Marked by the Lycan King

26

“Me?” Myra pointed at herself in disbelief after hearing Butler William’s words. Bria snickered and dropped dramatically onto the couch. “Tsk. And here I was thinking you were some simple girl, meanwhile your identity might actually be more noble than I thought.” Myra quickly shook her head. “You’re overthinking things. I’m honestly just as confused as you are.” She immediately tried clearing things up because the last thing she wanted was misunderstanding between them. She herself did not even understand what Matteo was thinking. Why would a stranger care so much about her? Why would he spend this much money on someone he barely knew?

“Anyways, I’m exhausted,” Myra quickly said, trying to escape before Bria started asking too many questions. “Mr. Kind Butler, can you please send my food to my room later? Thank you very much.”

Butler William smiled warmly and nodded. “Of course, my lady. It’s no trouble at all.”

Myra immediately grabbed some of her shopping bags and hurried upstairs before Bria could stop her. Knowing Bria, she would definitely bombard her with questions she herself didn’t even know how to answer. I almost slept with your king. How ridiculous would that even sound?

The moment she reached the hallway leading to her room, she suddenly saw Matteo walking toward her. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Right… this was his house. Obviously she would run into him sooner or later.

Myra immediately lowered her head and sped past him like a frightened rabbit before slamming the bedroom door shut loudly behind her. She leaned against the door, breathing heavily while trying to calm herself down. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. The room was now filled with expensive clothes and luxury boxes. Her eyes slowly wandered around everything in silence. She had never owned things this beautiful before. Most of her clothes growing up were hand-me-downs from Lyka, tight dresses that barely fit her body properly and sometimes tore apart while wearing them. Her expression softened slightly.

Why would a stranger care this much?

If only her own family had believed her even once… maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would not have ended up running away like a criminal while finding kindness in a complete stranger instead.

That thought made her chest ache painfully. She buried herself under the soft blankets and stayed there quietly. Matteo stood at her door hearing her faint sobs, he clenched his fists in anger before walking away.

The days passed surprisingly quickly after that. Bria practically filled Myra’s ears with every single gossip happening inside the Lycan Kingdom. According to her, there were no major power struggles because most families remained loyal to the Lycan King, but there were still political problems here and there. Sadly, Bria still had school most days and could not always stay around to accompany her, but whenever she returned home, she talked endlessly without getting tired. Myra slowly got used to it.

She spent most of her days wandering quietly around the villa or staying inside her room. A new phone had also been provided for her, though she avoided using any of her real information because she knew very well that she was technically still a wanted criminal.

One afternoon, Myra laid lazily on the bed while scrolling through random videos online. Suddenly, she paused after seeing a trending livestream clip that had blown up only a few minutes ago. The views had already crossed ten thousand.

Her brows slowly furrowed when she saw the face on the screen. It was Lyka. Myra hesitated briefly before pressing play.

Lyka appeared looking pitiful and heartbroken. Her makeup was ruined slightly while her eyes looked swollen and red from crying. “Hello everybody…” she sobbed softly. “I am Lyka Hendrix. Some of you may have heard about my wedding to the Beta of the Crimson Moon Pack…”

Her voice cracked emotionally. “I’m reaching out regarding my sister. She has been missing since the day of my wedding and we still haven’t found her.”

Myra’s face slowly turned cold. “Yes… she may have done terrible things,” Lyka continued tearfully. “But everyone deserves a second chance. Including her.”

Her shoulders trembled dramatically. “It’s my fault too. I took everything from her when I arrived. I know I’m not innocent. I know I made mistakes too. She tried to take revenge on me, but Kylie paid the price instead…”

Lyra almost laughed. What an actress.

“I forgive you, sister,” Lyka cried. “I’m willing to give everything back to you. I’m willing to let Aiden go. I’m willing to let everything go. Please just come back. Dad misses you. Little Elvis misses you too…”

The comments flooded rapidly beneath the video.

“What an evil sister.”

“She committed murder? Poor Lyka.”

“Myra sounds insane.”

“That girl should be locked up forever.”

Myra silently scrolled through the comments, her expression completely blank. The livestream finally ended with a large picture of Myra displayed on the screen alongside a contact number.

“If anyone sees her,” Lyka said weakly, “please contact us immediately. You will be rewarded handsomely. Even though she’s my sister, I can’t let her hurt anyone else.”

The video ended and the room became quiet again. Myra slowly dropped the phone onto the bed.

For a second, she honestly wanted to applaud Lyka because the acting was incredible. Then reality slowly settled into her chest.

If she had already seen the video, then thousands of other people had probably seen it too. Maybe Matteo had protected her so far, but things were becoming dangerous now. What if someone recognized her? What if someone reported her?

Fear slowly crept into her chest. She remembered the dark dungeon she had once been locked inside back at the Crimson Moon Pack. The loneliness. The humiliation. The coldness. Her hands trembled slightly.

She would rather die than go back there.

Myra quickly stood up and grabbed the money Victoria had thrown at her earlier. Bria had gone to school while Butler William had gone to the market. This was probably her best chance to leave quietly before anyone noticed.

She carefully stepped out of the room and tiptoed downstairs. The villa was quiet. She had almost reached the entrance when a voice suddenly called out behind her.

“My lady?”

Myra nearly jumped from shock. She slowly turned around and saw Butler William standing there holding grocery bags.

“Is there anything you need?” he asked kindly. “You seem like you’re heading out.”

Myra quickly forced a smile. “Nothing serious. I just wanted to explore outside a little. I’m getting uncomfortable staying indoors all day.”

William’s expression changed slightly. “Actually, I don’t think it’s safe for you to go outside right now.”

Myra froze immediately. “There have been protests lately because of some new reforms His Majesty introduced,” William explained. “Yesterday there was a huge riot near the market. Many people got injured. Some angry citizens are even gathering near the palace gates.”

Myra let out a breath, thankfully he hadn’t found out yet..

William sighed tiredly. “His Majesty has barely rested these past few days. I can tell he’s under a lot of pressure.”

For some reason, hearing that made Lyra feel a little guilty. William suddenly smiled warmly again. “Come. Let’s have lunch first. I made soured pork ribs today. I know you like them.”

Myra honestly didn’t know how to refuse anymore. Besides… this might be her last meal here.

She quietly followed him toward the dining room and sat down at the table. The delicious smell of food quickly filled the air as William carefully served the dishes. Myra stared quietly at the food in front of her. Nobody had cared enough to remember the meals she liked before. Even in the Crimson Moon Pack, she mostly ate whatever was left behind.

A strange feeling settled inside her chest.

Just as William began pouring her a drink, the front doors suddenly burst open loudly.