Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 21

Seeing his son obviously feeding from his friend was a shock, not with how worried he always was for his health. Had Noctis lost control and attacked? "Noctis," he called to his son, ready to move to restrain him if he failed to react.

Thankfully, Noctis reacted, pulling off of Prompto's throat to look at them, blood on his mouth, his fangs extended. "Dad? Cor?" Noctis looked between them in shock, moving off of Prompto's lap to stand in front of him, Prompto pressing a hand to his throat to stop the bleeding.

Regis felt the barely noticeable tug on his magic as Cor summoned a potion to heal the wound for the boy. He'd been fed off enough times buy Regis and Clarus to know how to care for the teen. There was something wrong, beyond the boys risking Prompto's shaky health…a scent…Regis frowned and then he moved forward at full vampire speed, right at Prompto. He was shocked when his son blocked him, fangs bared in threat.

"Noctis!" Cor called from behind him in alarm, the sound of shattering crystal revealing he'd summoned a weapon.

"No Dad!" Noctis' hand was flexing, obviously fighting to not summon his sword.

"Regis?" Cor demanded.

"Werewolf," he answered tightly, eyes locked on the boy on the couch. How could they have missed that? What was his son thinking? "Noctis," he warned and his son shook his head.

"No Dad, I won't let you hurt him," he stated firmly, obviously fighting not to snarl or growl.

A soft whine came from behind him and Noctis shifted, reaching a hand back to touch the wolf.

"It's going to be okay Prom, no one is going to touch you."

"The school attack," Cor suddenly spoke up. "He wasn't just knocked unconscious, was he?"

Regis frowned, they had hidden his infection? He could see Noctis doing something like that out of loyalty to his first friend, but Ignis and Gladio should have had more sense! "Is that true? Was he infected during the attack?"

Noctis nodded, keeping his protective stance in front of the other boy. "Dad nothing's happened, Prompto hasn't hurt anyone and he won't. His wolf sees us as pack. It healed him! He's not sick anymore, he won't…he won't die."

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He could kiss Cor for making that mental leap! It would be a lot easier to convince his Dad if they thought Prom had only been infected recently. He could smell Prompto's fear, hear his heart racing, and he squeezed his leg gently.

"Noct," Prompto whimpered.

He hesitated but then turned his back on them, half kneeling on the couch, reaching out to stroke his cheek. Prompto leant into his touch, eyes a mix of gold and blue. He was terrified, he didn't need vampire senses to pick up on that. "It's okay, I'm here, I've got you," he whispered, leaning closer to nuzzle his throat, feeling Prompto's hands move up to clutch his shirt.

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Cor watched his Prince turn his back on them to comfort his friend…the wolf. He could tell Noctis was speaking but too softly for human hearing. His eyes widened as Noctis nuzzled such a new wolf's throat and the boy clutched Noctis' shirt, head falling back. He caught a glimpse of blue/gold eyes as they fell shut, seeing the tension melt from Argentum's body. He had never seen a werewolf let a vampire do that to them, not willingly.

A glance at Regis showed he was still on edge, obviously wanting to pull Noctis away. But with how close the two boys were that would be dangerous.

He could see why Noctis wouldn't care about Prompto becoming a wolf, it would have healed his illness and extended his lifespan. He still wouldn't live as long as a vampire, but Noctis could have him at his side for centuries instead of maybe a decade.

"Regis," he called softly, and his King looked at him. He indicated the hall and Regis tensed. "He didn't hurt Noctis when he was feeding from him," he reminded him.

Regis was obviously torn but finally he nodded and followed him out. "What?" he asked once the door was shut, his eyes still locked on it.

"I know the law as well as you do but that boy…it has been months since the attack and if you hadn't smelt his blood, would you have guessed? If he truly sees the boys as pack then he would never attack them. There have been no attacks in the city, no unexplained injuries on Noctis or the others."

"You want to ignore this?" Regis demanded, and Cor nodded. Regis hissed in anger but Cor stood his ground, unafraid. He knew Regis would never hurt him, no matter how angry he was.

"With a pack structure around him, Argentum could perhaps be a bridge to the packs in Lucis. They have obviously handled his shifting several times already. You're reacting Regis and I understand, a wolf so close to Noctis…" after the childhood attack it was unsurprising that Regis felt the need to attack.

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Prompto let his mind drift, body limp beneath his pack leader, trusting him. The fear faded as he breathed in Noct's scent, his hands loosening their desperate grip. Noct would protect him and if…if he couldn't then that was okay too, he'd always known the risks. He turned his head slightly, offering, needing it and he felt sharp fangs sink into his flesh, reaffirming the bond. He whined softly, limbs too heavy to even consider moving.

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Noctis withdrew his fangs, licking the wound. "With me?" he asked, and Prompto let out a soft hum of acknowledgement. He heard the door open and turned, crouching protectively over Prompto, unable to help the instinctive response, baring his fangs.

His Dad and Cor walked in, Cor's holding out a potion in offering, his Dad appearing calmer. Cor moved a little closer, body relaxed, eyes lowered, and that helped Noctis a little. He tossed the potion and Noctis caught it, reaching back to break it over Prompto, not that he really needed it but better safe than sorry.

"Noctis?" His Dad called, and he focused on him. "Where are Ignis and Gladio?"

"Out," he forced himself to answer and not growl.

"Could you please call them and tell them to come here?"

"Why?"

"Noctis please try to calm down. Nothing is going to happen, we want everyone here to talk, alright?"

He wanted to believe his Dad but it was Prompto's life on the line. If it wasn't for him, Prompto would be living in total anonymity but because they were friends, he'd been exposed to people who could and now had learnt his secret.

"Noct," Prompto whispered, reaching up to touch his back.

He knew from his tone, he didn't want Noctis to fight with his Dad over him. He turned his head just enough to get a glance of Prompto, seeing his eyes had returned to their natural colour, no sign of gold. Was that why his Dad had relaxed a bit?

"Prom," he whispered before swallowing hard, taking a deep breath, trying to calm down. He felt his fangs retract, Prompto's hand pressing into his back gently, grounding him. He shifted out of his crouch but kept himself between them still.

The door opened again, Ignis and Gladio freezing in the entry, looking around, obviously sensing the tension…and smelling his stress, maybe even Prompto's blood. Ignis shook it off and moved swiftly to them, skirting out of reach of Cor and his Dad to do so. He knelt on one knee beside Prompto, running the back of his hand against his cheek briefly in greeting. He obviously realised that showing his position in their little pack to them might not be the best idea. Gladio joined them as well, arms crossed but ready to move to defend any of them if needed.

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Regis watched the two young men enter and take up their places, raising the tension level again. It was shocking to see Clarus' son ready to defend a werewolf and yet there Gladio was. Could they really throw aside everything they knew, the very laws of the country, for one pup?

Argentum had done nothing except begin to panic but he had also helped calm Noctis down. Yes, his eyes had begun going gold but now there was no trace of the colour. He looked fully human, he had no scent Regis could pick up on from where he was. Someone was obviously helping him with that, sneaking the Glaives soap? His mother was a vampire, how had he hidden what he had become from her? Or had maternal love, even for a child she had not given birth to, overcome the instinctive reaction? Could someone so newly infected really be so controlled? Werewolves were the attack dogs of the Empire, even those that were not MT's. Yes, there were one or two packs in the wilds of Lucis, but they were kept isolated and well away from everyone else. Was that perhaps…not needed?

Noctis had claimed they were a pack, perhaps that was why Argen…Prompto was the way he was. Had a werewolf ever had a pack that consisted of full and half vampires before? The boy glanced at him and then ducked his head, keeping his gaze lowered in submission. He heard the barely audible whine of distress from the boy, saw the slight tremble to his muscles, and then Ignis was drawing him into his arms, nuzzling at him the same way Noctis had earlier.

"Calm down boys," Cor spoke up. "Let's sit down and discuss this like civilised beings," Cor shot Noctis a quelling look but his son stood firm.

"Noctis, I promise I will listen," he spoke up. "I will not apologise for earlier, not with our history," he'd come so close to having to bury his son back then, "but no one will attack anyone else."

Noctis hesitated, glancing at Gladio, before moving until all four were on the couch, Prompto in the middle between Noctis and Ignis, Gladio the closest to himself and Cor.

"Ignis, did you know Prompto was infected when you removed him from the school? Or did you discover the wound once at his home?"

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Only long training let Ignis keep his surprise and relief from showing. They had assumed Prompto had been infected in the attack, that was good. much easier for them to accept then the truth. He would need to be careful, they all would, to keep the lie as close to the truth as possible. "When I was cleaning him up at his home, although I wasn't entirely sure of the severity," he answered.

"And you didn't report it?" Cor raised an eyebrow.

"As I said, I was uncertain. Too many would have jumped on even the suspicion of infection as a reason to revoke his clearance. I could not put them through that without proof."

"And when did you have that proof?" the King asked.

"The day before the next full moon when Prompto became lethargic and his body temperature began to rise. He spent the night of the full moon locked in the basement of his home. We cared for him before and after." That wasn't quite true, Prompto had spent the night with his Dad. He knew he could be in for severe censure but it was worth it.

"We all knew Dad," Noctis spoke up, ready to shoulder the blame. "He wasn't being violent, he just wanted to be held, and eat everything in the kitchen," he ruffled Prompto's hair when he said that, the younger boy blushing slightly. "No one was in any danger."

"You've spent every full moon at his house guarding the basement?" Cor asked, and Ignis glanced at Noctis who shifted slightly before sighing.

"No, he spent the third one here."

"Noctis!"

"It was fine!" he snapped back at his Father, and Ignis stroked Prompto's back to calm him.

Prompto had no trouble if they argued with each other, but who knew how he was taking the verbal fighting between his pack leader and another, even if that person was said leaders own parent. At least he hadn't shifted from the stress, although such a reaction would help prove he was a new wolf.

"We're his pack Dad, Prompto would never hurt us, even in wolf form. He rolled over and let me stroke his belly," Noctis snapped, the two older men looking rather shocked by that.

Ignis stood and removed his jacket before unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the scar on his shoulder. "I allowed Prompto to follow his instincts and bite me, to mark me as pack. Our biting him and taking some blood is seen as the same thing by his wolf. Noctis bites him the most frequently as Prompto cannot bite him in return due to his frequent exams." He let them get a good look at the scar before replacing his clothing and sitting, Prompto half pulling him into his lap, nuzzling at where the scar was.

"We've been working up to him biting me," Gladio added with a nonchalant shrug.

"The initial bite did hurt but Prompto was very careful and was never in any danger of losing control of himself," Ignis explained.

"Have you added him to the Armiger?" the King asked, and Noctis shook his head.

"Prom's been worried about how much of the shift I'd feel. I've told him I don't care but he's being stubborn."

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Regis didn't know if he wanted to hug or throttle his son. At least it seemed Prompto had retained some sense in not accepting access to the magic without knowing how it'd affect Noctis and also by not biting him…although biting any of them was insane, but especially Ignis as he was half human and the easiest to wound out of the three.

To have allowed him out of a contained room on his third full moon…yes, Noctis' apartment had excellent security but that would not have helped them if he had turned on them. Why hadn't he? He'd seen the records, being friends with the human side did not offer automatic protection from the beast within. Prompto could have woken the next morning among their corpses, or all four could have died in the struggle, or one of them may have killed him to save themselves.

There were so many ways it all could have gone horribly wrong and yet…he could understand why they had done it. They had done it to protect their friend, to keep him close. Regis would not have condoned harming the boy if Ignis had reported the infection, but he would have followed the law and removed him from the city once he was recovered, before the full moon. He would have bought that much time for goodbyes, preparation, and for the virus to finish healing him so that he could gain strength to survive. He likely would have turned a blind eye to the three giving him as much money and supplies as possible as well, a vehicle even. For the happiness Prompto had given his son during their friendship he would have done that.

Now what was he meant to do? The law was clear and yet to obey would drive a rift between him and Noctis that he had the feeling would never heal. Heirs had argued before, his own relationship with his Father had been bad, especially in those last years. Noctis though had a temper and ability to hold a grudge that was very rarely seen in their family. To enforce the law…could see Noctis leaving to remain with his 'pack'. No matter how tight security, if a Lucis Caelum truly wished to leave the city it would be all but impossible to keep them in. Noctis would never survive out there, even if the average citizen failed to recognise him, sooner or later an Imperial or sympathiser would, and they would come for him.

They had kept his condition secret so far, could he allow that to continue but with oversight from Cor and himself? Clarus would have to be told as well, no one else.

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Noctis was terrified. His Dad would not call for Prompto to be killed, he believed that, but…to banish him? It was the law. If Prompto was ever found out and it was discovered they knew and had ignored the law it would cause a lot of trouble. Would his Dad risk it? They couldn't lose him! Not now. He took Prompto's hand, squeezing tight, and Prompto squeezed back.

He would not let Prompto go without a fight, physical or verbal. It wasn't right! Laws could and should change. They couldn't just let wolves in, but what about on a case by case basis? If…if he banished Prom to follow the law…Noctis would go with him. He would protect him, they could find somewhere to live hidden, Cape Caem maybe?

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Gladio watched it all, worried. He could tell Noctis was thinking of doing something insane if the King followed the law and he didn't know how to stop him or if he should even try. If he left, Gladio would follow. He was Noct's Shield no matter where the kid lived after all, and he was Prompto's pack too. A glance at Ignis revealed he was considering the same options. The four of them had a better chance than just one or two. It'd be hard to adjust but they could do it.

If only they'd been more careful, he'd warned them… if they'd been in the bedroom with the door closed, Cor would have knocked and Noctis could have answered verbally. They could have hidden the evidence before leaving the room and everything would be fine.

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Cor did not like the look Gladio and Ignis had exchanged, it reminded him too much of one's Clarus and Regis had shared before some of their crazier stunts. He had the feeling he knew what they were planning though and part of him was proud of them for it, the rest wanted to scream at them for not planning to stop Noctis instead. A blind man could tell, if Prompto was banished, Noctis would follow him. He would not forgive the law...or his Father. Without any violence, Argentum could destroy the line of succession.

A look at the blond revealed he was pale, looking between he others in concern. Had he guessed what they were thinking? How far did a pack bond go? Could he tell what they were feeling or even thinking? They really didn't know enough, would the boy be willing to share if he remained? They could learn a lot from him if he would. Maybe there could be peace with the packs in Lucis? If that happened, could citizens be tempted away from the Empire? Although that would still leave MT's…but if werewolves could be accepted, could join the Glaive or Guard that would be a massive help since the poisons used in MT's wouldn't affect them like they did vampires. And he was getting ahead of himself, still, it was nice to dream.

He glanced back over and found the boy watching him, head cocked to the side, scenting the air slightly. Cor wondered what he smelt like for him to seem curious. Then to his surprise, a hesitant, barely there, smile was offered and he inclined his head slightly in return. If he could prove to have control, to submit to the boys, then he would agree to bending the law for him. Now he would have to talk Regis and Clarus around, that would be fun, although…yes, Regis had realised how far Noctis would go for his friend. Regis would never risk losing his son, he may be young enough to have another but he would never agree to it, he had sworn to never remarry after Aulea had died. So Regis would not take much convincing, that just left Clarus and taking Prompto to the Citadel to see for themselves without anyone picking up they had a wolf with them. Time for the Immortal to prove he was still as stealthy as ever then.

TBC…

No bloodshed! Well, other than a little of Prompto's.