Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 25

Prompto found it a lot easier to stay calm sandwiched between the others and able to feel the bond to Noctis. He was kind of excited to be getting a uniform, to have something that would state to everyone that he belonged. And hopefully make them hesitate to attack if they realised what he was. He frowned slightly as he smelt something…it was so faint he knew the others wouldn't pick it up, wolf senses were better than a vampires, at least their nose, even when in human form. But what was it? It…burnt a little…moving closer…and he growled ever so slightly as old memories began to stir. No…it was impossible! But…he knew that scent.

Three men in Kingsglaive uniform appeared ahead of them in the hall, walking towards them, and his eyes were drawn to the one in front. Him! He was the source of the scent…Magitek. Their eyes met, the man frowning slightly even as they moved to the side to let the Royal group pass them.

And then Iggy was thrown against the wall, Prompto ducking beneath a second blow meant for him.

"PROM!" Noctis screamed as the man went for him again.

"Werewolf!" the man yelled in alert, and Prompto wanted to scream as his secret was revealed. Guess he'd have to return the favour.

Prompto shoved Noct back, trusting Gladio to keep him safe. He felt the partial shift, nails turning to claws, teeth sharpening, his eyes going gold. He snarled at the man and then moved, lunging in. He knew what he could smell but the man was Kingsglaive somehow…had to keep him from calling a weapon or using magic, keep the fight close. Injure him in a way that'd cause it to react.

"Stand down!" Gladio and Noct were yelling, magic flaring, the other two Glaive trapped in a barrier.

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Nyx stared in shock as his Captain shoved Scientia into a wall…way too hard for someone not a full vampire. That was going to bruise badly. And then he went after the other blond…the boy the Prince had gone to school with…what was his name? The Crownsguard had more to do with the Prince's group then they did.

He was even further shocked when Drautos yelled werewolf. That was impossible. But then the boy shoved the Prince back towards his shield. Amicitia grabbing him and moving in front protectively. Nyx went for his weapons as the boy shifted slightly, eyes gleaming gold as he snarled before launching himself at the Captain. He glanced at Luche, who nodded, and they moved to help.

"Stand down!" The Prince and his shield yelled as one and then a barrier went up, cutting them off from the Captain.

"Your highness!" Luche gasped.

The Prince tried to move in but his shield stopped him. "No Noct, you saw him push Ignis. You can't get in the middle of that."

"But…damn it. Drautos stand down!" the Prince yelled, eyes glowing softly and it…yeah, he was pissed.

Nyx rubbed his arms, the hair standing on end. It felt like a thunderstorm about to hit and that wasn't good. What was going on? The boy was obviously a werewolf and yet the Prince was yelling at Drautos? He spotted Scientia staggering to his feet, hand coming away bloody from the back of his head, that wasn't good. The wolf scented the air and he thought would go for the young Advisor but he just snarled again, sounding enraged, and began attacking the Captain even more ferociously. Was he…defending Scientia?

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Cor listened to the frantic voice and then hung up, he left his office at a run, for once not caring about alarming anyone. What the hell was going on? How had Titus realised what Prompto was? Why not approach carefully? Something strange was going on, he only hoped he made it in time.

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Noctis struggled not to lash out at Gladio, knowing he was just doing his job…and he was right. The combatants were tangled up too close for it to be safe to try and separate them. Prom was forcing a close quarters fight, but why? He didn't want to shoot Drautos and end up in trouble? That didn't make any sense considering what had been yelled but…how had he known what Prompto was? He wanted to check on Iggy too but the fight had moved between them.

The other two Glaive looked just as confused as the rest of them, and worried for their Captain. The barrier he'd somehow managed to throw up was holding at least. He didn't like Prom's odds against three Glaive, especially Ulric. Though Ulric had stood down the fastest at Noctis' order.

Noctis watched Prom shift to the side to avoid and blow and frowned….Drautos…was human. Well trained and with access to magic, but human. So how was he matching Prompto in a partial shift? What was going on? And then Prompto's claws sank deep in Drautos' stomach, the man gasping in shock, even as Prompto ripped them out.

Drautos staggered back, pressing a hand to the wound, and the Noctis found himself being hauled back, his barrier shattering… no…it wasn't possible!

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Prompto felt soft, warm flesh part beneath his claws, finally landing the hit needed. He heard the Glaive gasp even as he ripped his hand free, watching the man stagger back. The scent of Magitek increased sharply, strange light surrounding the man even as Noct's barrier shattered. Prompto turned and rushed to grab Ignis, hauling him back towards the others.

He struggled to focus passed the desire to rip the man apart, focusing on the magic. He wasn't the best at using it…but then a potion appeared in his hand and he crushed it against Ignis, the scent of blood lessening as his wounds healed. He heard Iggy's gasp as the armoured form was revealed.

"Glauca!" That was Noct snarling in rage, his magic filling the air, even as Prompto called his guns from the armiger.

Claws versus armour probably wasn't the best match up.

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Luche glanced from his Captain and around the others that were gathering. Not good. Then again, not even the King had been able to stop the General, so they could win this. This was definitely not in the plans though, why had the Captain attacked the wolf? Why not just whisper in the right ears to get him exposed? What did they care if he killed the Prince or even the King? The Captain was their link to the Empire but now he'd gone and exposed himself…what were the rest of them meant to do? He glanced at Ulric, seeing his horror and disbelief, but then blue eyes narrowed…on him. Great, he had to grow a brain right then and there. After all, Luche was the Captain's right-hand man.

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He was shocked, he had expected them to try and kill the boy, instead they were siding with him. He had recognised what he was as soon as he saw him. An MT except one without red eyes, though his eyes did have a slight purple tint to them. Did the Prince know what he was harbouring? He had known the clone had to die as soon as he saw it, there was no other option, he would have smelt the Magitek on him as soon as he was close enough. He'd hoped that with his revealing the boy was a werewolf, everyone would attack him and that would be it.

He hadn't expected to be forced into a close fight, with no room to summon a weapon or use magic, struggling to keep sharp claws from his body. Until his couldn't and Glauca's armour covered him, ruining all their plans. Well….the Prince was right there and with only his retinue to guard him. An easy kill.

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Cor was shocked to find a corridor turned battle. What the hell?! He summoned his sword and lunged in, parrying a blow that would have sliced into Prompto's back even as the boy was twisting to dodge it. Glauca? How was that possible?!

"it's Drautos!" Gladio yelled, and Cor stared at the armoured form.

Titus? How? Sure, they had their differences but he had respected the other man. But…a traitor? The man who nearly killed the King in Tenebrae? A kukri slashed the armour, Ulric warping in, attaching with a snarl locked on his face, obviously enraged. And…there was Lazarus, sprawled on the ground either unconscious or dead. Gladio and Ignis were guarding Noctis who was obviously refusing to leave…refusing to abandon Prompto likely.

He could hear the sound of boots running, back up coming. But the corridor was too narrow, they'd just get in each other's way. "Secure the King!" He yelled even as he dodged back, unable to match Glauca's strength.

The armour made him an incredible opponent; normally Cor could beat Drautos but he was struggling to hold his own, even with Prompto backing him up. The massive sword came down only to be blocked by a shield, Gladio grunting as he struggled to hold him off. Then Noctis and Ulric warped in at the same time, each hitting either side of the armour. They were coordinating, good. Though this was not a fight he wanted Noctis anywhere near.

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"What is it?" Regis demanded as Clarus all but ran into the meeting room.

"General Glauca has infiltrated the Citadel…and Prince Noctis is there."

Regis felt the blood drain from his face, what little he had, at the news. His son… he stood, grabbing his cane. That monster would not take his son! He had failed to beat him a decade ago, he would not fail again.

"Get the Council to safety," he ordered several of the guards and they moved to being ushering the Councillors to the safe rooms.

"Regis," Clarus began, but he cut his old friend off.

"I will not hide away while my son is fighting that monster," he snarled.

And if Noctis was there, then his whole Retinue would be…including young Prompto. He had never though the boy would be needed to fight within the city. At least outside the Wall, he was less likely to be killed on sight for being what he was. Ignis was likely the one most at risk, he was half-human, and though he'd hate the term, more fragile.

Clarus took a call as they walked very briskly through the halls. "Cor's with them, so's Ulric," he announced, much to Regis' relief. Two very fine and powerful warriors. Surely they would be able to keep the boys alive until they could reach them.

Alarms began to blare as the Citadel went into full lockdown and outside, every checkpoint into the city would be shutting. So far, the alarm for people to take shelter wasn't sounding, but the police and those in the city would be on the lookout for Imperial agents. How had Glauca breached all of their security to make it into the Citadel itself?

He froze as they came to the hall where the fight was, seeing his son and Ulric warping together to attack from all angles possible, smelt the gunpower and heard the repeated sound of bullets hitting the armour as Prompto shot Glauca. Cor and Gladio were working together to wear him down, trying to push him down the hall to the space at the end but Ignis was hanging back and looked paler than normal, injured? And there, at the other side was a flash of black clothing…someone down either dead or unconscious.

Regis cast his cane aside and summoned his sword, magic flowing through him even as Clarus summoned his own sword.

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Cor wasn't sure if he was angry or relieved when Clarus and Regis showed up. They needed the firepower they brought, but the risk…the only two members of the Royal family fighting the one foe… other Crownsguard were circling as best they could, but they would just be cannon fodder against Glauca. They could call in more Glaive but they obviously couldn't trust them all from the way Ulric had knocked his companion out for the fight.

Glauca leapt, sword swiping down, and Prompto screamed in pain.

"PROM!" Noctis screamed, and they all had to dodge as magic filled the hall, lashing out wildly at Glauca in retaliation.

So much for Noctis being bad at magic! Cor's hair was standing up on end as electricity flowed into Glauca but barely seemed to affect him. Fire flew from where Regis was, the two magics seeming to do more damage, driving him away from Prompto.

There was growling from where the kid went down and then the wolf leapt, slamming into the armour, snarling, and snapping, red blood obvious against light fur. He'd been injured badly enough to make him shift but he was still fighting. But could he tell friend from foe? Ulric pulled back a little, obviously unsure, but Noctis didn't hesitate, crushing a potion over the wolf to heal his wounds, a hand briefly running over fur before warping again.

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None of the guard knew what to do or think as the blond boy the Prince had befriended was replaced by a massive wolf…one that seemed to be fighting alongside the Prince and his Retinue. How? They had finally backed Glauca into a more open area but every guard member there knew that trying to help would only get in the way of the current fighters. All they could do was keep others back and ensure the enemy received no reinforcements.

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"COR!" Clarus yelled, seeing the human go down. He barrelled through with his shield, slamming into Glauca to keep him from making the killing blow.

He saw Ignis headed for Cor and so focused on the fight, the young man was well trained in first aide.

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Ignis dropped to his knees beside Cor and fought the urge to throw up. Only Lord Amicitia's intervention had kept the blade from actually bisecting him, but the damage… Ignis took a deep breath, feeling the desire to feed and finish his own healing, the scent of human blood… No! He shook it off and summoned a hi-potion, and then another and another. He stripped his jacket off, pressing it to the wounds.

A low growl had his head snapping up to see Prompto, and he froze. Prompto had never tried to go for them…but a badly wounded human? And Ignis had a lower rank in the pack, would Prompto listen to him like this? The wolf prowled closer, nosing at the blood. Ignis shifted slightly, crouching more over Cor.

"Prompto," he called firmly, and golden eyes met his. "Go back to Noctis," he wasn't sure if Prompto could understand him though.

Prompto whined and crept closer, nosing at the Marshal's hand. Did…was it possible Prompto recognised him? He lapped at the blood and then nudged Ignis aside, sending him sprawling. Ignis glanced back to see the fight had been pushed further back from them, making them safe enough for the moment. He saw one of the Crownsguard raising a weapon and glared. He crawled back to Cor, watching Prompto lap at the wounds….cleaning them? He whined again, nudging at Cor who moaned softly but didn't wake. And then before anyone could stop him, Prompto's teeth sank deep into Cor's shoulder.

Ignis was frozen in horror, no…Prompto would never try to kill or eat…and then Prompto let go, sniffing at the bite wound before leaping over Ignis to get back to the fight. What…oh…he scrambled over and stared at the bite mark. He'd…he'd infected him. Ignis wasn't sure what to think, he doubted Prompto had been acting out of thought in biting Cor, was it a good sign that he'd done it? Cor had worked with him a bit on his marksmanship and then his hand to hand…did Prompto see him as almost pack and that was why he'd bitten him? How would Cor react when he realised? He'd have to live that long of course; how long did it take for the infection to take hold? He used another hi-potion and then he caught a tossed hi-elixir, quickly applying it, relieved to find the wounds healing.

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Nyx sank to his knees, too exhausted to stand despite the presence of King and Prince. He ached more than after any other fight, could feel his uniform sticking from a mixture of sweat and blood.

"Nyx!" a familiar voice yelled and then Crowe was skidding on her knees across the floor to reach him, checking him over.

He slumped against her but she supported him, magic flowing over him to begin healing him. He was a lot better at combat-based magic than healing. "I'll live," he promised, refusing to look at the body in the middle of the group.

In the end, the armour had been mostly torn apart, revealing the face of a man he'd trusted. How could Drautos have done this to them? What did for Heart and Home mean to him that he could sound so true when he spoke the words, especially enough to fool vampire senses? Niflheim had destroyed his home, how could he work for the Empire.

A soft whine had him tensing, ready to push Crowe behind him, even knowing it'd piss her off.

"I'm okay Prom," the Prince murmured.

Nyx looked over to see the wolf nosing at the Prince who was running shaking fingers through thick fur. He'd never seen a werewolf with that colouring before…or one so large that wasn't an MT. But the eyes were gold, not red, so not an MT. Even as he watched, the wolf carefully pushed Noctis onto his back, giving him what appeared to be a very thorough check over for lingering wounds before simply flopping down on top of him, making the Prince laugh.

"Prom! Come on, let me up."

"Just stay down Noct," the Prince's shield limped over, ruffling the fur on the top of the large head. "Good boy Prompto," he praised, and the wolf looked up at him, panting softly. "Think you can shift back yet?"

"Doubt it," the Prince answered for the boy who currently couldn't speak. "It was an injury shift, those take longer."

"Good point," he nodded, and then looked over. "Dad?"

"We're fine Gladio. Ignis?"

"Cor's alive," was the answer, and Nyx forced himself to his feet. The Marshal! He'd never heard the man scream and they'd been in a few battles together.

He spotted Scientia leaning over Leonis who lay still…surrounded by blood. Crowe touched her earpiece, calling for medics.

"Cor," the King limped over, half falling to his knees, reaching for the Marshal, and Nyx looked away.

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Regis was horrified by the amount of blood, easily ignoring the temptation. He'd fed from Cor on occasion when necessary but he was far too old to simply feed at the smell of blood. Seeing the damage…

"Cor?" he called softly, ignoring his own pain, tentatively touching his throat, relived to feel his pulse. And yes, there was the sound of his heart, beating fast to try and compensate for the lost blood.

"Five potions, two hi-potions, and a hi-elixir," Ignis murmured. "Your Majesty," he whispered, and Regis looked up. "I…I couldn't stop him."

That had Regis confused, until Ignis drew back his jacket which was covering Cor for warmth and to help slow the bleeding. There, on his shoulder, was a very familiar wound.

"He was trying to get Cor to move and when he didn't, he bit him, held on for a few seconds, and then went back to the fight. He didn't try and eat him or anything, he lapped the wounds but it seemed to be an effort to clean them. I'm not sure how aware Prompto is at the moment, whether it was him or the wolf, but he bit to infect," Ignis was practically babbling but Regis understood.

Prompto's acceptance by them was so precarious. And now…he'd infected Cor. He would have to question the boy, see if he remembered doing it and if so, why.

The medics descended and he was thankful to spot Dr Wilton among them, motioning him over. "Sire?"

"Cor has been bitten," he murmured, and the human paled. "It was not done maliciously. Only those you trust to remain silent," he warned, and the man nodded.

Cor was soon on a stretcher and being rushed off.

TBC…

So, who saw that coming?