The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 138: Chapter 138

It was almost midnight before Beta Lucas finally finished his work for the day. The work of the day had left his bone aching.
A knock sounded on his door, and in a composed tone, he gave permission for the person to come in.
“My Lord,” greeted the young warrior who stepped in, his voice full of caution as he handed a scroll to Lucas. “The artist sent me to give you this sire.”
Lucas collected it and slid it open, an impressed smile tugging at his lips.
“Just what I and the king had in mind,” he mumbled, as he stared at the new weapon painting. “His majesty is going to like this when he returns.”
It was going to take many months to perfect it, though.
Without tearing his gaze from the art, he ordered the young male warrior, “Have the artist paid in full.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
As the door shut, Lucas decided to access the drawing for a while before finally dropping it. He ordered the maids to prepare a bath for him, and just as he waited, the little wolf slipped into his mind.
Had the small welcome celebration come to an end?
Is she back in her room?
He recalled his own celebration joining the warriors as a young male.
As one of the survivors and one those who fought the War of the Ouroborous, he was respected and strong—his strength unmatched—and he was quickly promoted to head warrior.
One of the reasons Lucas had wanted to grow strong was to protect the realm and his best friend, the King. He didn’t want the bloodbath that happened centuries ago to repeat itself.
Then, after many years, Duncan had shocked him by choosing him as his Beta instead of Lord Valoreth.
He saw the same fiery spirit in Lylah that night she admitted she had gone into the dark forest for her sister’s sake, the fire in her eyes the day she challenged him into a fight. The dangerous, reckless things she did reminded him of himself.
Perhaps that’s why he had grown fond of her.
After taking a warm bath, Lucas felt his tensed muscles relax. His fatigue had already begun to fade, but his eyes felt heavy, and he wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and let darkness consume him.
But—
He went for a stroll instead, and before he knew it, he was heading to the barracks. Even as he realized it, he didn’t stop.
“The celebration ended three hours ago, my Lord,” replied Amy, who was still cleaning up the mess. The strong stench of ale made his nose wrinkle.
Amy kept her curious gaze lowered, wondering why the Beta had an interest in the party.
If the party ended three hours ago, then the little wolf must have already been in her room. With that thought, Lucas turned to leave without a word.
He hesitated heading to her room. The night patrol soldiers’ stunned expressions were clear for a second before they lowered their gazes.
From their looks, they assumed someone might be in trouble for his prescence to be needed here, but none dared to pry and ask.
This was his second time coming here with the aim of seeing her.
The first time, he had a genuine reason—she was hurt, and he had shown that he cared since he was her teacher.
But now—
Lucas sighed.
He wanted to go back, to head to his chamber, but his feet refused to obey him until he was standing before Lylah’s door.
Fortunately, there was no one in sight in the corridor that led to her room, or else there would have been whispers and murmurs about him coming to a young lady’s chamber in the middle of the night.
And perhaps Lylah might begin to see him as a freak. That would be so embarrassing if she found out. Well, who cares—he’d just think of an excuse to bring up.
Really, Lucas. When did you become like this?
He decided to open the door with the aim of getting over his curiosity and leaving immediately. He was surprised the door was unlocked—a fact he hadn’t considered before coming here.
Careless little wolf.
What if some male asshole had come in.
He stepped into the dark room, though he could see clearly, and was quite impressed by how tidy her room looked.
Everything was well arranged—not a single thing sprawled on the floor or misplaced.
With that rebellious character of hers, it caught him off guard.
His gaze traveled to the bed, and there she was—
Sleeping.
Through the darkness, Lucas could see her flushed face. She was sleeping soundly with her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
Lucas loosened his clamped arms behind him and reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face, but stopped mid-air.
'Can I… kiss you?' her tiny voice echoed in his head.
Lucas exhaled. What was he doing in a kid’s room in the middle of the night—
*She is eighteen, Lucas. Not a fucking kid,* Rex, his Lycan, uninvitedly reminded.
*Go back to whatever underground you came from, Rex,* Lucas scolded.
*She’s an Alpha’s daughter too.*
*That’s it. I’m leaving.*
With that, he turned on his heel to leave but paused at the thought of Lylah’s door remaining unlocked. He considered waking her but didn’t want to disturb her sleep.
It looked like she had drunk with her friends during the celebration.
Lucas gave instructions to one of the patrol guards to watch over the sector Lylah was in before disappearing back to his chamber.