The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Many things had shock Arianna ever since she had came to this palace, but none was as insane as this.
Selene, sneaking her out of the Citedal walls.
This head maid had passed through passages she never thought existed.
Selene told her, the Lycan had built this passage centuries ago and it was forgotten.
Arianna had more questions but her mouth snapped shut when Selene led her to a huge tree, pulling a laver. The huge tree's root opened up, revealing stairs the lead to an underground cave.
"Get in" Selene light a touch, the fire casting a warm glow that cut through the thick darkness. "Your answers are down here, come with me."
Arianna took a deep breath, before following her in. Selene led her down the stairs, they footsteps echoing the spaced.
Soon, Arianna halt her track, feeling the strange flow of air. There was something else here. The glowing fire, slightly revealed its shadow.
"Madam Selene" Arianna called in an hush voice.
Instantly, the light in the cave turned on, touches that aligned lit up at the wave Selene hand.
That didn't surprise Arianna, but what the fire light revealed made Arianna's stomach dropped to her feet.
A bird-like creature, magnificent with a menacing presence stood before her. It wings spread as it let out a loud high pitched screeching sound.
"Oh heavens," Arianna couldn't move her feet, her expression awestruck. "What in the world..."
"Meet Eryndor. The Ouroboros call it the Messenger. It's centuries old and has been passed down through my bloodline. It won't die until the current master it serves dies."
"Wait. A dragon will die if its master dies?" Arianna asked, and Selene nodded. "Does it apply the other way around?"
"No. A dragon dying doesn't affect the master—it only weakens the master and shortens their life."
Not tearing her gaze from Eryndor, Arianna muttered, "So that story was real. The war between the Lycans and the Ouroboros. Does that mean I have a dragon too? A physical one?"
Selene shook her head. "I cannot tell, for now."
Eryndor shifted closer to Arianna, stuck out its tongue, and brushed it across her face.
"Woah," Arianna chuckled.
"I think it likes you," Selene shrugged. "It recognizes our kind anywhere, and you, being a special one, it respects."
Eryndor bowed its head before Arianna, allowing her to touch it. "Hello, there," she greeted softly. It purred at the contact of her hand.
"Come on, Arianna... we have a lot to talk about."
Selene turned, walking further into the cave, with Arianna following closely.
They reached a stone-crafted door, and Selene turned the knob in several steps before it creaked open.
Stepping in, Arianna lost her breath at the sight. The walls of the room were filled with paintings carved into the stone—images that held ancient tales and stories.
"Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Selene Vaeloria, Watcher of the Ouroboros. My bloodline holds the past histories, myths, and secrets of our kind—the Ouroboros."
"Your name sounds like someone born to serve the Moon Realm. Selene," Arianna muttered.
"I bear the name so I can blend in among the wolves. Another way to keep my secret."
Arianna stepped in front of the first carved painting. Two god-like women dressed in long, shimmering gowns.
One had silver hair, eyes, and a flowing silver gown, and the other wore deep emerald, her dark hair cascading like ink down her back. Her golden eyes exuded an untamed aura.
"Drakora and Seluna. The Pyrrhos goddess and the Moon Goddess," Arianna murmured.
Selene nodded. "You've read the book—but not all of it."
Arianna traced the storyline depicted in the paintings. It was just like the story in the book: the Ouroboros princess mated to the crown prince of the Moon Realm.
Each painting told a tale.
Betrayal. Fire engulfing the land of the Moon Realm. The two goddesses watching in concern. Drakora breaking the rules by granting the last prince and other Lycans power to stop the war.
Then, she halted at the painting of Drakora falling from the heavens.
"Drakora lost most of her powers when she fell to Earth—cast into loneliness. Days turned to months, months to years, and centuries passed as she lived in isolation and depression... until I found her."
Arianna trailed the paintings as Selene spoke.
"My bloodline had remained hidden. Generation after generation, we searched for Drakora, but to no avail. When it was my turn, I decided to search beyond the our Realm, despite the dangers. I found her on an isolated island—her cave made of ice and crystals. She was happy to see me, glad that some of her kind still lived."
"There are still more of you out there?" Arianna asked in a whisper.
"Barely. None of us have a dragon—only Eryndor, the Messenger."
Selene continued. "After living with and helping Drakora for a while, she expressed a desire to visit to the Moon Realm.
"Seeing her desperation, I took her there. Then we found a man in the woods, under attack. He had a strong wolf scent—an Alpha’s blood. He was near death. Drakora saved him and brought him to her chamber," Selene explained.
"I feared the man would expose Drakora when he saw her appearance, but he didn’t. Instead, he admired her silver hair, her eyes, and even complimented her. It moved Drakora. Under a full moon, lust crept in, and they slept together. The next morning, the man was gone.
"Drakora was devastated—especially when she discovered she was pregnant. It felt surreal, since she was a goddess, not a normal being. For almost a year, she carried the child. I stood by her, searching for herbs to ease her pain. Her labor lasted two weeks—agonizing and relentless. In the end, she gave birth to a girl."
Arianna’s palms turned sweaty. She was beginning to understand where this was going.
"Drakora asked me to take the baby to her father. The child looked nothing like an Ouroboros and likely wouldn’t become one. She had her father’s eyes and features. I hired an artist to sketch the man’s face and searched for him. When I found him, he was already an Alpha.
"That same night, the Alpha’s wife gave birth—but the baby died tragically. The Alpha was devastated, afraid to tell his wife who would wake up any moment. It was the perfect time.
"I left the child where the Alpha would find her, along with a letter. I wrote that she was his daughter—the child of the silver-haired woman that saved his life. That was what he used to call Drakora, since she never gave him her name. I waited and watched as he replaced his wife's dead child with the one I brought."
Arianna clenched her fists, piecing everything together. "That Alpha... was my father?" He voice grew quieter. "And I was that child?"
Selene nodded. "Yes. That is true."