Well, he's new.I turn to look at the brown-haired and golden-eyed fellow I just spoke to right now and I don't know why, but something about him makes me feel nostalgic.Is it nostalgic or comfortable? I'm not so sure.... but he does make me feel something"Hey, Wench!"My shoulders sag and a look of disgust settles on my face. Again?I turn to answer."Yes, Captain?""Look at me when I'm talking to you or you'll be thrown off me ship!"Okay, does this guy know how ridiculous he sounds right now?I turn to face him and he's standing there, as real as day. I was super sick last night, retching all over the place because I couldn't get the smell of fish guts out of my nose. The storm didn't help either, but the fish guts were the worst part.I almost believed I saw a mermaid, or a merman, whatever it is. I was that sick, and it's all because of him.The pink-haired captain flashes me a grin and a wolf whistle. "You're looking mighty fine, little werewolf."I move before I can stop mys
"Follow me."Lyros doesn't wait for me to assess the situation before he makes that command. He just says it and then turns to walk away.He's the tallest amongst us, dwarfing Rhys and Mr Fenrir by just a few inches, but he's imposing and he's the boss so I guess there's nothing anyone can do even if they were taller than him.Surprisingly, I'm not the only one who follows the Lycan king. Rhys does too, and so does Safira, and so does Fenrir, the brown-haired and golden-eyed man I feel relaxed around for some strange reason.He doesn't look at me, so I don't look at him either, but I'm aware of his presence. Lyros climbs a set of stairs and enters one of the cabins on the upper deck. We follow, Rhys first, then Safira and Fenrir, and lastly me.The room is a wide space, with sunlight casting a bright yellow hue to the wood and the scent of the sea breeze making it smell fresh, Lyros's scent is faint in here, but I'm sure if I went to the bed it'd be heavier. I heard he's been weak la
"Wait up.."I ignore Safira and keep on walking. I have a good idea of what she might try to say and I'm not ready for it right now.Lyros obviously doesn't want Adelaide to know I'm Cain and not some recruit on this trip, so why should I do myself the disservice of telling her?'"Hey! I said wait up you dick!"Safira is huffing when I turn to look at her and I can see she's angry. She's angry and..... something else.I wait for her to make her way over to me and we both walk in silence to the prow of the ship. The sailors avoid us like the plague and they part whenever they see us. That doesn't bother me, what does is the sickly pallor and weak aura Safira is currently giving off.She takes a deep breath and I turn to look at her."Are you feeling okay?""Of course not."Her answer is a bare whisper and it's almost carried away on the winds but I hear it. I hear it and I take a moment to step back from my thoughts of Adelaide.She's been on my mind ever since I saw her earlier. Ever
Oh, fuck my life. Of all the things I could land myself into, it had to be an altercation with crazy fucking Rhys! "Do you think he's okay?" Safira sounds worried and some of that worry seeps into my bones and makes me calm down. Okay...... so this happened. There's nothing better than an endless shitstorm of drama on a ship, right? Even though I'm seasick and I'm sure there's nothing I want to do more than hurl my guts out. "I think I need some space." "Why the hell did he even go bonkers like that?" "Is he going to be okay?" "I said I need some space!" Almost like a spell breaks we fall into silence and he's there, bent over Rhys and trying his best to glare at us from his tousled but still silky locks and startling golden eyes. Fenrir. Safira is the first person who takes a step backward and she has to jolt me before I also adhere to the order. Something strange happened with this male. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, but I'm sure I saw him leap right out of thi
âDo you think we did something wrong?â Safira has her head on my shoulder and sheâs grinning. I canât tell if itâs from the fact that I'm allowing her to be this close or if sheâs genuinely delighted at what is unfolding before our eyes. I look at them and grimace. âThey seem to have made up well enough, so if anything iâd say we did a good thingâ âYou donât really believe that, do you?â I take one look at Adelaide and Rhys, at the smiles on their faces and how heâs staring at her like sheâs the world, and the answer slips from my lips unnoticed. âNo. I think we might have aided something unlikely.â We watch as they both interact for a while. Rhys regained consciousness early this morning and while he refused to look at me, it seems he could remember every other thing he did last night.He bolted out of the room we had to move him into, and though I suspected he might have gone to find Adelaide, I didnât want to believe it. I guess I'm the one who looks like a total fool now be
Itâs land.My feet are rooted to the wooden deck of the ship and I can feel my eyes wide as saucers.Itâs really land.After four grueling days of doing nothing but seeing the vast expanse of water that is the sea, I never thought I'd be this grateful to see land.âAdelaide?âI turn to see Lyros walking towards me with Rhys behind him. I wipe the smile off my face faster than I can breathe and my body goes rigid.If the Lycan king notices, he doesnât say anything.âYouâll be riding with Rhys.ââThis is a minor port, no one here knows you and no one should. Rhys is your savior now. He picked you up from a minor town where you were just getting ready to service your next patron for a few copper coins, not even enough money to feed you but you do it because you love the sex. You want to be banged, you want to feel the fever-hot bodies of males on you. Youâre a slut, but youâve found some love in Rhys. Heâs everything youâve ever dreamt of. A strong body, a huge dick, enough money that y
We donât ride much before we get to the first town. Rhys has a cloak over his face, the same deep green hue that his clothes are and I expect that I'll be given a cloak too, but I never get one. A cloak is the least of my worries. I look around and my eyes are wide open in fascination. Cain wasnât lying when he said there was not a speck of technology here. I peer at stone huts and brick walls, structures made of mud and hay, and just a general lack of anything remotely modern. âWow.â The town is deserted as we pass through but I notice wooden windows being opened just a bit. I catch eyes of every color widen when they see me and widen even more when they land on the rider of our horse. Rhys is an imposing form behind me, and I try not to lean into him too much. I would have been comfortable sitting at the back, but Rhys said sitting this way would get the right rumors to spread faster. Before we even get to the capital, rumors should have announced our arrival. I chuckle at th
I let the illusion drop once Adelaide was out of sight. Keeping it on seemed useless then, that is until I felt Lyros approaching. If anyone noticed anything, then they didnât say. Safira was next to me and barely noticed, which means something must have been different in the beat I used to initiate the magic. I raise a finger to make the same beat I did on the ship but a voice stops me. âIf you make that tapping noise again, I will yank your arm from its socket.âLyrosâs voice sends my brain into a pause. My body freezes and my finger stops just a mere inch from the wooden panel of the window. He sets his eyes on me, and that nothingness feeling invades my senses again. He smirks. âYou seem busy these days, Cain.â I nod and look out at the rolling countryside. Lyros isnât happy about that, but I know he isnât and I don't feel scared. âItâs better this way..â Lyros chuckles and I turn to look at him. Heâs regained his strength now. That wild look in his eyes is back. The gla
Cain grabs onto my waist and kisses me, hauling me up and plastering me against him. His voice is a rough husk in my ear as he whispers âYou did it, Adelaide.â Tears run down my eyes and he hugs me, holding my body to his as I sob into his chest. I donât think I'd believe what just happened if someone told me it would a few months ago. All I wanted was to be free and run off to hell knows where, but I'm glad for what I did. Now I know I have parents, parents who loved me and a mother who would have done anything for me. Iâm not just the pack omega destined to be maltreated and beaten for all of her life. The suffering I went through changed me. It gave me tougher skin and with the power of my heritage⊠I've just won back my kingdom. Freedom is mine if I want it. Freedom, and power, and love, if I want any of it, and all of it, and I do. I really do. I kiss Cain again, just to cement the fact that we are a thing now. Weâre more than a thing. Iâm wearing his ring. Heâs as much
Lyros is no longer the all-powerful Lycan lording his majesty over the weak populace. We are powerful in our own right now.And in the face of real power, the Lycan king can only do one thing, cower, like a coward.Lyros attempts to run but almost like he knows itâs futile thereâs no spirit in it. Lycan speed might have given him a chance, but running was just one final way of making a dash for his life.I flash and slam Lyros with my sword, the blade slapping the side of his face and drawing blood as he tumbles to the ground. I lean down and whisper close to his ear,âI donât intend to kill you Lord Lyros.âI feel his heartbeat intensify as my words graze his ears but I continue confidently, âI intend to make you pay for all youâve done. For the young girls you plucked from weak werewolf packs, only to kill them after torturing them, their dreams ended and hopes cut short because of your wickedness. I intend to make you pay for the cities youâve attacked, the people you have killed,
I rip through the fabric of space as I burn.I feel the Lycanâs flame coursing through my being and it sets me on fire with the force of a supernova. I feel the strength of a thousand stars in me. The flames lick at my dress, burning it short and tattered, turning me into a version these men see, but which they donât see at all.I wonder how many times Lyros has looked at me and seen nothing but skin. Nothing but clothes in pieces, flesh for the taking, a body to be claimed, and a mind to have fun with.I wonder how many times heâs seen skin and ignored the fire that rages in my heart. Ignored the love I have for the simple things. Ignored the fact that I am more than just skin and flesh, that I am heart and brains and emotion. That I am not his plaything.I am a Queen, and this Kingdom is mine.I kill the King beyond the border first. The battle with him takes less than an hour.In my hand is a sword hot as flame and solid as diamond. Rafie attacks me next so I slay him too.Raymel
We all stand in wait for her.Me, Rafie, Alizadeh, and Galan, all four Lycan kings, we wait for a weak omega female and something hollow rings in my chest. It was stupid to think I could find love.Even before the truth of Elaraâs betrayal was revealed to me, I already knew. I already knew something was wrong with my heart and that I couldn't love properly anymore.I should have left it out of the cards, left love to those foolish enough to crave it but instead, I had to go ahead and try to keep her. Adelaide made me imagine something hot and exciting between us, something fiery and passionate, but at the end of the day, sheâs expendable.Sheâs always been. Only I matter.A kingdom rests on my shoulders.âIs she on her way?âRafieâs voice grates against my nerves but I nod. Iâm not angry at him anymore. Heâs doing what I didn't have the strength to do.Galan chortles where he stands and I feel my hands clench. I should kill him for using his trickster magic on me, but he saved my life
âHow sweet.âCainâs hand stops immediately and my foggy brain canât even make sense of whatâs happening. Has Cain taken me to the point of release this morning? Yes.Iâm worried I might be a horndog.I turn to see Safira leaning on the doorframe. Her dress is so pretty, it drapes over her body like liquid and damn, I almost forgot how pretty she was.She smirks as her eyes meet mine, âShould I leave?â Cain answers sweetly before I can and his reply makes me chuckle. He goes âYes please.âSafiraâs hand twitches and a pillow launches itself at the back of Cainâs head. I let it hit and burst into subdued chuckles when he lets out a slight âoof.âSafirs sighs and shakes her head âYou have a meeting in like six minutes. Will you be down?âCain smirks lazily and shrugs. Safiraâs gaze darts to me and she fixes me with an inquisitive stare, âWill he be down?âI nod because despite how much I want him to stay with me and kiss me silly, heâs already explained to me how things are here.He has
Diane visits me one last time in my dreams. She smiles at me and though my heart breaks, I smile back at her.I know this is the end. This is the last time I will see her, and as we stand on the sandy beach, our eyes locked on each other and the resemblance undeniable, I let her embrace me as a mother would her child, and I cry so bad my heart feels like itâs going to break.Diane kisses my forehead and wipes my tears, âYouâre stronger than your pain my love. You know that right?âI want to nod. I desperately want to nod. The moment I saw Cain, the reality of what had happened to me seemed to come crashing down on me. The moment I saw Lyros instead of him, saw flashes of me and him behind my closed eyes each time I blinkedâŠ.. How do I live with that?How do I live with the knowledge of all the things I did with the man I hate? A man who used me?I wish I could forget.âThis is fire Adelaide,â I clutch Diane closer as she pats my hair down, tears still streaming down my cheeks âLike g
Anger makes my teeth crack as Adelaide asks me a question. She looks up at me, uncertainty in her eyes, her expression scared and bleak.âWould you still love me, if I showed you what Lyros and I have been doing these past few months?âSomething threatens to snap in me but I know what this is.Iâve seen this before. Iâve done this once.I nod and Adelaideâs shoulders shudder. I can see how fervently sheâs trying to control herself. How ferociously sheâs attacking the emotions that are surging forth.Somethingâs happened, and when I ask her, she tells me everything.Trapped in a memory chain of the Lycan Kingâs making for three months, her magic being the thing he used to fuel that spell, Lyros turned her magic into her trap, and then she tells me what the memories were about. Entire years' worth of memories of her waiting for him patiently in the fortress.Memories of how he saved her from her pack and brought her to a better life in his care, Memories of how she became his personal p
Cain and Safira comfort me and tell me itâs okay. I can feel Cainâs concern for me like eyes at the back of my head.Heâs always staring at me. He looks at me with such intensity that I feel all the things in my stomach churn and my thoughts go filthy. Memories flash past my eyes each time I close them.Memories of me and him in this world.Memories of me and him in a cave, happy sated smiles on our faces and our bodies totally unclad. Weâre nude, and weâre comfortable.I see memories of deep and easy loving. Love that took me to the peak of pleasure, and threw me off the edge of my climax, again, and again, and again.My body begins to warm and Safira hits me on the arm, âFor skiesâ sake, Focus Adelaide. Are you sure youâre okay?âI turn to her and at the sight of familiar deeply tan skin and obsidian black eyes, a smile lights up my face. âI havenât spent a day here and Iâm already being mothered.âSafira grins and chuckles at that, and I feel light in my heart.She and Cain give
My heart melts with each passing moment i listen to Cainâs words and I almost canât believe this is happening.My mind tells me if I blink heâll go away, so I keep my eyes wide open, and I stare at him. I know itâs real when he stares at me in that same way.The lines of Cainâs face look new to me now. His warmth feels so familiar yet so alien. Thereâs an air around him that I canât place, but I love every bit of it.I love it the way I love him, and when he leans in to kiss me again, I can feel the desperation in his touch. Heâs as scared of me leaving as I am of him not being real in this moment. Finding him shouldnât be this easy.It shouldnât have been this easy, yet it was and I canât seem to believe that.A sudden scream makes me cling to him like a frightened puppy until my brain realizes i know that voice.I know the texture of that squeall. Iâve heard that feminine tilt before.Safiraâs scent invades my senses immediately and a warm body plasters itself to mine. Sheâs sobbing