The Lycan King's Forbidden Craving - Chapter 97: Chapter 97

“Mine?” A tear fell from Arianna's eyes, and before it could roll, Duncan wiped it away with his thumb. His touch, so gentle.
“Yours, Ari. I'm yours,” he repeated in his deep baritone voice.
“You’re not saying this because of my condition, are you?” Her silver eyes darted across his face, as if searching for an answer.
“No.” Duncan’s lips tugged to the side, his finger still caressing her face so gently. “I'm here, Ari. Because I'm yours.”
She stayed silent, locking her gaze with his. The skeptism still lingering in her eyes.
“I know what you're thinking, Ari,” he whispered, as if hearing the question in her heart. “Give me some time to clear the brewing storm.”
His finger brushed a wet strand of her hair away from her forehead. “You understand, don’t you?”
Arianna slowly nodded and took a deep breath, not averting her gaze from him.
“You’re real, right?” she whispered, her eyes drowsy, looking like she was fighting sleep. “You’re here? Real?”
Duncan leaned in to capture her lips, gently nibbling them one after the other at a slow pace.
Then he pulled away, her face flushed as she stared at him, a bit stunned.
“I’m real.”
A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he watched her.
Arianna chuckled too. “I love that sound. You should laugh and smile more often.”
She raised her hand from the water to hold his face gently. The contact spread warmth through his nerves. “It suits you so well.” she whispered.
“It does,” he agreed.
“Hm,” she nodded, resting her face against his chest. “They—” a pause. “They were cruel, weren’t they?”
“Who?”
“The Ouroboros,” she whispered.
His expression shifted as he went still. Her heart clenched and storm brew behind those golden eyes, but he didn't let them show, but she seems to notice.
“I’m sorry, Dun. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Duncan exhaled slowly, his grip around her tightening ever so slightly, grounding himself in the warmth of her presence.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Ari,” his voice was low.
“But—” Arianna hesitated, tracing her finger along his slightly tensed jawline, which eased under her touch. “I do want to apologize. I'm sorry… for everything that happened. Everything.”
He stayed silent, his body still. Then she lifted herself slightly, sliding her fingers to the back of his head and gently pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
Duncan’s breath hitched, his eyes fluttering shut as her lips lingered against his skin. A warmth spread through his chest—unfamiliar yet intoxicating.
No one had ever touched him like this—without fear, without expectation—only with tenderness.
Arianna slowly pulled away, her silver eyes searching his face. Tender.
Her soft lips stretched into a sleepy grin.
“My Dun,” she whispered, and Duncan's lips parted, lost for words.
Then he exhaled, his hand cradling her waist closer. He rested his back against the edge of the tub while she straddled him, her body pressed to his hard chest.
She slid her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
“I'm so tired,” she murmured, nuzzling into him. “Let's stay like this for a while, my Dun.”
“Hm.”
Hearing his hum, Arianna’s eyes fluttered shut while the male began patting her back. His strong arms fully secured her frame.
She slept, with no worry—just pure bliss and comfort in his arms.
When she was deep in sleep, Duncan got out of the water, dried her body, changed her clothes, and gently placed her on his king-sized bed. During the process, Arianna only stirred occasionally but didn't wake up.
Sleepless night again? His jaw clenched knowing the reason must have been him.
Duncan then sat across, watching her sleep. His mind slipped back to the centuries when he was going insane without a mate.
'You’re the strongest man in the realm. You have the strongest Lycan beast, Great King Duncan Thornevale. And because of that, your Lycan will crave no one but the one destined for you. Find her at all costs, or soon enough, your mind will slowly slip away, buried deep within the darkness.'
He searched like a madman seeking his soul.
Digging through every pack for just a slight connection—but over centuries, found none.
Lucas found his mate, but she rejected him and left, making Duncan feel mating might be a waste of time.
Since then, Duncan had decided to stop searching for his mate.
With that deep wound that stayed in his heart for centuries, Duncan wanted nothing more than to bury himself in the duty of protecting the realm.
But that intention faded when the effects of being without a mate began to strike him hard.
The first time Duncan realized his mind was slipping—just as the Seer had warned—was when he lost control while taking a woman to his bed.
She was nearly ripped apart, barely hanging on to life the next morning. A breath away from joining the ancestors—yet she got lucky.
The second time, Duncan knowingly chose a woman who was about to be executed.
'Her! Not her! She's not the one!' Ash had roared that night.
Trying to cling to his sanity, Duncan felt like his head would split in two before everything went black. When he regained consciousness, she was dead—ripped apart, limb by limb.
The sight frustrated him.
'There is no answer to whether your mate is born or not.'
Those were the words of the Seer before Duncan decided to choose a female and mark her as his instead… an Alpha daughter to be precise, but it didn't work.
The darkness still clawed at him like chains with jagged edges.
However, everything changed when she appeared.
For the first time within his darkness, he felt a touch and heard a voice. A sweet voice that reached him.
He saw a woman who effortlessly drove him to the edge without even trying—who stood before his devil without fear and tamed it.
She was the one. And yet, it felt like she wasn’t. The Ouroboros bloodline had created a divide between them, but that shattered when he realized he had been pushing away what he had craved for so many years.
She was here. His mate.
Lying on his bed, sleeping so peacefully. Her scent filling the room, clouding his senses in a sweet way.
She was here. Real. His.