Crown and Shackles: The Princes Mate (Story Updated)

Bloodlines and Betrayals

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Ally's POV

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I woke up with a pounding headache, my vision still blurred from the battle and a sharp, searing pain in my leg that shot through every nerve. I tried to move, but the ache twisted with every small shift. My leg throbbed fiercely, swollen and raw from the blow that had nearly crippled me during the fight. It wasn’t just bruised—it felt like something inside was broken, a dull but relentless throb reminding me of how close I’d come to losing everything.

Through the haze, I saw Logan’s face hovering above me—his expression raw, full of worry and something else I wasn’t used to seeing from the Alpha: vulnerability.

“Oh Ally… why would you do something like that? You scared me,” Logan whispered, voice cracking with emotion. His usual strength, his unshakable confidence, seemed fragile in that moment, and it broke something inside me.

Before I could respond, my mother’s voice cut through the silence, calm but heavy with a truth that made my heart stop.

“Of course I do… He is Ally’s father.”

I froze.
“My… my father?” The words caught in my throat as confusion and disbelief collided inside me.

The room felt suffocating as every pair of eyes turned toward me—my mother, the vampire King Leroy, Logan, and even James, Leroy’s son, whose hostile glare threatened to ignite the tension like wildfire.

“Father? What is she talking about?” James snarled, stepping forward like a cornered beast.

King Leroy stood tall and imposing, the pale coldness of his skin and the faint, eerie glow of his eyes marking him unmistakably as a vampire king. He stared at me with an unreadable expression. If it hadn’t been for my mother’s words, I never would have guessed we were connected by blood.

“She’s… your twin sister,” Leroy said quietly, his voice low but carrying the authority only a king could command.

Shock crashed over me like a tidal wave. James erupted in anger and disbelief.
“No way. I’m not related to some stupid pup! How could you sleep with a mutt?” he hissed, venom dripping from every word.

“Enough,” Leroy growled, flashing his fangs briefly. The power radiating from him was undeniable. “Annie is your mother, which makes you half werewolf.”

James whimpered, his tough façade crumbling.
“I am King here, not you!” Leroy snapped, silencing him with the force of his words alone.

I turned to my mother, desperate for answers. I tried to stand, but a sharp jolt of pain shot through my leg, making me wince and falter. Logan’s hand was there instantly, steadying me like an anchor.

“Ally, don’t push it too hard,” he warned softly, concern etched into every line of his face.

I swallowed the pain, forcing myself to rise. The throbbing in my leg pulsed with every heartbeat—a fierce reminder that I wasn’t invincible. But I needed to know. I had to stand, to face the truth.

“Wait—how can he be my twin? You told me I was abandoned. That my father was a rogue vampire,” I said, my voice shaky.

Tears welled in my mother’s eyes, her guilt as raw as the wound in my leg.
“I couldn’t tell you the truth. We swore never to reveal it. But Leroy isn’t a rogue—he’s the vampire king. We met when he was running from his clan. I caught him, and we became mates. But our fathers forbade us.”

She took a shaky breath, voice breaking.
“We met whenever we could until I found out I was pregnant—with twins. It was around the time King Toni was killed and Leroy’s brother took over.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks now.
“He begged me to come live with him once his father was dead.”

Her voice cracked, memories flooding back in painful waves.
“We planned to escape together, but the day before I gave birth, everything changed. It was impossible to leave with a vampire boy and a werewolf girl.”

“I got you to safety in your old territory,” she continued, “but my father’s men chased me. Leroy took James; I took you.”

She sobbed openly now.
“My father caught me, told me your father and brother were dead—I don’t know how. I escaped, but when I returned, you were gone. I saw you had been taken in, homeless and mate-less.”

King Leroy stepped forward, his cold hand gently pulling her into a protective embrace.
“Shh… I thought you were dead too.”

I leaned on Logan, the pain in my leg still present, burning like fire with every breath. I forced myself to breathe through it, the dull ache flaring painfully, reminding me that this fight had cost me more than just pride. My leg felt weak, unstable—like it could give out any second. But Logan’s steady hand was a lifeline, holding me upright as I slowly regained my footing.

Suddenly, without warning, they kissed. The desperate, raw connection between them was unmistakable.

James sneered, disgust clear on his face.
“Disgusting.”

We all turned to face him.
“Son,” Leroy said carefully.

“Don’t ‘son’ me,” James snapped, fury burning in his eyes. “I came for one thing: mate for mate. And I’ll get it.”

“I won’t let you harm anyone,” Logan growled, baring his teeth.

James snarled, “I don’t care. I have my own army. I’ll kill you all.”

More vampires emerged behind him, eyes glowing blood red, devoid of any humanity.

Logan shoved me behind him and shifted, power surging from the Alpha as the battle erupted.

Sam and I shifted too, claws and fangs bared. Logan fought fiercely against five vampires, joined by packmates. I faced three female vampires, their fangs gleaming hungrily.

I tore through the redhead, throwing her body against a boulder. The others attacked, but my father’s men intervened.

I had just helped Sam take down a male vampire when a blonde slammed me down hard, the impact making my injured leg scream in protest. The pain exploded—sharp, unforgiving. James stood over me, grinning cruelly.
“Got you, bitch.”

I kicked him away, gritting my teeth against the burning in my leg. Every movement was agony, but I refused to let it show. We collided midair with a sharp crack. Logan’s wolf joined mine, and together we cornered James—but he kicked me away again.

Pain radiated through my leg like wildfire, but I ignored it.
“He won’t go down easy,” I growled.

“Don’t worry,” Logan snarled. “No one hurts my mate.”

Then I saw Emily’s wolf—bloodied and still—with two vampires standing over her. I knew she was gone.

Rage boiled over, blinding me. I tore into the closest vampire, driven by grief and fury.

My wolf urged me to stop and help Logan, but I couldn’t. Not yet. I needed revenge.

Before I could strike the second vampire, one of my father’s men ended it. Daniel appeared beside me.
“What are you doing? You’re hurt.”

“It’ll take more than this to stop me,” he said, laughing.

Too angry to answer, I watched the brutal fight rage on—bodies torn apart, blood spilled everywhere.

I turned, desperate to find Logan and James—if Logan was still alive. But neither was in sight.

Panic gripped me.
What if James got to Logan? What if I lost him?

I couldn’t live without my Alpha. My mate.

Suddenly, cold, strong arms wrapped around me. I caught a glimpse of a cruel smile.

He tightened his grip.
“ALLY NOOOO!” someone screamed.

Darkness swallowed me whole.