The Eclipsed Bloom
Chapter 74: Rotten prince

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Rotten prince

The Beta wolves stopped before a tall, ornate door carved with crescent moon symbols.

One of them stepped forward and knocked twice.

"Alpha, your guests have arrived."

Zara was about to ask something when she heard the sound of hurried footsteps—light, energetic.

The door flung open.

Jane burst out of the room with a grin, landing with a small bounce right in front of Lilith.

"Hoh? You actually showed up! Did you finally come to get your butt kicked?"

Lilith raised an eyebrow, matching her grin.

"Tch. Time will tell. Don’t forget last time—we were even. You didn’t win."

Jane huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about? I clearly won. I scratched your arm!"

Lilith casually placed a hand on her hip, unimpressed.

"Delusional mutt? That scratch was on my shirt, not me."

Jane wagged her finger dramatically.

"Na-ah! My claws touched you—that counts as a win!"

Zara, watching their childish bickering unfold within seconds of reuniting, couldn’t help but smile wryly. She leaned toward Grace and whispered:

"Why do they always fight? Lilith told me it’s because Jane wants to defeat her... but Lilith seems just as eager to bicker."

Grace giggled, still clinging to Zara’s arm like it was her personal pillow.

"That’s because they always end in a draw. Neither one has ever really won. So they keep trying."

Zara’s lips twitched, fighting a smile.

"So they’re rivals?"

"Exactly. If more than five months pass without a fight, either Jane sneaks into the Vampire Realm, or Lilith charges into the Werewolf Realm. Like clockwork."

Their bickering was finally dying down when Jane’s eyes wandered—landing on Zara and Grace.

Her grin dropped slightly.

"Wait... wasn’t she your lover?" she asked, pointing at Zara. "Why is Grace clinging to her like that?"

Lilith blinked, turned to glance behind her—where Zara and Grace stood comfortably close, hands locked—and then slowly turned her head back to Jane.

Without a word, she raised her hand and showed her ring finger.

A dagger-shaped red mark glinted on it,

Jane leaned forward, squinting. When realization struck, her eyes went wide.

"Gulp... So you two actually married?"

She blinked again, then furrowed her brows.

"Wait.... a damn minute."

She leaned even closer to Lilith’s hand, examining the shape of the ring. Then she looked up, expression exaggerated.

"You’re the one on the bottom?! No way!"

Lilith’s expression darkened instantly. Her irritation flared as she crossed her arms.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Jane slapped a hand over her mouth and turned away, her shoulders trembling.

It wasn’t hard to tell—she was laughing.

Lilith’s eye twitched. Her silver irises began to flicker, faint threads of crimson bleeding in. Her jaw clenched, fangs threatening to show.

Then, suddenly... her eyes returned to their usual silver.

Instead of exploding, Lilith smirked. A sly, venom-laced smile curled on her lips.

"Oh? At least I’m married. But look at this so-called Alpha Princess—doesn’t even have a single Omega in her pack and dint even kiss in her entire life. Tch tch."

She tilted her head mockingly, voice dripping with pity.

"And those loyal Betas? Weren’t they handpicked by your mother? Tch tch tch."

Jane’s laughter stopped dead.

She slowly turned around, her eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.

"Wh-what... did you just say?"

Lilith casually placed a hand under her chin, pretending to think.

"Hmm? Did I say something wrong?" she asked with fake innocence. "What a not-so-shame."

Jane’s aura flared—hot and sharp.

"that was because i dont need pack," she said in growls

The Betas behind her stiffened, instinctively stepping back.

Zara and Grace exchanged glances. Grace sighed softly.

"Here we go again..."

Zara, barely holding in a chuckle, whispered:

"Should we stop them?"

Grace shook her head.

"They’ll calm down after one or two broken walls."

Jane’s growl deepened, low and dangerous.

"Grrrr..."

Her hair shimmered, shifting from black to a stark, glowing white—an unmistakable sign of her alpha bloodline igniting.

Lilith raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

"Oh? Already going white? What, ready to get beaten?"

Jane bared her teeth.

"Bring it on, bloodsucker."

Their auras clashed like thunderclouds—tension crackling in the air, their feet subtly shifting into stances.

Just as their hands began to lift, ready to strike—

"Hahaha! Aren’t these the infamous vampiric princesses? What brings such cold blood to my doorstep?"

The deep, mocking male voice rang out, halting them like a gust of icy wind.

Zara turned her head toward the sound.

From the castle corridor, a tall man strolled in confidently. His long white hair shimmered beneath the moonlight, cascading like silver threads over his black tunic. He moved with the grace of a predator,

arms draped lazily around two delicate Omega girls who clung to him with flushed cheeks and dreamy eyes.

The girls were porcelain-like—small frames, soft skin, and expressions so fragile Zara felt they might shatter from just a raised voice. Her brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of unease in her chest.

Jane’s growl choked off instantly. Her glowing white hair flickered and dulled, returning to black. She turned toward the man.

"Henry... What are you doing here?"

Henry smirked at Lilith’s jab, brushing it off with a cocky flick of his hair.

"What? Can’t I walk through my castle freely?"

As he spoke, he shamelessly slid his hands across the waists of the two delicate Omegas clinging to him. They giggled, oblivious to the heavy tension now spreading through the hall like wildfire.

Jane’s eye twitched. Her irritation spiked at the sight.

"Henry," she said coldly, "don’t forget—firstborn or not, you’re still a Beta."

Her voice cut like ice.

"Call this your castle again, and I swear, I’ll rip your tongue out. You’re not worthy to speak those words after what you did."

The smirk vanished from Henry’s face. His hand froze on one Omega’s hip. His expression twisted into fury.

"What did you say, bitch?"

That was all it took.

A growl erupted from Jane’s throat as her transformation ignited. Her hair surged into a gleaming, snow-white mane. Her limbs rippled, muscles coiling. White fur began to spread across her face, sharp canines glinting in her growing snarl. Her voice lowered into a guttural growl.

"What did you say, Beta?"

Her eyes turned pure black, The aura of a true Alpha radiated off her like a storm breaking its cage.

Henry stiffened, instinctively stepping back. His body trembled slightly under the weight of her presence. He tried to recover, puffing his chest up, but it was clear—Jane had him pinned in dominance.

"Y-You... just wait!" he snapped, turning on his heel. "Mark my words—I’ll beat you in a duel and take the title of Alpha!"

He stormed off in a fury, dragging the two confused Omegas behind him.

Jane scoffed, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder.

"Keep dreaming, Beta. Don’t forget—you couldn’t even get those two Omegas without auntie’s help. Loser."

Jane’s body returned to its normal form, the fur receding and her hair fading back to its deep black. Her breathing slowed, but her eyes still carried a wild glint. She turned and caught Lilith watching her with a smug smirk.

"What?" Jane snapped, brushing her hair back.

Lilith tilted her head, the smirk deepening.

"Nothing. Just... when you transform like that, you kinda look like a dog."

Jane’s eye twitched violently. She looked away with a loud "Hmph."

"I’ll show you exactly what kind of dog I am in our duel," she huffed, turning and storming back into her room.

One of the Beta wolves standing nearby cleared his throat and stepped forward, addressing Lilith and Zara.

"Princess, please follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms."

Lilith gave a nod and gently took Zara’s arm as they walked behind the Beta. Zara glanced at her, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

"Lilith... who was that man earlier? The one with the white hair... touching those girls?"

Lilith looked at her, and for a moment,

her gaze sharpened. But then she smiled, her tone light, though her eyes said was cold.

"That was Henry. First prince but because he’s a Beta, so his chances of becoming Alpha and king were always slim—but still possible, under special circumstances."

She paused, voice dipping with disgust.

"But... after he tried to lay his dirty hands on his youngest sister... King Varek nearly killed him. Beat him to a pulp and exiled him from the succession line completely."

Zara’s brows furrowed in horror and disgust.

"He tried to... his own sister?"

Lilith nodded grimly.

"Yeah. Jane."

Zara’s eyes widened as everything suddenly made sense. The tension. The rage. The way Jane transformed so quickly.

The Betas came to a halt in front of a pair of ornate doors, their expressions respectful yet distant.

"These will be your rooms. We hope you have a restful night," one of them said before the group bowed slightly and departed without another word.

Zara turned to her wives with a small, tired smile. "We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night."

Just as she was about to head inside, a soft tug on her arm made her pause.

She turned in confusion—only to see Lilith frowning, her grip tightening slightly.

"Hm?" Zara blinked. "Something wrong?"

Lilith let out a quiet huff, clearly displeased. "Did you forget?" she said, pouting slightly. "It’s my turn to sleep with you tonight."

Before Zara could respond, Lilith seized her hand and dragged her toward one of the rooms without giving her a chance to protest.

Watching the two disappear behind the door, Grace raised an eyebrow before sighing under her breath.

"Well... I guess I’ll take the other room."

With that, she turned and entered the one next door,