The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 194: Chapter 194

The travel distant stretched.
Hours turned into days. Desert, mountains, rivers, forests—they crossed through all in their journey. They even took secret caves and hidden routes that had existed for years.
It's no surprise the wolves weren't able to trace them.
Now, they were in a cave, sitting around a fire with small camps set up to spend the night.
They had been traveling non-stop, only taking a few hours’ break to feed the horses.
Their horses looked a bit different—larger, leaner, with stronger legs. Their frames were covered in protective silver thread, likely meant to shield them from the harshness of their realm.
Lylah had barely said a word to them since threatening Drakora, and thankfully, they gave her space. Otherwise, she might’ve sounded so fucking rude.
The fallen goddess had refused to give her any information, insisting they reach their realm first.
“Here’s yours,” Cal said, handing her a tray of roasted bush meat. The twelve-year-old kid had been the only one speaking to her. Stubborn, and talked too damn much.
“Why do you have so many marks on your body? Is that a Gladiator kind of thing?”
“Isn’t the name Cal meant for a boy?”
“I am a boy,” Cal looked offended. “Girls get called Cal sometimes too, but I’m a boy. You... you thought I was a girl this whole time?”
Lylah shrugged. She knew. She just wanted to dodge his question.
“You should cut your hair,” Sylra chimed in while passing by.
“Why should I? Father has long braided hair, and I plan to have the same,” Cal said, pointing at Zav.
Sylra shook her head and walked away.
“Don’t tell me Zav has two wives. You look nothing like them,” Lylah muttered.
“Oh, they’re not my biological parents. I was adopted after my father left our realm.”
Lylah raised a brow. “Left?”
“Yeah. Years ago, after my pregnant mother fell into icy water and never resurfaced. My father lost it… and one morning, he was just gone.” Cal’s lips tightened as he glanced at the dark-skinned, beautiful couple. “I think he’s dead. That’s why they took me in.”
The story was oddly familiar.
“Was your father's name Jarik?”
Cal’s eyes widened as they met hers. “You know him?”
“Not really,” she muttered, looking away.
“What happened to him?”
“You don’t wanna know. Stick with your parents.” She wasn’t sure if her words came out too harsh, but Cal’s expression said it all.
He went quiet, turning his gaze back to the fire.
Lylah wasn’t the type to console—hell, she didn’t even know if she understood the difference between right and wrong anymore. She felt empty.
Drakora sitting across, stared at her with a calm look that did nothing but make Lylah scoff and look away, turning her attention back to the little boy who looked like he was trying hard not to cry.
“Sometimes it’s better not to know. Some truths don’t heal. They break.”
“He killed people in the Moon Realm and was punished by royalty,” Cal muttered.
Lylah blinked. “You know? Why ask then?”
“Confirmation,” he said with a shrug but Lylah knew he was hurting.
And just like that, silence returned.
•
The journey continued the next day, but since Lylah had refused to sleep, she couldn’t fight off the wave of darkness that eventually hit her.
By the time she woke up, the Dragon Realm was in sight.
“We’re here,” Cal said excitedly. “I shall introduce you to all my friends, little wolf.”
“Don’t call me that,” Lylah scowled.
"But that is the name on your shoulder."
Before Lylah could speak again, she roze as they rode through the towering mountains that stood like ancient shields, guarding the realm beyond.
A land filled with ice, barely a blade of grass, death at every corner due to famine and drought—that was how Selene had described the Dragon Realm.
But—
It turned out to be the complete opposite.
The vast land was thriving. Crops stretched across the fields, vibrant flowers bloomed, and the bright sky smiled down, casting its warm glow. Children—mostly toddlers—ran around with their pets, many of them reptiles.
Their laughter rang through the air like it had always belonged.
The homes stood strong, some still under construction, their builders working in harmony, creating unique, powerful structures.
The realm was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
How? Had they lied about their suffering?
An Ouroboros female watched her little daughter take her first steps, joy etched into her features as the child’s giggles echoed. The mother scooped her up with a delighted laugh, muttering something in the ancient dragon tongue before showering kisses on her daughter’s face.
She spotted the moving cart and waved at Drakora.
“Vael’shara! (The flame-born mother) My child took her first step!”
Drakora smiled and congratulated her, offering blessings—but the mother’s smile vanished the moment her eyes landed on Lylah.
“A wolf?!”
Her voice caught the attention of others. They all turned to look—curious, stunned. Not terrified, but certainly unsure.
Only then did Lylah realize her hood had slipped off. She quickly reached up, covering her short, dark-brown hair and glanced down at Cal, who smiled reassuringly.
“Would you like to rest before seeing your sister?” Drakora asked.
“No. We’re not stopping this cart until I see her.”
Drakora said nothing, as though she had expected the answer.
After a long silence, Lylah finally couldn’t hold back anymore. “Not only are you mysteriously alive, but the Dragon Realm looks perfectly fine.”
“All thanks to your sister,” Drakora replied.
Lylah’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Arianna did this?”
“Her presence healed the land. The freezing stopped, crops grew, wild animals returned, fresh fruits… all the good things came back to us.”
Lylah was speechless for a full minute. When she finally found her voice again, Zav’s voice cut in.
"Where are here."
Ahead in the distance stood the tallest mountain Lylah had ever seen. Its height stretched reaching the sky.
The cart halted to let Cal, Sylra, and a few others off. Cal promised to visit her soon.
Lylah and the remaining small group continued toward the mountain.
The Dragon Realm had been the last place she expected to find Arianna.
Amy had told her a few rumors she’d heard about her sister’s situation before the disappearance. A drug was said to have killed her baby, followed by a shot through the heart, and then a fall from the sky.
Even though Lylah knew Arianna was a strong female, those three deadly encounters—no one could’ve survived them.
They reached the wide opening of the mountain, the mouth larger than that of a blue whale. Compared to it, they were like ants.
Each step made her heart pound louder in her ears.
And then finally, they stood before it.
Zav lit the torch and waved his hand. The flame responded, lighting larger torches throughout the cave. With each glow, more of the interior was revealed.
At the center stood a massive iceberg, shimmering like crystal-clear water under the sun.
Inside was Arianna.
Long silver hair floated around her suspended form like woven starlight. Her eyes were shut, lashes dark against her pale cheeks.
She wore a thin white fabric—almost transparent, barely enough to cover her. Her arms were folded across her midsection, bare feet hanging weightless.
The crystal felt alive.
Lylah couldn’t breathe.
"Aria," she said under her breath.
Her knees nearly gave out. She didn’t realize she had started running toward her until Drakora yanked her back. They both crashed to the floor just as fire surged toward the space Lylah had crossed.
The sudden wave of heat made her flinch and retreat quickly to safety.
That’s when she saw it.
A faint dark line. A boundary.
Then came a guttural growl from within the cave. Something stirred behind the crystal ice. Something massive. Coiled. Alive.
Lylah froze as a pair of molten red eyes emerged from the shadows, glaring—smoke curling from its enormous nostrils…
She didn’t need to see more.
The silhouette said it all.
It was a dragon.
A real fucking dragon.