Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince: Masquerading as a Man Chapter 172: Charmed

Blaze POV:

I had been watching him from the mont he stepped into this twisted world. Clark. The human boy who sohow managed to slip through the cracks of this hellhole. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

It’s not like I cared about humans, not really. To , they were just... food. Or toys. Playthings for my amusent, nothing more. But Clark was different. There was sothing about him—his scent, the way he moved, the way his pulse quickened when I was near. Sothing that pulled at the darker corners of , sothing I couldn’t shake, no matter how hard I tried.

I don’t know what the hell this human boy is doing to my demons.

They were supposed to be mine to control. My creatures. My followers. But the mont he stepped into my territory, things started to shift in ways I didn’t expect. His scent alone—god, it’s like a constant pull, a siren’s call that gnaws at my instincts. Sweet, intoxicating, far too sweet for a creature like .

I’m no saint. Hell, I’m far from it. I’ve lived through centuries of blood, of death, of darkness. I don’t need anything, not from the humans who wander through my world. But clark.... this one is different.

It’s the way he moves, that fire he has even when he’s terrified. His heart is racing faster every ti I’m near, like I can feel the panic in his veins. It’s like he’s willing to break just to survive. And that drives insane. I hate the fear I can taste on him, but it fuels sothing in that I can’t quite identify.

What the hell is this boy doing to ?

I watch him as he stumbles through this world, trying to find a way to live among monsters, a world that was never ant for soone like him. His confusion, his vulnerability... It’s almost beautiful in a way. There’s a part of that wants to protect him, even if that ans keeping him in the dark, making sure he doesn’t get too close to the things that would break him. But the truth is, I don’t even know why I’m doing this.

Hell, I’m protecting him.

Who would ever believe that I, Blaze, would protect a little human boy?

Maybe that’s why I had been watching him for so long. Maybe that’s why I had stepped in when the wolves had cornered him. It wasn’t pity, it wasn’t rcy—it was... sothing else. Sothing familiar but twisted.

It wasn’t like to protect anyone. I was a monster. The very idea of being a savior—of , Blaze, keeping a human boy alive—was laughable. Yet, there I was, standing between him and the wolves, fighting for his survival like so damn hero.

What the hell was wrong with ?

This isn’t what I do. This isn’t what I’ve ever done. I’ve played both sides of the field: feeding when I need to, hunting when I’m bored, and always remaining untouchable. Humans have always been sothing I toy with, sothing I manipulate for my own gain. But clark... There’s sothing about him. His scent, the way his fear tastes, the way it pulls at . It shouldn’t matter. I should be disgusted. I should be using him like I use everyone else.

But I’m not.

When I stepped in and saved him from those damn wolves, I could’ve just left him to be devoured. That would’ve been easier. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. The sll of his blood, the rapid thumping of his heart—it kept from walking away.

And that scent of his, that damn human scent—it lingers in my mind like a drug.

God, his scent. It was intoxicating, like warm sumr nights and the fresh, raw pulse of life. I could feel it in my veins, like a drug. When I got too close, I could hear the rapid beat of his heart, and it sent a thrill through . That was when I realized: there was more to him than just his flesh. Sothing in his essence, his blood, it called to .

I had never been interested in humans this way before. In fact, I’d always thought they were pathetic. Nothing more than walking als. But Lucas... he was different.

I had to admit it—I was fascinated.

I feel... possessive.

It’s a dangerous thing for a creature like to feel. When it cos to humans, I’m supposed to be the one in control. I don’t get attached. But this boy? God, I don’t know what it is about him. He’s not just so al. He’s sothing more, and that realization makes my stomach twist in ways I don’t want to acknowledge.

He’s not just so snack, so fleeting plaything. He’s special. That’s the only explanation I can give myself to justify why I keep coming back to him, why I keep checking on him when I know damn well I shouldn’t.

He’s a liability. He could get killed if I’m not careful.

I shouldn’t care, but every ti he looks at with that lost, desperate expression, sothing in wants to reach out. To protect him, keep him safe from the darker parts of this world. Even though I’m the one who’s the monster in all of this. Even though I’m the one who feeds on creatures like him.

But it’s his eyes. Those wide, innocent eyes. The way they tremble when he’s scared.

Fuck.

I’m just a vampire. A demon with a taste for blood.

And yet, I don’t know why I’m still standing here, trying to keep him safe.

The urge to protect him grows with every breath. The more I see him in pain, in fear, the more that primal need rips through . Keep him close. Keep him safe. Those words run like a mantra through my head.

But I can’t protect him if he’s out of my reach. I can’t let anyone else have him. Not when I’m starting to care in ways I shouldn’t.

But the way he looks at , the way he cringes when he’s near —it feels different this ti. I want him to trust , even if I don’t trust myself. Even if I know there’s nothing pure about the connection between us. The power dynamic is clear. I’m the monster, he’s the prey. But... sowhere deep down, I wonder if there’s a way for us to make this work. For to keep him in this world, twisted as it is, without completely breaking him.

The problem is, I’m not sure I can do that. I’m not sure I can stop myself from taking everything from him. I’ve already crossed a line by protecting him, by letting him live when every instinct in my body tells to devour him, to drain him dry and leave nothing but a husk behind.

But I haven’t done that. And I don’t know if I ever could.

The truth is, I’m starting to think that maybe I’m the one who’s been ensnared.

By him.

The thought sends a chill through my spine. I don’t need distractions. I don’t need attachnts. I don’t need anything other than the blood, the power, the control. But my little lamb? He’s word his way into a place I didn’t know I had.

And now, I’m wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do about it.

I watched him in silence, hidden in the darkness, feeling his presence like a pulse beneath the surface of everything. He had that strange, intoxicating effect on . And when I was near him, the hunger grew more insistent, clawing at my insides. I could almost taste him. Could almost feel his blood rushing through my veins.

But I couldn’t take it. Not yet.

I wasn’t ready to give in to that temptation. Not when it would an completely losing control.

I didn’t care about him, not in the way most would think. But there was a curiosity, an obsession, that I couldn’t escape.

His blood called to in a way that no other human’s had before. I was used to the hunger, the pull, but this was sothing new, sothing dangerous. Sothing that could very well destroy .

I didn’t know if it was the proximity to him or the fact that he had no clue what was really going on.

And for so reason, I couldn’t stop.

Maybe it was my ego, my pride. Maybe it was just the satisfaction of knowing that soone like Lucas—soone so weak compared to —couldn’t escape this world without soone like stepping in. But then, that was just the thing. I wanted to step in. I wanted to be there, to watch over him like I had no business doing.

I was a predator. A vampire. A creature of the night. But in that mont, standing between him and the wolves, I realized that I wasn’t just protecting him for the hell of it. I didn’t need to save him. But I wanted to.

And that realization hit harder than I expected.