Calum's POV [The Vampire King].

That girl could be my death, and she would never realize how much I had waited for her to grow up. The anticipation had been killing me slowly, day by day, year after year. I've been waiting for this moment and this prophecy to come true for more than six hundred years! Six fucking centuries of endless searching, endless hoping, endless disappointment. I even fucked human girls and women from all the races, desperately trying to impregnate them, pouring my seed into their wombs night after night. But nothing! Absolutely nothing came of it. They were born with short-living human kids - pathetic, weak creatures that grew up normally, lived their meaningless lives among humans, and died like the insects they were.

"Why can't any of you give me what I need?" I had screamed at one of them once, shaking her by the shoulders as tears streamed down her face. "Why are you all so fucking useless?"

"Please, my lord," she had whimpered, "I tried my best. I gave you everything I had."

"Your best wasn't good enough," I had snarled back, throwing her aside like the garbage she was.

I wanted a powerful vampire! A real heir, someone who could stand beside me and rule for eternity. That dream finally came true when I found her - Sunny. The name truly fit her beauty perfectly; she looked like the sun itself, radiating warmth and light wherever she went. The sun that I have missed so much during my centuries of darkness and cold immortality.

I put my eyes on her all the time since she was born, watching her take her first steps, speak her first words, grow into the beautiful creature she was destined to become. Then I put my eyes and my men to stalk her in her school, making sure she was safe, making sure no one else could claim what was rightfully mine.

"Watch her every move," I had commanded my most trusted lieutenant. "If anyone so much as looks at her wrong, you kill them immediately."

"Yes, my king," he had replied with a bow. "What about the teachers? Some of them seem suspicious."

"Kill anyone who gets too close. I don't care if it's a teacher, a student, or the fucking janitor. She belongs to me."

But when she turned into a real beauty, blossoming like a flower in spring, I couldn't take my eyes away from her for even a second. I admit I liked the girl - no, that was a lie. I was completely obsessed with her, consumed by thoughts of her day and night. I chased her and convinced myself that I only needed an heir from her, then I would let her go back to whatever pathetic life she wanted to live.

"Just one child," I had told myself repeatedly, pacing back and forth in my castle. "Just give me one powerful heir, and then she can do whatever she wants."

But by the time I saw the rogue alpha Marcus trying to win her heart, saw him looking at her with those hungry eyes, saw him touching her hand during their engagement, I felt like ripping his fucking head off. And when I saw her naked with alpha Juan, the one who really owned her heart, when I watched them kiss and touch each other like lovers, I felt so fucking jealous that I wanted to burn down the entire werewolf kingdom.

"She's mine!" I had roared, smashing everything in my path. "How dare they touch what belongs to me!"

I realized in that moment how much I was head over heels for her, how completely she had captured not just my attention but my very soul. I wanted her badly - not just her body, not just her womb, but all of her. I wanted her to love me back with the same passion she showed Juan. I wanted her to be my queen, to rule beside me for all eternity. I wanted her to bear my kids in her womb, to create a dynasty that would last forever. I wanted her to kiss me willingly, to touch me the way she touched him, to love me from the depths of her heart. Straightforward, I wanted to marry her and make her immortal like me, to bind her to me forever. She was the one - the only one who could complete me.

When I saw her running away from her own engagement, leaving Juan behind with tears in her eyes, I made my move quickly. I took advantage of the situation, playing the part of a helpful human stranger. No one knew my real identity - I had kept all eyes away from me for centuries, perfecting the art of blending in. I knew that alpha Juan wasn't weak, that he might try to win her back with all his strength and determination. But with his ex-luna appearing with his son, demanding his attention and loyalty, he might think twice before waiting for Sunny to return.

"Daddy, why can't you come home with us?" I had heard the little boy ask through my surveillance.

"It's complicated, son," Juan had replied, his voice heavy with pain.

After all, every man wants an heir, wants to see his bloodline continue. It's as important as love, sometimes even more important.

I came back to my senses when I noticed Sunny moving her feet toward the door, making desperate attempts to run away again, her eyes darting around looking for an escape route.

I blocked her path in the blink of an eye - we vampires were fast like sound-speed, faster than any werewolf could ever hope to be. I grabbed her delicate wrist in my strong hands, feeling her pulse racing beneath my fingers. "Where are you going, my dear? Stop doing this foolish thing. You have to surrender to me eventually."

"Please let me go," she pleaded, but not weakly - she spoke to my conscience with strength and determination. "Please, I love Juan. I will always love only him."

I shook my head, groaning in anger that she could be so stubborn, so blind to what I was offering her. "No, don't ever say those words again. I hate Juan and Marcus and everyone who wants to be with you. Why can't you give me a chance? Just one chance to show you how much better I can be for you?"

I tried to plant some ideas in her mind, to make her see reason and logic instead of just following her heart. Wolves were known for living for hundreds of years but they weren't immortal like vampires - they would age and die eventually. So I wanted to shine these possibilities in her head, to make her understand what she was giving up. "I can give you forever life, Sunny. I can make you immortal, powerful beyond your wildest dreams. We could rule together for eternity."

But she instantly blurted out, with a light smile that broke my heart, "I don't want to live forever if it's not with him. I only dream of living for a few days between my lover's arms, growing old with him, having his children. I only want Juan, no matter how short our time together might be."

"Are you fucking stupid!" I exploded, my voice echoing through the empty house. "I can give you everything you need - money, power, a throne, an empire! I will make you so powerful that even the gods will bow before you!"

Her words had hurt my feelings more than any sword could hurt my immortal body. How could I be able to convince her to love me, to accept me as her mate? For sure it wasn't going to be an easy mission, but that only made it more meaningful to me, more worth fighting for.

She shook her head firmly, her eyes never leaving mine. "I loved him from day one, from the moment I first saw him. I love him with every fiber of my being. No one can replace him in my heart, not you, not anyone."

I threatened, desperation creeping into my voice, "Then I should kill him, shouldn't I? Kill him to destroy the love in your heart! I told you before - he's not your real mate. The prophecy says you're mateless!"

She shrugged, meeting my threat with calm defiance. "Then I will kill myself right after him. Life would be completely meaningless without him walking on this earth."

The girl's words killed me inside, tore my dead heart into pieces I didn't know could still feel pain. I released her hands and walked away, slumping into a chair like a defeated king. "You're unique, Sunny, unlike any woman I've ever met. But he has a mate and a pup waiting for him. He will soon forget you when responsibility calls."

She cleared her throat and turned her bright eyes to me, speaking with absolute certainty. "He will never forget me. Ever. I know his heart better than anyone."

"Okay, we can wait and see what happens," I said, trying to plant seeds of doubt in her mind. "Do you really think he can wait for two whole years? Two years is a long time for a man with needs."

She stammered, confusion finally creeping into her voice, "I - I don't know. Maybe he..."

I laughed, sensing my first small victory, "See! You're not completely sure about his loyalty. And you were ready to get mated to Marcus just yesterday. So why don't you give me a chance instead? Why not see what I can offer you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, "I will give Juan a chance, not you. I will wait for two years and see what he will do. I trust him completely."

She paused, thinking carefully, and I stood up, excitement already building in my chest. "Okay, deal then. If he comes back for you, if he proves his love is real, I will let you go free. But until then, you're staying here with me."

She stared at the ceiling, thinking for a long while, weighing her options carefully. "Okay, deal. But you have to promise not to hurt him or interfere."

I stepped closer to her, closing the gap between us until I could smell her intoxicating scent. All I was able to think about was why my heartbeat pounded in my chest so fast when I was supposed to be dead inside. Why was my entire body warm as hellfire, burning with desire for her? Why did I want to grab her from her tiny waist and kiss her so badly that it physically hurt to restrain myself?

I wrapped my arms around her waist gently, carefully, as if she were made of the most precious glass. "I love you," the words genuinely slipped from my mouth without permission, as if I had zero control over my tongue anymore.

Every inch of me wanted her desperately, completely, utterly. It was too soon, though - I needed to wait for two years until she turned eighteen. Or she would never be able to bear my child safely.

She placed her small hands on my chest, pushing slightly, "Please don't touch me like this. I'm not ready."

I shook my head, understanding her fear, "I won't hurt you. I have to wait for two years anyway. But you need to understand that I—"

I rubbed my chin, glaring at her with longing I couldn't hide, then lifted her between my arms like she weighed nothing. She tried to push me away, panic in her voice, "Don't touch me! Put me down!"

But I didn't respond to her protests. I just climbed the stairs slowly until I reached the room I had prepared especially for her. Yes, I had prepared everything for her arrival - the softest bed, the most beautiful clothes, everything a queen could want. I kicked the door open with my shoe, then placed her down on the bed as gently as possible. I leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, "Sleep now, my beautiful Sunny. Tomorrow we'll talk more."

She looked at me with shock and surprise in her eyes. I think she thought I might force her into sex or something violent and terrible.

She stopped me with her words as I reached the door, "Do you really love me? Or do you just want to use me?"

I sighed deeply, speaking without glancing back at her because I knew if I looked into those beautiful eyes again, I might lose all control. "I love you more than the sun that I can never see. I love you more than the blood that keeps me alive. I love you more than my immortal life that has lasted for centuries."

And I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I leaned against the wall, trying to control my abnormal breathing, trying to calm the storm raging inside my chest. I was definitely in love with her - completely, hopelessly, desperately in love. And I hated that fact because she hated me in return.