The Lycan Prince's Forbidden Omega

Chapter 6

Kael

He was finally asleep.

It had taken nearly an hour for him to calm down. The moment he'd read that letter, he'd stopped breathing. His entire body locked up, eyes fixed on those few lines of ink like they were a death sentence.

Maybe they were.

The fever had eventually returned and dragged him under. I hadn't moved since.

My wolf refused to leave his side.

Mate.

"I know."

Mine.

"I know."

The beast wasn't helping. For years I'd believed the Moon Goddess had made a mistake by letting me live this long without a mate. A creature like me wasn't meant to have one. I spent every day fighting a monster that wanted blood more than reason. I couldn't even let people stand too close for fear I'd lose control.

Yet somehow, she'd given me him.

A frightened little wolf who apologized every other sentence. Who flinched when someone raised a hand. Who looked at a bed like it was a luxury he hadn't earned.

The thought made something ugly twist inside my chest.

Someone had taught him that. And someone would answer for it too.

Ash shifted on the bed. His face was flushed, sweat beading at his forehead. The heat was getting worse. Even with the suppressants dulling his scent, I could smell it getting sweeter. Richer. My beast clawed at my insides, demanding release.

You could end his suffering. All you have to do is claim him.

The horny, traitorous bastard.

Of course. Why not just do that and hurt him even more than he already was?

My wolf whimpered at that. Actually whimpered. As if the mere idea of hurting our mate wounded him too. Aw, look at that. He had a heart after all. With the way he tormented me daily, I'd assumed he was just another mindless beast, the kind people whispered about when they thought I couldn't hear.

But I needed to get out of here.

Before I did something unforgivable. Like climbing into that bed. Like waking him up with my mouth instead of my voice. Like marking that pale throat and making sure every creature in this kingdom knew exactly who he belonged to.

Just the thought—

Fuck.

I shot up and headed straight for the door. Opened it. Closed it behind me. Almost collided with the i***t waiting outside.

"The f**k, Kael." Luca stumbled back, clutching his chest dramatically.

"Why are you outside my door?"

"Aw, come on. I wanted to see the little wolf who got my best friend all hot and bothered before I went to sleep." He pouted. Mock pout. The kind that made me want to throw something at his head.

His eyes swept over my face. Then drifted down. Landed on the very obvious evidence of my current... state.

He burst out laughing.

I was going to kill him.

He must have seen it in my eyes because he stopped laughing—or tried to. The sounds kept escaping. He raised his hands in mock surrender, shoulders still shaking.

"Walk," I growled.

We made it to my study before I shoved the door open. Luca collapsed onto the couch, still grinning, and propped his filthy boots on my desk.

"So." His voice was lighter now, but his eyes weren't. "What are you going to do with him?"

I didn't answer.

Because I didn't know.

I only knew that living in a world where he wasn't there wasn't an option.

Luca stretched out, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "You know your father won't allow this bond."

"Don't state the obvious." I walked to the window. The moon was high, full, pulling at the beast beneath my skin. "My father would rather kill me than let me mate a non-royal. A wolf mate brings challenges to the throne he's been trying to force on me since birth."

"And your brother seems to have taken a liking to the little wolf." Luca's voice had lost all its humor. "I saw how he looked at him in the throne room."

I knew that too.

What was it that I had that my brother didn't want? Every toy. Every tutor's attention. Every scrap of our father's approval. Rowan had spent his whole life trying to take what was mine.

He wouldn't take this.

"Anyway." Luca rolled onto his side, propping his head on his hand. "What are you going to do when they come for him? His old pack, I mean."

"I won't let them take him."

Luca looked at me from his upside-down angle. His expression was unreadable. Then he nodded.

"I know."

Just that. Two words. No dramatics. No declarations of loyalty.

That was why Luca was my only friend. One of the few people I could trust in this place. Not that I'd ever tell him that. It would only make his already enormous head even bigger.

A knock at the door.

A guard stepped inside and bowed. "Your Highness. His Majesty requests your presence in the main hall."

Goddess. What could he possibly want at this hour?

I stood. "No one enters my room. If someone tries, make sure they leave as a corpse—and apologize to Ash for the disturbance."

Luca grinned. "Violent. I like it."

The atmosphere in the main hall was suffocating.

Rowan was already seated, that serpentine smile fixed in place. A few council members flanked him. They fell silent when I entered.

"Father." I took my seat. "You asked for me."

"Yes." The King's face was unreadable. "We're waiting for the final guest before we begin."

What important guest would be arriving at this late hour?

The doors opened before I could finish the question.

A man entered. Early fifties, broad-shouldered, with the unmistakable bearing of an Alpha. Behind him trailed another figure—younger, a vicious red scar carving a path from his left eyelash down to his chin.

The Alpha smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Good evening, Your Majesty." His gaze swept the room before landing on me. "We believe you have the criminal we're looking for."