Prince Derek's pov
As I walked up the stairs, each step made me unsure of my decision to leave my father with Ariel. Not that I don't trust Father, but he had given me reasons to think otherwise. I finally reached my room door and paused, straining my ear to check if I could hear Ariel's outburst or Father's cold voice, but I didn't.
I entered my room, removing my clothes and stepping into the shower. The cold water hit my body, keeping my racing heart calm. I was scared of what Father was going to do if he found out who Ariel really was. I thought keeping her with me would protect her, but it only exposed her to danger.
I stepped out of the bathroom, my towel firmly tied alongside my waist, when I heard a knock on my door. "Who is that?" I asked, but there was no response. I shrugged my shoulders, probably I had misheard.
I dropped the towel on the floor, facing the mirror as I examined all the scars I had gotten from fights amongst the dark creatures. Each scar told a different story that I was not willing to share with anyone, especially not Ariel. I said to myself.
I picked up my night clothes from the wardrobe when I heard the same knocking, but this time it was faint. I grabbed my pajamas hurriedly, putting them on to check who was at the door, but when I reached there, I saw no one except for a letter addressed to me.
I read it carefully; it was a threat to warn me from the impending danger of housing Ariel. I took a quick glance at the hall, but I couldn't hear anything. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew across my face from the dining room, and I knew instinctively that something was happening downstairs.
I made a move to step out, but I couldn't; I was held down in place by an imaginary barricade. I tried again, but I couldn't; my hands were already getting tired. I thought as I tried pushing through this insane amount of magic.
I knew there was only one person who could do such kind of magic - Lalia. She was preventing me from intruding. This only made me curious and scared for Ariel. Maybe I shouldn't have saved her in the forest; I blamed myself.
As I looked down, I noticed that my legs were already getting to their werewolf form. No, no, this wasn't happening. I hurriedly rushed inside my room, opening the window to see the moonlight beaming brightly. I couldn't afford to transform, not now; I had to withhold it, but that was a wish of a dying man.
As I screamed in agony, turning against my own will, I leapt towards the forest in search of a prey. The damp forest smell gritted my werewolf nose as I sniffed around, my tongue licking across my lips. I leapt deep into the forest, listening, pacing, and watching for my next prey - be it human or animal, I didn't care. I was on for a spray of blood that night.
As if in accordance with my wish, I saw a tent with bright light just before the border. I walked gently, not trying to make a sound to alert my prey. I couldn't stop now if I wanted to; this was my curse, a curse that I couldn't control.
I quickly entered the tent, grabbing hold of a human leg who pleaded and begged for mercy. But it was too late for me; I was already becoming the hunter who would stop at nothing to kill its prey.
"Put her down!" a voice thundered behind me. I stared to look my murderous intent on high when I saw my brother running towards me.
"Ray was what I would call perfect for escaping this bloody curse," I thought. "He didn't know what it felt like killing just to satisfy your animal self."
I refused to put down the body of the human; my whole senses on alert, waiting for Ray to come forward, probably to kill him for pleasure. He walked towards me without an atom of fear that I couldn't help but resist the urge to put down the feeble human who had already passed out from pleading.
"Brother, you don't need to kill him," he yelled at me.
But I was no longer his brother; I was already an animal thought to prim and kill. I dropped the human reluctantly, aiming for my brother - the perfect prey. I growled, giving him a hot chase through the forest. We ran until my powers were worn out, and I laid down on the cold grass, turning back to my human form.
I lay there naked, glancing at the moon, wondering why it had appeared today of all days. I had calculated the days of the blue moon, and it wasn't due till three months. What was happening? Why was it going against nature?
Ray obstructed my thoughts as he spoke clearly, his voice booming across the forest. "Don't you think you should have just waited till Ariel was safe before turning?"
I glared back at him, unwilling to tell him that I had a gift that I couldn't control. "Thank you," I managed to speak.
"Don't thank me," Ray said, his voice firm. "I did this to prove myself to Father." He brushed past me, going back to the packhouse through our secret tunnel.
"I won't forget what you did for me, Ray," I shouted at his retreating figure.
He didn't stop walking, but then stopped midway. "You should keep yourself together, brother. Ariel deserves more than this." He turned his back, leaving me in the forest.
I gritted my teeth, unable to tell Ray anything about what I was doing, else he might blow up my plan. My thoughts wandered back to Ariel as I stood up, my naked body glistening in the moonlight.
Was it possible that the prophecy was real? I thought, my mind racing with questions.