The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 125: Chapter 125

Lylah stared at Brigid, unsure how to react.
“I shouldn't have acted that way the other day,” Brigid continued. “And I clearly shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. You did nothing wrong, and I was the one who acted impulsively and went too far because of my emotions. I'm sorry.”
Lylah sighed. “Yeah, I understand, and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have called you names that day.”
Brigid gently scratched her arm, gaze lowered. “I kinda deserved it. Honestly, I haven't been able to approach you, thinking about how disgusting I acted that night.”
“No, don't say that,” Lylah cut in. “I had no right to call you that.”
Brigid smiled and, without hesitation, crossed the distance between them and hugged Lylah.
Lylah froze for a moment before hugging her back.
“Thanks, Lylah,” Brigid muttered, breaking the hug. “I've missed you, friend. I promise to be good.”
“Fine. I missed you too,” Lylah said, returning the hug.
For a while, Brigid pulled away. "I heard you're about to spar with the head warrior soon. Good luck with that.”
Lylah’s eyes squinted. Only she and the Grand Lord knew this for now.
Noticing, Brigid quickly added, “I happened to overhear you and the Grand Lord talking while coming to see you.”
“Oh. Thanks,” Lylah nodded.
“Will it be okay? Since you haven't gotten your wolf?” her voice tinged with worry.
“Yeah. I'm scared, I won't lie. But in the end, I know the trial will be worth it, so I'm gonna give it a shot,” Lylah's said with determination.
“Alright,” Brigid raised a fist. “I trust that stubborn, determined mind of yours.”
With that, Brigid turned to leave, but Lylah decided to stay for a while. The hour had grown late; many must be asleep.
She climbed onto one of the roofs and sat there, observing.
•••••
Selene's eyes snapped wide open at the screeching sound that echoed in her ears. Eryndor was back.
She sprang up from her bed and began dressing in her night cloak. Carefully concealing her face, she slipped out of the Citadel.
She passed through the usual passage, weaving through the trees. After several minutes, she reached the spot, her chest heaving, eyes fixed on the sky.
Three minutes later, Eryndor appeared, its wings flapping hard, sending a strong breeze through the trees, which swayed under the force. It landed, its claws digging into the soil.
“What took you so long?” Selene asked, worry lining her voice. Eryndor screeched, making her concern deepen.
Just as she had feared, something was wrong beyond the realm.
Selene reached for the scroll tied to Eryndor’s foot and opened it in haste, her eyes scanning the thick silver ink with intensity.
Dread crept over her features. Her eyes welled up, and she swallowed hard.
She rolled the scroll back up and took a deep breath, calming her nerves.
Slowly, she turned her head to the left, her gaze boring into the darkness of the forest. She had heard a faint gasp coming from behind a tree—someone pacing away.
“Come on out, child. I can smell and hear you,” Selene said. No response.
“I’m sure I’m speaking a language you and I both understand,” she added, but still no movement.
Eryndor screeched beside her.
“Relax, Eryndor. You can only kill her if she decides to run.”
Another light gasp.
In a calmer voice, Selene spoke again. “Come out, child. I won’t repeat myself.”
Finally, the figure began to emerge—only to bolt toward a nearby opening.
Eryndor didn’t hesitate. It leapt forward and landed right before the figure could take a third step.
Lylah snatched out her dagger, standing her ground, alert and tense.
“Lylah Greystone, your dagger won’t do a thing to Eryndor,” Selene said from behind.
“What the fuck are you?” Lylah asked, panicked.
“An Ouroboros,” Selene replied.
Lylah blinked in shock, still alert for any attack. “Just like your sister,” Selene added.
Eryndor screeched again.
“Relax, Eryndor,” Selene said gently. “She is Arianna’s sister—not an enemy.”
Eryndor tilted its head, as if recognizing the name. Its dangerous aura vanished, and it began to return to Selene, brushing past Lylah, who cautiously stepped aside. The bird-like creature towered over her.
“So…” Lylah stood still, caught between shock and confusion. “That is your dragon?”
“It’s a messenger,” Selene corrected, sitting on one of the large stones.
“Does Arianna know you’re one of them? I mean, you’re her teacher and the head maid.”
“Who do you think told your sister all about her bloodline?”
Lylah swallowed as Selene began explaining everything to her, filling in the gaps Arianna hadn’t mentioned.
She was especially shocked to learn that Selene was the one who had brought Arianna to the pack.
“Your stealth skill is nice, I must say, but don’t use it to follow mysterious people. You might put yourself in danger,” Selene said after finishing her explanation.
“So you knew I was following you,” Lylah muttered, stepping forward—though keeping her eyes on Eryndor, who continued staring at her as if memorizing her face.
“Yeah. I wanted you to come,” Selene replied, her gaze resting on the wrapped scroll. “It might be of use later.”
Lylah’s gaze shifted to the scroll. “What’s that?”
Selene sighed, like a woman whose world was about to crumble beneath her feet. She rose and pulled a lever. A massive tree tilted open, revealing a hidden cave.
Lylah stood stunned as she watched Eryndor enter the cave before Selene sealed it shut again.
“Holy crap,” Lylah muttered under her breath, wondering how in the world Selene had managed to hide something so cool beneath her cloak.
“Let’s head back to the palace before anyone notices,” Selene said, beginning to walk off. Then she paused and turned back to Lylah.
“Under no circumstances should you come here without my permission. Eryndor eats the heads of unwanted guests.”
Lylah felt her heart lodge in her throat at the threat. “I’ll never come here. Even if you ask me to.”
Selene smirked before they continued their journey.
••••••
The next day, Selene stepped into the study room, finding Arianna engrossed in her reading. She paused at the threshold, observing the determined young woman.
“You’re up early,” Selene said, walking toward her.
“Hm,” Arianna nodded, not glancing up. “Thought I’d catch up on the old scrolls.”
Selene’s eyes widened at the sight of the many scrolls stacked nearby. “Wait, don’t tell me you’ve read all of that?”
Arianna glanced at the scrolls. “I did,” she pouted. “I kind of read them all night.”
Selene’s jaw dropped. “What? You… oh my, if you keep this up, you’ll finish a year’s study in one month!”
Arianna blinked and chuckled awkwardly. “They’re interesting. I couldn’t stop myself and ended up studying overnight. You can ask me any questions about them—I’d be delighted to answer.”
“Alright. We’ll start your dragon training soon. You’ve literally covered a week’s work, so we’ll have enough time for it.”
Arianna nodded, and Selene excused herself to let her continue studying.
Stepping out, Selene glanced at the door and mumbled. “She is indeed going to be a great leader.”
However, as her mind drifted to the message she had received from Drakora last night, her shoulder tensed.
How would Arianna feel if she told her about it?