SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
1086 Words
Maxwell
How I ended up at her door, I still couldn’t explain. It wasn’t planned. I didn’t even remember walking there. One minute I was in my suite, and the next, I was standing outside her room, drawn to her like a force beyond reason.
The mate bond between us was undeniable. I could feel her pain as if it were stitched into my skin. Every flicker of her sadness tugged at my chest like a burning thread I couldn’t pull free of. But what puzzled me the most was… she didn’t seem to feel it.
She was closed off, almost detached. Her body was there, but her soul felt far away. Lost. And yet, I knew, she needed someone. She needed comfort, warmth, safety. Even if she wouldn’t admit it. Even if she didn’t recognize me as her mate.
Three things haunted me about her. First, there was a longing in her, the kind only a deeply lonely soul carried. Second, someone had hurt her. Not just bruised her...but carved into her heart. And third, she had no idea who I was. Treated me like a stranger. Not a King. Not a mate. Not even a man.
And still, she let me hold her.
When she cried last night, something inside me broke. I felt the weight of her sorrow crash into me like a wave, knocking the air from my lungs. I’d held countless women before…pleasure, desire, lust, but this was different. She didn’t just weep. She bled emotions I didn’t know how to name it.
Last night, I had to block out Zion. My Lycan was raging. He wanted her too…wanted to mark her, claim her, bite her right then and there. But I couldn’t allow that. Not when she was vulnerable. Not when she looked like she was trying so hard not to shatter. Zion had roared at me, clawed at my thoughts, but I shut him out.
What scared me the most was how close I’d come to marking her anyway.
This morning, I had hoped we could speak, that I’d finally see her in daylight and figure out if she truly was like the others, those who faked the bond to get close to me. But when I woke, she was gone.
Gone, like the scent of jasmine and lavender that still lingered on my skin.
After my shower, my mind was a storm of questions. Who was she? Why couldn’t she feel our bond? Why would a woman like her, guarded, hurting, untouched…give herself so easily to a stranger?
Unless she wasn’t untouched. Unless she was simply… broken.
I couldn’t think straight. I needed to find her. Needed to know if what I felt was real, or if I was chasing another illusion wrapped in perfume and silence.
I stepped out of my suite to find Vale already waiting. Loyal, sharp-eyed, and far too observant for my liking sometimes.
“Good morning, Your Majesty. Did you sleep well?”
His words triggered memories I couldn’t shake. I rarely slept more than two hours. Last night, I’d slept for almost five. Deep, dreamless, strangely peaceful sleep. Her presence had done that to me. Only her.
“Yes. Better than expected,” I muttered, fastening the buttons of my cuff.
He reached for my bags but hesitated, his mouth twitching as if he wanted to speak but thought better of it. I sighed.
“Whatever you’re holding back, say it.”
Vale blinked, then gave a cautious nod. “It’s about the woman, Your Majesty. The one in the room. I was wondering… how did you get in? There were no records of your keycard being used.”
I didn’t answer that. I couldn’t. Because I didn’t know. I’d simply found myself there.
“Did you see her this morning?” I asked instead.
He nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. I followed her after she left.”
I stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “You followed her?”
“For your safety. She could have been anyone.”
I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him up to my eye level. His eyes widened, curls falling into his face.
“Where did she go?” I growled.
He swallowed hard. “A house on the east side. A middle-aged woman lives there. Seemed like they knew each other.”
I let him go and straightened my coat. “Take me there.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the elevator descended, my phone buzzed. A message from my sister.
“Get your arse here now. We need to talk.”
I didn’t even reply. I couldn’t think of anything else but her.
We arrived at a quiet street lined with small homes. The house Vale pointed to looked neglected from the outside, chipped paint, overgrown shrubs, worn-out steps.
“This is the house,” he confirmed.
“I go alone,” I said.
He nodded. “Understood.”
My guards held back as I stepped up and pressed the doorbell twice. I could feel her inside. Her scent was faint, but unmistakable. Jasmine. Lavender. Regret.
The door creaked open. A petite woman stood there, maybe in her fifties. Her brown eyes widened, and she bowed so low I thought she might collapse.
“Y…Your Majesty,” she stammered.
She was a Lycan. She knew exactly who I was.
“I need to speak with her. The woman that is with you.” I said, stepping inside without waiting.
The living room was surprisingly well-kept. Old furniture. Clean walls. Faint humming from a kettle in the kitchen. Photos lined the mantel, none familiar.
The woman wrung her hands, unsure if she should offer me tea or fall to her knees.
“Your Majesty, I…I am your humble servant. Please, forgive the state of the house. I had no idea you’d be coming. How may I serve you?”
I turned to face her, tone sharp. “She’s here. I can smell her. Call her out.”
Her face paled. “She’s… she’s resting, Your Majesty. She had a difficult night.”
I clenched my fists. “So did I.”
She hesitated, then nodded and disappeared down a hallway.
I waited, each second stretching longer than the last. The moment I saw her again, I knew, she was mine. Whether she knew it or not. Whether she ran or not. I would not walk away. I would find the truth.
And if she was hiding from something... I would destroy it.
- Writer
