Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince: Masquerading as a Man-Chapter 170: Choosing The Lesser Evil

Lucas POV:

Why me? Why the fuck is it always me?

I stood there, fury boiling inside me, each thought darker than the last. My fists clenched so tightly, my knuckles ached, but the anger was useless. Useless and consuming. I had thought I was helping Clark, I had thought that maybe—just maybe—I was doing the right thing. I’d hoped we could be allies here, two idiots trapped in the same goddamn nightmare. But no. Instead, I found out that the one person I thought I could trust had already made his deal with the devil. I tried to protect him, tried to stick by him through all this shit. I even fought for him. But what did I get in return? Betrayal. That’s what.

Clark. He had made a fucking deal with that vampire.

Blaze.

I clenched my fists, rage burning like acid through my veins. How the hell did he manage that?

I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. I didn’t want to believe it, but the facts were staring me in the face. Clark had made an agreement, a twisted arrangement. He’d sold his soul to Blaze, and in return, the vampire kept him safe from the wolves. And me? I was just some fucking snack.

How the hell had Clark even managed to pull that off? Was it his charm? Was it his willingness to play by the rules, no matter how dark those rules were? Or had he offered himself to Blaze? Like a lamb to slaughter, a fresh meal in exchange for protection. How had I been so fucking blind to it all?

I felt sick. Betrayed. But above all, I felt... fucking stupid. So stupid.

I thought back to the moment Blaze had appeared, the way he’d smirked and looked at me like I was some kind of treat. Clark had been so calm, so detached. As if he knew exactly who Blaze was and what he was capable of. As if he knew the rules of this hellish game.

But what really hit me was the way Blaze had protected Clark from the wolves. I couldn’t understand it.

Was this what the driver had meant when I asked him how to survive in this place? That cryptic, twisted line: "It’s all about picking your lesser evil."

I’d thought he was talking about surviving the wolves or the vampires, about finding your way through the madness. But now, I understood what he meant. Pick a monster to protect you from the others.

I felt like a damn fool. Clark had picked his monster—he’d made his choice. The vampire. Blaze. That’s who he’d given himself to, that’s who he’d attached himself to, like a puppet on a string. And I? I was just collateral damage. A fucking pawn in their twisted little game.

So, Clark had chosen his monster. Did he offer himself to Blaze in exchange for safety? Had I been nothing but a pawn in his little game?

The resentment twisted in my chest, gnawing at me like an insatiable beast. I couldn’t even look at him anymore without feeling disgust, like I’d been played all along. Was I that fucking stupid? Did he think I wouldn’t notice?

The bile rose in my throat, burning my chest. So, that was it. He wasn’t my friend. He never was.

"Well, well, well, if it isn’t the pretty boy." I froze. The voice—low and taunting—brought me back to the present, yanking me out of my bitter thoughts.

The voice broke through my spiraling thoughts, yanking me out of my rage-fueled haze. I froze, looking up. And there they were. The wolves. The ones who had made me feel like nothing more than an object, a plaything to pass the time. They were standing right in front of me, grinning. The two of them—like two sides of the same coin. The blonde one and the dark-haired one. Siblings? Or just some other twisted thing. Either way, they were here now, and my anger turned to cold, bitter fear.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Fuck. How did I end up here?

I backed up slowly, my heart hammering in my chest as panic surged through my veins. The safety of my room felt like a lifetime ago. I had been so caught up in my rage and confusion, so blinded by my need to distance myself from Clark, that I hadn’t even noticed I was wandering into the wolves’ territory.

One minute, I was pacing, fuming with anger at Clark. The next, I was face to face with the monsters I thought I’d escaped from.

I took a step back, but the realization hit me like a punch in the gut. There was no escape. Not now. Not here.

The dark-haired wolf chuckled—low, amused, like he found my panic entertaining.

"Miss us?"

I backed up another step, my mind racing, my heart pounding. There was no escape, no way out. I had wandered into their territory, unprotected, with no way of getting back to my room.

I cursed under my breath. How the hell had I ended up here?

The words that had haunted me just moments ago rang in my head again. Pick your lesser evil. Pick your monster.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch something—anything. But I was trapped. These two, these fucking wolves, were closing in on me, and I was just a fucking rabbit in their sights.

Then, a horrible thought flashed through my mind. Maybe... maybe I could make my own deal.

Maybe I could use them. Maybe I could choose one of them. I could get protection, just like Clark had. I could get them to keep me safe. I could even use this to get back at him. The fucker had played me for a fool. Now, I could play the same game. Maybe I could turn the tables.

Maybe I could make them my monster. I could pick my lesser evil, too.

My mind churned as the blonde wolf stepped forward. His smile was wicked, dripping with malice, and I knew, deep down, that I was already out of options. These weren’t people. They weren’t anything human. They were predators, and I was the prey.

"Want to play again, pretty boy?" The blonde wolf’s voice was laced with amusement. His eyes glittered with hunger, and I knew the game was already lost.

As the dark-haired wolf took another step forward, I could feel his presence like a predator closing in. The blonde one wasn’t far behind, grinning like he had all the time in the world.

He reached out. His hand was rough, his fingers like steel, as they closed around my neck.

I gasped, my breath cut off by his grip. I could feel his fingers digging into my skin, and my pulse was thudding in my ears. I tried to fight, to struggle, but there was nothing to fight. I was powerless.

Everything I had just thought—about survival, about making a deal—faded into the background. The only thing that mattered now was his hand on my neck. The only thing that mattered now was how little control I had over my own fate.

I tried to get away. I kicked my legs, tried to pry his fingers from my throat, but it was pointless. He was too strong. My body was going limp in his grasp, the panic rising faster than the air in my lungs could escape.

"You know, we could have some real fun with you, pretty boy," the blonde wolf sneered, dragging me closer to him. His breath was hot against my skin, his words colder than ice.

My vision blurred, the world spinning as my throat tightened.

I thought of Clark. I thought of the deal he had made, the way he had used Blaze to protect himself. Had he chosen the right monster?

The dark-haired wolf took a step forward, his eyes glittering as he watched me. They were both so close now, so dangerous. God, what the hell had I gotten myself into?

Everything I had done, all the rage, all the choices I had made—they didn’t matter anymore. The wolves were taking over, and there was no escape.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight. But I was too weak, too fucking trapped.

They were right. I was prey. The moment I stepped out of my room, I’d been lost. The game was over.

"Please," I gasped, the word barely leaving my mouth. "Please... don’t."

But it was too late.

Clark thrown his lot in with one of them, and in return, he got protection. It made sense in a twisted, fucked-up way. He picked his monster. A tough one, the kind that would shield him from the other horrors lurking around here.

Their laughter filled my ears, mocking and cruel, as they closed in, tightening their hold on me. My breath was coming in short, ragged gasps, and I felt the cold bite of fear wrapping around me like a vice.

In that moment, I realized something.

It wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about making a choice.

A choice that would change everything.