THORN IN MY FLESH

TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL

The lycan and vampire lords sat facing each other in a great hall of the lycan castle. Leading the vampire delegate's was crown prince Conrad, followed by three vampire barrons and elder Truman, the oldest living vampire after the vampire king.

Representing the lycans was Rafe, Roger, duke Robin, who was the lycan kings beta, and Rogers father and Gerald with his father Samson, who was the current gamma of the lycan realm. Beta Robin got and said,

'Prince Conrad, our fellowhonoured guests. Our deepest condolences for the death of Duke Asher. His abrupt demise came as a surprise to all of us'

'You mean his murder by one of your own!', Trueman interjected.

'That remains to be proved, which leads to why we are all here', Robin responded without flinching.

'I was of the opinion we were here to receive the culprit as a sign of goodwill between our nations. If that is not why I am here, then there is nothing left to discuss', Conrad said in a boorish tone before standing up.

'Reginald is innocent! Gerald said to Conrad, who responded mockingly, 'and I am still a virgin, but words mean nothing when evidence proves otherwise', making the vampire nobles chuckle. Conrad raises his hand to stop them, and the all fall silent.

'I grieve for you, young prince, believe me I do. How long have you known your brother? Twenty-seven years? Asher and I have been companions for almost two centuries. We were raised together, we played together, we may have drifted apart as we grew older, but he was still my brother at heart, and your brother stole him from me. Do you think you will ever be able to comprehend my pain? To understand the pain, you will need to experience the same loss. Maybe then, I will accept your condolences. Make no mistake, your brothers head will be taken to my father. Ashers honour demands it, and I will be there to collect it. And if anyone stands my way, I will collect their heads as well', Conrad said, looking at Rafe

Rafe smiled upon hearing Conrads words and said, 'How many pure breed vampires are you willing to lose to get Reginalds head?'

'What did you say?'Conrad hissed

'I said you are right, you have every right to have your vengeance, but how many of your people are you willing to sacrifice to get it?

Rafe replied

'Already your population dwindles, and infant mortality is very high. You'll probably succeed at killing us, but our women will replace us with new borns within six months. Your women need at least ten years to prepare for conception, so doing the math, are you truly prepared for war? If that is the case, we truly have nothing to discuss. There's the door. But we both know you don't want a war anymore than we do, so sit down and let us talk', Rafe continued

Conrad looked at him for a moment and sat down again, smiling.

'I like you', he said, pointing a finger at Rafe

'I come to you not as a brother, but a prince representing a race of shifters. We are not a perfect race, but we strongly believe in upholding justice. If Reginald stands accused of murder then let the law prove his guilt or innocence as the case may be. Your demand for vengeance can not and should not overrule the law', Rafe continues

'Do you think we are stupid? No judge would dare sentence a royal with diplomatic immunity', Truman spat

'Reginald is no longer a royal and has no immunity. He is still a citizen, however, and will be protected by lycan law. He deserves a fair trial, "Robin stated.

After listening to both sides argue for several minutes, Conrad finally spoke, 'If we agree to this trial, will you agree to have it on vampire soil?'

'Only if Reginald is allowed to stay under lycan custody throughout the duration of the trial', Rafe responded. Conrad chuckled at his response

'My prince, do not accept this farce. We can catch the murderer and make an example of him, "Truman said to Conrad.

'At what cost? How many innocent people must die for us to get what we want?'Conrad responded, looking at him solemnly. He took out his phone and dialled a number

'Abort operation stingray. Reginald Woodland is no longer a target. Pull back, "he said

'Your highness, we have him with a pregnant female within our sights!', said a gruff voice on the other end.

'KILL THE DOG!'Truman roared

'TRUMAN!'Conrad roared back, his fangs extended at the elders' audacity.

'YOU ARE TO BELAY THAT ORDER!'Conrad roared on the phone, but snarling, growling, and hissing could already be heard from the other end of the line. A female voice could be heard screaming 'SANCTUARY! ', repeatedly while banging on a metallic gate.

Rafe closed his eyes, trying to control his beast.

'Where are they?'Robin asked

'I don't know', Conrad answered

Soon, the tell tale sounds of fighting could be heard, and the woman could be heard screaming and begging for both parties to stop.

'COMMANDER!'Conrad roared again

A loud boom could be heard, and Rafe stood up from his seat with a look of shock.

Silence could be heard on the other end.

'WHAT'S HAPPENING COMMANDER!'Conrad roared

'My lord, a mage with a red haied woman have just arrived and are protecting the prince with his companion', the commander responded while trying to catch his breath

'STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY!'Conrad roared

'Yes, my prince', the commander responded

'What is the condition of the murderer?'Truman asked

'He is critically injured but alive my lord, the mages arrived before we could land the final blow', the man responded. Truman hissed in frustration.

'Elder Truman, you are to leave this room at once. Get him out of here!'Conrad ordered one of the barons. Everyone watched as the two vampire royals exited the room.

'Give me your location, we are coming to you now, and you better pray for the sake of your bloodlines that the prince is still alive when I arrive!' Conrad said.

'Yes Sir'