The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 166: Chapter 166

A FEW HOURS AGO
As Lylah explained what she meant--how she feels around the Grand Lord: the pounding of her heart, reddened cheeks, unbidden thoughts spiraling around him, the way his voice and presence made her feel on top of the world, how upset she got seeing him with another—Arianna couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
Lylah was kind that despised the word couples.
She scoffed at the sight of two people whispering sweet things to each other. Rolled her eyes when mates meets.
The only pair she tolerated was their parents—but even then, the way their father lost himself after their mother’s death only made her hate love more.
It was no surprise Lylah didn’t want a mate and rejected every single young male who managed to ignore her cold façade and approach her.
Lylah had broken three young he-wolves' noses just because they tried to kiss her.
Arianna even thought her sister might never feel anything close to love—at least not the kind that made hearts race and logic scatter.
So, hearing Lylah now, blush creeping to her ears, fingers nervously fiddling with the hem of her sleeve as she spoke about the Beta…
It was like watching a storm turn into sunlight.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Lylah muttered, eyes downcast like she’d confessed a sin.
Arianna poured herself a glass of water and drank until her dry throat felt properly moistened.
“You’ve got a crush on the Beta,” she finally said.
Lylah’s head snapped up. “No, I don’t. Don’t call it that—ugh.”
Arianna couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped her lips—loud and unapologetic.
“It’s not funny,” Lylah groaned, burying her face in her hands.
“You just said you’re in love with the Beta. Why are you changing that now?” Arianna said between laughs.
“I hate you,” Lylah mumbled.
“No, you don’t.”
“This is horrible. He’s way, way, way older. And serious. And important. And—”
“Hot,” Arianna added with a sly smirk.
“—Hot,” Lylah hissed, then blinked. “No! Ugh, what’s wrong with me?! Aria, stop.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you. It’s just your heart doing what it was built to do. Welcome to the madness, baby sister,” Arianna said, her voice dropping to a quiet tone. “Have you told him?”
“I… kinda did.”
Arianna hummed. “So, what did he say?”
Lylah swallowed hard at the memory.
‘There’s a sick part in my brain where I end up breaking the ones I mount and enjoy it.’
Yeah… definitely not something she could repeat.
“Well, I got rejected,” she said simply.
“Sounds like the Beta,” Arianna said, casually chewing her bread.
“What do you mean?” Lylah asked, picking up her fork to keep eating.
“He’s basically a another version of Duncan. Same doubts. Same guilt. You just have to give it a chance. Chase him.”
“Um… I’m not sure I understand that,” Lylah murmured, biting her lower lip. She still couldn’t believe she was sitting here, actually listening to love advice—on something she swore she’d never believe in.
“Let me tell you something that happened between me and the King,” Arianna said, setting down her cup of wine and leaning forward, resting her elbows on the table.
By the time she was done, Lylah’s face had gone pale.
“What in holy hell did you just say?” Lylah stared at her, eyes wide. “He killed four guards and a slave master, then held your neck like he was about to snap it off?”
“Yeah, right?” Arianna nodded, unfazed, a tiny wicked smirk tugging at her lips.
“I remember that night. It was during my first full moon here… I had no idea he almost killed you,” Lylah said in a hushed voice. “You never told me what happened. All I knew was he saved you and… well, that you satisfied him.”
“Yup. I didn’t want to scare you back then.”
Lylah pressed her lips together, then asked, “So how did you pull it off? You said he was completely mindless.”
Arianna smirked. “I kissed him. That snapped him out of it. And then we did it... Using the corpses ad mat.”
“What…” Lylah blinked like she’d grown another head. “What do you mean kissed? Any sane person would’ve run for their life!”
“Says the girl who sparred with the Beta—who could’ve killed her in ten different ways—but still didn’t yield, even with his claws at her throat.”
“Yeah, well, the Beta didn’t dismember six people right in front of me,” Lylah shot back. “Woah…” Her voice trailed off as she leaned back in her chair. “And here I was thinking I was crazy.”
“The thing is… falling for a powerful ancient Lycan does make you crazy. It’s chaotic. Messy. Sometimes painful. But at the end of that night, I felt safe in the arms of the most ruthless, powerful male in the world… listening to his heartbeat while he stroked my hair.” Arianna smiled softly, eyes distant with memory.
Lylah smiled too. It was nice seeing Arianna like this. Genuinely happy. Even though there was still a storm beneath the surface, as long as that smile stayed, she’d support her no matter what.
“Convincing someone like Lord Lucas won’t be easy,” Arianna added, her tone soft. “He’s been broken before. I’m sure he still carries a lot of doubt. But from where I’m standing… he cares about you.”
Lylah’s lips twitched. “You think so?”
“I know so. You’ve seen the signs yourself, haven’t you?” Arianna asked, and Lylah gave a small nod. “Then let him know. Let him know you’ll be there. Let him know you’re not giving up, no matter how scared he is. Show him how crazy he makes you. It won’t be easy… it’s going to take a long fucking time.”
Lylah swallowed, listening like an obedient pup. She could tell Arianna wasn’t just talking—she was telling her how she had managed to win the King’s heart.
“He’s going to rage. He’ll try to push you away. He’ll scare you sometimes, make you want to give up. He’ll confuse you, make you question everything, maybe even break your mind a little,” Arianna said with a scoff, the corner of her lips curling in amusement. “But the crazy thing about a female in love…”
She paused, chuckled, then shook her head.
“They don’t give up. As long as he doesn’t betray you… you’ll keep feeding that small flame you managed to spark in him.”
Arianna leaned forward, reaching out to gently hold her sister’s hand.
“We are Greystones, Lylah. We don’t back down.”
Lylah felt the tightness in her chest ease, her anxious thoughts slowly melting away. With a soft smile and a swelling heart, she whispered, “You’re the best sister in the world.”
Arianna grinned, flashing her perfect teeth. “You too, little bear. I’ve been waiting forever for the day we’d sit down and talk about males.”
“And it turns out we both picked the most complicated ones,” Lylah snorted. “We’re both insane.”
“Absolutely,” Arianna said, and their warm laughter filled the air.
•
Present.
Lylah paused in her tracks, glancing back at the large, imposing doors of the Grand Lord’s chambers, her lips curling into a proud, satisfactory smile. She had finally said her piece.
She recalled the way the Grand Lord’s face reddened after she pecked him.
The second ruler had blushed. That was a new thing.
Freaking cute.
Looking away, she shrugged. “Sorry, dear Grand Handsome Lord… I always get what I want.”
With that, she strode away with her head held high.
But from a distance, Yvonne stood watching her leave, her expression unreadable.