The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 171: Chapter 171

“Quickly, hide the children,” Diana hushly said.
The women rushed to gather the children, but before they could, the door burst open.
Gasps rippled through the air.
Helen and the blondie used their bodies to shield the children.
Other women working and a few men among them paused, secretly grabbing a weapon. The air stilled and fell silent.
“Well, well, well,” one of the soldiers stepped forward, the leader, tall, lean with dirty blonde hair. “Do you all miss me?”
Diana jaw clenched, and others kept their gaze low, except Arianna, who glared at them.
“Keep your eyes on the floor,” Diana whispered, but Arianna didn’t listen.
Too late. The soldier spotted her.
Snickering, he licked his lips.
“You all must be wondering why we came. It’s simple. We need a child, and” he smirked and pointed at Arianna, “her.”
“You’ll have nothing,” Arianna’s voice was flat.
One of the soldiers felt Duncan rising to his feet, the moment he met those golden eyes, he froze.
“New face, huh? You must be some travelers, but I don’t give a fuck,” he shot a deadly glare at the others. “Bring me a child and bundle her.”
“You will no longer touch these people. Nor will you take food from the mouths of starving ones. You won’t drag their sons off to wars that aren’t theirs, nor will you demand their daughters to warm your filthy beds. You come for a child?” Her voice dripped with venom. “You’re not a soldier. You’re nothing more than a dog with a stolen badge.”
Gasps fluttered from the women behind her, but no one dared interrupt.
It wasn’t just her boldness, but the way her voice sounded powerful.
"Do you have any idea whom you're talking to?"
“Your title means nothing here. Not to me,” she said. “Leave and never touch these people ever again.”
The soldier’s face twisted. “Bitch—!”
A strong hand settled on his shoulder.
“How about we have a talk outside?” Duncan asked from behind him.
Duncan had planned to bash their heads against the wall and savor the sight of brains squashing beneath his large hand.
But in front of these little kids and broken women, that wouldn’t be a nice thing to do.
“Do you have a death wish, big man?” the soldier asked.
Diana looked at Arianna in panic, hoping she’d stop her husband from getting into trouble. These soldiers were devious and had done unimaginable things to them.
They all wondered if the travelers were crazy.
Duncan’s scent was low, and even though he looked larger than everyone in the room, that didn’t mean he could defeat these people.
“It’s the other way around,” Duncan’s rough voice hinted he was about to lose himself.
Scoffing, the soldier did exactly what Duncan expected. He pulled out his sword to slash at Duncan, but the male effortlessly dodged and swept his feet from under him. The head soldier lost his balance and fell hard on his face.
Tiny laughter echoed from the children. Helen hushed them with a finger on her lips.
“Who sent you?” Duncan’s thick voice dropped into the usual commanding tone, unlike the soft voice he had used with the kids a while ago.
Another soldier charged at Duncan, and he did the same, sweeping his feet from the ground. The soldier fell and broke his nose.
The kids laughed again, louder. This time the blondie joined in, and Helen shot her a warning look.
Duncan glanced at the kids and winked at them.
The women bit their lips in admiration, while Arianna’s lips simply twitched.
Their leader got up and wiped his bleeding head, and just before he could yell, he froze at the pheromones Duncan released on him.
He started shaking, fear engulfing every inch of his bones.
“We’ll talk outside. Shall we?” It wasn’t a question, but a warning. If he attacked again, it would be his grave.
Finally, he listened, and they all left.
“Oh my… W… who is he? Really?”
“D… did they just… listen to…”
“Why is my heart… racing with fear… not from the soldier… but the Elise's husband?”
Murmurs and stammers flooded the air as they all looked at Arianna.
“Who are you guys?”
Arianna bit the inside of her cheek. Oh fuck.
•
The soldiers were bleeding from every part. They weren’t dead but wished they were. Duncan had beaten the hell out of them, and they had come to the realization that the male wasn’t ordinary.
Duncan read through the scroll. One from the Crimson Pack’s Alpha himself.
It turned out that the Alpha sell his people to feed his own ass. What a punk.
From his records in palace, the Crimson Pack was doing well despite being small.
Due to many official matters to deal with, he hadn’t gone deep into this before, and that sparked guilt within his chest.
But now he wouldn’t overlook it. At least, he now knew where to start.
“Arrest their Alpha and those involved in this and bring them to the Citadel,” he ordered his men.
Citadel?!
“Please, whoever you are, don’t kill us… we’re only following orders,” their leader cried. Duncan had wounded him more than the others. Broken bones and bruises without end.
Exhaling, Duncan contained Ash within.
“What about them, Your Highness?” one of his men asked.
The soldiers’ eyes widened with shock.
Your Highness?!!!
Two of the soldiers wet their pants. They had crossed the king… the king of all fucking people?!
They thought the king never leaves the Citadel, so why had he come to a filthy place like this of all places?!
“Kill the others. I’ll have a little talk with their leader,” Duncan ordered.
•
After settling everything, Duncan returned to find the women, children, and a few farmers gathered around Arianna, who assured them everything would be okay from now on.
Diana broke into light sobs. “Are you guys really highborns?”
Arianna simply smiled. “We're your protectors. We may look like strangers, but we carry your hope. This place, your people, your lives, they matter to us.”
“Thank you for coming,” Mae, who was still on her lap, grinned, and Arianna kissed her messy brown hair.
“You're welcome.”
“The realm will be a better place if we have many like you in power,” Helen said, and everyone agreed.
Duncan stayed and watched. Indeed, heaven had blessed him with her.
As the sun began to set, Arianna and Duncan prepared to leave.
“Won’t you stay a little longer, Elise?” Mae insisted.
“My aunty makes lovely meals for everyone. You're going to love it,” another child said.
“I would love to, but I promise to come back, okay?”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” She kissed each of them on the cheek.
They also made her promise to bring Duncan so he could teach them how to fight.
With that, the couple mounted their horses, waved goodbye, and left.
Diana’s lips twitched into a warm smile as she mumbled, “Why do I feel like that is the king and his woman? I must be crazy.”