The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 61: Chapter 61

FLASHBACK
"What do you mean, Thane? What do you mean that our first child died that night and you replaced her with the one you had with a silver-haired woman that saved your life in a war?" Ramona cried in tears.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to feel depressed about losing our first child. I had no choice..." Alpha Thane gently held her shoulder. "I didn't want you to get hurt."
Ramona yanked her arm away, her eyes blazing. "And then you bought the child of a woman you slept with while we were still considering courting?"
"She saved my life, and I didn't know what I was thinking. It was a full moon. I hadn't been mated to you back then, Mona. I'm sorry. I love you... I'm so sorry. It's in the past, and I just thought it was high time you knew the truth."
"You could have told me! Do you think I'll treat her differently if I had known the truth?!" She made to leave, but Thane held her, pulling her into an embrace.
"I know, I just didn't want to hurt you. Please understand, wife. That's why I'm telling you now. Arianna is still our child, okay? My child, your child, our child. She'll never find out about this."
"What about the silver-haired woman?" Ramona sobbed. "You don't even know what she is? How can you be so sure she is your child?"
Thane held her face gently. "I smelled my blood flowing through her veins that night. The Alpha blood. She has my eyes, too. I'd recognize my pups anywhere, and as for Arianna, we'll watch her closely."
"Who else knows about this?" Ramona croaked.
"Just my best friend Darius and the head midwife of the pack."
Both of them froze at a strange sound.
Thane immediately went to open the door and found Lylah eavesdropping. His eyes went wide.
"Oh my God, Lylah... Did you hear everything?" Thane asked, worried. Little, ten-year-old Lylah nodded.
Thane held her firmly, staring straight into his second daughter's eyes, his voice edged with a bit of Alpha authority. "You cannot tell Arianna about this, ever. She is still my daughter. My blood. Your sister. Do you understand?"
••••••••
FLASHBACK END.
Lylah wiped her tears as she recalled everything. She hadn't headed back to the barracks; instead, she found a small corridor to sit in. Her knees folded, eyes lowered to the ground as she hugged herself.
Arianna's upset look flashed in her mind; she knew it must have felt bad. But they were still sisters. Half-blood or not, she didn't care.
A pair of boots suddenly appeared before her.
Lylah slowly looked up, meeting the familiar caramel pair of eyes of Grand Lord Lucas, his guard standing paces away.
"What are you doing here, little wolf?" His deep, baritone voice vibrated the air.
Lylah looked away. "Ignore me, dear handsome Lord. Little wolf is sad right now."
Lucas sighed. "That mouth of yours." He slowly crouched before her, surprising Lylah. She had expected him to leave her.
"Is this about the head warrior not giving you a chance to fight? Or have you gotten into trouble again?"
"Is that what you think of me?" Lylah raised a brow. "That I am a troublemaker?"
Lucas nodded.
"Then you're right. I'm always creating trouble," she stated, feeling her mood lighten a bit noticing Lord Lucas smiling a little with his eyes.
"Lucas?" Another deep, powerful voice sounded from a distance. Lucas stood straight, while Lylah's heart leapt to her mouth, sighting the king approaching.
King Duncan moved with grace, his cloak billowing slightly behind him as he strode forward, exuding an air of deadly authority.
Lylah swallowed hard, her earlier playfulness vanishing under the weight of his presence.
His sharp golden eyes flicked from Lucas to Lylah.
"Your Majesty," Lylah greeted with a respectful nod.
"Lylah Gretone, is it not?"
Lylah swallowed again; the king's deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. His presence was too sharp making Lylah wondered how Arianna managed herself around this imposing male.
Freaking handsome but terrifying. She couldn't even meet his gaze for long.
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Hm. You look quite smaller than how they describe you. What are you doing here instead of being at the barracks?"
"I went to see my sister, Arianna, Your Grace."
At the mention of Arianna, the king's gaze seemed to soften.
Duncan returned his gaze to Lucas. "I'll head back to my chamber. We'll talk tomorrow."
Lucas gave him a light nod, and as the king left, he returned his gaze to Lylah, staring in awe.
"You look like a girl about to pee at the sight of him," Lucas muttered, and before Lylah could give him a look, he patted her head. "I'll see you around, little wolf."
Heat crept onto Lylah's cheeks as she watched him leave.
•••••••••
Back at her cave, Arianna was still trying to digest the news. The feeling of finding out that you weren’t who you thought you were—who everyone told you you were—was something she couldn’t quite put into words.
Her whole life, she had believed she was the firstborn daughter of Alpha Thane and Luna Ramona, the rightful heir to the Ravenswood Pack. Now, she knew the truth. She was Thane’s daughter, but her mother was not Ramona—it was Drakora, the fallen Pyrrhos goddess.
Arianna’s fingers curled into her palms.
Half-wolf, half-dragon?
A hybrid of two ancient bloodlines that had clashed and fought wars almost leading to the extinction of another.
So many emotions tightened in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Arianna barked out a small laugh of mockery, tears burning at the surface of her eyes. This had to be a cruel joke.
"I know this is hard to take in, but it's the truth," Selene's voice broke through her thoughts. "When you came to the palace, I had a feeling it was you, but I wasn't sure. Drakora wanted me to stay in the palace for some sort of reason, and that I will explain more to you later. But now, we need to leave."
Arianna shot her a look. "Leave?"
"Yes," Selene nodded. "You cannot stay in the Citadel any longer. I promised Drakora to protect you, and I cannot do it here. You are surrounded by enemies, and I need to take you back to your mother."