That morning...

Arthur opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see his mate beside him. However, his mate was nowhere to be seen. He groaned, he was a little too fatigued to actually get out of bed, hopefully the other was alright. He was about to settle back to sleep when he heard a muffled noise coming from the bathroom. He stared at the other room. "Alfred?" He called out softly, the muffling noise stopping. The brit sat up slowly as footsteps became louder, the unknown person walking out of the bathroom. "Alfie?" He said even softer. The first thing he saw was familiar wheat blond hair, and ocean blue eyes peaking out from around the door frame. They made intense eye contact before the other retreated his head, returning into the bathroom. Arthur was puzzled. He slowly slunk out of bed, not caring about his revealing outfit.

It was a simple grey lace nightgown that stopped by his thighs. The ground was cold as he stepped his way to the bathroom, making sure to stay on alert. "Hey, Alfred?" He said softly once more. "What are you doing?" Arthur was nearing the bathroom as the other stepped out, the omega jumping back in slight shock. Alfred stared at his face before glancing down before he averted his eyes. "Alfie?" Arthur took a step closer, the prince turning his head to look anywhere else. Arthur grabbed hold of his chest, pulling the other in. "Love?" The prince's cheeks were red, Arthur has never seen him like this.

"Arthur, can you put some clothes on?" He said finally, the brit smiling in excitement. He was okay!

"Thank goodness you're okay!" He pounced on the other, the prince grabbing onto his thighs to keep him upright. Arthur felt his heart flutter as the other gently kissed his forehead. "I love you." He whispered. "I missed you." Arthur hadn't noticed the other was moving him until he was placed gently on the bed, the prince's eyes gazing down at him.

"If you won't dress up, go back to bed, I'll make less noise." He said softly. The brit looked down at his outfit; he had slept in more revealing things before. Hell, Alfred loved to see him naked. The realization suddenly dawned on him: this wasn't the exact same Alfred he's known for the last few months, but rather a modified version. Arthur was unsure of how stark a change it would be, considering Alan said Alfred made up majority of the conscious, which was why he took over. Arthur was intruiged to get to know his new mate.

"Do you still go by Alfred? Or is it Alan now?" he asked sweetly, and the prince frowned.

"You should sleep in a little longer." He advised, the brit pouting. "Don't argue with me on this." He bent down and kissed the other lightly. "I scheduled a meeting for today, and I set up some security around your room. Don't leave." He ordered. Arthur was confused.

"Security?" he sat up. "Why do I need security?" Alfred sighed, looking down at the other's body.

"I don't want anything to happen." He said simply, and now Arthur was very concerned. Was he in danger? The baby?

"Alfred," he grabbed hold of his shoulder. "What is the meaning of this? Why would anything happen?" Alfred pulled away, not answering. Arthur stared at him patiently. Eventually, Alfred groaned.

"I remember everything." He muttered. "We have some traitors among us."


It's been a few hours and Arthur was indeed not allowed out of the room. The guards outside his door would ignore him when he asked to leave, and when he had tried to just walk out, he was stopped and locked in his room. They wouldn't even let Julius in! Occasionally a maid would arrive and bring him food, one actually leaving him a coloring book to pass the time. So there he was, using red paint as he colored within the black line of the flower. He muttered to himself, wanting to know everything: about the other's past, who had betrayed him, and why he was so concerned for their safety.

Arthur flipped the page, frowning at the now blank canvas of a horse. "Oh god, when is he coming back?" Just then the door opened, and Alfred stepped inside, a deep scowl on his face. The brit stood up and practically catapulted himself at the other, the prince, despite his mood, smiling at the other.

"Did you miss me?" he teased, the brit pursing his lips.

"You wish." He chuckled, kissing the other's chin. "Bend down so I can kiss you." He ordered, the prince doing as he was told obediently. "Now," He continued, leading Alfred to the sofa. "What's going on? You left without telling me a thing." Alfred stroked his hand apologetically.

"I'm sorry. You must have been worried." He said softly. "It doesn't concern you. I've already taken care of it." He began undressing, the englishman a little baffled. "Just... I don't know, pretend it didn't happen." The prince suggested, the other standing up, suddenly upset. Was he supposed to suddenly get over his worry for the other? That was impossible. Arthur couldn't just forget, he wanted to know who had betrayed him.

"You're kidding, right?" He hissed, the other glancing at him briefly before continuing what he was doing. "You spent 2 days hunting your memories and the first thing you did was schedule a meeting. How can I not be curious?" Alfred slipped on a night shirt. "And why are you dressing for bed, it's only evening." The prince shrugged, approaching the heated omega slowly. Once he was close enough, he scooped the other up, nuzzling his cheek against the other's.

"You are cute when you're upset." He mocked, dropping the other on the bed. The brit allowed the other to hover over him for a moment, watching the American's eyes. He didn't seem himself, and not because he was fused with his subconscious or anything, but because he looked hurt, pained, emotionally that is. Arthur sighed.

"Alfie," He started, the other smiling down at him warmly. The brit faltered a bit, unsure of how to approach this. He just decided to go for it. "What did you do?" He asked, the prince offering a confused looked. The brit repeated himself. The prince sat down on the mattress, scratching the back of his head. "Are you okay?" Arthur sat up, reaching over to the other.

"I'm fine." He said curtly. "And I didn't do anything... yet." Arthur tilted his head, wanting him to elaborate. "I'm going to sentence a whole bunch of old cabinet members to death." The englishman thought for a moment. There are only 7 council members, 4 of which are Thomas's, Jorge's, Marshall's and Julia's fathers. Arthur looked up at the prince slowly. "They were there, Tommie, Jorge, Marshie and Julia. I didn't voice my decision, but even if I had, there's not much they could have done. Treason is treason." He groaned. "It bummed me out." Arthur shook his head.

"Can't you pardon them? Their fathers?" Arthur began to argue, Alfred biting his lip.

"Only Thomas's father is guilty. Jorge's, Marshie's and Julia's father will be fine. Tommie's father is the only traitor, along with a couple of old guys you've never met." He assured, and Arthur scowled.

"No, Thomas is one of your best friends. You can't-"

"But I have."

"You killed him!?"

"No." Alfred said, pulling away from the omega. "Don't yell. Relax, everything's fine." He yawned, glaring at him. "I didn't kill anyone, there still has to be a formal trial." He muttered. "It's not like I enjoy hurting people." he said suddenly, standing up and heading for the bathroom. The last statement caught the brit off guard, genuinely confused as to where the American would have thought he believed he enjoyed hurting others. The bathroom door slammed shut, the brit heading over to it, knocking firmly. "Go away." He muttered.

"No." Arthur said simply. "I'll stand out here all night if I have too. It'll be bad for my back, of course, and I'll be dead tired, but it'll all be worth it when you get out." He rambled, the prince sighing.

"I'll be out in a minute. Please just go away." The brit pretended to walk off, leaning against the wall. That way, when the prince opens the door, the brit can slide in and force the other to tell what's wrong. "I can tell you're still by the door." Said a soft voice. "Go wait by the bed or something." The brit groaned, walking over to the bed. He sat down on the mattress, annoyed as to how aggravating his life was. Today should be a happy day, the next day as well, and all the days after. Arthur looked down at his stomach, a stomach that would soon become inflated. He sighed happily.

"I wish he'd just tell me already." He said to his unborn child. "Your daddy's a serious man, who likes doing things all by himself. Your mommy... is the same actually." He said slowly. "I'm just as elusive as your daddy, and I do far more dangerous things." He went on. "He got his memory back, though. He doesn't trust your mommy with his past. That's fair, I suppose, because I don't trust him with mine very much either." The brit just now caught how hypocritical he was for demanding access to the other person's past whilst denying the other to do the same. "I would love to bargain with him. Memory for a memory."

Suddenly there was a soft hum vibrating through the room, Arthur snapping his head up to see Alfred standing by the bathroom door. He looked rather uncomfortable, and as he walked over to the bed, he stared down at the other's stomach. The brit scratched his head lightly. Eventually the American sat down beside him, releasing a deep sigh. "A memory for a memory?" He said softly. "I wouldn't mind."


"I told you it's not a fantastic story." Arthur sighed, rubbing the prince's chest in an attempt to calm him down. The prince was furious, face red and eyes bloodthirsty; the englishman could feel the murderous aura in waves. The brit sighed, he had only told the prince one of the less brutal stories. Suddenly a harsh growl started to erupt from the prince, the omega genuinely regretting even telling the other now. He sat up and crawled on top of the American. "Relax." He said softly, touching the other's face. "Relax, please. For me?" He rose the other's hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it.

Alfred's eyes were red with rage, the blue orbs not focusing on Arthur but looking past him instead. The englishman forcibly put the other's nose near his glands to gain his attention, but the loud roar that erupted from the other made the brit pull away in shock. Alfred was shaking now, eyes dilating. The brit distanced himself from the other, offended. What right did he have to be angry? Arthur was the one who had to live through it. The brit rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"If you don't want to act your age, then so be it." Arthur huffed, climbing off the bed and heading to the bathroom. He slammed the door, turning only to his mild shock. The entire bathroom floor was replaced by a fuzzy yellow carpet. The brit stepped forward to feel it on the sole of his feet, frowning. It wasn't very comfortable. He slowly became nausous, a bad feeling in his stomach. He fell to knees, positioning himself in front of the bucket. Nothing. No vomit. He pulled at the carpet, surprised to feel the cold surface of the stone floor. He looked down at his hand, a ball of yellow... hair? "Ahh!" He shot up, fumbling out of the bathroom. What the hell happened in there? Arthur glanced at the bed to find Alfred gone, the brit turning in circles in shock. "Alfred!" There was no reply, the bad feeling in his stomach spreading into his chest, and his upper thighs.

Arthur rushed to his bed, throwing the covers over himself. What the hell is going on? Where's Alfred? Whose hair is that? The damn thing covered the entire bathroom floor! The englishman was afraid, the bad feeling that would often warn him telling him to hide, but if anything was actually after him, he wouldn't be able to hide for long. He was shaking now, whispering soft prayers. "Oh God, protect me!" He said in Latin. "Oh god-" The door busted open, and the brit screamed at the top of his lungs, pulling the covers off his head.

The visitor screamed back in equal shock. After a brief moment of confusion, Arthur recognized the guest to be the queen-mother, face red. Before he could question her, she yelled at the top of her lungs. "What did you do?!" She asked, stomping over and seizing the brit by the wrist. Arthur scowled at her as he was dragged from the bed.

"Where-"

"Alfred, What did you do to Alfred?!" She sounded desperate, and the englishman shook his head in confusion. "What did you do to him?!" She began to drag the other out of the room, Arthur yanking his arm back. He was still in his nightwear, she can't possibly believe that he could leave like this? However, for the first time Arthur witnessed the true strength of the queen, the woman squeezing his wrist to the point of almost fracturing it. She dragged him out of the room, the englishman screaming in protest.

"Let go of me!" He demanded. "I don't know what you're talking about! Guards!" He called out as he was lead to the stairs, but before he could get anyone's attention, the queen had taken him to her private study. Once in there, the brit didn't even have enough time to assess the room before he was thrown roughly to the floor, landing smack on his face. The queen kicked his ribs, Arthur screaming in shock.

"What have you done!?" She screamed, Arthur screaming back in confusion.

"W-what are-"

"Don't play stupid!" She kicked the other in the ribs once more, harder than before. Arthur coughed, the taste of blood in his mouth. "What did you do? What did you do?!" She kicked him again, Arthur crying out for help. After a few more powerful kicks, his vision began to blur with tears of pain. He could hardly breathe through his panting and screams, struggling to crawl away. The queen had momentarily stopped her assault, the brit seeing it as he only chance. His body was suddenly lead, his arms shaking. What was going on? W-why... W-why...

"What did I do?! W-why did y-you...?" He was sobbing now, curling in on himself. "W-where's A-alfred?" The queen stormed over to him and the poor omega screamed in terror, begging desperately. "P-please! please! Plea- Ahh!" She grabbed his hair, dragging him by it to the back of the solar, towards the bookcase. He squeezed his eyes shut, terrified for his life. He heard a clanking, scratching sound, the same sound metal would make when scratching another piece of metal, but of course much louder. He slowly looked up to discover the bookcase had moved and a dark corridor of steel was before him. He looked into the darkness, mildly confused. He was about to ask what was going on, but then a deep growl erupted from the tunnel, Arthur flinching.

He wasn't afraid of the growl, no, in fact he felt a strange kind of comfort. He whimpered pathetically, crying out when the queen-mother tugged on his hair. The brit has had enough. "Where's Alfred?" he demanded through his tears. "Where is he!?" The growling noise came closer, and the back of Arthur's head grew warm. "Alfred!?" He tried to turn his head to the front door of the solar, waiting for his mate to find him. "Alfred!?" There was a snarl coming from the corridor.

"ArThuR?" Said a distorted voice. A figured emerged from the darkness, a man, but he was still blanketed by the darkness. It was Alfred! The brit pried himself away from the queen, limping to his mate in fear. He threw himself into the other's arms, breathing in slowly. The smell, it was so familiar. He instantly calmed down a little bit. Strong arms wrapped around his waist, Arthur throwing his arm around the other's neck. The first thing the brit noticed was the intense body heat radiating off of the other. Then it was the layer of.. fur? The englishman looked up slowly, eyes watering in fear. Two glowing blue orbs stared down at him.

"T-the hair..." He whispered. "It's yours." He tried to pull away, but the other had a death grip on him. The poor omega began to panic. "Let go of me! Let go of me please!" He begged. This Alfred wasn't his Alfred. This Alfred wasn't even human. "Please!"

"ArtHuR," Said the deep voice of his mate. "I CAn explAin." He moaned desperately. The brit shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"NO NO NO NO! I DON'T KNOW YOU, GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU'RE NOT ALFRED! YOU'RE NOT MY MATE!" The brit went into a hysterics, screaming at the top of his lungs. The beast carrying him growled, throwing the brit over his shoulder. "LET GO! LET GO OF ME!" The englishman demanded, but the creature began walking deeper into the dark corridor. "W-what? Please, let me go!" he begged, but the man ignored him.


3 hours later...

Alfred's POV...

He watched as the brit rubbed at his eyes as he woke up, the omega having passed out on the way there. Alfred caressed his cheek, jerking his hand away when the other began to scream. The prince tried not to take it personal, but now the brit knew a portion of the truth. The love of his life was afraid of him. He bit his lip, leaving the room of his father's lair. This place used to be his father's whenever he needed to transform, so he'd be out of other people's way. Alfred would need to use this facility now, for the first time in over 9 years. It was a long, almost unbearable story, a story which Alfred hardly understood himself.

When he was ten, he and his mother had no idea why the king would sneak out every other night or so. It was only one night did Alfred decide to investigate, sure to find the king with another woman. He had wanted to find the king cheating, so he, Matthew and his mother could leave him and move to Canada. All the adoration Alfred had held for his father was replaced with hatred when he had gotten his memories back. He was abusive, rude, and overall not good enough for his mother; Alfred could never respect him.

He had snuck around the study for a while until he accidently bumped into the bookcase, the corridor revealing itself. He went in, of course, like the stupid child he was. He was met with the sight of a majestic wolf sleeping. The beast was huge, at least 2 meters tall, maybe even bigger. Alfred looked around the secret room. It was like an apartment: a living space, a dining table, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Why a wolf would need this, Alfred knew not, and he still knew not. To get to the point, the beast woke up, found Alfred hiding underneath the kitchen table, and gently pulled him out from under. It licked him, and cuddled him, but after a few hours, it tried to get him to leave. The prince of course did, not wanting to anger it.

Every other night since then he would go to the chamber and spend time with the beast, but always leaving before dawn. However, one night, he waited outside in the study to see what would happen. To say the least, he was more than shocked see his father walk out of the metal corridor. Alfred wasn't dumb, he may have been 10, but he could still point out the obvious. His father was the wolf. The king didn't take too kindly to this invasion of privacy, grabbing the little boy and...

"Alfred?"

He turned slowly to see his mate approaching cautiously. The prince was currently sitting on the extremely soft couch. "Yes?" he sighed, Arthur taking a seat beside him.

"What is this place?" He asked softly. The prince hummed.

"This is where my father used to go and... yeah." He said simply, Arthur glaring at him.

"You've been a... whatever it is you are, your whole life, but you've never told me?" He questioned, and the prince shook his head.

"I wasn't born like this." He said, albeit sadly. "I didn't even remember until I got my memories back. Once I did, this stupid curse came back." He huffed. "This only happens when I'm angry. I'm sorry." He apologized, unsure of what else to do. Arthur nodded slowly.

"I'm a witch." He said softly with a shrug. "So, if you're not human, what are you?" He smiled softly. Alfred hummed.

"A sort of Lycan, if I remember correctly." he mumbled. "I wasn't planning on telling you this anytime soon, to be honest. I just wanted to get my coronation and the wedding out of the way before I dropped a bomb this huge. I thought I could hide it, but then you told me about how they treated you in the tunnels and I lost it." The englishman looked at him for a moment before snickering. The prince was about to join him when the other winced, clutching his chest. "Artie?" he asked, placing his hand on the other's lap. "Artie!"

"I'm fine." he whispered. His voice was pained. "It's just..." He gripped his ribs, and the prince narrowed his eyes at the other. The American hooked the bottom of the other's shirt, relieved to face no resistance. He pulled up the shirt, shocked to see all of his chest reddening, some parts turning blue. Alfred had a million questions on his mind, the brit reading it. "It was your mother." He said softly. "She... was so angry. I had no idea what to do or say, she just wouldn't stop." He whispered. "The guards wouldn't come no matter how loud I screamed for help. I thought she was going to kill me."

"I'm sorry." The prince apologized, estimating the bruises. "I'm sorry." He repeated. "She probably doesn't know about me getting my memory back." Arthur nodded. There was an awkward silence, but the prince knew the other had a million questions. "Any questions?" He asked, and the brit blushed, nodding quickly.

"How did this happen?" he asked. Alfred bit his lip.

"My mother bit me." He said simply, the brit gasping. "He was a raging drunk, and even when sober, he had awful anger issues. One early morning, he grabbed me by my neck and threw me out of the 4th story window after I had found out his secret of being a lycan. My mother found me hours later, half dead. There was emergency surgery, but I had lost a lot of blood, I wouldn't have made it." He explained, the brit nodding along. "My father told my mother everything, and she forced him to bite her. Then, after she had turned, she had bitten me."

Arthur stroked his arm. "I am so sorry." He whispered. "But... why have you only turned now?"

"Because," He huffed. Seriously, he had thought it was obvious. "The palace sorcerer locked away my Lycan half. Now that it's unlocked, I'm cursed again."

"Oh..." he said softly. "Well, can you control it?" He asked stupidly. The prince rolled his eyes.

"If I could, this mess wouldn't have happened." He snapped, the brit growling at him lightly.

"Don't get snappy." He warned. "I may be pregnant, but I'll still kick your ass." The prince smiled despite himself, kissing his forehead. He stood up, walking towards the exit. "Wait! I have more questions!" The prince stopped and turned.

"We can discuss them on the way."


That night...

"So he tried to kill you because you found out his true identity?" Arthur was mystified. "That's crazy. Wasn't he so kind as a wolf? Why was he so abusive as a human?" He asked, Alfred shrugging. The brit was asking him the wrong questions, there was no way he would know, how could he know whatever went on in his father's head.

"He was problematic." He muttered. "Thank goodness he's gone." He sighed. "Hopefully he's burning in hell." Arthur stroked his cheek.

"How does Thomas's father factor into this?" He asked, and Alfred huffed. Oh, we're going here now.

"Well, me turning into a lycan happened when I was ten. But remember I said I couldn't remember anything before 11 years old?" Arthur nodded. "He's why. He was the true reason why my memories were gone, he's the reason I was split in two." Alfred could feel his blood pressure begin to rise, the thought making him furious. He was able to live as a lycan for a year peacefully, but because of that bastard, he... he... "He, a number of other advisors and my Father had made an attempt on my life, Matthew's life, and my mother's life." Arthur gasped, shaking his head.

"You must be mistaken! Thomas's father is one of the kindest people I've ever met. He's almost like a father to you, he wouldn-"

"No, Arthur." His voice was heavy. "I'm not mistaken. Matthew was unconscious the entire time, but I was awake. I... I saw what they tried to do to my mother. What they were going to do to me, and Matthew." He bit his lip. "That man's a monster, just as bad as my father." He said boldly. The englishman shifted a bit, uncomfortable.

"What did they do?" He asked.

"Silver." Alfred looked towards the brit. "Silver gifts and poisons." Arthur looked confused. "They held her down and put silver jewelry on her, shoving herbs in her mouth. I'm not sure what it was, but smoke was coming out of her nostrils, and her eyes were bleeding. The silver was burning her too." He shivered. Her bloody cries were enough to make his eyes water, his 11 year old self bawling from his hiding place. He was discovered, dragged out, and suffered the same torture, the herbs going down his throat. It was Thomas's father who made him swallow the herbs, almost killing him. The prince tried to shift, but he couldn't, the herbs wouldn't allow him. Eventually some guards came, hearing the noise, and walked in on the assault. They quickly took the queen and prince to the infirmary, hid Matthew with the O'Donoghues, before they were sentenced to death, being framed for the attack. To counteract the effects of the poison in his blood, the palace sorcerer had split his being into two, so the effects would pass. It was supposed to be temporary, but they managed to remain split for 9 years.

"Then what happened?" Arthur asked, and Alfred shook his head.

"It's a long story." He began to say, but Arthur shook his head.

"Then make it short." He commanded.

"They found me, did the same to me, and almost killed me. The only way to counteract the poison was time, but I didn't have time. So, she split me up, locked away my Lycan half until the poison left my system, that way I wouldn't die." He summarized, the brit biting his lip, not really following. Alfred got annoyed. "It's not hard to follow, dammit! To not be affected by the poison, they got locked away my lycan half!" He yelled, Arthur pulling some strands of hair behind his ear.

"How did you escape?" he asked.

"Some guards found us. They're all dead though, my father accused them of the assault." He buried his face in his pillow. "Now they must die."