The Alpha’s Regret, The Lycan King’s Obsession

Chapter4

Kai's POV

Pain…Fire…Blood…

The smell of burning flesh.

The memory was always bathed in the same sickening shade of crimson. I could hear the desperate, agonizing screams of my mother cutting through the roar of flames. I was reaching for her, my small hands clawing through smoke, but no matter how fast I ran, the shadows pulled her deeper into the dark. And then just before the fire consumed everything, she appeared.

A huge radiant white wolf standing amidst the burning fire, her striking pink eyes looking back at me with a soft, divine sadness.

My eyes snapped open.

I sat bolt upright in bed, a gasp tearing from my throat as my chest heaved for air. My heart was hammering violently against my ribs.

I was entirely soaked in cold sweat. Sheets clung to my skin like wet silk as I dragged a trembling hand down my face, pushing my damp hair back off my face. I sat there in the dark, staring blankly at the far wall of my room, waiting for the phantom smell of smoke to fade from my lungs.

Slowly, I glanced over at the heavy time resting on my nightstand. I dropped my head into my hands with an exhausted groan. Another failed attempt. I hadn't slept for more than two straight hours in days. Truthfully, sleep hadn't come naturally to me in years. Ever since the night my parents were murdered, my mind has been a war zone of nightmares. I had already hunted down every single traitor involved in their death and killed them with my bare hands, erasing their entire bloodline. But yet, the nightmares remained, an endless cycle that drained my energy every single day.

And lately, the dream has changed. Lately, a white wolf has started appearing.

You need to rest, Kai, a deep, rumbling voice vibrated in my head.

Darius.

My Lycan wolf stirred within the shadowy depths of my mind, his midnight-black form pacing behind my head.

Rest is a luxury we don't possess, I thought back dryly, swinging my legs over the edge of the oversized bed. My bare feet hit the ice-cold floor, sending a sharp shock through my system. Every time I close my eyes, I see her. And now that damn white wolf.

She is not just a dream, Darius growled, his voice echoing like rolling thunder. She is out there. I can feel her. It is the Moon Goddess preparing our path. We need our mate, Kai. A Luna would bring peace to your mind. She would bring quiet to the darkness.

I scoffed, running a hand over tattoos inked across my hand, tracing the raised black ink. A ruthless smile touched my lips.

A mate is a weakness, Darius, I replied, standing up and grabbing a dark tunic from the wooden chair. A distraction we cannot afford. The Lycan King does not need a useless mate to worry about, or to leave vulnerable to our enemies. The Goddess was wise to spare us from the bond. We are better off alone.

Darius let out a low, dissatisfied huff, settling his massive snout onto his paws. You say that with your tongue, but our soul is starving. We are burning alive from the inside out.

I didn't answer him. He was right about the burning, but was wrong about the cure.

Come on, I told him, pulled by a desperate need to escape the four walls of my room. Let's go for a run.

At those words, Darius perked up, his silver eyes flashing with anticipation. He’s always excited when he knows he’s taking over.

I walked out of my house. The night air hit my bare chest. Without pausing, I vaulted over the stone, plunging into the shadows below.

Mid-air, my bones cracked and rearranged. Clothes tore away as thick, midnight-black fur erupted across my flesh. My hands stretched into broad, deadly paws armed with obsidian claws. By the time my feet hit the forest floor.

Darius took control, letting out a powerful breath.

We sprinted through the dense, dark woods. Trees blurred past us. As we run faster, harder, letting the wind bite into his fur.

We ran deep into the forest, following a path buried deep in my childhood memories, until the sound of rushing water filled our ears.

Darius slowed his pace.

The water was crystal clear, reflecting the pale glow of the fading moon like a mirror. The surrounding rocks were covered in moss shade. This was the one place my parents used to bring me when I was just a cub…before the war.

I shifted back into my human form. I stood at the edge of the water, dressed only in my dark trousers, my bare chest rising and falling slowly as the morning mist swirled around my ankles.

I sat down on a flat rock near the rivers edge, resting my elbows on my knees and staring out at the rippling surface. For a few rare, fleeting moments, the weight of my realm faded. The quiet of the lake washed over me, offering a faint peace I so desperately craved. I closed my eyes, letting the cool breeze whisper against my skin, trying to hold onto the stillness before the sun rose.

Half an hour later, I pushed myself up and made the quiet trek back to my house. I slipped into my room, washed the dirt and sweat from my skin, and pulled on a black shirt and dark trousers. The sun was just beginning to peek over the sky, casting pale blue light through my windows.

A firm knock echoed against my door.

"Enter," I called out, taking my phone.

The door swung open, and Gideon walked in. My Beta, and childhood best friend, was dressed in his usual crisp, dark uniform. His expression was professionally calm, though the slight tight set of his jaw told me he hadn't slept much either.

"Alpha," Gideon greeted with a formal nod before dropping the mask into a small grin. "You look like hell, Kai."

"Good to see you too," I replied dryly, stepping toward the mirror to fix my collar. "What is it?"

"Your grandmother is asking for you," Gideon said. "She’s waiting in the study of the pack house. Said it couldn't wait."

I paused, a soft warmth flickering in my chest at the mention of her. My grandmother, was the only person alive who truly doted on me. She had helped raise me after my parents died, ensuring I grew into a king capable of ruling the pack.

"Is she alright?" I asked, turning around.

"She's fine," Gideon reassured me, stepping aside to let me pass. "Just wanted to see her favorite grandson. She said you needed to hear this from her directly."

I gave a single nod and headed downstairs, leaving my house to make the short drive over to the pack house.

When I arrived at the pack house, the guards immediately bowed their heads in silence. Every conversation stopped.

Everyone lowered their heads immediately, not one dared to meet my eyes.

I walked straight past the halls and into the private wing, entering the study room without needing to announce myself.

The study was lined with thousands of ancient leather-bound tomes, smelling of old parchment and cedar. Sitting in a tall, high-backed velvet chair was my grandmother. Despite her age, she looked beautiful. The moment her steady grey eyes landed on me, her expression instantly melted.

"Kai, my sweet boy," she said warmly, holding out her hands to me.

I walked over, and leaned down to gently embrace her. She patted my cheek with a warm, wrinkled hand, her eyes taking in my face.

"Grandmother," I murmured, taking a seat on the seat beside her. "Gideon said you asked for me."

"I did," she said, her voice filled with gentle concern as her eyes searched my face. "Because you look like you haven't slept in a week, Kai. You are carrying the weight of the entire pack on your shoulders, and it breaks my heart to see you burning yourself out."

"I am fine," I insisted smoothly, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "I have work to attend to, that's all."

"You are not fine, darling," she countered, her thumb tracing the back of my hand. "You completely detest your current academy arrangements. It is suffocating you, keeping you trapped in the ghosts of the past."

I gave her a resigned look. She always knew me better than I knew myself.

"Which is why," she continued, a mischievous spark lighting up her aged eyes as she reached for a sealed document resting on the table, "I have taken the liberty of fixing it for you."

She held out the document to me. I took it.

I raised an eyebrow. "Lunas Crest? Really grandma?"

"Precisely," she smiled, leaning back. "It is time you step out of our territory for a while. Lunas Crest Academy houses the children of the top Alpha lineages, but more importantly... you need a change of air, Kai. You need something new and who knows maybe your mate will be there."

"I have no desire to deal with arrogant Alpha heirs, and probably no mate discussions today," I grumbled softly.

"Alright, I won’t, but do this for me, Kai," she requested, reaching over to pat my arm. "Gideon will transfer alongside you. Give yourself a chance to breathe away from these heavy stone walls. You leave in five days."

I stared down at the paper, feeling Darius stir again within my head.

Lunas Crest... Darius whispered. Something is waiting for us, Kai. I can feel it.

I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, fighting off the headache throbbing behind my temples. If going to this academy made my grandmother happy and Darius's strange restlessness subsided, I had no reason to refuse then.

"Five days," I said quietly. "I’ll leave in five days."

“Yes…” my grandma said happily like a kid. Making me smile at her.