none of this was my fault. You can imagine that it took me years to believe it. 

I will never forget my mum's screams, and the smell of blood filling the atmosphere. Her sufferings didn't last long, and the only things that were left of her when they were done was her bones and her clothes. 

Then something I never thought possible happened. One of the wolf shifted into a tall, impossibly handsome yet vicious-looking human being. The other wolves made a move to jump on me, but what I supposed to be their chief stopped them with a flick of the wrist. 

He looked at me closely, and I don't know what he saw in me but he just muttered  in Wonder "You're something else, aren't you?" 

I thought about what he meant when I grew up, and the only explanation I could come up with is that he could tell I had supernatural origins, and werewolves never ate vampires. They killed them, sure, but they never ate them. I think they didn't eat me because I was half-vampire, and didn't kill me because I was just a child. 

I don't want to tell you how my life was the next following years. I didn't want to live anymore, and without the Huserdowns, I would have probably find a way to put an end to everything. Jordan found me this day, at the same spot where the wolves had left me. He brought me to his house and this so-called evil creature gave me more affection than any of the villagers could ever have. He regarded me as his son, and I also found in Killian and Rose the elder siblings I never had. 

They keep saying  thatI am strong and that I am a survivor, but the truth is, I couldn't have make it without my family. Jordan, grandma, and  even my sometimes annoying brother and sister, they are everything to me.

Once I was eighteen, Jordan told me that he could turn me into a full vampire, if I wanted to be officially a part of the Vampire Community. Once I turned twenty-two, I decided to take on my dad's offer. I was doing better and although I wasn't exactly happy, I was happier.  My new family never made me feel like I was different, but still, I wanted to belong to a bigger community. 

Because I was already half-vampire, I became even more powerful than most vampires, after my dad bit me. Only vampires-born are sometimes stronger than I am, like my dad, for example. 

Yes, I can tell you without lying, I am happy that I let my dad to turn me into a full-vampire. Immortality is anything but a gift, like most mortal creatures seem to believe, but I never regretted my decision, especially when it allowed me to meet my mate"

I look down at said mate at this point, and I startle when I realize that he's been silently crying the whole time. 

"Alex? Come here baby, stop crying"

"I'm not crying" he hiccups against my chest and I smile softly at his stubborness as I start rocking him against my chest, my hand combing through his soft light brown hair. 

"I'm sorry for breaking down like this, when I should be the one comforting you" he mumbles once he finally calms down. " What happened to you is- is... I wish I could have done something. I wish I could do something for you now."

"You being with me is more than enough, baby boy"

"Stop calling me baby boy"

"You know you like it"

We stay a long time in each other's arms after that, not saying anything, just being here for the other. He takes my hands in his, and I smile at the simple yet powerful gesture. His hands are so warm. Everything about him is warm. 

How could have I gone for so long in my life  without feeling the cold? If he was to leave me now, my only source of heat, there's no doubt I would freeze to death. 

Forgive me, Lord above, for all these bad figures of speech, but I could not think about anything else which could better express how vital this man has become for me.

"Malik?" he asks after a while, in a somehow sleepy voice.

"Mmh?"

"Do you - of course you still hate us, right?"

I sigh at his perfectly normal question, as I struggle to find the best way to answer. 

"I am not sure about how I feel anymore. My rational side is telling me that I shouldn't hate a whole community because a few people among them turned out to be vile creatures. Not every vampire is a saint, either, and don't even let me start about humans. 

My emotionnal side, though, keep insisting that werewolves are monsters and that I should avenge my mother. As years passed by, I have been able to listen more often to my rational side, in this matter. I might be a bit... cautious when I will first meet your wolf, Alex, but I will never hate you, or him. Your wolf is a part of you and I desire you as a whole. I want to be with you. I want you, and only you."

He nods, giving me a small smile before suddenly getting up with a determined expression. He shyly turns away as he starts removing his clothes, as if I haven't seen it all already. 

"Well, we will find out soon enough, I guess. I am going to shift now"

"Alex, you don't have to-"

"I want to. You asked me earlier, and I want to do it- for you. I want to share this part of me with you. I just hope that once you meet my wolf you won't stop lo-loving me"

I feel both happy and sad at this moment - happy, because he knows that I love him without me needing to tell him so. Happy, because he is going to shift again, for the first time in years, just for me. Sad, because he still believes that I could hate him for who he is. 

"Okay, so this is your fault" I  start, and he immediately tenses up at my words. 

"What? Malik, I'm sorry, if I-"

"This is your fault if I'm going to say the corniest thing ever. Listen to me. I. Could. Never. Stop. Loving. You. Now, let me see your gorgeous wolf"

A/N: Are you ready to see how Malik and Alex's wolf will interract in the next chapter? Cause I aaaaam! It means that you'll have one more chapter from The Prince's POV, then I'll switch back to Alex and things will become more serious, we'll go back to business because I'm deep af, don't you dare forget it ;)

Sending you lots of love my dear fellow wattpadians! xxx