38. The king in silver.

**Eros**

As Eros opened his eyes, there was nothing but darkness surrounding him. The strong stench of rotten flesh and fresh blood invaded his nostrils, nearly making him growl in disgust. He tried to move, but his body was chained to the wall.

"Silver," Eros hissed under his breath. He was well aware of the metal’s impact on his body, yet the thickness of the chains made them unbreakable. Any other werewolf would suffer in agony- the silver burning their flesh in a torturous, slow pace. He gripped the chain, one wrapped around his wrist, and tried to yank it out of the wall, then he understood that the wall itself had been made from silver. A perfect prison, probably made specifically for him, or any other lycanthrope.

"You're awake," a rough voice boomed through the cell. How had he missed someone's presence next to him? Did the silver leave such a significant impact on him, weakening his senses?

"How are you feeling, my boy? Holding in there?" The stranger spoke again, his voice solemn and formal. He wasn't making fun of Eros, nor did he seem to hold any amusement of the situation. His voice was genuine, a hint of worry hidden deep under his words.

"Never been better," Eros replied, grinning, silently planning a way to escape this place.
"Eve!" Eros suddenly roared, yanking onto the chains again with all his might, nearly going crazy by the thought of his mate- being out there, alone, unprotected.

"She's safe. I left her with my mate. Evangeline is being taken care of," the man spoke in a rather gentle tone.

"I must admit, you got yourself a real beauty there, that's a fact. In all my years of traveling the world, meeting different people, I've never met one with silver hair. You got yourself a keeper there," he added, talking as if they had known each other for years.

"I swear to the Moon Goddess, if a single hair falls from her head, I'll personally skin you alive and feed your remains to the fucking bleeders," Eros snarled, his words sounded more like a promise than a warning.

"I hold no intention to harm her; quite the opposite, we are trying to keep her safe. Now, why don't you calm down so we can have a conversation?"

"Who the fuck are you?" Eros let out a breath, trying to be as calm as he could. Ares kept growling and snarling from the back of his mind, encouraging Eros to break free. He was completely hazed; his more human self still could hold a little more control.

"Demand your beast calms down, Damon is not very pleased by his behaviour," the stranger added, leaving Eros speechless. How the Hell, did he know about Ares acting so aggressive? Could he feel him, or even hear him?

"How?"

"Simple, my boy. We're the same." If Eros hadn’t been sitting on the cold floor, he might have fallen in surprise. The stranger must be joking; there is no way that he knows about his true identity.

"We're all the same here, old man," Eros joked. The cell door opened, and a man, not older than fifty years, stood in front of him. He kneeled, observing Eros. His eyes switched to pitch black, and his voice became deeper and jaw more defined.

"Ares, grandfather Damon will not tolerate such childish behaviour, your mate is safe, enjoying some quality time with grandmother Mary. Calm down, we have to speak, and we do not have a lot of time left," his voice was demonic, sounding very much like the one Eros has whenever Ares took over. Ares calmed down, sitting back quiet.

"How did you? Wait, did you say, grandfather? This is so confusing," Eros spoke confusedly, he was worried about Eve more than he was concerned about himself.

"It's not important, and yes, I did. My name is Balthazar, and technically, I am your grandfather," his voice sounded the same as before, the hint of a demonic creature long gone.

"Sure, because there is such a thing as technically a grandfather," Eros laughed, leaning his head back against the cold silver wall.

"I know who you are, and by now, I'm sure you're aware of who I am. We are the same, carrying the same gene, the same kind of beast inside of us. Eros, I might be a distant relative of yours, but if we look at our kind, I am your grandfather, knowing that there was only one more lycanthrope in our bloodline before you were born," Balthazar sat down, making himself comfortable.

"Alright then, you made me curious. You have exactly five minutes, after that, I'm done," Eros didn't want to believe the old man, even after seeing and hearing so much. In front of him was another lycanthrope- living proof that Eros was not alone.

"Firstly, I was looking for your mother, one of the last living relatives I have. To my surprise, I found out that she had given birth. You can't imagine how shocked I was, finding out that your father was a human, meaning I had a real, blood-related grandson. I had to come over and see if it was true. And here I am, two days later, sitting in a silver cell, looking at my grandson," his voice cracked. "If only I had known about you a little sooner," Balthazar added, his words holding so much pain and regret, it was hard to believe he could be lying.

"So, what now? We both know about each other's little secrets now. Are you here to kill me? Or maybe, you want to kill my mate to weaken me?" Eros growled. He knew how lycanthrope law worked. Werewolves had Alphas and Lunas, ruling over the packs, keeping everything in the right order. Lycanthropes had Kings and Queens- ruling over the forbidden lands, which took most of the property. When someone wanted to take the Alpha title, they had to be born in an Alpha blood family, strictly only the firstborn could receive the title. When a lycanthrope wanted to become a king, they had to fight the King; only the one who walked out of the arena alive would become the next King.

"Not the scenario, my boy. When I found out that my sources have provided true information, I spoke to my mate and decided to ask if you'd come back to our lands with us. Of course, your precious mate is invited to accompany you, wherever you go." Balthazar tried to hide the smile creeping on his lips. The thought of his grandson living near made his heart swell. In no time, they would greet his cubs into life, becoming one strong family.

"Why should I?"

"I have no intention to force you into following me, nor your mate to do so. I do, however, want you to think of my offer. Our kingdom lacks a king; the throne is yours, my boy."

"I am no king, that's for sure. I'm Luna's bastard son, nobody knows a thing about her, and honestly, I prefer it that way. My life is much easier when nobody sticks their noses in it," Eros spoke truthfully. He had accepted the fact long ago that his mother didn't love him or wanted to have anything in common with her son. Eros truly enjoyed his life in the shadows. Being announced as her heir would become an enormous pain in the ass.

"And that's where you're highly mistaken. You see, I carry a noble title of Lord, meaning I, by any means, am not capable of becoming the next king. You, on the other hand, do have true royal blood in your veins. Our previous King was a closer relative of yours, who died on the battlefield. We have been waiting for years for the next heir to be born, but with no avail. Your mother has committed a crime; I must be frank with you. She hid you and kept quiet about your identity, stripping the kingdom from their King. She is to stand in front of her elders, and later on, she will be sent to our kingdom, until our elders decide the punishment she will receive for her actions." Eros nearly broke down laughing, despite all the love he felt for the woman he used to call his mother, she was a truly evil person, and she had to learn from her wrongdoings.

"What if I don't want to be a king?" Eros suddenly asked, curious about where the conversation would lead both strangers. Isn't that funny, blood-related men, strangers?

"We shall wait for your children to take the throne then," Balthazar shrugged his shoulders. His words were plain, simple, and careless, leaving a significant effect on Eros. The young man instantly thought of his mate, imagining her hands wrapped around a swollen belly, later, holding a cute, tiny cub. Until this day, Eros had never thought of becoming a father, nor had he felt a need to be one, yet now- he was sure that Eve would give him the most beautiful children ever seen.

"You truly love her; I can see it in your eyes. The way you look when you think of her. She's your destined mate, isn't she? You don't have to answer; I already know that- a Lycan can lose himself only for the one, gifted by the Goddess, herself. My Mary is my destined mate also, and boy, I swear, I love her more with each day passing."

"I'll think on what you said, of your offer and possibly of moving. But now, I have a much more important matter to deal with. Unchain me, so I can return to my mate," Eros didn't ask nicely, he demanded justice.

"Can't do that, my boy," Balthazar sighed, dropping his head, breaking the intense eye contact they held just seconds ago.

"And why is that? Don't you think that I might just break the chains and escape without your help? How did I get here in the first place?" Eros felt the anger filling him, mostly fuelled by the fear of something happening to Eve.

"You lost control, nearly shifted in front of your mate. Correction- you chased her in a half-shifted state. I had to inject some silver in your system to keep her safe; at that point, you couldn't control yourself anymore. Mary took her to safety, while I took you here," Balthazar admitted his actions, once again facing Eros. He felt like the worst person who ever walked upon these lands because of the things he had done to his grandson. The words he spat at Luna weren't much better. Emotions lead the Lord into a lot of trouble.

"Thank you," Eros rasped. He breathed heavily, for a moment confusing Balthazar. Eros broke the chains without any warning, leaving the Lord speechless, watching Eros in a state of shock.

"How is this even-?" Balthazar didn't get to finish his question as Eros cut him off.

"Doesn't matter. What does matter is that your five minutes are over and somewhere, out there, my little mate is waiting for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my Eve back. She has earned herself a good spanking for trusting a stranger." Eros rushed out of the cell, leaving the old man behind. Balthazar stared at the chains in shock, a smile formed on his lips, unable to contain emotions, most likely a proudness of his grandson. One day, Eros will become the greatest King the kingdom has ever seen.