The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 214: Chapter 214

“No. It's dangerous,” Arianna shook her head. “But I'll take you there someday, just not yet.”
Rheal looked away momentarily, breathing as if trying to hold back his tears.
Arianna’s chest tightened. It had been barely two months since she awoke from the crystal. She had made sure to spend most of her time with Rheal but... It wasn't enough.
Her son was beautiful in every inch, the thought of leaving tomorrow made her heart heavy as well.
“Come here,” Arianna pulled him close to her embrace, and he wrapped his tiny arms around her tightly.
Then a light, muffled sob came—a breath close to changing her decision.
“Your auntie will remain here. When the time comes, she'll bring you over. You’ll finally get to see your father as well.”
“Promise?” the little boy croaked.
“I promise, sweetheart. We'll see each other again soon.”
Before his birthday, she'll make sure things get back to normal. She make sure if that.
“Ska Myzara! (My Queen!) Come dance with us!” Sylra's voice called from the dancers.
“Dravena! Rykarr! (Daughter! Grandson!) Don't miss the fun!” Drakora’s voice joined in. She was among the dancers.
That was one lovely thing about her mother, she mixed well with the people.
“Grandmother is drunk,” Rheal pointed out.
“She is?”
Rheal nodded with a small smile. “She dances whenever she drinks.”
Fact noted.
Arianna snickered. “We should join them,” she suggested, and he nodded.
She took his hand and made the Ashen step to appear paces from the celebration. The females quickly gathered around them while Cal called Rheal to come play a kid’s game called shadow tags.
Rheal kissed his mother's knuckles before running off to play with the kids, while the females gently dragged Arianna into the dance.
Their dance was different from the strict ball moves in the Moon Palace. It was wild and freeing.
The women moved in circles, their hips swaying, hands raised to the stars, laughter echoing as if they’d never known pain. And perhaps, at that moment, they hadn’t.
Arianna smiled. Her body moved slowly at first, unsure… then gradually, she surrendered to the rhythm. The drums beat loud and proud, voices humming melodies in the ancient Ouroboros tongue.
Arianna laughed—not the kind she faked for peace. It was genuine. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes lit.
Lylah was leaning against one of the houses a few paces away, with a goblet of ale in her hand. She held it up in acknowledgment the moment their gazes met.
When Sylra saw her, she went for Lylah.
“Oh no, I can't dance!” Lylah argued from a distance while Sylra kept dragging her forward.
A pair of hands grabbed Arianna's—Drakora’s. “Loosen up, Myzara! We don’t dance with our backs stiff!”
Arianna chuckled and began dancing with her mother while Lylah joined in.
“Aria, please save me,” Lylah mouthed as Sylra forced her to dance. Arianna simply stuck out her tongue.
As the music carried on, a sudden flash of gold zipped past her—Rheal, laughing wildly as Cal chased him and the other kids around the large fire in a game of shadow tags.
“Careful!” Arianna called out, though her grin betrayed any real concern.
He threw her a look over his shoulder, that exact smirk Duncan used to wear when he was about to tease her.
Her chest ached.
For a fleeting second, she imagined Duncan standing by the fire, that cocky smirk, that guarded softness only she got to see—the gaze that always melted her completely.
Then it faded. Slowly, so did her smile.
Arianna’s breath shallow, tears she hadn't prepared for blurred her vision. Her gaze swept through the laughter and joy, landing on her sister who had joined the wildness.
But Duncan wasn't here.
It was as though something suddenly broke inside her—something she had tried to shield.
‘Little Flame.’
His voice. Scent. Words. Touch. She missed him.
“Aria!” Drakora’s worried voice snapped her from the trance.
She sniffed back her tears and spun, disappearing from their midst and appearing before a large rock from afar. Her fist slammed against it, shattering the rock into pieces.
She broke into tears, digging her fingers through her hair and falling to her knees. Her shoulder shook, throat tightened.
“I miss you, Dun,” she sobbed, her voice heavy with emotion. “I miss you so much…
…Please. Please be alive.”
••••••••••••••
After the celebration, Lylah went to check on Arianna, who had a sleeping Rheal by her side.
The sisters stepped out, just the two of them, staring at the night sky.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Lylah broke the silence.
Arianna nodded slowly in response.
“Was it the thought of him that made you leave the dance earlier?”
A brief silence passed before Arianna replied. “I don't know how to feel. I'm scared of the answer I might get when I reach there…” She took a deep breath. “I miss him. A lot.”
Lylah hummed softly, her arms wrapped around her folded knees.
“I understand how that feels. Missing someone can be really exhausting.”
Arianna bit down on her lip. “But you did it for more than six years. It must have been so cruel for you.”
“It was,” Lylah laughed bitterly. “I gave up along the way and thought that was the end. But that voice never stopped whispering to me that there’s a chance—one I’d never expect.”
Arianna met her sister's gaze. Those brown eyes held so many stories that clenched her heart, yet her sister's lips curled up into a small smile.
“When they told me your body wasn't found, I doubted my instincts, taking it as fate playing another trick.” A genuine smile spread across her lips. “But a part of me sang that you were somewhere—alive, waiting. I missed you so much I couldn't quiet down those voices, and here we are… you're here.” She sniffled, holding in a cry. “Same with Falcon and Lucas too.”
“So if you're hearing that same voice, I believe he is somewhere out there as well,” Lylah reached out to hold her hand. “He is alive, okay? I believe that… I believe that light you've lost in your eyes will return soon.”
So her sister noticed? That light in her had been dull ever since she woke up—a part she had tried to hide.
A part that belonged solely to her mate.
“You just have to go for it.”
Arianna drew her sister into her embrace, stroking her short hair. Lylah didn't hesitate to do the same.
“Thank you, little bear,” she whispered.
“I love you, Aria.”
“I love you too.”
“Don't forget to send the signal once the time comes,” Lylah said. “I'll come over with Rheal and protect him with my life.”
“I will… I promise.”