The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 72: Chapter 72

"Well, well, well. Look who it is," Toran grinned from ear to ear, approaching the familiar figure he had spotted on the mountain. "Alpha Kael."
Kael spun to meet his gaze, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Alpha Toran. What a great pleasure," he offered a handshake and Toran accepted.
"I see you're looking stunning, Alpha Toran. And congratulations on your coronation," Kael beamed, and Toran gave him a light nod.
They both shifted their gaze as the ceremony was about to begin. Most of the Alphas, old and new, were exchanging greetings.
"I never thought I'd actually be here one day. The Lunaris Citadel," Kael mumbled, looking like an excited young pup.
"This is the Black Mountain, Kael," Toran deadpan.
"I know, but the fortress is just a stone throw away. I never thought I'd be this close," Kael grinned from ear to ear, his gaze fixated on the towering castle that seemed to touch the night sky. The soft, warm glow accentuated its beauty.
"It's magnificent."
"Indeed," Toran smiled. "Right, I heard about what happened to your mate."
Kael's smile dropped, his gaze flicking to Toran.
"I heard the rivals attacked and took her away from you. That must have been devastating."
Kael averted his gaze.
"It was, but I'm getting over her."
"Really?"
"Yeah, soon I'll get married and crown a Luna for myself. Arianna Greystone was a great woman. A great mate. It's so sad she is gone and my still breaks for her..." Kael said, his face falling into a sorrowful expression. But Toran knew it was all fake. "But the pack needs to move on."
Bastard.
"That is sad. My condolences," Toran muttered.
"Thank you, Alpha Toran. That is very kind of you," Kael said before immediately changing the topic. "So, what does the King look like? I’ve never seen him before."
Toran felt like smacking Kael’s head.
Perhaps if this bastard had kept Arianna, or simply confirmed she was dead, it would have saved Toran and his family from all this trouble.
Surely, it would be unreasonable to think that Arianna hadn't exposed Kael's betrayal to the King… which meant Kael had something coming for his deeds.
Definitely won't leave this Citedal alive.
Too bad Arianna wouldn’t be able to witness this fool’s demise as she was going to die tonight.
Toran glanced down at the distant Citadel. Now that he thought about it—had the assassination begun?
••••••••
ARIANNA'S CHAMBER.
She didn’t want to scream, but with each passing minute, her situation worsened.
For the past three hours, Arianna hadn’t felt like herself. Ever since Nyra had left for the mountain—though she wondered why—Arianna had felt terrible.
Her body was heating up. At first, it started as a fever, making her dizzy and nauseous. But after dinner, she had taken a cold bath and lain on her bed, hoping to sleep.
It didn’t stop.
And now, it was getting worse.
A growl rumbled through her chest. The beast inside her was growing restless for an unknown reason.
Even the thin fabric on her body felt like hot steel against her skin.
Arianna.
A voice echoed in her head—too rough, too loud, so overwhelmingly powerful.
She clutched her ears, falling to her knees in the middle of her room.
Her stomach tumbled, and through her blurred vision, she noticed claws slipping out and snapping back in.
Unable to withstand the heat slamming through her body, Arianna dashed out of her room. The cold breeze hit her sweat-slicked skin, making her gasp loudly for air.
The thing inside her slowly settled, her breath gradually returning to normal. It was only a brief respite before it would start again.
A chilly sensation hit her. The hall felt empty, eerily quiet and strange.
There were no guards or maids. Had they all gone to the mountain? Everywhere shouldn't be this quiet.
When she felt the heat slowly seeping in again, she rushed to the garden, the air fresh.
Oh, she needed to see Selene. She needed to know what was happening to her.
A shadow weaved past a corridor, Arianna's head snapped to the direction. The air grew even chillier.
In the next breath, an arrow wove through the air, aiming to strike her head, but it burned before it could reach her.
Another familiar figure covered in a cloak rushed to her side.
“Selene?”
“Hello, Aria.”
Selene lifted her head slightly, her face partially revealing under the black hood. She dropped the hand lantern onto the soft grass and, with a wave of her hand, burned the next upcoming arrows.
“W—what is going on?” Arianna tried to control her breathing, looking around.
“Assassins,” Selene's jaw clenched.
Figures covered all in black with their cloaks billowing behind them emerged from the darkness and surrounding them.
Arianna counted seven!
Assassins were here to kill her?
She couldn't process the words enough when the heat struck her hard again, more like electricity coursing through her veins.
She fell on her knee and a scream tore from a throat.