(Kaan’s POV) I turn back to my cousin and snarl “Where is she!?” Sylvana raises both hands, wincing as she feels the direct force of my rage as my beast rises to the surface, anxious for our mate. “How should I know!? I was in there with you all this time!” She steps away instinctively, out of self-preservation, away from me—an irate lycan who can actually annihilate her abilities. I almost never use my power, but it doesn’t mean it is dormant or that I won’t. “I’m just a messenger!” “If you had anything to do with this—” “I swear, I don’t—” “Kaan?” The relief upon hearing her voice leaves me reeling and I almost fall to my knees as I turn around and see her at the door coming from inside the bar. “Hiraya!” I gasp as I hurry to embrace her as tightly as I can. “I thought you were—” “I went to the bathroom because I was—what’s going on? Hey, why are you—”“Don’t let go just yet,” I mutter, breathing her in, hugging her even tighter as if I could merge her body with mine this
(Kaan’s POV) I watch her closely for her reaction. She freezes for a moment, silently absorbing what I said and then she giggles. “Oh, I know that already.” Now it is my turn to gape at her. “Excuse me?” She blinks. “You’re either a beautiful dream or my guardian angel.” Her cheeks turn red after her cheesy line and she looks away, embarrassed. I sigh, not really sure how I feel about the fact that she is not taking me seriously. It clearly shows neither of us are ready for the truth. In any case, I thank whatever deities are out there for the extra time. “You shouldn’t bet your money on either of that.” I tease her weakly, pulling her back towards our table inside the café. “That’s fine, I have nothing to lose. Oh, wait…I want another one of those giant cookies from the bar—” Raya pulls him back towards the bar but the girl at the counter shrugs. “Sorry, hun, we’re sold out. Told you they disappear quickly.” “Oh my, that’s…impressive.” “We get them only twice a week so pe
(Kaan’s POV) “Do you really have to stand so close to the cliff?” I turn to look at Raya, who is standing a safe distance away from the edge. Wrapped in her thick yellow jacket and green woolen scarf, she reminds me of a Caltha Palustris or most commonly known as marsh marigold, which is a wildflower common in the Faroe Islands during May and June. She’s so beautiful, my chosen mate. “Why don’t you join me? The view here is much better.” “I believe that is just the adrenaline junkie in you speaking,” she says dryly. “That looks very dangerous. The wind is so strong, it could knock you off-balance. I’m good, right here, where it’s safe, thank you very much.” I grin as I turn to stare at the sea again. “I won’t let you fall.” “You can’t promise me that.” “Come here, Hiraya.” I hear her sigh but then she slowly makes her way to where I am standing and my heart soars at the thought that she trusts me that much. I really am standing too close to the edge. With all the thing
(Raya’s POV) “Show me,” I tell him, the firmness of my tone belying the sheer confusion and beginning of hysteria inside me. A lycan!? Isn’t that some sort of werewolf? Is he actually telling me that the stuff from nightmares—a half-man, half-beast monster—is not only just a thing from someone’s overly twisted imagination!? He’s got to be pulling my leg because there’s no way it can be true…unless of course it is and everything I know of this world is about to shift.“...otherwise it’s not real.”I shake my head, fighting off the need to succumb to the fear as this dream of falling in love with someone so perfect is starting to fray around the edges, turning dark and foreboding.Kaan nods, picking up a pebble and then throwing it to the waters below. “I will, but not today, Hiraya. Not while our hosts are still here.” He pauses for a few seconds and then he turns to me again. “There’s no need to rush anyway. You will see it during the festival. It is part of the tradition for us to s
(Kaan’s POV)“Mutiny?”Sylvana makes a clicking sound with her tongue and teeth. “You heard correctly, cousin. There are those who are considering snubbing your very first Hybrid Festival, thereby showing their discontent and disapproval for your…company.” She glances at Raya who is watching us in confusion. “They do not recognize you as the king while your father lives and they intend to use that flimsy excuse to begin undermining your authority.”“That’s absurd. My father will hear about it and—” I frown. When my father does hear about it, he will be upset and given the state of his health, stress will definitely not improve it. “Who are they? Are they planning on putting another in my place? That would be rather tricky since I am the only heir to the line of kings and no one else can do the particular thing that we do. What do they hope to gain?”“Oh, they have a subtler but more devious agenda than that of replacing a legitimate son of the lycan king, whose line was chosen and bles
(Kaan’s POV)The day of the Hybrid Festival looms closer and I get more and more restless by the minute.I mean, this is it. My very first official duty, even though my father will surely return to his duties soon. I have been keeping tabs on him and according to his doctor, he is getting better every day, although not well enough yet to return to his responsibilities.To be honest, I am more anxious about my father than about the damn festival. He’s doing much better but something has changed in me because of what happened.The thing is, it made me realize how quickly things would change when he’s gone. I’ve always known what the future holds for me, yes, but it hits differently this time because now there is a sense of urgency and impending doom.My life will change drastically and not only because I now have a chosen mate, but because I will be taking the mantle of the king and I don’t think I will ever be ready for that. The workload will be heavier but I can manage that and the
(Raya’s POV)Kaan steps protectively forward, shielding me from the newcomer’s uncanny sharp eyes, but I tiptoe to look over his shoulder, eager to see our visitor.“Hmm…this must be the human mate I’ve heard so much about.” The silver-haired lady drawls, her voice spine-chilling in its apathy.Human mate? She must be another lycan, but unlike Sylvana, this one doesn’t look very friendly. She stands tall and straight, almost military in her stance. Her short silver hair seems to be spun from moonbeams; they shimmer as if with a light of their own in the dark. She looks to be around her early sixties, but I’m not really a good judge when it comes to age so I could be wrong.Just like Kaan, the cold doesn’t seem to bother her because she is wearing only a simple black leather outfit with a fur overcoat.“Lady Cordelia,” Kaan says, his tone guarded. “We welcome you to Eldra Systir.”“Why do you hide her, Prince Kaan?” The lady asks, almost sounding amused. “Do you really think I would off
(Raya’s POV) “...the worst is yet to come.” The words ring terrifying and true. I might have passed the initial test and gotten past ‘Cerberus’ but we’re just at the gates of hell and we have yet to meet the rest. I glance at Kaan and see him watching as Sylvana and Lady Cordelia walk away. His whole body appears stiff with anxiety and I’m afraid touching him or even speaking to him right now will make him snap. So I resigned myself to waiting. Only to find myself being lifted in his arms and carried off to the house without a warning. Before I know it, I am on the bed, being kissed senseless and I close my eyes, hoping he won’t stop this time, like when we were down at the beach and he pulled away just when things were heating up. However, he pulls away again but this time, he appears to be struggling for control as he begs me to accept being his mate. To be honest, I thought I already was but he has that intense look in his eyes that tells me something is different this time a
(Raya’s POV) I stare at the face of my little prince as he sleeps peacefully beside me. “You’re so beautiful, my darling boy,” I whisper as I caress his tiny hand planted possessively on my cheek. He likes sleeping this way. He looks just like Kaan in his baby pictures and I wonder if, as the years pass, will he look more like him or like me? Or something in between? Oh, I can’t wait to see! And yet I can’t bear for this wonderful version of him to be gone either! I’m so torn! I couldn’t help but kiss his cherubic face, the plump cheeks that drive me nuts. He’s so cute! I hear Kaan chuckle as he enters our room. “Are you obsessing over Alarick again?” He whispers. “I can’t help it, Teddy’s so freaking cute!” I whisper back. He rolls his eyes at the nickname Teddy I insist on using for our firstborn, whose name is Alarick Theodulf. He says it’s not very princely. I make a face. “Oh, and Kaan is?” I tease him. He grins. “I’ll have you know that Kaan means King of Kings. You
(Lila's POV) She sighs. “Go ahead…” “As mate of the king’s guard, you will be able to do more for your sister than being here, working yourself to exhaustion every single day. My position as the king’s guard opens doors that not even that Jack-ass she was mated to could ever dream of. You will be an honorary member of the royal family. Your sister’s future is as good as secured. And well, there’s the added bonus of having a good-looking mate who loves you as much as you love him.” He winks at her, making her smile despite herself. “Is that all?” She asks. “What about my shop? I have yet to finish saving up to pay for the capital that Alpha Seth and Luna Marie lent me.” He smiles sheepishly. “You owe them nothing. That was money I sent for you, so you will lack nothing ever.” He covers her lips with a finger when she starts to say something in protest and grins. “I know, I know…I shouldn’t have—but it was my allowance that I put aside from what was promised to my parents by the king
(Orthros POV)“May I ask why?”Lila takes a deep breath and stands up so he follows suit. She walks to the kitchen and offers him something to drink which he declines. “Lila—”She prepares a cup of tea for herself. “You wanted me to build a life with Maeve here. I did.” She frowns and turns to look at him. “I upended my life at the lycan court for you years ago, Orthros, because I believed we were going to be together. But you left me here and moved on. I made a life for myself and my sister now, we have set our roots and worked hard to get the shop going. Maeve is going to be big someday. She’s very talented and I know she’ll go the distance. So, forgive me but…I can’t and I won’t leave everything behind just because it’s convenient for you now.” She tells him tartly.He stares at her, torn between frustration and amazement. He is impressed by how level-headed she is, how firmly she is handling him and sending her message across in a very clear manner.Lila has changed. She is no lo
(Orthros POV) She stares at him as if she’d seen a ghost and inwardly he winces. He can’t really blame her for this reaction, it has been several years since they last saw each other and even though he kept tabs on them through Alpha Seth, he dared not establish direct communications with her or Maeve. It was difficult enough to stay away when he knew she would not be waiting for him. To find that she was still hoping for him to return, or even just to hear anything from her hinting that she needed him…it would have broken his concentration—and he would have come back running, to hell with the consequences that could ruin their lives. However, Alpha Seth assured him that Lila and Maeve were doing great, that they have been integrated well in the small town and were busy rebuilding their lives and setting up a home and a shop as dressmakers. I sent him money to ‘lend’ the two sisters so they will be able to have anything they need without being a burden to the pack, and asked Alpha
(Lila POV)It still hurts to remember that day, even though she’d put on a brave face, for the sake of her sister Maeve. She had cried herself to sleep many nights after that separation until there were no more tears to shed.But then, as always…life goes on and time waits for no one. She learned to wipe away her tears in the morning as if they were never there in the first place. And then, before she knew it, she stopped crying all together.As she became busier and busier building a new life with Maeve, she realized one important thing that made everything…a little better. The beautiful and poignant truth:He loved her too. For just as she was willing to break the fated bond—if they were indeed destined for each other—and let him find a better mate, Orthros chose the hard path to make sure she and Maeve will be safe… that they will live a better life.It only saddens her to think that Orthros might have been thinking that he was not worthy of being loved anymore, just because he ha
(Orthros POV) She stood there with a basket of berries, so beautiful she made his heart ache for he longed to touch her and kiss her strawberry red lips. It was his dream, to finally claim her as his, fated or not, for lycans have the gift of free will to choose their own mates. But how could he do that to her? How could he condemn her to a life of misery, of being shunned by everyone and laughed at for having a cursed mate? How could he risk giving her pups that might have the same affliction, punished with the same fate for daring to reach for the stars? “Orthros?” She whispered before rushing to embrace him. The moment their skins came in contact with each other, her thoughts came flooding in and his fears were confirmed. She loved him so much that she cared not about his terrible fate and was only too happy that he was meeting her eyes again. He closed his eyes as he hugged her back tightly, breathing in her lovely scent, and allowing himself to dream for a second longer, befo
(Lila POV)Lila watches her younger sister go, her heart aching for the pain she knows Maeve is currently going through. If only she has done more to make sure her sister had not given that jerk more than he deserved, perhaps Maeve wouldn’t be so…broken.Luna Marie sighs. “Poor girl…I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes right now—such pain she must be going through…so much that she cannot speak because words have failed her—but perhaps it’s for the best. I never liked that boy Jack. He would have only held her back from her potential and hidden away her brilliance under his barrel of self-worth.” She hooks her arms in Lila’s, gently pulling her away. “Your sister has something great in her future. Do not worry so much, Lila…she’ll heal, like many of us who went through something similar.”Lila glances at the luna of the pack that has accepted her and Maeve when they needed a home. Luna Marie has always been so kind and supportive, and loves the alpha so much that it’s hard to imagine any
(Orthros POV) “Don’t say no yet. The offer stands until the day before we leave.” Former King Wayan tells him jovially, slapping him amicably on the back. Since abdicating the throne in favor of his son Lakàn, the old king seems to have regained a little bit of his youth. His excitement over his incoming world tour and ‘second honeymoon’ with his mate has obviously done him wonders. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Former Queen Freya smiles at him. “You have only two weeks to convince the girl. Best be on your way now, child. It'd be a shame to choose someone else less trusted to travel with us.” He bows. “I will try my best, Your Majesty.” As he walks away, he winces at the assault of thoughts that he can hear from the people around him. Ever since his extra wolf Lethe has left him, his wolf Levi is finally able to breathe and use his powers to its full extent. He has no idea how much the parasitic and incompatible bond between Levi and Lethe has been holding him back. He sighs as
(Kaan's POV)“I’m stepping down.”We are at my parents' mansion, currently enjoying a bountiful Christmas dinner when my father invited me to his office for a glass of whiskey.He said those three words right when I'm drinking and I almost choked. As it is, I started coughing and my eyes watered from the effort to clear my throat.“What the—what do you mean you’re stepping down!?”My father only chuckles and raises his glass, watching me turn pale as I realize he’s not joking.“Dad—”He turns his back on me and faces the window. “I want to travel the world without the weight of my people on my back. To really feel the sand under my feet when we go south or the cold breeze on my face as we head north… To dance with your mother while I still can.” He turns to look at me with raised brows. “I do believe you are ready now. And dear Raya will be there to help you.”“Dad, I…”“Kaan, I want to live before my time in this world is over.”What do I even say to that? How do I refuse when I know