Fated To The Cursed Lycan King

Nineteen

Marissa

The bus slowed to a halt at the general bus stop near the central district. The moment the doors hissed open, I stepped down and had barely taken in my surroundings before spotting my brother leaning against his car, a lazy grin stretched across his face.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence," he called out, pushing off the car and opening his arms wide.

I laughed, already hurrying toward him, and crashed into his chest.

"Hello, little brother," I said, showering his face with kisses. He grimaced as if irritated, but deep down, I knew he liked it.

"I’ll show you how not so little I am," he said, lifting me off the ground. I yelped, swatting at his shoulders.

"Put me down, you overgrown puppy!"

After having his fun, he finally obeyed, setting me back on solid ground. I rolled my eyes and wiped the sweat off my forehead.

A few of the werewolves who had descended from the bus laughed at our exchange, giving Brian respectful nods. Some of the males even shook his hand, calling him Future Alpha.

Brian carried the tone and presence of someone who would one day lead us out of the mess our father had created.

As we pulled onto the main road leading home, I stretched my legs, enjoying the comfort of being with someone who didn’t make me second-guess every word I said.

"Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered without you here?" he sighed dramatically, slamming his free hand over his chest. "I had to eat Lily’s bad cooking twice this week. If I die young, put death by lack of seasoning on my tombstone."

I burst out laughing. "That sounds like a you problem. You could have ordered food or cooked for yourself."

"I was this close to considering a job with the Lycans. This close," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger millimeters apart.

"You wouldn’t last two seconds with them."

"Exactly. That’s why I came to my senses." He shuddered dramatically. "I’d rather bathe in garlic-infused holy water than work for those people. I still don’t get why you’re still there. Nobody’s holding you at gunpoint."

"It’s called a job, Brian. Besides, I needed a change of scenery. I was tired of Dad begging bottom-feeding men to marry me. That’s a full-time job on its own."

He chuckled, and I stared at him with admiration.

"So, anything new? How’s Sydney?"

At the mention of his mate, his exaggerated expressions faded, and his mouth flattened into a thin line. I caught the shift immediately.

"Brian?"

"Dad doesn’t want me with her," he said, deadpan.

I frowned. "Because she’s an Omega?"

"He thinks it’s a curse—that an Alpha should never be with someone so low in rank. His wife is no better. She keeps going on about how unequal our relationship is, like Sydney’s some peasant I picked up off the streets."

"That’s bullshit. You love her. And she’s a great girl."

Sighing heavily, he drummed his fingers against the wheel. "I know. But our father doesn’t care. It’s all about status and whatever crap they believe in. I’m thinking of moving out. I’m sick of it. Nobody gets to tell me who I can or can’t love."

I studied his profile, seeing the battle in his eyes—the struggle between wanting to be the good son and carving his own path. I reached over, placing a hand on his arm.

"Then don’t let them. Follow your heart. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy. Screw what the world thinks."

Brian nodded, falling silent. I stared out the window. It was almost laughable how our dad still pretended to be a leader when, in reality, he had run our pack straight into ruin.

Because of him, our economy had collapsed, our resources were mismanaged, and our people—especially the younger ones—were migrating in droves, desperate for opportunities elsewhere. We had been reduced to depending on the Lycans’ goodwill.

My dad was a parasite, clinging to authority like it was his birthright, making one reckless decision after another and dragging everyone down with him.

Bitter memories of my mom resurfaced. She had been kind and patient, spending her last days in bed—weak and fading—while my dad was sneaking around to sleep with Lilith.

That snake of a woman had slithered her way into our lives before my mother had even drawn her final breath. She was completely despicable and had even moved in, pretending to take care of Brian and me.

Until that night I caught them in bed.

I hated them both.

As much as Brian had his temper and I had my flaws, we weren’t like our dad. Our mom had left us with something he could never possess—a conscience.

---

Dinner with Brian

Back inside, I forced myself to let go of the anger for now, heading to the kitchen to grab some food. I was relieved to find the house empty.

Brian and I moved around the kitchen, grabbing leftovers and assembling a quick meal. We sat across from each other at the table, eating ramen noodles and drinking orange juice.

Brian was more relaxed now as we talked about random things.

"So, how’s life in the great and mighty Lycan world? You better be stealing ideas while you’re there," he said with a mouthful.

I nearly choked on my food. "Absolutely. I’m running a whole undercover mission. Any day now, I’m about to overthrow their system and bring back their secrets."

"I’d expect nothing less," Brian said, laughing. "World domination or nothing."

We laughed so hard that, for a moment, it felt like we were kids again, teasing each other in the same kitchen before our world had fallen apart.

But Brian didn’t know half of what I did.

"Earth to Risa," Brian said, throwing a piece of bread at me. "I asked—how’s the law department over there? Isn’t Hector working there? Must be awkward as hell, considering Alan was his best friend."

So much for avoiding that conversation.

"I’m not exactly working with the law department," I said, stabbing my fork into my beef.

Brian frowned. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, I tried to sound nonchalant. "The Lycan Prince had other ideas. He made me his assistant."

Brian’s fork clattered onto his plate, and I could practically see the explosions forming in his brain.

"That’s ridiculous! An assistant job is meant for someone with a lesser degree. That’s like hiring a doctor to be a receptionist!"

Calmly, I took a sip of my juice, trying to act unaffected by his outrage. "It’s not that bad. He doubled the pay."

In a span of seconds, his anger dissolved. He leaned back as if reevaluating the situation, then grinned and pointed his fork at me.

"Even better! Then you can study the Lycan world, learn all their little secrets, and bring more innovations to the werewolf world. You’re a damn thief."

He grinned shamelessly.

"That’s not stealing. It’s borrowing—with no intention of returning."

I shook my head. "It’s not about stealing innovations. It’s about our dad and the council actually being transparent for once. Maybe then we wouldn’t need to play catch-up."

He sighed dramatically. "Yeah, because that’s ever going to happen."

My heart pounded against my ribs. I had to tell him. He was the one person I trusted most in this world, but I had no idea how he would react.

"There’s something I need to tell you," I blurted out.

Brian didn’t look up, too used to my dramatic lead-ups to minor complaints. "Hmm? Yeah?"

A few more seconds passed before he looked up, realizing the prolonged silence meant something serious.

I gathered the courage to say the words.

"It’s about Justin. My boss."

Brian straightened in his seat. "Let me guess—he tried to seduce you?" He scoffed. "I don’t get why so many women are falling into his bed. What does he even have, some kind of spell?"

I let out a sad smile. If only it were that simple.

Then, barely above a whisper, I said,"Because Justin and I are fated mates."