CHAPTER FOUR
1165 Words
Sienna~
When my eyes opened, his face was the first thing I saw, green eyes gleaming with that same dangerous charm that had once fooled me into loving him.
We were in the backseat of my father’s SUV, his driver sitting silently in the front.
“Still as beautiful as I remember,” he said smoothly, smiling like this was some twisted reunion. “Guess being mated to that rogue beast didn’t change much, huh?”
He brushed his fingers along my cheek and down my neck. I slapped his hand away before he could go any further.
“Where are my babies?” I demanded.
He rolled his eyes dramatically. “You just have to ruin the fun don't you?”
“This isn't some f*****g twisted joke! Why did you call me out here? Where are they?” I snapped, my blood boiling as I grew impatient.
“Tucked in bed at home, where they belong.”
“Adrian, please,” I begged as tears quickly filled my eyes. “Haven’t you taken enough from me? Just… What more do you want?”
His smile faded. “Your blood.”
I blinked. “My… blood?”
He leaned back, studying me. “You know, I was just as shocked,” he said quietly. “Finding out you bonded with another mate... even after losing your wolf. Did you ever stop to wonder how that was possible?”
My throat tightened as I lowered my gaze. I hadn’t had time to process it. Everything had happened so fast. That voice I’d heard, that presence… it was nothing like my wolf which I'd lost completely.
“Well, I did,” he said proudly.
My head shot up. “H… how?”
“Right after your father's death, King Raymond of Whitestone made an announcement, saying the lost granddaughter of the former Lycan King still lived somewhere within Crimson pack, and that whoever brought her head to him would be rewarded with his daughter’s hand in marriage.” Adrian started.
My brows knitted. “What does that have to do…?”
“With you?” He cut in. “Isn’t it a little too convenient that this revelation only came right after your father’s death?”
My stomach turned. “That doesn’t make any sense.” My voice shook.
“It doesn’t?” His eyes glinted with greed. “Your father never let anyone mention your mother. You don’t even know her name. He didn’t keep a single picture. Didn’t that ever seem strange?”
“No.” I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “That’s impossible.”
“Twenty years ago,” he continued, “the only daughter of the Lycan King ran away for love. She married her mate in secret—Alpha Theodore.”
I felt the blood slowly drain from my face.
“Father…” The pieces clicked together, forming a picture I wasn't ready for. “So that means—”
“I suspected it for a long time,” he said. “But you were too weak to be a Lycan. When I learned you’d bonded again, that confirmed it. You’re not just Alpha born. You have royal Lycan blood.” He said it quietly, almost to himself. “And that makes you the perfect tool I need.”
My stomach twisted. “Tool?”
He chuckled under his breath while pulling out a sharp knife. “When I deliver your head to King Rowland and he gives me his daughter in return, do you think I'd still just be Alpha Adrian of that tiny Crimson pack?” His eyes burned with greed. “I’ll be the next Lycan king of the great Whitestone.”
Fear gripped me. This was it. My end.
“Adrian!” My heart shattered as my tears spilled. Amidst the confusion in my head, I couldn’t believe this was the same man I had trusted with my life.
“Honey, c’mon don't cry. It’s not your fault life is unfair. Some people are born kings but end up pawns in the hands of the ones smart enough to use them.” He mocked, turning the knife so it caught the light.
His words cut deep. I was born an Alpha and a lycan princess, and yet here I was, nothing more than a stepping stone for a man who was never my equal. My heart ached.
Suddenly, that sadness transformed into anger. Why was I always the one being used? A tool for people who were never on my level. That wasn’t the Alpha my father raised, and it wasn’t the Lycan my mother died bringing into the world.
I swallowed hard and pulled at the ropes, hoping they’d budge. Adrian scoffed as he brought the knife closer to my neck. My veins boiled hot with rage. I yanked again, harder but the ropes only scraped my wrists.
His laughter only fueled my rage. I shut my eyes, took a breath, and pulled with everything I had left.
Suddenly the laughter ceased. I opened my eyes and saw the ropes laying in pieces on the car floor. My breath seized in shock.
Adrian's eyes shot open, bewildered. “You little…” he grabbed me up by my jaw and brought the knife to my neck, close enough to draw blood. I struggled against him, but his grip was too strong.
“Let me go!” I winced in pain.
“I’d rather see you dead.” He hissed.
“Let—me—”
Before I could finish, the car lurched violently.
Tires screeched as the driver slammed the brakes so hard my head slammed into the seat. His face went pale, eyes wide with terror as he muttered something I couldn’t make out.
“Have you lost your mind? What the hell are you doing?” Adrian shouted.
Before the driver could answer, the door burst open and he bolted into the woods like he was being chased by the devil. The headlights stayed on, piercing through the darkness.
“What the…” I could hear the terror in Adrian's voice as he leaned forward, peering through the windshield. “Wh… what is that?”
I strained to see, my heart hammering in my ears. And suddenly, my breath stopped.
A dark and massive shape moved between the trees, it's black fur gleaming in the headlights with red eyes glowing through the mist. My lycan wolf whimpered inside me, terrified and the air inside the car suddenly grew colder.
Adrian’s hands shook, sweat running down his face. “What the f**k is that?”
My lycan wolf whimpered again. Not in fear but something deeper.
Recognition.
The creature let out a low growl that shook the car as it stepped forward. Its gaze locked on Adrian, then on me. Adrian stumbled back, his knife trembling in his grip.
And in that instant, I knew.
It wasn’t just any beast.
“Lucian?”
- Writer
