Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince: Masquerading as a Man-Chapter 38: Surviving

Clare POV:

A dull ache throbbed in my body, dragging me out of unconsciousness. My limbs felt heavy, my throat dry, my skin too sensitive. My head pulsed like I’d been wrung out and left to dry.

The first thing I noticed was the faint scent of iron—blood.

My blood.

The second was warmth.

I wasn’t in the cold, sterile campus showers anymore. I was in my bed.

My heart lurched. How did I get here?

My last memory was of Blaze—his touch, his teeth, the way my body betrayed me under him. The way I lost myself in a haze I didn’t even understand. I had been awake, then bliss, then darkness.

Now I was here.

I shifted slightly, and that’s when I felt it—an unfamiliar weight. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

My breath hitched.

There, at the edge of my bed, sitting like he fucking belonged, was Blaze.

Watching me.

His red eyes gleamed in the dim room, unreadable.

"You’re awake," he murmured, his voice silk over steel.

I swallowed hard, my throat closing up. Why was he still here?

Had he been watching me sleep this whole time?

It was still dark outside. I had no idea how long I had been out.

Memories of what happened—what I did—with Reed and Blaze crashed over me like a relentless tide. My jaw throbbed, a dull ache pulsing through my face—evidence of what Reed had done. And between my thighs... Fuck. There was no denying what had happened. Blaze had taken it. My virginity.

A shudder raked through me.

And he was still here.

Sitting in my apartment. In my bed. Like he belonged.

I wanted to lash out. Scream. Curse him. Throw him out. But the words stuck in my throat, swallowed by exhaustion and something colder, sharper—fear.

Because I knew what Blaze was capable of.

And because no matter how much I wanted to deny it, he knew my secret.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my body trembling. If I pretended hard enough, maybe I could disappear. Maybe I could sink back into unconsciousness, let the darkness take me again.

Maybe I could pretend this was all just a nightmare.

A horrible, inescapable nightmare.

A hand gripped my chin, firm yet oddly careful, forcing me to turn toward him. My breath caught in my throat. This was real. Closing my eyes wouldn’t change a damn thing.

"Open your eyes, pet."

Blaze’s voice came low and commanding, but something was missing—the usual coldness, the menace.

I swallowed hard and obeyed, blinking up at him. His face was too close, sharp angles and piercing eyes studying me like I was his to inspect.

"I didn’t like the fact that you hid your femininity from me," he murmured, his grip tightening just slightly before loosening again. "But you will continue with your disguise. Nobody—and I repeat, nobody—especially that mutt Reed, is to know. Got that, pet?"

I barely found my voice. "Y-yes."

His lips curled—not quite a smile, more like satisfaction. "Good." He released my chin, reaching for something on the nightstand. "Eat up. Next time, I want you at full energy."

Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

One second he was beside me, the next—the curtains fluttered violently, the window left slightly ajar. The only proof he had even been here was the lingering scent of him and the strange, electric charge in the air.

I exhaled shakily.

Why?

Why did Blaze care if my secret was kept?

Before, I had to hide because of who I resembled. Now, it wasn’t just my own past demanding secrecy.

Blaze had demanded it too.

God forbid Reed finds out!

God forbid if Reed finds out.

The thought alone made my stomach churn. If he knew—if he even suspected—there would be hell to pay.

And the way Blaze had said "next time"... I knew exactly what he meant. Dread curled in my gut like a living thing.

Something had happened to me, something I couldn’t explain. I knew I hadn’t been a willing participant at first. But after his bite—everything changed.

I shuddered.

How?

How had he made me want him? How had he twisted my body, my mind, into craving something I never should have? I wasn’t drugged... was I? I didn’t remember taking anything, yet the moment his fangs pierced my skin, something in me had shifted.

And the worst part? I had wanted him to fuck me.

The realization made me sick.

Was it some vampire ability? Some sick, twisted power that made his victims submit?

I forced myself to move, dragging my aching body to the bathroom. The moment I sat down, I winced. Yeah. We had definitely fucked.

I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the edge of the sink. If you had told me a week ago that a vampire—not a human, not even a ghost, but a blood-sucking, undead monster—would be the one to take my virginity, I would have laughed in your face and called you crazy.

To think... I mistook him for a ghost on my first day.

I let out a shaky breath and turned on the sink, splashing cold water on my face. My reflection in the mirror was a mess—hair tangled, lips swollen, skin marked with faint bruises and bite marks.

I looked like someone’s plaything.

A wave of shame burned through me. What the hell was happening to me?

I had barely processed what Reed did to me, and now Blaze—**Blaze, of all people—**had claimed something that should have been mine to give.

My stomach twisted.

I touched my lips. I had wanted him.

No. I had craved him.

And that scared me more than anything.

My eyes drifted to my neck. The bite was still fresh, red and swollen. Did he do something to me? Was it just a bite, or had he put something in me—some kind of venom, some vampire trick?

I rubbed my neck, shivering.

Blaze wanted me to keep pretending to be a boy. Why?

I had to believe it was for my own safety. If Reed found out... I didn’t even want to think about what he’d do. What would happen if he knew the truth?

Would he still want me good lord I hope not?

Or worse... would he see me as something to own?

My knees buckled, and I sank onto the toilet seat.

I had to be smart. I had to play along.

Blaze wasn’t giving me a choice, and Reed... Reed was unpredictable. For now, the best thing I could do was survive.

But as I sat there, body aching, mind spinning, one terrifying thought refused to leave me: