The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

“You must be completely insane to go to the training ground. Not just that, you must be insane to let the Beta catch you, and you even sparred with him? What if he had hurt you beyond this?” Selene scolded, her voice laced with disbelief.
Brigid, who had her feet crossed and resting on the wall. “He's handsome though. So handsome up close.”
Selene hit her shoulder, and Brigid winced.
“Have you completely gone mad? What if the king was the one who spotted you? You’d be skinned alive by now.”
Brigid pouted. “I heard the king is even more handsome than his Beta. I haven’t seen King Duncan up close, but Beta Lucas... Oh, by the gods. He is beautiful.”
Selene huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. This girl is going to be the end of her.
“The king really asked you to treat her? His slave? And even allowed her to stay in his bed for the night?” Brigid asked, her voice edged with disbelief.
“Yes,” Selene replied, her voice clipped as she started to prepare for another task of the day.
“That is surprising. First, he claimed her as his slave, and now this? Could he have known she survived his rut? The king can be unpredictable.”
Selene paused, her gaze flashing with something Brigid missed.
Brigid sighed and mumbled under her breath. “She is not his mate, so why?”
Selene looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you say that?”
“She told me she had once been rejected by her mate before. That was the reason her wolf was hibernated... Definitely, it cannot be a second-chance mate since her previous mate is still alive. Besides, she has no wolf to connect with.” She sighed again. “Oh, poor Arianna.”
Selene stayed quiet, continuing her work.
Brigid spoke again. “She is strong, Madam Selene. She is really an Alpha’s daughter. If I had lost my wolf and been sold to this Citadel, I'd likely be dead by now. But she survived every turn.” Recalling something, Brigid sat up. “What about Lady Valkyrie?”
“What about her?” Selene asked back, and Brigid snickered.
“She must be restless,” Brigid snickered. “I almost thought you were on the proud peacock side.”
“First, watch your words, Brigid. You might get into trouble. And second, I serve the realm and no one else,” Selene replied, finishing up. "Now help me carry some of these to the Moonlit Courtyard and keep your mouth shut."
••••••••••••
DARK FOREST
Chatter filled the air, laughter echoing and drifting Lylah out of her deep slumber. The crackling sparks of fire echoed, its heat burning wild and causing irritation to her skin.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, her senses becoming clear.
She tried to move, only to realize she was tied, her mouth gagged, preventing intelligent words from coming out. She looked up with narrowed eyes.
Right before her were several dangerous groups.
Rogues.
Memories flooded her like waves. The rogues lurking in the shadows had attacked them on their way to the Lunaris Citadel. Glowing eyes, claws, and weapons flashed under the night, launching at them.
She recalled Ryder, shifting to his form and protecting her, but there were so many of them. As if they had been waiting.
Claws pierced into Ryder, and despite his wounds, he fought until there was no strength left.
Panic surged through Lylah. Was Ryder alive? She struggled against the rope that held her down, biting through her skin.
Seeing they were all distracted, Lylah decided to find a way to escape. A bump on her waist, shows her hidden extra dagger was still intact. Her hand struggled to reach for it.
"Look who's awake. The cute little wolf wandering off our territory."
Lylah's heart jumped to her mouth. One of the rogues had spotted her!
"How lucky we are to find a female. Young and yet to have a wolf," another spoke, and Lylah felt irritated by the way he stared at her.
"Her skin looks flawless... Definitely a highborn."
"What if she is a virgin?"
They exchanged a crazy look.
"Only one way to find out," the closest one approached, crouching and reaching for the fabric gagging her. "Let's hear what she’s got to say."
"Where is Ryder?!" she yelled, her heart racing.
"You mean that brute male that was with you?"
"Yes! Where is he?!"
"He's dead."
Lylah's breath halted, tears welling up in her eyes.
"He fought so well to protect you. But he wasn’t strong enough to beat a pack of rogues," the male smirked, his fangs bare.
Lylah's eyes burned with fury. She swung her dagger to his face, giving him a deep cut on his chin.
Hastily, she stood and made to run, but after a few feet, she bumped into a hard chest, making her stagger back.
She gasped when the rogue held her neck, squeezing and pulling her up, her feet dangling as she struggled. Then he threw her on the floor.
Lylah fell with a loud groan.
Before she could recover, he loomed over her.
Lylah swung her dagger toward his neck, but he grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head.
"You're such a feisty one, ain't ya?" The scar that ran deep across his face scared the shit out of her. He seemed to be the strongest among them.
"I love feisty girls," he laughed along with his mates, then forced a kiss on her chest.
Lylah's stomach flipped with irritation. She struggled, and due to her tiny hand against his calloused one, she managed to slip one hand free. Taking her dagger, she made to stab him again, but another rogue caught that hand. Lylah shouted in frustration... Her scream echoing through the dark forest.
"You little bitch!" he slapped her—once, twice, thrice. Lylah's head spun from the impact. Then he dragged her to her feet and sent two punches to her stomach before throwing her into the nearest tree.
Blood spilled from Lylah's lips. She turned to the side, only to get terrified once more.
It was Ryder's shifted form, lying in a pool of blood. Limbs torn apart, his head nearly disconnected from his body.
"No!" Tears flowed down her face as she tried to crawl toward him.
Her heart shattered into many pieces. This was her fault. Ryder's death was her fault. If she had listened to him about the danger of this dark forest, he would still be alive.
"I'm sorry..." she croaked, trembling.
A hand grabbed her from behind, spinning her over. Lylah struggled weakly but was hit again in the face. She saw stars... One more hit, and she might pass out.
Another hand pinned her arms above her, and another pinned her leg. The one on top of her pulled out his member in the dark.
"Let me go!" she struggled to speak.
The one on top of her, the scarred one, grabbed her hair. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard, the entire forest is going to shake from your screams."
His claws snapped out, and he raised them to the air to rip her clothing apart. Lylah shut her eyes.
The air suddenly grew heavy, so heavy it made them all halt their movements. It grew so chilly that the ones seated by the fire stood to their feet, eyes frantically moving around the space.
"W-what in the bloody moon was that?" one of them asked, his face mirroring the terror of the others.
Their leader sniffed once, eyes growing wide as he stared at the dark forest.
He murmured under his breath, "Lycans."
A deep growl rolled through the air, and before the others could register what their leader had said, it hit them. Like lightning, they ran through the forest, the wind whistling.
All of a sudden, Lylah felt every hand on her disappear, blood splashing over her, on her face... Whatever had just happened froze her.
Breathing hard, she slowly turned her head in the direction of the scream.
The rogues quickly shifted, facing the four half-shifted Lycans who straightened up. Two caught her eyes the most—the largest was absolutely terrifying, same goes for the second largest, who glanced over his shoulder, meeting her gaze.