The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 104: Chapter 104

“I’ll head back to the ceremony,” Lucas after many beats of silence and began to leave, striding away quickly.
Lylah stood still, a little pale and worried.
“He is a great man,” a voice sounded behind her, and she turned to see Brigid approaching.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to attend,” Lylah smiled. “I love your dress, by the way.”
“I changed my mind, and thank you,” Brigid replied, glancing back at the corridor Lucas had just disappeared into. “He’s a man who would bury himself deep within his own aching heart just to protect those around him.”
Lylah’s eyes squinted. “What do you mean?”
“I heard that many years ago, during the Mask Ceremony, Lord Lucas’s mate rejected him for a Southern noble Lycan. She claimed Lord Lucas wasn’t enough.”
Lylah’s lips parted in disbelief. “Is she insane? I knew it. Mating bonds suck.”
“I heard she’s a dark-skinned female Lycan, one of the most beautiful women in the realm.”
Lylah scoffed and mumbled under her breath, “Beauty, my ass.”
Brigid continued, “That’s why I wonder if he’ll ever open his heart to another. Since his ex-mate is still alive and living in the southern part of the realm, he can’t have a new mate.”
Lylah’s heart sank for the second time that night. “I hope he does.”
“I’ll keep trying,” Brigid shrugged with a smile, and Lylah shot her a questioning look.
“What?”
“I like him. Lord Lucas,” Brigid stated, facing the corridor where Lord Lucas had left. “I wish to be his someday. I hope I’ll find a little bit of admiration in his eyes whenever he looks at me. I hope someday I’ll be in his chamber, his arms wrapped around me as we settle into a blissful night without a care in the world. I wish to carry his heir and give him what his ex-mate couldn’t.”
Brigid sighed. “But I’m just a maid. He’d barely look at me.”
Lylah’s mind was blank. Yes, she’d listened to everything, but for some reason, none of it really sank in.
“That is… uhm, cool,” she replied.
“I don’t know if you can help me, Lylah. You’re close to the Grand Lord. Perhaps you could put in a few good words for me,” Brigid said, turning fully toward her. “You’ll help me as your friend, right?”
•••••••••
In the deepest part of the palace, every corridor exuded an eerily bone-chilling aura—one that would strike fear into any sane being.
“Please…” Kael's broken voice echoed through the stone walls as two brute males dragged him through the dark hall.
Up ahead was a gate. He could feel the incredibly sinister aura emanating from behind it. Beside it stood King Duncan, arms folded, back resting against the wall, a small smirk dancing across his sinister face.
That smirk was more torturous than all the torments he had already endured. It meant this devil had something else in store for him.
Kael was dropped onto the ground, his already battered knees hitting the floor, sending pain rippling through his body.
“Pardon… me… Please. Have... mercy.”
Duncan straightened, loosening his arms and letting them fall to his sides.
“It is good to see you again, dear friend. I’ve been worried about you lately. Worried that you might have given yourself over to the Ghosts—which would be truly pitiful and disappointing…”
“But that is what I want,” Kael cut in with a trembling voice. “Please, just end my life. This is too much… I can't bear it any longer. Just take a sword and cut my throat!”
“Are you commanding me?”
“No!” Kael’s face went pale as he shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Please forgive me, Your Grace, for being a pathetic fool. I will own up to my actions with Arianna…”
Duncan let out a low warning growl, shooting him a hard look.
Kael continued sobbing, bowing his head. “Please pardon me. I’ll do anything.”
A beat of silence passed. Kael felt a chill coming from behind the gate, but Duncan’s voice caught his attention again.
“I’ll let you go.”
Kael slowly looked up, unsure if he had heard correctly—but then his heart dropped at the sight of Duncan drawing a dagger from his pocket, gazing at the blade with a bored look.
He turned his gaze to Kael. “Under one condition.”
Kael almost flinched as the king approached and crouched before him, offering him the dagger. His heart pounded hard in his chest, sweat beaded his entire trembling body, clad in just subligaculum. His body covered with bruises, bûrns and blood.
“Take it.”
Kael gave Duncan a questioning look, once again feeling a chill from behind the gates—but the man before him terrified him more.
He wanted to ask something, but he feared he might be forced to eat his own tongue.
“Go on,” Duncan urged.
Kael took the dagger, staring at it, wondering what he was supposed to do with it.
Then the guards began opening the gate, and Kael’s eyes widened. Were they going to put him in there?
As if reading his thoughts, the King replied, “Yes, you are.”
“Your Grace…”
“If you survive one hour with my pets lurking in the shadows inside these cells, I shall banish you—and set you free,” Duncan assured him, sealing his words.
Kael was beyond shocked. The King’s pets were rumored to be Dire Hounds—beasts terrifying at the mere sight, trained to hunt and kill.
He had thought those were perhaps just myths and tales… but here he was, about to be thrown into their den, expected to survive an hour with only a dagger to defend himself.
Truly, Duncan was a devil.
“Your Grace!” Kael cried out as the soldiers grabbed him. He struggled, but his strength was no match.
“No! You can’t do this!”
“There’s no way I’m going to survive!”
“Please, Your Grace! Have mercy!”
“Ahhh!!!”
Kael’s scream trailed off as he was pushed over the edge. After that, Duncan walked up to the edge, his eyes glowing gold to see through the dark.
Deep within the dungeon, the cracking of stones echoed as the beasts awoke. Their sharp yellow eyes pierced through the thick shadows, burning like lanterns.
Kael, who had been trembling, immediately stopped his cries and tried to stay silent. He could hear the cracking sounds drawing closer.
A pair of yellow eyes—then a second pair, and then a third. He couldn’t fight.
A roar—the sickening tear of flesh—followed by an animalistic growl. Then a high-pitched scream that sounded pitiful… and silence, before the retreating footsteps mingled with the sound of something being dragged across the floor.
Duncan stared down with a bored look. “Quite sad. He didn’t last a minute.”
With that, he turned and left the place.
•••••••
“Your Highness,” Falcon stepped forward quickly to meet Lucas, who was making his way to the King's chamber. “There is a message from Lord Valoreth of the Emissaries in the south.”
Lucas paused at the name, then turned to face Falcon with a sharp gaze.
They haven't heard from Lord Valoreth for decades. That particular Lord felt as though he was on top of the world due to the fact he was Duncan’s late father advisor… Lord Valoreth was one of the oldest Lycan alive.
He had wanted to be Duncan's Beta, but Duncan chose Lucas Instead.
Duncan didn’t have a good relationship with that Lord, and neither did Lucas—because it was that very same male who had caused Lucas' mate to reject him many years ago.
“They’ve caught the rogue leader, Your Highness.”
Another wave of disbelief washed over Lucas.