172

Mike’s POV

Ian doesn’t deserve any of it. Not the throne, not the power, and certainly not Sophia. He’s not a leader—he’s just a figurehead, someone who stumbled into power by sheer luck of birthright. Every time I see him, I wonder how someone like him could be the king of vampires. I’ve watched him for years now, pretending like he’s got everything under control, but I see the cracks. He’s too emotional, too soft, too reliant on others to make the hard decisions.

I never wanted things to come to this, but Ian left me no choice. He was supposed to step up, to be the kind of ruler we needed. But instead, he’s been dragging us into chaos, and now, with this human-turned-vampire girl pregnant with his child, the entire realm is at risk. The royal line is supposed to be sacred, strong—meant to lead us through centuries. And here he is, tainting it with someone who barely understands our world.

I leaned back in the chair in my apartment, staring out at the city lights. The human realm has always been too easy to manipulate. It’s a playground where I can move in the shadows, pulling strings without anyone noticing. Not even Ian knows how much I’ve been involved. He thinks I’m his friend, his loyal supporter, but the truth is, I’ve been working against him for a long time.

I was the one who reached out to the werewolves. They were desperate enough to agree to anything, and I fed them the information they needed to strike at just the right moments. The attacks on Sophia, on the others—they were all carefully calculated. I knew Ian would be distracted, focused on protecting her, while I worked behind the scenes.

It’s not that I hate Sophia. I don’t even know her well enough to hate her. But her presence weakens Ian, makes him vulnerable. And a vulnerable king is a danger to all of us. If he were any other vampire, I wouldn’t care what he did. But he’s the king, and that means he’s responsible for all of us. If he’s not fit to rule, then it’s my duty to do something about it.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I stood up, walking over to the door. It was one of my contacts—another vampire who’s been helping me with the council, feeding me information about what’s going on behind Ian’s back. I opened the door, and he stepped inside quickly, looking around as if he’s afraid someone might be watching.

“Did you get what I asked for?” I asked, closing the door behind him.

He nodded, pulling a small envelope from his coat. “Everything’s in there. The council’s starting to suspect something, but they don’t know it’s you.”

I took the envelope and tore it open, glancing at the documents inside. It’s everything I needed to know about the council’s recent meetings—who’s loyal to Ian, who’s starting to question his leadership, and who might be willing to turn against him if the opportunity arises.

“Good,” I said, tucking the papers into my pocket. “Keep me updated on any changes.”

He nodded again, his eyes darting nervously around the room. “Mike, are you sure about this? If Ian finds out—”

“Ian’s not going to find out,” I interrupted, my voice sharp. “He’s too busy playing house with Sophia to notice what’s going on around him. By the time he realizes, It’ll be too late.”

The vampire shifted uncomfortably but didn’t argue. He knew better than to question me too much. “What about the werewolves? They’re starting to get restless. They want more.”

“They’ll get what they’re promised,” I said dismissively. “Once Ian’s out of the way, they can have whatever territory they want. But they need to stay in line until then.”

My contact nodded again, then quickly excused himself, leaving me alone once more. I sat back down, my mind racing with plans. Everything’s been going smoothly so far, but I knew we’re getting closer to the tipping point. I’ve pushed Ian enough that he’s starting to lose control, starting to make mistakes. That’s all I needed—a few more mistakes, a few more cracks, and the council will have no choice but to turn against him.

It wasn’t always like this. I used to believe in Ian, back when we were younger, back before he became king. I thought he had the potential to be a great leader. But something changed in him, something weak. He started caring too much about the humans, about blending our world with theirs. He lost sight of what it meant to be a ruler, to protect our kind above all else.

The worst part is that no one else sees it. They all still look up to him, still follow his every word like he’s some kind of savior. But I’ve seen the truth. I’ve seen the way he hesitates, the way he doubts himself. And I know that hesitation is going to get us all killed if someone doesn’t stop him.

That’s why I’d done what I’d done. It’s not about power, not really. It’s about survival. Our survival. Ian’s weakness is going to drag us all down, and I can’t let that happen.

The phone buzzed on the table, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen and see it’s one of the werewolves. They’ve been getting impatient, but they needed to understand that this takes time. I answered the call, keeping my voice steady.

“What is it?” I asked.

“We need more from you, Mike,” the voice growled on the other end. “You said this would be over by now, but Ian’s still standing. We’re getting tired of waiting.”

“Patience,” I said calmly. “It’s all going according to plan. Ian’s already on edge. One more push, and he’ll snap. Then we can move.”

“We’ve been patient long enough,” the werewolf snarled. “You promised us territory, and we’re not seeing anything.”

“And you’ll get it,” I replied, my tone cold. “But if you act too soon, you’ll ruin everything. Do you want Ian to come after you before we’re ready?”

There’s a pause on the other end, and I could hear the werewolf’s frustration. But eventually, he relented. “Fine. But this better happen soon, Mike. We’re not going to wait forever.”

I hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair, rubbing my temples. The werewolves were getting harder to control, but they needed to understand that this isn’t something that could be rushed. One wrong move, and everything falls apart.

I’ve come too far to let that happen.

The thing is, I don’t just hate Ian because of his leadership. There’s something more personal, something deeper that drives me. He had always been the golden boy, the one everyone looked up to, the one who never had to try as hard as the rest of us. I’ve worked for everything I have—every bit of power, every ounce of respect. But Ian? He was handed everything on a silver platter.

And now, with this child—his child—it’s just another reminder that Ian gets everything. The throne, the power, and now a family. But that child, that unborn child, is the key. It’s the one thing that could solidify Ian’s place as king, make him untouchable.

I can’t let that happen.

I’d already set things in motion, things Ian has no idea about. The council members he trusts? Some of them are already on my side. They saw the same flaws in Ian that I did. And when the time came, they’ll stand with me, not him.

As for the others—the ones who are still loyal to him—they won’t matter once Ian is gone. Without him, they’ll fall in line, and I’ll be the one pulling the strings. Not as king, no. I don’t need the title. But I’ll be the one in control, and Ian will be nothing more than a distant memory.

I smiled to myself, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. It’s almost too easy. Ian’s been so focused on protecting Sophia, on keeping their child safe, that he hasn’t even noticed the danger creeping up behind him. He thinks he’s in control, but he’s already lost.

Soon, he’ll realize that he’s been played, that everything he’s built is crumbling around him. And by then, it’ll be too late. He’ll be powerless to stop it.

And I’ll be the one standing on top.