The Lycan Queen

The Lycan King

It’d been 3 months since my rejection, the special night with the stranger and that gruesome incident. It had led to a lot of insinuations in the pack but no one had been able to specifically link me to the crime.

There was no way the wolfless me could have taken down and torn a beta’s head apart. And while everyone else had what they would call a ‘viable’ reason now to confirm my curse, they were relieved by the death of one of the chief terrorists in our community and hence the case had been closed.

But my mind wasn’t at rest still, even after months had passed the image of Rob’s head remained with me and haunted my nights. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what had happened on that night.

My eyes would usually dart around when I was out, in search for Alexander, so that I would have the opportunity to meet him again. Memories of that amazing night were the one thing that had made these past few months almost beautiful for her.

I was just basking in the light of these fantasies about him when I heard the sound of my favourite person’s voice, that melodious tone. It was my perfect cousin!

Immediately, I dashed out of my room, “Addison!” I exclaimed as I ran downstairs and straight into her arms.

“Oh! My darling, I’ve missed you so much.” She said, hugging me tightly.

Addison was my lighthouse. There was not a single person in this world that I loved more, nor a single other soul apart from her that was on my side in this world.

“My daughter, the only reasonable thing I’m left with in this world.” My aunt pushed me away to embrace her.

Addison was a few years older than me and hence, had always treated me like a younger sister. She was the only one who could protect me from the wrath of my aunt and the only person I could possibly talk to.

I took a moment to admire her dashing looks, she had always been the flower of our pack, so smart that she had graduated and gotten invited to work for one of the most developed packs in our world, so pretty that upon her omega status, every man in Primal pack had wanted her.

Now she was back because she missed her family and had quit her job… or so she had said over the phone, but I didn’t believe her. I always knew when Addison was lying or hiding something.

“How’ve you been, dearest Lyah? Oh my! You look so pale, are you okay?” Addison asked

“Yes” I lied, I wasn’t okay medically and I knew this but ignored it anyway. There was nothing anybody would care to do about it, so I endured it in hope that it’ll go away eventually. But suddenly, I felt nauseous and I ran to the bathroom to empty my bowels.

“What the hell is wrong with you? That has been happening a lot for a while now, it’s disgusting.” My aunt complained and she was right, I’d been feeling weird lately and also throwing up often, including the morning sicknesses and getting nauseated at everything.

“When last did you get your period, Lyah?” Addison came to me and whispered quietly. My heart pounded as the implication of my answer set in.

I swallowed before I responded, “3 months ago.”

Addison gasped. “We need to go to the hospital.”

***

“Your test results are out and…” The doctor paused for effect as he slowly assessed me.

“What’s it, doctor?” Addison urged him. My entire body was dripping with sweat as I sat on the hospital bed. It was left to me. The doctor could take as much time as he needed. I wasn’t ready for the answer.

“You’re 9 weeks pregnant.” The doctor finally announced. My heart beat literally stopped and raced 10 times faster at his words.

“What the f**k, Lyah?!” Addison exclaimed. “What are we going to tell mum?”

I looked at Addison hopelessly. This was it! The breaking point, I was finally going to be picked out of the house and into the streets as I should have been 13 years ago. I told Addison everything about the man from the bar on the way home.

“He’s the father, right? You’re sure about it?” She asked.

“Of course, I am. He was my first.” I responded, a bit disappointed by her question.

When we got home, I locked my bedroom door behind me as Addison volunteered to tell my aunt, my heart felt like it was being pulled out of my chest as anxiety raked me. I could hear the vivid screams from downstairs and soon the hard pounding on my door.

“Get out of there, you useless disgrace. Today is the day I finally get to kill you and be justified for it!” My aunt shouted as she pounded hard on my bedroom door in anger. I could hear Addison’s silent pleas on my behalf. This had happened too many times already, my aunt would get mad and try to beat me up and Addison would beg for me. She couldn’t say no to her beloved daughter, but this time was different and it wouldn’t end so lightly.

I refused to open the door, I’d be dead in a heartbeat if I did. I knew I was f****d, I knew nothing about this man, not his address, I had never seen him in my small pack before. He had said he was on a trip, I was most likely never to see him again, I was going to raise this child alone, as an embarrassment to my family, as if I hadn’t already done enough of that. I was going to give everyone more reason to spite me.

I thought of the kind of unhealthy environment my child would have here, the amount of bullying he/she would face from the pack because of his/her mother, me. My heart broke into a million pieces. I imagined raising the child here. My aunt would probably kill it or fracture it before it could walk.

Suddenly, my heart began to rise in anger, all of this was because of one person. The person who had taken everything from her without blinking, killing her entire family in such a gruesome way and leaving her at the mercy of others and to the mockery of all. He didn’t deserve to leave and soon she was determined to change that.

Soon, my aunt had gotten tired and went back downstairs after, of course, not without raining a million sorts of insults on me. I couldn’t even blame her at that point. I didn’t eat dinner that night. I stayed up, locked in my room, drafting my exquisite plans to avenge my family’s death.

In the middle of the night, I heard a noise outside. I walked up to my window to see what was happening and caught Addison’s figure jumping the short fence and sneaking past the street. I wondered where she was going. I wanted to go out and follow her to find out but I couldn’t risk leaving my room that night. I couldn’t even risk it for at least a few days, my aunt’s anger wasn’t so easily calmed.

I figured that I'd simply ask her in the morning. I figured wrongly.

***

I woke up to the breaking of my window glass. People were throwing rocks at the house and chanting outside.

“Kill her! Not until she kills us!!” The townspeople protested. I walked up to my window and saw the crowd gathered in front of the house.

Immediately, my aunt came banging loudly on my door. “Come out, you witch! You have finally gotten what you wanted.” She wailed loudly in pain.

‘Why the hell was my aunt crying?’ My mind raced. I held my head in pain, everything was happening so fast, I couldn’t understand it.

“Justice for Addison!!” I heard the townspeople cry out. My eyes widened suddenly as I ran to the window as I searched through the crowds. I could see there were placards: ‘Justice for Addison’, ‘Burn her alive’, ‘Uproot her before she uproots us’.

What the hell was going on?

My aunt kept knocking on the door as my heart raced in fear and confusion. I opened the door with a drenched face. I hadn’t even realized I had been crying.

“What’s going on, aun…?” I started, but was soon interrupted by a hot slap across my cheeks.

“Bring her back to me!” She shouted. “Bring Addison back to me, you murderer.”

It took a second from there to understand what was going on, but I couldn’t believe it. My heart began to do marathons as sweat dripped down my skin. It couldn’t be.

“Crash!” It was a torch. The townspeople were lighting torches and throwing them into the house to burn.

“Burn her!” I could hear from outside. Immediately, my aunt brought the extinguisher to remove the fire and dragged me out of the house.

“Get out, you witch! What crime did I commit by taking in an orphan girl? First my husband, now my daughter, I’m definitely next.” She shouted, dragging me by the hair.

On sight of me outside the house, the people gathered to me, throwing rocks and eggs. “Despicable wench. You want to kill everyone who cares for you, soon you’ll run out and start killing us. She’s a curse, we must uproot her!”

I should have been terrified by this crowd, but my mind was on what they were saying. How could Addison be dead? She was perfectly fine yesterday. They pulled out her head and threw it to me. I screamed at the sight of it, her jaw had been ripped open and her tongue ripped out. They dragged her headless body to the front and my aunt rushed to it, wailing, pulling the body to her.

All of this was happening so suddenly, like a dream. It had to be. Addison couldn’t be dead. I was having a nightmare and soon I'd be awake and she and I would gossip and take walks round the streets.

I looked across the streets to see Dray looking at us with a look of profound despair while his girlfriend stood beside him, grinning from ear-to-ear. He looked like he wanted to help but couldn’t. I turned away in shame. It'll be over soon. All I had to do was shut my eyes and pray to wake up. I shut my eyes tightly.

They remained shut even as I was dragged to the town square, they remained shut when I was dragged out of the city, they remained shut when they threw things at me, spat at me, called me names and cursed me. And they remained shut when I heard his voice.

“What the hell is going on here?” His voice boomed, that authoritative tone, a voice I could never forget. It was Javion! My eyes flew open.

“Who are you? Stay out of this!” Someone shouted at him.

He was dressed in black with a stature intimidating enough for all of them to stop. He had a few people with him… guards!

“Release her at once!” He commanded.

“This is Javion O’Shea, King of the Lycans, protector of the kingdom and guardian of the northern realm…” One of his guards announced and everybody’s jaw dropped… except mine.

I was dumbfounded. The killer of my entire family stood before me with his child in my belly. I looked behind me, the head of the last person I had in this world for me hung on a stake. I looked back at him. I didn't cry, I didn't shout, I showed no expression as deadly silence came over the people. I simply stared, stared at the Lycan King.

The guard continued, "…And he is here to claim his mate, Ms. Lyah Sebastian." Now this was when I came off it.

"What the f**k?!"

My aunt tried to grab my arm again as she started to drag me away once more, but Javion’s voice boomed through the air and across the mob fiercely.

“Do Not Touch Her!” He commanded. “She is MINE now…”