The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 74: Chapter 74

The assassins, however, began to retreat, wanting to escape, but Selene managed to slow them down with her fire.
Duncan saw this and immediately pounced on one of them, ripping his head off, blood spilling out and wetting the ground.
The last two shifted into their wolf forms, their fangs bared at the terrifying man who approached them with slow steps, his attire marred with blood and dirt.
Despite being in their shifted forms, their height was just slightly shorter than Duncan’s human form.
“Who sent you?” Duncan glared dangerously, but they attacked instead.
The first brought his claws to slash at Duncan, but he caught it, tore it away, earning a loud, piercing howl of agony before Duncan slammed him to the ground.
The second aimed for Duncan’s back, but Duncan spun just in time and caught him by the muzzle. With terrifying ease, Duncan added force to its mouth, stretching it apart while the wolf struggled desperately until the mouth split, and the wolf went limp.
The last one saw he had no chance and tried to run, but Duncan caught his feet. The wolf quickly shifted to his human form, desperate to escape, but both of his legs were crushed. He was barely holding onto his life.
Duncan’s glare froze the assassin in place as his blood wet the floor, causing his sight to blur. The assassin was terrified beyond thought. This man, King Duncan, was indeed ruthless. Who would have thought he'd come instead of being in the mountains?
Duncan glanced at Arianna, who had unconscious Selene in her arms. The head maid looked poisoned; her skin was turning pale, and Arianna looked scared.
That wasn't Duncan’s real worry here.
First, the head maid, who had been in this palace for years, turned out to be an ouroboros under his nose without him finding out; and then—there was Arianna's appearance.
Half of her hair was glowing silver, and the crescent mark on her neck was almost too visible. The appearance triggered his memory, but…
His curiosity lay in the beast within her, calling out for his Lycan.
For a while, Duncan thought it was her wolf that was slowly awakening, though he didn’t want to get his hopes up… but he hoped the heavens wouldn’t play such a trick.
‘Mine,’ Ash whispered, the pull stronger than before.
Mine? This was her ouroboros side, not her wolf. Her wolf was silent. Which only meant one thing.
He was mated to her dragon side.
It echoed in his head.
‘I’m mated to her dragon side, not her wolf's.’
Now it all made sense why he was confused at first. Due to the fact that he had been looking for his mate for centuries, Ash had been full of raw hunger the first time he took her; that trace of ouroboros blood had drawn him in.
“Dun,” Arianna called in a whisper, snapping him out of his trance of shock.
“Your Grace.” Some soldiers appeared, and on instinct, Duncan pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around Arianna, covering her silver hair too.
Arianna looked at him confusedly, but he carried her in a bridal style and ordered the soldiers, “Search for the assassins. You'll find the antidote for the head maid. Do that quickly.” He said, still holding her in his arms, seeming to avoid her gaze as he spun, taking her to the chamber.
Arianna tried to peek at Selene.
“Stay still,” Duncan ordered rigidly, which made Arianna's heart pound hard in her chest.
Duncan had seen her and Selene fighting with them, but he wasn't questioning her, even as he entered the chamber and placed her on the bed.
He said no words and made to leave. Arianna quickly caught his sleeve.
“I can explain…” she started. “About what you saw.”
“You know.” His cold gaze flicked towards her, and Arianna swallowed at the anger she found in them. “You know I was mated to your ouroboros side.”
Arianna's heart squeezed, her lips parted, unable to find the right words. “I wanted to tell…”
"Over centuries, I've wanted a mate," Duncan's voice was a low growl, laced with frustration and something far deeper—pain. "I’ve searched, I’ve waited, and when I finally found her… she was an ouroboros. It would have been better if I had been bonded to your wolf, but your... dragon?”
The last word rolled off his tongue, as if it irritates him.
Arianna’s breath hitched. The weight of his words, the bitterness in them, made her stomach twist.
Was he going to hate her? Was he going to hurt Selene now that he knew the secret?
"Duncan, I—"
"Did you ever plan to tell me?" he cut her off, his gaze like ice, burning with betrayal. "Or were you waiting for the right moment? Maybe when I was too far gone to care?"
Arianna shook her head. "No, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t even know at first, but found out that night I left the chamber without—"
"Let go,” he ordered, his voice dangerously low.
Arianna’s eyes flicked down to her hold on his sleeve.
“Right now, I don't trust myself around you. Every instinct in me is telling me to either claim you or destroy you.” Duncan's eyes grew colder. “So let go, Arianna.”
Slowly, Arianna's grip on his sleeve loosened, her trembling hand dropping to her side as tears blurred her vision.
Duncan then began heading for the door, but before he could reach to turn the knob, her hand suddenly wrapped around his torso from behind.
He stiffened, but before he could say a word, her voice echoed.
“I’m sorry.” Her eyes shut as she sobbed against his back. “I can't bear another rejection, especially from you, Duncan… I'm too attached, so please don't turn away from me.”
He reached for her hand but her grip around him tightened. Too hard, but she didn't care.
She didn't want to let go.
Duncan's jaw clenched. “Ari…”
Arianna cut him off with a broken voice that struck his heart.
“Please don't hate me… Please don't hate me… I can't bear it.”